Most Influential Movies of My Life
by Harry-Hood | created - 15 May 2014 | updated - 15 May 2014 | PublicA personal & subjective review of films that left an impact on me throughout my life, from the 70s to present.
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1. E.T. (1982)
PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace
Votes: 437,728 | Gross: $435.11M
my first film experience
2. Traffic (2000)
R | 147 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect an informant. A jailed drug baron's wife attempts to carry on the family business.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jacob Vargas
Votes: 219,810 | Gross: $124.12M
First socio-politically relevant film......
3. Fargo (1996)
R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Votes: 727,031 | Gross: $24.61M
the first dark comedy
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,037,220 | Gross: $248.16M
the first adventure film
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure
In 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott
Votes: 811,237 | Gross: $197.17M
the first adventure film with true heart
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.
Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Votes: 1,211,149 | Gross: $305.41M
The best action comedy since "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Too bad the sequels failed...
7. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,450,320 | Gross: $322.74M
the first mythical film
8. Poltergeist (1982)
PG | 114 min | Horror, Thriller
A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Votes: 179,667 | Gross: $76.61M
first horror film
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,758 | Gross: $30.86M
most realistic/terrifying horror film (a fortuitous VHS b-side to "Poltergeist")
10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
R | 91 min | Horror
Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, John Saxon
Votes: 262,641 | Gross: $25.50M
first intelligent horror film
11. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,549,063 | Gross: $130.74M
first award-winning horror film
12. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,286,426
Perfect blend of fantasy, drama, action/adventure and realism...
13. 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
A group of aliens is sent to Earth, disguised as a human family, to experience and report life on the third planet from the sun.
Stars: John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart
Votes: 55,740
TV sit-com with first universal appeal....
14. Modern Family (2009–2020)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Three different, but related, families face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely comedic ways.
Stars: Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell
Votes: 483,976
TV comedy with most universal appeal...
15. Alive (1993)
R | 128 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
After crash-landing in the snowswept Andes, a Uruguayan rugby team has no choice but to turn to desperate measures in order to survive.
Director: Frank Marshall | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton, Bruce Ramsay
Votes: 64,465 | Gross: $36.73M
First true survival story
16. The Woman in Black (2012)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.
Director: James Watkins | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds, Emma Shorey
Votes: 192,693 | Gross: $54.33M
Most atmospheric & effective commercial ghost movie...
17. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,051,805 | Gross: $293.51M
Emotional movie about the supernatural... feels both real and metaphysically impactful.....
18. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,107,381 | Gross: $44.02M
First horror film I watched repeatedly...
19. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 719,957 | Gross: $56.95M
First film to make me think more on each viewing...
20. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 881,620 | Gross: $6.21M
Film that made me wonder, "Who or What is Stanley Kubrick??"
21. Gravity (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen
Votes: 863,459 | Gross: $274.09M
Made me re-appreciate life and what motivates progress.
22. Life of Pi (2012)
PG | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu
Votes: 667,093 | Gross: $124.99M
A great analogy for the struggle over the freedom of religious choice.
23. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
R | 169 min | Drama, War
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
Votes: 1,497,175 | Gross: $216.54M
The first film to bring me to tears... regarding the "value" of one life over another, and much more....
24. Pitch Perfect (2012)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.
Director: Jason Moore | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp
Votes: 330,859 | Gross: $65.00M
A fun and escapist movie with strong grounding in real-life.
25. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean
Votes: 2,008,130 | Gross: $315.54M
As a trilogy, the most engaging and fully-realized vision ever put on film.
26. The Party (1968)
Approved | 99 min | Comedy, Romance
A clerical mistake results in a bumbling Indian film star being invited to an exclusive Hollywood party instead of being fired.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, Natalia Borisova, Jean Carson
Votes: 43,746
Made by the same team as the original "Pink Panther" film series, "The Party" has the same physical comedy yet feels more spontaneous and real, while being more chaotic and ridiculous. Unforgettable.
27. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
PG | 101 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
Director: Rich Moore | Stars: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman
Votes: 458,698 | Gross: $189.42M
Classic
28. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore
Votes: 72,923 | Gross: $3.97M
The anti-rock star rock documentary... truly humbling and introspective.
29. Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill
Votes: 13,957 | Gross: $4.95M
Credit where credit is due... see the film.... Enough said.
30. The Way Way Back (2013)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama
Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.
Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash | Stars: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb
Votes: 156,891 | Gross: $21.50M
Modern vision of classic coming of age story.
31. Intruders (I) (2011)
R | 100 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Two children living in different countries are visited nightly by a faceless being who wants to take possession of them.
