65 Must-See Films
by samberdina | created - 03 Jul 2014 | updated - 22 Dec 2018 | PublicI cruise genres for anything that catches my attention. This is a list of some of my favorite movies - drama, a little horror and others (big production or independent). I chose them because of their unique ways of allowing the plots to unfold, sometimes appearing to tell a story from the inside out. They don't cloud deeper meanings with too many effects, dialogue or whatever would smear the clarity of a beautiful moment. All of them have awesome direction, acting and cinematography. Their affect on me and the way the films accomplished that affect makes me see them as flawless.
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1. Undertow (2004)
R | 108 min | Drama, Thriller
Pig farmer and widower John Munn is raising his two sons in an isolated farmhouse, until his troubled brother arrives and changes their lives forever.
Director: David Gordon Green | Stars: Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, Devon Alan
Votes: 9,359 | Gross: $0.02M
Difficult journey. You'll be glad you went.
2. The Kiss (II) (2010)
Not Rated | 15 min | Short, Drama
Aimee and Steph are up for an adventure; its a hot summer's night and they are fueled by cheap alcohol and teen hormones. The promise of cool water lures the two girls to an isolated ... See full summary »
Director: Ashlee Page | Stars: Nicole Gulasekharam, Briony Kent
Votes: 103
Give yourself time to take in all this film gives you. Even though the film is only 15 minutes, you'll never forget it.
3. Elephant (2003)
R | 81 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Elias McConnell, Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson
Votes: 97,228 | Gross: $1.23M
Everything becomes clear when the elephant's in the room.
4. The Hours (2002)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Romance
The story of how the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane
Votes: 138,487 | Gross: $41.68M
My favorite film.
5. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 986,623 | Gross: $170.74M
If you don't learn understanding, no one can teach you.
6. Hard Candy (2005)
R | 104 min | Drama, Thriller
Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl. Jeff's a handsome, smooth fashion photographer. An Internet chat, a coffee shop meet-up, an impromptu fashion shoot back at Jeff's place. Jeff thinks it's his lucky night. He's in for a surprise.
Director: David Slade | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Elliot Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae
Votes: 168,051 | Gross: $1.01M
Wow!
7. 21 Grams (2003)
R | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston
Votes: 245,829 | Gross: $16.29M
These three lives weighed heavily inside me.
8. High Art (1998)
R | 101 min | Drama, Romance
A young female intern at a small magazine company and a drug-addicted lesbian photographer slowly fall in love while exploiting each other to advance their respective careers.
Director: Lisa Cholodenko | Stars: Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy, Patricia Clarkson, Gabriel Mann
Votes: 11,111 | Gross: $1.93M
"It's been a long time since I was deconstructed."
9. The Good Son (1993)
R | 87 min | Drama, Thriller
A young boy stays with his aunt and uncle and becomes friends with his cousin, a boy of the same age who shows increasing signs of violent and psychopathic behavior.
Director: Joseph Ruben | Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Elijah Wood, Wendy Crewson, David Morse
Votes: 45,744 | Gross: $44.59M
It may seem impossible for a child to express emotions so powerfully that you become speechless. It's possible.
10. Everything Is Illuminated (2005)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
A young Jewish American man, with the help of an eccentric local, endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village that was ultimately razed by the Nazis.
Director: Liev Schreiber | Stars: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Lyoskin, Jonathan Safran Foer
Votes: 59,916 | Gross: $1.71M
I have no words, but my 'collection' of images from this film will last forever.
11. Mysterious Skin (2004)
Unrated | 105 min | Drama
Two pre-adolescent boys both experienced a strange event and later it affects their lives in different ways. One becomes a reckless, sexually adventurous prostitute, while the other retreats into a reclusive fantasy of alien abduction.
Director: Gregg Araki | Stars: Brady Corbet, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elisabeth Shue, Chase Ellison
Votes: 76,292 | Gross: $0.70M
One of my favorite films. It's raw and real. I relate. The cast is magical.
