Simple Top Tens

Ryan Swen Lists

Decades: 2010s, 2000s, 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, 1960s, 1950s, 1940s, 1930s, 1920s, Pre-1920s

Ten Favorite Films

  1. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  2. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  3. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
  4. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
  5. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
  6. A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu)
  7. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
  8. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
  9. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  10. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)

—

2010s

Best of the Decade

  1. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (David Lynch)
  2. SILENCE (Martin Scorsese)
  3. CAROL (Todd Haynes)
  4. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
  5. YOURSELF AND YOURS (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. THE DAY HE ARRIVES (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Bi Gan)
  8. MEEK’S CUTOFF (Kelly Reichardt)
  9. MARGARET (Kenneth Lonergan)
  10. MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (Jia Zhangke)

—

2019

  1. HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U (Christopher Landon)

2018

  1. LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Bi Gan)
  2. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (Orson Welles)
  3. ASH IS PUREST WHITE (Jia Zhangke)
  4. THE GRAND BIZARRE (Jodie Mack)
  5. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT (Christopher McQuarrie)
  6. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  7. HOTEL BY THE RIVER (Hong Sang-soo)
  8. BISBEE ’17 (Robert Greene)
  9. “I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS” (Radu Jude)
  10. BURNING (Lee Chang-dong)

2017

  1. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (David Lynch)
  2. FIRST REFORMED (Paul Schrader)
  3. ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE (Hong Sang-soo)
  4. ARBORETUM CYCLE (Nathaniel Dorsky)
  5. THE DAY AFTER (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. THE WORK (Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous)
  7. FACES PLACES (Agnès Varda & JR)
  8. PRINCESS CYD (Stephen Cone)
  9. GOOD TIME (Josh & Benny Safdie)
  10. ZAMA (Lucrecia Martel)

2016

  1. SILENCE (Martin Scorsese)
  2. YOURSELF AND YOURS (Hong Sang-soo)
  3. CAMERAPERSON (Kirsten Johnson)
  4. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Kenneth Lonergan)
  5. TONI ERDMANN (Maren Ade)
  6. THE HANDMAIDEN (Park Chan-wook)
  7. KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE (Robert Greene)
  8. 20TH CENTURY WOMEN (Mike Mills)
  9. SIERANEVADA (Cristi Puiu)
  10. ELLE (Paul Verhoeven)

2015

  1. CAROL (Todd Haynes)
  2. MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (Jia Zhangke)
  3. MISTRESS AMERICA (Noah Baumbach)
  4. BLACKHAT (Michael Mann)
  5. RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. MY GOLDEN DAYS (Arnaud Desplechin)
  7. HAPPY HOUR (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
  8. ALOHA (Cameron Crowe)
  9. HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY (Stephen Cone)
  10. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (George Miller)

2014

  1. PHOENIX (Christian Petzold)
  2. HILL OF FREEDOM (Hong Sang-soo)
  3. BOYHOOD (Richard Linklater)
  4. TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
  5. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Wes Anderson)
  6. INHERENT VICE (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  7. L FOR LEISURE (Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn)
  8. THE MEND (John Magary)
  9. NON-STOP (Jaume Collet-Serra)
  10. JOHN WICK (Chad Stahelski and David Leitch)

2013

  1. BEFORE MIDNIGHT (Richard Linklater)
  2. MANAKAMANA (Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez)
  3. THE GRANDMASTER (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. NOBODY’S DAUGHTER HAEWON (Hong Sang-soo)
  5. OUR SUNHI (Hong Sang-soo)
  6. “Let Your Light Shine” (Jodie Mack)
  7. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, Season Four (Mitchell Hurwitz and Troy Miller)
  8. “Brouillard: Passage #14” (Alexandre Larose)
  9. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  10. A TOUCH OF SIN (Jia Zhangke)

2012

  1. MOONRISE KINGDOM (Wes Anderson)
  2. PASSION (Brian De Palma)
  3. FRANCES HA (Noah Baumbach)
  4. THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT (Dan Sallitt)
  5. TO THE WONDER (Terrence Malick)
  6. IN ANOTHER COUNTRY (Hong Sang-soo)
  7. RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION (Paul W.S. Anderson)
  8. IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY (Don Hertzfeldt)
  9. THE ACT OF KILLING (Joshua Oppenheimer)
  10. LEVIATHAN (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel)

2011

  1. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
  2. THE DAY HE ARRIVES (Hong Sang-soo)
  3. MARGARET (Kenneth Lonergan)
  4. “List” (Hong Sang-soo)
  5. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL (Brad Bird)
  6. MELANCHOLIA (Lars von Trier)
  7. THE WISE KIDS (Stephen Cone)
  8. UNKNOWN (Jaume Collet-Serra)
  9. PINA (Wim Wenders)
  10. LUCK: “Pilot” (Michael Mann)

