How does one navigate the countless films that are produced each year? My suggestion - choose a critic and read them regularly. It doesn't matter if you agree with them or not. A good film critic should perform three functions: (1) raise your awareness of the broad spectrum of films that are released, (2) steer you clear of terrible filmmaking, and (3) challenge your idea of what is and what is not good cinema.
If you are a serious student of the art of cinema, begin a study of the history of film. For a starting point, see the helpful (albeit mainstream and domestic) list compiled by the American Film Institute of the 100 most influential movies of all time. In addition to the films compiled by AFI, I have also prepared my own list, focusing on more recent films, independent films, foreign films, documentaries, and great movies that are sometimes ignored (definitive viewing has been highlighted in red). For more detailed information regarding the films and directors listed below, see the incredibly rich online resource, All Movie Guide. If you have any comments or recommendations, please feel free to email me at hauge@apu.edu.
God is still speaking.
Recent Viewing:
Recount Dir: Jay Roach
I Am Legend Dir: Francis Lawrence
Black Snake Moan Dir: Craig Brewer
Hot Fuzz Dir: Edgar Wright
The Lookout Dir: Scott Frank
Vintage Viewing:
300 Dir: Zack Snyder
About Schmidt Dir: Alexander Payne
Adam's Rib Dir: George Cukor
Airplane! Dir: David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, & Jim Abrahams
Alexander Nevsky Dir: Sergei Eisenstein
Alien Dir: Ridley Scott
All The President's Men Dir: Alan J. Pakula
American Beauty Dir: Sam Mendes
Amelie Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
The Apostle Dir: Robert Duvall
As Good As It Gets Dir: James L. Brooks
Atlantic City Dir: Louis Malle
At Play In The Fields Of The Lord Dir: Hector Babenco
Badlands Dir: Terrence Malick
Bad Day At Black Rock Dir: John Sturges
The Barbarian Invasions Dir: Denys Arcand
Batman Begins Dir: Christopher Nolan
Being John Malkovich Dir: Spike Jonze
Being There Dir: Hal Ashby
Best In Show Dir: Christopher Guest
The Bicycle Thief Dir: Vittorio De Sica
The Big One Dir: Michael Moore
The Big Sleep Dir: Howard Hawks
The Birds Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Black Hawk Down Dir: Ridley Scott
Blade Runner Dir: Ridley Scott
Blazing Saddles Dir: Mel Brooks
Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary Dir: Andre Heller & Othmar Schmiderer
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi Dir: Takeshi Kitano
Blood Simple Dir: Joel Coen
Bloody Sunday Dir: Paul Greengrass
Blow Out Dir: Brian De Palma
Blow-Up Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni
Blue Velvet Dir: David Lynch
Bottle Rocket Dir: Wes Anderson
Bowling For Columbine Dir: Michael Moore
Braveheart Dir: Mel Gibson
Brazil Dir: Terry Gilliam
Breathless Dir: Jean-Luc Godard
The Breakfast Club Dir: John Hughes
Bride Of Frankenstein Dir: James Whale
Broadcast News Dir: James L. Brooks
Bull Durham Dir: Ron Shelton
Bullitt Dir: Peter Yates
Cabaret Dir: Bob Fosse
Capturing The Friedmans Dir: Andrew Jarecki
Capote Dir: Bennett Miller
Casino Dir: Martin Scorsese
Charade Dir: Stanley Donen
Chariots Of Fire Dir: Hugh Hudson
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Dir: Tim Burton
Children Of Men Dir: Alfonso Cuaron
Children Of Paradise Dir: Marcel Carne
Cinderalla Man Dir: Ron Howard
City of God Dir: Katia Lund & Fernando Meirelles
Clueless Dir: Amy Heckerling
Collateral Dir: Michael Mann
