...but I know what I like!

Before exploding in indignation as you read the following Top Tens / Fifteens / Whatevers (plus a bunch of Honourable Mentions), please bear in mind the following :

I've seen about 6000 films in my whole, relatively short life, which is obviously a lot but still leaves out a number of well-loved classics (usually the lengthy ones, like GONE WITH THE WIND or REDS, that I'm always meaning to watch but somehow never get round to). So, when a particular year's Top Ten seems to be missing the most obvious choices, it's not always because I'm being perverse or idiosyncratic - sometimes I just haven't seen the movie(s) in question. Then again, just to complicate things, sometimes I am being perverse and idiosyncratic: well-known movies don't get an automatic berth on my list, nor am I exactly Mr. Consensus. Loads of famous and/or popular movies have left me cold or lukewarm, most of them cited under "What's The Big Deal?" in the lists below (films labelled "Need To See It Again" are also in the cold-or-lukewarm camp except I don't entirely trust my opinion, having seen them too long ago).

I did try to make year-by-year lists all the way back to Silent days, but I haven't seen enough of the really old stuff to make any meaningful listing. In the end I managed to make Top Tens all the way back to 1931, but the Silent era gets reduced to a handful of faves per year. Like many buffs I tend to prefer old to new - most of my all-time Top 10 (which I won't bore you with here) would come from the 40s and 50s, and it just makes my blood boil to hear people being condescending about old movies - though I guess the Time-travel factor does give classics an advantage over the here-and-now. The problem, of course, is how few old(er) films I've seen relative to what's out there; I've filled lots of gaps in the decade since I started this website - esp. since the advent of online DVD shopping - but still can't really claim to know what I'm talking about for anything pre-1960 (and in fact, let's be honest: the only films where I kind of know what I'm talking about are probably those of the past decade, where I'm pretty sure I've seen most of the candidates for Top Ten-dom).

Couple more caveats:

(a) I'm pretty flexible about release dates - sometimes I use the year a film was made, sometimes the European release, etc. etc. I know there's some pretty sad pedants out there (I'm just an ordinary pedant), so please spare me all the just-for-the-record postings about how ARIZONA DREAM was actually made in ninety-whatever, ok?

(b) Top Tens, being compiled with the benefit of hindsight, reflect how strong a memory a film has left with me, not always how objectively "good" it is. This is why the lists below don't always agree with my ratings, and why something like AUSTIN POWERS makes the cut despite only scoring in the mid-60s. Often, films are too patchy to get the high ratings - they don't really work as films - but the good bits stay with you long after many "better" films have faded. My general rule of thumb is, if a film has become part of my life, if I still quote from it and think about it years later, then that's a favourite film, irrespective of flaws.

(c) Obviously, I haven't seen all these films in the past few months, or even years : indeed, I saw many (if not most) when I was a very different person, and second viewing may reveal a very different movie. This is especially true of late 80s and early 90s films, most of which I haven't seen since I was at high school and college (when my taste was considerably more mainstream than it is now); I've resisted the temptation to second-guess my younger self, but I still wonder whether I'd be equally impressed with (say) CANDYMAN or THE USUAL SUSPECTS if I saw them now - and suspect I wouldn't be. Pinch of salt recommended, in other words.

And here we go...

2006

1. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
2. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
3. IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (James Longley)
4. BRAND UPON THE BRAIN! (Guy Maddin)
5. BRICK (Rian Johnson)
6. WHITE PALMS (Szabolcs Hajdu)
7. OFFSIDE (Jafar Panahi)
8. I AM A SEX ADDICT (Caveh Zahedi)
9. WOMAN ON THE BEACH (Hong Sang-soo)
10. THE PRESTIGE (Christopher Nolan)
11. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)
12. DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT (Julia Loktev)
13. SLEEPING DOGS LIE (Bobcat Goldthwait)
14. I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE (Tsai Ming-liang)
15. THE RIGHT OF THE WEAKEST (Lucas Belvaux)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE CAIMAN (Nanni Moretti) ; CRANK (Neveldine/Taylor) ; THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Robert De Niro) ; INSIDE MAN (Spike Lee) ; BUBBLE (Steven Soderbergh) ; MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann) ; THE SESSION IS OPEN (Vincenzo Marra) ; HALF NELSON (Ryan Fleck) ; MONSTER HOUSE (Gil Kenan) ; LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (Clint Eastwood) ; COMEDY OF POWER (Claude Chabrol) ; THE HOST (Bong Joon-ho) ; REQUIEM (Hans-Christian Schmid) ; PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER (Tom Tykwer) ; LONDON TO BRIGHTON (Paul Andrew Williams) ; BAMAKO (Abderrahmane Sissako)  
• What's The Big Deal?: DREAMGIRLS (Bill Condon) ; LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris) ; PAN'S LABYRINTH (Guillermo del Toro) 

2005

1. THE SQUID AND THE THE WHALE (Noah Baumbach)
2. LAST DAYS (Gus van Sant)
3. REGULAR LOVERS (Philippe Garrel)
4. THE WILD BLUE YONDER (Werner Herzog)
5. SIN CITY (Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller)
6. THE CHILD (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne)
7. WORKINGMAN'S DEATH (Michael Glawogger)
8. KISS KISS BANG BANG (Shane Black)
9. LAND OF THE DEAD (George Romero)
10. PRINCESS RACCOON (Seijun Suzuki)
11. THE 3 ROOMS OF MELANCHOLIA (Pirjo Honkasalo)
12. CORPSE BRIDE (Mike Johnson & Tim Burton)
13. THE TIME WE KILLED (Jennifer Todd Reeves)
14. HIDDEN (Michael Haneke)
15. ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (Miranda July)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE MATADOR (Richard Shepard) ; WHO'S CAMUS ANYWAY? (Mitsuo Yanagimachi) ; THE NEW WORLD (Terrence Malick) ; INNOCENCE (Lucile Hadzihalilovic) ; THE ICE HARVEST (Harold Ramis) ; CHAIN (Jem Cohen) ; DISTRICT B13 (Pierre Morel) ; MIRRORMASK (Dave McKean) ; TAKESHIS' (Takeshi Kitano) ; GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (George Clooney) ; LINDA LINDA LINDA (Nobuhiro Yamashita) ; WAR OF THE WORLDS (Steven Spielberg) ; TONY TAKITANI (Jun Ichikawa) 
• What's The Big Deal?: GRIZZLY MAN (Werner Herzog) ; A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg) ; MATCH POINT (Woody Allen)

 2004

1. TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)
3. HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Hayao Miyazaki)
4. THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird)
5. CLOSER (Mike Nichols)
6. BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater)
7. THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS (Lech Majewski)
8. TRIPLE AGENT (Eric Rohmer)
9. DOWNFALL (Oliver Hirschbiegel)
10. RED LIGHTS (Cédric Kahn)
11. KEANE (Lodge Kerrigan)
12. VERA DRAKE (Mike Leigh)
13. DUCK SEASON (Fernando Eimbcke)
14. I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD (Mike Hodges)
15. CELLULAR (David R. Ellis)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Clint Eastwood) ; PRIVATE (Saverio Costanzo) ; PRIMER (Shane Carruth) ; CONTROL ROOM (Jehane Noujaim) ; TARNATION (Jonathan Caouette) ; THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR (Tod Williams) ; A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) 
• What's The Big Deal?: FAHRENHEIT 9/11 (Michael Moore)

2003

1. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS (Andrew Jarecki)
2. THE RETURN (Andrei Zvyagintsev)
3. THE FOG OF WAR (Errol Morris)
4. DOGVILLE (Lars Von Trier)
5. KILL BILL (Quentin Tarantino)
6. MEMORIES OF MURDER (Bong Joon-ho)
7. CRIMSON GOLD (Jafar Panahi)
8. MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (Peter Weir)
9. RAJA (Jacques Doillon)
10. BAD SANTA (Terry Zwigoff)
11. NO REST FOR THE BRAVE (Alain Guiraudie)
12. THE SCHOOL OF ROCK (Richard Linklater)
13. NOT ON THE LIPS (Alain Resnais)
14. GOOD MORNING, NIGHT (Marco Bellocchio)
15. SHARA (Naomi Kawase)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MYSTIC RIVER (Clint Eastwood) ; DALLAS 362 (Scott Caan) ; SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER ... AND SPRING (Kim Ki-Duk) ; BRIGHT LEAVES (Ross McElwee) ; ANA AND THE OTHERS (Cecilia Murga) ; OWNING MAHOWNY (Richard Kwietniowski) ; THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (Denys Arcand) ; PHONE BOOTH (Joel Schumacher) ; A TALKING PICTURE (Manoel de Oliveira) ; FEAR AND TREMBLING (Alain Corneau) ; THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS (Alan Rudolph) ; CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (McG) ; DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY (Guy Maddin) ; THE CORE (Jon Amiel)  
• What's The Big Deal?: AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Shari Springer Berman / Robert Pulcini) ; ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sant) ; LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola) ; SEABISCUIT (Gary Ross)

2002

1. 25th HOUR (Spike Lee)
2. IRREVERSIBLE (Gaspar Noé)
3. SPIRITED AWAY (Hayao Miyazaki)
4. THE SON (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
5. THE RELIGION HOUR (MY MOTHER'S SMILE) (Marco Bellocchio)
6. DEMONLOVER (Olivier Assayas)
7. GERRY (Gus van Sant)
8. 8 WOMEN (François Ozon)
9. ROGER DODGER (Dylan Kidd)
10. THE GREY ZONE (Tim Blake Nelson)
11. 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE (Michael Winterbottom)
12. SAFE CONDUCT (Bertrand Tavernier)
13. ADAPTATION (Spike Jonze)
14. CITY OF GOD (Fernando Meirelles)
15. BETTY FISHER AND OTHER STORIES (Claude Miller)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): SPIDER-MAN (Sam Raimi) ; MONDAY MORNING (Otar Iosseliani) ; ALL OR NOTHING (Mike Leigh) ; UNKNOWN PLEASURES (Jia Zhang Ke) ; IGBY GOES DOWN (Burr Steers)  
• What's The Big Deal?: CHICAGO (Rob Marshall) ; THE HOURS (Stephen Daldry)