2010

  1. MEEK’S CUTOFF (Kelly Reichardt)
  2. HAHAHA (Hong Sang-soo)
  3. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (Edgar Wright)
  4. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher)
  5. “Lady Blue Shanghai” (David Lynch)
  6. RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE (Paul W.S. Anderson)
  7. TRUE GRIT (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  8. “The Suppliant” (Robert Beavers)

2000s

Best of the Decade

  1. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  2. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  3. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
  5. GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (Tsai Ming-liang)
  6. PLATFORM (Jia Zhangke)
  7. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
  8. MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann)
  9. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai)
  10. LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola)

—

2009

  1. OXHIDE II (Liu Jiayin)
  2. ORPHAN (Jaume Collet-Serra)
  3. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)
  4. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)
  5. “Trees of Syntax, Leaves of Axis” (Daïchi Saïto)
  6. SWEETGRASS (Ilisa Barbash & Lucien Castaing-Taylor)
  7. “Lost in the Mountains” (Hong Sang-soo)
  8. PUBLIC ENEMIES (Michael Mann)
  9. BLONDES IN THE JUNGLE (Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn)

2008

  1. THE HEADLESS WOMAN (Lucrecia Martel)
  2. HISTORIAS EXTRAORDINARIAS (Mariano Llinás)
  3. TWO LOVERS (James Gray)
  4. WENDY AND LUCY (Kelly Reichardt)
  5. 24 CITY (Jia Zhangke)
  6. “Green Fuse” (Daïchi Saïto)
  7. AFTERSCHOOL (Antonio Campos)
  8. BURN AFTER READING (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  9. WALL•E (Andrew Stanton)
  10. THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS (Agnès Varda)

2007

  1. DEATH PROOF (Quentin Tarantino)
  2. scenes from THE WIND (Edward Yang)
  3. MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS (Cristian Mungiu)
  5. USELESS (Jia Zhangke)
  6. HOT FUZZ (Edgar Wright)
  7. THE DARJEELING LIMITED (Wes Anderson)
  8. “The Second Line” (John Magary)
  9. PERSEPOLIS (Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud)
  10. RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION (Russell Mulcahy)

2006

  1. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
  2. MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann)
  3. STILL LIFE (Jia Zhangke)
  4. EXILED (Johnnie To)
  5. OLD JOY (Kelly Reichardt)
  6. CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuarón)
  7. THE HOST (Bong Joon-ho)

2005

  1. THE NEW WORLD (Terrence Malick)
  2. THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU (Cristi Puiu)
  3. OXHIDE (Liu Jiayin)
  4. CACHÉ (Michael Haneke)
  5. THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (Noah Baumbach)
  6. LADY VENGEANCE (Park Chan-wook)
  7. HOUSE OF WAX (Jaume Collet-Serra)

2004

  1. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai)
  2. BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater)
  3. TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  4. THE WORLD (Jia Zhangke)
  5. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)
  6. COLLATERAL (Michael Mann)
  7. TRIPLE AGENT (Eric Rohmer)
  8. THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird)
  9. HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (Zhang Yimou)
  10. KILL BILL VOL. 2 (Quentin Tarantino)

2003

  1. GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola)
  3. LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF (Thom Andersen)
  4. KILL BILL VOL. 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
  5. OLDBOY (Park Chan-wook)
  6. S21: THE KHMER ROUGE KILLING MACHINE (Rithy Panh)
  7. THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS (Jørgen Leth & Lars von Trier)
  8. THE SCHOOL OF ROCK (Richard Linklater)
  9. INTOLERABLE CRUELTY (Joel & Ethan Coen)

2002

  1. FEMME FATALE (Brian De Palma)
  2. HERO (Zhang Yimou)
  3. ON THE OCCASION OF REMEMBERING THE TURNING GATE (Hong Sang-soo)
  4. BLISSFULLY YOURS (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  5. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  6. UNKNOWN PLEASURES (Jia Zhangke)
  7. JACKASS: THE MOVIE (Jeff Tremaine)
  8. RESIDENT EVIL (Paul W.S. Anderson)
  9. SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (Park Chan-wook)
  10. FUNNY HA HA (Andrew Bujalski)

2001

  1. MULHOLLAND DR. (David Lynch)
  2. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
  3. MILLENNIUM MAMBO (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  4. SPIRITED AWAY (Hayao Miyazaki)
  5. WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? (Tsai Ming-liang)
  6. LA CIÉNAGA (Lucrecia Martel)
  7. ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (Shunji Iwai)
  8. ALI (Michael Mann)
  9. TROUBLE EVERY DAY (Claire Denis)
  10. THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE (Joel & Ethan Coen)

