Critics Consensus Top 1000 Films
6/24/2009Photo: John Cassavetes' Husbands
This is a poll of polls, taking many lists into account, around 1800, and putting all that on a computer and letting it rank all those mentioned, with additional weighting given to some more important lists. This list is from They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? Great film site, check it out!
- Citizen Kane, Dir: Welles, Orson
- Vertigo, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Rules of the Game, The, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- 8½, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Godfather, The, Dir: Coppola, Francis
- Searchers, The, Dir: Ford, John
- Battleship Potemkin, Dir: Eisenstein, Sergei
- Seven Samurai, The, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Tokyo Story, Dir: Ozu, Yasujiro
- Singin' in the Rain, Dir: Donen, Stanley/Gene Kelly
- Sunrise, Dir: Murnau, F.W.
- Lawrence of Arabia, Dir: Lean, David
- Bicycle Thieves, Dir: De Sica, Vittorio
- Casablanca, Dir: Curtiz, Michael
- Atalante, L', Dir: Vigo, Jean
- Passion of Joan of Arc, The, Dir: Dreyer, Carl
- Raging Bull, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Rashomon, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Godfather Part II, The, Dir: Coppola, Francis
- Touch of Evil, Dir: Welles, Orson
- Some Like it Hot, Dir: Wilder, Billy
- City Lights, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Third Man, The, Dir: Reed, Carol
- Grande illusion, La, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Dolce vita, La, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Gold Rush, The, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Taxi Driver, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Sunset Blvd., Dir: Wilder, Billy
- General, The, Dir: Keaton, Buster/Clyde Bruckman
- Enfants du paradis, Les, Dir: Carné, Marcel
- Psycho, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Breathless, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Ordet, Dir: Dreyer, Carl
- Apocalypse Now, Dir: Coppola, Francis
- Chinatown, Dir: Polanski, Roman
- Night of the Hunter, The, Dir: Laughton, Charles
- Avventura, L', Dir: Antonioni, Michelangelo
- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Persona, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Andrei Rublev, Dir: Tarkovsky, Andrei
- Jules et Jim, Dir: Truffaut, François
- Magnificent Ambersons, The, Dir: Welles, Orson
- 400 Blows, The, Dir: Truffaut, François
- It's a Wonderful Life, Dir: Capra, Frank
- Blade Runner, Dir: Scott, Ridley
- Rear Window, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Modern Times, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- North by Northwest, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Strada, La, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Intolerance, Dir: Griffith, D.W.
- Seventh Seal, The, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- M, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Ugetsu monogatari, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Apartment, The, Dir: Wilder, Billy
- Contempt, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Wild Strawberries, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Wild Bunch, The, Dir: Peckinpah, Sam
- Pather Panchali, Dir: Ray, Satyajit
- Gone with the Wind, Dir: Fleming, Victor
- Au hasard Balthazar, Dir: Bresson, Robert
- Wizard of Oz, The, Dir: Fleming, Victor
- Rio Bravo, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Greed, Dir: von Stroheim, Erich
- Conformist, The, Dir: Bertolucci, Bernardo
- Leopard, The, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Nashville, Dir: Altman, Robert
- Viridiana, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Mirror, The, Dir: Tarkovsky, Andrei
- Metropolis, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- To Be or Not to Be, Dir: Lubitsch, Ernst
- All About Eve, Dir: Mankiewicz, Joseph L.
- Once Upon a Time in the West, Dir: Leone, Sergio
- Fanny and Alexander, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Notorious, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The, Dir: Ford, John
- Letter from an Unknown Woman, Dir: Ophüls, Max
- Madame de..., Dir: Ophüls, Max
- Bringing Up Baby, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Pickpocket, Dir: Bresson, Robert
- Ikiru, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Amarcord, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Stagecoach, Dir: Ford, John
- Pierrot le fou, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- My Darling Clementine, Dir: Ford, John
- Voyage in Italy, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- Playtime, Dir: Tati, Jacques
- Sansho the Bailiff, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Last Year at Marienbad, Dir: Resnais, Alain
- Âge d'or, L', Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Dir: Herzog, Werner
- Barry Lyndon, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Clockwork Orange, A, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Double Indemnity, Dir: Wilder, Billy
- Battle of Algiers, The, Dir: Pontecorvo, Gillo
- Hiroshima mon amour, Dir: Resnais, Alain
- Man with a Movie Camera, The, Dir: Vertov, Dziga
- Rome, Open City, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- GoodFellas, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Sherlock Jr., Dir: Keaton, Buster
- Napoléon, Dir: Gance, Abel
- His Girl Friday, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Duck Soup, Dir: McCarey, Leo
- On the Waterfront, Dir: Kazan, Elia
- Nosferatu, Dir: Murnau, F.W.
- Jaws, Dir: Spielberg, Steven
- Blue Velvet, Dir: Lynch, David
- Gertrud, Dir: Dreyer, Carl
- Olvidados, Los, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Star Wars, Dir: Lucas, George
- Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The, Dir: Huston, John
- Broken Blossoms, Dir: Griffith, D.W.
- Manhattan, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Lady Eve, The, Dir: Sturges, Preston
- King Kong, Dir: Cooper, Merian C./Ernest B. Schoedsack
- Annie Hall, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Out of the Past, Dir: Tourneur, Jacques
- Ashes and Diamonds, Dir: Wajda, Andrzej
- Vivre sa vie, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Exterminating Angel, The, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Ran, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Best Years of Our Lives, The, Dir: Wyler, William
- Birth of a Nation, The, Dir: Griffith, D.W.
- Chimes at Midnight, Dir: Welles, Orson
- Stalker, Dir: Tarkovsky, Andrei
- Matter of Life and Death, A, Dir: Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger
- Grapes of Wrath, The, Dir: Ford, John
- Red Shoes, The, Dir: Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger
- Umberto D., Dir: De Sica, Vittorio
- Man Escaped, A, Dir: Bresson, Robert
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Dir: Forman, Milos
- Dekalog, Dir: Kieslowski, Krszystof
- Paisan, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- Earth, Dir: Dovzhenko, Alexander
- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Dir: Spielberg, Steven
- Don't Look Now, Dir: Roeg, Nicolas
- Bonnie and Clyde, Dir: Penn, Arthur
- Black Narcissus, Dir: Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger
- Red River, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Belle de jour, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, Dir: Akerman, Chantal
- Philadelphia Story, The, Dir: Cukor, George
- Once Upon a Time in America, Dir: Leone, Sergio
- Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The, Dir: Wiene, Robert
- Brief Encounter, Dir: Lean, David
- Mean Streets, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The, Dir: Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger
- Shining, The, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Ivan the Terrible, Part One, Dir: Eisenstein, Sergei
- Ivan the Terrible, Part Two, Dir: Eisenstein, Sergei
- Pulp Fiction, Dir: Tarantino, Quentin
- Shoah, Dir: Lanzmann, Claude
- Partie de campagne, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Cries and Whispers, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Travelling Players, The, Dir: Angelopoulos, Theo
- Woman Under the Influence, A, Dir: Cassavetes, John
- Band Wagon, The, Dir: Minnelli, Vincente
- Jetée, La, Dir: Marker, Chris
- Gospel According to St. Matthew, The, Dir: Pasolini, Pier Paolo
- Quiet Man, The, Dir: Ford, John
- Maltese Falcon, The, Dir: Huston, John
- Trouble in Paradise, Dir: Lubitsch, Ernst
- Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Days of Heaven, Dir: Malick, Terrence
- World of Apu, The, Dir: Ray, Satyajit
- Badlands, Dir: Malick, Terrence
- Chien andalou, Un, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Palm Beach Story, The, Dir: Sturges, Preston
- McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Dir: Altman, Robert
- Monsieur Verdoux, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Sullivan's Travels, Dir: Sturges, Preston
- Mother and the Whore, The, Dir: Eustache, Jean
- Last Laugh, The, Dir: Murnau, F.W.
- Sweet Smell of Success, Dir: Mackendrick, Alexander
- Kind Hearts and Coronets, Dir: Hamer, Robert
- Brazil, Dir: Gilliam, Terry
- Conversation, The, Dir: Coppola, Francis
- Crowd, The, Dir: Vidor, King
- Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dir: Spielberg, Steven
- Nights of Cabiria, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Celine and Julie Go Boating, Dir: Rivette, Jacques
- Eclisse, L', Dir: Antonioni, Michelangelo
- Vampyr, Dir: Dreyer, Carl
- Death in Venice, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Rocco and His Brothers, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Dir: Fassbinder, Rainer Werner
- Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The, Dir: Leone, Sergio
- Performance, Dir: Roeg, Nicolas/Donald Cammell
- Pandora's Box, Dir: Pabst, G.W.
- Late Spring, Dir: Ozu, Yasujiro
- Close-Up, Dir: Kiarostami, Abbas
- Music Room, The, Dir: Ray, Satyajit
- Exorcist, The, Dir: Friedkin, William
- Spirit of the Beehive, The, Dir: Erice, Victor
- Paths of Glory, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Belle et la bête, La, Dir: Cocteau, Jean
- Blow-Up, Dir: Antonioni, Michelangelo
- It Happened One Night, Dir: Capra, Frank
- Written on the Wind, Dir: Sirk, Douglas
- Deer Hunter, The, Dir: Cimino, Michael
- Argent, L', Dir: Bresson, Robert
- Night at the Opera, A, Dir: Wood, Sam
- Imitation of Life, Dir: Sirk, Douglas
- Notte, La, Dir: Antonioni, Michelangelo
- Do the Right Thing, Dir: Lee, Spike
- Wages of Fear, The, Dir: Clouzot, Henri-Georges
- Freaks, Dir: Browning, Tod
- Orpheus, Dir: Cocteau, Jean
- Unforgiven, Dir: Eastwood, Clint
- Nanook of the North, Dir: Flaherty, Robert
- Birds, The, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Schindler's List, Dir: Spielberg, Steven
- Berlin Alexanderplatz, Dir: Fassbinder, Rainer Werner
- Star is Born, A, Dir: Cukor, George
- Graduate, The, Dir: Nichols, Mike
- Tabu, Dir: Murnau, F.W.
- Alexander Nevsky, Dir: Eisenstein, Sergei
- Only Angels Have Wings, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- River, The, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Meet Me in St. Louis, Dir: Minnelli, Vincente
- Peeping Tom, Dir: Powell, Michael
- Last Tango in Paris, Dir: Bertolucci, Bernardo
- Bride of Frankenstein, Dir: Whale, James
- Two or Three Things I Know About Her, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Solaris, Dir: Tarkovsky, Andrei
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dir: Spielberg, Steven
- Throne of Blood, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Story of the Late Chrysanthemums, The, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Week-End, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Alien, Dir: Scott, Ridley
- Bridge on the River Kwai, The, Dir: Lean, David
- Rosemary's Baby, Dir: Polanski, Roman
- Sans soleil, Dir: Marker, Chris
- Great Dictator, The, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Diary of a Country Priest, Dir: Bresson, Robert
- Germany, Year Zero, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- Shop Around the Corner, The, Dir: Lubitsch, Ernst
- Crime of Monsieur Lange, The, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Zero for Conduct, Dir: Vigo, Jean
- Samouraï, Le, Dir: Melville, Jean-Pierre
- Johnny Guitar, Dir: Ray, Nicholas
- Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Dir: Tati, Jacques
- Passenger, The, Dir: Antonioni, Michelangelo
- Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, Dir: Pasolini, Pier Paolo
- Shoot the Piano Player, Dir: Truffaut, François
- Tree of Wooden Clogs, The, Dir: Olmi, Ermanno
- Wings of Desire, Dir: Wenders, Wim
- Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The, Dir: Demy, Jacques
- Shane, Dir: Stevens, George
- West Side Story, Dir: Wise, Robert/Jerome Robbins
- Miracle in Milan, Dir: De Sica, Vittorio
- To Kill a Mockingbird, Dir: Mulligan, Robert
- Strangers on a Train, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Meshes of the Afternoon, Dir: Deren, Maya
- Blue Angel, The, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dir: Hand, David
- In the Realm of the Senses, Dir: Oshima, Nagisa
- Life of Oharu, The, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Floating Clouds, Dir: Naruse, Mikio
- Night of the Living Dead, Dir: Romero, George A.
