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65. Three Colors Trilogy: Blue (1993); White (1994); Red (1994)
Krzysztof Kieslowski was as rare and talented filmmaker who almost never gets mentioned with other great writer/directors, but who seriously should. This entire series is just outstanding. I could talk about Juliette Binoche’s incredible performance in Blue, or the beautiful cinematography in Red, or the expert directing in White, but the real reason this is on my list is the stories. They collectively amount to a treatise on humor, romance, and loss, but Kieslowski treats the material in a way no other director ever has. He really cares about his characters and sympathizes with their actions and condition. In Red, my favorite, and probably the best in the trilogy, fate and coincidence are explored, but there is nothing formulaic about the way Kieslowski explores them. He follows two people who seem like they could be soul mates in another time and place. Whenever I watch the film, I’m reminded of Kieslowski’s other masterpiece, The Double Life of Veronique, in which Irene Jacob, who also plays the lead in Red, sees what might be herself in another dimension.
64. The Shining (1980)
A visually stunning, brilliantly acted, and genuinely disturbing movie from one of film’s great directors. Stanley Kubrick’s perfectionism shines in every scene, with precisely framed shots, shocking editing sequences, and phantasmagoric cinematography. Jack Nicholson, in one of his very best performances, delivers terse, creepy lines and interacts with others in such a way that it is often impossible to tell if a scene is a hallucination or really happening. The film also marks one of the first-- and probably still the best--uses of Steadicam in Hollywood. Kubrick follows Danny up and down the hotel’s labyrinthine hallways and through the maze at The Overlook, but everything is contained, closed off from the rest of the world. Kubrick uses horror conventions to create an effective portrait of a man losing his mind.
63. Talk to Her (2002)
I can't begin to describe how much I love this movie, or almost any Pedro Almodovar movie. His stories are so unique; they're slightly fantastical, yet always grounded in true emotion. He manages that great feat of approaching his subjects from ironic, sardonic, critical, and humorous perspectives without condescending them. Here he studies the peculiar bond between two men whose unwavering devotion is both their strongest asset and their greatest liability. Their relationship springs from their shared circumstances-providing daily care for women in comas. And with this melodramatic premise, Almodovar finds truths about these men that are sincere, moving, and sometimes utterly disturbing. Almodovar has often treated sexuality in his films in subversive ways. Here, he fetishizes nearly every body part of the female form without a hint of eroticism. When the characters wash, massage, and even sunbathe these women, it seems to be done out of loyalty and duty. But of course, the physical warps into the psycho-sexual, and culminates with a silent film-within-a-film interlude that needs to be seen to be believed. If you don't particularly like foreign films and want to watch one that is accessible, I recommend this one.
62. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
I don’t want to like Charlie Kaufmann’s films. On the surface, they appear manipulative, overly slick, and just too ingenious to be sincere or realistic. And on the surface, they are. When a movie is as Meta as all his works are, it is nearly impossible to actually sympathize with the characters. But then Kaufmann does a strange thing: he takes his unusual set-ups implausible stories and fills them with his own insecurities, longings, and endearing disposition. This is probably his worst major film, and it’s still an utter masterpiece. Jim Carrey may be the most underrated dramatic actor in movies, and his performance more than Kate Winslet’s Oscar-nominated one anchors the film. He fills his character with authentic yearning and love. About twenty minutes in, the movie is so soaked in pathos that you forget who wrote it. Charlie Kaufmann is the best love story writer ever.
61. Wild Strawberries (1957)
I think every film lover has one director with whom he can wholly identify. For me, that director is Ingmar Bergman. One of the most important and unique of all directors, I feel like he speaks in his own cinematic language, as each of his films follow a cadence that could only be his. And when I pick up on these rhythms, it’s like I share a secret with Bergman that casual viewers just can’t grasp. I know this sounds corny, but I really do feel Bergman’s presence in his work; I see him chipping away at profound questions and struggling to find answers. This is the first of several Bergman films that made my list.