2000

  1. YI YI (Edward Yang)
  2. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. PLATFORM (Jia Zhangke)
  4. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee)
  5. “The Heart of the World” (Guy Maddin)
  6. THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE (Mark Dindal)
  7. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan)
  8. HAMLET (Michael Almereyda)
  9. VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS (Hong Sang-soo)
  10. MISSION TO MARS (Brian De Palma)

1990s

Best of the Decade

  1. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang)
  2. CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch)
  4. CLOSE-UP (Abbas Kiarostami)
  5. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
  6. HEAT (Michael Mann)
  7. ASHES OF TIME (Wong Kar-wai)
  8. THE HOLE (Tsai Ming-liang)
  9. CURE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
  10. “Outer Space” (Peter Tscherkassky)

—

1999

  1. “Outer Space” (Peter Tscherkassky)
  2. EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick)
  3. BEAU TRAVAIL (Claire Denis)
  4. COWBOY BEBOP: “Pierrot le Fou” (Shinichiro Watanabe)
  5. COWBOY BEBOP: “Speak Like a Child” (Shinichiro Watanabe)
  6. THE MISSION (Johnnie To)
  7. THE INSIDER (Michael Mann)
  8. EXISTENZ (David Cronenberg)
  9. THE MATRIX (Lana & Lilly Wachowski)
  10. THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch)

1998

  1. THE HOLE (Tsai Ming-liang)
  2. THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
  3. RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson)
  4. THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE (Hong Sang-soo)
  5. COWBOY BEBOP: “Sympathy for the Devil” (Shinichiro Watanabe)
  6. FESTEN (Thomas Vinterberg)
  7. SNAKE EYES (Brian De Palma)
  8. COWBOY BEBOP: “Gateway Shuffle” (Shinichiro Watanabe)
  9. DIL SE.. (Mani Ratnam)

1997

  1. CURE (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
  2. THE RIVER (Tsai Ming-liang)
  3. LOST HIGHWAY (David Lynch)
  4. HAPPY TOGETHER (Wong Kar-wai)
  5. TASTE OF CHERRY (Abbas Kiarostami)
  6. THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Atom Egoyan)
  7. THE ODD ONE DIES (Patrick Yau and Johnnie To)
  8. XIAO WU (Jia Zhangke)
  9. “Yggdrasill: Whose Roots Are Stars in the Human Mind” (Stan Brakhage)

1996

  1. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (Brian De Palma)
  2. BREAKING THE WAVES (Lars von Trier)
  3. FARGO (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  4. IRMA VEP (Olivier Assayas)
  5. BOTTLE ROCKET (Wes Anderson)
  6. NENETTE AND BONI (Claire Denis)

1995

  1. HEAT (Michael Mann)
  2. FALLEN ANGELS (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. CLUELESS (Amy Heckerling)
  4. THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (Clint Eastwood)
  5. BEFORE SUNRISE (Richard Linklater)
  6. “Premonitions Following an Evil Deed” (David Lynch)
  7. XIAO SHAN GOING HOME (Jia Zhangke)

1994

  1. CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-wai)
  2. ASHES OF TIME (Wong Kar-wai)
  3. VIVE L’AMOUR (Tsai Ming-liang)
  4. U.S. GO HOME (Claire Denis)
  5. TO LIVE (Zhang Yimou)
  6. COLD WATER (Olivier Assayas)
  7. RIVER OF GRASS (Kelly Reichardt)
  8. THE GLASS SHIELD (Charles Burnett)

1993

  1. “Je vous salue, Sarajevo” (Jean-Luc Godard)
  2. GREEN SNAKE (Tsui Hark)
  3. CARLITO’S WAY (Brian De Palma)
  4. D’EST (Chantal Akerman)
  5. THREE COLORS: BLUE (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
  6. JURASSIC PARK (Steven Spielberg)

1992

  1. TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch)
  2. HARD-BOILED (John Woo)
  3. THE LONG DAY CLOSES (Terence Davies)
  4. UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
  5. REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (Tsai Ming-liang)
  6. NITRATE KISSES (Barbara Hammer)
  7. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Michael Mann)
  8. RAISING CAIN (Brian De Palma)

