Top 100 Films

DISCLAIMER: I make no apologies for what untold wonders you’ll find on this list, considering my taste in films is — I like to think — endearingly eclectic. Don’t believe me? Take a gander for yourself …

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975) — The answers to all of life’s questions can be found in this film.

TIE: “Young Frankenstein” (1974) — The funniest movie ever made. Period.
“Casablanca” (1942) — Because they just don’t make leading men like Humphrey Bogart anymore.

“The Usual Suspects” (1994) — “Keyser Soze.” Need I say more?

“Harold and Maude” (1971) — The standard by which all other romantic comedies must be judged.

“Apocalypse Now” (1979) — The smell of napalm in the morning, senseless warfare and Marlon Brando. What more do you need?

“The Princess Bride” (1987) — A beautiful love story … with a few ROUSes and swordfights thrown in.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) — One of the few book-to-movie adaptations that stands as its own work of art. 

“Citizen Kane” (1941) — In 1941, this richly textured biopic was ahead of its time. Still is.

“No Country for Old Men” (2007) — The Coen brothers’ best work yet, and a shocking look into the depths of the human psyche.

“This Is Spinal Tap” (1984) — Crank the volume up to 11 to enjoy what might be the greatest mockumentary ever to hit the silver screen. 

“Blood Simple” (1984) — If Loren Visser doesn’t give you nightmares for years, it’s because you have no soul.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004) — The greatest love story ever told.

“Some Like It Hot” (1959) — “Nobody’s perfect” gets my vote as the best exit line in cinema history.

“12 Angry Men” (1957) — The quintessential courtroom drama. Nothing else comes close.

“Dead Man Walking” (1995) — Movies about the death penalty are never this intelligent, moving and objective.

“Gojira” (1954) — This is the only Godzilla movie you need to watch — a haunting look at the grim repercussions of nuclear weaponry.

“Unforgiven” (1992) — “Unforgiven” gave us two things: the greatest villain (Little Bill Daggett) and the darkest hero (Bill Munny) ever.

“On the Waterfront” (1954) — Ten minutes in and you’ll understand why everyone still raves about Marlon Brando.

 “Heathers” (1988) — Teen comedies don’t get any sicker, funnier or sharper. Don’t like it? Lick. It. Up.

“Requiem for a Dream” (2000) — A drug film that contains not the faintest trace of optimism. Finally

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966) — Jon and Kate ain’t got nothin’ on George and Martha.

“Das Leben der Anderen” (2006) — A gripping look at the measure of lives lived under a dictatorship.

“Reservoir Dogs” (1992) — Seventeen years later and I still can’t listen to “Stuck in the Middle with You” without feeling queasy.

“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) — Red is a guy who knows how to get things. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins are guys who know how to act.

“Aliens” (1986) — Pay no attention to the original or the sequels — this is the best of the franchise, and one hell of a chick action flick besides.

“Heavenly Creatures” (1994) — A movie about matricide that involves dancing Claymation figures and opera music. How divinely trippy.

“Halloween” (1978) — John Carpenter’s unnerving classic deserves to be called one of the best horror movies ever made — if not THE best.

“The Station Agent” (2003) — How I do love quiet little limited-release movies where nothing happens but talking. Compelling stuff.

“The Man Who Wasn’t There” (2001) — There’s film noir and then there’s film noir. Guess which one this Coen classic is.

“The Fall” (2006) — A story as heartfelt as it is visually stunning and exhilarating. Bonus: It contains Lee Pace’s best-ever performance.

“Fargo” (1996) — Violence, folksy charm and twisty plotting make “Fargo” the ultimate caper gone wrong.

“Happiness” (1998) — Life is miserable. Love is worse. And oh, in “Happiness,” what demented fun that is.

“Mystery Men” (1999) — Automatically I must invoke the William H. Macy Rule here, but there’s plenty more to enjoy about this comedy where idiots and screwups become superheroes.

“Blazing Saddles” (1974) — Mel Brooks is a genius. Accept that now, and there’s less chance I’ll have to work up a number 6 on you. 

“Mar adentro” (2004) — Before he was Anton Chigurh, Javier Bardem knocked me senseless with his role as Ramon Sampedro, a quadriplegic yearning for the right to end his life.

“Cool Hand Luke” (1967) — Stickin’ it to the man never looked this effortlessly cool.

