Note: This list consists of movies from 1994 to today; there are also a number of movies released over the past 20 years that I have not been able to see, so they could not be included on this list.
For a long while, many considered the Batman franchise to be dead after the disaster that was 1997's "Batman and Robin." But in early 2003, it was announced that "Memento" director Christopher Nolan would be directing a new film to be released in 2005; that film was "Batman Begins," a darker and more realistic take on the comic book hero, and it was great and had fans wanting more. When the sequel, "The Dark Knight," arrived just three years later, it blew just about everyone away. It took the solid base that was its predecessor and improved it on every single level, and it became arguably the best sequel of all time. Highlighted by Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance as The Joker, "The Dark Knight" became a major commercial success and set the new milestone when it comes to superhero movies.
This movie rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and I know a lot of people actually despise this movie; but since the first time I'd seen it, I knew it was one of the most astonishing pieces of cinema I had ever seen. "Zero Dark Thirty" is based on the true story of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden; it follows a woman known only as Mia who spent most of her career following a lead that she heard years ago. Directed by one of my favorite directors Kathryn Bigelow, ZDT is a thrill ride like I have very rarely experienced inside a movie theater. From the cringe worthy opening shot to the bittersweet final scene, "Zero Dark Thirty" stands alongside some of the greatest war movies ever made. I think what has made this movie so memorable for me was the emotional cord it struck; I remember 9/11, I remember the U declaring war in Afghanistan and Iraq, I even remember exactly what I was doing when I heard Bin Laden was dead. This movie managed to hit a certain spot deep inside of me few other films have, it made me relate. I believe Forbes said it best, "Zero Dark Thirty" is "a film to define a decade."
"Spirited Away" is a movie that came out thirteen years ago; but every time I watch it, it feels like I'm viewing it for the first time. The film is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who is the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney. Each of Miyazaki's movies just has this type of vision behind it that helps them stand out among other animated films. While his directing career spans over thirty years with 20 different movies, "Spirited Away" is his unrivaled masterpiece. The film follows the story of a young girl who is forced to work in a bathhouse for spirits in order to reclaim the souls of her parents. Working as an allegory for child slavery, Spirited Away is a beautiful and deep story about personal sacrifice. Miyazaki is retiring this year, and while I'm sad to see him go I will always appreciate his work.
I can't help but feel bad for Pixar, when your fist movie is as good as "Toy Story" it's almost impossible to follow that up; while they've done the best they can, I can't see anything in the foreseeable future that can top this movie. Released in 1995, "Toy Story" is a film that defined the childhood of millions of young people. This is a movie that captivated the hearts and minds of more people than I can imagine, and was a story that every child could relate to. This movie is a gem, and helped set Pixar's high standards. "Toy Story" is one of the earliest movies I remember watching, it will always hold a very special place in my heart and was one of the first truly great movies I can remember watching; and if it weren't for the movie at the top of this list, it would be number one.
This movie holds a special place in my heart, I actually got to see it several months before its release after it was leaked online; from the moment I saw it I knew it was absolutely incredible, and called it the front runner for best picture (which it did win). Directed by Katherine Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker" is the best film taking place during the war in Iraq. While many have called the film overrated, and veterans have criticized the film for its depiction of the war and the military; all I see is a movie with powerful acting, gorgeous cinematography, and some of the most suspenseful, heart pounding scenes in a movie in recent years. Despite all the praise the film received, it is the lowest grossing movie to win best picture. "The Hurt Locker" is one of my all time favorite movies, and is easily one of the best movies released in the past decade.
Martin Scorsese is arguably the greatest director of all time; known for movies like "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver," "Mean Streets," "Goodfellas," "Hugo," "The Last temptation of Christ," as well as many more, but it wasn't until his 2006 film "The Departed" that he won his long overdue Oscar. Based off the Hong Kong movie "Internal Affairs," it tells the story of both an undercover cop and a corrupt FBI agent as they work within the Irish mafia in Boston. One of the all time greatest gangster films, "The Departed" is a dark yet often funny look into the world of underground crime. While it is by no means Scorsese's best film, I'm glad he finally ended up getting the Oscar he was long overdue for. Thrilling from beginning to end "The Departed" is a hard movie not to enjoy.
I know it is kind of cheating having three movies tied for a single spot, but I just couldn't choose; if anything, they work together beautifully as a singular entity. Released between 2001 and 2003, "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy have captivated the hearts and minds of millions who both have, and have not, read the books. As legendary as the books are, I don't think anyone expected what we ended up getting from the movies. Peter Jackson managed to bring to the big screen one of the most enthralling and beloved worlds in literature, and he did a damn fine job doing it. With the extended versions reaching over 12 hours, no other series captured my own interest quit like this one. Arguably the greatest film trilogy of all time, this is a series that will be remembered for years to come.