12. The Village (2004)
PG-13 | 108 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A series of events tests the beliefs of a small isolated countryside village.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard
Votes: 277,655 | Gross: $114.20M
Cohesive. Cast chemistry, direction, cinematography all excellent.
13. The Princess and the Warrior (2000)
R | 135 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Two enamoured strangers look for a warm place in a cold world.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Franka Potente, Benno Fürmann, Joachim Król, Lars Rudolph
Votes: 14,945 | Gross: $0.87M
The emotions in this film are massively rich. I feel the characters' breath on my cheek. It's sort of like an emotionally 3D movie.
14. Papillon (1973)
R | 151 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon
Votes: 138,341 | Gross: $53.27M
Amazing imagery. Emotions become a tangible wall getting higher every day. Beautiful film.
15. Sleeping Beauty (2011)
TV-14 | 101 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A haunting portrait of Lucy, a young university student drawn into a mysterious hidden world of unspoken desires.
Director: Julia Leigh | Stars: Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie, Bridgette Barrett
Votes: 34,618 | Gross: $0.04M
Original, disturbing plot carried out with a quiet ambience that even makes a viewer feel awkward.
16. Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Irregular migrants Okwe and Senay work at a posh London hotel and live in constant fear of deportation. One night Okwe stumbles across evidence of a bizarre murder, setting off a series of events that could lead to disaster or freedom.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Audrey Tautou, Sophie Okonedo, Kriss Dosanjh
Votes: 44,083 | Gross: $8.11M
Will make you ashamed, even though you've done nothing wrong.
17. November (I) (2004)
R | 73 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Sophie Jacobs is going through the most difficult time of her life. Now, she just has to find out if it's real.
Director: Greg Harrison | Stars: Courteney Cox, James Le Gros, Michael Ealy, Dori Mizrahi
Votes: 3,163 | Gross: $0.19M
I was very impressed. Amazing film.
18. Misery (1990)
R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Votes: 235,457 | Gross: $61.28M
Couldn't have been done better. Kathy Bates' character needs some sunshine.
19. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,072,019 | Gross: $112.00M
Perfect film. Who doesn't know Nurse Ratched?
20. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Approved | 129 min | Crime, Drama
Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a Black man against an undeserved rape charge, and tries to educate his young children against prejudice.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy
Votes: 332,771
The film doesn't try to mirror the book. It highlights a portion of the book. Excellent telling of the tale.
21. Deliverance (1972)
R | 109 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
Votes: 119,213 | Gross: $7.06M
Classic. Even though I know what's going to happen, it's all new to me. That's what a quality film does to your soul.
22. The Mist (2007)
R | 126 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher
Votes: 340,185 | Gross: $25.59M
Twists and turns in the most natural, but surprising, manner.
23. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,798,240 | Gross: $100.13M
Never a dull moment. Character development, action and horror all in one.
24. Flu (2013)
Not Rated | 122 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Chaos ensues when a lethal, airborne virus infects the population of a South Korean city less than 20 kilometers from Seoul.
Director: Kim Sung-su | Stars: Jang Hyuk, Soo Ae, Min-ah Park, Yoo Hae-jin
Votes: 14,606
Best 'outbreak' film I've seen.
25. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.
Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto | Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Votes: 25,915
Is it that obvious?
26. Mozart and the Whale (2005)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.
Director: Petter Næss | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Radha Mitchell, Gary Cole, Sheila Kelley
Votes: 9,294 | Gross: $0.04M
You're missing out to turn away from this film.
27. Turtles Can Fly (2004)
PG-13 | 98 min | Drama, War
Near the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of an American invasion, refugee children like 13-year-old Kak (Ebrahim), gauge and await their fate.
Director: Bahman Ghobadi | Stars: Soran Ebrahim, Avaz Latif, Saddam Hossein Feysal, Hiresh Feysal Rahman
Votes: 20,752 | Gross: $0.26M
War can't make adults out of children. It can only force them to make adult decisions with the minds of children. War happens to these children.
28. XXY (2007)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama, Romance
The story of an intersex fifteen-year-old. She lives with her parents, who have to cope with the challenges of her medical condition.
