City Lights
Charlie Chaplin’s best movie defined comedy as we know it, and “City Lights” does it all without a single line of dialogue.
Citizen Kane
The greatest movie ever made? Even if you know that Rosebud is just a damn [spoiler redacted], every filmmaker should know “Citizen Kane.”
Pulp Fiction
1994’s “Pulp Fiction” is known for cementing director Quentin Tarantino’s place in cinematic history.
Waltz with Bashir
A powerful documentary that personalizes the atrocities of war through the use of memory and beautiful animation.
Bonnie and Clyde
“If there is such a thing as an American tragedy, it must be funny.” – Pauline Kael on Bonnie and Clyde
Lawrence of Arabia
A historical epic that pushed the boundaries of filmmaking to cement itself as an all time classic.
Badlands
A visually stunning portrayal of criminality from the creative mind of Terrence Malick.
Seven Samurai
A technical masterpiece and one of the most groundbreaking action films of all time, one that inspired and influenced some of American cinemas greatest filmmakers.
Being There
“Is there a TV upstairs? I like to watch.” – Chance the Gardener
Jules and Jim
Love triangle or threesome? Francois Truffaut’s French New Wave classic is a radical exploration of youth, friendship, romance and gender roles.
The Conversation
Wait, did you hear that? Of course you did, but only because they wanted you to.
Breathless
Godard’s innovative and seminal film perfectly captures the essence of La Nouvelle Vague.
Star Wars
Spawning one of the most endearing film franchises of all time, George Lucas’s original Star Wars film pleasantly shocked critics and audiences alike when it hit screens in the 70s.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Spectacle or enigma? “2001: A Space Odyssey” is the monolith of science fiction films, sealing Kubrick’s legacy as cinema’s master.
Apocalypse Now
A cinematic masterpiece that deftly explores the psychological effects of war.
The Graduate
Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson, for helping define the era of New Hollywood.
The Godfather
Few other films demonstrate the full scope of cinematic storytelling. Francis Ford Coppola’s epic saga made street thugs into flawed kings.
Raging Bull
Martin Scorsese used every cinematic tool available to portray Jake LaMotta’s dominance in the ring and the tragedy of his personal life.
The Black Stallion
If you think “The Black Stallion” is just a movie for kids, think again.
Don’t Look Back
A tour de force of cinema verite, D.A. Pennebaker’s rockumentary presents an unfiltered take of Bob Dylan before he became a music legend.
Fahrenheit 9/11
No documentary was more polarizing upon its release than Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” – nor more profitable.
Grizzly Man
Werner Herzog’s documentary explores what happens when the boundaries between man and nature are pushed to the limit.
The Thin Blue Line
A unique documentary that made a huge impact on the lives of those involved, while changing the genre as we know it.
Man with a Movie Camera
Dziga Vertov’s groundbreaking portrayal of Soviet Russia didn’t just define a historical period. It created an entire theory of film.
Night of the Living Dead
George Romero’s minimalist nightmare unleashed a zombie plague on popular culture.
The Blair Witch Project
With no budget but truly inspired marketing, “The Blair Witch Project” used found footage horror to frighten both audiences and movie studios.
Psycho
Hitchcock could be as manipulative as any of his villains. “Psycho” turns us all into voyeurs…and makes us think twice before taking a shower.
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is still one of the highest-grossing Warner Bros. films, traumatizing audiences from the moment they hear that eerie score.
Frankenstein (1931)
James Whale’s original version of Frankenstein defined not only our pop cultural image of the story, but also many of the standards of horror cinema.
Young Frankenstein
How many other movies dare us to laugh at our fears?
