My 25 best American movies
Here's a list of my favourite movies coming from the American continent. This means that this list doesn't only include US movies but also Canadian ones etc.
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- 25 titles
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsSheryl LeeRay WiseMädchen AmickLaura Palmer's harrowing final days are chronicled one year after the murder of Teresa Banks, a resident of Twin Peaks' neighboring town.This movie follows the best television series of all times and is still very different from them. It's a dark tale of surreal madness, human tragedy and extreme emotions with a creepy villain that will haunt you for years in your nightmares.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty-hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.The Italian Sergio Leone created an epic odyssey of the Wild West with three brilliant and unforgettable main actors, a very artistic camera work and maybe the best soundtrack of all times.
- DirectorErik CanuelStarsMichel BeaudryPatrice BélangerPierre BoudreauTwo Canadian detectives, one from Ontario and the other from Quebec, must work together when a murdered victim is found on the Ontario-Quebec border.This Canadian movie portrays in a perfect and hilarious way the clash of the French and English culture in the beautiful country and is a true piece of cultural entertainment filled with action, sex, crime, sports and a lot of slapstick humour.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter, where a sinister presence influences the father into violence. At the same time, his psychic son sees horrifying forebodings from both the past and the future.Stanley Kubrick's classic horror movie masterpiece convinces with a dark atmosphere, beautiful sceneries and the amazing acting of Jack Nicholson.
- DirectorAndrew StantonStarsBen BurttElissa KnightJeff GarlinA robot who is responsible for cleaning a waste-covered Earth meets another robot and falls in love with her. Together, they set out on a journey that will alter the fate of mankind.This great animation movie is not only innovating, beautiful and surprising but has also an insightful and very mature message next to a very cute tale of freedom, love and hope.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsSteve McQueenDustin HoffmanVictor JoryA French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.This great tale of liberty is one of the first great prison movies and shows us the legendary actor Steve McQueen at his very best.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsBill PullmanPatricia ArquetteJohn RoseliusAnonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.This unforgettable twisted surreal tale of madness from David Lynch will make you think, analyze and break your head like a nutshell.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioEmily MortimerMark RuffaloTwo US marshals are sent to a mental institution on an inhospitable island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient.This great psycho thriller underlines once again the brilliant talent of Leonardo DiCaprio and the legendary status of the director Martin Scorsese.
- DirectorsFrank MillerQuentin TarantinoRobert RodriguezStarsMickey RourkeClive OwenBruce WillisAn exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.This epic symphony oif violence features many great decorations, camera positions and innovating ideas plus an amazing acting and many gripping parallel story lines.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.One of the most promising directors in the world which is Christopher Nolan takes Hollywood by storm with this thoughtful, twisted and intelligent movie that convinces not only by the innovating way it is filmed but also because of its amazing plot and great acting.
- DirectorDavid ZuckerStarsLeslie NielsenPriscilla PresleyO.J. SimpsonIncompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.This great slapstick movie with the brilliant Canadian Leslie Nielsen is easily the funniest movie I have ever seen and I still laugh tears everytime I see it again. The other two parts are just as great as this first one and would all have deserved to be in this list.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsHenry FondaCharles BronsonClaudia CardinaleA mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.Another movie of the Italian Sergio Leone that features once again an epic tale of vengeance, power and perseverance. The acting is stunning, the soundtrack unforgettable and the key scene with the harmonica is one of the most intense moments in cinema.
- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonRose ByrneTy SimpkinsA family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.This movie almost scared me to death and even if the story itself is not that innovating it is filmed and played in a brilliant way and features the most intense soundtrack ever made in this genre.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsMichael DouglasRobert DuvallBarbara HersheyAn ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.One of Michael Douglas' best films in which he portrays a completely normal guy that is one day falling off the edge of sanity and going crazy as he doesn't know how to deal with all of his problems anymore. While this movie is a great suspense, it is also a character study and sad drama with a great script filled with amazing ideas.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsLubna AzabalMélissa Désormeaux-PoulinMaxim GaudetteTwins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history and fulfill their mother's last wishes.This great Canadian drama was worth being nominated for an Academy Award and features an incredible tale of an immigrant family in Quebec that has a dark, twisted and shocking past.