2001

1. THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (Joel Coen)
2. WAKING LIFE (Richard Linklater)
3. Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (Alfonso Cuaron)
4. GOSFORD PARK (Robert Altman)
5. ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (Shunji Iwai)
6. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)
7. OCEAN'S ELEVEN (Steven Soderbergh)
8. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
9. THE BELIEVER (Henry Bean)
10. TRAINING DAY (Antoine Fuqua)
11. THE PIANO TEACHER (Michael Haneke)
12. GHOST WORLD (Terry Zwigoff)
13. BATTLE ROYALE (Kinji Fukasaku)
14. ROBERTO SUCCO (Cédric Kahn)
15. I'M GOING HOME (Manoel de Oliveira)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  TOGETHER (Lukas Moodysson) ; MONSTERS INC. (Pete Docter) ; ELOGE DE L'AMOUR (Jean-Luc Godard) ; ICHI THE KILLER (Takashi Miike) ; THE OTHERS (Alejandro Amenabar)
• What's The Big Deal?: SHREK (Andrew Adamson / Vicky Jenson)

2000

1. MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)
2. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (Joel Coen)
3. CODE UNKNOWN (Michael Haneke)
4. YI YI (Edward Yang)
5. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH (Terence Davies)
6. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan)
7. THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (Sofia Coppola)
8. SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR (Roy Andersson)
9. ESTHER KAHN (Arnaud Desplechin)
10. CAST AWAY (Robert Zemeckis)
11. THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE (Mark Dindal)
12. GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott)
13. TIME REGAINED (Raul Ruiz)
14. THIRTEEN DAYS (Roger Donaldson)
15. DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (Jiang Wen)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): HAMLET (Michael Almereyda) ; A PORNOGRAPHIC AFFAIR (Frédéric Fonteyne) ; MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON (Apichatpong Weerasethakul) ; ALMOST FAMOUS [160-minute 'Bootleg Cut', a.k.a. UNTITLED] (Cameron Crowe) ; WONDERLAND (Michael Winterbottom) 
• What's The Big Deal?: BILLY ELLIOT (Stephen Daldry) ; WONDER BOYS (Curtis Hanson)

1999

1. TOPSY-TURVY (Mike Leigh)
2. FIGHT CLUB (David Fincher)
3. MAGNOLIA (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch)
5. MR. DEATH: THE RISE AND FALL OF FRED A. LEUCHTER, JR. (Errol Morris)
6. ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (Pedro Almodovar)
7. EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick)
8. AUTUMN TALE (Eric Rohmer)
9. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (Daniel Myrick / Eduardo Sanchez)
10. SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT (Trey Parker)
11. LEILA (Dariush Mehrjui)
12. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (Spike Jonze)
13. I STAND ALONE (Gaspar Noé)
14. LA MALADIE DE SACHS (Michel Deville)
15. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (Anthony Minghella)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): SKIN OF MAN, HEART OF BEAST (Helene Angel) ; SHOW ME LOVE (Lukas Moodysson) ; AMERICAN MOVIE (Chris Smith) ; THE IRON GIANT (Brad Bird) ; eXistenZ (David Cronenberg) ; THE DREAMLIFE OF ANGELS (Erick Zonca) ; THE INSIDER (Michael Mann) ; FAREWELL, HOME SWEET HOME (Otar Iosseliani) ; TOY STORY 2 (John Lasseter) ; GREGORY'S TWO GIRLS (Bill Forsyth)
• What's The Big Deal?: AMERICAN BEAUTY (Sam Mendes)

1998

1. LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (Olivier Assayas)
2. NIL BY MOUTH (Gary Oldman)
3. HENRY FOOL (Hal Hartley)
4. THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
5. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (Steven Spielberg)
6. TASTE OF CHERRY (Abbas Kiarostami)
7. HAPPINESS (Todd Solondz)
8. THE CELEBRATION (Thomas Vinterberg)
9. THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE (Hong Sang-Soo)
10. UNMADE BEDS (Nicholas Barker)
11. LA CLASSE DE NEIGE (Claude Miller)
12. FOUR DAYS IN SEPTEMBER (Bruno Barreto)
13. A BUG'S LIFE (John Lasseter)
14. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Joel Coen)
15. MY NAME IS JOE (Ken Loach)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE NEWTON BOYS (Richard Linklater) ; A SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER NEVER CRIES (James Ivory)
• What's The Big Deal?: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (John Madden) ; THE TRUMAN SHOW (Peter Weir)

1997

1. BOOGIE NIGHTS (Paul Thomas Anderson)
2. L. A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson)
3. FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL (Errol Morris)
4. FUNNY GAMES (Michael Haneke)
5. THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Atom Egoyan)
6. KUNDUN (Martin Scorsese)
7. STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven)
8. THE APOSTLE (Robert Duvall)
9. THE ICE STORM (Ang Lee)
10. CAPITAINE CONAN (Bertrand Tavernier)
11. WILL IT SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS? (Sandrine Veysset)
12. IN THE COMPANY OF MEN (Neil LaBute)
13. SIX O'CLOCK NEWS (Ross McElwee)
14. DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (Woody Allen)
15. ON CONNAIT LA CHANSON (Alain Resnais)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): EYE OF GOD (Tim Blake Nelson) ; JACKIE BROWN (Quentin Tarantino) ; FACE / OFF (John Woo) ; DONNIE BRASCO (Mike Newell) ; SUNDAY (Jonathan Nossiter) ; SICK: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BOB FLANAGAN, SUPERMASOCHIST (Kirby Dick) ; THE RIVER (Tsai Ming-Liang) ; PRETTY VILLAGE, PRETTY FLAME (Srdjan Dragojevic) ; AUSTIN POWERS : INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY (Jay Roach)
• What's The Big Deal?: AS GOOD AS IT GETS (James L. Brooks)

1996

1. IRMA VEP (Olivier Assayas)
2. PARADISE LOST : THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS (Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky)
3. LE GARCU (Maurice Pialat)
4. LA PROMESSE (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
5. SLING BLADE (Billy Bob Thornton)
6. BREAKING THE WAVES (Lars von Trier)
7. FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (David O. Russell)
8. DEAD MAN (Jim Jarmusch)
9. EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU (Woody Allen)
10. JERRY MAGUIRE (Cameron Crowe)
11. GOODBYE SOUTH, GOODBYE (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
12. SECRETS AND LIES (Mike Leigh)
13. COMRADES, ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan)
14. MARS ATTACKS! (Tim Burton)
15. LES VOLEURS (André Téchiné)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A SUMMER'S TALE (Eric Rohmer) ; WHEN WE WERE KINGS (Leon Gast) ; WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY (Cedric Klapisch) ; TIN CUP (Ron Shelton) ; THE DAY A PIG FELL INTO THE WELL (Hong Sang-Soo) ; A SINGLE GIRL (Benoit Jacquot) ; THE WHITE BALLOON (Jafar Panahi) ; TRAINSPOTTING (Danny Boyle) ; TREES LOUNGE (Steve Buscemi) ; SCHIZOPOLIS (Steven Soderbergh) ; DRIFTING CLOUDS (Aki Kaurismaki) ; LOOKING FOR RICHARD (Al Pacino) ; THE FUNERAL (Abel Ferrara)

1995

1. LAND AND FREEDOM (Ken Loach)
2. SE7EN (David Fincher)
3. SAFE (Todd Haynes)
4. BEFORE SUNRISE (Richard Linklater)
5. TOY STORY (John Lasseter)
6. SALAAM CINEMA (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
7. HEAT (Michael Mann)
8. ARIZONA DREAM [uncut] (Emir Kusturica)
9. BURNT BY THE SUN and ANNA 6-18 (Nikita Mikhalkov)
10. CRIMSON TIDE (Tony Scott)
11. LEAVING LAS VEGAS (Mike Figgis)
12. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Ang Lee)
13. APOLLO 13 (Ron Howard)
14. TWELVE MONKEYS (Terry Gilliam)
15. THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (Jean-Pierre Jeunet / Marc Caro)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BLUE IN THE FACE (Wayne Wang / Paul Auster) ; SHANGHAI TRIAD (Zhang Yimou) ;  CLOCKERS (Spike Lee) ; LIVING IN OBLIVION (Tom DiCillo) ; LA HAINE (Mathieu Kassovitz) ; CASINO (Martin Scorsese) ; LES MISERABLES (Claude Lelouch) ; ROB ROY (Michael Caton-Jones) ; THE USUAL SUSPECTS (Bryan Singer)
• What's The Big Deal?: ANTONIA'S LINE (Marleen Gorris) ; GET SHORTY (Barry Sonnenfeld) ; KIDS (Larry Clark) ; IL POSTINO (Michael Radford)
• Not Eligible (otherwise probably in the Top 5): THE KINGDOM (Lars von Trier)

