This is not meant to be the definitive list of what I regard as the best films ever made. It simply is my favourite films, of the ones I have seen to date.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme) 1991
THE GODFATHER, PART 2 (Francis Ford Coppola) 1974
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson) 2003
STAR WARS: EPISODE V - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kirschner) 1980
THE MATRIX (Larry & Andy Wachowski) 1999
STAR WARS: EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE (George Lucas) 1977
THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan) 2008
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (James Ivory) 1993
THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY (Anthony Minghella) 1999
GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorcese) 1990
BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott) 1982
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Peter Jackson) 2001
ELIZABETH (Shekhar Kapur) 1998
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (Roberto Benigni) 1998
THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola) 1972
AMELIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) 2001
WALL•E (Andrew Stanton) 2008
UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood) 1992
CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles) 1941
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (James Cameron) 1991
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson) 1997
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (Peter Jackson) 2002
GALLIPOLI (Peter Weir) 1981
THE PIANO (Jane Campion) 1993
MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan) 2001
DANCER IN THE DARK (Lars Von Trier) 2000
UNBREAKABLE (M. Night Shyamalan) 2000
TALK TO HER (Pedro Almodovar) 2002
STAND BY ME (Rob Reiner) 1986
ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen) 1977
TROIS COULEURS ROUGE (Krzysztof Kieslowski) 1994
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick) 1968
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (Francis Ford Coppola) 1992
FARGO (Joel Coen) 1996
CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron) 2006
THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese) 2006
SE7EN (David Fincher) 1995
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry) 2004
TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles) 1958
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) 2007
ALIENS (James Cameron) 1986
CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (Woody Allen) 1989
PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino) 1994
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMTPION (Frank Darabont) 1994
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (Walter Salles) 2004
UNCLE BUCK (John Hughes) 1989
THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears) 1990
BIG (Penny Marshall) 1988
WORKING GIRL (Mike Nichols) 1988
CENTRAL STATION (Walter Salles) 1998
PHILADELPHIA (Jonathan Demme) 1993
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (Jim Sheridan) 1993
BROADCAST NEWS (James L. Brooks) 1988
THE WIZARD OF OZ (Larry Semon) 1939
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg) 1981
ALIEN (Ridley Scott) 1979
THE THING (John Carpenter) 1982
MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Frank Capra) 1939
THE USUAL SUSPECTS (Brian Singer) 1995
THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed) 1949
ATONEMENT (Joe Wright) 2007
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg) 2005
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Tim Burton) 1990
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (David Fincher) 2008
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick) 1971
BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis) 1985
SUPERMAN (Richard Donner) 1978
STAR WARS: EPISODE VI - RETURN OF THE JEDI (Richard Marquand) 1983
THE TERMINATOR (James Cameron) 1984
RAIN MAN (Barry Levinson) 1988
MIDNIGHT COWBOY (John Schlesinger) 1969
THE COLOR PURPLE (Steven Spielberg) 1985
WITNESS (Peter Weir) 1985
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (Cecile B. DeMille) 1956
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (Mike Nichols) 1966
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch) 2001
BEACHES (Garry Marshall) 1988
MOULIN ROUGE (Baz Luhrmann) 2001
FULL METAL JACKET (Stanley Kubrick) 1987
The Top 10 Films of the 2000s (so far)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson)
THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Peter Jackson)
AMELIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
WALL•E (Andrew Stanton)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (Peter Jackson)
MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)
DANCER IN THE DARK (Lars von Trier)
UNBREAKABLE (M Night Shyamalan)
TALK TO HER (Pedro Almodovar)
The Top 10 Films of the 90s
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme)
THE MATRIX (Larry & Andy Wachowski)
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (James Ivory)
THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY (Anthony Minghella)
GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese)
ELIZABETH (Shekhar Kapur)
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (Roberto Benigni)
UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson)
THE PIANO (Jane Campion)
The Top 10 Films of 2008
THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan)
WALL•E(Andrew Stanton)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (David Fincher)
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (Sam Mendes)
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (Jonathan Demme)
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (Woody Allen)
THE WRESTLER(Darren Aronofsky)
BURN AFTER READING (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)
MILK (Gus Van Sant)
GOMORRAH (Matteo Garrone)
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (Mike Leigh), LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Tomas Alfredson), FROST/NIXON (Ron Howard), FROZEN RIVER (Courtney Hunt), SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Danny Boyle), DOUBT (Jon Patrick Shanley), BOLT (Chris Williams & Byron Howard).
