21. Taxi Driver
Year: 1976
IMDB rating: 8.5
Awards: 4 Oscar Nominations
The Story: Vietnam war veteran Travis Bickle has a chronic case of insomnia, which determines him to wander New York streets by night as a taxi driver and is caught in some very personal and rather radical ideas and principles regarding what is good and bad for mankind in general. His life mission becomes the salvation of Iris, a twelve years old prostitute.
Why is it on the list: Because this is a deep case study on human psychology of a very disturbingly plausible character who lives a deplorable life in a sinister city. Because nobody forgot Jodie Foster acting the role of Iris. Because nobody will soon forget the paranoid, feverish, infernal atmosphere of the New York streets and the dangers of contemporary life. Because it let DeNiro explore the depths of a complex, hard to manage character and made Scorsese an icon in the world of cinema. And if we can find a noble cause to live and fight for, if we can find even something small to protect and cherish in the middle of our own obsessions and living hell, does it mean we can find redemption?
Quintessential quote: “Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There’s no escape. I’m God’s lonely man… June 8th. My life has taken another turn again. The days can go on with regularity over and over, one day indistinguishable from the next. A long continuous chain. Then suddenly, there is a change.” (Travis Bickle)
22. Cidade de Deus (City of God)
Year: 2002
IMDB rating: 8.7
Awards: 4 Oscar Nominations
The Story: The movie follows the lives of a few children, with two main pivots in the story, who are cursed to live in the City of God, a Brazilian place where gangsters and gangs make the law, while people take sides in order to survive. The story is told by a young man that grew up in the middle of this inferno, trying as much as possible to stay away from it, while he watches his former childhood friend become more and more the most cruel leader of the gang that terrorize the favelas.
Why is it on the list: Because from the first frame to the last, this movie doesn’t let you breathe. It throws you in a world of violence, first ruled by children, adolescents and soon to be full grown ups who apparently can’t escape their fate or the city, becoming monsters. Because the only one left untouched by the flagella lives his life in constant danger, trying to become a photographer, tells the story as it is, without passing judgement. Because the movie is frightening through its violent and dark beauty, because it still can shake a person to the core and because it combined acting, directing, filming techniques, music, angles and characters’ development in a way that turned this movie into a classic. You can find there even references to The Godfather, you can find there mixed messages, a love story and humanitarian message that will transcend generations.
Quintessential quote: “It was like a message from God: “Honesty doesn’t pay, sucker.” (Buscape)
23. Oldboy
Year: 2003
IMDB rating: 8.4
Awards: –
The Story: A young man is kidnapped and thrown in a cell with no explanation, no ransom intent and no hope for understanding. He is released 15 years later, fully and modernly equipped with clothes, communication technology and money, still without any form of explanation. Set on a revenge mission against his captors, Dae – sun Oh walks on a dangerous path that gets him closer to the real motivation of his captors, as they still have a lot in store for him in terms of pain and suffering.
Why is it on the list: Because this one of the most disturbing movies ever made, both from a physical violence point of view and a psychological one. Because it pushes you right into a world of madness without any warning, because you can’t be else than sympathetic to the victim’s cause, while watching in awe some scenes that defy physics and human tolerance. Because it was so good, ten years later people are still talking about it and Spike Lee decided to make the American version of it. And because the ending will make your skin crawl. Still. Because it is one of the most mind blowing, revolting movies made in the last years, because it keeps you hanging, playing with your head, because it teaches you revenge is indeed a platter better served cold and because it also teaches you that when you love something, there’s no obstacle in this world preventing you to protect and care for that love.
Quintessential quote: “If they had told me it was going to be fifteen years, would it have been easier to endure?” (Dae – sun Oh)
24. Lord Of The Rings (The Series)
Year: 2001 – 2003
IMDB rating: 8.8 (average for the entire series)
Awards: 17 Oscar Awards (the entire series)
The Story: Placed in a fantasy realm and time frame, the movie follows the hard endeavors of little Hobbit Frodo and his heroic company to destroy a powerful ring that in the hands of mighty evil force Sauron, it would bring darkness to all worlds and creatures.
Why is it on the list: Because in 20 years from now we will still have memes and reference related to walking into Mordor or Gandalf. Because this is epic fantasy as genre surprised in its most glorious and genius moments. Because it is an icon of cinematography, because it is, esthetically, one of the most beautiful movies ever made and because if we hadn’t already have Star Wars, this would have made the best fictional epic story of all times.
Quintessential quote: “Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!*” (Aragorn – The Return of the King)
25. Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amélie)
Year: 2001
IMDB rating: 8.5
Awards: 5 Oscar Nominations
The Story: Amélie is a young Parisian that lived her life in almost all its entirety in a world of her own, ruled by beauty and love, as a form of escapism from a very ill and hypochondriac father. But as she finds herself one day in the position of bringing a man joy and happiness and change his life, the young woman makes a mission out of secretly touching other people’s lives and lead them to happiness, starting with her father. But she too wants to find love and her story unfolds while finding her soul mate and performing little miracles for the ones she cares about.
Why is it on the list: Because this “butterfly effect” type of movie is beautiful in every aspect, from the character development, to the Parisian streets the woman is roaming. Because its ingenuity and subtle humor is touching, because nosy and meddling Amelie changes other people’s lives without too much effort and because her own love story is so eerie, so beautifully absurd, so wrongfully plausible, the whole movie is a statement in support of affection, love, hope, beauty and the greatness of the human spirit. It is an ode dedicated to humanity and it can make even the skeptical smile for a second.
Quintessential quote: “Amelie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It’s a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her.” (Narator)