1994

1. PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino)
2. COLD WATER (Olivier Assayas)
3. ED WOOD (Tim Burton)
4. NOBODY'S FOOL (Robert Benton)
5. CLERKS (Kevin Smith)
6. THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (Joel Coen)
7. THREE COLOURS: RED (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
8. 71 FRAGMENTS OF A CHRONOLOGY OF CHANCE (Michael Haneke)
9. UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER (Lucien Pintillie)
10. QUIZ SHOW (Robert Redford)
11. THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES (Abbas Kiarostami)
12. BEING HUMAN (Bill Forsyth)
13. I LIKE IT LIKE THAT (Darnell Martin)
14. 32 SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD (Francois Girard)
15. FRESH (Boaz Yakin)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BARCELONA (Whit Stillman) ; VANYA ON 42ND STREET (Louis Malle) ; CRUMB (Terry Zwigoff) ; CROOKLYN (Spike Lee) ; LAMERICA (Gianni Amelio) ; VIVE L'AMOUR (Tsai Ming-Liang) ; DISCLOSURE (Barry Levinson) ; SPEED (Jan De Bont) ; MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE (Alan Rudolph) ; NATURAL BORN KILLERS (Oliver Stone) ; IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (John Carpenter)
• Good But Over-Rated: EXOTICA (Atom Egoyan) ; HEAVENLY CREATURES (Peter Jackson)
• What's The Big Deal?: LITTLE BUDDHA (Bernardo Bertolucci) ; LITTLE WOMEN (Gillian Armstrong) ; MURIEL'S WEDDING (P.J. Hogan)

1993

1. SHORT CUTS (Robert Altman)
2. NAKED (Mike Leigh)
3. GROUNDHOG DAY (Harold Ramis)
4. SCHINDLER'S LIST (Steven Spielberg)
5. DAZED AND CONFUSED (Richard Linklater)
6. UN COEUR EN HIVER (Claude Sautet)
7. CAREFUL (Guy Maddin)
8. LEOLO (Jean-Claude Lauzon)
9. THIS BOY'S LIFE (Michael Caton-Jones)
10. THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (James Ivory)
11. FEARLESS (Peter Weir)
12. THE STOLEN CHILDREN (Gianni Amelio)
13. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Henry Selick)
14. EQUINOX (Alan Rudolph)
15. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Martin Scorsese)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE PIANO (Jane Campion) ; THREE COLOURS: BLUE (Krzysztof Kieslowski) ; MATINEE (Joe Dante) ; BODY SNATCHERS (Abel Ferrara) ; KING OF THE HILL (Steven Soderbergh) ; SHADOWLANDS (Richard Attenborough) ; AMERICAN HEART (Martin Bell) ; THE WEDDING BANQUET (Ang Lee) ; L'ENFER (Claude Chabrol) ; TRUE ROMANCE (Tony Scott) ; DEMOLITION MAN (Marco Brambilla) ; A PERFECT WORLD (Clint Eastwood) ; IN THE LINE OF FIRE (Wolfgang Petersen)

1992

1. UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
2. RESERVOIR DOGS (Quentin Tarantino)
3. LORENZO'S OIL (George Miller)
4. GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (James Foley)
5. ALADDIN (John Musker & Ron Clements)
6. SAVAGE NIGHTS (Cyril Collard)
7. THE PLAYER (Robert Altman)
8. THE HAIRDRESSER'S HUSBAND (Patrice Leconte)
9. BAD LIEUTENANT (Abel Ferrara)
10. L.627 (Bertrand Tavernier)
11. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (Errol Morris)
12. ONE FALSE MOVE (Carl Franklin)
13. HERO (Stephen Frears)
14. JACQUOT DE NANTES (Agnes Varda)
15. BAXTER (Jerome Boivin)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch) ; THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Michael Mann) ; HUSBANDS AND WIVES (Woody Allen) ; THE WATERDANCE (Neal Jimenez / Michael Steinberg) ; AND LIFE GOES ON (Abbas Kiarostami) ; BAD BEHAVIOUR (Les Blair) ; TITO AND ME (Goran Markovic) ; THE LAST BOLSHEVIK (Chris Marker) ; NOISES OFF (Peter Bogdanovich) ; HOWARDS END (James Ivory) ; CANDYMAN (Bernard Rose) ; WAYNE'S WORLD (Penelope Spheeris) ; BASIC INSTINCT (Paul Verhoeven)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE BEST INTENTIONS (Bille August) ; THE CRYING GAME (Neil Jordan) ; MALCOLM X (Spike Lee)
• Can't Decide If It's Eligible (otherwise in the Top 15): LESSONS OF DARKNESS (Werner Herzog)

1991

1. BARTON FINK (Joel Coen)
2. JFK (Oliver Stone)
3. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
4. THE RAPTURE (Michael Tolkin)
5. THELMA AND LOUISE (Ridley Scott)
6. HOMICIDE (David Mamet)
7. BLACK ROBE (Bruce Beresford)
8. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme)
9. RIFF-RAFF (Ken Loach)
10. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (James Cameron)
11. THE COMMITMENTS (Alan Parker)
12. DELICATESSEN (Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro)
13. LIFE IS SWEET (Mike Leigh)
14. GRAND CANYON (Lawrence Kasdan)
15. TOTO LE HEROS (Jaco van Dormael)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): SLACKER (Richard Linklater) ; RAISE THE RED LANTERN (Zhang Yimou) ; HANGIN' WITH THE HOMEBOYS (Joseph P. Vasquez) ; THE ADJUSTER (Atom Egoyan) ; LA BELLE NOISEUSE (Jacques Rivette) ; JUNGLE FEVER (Spike Lee) ; THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS (Paul Schrader)
• What's The Big Deal?: CAPE FEAR (Martin Scorsese) ; EUROPA EUROPA (Agnieszka Holland)

1990

1. A SHORT FILM ABOUT LOVE (Krysztof Kieslowski)
2. MILLER'S CROSSING (Joel Coen)
3. HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (John McNaughton)
4. AVALON (Barry Levinson)
5. GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese)
6. TREMORS (Ron Underwood)
7. METROPOLITAN (Whit Stillman)
8. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (Woody Allen)
9. GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (Joe Dante)
10. THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears)
11. DICK TRACY (Warren Beatty)
12. MISERY (Rob Reiner)
13. SANTA SANGRE (Alejandro Jodorowsky)
14. A WORLD WITHOUT PITY (Eric Rochant)
15. DANCES WITH WOLVES (Kevin Costner)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): DARKMAN (Sam Raimi) ; REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (Barbet Schroeder) ; FLIRTING (John Duigan) ; C'EST LA VIE (Diane Kurys) ; STATE OF GRACE (Phil Joanou) ; THE FRESHMAN (Andrew Bergman) ; MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON (Bob Rafelson)
• What's The Big Deal?: CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Jean-Paul Rappeneau)

1989

1. DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee)
2. TIME OF THE GYPSIES (Emir Kusturica)
3. THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS (Steve Kloves)
4. MYSTERY TRAIN (Jim Jarmusch)
5. KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (Hayao Miyazaki)
6. MONKEY SHINES (George Romero)
7. ROGER AND ME (Michael Moore)
8. HEATHERS (Michael Lehmann)
9. LIFE AND NOTHING BUT (Bertrand Tavernier)
10. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... (Rob Reiner)
11. QUEEN OF HEARTS (Jon Amiel)
12. THE NAVIGATOR: A MEDIEVAL ODYSSEY (Vincent Ward)
13. DEAD CALM (Phillip Noyce)
14. BREAKING IN (Bill Forsyth)
15. LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (Uli Edel)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): CRAZY LOVE (Dominique Derrudere) ; IMAGES OF THE WORLD AND THE INSCRIPTION OF WAR (Harun Farocki) ; MILOU IN MAY (Louis Malle) ; THE WAR OF THE ROSES (Danny DeVito) ; DRUGSTORE COWBOY (Gus Van Sant) ; FREEDOM IS PARADISE (Sergei Bodrov)
• What's The Big Deal?: BATMAN (Tim Burton) ; SWEETIE (Jane Campion)

1988

1. THE THIN BLUE LINE (Errol Morris)
2. THE VANISHING (George Sluizer)
3. BIRD (Clint Eastwood)
4. DEAD RINGERS (David Cronenberg)
5. DIE HARD (John McTiernan)
6. PELLE THE CONQUEROR (Bille August)
7. DANGEROUS LIAISONS (Stephen Frears)
8. LONG LIVE THE LADY! (Ermanno Olmi)
9. A CRY IN THE DARK (Fred Schepisi)
10. THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (Martin Scorsese)
11. TALK RADIO (Oliver Stone)
12. MY FRIEND IVAN LAPSHIN (Alexei Gherman)
13. BEETLEJUICE (Tim Burton)
14. THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE (John Duigan)
15. HIGH HOPES (Mike Leigh)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BULL DURHAM (Ron Shelton) ; A FISH CALLED WANDA (Charles Crichton) ; THE MODERNS (Alan Rudolph) ; MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (Hayao Miyazaki) ; SUR (Fernando Solanas) ; MISSISSIPPI BURNING (Alan Parker) ; THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (Philip Kaufman) ; ROUGE (Stanley Kwan) ; ENCOUNTER AT RAVEN'S GATE (Rolf de Heer)
• What's The Big Deal?: RED SORGHUM (Zhang Yimou) ; WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (Robert Zemeckis) ; A WORLD APART (Chris Menges)

1987

1. THE DEAD (John Huston)
2. HOUSEKEEPING (Bill Forsyth)
3. HOPE AND GLORY (John Boorman)
4. FULL METAL JACKET (Stanley Kubrick)
5. BROADCAST NEWS (James L. Brooks)
6. AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (Louis Malle)
7. RADIO DAYS (Woody Allen)
8. ROBOCOP (Paul Verhoeven)
9. HOUSE OF GAMES (David Mamet)
10. RAISING ARIZONA (Joel Coen)
11. BABETTE'S FEAST (Gabriel Axel)
12. MOONSTRUCK (Norman Jewison)
13. THE PRINCESS BRIDE (Rob Reiner)
14. THE BIG PARADE (Chen Kaige)
15. THE STEPFATHER (Joseph Ruben)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): TIN MEN (Barry Levinson) ; WINGS OF DESIRE (Wim Wenders) ; INNERSPACE (Joe Dante) ; THE HIDDEN (Jack Sholder) ; THE UNTOUCHABLES (Brian De Palma) ; BARFLY (Barbet Schroeder) ; TAMPOPO (Juzo Itami) ; ANGEL HEART (Alan Parker) ; SOMEONE TO LOVE (Henry Jaglom)
• What's The Big Deal?: EMPIRE OF THE SUN (Steven Spielberg) ; ROXANNE (Fred Schepisi)