“Chinatown” (1974) — I can’t summarize this because I already forgot it. And also it’s mentally impossible.

“Office Space” (1999) — A most excellent cure for even the wickedest case of the Mondays.

“4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile” (2007) — This stirring film about a pregnant girl in Communist Romania speaks to way a dictatorship removes freedom and choice at the most personal levels.

“Goodfellas” (1990) — The one gangster movie you can’t get away with not seeing. Just ask Tommy DeVito.

“Quills” (2000) — Show me a person who’s “not interested” in a movie about the Marquis de Sade and I’ll show you a person who needs a sound lashing.

“Magnolia” (1999) — No film captures the raw, bruised beauty of humankind better than Paul Thomas Anderson’s grandiose and shattering “Magnolia.”

“Boogie Nights” (1997) — Porns stars on roller skates and magnificent packages and a director with a vision beyond stimulation — only Paul Thomas Anderson could dream up a world like this.

“Mystic River” (2003) — If “Mystic River” is any indication, I feel we’ve just scratched the surface of what Clint Eastwood can do as a director.

“Sideways” (2004) — There’s great, silly fun and romance to be had here, but I spent a lot of time falling head over heels in love with Miles … and Paul Giamatti.

“Lars and the Real Girl” (2007) — Ryan Gosling can play a boy romancing a life-size doll and make you like him. The word “talent” just doesn’t cut it.

“Annie Hall” (1977) — The talking is the best part of a relationship. And Woody Allen gets it.

“The Godfather” (1972) — Top-heavy with talent and style, “The Godfather” is a movie you just can’t refuse.

“Blue Valentine” (2010) — A gut-wrenching portrait of love withered on the vine.

“The Elephant Man” (1980) — John Hurt shows the pain of a strange life lived under a microscope.

“The Breakfast Club” (1985) — “The last thing Hollywood wanted in teen movies were teenagers.” Right on, John Hughes. Teens couldn’t project this kind of maturity.

“The Big Lebowski” (1998) — The zany story of a dude (Jeff Bridges), his beloved rug and a confusing case of mistaken identity.

“Raising Arizona” (1987) — The Coens are crazy enough to create someone like the Lone Biker of the Apocalypse … and I dig that about them. 

“All the President’s Men” (1976) — Almost any time the lid gets blown off a presidential scandal, it makes a great movie … especially if Redford and Hoffman show up.

“Miller’s Crossing” (1990) — Noir, black comedy, gangster movies — is there anything the brothers Coen can’t do?

“The Dark Knight” (2008) — Perhaps the best superhero ever made, and certainly the bleakest. It will be Heath Ledger’s legacy.

“Jaws” (1975) — “Jaws” made us all think twice about jumping in the ocean. I mean, would we really have Shark Week without it?

“Pulp Fiction” (1994) — The only movie where you can order a Royale with cheese, get a sermon on Ezekiel 25:17 and drink a $5 milkshake.

“Election” (1999) — If there’s ever a “Next Great Filmaker” reality show, I’d suggest the producers head to Omaha, where the likes of Alexander Payne grew up.

“The Constant Gardener” (2005) — Once, I dreamed of Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz together in a movie. Then came the thrilling, intimate “Constant Gardener.”

“First Blood” (1982) — Pay no mind to the sequels and their creative dispatching of bad-guy types; “First Blood” is the Rambo film with a real story to tell.

“Carrie” (1976) — For anyone victimized by the soulless popular kids, “Carrie” is pure evil-good wish fulfillment.

“The Departed” (2006) — Sixteen years after “GoodFellas,” Scorsese made an epic, brutal and shocking cat-and-mouse gangster film where everyone’s a rat and no one knows it.

“Braveheart” (1995) — Mel Gibson makes grandiose speeches and leads the Scots to freedom. Historical accuracy be damned.

“The Believer” (2001) — Gosling is the Sean Penn of my generation. Who else could play a secretly Jewish neo-Nazi and make him layered and sympathetic? (See number 45.)

“When Harry Met Sally…” (1989) — Demand excellence from romantic comedies and sometimes you get smart, worthwhile stuff like “When Harry Met Sally…”

“Mystic Pizza” (1988) — Growing pains + great characters + bonds of female friendship = recipe for enjoyment.

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939) — You remember Judy Garland the way  you want and I’ll remember her the way I want: as Dorothy.