- DirectorStanley KramerStarsSpencer TracyMilton BerleEthel MermanSeveral different motorists witness a single car crash in the California desert and, after the driver's dying words indicate the location of a hidden stash of loot, turn against each other in a mad dash across the state to get to it.This is another great comedy movie about a very entertaining, surprising and action filled rat race across teh United States of America.
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo men awaken to find themselves on the opposite sides of a dead body, each with specific instructions to kill the other, escape or face the consequences. These two are the latest contestants in Jigsaw's games.This great beginning of an era is way more than a gore horror movie that it seems to be but an insightful thriller with multiple twists and surprises.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodBee VangChristopher CarleyAfter a Hmong teenager tries to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, a disgruntled, prejudiced Korean War veteran seeks to redeem both the boy and himself.Clint Eastwood's most profound and intelligent work is this great drama, social criticism and character study.
- DirectorKarl FreundStarsBoris KarloffZita JohannDavid MannersA resurrected Egyptian mummy searches Cairo for the girl he believes to be his long-lost princess.One of the pioneer horror movies features a sinister atmosphere, many innovating ideas and an unforgettable and intense acting.
- DirectorMarc-André LavoieStarsRémy GirardDenis BouchardEmmanuel BilodeauWhen you meet Réjean, (Rémy Girard) it is impossible to separate the real world from his imaginary one. A biographer by trade, his role is to embellish the lives of his clients. Very soon, Réjean will face the same problem on the dating site Réseau Contact. He has to send a video that talks about him, about his life. In short, to be a salesman. Hesitantly, he starts telling his life story to the camera. As best he can, he desperately tries to rebuild his life as he remembers it. Unfortunately, his profession is rubbing off on his own story. Caught up in the game, he will choose the easy way out, hiding behind his technique, to make his life an incredible adventure worthy of a successful author. A story that is both funny and poignant, full of intrigue where the spectator will try to discern the true from the false. There won't be any easy ones.This comedy movie from Quebec features probably the best plot ever done for this genre. There are many intriguing parallel story lines that show us different episodes of the life of an excitingly ordinary person without telling us what is really true or false.
- DirectorZacharias KunukStarsNatar UngalaaqSylvia IvaluPeter-Henry ArnatsiaqThe telling of an Inuit legend of an evil spirit causing strife in the community and one warrior's endurance and battle of its menace.This great epic Inuit movie gives us an insightful look into the culture and lifestyle of the Canadian's First Nations.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeff GoldblumGeena DavisJohn GetzA brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.David Croneberg's experimental horror drama is one of the most memorable transformation movies with stunning images and an intense acting.
- DirectorsMerian C. CooperErnest B. SchoedsackStarsFay WrayRobert ArmstrongBruce CabotA film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.The magic of this iconic monster movie could never been created again in any remake as it marked a technically innovating beginning of an era with impressive images, stunning special effects and a touching story.
- DirectorsPierre FalardeauJulien PoulinStarsJulien PoulinDenise MercierMarie-Claude DufourA Quebecois Elvis impersonator, disillusioned by a Chinese man's participation in an Elvis contest, takes his wife on a vacation to the island of Santa Banana.This great comedy movie is another amazing tale of Quebec's culture featuring a unique character that is superficial, capitalist and ridicolous. The two sequels are as great and would have also deserved a fair place in this list.
- DirectorÉmile GaudreaultStarsMichel CôtéLouis-José HoudeBenoît BrièreTwo touring comedians make fun of a socially shy cook named Roger, not knowing he's actually a serial killing madman. Waking up in a cage the next day, they soon realize their only way to save themselves is to teach Roger how to be funny.This great flick from Quebec features a sinister tale of violence, a great character study and a lot of amazing jokes and keeps some surprising for the very end that rate this movie up. The landscapes and cultural passages of the movie are also worth to be checked out and one gets delivered way more than just a great entertainment.