1986

1. SALVADOR (Oliver Stone)
2. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
3. MATEWAN (John Sayles)
4. THE FLY (David Cronenberg)
5. SOMETHING WILD (Jonathan Demme)
6. THE GREEN RAY (Eric Rohmer)
7. LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY (Hayao Miyazaki)
8. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (Woody Allen)  
9. STAND BY ME (Rob Reiner)
10. THE COLOR OF MONEY (Martin Scorsese)
11. TRUE STORIES (David Byrne)
12. RIVER'S EDGE (Tim Hunter)
13. TENUE DE SOIREE / MENAGE (Bertrand Blier)
14. 4 ADVENTURES OF REINETTE AND MIRABELLE (Eric Rohmer)
15. FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (John Hughes)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): WHITE OF THE EYE (Donald Cammell) ; ALIENS (James Cameron) ; DOWN BY LAW (Jim Jarmusch)  

1985

1. AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese)
2. PRIZZI'S HONOR (John Huston)
3. COME AND SEE (Elem Klimov)
4. THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (Woody Allen)
5. BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis)
6. WETHERBY (David Hare)
7. INSIGNIFICANCE (Nicolas Roeg)
8. THE TIME TO LIVE AND THE TIME TO DIE (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
9. WITNESS (Peter Weir)
10. THE STUFF (Larry Cohen)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  STATIC (Mark Romanek) ; WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS (Emir Kusturica) ; SILVERADO (Lawrence Kasdan) ; RAN (Akira Kurosawa) ;  BETTER OFF DEAD... (Savage Steve Holland) ; JAGGED EDGE (Richard Marquand)  

1984

1. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA [uncut] (Sergio Leone)
2. CHOOSE ME (Alan Rudolph)
3. PLACES IN THE HEART (Robert Benton)
4. FULL MOON IN PARIS (Eric Rohmer)
5. BLOOD SIMPLE (Joel Coen)
6. UTU (Geoff Murphy)
7. THIS IS SPINAL TAP (Rob Reiner)
8. A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY (Bertrand Tavernier)
9. COMFORT AND JOY (Bill Forsyth)
10. GREMLINS (Joe Dante)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): UNDER THE VOLCANO (John Huston) ; CRIMES OF PASSION (Ken Russell) ; THE KILLING FIELDS (Roland Joffe) ; REPO MAN (Alex Cox)
• What's The Big Deal?: A PASSAGE TO INDIA (David Lean)

1983

1. LOCAL HERO (Bill Forsyth)
2. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker)
3. ZELIG (Woody Allen)
4. THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY (Peter Weir)
5. PAULINE AT THE BEACH (Eric Rohmer)
6. THE KING OF COMEDY (Martin Scorsese)
7. TENDER MERCIES (Bruce Beresford)
8. THE BIG CHILL (Lawrence Kasdan)
9. THE NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani)
10. RISKY BUSINESS (Paul Brickman)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS (Carl Reiner) ; TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (James L. Brooks) ; VIDEODROME (David Cronenberg) ; ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (Tsui Hark) ; THE FOURTH MAN (Paul Verhoeven) ; A CHRISTMAS STORY (Bob Clark) ; A NOS AMOURS (Maurice Pialat) ; DANIEL (Sidney Lumet) ; ANGELO MY LOVE (Robert Duvall) ; REUBEN, REUBEN (Robert Ellis Miller) 

1982

1. MAD MAX 2 / THE ROAD WARRIOR (George Miller)
2. FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Ingmar Bergman)
3. DINER (Barry Levinson)
4. MY FAVORITE YEAR (Richard Benjamin)
5. BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott)
6. TOOTSIE (Sydney Pollack)
7. MOONLIGHTING (Jerzy Skolimowski)
8. YOL: THE WAY (Yilmaz Guney)
9. E.T. (Steven Spielberg)
10. EATING RAOUL (Paul Bartel)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ASCENDING SCALE (Shyam Benegal) ; PASSION (Jean-Luc Godard) ; WHITE DOG (Sam Fuller) ; GANDHI (Richard Attenborough)

1981

1. CUTTER'S WAY (Ivan Passer)
2. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg)
3. SHOOT THE MOON (Alan Parker)
4. MODERN ROMANCE (Albert Brooks)
5. DIVA (Jean-Jacques Beineix)
6. MEANTIME (Mike Leigh)
7. BODY HEAT (Lawrence Kasdan)
8. S.O.B. (Blake Edwards)
9. THIEF (Michael Mann)
10. COUP DE TORCHON (Bertrand Tavernier)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THREE BROTHERS (Francesco Rosi) ; CIRCLE OF DECEIT (Volker Schlondorff) ; GALLIPOLI (Peter Weir) ; PRINCE OF THE CITY (Sidney Lumet) ; SUPERMAN II (Richard Lester) ; EXCALIBUR (John Boorman) ; SOUTHERN COMFORT (Walter Hill) ; MEPHISTO (Istvan Szabo) ; THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY (Jamie Uys)

1980

1. MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE (Alain Resnais)
2. THE STUNT MAN (Richard Rush)
3. DRESSED TO KILL (Brian de Palma)
4. THE RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN (John Sayles)
5. MELVIN AND HOWARD (Jonathan Demme)
6. AIRPLANE! (Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker)
7. THE ELEPHANT MAN (David Lynch)
8. THE BIG RED ONE (Sam Fuller)
9. THE CONTRACT (Krysztof Zanussi)
10. THE AVIATOR'S WIFE (Eric Rohmer)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese) ; COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (Michael Apted) ; THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner) ; THE CHANGELING (Peter Medak) ; ORDINARY PEOPLE (Robert Redford) ; THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick) 
• What's The Big Deal?: GREGORY'S GIRL (Bill Forsyth)

1979

1. APOCALYPSE NOW! (Francis Coppola)
2. THE BLACK STALLION (Carroll Ballard)
3. THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (John Mackenzie)
4. OVER THE EDGE (Jonathan Kaplan)
5. MANHATTAN (Woody Allen)
6. BEING THERE (Hal Ashby)
7. ALL THAT JAZZ (Bob Fosse)
8. MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN (Terry Jones)
9. BYE BYE BRAZIL (Carlos Diegues)
10. KRAMER VS. KRAMER (Robert Benton)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): VENGEANCE IS MINE (Shohei Imamura) ; WINTER KILLS (William Richert) ; MY BRILLIANT CAREER (Gillian Armstrong) ; THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill)
• What's The Big Deal?: MAD MAX (George Miller) ; '10' (Blake Edwards)
• Need To See It Again: ALIEN (Ridley Scott)

1978

1. DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick)
2. THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS (Ermanno Olmi)
3. LE DOSSIER 51 (Michel Deville)
4. IN A YEAR OF 13 MOONS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
5. DAWN OF THE DEAD (George Romero)
6. THE DEER HUNTER (Michael Cimino)
7. MOVIE MOVIE (Stanley Donen)
8. HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter)
9. BLUE COLLAR (Paul Schrader)
10. FINGERS (James Toback)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS (Bertrand Blier) ; AUTUMN SONATA (Ingmar Bergman) ; CALIFORNIA SUITE (Herbert Ross) ; ALEXANDRIA ... WHY? (Youssef Chahine) ; PIRANHA (Joe Dante) ; INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (Philip Kaufman) ; STRAIGHT TIME (Ulu Grosbard) ; CAPRICORN ONE (Peter Hyams)
• What's The Big Deal?: BIG WEDNESDAY (John Milius) ; THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH (Fred Schepisi) ; COMING HOME (Hal Ashby) ; HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Warren Beatty / Buck Henry) ; SUPERMAN (Richard Donner)

1977

1. 3 WOMEN (Robert Altman)
2. ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen)
3. PROVIDENCE (Alain Resnais)
4. AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY (Manmohan Desai)
5. LAST CHANTS FOR A SLOW DANCE (Jon Jost)
6. MARTIN (George A. Romero)
7. THE PRIVATE FILES OF J. EDGAR HOOVER (Larry Cohen)
8. THE DUELLISTS (Ridley Scott)
9. JULIA (Fred Zinnemann)
10. DESPERATE LIVING (John Waters)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE AMERICAN FRIEND (Wim Wenders) ; STAR WARS (George Lucas) ; KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (John Landis) ; STROSZEK (Werner Herzog) ; KILLER OF SHEEP (Charles Burnett)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE GOODBYE GIRL (Herbert Ross) ; THE TURNING POINT (Herbert Ross)

1976

1. ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES (Francesco Rosi)
2. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (Alan J. Pakula)
3. ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (John Carpenter)
4. CARRIE (Brian De Palma)
5. STAY HUNGRY (Bob Rafelson)
6. CRIA CUERVOS (Carlos Saura)
7. BOUND FOR GLORY (Hal Ashby)
8. THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND (Fred Schepisi)
9. TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese)
10. NETWORK (Sidney Lumet)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MIKEY AND NICKY (Elaine May) ; THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE (John Cassavetes) ; THE SCAR (Krzysztof Kieslowski) ; BORDELLA (Pupi Avati) ; DOWN AND DIRTY (Ettore Scola) ; THE FRONT (Martin Ritt)
• What's The Big Deal?: SEVEN BEAUTIES (Lina Wertmuller)