- Piano, The, Dir: Campion, Jane
- Senso, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Big Sleep, The, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Last Picture Show, The, Dir: Bogdanovich, Peter
- Kiss Me Deadly, Dir: Aldrich, Robert
- Day of Wrath, Dir: Dreyer, Carl
- 1900, Dir: Bertolucci, Bernardo
- Kings of the Road, Dir: Wenders, Wim
- Mouchette, Dir: Bresson, Robert
- Cabaret, Dir: Fosse, Bob
- High Noon, Dir: Zinnemann, Fred
- Crimes and Misdemeanors, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Salvatore Giuliano, Dir: Rosi, Francesco
- Day for Night, Dir: Truffaut, François
- Million, Le, Dir: Clair, René
- Lola Montès, Dir: Ophüls, Max
- Verdugo, El, Dir: Berlanga, Luis García
- My Night at Maud's, Dir: Rohmer, Eric
- Fantasia, Dir: Sharpsteen, Ben
- Make Way for Tomorrow, Dir: McCarey, Leo
- All That Heaven Allows, Dir: Sirk, Douglas
- Ninotchka, Dir: Lubitsch, Ernst
- Network, Dir: Lumet, Sidney
- Strike, Dir: Eisenstein, Sergei
- Midnight Cowboy, Dir: Schlesinger, John
- In a Lonely Place, Dir: Ray, Nicholas
- Time to Live and the Time to Die, The, Dir: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
- Fargo, Dir: Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen
- Aparajito, Dir: Ray, Satyajit
- White Heat, Dir: Walsh, Raoul
- Kid, The, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- October, Dir: Eisenstein, Sergei
- Rebel Without a Cause, Dir: Ray, Nicholas
- Terminator, The, Dir: Cameron, James
- Deliverance, Dir: Boorman, John
- All Quiet on the Western Front, Dir: Milestone, Lewis
- Awful Truth, The, Dir: McCarey, Leo
- Scarlet Empress, The, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Paris, Texas, Dir: Wenders, Wim
- To Have and Have Not, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The, Dir: Hooper, Tobe
- Shadows, Dir: Cassavetes, John
- African Queen, The, Dir: Huston, John
- Laura, Dir: Preminger, Otto
- City of Sadness, A, Dir: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
- Empire Strikes Back, The, Dir: Kershner, Irvin
- Top Hat, Dir: Sandrich, Mark
- Wind, The, Dir: Sjöström, Victor
- 39 Steps, The, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- High and Low, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Man of Aran, Dir: Flaherty, Robert
- Rebecca, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Five Easy Pieces, Dir: Rafelson, Bob
- Asphalt Jungle, The, Dir: Huston, John
- El, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Carrie, Dir: De Palma, Brian
- Navigator, The, Dir: Keaton, Buster/Donald Crisp
- F for Fake, Dir: Welles, Orson
- Aliens, Dir: Cameron, James
- Thief of Bagdad, The, Dir: Powell, Michael/Ludwig Berger/Tim Whelan
- Ben-Hur, Dir: Wyler, William
- Wedding March, The, Dir: von Stroheim, Erich
- Black God, White Devil, Dir: Rocha, Glauber
- Charulata, Dir: Ray, Satyajit
- Repulsion, Dir: Polanski, Roman
- Spartacus, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Steamboat Bill, Jr., Dir: Keaton, Buster/Charles F. Reisner
- Chungking Express, Dir: Wong Kar-Wai
- Manchurian Candidate, The, Dir: Frankenheimer, John
- Shadow of a Doubt, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Easy Rider, Dir: Hopper, Dennis
- Local Hero, Dir: Forsyth, Bill
- Mon oncle, Dir: Tati, Jacques
- Canterbury Tale, A, Dir: Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger
- In a Year with 13 Moons, Dir: Fassbinder, Rainer Werner
- Hustler, The, Dir: Rossen, Robert
- Marnie, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Cameraman, The, Dir: Keaton, Buster/Edward Sedgwick
- Wavelength, Dir: Snow, Michael
- Casque d'or, Dir: Becker, Jacques
- Amadeus, Dir: Forman, Milos
- Don't Look Back, Dir: Pennebaker, D.A.
- Sátántangó, Dir: Tarr, Béla
- In the Mood for Love, Dir: Wong Kar-Wai
- Providence, Dir: Resnais, Alain
- Pinocchio, Dir: Sharpsteen, Ben & Hamilton Luske
- Triumph of the Will, Dir: Riefenstahl, Leni
- Accattone, Dir: Pasolini, Pier Paolo
- Tristana, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Killer of Sheep, Dir: Burnett, Charles
- Closely Watched Trains, Dir: Menzel, Jirí
- Loves of a Blonde, Dir: Forman, Milos
- Dawn of the Dead, Dir: Romero, George A.
- Eyes Without a Face, Dir: Franju, Georges
- How Green Was My Valley, Dir: Ford, John
- Streetcar Named Desire, A, Dir: Kazan, Elia
- Come and See, Dir: Klimov, Elem
- Red Desert, Dir: Antonioni, Michelangelo
- Servant, The, Dir: Losey, Joseph
- Great Expectations, Dir: Lean, David
- Pyaasa, Dir: Dutt, Guru
- Listen to Britain, Dir: Jennings, Humphrey
- Yojimbo, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Chelsea Girls, Dir: Warhol, Andy
- Frankenstein, Dir: Whale, James
- Scorpio Rising, Dir: Anger, Kenneth
- Forbidden Games, Dir: Clément, René
- Killing of a Chinese Bookie, The, Dir: Cassavetes, John
- Our Hospitality, Dir: Keaton, Buster/John Blystone
- Limelight, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Fellini Satyricon, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Night and Fog, Dir: Resnais, Alain
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Dir: Capra, Frank
- Cinema Paradiso, Dir: Tornatore, Giuseppe
- Plaisir, Le, Dir: Ophüls, Max
- Memories of Underdevelopment, Dir: Alea, Tomás Gutiérrez
- Full Metal Jacket, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Silence of the Lambs, The, Dir: Demme, Jonathan
- Big Heat, The, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Point Blank, Dir: Boorman, John
- Heat, Dir: Mann, Michael
- Colour of Pomegranate, The, Dir: Parajanov, Sergei
- Breaking the Waves, Dir: von Trier, Lars
- Alice in the Cities, Dir: Wenders, Wim
- Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Dir: Peckinpah, Sam
- Groundhog Day, Dir: Ramis, Harold
- Faust, Dir: Murnau, F.W.
- Sacrifice, The, Dir: Tarkovsky, Andrei
- She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Dir: Ford, John
- Detour, Dir: Ulmer, Edgar G.
- Mad Max 2, Dir: Miller, George
- Back to the Future, Dir: Zemeckis, Robert
- Vampires, Les, Dir: Feuillade, Louis
- My Neighbour Totoro, Dir: Miyazaki, Hayao
- Henry V, Dir: Olivier, Laurence
- Autumn Afternoon, An, Dir: Ozu, Yasujiro
- Hard Day's Night, A, Dir: Lester, Richard
- Reservoir Dogs, Dir: Tarantino, Quentin
- Vitelloni, I, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Cloud-Capped Star, The, Dir: Ghatak, Ritwik
- Breakfast at Tiffany's, Dir: Edwards, Blake
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Dir: Hill, George Roy
- They Were Expendable, Dir: Ford, John
- Masculin Feminin, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Love Me Tonight, Dir: Mamoulian, Rouben
- Eraserhead, Dir: Lynch, David
- Affair to Remember, An, Dir: McCarey, Leo
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dir: Siegel, Don
- Terra trema, La, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Raise the Red Lantern, Dir: Zhang Yimou
- Lola, Dir: Demy, Jacques
- Moment of Innocence, A, Dir: Makhmalbaf, Mohsen
- I Know Where I'm Going!, Dir: Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger
- Some Came Running, Dir: Minnelli, Vincente
- King of Comedy, The, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Dead, The, Dir: Huston, John
- Young Girls of Rochefort, The, Dir: Demy, Jacques
- Lady from Shanghai, The, Dir: Welles, Orson
- Love Streams, Dir: Cassavetes, John
- Terra em Transe, Dir: Rocha, Glauber
- My Life as a Dog, Dir: Hallström, Lasse
- Kes, Dir: Loach, Ken
- It's a Gift, Dir: McLeod, Norman Z.
- Muriel, Dir: Resnais, Alain
- Nostalghia, Dir: Tarkovsky, Andrei
- French Cancan, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Sound of Music, The, Dir: Wise, Robert
- American Graffiti, Dir: Lucas, George
- I Was Born, But…, Dir: Ozu, Yasujiro
- That Obscure Object of Desire, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Lady Vanishes, The, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Place in the Sun, A, Dir: Stevens, George
- Stranger Than Paradise, Dir: Jarmusch, Jim
- Seven Chances, Dir: Keaton, Buster
- Two-Lane Blacktop, Dir: Hellman, Monte
- Tootsie, Dir: Pollack, Sydney
- Lancelot du Lac, Dir: Bresson, Robert
- 42nd Street, Dir: Bacon, Lloyd
- Dead Ringers, Dir: Cronenberg, David
- Age of Innocence, The, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Foolish Wives, Dir: von Stroheim, Erich
- Fellini's Casanova, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Olympia, Dir: Riefenstahl, Leni
- Thelma & Louise, Dir: Scott, Ridley
- Dead Man, Dir: Jarmusch, Jim
- I Am Cuba, Dir: Kalatozishvili, Mikheil
- Faces, Dir: Cassavetes, John
- Evil Dead II, Dir: Raimi, Sam
- India Song, Dir: Duras, Marguerite
- Claire's Knee, Dir: Rohmer, Eric
- Dersu Uzala, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Blow Out, Dir: De Palma, Brian
- Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Dir: Reisz, Karel
- All That Jazz, Dir: Fosse, Bob
- Long Goodbye, The, Dir: Altman, Robert
- Distant Voices, Still Lives, Dir: Davies, Terence
- Marriage of Maria Braun, The, Dir: Fassbinder, Rainer Werner
- This is Spinal Tap, Dir: Reiner, Rob
- Silence, The, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Lolita, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Young Mr. Lincoln, Dir: Ford, John
- Three Colours: Blue, Dir: Kieslowski, Krszystof
- Three Colours: Red, Dir: Kieslowski, Krszystof
- Adventures of Robin Hood, The, Dir: Curtiz, Michael/William Keighley
- Halloween, Dir: Carpenter, John
- Teorema, Dir: Pasolini, Pier Paolo
- Devil is a Woman, The, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Touch of Zen, A, Dir: Hu, King
- Odd Man Out, Dir: Reed, Carol
- On the Town, Dir: Donen, Stanley/Gene Kelly
- Cat People, Dir: Tourneur, Jacques
- Dog Day Afternoon, Dir: Lumet, Sidney
- Que viva Mexico!, Dir: Eisenstein, Sergei
- Circus, The, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Dir: Meyer, Russ
- Doctor Zhivago, Dir: Lean, David
- Antonio das Mortes, Dir: Rocha, Glauber
- Wild Child, The, Dir: Truffaut, François
- Winter Light, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Spring in a Small Town, Dir: Fei Mu
- Monty Python's Life of Brian, Dir: Jones, Terry
- Man Who Fell to Earth, The, Dir: Roeg, Nicolas
- Toy Story, Dir: Lasseter, John
- Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, The, Dir: Herzog, Werner
- Chant d'amour, Un, Dir: Genet, Jean
- L.A. Confidential, Dir: Hanson, Curtis
- Devils, The, Dir: Russell, Ken
- I Walked with a Zombie, Dir: Tourneur, Jacques
- Suspiria, Dir: Argento, Dario
- Scarface, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- There's Always Tomorrow, Dir: Sirk, Douglas
- JFK, Dir: Stone, Oliver
- Harold and Maude, Dir: Ashby, Hal
- Blood of a Poet, The, Dir: Cocteau, Jean
- Mildred Pierce, Dir: Curtiz, Michael
- Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Dir: Peckinpah, Sam
- Ossessione, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Dir: Gilliam, Terry/Terry Jones
- Bigger Than Life, Dir: Ray, Nicholas
- And Life Goes On, Dir: Kiarostami, Abbas
- Where is the Friend's Home?, Dir: Kiarostami, Abbas
- Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les, Dir: Bresson, Robert
- Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, The, Dir: Fassbinder, Rainer Werner
- Passion, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Videodrome, Dir: Cronenberg, David
- À nous la liberté, Dir: Clair, René
- Scarface, Dir: De Palma, Brian
- Killer, The, Dir: Woo, John
- Rocky, Dir: Avildsen, John G.
