51 essential movies for movie buffs

Jim Emerson recently compiled a list of 102 Movies You Must See. As always, these lists are very personal and by nature never written in an objective fashion. Since he had the guts to include Mad Max 2, I felt compelled to write my own list. I also felt that 102 movies are a bit too much to see in one weekend, so I cut that number in half.

This is simply a list of the ones that you ought to see at least once in a lifetime. They may be special, important, ground-breaking or simply really great movies.

Reine inspecting an IMAX cinema in San Francisco.

So here it is, Reine’s recommended viewing list for aspiring movie buffs, without any internal order.

1. Alien (1979)
2. Blade Runner (1982)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. Lost in Translation (2003)
5. Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)
6. Apocalypse Now (1979)
7. Star Wars (1977)
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
9. Shichinin No Samurai (1954)
10. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
11. Casablanca (1942)
12. Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
13. La Dolce Vita (1960)
14. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
15. Underground (1995)
16. The Usual Suspects (1995)
17. Metropolis (1926)
18. The Shining (1980)
19. Before the Rain (1994)
20. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
21. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
22. In the Mood for Love (2000)
23. Memento (2000)
24. North by Northwest (1959)
25. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
26. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
27. Nausicaä (1984)
28. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
29. Taxi Driver (1976)
30. The Third Man (1949)
31. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
34. Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
35. Rashomon (1950)
36. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
37. The Seventh Seal (1957)
38. Se7en (1995)
39. Schindler’s List (1993)
40. Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001)
41. Gone With the Wind (1939)
42. Jaws (1975)
43. V For Vendetta (2005)
44. Donnie Darko (2001)
45. Amadeus (1984)
46. Citizen Kane (1941)
47. Matrix (1999)
48. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
49. Wild Strawberries (1959)
50. Brazil (1985)
51. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)