1975

1. JAWS (Steven Spielberg)
2. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (Terry Gilliam / Terry Jones)
3. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)
4. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (John Huston)
5. BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick)
6. DOG DAY AFTERNOON (Sidney Lumet)
7. LOVE AND DEATH (Woody Allen)
8. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (Milos Forman)
9. THE PASSENGER (Michelangelo Antonioni)
10. MIRROR (Andrei Tarkovsky)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE DAY OF THE LOCUST (John Schlesinger) ; SMILE (Michael Ritchie) ; SHIVERS (David Cronenberg)

1974

1. CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski)
2. JUGGERNAUT (Richard Lester)
3. CALIFORNIA SPLIT (Robert Altman)
4. FEAR EATS THE SOUL (RainerWerner Fassbinder)
5. THE GODFATHER, PART II (Francis Ford Coppola)
6. NADA (Claude Chabrol)
7. THE PARALLAX VIEW (Alan J. Pakula)
8. ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (Martin Scorsese)
9. XALA (Ousmane Sembene)
10. THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (Joseph Sargent)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE TRAVELLER (Abbas Kiarostami) ; A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes) ; BLACK CHRISTMAS (Bob Clark) ; CLAUDINE (John Berry) ; DARK STAR (John Carpenter) ; ZARDOZ (John Boorman)
• What's The Big Deal?: AMARCORD (Federico Fellini) ; BLAZING SADDLES (Mel Brooks)

1973

1. F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles)
2. MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese)
3. THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (Peter Yates)
4. PAPER MOON (Peter Bogdanovich)
5. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache)
6. PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID [director's cut] (Sam Peckinpah)
7. THE STING (George Roy Hill)
8. CHARLEY VARRICK (Don Siegel)
9. DAY FOR NIGHT (Francois Truffaut)
10. THE LONG GOODBYE (Robert Altman)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BADLANDS (Terrence Malick) ; THE LAST DETAIL (Hal Ashby) ; STATE OF SIEGE (Costa-Gavras) ; SAVE THE TIGER (John G. Avildsen) ; THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (Victor Erice) ; LEMORA: A CHILD'S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL (Richard Blackburn) ; THE LAST OF SHEILA (Herbert Ross) ; AMERICAN GRAFFITI (George Lucas) ; WEDDING IN BLOOD (Claude Chabrol)

1972

1. THE GODFATHER (Francis Coppola)
2. CABARET (Bob Fosse)
3. FAT CITY (John Huston)
4. DELIVERANCE (John Boorman)
5. AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD (Werner Herzog)
6. DIRTY HARRY (Don Siegel)
7. THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May)
8. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Luis Bunuel)
9. ACROSS 110th STREET (Barry Shear)
10. BAD COMPANY (Robert Benton)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): AVANTI! (Billy Wilder) ; THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) ; A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG (Peter Medak) ;  PLAY IT AGAIN SAM (Herbert Ross) ; THE GETAWAY (Sam Peckinpah) ; SLEUTH (Joseph L. Mankiewicz) ; FRENZY (Alfred Hitchcock) ; WHAT'S UP, DOC? (Peter Bogdanovich) ; THE CANDIDATE (Michael Ritchie)
• What's The Big Deal?: LAST TANGO IN PARIS (Bernardo Bertolucci); SOLARIS (Andrei Tarkovsky)

1971

1. MURMUR OF THE HEART (Louis Malle)
2. McCABE AND MRS. MILLER (Robert Altman)
3. THE CONFORMIST (Bernardo Bertolucci)
4. LOVE (Karoly Makk)
5. FATA MORGANA (Werner Herzog)
6. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (Peter Bogdanovich)
7. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick)
8. BANANAS (Woody Allen)
9. LITTLE MURDERS (Alan Arkin)
10. THE DEVILS (Ken Russell)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE HOSPITAL (Arthur Hiller) ; SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG (Melvin Van Peebles) ; DEATH IN VENICE (Luchino Visconti) ; THE GOALIE'S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (Wim Wenders) ; AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT (Ian MacNaughton) ; STRAW DOGS (Sam Peckinpah) ; MON ONCLE ANTOINE (Claude Jutra)

1970

1. KES (Ken Loach)
2. DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST (Satyajit Ray)
3. THE WILD CHILD (Francois Truffaut)
4. LA RUPTURE (Claude Chabrol)
5. CLAIRE'S KNEE (Eric Rohmer)
6. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (Billy Wilder)
7. DEEP END (Jerzy Skolimowski)
8. I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER (Gilbert Cates)
9. THE REVOLUTIONARY (Paul Williams)
10. PERFORMANCE (Donald Cammell / Nicolas Roeg)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE PASSION OF ANNA (Ingmar Bergman) ; DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE (Frank Perry) ; HI MOM! (Brian De Palma) ; HOSPITAL (Frederick Wiseman) ; LOVING (Irvin Kershner) ; LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS (Cy Howard) ; MAIDSTONE (Norman Mailer) ; M.A.S.H. (Robert Altman) ; THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (Leonard Kastle) ; THE MOLLY MAGUIRES (Martin Ritt)

1969

1. ANDREI RUBLEV (Andrei Tarkovsky)
2. MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (Eric Rohmer)
3. THE WILD BUNCH (Sam Peckinpah)
4. Z (Costa-Gavras)
5. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (John Schlesinger)
6. MEDIUM COOL (Haskell Wexler)
7. EASY RIDER (Dennis Hopper)
8. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (George Roy Hill)
9. THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? (Sydney Pollack)
10. ANTONIO DAS MORTES (Glauber Rocha)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE VIRGIN SOLDIERS (John Dexter) ; LA FEMME INFIDELE (Claude Chabrol) ; WOMEN IN LOVE (Ken Russell) ; THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (Ronald Neame)
• What's The Big Deal?: ALICE'S RESTAURANT (Arthur Penn)

1968

1. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick)
2. SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM: TAKE ONE (William Greaves)
3. MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT (Tomas Guiterrez Alea)
4. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George Romero)
5. OLIVER! (Carol Reed)
6. THE PRODUCERS (Mel Brooks)
7. TARGETS (Peter Bogdanovich)
8. THE BOFORS GUN (Jack Gold)
9. ROSEMARY'S BABY (Roman Polanski)
10. DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY (Jim McBride)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): PETULIA (Richard Lester) ; FACES (John Cassavetes) ; COUNTDOWN (Robert Altman) ; THE SCALPHUNTERS (Sydney Pollack) ; JE T'AIME JE T'AIME (Alain Resnais) ; PRETTY POISON (Noel Black) ; IF... (Lindsay Anderson) ; BYE BYE BRAVERMAN (Sidney Lumet) ; SHAME (Ingmar Bergman) ; TEOREMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini) ; THE SECRET LIFE OF AN AMERICAN WIFE (George Axelrod) 
• What's The Big Deal?: ROMEO AND JULIET (Franco Zefirelli); WITCHFINDER GENERAL (Michael Reeves)
• Need To See It Again: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Sergio Leone)

1967

1. BONNIE AND CLYDE (Arthur Penn)
2. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
3. THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols)
4. EL DORADO (Howard Hawks)
5. HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (David Swift)
6. POINT BLANK (John Boorman)
7. TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER (Jean-Luc Godard)
8. BELLE DE JOUR (Luis Bunuel)
9. WAIT UNTIL DARK (Terence Young)
10. THE TRIP (Roger Corman)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): HOW I WON THE WAR (Richard Lester) ; THE WITCHES (Luchino Visconti, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Franco Rossi & Vittorio de Sica) ; TWO FOR THE ROAD (Stanley Donen) ; THE SHOOTING (Monte Hellman) ; LE SAMOURAI (Jean-Pierre Melville)
• What's The Big Deal?: MOUCHETTE (Robert Bresson)
• Need To See It Again: PLAYTIME (Jacques Tati)

1966

1. PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman)
2. SECONDS (John Frankenheimer)
3. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (Sergio Leone)
4. THE HAWKS AND THE SPARROWS (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
5. MASCULINE FEMININE (Jean-Luc Godard)
6. CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (Orson Welles)
7. DEATH OF A BUREAUCRAT (Tomas Guiterrez Alea)
8. LOVES OF A BLONDE (Milos Forman)
9. THE FORTUNE COOKIE (Billy Wilder)
10. THE PROFESSIONALS (Richard Brooks)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LA GUERRE EST FINIE (Alain Resnais) ; A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (Fred Zinnemann) ; AU HASARD, BALTHAZAR (Robert Bresson) ; LORD LOVE A DUCK (George Axelrod) ; TORN CURTAIN (Alfred Hitchcock) ; THE GROUP (Sidney Lumet) ; ALFIE (Lewis Gilbert) ; A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY (Fielder Cook)

1965

1. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (Martin Ritt)
2. BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (Otto Preminger)
3. THE KNACK (Richard Lester)
4. THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET (Jan Kadar & Elmar Klos)
5. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Robert Wise)
6. MIRAGE (Edward Dmytryk)
7. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Gillo Pontecorvo)
8. THE GREAT RACE (Blake Edwards)
9. REPULSION (Roman Polanski)
10. THE SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT (Wojciech Has)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): KING RAT (Bryan Forbes) ; HELP! (Richard Lester) ; DARLING (John Schlesinger) ; OPERATION CROSSBOW (Michael Anderson) ; A THOUSAND CLOWNS (Fred Coe) ; FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! (Russ Meyer) ; THE IPCRESS FILE (Sidney J. Furie) ; THE WAR LORD (Franklin J. Schaffner) ; THE ROUND-UP (Miklos Jancso) 
• What's The Big Deal?: JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (Federico Fellini)