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo | Stars: Clive Owen, Carice van Houten, Izán Corchero, Ella Purnell
Votes: 21,326 | Gross: $0.07M
The most original modern story about the boogeyman/ghost story... a sort of hybrid of "Nightmare on Elm St." and "The Sixth Sense" with originality.
32. Knight and Day (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Jordi Mollà
Votes: 210,386 | Gross: $76.42M
By far the best Tom Cruise movie...
33. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
R | 86 min | Horror, Thriller
Tommy Jarvis exhumes Jason Voorhees to cremate his corpse, but inadvertently brings him back to life instead. The newly revived killer seeks revenge, and Tommy may be the only one who can stop him.
Director: Tom McLoughlin | Stars: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Kerry Noonan
Votes: 51,254 | Gross: $19.47M
The only really good "Friday the 13th" movie. It influenced "Scream" and other modern horror-comedies.
34. Scream (1996)
R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich
Votes: 388,656 | Gross: $103.05M
35. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Horror
Affable hillbillies Tucker and Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are mistaken for murderers by a group of preppy college students.
Director: Eli Craig | Stars: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss
Votes: 193,612 | Gross: $0.22M
36. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
Director: Drew Goddard | Stars: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz
Votes: 450,950 | Gross: $42.07M
37. The Prestige (2006)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine
Votes: 1,441,959 | Gross: $53.09M
Great magician vs. magician film with many twists...
38. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,828,448 | Gross: $448.14M
Perfect conclusion to the classic "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight".
39. Re-cycle (2006)
R | 108 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A writer wants to get a glimpse of some genuine supernatural occurrences while doing research for a novel, but her experiences lead her down a dark path as she witnesses vivid hallucinations and begins to lose her grip on reality.
Directors: Danny Pang, Oxide Chun Pang | Stars: Angelica Lee, Soi Cheang, Lawrence Chou, Viraiwon Jauwseng
Votes: 5,207
Innovative Asian ghost story with great visuals that preceded "Inception".
40. Silk (2006)
Not Rated | 108 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
In Taipei, the crippled scientist Hashimoto uses his invention of "Menger Sponge" to capture the energy of the spirit of a child in an old building. He invites the specialist in reading ... See full summary »
Director: Chao-Bin Su | Stars: Chang Chen, Yôsuke Eguchi, Karena Kar-Yan Lam, Barbie Hsu
Votes: 3,498
Cerebral Asian ghost story unlike any I've seen.... likely to be re-made in the U.S.....
41. The Road (III) (2011)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A 12 year old cold case is reopened when three teens are missing in an old abandoned road where a gruesome murder is left undiscovered for three decades.
Director: Yam Laranas | Stars: Carmina Villaroel, Rhian Ramos, TJ Trinidad, Barbie Forteza
Votes: 1,826 | Gross: $0.12M
Interesting Asian ghost story.
42. The Lego Movie (2014)
PG | 100 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
An ordinary LEGO construction worker, thought to be the prophesied as "special", is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis.
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller | Stars: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett
Votes: 388,493 | Gross: $257.76M
Surprisingly innovative film about building block toys.
43. Shock Waves (1977)
PG | 85 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of Zombie soldiers.
Director: Ken Wiederhorn | Stars: Clarence Thomas, Brooke Adams, Luke Halpin, John Carradine
Votes: 6,294
An early but timeless movie about Nazi zombies. Funny and intelligent.
44. Dazed and Confused (1993)
R | 103 min | Comedy
The adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 199,719 | Gross: $7.99M
A rare film experience that feels like you're hanging out with old friends.
45. High Plains Drifter (1973)
R | 105 min | Drama, Mystery, Western
A gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Mitchell Ryan
Votes: 64,563 | Gross: $15.70M
An effective and memorable "western"... or supernatural western....
46. True Grit (2010)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Western
A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin
Votes: 357,640 | Gross: $171.24M
Perfect western by the perfect directors... the Coen Brothers.
47. RED (2010)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last-ditch effort to survive and uncover his assailants.
Director: Robert Schwentke | Stars: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 324,005 | Gross: $90.38M
48. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,552,346 | Gross: $292.58M
49. Outlander (2008)
R | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
During the reign of the Vikings, Kainan, a man from a far-off world, crash lands on Earth, bringing with him an alien predator known as the Moorwen. Though both man and monster are seeking revenge for violence committed against them, Kainan leads the alliance to kill the Moorwen by fusing his advanced technology with the Viking's Iron Age weaponry.
Director: Howard McCain | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Ron Perlman, Jack Huston
Votes: 78,719 | Gross: $0.16M
50. The Orphanage (2007)
R | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.
Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera
Votes: 163,655 | Gross: $7.16M
The best ghost movie of the past 15 years.
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