1991

  1. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang)
  2. SURVIVING DESIRE (Hal Hartley)
  3. BARTON FINK (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  4. UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (Wim Wenders)
  5. “Ambition” (Hal Hartley)
  6. TWIN PEAKS: “Beyond Life and Death” (David Lynch)
  7. RAISE THE RED LANTERN (Zhang Yimou)
  8. THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
  9. THEORY OF ACHIEVEMENT (Hal Hartley)
  10. ONLY YESTERDAY (Isao Takahata)

1990

  1. CLOSE-UP (Abbas Kiarostami)
  2. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
  3. DAYS OF BEING WILD (Wong Kar-wai)
  4. TWIN PEAKS: “Lonely Souls” (David Lynch)
  5. WILD AT HEART (David Lynch)
  6. TWIN PEAKS: “Pilot” (David Lynch)
  7. TWIN PEAKS: “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer” (David Lynch)
  8. TO SLEEP WITH ANGER (Charles Burnett)
  9. JU DOU (Zhang Yimou)
  10. THE NASTY GIRL (Michael Verhoeven)

1980s

Best of the Decade

  1. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
  2. THE TERRORIZERS (Edward Yang)
  3. PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders)
  4. BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott)
  5. TAIPEI STORY (Edward Yang)
  6. STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme)
  7. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
  8. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (Hayao Miyazaki)
  9. MANHUNTER (Michael Mann)
  10. THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH (Edward Yang)

—

1989

  1. DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee)
  2. THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH (Hal Hartley)
  3. THE KILLER (John Woo)
  4. CASUALTIES OF WAR (Brian De Palma)
  5. KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE (Hayao Miyazaki)
  6. THE SEVENTH CONTINENT (Michael Haneke)
  7. SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (Steven Soderbergh)

1988

  1. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (Hayao Miyazaki)
  2. “Cat Listening to Music” (Chris Marker)
  3. AKIRA (Katsuhiro Otomo)
  4. AS TEARS GO BY (Wong Kar-wai)
  5. DIE HARD (John McTiernan)
  6. POLICE STORY 2 (Jackie Chan)

1987

  1. ISHTAR (Elaine May)
  2. DAUGHTER OF THE NILE (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  3. CITY ON FIRE (Ringo Lam)
  4. WINGS OF DESIRE (Wim Wenders)
  5. ROBOCOP (Paul Verhoeven)
  6. RAISING ARIZONA (Joel & Ethan Coen)
  7. SIGN “O” THE TIMES (Prince)
  8. A CHINESE GHOST STORY (Ching Siu-tung)

1986

  1. THE TERRORIZERS (Edward Yang)
  2. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
  3. MANHUNTER (Michael Mann)
  4. BOUND FOR THE FIELDS, THE MOUNTAINS, AND THE SEACOAST (Nobuhiko Obayashi)
  5. THE GREEN RAY (Eric Rohmer)
  6. SOMETHING WILD (Jonathan Demme)
  7. ALIENS (James Cameron)
  8. A BETTER TOMORROW (John Woo)
  9. THE RISE AND FALL OF A SMALL FILM COMPANY (Jean-Luc Godard)
  10. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (John Carpenter)

1985

  1. TAIPEI STORY (Edward Yang)
  2. RAN (Akira Kurosawa)
  3. POLICE STORY (Jackie Chan)
  4. BRAZIL (Terry Gilliam)
  5. AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese)
  6. MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (Stephen Frears)
  7. TROUBLE IN MIND (Alan Rudolph)

1984

  1. PARIS, TEXAS (Wim Wenders)
  2. STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme)
  3. DUNE (David Lynch)
  4. “Standard Gauge” (Morgan Fisher)
  5. THE TERMINATOR (James Cameron)
  6. GREMLINS (Joe Dante)
  7. AMERICAN DREAMS (LOST AND FOUND) (James Benning)
  8. REPO MAN (Kon Ichikawa)

1983

  1. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
  2. THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH (Edward Yang)
  3. TESTAMENT (Lynne Littman)
  4. THE KEEP (Michael Mann)
  5. AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS (Paul Vecchiali)
  6. SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN (Alan Briggs)

1982

  1. BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott)
  2. THE THING (John Carpenter)
  3. “Expectations” (Edward Yang)
  4. KOYAANISQATSI (Godfrey Reggio)
  5. “En rachâchant (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  6. IN OUR TIME (Tao Te-chen/Edward Yang/Ko I-chen/Chang Yi)

1981

  1. “Orderly or Disorderly” (Abbas Kiarostami)
  2. POSSESSION (Andrzej Zulawski)
  3. BLOW OUT (Brian De Palma)
  4. THIEF (Michael Mann)
  5. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg)
  6. THE ROAD WARRIOR (George Miller)