1964

1. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Jacques Demy)
2. DR. STRANGELOVE (Stanley Kubrick)
3. THAT MAN FROM RIO (Philippe de Broca)
4. THE BEST MAN (Franklin J. Schaffner)
5. FAIL-SAFE (Sidney Lumet)
6. KISS ME, STUPID (Billy Wilder)
7. SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON (Bryan Forbes)
8. THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (John Huston)
9. BLACK PETER (Milos Forman)
10. GOLDFINGER (Guy Hamilton)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE KILLERS (Don Siegel) ; BEFORE THE REVOLUTION (Bernardo Bertolucci) ; GERTRUD (Carl Dreyer) ; A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (Richard Lester) ; THE SOFT SKIN (Francois Truffaut) ; THE TRAIN (John Frankenheimer) ; LORNA (Russ Meyer) ; SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (John Frankenheimer) ; TOPKAPI (Jules Dassin) ; KWAIDAN (Masaki Kobayashi) ; ONIBABA (Kaneto Shindo) ; SHADOWS OF OUR FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS (Sergo Paradjanov) ; MARY POPPINS (Robert Stevenson)
• What's The Big Deal?: MARNIE (Alfred Hitchcock)

1963

1. 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
2. CHARADE (Stanley Donen)
3. THE SILENCE (Ingmar Bergman)
4. THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock)
5. BILLY LIAR (John Schlesinger)
6. AMERICA, AMERICA (Elia Kazan)
7. THE GREAT ESCAPE (John Sturges)
8. SHOCK CORRIDOR (Samuel Fuller)
9. THE TRIAL (Orson Welles)
10. LE JOLI MAI (Chris Marker)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): AN ACTOR'S REVENGE (Kon Ichikawa) ; BAY OF ANGELS (Jacques Demy) ; WINTER LIGHT (Ingmar Bergman) ; LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER (Robert Mulligan); SAMMY GOING SOUTH (Alexander Mackendrick); FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (Terence Young)

1962

1. THE EASY LIFE (Dino Risi)
2. ADVISE AND CONSENT (Otto Preminger)
3. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (John Frankenheimer)
4. I FIDANZATI (Ermanno Olmi)
5. HELL IS FOR HEROES (Don Siegel)
6. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Robert Mulligan)
7. THE MIRACLE WORKER (Arthur Penn)
8. THE MUSIC MAN (Morton da Costa)
9. KNIFE IN THE WATER (Roman Polanski)
10. DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (Blake Edwards)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A KIND OF LOVING (John Schlesinger) ; CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Herk Harvey) ; BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (John Frankenheimer) ; LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (David Lean) ; WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (Robert Aldrich) ; FAMILY DIARY (Valerio Zurlini) ; THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER (Tony Richardson) ; VIVRE SA VIE (Jean-Luc Godard) 
• What's The Big Deal?: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (John Ford)

1961

1. LOLA (Jacques Demy)
2. IL POSTO (Ermanno Olmi)
3. THE HUSTLER (Robert Rossen)
4. ONE, TWO, THREE (Billy Wilder)
5. VIRIDIANA (Luis Bunuel)
6. THE INNOCENTS (Jack Clayton)
7. LA DOLCE VITA (Federico Fellini)
8. SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (Elia Kazan)
9. WEST SIDE STORY (Robert Wise / Jerome Robbins)
10. ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (Luchino Visconti)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (Alain Resnais) ; THE MISFITS (John Huston)  
• What's The Big Deal?: BLACK SUNDAY (Mario Bava) ; JULES AND JIM (Francois Truffaut)

1960

1. THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder)
2. L'AVVENTURA (Michelangelo Antonioni)
3. LES BONNES FEMMES (Claude Chabrol)
4. PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock)
5. SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (Francois Truffaut)
6. THE SAVAGE INNOCENTS (Nicholas Ray)
7. SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING (Karel Reisz)
8. THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Roger Corman)
9. I'M ALL RIGHT JACK (John Boulting)
10. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (John Sturges)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE TIME MACHINE (George Pal) ; ZAZIE DANS LE METRO (Louis Malle) ; SPARTACUS (Stanley Kubrick) ; THE LADY WITH THE LITTLE DOG (Josef Heifits) ; THE SUNDOWNERS (Fred Zinnemann)

1959

1. ANATOMY OF A MURDER (Otto Preminger)
2. SOME LIKE IT HOT (Billy Wilder)
3. EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Georges Franju)
4. BREATHLESS (Jean-Luc Godard)
5. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais)
6. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock)
7. SHADOWS (John Cassavetes)
8. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
9. THE 400 BLOWS (Francois Truffaut)
10. LA CAIDA (Leopoldo Torre Nilsson)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A HOLE IN THE HEAD (Frank Capra)

1958

1. THE WORLD OF APU (Satyajit Ray)
2. ASHES AND DIAMONDS (Andrezj Wajda)
3. TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles)
4. THE TARNISHED ANGELS (Douglas Sirk)
5. GIGI (Vincente Minnelli)
6. MAN OF THE WEST (Anthony Mann)
7. THE VIKINGS (Richard Fleischer)
8. THE LAST HURRAH (John Ford)
9. A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (Roy Baker)
10. VERBOTEN! (Sam Fuller)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MON ONCLE (Jacques Tati) ; WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES (Nicholas Ray)

1957

1. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Alexander Mackendrick)
2. 12 ANGRY MEN (Sidney Lumet)
3. THE PAJAMA GAME (George Abbott / Stanley Donen)
4. A MATTER OF DIGNITY (Michael Cacoyannis)
5. THE SEVENTH SEAL (Ingmar Bergman)
6. THE TALL T (Budd Boetticher)
7. PATHS OF GLORY (Stanley Kubrick)
8. WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (Frank Tashlin)
9. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (Jack Arnold)
10. DECISION AT SUNDOWN (Budd Boetticher)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BARNACLE BILL / ALL AT SEA (Charles Frend) ; A FACE IN THE CROWD (Elia Kazan) ; WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (Billy Wilder) ; THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (David Lean) ; IL GRIDO (Michelangelo Antonioni) ; 3.10 TO YUMA (Delmer Daves) ; WILD STRAWBERRIES (Ingmar Bergman) ; THE HOUSE OF THE ANGEL (Leopoldo Torre Nilsson)
• What's The Big Deal?: EDGE OF THE CITY (Martin Ritt) ; FUNNY FACE (Stanley Donen) ; NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (Federico Fellini)

1956

1. A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
2. THE SEARCHERS (John Ford)
3. ATTACK! (Robert Aldrich)
4. THE WRONG MAN (Alfred Hitchcock)
5. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (Don Siegel)
6. THE KILLING (Stanley Kubrick)
7. SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (Budd Boetticher)
8. FRIENDLY PERSUASION (William Wyler)
9. APARAJITO (Satyajit Ray)
10. MOBY DICK (John Huston)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): WRITTEN ON THE WIND (Douglas Sirk) ; PATTERNS (Fielder Cook) ; THE BURMESE HARP (Kon Ichikawa) 

1955

1. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
2. KISS ME DEADLY (Robert Aldrich)
3. ORDET (Carl Dreyer)
4. BOB LE FLAMBEUR (Jean-Pierre Melville)
5. LE AMICHE (Michelangelo Antonioni)
6. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (Nicholas Ray)
7. SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT (Ingmar Bergman)
8. LES GRANDES MANOEUVRES (René Clair)
9. MISTER ROBERTS (John Ford / Mervyn Le Roy)
10. IL BIDONE (Federico Fellini)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): EAST OF EDEN (Elia Kazan) ; THE LADYKILLERS (Alexander Mackendrick) ; RIFIFI (Jules Dassin) ; THE NIGHT MY NUMBER CAME UP (Leslie Norman) ; FRENCH CANCAN (Jean Renoir) ; THE PHENIX CITY STORY (Phil Karlson) ; MOONFLEET (Fritz Lang) ; THE BIG COMBO (Joseph H. Lewis) ; SUMMERTIME (David Lean) ; THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (Otto Preminger)

1954

1. REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)
2. SENSO (Luchino Visconti)
3. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Kenji Mizoguchi)
4. BEAT THE DEVIL (John Huston)
5. SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (Stanley Donen)
6. CAMILLA (Luciano Emmer)
7. DIAL M FOR MURDER (Alfred Hitchcock)
8. THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
9. LES DIABOLIQUES (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
10. JOHNNY GUITAR (Nicholas Ray)

• Honourable mention (ranked): VERA CRUZ (Robert Aldrich) ; THE 'MAGGIE' / HIGH AND DRY (Alexander Mackendrick) ; SOUND OF THE MOUNTAIN (Mikio Naruse) ; VOYAGE TO ITALY (Roberto Rossellini) ; RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 (Don Siegel) ; LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS (Mikio Naruse) ; THE CAINE MUTINY (Edward Dmytryk)

1953

1. UMBERTO D. (Vittorio de Sica)
2. THE WAGES OF FEAR (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
3. THE BAND WAGON (Vincente Minnelli)
4. UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi)
5. THE NAKED SPUR (Anthony Mann)
6. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (Howard Hawks)
7. THE BIG HEAT (Fritz Lang)
8. STALAG 17 (Billy Wilder)
9. KISS ME KATE (George Sidney)
10. GENEVIEVE (Henry Cornelius)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A JAPANESE TRAGEDY (Keisuke Kinoshita) ; JULIUS CAESAR (Joseph L. Mankiewicz) ; MADAME DE... (Max Ophuls) ; SUMMER WITH MONIKA (Ingmar Bergman) ; TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu) ; PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (Samuel Fuller) ; JEOPARDY (John Sturges) ; HONDO (John Farrow)
• What's The Big Deal?: NIAGARA (Henry Hathaway) ; SHANE (George Stevens)

