Worst List Ever
But you know. Whatever. I don't think there's anything here that doesn't deserve a spot. There's probably other things that should be here as well, but I was being a snob. I'm most disappointed I didn't see Eureka before getting the list in.
Here we go.
30. The Five Obstructions (Lars von Trier, 2003)
Disappointingly, this is the only doc on the list.
29. Vendredi Soir (Claire Denis, 2002)
My favourite of the limited Claire Denis I've seen.
28. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodovar, 1988)
Colourful, gorgeous, and just so much fun.
27. The Return (Andrey Zvyaginstev, 2003)
Moody, dark, brilliant.
26. Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975)
Possibly the best Australian film ever made. The first half hour is sublime.
25. Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988)
Smart, brilliant, impossibly deep and potentially unintelligible.
24. Cleo from 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda, 1962)
One of the finest title sequences ever. And it only gets better from there.
23. Leon Morin, Pretre (Jean Pierre Melville, 1961)
Clever, funny, sexy, and pure Melville.
22. Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982)
Superb.
21. Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)
Intense, visceral, and brilliant art. Fassbender is amazing.
20. Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus, 1959)
Full of life and joy in the best way possible. Also, scary and depressing as can be.
19. Seven (David Fincher, 1995)
Scary, thrilling, totally compelling.
18. Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)
Compelling, confronting, brutal, and unexpectedly rich. It also has the best performance of the decade.
17. I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (Tsai Ming-Liang, 2006)
An utterly compelling and rich examination of the care structures in place in society. Great closing shot.
16. Titus (Julie Taymor, 1999)
On the big screen, this is just impossible. It's visceral, it's gorgeous, it's violent, it's sexy, and it's just one hell of a ride.
15. All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar, 2000)
Hilarious, wonderful, colourful, great.
14. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
One of my oldest favourites. The acting is amazing, and because of it, I will forever love Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. So elegant.
13. Le Samourai (Jean Pierre Melville, 1967)
So cool. Just so, so cool. The influence it carries is awesome.
12. Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
Singing? Frogs? Awesome.
11. Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2000)
The opening shot is without par. It almost entirely stands alone as a short film on it's own. The closing shot is perhaps even greater. The themes, the ideas, it's all so great. If I'd seen it less recently than last night it might be even higher.
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
If there is an experience akin to seeing this in full, glorious 70mm, I'm yet to discover it. Beautiful. Rich. So smart.
9. Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972)
Minnelli is the best thing about this, but everything is so great. It is rich, beautiful, funny, and has the most incredibly handled turn of tone.
8. The Double Life of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991)
Beautiful beyond belief.
7. Last Life in the Universe (Pen-ek Ratanaruang, 2003)
One of the finest uses of visual effects I've ever seen. It's also heartbreaking, and wonderful.
6. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, 1975)
This was made by Akerman when she was 25. It just makes me feel like an underachiever.
5. Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000)
Heartbreaking. Wonderful. Beautiful. The shortest three hours you will ever experience in your life.
4. Do The Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
Potentially the most visceral experience I've ever had in a cinema, ever. It's an amazing piece of cinema. And deserves to be in the Pantheon.
3. Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki, 2005)
I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This is subtle, moving, and utterly beautiful.
2. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
I can't believe it took me so long to see this. It's fun, it's beautiful, it's so well acted. Remarkably impressive.
1. A Brighter Summer Day (Edward Yang, 1991)
I don't know what to say about this, beyond that it is criminally under seen. It made me adore Edward Yang, it made me adore Chang Chen, it made me adore Taiwanese Cinema. Everyone should see this.
So there it is. There's loads missing. Specifically, Sunshine (Danny Boyle, 2007) should be there somewhere.
I need to see more films.
I'm also incredibly disappointed by the lack of old films, but it's almost solely because I didn't start keeping a serious list until about 2 months ago.