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, in no particular 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. Lost in Translation (2003)
8. Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
9. Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)
10. Shichinin No Samurai (1954)
11. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
12. Donnie Darko (2001)
13. Memento (2000)
14. Casablanca (1942)
15. The Third Man (1949)
16. La Dolce Vita (1960)
17. Fight Club (1999)
18. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
19. Metropolis (1926)
20. The Shining (1980)
21. Before the Rain (1994)
22. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
23. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
24. In the Mood for Love (2000)
25. Underground (1995)
26. North by Northwest (1959)
27. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
28. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
29. Nausicaä (1984)
30. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
31. Matrix (1999)
32. Taxi Driver (1976)
33. Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
34. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
35. The Usual Suspects (1995)
36. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
37. Rashomon (1950)
38. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
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. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
45. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
46. Amadeus (1984)
47. Citizen Kane (1941)
48. Wild Strawberries (1959)
49. Brazil (1985)
50. Se7en (1995)
51. The Seventh Seal (1957)