Director: Lucía Puenzo | Stars: Ricardo Darín, Valeria Bertuccelli, Germán Palacios, Carolina Pelleritti
Votes: 14,926 | Gross: $0.05M
Direction, acting, everything is perfect. A delicate subject is not ignored, but faced respectfully.
29. The Bad Seed (1956)
Approved | 129 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Rhoda Penmark seems like your average, sweet eight-year-old girl. After her rival at school dies in mysterious circumstances at the school picnic, her mother starts to suspect that Rhoda was responsible.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Gage Clarke, Jesse White
Votes: 15,768
This is an AMAZING cast. Super film.
30. Room in Rome (2010)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Romance
A hotel room in the center of Rome serves as the setting for two young and recently acquainted women to have a physical adventure that touches their very souls.
Director: Julio Medem | Stars: Elena Anaya, Natasha Yarovenko, Enrico Lo Verso, Najwa Nimri
Votes: 26,197
Depth. Love. Passion.
31. Feel (2006)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
Over the course of a single day, four different men visit a massage parlor looking for some kind of emotional or physical connection. Simultaneously, the film explores the complex emotional experiences of the women who work there.
Director: Matt Mahurin | Stars: William Baldwin, Tom Bower, Grant Chang, Kevin Corrigan
Votes: 175
What a remarkable film. Was not what I expected.
32. The African Queen (1951)
PG | 105 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In WWI East Africa, a gin-swilling Canadian riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced English missionary to undertake a trip up a treacherous river and use his boat to attack a German gunship.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull
Votes: 84,293 | Gross: $0.54M
Excellent in every way.
33. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
R | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar
Votes: 272,981 | Gross: $50.00M
Cornered? Doing what he must? There's more to this film than I had heard.
34. Hanna (2011)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Vicky Krieps
Votes: 206,825 | Gross: $40.26M
No trailer or synopsis will prepare you for Hanna. Best spy film I've ever seen.
35. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of passengers must embark on a harrowing struggle for survival after a rogue wave capsizes their cruise ship at sea.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons
Votes: 49,207 | Gross: $84.56M
One of the best action-in-the-water films of all time. Great cast.
36. Brokedown Palace (1999)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Two women are arrested for smuggling while vacationing in Thailand.
Director: Jonathan Kaplan | Stars: Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman, Jacqueline Kim
Votes: 24,047 | Gross: $10.11M
One of my favorite movies of all time. Extremely well-made and acted. Claire Daines is one of my favorite actors and she gives a top notch performance. No lulls or predictable plot. The soundtrack is also excellent. Bought it along with the movie.
37. American Beauty (1999)
R | 122 min | Drama
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Votes: 1,210,543 | Gross: $130.10M
I put off watching this film because of its dull synopsis. I wish I'd seen it much sooner. It's filled with 'beauty' even spoken beauty. I won't ruin it, just give it a go.
38. Under the Skin (I) (2013)
R | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A mysterious young woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.
Director: Jonathan Glazer | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Dougie McConnell
Votes: 158,142 | Gross: $2.61M
Best sci-fi movie I've ever seen.
39. Summer of Sam (1999)
R | 142 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American Northeast Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Esposito
Votes: 41,293 | Gross: $19.28M
Looks and feels like the 70s. Very good cast and directing. Excellent film.
40. The Towering Inferno (1974)
PG | 165 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
At the opening party of a colossal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
Director: John Guillermin | Stars: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway
Votes: 48,231 | Gross: $116.00M
Great nail-biter. Character development is super.
41. Fando and Lis (1968)
Not Rated | 93 min | Adventure, Fantasy
Fando and his partially-paralyzed lover Lis search for the mythical city of Tar. Based on Jodorowsky's memories of a play by surrealist Fernando Arrabal.
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky | Stars: Tamara Garina, Sergio Kleiner, Diana Mariscal, María Teresa Rivas
Votes: 6,363
Let the director reveal the genius of this piece of art in his commentary.
42. Strangers in Good Company (1990)
PG | 101 min | Adventure, Drama
A busload of women become stranded in an isolated part of the Canadian countryside. As they await rescue, they reflect on their lives.