1980

  1. THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick)
  2. RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese)
  3. DRESSED TO KILL (Brian De Palma)
  4. THE ELEPHANT MAN (David Lynch)
  5. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner)
  6. HOME MOVIES (Brian De Palma)
  7. “AMOR” (Robert Beavers)

1970s

Best of the Decade

  1. A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu)
  2. ERASERHEAD (David Lynch)
  3. OUT 1: NOLI ME TANGERE (Jacques Rivette)
  4. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache)
  5. OUT 1: SPECTRE (Jacques Rivette)
  6. JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman)
  7. A NEW LEAF (Elaine May)
  8. “(nostalgia)” (Hollis Frampton)
  9. THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (Lau Kar-leung)
  10. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)

—

1979

  1. STALKER (Andrei Tarkovsky)
  2. APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Ford Coppola)
  3. LEGEND OF THE MOUNTAIN (King Hu)
  4. ALIEN (Ridley Scott)

1978

  1. THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (Lau Kar-leung)
  2. DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick)
  3. LES RENDEZ-VOUS D’ANNA (Chantal Akerman)
  4. HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter)
  5. REMEMBER MY NAME (Alan Rudolph)

1977

  1. ERASERHEAD (David Lynch)
  2. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (Steven Spielberg)
  3. ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen)
  4. STAR WARS (George Lucas)
  5. SUSPIRIA (Dario Argento)
  6. A GRIN WITHOUT A CAT (Chris Marker)

1976

  1. TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese)
  2. INSIANG (Lino Brocka)
  3. CARRIE (Brian De Palma)
  4. MIKEY AND NICKY (Elaine May)
  5. IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (Nagisa Oshima)
  6. “Projection Instructions” (Morgan Fisher)
  7. THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN (Radley Metzger)

1975

  1. JEANNE DIELMAN, 23, QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Akerman)
  2. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)
  3. JAWS (Steven Spielberg)
  4. THE PASSENGER (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  5. “Associations” (John Smith)
  6. BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick)

1974

  1. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (Tobe Hooper)
  2. ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  3. LANCELOT DU LAC (Robert Bresson)
  4. STAVISKY… (Alain Resnais)
  5. PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (Brian De Palma)
  6. CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski)
  7. “Dyketactics” (Barbara Hammer)
  8. THE NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (Sérgio Ricardo)
  9. ITALIANAMERICAN (Martin Scorsese)
  10. “From These Roots” (William Greaves)

1973

  1. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache)
  2. F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles)
  3. BADLANDS (Terrence Malick)
  4. MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese)
  5. THE FATE OF LEE KHAN (King Hu)
  6. DAY FOR NIGHT (François Truffaut)
  7. “Introduction to Arnold Schoenberg’s ‘Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene’” (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  8. A DOLL’S HOUSE (Joseph Losey)
  9. THE ILLUMINATION (Krzysztof Zanussi)
  10. ISRAEL, WHY (Claude Lanzmann)

1972

  1. OUT 1: SPECTRE (Jacques Rivette)
  2. THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  3. THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May)
  4. LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON (Eric Rohmer)
  5. WE WON’T GROW OLD TOGETHER (Maurice Pialat)
  6. “Poetic Justice” (Hollis Frampton)
  7. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Luis Buñuel)
  8. NATHALIE GRANGER (Marguerite Duras)
  9. TOUT VA BIEN (Jean-Luc Godard & Jean-Pierre Gorin)
  10. HISTORY LESSONS (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)

1971

  1. A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu)
  2. OUT 1: NOLI ME TANGERE (Jacques Rivette)
  3. A NEW LEAF (Elaine May)
  4. “(nostalgia)” (Hollis Frampton)
  5. THE DEVILS (Ken Russell)
  6. PUNISHMENT PARK (Peter Watkins)
  7. TWO ENGLISH GIRLS (François Truffaut)
  8. FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER (Robert Bresson)
  9. JUST BEFORE NIGHTFALL (Claude Chabrol)
  10. THE MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

1970

  1. ZORNS LEMMA (Hollis Frampton)
  2. EYES DO NOT WANT TO CLOSE AT ALL TIMES, OR PERHAPS ONE DAY ROME WILL PERMIT HERSELF TO CHOOSE IN HER TURN (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  3. “Serene Velocity” (Ernie Gehr)
  4. LA RUPTURE (Claude Chabrol)
  5. LE BOUCHER (Claude Chabrol)
  6. THE CONFORMIST (Bernardo Bertolucci)
  7. DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST (Satyajit Ray)
  8. THE WILD CHILD (François Truffaut)
  9. TRISTANA (Luis Buñuel)
  10. WANDA (Barbara Loden)

