A life's pleasure
by keblackwell | created - 22 May 2012 | updated - 25 Mar 2015 | PublicA list of movie titles as remembered over a lifetime to be as a simulacrum for spines of book titles on a library shelf. Or, memory fails so write it down. While I have a preference for hard and realistic films you will find the lighter and softer side of storytelling as well. I apologize for the sparsity of comment right now and will add small observations more frequently. Not a critic but an avid lifelong film lover that has a hundred titles for his Top Ten list.......keith
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1. Throne of Blood (1957)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 55,621
2. Never on Sunday (1960)
Not Rated | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An American scholar in Greece sets about improving the prostitute with whom he is infatuated.
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Melina Mercouri, Jules Dassin, Giorgos Foundas, Titos Vandis
Votes: 6,114
3. The 39 Steps (1959)
Approved | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
In London, a diplomat accidentally becomes involved in the death of a British agent who's after a spy ring that covets British military secrets.
Director: Ralph Thomas | Stars: Kenneth More, Taina Elg, Brenda de Banzie, Barry Jones
Votes: 2,306
4. Das zweite Gleis (1962)
80 min | Drama, Romance, War
Dark secrets from the Nazi era emerge in 1960's East Germany
Director: Joachim Kunert | Stars: Albert Hetterle, Annekathrin Bürger, Horst Jonischkan, Walter Richter-Reinick
Votes: 143
5. The Trouble with Harry (1955)
PG | 99 min | Comedy, Mystery
Harry's dead and, while no one really minds, everyone feels responsible. After Harry's body is found in the woods, several locals must determine not only how and why he was killed but what to do with the body.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine, Edmund Gwenn, Mildred Natwick
Votes: 41,108
Hitchcock at his morbid and humorous best.
6. The Apartment (1960)
Approved | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston
Votes: 195,699 | Gross: $18.60M
Great actors and story here - and indictment of a time that rolled ahead unheeded regardless.
7. Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
Approved | 117 min | Drama
An alcoholic marries a young woman and systematically addicts her to booze so that they can share his "passion" together.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford, Jack Klugman
Votes: 13,967
Jack Lemmon here and in The Apartment shows a talent that transcends classification to type.
8. The Red Circle (1970)
Not Rated | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After leaving prison, master thief Corey crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic former policeman. The trio proceed to plot an elaborate heist.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand
Votes: 27,955 | Gross: $0.37M
9. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
Passed | 152 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The dramatic lives of trapeze artists, a clown, and an elephant trainer are told against a background of circus spectacle.
Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: James Stewart, Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde
Votes: 15,954 | Gross: $36.00M
10. Dým bramborové nate (1977)
95 min | Drama
At the airport terminal lobby a husband and wife are parting calmly but seemingly for good. Unlike his wife Ema, the medical doctor Meluzin (Rudolf Hrusínský) is returning to his home ... See full summary »
Director: Frantisek Vlácil | Stars: Rudolf Hrusínský, Vera Galatíková, Jana Dítetová, Marie Logojdová
Votes: 234
11. The Valley of the Bees (1968)
97 min | Drama, History
Ondrej, a young boy who loves bees and bats, is introduced to his new mother, a woman much younger than his father. He brings her a basketful of flowers which she starts to throw in the air... See full summary »
Director: Frantisek Vlácil | Stars: Petr Cepek, Jan Kacer, Vera Galatíková, Zdenek Kryzánek
Votes: 1,813
12. Delta (2008)
92 min | Drama
A man comes home to meet his mother and sister after many years away. He finds his mother living with a new boyfriend, and his sister to be grown-up. He begins to settle down in this new ... See full summary »
Director: Kornél Mundruczó | Stars: Félix Lajkó, Orsolya Tóth, Lili Monori, Sándor Gáspár
Votes: 1,742
An especially beautiful film of the Outsider and the consequences paid for taboo violations.
13. Falling Leaves (1966)
91 min | Drama, Romance
A young idealist takes a job at a local state run winery only to discover and become disillusioned by the corruption of the Soviet State.