The Top 10 Films of 2007
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)
ATONEMENT (Joe Wright)
INTO THE WILD (Sean Penn)
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Paul Greengrass)
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (Julie Taymor)
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (Alex Gibney)
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (Julian Schnabel)
LUST, CAUTION (Ang Lee)
MICHAEL CLAYTON (Tony Gilroy)
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (Tim Burton)
Honourable Mentions:
3:10 TO YUMA (James Mangold); ZODIAC (David Fincher); AWAY FROM HER (Sarah Polley); THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik)
The Top 10 Films of 2006
CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron)
THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)
LITTLE CHILDREN (Todd Field)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris)
THE QUEEN (Stephen Frears)
VOLVER (Pedro Almodovar)
PAN'S LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toro)
DREAMGIRLS (Bill Condon)
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (Kevin McDonald)
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (David Frankel)
Honourable Mentions:
UNITED 93 (Paul Greengrass); HAPPY FEET (George Miller); AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH(Davis Guggenheim)
The Top 10 Films of 2005
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg)
THE CONSTANT GARDENER (Fernando Meirelles)
CACHE (Michael Haneke)
KING KONG (Peter Jackson)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Ang Lee)
PRIDE & PREJUDICE (Joe Wright)
MUNICH (Steven Spielberg)
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. (George Clooney)
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Tim Burton)
BATMAN BEGINS (Christopher Nolan)
Honourable Mentions:
MATCH POINT (Woody Allen); CAPOTE (Bennett Miller); THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN(Judd Apatow); STAR WARS EPISODE 3: REVENGE OF THE SITH (George Lucas); WAR OF THE WORLDS (Steven Spielberg).
The Top 10 Films of 2004
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (Walter Salles)
SIDEWAYS (Alexander Payne)
MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Clint Eastwood)
HOTEL RWANDA (Terry George)
RAY (Taylor Hackford)
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
CLOSER (Mike Nichols)
COLLATERAL (Michael Mann)
THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird)
Honourable Mentions:
THE AVIATOR (Martin Scorsese); BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater); THE CHORUS (Christophe Barratier); FAHRENHEIT 9/11 (Michael Moore); GARDEN STATE (Zach Braff); MEAN GIRLS (Mark S. Waters); THE POLAR EXPRESS (Robert Zemeckis); THE VILLAGE (M. Night Shyamalan).
The Top 10 Films of 2003
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson)
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG (Vadim Perelman)
LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sophia Coppola)
THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (Denys Arcand)
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (Peter Weir)
MYSTIC RIVER (Clint Eastwood)
WHALE RIDER (Niki Caro)
IN AMERICA (Jim Sheridan)
JAPANESE STORY (Sue Brooks)
SPELLBOUND (Jeffrey Blitz)
Honourable Mentions:
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (Gore Verbinski); LOVE ACTUALLY (Richard Curtis); COLD MOUNTAIN (Anthony Minghella); CITY OF GOD (Fernando Meirelles).
The Top 10 Films of 2002
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (Peter Jackson)
TALK TO HER (Pedro Almodovar)
25TH HOUR (Spike Lee)
ABOUT A BOY (Chris & Paul Weitz)
MONSOON WEDDING (Mira Nair)
THE PIANIST (Roman Polanski)
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE (Michael Moore)
Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (Carlos Cuaron)
THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES (Mark Pellington)
THE HOURS (Stephen Daldry)
Honourable Mentions:
ROGER DODGER (Dylan Kidd); CHICAGO (Marc Forster); FAR FROM HEAVEN (Robert Altman); GANGS OF NEW YORK (Martin Scorsese); MINORITY REPORT (Steven Spielberg).
