Just off the top of my head, 10 that I could watch again anytime:
Giant
The Bicycle Thief (D: Dr Sica)
The Island (Japanese, D:K. Shindo)
Imitation of Life
Song of the South
The Man Who Fell To Earth
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Producers
Rosemary’s Baby
Some more…
Harold and Maude
The Grapes of Wrath
Glengarry Glen Ross
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Of Mice and Men (1939)
Rudeboy
Beloved
Easy Rider
Apocalypse Now
Deliverance
I tried, but I couldn’t limit myself to just 10. These are top 21 films in my list of all-time great films:
-
To Kill A Mockingbird - Possibly the only film that contains the perfect
combination of heart, soul and intelligence. It’s not a coincidence that
Atticus Finch was picked as Top Hero of all time by the American Film
Institute. It’s just too bad there are so few Atticus Finches in the world today. -
Hud - A compelling character portrait with Paul Newman perfect as a sleazy
Texan who’ll probably never understand why he ended up alone - and probably
will never care, either. -
The Godfather (Part 1) - One of the few (VERY few) films that is as good
as the book on which it’s based. Marlon Brando shows why he was the top actor
of the second half of the 20th Century. -
The Gift - To Kill a Mockingbird meets The X-Files. A top-notch cast, an
excellent story co-written by Billy Bob Thornton and magnificent direction from
Sam Raimi make this, in my opinion, the best film of the last 25 years.
Forget The Matrix; this is Keanu Reeves’ best performance in a film. -
Amadeus - Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham are excellent as opposite ends
of the same coin. The film serves also as a great introduction to Mozart’s
music for those who’ve never heard it. -
It’s a Wonderful Life - It’s a wonderful film! Panned when it was first
released in 1946, it finally gained the recognition it deserves as a gentle and
entertaining reminder to be thankful for what you have. -
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - An entertaining William Goldman
screenplay and a catchy Burt Bacharach score combine with the formidable
talents of Paul Newman and Robert Redford to create the best Western in filmdom. -
The Great Santini - Robert Duvall gives a brilliant performance in this
underrated film as a soldier whose biggest battle was understanding his family. -
A Hard Day’s Night - The Beatles proved they were more than just a group
of mop tops who wrote catchy pop tunes in this, the only movie ever made solely
to capitalize on a band’s popularity that is actually good. -
Duck Soup - the Marx Brothers at their zaniest - and that’s saying
something. Groucho turns sarcasm into an art form in this ubercomedy. -
Momento - A man who can’t make new memories is being held prisoner by
those he can’t forget. A nifty plot twist and the fact that the story is told
in reverse chronological order make it a film to remember. -
Frailty - Is religious fervor merely intensity of belief or is it just
insanity? That’s the compelling question asked in actor Bill Paxton’s
directorial debut. This highly over-looked film (by audiences, not by critics)
lasts with you long after the lights have come up. -
Planet of the Apes - Who’d have thought a movie that features
Shakespearean actors in ape drag would work and work so well? Thank you,
Charlton Heston, for your portrayal of a man who finds himself stuck in a hellish realm. I’d
kiss you if you weren’t so damned ugly. -
The Sixth Sense - Its twist caught me off guard, enhancing my
appreciation of M. Night Shyamalan’s filmmaking expertise. Bruce Willis and
Haley Joel Osment give fine performances that make this required viewing for anyone who
wants to see a Big Hollywood film that’s not like a Big Hollywood film. -
Fight Club - This film caught me by surprise because it’s not at all
about what it was promoted as being about - and that’s A Good Thing ™, as
Martha would say. Great characters and an unforeseen twist make this one of my
all-time faves. -
Blazing Saddles - If you’re PC, then forget watching this film. But, if
you’re human, watch it and be prepared to laugh. This film spoofs everything
and everyone, and thank God - and Mel Brooks - it does. -
Fargo - The characters in this Coen brothers film are a quirky treat for
those who appreciate quirkiness and below-zero temps. -
Spartacus - Do you like gladiator movies, little boy? I didn’t, either,
until I saw this classic. Made before Stanley Kubrick started using his
stylized method of filmmaking, it’s still a powerful drama about how one man
can make a difference in the world. -
Pulp Fiction - a celebration of non-linear storytelling and violence.
Quentin Tarantino uses both to weave a film that showed he was the bastard son
of Sam Peckinpah and Stanley Kubrick. -
There’s Something About Mary - There’s something about a film that can
make me laugh as hard as this one did. Quirky characters, outlandish humor,
dogs in full-body casts and unique hair mousse. What more could you ask for? -
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery - Speaking of laughing hard,
this (or Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) is the film to rent when you’re
spouse has left you and taken the pickup and your favorite hunting dog. Or
perhaps it’s the movie to watch if you’ve just married someone who owns a
pickup and a hunting dog. Either way, it’ll make you forget your troubles for 2
hours, and that’s saying something.
Tesa
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Band of Brothers
Dances With Wolves
The Sting
Shawshank Redemption
Silverado
Mulan
Babe
Stalag 17
A Christmas Story
L.A. Confidential
Network
La Vita i Bella
Richard III (Ian McKellan version)
Apocalypse Now
Wizard of Oz
Good Will Hunting
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Platoon
Star Wars
And now top ten animated films:
Akira
Bambi
Fantasia
Spirited Away
Ghost in the Shell
Wizards
Transformers: The Movie
Princess Mononoke
Toy Story
Aladdin
Imitation of Life
No particular order:
-The Seventh Seal (not a great movie, but you’ll be amazed how many different films and tv shows ripped it off when you see it)
-Office Space
-Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
-Clerks
-A Bridge Over the River Kwai
-A Fish Called Wanda
-The Fifth Element
-Transformers, The Movie (yes, I’m dead serious)
-UHF (Its the Weird Al movie)
-Army of Darkness
The Matrix
The Shawshank Redemption
Unforgiven
Patton
Reds
Dances With Wolves
L.A. Story
Platoon
Philadelphia
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings
Bull Durham
(That’s 11 - so sue me :D)