Director: Otar Iosseliani | Stars: Ramaz Giorgobiani, Gogi Kharabadze, Marina Kartsivadze, Aleksandre Omiadze
Votes: 992
Director Otar Iosseliani has a large filmography to his credit and while I have only seen a half dozen or so I highly recommend seeing what you can. This DVD has four titles and would be a great start.
14. Three Colors: Blue (1993)
R | 94 min | Drama, Music, Mystery
A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Benoît Régent
Votes: 109,979 | Gross: $1.32M
First of the Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red. Saw them out of sequence myself and don't know that it matters. The extra material on the DVD rounded out things out - got up to speed with the directors intent. I'm torn betwen Red or White as my favorite.
15. The Raven (1943)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A French village doctor becomes the target of poison-pen letters sent to village leaders, accusing him of affairs and practicing abortion.
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Ginette Leclerc, Micheline Francey, Héléna Manson
Votes: 10,839 | Gross: $0.03M
See the movie first then find out about the making of same. Or not.
16. Ed Wood (1994)
R | 127 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 183,499 | Gross: $5.89M
17. The Leopard (1963)
PG | 186 min | Drama, History
The Prince of Salina, a noble aristocrat of impeccable integrity, tries to preserve his family and class amid the tumultuous social upheavals of 1860s Sicily.
Director: Luchino Visconti | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale, Paolo Stoppa
Votes: 28,651
This a very engaging film of a time of change in a man, a family, and a society. Rich in scenery, lifestyles, and history. A slowly evolving story that mirrors the history.
18. Fritz the Cat (1972)
X | 78 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Fritz drops out of college, starts a riot in Harlem and hits the road with an ex-girlfriend before getting mixed up with domestic terrorists.
Director: Ralph Bakshi | Stars: Skip Hinnant, Rosetta LeNoire, John McCurry, Judy Engles
Votes: 14,251 | Gross: $25.00M
All one can say it is a period piece - a significant one in influence.
19. The Dresser (1983)
PG | 118 min | Drama
Personal assistant Norman struggles to get deteriorating veteran actor Sir through a difficult performance of King Lear.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox, Zena Walker
Votes: 5,667 | Gross: $5.31M
If you are not one for deep character studies this one might win you over.
20. Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
Recently released from a mental hospital, Karin rejoins her emotionally disconnected family in their island home, only to slip from reality as she begins to believe she is being visited by God.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow, Lars Passgård
Votes: 27,242
Bergman. Troubled people. A good film if you like a hard edge.
21. Onibaba (1964)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno
Votes: 21,648
One of the many great films in the heyday of Japanese Cinema.
22. The Castle (1968)
93 min | Drama, Mystery
A man comes to a small village to begin his new job as an attendant at the nearby castle. But everybody in the village claims that he surely must be mistaken, there is no need for an attendant at the castle.
Director: Rudolf Noelte | Stars: Maximilian Schell, Cordula Trantow, Trudik Daniel, Friedrich Maurer
Votes: 277
Kafka's unrelenting labyrinth of frustration and anger for our protagonist surveyor.
23. A Thousand Acres (1997)
R | 105 min | Drama
A family is torn apart after a father gives his valuable farm land to his daughters.
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse | Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jason Robards
Votes: 5,795 | Gross: $7.94M
24. In the Mood for Love (2000)
PG | 98 min | Drama, Romance
Two neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Siu Ping-Lam, Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung
Votes: 165,886 | Gross: $2.73M
One lush and interesting movie. Often winds up going thru my thought at the oddest times. Is the prequel to 2046, which I saw first, and is a great and interesting film in its own right. When I see "Days of Being Wild" I will see the near trilogy in reverse order. So it goes.
25. King Lear (1970)
PG | 140 min | Drama
A Soviet adaptation of a world-famous tragedy about an aged king and how cruelly he lose his illusions.
Directors: Grigoriy Kozintsev, Iosif Shapiro | Stars: Jüri Järvet, Elza Radzina, Galina Volchek, Valentina Shendrikova
Votes: 1,676
This is a Russian production that is probably one of the best of The Bard's plays put to film: so the subtitles are not precise but the production values are a great asset and I think just compensation for the film's loss of the Elizabethan tongue.
