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The
21st
Century's Most Acclaimed Films
Ranking (1-50) |
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21st Century
Home Summary:
The 250 Films
The Top 50 Directors Browse by Ranking:
1-50
51-100
101-150
151-200
201-250
Previous Titles |
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° In ranking order, these are the 250 most
critically acclaimed films of the 21st Century, to date. A small slice
of information and links to Amazon and metacritic have
been included for each entry. There's much to love about this list, and
probably just as much to despise! |
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° This time around, 34 films have
entered the list (11 from 2009, 11 from 2008,
and 12 from 2000-2007). |
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° In brackets, alongside the director's name,
is the position each film held prior to our January 2010 update. |
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1
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2
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3
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| In the Mood for Love |
|
Wong Kar-wai (1) |
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| • Fa yeung
nin wa (original title) |
| 2000, 97m, Col, Hong
Kong-France, Romance-Drama |
| Maggie
Cheung, Tony Leung, Rebecca Pan, Lui Chun, Ping Lam Siu, Chin
Chi-Ang, Chan Man-Lui, Koo Kam-Wah, Ysu Hsien, Chow Po-Chun |
| "Probably the most breathtakingly gorgeous
film of the year, dizzy with a nose-against-the-glass romantic
spirit that has been missing from the cinema forever." - Elvis
Mitchell, New York Times |
| Selected by
Mira Nair,
Jonathan Ross, Ernest R. Dickerson, Ed Gonzalez, Tony Rayns. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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| Mulholland Dr. |
|
David Lynch (2) |
 |
| • Mulholland
Drive (alternative spelling) |
| 2001, 146m, Col, France-USA,
Mystery-Drama |
| Justin
Theroux, Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Ann Miller, Dan
Hedaya, Mark Pellegrino, Brent Briscoe, Robert Forster,
Katharine Towne, Lee Grant |
| "By surrendering any semblance of rationality
to create a post-Freudian, pulp-fiction fever dream of a movie,
Mr. Lynch ends up shooting the moon with
Mulholland Drive." -
Stephen Holden, New York Times |
| Selected by
Sophie Barthes, Todd McCarthy, Gilberto Perez, Andrew Sarris,
Dudley Andrew. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Yi yi |
|
Edward Yang (3) |
 |
| • A One and a
Two... (English title) |
| 2000, 173m, Col,
Taiwan-Japan, Drama |
| Nien-Jen
Wu, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee, Jonathan Chang,
Hsi-Sheng Chen, Su-Yun Ko, Michael Tao, Shu-shen Hsiao, Adrian
Lin |
| "One of the year's best: a
rich, funny, enormously humane portrait of a middle-class Taipei
family in the throes of romantic, economic and spiritual
upheaval." - David Ansen, Newsweek |
|
Selected by Nick
James, Katja Nicodemus, Berenice Reynaud, Pierre Rissient, Tom
Charity. |
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See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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4
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5
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6
↑ |
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Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind |
|
Michel Gondry (4) |
 |
| 2004, 108m, Col,
USA-France, Romance-Drama-Comedy |
| Jim Carrey,
Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Jane
Adams, David Cross, Tom Wilkinson, Deirdre O'Connell, Debbon
Ayer |
| "A complicated story that
demands your full attention; Mr. Gondry unfolds it at a
mind-bending pace. This alone makes it a hugely refreshing
respite from ordinary multiplex fare." - David Sterritt,
Christian Science Monitor |
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Selected by
Richard Curtis, Carrie Rickey, Frank Darabont, Vivian Sobchack,
Michael Atkinson. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Lost in
Translation |
|
Sofia Coppola
(5) |
 |
| 2003, 102m, Col,
USA-Japan, Romance-Drama-Comedy |
| Bill
Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Akiko Takeshita,
Kazuyoshi Minamimagoe, Kazuko Shibata, Take, Catherine Lambert,
Anna Faris, Fumihiro Hayashi |
| "Coppola handles her film with
very pleasant economy, with a kind of warm precision. Her
father, who was one of this picture's producers, can be as proud
of her as we are grateful." - Stanley Kauffman, The New Republic |
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Selected by
Quentin Tarantino, Ty Burr, John Anderson, J. Hoberman, David Ansen. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Spirited Away |
|
Hayao
Miyazaki (11) |
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| • Sen to
Chihiro no kamikakushi (original title) |
| 2001, 124m, Col,
Japan, Animated-Fantasy-Adventure |
| Rumi Hiragi,
Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi,
Tatsuya Gashuin, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yumi Tamai, Yo Oizumi, Bunta
Sugawara |
| "Artful but not arty,
Spirited Away is a handcrafted cartoon, as personal as an Utamaro painting, yet its breadth and heart give it an appeal
that should touch American viewers of all ages." - Richard