I don't believe I have ever seen a film that touched me on an emotional level like this one has. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, "Children of Men" is both a horrifying look at our future as well as a beautiful look at what makes us human. Taking place in the year 2029, all women have been infernal for the past 18 years; accompanied by several sever natural disasters and worldwide economic collapse, the planet is in shambles. London is the last standing civilization, but has become a racist police state that won't let any outsider enter the city resulting in constant rioting. A government worker named Theo is recruited by his ex-wife Julian (a radical fighting for immigrant rights) to help get a young woman out of the country. But after Julian is murdered Theo wants out; until he learns who he is helping anyway. "Children of Men" is one of the most beautiful and thematic films ever made, and a must watch for an true fan of movies.
I know most will claim that Christopher Nolan's best movie is The "Dark Knight," in my mind it is and will always be "Memento." "Memento" uses one of the most interesting cinematic techniques I've ever seen in a movie, it shows you small sections of the movie backwards. It can be a difficult to explain, but what happens is they show you the movie starting with the ending and keeps going backwards until you see the beginning of how this whole story started off. The plot revolves around a man who suffers from short term memory loss, and can't remember anything that just happens. This plot line works perfectly the movie being shown backwards, you learn what he learns step by step and are kept in the dark the entire time. The beauty of this movie is the film technique, it turns what should be a straight forward story into an absolutely brilliant film; it's genius.
Joel and Ethan Coen are two of the most consistently great directors currently in the game. From their first movie "Blood Simple" to their latest film "Inside LLewyn Davis," they have continually made great movies since the 80s and won the Oscars for best director and picture in 2007 with "No Country for Old Men;" but arguably their best movie would be the 1996 dark comedy "Fargo." Taking place in the North a car salesman decides to hire some men to kidnap his wife in order to receive a million dollar ransom from his rich father-in-law. Probably the best dark comedy since "Dr. Strangelove," the movie is a perfect combination of comedy and depressingly series crime. Filled with gruesome deaths and laugh out loud moments, "Fargo" has reached an almost legendary status and even spawned a truly great TV series on FX.
Probably the least known movie on this list, "City of God" is one of the best movies that nobody has ever watched. A foreign movie from Brazil released in 2002, this movie is crime drama primarily follows a small group of street rats from the favelas as they work their way up the crime world. Filled with action, comedy, and heart break, this is one of the most captivating films I've seen in the past few years. Despite being criminals, the film has the ability to actually make you really like and root for a few of these characters. They're a bunch of poor kids who were born into a bad situation, they don't want to live a life of crime but they don't have many options. I also have to commend the movie on having a antagonist so crazy the Joker would give him a funny look. "City of God" is a dirty and grimy film that manages to grab your attention and never let go.
I would rank "Seven" among some of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen that wasn't strictly a slasher film or torture porn. Directed by David Fincher, the movie revolves around a seasoned detective and a newbie as they go after a deranged serial killer who mutilates people related to the seven deadly sins; whether that be force feeding an obese man to death for gluttony or getting a woman obsessed with her looks to kill herself out of pride after being disfigured by the killer. This movie actually came close to getting an NC-17 rating (which in the movie industry can be a death sentence), but was ultimately given an R rating and was released to critical acclaim. One of the best neo-noir and mystery films in recent years, "Seven" is the type of movie that once you see you may never forget.
There's not a whole lot I can say about this movie that people haven't already said or you wouldn't know about if you've seen the movies (and if you haven't, you might be clinically insane). Released in 1999, "Fight Club" has become the cult classic of all cult classics. Back in the day, this was a movie that was actually panned by many critics; there were only a few that saw its true genius. The plot revolves around an unnamed narrator (often referred to as Jack or Cornelius by viewers), a rather special and all around bland individual. One day his entire world is flipped on its head when he meets a man named Tyler Durden, who changes his life forever (and not necessarily for the best). "Fight Club" has become a modern day classic, and is often regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. There's just something special about this movie, something we rarely see. It speaks to your inner anarchist, and makes you want to tear down the system. It's a blast start to finish, and has managed to gain the praise it deserved 15 years ago.
I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that made me feel as uncomfortable, or ashamed to be a member of the human race as this movie did. "American History X" follows the story of a former neo-nazi who was reformed after serving several years in prison after a manslaughter charge; but once released he learns that his younger brother has followed in his footsteps and is heading down a very dangerous path. What follows will make you squirm from start to finish, and break your heart by the end. This is an amazing movie that was greatly unappreciated in its time, but has since gone on to become one of the most acclaimed movies of the 90's. This is one of those movies that only come around once every few years, and takes a dark look at humanity; but manages to leave us with a little bit of hope.
