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.

Inspecting an IMAX cinema in San Francisco.

So here it is, my recommended viewing list for aspiring movie buffs, without any internal order. They may be special, important, ground-breaking or simply really great movies.

1. Alien (1979)
2. Blade Runner (1982)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. Apocalypse Now (1979)
5. Star Wars (1977)
6. Pulp Fiction (1994)
7. Shichinin No Samurai (1954)
8. Lost in Translation (2003)
9. Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)
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. Memento (2000)
16. Underground (1995)
17. The Usual Suspects (1995)
18. Metropolis (1926)
19. The Shining (1980)
20. Before the Rain (1994)
21. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
22. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
23. In the Mood for Love (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. Matrix (1999)
30. Taxi Driver (1976)
31. The Third Man (1949)
32. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
33. Fight Club (1999)
34. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
35. Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
36. Rashomon (1950)
37. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
38. Donnie Darko (2001)
39. Se7en (1995)
40. Schindler’s List (1993)
41. Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001)
42. Gone With the Wind (1939)
43. Jaws (1975)
44. V For Vendetta (2005)
45. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
46. Amadeus (1984)
47. Citizen Kane (1941)
48. Wild Strawberries (1959)
49. Brazil (1985)
50. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
51. The Seventh Seal (1957)