...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 6500 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...


2008

  1. SUMMER HOURS (Olivier Assayas)
  2. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton)
  3. IL DIVO (Paolo Sorrentino)
  4. CHANGELING (Clint Eastwood)
  5. FROWNLAND (Ronald Bronstein)
  6. SITA SINGS THE BLUES (Nina Paley)
  7. PAPER SOLDIER (Alexei German Jr.)
  8. TWO LOVERS (James Gray)
  9. A WEEK ALONE (Celina Murga)
  10. THE BEACHES OF AGNES (Agnes Varda)
  11. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (Woody Allen)
  12. JULIA (Erick Zonca)
  13. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (Errol Morris)
  14. A CHRISTMAS TALE (Arnaud Desplechin)
  15. THE CLASS (Laurent Cantet)

2007

  1. IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA (Jose Luis Guerin)
  2. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik)
  3. MY WINNIPEG (Guy Maddin)
  4. MARGOT AT THE WEDDING (Noah Baumbach)
  5. THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (Abdellatif Kechiche)
  6. PARANOID PARK (Gus Van Sant)
  7. IMPORT EXPORT (Ulrich Seidl)
  8. GRINDHOUSE (Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino et al.)
  9. ALL IS FORGIVEN (Mia Hansen-Love)
  10. I'M NOT THERE (Todd Haynes)
  11. FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  12. GONE BABY GONE (Ben Affleck)
  13. RATATOUILLE (Brad Bird)
  14. GOLDEN DOOR (Emanuele Crialese)
  15. HOSTEL, PART II (Eli Roth)

2006

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

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. GABRIELLE (Patrice Chéreau)
  13. CORPSE BRIDE (Mike Johnson & Tim Burton)
  14. THE TIME WE KILLED (Jennifer Todd Reeves)
  15. ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (Miranda July)

 2004

  1. TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
  2. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)
  3. HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Hayao Miyazaki)
  4. BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater)
  5. THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird)
  6. CLOSER (Mike Nichols)
  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)

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)

2002

  1. IRREVERSIBLE (Gaspar Noé)
  2. SPIRITED AWAY (Hayao Miyazaki)
  3. THE SON (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
  4. THE RELIGION HOUR (MY MOTHER'S SMILE) (Marco Bellocchio)
  5. DEMONLOVER (Olivier Assayas)
  6. 25th HOUR (Spike Lee)
  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)

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. BATTLE ROYALE (Kinji Fukasaku)
  13. ROBERTO SUCCO (Cédric Kahn)
  14. GHOST WORLD (Terry Zwigoff)
  15. I'M GOING HOME (Manoel de Oliveira)

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)

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. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (Daniel Myrick / Eduardo Sanchez)
  9. SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT (Trey Parker)
  10. LEILA (Dariush Mehrjui)
  11. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (Spike Jonze)
  12. I STAND ALONE (Gaspar Noé)
  13. LA MALADIE DE SACHS (Michel Deville)
  14. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (Anthony Minghella)
  15. SKIN OF MAN, HEART OF BEAST (Helene Angel)

1998

  1. LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (Olivier Assayas)
  2. AUTUMN TALE (Eric Rohmer)
  3. THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
  4. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (Steven Spielberg)
  5. SHOW ME LOVE (Lukas Moodysson)
  6. HAPPINESS (Todd Solondz)
  7. THE CELEBRATION (Thomas Vinterberg)
  8. THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE (Hong Sang-Soo)
  9. A BUG'S LIFE (John Lasseter)
  10. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Joel Coen)
  11. LA CLASSE DE NEIGE (Claude Miller)
  12. THE DREAMLIFE OF ANGELS (Erick Zonca)
  13. MY NAME IS JOE (Ken Loach)
  14. THE NEWTON BOYS (Richard Linklater)
  15. A SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER NEVER CRIES (James Ivory)