26. Three Colors: Red (1994)
R | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A model discovers a retired judge is keen on invading people's privacy.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédérique Feder, Jean-Pierre Lorit
Votes: 109,551 | Gross: $4.04M
Last of the Three Colors trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Blue and White are listed elsewhere. Blue White Red are the order they are meant by the director to be seen in.
27. The Band's Visit (2007)
PG-13 | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town.
Director: Eran Kolirin | Stars: Sasson Gabay, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri, Khalifa Natour
Votes: 14,128 | Gross: $3.05M
A mix up puts an Egyptian Military Band in an isolated Israel town. Good character study and visually beautiful though pace might be to slow for some.
28. Three Colors: White (1994)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After his wife divorces him, a Polish immigrant plots to get even with her.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, Jerzy Stuhr
Votes: 79,213 | Gross: $1.46M
Second of the Three Colors trilogy that is probably the most approachable by a broad audience. Pretty straight story line with quite an ending.
29. Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Mystery
A respectable, convent-raised woman is haunted by the memory of being raped as a teenager. But when her grown daughter returns from school, her life begins to unravel in monumentally surprising ways.
Director: Arthur Crabtree | Stars: Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger, Patricia Roc, Peter Glenville
Votes: 629
A fine little melodrama and quite enjoyable on a few levels.
30. 49th Parallel (1941)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama, Thriller, War
A World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.
Director: Michael Powell | Stars: Leslie Howard, Laurence Olivier, Richard George, Eric Portman
Votes: 7,601
Nazi scouting party is trapped in Canada when there sub is sunk and must work there way across country to the west coast. Eventually they must try for reaching neutral United States. Great bit part by Raymond Massey.
31. Nowhere Boy (2009)
R | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A chronicle of John Lennon's first years, focused mainly in his adolescence and his relationship with his stern aunt Mimi, who raised him, and his absentee mother Julia, who re-entered his life at a crucial moment in his young life.
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson | Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, David Threlfall
Votes: 38,649 | Gross: $1.45M
Good movie and evidently a good representation of the young and wild John and the very talented Paul. Starts just before John and Paul's meeting and ends just as they leave for there Hamburg sojourn.
32. Empire of the Sun (1987)
PG | 153 min | Drama, War
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers
Votes: 133,814 | Gross: $22.24M
Worlds turned upside down, especially for our young hero who has a thing for planes. Stretches credulity at times but rich in character, scene, and overall a good story.
33. The Decalogue (1989–1990)
TV-MA | 572 min | Drama
Ten television drama films, each one based on one of the Ten Commandments.
Stars: Artur Barcis, Olgierd Lukaszewicz, Olaf Lubaszenko, Aleksander Bardini
Votes: 27,739 | Gross: $0.10M
Ten stories illustrating, to some extent, the Commandments as played out around and affecting residents in a massive apartment complex. Actually a TV series by Kieślowski film in Poland.
34. City of Life and Death (2009)
R | 133 min | Drama, History, War
In 1937, Japan occupied Nanjing, the Chinese capital. There was a battle and subsequent atrocities against the inhabitants, especially those who took refuge in the International Security Zone.
Director: Chuan Lu | Stars: Ye Liu, Wei Fan, Hideo Nakaizumi, Yuanyuan Gao
Votes: 11,657 | Gross: $0.12M
War is hell and this movie illustrates some of the levels.
35. The Night Porter (1974)
R | 118 min | Drama
A concentration camp survivor rekindles her sadomasochistic relationship with her lover, a former SS officer - now working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel - but his former Nazi associates begin stalking them.
Director: Liliana Cavani | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti
Votes: 14,624 | Gross: $0.63M
There was not anything in this movie for me which is pretty rare; usually I can get thru a film but this one just had nothing for me, try as I might.
36. Double Indemnity (1944)
Passed | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Byron Barr
Votes: 166,715 | Gross: $5.72M
Fred McMurray shines in this tale of hubris, greed, lust, and, in the end, repentence.