Control Room Dir: Jehane Noujaim
The Conversation Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
Cool Hand Luke Dir: Stuart Rosenberg
The Constant Gardner Dir: Fernando Meirelles
The Corporation Dir: Mark Achbar & Jennifer Abbot
Crash Dir: Paul Haggis
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dir: Ang Lee
The Crying Game Dir: Neil Jordan
Das Boot Dir: Wolfgang Petersen
Days Of Heaven Dir: Terrence Malick
Dazed And Confused Dir: Richard Linklater
Dead Ringers Dir: David Cronenberg
Dead Poets Society Dir: Peter Weir
A Decade Under The Influence Dir: Ted Demme & Richard LaGravenese
Deliverance Dir: John Boorman
De-Lovely Dir: Irwin Winkler
The Departed Dir:
Martin Scorsese
Die Hard Dir:
John McTiernan
Diner Dir: Barry Levinson
Dirty Harry Dir: Don Siegel
The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie Dir: Luis Bunuel
Do The Right Thing Dir: Spike Lee
Dog Day Afternoon Dir: Sidney Lumet
Dogtown And Z-Boys Dir: Stacy Peralta
Dogville Dir: Lars Von Trier
Dr. No Dir: Terence Young
Duel Dir: Steven Spielberg
Ed Wood Dir: Tim Burton
8 1/2 Dir: Federico Fellini
Elephant Dir: Gus Van Sant
The Empire Strikes Back Dir: Irvin Kershner
The Endless Summer Dir: Bruce Brown
The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Dir: Michele Gondry
Faces Dir: John Cassavetes
Fahrenheit 9/11 Dir: Michael Moore
The Family Stone Dir: Thomas Bezucha
Fast Times At Ridgemont High Dir: Amy Heckerling
Fever Pitch Dir: Bobby Farrelly & Peter Farrelly
Field Of Dreams Dir: Phil Alden Robinson
Fight Club Dir: David Fincher
Finding Neverland Dir: Marc Forster
Five Easy Pieces Dir: Bob Rafelson
The Five Obstructions Dir: Lars Von Trier & Jorgen Leth
The Fog of War Dir: Errol Morris
For Your Consideration Dir: Christopher Guest
The 400 Blows Dir: Francois Truffaut
Full Metal Jacket Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Freaks Dir: Tod Browning
Friends With Money Dir: Nicole Holofcener
Gangs Of New York Dir: Martin Scorsese
Garden State Dir: Zach Braff
Glory Dir: Edward Zwick
The Gods Must Be Crazy Dir: Jamie Uys
Goldfinger Dir: Guy Hamilton
Goldrush Dir: Charles Chaplin
Good Night, And Good Luck. Dir: George Clooney
Gosford Park Dir: Robert Altman
The Great Dictator Dir: Charles Chaplin
Grizzly Man Dir: Werner Herzog
Grosse Pointe Blank Dir: George Armitage
Happiness Dir: Todd Solondz
Harold And Maude Dir: Hal Asyby
Heat Dir: Michael Mann
Heathers Dir: Michael Lehmann
Hell House Dir: George Whittenburg Ratliff
Hero Dir: Zhang Yimou
Hiding And Seeking Dir: Oren Rudavsky & Menachem Daum
High Fidelity Dir: Stephen Frears
His Girl Friday Dir: Howard Hawks
Hollywoodland Dir: Allen Coulter
Hoop Dreams Dir: Steve James
Hotel Rwanda Dir: Terry George
Hustle & Flow Dir: Craig Brewer
Inside Man Dir: Spike Lee
In The Bedroom Dir: Todd Field
In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great Dir: Michael Wood
In This World Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Intolerance Dir: D. W. Griffith
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Dir: Don Siegel
Jack Johnson: Live In Japan Dir: The Malloys
Jarhead Dir: Sam Mendes
Jazz Dir: Ken Burns
Jerry Maguire Dir: Cameron Crowe
JFK (Director's Cut) Dir: Oliver Stone
Kids Dir: Larry Clark
Kill Bill Dir: Quentin Tarantino
The Killer Dir: John Woo
The Killing Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Kingdom Of Heaven Dir: Ridley Scott
Kontroll Dir: Nimrod Antal
Koyaanisqatsi Dir: Godfrey Reggio
Kung Fu Hustle Dir: Stephen Chow
L. A. Confidential Dir: Curtis Hanson
L. A. Story Dir: Mick Jackson
