The Descendants
Thanks to the standout cast, led by George Clooney, and a rich script full of character, theme, and story, The Descendants manages to take its premise of a film about grief in paradise and turn it into a film worthy of a place among the greats.
Cold War
Pawel Pawlikowski has given us a truly enthralling romance in Cold War; bolstered by the performances of his two leads, it offers audiences a love worth rooting for in the face of the storms of life and the hardships of the Cold War in Europe, earning the film a much-deserved spot among the greats.
Sling Blade
Altogether, Sling Blade gives audiences a relatable, and generally positive, look at the ways we need each other to get through life’s hardships, highlighted by Thornton’s brilliant turn as writer, director, and actor, which earns the film its place among the greats.
The Seventh Seal
Altogether, The Seventh Seal offers a rich examination of death, mortality, human relationships, and religion without doing too much to answer any of its posed questions, instead offering partial answers and stunning visuals to engage the audience and earn a place of greatness along the way.
An Education
Between its artful, innovative, and unique coming-of-age story and the wonderful performance from Carey Mulligan, An Education more than earns its place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Maborosi
Maborosi is a beautifully made film that invites its audience to live with its characters, particularly its protagonist, in their lives and the grief and loneliness that they are processing in order to better appreciate such moments in our own lives, fully earning it a place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Intolerance
Credit is owed where it’s due, and for D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance, credit is owed greatly to its filmmaking techniques that gave audiences a historical epic interwoven with a tale of the Christ, a French historic melodrama, and a modern parable of legalism and capitalism, earning it a place among the greats.
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York feels like the culmination and combination of the overwhelming majority of Scorsese’s filmography, capturing the filmmaker’s essence, vision, and passions all in a single film that certainly deserves a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.
A Raisin in the Sun
With brilliant central performances that expand upon the themes of the film itself, A Raisin in the Sun elevates the content of the play upon which it’s based to earn a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.
What Ever Happened TO Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? could have easily fallen by the wayside as so many psychological horror films have throughout the history of cinema, but instead, the three actors at its heart gave some of the best horror performances of all time and elevated the film to a place of greatness.
The Magnificent Ambersons
Orson Welles took what should be a depressing, bleak look at the outlook of America in a post-industrial world and made it into a gripping film that looks wonderful even as it beats you over the head with the inevitability of its conclusion, earning The Magnificent Ambersons a place among the greats.
Bloody Sunday
Told with such a gripping style, Bloody Sunday showcases its greatness and Greengrass’s skill as a filmmaker by refusing to let you look away from the atrocities that it seeks to depict, cementing a place beside the Greatest Films of All Time as it does so.
Perfect Days
With a pitch-perfect leading performance from Koji Yakusho and a message of appreciation for the everyday and taking joy in the very act of living, it’s easy to see how Perfect Days earns its spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Monster
By framing its story around the nature of relationships and perceptions, Monster invites its audience to better appreciate and accept the “others” in our lives and to seek to consider others’ circumstances before slapping them with labels or accusations, a sentiment more than deserving of a place of greatness.
Io Capitano
Thanks to the dynamic and enthralling performance of Seydou Sarr, Matteo Garrone’s vision for Io Capitano is brough to full fruition, earning the film a place among the all-time greats.
The Straight Story
The Straight Story features an excellent combination of execution from actor and director with Farnsworth’s grounding performance allowing Lynch’s surrealist sensibilities to shine and vice versa, giving audiences a tale that’s equal parts relatable and thought-provoking, earning a place of greatness.
The Age of Innocence
A trio of performances with immense depth and a director dedicated to crafting a gorgeously compelling picture of 19th-century high society in New York make The Age of Innocence work wonderfully as a film and earn it a spot among the greats.
Mrs. Miniver
Mrs. Miniver’s cast lends a much-needed sense of weight and emotion to this film about surviving the turmoil of the early days of World War II, earning it a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.
My Life as a Dog
My Life as a Dog has some of the best characters, performances, and scenes of any coming-of-age film, winning over the audience in its universality despite the seeming uniqueness of its situations, which earns it a guaranteed spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.