The Top 10 Films of 2001
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Peter Jackson)
AMELIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)
MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
LANTANA (Ray Lawrence)
MOULIN ROUGE (Baz Luhrmann)
SHREK (Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson)
MONSTERS, INC. (Peter Docter, Andrew Stanton)
IN THE BEDROOM (Todd Field)
THE OTHERS (Alejandro Amenabar)
Honourable Mentions:
MONSTER’S BALL (Marc Forster); GOSFORD PARK (Robert Altman)
The Top 10 Films of 2000
DANCER IN THE DARK (Lars Von Trier)
UNBREAKABLE (M. Night Shyamalan)
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee)
ERIN BROCKOVICH (Steven Soderbergh)
WONDER BOYS (Curtis Hanson)
CAST AWAY (Robert Zemeckis)
YI YI (A ONE AND A TWO) (Edward Yang)
TRAFFIC (Steven Soderbergh)
HIGH FIDELITY (Stephen Frears)
BRING IT ON (Peyton Reed)
Honourable Mentions:
THE YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan); MALENA (Giuseppe Tornatore); MEET THE PARENTS (Jay Roach); THE GIFT (Sam Raimi)
The Top 10 Films of 1999
THE MATRIX (Larry & Andy Wachowski)
THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY (Anthony Minghella)
AMERICAN BEAUTY (Sam Mendes)
THE SIXTH SENSE (M. Night Shyamalan)
ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (Pedro Almodovar)
THE INSIDER (Michael Mann)
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (Spike Jonze)
THREE KINGS (David O. Russell)
EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick)
RUN LOLA RUN (Tom Tykwer)
Honourable Mentions:
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez); AN IDEAL HUSBAND (Oliver Parker); BLACK CAT WHITE CAT (Emir Kusturica); ELECTION (Alexander Payne); FIGHT CLUB (David Fincher); GO (Doug Liman); THE RED VIOLIN (Francois Girad)
The Top 10 Films of 1998
ELIZABETH (Shekhar Kapur)
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (Roberto Benigni)
CENTRAL STATION (Walter Salles)
THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
THE TRUMAN SHOW (Peter Weir)
AMERICAN HISTORY X (Tony Kaye)
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (Steven Spielberg)
DARK CITY (Alex Proyas)
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (John Madden)
A BUG’S LIFE (John Lasseter)
Honourable Mentions:
OUT OF SIGHT (Steven Soderbergh); HEAD ON (Ana Kokkinos); A CIVIL ACTION (Steven Zaillian); NIL BY MOUTH (Gary Oldman); RONIN (John Frankenheimer); RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson);
The Top 10 Films of 1997
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson)
GOOD WILL HUNTING (Gus van Sant)
DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (Woody Allen)
GATTACA (Andrew M. Niccol)
AMISTAD (Steven Spielberg)
WACO: THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (William Gazecki)
KUNDUN (Martin Scorsese)
THE ICE STROM (Ang Lee)
OSCAR AND LUCINDA (Gillian Armstrong)
LOST HIGHWAY (David Lynch)
Honourable Mentions:
CHASING AMY (Kevin Smith); BOOGIE NIGHTS (Paul Thomas Anderson); MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING (P.J. Hogan); CONTACT (Robert Zemeckis); DONNIE BRASCO (Mike Newell); THE FIFTH ELEMENT (Luc Besson); STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven); FACE/OFF (John Woo); WAG THE DOG (Barry Levinson).