37. Ju Dou (1990)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Romance
In rural China, the young bride of a tyrannical owner of a silk-dyeing business finds temporary solace in the arms of her husband's nephew, but problems arise when she becomes pregnant.
Directors: Yimou Zhang, Fengliang Yang | Stars: Gong Li, Wei Li, Baotian Li, Zhang Yi
Votes: 8,973 | Gross: $1.99M
A beautifully filmed story of a tragedy slowly unfolding. Rich in detail and staging.
38. And Your Mother Too (2001)
R | 106 min | Drama
In Mexico, two teenage boys and an older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life and each other.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Ana López Mercado
Votes: 128,564 | Gross: $13.62M
A road picture two boys and a woman.
39. Far North (2007)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A soldier's unexpected arrival affects two women's simple existence.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Krusiec, Sean Bean, Gary Pillai
Votes: 3,229
Grim in story as the scenery can hostile in the far north.
40. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
PG | 125 min | Drama, Romance
China in the 1920s. After her father's death, Songlian is forced to marry the wealthy Master Chen. With three wives already, each living in a separate house, there is fierce competition for his attention and the privileges that are gained.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Gong Li, Jingwu Ma, Saifei He, Cuifen Cao
Votes: 35,149 | Gross: $2.60M
Lush inside and outside at the royal palace. Power shifts within the concubines and the winners are never really certain of winning.
41. The 400 Blows (1959)
Not Rated | 99 min | Crime, Drama
A young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.
Director: François Truffaut | Stars: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier, Guy Decomble
Votes: 127,618
Another film that makes me realize my childhood was not that bad. Really this is a classic and deserves many viewings.
42. Land of the Blind (2006)
R | 110 min | Drama, Thriller
A soldier recounts his relationship with a famous political prisoner attempting to overthrow their country's authoritarian government.
Director: Robert Edwards | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Donald Sutherland, Tom Hollander, Lara Flynn Boyle
Votes: 3,880 | Gross: $0.01M
The more things change the more they stay the same. Revolutionary story with a great Donald Sutherland leading the way. Maybe he is the grandfather to "Hunger Games" President Snow.
43. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 819,369 | Gross: $32.87M
2007 Final Cut Version is recommended by many viewers. But that is irrelevant as it is a great sci-fi film regardless.
44. The Human Stain (2003)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
When a disgraced former college dean has a romance with a mysterious younger woman haunted by her dark, twisted past, he is forced to confront a shocking fact about his own life that he has kept secret for fifty years.
Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise
Votes: 32,158 | Gross: $5.38M
Edgy and some friends thought story unrealistic. Who's to say. Intense.
45. Michael Clayton (2007)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit.
Director: Tony Gilroy | Stars: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Michael O'Keefe
Votes: 173,631 | Gross: $49.03M
Lots of second guessing in this thriller. Clooney shines and shows why is a top draw.
46. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother's wife barreling towards a shattering climax.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei
Votes: 111,080 | Gross: $7.08M
Woody Allen's doing a great crime movie. Boys will be boys.
47. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)
Not Rated | 83 min | Comedy
Monsieur Hulot comes to a beachside hotel for a vacation and accidentally, but good-naturedly, causes havoc.
Director: Jacques Tati | Stars: Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla, Valentine Camax
Votes: 20,149
If you are not acquainted with Hulot you can get a better intro then this lovely film.
48. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama, War
In the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight for independence from the French government.
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo | Stars: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Samia Kerbash
Votes: 65,304 | Gross: $0.06M
Story of The Resistance to an outside/colonial force. Brutal on both sides of the cause. Great piece of film making.
49. La strada (1954)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama
A care-free girl is sold to a traveling entertainer, consequently enduring physical and emotional pain along the way.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Aldo Silvani
Votes: 66,376
Anthony Quinn shines in this story. It is a favorite of mine and has to be at the top of any list I put together.
50. Atonement (2007)
R | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn, Saoirse Ronan
Votes: 298,558 | Gross: $50.93M
Beautifully visualization of the novel (itself one great & beautifully written story).