1960s

Best of the Decade

  1. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
  2. “La jetée” (Chris Marker)
  3. DRAGON INN (King Hu)
  4. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Jacques Demy)
  5. PIERROT LE FOU (Jean-Luc Godard)
  6. GERTRUD (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  7. PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman)
  8. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Gillo Pontecorvo)
  9. WAVELENGTH (Michael Snow)
  10. WEEKEND (Jean-Luc Godard)

—

1969

  1. MY NIGHT AT MAUD’S (Eric Rohmer)
  2. L’AMOUR FOU (Jacques Rivette)
  3. BOY (Nagisa Oshima)
  4. THE SORROW AND THE PITY (Marcel Ophuls)
  5. UNE FEMME DOUCE (Robert Bresson)
  6. DESTROY, SHE SAID (Marguerite Duras)
  7. “Lemon” (Hollis Frampton)
  8. DOUBLE SUICIDE (Masahiro Shinoda)
  9. BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE (Paul Mazursky)
  10. LE GAI SAVOIR (Jean-Luc Godard)

1968

  1. JE T’AIME, JE T’AIME (Alain Resnais)
  2. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick)
  3. THE IMMORTAL STORY (Orson Welles)
  4. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George A. Romero)
  5. MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea)
  6. THE CHRONICLE OF ANNA MAGDALENA BACH (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  7. ONE PLUS ONE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  8. L’ENFANCE NUE (Maurice Pialat)
  9. MANDABI (Ousmane Sembène)
  10. THE GREAT SILENCE (Sergio Corbucci)

1967

  1. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
  2. DRAGON INN (King Hu)
  3. WAVELENGTH (Michael Snow)
  4. WEEKEND (Jean-Luc Godard)
  5. ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (Chang Cheh)
  6. THE RED AND THE WHITE (Miklós Jancsó)
  7. MOUCHETTE (Robert Bresson)
  8. 2 OR 3 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER (Jean-Luc Godard)
  9. PORTRAIT OF JASON (Shirley Clarke)
  10. FAR FROM VIETNAM (Jean-Luc Godard & Joris Ivens & William Klein & Claude Lelouch & Chris Marker & Alain Resnais & Agnès Varda)

1966

  1. PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman)
  2. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Gillo Pontecorvo)
  3. THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS XIV (Roberto Rossellini)
  4. AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (Robert Bresson)
  5. BLACK GIRL (Ousmane Sembène)
  6. COME DRINK WITH ME (King Hu)
  7. THE NUN (Jacques Rivette)
  8. “Castro Street” (Bruce Baillie)
  9. THE WAR IS OVER (Alain Resnais)
  10. BLOWUP (Michelangelo Antonioni)

1965

  1. PIERROT LE FOU (Jean-Luc Godard)
  2. THE WAR GAME (Peter Watkins)
  3. SIMON OF THE DESERT (Luis Buñuel)
  4. TOKYO OLYMPIAD (Kon Ichikawa)
  5. RED BEARD (Akira Kurosawa)
  6. THE KOUMIKO MYSTERY (Chris Marker)
  7. SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS (Sergei Parajanov)
  8. ALPHAVILLE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  9. NOT RECONCILED (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet)
  10. CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (Orson Welles)

1964

  1. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Jacques Demy)
  2. GERTRUD (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  3. WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Hiroshi Teshigahara)
  4. MARNIE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  5. CHARULATA (Satyajit Ray)
  6. UNE FEMME MARIÉE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  7. THE BRIG (Jonas Mekas)
  8. NOTHING BUT A MAN (Michael Roemer)
  9. RED DESERT (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  10. I AM CUBA (Mikhail Kalatozov)

1963

  1. THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. “The House Is Black” (Forough Farrokhzad)
  3. MURIEL, OR THE TIME OF RETURN (Alain Resnais)
  4. “Mothlight” (Stan Brakhage)
  5. THE SERVANT (Joseph Losey)
  6. LE JOLI MAI (Chris Marker)
  7. PASAZERKA (Andrzej Munk)
  8. LES CARABINIERS (Jean-Luc Godard)
  9. THE BIG CITY (Satyajit Ray)
  10. “The New World” (Jean-Luc Godard)

1962

  1. “La jetée” (Chris Marker)
  2. LOLITA (Stanley Kubrick)
  3. AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Yasujiro Ozu)
  4. VIVRE SA VIE (Jean-Luc Godard)
  5. JULES ET JIM (François Truffaut)
  6. THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (Luis Buñuel)
  7. HARAKIRI (Masaki Kobayashi)
  8. THE TRIAL OF JOAN OF ARC (Robert Bresson)
  9. IL MARE (Giuseppe Patroni Griffi)
  10. L’ECLISSE (Michelangelo Antonioni)

