My Top 100 Movies

I noticed that two of the top ten films on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies List would not make my own top 100. I also find myself recommending movies to others during informal conversations about sources of entertainment. So I decided to list my own top 100 movies in chronological, not preferential, order. I probably left out some great pics, which would push out some of the films listed, but here's a first draft.

You may be thinking, "What does this list have to do with my writing?" Here are two strong reasons.First, as storytellers, proposal writers, poets, or technical communicators, we often allude to movies to crystallize our points. In fact, I notice that my own teaching points are often best understood by learners when I refer to popular culture. With the exception of music, movies are an abundant resource for cultural references. The movies that made this list are rich in metaphors. Second, the movies listed here share a common bond: outstanding writing. They exude imaginative narratives. Just listening to these films offers deep insights into quality writing. 

See these movies, or see them again, with these thoughts in mind.

MY TOP 100 MOVIES (in chronological order)

    1. The Grapes of Wrath (American, 1940)

    2. Casablanca (American, 1942)

    3. The Ox-Bow Incident (American, 1943)

    4. All About Eve (American, 1950)

    5. An American in Paris (American, 1951)
    6. A Streetcar Named Desire (American, 1951)
    7. High Noon (American, 1952)
    8. Ikiru (Japanese, 1952)
    9. On the Waterfront (American, 1954)
    10. A Star is Born (American,1954)
    11. Twelve Angry Men (American, 1957)
    12. Inherit the Wind (American, 1960)
    13. Judgment at Nuremberg (American, 1961)
    14. A Raisin in the Sun (American, 1961)
    15. Requiem for a Heavyweight (American, 1962)
    16. The Miracle Worker (American, 1962)
    17. Lawrence of Arabia (British, 1962)
    18. Long Day's Journey into Night (American, 1962)
    19. America, America (American, 1963)
    20. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (American, 1966)
    21. Persona (Swedish, 1966)
    22. The Graduate (American, 1967)
    23. Shame (Swedish, 1968)
    24. Midnight Cowboy (American, 1969)
    25. Husbands (American, 1970)
    26. Patton (American, 1970)
    27. Death in Venice (British, 1971)
    28. A Clockwork Orange (British, 1971)
    29. Cries and Whispers (Swedish, 1972)
    30. The Godfather (American, 1972)
    31. Last Tango in Paris (Italian, 1972)
    32. Scenes from a Marriage (Swedish, 1973)
    33. Love and Anarchy (Italian, 1973)
    34. The Conversation (American, 1974)
    35. Lacombe, Lucien (French, 1974)
    36. The Godfather, Part II (American, 1974)
    37. Chinatown (American, 1974)
    38. Seven Beauties (Italian, 1975)
    39. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (American, 1975)
    40. Taxi Driver (American, 1976)
    41. Providence (French, 1977)
    42. A Special Day (Italian, 1977)
    43. The Deer Hunter (American, 1978)
    44. Apocalypse Now (American, 1979)
    45. Being There (American, 1979)
    46. Raging Bull (American, 1980)
    47. Breaker Morant (Australian, 1980)
    48. The Elephant Man (British, 1980)
    49. Pixote (Brazilian, 1981)
    50. Gallipoli (Australian, 1981)
    51. Sophie's Choice (American, 1982)
    52. Gandhi (British, 1982)
    53. Tender Mercies (American, 1983)
    54. El Norte (British, 1983)
    55. Paris, Texas (German, 1984)
    56. Amadeus (American, 1984)
    57. The Trip to Bountiful (American, 1985)
    58. Shoah (French, 1985)
    59. Cinema Paradiso (Italian, 1988)
    60. The Civil War (American, 1990)
    61. Barton Fink (American, 1991)
    62. 32 Short Films about Glenn Gould (French, 1993)
    63. Schindler’s List (American, 1993)
    64. Household Saints (American, 1993)
    65. The Shawshank Redemption (American, 1994)
    66. Shine (Australian, 1996)
    67. Ponette (French, 1996)
    68. Affliction (American, 1997)
    69. Shakespeare in Love (British, 1998)
    70. Central Station (Brazilian, 1998)
    71. Run Lola Run (German, 1998)
    72. Saving Private Ryan (American, 1998)
    73. Being John Malkovich (American, 1999)
    74. Hurlyburly (American, 1998)
    75. Calle 54 (Spanish, 2000)
    76. Pollock (American, 2000)

    77. The Hours (British, 2002)

    78. City of God (Brazilian, 2002)
    79. American Splendor (American, 2003)
    80. Omagh (Irish, 2004)
    81. The Motorcycle Diaries (Argentinean, 2004)
    82. Tsotsi (South African, 2005)
    83. Paradise Now (Palestinian, 2005)
    84. The Lives of Others (German, 2006)
    85. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (French, 2007)
    86. Lust, Caution (American, Chinese, 2007)
    87. Hunger (British and Irish, 2008)
    88. Synecdoche, New York (American, 2008)
    89. The Hurt Locker (American, 2008)
    90. Doubt (American, 2008)
    91. Poetry (South Korea, 2010)
    92. Black Swan (American, 2010)
    93. Midnight in Paris (American, 2011)
    94. Carnage (French, 2011)
    95. Margin Call (American, 2011)
    96. Amour (French, 2012)
    97. 12 Years a Slave (British and American, 2013)
    98. Ida (Polish, 2014)
    99. Son of Saul (Hungarian, 2015)
    100. Fences (American, 2016)