51. The Shipping News (2001)
R | 111 min | Drama
An emotionally beaten man with his young daughter moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to reclaim his life.
Director: Lasse Hallström | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 33,874 | Gross: $11.43M
Kevin Spacey shines in this mind bending story. Another film true to and bringing a novel to life.
52. Dreams (1990)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Fantasy
A collection of tales based upon eight of director Akira Kurosawa's recurring dreams.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi, Mieko Harada
Votes: 29,000 | Gross: $1.96M
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. Not directed by the master but a visualization of several of his dreams.
53. The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (I) (1959)
Not Rated | 208 min | Drama, History, War
A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima, Ineko Arima
Votes: 9,274
54. Wild Strawberries (1957)
Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, Romance
After living a life marked by coldness, an aging professor is forced to confront the emptiness of his existence.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Victor Sjöström, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand
Votes: 114,424
Bergman here presents probably the most difficult and bleak films of his that I have seen. To date.
55. Victim (1961)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama
A closeted lawyer risks his career to bring a blackmailer to justice.
Director: Basil Dearden | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Sylvia Syms, Dennis Price, Anthony Nicholls
Votes: 7,123
Dirk Bogarde plays a great role of a closeted attorney, facing blackmail or exposure, outing himself.
56. That Hamilton Woman (1941)
Passed | 125 min | Drama, History, Romance
The story of courtesan and dance-hall girl Emma Hamilton, including her relationships with Sir William Hamilton and Admiral Horatio Nelson and her rise and fall, set during the Napoleonic Wars.
Director: Alexander Korda | Stars: Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Alan Mowbray, Sara Allgood
Votes: 5,037
Beautifully done film on all accounts.
57. The Front Page (1974)
PG | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A ruthless editor tries to get his top reporter to cover one more crime story before retirement.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Susan Sarandon, Vincent Gardenia
Votes: 15,160 | Gross: $17.30M
Lemmon & Matthau shine with Earl Williams doing a great job as escaped death row inmate.
58. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Passed | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Arnold Stang
Votes: 12,161
Life of this junkie actually makes one more understanding of addiction. (I know - it's only a movie.)
59. The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama, War
Against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence, two brothers fight a guerrilla war against British forces.
Director: Ken Loach | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald
Votes: 54,296 | Gross: $1.83M
A different view of The Troubles.
60. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
PG-13 | 80 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters--an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire--to rescue him.
Director: Sylvain Chomet | Stars: Michèle Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, Michel Robin, Monica Viegas
Votes: 56,934 | Gross: $7.00M
Loved this animated story.
61. Up (2009)
PG | 96 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.
Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson | Stars: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 1,118,724 | Gross: $293.00M
Squirrel!
62. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
Not Rated | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin
Votes: 28,456 | Gross: $0.11M
It's the little things that trip one up. Good all the way around.
63. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Logan Lerman
Votes: 330,072 | Gross: $53.61M
Updated version of the 1957 edition. Very modern - very good.
64. 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama, Thriller, Western
Broke small-time rancher Dan Evans is hired by the stagecoach line to put big-time captured outlaw leader Ben Wade on the 3:10 train to Yuma but Wade's gang tries to free him.
Director: Delmer Daves | Stars: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Leora Dana
Votes: 21,529
The original was and always will be a classic tale of the American West.
65. In the Valley of Elah (2007)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.
Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker, Jason Patric
Votes: 74,974 | Gross: $6.78M
Strong story of a father not understanding or accepting the given version of his sons murder.
66. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Votes: 291,565 | Gross: $20.30M
Gritty and engaging crime drama. Intense.
67. The Grifters (1990)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A small-time conman has torn loyalties between his estranged mother and new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Jan Munroe
Votes: 30,421 | Gross: $13.45M
This opened up a world that though vaguely aware of made me glad I made other career plans earlier in life.
68. Ratatouille (2007)
G | 111 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.
Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava | Stars: Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm
Votes: 818,089 | Gross: $206.45M
Evidently people learned a lot about cooking, or chose to learn about cooking from this wonderful animated movie. So it is said.