- 12 Angry Men, Dir: Lumet, Sidney
- Hart of London, The, Dir: Chambers, Jack
- Voyage dans la lune, Le, Dir: Méliès, Georges
- Now, Voyager, Dir: Rapper, Irving
- Double Life of Veronique, The, Dir: Kieslowski, Krszystof
- Sawdust and Tinsel, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Sauve qui peut (la vie), Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Pépé le Moko, Dir: Duvivier, Julien
- Angel, Dir: Lubitsch, Ernst
- Hour of the Furnaces, The, Dir: Getino, Octavio & Fernando E. Solanas
- Brighter Summer Day, A, Dir: Yang, Edward
- Party, The, Dir: Edwards, Blake
- Région centrale, La, Dir: Snow, Michael
- Alphaville, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Damned, The, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Reds, Dir: Beatty, Warren
- Picnic at Hanging Rock, Dir: Weir, Peter
- Rise to Power of Louis XIV, The, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- Funny Face, Dir: Donen, Stanley
- Barton Fink, Dir: Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen
- Splendor in the Grass, Dir: Kazan, Elia
- Misfits, The, Dir: Huston, John
- Angel at My Table, An, Dir: Campion, Jane
- Golden Coach, The, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Through the Olive Trees, Dir: Kiarostami, Abbas
- Stromboli, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- Tiger of Eschnapur, The, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Innocents, The, Dir: Clayton, Jack
- Ivan's Childhood, Dir: Tarkovsky, Andrei
- Dirty Harry, Dir: Siegel, Don
- Duel in the Sun, Dir: Vidor, King
- Swing Time, Dir: Stevens, George
- Ludwig, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Maîtres fous, Les, Dir: Rouch, Jean
- Elephant Man, The, Dir: Lynch, David
- Barren Lives, Dir: Dos Santos, Nelson Pereira
- Storm Over Asia, Dir: Pudovkin, Vsevolod
- Kagemusha, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Daisies, Dir: Chytilová, Vera
- Underground, Dir: Kusturica, Emir
- Diner, Dir: Levinson, Barry
- Farewell, My Concubine, Dir: Chen Kaige
- Hôtel Terminus, Dir: Ophüls, Marcel
- Producers, The, Dir: Brooks, Mel
- Xala, Dir: Sembene, Ousmane
- Diaboliques, Les, Dir: Clouzot, Henri-Georges
- Tarnished Angels, The, Dir: Sirk, Douglas
- Gun Crazy, Dir: Lewis, Joseph H.
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dir: Hughes, John
- Bob le flambeur, Dir: Melville, Jean-Pierre
- Van Gogh, Dir: Pialat, Maurice
- Time of the Gypsies, Dir: Kusturica, Emir
- Die Hard, Dir: McTiernan, John
- Shawshank Redemption, The, Dir: Darabont, Frank
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Dir: Cameron, James
- Woman in the Window, The, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors, Dir: Parajanov, Sergei
- Jour se lève, Le, Dir: Carné, Marcel
- Hallelujah!, Dir: Vidor, King
- Get Carter, Dir: Hodges, Mike
- Ride the High Country, Dir: Peckinpah, Sam
- Hellzapoppin', Dir: Potter, H.C.
- Army of Shadows, Dir: Melville, Jean-Pierre
- Juliet of the Spirits, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Fitzcarraldo, Dir: Herzog, Werner
- M*A*S*H, Dir: Altman, Robert
- They Live by Night, Dir: Ray, Nicholas
- Gilda, Dir: Vidor, Charles
- Salesman, Dir: Maysles, Albert/David Maysles/Charlotte Zwerin
- Ace in the Hole, Dir: Wilder, Billy
- Thing from Another World, The, Dir: Nyby, Christian/Howard Hawks
- Bande à part, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- East of Eden, Dir: Kazan, Elia
- Boogie Nights, Dir: Anderson, Paul Thomas
- Design for Living, Dir: Lubitsch, Ernst
- Land Without Bread, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Man Who Would Be King, The, Dir: Huston, John
- Othello, Dir: Welles, Orson
- Man of the West, Dir: Mann, Anthony
- Fires Were Started, Dir: Jennings, Humphrey
- Outskirts, Dir: Barnet, Boris
- Firemen's Ball, The, Dir: Forman, Milos
- Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The, Dir: Sturges, Preston
- Right Stuff, The, Dir: Kaufman, Philip
- Anatahan, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Killing, The, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Yi yi, Dir: Yang, Edward
- Barefoot Contessa, The, Dir: Mankiewicz, Joseph L.
- If..., Dir: Anderson, Lindsay
- Heaven's Gate, Dir: Cimino, Michael
- American in Paris, An, Dir: Minnelli, Vincente
- Raising Arizona, Dir: Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen
- Mon oncle d'Amérique, Dir: Resnais, Alain
- Cleo from 5 to 7, Dir: Varda, Agnès
- Puppetmaster, The, Dir: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
- Fat City, Dir: Huston, John
- Forrest Gump, Dir: Zemeckis, Robert
- Hana-Bi, Dir: Kitano, Takeshi
- Holiday, Dir: Cukor, George
- Heimat, Dir: Reitz, Edgar
- Taste of Cherry, A, Dir: Kiarostami, Abbas
- Ronde, La, Dir: Ophüls, Max
- Day the Earth Stood Still, The, Dir: Wise, Robert
- Dead Poets Society, Dir: Weir, Peter
- Midnight Run, Dir: Brest, Martin
- Godfather Part III, The, Dir: Coppola, Francis
- Princess Yang Kwei Fei, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Morocco, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Tom, Tom the Piper's Son, Dir: Jacobs, Ken
- Outlaw Josey Wales, The, Dir: Eastwood, Clint
- Ceddo, Dir: Sembene, Ousmane
- Phantom of Liberty, The, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Wagon Master, Dir: Ford, John
- All the President's Men, Dir: Pakula, Alan J.
- Edward Scissorhands, Dir: Burton, Tim
- Unfaithfully Yours, Dir: Sturges, Preston
- Short Cuts, Dir: Altman, Robert
- Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Under the Roofs of Paris, Dir: Clair, René
- Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach, The, Dir: Straub, Jean-Marie
- Short Film About Killing, A, Dir: Kieslowski, Krszystof
- Moonfleet, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Kaagaz Ke Phool, Dir: Dutt, Guru
- Verdict, The, Dir: Lumet, Sidney
- All About My Mother, Dir: Almodóvar, Pedro
- Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Dir: Meyer, Russ
- Boudu Saved from Drowning, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Amants du Pont-Neuf, Les, Dir: Carax, Lèos
- Roman Holiday, Dir: Wyler, William
- Heiress, The, Dir: Wyler, William
- Tin Drum, The, Dir: Schlöndorff, Volker
- Yellow Earth, Dir: Chen Kaige
- Mother, Dir: Pudovkin, Vsevolod
- Usual Suspects, The, Dir: Singer, Bryan
- Hatari!, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- Hitler: A Film from Germany, Dir: Syberberg, Hans-Jürgen
- Zelig, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Walkabout, Dir: Roeg, Nicolas
- Fellini's Roma, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Hidden Fortress, The, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Arabian Nights, Dir: Pasolini, Pier Paolo
- Flowers of St. Francis, The, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- Liebelei, Dir: Ophüls, Max
- Mulholland Dr., Dir: Lynch, David
- 47 Ronin, The, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- You Only Live Once, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Actor's Revenge, An, Dir: Ichikawa, Kon
- Naked, Dir: Leigh, Mike
- Spirited Away, Dir: Miyazaki, Hayao
- My Fair Lady, Dir: Cukor, George
- Phantom Carriage, The, Dir: Sjöström, Victor
- When Harry Met Sally..., Dir: Reiner, Rob
- Cranes Are Flying, The, Dir: Kalatozishvili, Mikheil
- Magnificent Seven, The, Dir: Sturges, John
- Indian Tomb, The, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Threepenny Opera, The, Dir: Pabst, G.W.
- Lacombe, Lucien, Dir: Malle, Louis
- America, America, Dir: Kazan, Elia
- Safe, Dir: Haynes, Todd
- Pakeezah, Dir: Amrohi, Kamal
- Fallen Idol, The, Dir: Reed, Carol
- Law of Desire, Dir: Almodóvar, Pedro
- Round-Up, The, Dir: Jancsó, Miklós
- Vagabond, Dir: Varda, Agnès
- Trainspotting, Dir: Boyle, Danny
- Gandhi, Dir: Attenborough, Richard
- French Connection, The, Dir: Friedkin, William
- Sugar Cane Alley, Dir: Palcy, Euzhan
- Player, The, Dir: Altman, Robert
- Seven Women, Dir: Ford, John
- Flowers of Shanghai, Dir: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
- Not Reconciled, Dir: Straub, Jean-Marie
- Limite, Dir: Peixoto, Mario
- Husbands, Dir: Cassavetes, John
- Bambi, Dir: Hand, David
- Straw Dogs, Dir: Peckinpah, Sam
- Witness, Dir: Weir, Peter
- Woman Next Door, The, Dir: Truffaut, François
- Gregory's Girl, Dir: Forsyth, Bill
- Orlando, Dir: Potter, Sally
- Hannah and Her Sisters, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Big Deal on Madonna Street, Dir: Monicelli, Mario
- Last Temptation of Christ, The, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Shoeshine, Dir: De Sica, Vittorio
- Peter Ibbetson, Dir: Hathaway, Henry
- Informer, The, Dir: Ford, John
- Art of Vision, The, Dir: Brakhage, Stan
- Casino, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Belle noiseuse, La, Dir: Rivette, Jacques
- Night of the Demon, Dir: Tourneur, Jacques
- Princess Bride, The, Dir: Reiner, Rob
- Red Sorghum, Dir: Zhang Yimou
- Red Beard, Dir: Kurosawa, Akira
- Smiles of a Summer Night, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Kameradschaft, Dir: Pabst, G.W.