The Lady Vanishes Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
The Last Picture Show Dir: Peter Bogdanovich
The Last Temptation of Christ Dir: Martin Scorsese
Laura Dir: Otto Preminger
Life + Debt Dir: Stephanie Black
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou Dir: Wes Anderson
Little Miss Sunshine Dir: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
Lone Star Dir: John Sayles
The Lord Of The Rings (Trilogy) Dir: Peter Jackson
Lord Of War Dir: Andrew Niccol
Lost In America Dir: Albert Brooks
Lost In Translation Dir: Sofia Coppola
M Dir: Fritz Lang
The Machinist Dir: Brad Anderson
The Magnificent Seven Dir: John Sturges
Magnolia Dir: P. T. Anderson
Man On The Moon Dir: Milos Forman
Manufacturing Consent Dir: Peter Wintonick & Mark Achbar
Maria Full Of Grace Dir: Joshua Marston
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World Dir: Peter Weir
The Matrix (Trilogy) Dir: Wachowski Brothers
Mean Streets Dir: Martin Scorsese
Memento Dir: Christopher Nolan
Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster Dir: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky
Metropolis Dir: Fritz Lang
Miami Vice Dir: Michael Mann
Midnight Cowboy Dir: John Schlesinger
The Mission Dir: Roland Joffe
Monty Python And The Holy Grail Dir: Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones
Monty Python And The Life Of Brian Dir: Terry Jones
The Motorcycle Diaries Dir: Walter Salles, Jr.
Mulholland Drive Dir: David Lynch
The Muppet Movie Dir: James Frawley
Murderball Dir: Henry Alex Rubin & Dana Adam Shapiro
My Little Chickadee Dir: Edward Cline
My Man Godfrey Dir: Gregory La Cava
Mystic River Dir: Clint Eastwood
The Naked Kiss Dir: Samuel Fuller
Nashville Dir: Robert Altman
A Night At The Opera Dir: Sam Wood
The Night Of The Hunter Dir: Charles Laughton
The Night Of The Living Dead Dir: George A. Romero
The Nightmare Before Christmas Dir: Tim Burton
Nosferatu Dir: F. W. Murnau
Notorious Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
O Brother, Where Art Thou Dir: Joel Coen
Ocean's Eleven Dir: Steven Soderbergh
Office Space Dir: Mike Judge
Once Upon A Time In America Dir: Sergio Leone
Once Upon A Time In The West Dir: Sergio Leone
Open Water Dir: Chris Kentis
Pan's Labyrinth Dir: Guillermo Del Toro
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Pat And Mike Dir: George Cukor
Paths Of Glory Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Persona Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Pi Dir: Darren Aronovsky
The Picture Of Dorian Gray Dir: Albert Lewin
Pleasantville Dir: Gary Ross
Pretty Woman Dir: Garry Marshall
Princess Bride Dir: Rob Reiner
The Producers Dir: Mel Brooks
P.S. Dir: Dylan Kidd
Quiz Show Dir: Robert Redford
Rabbit-Proof Fence Dir: Phillip Noyce
Raising Arizona Dir: Joel Coen
Ratatouille Dir: Brad Bird
Raising Victor Vargas Dir: Peter Sollett
Rebecca Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
The Red Shoes Dir: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
The Remains Of The Day Dir: James Ivory
Requiem For A Dream Dir: Darren Aronovsky
Reservoir Dogs Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Riding Giants Dir: Stacy Peralta & Sam George
The Right Stuff Dir: Philip Kaufman
Rize Dir: David LaChapelle
Road To Morocco Dir: David Butler
Rock School Dir: Don Argott
Roger & Me Dir: Michael Moore
The Royal Tenenbaums Dir: Wes Anderson
Rules Of The Game Dir: Jean Renoir
Run Lola Run Dir: Tom Tykwer
Rushmore Dir: Wes Anderson
Saving Private Ryan Dir: Steven Spielberg