69. Shadows and Fog (1991)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy
With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Michael Kirby, David Ogden Stiers
Votes: 18,084 | Gross: $2.74M
Powerful story of the Other and the Outsider. And it seems there is no Us in this film. One of Woody Allen's most intriguing.
70. Purple Noon (1960)
PG-13 | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Tom Ripley is a talented mimic, moocher, forger and all-around criminal improviser; but there's more to Tom Ripley than even he can guess.
Director: René Clément | Stars: Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforêt, Erno Crisa
Votes: 18,956
This a top flight movie that you will enjoy. If you like The Talented Mr. Ripley you'll love this. This one gets all ten stars.
71. The Player (1992)
R | 124 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected, but which one?
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 65,471 | Gross: $21.71M
72. The Rounders (1965)
TV-PG | 85 min | Comedy, Western
In Sedona, two aging cowpokes bust broncos, charm local ladies and bet on outcomes at the rodeo.
Director: Burt Kennedy | Stars: Glenn Ford, Henry Fonda, Sue Ane Langdon, Hope Holiday
Votes: 1,898
73. Beowulf & Grendel (2005)
R | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In Denmark, during the 6th century, Danish king Hrothgar and his warriors kill a troll whose son, Grendel, vows revenge.
Director: Sturla Gunnarsson | Stars: Hringur Ingvarsson, Spencer Wilding, Stellan Skarsgård, Ingvar Sigurdsson
Votes: 18,551 | Gross: $0.07M
Open to very mixed reviews. One of many love it or hate it movie. I love it for its uniqueness. Scenery was breathtaking.
74. The Fifth Element (1997)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm
Votes: 503,575 | Gross: $63.54M
One of three movies we always at Christmas. Just fun and all the story elements are there.
75. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller
Votes: 312,200 | Gross: $52.36M
More I thought about this movie the more I realized I enjoyed it.
76. Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Mystery
A middle-aged couple suspects foul play when their neighbor's wife suddenly drops dead.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Jerry Adler, Lynn Cohen
Votes: 46,638 | Gross: $11.29M
Who knew murder could be so funny.
77. El amor brujo (1986)
PG | 100 min | Music, Drama
In a Gypsy village, the fathers of Candela and José promise their children to each other. Years later, the unfaithful José marries Candela but while defending his lover Lucía in a brawl, he... See full summary »
Director: Carlos Saura | Stars: Antonio Gades, Cristina Hoyos, Laura del Sol, Juan Antonio Jiménez
Votes: 966
Three stories with love, jealousy, and Spanish dance. The Blood Wedding dress rehearsal is one take and amazing camera work. I would suggest in order Blood Wedding, Carmen, & El amor brujo.
78. All That Jazz (1979)
R | 123 min | Drama, Music, Musical
Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid career of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.
Director: Bob Fosse | Stars: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer
Votes: 35,136 | Gross: $37.82M
79. Casablanca (1942)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Romance, War
A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
Votes: 603,594 | Gross: $1.02M
80. Ins Blaue hinein... (1931)
36 min | Short
A recent discovery, master cinematographer Schüfftan's only film as a director is a free-spirited, fast-paced ode to being young, free, and hopeful.
Director: Eugen Schüfftan | Stars: Toni van Eyck, Carl Balhaus, Aribert Mog, Theo Lingen
Votes: 94
This is a bonus track (which stands on its own) on the Criterion DVD of "People on Sunday".
81. The Public Enemy (1931)
Passed | 83 min | Crime, Drama
An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Joan Blondell
Votes: 22,944 | Gross: $1.01M
82. A Star Is Born (1954)
Passed | 154 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A film star helps a young singer and actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career on a downward spiral.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, Charles Bickford
Votes: 19,601 | Gross: $14.93M
83. Andrei Rublev (1966)
R | 205 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolay Grinko, Nikolay Sergeev
Votes: 56,835 | Gross: $0.10M
Opens up into a beautiful movie and worth exploring.
84. Caravaggio (1986)
93 min | Biography, Drama, History
A retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century painter through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.