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. HENRY FOOL (Hal Hartley)
  9. NIL BY MOUTH (Gary Oldman)
  10. THE APOSTLE (Robert Duvall)
  11. TASTE OF CHERRY (Abbas Kiarostami)
  12. THE ICE STORM (Ang Lee)
  13. CAPITAINE CONAN (Bertrand Tavernier)
  14. WILL IT SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS? (Sandrine Veysset)
  15. IN THE COMPANY OF MEN (Neil LaBute)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

1991

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

1990

  1. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
  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. BULLET IN THE HEAD (John Woo)
  11. THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears)
  12. DICK TRACY (Warren Beatty)
  13. MISERY (Rob Reiner)
  14. SANTA SANGRE (Alejandro Jodorowsky)
  15. A WORLD WITHOUT PITY (Eric Rochant)

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)

1988

  1. THE THIN BLUE LINE (Errol Morris)
  2. A SHORT FILM ABOUT LOVE (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
  3. BIRD (Clint Eastwood)
  4. HIGH HOPES (Mike Leigh)
  5. DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (Terence Davies)
  6. DEAD RINGERS (David Cronenberg)
  7. THE VANISHING (George Sluizer)
  8. DIE HARD (John McTiernan)
  9. DANGEROUS LIAISONS (Stephen Frears)
  10. LONG LIVE THE LADY! (Ermanno Olmi)
  11. A CRY IN THE DARK (Fred Schepisi)
  12. THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (Martin Scorsese)
  13. GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (Isao Takahata)
  14. TALK RADIO (Oliver Stone)
  15. BEETLEJUICE (Tim Burton)

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. PELLE THE CONQUEROR (Bille August)
  12. BABETTE'S FEAST (Gabriel Axel)
  13. MOONSTRUCK (Norman Jewison)
  14. THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE (John Duigan)
  15. THE BIG PARADE (Chen Kaige)

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. LANDSCAPE SUICIDE (James Benning)
  10. THE COLOR OF MONEY (Martin Scorsese)
  11. STAND BY ME (Rob Reiner)
  12. TRUE STORIES (David Byrne)
  13. RIVER'S EDGE (Tim Hunter)
  14. TENUE DE SOIREE / MENAGE (Bertrand Blier)
  15. 4 ADVENTURES OF REINETTE AND MIRABELLE (Eric Rohmer)

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)

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)

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)

1982

  1. MAD MAX 2 / THE ROAD WARRIOR (George Miller)
  2. FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Ingmar Bergman)
  3. MY FAVORITE YEAR (Richard Benjamin)
  4. DINER (Barry Levinson)
  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)

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. LOLA (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
  8. BODY HEAT (Lawrence Kasdan)
  9. S.O.B. (Blake Edwards)
  10. THIEF (Michael Mann)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

1974

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

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 (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)

1972

  1. CABARET (Bob Fosse)
  2. FAT CITY (John Huston)
  3. THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola)
  4. THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May)
  5. DELIVERANCE (John Boorman)
  6. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Luis Bunuel)
  7. ACROSS 110th STREET (Barry Shear)
  8. ULZANA'S RAID (Robert Aldrich)
  9. JACK'S WIFE (George A. Romero)
  10. BAD COMPANY (Robert Benton)

1971

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

1970

  1. DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST (Satyajit Ray)
  2. THE WILD CHILD (Francois Truffaut)
  3. LA RUPTURE (Claude Chabrol)
  4. CLAIRE'S KNEE (Eric Rohmer)
  5. DEEP END (Jerzy Skolimowski)
  6. WANDA (Barbara Loden)
  7. I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER (Gilbert Cates)
  8. PERFORMANCE (Donald Cammell / Nicolas Roeg)
  9. EVEN DWARFS STARTED SMALL (Werner Herzog)
  10. THE REVOLUTIONARY (Paul Williams)

1969

  1. KES (Ken Loach)
  2. ANDREI RUBLEV (Andrei Tarkovsky)
  3. MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (Eric Rohmer)
  4. THE WILD BUNCH (Sam Peckinpah)
  5. Z (Costa-Gavras)
  6. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (John Schlesinger)
  7. MEDIUM COOL (Haskell Wexler)
  8. DILLINGER IS DEAD (Marco Ferreri)
  9. EASY RIDER (Dennis Hopper)
  10. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (George Roy Hill)