- Dumbo, Dir: Sharpsteen, Ben
- Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The, Dir: Mankiewicz, Joseph L.
- Sun Shines Bright, The, Dir: Ford, John
- Man for All Seasons, A, Dir: Zinnemann, Fred
- Landscape in the Mist, Dir: Angelopoulos, Theo
- Pursued, Dir: Walsh, Raoul
- Down by Law, Dir: Jarmusch, Jim
- Europa, Dir: von Trier, Lars
- Bad and the Beautiful, The, Dir: Minnelli, Vincente
- Europa '51, Dir: Rossellini, Roberto
- Histoire(s) du cinéma, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Branded to Kill, Dir: Suzuki, Seijun
- Of a Thousand Delights, Dir: Visconti, Luchino
- Sweet Hereafter, The, Dir: Egoyan, Atom
- Port of Shadows, Dir: Carné, Marcel
- Trou, Le, Dir: Becker, Jacques
- Queen Kelly, Dir: von Stroheim, Erich
- Naked Spur, The, Dir: Mann, Anthony
- Big Parade, The, Dir: Vidor, King
- Yeelen, Dir: Cissé, Souleymane
- Murder by Contract, Dir: Lerner, Irving
- Assault on Precinct 13, Dir: Carpenter, John
- Femme est une femme, Une, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc
- Black Sunday, Dir: Bava, Mario
- While the City Sleeps, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Reckless Moment, The, Dir: Ophüls, Max
- Bidone, Il, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Matrix, The, Dir: Wachowski, Andy & Larry Wachowski
- Red Circle, The, Dir: Melville, Jean-Pierre
- Ju Dou, Dir: Zhang Yimou
- Three Colours: White, Dir: Kieslowski, Krszystof
- Pickup on South Street, Dir: Fuller, Sam
- Scenes from a Marriage, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Fight Club, Dir: Fincher, David
- Lusty Men, The, Dir: Ray, Nicholas
- Purple Rose of Cairo, The, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Dir: Almodóvar, Pedro
- El Dorado, Dir: Hawks, Howard
- New York, New York, Dir: Scorsese, Martin
- Midnight, Dir: Leisen, Mitchell
- Being There, Dir: Ashby, Hal
- Thin Red Line, The, Dir: Malick, Terrence
- Carnival in Flanders, Dir: Feyder, Jacques
- Atlantic City, Dir: Malle, Louis
- Fish Called Wanda, A, Dir: Crichton, Charles
- Spider's Stratagem, The, Dir: Bertolucci, Bernardo
- Lucky Man!, Dir: Anderson, Lindsay
- Out 1: Spectre, Dir: Rivette, Jacques
- Early Summer, Dir: Ozu, Yasujiro
- Thin Blue Line, The, Dir: Morris, Errol
- Flaming Creatures, Dir: Smith, Jack
- Great Escape, The, Dir: Sturges, John
- Dazed and Confused, Dir: Linklater, Richard
- Rio Grande, Dir: Ford, John
- Collectionneuse, La, Dir: Rohmer, Eric
- Crash, Dir: Cronenberg, David
- Bête humaine, La, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Opening Night, Dir: Cassavetes, John
- Miller's Crossing, Dir: Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen
- Tenant, The, Dir: Polanski, Roman
- Coeur en hiver, Un, Dir: Sautet, Claude
- Shanghai Express, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Mephisto, Dir: Szabó, István
- Gimme Shelter, Dir: Maysles, Albert/David Maysles/Charlotte Zwerin
- Wind Will Carry Us, The, Dir: Kiarostami, Abbas
- Quadrophenia, Dir: Roddam, Franc
- Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Dir: LeRoy, Mervyn
- Mädchen in Uniform, Dir: Sagan, Leontine
- Pilgrim, The, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Anatomy of a Murder, Dir: Preminger, Otto
- Big Lebowski, The, Dir: Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen
- City of God, Dir: Meirelles, Fernando
- Tom Jones, Dir: Richardson, Tony
- Cul-de-sac, Dir: Polanski, Roman
- Nibelungen, Die, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Woman in the Dunes, Dir: Teshigahara, Hiroshi
- Diary of a Lost Girl, Dir: Pabst, G.W.
- Rushmore, Dir: Anderson, Wes
- End of St. Petersburg, The, Dir: Pudovkin, Vsevolod
- Enfants terribles, Les, Dir: Melville, Jean-Pierre
- Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, Dir: Ruttmann, Walter
- Johnny Got His Gun, Dir: Trumbo, Dalton
- Beau travail, Dir: Denis, Claire
- Shanghai Gesture, The, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Wrong Man, The, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Woman of Paris, A, Dir: Chaplin, Charles
- Duel, Dir: Spielberg, Steven
- Mother India, Dir: Khan, Mehboob
- Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, The, Dir: Richardson, Tony
- Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, The, Dir: Wilder, Billy
- Klute, Dir: Pakula, Alan J.
- Plácido, Dir: Berlanga, Luis García
- Destiny, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- In the Heat of the Night, Dir: Jewison, Norman
- Nutty Professor, The, Dir: Lewis, Jerry
- Scenes from Under Childhood, Dir: Brakhage, Stan
- Moana, Dir: Flaherty, Robert
- Hamlet, Dir: Olivier, Laurence
- Night Porter, The, Dir: Cavani, Liliana
- Eyes Wide Shut, Dir: Kubrick, Stanley
- Avanti!, Dir: Wilder, Billy
- Early Autumn, Dir: Ozu, Yasujiro
- Léolo, Dir: Lauzon, Jean-Claude
- Trial, The, Dir: Welles, Orson
- Tales of Hoffmann, The, Dir: Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger
- Happiness, Dir: Medvedkin, Aleksandr
- Chronicle of a Summer, Dir: Rouch, Jean & Edgar Morin
- Fountainhead, The, Dir: Vidor, King
- American Gigolo, Dir: Schrader, Paul
- Oldboy, Dir: Park Chan-Wook
- Days and Nights in the Forest, Dir: Ray, Satyajit
- Vive L'Amour, Dir: Tsai Ming-Liang
- Sonatine, Dir: Kitano, Takeshi
- Tale of the Wind, A, Dir: Ivens, Joris
- Our Daily Bread, Dir: Vidor, King
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Dir: Lee, Ang
- Diary for Timothy, A, Dir: Jennings, Humphrey
- Lone Star, Dir: Sayles, John
- Happiness, Dir: Solondz, Todd
- Hour of the Wolf, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Broadway Danny Rose, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Sorpasso, Il, Dir: Risi, Dino
- Under the Bridges, Dir: Kaütner, Helmut
- War and Peace, Dir: Bondarchuk, Sergei
- Nazarín, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Veronika Voss, Dir: Fassbinder, Rainer Werner
- Marquise of O, The, Dir: Rohmer, Eric
- Happy Together, Dir: Wong Kar-Wai
- Portrait of Jennie, Dir: Dieterle, William
- Charade, Dir: Donen, Stanley
- They Died with Their Boots On, Dir: Walsh, Raoul
- Zorn's Lemma, Dir: Frampton, Hollis
- Land of Silence and Darkness, Dir: Herzog, Werner
- Docks of New York, The, Dir: von Sternberg, Josef
- Missing, Dir: Costa-Gavras, Constantin
- Green Ray, The, Dir: Rohmer, Eric
- Tobacco Road, Dir: Ford, John
- World According to Garp, The, Dir: Hill, George Roy
- Two for the Road, Dir: Donen, Stanley
- Feu follet, Le, Dir: Malle, Louis
- Chienne, La, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Out of Africa, Dir: Pollack, Sydney
- Pink Flamingos, Dir: Waters, John
- Utamaro and His Five Women, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Ballad of Narayama, Dir: Imamura, Shohei
- Lost Highway, Dir: Lynch, David
- Boucher, Le, Dir: Chabrol, Claude
- Go-Between, The, Dir: Losey, Joseph
- Plein soleil, Dir: Clément, René
- Days of Being Wild, Dir: Wong Kar-Wai
- Femme infidèle, La, Dir: Chabrol, Claude
- Childhood of Maxim Gorky, The, Dir: Donskoi, Mark
- Touki Bouki, Dir: Mambéty, Djibril Diop
- Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The, Dir: Jackson, Peter
- Man in the White Suit, The, Dir: Mackendrick, Alexander
- Judex, Dir: Franju, Georges
- Black Orpheus, Dir: Camus, Marcel
- Eternity and a Day, Dir: Angelopoulos, Theo
- Getaway, The, Dir: Peckinpah, Sam
- Rocker, Dir: Lemke, Klaus
- Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The, Dir: Greenaway, Peter
- Arsenic and Old Lace, Dir: Capra, Frank
- 3 Women, Dir: Altman, Robert
- Rope, Dir: Hitchcock, Alfred
- Festen, Dir: Vinterberg, Thomas
- Royal Tenenbaums, The, Dir: Anderson, Wes
- Caro diario, Dir: Moretti, Nanni
- Night Moves, Dir: Penn, Arthur
- By the Bluest of Seas, Dir: Barnet, Boris
- Year of Living Dangerously, The, Dir: Weir, Peter
- Harakiri, Dir: Kobayashi, Masaki
- From Here to Eternity, Dir: Zinnemann, Fred
- Dangerous Liaisons, Dir: Frears, Stephen
- Radio Days, Dir: Allen, Woody
- Gold Diggers of 1933, Dir: LeRoy, Mervyn
- Too Early, Too Late, Dir: Straub, Jean-Marie & Danièle Huillet
- Grey Gardens, Dir: Maysles, David/Albert Maysles/Ellen Hovde/Muffie Meyer
- Saga of Gosta Berling, The, Dir: Stiller, Mauritz
- Burnt by the Sun, Dir: Mikhalkov, Nikita
- Fallen Angels, Dir: Wong Kar-Wai
- Rose Hobart, Dir: Cornell, Joseph
- Ben-Hur, Dir: Niblo, Fred
- Ceremony, The, Dir: Oshima, Nagisa
- Amour fou, L', Dir: Rivette, Jacques
- Virgin Spring, The, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Kwaidan, Dir: Kobayashi, Masaki
- Posto, Il, Dir: Olmi, Ermanno
- Bend of the River, Dir: Mann, Anthony
- Excalibur, Dir: Boorman, John
- Wild River, Dir: Kazan, Elia
- Yesterday Girl, Dir: Kluge, Alexander
- Starship Troopers, Dir: Verhoeven, Paul
- Leave Her to Heaven, Dir: Stahl, John M.
- Lucifer Rising, Dir: Anger, Kenneth
- City Girl, Dir: Murnau, F.W.
- Slave of Love, A, Dir: Mikhalkov, Nikita
- Devil in the Flesh, Dir: Autant-Lara, Claude
- Way Down East, Dir: Griffith, D.W.