Director: Derek Jarman | Stars: Noam Almaz, Dexter Fletcher, Nigel Terry, Sean Bean
Votes: 6,985 | Gross: $0.00M
85. Charade (1963)
Passed | 113 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance
Romance and suspense ensue in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Whom can she trust?
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn
Votes: 85,105 | Gross: $13.47M
86. Great Expectations (1946)
Approved | 118 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
A humble orphan boy in 1810s Kent is given the opportunity to go to London and become a gentleman, with the help of an unknown benefactor.
Director: David Lean | Stars: John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Tony Wager, Jean Simmons
Votes: 26,274
87. Great Expectations (1998)
R | 111 min | Drama, Romance
Modernization of Charles Dickens' classic story finds the hapless Finn as a painter in New York City pursuing his unrequited and haughty childhood love.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper
Votes: 56,754 | Gross: $26.33M
88. His Girl Friday (1940)
Passed | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy, Gene Lockhart
Votes: 62,897 | Gross: $0.30M
89. Indiscreet (1958)
Approved | 100 min | Comedy, Romance
An actress who has given up on love meets a suave banker and begins a flirtation with him--although he's already married.
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Cecil Parker, Phyllis Calvert
Votes: 10,125
90. Ivan's Childhood (1962)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, War
During WWII, Soviet orphan Ivan Bondarev strikes up a friendship with three sympathetic Soviet officers while working as a scout behind the German lines.
Directors: Andrei Tarkovsky, Eduard Abalov | Stars: Nikolay Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov, Evgeniy Zharikov, Stepan Krylov
Votes: 39,715
War is hell and very personal for this young soldier. Follow it thru to the end.
91. Two Women (1960)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, War
In the Italy of WWII, a widow and her lonely daughter seek for distance between them and the horrors of war.
Director: Vittorio De Sica | Stars: Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Raf Vallone, Eleonora Brown
Votes: 12,354
92. M (1931)
Passed | 99 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke
Votes: 167,693 | Gross: $0.03M
Should be on everyone's seen list.
93. Meet John Doe (1941)
Passed | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A penniless drifter is recruited by an ambitious columnist to impersonate a non-existent person who said he'd be committing suicide as a protest, and a social movement begins.
Director: Frank Capra | Stars: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan
Votes: 14,846
94. Rashomon (1950)
Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 179,514 | Gross: $0.10M
Multiple point of view retelling of a crime. Top notch on all points.
95. Reefer Madness (1936)
AO | 66 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Cautionary tale that features a fictionalized take on marijuana use. A trio of drug dealers lead innocent teenagers to become addicted to "reefer" cigarettes by holding wild parties with jazz music.
Director: Louis J. Gasnier | Stars: Dorothy Short, Kenneth Craig, Lillian Miles, Dave O'Brien
Votes: 9,294
Historically relevant despite what is now pure camp.
96. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Not Rated | 73 min | Comedy, Horror
A clumsy young man nurtures a plant and discovers that it's carnivorous, forcing him to kill to feed it.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller
Votes: 19,492 | Gross: $1.40M
A young Jack Nicholson has quite a nice little bit in this wacky film.
97. The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
Approved | 114 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Writer Harry Street reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection while on safari in the shadow of Mount Kilamanjaro.
Directors: Henry King, Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner, Hildegard Knef
Votes: 5,865 | Gross: $18.05M
98. Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
Approved | 119 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
After a small aircraft crashes in the Kalahari Desert, one of the seven passengers decides that his survival chances would increase if he eliminates the other men in the group.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Stuart Whitman, Susannah York, Harry Andrews
Votes: 1,488
Never make the Baboons angry.
99. The Stranger (1946)
Passed | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Philip Merivale
Votes: 28,612
100. The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)
Passed | 75 min | Drama, Western
When a posse captures three men suspected of killing a local farmer, they become strongly divided over whether or not to lynch the men.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn
Votes: 24,852 | Gross: $1.64M
Great study of human character and our inherent(?) weakness and fears. The novel upon which it is based is strongly recommended as a great read.
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