Director: Cynthia Scott | Stars: Alice Diabo, Constance Garneau, Beth Webber, Catherine Roche
Votes: 1,300 | Gross: $1.00M
One of my all-time favorites. So real and always full of absolutely amazing but ordinary moments. Spectacular film.
43. Side Effects (I) (2013)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Votes: 197,108 | Gross: $32.17M
Very satisfied with this production. Great film. Best the less you know before watching.
44. Lady in the Water (2006)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban
Votes: 103,745 | Gross: $42.29M
No matter what critics say, this film is filled with a storybook quality rarely enjoyed in today's movies.
45. Nobody Knows (2004)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Yûya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu
Votes: 31,394 | Gross: $0.68M
Desperation from the point of view of children - resilient, industrious, facing harsh realities with a soft sense of responsibility.
46. Wilderness Survival for Girls (2004)
R | 78 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Three high-school girls on a weekend getaway impulsively take a menacing trespasser captive when he shows up at their remote mountain cabin. Fueled by desperation and alcohol, they endure a long, terrifying night with their captive.
Directors: Eli B. Despres, Kim Roberts | Stars: Jeanette Brox, Megan Henning, Ali Humiston, James Morrison
Votes: 638
I favor indies, accepting the advantages they usually are not afforded. This film reveals no disadvantage. The multiple dynamics and dilemmas are handled with organization and superb strength. The actors are excellent. I love this film.
47. Chloe (2009)
R | 96 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Suspecting her husband of infidelity, gynecologist Dr. Catherine Stewart hires an escort named Chloe in order to test his faithfulness. Soon, the relationships between all three intensify.
Director: Atom Egoyan | Stars: Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Max Thieriot
Votes: 77,827 | Gross: $3.07M
Superb performances by Seyfried and Moore. Stay away from reviews and trailers. The film is more enjoyable if you know less.
48. WALL·E (2008)
G | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.
Director: Andrew Stanton | Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard
Votes: 1,200,010 | Gross: $223.81M
Awesome story and follow-through. Lovable characters and excellent visuals. There's even a moral message. Loved it.
49. Descent (2007)
R | 104 min | Drama, Thriller
A college co-ed is brutally raped and struggles alone to rebuild her life.
Director: Talia Lugacy | Stars: Rosario Dawson, Chad Faust, Marcus Patrick, Vanessa Ferlito
Votes: 3,269 | Gross: $0.13M
Ignore critics and movie scores and judge for yourself. Though not for everyone, this movie is powerful and introspective. There are R and NC-17 versions. The NC-17 version is the original and includes more plot clues. But, the R version gets the point across. The character has an inner struggle which is turned into a tangible transformation. The film lets you watch her mind and heart as reality takes her on a strange road.
50. The Birds (1963)
PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette
Votes: 204,435 | Gross: $11.40M
In my opinion, Hitchcock's best. A template for real horror.
51. Run Lola Run (1998)
R | 80 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After a botched money delivery, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri
Votes: 206,945 | Gross: $7.27M
Unique, exciting, edge-of-your-seat film that follows Lola (Franka Potente) and may have you breathing heavily by the end of the movie. I love it. Everything's in place, every detail is important. Super movie, out of which comes an awesome soundtrack.
52. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
R | 152 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A journalist is aided by a young female hacker in his search for the killer of a woman who has been dead for forty years.
Director: Niels Arden Oplev | Stars: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Ewa Fröling, Lena Endre
Votes: 223,314 | Gross: $10.10M
Unique story and character development. There is a clear baseline with branches of complexity. Spy films often follow a certain template. This is atypical for its genre and definitely mouthwatering for the two sequels to follow.
53. 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: 388,229 | Gross: $257.76M
It took a while for me to be convinced to watch it, (Legos?). But the movie is AWESOME! It's the first animated film Morgan Freeman did a voiceover for. Never a dull moment, the film will entertain young and old. I'm 43 and I laughed my head off.
