Fifty Favorite Movies
Several Rules: (1) This is not an attempt to list the fifty best movies ever made, simply the fifty movies that I have found the most personally meaningful. (2) I have listed these movies in alphabetical order, rather than in order of preference—though I’ve marked each of my ten favorites with an asterisk. (3) I have tried to be honest, which is why there are so many films about childhood, apocalyptic fantasies, and movies produced in the years since I was born on this list. —Kevin Brockmeier, February 10, 2020
1. After Life (directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu, 1998) (*)
2. Alien (directed by Ridley Scott, 1979)
3. The Americanization of Emily (directed by Arthur Hiller, 1964)
4. Before the Rain (directed by Milcho Manchevski, 1994)
5. The Chocolate War (directed by Keith Gordon, 1988)
6. City of Hope (directed by John Sayles, 1991) (*)
7. Crossing Delancey (directed by Joan Micklin Silver, 1988)
8. Dazed and Confused (directed by Richard Linklater, 1993)
9. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (directed by Julian Schnabel, 2007) (*)
10. East of Eden (directed by Elia Kazan, 1955)
11. The Eclipse (directed by Conor McPherson, 2009)
12. Elling (directed by Petter Næss, 2001)
13. The English Patient (directed by Anthony Minghella, 1996)
14. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (directed by Michel Gondry, 2004)
15. The Eye (directed by Danny and Oxide Chung Pang, 2002)
16. Fantastic Planet (directed by René Laloux, 1973)
17. Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (directed by James Whale, 1931 and 1935) (*)
18. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (directed by Mamoru Hosoda, 2006)
19. Groundhog Day (directed by Harold Ramis, 1993) (*)
20. Happy Accidents (directed by Brad Anderson, 2000)
21. A History of Violence (directed by David Cronenberg, 2005)
22. Holy Motors (directed by Leos Carax, 2012)
23. The Iron Giant (directed by Brad Bird, 1999)
24. Jesus of Montreal (directed by Denys Arcand, 1989)
25. Local Hero (directed by Bill Forsyth, 1983)
26. Lost in Translation (directed by Sofia Coppola, 2003)
27. Manhattan (directed by Woody Allen, 1979)
28. Marty (directed by Delbert Mann, 1955)
29. Mister Lonely (directed by Harmony Korine, 2007)
30. Mother (directed by Albert Brooks, 1996)
31. The Muppet Movie (directed by James Frawley, 1979)
32. My Winnipeg (directed by Guy Maddin, 2007)
33. Office Space (directed by Mike Judge, 1999)
34. Pain and Glory (directed by Pedro Almodóvar, 2019)
35. Ponette (directed by Jacques Doillon, 1996) (*)
36. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (directed by Ronald Neame, 1969)
37. The Quiet Earth (directed by Geoff Murphy, 1985) (*)
38. Reprise (directed by Joachim Trier, 2006)
39. Robot Stories (directed by Greg Pak, 2003)
40. Running on Empty (directed by Sidney Lumet, 1988) (*)
41. A Serious Man (directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009) (*)
42. Show Me Love (directed by Lukas Moodysson, 1998)
43. Small Change (directed by François Truffaut, 1976)
44. Son of the Bride (directed by Juan José Campanella, 2001)
45. The Thing (directed by John Carpenter, 1982)
46. 3-Iron (directed by Ki-duk Kim, 2004) (*)
47. Twelve Monkeys (directed by Terry Gilliam, 1995)
48. The Whole Wide World (directed by Dan Ireland, 1996)
49. World of Tomorrow and World of Tomorrow Episode Two (directed by Don Hertzfeldt, 2015 and 2017)
50. You Can Count On Me (directed by Kenneth Lonergan, 2000)