Fresh off the list of the greatest TV shows, I've compiled a list of 50 of my all-time favorite films (38 from the English-speaking world and 12 foreign language). As a film connoisseur, I will always choose art over box office success. The following can be classified as controversial, offensive, intellectual, emotionally draining, quirky, even uplifting. Most importantly they will haunt you (in a good way), whether through impacting on your daily life or challenging you to interpret the many hidden meanings that require more than one viewing.
21 Grams (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2003)
A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)
Bully (Larry Clark, 2001)
Capote (Bennett Miller, 2005)
Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier, 2000)
Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)
Elephant (Gus Van Sant, 2003)
Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
Exotica (Atom Egoyan, 1994)
Fargo (Joel Coen, 1996)
Frozen River (Courtney Hunt, 2008)
Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
Happiness (Todd Solondz, 1998)
History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
Lars and the Real Girl (Craig Gillespie, 2007)
Inland Empire (David Lynch, 2006)
In the Bedroom (Todd Field, 2001)
Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007)
Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, 2005)
Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)
Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008)
Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012)
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
Mystery Train (Jim Jarmusch, 1989)
No Country for Old Men (Ethan and Joel Coen, 2007)
Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
Storytelling (Todd Solondz, 2001)
The Ice Storm (Ang Lee, 1997)
The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
The Station Agent (Tom McCarthy, 2003)
The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan, 1997)
Thirteen (Catherine Hardwicke, 2003)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (Todd Solondz,1995)
Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico, 2000)
Head-On (Fatih Akin, Germany-Turkey, 2004)
Import/Export (Ulrich Seidl, Austria-Russia-Slovakia, 2007)
21 Grams (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2003)
A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)
Bully (Larry Clark, 2001)
Capote (Bennett Miller, 2005)
Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier, 2000)
Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)
Elephant (Gus Van Sant, 2003)
Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
Exotica (Atom Egoyan, 1994)
Fargo (Joel Coen, 1996)
Frozen River (Courtney Hunt, 2008)
Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
Happiness (Todd Solondz, 1998)
History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
Lars and the Real Girl (Craig Gillespie, 2007)
Inland Empire (David Lynch, 2006)
In the Bedroom (Todd Field, 2001)
Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007)
Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, 2005)
Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)
Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008)
Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012)
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
Mystery Train (Jim Jarmusch, 1989)
No Country for Old Men (Ethan and Joel Coen, 2007)
Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
Storytelling (Todd Solondz, 2001)
The Ice Storm (Ang Lee, 1997)
The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
The Station Agent (Tom McCarthy, 2003)
The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan, 1997)
Thirteen (Catherine Hardwicke, 2003)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (Todd Solondz,1995)
Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico, 2000)
Head-On (Fatih Akin, Germany-Turkey, 2004)
Import/Export (Ulrich Seidl, Austria-Russia-Slovakia, 2007)
Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, Canada-France, 2010)
Lilya 4-ever (Lukas Moodysson, Sweden, 2002)
Maria Full of Grace (Joshua Marston, Colombia-USA, 2004)
Lilya 4-ever (Lukas Moodysson, Sweden, 2002)
Maria Full of Grace (Joshua Marston, Colombia-USA, 2004)
Shi gan (Time) (Ki-duk Kim, Korea, 2006)
Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain 2002)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, France, 2007)
Three Colors Trilogy (Krzysztof Kieslowski, France-Poland, 1993-94)
Y Tu Mamá También (Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico, 2001)
Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain 2002)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, France, 2007)
Three Colors Trilogy (Krzysztof Kieslowski, France-Poland, 1993-94)
Y Tu Mamá También (Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico, 2001)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, Romania-Belgium, 2007)
It's tough picking a number one, but If someone put a gun to my head I'd go with a joint decision - 'Blue Velvet' and 'Happiness'. Lynch is one of those rare film makers that let's his imagination run wild whilst taking viewers on a journey to the unknown, much like what Salvador Dali was to the art world. Solondz is unapologetic when it comes to exposing the facade behind the so-called white picket fence of suburbia. 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' is my pick for foreign. The words harrowing and powerful are often bandied about to describe indie cinema, well, this film is the barometer when it comes to an emotional gut punch.
With the advent of cinema style TV shows and online production companies, it's not easy capturing the attention of the public, especially when most are interested in simple plot formulas. With all the saturation it's difficult for quality art house film to be made, let alone consumed at a theater. Let's hope the time comes when we put down our plastic gadgets and take a few hours to inhabit a world that challenges our psyche.
It's tough picking a number one, but If someone put a gun to my head I'd go with a joint decision - 'Blue Velvet' and 'Happiness'. Lynch is one of those rare film makers that let's his imagination run wild whilst taking viewers on a journey to the unknown, much like what Salvador Dali was to the art world. Solondz is unapologetic when it comes to exposing the facade behind the so-called white picket fence of suburbia. 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' is my pick for foreign. The words harrowing and powerful are often bandied about to describe indie cinema, well, this film is the barometer when it comes to an emotional gut punch.
With the advent of cinema style TV shows and online production companies, it's not easy capturing the attention of the public, especially when most are interested in simple plot formulas. With all the saturation it's difficult for quality art house film to be made, let alone consumed at a theater. Let's hope the time comes when we put down our plastic gadgets and take a few hours to inhabit a world that challenges our psyche.