54. Foxfire (1996)
R | 102 min | Drama, Romance
Legs Sadovsky gets four other high school girls to think for themselves and react to a teacher's sexual harassment, which gets them suspended. They bond, and rebel, at an abandoned house.
Director: Annette Haywood-Carter | Stars: Hedy Burress, Angelina Jolie, Jenny Lewis, Jenny Shimizu
Votes: 9,749 | Gross: $0.26M
An early role for Jolie in which she was superb. Burress was awesome. The group of girls made me wish the circle was real and that I was one of the misfits. Excellent movie, both in character and storyline development
55. Monster (2003)
R | 109 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen
Votes: 161,761 | Gross: $34.47M
No one can really know what was in Aileen Wuornos' head during the days of her murder spree. Much of true crime records were included in Monster. However, the film did not justify the murders she committed. Charlize Theron's transformation for the role was impressive and both she and Ricci did an excellent job portraying the two characters involved in the events reported.
56. House of Flying Daggers (2004)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Dandan Song
Votes: 116,247 | Gross: $11.05M
Unique action sequences make this film's mix of romance and physical power an outstanding viewing experience.
57. Lifeboat (1944)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, War
Several survivors of a torpedoed merchant ship in World War II find themselves in the same lifeboat with one of the crew members of the U-boat that sank their ship.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Tallulah Bankhead, John Hodiak, Walter Slezak, William Bendix
Votes: 31,165
The whole film is in that boat but it's just as interesting as if they were being chased in a forest. Excellent character development, action and a strange group dynamic that will have you choosing sides whether you like it or not.
58. Black Snake Moan (2006)
R | 116 min | Drama, Music
A God-fearing bluesman takes to a wild young woman who, as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, looks everywhere for love, never quite finding it.
Director: Craig Brewer | Stars: Christina Ricci, Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson
Votes: 66,532 | Gross: $9.40M
Jackson and Ricci are a powerhouse of emotional rhythm. There is so much raw feeling and gentility packed into this film, no viewer could be disappointed.
59. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
PG | 161 min | Adventure, Drama, War
British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.
Director: David Lean | Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa
Votes: 233,228 | Gross: $44.91M
Superb cast and plot.
60. Boys Don't Cry (1999)
R | 118 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A young man named Brandon Teena navigates love, life, and being transgender in rural Nebraska.
Director: Kimberly Peirce | Stars: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III
Votes: 103,269 | Gross: $11.53M
I like when a director decides to pull the right amount of emotion from a true-life story by taking a few liberties with a film. I'm into true crime, so I know the story. But Boys Don't Cry helps a viewer to feel the story, as well.
61. Mean Creek (2004)
R | 90 min | Crime, Drama
When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge.
Director: Jacob Estes | Stars: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan
Votes: 33,358 | Gross: $0.60M
The young actors in Mean Creek are spectacular. Reactions, horseplay, confusion and other childish ways are guided and executed perfectly. I've seen this movie a few times. I'm always impressed.
62. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Approved | 150 min | Action, Adventure, War
During World War II, a rebellious U.S. Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes
Votes: 79,072 | Gross: $45.30M
Action and character development. An action-packed, suspenseful film.
63. Pieces of April (2003)
PG-13 | 80 min | Comedy, Drama
A wayward daughter invites her dying mother and the rest of her estranged family to her apartment for Thanksgiving dinner.
Director: Peter Hedges | Stars: Katie Holmes, Oliver Platt, Patricia Clarkson, Derek Luke
Votes: 22,117 | Gross: $2.53M
When a film can ease you into strange behavior, it's a good one. Quirky, emotional and, somehow, normal, Pieces of April is an experience. Judge for yourself.
64. Mystic River (2003)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Emmy Rossum
Votes: 485,729 | Gross: $90.14M
The emotional depth, power, anguish and suspicion are palatable. Excellent cast, direction and writing.
65. Go (1999)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
The aftermath of a drug deal as told from three different points of view.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Sarah Polley, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, Taye Diggs
Votes: 75,137 | Gross: $16.84M
Genuine entertainment. As the name of the film implies, this is not a slow burn. It's a fast-paced, funny look at life "in the scene"
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