1952

1. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (Gene Kelly / Stanley Donen)
2. THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (Charles Crichton)
3. FIVE FINGERS (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
4. THE CRIMSON PIRATE (Robert Siodmak)
5. HIGH NOON (Fred Zinnemann)
6. IKIRU (Akira Kurosawa)
7. THE NARROW MARGIN (Richard Fleischer)
8. THE GOLDEN COACH (Jean Renoir)
9. AN OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS (Carol Reed)
10. MOULIN ROUGE (John Huston)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE MARRYING KIND (George Cukor) ; THE SOUND BARRIER (David Lean) ; THE LUSTY MEN (Nicholas Ray) ; VIVA ZAPATA! (Elia Kazan) ; HUNTED (Charles Crichton) ; RANCHO NOTORIOUS (Fritz Lang)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE QUIET MAN (John Ford)

1951

1. ACE IN THE HOLE (Billy Wilder)
2. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Elia Kazan)
3. OTHELLO (Orson Welles)
4. RASHOMON (Akira Kurosawa)
5. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Alfred Hitchcock)
6. THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE (John Huston)
7. HIS KIND OF WOMAN (John Farrow)
8. ON DANGEROUS GROUND (Nicholas Ray)
9. A PLACE IN THE SUN (George Stevens)
10. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (Christian Nyby)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT (Alexander Mackendrick) ; THE TALL TARGET (Anthony Mann) ; THE BROWNING VERSION (Anthony Asquith) ; THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Robert Wise) ; MIRACLE IN MILAN (Vittorio De Sica) ; FIXED BAYONETS (Sam Fuller) ; CARMEN COMES HOME (Keisuke Kinoshita)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE AFRICAN QUEEN (John Huston)

1950

1. SUNSET BOULEVARD (Billy Wilder)
2. IN A LONELY PLACE (Nicholas Ray)
3. ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
4. THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (John Huston)
5. THE GUNFIGHTER (Henry King)
6. STARS IN MY CROWN (Jacques Tourneur)
7. WINCHESTER '73 (Anthony Mann)
8. THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE (Frank Launder)
9. WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (Otto Preminger)
10. WAGONMASTER (John Ford)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR (Michelangelo Antonioni) ; D.O.A. (Rudolph Maté) ; NIGHT AND THE CITY (Jules Dassin) ; LOS OLVIDADOS (Luis Bunuel) ; THE MAGNET (Charles Frend) ; FATHER OF THE BRIDE (Vincente Minnelli) ;  THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON (Robert Siodmak) ; THE MEN (Fred Zinnemann)
• What's The Big Deal?: HARVEY (Henry Koster)

1949

1. THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed)
2. THE SET-UP (Robert Wise)
3. THE WINDOW (Ted Tetzlaff)
4. INTRUDER IN THE DUST (Clarence Brown)
5. WHITE HEAT (Raoul Walsh)
6. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
7. ACT OF VIOLENCE (Fred Zinnemann)
8. JOUR DE FETE (Jacques Tati)
9. KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (Robert Hamer)
10. I SHOT JESSE JAMES (Samuel Fuller)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ON THE TOWN (Gene Kelly / Stanley Donen) ; PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (Henry Cornelius) ; SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (John Ford) ; ORPHEE (Jean Cocteau) ; ALL THE KING'S MEN (Robert Rossen)
• What's The Big Deal?: I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE (Howard Hawks)

1948

1. BICYCLE THIEVES (Vittorio de Sica)
2. TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (John Huston)
3. THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (Orson Welles)
4. UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (Preston Sturges)
5. THE RED SHOES (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
6. THE SEARCH (Fred Zinnemann)
7. A FOREIGN AFFAIR (Billy Wilder)
8. THE NAKED CITY (Jules Dassin)
9. THE FALLEN IDOL (Carol Reed)
10. RED RIVER (Howard Hawks)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): STATE OF THE UNION (Frank Capra) ; FORCE OF EVIL (Abraham Polonsky) ; WOMEN OF THE NIGHT (Kenji Mizoguchi) ; YELLOW SKY (William Wellman) ; KEY LARGO (John Huston) ; HAMLET (Laurence Olivier) ; SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (Fritz Lang) ; LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (Max Ophuls) ; MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (H.C. Potter)

1947

1. ODD MAN OUT (Carol Reed)
2. BLACK NARCISSUS (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
3. OUT OF THE PAST (Jacques Tourneur)
4. DAISY KENYON (Otto Preminger)
5. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
6. MONSIEUR VERDOUX (Charles Chaplin)
7. MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (George Seaton)
8. GERMANY YEAR ZERO (Roberto Rossellini)
9. NIGHTMARE ALLEY (Edmund Goulding)
10. QUAI DES ORFEVRES (Henri-Georges Clouzot)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BRIGHTON ROCK (John Boulting) ; CROSSFIRE (Edward Dmytryk) ; KISS OF DEATH (Henry Hathaway)

1946

1. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra)
2. MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (John Ford)
3. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
4. THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)
5. GREAT EXPECTATIONS (David Lean)
6. PAISA (Roberto Rossellini)
7. NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
8. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (Tay Garnett)
9. GREEN FOR DANGER (Sidney Gilliat)
10. FROM THIS DAY FORWARD (John Berry)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (William Wyler) ; LA BATAILLE DU RAIL (René Clément); THE KILLERS (Robert Siodmak) ; GILDA (Charles Vidor) ; DECEPTION (Irving Rapper)
• What's The Big Deal?: LA BELLE ET LA BETE (Jean Cocteau)

1945

1. A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (Elia Kazan)
2. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
3. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (René Clair)
4. A WALK IN THE SUN (Lewis Milestone)
5. OBJECTIVE BURMA! (Raoul Walsh)
6. OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (Roy Rowland)
7. THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (John Ford)
8. WONDER MAN (Bruce Humberstone)
9. PERFECT STRANGERS / VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (Alexander Korda)
10. THE CLOCK (Vincente Minnelli)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS (Marcel Carné) ; DEAD OF NIGHT (Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer & Charles Crichton) ; IT'S IN THE BAG (Richard Wallace) ; OPEN CITY (Roberto Rossellini) ; I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) ; LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE (Robert Bresson) ; THE SEVENTH VEIL (Compton Bennett)

1944

1. THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (Preston Sturges)
2. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Billy Wilder)
3. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
4. HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (Preston Sturges)
5. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Howard Hawks)
6. THE UNINVITED (Lewis Allen)
7. HENRY V (Laurence Olivier)
8. LAURA (Otto Preminger)
9. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (Frank Capra)
10. THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (Robert Wise & Gunter von Fritsch)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE WAY AHEAD (Carol Reed) ; THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (Jean Negulesco) ; THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE (David Butler) ; WHEN STRANGERS MARRY (William Castle) ; LIFEBOAT (Alfred Hitchcock) ; THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (Fritz Lang) ; PHANTOM LADY (Robert Siodmak) ; MURDER, MY SWEET (Edward Dmytryk)

1943

1. CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz)
2. SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Alfred Hitchcock)
3. THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (William A. Wellman)
4. LE CORBEAU (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
5. THE HUMAN COMEDY (Clarence Brown)
6. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
7. FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO (Billy Wilder)
8. ON APPROVAL (Clive Brook)
9. MY LEARNED FRIEND (Will Hay / Basil Dearden)
10. MUNCHHAUSEN (Josef von Baky)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (Jacques Tourneur) ; DAY OF WRATH (Carl Dreyer) ; THE CROSS OF LORRAINE (Tay Garnett) ; THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS (David Butler) ; THE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US (Vittorio De Sica) ; JUDO SAGA (Akira Kurosawa) ; HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Ernst Lubitsch)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE MORE THE MERRIER (George Stevens)

1942

1. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
2. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (Preston Sturges)
3. KINGS ROW (Sam Wood)
4. GENTLEMAN JIM (Raoul Walsh)
5. HELLZAPOPPIN' (H.C. Potter)
6. THIS GUN FOR HIRE (Frank Tuttle)
7. WENT THE DAY WELL? (Cavalcanti)
8. THE PALM BEACH STORY (Preston Sturges)
9. ROXIE HART (William Wellman)
10. JOURNEY INTO FEAR (Norman Foster)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE BLACK SWAN (Henry King) ; ROAD TO MOROCCO (David Butler) ; SYMPHONIE EINES LEBENS (Hans Bertram) ; WOMAN OF THE YEAR (George Stevens)

1941

1. THE MALTESE FALCON (John Huston)
2. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)
3. THE LITTLE FOXES (William Wyler)
4. HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (John Ford)
5. NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK (Edward Cline)
6. THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE (Raoul Walsh)
7. I WAKE UP SCREAMING (Bruce Humberstone)
8. THE LADY EVE (Preston Sturges)
9. BALL OF FIRE (Howard Hawks)
10. THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (William Keighley)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): SUSPICION (Alfred Hitchcock) ; HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (Alexander Hall) ; H.M. PULHAM, ESQ. (King Vidor) ; MAN HUNT (Fritz Lang) ; THE GREAT AMERICAN BROADCAST (Archie Mayo)
• What's The Big Deal?: SERGEANT YORK (Howard Hawks)

1940

1. THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (Ernst Lubitsch)
2. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (John Ford)
3. THE BANK DICK (Edward Cline)
4. CHRISTMAS IN JULY (Preston Sturges)
5. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
6. FANTASIA (Ben Sharpsteen)
7. PINOCCHIO (Ben Sharpsteen / Hamilton Luske)
8. THE LETTER (William Wyler)
9. THE LONG VOYAGE HOME (John Ford)
10. THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (Raoul Walsh)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE SEA HAWK (Michael Curtiz) ; NORTHWEST PASSAGE (King Vidor) ; FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (Alfred Hitchcock) ; GASLIGHT (Thorold Dickinson) ; MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (Edward Cline) ; ARISE, MY LOVE (Mitchell Leisen) ; THE MARK OF ZORRO (Rouben Mamoulian) ; THE GREAT DICTATOR (Charles Chaplin) ; THE GHOST BREAKERS (George Marshall)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Ludwig Berger / Tim Whelan / Michael Powell)

