Movies For Film Buffs
The ultimate list of movies that either had a significant part in history, that drives on both art and entertainment and that are iconically memorable, this is a list you’ll want to return to again and again. Most of these are art movies, however I also added some good blockbusters with some artistic elements such as characterisation and surrealism and pioneer elements that make you think and feel. WARNING: These movies were meant to divide audiences. Some may break your rules.
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- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsMax von SydowLiv UllmannGertrud FridhWhile vacationing on a remote German island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.A brilliant movie for those who feel they are different from others; in this movie, it’s not the individual who is mad, it’s the community around him.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.Emotional movie that depicts a serious mental illness with lots of depth and heart, giving an emotional and heart-felt point of view on the past through the eyes of a man with a low IQ’s life.
- DirectorMaurice TourneurStarsTula BelleRobin MacdougallEdwin E. ReedWith the aid and guidance of a magical fairy, two peasant children set out in search of the elusive "Blue Bird of Happiness".Beautiful fantasy with magic realism for all the dreamers out there searching for true happiness.
- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsMary HaraldRené CrestéGeorges BiscotJacques d'Athys, a French adventurer, returns to his home in Nice after an expedition to Indochina where he has picked up a Eurasian fiancée and a book that, unbeknownst to him, contains a coded message revealing the whereabouts of both secret treasures and sensitive government intelligence. This makes him the target of foreign spies, including a Marquise of mysterious Latin origin, a Hindu hypnotist and an evil German doctor, who will stop at nothing to obtain the book.Slightly racist, but adventourous action movie about a detective who goes out to solve a case before the foreigners do.
- DirectorMartin GabelStarsRobert CummingsSusan HaywardAgnes MooreheadA publisher insinuates himself into the mouldering mansion of the centenarian lover of a renowned but long-dead poet to find his lost love letters.Set against the beautiful landscape of Italy, a brilliant but dark and brooding ‘mild’ horror that will win your heart over in seconds.
- DirectorDavid RikerStarsAnthony RiveraJoseph RiganoMiguel MaldonadoThe stories of four Hispanic immigrants living in New York City.Very emotional, realistic and touching portrait of what immigration feels like in the hearts of men.
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsArnold KorffLulu Kyser-KorffLothar MehnertIn the castle Vogeloed, a few aristocrats are awaiting baroness Safferstätt. But first count Oetsch invites himself.. Everyone thinks he murdered his brother, baroness Safferstat's first husband, three years ago. So he is rather undesirable. But Oetsch stays; arguing he is not the murderer and will find the real one...A frightening horror-mystery set against the background of socialites in which a man decides to get his reputation cleared by discovering who had murdered a woman’s husband to prove he didn’t to others.
- DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.A beautiful but deeply frightening romance between two opposites; a light human character and a dark vampire. Great movie for those who accept diversity and the macabre.
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsLuchino ViscontiAntonio PietrangeliAntonio ArcidiaconoIn rural Sicily, the fishermen live at the mercy of the greedy wholesalers. One family risks everything to buy their own boat and operate independently.Revolutionary movie set in Sicily about classism and the poor and the rich clashing, with this movie describing the effort the poor must make to gain back the rights that have been taken from them by the leading class.
- DirectorBauddhayan MukherjiStarsAdil HussainRitwick ChakrabortyNayani DixitThe Violin Player is the story of one day in the life of a Bollywood session violinist who finds expression in an unlikely place. The day unfolds to reveal startling truths about music, art, life and survival.Brilliant, tasteful and artistic Indian character study about a movie musician under severe stress and turmoil who crosses paths with a dark, brooding filmmaker, and how between eachother they discover the secrets within their lives.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsWarren BeattyGoldie HawnGert FröbeBank security expert Joe Collins and call girl Dawn Divine plot to rob three safety deposit boxes containing $1.5 million in cash belonging to three very different criminals from a high-tech security bank in Hamburg, Germany.Sadly neglected but incredibly fun movie with a half an hour long car chase scene and some of the best wit and humour put onto the screen in 1971.
- DirectorYann DemangeStarsJack O'ConnellSam ReidSean HarrisIn 1971, a young and disoriented British soldier is accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the deadly streets of Belfast.Brutal, harsh and cold, this harrowing thriller based on true events shows the struggle of politics as a soldier is left behind in Belfast during a political division.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsPam GrierSamuel L. JacksonRobert ForsterA flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.Stylish, fun but also extremely dark crime thriller about a woman who keeps her mouth shut, a man who watches the crime, a man who has a high reputation in the criminal underworld and a woman who’s a bit of a slut.