The Top 10 Films of 1996
FARGO (Joel Coen)
SHINE (Scott Hicks)
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO + JULIET (Baz Luhrmann)
SECRETS & LIES (Mike Leigh)
THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY (Jane Campion)
BREAKING THE WAVES (Lars von Trier)
SWINGERS (Doug Liman)
BIG NIGHT (Stanley Tucci & Campbell Scott)
THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (Tom Shadyac)
THE ENGLISH PATIENT (Anthony Minghella)
Honourable Mentions:
LOVE AND OTHER CATASROPHES (Emma Kate Groghan); MICROCOSMOS (Claude Nuridsany & Marie Perennou); THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS (Michael Lehmann); JERRY MAGUIRE (Cameron Crowe); STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (Jonathan Frakes); TO DIE FOR (Gus Van Sant).
The Top 10 Films of 1995
SE7EN (David Fincher)
THE USUAL SUSPECTS (Brian Singer)
12 MONKEYS (Terry Gilliam)
CASINO (Martin Scorsese)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Ang Lee)
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (Rob Reiner)
BABE (Chris Noonan)
MIGHTY APHRODITE (Woody Allen)
LA HAINE (Mathieu Kassovitz)
APOLLO 13 (Ron Howard)
Honourable Mentions:
WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (Todd Solondz); MALLRATS (Kevin Smith); THE BASKETBALL DIARIES (Scott Kalvert): HIGHER LEARNING (John Singleton).
The Top 10 Films of 1994
TROIS COULEURS ROUGE (Krzsysztof Kieslowski)
PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino)
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Frank Darabont)
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (Stephan Elliott)
QUIZ SHOW (Robert Redford)
HEAVENLY CREATURES (Peter Jackson)
MURIEL'S WEDDING (P.J. Hogan)
BEFORE SUNRISE (Richard Linklater)
THE PROFESSIONAL (Luc Besson)
THREESOME (Andrew Fleming)
Honourable Mentions:
THE CLIENT (Joel Schumacher); SPIDER AND ROSE (Bill Bennett); CLERKS (Kevin Smith); THE CROW (Alex Proyas); STARGATE (Roland Emmerich); HOOP DREAMS (Steve James)
The Top 10 Films of 1993
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (James Ivory)
THE PIANO (Jane Campion)
PHILADELPHIA (Jonathan Demme)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (James Sheridan)
SCHINDLER'S LIST (Steven Spielberg)
THE FUGITIVE (Andrew Davis)
THE FIRM (Sydney Pollack)
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (Nora Ephron)
WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? (Brian Gibson)
IN THE LINE OF FIRE (Wolfgang Peterson)
Honourable Mentions:
DAVE (Ivan Reitman); TROIS COULEURS BLEU (Krzsystof Kieslowski); THE WEDDING BANQUET (Ang Lee); FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE (Chen Kaige); THE WAR ROOM (D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus).
The Top 10 Films of 1992
UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (Francis Ford Coppola)
HOWARD'S END (James Ivory)
THE PLAYER (Robert Altman)
SISTER ACT (Emile Ardolino)
STRICTLY BALLROOM (Baz Luhrmann)
A FEW GOOD MEN (Rob Reiner)
RESERVOIR DOGS (Quentin Tarantino)
MY COUSIN VINNY (Jonathan Lynn)
BASIC INSTINCT (Paul Verhoeven)
Honourable Mentions:
HUSBANDS AND WIVES (Woody Allen); LA BELLE HISTOIRE (Claude Lelouch); BATMAN RETURNS (Tim Burton); LORENZO'S OIL (George Miller).
The Top 10 Films of 1991
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme)
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (James Cameron)
BOYZ 'N THE HOOD (John Singleton)
LA DOUBLE VIE DE VERONIQUE (Krzsysztof Kieslowski)
CAPE FEAR (Martin Scorcese)
JFK (Oliver Stone)
DEAD AGAIN (Kenneth Branagh)
PROOF (Jocelyn Moorhouse)
BARTON FINK (Joel Coen)
The Top 10 Films of 1990
GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorcese)
THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears)
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Tim Burton)
GHOST (Peter Weir)
MISERY (Rob Reiner)
HOME ALONE (Chris Columbus)
FLATLINERS (Joel Schumacher)
DICK TRACY (Warren Beatty)
LA FEMME NIKITA (Luc Besson)
PRETTY WOMAN (Garry Marshall)
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