I’ve been working on a list that’s not really the 100 best films of all time, but a list that I believe is currently driving the most influential films of our time. These are the films that these guys grew up on. There’s a new generation of filmmakers coming down the line, and they’re been influenced by films fairly recently. They didn’t grow up watching too many films made before they were born, and some of them may have caught up on the classics, but most are influenced by films they watched when they were a kid. That’s why Jurassic World feels so much like a love letter from Colin Treverrow. So without further adieu, I bring you the 100 films you should see to be effective as a film buff in todays world. You have to understand the groundwork if you’re going to enjoy what’s being built upon it.
1) Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope- An absolute must for anyone watching film. So many filmmakers cite Star Wars as being their inspiration for being a film director, that you have to at least sit through the original Star Wars. If you haven’t seen this, watch it now.
2) The Godfather- A classic, also cited as one of the greatest influences of all time.
3) Jurassic Park- Another film that cited the wonder in children, who are now filmmakers.
4) Back To The Future
5) Raiders Of The Lost Ark
6) Pulp Fiction
7) Psycho
8) Fight Club
9) The Shawshank Redemption
10) The Godfather Part 2
11) Seven
12) Toy Story
13) The Silence Of the Lambs
14) Alien
15) Casablanca
16) The Matrix
17) Citizen Kane
18) Goodfellas
19) Jaws
20) Terminator 2: Judgement Day
21) The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
22) The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
23) The Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King
24) The Dark Knight
25) American Beauty
26) North By Northwest
27) The Usual Suspects
28) The Lion King
29) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
30) Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi
31) Memento
32) The Shining
33) A Clockwork Orange
34) Scarface
35) Rear Window
36) 2001: A Space Odyssey
37) Saving Private Ryan
38) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
39) Raging Bull
40) Die Hard
41) Vertigo
42) Aliens
43) It’s A Wonderful Life
44) Forrest Gump
45) Blade Runner
46) The Big Lebowski
47) Toy Story 2
48) Schindler’s List
49) Singin In The Rain
50) Fargo
51) The Sixth Sense
52) Gone With The Wind
53) Chinatown
54) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
55) Unforgiven
56) The Thing
57) The Princess Bride
58) The Exorcist
59) Apocalypse Now
60) The Good The Bad and the Ugly
61) Good Will Hunting
62) Braveheart
63) The Wizard Of Oz
64) Stand By Me
65) 12 Monkeys
66) Pans Labyrinth
67) Finding Nemo
68) Annie Hall
69) On The Waterfront
70) Taxi Driver
71) Seven Samurai
72) Beauty and the Beast
73) Donnie Darko
74) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
75) Spirited Away
76) Ghostbusters
77) 12 Angry Men
78) Leon: The Professional
79) No Country For Old Men
80) Kill Bill Vol 1
81) Independence Day
82) Titanic
83) Rocky
84) The Breakfast Club
85) One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
86) Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
87) Akira
88) Heat
89) The Graduate
90) Mr Smith Goes To Washington
91) Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone (or really, any Harry Potter movie)
92) Casino
93) Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrells
94) Groundhog Day
95) Some Like It Hot
96) To Kill A Mockingbird
97) The Truman Show
98) Dog Day Afternoon
99) Trainspotting
100) Gladiator