- DirectorJohn S. RobertsonStarsRichard BarthelmessMay McAvoyIda WatermanWorld War I veteran retreats to countryside cottage, meets kind woman. Cottage is an old honeymoon spot haunted by newlywed spirits who cast love spell on them, leading to romance between unlikely pair.Romantic fantasy melodrama with elements of magic realism about a pair who fall in love after spirits put a love spell over them.
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsJames CagneyMargaret LindsayAnn DvorakJames Cagney helped jump-start the gangster genre as The Public Enemy. Outcries against movies that glorified underworld criminals put Cagney on the side of the law in 'G' Men.One of James Cagney’s first conformist movies (which, to me, isn’t a good thing,) started a bit of a rebellion itself between Cagney’s film career. This movie demonstrates the greatness of the American government and the laws it establishes.
- DirectorsMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsWendy HillerRoger LiveseyPamela BrownA young Englishwoman goes to the Hebrides to marry her older, wealthier fiancé. When the weather keeps them separated on different islands, she begins to have second thoughts.An emotional movie that will make you fall in love with the beautiful landscape of Scotland again and again, this dreamy and spectacular movie with additional surrealism will possibly make you feel at home.
- DirectorCurtis VowellStarsSophie HendersonStephen LovattJarod RawiriTania thinks she's Maori. She works the graveyard shift at Horizon to save money to take her brother Pi to Surfers. But one night a cheeky little bird ruins everything and Tania pays the ultimate price for being a hero.Gripping character study that tackles racism, the everyday ordinary dirt under our normal lives and the mind we have to wake up to every morning and sleep with every night, an emotional, hard and gripping New Zealand movie that will instantly grab you by the arm and say, “Listen.”
- DirectorLeslie HowardStarsLeslie HowardFrancis L. SullivanAllan JeayesProfessor Horatio Smith, while seeming very unassuming, rescues victims of Nazi persecution during World War II.A fun anti-Nazi romp with the good old-fashioned Leslie Howard!
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.A spectacular, visually stunning science fiction movie that revolves around both the depth of human emotions as well as it’s setting. This movie also shares both views on individualism and collectivism, which I think is a good thing when a movie shows both sides of an argument.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsAl PacinoJack WardenJohn ForsytheA lawyer is forced to defend a judge, while defending other clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.Brilliant, rebellious, and necessary. You must watch it, and even if you disagree at first, it will turn your table and stare you in the eye. After all, haven’t the movie have time to stare at you after you’ve been staring at it for so long?
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsChristopher LambertSean ConneryClancy BrownAn immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".Fascinating, surreal and adventurous fable that spans across years and centuries, centering on the life of an immortal from Ancient times to the 1980s. A masterpiece, combined with a brilliant soundtrack and a memorable stroyline that you’ll still remember even through the ages. One of my favourite 1980’s movies.
- DirectorJonathan GlazerStarsScarlett JohanssonJeremy McWilliamsLynsey Taylor MackayA mysterious young woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.I have no idea why this got panned by some people. For me, it was a descent into the macabre, a descent into the forbidden and unknown, and it was truly far more terrifying than any other movie I’ve seen. This is also one of my favourite movies of all time because of how strange and surreal it is, so I definetly highly reccomend this, even if I’m being incredibly self-centered in doing so.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsRichard AttenboroughJudy GeesonJohn HurtWhat happened to the women at 10 Rillington Place? The story of British serial killer John Christie, who committed most or all of his crimes in the titular terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving Timothy Evans.Realistic, brutal and harrowing movie based on a true story about the murders surrounding 10 Rillington Place, in which a seemingly ordinary man turns out to be a serial killer.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsCamilla BelleSteven StraitMarco KhanIn the prehistoric past, D'Leh is a mammoth hunter who bonds with the beautiful Evolet. When warriors on horseback capture Evolet and the tribesmen, D'Leh must embark on an odyssey to save his true love.I know this got bad reviews, but this is the very definition of iconic epic. It may not be a masterpiece, but there’s something nostalgic about having an iconic movie like this where the poster sells more than the tickets. Highly recommended for people who love entertainment as well as BC history.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsSandra PeabodyLucy GranthamDavid HessTwo teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.A terrifyingly disturbing movie about a group of teenagers who decide to look for drugs but are taken in and brutalized by a group of sadists. This movie, a remake of The Virgin Spring, is a flawed masterpiece because of it’s cold, unflinching atmosphere, and will even make you question whether or not remakes can sometimes work.
