Some notes on the ones I've seen:Chanticoblues said:What do you guys think of it?
100. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
96. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003)
94. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) - Yeah, fine
93. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007) - not sure it should be on the list, but 90's is ok I guess.
92. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007) - didn't really work for me, but very well crafted
90. The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002) - found it a bit overwrought to be honest. Plus Polanski is a child rapist and I feel no need to be nice about his films for the sake of it.
83. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001) - Spielberg is sound, but AI's visuals just feel like cheap imitation of Blade Runner or Kubrick, and the plot is classical Spielberg oversentimentality.
78. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) - Nope. Nothing new.
76. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003) - Genuinely one of the most disturbing films I've seen in a while, very very effective misuse and general cinematic abuse of theatre tropes.
74. Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, 2012) - See 'The Wolf of Wall St'.
68. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) - I watched this while very very drunk and sleep deprived, wasn't impressed. Should probably try it again before passing judgement.
67. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008) - Overuse of slo-mo, and slightly unbelieveable plot. Kudos for the utterly brilliantly portrayed 'return to home life' sequence though - that alone earns it a spot.
62. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) - probably the best Tarantino film in a while. *Lights fire and runs away*
61. Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013) - Very very good.
59. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005) - Well deserves to be on the list, and probably higher
57. Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012) - none of the interests of Hurt Locker. Just mundane really, deserved neither the criticism for supposedly justifying torture or the overdone praise for it's technical construction.
53. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) - Not my thing.
51. Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) - I like Inception, kind of the apex point for big semi-intelligent blockbusters. But probably should be around #80-100, doesn't deserve sub-50.
44. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013) - Very good, but kind of retreads the same tracks as Roots. Very very strong performances carry it through though.
41. Inside Out (Pete Docter, 2015) - It was ok? It thought it was cleverer than it was though.
40. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) - I'll give this a pass for the hilarious shitstorm it raised.
39. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005) - Didn't hit the mark for me. Felt like a pretty tired historical drama, and pretty compromised for the sake of the writer's message.
38. City of God (Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund, 2002) - Yep!
35. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000) - Yeah, probably the best of the genre (or what I've seen of it)
33. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008) - NO! I get that Heath Ledger was an interesting take on the character, but other than that this film was pretty generic. Batman Begins was a better superhero film, and Inception is a better blockbuster.
32. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006) - Should be higher. Genuinely brilliant film. Manages to pull off a fairly unbelievable plot in a way which feels utterly authentic and immersive.
30. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003) - OK, it's original. But the whole genre/style really grates on me personally. And it's so very melodrama
29. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008) - It's good, but Up is better.
27. The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010) - Why?
25. ​Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000) - Another one that's not quite as clever as it thought.
24. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) - I found this incredibly boring. Not sure quite how this and There Will Be Blood elicit such different reactions in me.
22. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) - Should be on the list, but not this high.
19. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015) - Nah. It's good, but not top 100 material.
17. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006) - Yep!
13. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006) - Should be #2 or 3. Masterpiece. Damn near a perfect film.
12. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007) - Very good.
10. No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007) - No arguments.
5. Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014) - Very interesting idea, but I'd probably put it around the #40-60 mark.
4. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) - I personally find this irritating, but must grudgingly admit that it's very well done.
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007) Should be #1 without a shadow of a doubt.
1. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) - I really loathe this film. Yes, it's masterfully crafted etc. But it just feels completely inauthentic - like I'm reading a technical manual or a treatise rather than engaging with something.
Things not on the list which should be. Based on my viewing habits, which are not particularly eclectic:
28 Days Later - completely re-invigorated the apocalyptic genre.
Lord of the Rings - collectively in one spot if you must, but they were hugely influential on both CGI cinematography, exposition of adaptational universes, and fantasy in general
Moon - Duncan Jones has lost the plot a bit recently, but his first film is masterful science fiction. Low budget, smart with it, cracking performances by Sam Rockwell. Top 10.
Persepolis - Animated film about the Iranian revolution. Also, the book
In Bruge/Seven Psychopaths - excellent dark comedy. In Bruge is better, Seven Psychopaths is possibly funnier. Take your pick.
The Drop - nice, self contained thriller with Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini. No higher than 80, but still.
Contagion - excellent thriller about a flu pandemic. Strong, understated performances from an a-list cast.
Downfall - Hitler's last days. Very very gripping, tastefully done, and the casting is brilliant. 21st century's Das Boot.
Waltz with Bashir - very very nasty animated film about the Lebanon war.
Relatedly, Lebanon. I've already mentioned Das Boot, but this is the second candidate for 21st Century's Das Boot.