Say Anything Dir: Cameron Crowe
The Seven Samurai Dir: Akira Kurosawa
The Seventh Seal Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Sexy Beast Dir: Jonathan Glazer
Shattered Glass Dir: Billy Ray
The Shawshank Redemption Dir: Frank Darabont
Sherlock Jr. Dir: Buster Keaton
Shine Dir: Scott Hicks
A Shot In The Dark Dir: Blake Edwards
Shrek Dir: Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson
Shrek 2 Dir: Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon, Kelly Asbury, & Rachel Falk
Sideways Dir: Alexander Payne
Sin City Dir: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller
The Sixth Sense Dir: M. Night Shyamalan
Smoke Signals Dir: Chris Eyre
Spanglish Dir: James L. Brooks
The Spanish Prisoner Dir: David Mamet
Spartacus Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Spellbound Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Spellbound Dir: Jeffrey Blitz
Stalag 17 Dir: Billy Wilder
The Sting Dir: George Roy Hill
Strangers On A Train Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stranger Than Fiction Dir: Marc Forster
Straw Dogs Dir: Sam Peckinpah
Superbad Dir: Greg Mottola
Super Size Me Dir: Morgan Spurlock
Sweet Smell Of Success Dir: Alexander MacKendrick
Swingers Dir: Doug Liman
Swing Time Dir: George Stevens
Syriana Dir: Stephen Gaghan
Tell Them Who You Are Dir: Mark S. Wexler
Thank You For Smoking Dir: Jason Reitman
The Terminator Dir: James Cameron
Thelma & Louise Dir: Ridley Scott
The Thin Man Dir: W. S. Van Dyke
The Thing From Another World Dir: Christian Nyby
Thicker Than Water Dir: Jack Johnson, Chris Malloy, & Emmet Malloy
This Is Spinal Tap Dir: Rob Reiner
The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada Dir: Tommy Lee Jones
Three Kings Dir: David O. Russell
To Have And Have Not Dir: Howard Hawks
Tokyo Story Dir: Yasujiro Ozu
Touch Of Evil Dir: Orson Welles
Townes Van Zandt: Be Here To Love Me Dir: Margaret Brown
Transformers Dir: Michael Bay
Trekkies Dir: Roger Nygard
Trembling Before G-d Dir: Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Unbreakable Dir: M. Night Shyamalan
Unforgiven Dir: Clint Eastwood
United 93 Dir: Paul Greengrass
The Upside Of Anger Dir: Mike Binder
The Usual Suspects Dir: Brian Singer
A Very Long Engagement Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
The Yes Men Dir: Sarah Price, Chris Smith, & Dan Ollman
You Can Count On Me Dir: Kenneth Lonergan
You Can't Take It With You Dir: Frank Capra
Young Frankenstein Dir: Mel Brooks
The Village Dir: M. Night Shyamalan
Waiting For Guffman Dir: Christopher Guest
Waking Life Dir: Richard Linklater
Walking The Bible Dir: David Wallace
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit Dir: Nick Park & Steve Box
War Of The Worlds Dir: Steven Spielberg
The Weather Man Dir: Gore Vorbinski
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? Dir: Robert Aldrich
When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts Dir: Spike Lee
White Heat Dir: Raoul Walsh
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? Dir: Mike Nichols
The Wild Bunch Dir: Sam Peckinpah
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Dir: Mel Stuart
Winged Migration Dir: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, Michael DeBats, Guy Jerry, & Francis Roux
Wings Of Desire Dir: Wim Wenders
The Winslow Boy Dir: David Mamet
Witness Dir: Peter Weir
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown Dir: Pedro Almodovar
The Work Of Chris Cunningham Dir: Chris Cunningham
Working Girl Dir: Mike Nichols
Written On The Wind Dir: Douglas Sirk