1961

  1. LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (Alain Resnais)
  2. PARIS BELONGS TO US (Jacques Rivette)
  3. “Prelude: Dog Star Man” (Stan Brakhage)
  4. A WOMAN IS A WOMAN (Jean-Luc Godard)
  5. LA NOTTE (Michelangelo Antonioni)

1960

  1. BREATHLESS (Jean-Luc Godard)
  2. PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. L’AVVENTURA (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  4. THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder)
  5. “Arnulf Rainer” (Peter Kubelka)
  6. NIGHT AND FOG IN JAPAN (Nagisa Oshima)
  7. THE BELLBOY (Jerry Lewis)
  8. LA DOLCE VITA (Federico Fellini)
  9. THE BAD SLEEP WELL (Akira Kurosawa)
  10. SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (François Truffaut)

1950s

Best of the Decade

  1. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
  2. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. SEVEN SAMURAI (Akira Kurosawa)
  4. “Duck Amuck” (Chuck Jones)
  5. TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu)
  6. REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)
  7. A STAR IS BORN (George Cukor)
  8. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
  9. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Kenji Mizoguchi)
  10. “Night and Fog” (Alain Resnais)

—

1959

  1. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
  2. THE 400 BLOWS (François Truffaut)
  3. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock)
  4. THE WORLD OF APU (Satyajit Ray)
  5. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais)
  6. “Window Water Baby Moving” (Stan Brakhage)
  7. UNE SIMPLE HISTOIRE (Marcel Hanoun)

1958

  1. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles)
  3. “A Movie” (Bruce Conner)
  4. ENJO (Kon Ichikawa)

1957

  1. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Alexander Mackendrick)
  2. THRONE OF BLOOD (Akira Kurosawa)
  3. PATHS OF GLORY (Stanley Kubrick)
  4. “What’s Opera, Doc?” (Chuck Jones)
  5. “Ali Baba Bunny” (Chuck Jones)

1956

  1. “Night and Fog” (Alain Resnais)
  2. THE WRONG MAN (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
  4. THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock)
  5. THE BURMESE HARP (Kon Ichikawa)
  6. THE SEARCHERS (John Ford)

1955

  1. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
  2. FLOATING CLOUDS (Mikio Naruse)
  3. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (Nicholas Ray)
  4. LOLA MONTÈS (Max Ophuls)
  5. THE LONG GRAY LINE (John Ford)
  6. MOONFLEET (Fritz Lang)
  7. MR. ARKADIN (Orson Welles)
  8. ARTISTS AND MODELS (Frank Tashlin)
  9. KISS ME DEADLY (Robert Aldrich)
  10. PATHER PANCHALI (Satyajit Ray)

1954

  1. SEVEN SAMURAI (Akira Kurosawa)
  2. REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)
  3. A STAR IS BORN (George Cukor)
  4. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Kenji Mizoguchi)
  5. JOURNEY TO ITALY (Roberto Rossellini)
  6. GODZILLA (Ishiro Honda)
  7. THE CRUCIFIED LOVERS (Kenji Mizoguchi)
  8. MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (Douglas Sirk)

1953

  1. “Duck Amuck” (Chuck Jones)
  2. TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu)
  3. THE SAGA OF ANATAHAN (Josef von Sternberg)
  4. UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi)
  5. THE BIG HEAT (Fritz Lang)
  6. “Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century” (Chuck Jones)
  7. THE LADY WITHOUT CAMELIAS (Michelangelo Antonioni)
  8. “Duck! Rabbit, Duck!” (Chuck Jones)

1952

  1. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly)
  2. THE LUSTY MEN (Nicholas Ray)
  3. “Rabbit Seasoning” (Chuck Jones)
  4. “Feed the Kitty” (Chuck Jones)
  5. “Operation: Rabbit” (Chuck Jones)

1951

  1. AWAARA (Raj Kapoor)
  2. THE TALL TARGET (Anthony Mann)
  3. OTHELLO (Orson Welles)
  4. “Rabbit Fire” (Chuck Jones)

1950

  1. SUNSET BLVD. (Billy Wilder)
  2. LA RONDE (Max Ophuls)
  3. “Rabbit of Seville” (Chuck Jones)
  4. ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
  5. RASHOMON (Akira Kurosawa)
  6. LOS OLVIDADOS (Luis Buñuel)

1940s

Best of the Decade

  1. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
  2. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)
  3. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
  4. LATE SPRING (Yasujiro Ozu)
  5. NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  6. THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)
  7. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
  8. OUT OF THE PAST (Jacques Tourneur)
  9. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra)
  10. DAISY KENYON (Otto Preminger)

