Essential Films

Nov 24, 2013

Here are my essential films. It’s somewhere between my favourite films and a list of films that must been seen. It’s in alphabetical order and I was originally aiming for the 50 mark however there are too many good films so the current count is 83. The main table is generated from films.txt with getimdb.py (needs updating from MoinMoin to MD syntax). I’ve also cross referenced this list with the Bechdel Test Movie List on a Essential Films Bechdel Test

TitleYearIMDB RatingRuntimeGenresDirectorCast
2001: A Space Odyssey19688.3149Adventure, Sci-FiStanley KubrickKeir Dullea, Gary Lockwood
A Bridge Too Far19777.4175Drama, History, WarRichard AttenboroughSiem Vroom, Marlies van Alcmaer
A Fistful of Dollars19648.099Action, Drama, WesternSergio LeoneClint Eastwood, Marianne Koch
A Good Year20067.0117Comedy, Drama, RomanceRidley ScottFreddie Highmore, Albert Finney
Airplane!19807.788ComedyJim AbrahamsKareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lloyd Bridges
Aliens19868.3137Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, ThrillerJames CameronSigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn
Amélie20018.3122Comedy, RomanceJean-Pierre JeunetAudrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
Apollo 1319957.6140Adventure, Drama, HistoryRon HowardTom Hanks, Bill Paxton
Back to the Future19858.5116Adventure, Comedy, Sci-FiRobert ZemeckisMichael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
Blade19987.1120Action, Horror, Sci-FiStephen NorringtonWesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff
Blade Runner19828.1117Action, Sci-Fi, ThrillerRidley ScottHarrison Ford, Rutger Hauer
Blazing Saddles19747.793Comedy, WesternMel BrooksCleavon Little, Gene Wilder
Catch Me If You Can20028.1141Biography, Crime, DramaSteven SpielbergLeonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks
Clear and Present Danger19946.9141Action, Crime, Drama, ThrillerPhillip NoyceHarrison Ford, Willem Dafoe
Clerks19947.792ComedyKevin SmithBrian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson
Dirty Harry19717.7102Action, Crime, ThrillerDon SiegelClint Eastwood, Harry Guardino
District 920097.9112Action, Sci-Fi, ThrillerNeill BlomkampSharlto Copley, Jason Cope
Dr. No19627.2110Action, Adventure, ThrillerTerence YoungSean Connery, Ursula Andress
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb19648.495ComedyStanley KubrickPeter Sellers, George C. Scott
Erin Brockovich20007.3131Biography, DramaSteven SoderberghJulia Roberts, David Brisbin
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off19867.8103ComedyJohn HughesMatthew Broderick, Alan Ruck
For a Few Dollars More19658.3132WesternSergio LeoneClint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef
Forrest Gump19948.8142Drama, RomanceRobert ZemeckisTom Hanks, Rebecca Williams
From Russia with Love19637.4115Action, Adventure, ThrillerTerence YoungSean Connery, Daniela Bianchi
Full Metal Jacket19878.3116Drama, WarStanley KubrickMatthew Modine, Adam Baldwin
Garden State20047.4102Comedy, Drama, RomanceZach BraffZach Braff, Kenneth Graymez
Goldfinger19647.7110Action, Adventure, ThrillerGuy HamiltonSean Connery, Gert Fröbe
Gone with the Wind19398.1238Drama, History, Romance, WarVictor FlemingThomas Mitchell, Barbara O’Neil
Good Will Hunting19978.3126Drama, RomanceGus Van SantMatt Damon, Ben Affleck
Ice Cold in Alex19587.8130Adventure, Drama, WarJ. Lee ThompsonJohn Mills, Sylvia Syms
Inception20108.8148Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, ThrillerChristopher NolanLeonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade19898.2127Action, AdventureSteven SpielbergHarrison Ford, Sean Connery
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom19847.6118Action, AdventureSteven SpielbergHarrison Ford, Kate Capshaw
Jaws19758.0124Adventure, ThrillerSteven SpielbergRoy Scheider, Robert Shaw
Jurassic Park19938.1127Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, ThrillerSteven SpielbergSam Neill, Laura Dern
Just Like Heaven20056.795Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, RomanceMark WatersReese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo
Lawrence of Arabia19628.3228Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, WarDavid LeanPeter O’Toole, Alec Guinness
Legally Blonde20016.396Comedy, RomanceRobert LuketicReese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson
Little Miss Sunshine20067.8101Comedy, DramaJonathan DaytonAbigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear
North by Northwest19598.3136Adventure, Mystery, ThrillerAlfred HitchcockCary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
Notting Hill19997.1124Comedy, Drama, RomanceRoger MichellJulia Roberts, Hugh Grant
Once Upon a Time in the West19688.5165WesternSergio LeoneClaudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda
Paint Your Wagon19696.6164Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance, WesternJoshua LoganLee Marvin, Clint Eastwood
Pan’s Labyrinth20068.2118Drama, Fantasy, WarGuillermo del ToroIvana Baquero, Sergi López
Papillon19738.0151Biography, Crime, DramaFranklin J. SchaffnerSteve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman
Planes, Trains & Automobiles19877.693Comedy, DramaJohn HughesSteve Martin, John Candy
Play Misty for Me19717.0102Drama, ThrillerClint EastwoodClint Eastwood, Jessica Walter
Pulp Fiction19948.9154Crime, DramaQuentin TarantinoTim Roth, Amanda Plummer
Raiders of the Lost Ark19818.4115Action, AdventureSteven SpielbergHarrison Ford, Karen Allen
Requiem for a Dream20008.3102DramaDarren AronofskyEllen Burstyn, Jared Leto
Ringu19987.296Horror, MysteryHideo NakataNanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani
Roman Holiday19538.0118Comedy, RomanceWilliam WylerGregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn
Romeo + Juliet19966.7120Drama, RomanceBaz LuhrmannLeonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes
Saving Private Ryan19988.6169Drama, WarSteven SpielbergTom Hanks, Tom Sizemore
Scarface19838.3170Crime, DramaBrian De PalmaAl Pacino, Steven Bauer
Schindler’s List19938.9195Biography, Drama, HistorySteven SpielbergLiam Neeson, Ben Kingsley
Snatch20008.3104Comedy, CrimeGuy RitchieBenicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina
Spirited Away20018.6125Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, MysteryHayao MiyazakiRumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino
Taken20087.890Action, ThrillerPierre MorelLiam Neeson, Maggie Grace
Terminator 2: Judgment Day19918.5137Action, Sci-FiJames CameronArnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton
The Big Lebowski19988.1117Comedy, Crime, SportJoel CoenJeff Bridges, John Goodman
The Blues Brothers19807.9133Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Music, MusicalJohn LandisTom Erhart, Gerald Walling
The Breakfast Club19857.997Comedy, DramaJohn HughesEmilio Estevez, Paul Gleason
The Conversation19747.8113Drama, Mystery, ThrillerFrancis Ford CoppolaGene Hackman, John Cazale
The Departed20068.5151Crime, Drama, ThrillerMartin ScorseseLeonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon
The Fugitive19937.8130Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, ThrillerAndrew DavisHarrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones
The Godfather19729.2175Crime, DramaFrancis Ford CoppolaMarlon Brando, Al Pacino
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly19668.8161WesternSergio LeoneEli Wallach, Clint Eastwood
The Graduate19678.0106Comedy, Drama, RomanceMike NicholsAnne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman
The Great Escape19638.2172Adventure, Drama, History, Thriller, WarJohn SturgesSteve McQueen, James Garner
The Hangover20097.7100ComedyTodd PhillipsBradley Cooper, Ed Helms
The Little Mermaid19897.683Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musical, RomanceRon ClementsRene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes
The Matrix19998.7136Action, Sci-FiLana WachowskiKeanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne
The Pianist20028.5150Biography, Drama, Music, WarRoman PolanskiAdrien Brody, Emilia Fox
The Shawshank Redemption19949.3142DramaFrank DarabontTim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
The Shining19808.4146Drama, HorrorStanley KubrickJack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall
The Silence of the Lambs19918.6118Crime, Drama, ThrillerJonathan DemmeJodie Foster, Lawrence A. Bonney
The Wicker Man19737.588Horror, Mystery, ThrillerRobin HardyEdward Woodward, Christopher Lee
Three Colors: Blue19937.994Drama, Music, Mystery, RomanceKrzysztof KieslowskiJuliette Binoche, Benoît Régent
Trainspotting19968.193DramaDanny BoyleEwan McGregor, Ewen Bremner
Uncle Buck19897.0100ComedyJohn HughesJohn Candy, Jean Louisa Kelly
Walk the Line20057.8136Biography, Drama, Music, RomanceJames MangoldJoaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon
Where Eagles Dare19687.7158Action, Adventure, WarBrian G. HuttonRichard Burton, Clint Eastwood
DecadeCount
199021
200018
198016
196014
19709
19503
20101
19301
GenreCount
Drama42
Comedy23
Adventure20
Action20
Thriller20
Romance16
Crime13
Sci-Fi10
War10
Mystery7
Biography7
Western6
History6
Music4
Fantasy4
Horror4
Musical3
Family2
Animation2
Sport1
DirectorCount
Steven Spielberg8
Stanley Kubrick4
Sergio Leone4
John Hughes4
Terence Young2
Ridley Scott2
James Cameron2
Francis Ford Coppola2
Robert Zemeckis2
ActorCount
Harrison Ford7
Clint Eastwood7
Arnold Montey6
Jimmy Star5
Sean Connery5
Antonio Molino Rojo4
Richard Farnsworth4
Frank Braña4
Tom Hanks4
Benito Stefanelli4
Aldo Sambrell4
Leonardo DiCaprio4
Lorenzo Robledo4
Enrique Santiago3
Bob Simmons3
Paul Maxwell3
Richard Attenborough3
Bob Harks3
Nikki Van der Zyl3
John Candy3
Victor Harrington3
Burnell Tucker3
George Fargo3
Lois Maxwell3
Philip Stone3
Laurence Herder3
Ted Grossman3
Xander Berkeley3
Peter Evans3
Steven Spielberg3
Roy Beck3
Harry Fielder3
Joseph Bradley3
Boyd Cabeen3
Mario Brega3
Bernard Lee3
Reese Witherspoon3
Matt Damon3
Pat Roach3
Arthur Tovey3
Ricardo Palacios3
Vivian Kubrick3
David Daniel3
Denholm Elliott3
Pauline Chamberlain3
Aileen Lewis3
Mark Rolston3
Kadrolsha Ona Carole3
Anthony Chinn3
Edie McClurg3
Antonio Palombi3
Nazzareno Natale3
movies

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