- Shin heike monogatari, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Night of the Shooting Stars, The, Dir: Taviani, Paolo & Vittorio Taviani
- Sur, El, Dir: Erice, Victor
- Wings of Eagles, The, Dir: Ford, John
- Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, The, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- My Apprenticeship, Dir: Donskoi, Mark
- Unbearable Lightness of Being, The, Dir: Kaufman, Philip
- And the Ship Sails On, Dir: Fellini, Federico
- Seventh Heaven, Dir: Borzage, Frank
- Magnolia, Dir: Anderson, Paul Thomas
- King of the Children, Dir: Chen Kaige
- Late Autumn, Dir: Ozu, Yasujiro
- Donnie Darko, Dir: Kelly, Richard
- Variety, Dir: Dupont, E.A.
- Bienvenido Mister Marshall, Dir: Berlanga, Luis García
- Luna, Dir: Bertolucci, Bernardo
- Little Foxes, The, Dir: Wyler, William
- Cutter's Way, Dir: Passer, Ivan
- Lessons of Darkness, Dir: Herzog, Werner
- Ryan's Daughter, Dir: Lean, David
- Female Trouble, Dir: Waters, John
- Bad Timing, Dir: Roeg, Nicolas
- Wild at Heart, Dir: Lynch, David
- Second Breath, Dir: Melville, Jean-Pierre
- Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, Dir: Lewin, Albert
- Song of Ceylon, Dir: Wright, Basil
- Pillow Book, The, Dir: Greenaway, Peter
- Italian Straw Hat, The, Dir: Clair, René
- Punch-Drunk Love, Dir: Anderson, Paul Thomas
- My Friend Ivan Lapshin, Dir: Gherman, Alexei
- Camille, Dir: Cukor, George
- Talk to Her, Dir: Almodóvar, Pedro
- Last of the Mohicans, The, Dir: Mann, Michael
- Arsenal, Dir: Dovzhenko, Alexander
- Sign of Leo, The, Dir: Rohmer, Eric
- Spione, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Samson and Delilah, Dir: DeMille, Cecil B.
- True Heart Susie, Dir: Griffith, D.W.
- Bellboy, The, Dir: Lewis, Jerry
- Heaven Can Wait, Dir: Lubitsch, Ernst
- Moonrise, Dir: Borzage, Frank
- Simon of the Desert, Dir: Buñuel, Luis
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Dir: Donen, Stanley
- Tout va bien, Dir: Godard, Jean-Luc & Jean-Pierre Gorin
- Two English Girls, Dir: Truffaut, François
- Passion of Anna, The, Dir: Bergman, Ingmar
- Big Chill, The, Dir: Kasdan, Lawrence
- Scarlet Street, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Lost in Translation, Dir: Coppola, Sofia
- Leaving Las Vegas, Dir: Figgis, Mike
- Maskerade, Dir: Forst, Willi
- Memento, Dir: Nolan, Christopher
- Letter to Three Wives, A, Dir: Mankiewicz, Joseph L.
- Far Country, The, Dir: Mann, Anthony
- Accident, Dir: Losey, Joseph
- Louisiana Story, Dir: Flaherty, Robert
- Z, Dir: Costa-Gavras, Constantin
- Lost Horizon, Dir: Capra, Frank
- Empire of the Sun, Dir: Spielberg, Steven
- Dark Eyes, Dir: Mikhalkov, Nikita
- Blast of Silence, Dir: Baron, Allen
- Central Station, Dir: Salles, Walter
- Short Film About Love, A, Dir: Kieslowski, Krszystof
- California Split, Dir: Altman, Robert
- Chikamatsu monogatari, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Ladies' Man, The, Dir: Lewis, Jerry
- One, Two, Three, Dir: Wilder, Billy
- Man of Marble, Dir: Wajda, Andrzej
- Koyaanisqatsi, Dir: Reggio, Godfrey
- Strangers When We Meet, Dir: Quine, Richard
- Toute une nuit, Dir: Akerman, Chantal
- Bridges of Madison County, The, Dir: Eastwood, Clint
- Angel Face, Dir: Preminger, Otto
- Bells of St. Mary's, The, Dir: McCarey, Leo
- American Beauty, Dir: Mendes, Sam
- Ballad of Cable Hogue, The, Dir: Peckinpah, Sam
- Fort Apache, Dir: Ford, John
- Duellists, The, Dir: Scott, Ridley
- Four Friends, Dir: Penn, Arthur
- Straight Story, The, Dir: Lynch, David
- Sheltering Sky, The, Dir: Bertolucci, Bernardo
- White Shadows in the South Seas, Dir: Van Dyke II, W.S.
- Fury, Dir: Lang, Fritz
- Before the Revolution, Dir: Bertolucci, Bernardo
- Kanal, Dir: Wajda, Andrzej
- Chloe in the Afternoon, Dir: Rohmer, Eric
- People on Sunday, Dir: Siodmak, Robert & Edgar G. Ulmer
- You Can't Take it with You, Dir: Capra, Frank
- Bay of Angels, Dir: Demy, Jacques
- Time to Love and a Time to Die, A, Dir: Sirk, Douglas
- Dracula, Dir: Fisher, Terence
- Testament of Orpheus, Dir: Cocteau, Jean
- Toni, Dir: Renoir, Jean
- Forty Guns, Dir: Fuller, Sam
- My Love Has Been Burning, Dir: Mizoguchi, Kenji
- Unknown, The, Dir: Browning, Tod
Moving This Blog!
6/24/2009
This blog was an interface test for 1000 DVDs to See. We've decided to go with the ProBlogger template and converted that blog.
We're going to only post reviews there from now on, which includes movies, tv miniseries and shows, and live concerts - in short, anything available on dvd.
We will move some of these reviews, like the best 100, to our most popular site, Worlds Best Films, which is list-oriented, such as awards (US, British, Cannes, Venice, Hong Kong, Australia, Golden Globes) and genres (war, romance, comedy, westerns, etc.)
Please continue to visit those two and change any links from this site to 1000 Dvds. We may add a few more odd posts here but will discontinue posting the film reviews in two locations.
Thanks for the feedback on the templates! -- José Sinclair "El Presidenté"
We're going to only post reviews there from now on, which includes movies, tv miniseries and shows, and live concerts - in short, anything available on dvd.
We will move some of these reviews, like the best 100, to our most popular site, Worlds Best Films, which is list-oriented, such as awards (US, British, Cannes, Venice, Hong Kong, Australia, Golden Globes) and genres (war, romance, comedy, westerns, etc.)
Please continue to visit those two and change any links from this site to 1000 Dvds. We may add a few more odd posts here but will discontinue posting the film reviews in two locations.
Thanks for the feedback on the templates! -- José Sinclair "El Presidenté"
The Virgin Suicides
6/24/2009
Sofia Coppola, 1999 (7*)
I watched this film without knowing anything in advance, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was Sofia Coppola's first film as director, and she co-wrote the screenplay.
This starts like most other teen infatuation films, a group of male high school friends ogles a group of five sisters, each born a year apart, each with her own charms. Kirsten Dunst will be the most recognizable actress and of course has the pivotal point in the plot. The parents are the strictly religious Kathleen Turner and her whipped-into-submission husband James Woods. For awhile, you think this will be a Peggie Sue Got Married sequel, which was directed by Francis, then it abrubtly grabs you by the throat when the youngest sister hurls herself onto a fence spike rather than face her first party.
Then you know Kathleen is not Peggy Sue, but more like Carrie's mother, and from that point on, the film is decidedly a drama about actions and consequences. In a way, it's like a modern Jane Austen family gone totally dysfunctional. The story by Jeffrey Eugenides from his novel has been filmed by Coppola in a non-preachy, low key style that leaves much to the audience, it will appear as deep or as shallow as the viewer's interpretation. Coppola co-wrote the screenplay, and father Francis Ford produced, but I think her direction here showed a lot of promise, and she won a few awards, mostly for first film or new filmmaker.
Then you know Kathleen is not Peggy Sue, but more like Carrie's mother, and from that point on, the film is decidedly a drama about actions and consequences. In a way, it's like a modern Jane Austen family gone totally dysfunctional. The story by Jeffrey Eugenides from his novel has been filmed by Coppola in a non-preachy, low key style that leaves much to the audience, it will appear as deep or as shallow as the viewer's interpretation. Coppola co-wrote the screenplay, and father Francis Ford produced, but I think her direction here showed a lot of promise, and she won a few awards, mostly for first film or new filmmaker.
The Assassination of Jesse James
6/21/2009
By the Coward Robert Ford
Andrew Dominik, 2007 (8*)
This is an account of the last days of Jesse James, from a novel by Ron Hansen. A bit slow, the film nevertheless has a leisurely grace and almost epic length, and with some stunning cinematography by Roger Deakins, becomes another in the line of recent elegaic westerns (The Claim, Open Range, Unforgiven).
Casey Affleck shines as the Ford brother who ultimatey shot Jesse James, and this film is really all about his life, as it continues after the incident. Brad Pitt is good as James, but Affleck is really the better actor in this, and garnered an Oscar® nomination, and several smaller awards as best supporting actor.
Director Dominik, in only his second film, evokes Terence Malick's Days of Heaven for style and pace. For me, down a star for length, 2 hrs would have been enough, and since his first film was Chopper, maybe next time he can find the middle ground with the title's length.
Andrew Dominik, 2007 (8*)
This is an account of the last days of Jesse James, from a novel by Ron Hansen. A bit slow, the film nevertheless has a leisurely grace and almost epic length, and with some stunning cinematography by Roger Deakins, becomes another in the line of recent elegaic westerns (The Claim, Open Range, Unforgiven).
Casey Affleck shines as the Ford brother who ultimatey shot Jesse James, and this film is really all about his life, as it continues after the incident. Brad Pitt is good as James, but Affleck is really the better actor in this, and garnered an Oscar® nomination, and several smaller awards as best supporting actor.
Director Dominik, in only his second film, evokes Terence Malick's Days of Heaven for style and pace. For me, down a star for length, 2 hrs would have been enough, and since his first film was Chopper, maybe next time he can find the middle ground with the title's length.
Night of the Hunter
6/20/2009
Charles Laughton, 1955, bw (9*)
This is one of the creepiest, most spine-tingling films ever made, and the best from actor Robert Mitchum. Oscar-winning actor Charles Laughton directed his one and only film and it's a film noir masterpiece. Mitchum plays a convict who finds out about a woman alone with her kids who may have money stashed from another criminal's robbery. When Mitchum gets out of prison, he poses as the most evil preacher in history, with 'love' and 'hate' tatooed on his hands, one letter per finger, and he tells the kids they go hand in hand. Mitchum actually seems semi-passionate about something in a film for once - money in this case.
This is one of the creepiest, most spine-tingling films ever made, and the best from actor Robert Mitchum. Oscar-winning actor Charles Laughton directed his one and only film and it's a film noir masterpiece. Mitchum plays a convict who finds out about a woman alone with her kids who may have money stashed from another criminal's robbery. When Mitchum gets out of prison, he poses as the most evil preacher in history, with 'love' and 'hate' tatooed on his hands, one letter per finger, and he tells the kids they go hand in hand. Mitchum actually seems semi-passionate about something in a film for once - money in this case.
A young Shelly Winters plays the mother, and Mitchum stops at nothing to terrorize her and the kids just to get the money, especially the kids (this is not for the squeamish!) This is full of eerie and unforgettable shots: a victim gently floating underwater in the current, an interior lit like to appear like a church (see above), and some dreamy yet nightmarish images of shadows creeping in the night. The only negative here is that Laughton didn't make any more films as director! One of the best black-and-white films made as well, nearly every shot is a work of art.
The Reader
6/18/2009Stephen Daldry, 2008 (9*)
This is Kate Winslett's finest performance in a stellar career, and was rewarded with her first Oscar® for best actress. She plays a woman, Hannah, whose spontaneous act of kindness to a sick teenager, Micheal, leads to his first love affair. Her favorite pastime when they are alone is to have Michael read classic literary works to her. Michael's life is changed by this women old enough to be his mother, yet she remains an enigma to him.
Later, at law school, he again crosses paths with Hannah, a defendant in an important legal case relating to the Holocaust, and certain facts are now obvious to him that only he knows. The film eventually includes Michael as an adult lawyer, played by Ralph Feinnes in a small but effective part. Kate Winslett shines throughout, making us understand this complex character, even if we cannot justify certain actions taken during wartime. The original novel by Bernhard Schlink was a favorite of mine, and director Stephen Daldry has done the novel justice, creating an intelligent and restrained of a deeply drawn female character, and her effect on the development of a young lawyer.
Unfortunately both producers Anthony Minghella and later Sydney Pollack passed away during the making of this film and never saw its completed form.
This is Kate Winslett's finest performance in a stellar career, and was rewarded with her first Oscar® for best actress. She plays a woman, Hannah, whose spontaneous act of kindness to a sick teenager, Micheal, leads to his first love affair. Her favorite pastime when they are alone is to have Michael read classic literary works to her. Michael's life is changed by this women old enough to be his mother, yet she remains an enigma to him.
Later, at law school, he again crosses paths with Hannah, a defendant in an important legal case relating to the Holocaust, and certain facts are now obvious to him that only he knows. The film eventually includes Michael as an adult lawyer, played by Ralph Feinnes in a small but effective part. Kate Winslett shines throughout, making us understand this complex character, even if we cannot justify certain actions taken during wartime. The original novel by Bernhard Schlink was a favorite of mine, and director Stephen Daldry has done the novel justice, creating an intelligent and restrained of a deeply drawn female character, and her effect on the development of a young lawyer.
Unfortunately both producers Anthony Minghella and later Sydney Pollack passed away during the making of this film and never saw its completed form.
[Note: definitely an R for nude sex scenes]
For Kate Winslett's other best performances, check out: Heavenly Creatures, her first (directed by Peter Jackson), Finding Neverland (her favorite film of hers), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The Wrestler
6/18/2009Darren Aronofsky, 2008 (8*)
Golden Lion, Venice
This gritty film from Darren Aronofsky deservedly won Mickey Rourke many awards for actor in 2008, including the Golden Globe, but unfortunately not the Oscar. Its hard to imagine that he'll ever be better than this, and more than carries this powerful Aronofsky film about an over-the-hill wrestler now running into health problems from a career of drug abuse. Marisa Tomei also won many awards as supporting actress, but also not her second Oscar, as an aging exotic dancer in a bar, now being passed by for the younger girls. She and Randy (the Ram) strike up a believable friendship as both see some of themselves in the other.
This is another intimately personal film by Darren Aronofsky, which are usually about a character trying to make it through a tough life situation, and who are usually obsessed with one thing: drugs in Requiem for a Dream, math in Pi, brain research in The Fountain. In this case, Randy cannot see a life past the ring, it's all he's known for 20 years, and has no one in his life really but his fans. Not a pleasant story, but a realistic story on all counts, and you'll like it even if you aren't a wrestling fan, it's really about personal communication and character development. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Mickey Rourke won 14 awards for actor for this, Marisa Tomei won 7.
Awards Page at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/awards
Golden Lion, Venice
This gritty film from Darren Aronofsky deservedly won Mickey Rourke many awards for actor in 2008, including the Golden Globe, but unfortunately not the Oscar. Its hard to imagine that he'll ever be better than this, and more than carries this powerful Aronofsky film about an over-the-hill wrestler now running into health problems from a career of drug abuse. Marisa Tomei also won many awards as supporting actress, but also not her second Oscar, as an aging exotic dancer in a bar, now being passed by for the younger girls. She and Randy (the Ram) strike up a believable friendship as both see some of themselves in the other.
This is another intimately personal film by Darren Aronofsky, which are usually about a character trying to make it through a tough life situation, and who are usually obsessed with one thing: drugs in Requiem for a Dream, math in Pi, brain research in The Fountain. In this case, Randy cannot see a life past the ring, it's all he's known for 20 years, and has no one in his life really but his fans. Not a pleasant story, but a realistic story on all counts, and you'll like it even if you aren't a wrestling fan, it's really about personal communication and character development. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Mickey Rourke won 14 awards for actor for this, Marisa Tomei won 7.
Awards Page at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/awards
Throne of Blood
6/17/2009
aka Spider's Web Castle
Akira Kurosawa, 1957, Japan, bw (8*)
This is actually another of the great Japanese director's early masterworks, it's not really a horror film in spite of the lurid title. Based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, Kurosawa made it entirely Japanese, building his castle on Mt. Fuji, and mixing elements of Japanese theater into the film. Kurosawa even trucked in the black volcanic soil of Fuji into the studio lot to film the castle interiors.
The story involves the castle of the title, surrounded by a maze-like forest that adds to its protection. One day while lost in this forest, two military leaders who are lifetime friends receive a prophecy from a ghost that leads them into their own web of power seeking and mistrust, as they are each to become castle lords themselves. No medieval Japanese film can avoid war, and this has some beautifully filmed battle sequences, once again using stark black-and-white cinematography to show the power of horses and soldiers in battle, much like his earlier classic The Seven Samurai.
His new favorite actor of the time, Toshiro Mifune, is featured in this one as well, though this film is not quite as artistic as Seven Samurai, it adheres to the Shakespearean story, so it's a bit more melodramatic and staged looking in comparison, though that's an honest cinematic interpretation of the play. With some haunting and huge-scale images, it's still a great example of the early Kurosawa style, and a worthy entry into the pantheon of Shakespeare transformed to film.
Akira Kurosawa, 1957, Japan, bw (8*)
This is actually another of the great Japanese director's early masterworks, it's not really a horror film in spite of the lurid title. Based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, Kurosawa made it entirely Japanese, building his castle on Mt. Fuji, and mixing elements of Japanese theater into the film. Kurosawa even trucked in the black volcanic soil of Fuji into the studio lot to film the castle interiors.
The story involves the castle of the title, surrounded by a maze-like forest that adds to its protection. One day while lost in this forest, two military leaders who are lifetime friends receive a prophecy from a ghost that leads them into their own web of power seeking and mistrust, as they are each to become castle lords themselves. No medieval Japanese film can avoid war, and this has some beautifully filmed battle sequences, once again using stark black-and-white cinematography to show the power of horses and soldiers in battle, much like his earlier classic The Seven Samurai.
His new favorite actor of the time, Toshiro Mifune, is featured in this one as well, though this film is not quite as artistic as Seven Samurai, it adheres to the Shakespearean story, so it's a bit more melodramatic and staged looking in comparison, though that's an honest cinematic interpretation of the play. With some haunting and huge-scale images, it's still a great example of the early Kurosawa style, and a worthy entry into the pantheon of Shakespeare transformed to film.
Sleeping Dogs Lie
6/16/2009
Aka Stay
Bobcat Goldthwait, 2006 (7*)
Sometimes we do something we immediately regret, like Melinda Page Hamilton in this film, while alone at college with her dog. Later the question comes up, how honest and revealing do we need to be with those we love? This is such an outrageous premise, with some appropriately funny dialogue that when the final credits roll and you see written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, then it all makes perfect sense.
A Sundance grand jury prize award nominee (for drama), this film works first as a comedy, then as a romance-drama, mostly due to the engaging and believable performance of Hamilton, and Geoff Piersen as her father. A surprisingly original comedy in the days of the normal Hollywood tedium when dealing with romance, and also poignant in the right places. It was also a San Sebastian Film Festival nominee, and Hamilton was nominated for a Gotham award for breakthrough performance.
Original title was Stay, for all the festivals, now it’s Sleeping Dogs Lie on cable and dvd, but there are other films with that title. Stay, the link at Imdb
Bobcat Goldthwait, 2006 (7*)
Sometimes we do something we immediately regret, like Melinda Page Hamilton in this film, while alone at college with her dog. Later the question comes up, how honest and revealing do we need to be with those we love? This is such an outrageous premise, with some appropriately funny dialogue that when the final credits roll and you see written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, then it all makes perfect sense.
A Sundance grand jury prize award nominee (for drama), this film works first as a comedy, then as a romance-drama, mostly due to the engaging and believable performance of Hamilton, and Geoff Piersen as her father. A surprisingly original comedy in the days of the normal Hollywood tedium when dealing with romance, and also poignant in the right places. It was also a San Sebastian Film Festival nominee, and Hamilton was nominated for a Gotham award for breakthrough performance.
Original title was Stay, for all the festivals, now it’s Sleeping Dogs Lie on cable and dvd, but there are other films with that title. Stay, the link at Imdb
The Kingdom
6/16/2009
Peter Berg, 2007 (7*)
This is a surprisingly good and timely action-adventure from actor-turned-director Peter Berg as it involves anti-US terrorism in the middle east. There are several gripping action sequences that will stand out from standard car chase fare. The film begins with a horrifying terrorist attack on a U.S. residents kids softball game in Saudi Arabia. After all the carnage, an FBI investigator stationed there is among the dead. The FBI in Washington wants to send its own team in to investigate, but it’s against US policy, inflaming an already tense situation.
Well, of course the team gets there or we’d have no story. Jamie Foxx is the leader, Chris Cooper the bomb expert (there's two Oscar® winners), Jennifer Garner the eye candy, a friend of the dead agent, and Jason Bateman the comic actor here misappropriately used for a serious and violent role. Richard Jenkins is his usual pro self in a small role as their FBI superior, Jeremy Piven is miscast as the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia – I kept expecting an agent style rant about growing balls from Ari on Entourage.
There’s an exciting freeway sequence, and an urban shootout that are both terrific, riveting and involving. They also had access to shoot in the royal palace of Dubai (or was it U.A.E.?), so all locations look very authentic. Of course the plot is a predictable, down a star for that, but the Arab acting of Ashraf Barhom, best in the film [Supporting Actor nomination maybe!], more than makes up for the John Wayne style of the Americans. Berg best to me is still Friday Night Lights.
This is a surprisingly good and timely action-adventure from actor-turned-director Peter Berg as it involves anti-US terrorism in the middle east. There are several gripping action sequences that will stand out from standard car chase fare. The film begins with a horrifying terrorist attack on a U.S. residents kids softball game in Saudi Arabia. After all the carnage, an FBI investigator stationed there is among the dead. The FBI in Washington wants to send its own team in to investigate, but it’s against US policy, inflaming an already tense situation.
Well, of course the team gets there or we’d have no story. Jamie Foxx is the leader, Chris Cooper the bomb expert (there's two Oscar® winners), Jennifer Garner the eye candy, a friend of the dead agent, and Jason Bateman the comic actor here misappropriately used for a serious and violent role. Richard Jenkins is his usual pro self in a small role as their FBI superior, Jeremy Piven is miscast as the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia – I kept expecting an agent style rant about growing balls from Ari on Entourage.
There’s an exciting freeway sequence, and an urban shootout that are both terrific, riveting and involving. They also had access to shoot in the royal palace of Dubai (or was it U.A.E.?), so all locations look very authentic. Of course the plot is a predictable, down a star for that, but the Arab acting of Ashraf Barhom, best in the film [Supporting Actor nomination maybe!], more than makes up for the John Wayne style of the Americans. Berg best to me is still Friday Night Lights.
Valkyrie
6/14/2009
Bryan Singer, 2008 (9*)
Even if you know this story from high school history or reading William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (excellent if you like WW2 history), director Bryan Singer and screenplay authors Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander have made an excellent suspense film with a tightly woven story of an attempt to assassinate Hitler just after the D-Day invasion, July of 1944. You find yourself actually wondering what the outcome will be, as if perhaps plunged into an alternate history story.
The film begins with chief plotter Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) in North Africa, receiving battle injuries that would relegate him to a bureaucratic role for the remainder of the war. Along with many other Germans who could see Hitler destroying both Germany and all of Europe, they felt they owed it to humanity to forge a truce with the Allies immediately. These included men within the German army and the government, who began to covertly plot together, and it was no small conspiracy. Von Stauffenberg is brought into the group by superiors. The cast is excellent overall, especially Bill Nighy as General Friedrich Olbricht; other recognizable talents include Kenneth Branagh and Tom Wilkinson. Cruise is good enough, though a German actor may have been a better choice, he's just a little too American, better suited for Born on the Fourth of July, still his best role to date, receiving a best actor nomination.
Overall, an excellent suspense film, well-made, very authentic looking with just enough mix of plot development and action, while remaining pretty accurate to history. Singer is better at this type of film, like his The Usual Suspects, than the action films he's recently tackled; he's in his element again here.
Even if you know this story from high school history or reading William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (excellent if you like WW2 history), director Bryan Singer and screenplay authors Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander have made an excellent suspense film with a tightly woven story of an attempt to assassinate Hitler just after the D-Day invasion, July of 1944. You find yourself actually wondering what the outcome will be, as if perhaps plunged into an alternate history story.
The film begins with chief plotter Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) in North Africa, receiving battle injuries that would relegate him to a bureaucratic role for the remainder of the war. Along with many other Germans who could see Hitler destroying both Germany and all of Europe, they felt they owed it to humanity to forge a truce with the Allies immediately. These included men within the German army and the government, who began to covertly plot together, and it was no small conspiracy. Von Stauffenberg is brought into the group by superiors. The cast is excellent overall, especially Bill Nighy as General Friedrich Olbricht; other recognizable talents include Kenneth Branagh and Tom Wilkinson. Cruise is good enough, though a German actor may have been a better choice, he's just a little too American, better suited for Born on the Fourth of July, still his best role to date, receiving a best actor nomination.
Overall, an excellent suspense film, well-made, very authentic looking with just enough mix of plot development and action, while remaining pretty accurate to history. Singer is better at this type of film, like his The Usual Suspects, than the action films he's recently tackled; he's in his element again here.
The Fountain
6/11/2009
Darren Aronofsky, 2006 (8*)
This is such a unique personal vision that it's really hard to describe, in a line: yet another mind-bending film from the talented vision of young director Darren Aronofsky. This, just his third feature film, followed Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), and preceded The Wrestler (2008). Aronofsky's films are intensely involved in each subject, usually involving a personal obsession, and The Fountain is no different. This ambitious story takes place in three distinctly different time periods: a 16th century knight’s quest for immortality for his queen, a modern day doctor searching for a cure for brain tumors (or cancer?) to save his wife, and a futuristic space traveler taking the Tree of Life to a dying star, in a mythical quest that is rarely seen in any genre.
Hugh Jackman plays the man on a mission is in each story, while the lady he lives for is Rachel Weisz. As his present-time wife, Izzi writes the story called The Fountain, which relates the story of the renaissance knight searching for a legendary tree of Mayan mythology, the tree of life that gives immortality to one who drinks its sap. These two stars make the film believable with their acting, but it’s Aronofky’s unrelenting vision that makes the movie both a science fiction-fantasy and a spiritual journey, perhaps the best such combination since 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968.
This unique and artistic film won’t be for all tastes, as no Aronofsky film to date has been, as he never compromises his personal vision for commerciality. I think this will make him one of the few current young directors that will rise above the crowd over time.
This is such a unique personal vision that it's really hard to describe, in a line: yet another mind-bending film from the talented vision of young director Darren Aronofsky. This, just his third feature film, followed Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), and preceded The Wrestler (2008). Aronofsky's films are intensely involved in each subject, usually involving a personal obsession, and The Fountain is no different. This ambitious story takes place in three distinctly different time periods: a 16th century knight’s quest for immortality for his queen, a modern day doctor searching for a cure for brain tumors (or cancer?) to save his wife, and a futuristic space traveler taking the Tree of Life to a dying star, in a mythical quest that is rarely seen in any genre.
Hugh Jackman plays the man on a mission is in each story, while the lady he lives for is Rachel Weisz. As his present-time wife, Izzi writes the story called The Fountain, which relates the story of the renaissance knight searching for a legendary tree of Mayan mythology, the tree of life that gives immortality to one who drinks its sap. These two stars make the film believable with their acting, but it’s Aronofky’s unrelenting vision that makes the movie both a science fiction-fantasy and a spiritual journey, perhaps the best such combination since 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968.
This unique and artistic film won’t be for all tastes, as no Aronofsky film to date has been, as he never compromises his personal vision for commerciality. I think this will make him one of the few current young directors that will rise above the crowd over time.
In the Valley of Elah
6/09/2009
Paul Haggis, 2007 (8*)
This surprising mystery is a terrific small film that got absolutely no PR at all. It quietly slipped past most people apparently. Tommy Lee Jones turns in perhaps his finest performance, garnering a well-deserved Oscar nomination for best actor as a dad hunting for his AWOL son who's returned from Iraq and immediately disappeared. Charlize Theron is also excellent, in little makeup, brown hair pulled back in a bun, as a no nonsense police detective - also one of her best performances. Susan Sarandon doesn't have a lot to do in this, as the mother of the missing, Tommy Lee's wife, but still, an excellent cast of three Oscar winners!
This is a story that slowly unfolds yet remains engrossing. It's also a real mystery, the kind you don't often see anymore, as we normally know who the killer is, and when there's no mystery it becomes a crime/suspense story, such as The Silence of the Lambs. This one is not only very well made, but is based on a true story as well.
Note: in the same year, Jones was also up for best supporting actor in the best picture winner, No Country for Old Men
This surprising mystery is a terrific small film that got absolutely no PR at all. It quietly slipped past most people apparently. Tommy Lee Jones turns in perhaps his finest performance, garnering a well-deserved Oscar nomination for best actor as a dad hunting for his AWOL son who's returned from Iraq and immediately disappeared. Charlize Theron is also excellent, in little makeup, brown hair pulled back in a bun, as a no nonsense police detective - also one of her best performances. Susan Sarandon doesn't have a lot to do in this, as the mother of the missing, Tommy Lee's wife, but still, an excellent cast of three Oscar winners!
This is a story that slowly unfolds yet remains engrossing. It's also a real mystery, the kind you don't often see anymore, as we normally know who the killer is, and when there's no mystery it becomes a crime/suspense story, such as The Silence of the Lambs. This one is not only very well made, but is based on a true story as well.
Note: in the same year, Jones was also up for best supporting actor in the best picture winner, No Country for Old Men
The Memory Loss Tapes
6/03/2009Shari Cookson and Nick Doob, 2009, HBO (10*)
The Memory Loss Tapes is the first part of four films in the HBO series The Alzheimer’s Project, and it’s an extremely powerful documentary that touches on the most basic human emotions, those that flow naturally from love, caring, and mortality. The film was brilliantly constructed by producer-directors Shari Cookson and Nick Doob to slowly reveal the progressive stages of Alzheimer’s in seven different patients, and just as importantly, to show the families of each having to cope with different aspects of the disease.
The first patient, Bessie, has only mild symptoms, so we get to see her as a lively, outgoing, and funny person. She knows what’s coming eventually but is still enjoying every day to its fullest. Another patient, Fannie, is losing her ability to drive her car, and with it her independence. Joe keeps a blog of his decline and can feel his mind slipping away. Yolanda thinks her reflection is a new best friend. Woody can’t remember his wife but can still remember song lyrics and sing with his old group.
Josephine’s daughter has had to fence in her property to keep her mom from wandering away. The patients shown exemplify the progression of the disease by revealing their everyday reality.
The most gripping part of this film deals with someone in the final stages of life, and the devastating effect it has on his family. In a heart wrenching revelation, the man’s wife admits feeling selfish for wanting to keep her husband with her as long as she can, despite the fact that he has "no life."
I don’t think I’ve ever seen mortality treated so realistically or with as much impact in any film. For parents, I would warn you to either pre-screen this for your children, especially those under ten, or counsel them before viewing. It’s something we’ll all face, but it may be distressing for young viewers to actually see in reality.
The saddest part of this illness to me is that it robs its victims of their memories at a stage in life when these are likely their most cherished possession. As a child, we would visit my great-grandmother in her nursing home, but she never remembered who we were, and she lived to be ninety-nine. I would have loved to have heard her stories that began around 1870, and just imagine the century she was able to witness.
Hopefully this film will instill a desire in many to become healers or medical researchers, and bring an understanding of the heavy cost of all terminal illnesses on the families and friends of the patients. We should all be aware now that new biotech research is necessary to cure this and similarly debilitating illnesses, and that money wasted on destructive goals is being diverted from these more humane purposes.
Many elderly patients don’t have any remaining family, as I found out when my mom was in a nursing home with Parkinson’s. Many eat alone and never have visitors, something we should never allow to happen. Visit as many of these people as you can, their smiles will be the best reward you’ll ever receive.
The Memory Loss Tapes should receive a handful of well-deserved Emmy nominations, and some awards. It's technically superb, emotionally powerful, and for me is one of the best TV documentaries ever made.
Producer-director Shari Cookson at IMDB
Producer-director Nick Doob at IMDB
[Though not yet on DVD, I'm reviewing this here in the hope that people will watch it on HBO or from their website: Click here for the HBO Link, and all episodes can be streamed from here as well.]
The Alzheimer's Organization is at http://www.alz.org/
Patients and families affected by Alzheimer’s can visit Icara Study to see if they might be eligible to enroll. [Thanks to Tracy for this]
Patients and families affected by Alzheimer’s can visit Icara Study to see if they might be eligible to enroll. [Thanks to Tracy for this]
Close-Up
6/02/2009aka Nema-ye Nazdik
Abbas Kiarostami, 1990, Iran (7*)
This is a small, sub low-budget pseudo-documentary that has much of the story re-enacted by the original participants. It involves the true story of an unemployed Iranian family man, Ali Sabzian, who impersonates a director he idolizes, Mohsen Makhmalbaf (director of "The Cyclist", the film he admires). Meeting another fan on a bus, he gains entrance to a middle-class family's home, eventually asking for money. Becoming suspicious, the family patriarch arranges to have him arrested when he returns to their house.
We join the story there, following a journalist, then later the director of this film, Abbas Hiarostami, as they interview the accused, then Iranian court officials, who decide to let them film the trial. (or was it re-enacted?) Iran, opening up its primitive legal system to journalists with cameras - what's wrong with this story?
It would be a touching story otherwise, but I can't separate myself from the locale and the Iranian regime. This is not an earth-moving case either, mere hero worship and impersonation, perhaps for financial game, as the man has a family to feed. Just about anyone would perpetrate a minor scam if it could feed their kids at the expense of those apparently well-off, and who would blame him. You feel for the criminal in this (his real crime is just poverty), who appears remorseful, as they all do when caught. I don't buy his self-proclaimed innocence in court myself, but then I'm from the nation with the most laws, most prisoners, most lawyers, most time spent in court in the world!
I wasn't as moved as most critics: the film quality is very poor, the sound perfectly awful, the worst I've ever heard. At times it vibrates into unrecognition, in one scene with director Makhmalbaf, it cuts on and off from his remote microphone, some dialogue being lost entirely. (see El Mariachi for a great example of low-budget excellence, so it can be done, and all in single takes)
I'm convinced this movie was Iranian propaganda. They let Kiarostami film in court because this case meant nothing - were any journalists allowed in Roxanne Saberi's so-called trial? I don't buy the veracity of this film, so it loses it's power without the viewer buying the premise. It's an interesting window into a closed regime, even if a cloudy, poorly made one, so in that regard it's worth seeing, just don't expect any decent production values, but the positive is some openly displayed emotions in a raw and human docudrama.
Abbas Kiarostami, 1990, Iran (7*)
This is a small, sub low-budget pseudo-documentary that has much of the story re-enacted by the original participants. It involves the true story of an unemployed Iranian family man, Ali Sabzian, who impersonates a director he idolizes, Mohsen Makhmalbaf (director of "The Cyclist", the film he admires). Meeting another fan on a bus, he gains entrance to a middle-class family's home, eventually asking for money. Becoming suspicious, the family patriarch arranges to have him arrested when he returns to their house.
We join the story there, following a journalist, then later the director of this film, Abbas Hiarostami, as they interview the accused, then Iranian court officials, who decide to let them film the trial. (or was it re-enacted?) Iran, opening up its primitive legal system to journalists with cameras - what's wrong with this story?
It would be a touching story otherwise, but I can't separate myself from the locale and the Iranian regime. This is not an earth-moving case either, mere hero worship and impersonation, perhaps for financial game, as the man has a family to feed. Just about anyone would perpetrate a minor scam if it could feed their kids at the expense of those apparently well-off, and who would blame him. You feel for the criminal in this (his real crime is just poverty), who appears remorseful, as they all do when caught. I don't buy his self-proclaimed innocence in court myself, but then I'm from the nation with the most laws, most prisoners, most lawyers, most time spent in court in the world!
I wasn't as moved as most critics: the film quality is very poor, the sound perfectly awful, the worst I've ever heard. At times it vibrates into unrecognition, in one scene with director Makhmalbaf, it cuts on and off from his remote microphone, some dialogue being lost entirely. (see El Mariachi for a great example of low-budget excellence, so it can be done, and all in single takes)
I'm convinced this movie was Iranian propaganda. They let Kiarostami film in court because this case meant nothing - were any journalists allowed in Roxanne Saberi's so-called trial? I don't buy the veracity of this film, so it loses it's power without the viewer buying the premise. It's an interesting window into a closed regime, even if a cloudy, poorly made one, so in that regard it's worth seeing, just don't expect any decent production values, but the positive is some openly displayed emotions in a raw and human docudrama.
In Bruges
5/29/2009Martin McDonagh, 2008 (9*)
This is a thoroughly enjoyable and creative black crime 'dramedy' (more drama than humor), about two affable hit men hiding out in Bruges, Belgium, the best preserved medieval city in Europe. Rookie director Martin McDonagh got the idea for this film while visiting the city once, and the two characters represent his own split feelings about the town: beautiful and historic on one hand, then boring when that becomes the everyday routine. In two terrific performances, Brendan Gleeson is the older, wiser hit man who enjoys touring the historic town, while Colin Farrell, new to the profession, is bored, anxious, and needs more excitement, more booze, more anything.
The pair quickly discover a film being shot in the streets and befriend both a dwarf actor, who's a funny character, and a crew member, the sensual Clemence Poesy, who offers Farrell just the escape he needs. The film begins slowly but escalates into violence, especially after boss Ralph Fiennes shows up, it's a dark comedy until then. In Bruges is really a film noir with some humor, and lots of swearing. The supporting cast from the hotel owner (Thekla Reuten) to a rude Canadian (Zeljko Ivanek, Emmy-winner for Damages) are all excellent.
The film has some artistic and even surreal moments, magically filmed. When you consider all the elements involved: a town as co-star, a dwarf in a surrealist film, drug-dealing con-artists, a hit on a priest, a kid-loving mobster - this turns out to be quite a unique script from McDonagh. Farrell won the Golden Globe for actor in a comedy (I think his most versatile performance to date, tho' Home at the End of the World was probably more difficult), and Gleeson (brilliant!) was nominated, as their onscreen chemistry was hilarious. Gleeson's performance is actually the more polished and professional, he's done this often. McDonagh's Oscar-nominated screenplay won several international awards, including the BAFTA®, for which the movie was nominated for Best British film.
Be sure to watch all the bonus shorts on the dvd, especially one with all the F-word outtakes from the whole movie, there's certainly over a hundred!
This is a thoroughly enjoyable and creative black crime 'dramedy' (more drama than humor), about two affable hit men hiding out in Bruges, Belgium, the best preserved medieval city in Europe. Rookie director Martin McDonagh got the idea for this film while visiting the city once, and the two characters represent his own split feelings about the town: beautiful and historic on one hand, then boring when that becomes the everyday routine. In two terrific performances, Brendan Gleeson is the older, wiser hit man who enjoys touring the historic town, while Colin Farrell, new to the profession, is bored, anxious, and needs more excitement, more booze, more anything.
The pair quickly discover a film being shot in the streets and befriend both a dwarf actor, who's a funny character, and a crew member, the sensual Clemence Poesy, who offers Farrell just the escape he needs. The film begins slowly but escalates into violence, especially after boss Ralph Fiennes shows up, it's a dark comedy until then. In Bruges is really a film noir with some humor, and lots of swearing. The supporting cast from the hotel owner (Thekla Reuten) to a rude Canadian (Zeljko Ivanek, Emmy-winner for Damages) are all excellent.
The film has some artistic and even surreal moments, magically filmed. When you consider all the elements involved: a town as co-star, a dwarf in a surrealist film, drug-dealing con-artists, a hit on a priest, a kid-loving mobster - this turns out to be quite a unique script from McDonagh. Farrell won the Golden Globe for actor in a comedy (I think his most versatile performance to date, tho' Home at the End of the World was probably more difficult), and Gleeson (brilliant!) was nominated, as their onscreen chemistry was hilarious. Gleeson's performance is actually the more polished and professional, he's done this often. McDonagh's Oscar-nominated screenplay won several international awards, including the BAFTA®, for which the movie was nominated for Best British film.
Be sure to watch all the bonus shorts on the dvd, especially one with all the F-word outtakes from the whole movie, there's certainly over a hundred!
Ugetsu
5/28/2009
Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953, Japan, bw (9*)
This is one of the greatest Japanese cinema classics, in spite of some exaggerated acting. Moody, atmospheric, bewitching, with music to match, you'll be mesmerized by the beautiful visuals and the camera of director Kenji Mizoguchi which seems to always be in motion. The story is about some village peasants in war-torn 16th century Japan. A farmer who also is a potter (Machiko Kyo) for extra income must flee an army with his wares to sell them in a nearby city, accompanied by another couple from the village. This begins an excursion into ambition, desire, and delusion with unforeseen consequences.
The story's plot has some unexpected twists, so it is hard to describe without spoilers; suffice to say that this is perhaps the best Japanese film after Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. Many consider Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff his masterpiece, but I much prefer this one. It reminds me of the German expressionists, like Murnau and Lang, with perhaps less surrealism and a more modern camera technique, which appears to be often on a moving crane. Fans of classic cinema should love this one, which is a masterwork of modern fables. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
This is one of the greatest Japanese cinema classics, in spite of some exaggerated acting. Moody, atmospheric, bewitching, with music to match, you'll be mesmerized by the beautiful visuals and the camera of director Kenji Mizoguchi which seems to always be in motion. The story is about some village peasants in war-torn 16th century Japan. A farmer who also is a potter (Machiko Kyo) for extra income must flee an army with his wares to sell them in a nearby city, accompanied by another couple from the village. This begins an excursion into ambition, desire, and delusion with unforeseen consequences.
The story's plot has some unexpected twists, so it is hard to describe without spoilers; suffice to say that this is perhaps the best Japanese film after Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. Many consider Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff his masterpiece, but I much prefer this one. It reminds me of the German expressionists, like Murnau and Lang, with perhaps less surrealism and a more modern camera technique, which appears to be often on a moving crane. Fans of classic cinema should love this one, which is a masterwork of modern fables. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Man on Wire
5/24/2009James Marsh, 2008 (7*)
Best Documentary (AA)
[Note: it's hard to be a spoiler here, it's on the dvd cover and the film description.. plus it's well documented history by this point]
This was an amazing event in 1974, and James Marsh has done an admirable job in assembling the story from the present day to re-create a documentary looking backwards. He's used the technique of interspersing interviews with the participants with documentary footage, similar to the style Warren Beatty perfected in Reds, and taken to its extreme by Ken Burns, best used in his Civil War, Jazz, and Baseball series for PBS. All that said, this may have had more impact if released either in 1975, or in 2002.
Philippe Petit is a French tightrope walker who liked to dazzle crowds and thumb his nose at authority by doing things like walking between the two towers of Notre Dame. He has to prepare these events at night when no one can see, then perform in the daylight to the delight of people below, then go to his expected arrest and public scolding. When he saw the plans of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, he became obsessed with walking between them when they were near completion.
Marsh carefully re-constructs the story leading up to the final event and tries to add as much drama as possible, but such an event is hardly earth-shattering in light of the events of 9/11, which oddly are never mentioned here. This is more in the realm of Cirque de Soleil, which is dazzling and athletic entertainment, this performance carrying a bit more risk of death than usual but as Philippe begins the film being interviewed from the present day, we already know the outcome from the beginning. However, this is a well-crafted film by Marsh and won the Oscar® for best documentary of 2008.
Best Documentary (AA)
[Note: it's hard to be a spoiler here, it's on the dvd cover and the film description.. plus it's well documented history by this point]
This was an amazing event in 1974, and James Marsh has done an admirable job in assembling the story from the present day to re-create a documentary looking backwards. He's used the technique of interspersing interviews with the participants with documentary footage, similar to the style Warren Beatty perfected in Reds, and taken to its extreme by Ken Burns, best used in his Civil War, Jazz, and Baseball series for PBS. All that said, this may have had more impact if released either in 1975, or in 2002.
Philippe Petit is a French tightrope walker who liked to dazzle crowds and thumb his nose at authority by doing things like walking between the two towers of Notre Dame. He has to prepare these events at night when no one can see, then perform in the daylight to the delight of people below, then go to his expected arrest and public scolding. When he saw the plans of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, he became obsessed with walking between them when they were near completion.
Marsh carefully re-constructs the story leading up to the final event and tries to add as much drama as possible, but such an event is hardly earth-shattering in light of the events of 9/11, which oddly are never mentioned here. This is more in the realm of Cirque de Soleil, which is dazzling and athletic entertainment, this performance carrying a bit more risk of death than usual but as Philippe begins the film being interviewed from the present day, we already know the outcome from the beginning. However, this is a well-crafted film by Marsh and won the Oscar® for best documentary of 2008.