—

1949

  1. LATE SPRING (Yasujiro Ozu)
  2. THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed)
  3. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

1948

  1. ROPE (Alfred Hitchcock)

1947

  1. OUT OF THE PAST (Jacques Tourneur)
  2. DAISY KENYON (Otto Preminger)
  3. “Fireworks” (Kenneth Anger)

1946

  1. NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)
  3. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra)
  4. THE LOCKET (John Brahm)
  5. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Jean Cocteau)
  6. ENAMORADA (Emilio Fernández)

1945

  1. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
  2. DETOUR (Edgar G. Ulmer)
  3. MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz)

1944

  1. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
  2. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Billy Wilder)
  3. LAURA (Otto Preminger)

1943

  1. “Meshes of the Afternoon” (Maya Deren & Alexander Hammid)
  2. THE GANG’S ALL HERE (Busby Berkeley)
  3. HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Ernst Lubitsch)
  4. SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Alfred Hitchcock)

1942

  1. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
  2. CAT PEOPLE (Jacques Tourneur)
  3. CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz)
  4. “Radio Dynamics” (Oskar Fischinger)

1941

  1. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)

1940

  1. REBECCA (Alfred Hitchcock)

1930s

Best of the Decade

  1. ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Howard Hawks)
  2. M (Fritz Lang)
  3. THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir)
  4. HOLIDAY (George Cukor)
  5. SABOTAGE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  6. TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch)
  7. THE LADY VANISHES (Alfred Hitchcock)
  8. THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  9. THE GODDESS (Wu Yonggang)
  10. CITY LIGHTS (Charles Chaplin)

—

1939

  1. ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Howard Hawks)
  2. THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir)
  3. THE WIZARD OF OZ (Victor Fleming)

1938

  1. HOLIDAY (George Cukor)
  2. THE LADY VANISHES (Alfred Hitchcock)

1937

  1. A STAR IS BORN (William A. Wellman)

1936

  1. SABOTAGE (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE (Jean Renoir)

1935

  1. THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
  2. TONI (Jean Renoir)

1934

  1. THE GODDESS (Wu Yonggang)
  2. L’ATALANTE (Jean Vigo)

1933

  1. LIEBELEI (Max Ophuls)
  2. DESIGN FOR LIVING (Ernst Lubitsch)

1932

  1. TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch)

1931

  1. M (Fritz Lang)
  2. CITY LIGHTS (Charles Chaplin)
  3. TABU (F.W. Murnau)
  4. FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale)
  5. DISHONORED (Josef von Sternberg)
  6. MARIUS (Alexander Korda)

1930

  1. MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg)

1920s

  1. SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau)
  2. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  3. NAPOLÉON (Abel Gance)
  4. DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (Fritz Lang)
  5. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
  6. SPIONE (Fritz Lang)
  7. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov)
  8. SHERLOCK JR. (Buster Keaton)
  9. NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau)
  10. APPLAUSE (Rouben Mamoulian)

—

1929

  1. MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov)
  2. APPLAUSE (Rouben Mamoulian)
  3. “Un chien andalou” (Luis Buñuel)

1928

  1. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
  2. SPIONE (Fritz Lang)
  3. STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. (Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton)
  4. THE WEDDING MARCH (Erich von Stroheim)
  5. “The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra” (Robert Florey & Slavko Vorkapich)
  6. “Record 957” (Germaine Dulac)
  7. SHOW PEOPLE (King Vidor)

1927

  1. SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau)
  2. NAPOLÉON (Abel Gance)
  3. THE SEASHELL AND THE CLERGYMAN (Germaine Dulac)

1925

  1. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
  2. BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein)
  3. THE MERRY WIDOW (Erich von Stroheim)

1924

  1. SHERLOCK JR. (Buster Keaton)
  2. THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Raoul Walsh)
  3. Ballet mécanique (Fernand Léger & Dudley Murphy)
  4. HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (Victor Sjöström)

1922

  1. DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (Fritz Lang)
  2. NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau)
  3. NANOOK OF THE NORTH (Robert J. Flaherty)

Pre-1920s

  1. LES VAMPIRES (Louis Feuillade)
  2. “Tunneling the English Channel” (Georges Méliès)
  3. “A Trip to the Moon” (Georges Méliès)
  4. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (D.W. Griffith)

—

1915

  1. LES VAMPIRES (Louis Feuillade)
  2. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (D.W. Griffith)

1907

  1. “Tunneling the English Channel” (Georges Méliès)

1902

  1. “A Trip to the Moon” (Georges Méliès)