A BRIEF STATEMENT FROM MATT:

Now, we all know it is impossible to pick the ultimate list of the 10 best films ever made. But, I have chosen a few I believe are up there for me, personally. I picked these for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the relative obscurity of many of them to the general public. I hope you will take the time to check out these films if you haven't had the pleasure seeing them. Some of them I just can watch over and over, and some just leave me in awe. All of them remind me of how film can be the most exhilarating medium of expression in the world.

1) Bicycle Thief, 1949, Vittorio De Sica
A classic of Italian post-war neo-realism, this film stars a non-actor De Sica found on the street. It is a film of incredible warmth and humanity.
2) 8 1/2, 1963, Federico Fellini
A self-referential and surreal tale of a film director with auteur's block, this film stars the terrific Marcello Mastroianni in the lead role. This is Fellini at his peak.
3) Rear Window, 1954, Alfred Hitchcock
Choosing only one Alfred Hitchcock film is a difficult task. All of his films stand out for many reasons. I chose this film because it has so many of those elements which make his films so incredible. But more importantly, it deals with the act of voyeurism and the disturbing things one can see, but be seeminly powerless to affect...a feeling that is the trademark of all of his films.
4) Manhattan, 1979, Woody Allen
Say what you will about his morals, he is a brilliant and hilarious film-maker whose fantastic body of work made it difficult to choose only one film as Best. 'Annie Hall' was a very close second.
5) The Godfather/The Godfather, Part 2; 1972/1974, Francis Ford Coppola
The classic mafia pictures, and the best of Coppola's work. Incredible performance by Brando and De Niro. Narrowly beats out 'Apocalypse Now'.
6) Taxi Driver, 1976, Martin Scorcese
Another tough decision since so many of his films are so great! This one has the raw power of his early work with the assured style of the later films. DeNiro incredible as always.
7) Ran, 1985, Akira Kurasawa
This one narrowly beat out his 'Throne of Blood'. Both are masterworks in storytelling, both have incredible cinematography, and both are Shakespeare adaptations.
8) Network, 1976, Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky must have used a time machine and come to the 1990's to have written such a incredibly accurate script about the transformation of news into entertainment. Peter Finch won a posthumous oscar for his fabulous performance.
9) The Player, 1992, Robert Altman
Some of his earlier work (like 'McCabe and Mrs. Miller' and 'The Long Goodbye') are as great, but this one lampoons the film industry. We have a winner!
10) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975, Milos Forman
Insanely great in all respects! Nicholson has never been better, before or since.

Honorable Mention:
These slip in and out of the top ten as my mood changes.
  • Miller's Crossing, 1988, Joel and Ethan Coen. (Toss-up with 'Barton Fink')
  • Being There, 1976, Hal Ashby. (Peter Sellers is amazing)
  • Dr. Strangelove, 1963, Stanley Kubrick. (Peter Sellers is amazing, again!)
  • Chinatown, 1976, Roman Polanski. (Nicholson is almost as good as in 'Cuckoo's Nest')
  • Lone Star, 1996, John Sayles. (Sayles is terrific, 'Matewan' is a close second)
  • Alien, 1982, Ridley Scott. (With no sci-fi or horror films on the list, this one is both!)
  • Sunset Boulevard, 1950, Billy Wilder. ('I'm ready for my close-up Mr. DeMille!')
  • Dead Man, 1996, Jim Jarmusch. (Toss-up with all of his movies except 'Night on Earth', his weakest)


    • A second list is from a little poll I took of my friends and acquaintances. I asked them to send in their choices for the 3 best films of all time. I added votes for my top films and tallied the scores. Interestingly, only a handful of films were mentioned more than once, resulting in a very eclectic list. People went with their personal faves, it seems. I decided to list all the films, starting with the top vote-getters, then alphabetically. Hopefully, for those who haven't seen a lot of these films, this list will provide a good jumping off point for hours of great viewing.

    The Godfather [4]
    Annie Hall [3]
    Citizen Kane [3]
    Manhattan [3]
    Network [3]
    Rear Window [3]
    Star Wars [3]
    The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover [2]
    Dr. Strangelove [2]
    Lone Star [2]
    The Princess Bride [2]
    Taxi Driver [2]
    Titanic [2]
    The Usual Suspects [2]
    The Wizard Of Oz [2]
    The World According to Garp [2]
    8 1/2
    12 Monkeys
    2001: A Space Odessey
    Amadeus
    Barton Fink
    The Best Years of Our Lives
    The Bicycle Thief
    Blood Simple
    Boogie Nights
    Brazil
    Broadcast News
    Brother from Another Planet
    Casablanca
    Circle of Friends
    A Clockwork Orange
    Cyrano De Bergerac (yes, the Gerard Depardieu version)
    Dead Man Walking
    Defending Your Life
    East of Eden
    The Exorcist
    Farewell My Concubine
    Fast Times at Ridgemont High
    Forrest Gump
    Georgia
    Goodfellas
    The Graduate
    The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
    Harold and Maude
    Hellraiser
    It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
    It's A Wonderful Life
    Jesus of Montreal
    JFK
    Lair of the White Worm
    The Last Laugh
    The Last Picture Show
    Ma Vie En Rose
    Metropolis
    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
    The Muppet Movie
    Nosferatu
    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
    Philadelphia Story
    The Player
    Polyester
    Predator
    Ran
    A River Runs Through It
    Say Anything
    Scarface
    Silence Of The Lambs
    Singin' in the Rain
    Some Like it Hot
    Sound of Music
    Strangers on a Train
    Sullivan's Travels
    The Sweet Hereafter
    Terms of Endearment
    A Time to Kill
    To Kill a Mockingbird
    Touch of Evil
    Trainspotting
    Vertigo
    When Harry Met Sally
    White Christmas
    Wings of Desire
    Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
    Wuthering Heights