If you were to ask a thousand random people what they think the greatest war movie of all time, "Saving Private Ryan" might be the most commonly mentioned movie. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a platoon of soldiers during World War 2 as they attempt to find a soldier and inform him that his three brothers had died in combat. You watch as they trek across Europe encountering a number of obstacles and lose many men. Powerful, emotional, and violent, this is a gruesome yet heroic picture of World War 2. The film went on to win five Oscars, but lost best picture in one of the worst robberies in the history of Academy Awards. "Saving Private Ryan" is the type of movie that shows the horrors of war, as well as the occasional acts of greatness; and will be remembered as one of the greatest war films ever made.
"There Will be Blood" is one of the greatest cinematic experiences I've ever had the pleasure to watch. Director Paul Thomas Anderson managed to create a perfectly dark depiction of early 20th century America. The movie revolves around a bloodthirsty and ambitious oil miner who attempts to tap an untouched reservoir, but is constantly challenged by the people on the land and a narcissistic pastor who attempts to get as much money out of the deal as possible. Starring Daniel-Day Lewis in one of the greatest performances of all time, "There Will Be Blood" is a beautiful and haunting image of the American dream. I know there are some people out there who may call this movie boring and they have the right to their own opinion, but I'd like to go on record saying that their opinion is wrong. "There Will Be Blood" is an incredible movie from start to finish and cemented Paul Thomas Anderson's place as one of the best directors in the game.
Like I said earlier, many argue that "Fargo" is Coen brother's best movie; but in my opinion, their unrivaled masterpiece is "No Country for Old Men." Based off the novel of the same name by one of America's greatest living author Cormac McCarthy, this movie can be best described as a modern day western. The story revolves around a man who comes upon a failed drug deal and finds two million dollars in cash, unfortunately for him some men hire a sociopath to track him down and return the money. Thrilling is the best way I can describe this movie, it has some of the best and most heart pounding scenes ever put in the movie. Even though the movie does just about everything right, the true stand out would be Javier Bardem playing the bad guy. In the book, his character is described as prophet of destruction, and that is exactly who Bardem plays. The film would go onto to win four Oscars (including best picture), topped more best of the year list than any movie from 2007, and was on numerous best of the decade lists; and all I can say is that the praise was rightly deserved.
If I had to choose a favorite film genre, I would have to choose noir. Noir is best described as Hollywood crime dramas, and were extremely popular between the 40's and 70's; but after that the genres popularity settled down a bit. After a few years on the back burner, a new sub genre called neo-noir emerged; and one of the genre's prime examples is the 1997 masterpiece L.A. Confidential. Taking place in 50's, the story follows a group of detectives that get roped into an investigation involving high end hookers, police corruption, and a massacre at a local restaurant. This was one of those movies that was nominated for every other Oscar the year of its release, but got overlooked by the academy. This is one of my favorite films of all time, and I bought it on blu-ray off of Amazon less than an hour after I saw it.
Most fairy tails that we tell to our children are cleaned up and happy versions of terrifying tales from long ago, "Pan's Labyrinth" is if one of those old school fairy tales; the best way I can describe it is if "Alice in Wonderland" was given an R rating. Taking place in 1944 during the Spanish war, the story revolves around a young girl named Ofelia after her mother re-marries a captain in the Spanish army. The captain moves his family out to the country side along with his soldiers as they battle revolutionaries; unfortunately for Ofelia and her mother, the captain is a monster who only wants a son to carry on his legacy and doesn't actually care about his wife or step daughter. Directed by Guillermor del Torro, "Pan's Labyrinth" is a near perfect film in every way. The film is in Spanish and I know some people hate having to read subtitles, but this truly is one of the greatest films I have ever seen.
This came very close to being number one on this list, and for good reason. A film vastly underappreciated in its time, "The Shawshank Redemption" has since become one of the most beloved and respected movies of all time. According to user votes on the website IMDB, it is the highest rated film ever. Taking place from the 1940s to the 60s, the film follows a former banker Andy Dufresne as he is sent to imprison after being falsely convicted for the murder of his ex wife and her lover. He manages to make several close friends in prison and helps the warden cook the books so he can line his own pockets; but after spending nearly two decades in prison, he starts to get fed up with prison life. Based off the Stephen King novel of the same name, this movie has become a classic. The acting, writing, directing, and everything else are just fantastic, and have helped put this movie alongside some of the greatest movies ever made.
I have seen more movies throughout my life than I can count; and while I loved many of them, "Pulp Fiction" would have to be my favorite. Directed by one of the all time greats Quentin Tarantino, "Pulp Fiction" became an instant classic upon its release and is ranked among some of the best movies ever. This is a hard movie to place into a certain genre; it's a drama, comedy, gangster, mystery, and crime film all rolled into one. Great acting, brilliant directing, and one of the greatest screenplays ever written are all brought together beautifully and into in a film that will be praised for years to come. I could go on forever about this movie, it just does everything right in every way; "Pulp Fiction" isn't just the best movie of the past 20 years, it's one of the best movies ever made
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