1939

1. LA REGLE DU JEU (Jean Renoir)
2. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (George Marshall)
3. LE JOUR SE LEVE (Marcel Carné)
4. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Frank Capra)
5. ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Howard Hawks)
6. NINOTCHKA (Ernst Lubitsch)
7. OF MICE AND MEN (Lewis Milestone)
8. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (William Dieterle)
9. STAGECOACH (John Ford)
10. MY APPRENTICESHIP (Mark Donskoi)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE WIZARD OF OZ (Victor Fleming) ; THE ROARING TWENTIES (Raoul Walsh) ; MIDNIGHT (Mitchell Leisen) ; THREE SMART GIRLS GROW UP and FIRST LOVE (Henry Koster) ; LOVE AFFAIR (Leo McCarey)
• What's The Big Deal?: WUTHERING HEIGHTS (William Wyler)

1938

1. BRINGING-UP BABY (Howard Hawks)
2. THE LADY VANISHES (Alfred Hitchcock)
3. THE CHILDHOOD OF MAXIM GORKI (Mark Donskoi)
4. LA BETE HUMAINE (Jean Renoir)
5. A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER (Lloyd Bacon)
6. ALEXANDER NEVSKY (Sergei Eisenstein)
7. ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (Michael Curtiz)
8. JEZEBEL (William Wyler)
9. ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND (Henry King)
10. THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Michael Curtiz / William Keighley)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LES DISPARUS DE ST. AGIL (Christian-Jaque) ; BOY MEETS GIRL (Lloyd Bacon)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE CITADEL (King Vidor) ; THE DAWN PATROL (Edmund Goulding)

1937

1. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (David Hand)
2. THE HURRICANE (John Ford)
3. ANGEL (Ernst Lubitsch)
4. THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES (Lothar Mendes)
5. LA GRANDE ILLUSION (Jean Renoir)
6. CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (Victor Fleming)
7. THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (John Cromwell)
8. STAGE DOOR (Gregory La Cava)
9. 100 MEN AND A GIRL (Henry Koster)
10. YOUNG AND INNOCENT (Alfred Hitchcock)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  LOST HORIZON (Frank Capra) ; A DAY AT THE RACES (Sam Wood) ; WAY OUT WEST (James Horne) ; NOTHING SACRED (William Wellman)

1936

1. MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin)
2. FURY (Fritz Lang)
3. SWING TIME (George Stevens)
4. MY MAN GODFREY (Gregory LaCava)
5. THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE (Jean Renoir)
6. OUR RELATIONS (Harry Lachman)
7. MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (Frank Capra)
8. THE DEVIL-DOLL (Tod Browning)
9. THREE SMART GIRLS (Henry Koster)
10. LLOYD'S OF LONDON (Henry King)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  FOLLOW THE FLEET (Mark Sandrich) ; ROBIN HOOD OF EL DORADO (William A. Wellman) ; THE GREEN PASTURES (William Keighley / Marc Connelly) ; THINGS TO COME (William Cameron Menzies)
• What's The Big Deal?: SAN FRANCISCO (W.S. Van Dyke)
• Not Eligible (otherwise would be #2): A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (Jean Renoir)

1935

1. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (Sam Wood)
2. THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
3. TOP HAT (Mark Sandrich)
4. DAVID COPPERFIELD (George Cukor)
5. CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS (Jacques Feyder)
6. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (Frank Lloyd)
7. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale)
8. CHINA SEAS (Tay Garnett)
9. KID MILLIONS (Roy Del Ruth)
10. HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE (Mitchell Leisen)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  ALICE ADAMS (George Stevens) ; AN INN IN TOKYO (Yasujiro Ozu) ;  RUGGLES OF RED GAP (Leo McCarey) ; LES MISERABLES (Richard Boleslawski) ; THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN (Josef von Sternberg) ; PETER IBBETSON (Henry Hathaway)

1934

1. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (Frank Capra)
2. IT'S A GIFT (Norman Z. McLeod)
3. THE GAY DIVORCEE (Mark Sandrich)
4. WONDER BAR (Lloyd Bacon)
5. THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Josef Von Sternberg)
6. YOU'RE TELLING ME! (Erle C. Kenton)
7. THE BLACK CAT (Edgar G. Ulmer) 
8. TWENTIETH CENTURY (Howard Hawks)
9. MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (W.S. Van Dyke)
10. THE LAST MILLIONAIRE (René Clair)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS (Yasujiro Ozu)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock)

1933

1. DUCK SOUP (Leo McCarey)
2. HARD TO HANDLE (Mervyn Le Roy)
3. THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN (Frank Capra)
4. FOOTLIGHT PARADE (Lloyd Bacon)
5. HALLELUJAH I'M A BUM (Lewis Milestone)
6. COUNSELLOR AT LAW (William Wyler)
7. BOMBSHELL (Victor Fleming)
8. DINNER AT EIGHT (George Cukor)
9. KING KONG (Merian C. Cooper / Ernest B. Schoedsack)
10. THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (Michael Curtiz)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (Fritz Lang) ; NIGHTLY DREAMS (Mikio Naruse) ; THE INVISIBLE MAN (James Whale) ; LADY FOR A DAY (Frank Capra) ; ZOO IN BUDAPEST (Rowland V. Lee) ; GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE (Gregory La Cava) 
• What's The Big Deal?: THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (Alexander Korda)

1932

1. I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (Mervyn Le Roy)
2. RED DUST (Victor Fleming)
3. FREAKS (Tod Browning)
4. I WAS BORN, BUT... (Yasujiro Ozu)
5. SHANGHAI EXPRESS (Josef von Sternberg)
6. VAMPYR (Carl Dreyer)
7. BLESSED EVENT (Roy Del Ruth)
8. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (Cecil B. DeMille)
9. TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch)
10. ONE HOUR WITH YOU (Ernst Lubitsch & George Cukor) 

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MILLION DOLLAR LEGS (Edward Cline) ; LOVE ME TONIGHT (Rouben Mamoulian) ; HORSE FEATHERS (Norman Z. McLeod) ; IF I HAD A MILLION (Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Taurog, Stephen Roberts, Norman Z. McLeod, James Cruze, William Seiter & Bruce Humberstone) ; THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (Ernest B. Schoedsack & Irving Pichel) ; THE OLD DARK HOUSE (James Whale) ; THREE ON A MATCH (Mervyn Le Roy) ; SYMPHONY OF SIX MILLION (Gregory La Cava)
• What's The Big Deal?: BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (Jean Renoir)

1931

1. M (Fritz Lang)
2. THE PUBLIC ENEMY (William Wellman)
3. BLONDE CRAZY (Roy Del Ruth)
4. MONKEY BUSINESS (Norman Z. McLeod)
5. CITY LIGHTS (Charles Chaplin)
6. LE MILLION (René Clair)
7. THE THREEPENNY OPERA (G.W. Pabst)
8. THE FRONT PAGE (Lewis Milestone)
9. A NOUS LA LIBERTE (René Clair)
10. PLATINUM BLONDE (Frank Capra)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): NIGHT NURSE (William A. Wellman) ; MADCHEN IN UNIFORM (Leontine Sagan) ; DAYBREAK (Jacques Feyder)

1930

1. EARTH (Alexander Dovzhenko)
2. ANIMAL CRACKERS (Victor Heerman)
3. MONTE CARLO (Ernst Lubitsch)
4. LAUGHTER (Harry d'Abbabie d'Arrast)
5. LITTLE CAESAR (Mervyn LeRoy)
6. L'AGE D'OR (Luis Bunuel)
7. THE BLUE ANGEL (Josef von Sternberg)

1929

1. L'ARGENT (Marcel L'Herbier)
2. THE IRON MASK (Allan Dwan)
3. THE MAN WITH THE MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov)
4. THE GODLESS GIRL (Cecil B. DeMille)

1928

1. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Dreyer)
2. THE CROWD (King Vidor)
3. THE MYSTERIOUS LADY (Fred Niblo)
4. SHOW PEOPLE (King Vidor)
5. THE WIND (Victor Sjostrom)
6. THE CIRCUS (Charles Chaplin)
7. STORM OVER ASIA (Vsevolod Pudovkin)

1927

1. SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau)
2. METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang)
3. BERLIN, SYMPHONY OF A GREAT CITY (Walter Ruttman)
4. THE KID BROTHER (Ted Wilde)
5. OCTOBER (Sergei Eisenstein)
6. COLLEGE (James Horne)
7. THE GENERAL (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman)

1926

1. MOTHER (Vsevolod Pudovkin)
2. THE BLACKBIRD (Tod Browning)
3. MANTRAP (Victor Fleming)
4. THE STRONG MAN (Frank Capra)

1925

1. THE GOLD RUSH (Charles Chaplin)
2. VARIETE (E.A. Dupont)
3. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
4. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein)
5. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Rupert Julian)
6. TUMBLEWEEDS (William S. Hart & King Baggot)

1924

1. SHERLOCK JUNIOR (Buster Keaton)
2. THE NAVIGATOR (Buster Keaton & Donald Crisp)
3. GIRL SHY (Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor)
4. HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (Victor Sjostrom)

up to 1923

1. SAFETY LAST (Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 1923)
2. THE OUTLAW AND HIS WIFE (Victor Sjostrom, 1918)
3. INTOLERANCE (D.W. Griffith, 1916)
4. NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau, 1922)
5. THE STREET (Karl Grune, 1923)
6. WHY WORRY? (Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 1923)
7. THE PILGRIM (Charles Chaplin, 1922)
8. OUR HOSPITALITY (Buster Keaton & John G. Blystone, 1923)
9. DOCTOR JACK (Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 1922)