Krzysztof Kieslowski was as rare and talented filmmaker who almost never gets mentioned with other great writer/directors, but who seriously should. This entire series is just outstanding. I could talk about Juliette Binoche’s incredible performance in Blue, or the beautiful cinematography in Red, or the expert directing in White, but the real reason this is on my list is the stories. They collectively amount to a treatise on humor, romance, and loss, but Kieslowski treats the material in a way no other director ever has. He really cares about his characters and sympathizes with their actions and condition. In Red, my favorite, and probably the best in the trilogy, fate and coincidence are explored, but there is nothing formulaic about the way Kieslowski explores them. He follows two people who seem like they could be soul mates in another time and place. Whenever I watch the film, I’m reminded of Kieslowski’s other masterpiece, The Double Life of Veronique, in which Irene Jacob, who also plays the lead in Red, sees what might be herself in another dimension.
64. The Shining (1980)
A visually stunning, brilliantly acted, and genuinely disturbing movie from one of film’s great directors. Stanley Kubrick’s perfectionism shines in every scene, with precisely framed shots, shocking editing sequences, and phantasmagoric cinematography. Jack Nicholson, in one of his very best performances, delivers terse, creepy lines and interacts with others in such a way that it is often impossible to tell if a scene is a hallucination or really happening. The film also marks one of the first-- and probably still the best--uses of Steadicam in Hollywood. Kubrick follows Danny up and down the hotel’s labyrinthine hallways and through the maze at The Overlook, but everything is contained, closed off from the rest of the world. Kubrick uses horror conventions to create an effective portrait of a man losing his mind.
63. Talk to Her (2002)
I can't begin to describe how much I love this movie, or almost any Pedro Almodovar movie. His stories are so unique; they're slightly fantastical, yet always grounded in true emotion. He manages that great feat of approaching his subjects from ironic, sardonic, critical, and humorous perspectives without condescending them. Here he studies the peculiar bond between two men whose unwavering devotion is both their strongest asset and their greatest liability. Their relationship springs from their shared circumstances-providing daily care for women in comas. And with this melodramatic premise, Almodovar finds truths about these men that are sincere, moving, and sometimes utterly disturbing. Almodovar has often treated sexuality in his films in subversive ways. Here, he fetishizes nearly every body part of the female form without a hint of eroticism. When the characters wash, massage, and even sunbathe these women, it seems to be done out of loyalty and duty. But of course, the physical warps into the psycho-sexual, and culminates with a silent film-within-a-film interlude that needs to be seen to be believed. If you don't particularly like foreign films and want to watch one that is accessible, I recommend this one.
62. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
I don’t want to like Charlie Kaufmann’s films. On the surface, they appear manipulative, overly slick, and just too ingenious to be sincere or realistic. And on the surface, they are. When a movie is as Meta as all his works are, it is nearly impossible to actually sympathize with the characters. But then Kaufmann does a strange thing: he takes his unusual set-ups implausible stories and fills them with his own insecurities, longings, and endearing disposition. This is probably his worst major film, and it’s still an utter masterpiece. Jim Carrey may be the most underrated dramatic actor in movies, and his performance more than Kate Winslet’s Oscar-nominated one anchors the film. He fills his character with authentic yearning and love. About twenty minutes in, the movie is so soaked in pathos that you forget who wrote it. Charlie Kaufmann is the best love story writer ever.
61. Wild Strawberries (1957)
I think every film lover has one director with whom he can wholly identify. For me, that director is Ingmar Bergman. One of the most important and unique of all directors, I feel like he speaks in his own cinematic language, as each of his films follow a cadence that could only be his. And when I pick up on these rhythms, it’s like I share a secret with Bergman that casual viewers just can’t grasp. I know this sounds corny, but I really do feel Bergman’s presence in his work; I see him chipping away at profound questions and struggling to find answers. This is the first of several Bergman films that made my list.
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"I want a film I watch to express either the joy of making cinema or the anguish of making cinema" -Francois Truffaut
"I want a film I watch to express either the joy of making cinema or the anguish of making cinema" -Francois Truffaut
It's Blue, Red, White for me. 