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. RACHEL, RACHEL (Paul Newman)
  7. THE PRODUCERS (Mel Brooks)
  8. TARGETS (Peter Bogdanovich)
  9. THE BOFORS GUN (Jack Gold)
  10. ROSEMARY'S BABY (Roman Polanski)

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. BEACH RED (Cornel Wilde)

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 Gutierrez Alea)
  8. LOVES OF A BLONDE (Milos Forman)
  9. THE FORTUNE COOKIE (Billy Wilder)
  10. THE PROFESSIONALS (Richard Brooks)

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)

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 KILLERS (Don Siegel)
  9. THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (John Huston)
  10. BLACK PETER (Milos Forman)

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)

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)

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. A WOMAN IS A WOMAN (Jean-Luc Godard)
  10. WEST SIDE STORY (Robert Wise / Jerome Robbins)

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. ZAZIE DANS LE METRO (Louis Malle)
  9. THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Roger Corman)
  10. I'M ALL RIGHT JACK (John Boulting)

1959

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

1958

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

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)

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. THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW (Douglas Sirk)
  9. FRIENDLY PERSUASION (William Wyler)
  10. APARAJITO (Satyajit Ray)

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. THE BIG COMBO (Joseph H. Lewis)
  9. LES GRANDES MANOEUVRES (René Clair)
  10. MISTER ROBERTS (John Ford & Mervyn Le Roy)

1954

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

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)

1952

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

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)

1950

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

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. CRISS CROSS (Robert Siodmak)
  9. STRAY DOG (Akira Kurosawa)
  10. KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (Robert Hamer)

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. A FOREIGN AFFAIR (Billy Wilder)
  6. THE RED SHOES (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
  7. THE SEARCH (Fred Zinnemann)
  8. THE FALLEN IDOL (Carol Reed)
  9. LA TERRA TREMA (Luchino Visconti)
  10. THE NAKED CITY (Jules Dassin)

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)

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)

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. PRIDE OF THE MARINES (Delmer Daves)
  10. PERFECT STRANGERS / VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (Alexander Korda)

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)

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. AIR FORCE (Howard Hawks)
  10. MY LEARNED FRIEND (Will Hay & Basil Dearden)

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)

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)

1940

  1. THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (Ernst Lubitsch)
  2. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
  3. THE BANK DICK (Edward Cline)
  4. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (John Ford)
  5. CHRISTMAS IN JULY (Preston Sturges)
  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)

1939

  1. LA REGLE DU JEU (Jean Renoir)
  2. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (George Marshall)
  3. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Frank Capra)
  4. LE JOUR SE LEVE (Marcel Carné)
  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)

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)

1937

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

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. SHOWBOAT (James Whale)
  9. THE DEVIL-DOLL (Tod Browning)
  10. THREE SMART GIRLS (Henry Koster)

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. CHINA SEAS (Tay Garnett)
  8. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale)
  9. KID MILLIONS (Roy Del Ruth)
  10. LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (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. LITTLE MAN, WHAT NOW? (Frank Borzage)
  6. THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Josef Von Sternberg)
  7. YOU'RE TELLING ME! (Erle C. Kenton)
  8. THE BLACK CAT (Edgar G. Ulmer) 
  9. TWENTIETH CENTURY (Howard Hawks)
  10. THE LAST MILLIONAIRE (René Clair)

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. GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (Mervyn Le Roy)
  7. COUNSELLOR AT LAW (William Wyler)
  8. BOMBSHELL (Victor Fleming)
  9. DINNER AT EIGHT (George Cukor)
  10. KING KONG (Merian C. Cooper / Ernest B. Schoedsack)

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) 

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)

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. THE UNKNOWN (Tod Browning)
  7. COLLEGE (James Horne)
  8. 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. STRIKE (Sergei Eisenstein)
  5. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein)
  6. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Rupert Julian)
  7. 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)