The Constant Gardener
Carried by its two leading performers, The Constant Gardener supplies us with a compelling look at government and pharmaceutical corruption and exploitation that maintains its watchability primarily through Weisz and Fiennes, who earn it a spot among the greats.
Reversal of Fortune
The leading performances of Reversal of Fortune are what have earned it a place among the all-time greats, but none stand taller than Jeremy Irons’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Claus von Bülow, which keeps the audience guessing and almost rooting against the narrative at every turn while staying fully hooked into how it’ll all play out.
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.
Solaris
Andrei Tarkovsky gives his audience plenty to ponder in Solaris, using everything from production design to dialogue to the performances of his actors to portray a truth about humanity and our need to see ourselves in the world and people around us, giving us an All Time Great in the process.
The 39 Steps
Hitchcock manages to pull off a winning formula for early greatness in The 39 Steps, utilizing a relatively innovative (for the period) style that blends lightness with suspense and a charismatic leading man tying it all together to cement the film’s place in history.
Winter’s Bone
Winter’s Bone succeeds on the merits of its top performers and a dedication to tell an authentic story in a setting that feels real and lived-in from writer/director Granik, earning it a place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Incendies
Adapting Mouawad’s play of the same name, Incendies benefits from a strong nonlinear story that gives each of its three main characters plenty of space to play in the haunting and war-torn world of the film that Villeneuve and Turpin worked hard to create on the screen, warranting it a spot solidly among the greats.
The Sixth Sense
Osment, Collette, and Willis lead Shyamalan’s derivative but still creative and touching story about overcoming challenges to make The Sixth Sense one of the Greatest Films of All Time.
Mulholland Drive
David Lynch’s iconic ode to the dreams and realities of making it in Hollywood makes its place among the Greatest Films of All Time with the help of its two leading ladies and its ability to continually engage new audiences with each watch and rewatch.
The Batman
With excellent visuals and casting to set the tone, The Batman provides a satisfying and rewatchable return to the world of the Caped Crusader, capturing the essence of the Batman stories in a way that few other films have been able to, fully earning its spot among the greats.
Decision to Leave
Park Chan-wook’s enthralling murder-mystery/romance hybrid achieves greatness through its excellent storytelling that balances familiar with unfamiliar thanks to the director’s unique vision and the actors’ solid performances in making Decision to Leave as great as it is.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery thrives on its sheer entertainment value, allowing the audience to watch Daniel Craig again don his ridiculous southern persona in the midst of a fun cast of characters delivering sold-out performances in this solid comedy-mystery.
Mississippi Burning
The film’s plethora of solid performances, highlighted by two Oscar nominees, go a long way in helping deliver the film’s undeniable message about the indoctrinated nature of racism in America, earning it a spot among the greats.
The Secret in Their Eyes
A combination of stellar performances and a deep story in terms of emotion and content helped win The Secret in Their Eyes an Oscar in the same way that they continue to keep it steady in people’s minds, worthy of a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Glengarry Glen Ross
Carried by its ensemble of excellent performances, Glengarry Glen Ross tells a simple story of the overworking that employees experience as part of the business machine on its way to making itself one of the Greatest Films of All Time.