“Some Kind of Wonderful” (1987) — Before he lost his touch in the ’90s, Hughes gave us this beaut about the bonds of friendship, love and drumming.

“Fight Club” (1999) — I’d be breaking the first rule of “Fight Club” if I told you why it was so mind-blowingly awesome.

“Schindler’s List” (1993) — “Schindler’s List” isn’t so much a movie as it is a life-changing experience.

“Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” (1986) — The most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen. I can’t unsee it, but I don’t want to, either.

“Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979) — The cheesemakers we love. It’s the damn meek we can’t stand.

“Punch-Drunk Love” (2002) — If you still need convincing Adam Sandler’s a real actor, “Punch-Drunk Love” oughta do the trick.

“The Shining” (1980) — After that whole “Here’s Johnny!” bit, I never looked at Jack Nicholson the same way again. Oh, and I inherently fear shrubbery gardens.

“Buffalo Soldiers” (2001) — Before he dropped his basket, Joaquin Phoenix saw fit to give us the wily, street-smart-as-hell Ray Elwood. Joaq, it was the least you could do.

“Chasing Amy” (1997) — Kevin Smith, how’d you know I like my love stories conflicted, unpredictable and bittersweet?

“Ghost World” (2001) — Remember that rule about how I’ll watch anything starring Steve Buscemi? Ditto that for the snarkastic Thora Birch.

“The Opposite of Sex” (1998) — It’s no secret I’m a sucker for a black comedy where Christina Ricci says things like “a person can do anything for ten minutes if they don’t breath in.”

“Wayne’s World” (1992) — “I once thought I had mono for an entire year. It turned out I was just really bored.” You have to love a movie with zingy insights like this. 

“Full Metal Jacket” (1987) — If there’s a hall of fame for Wet-Your-Pants-Creepy performances, Vincent D’Onofrio’s got it locked up. 

“Girls Town” (1996) — The thinking person’s movie about teen-agers terrified of the future and fed up with men objectifying them. This is real girl power.

“Say Anything…” (1989) — Why, yes, I do love movies about teen-agers where they are smart and articulate and have adult-type feelings. Bonus: It gave us the iconic “In Your Eyes” sequence.

“Best in Show” (2000) — In the world of mockumentaries, Christopher Guest is God. “Best in Show” is his altar. Kneel down before it.

“Trees Lounge” (1996) — Steve Buscemi directs the best movie ever made about alcoholism.

“Borat” (2006) — Sacha Baron Cohen is meta-satire in a one-level world. (Note: If you don’t get it, you’re one of the ones he’s ridiculing.)

“A Few Good Men” (1992) — We the people can handle the truth, alright. What we can’t handle is the fact that there aren’t more military dramas this nimble and hard-hitting.

“Mysterious Skin” (2004) — Three cheers for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who shifts from arthouse thrillers about sexual abuse to “G.I. Joe” without breaking a sweat. 

“Fried Green Tomatoes” (1991) — Mary Louise Parker, Kathy Bates and Mary Stuart-Masteron. In. One. Movie. I have but one word: sold.

“Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) — Watch it for the “in dire need of a blowjob” speech alone. All the rest is just a big, fat, hysterical bonus.

“Chocolat” (2000) — Confession time: I was wined, dined and thoroughly charmed by this magical little romantic comedy.

“Clueless” (1995) — “Clueless” was more than a tongue-in-cheek teen comedy; it became a pop culture touchstone. Way existential.

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991) — With “T2,” the Terminator franchise hit its creative peak. Since then, it’s been a downhill slide.

“Courage Under Fire” (1996) — Meg Ryan in a Desert Storm movie? What, did I trip on a torn shred of universe fabric and fall into Bizarro World?

“Team America: World Police” (2004) — A parody of America’s “I’m awesome and you suck” mentality. With Puppets. And a solo by Kim Jong-Il called “I’m So Ronery.” I will say no more.

“Zodiac” (2007) — A shadowy drama about the elusive Zodiac and the way panic held the San Francisco Bay area in a vise grip for years. Bonuses: Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.

“Withnail & I” (1987) — A movie about two unemployed Brits who love to drink. A lot. I don’t know why this is so brilliant or comical or touching, and yet it is.

“Good Bye Lenin!” (2003) — This one explains everything you need to know about why I have fallen in love with German cinema.

“Rushmore” (1998) — Dark and witty and observant, “Rushmore” is hardly a typical high school movie. And it has some first-rate performances by Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman.