For people who ask "What are your favorite movies?" -- here's the answer. Yes, I know you can argue about which year certain movies belong to (especially films from other countries), but the point is not to make an historical record but just to list some great movies you might want to check out. I start with my top pick from each year as a sort of über list. No, it's not the most "important" movie of that year, just the one that meant the most to me either at the time or today -- and most often at the time and today. Some years the choice was easy, other times a few battled it out or I didn't feel strongly enough about one particular film to make a statement. But you could do worse as a budding film buff than making sure you see all of them.
BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME (MY #1 PICK FROM EACH YEAR 1924 -- PRESENT)
TK (2026) (work-in-progress)
The Plague (2025)
Eno (2024)
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023)
Happening (2022)
The Beatles: Get Back (2021)
The Vast Of Night (2020)
About Endlessness (2019)
The Favourite (2018)
Dunkirk (2017)
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
National Gallery (2014)
Her (2013)
The Miners' Hymns (2012)
The Tree of Life (2011)
Inside Job (2010)
The Class (2008)
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Mysterious Skin (2005)
The Incredibles (2004)
Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Spirited Away (2001)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Rushmore (1998)
4 Little Girls (1997)
La Promesse (1996)
Babe (1995)
Three Colors: Red (1994)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
The Long Day Closes (1992)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
GoodFellas (1990)
sex, lies and videotape (1989)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
The Dead (1987)
A Room With A View (1986)
Shoah (1985)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1983)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Arthur (1981)
Raging Bull (1980)
Being There (1979)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
Star Wars (1977)
All The President's Men (1976)
Nashville (1975)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Scarecrow (1973)
The Godfather (1972)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music (1970)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
8 1/2 (1963)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Yojimbo (1961)
Jazz On A Summer’s Day (1960)
The 400 Blows (1959)
Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
Pather Panchali (1955)
Rear Window (1954)
The Earrings Of Madame De… (1953)
The Quiet Man (1952)
Ace In The Hole aka The Big Carnival (1951)
All About Eve (1950)
The Third Man (1949)
Red River (1948)
Out Of The Past (1947)
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
Children Of Paradise (1945)
The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek/Hail The Conquering Hero (tie) (1944)
The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Casablanca (1942)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Pinocchio (1940)
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
Swing Time (1936)
The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
The Thin Man (1934)
Duck Soup (1933)
Trouble In Paradise (1932)
M (1931)
The Blue Angel (1930)
Man With A Movie Camera (1929)
The Crowd (1928)
Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)
The General (1926)
The Big Parade (1925)
Greed (1924)
TK (work-in-progress)
2023
2021
2020
The Vast Of Night
2019
About Endlessness
Leaving Neverland
Ford V Ferrari
End Of The Century
Parasite
John Wick: Chapter 3 -- Parabellum
Pain and Glory
2018
The Favourite
Minding The Gap
The Old Man & The Gun
Monrovia, Indiana
Wildlife
Capernaum
American Animals
Leave No Trace
Sweet Country
RBG/ Won't You Be My Neighbor?
First Reformed
Cold War
The Rider
Who We Are Now
Blockers
Sorry To Bother You
2017
Dunkirk
Summer 1993
Lady Macbeth
The Lost City Of Z
Faces Places
Logan
Risk (Laura Poitras documentary)
Happy Death Day
2016
Everybody Wants Some!!
Zootopia
American Honey
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party
Toni Erdmann
Mad Max: Fury Road
In Jackson Heights
The Lobster
2014
National Gallery
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler
Fury
Wild Tales
2013
Her
The Spectacular Now
Inside Llewyn Davis
The Last Of The Unjust
All Is Lost
2012
The Miners' Hymns
How To Survive A Plague
Fill The Void
The Act Of Killing
Skyfall
2011
Arthur Christmas
2010
Inside Job
Attenberg
Flamenco Flamenco
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Inception
Kick-Ass
Anton Chekhov's The Duel
The Tillman Story
The Social Network
La Nostra Vita
2009
(500) Days Of Summer
Politist, Adjectiv
A Serious Man
Star Trek
The Most Dangerous Man In America
Where The Wild Things Are
Sin Nombre
Goodbye Solo
2008
Entre Les Murs/The Class
My Winnipeg
WALL-E
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Shotgun Stories
Let the Right One In
Ballast
Frozen River
2007
The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac
The Other Side Of The Mirror: Bob Dylan At The Newport Folk Festival
Lars and the Real Girl
There Will Be Blood
XXY
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Once
This Is England
Superbad
You, The Living
Control
The Bourne Ultimatum
2006
Pan's Labyrinth
Brick
Volver
United 93
The Real Dirt On Farmer John
2005
Mysterious Skin
Brokeback Mountain
The Squid and the Whale
2004
The Incredibles
Vera Drake
Head-On
The Bourne Supremacy
The Woodsman
Friday Night Lights
The Motorcycle Diaries
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
House of Flying Daggers
Million Dollar Baby
Mean Creek
Maria Full of Grace
The Sea Inside
2003
Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World
The Fog of War
2002
The Man Without a Past
Russian Ark
Far from Heaven
2001
Spirited Away
Gosford Park
Mulholland Drive
Amélie
Fat Girl
Made
2000
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Yi Yi
You Can Count on Me
The Filth and the Fury
Erin Brockovich
Almost Famous
Divided We Fall
Chunhyang
1999
Topsy-Turvy
Toy Story 2
Three Kings
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Rosetta
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall Of Fred A. Leuchter Jr.
The Insider
Office Space
The Winslow Boy
Limbo
All About My Mother
Eyes Wide Shut
Election
The End of the Affair
Being John Malkovich
The Straight Story
Magnolia
The Thomas Crown Affair
Galaxy Quest
1998
Rushmore
The Thin Red Line
Out of Sight
Babe: Pig in the City
Happiness
Velvet Goldmine
Shakespeare in Love
The Celebration
There's Something About Mary
Gods and Monsters
Run Lola Run
1997
4 Little Girls
L.A. Confidential
The Ice Storm
Grosse Pointe Blank
The Apostle
My Best Friend's Wedding
Oscar and Lucinda
Ulee's Gold
George of the Jungle
The Sweet Hereafter
In The Company Of Men
1996
La Promesse
Breaking the Waves
Big Night
Beautiful Thing
Bound
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
Primal Fear
1995
Babe
Toy Story
Flamenco
Persuasion
Crumb
Underground
Devil in a Blue Dress
The Secret Of Roan Inish
Dead Man Walking
Leaving Las Vegas
The Usual Suspects
Georgia
Don Juan DeMarco
Showgirls
1994
Three Colors: Red
London (Patrick Keiller film)
I Like It Like That
The Madness of King George
Ed Wood
Little Odessa
The Shawshank Redemption
Dumb and Dumber
What Happened Was…
Spanking The Monkey
Burnt by the Sun
1993
Dazed and Confused
The Piano
Three Colors: Blue
Flesh and Bone
The Age of Innocence
Sleepless in Seattle
In the Name of the Father
Schindler's List
Menace II Society
The Remains of the Day
Fearless
1992
The Long Day Closes
Howards End
Malcolm X
The Best Intentions
Husbands and Wives
Unforgiven
The Waterdance
The Crying Game
Leolo
Swoon
Housesitter
The Player
One False Move
1991
Beauty and the Beast
The Double Life Of Veronique
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Mississippi Masala
Poison
L.A. Story
Boyz N the Hood
The Hours and Times
My Own Private Idaho
1990
GoodFellas
Miller's Crossing
The Grifters
Men Don’t Leave
The Match Factory Girl
Cyrano de Bergerac
Europa, Europa
Tremors
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
Cry-Baby
The Hunt for Red October
Q & A
An Angel At My Table
My Father's Castle/My Mother's Glory
1989
Do the Right Thing
Dekalog
For All Mankind
Drugstore Cowboy
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Born on the Fourth of July
The Little Mermaid
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Enemies, A Love Story
Henry V
Say Anything...
Heathers
The War of the Roses
Scandal
1988
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
Distant Voices, Still Lives
The Thin Blue Line
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Dangerous Liaisons
A Fish Called Wanda
Bull Durham
Hairspray
My Neighbor Totoro
Big
Biloxi Blues
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
A Cry in the Dark
Die Hard
The Last Temptation of Christ
Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie
1987
The Dead
Au Revoir Les Enfants
Empire of the Sun
Withnail and I
Full Metal Jacket
Hope and Glory
Matewan
My Life as a Dog
River's Edge
Evil Dead II
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid
Moonstruck
Dark Eyes
Roxanne
Prick Up Your Ears
Tin Men
Law Of Desire
The Big Easy
Housekeeping
House Of Games
The Hidden
Barfly
Three O'Clock High
1986
A Room With A View
Blue Velvet
Aliens
Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring
The Fly
Stand by Me
My Beautiful Laundrette
Highlander
At Close Range
Caravaggio
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Children Of A Lesser God
Back to School
The Boy Who Could Fly
Sherman's March
1985
Shoah
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Ran
Back to the Future
Brazil
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Witness
Tampopo
After Hours
Silverado
Twice In A Lifetime
The Breakfast Club
Runaway Train
1984
Stop Making Sense
This Is Spinal Tap
Ghostbusters
Another Country
Blood Simple
The Terminator
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Gremlins
Moscow on the Hudson
The Flamingo Kid
Birdy
Purple Rain
Repo Man
Red Dawn
Stranger Than Paradise
1983
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance
The Right Stuff
Danton
Risky Business
Tender Mercies
Zelig
The Big Chill
The King of Comedy
Never Cry Wolf
Cross Creek
The Dead Zone
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Silkwood
WarGames
Yentl
A Christmas Story
El Norte
1982
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Blade Runner
Victor/Victoria
The World According to Garp
Honkytonk Man
My Favorite Year
Fitzcarraldo
Diner
An Officer and a Gentleman
Sophie's Choice
Best Friends
Tex
48 Hrs
Poltergeist
The Weavers: Wasn't That A Time!
The Year Of Living Dangerously
1981
Arthur
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Time Bandits
Body Heat
The Four Seasons
Pennies from Heaven
On Golden Pond
Taps
Stripes
1980
Raging Bull
The Empire Strikes Back
Airplane!
Ordinary People
Melvin and Howard
The Shining
The Long Riders
My Bodyguard
Nine to Five
Hopscotch
1979
Being There
Breaking Away
Apocalypse Now
The Marriage Of Maria Braun
The Muppet Movie
My Brilliant Career
Kramer vs. Kramer
Time After Time
All That Jazz
Camera Buff
1978
Superman: The Movie
The Last Waltz
Gates Of Heaven
Days of Heaven
Grease
Drunken Master
The Deer Hunter
National Lampoon's Animal House
Halloween
Autumn Sonata
1977
Star Wars
21 Up!
Man Of Marble
Providence
1976
All the President's Men
Harlan County, USA
Taxi Driver
Bound For Glory
Dona Flor And Her Two Husbands
1975
Nashville
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxulles
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Three Days of the Condor
Picnic at Hanging Rock
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1974
Young Frankenstein
The Godfather: Part II
Lacombe, Lucien
Chinatown
Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
A Poem Is A Naked Person doc (1974)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
1973
Scarecrow
Badlands
Paper Moon
The Spirit Of The Beehive
The Last Detail
American Graffiti
Papillon
1972
The Godfather
Amazing Grace (Aretha Franklin doc)
Cabaret
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
The Candidate
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Super Fly
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
The New Land
1971
The Last Picture Show
A Clockwork Orange
Harold and Maude
The French Connection
The Panic in Needle Park
Death in Venice
1970
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music
The Conformist
7 Plus Seven
Le Cercle Rouge
Airport
Tora! Tora! Tora!
1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Wild Bunch
Take the Money and Run
The Italian Job
Army of Shadows
Midnight Cowboy
True Grit
Le Grand Amour
Medium Cool
1968
2001: A Space Odyssey
Night of the Living Dead
The Blues Accordin' To Lightnin' Hopkins
if...
Oliver!
1967
Bonnie and Clyde
Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back
A Colt Is My Passport
The Graduate
The Jungle Book
Belle De Jour
The Young Girls Of Rochefort
1966
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
The Battle of Algiers
Tokyo Drifter
Alfie
A Man For All Seasons
The Endless Summer
Closely Watched Trains
Persona
The Taking Of Power By Louis XIV
1965
The Sound Of Music
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Von Ryan’s Express
Repulsion
The Shop On Main Street
1964
A Hard Day’s Night
Mary Poppins
Goldfinger
Becket
Viva Las Vegas
Zulu
1963
8 ½
High and Low
The Great Escape
The Leopard
1962
Lawrence Of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate
The Loneliness Of The Long-Distance Runner
Cape Fear
Last Year At Marienbad
Salvatore Giuliano
1961
Yojimbo
The Hustler
The Guns Of Navarone
The Exiles
Leon Morin, Priest
1960
Jazz On A Summer’s Day
The Apartment
Rocco and His Brothers
The Magnificent Seven
Inherit The Wind
1959
The 400 Blows
North By Northwest
Anatomy Of A Murder
Pork Chop Hill
Pickpocket
Ben-Hur
1958
Ashes and Diamonds
Touch Of Evil
The Hidden Fortress
Cairo Station
Vertigo
1957
Wild Strawberries
The Cranes Are Flying
What's Opera, Doc? (short)
Sweet Smell Of Success
I Am Waiting
Nights Of Cabiria
12 Angry Men
The Tall T
Gunfight At The OK Corral
The Spirit Of St. Louis
1956
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
The Searchers
A Man Escaped
1955
Pather Panchali
The Night Of The Hunter
The Violent Men
1954
Rear Window
Seven Samurai
On The Waterfront
Hobson’s Choice
A Star Is Born
Godzilla, King Of The Monsters! aka Gojira
The Belles Of St. Trinian’s
The Caine Mutiny
La Strada
Late Chrysanthemums
Twenty-Four Eyes
1953
The Earrings Of Madame De…
The Naked Spur
Ugetsu
The Little Fugitive
Stalag 17
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday
How To Marry A Millionaire
House Of Wax
The Wages Of Fear
1952
The Quiet Man
Bend Of The River
Forbidden Games
The Narrow Margin
Umberto D.
Life Of Oharu
1951
Ace In The Hole aka The Big Carnival
A Place In The Sun
Scrooge aka A Christmas Carol
The Lavender Hill Mob
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Man In The White Suit
1950
All About Eve
Winchester ‘73
In A Lonely Place
Sunset Boulevard
Rashomon
The Furies
Father Of The Bride
The Gunfighter
D.O.A.
Born Yesterday
The Third Man
Adam’s Rib
The Heiress
On The Town
Kind Hearts and Coronets
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
The Fallen Idol
Passport To Pimlico
Chains
Late Spring
Thieves' Highway
1948
Red River
Bicycle Thieves
Letter From An Unknown Woman
State Of The Union
Call Northside 777
The Naked City
Fort Apache
The Snake Pit
Spring In A Small Town
1947
Out Of The Past
They Made Me A Fugitive
Brute Force
Black Narcissus
Road To Rio
Nightmare Alley
Fireworks (short; dir Kenneth Anger)
1946
It’s A Wonderful Life
Notorious
A Matter Of Life and Death aka Stairway To Heaven
Great Expectations
La Belle Et La Bete
Ivan The Terrible Part II
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Yearling
The Killers
1945
Children Of Paradise
Rome, Open City
Fallen Angel
Mildred Pierce
Detour
The Story Of G.I. Joe
1944
The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek/Hail The Conquering Hero (tie)
Going My Way
Murder, My Sweet
Laura
National Velvet
The Children Are Watching Us
Henry V
A Canterbury Tale
1943
The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp
Day Of Wrath
Shadow Of A Doubt
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Human Comedy
Lassie Come Home
Five Graves To Cairo
A Guy Named Joe
I Walked With A Zombie
Heaven Can Wait
1942
Casablanca
Bambi
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Palm Beach Story
Mrs. Miniver
Woman Of The Year
In Which We Serve
Cat People
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Road To Morocco
The Glass Key
The Pride Of The Yankees
This Gun For Hire
Went The Day Well?
Now Voyager
Kings Row
One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing
1941
Citizen Kane
Meet John Doe
The Lady Eve
The Maltese Falcon
How Green Was My Valley
The Little Foxes
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Sergeant York
Never Give A Sucker An Even Break
High Sierra
49th Parallel
The Sea Wolf
The 47 Ronin
The Brothers and Sisters Of The Toda Family
They Died With Their Boots On
1940
Pinocchio
The Philadelphia Story
His Girl Friday
The Bank Dick
Boom Town
The Sea Hawk
Fantasia
My Favorite Wife
Christmas In July
The Letter
1939
Rules of The Game
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
Young Mr. Lincoln
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Gone With The Wind
1938
The Adventures Of Robin Hood
Olympia
The Lady Vanishes
Holiday
Port Of Shadows
La Bete Humaine
Test Pilot
Boys Town
Angels With Dirty Faces
Jezebel
Alexander Nevsky
Three Comrades
The Novel Of Werther
1937
Make Way For Tomorrow
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Pepe Le Moko
Shall We Dance
Dead End
The Prisoner Of Zenda
Nothing Sacred
Topper
1936
Swing Time
My Man Godfrey
Libeled Lady
Secret Agent
Follow The Fleet
Modern Times
The Crime Of Monsieur Lange
1935
The Bride Of Frankenstein
Top Hat
The 39 Steps
Captain Blood
Lives Of A Bengal Lancer
Mutiny On The Bounty
The Informer
Triumph Of The Will
1934
The Thin Man
L’Atalante
It Happened One Night
It’s A Gift
The Gay Divorcee
Twentieth Century
Treasure Island
Gambling Lady
The Man Of Aran
1933
Duck Soup
King Kong
I’m No Angel
The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse
Bed of Roses
Little Women
Bombshell
The Invisible Man
42nd Street
Wild Boys Of The Road
1932
Trouble In Paradise
Scarface
I Was Born, But… aka Umarete Wa Mita Keredo
Grand Hotel
Tarzan The Ape Man
Shanghai Express
Jewel Robbery
Fanny
1931
M
Little Caesar
Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Champ
A Nous La Liberte
1930
The Blue Angel
Animal Crackers
All Quiet On The Western Front
Under The Roofs Of Paris
1929
Man With A Movie Camera
Pandora’s Box
1928
The Crowd
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc
The Cameraman
Lonesome
The Circus
Sadie Thompson
The Wind
Spies
Steamboat Bill Jr.
1927
Sunrise
Metropolis
Bed And Sofa
Wings
The Beloved Rogue
Berlin: Symphony Of A Great City
1926
The General
The Adventures Of Prince Achmed
Beau Geste
1925
The Big Parade
Battleship Potemkin
The Gold Rush
The Freshman
The Phantom Of The Opera
Seven Chances
Sally Of The Sawdust
1924
Greed
Sherlock Jr.
The Navigator
The Last Laugh
1923
Our Hospitality
1922
Nosferatu
Nanook Of The North
Beyond The Rocks
1921
Orphans Of The Storm
The Kid
1920
The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
Way Down East
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