Corliss, Time |
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Selected by
Tian
Zhuangzhuang, Michel Chion, Nigel Andrews, Stuart
Klawans, Tom Gunning. |
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See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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7
↑ |
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8
↑ |
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9
↑ |
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There Will
Be Blood |
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Paul Thomas Anderson (14) |
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| 2007,
158m, Col, USA, Drama |
| Daniel
Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciaran Hinds, Dillon
Freasier, Sydney McAllister, David Willis, David Warshofsky,
Colton Woodward, Colleen Foy |
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"The film is above all a consummate work of art, one that
transcends the historically fraught context of its making, and
its pleasures are unapologetically aesthetic." - Manohla
Dargis, The New York Times |
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Selected by
Michael Atkinson,
Guy Maddin, Dennis Lim, Tom Charity, Vivian Sobchack. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Talk to Her |
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Pedro
Almodóvar (12) |
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| • Hable con
ella (original title) |
| 2002, 112m, Col,
Spain, Romance-Drama |
| Javier
Camara, Dario Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Rosario Flores,
Mariola Fuentes, Geraldine Chaplin, Pina Bausch, Malou Airaudo,
Roberto Alvarez, Elena Anaya |
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"One of
Almodóvar's most challenging
pictures, jumping around in time and sending a large gallery of
characters through a wide variety of situations." - David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor |
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Selected by
Paul Schrader,
David Denby, Dudley Andrew, Richard Schickel, Andrew Sarris. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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A History of
Violence |
|
David Cronenberg
(10) |
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| 2005, 95m, Col,
Germany-USA, Crime-Drama-Thriller |
| Viggo
Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes, Stephen
McHattie, Peter MacNeill, Ed Harris, Greg Bryk, Kyle Schmid,
Heidi Hayes |
| "This masterpiece, an art
film deftly masquerading as a thriller, seems to celebrate
small-town pastoralism and critique big-city violence, but this
position turns out to be double-edged." - Jonathan
Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader |
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Selected by Stuart
Klawans,
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, J. Hoberman, Charles Tesson, Amy
Taubin. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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10
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11
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12
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Y tu mamá
también |
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Alfonso Cuarón
(7) |
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| 2001, 105m, Col,
Mexico, Drama-Comedy |
| Maribel
Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Marta Aura, Diana Bracho,
Emilio Echeverria, Veronica Langer, Arturo Rios, Ana Lopez
Mercado, Nathan Grinberg |
| "Echoes the unmistakable
freshness and excitement of the Nouvelle Vague, the sense of joy
in being alive and making movies, that made those works
distinctive and unforgettable." - Kenneth Turan, Los
Angeles Times |
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Selected by
David
Ansen, David Ehrenstein, Laurence Kardish, Andrew Sarris, Carrie
Rickey. |
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Amazon
metacritic |
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Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
|
Ang Lee (8) |
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| • Wo hu cang
long (original title) |
| 2000, 120m, Col,
China-Taiwan-USA, Drama-Adventure-Action |
| Chow Yun-Fat,
Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Chang, Sihung Lung, Pei-pei
Cheng, Fazeng Li, Xian Gao, Yan Hai, Deming Wang |
|
"Ang
Lee, a world-class director working at the top of his
elegant form, has done something thrilling. For all the leaping
action, it's the film's spirit that soars." - Peter
Travers, Rolling Stone |
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Selected by David
Denby, A.O. Scott, John Anderson, Phillip Lopate, Graham Fuller. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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| Sideways |
|
Alexander Payne
(9) |
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| 2004, 123m, Col, USA,
Drama-Comedy |
| Paul
Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh,
Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht, Missy Doty, M.C. Gainey, Alysia
Reiner, Shake Tukhmanyan |
| "In
Sideways,
Payne has created four of the most lived-in, indelible
characters in recent American movies. This deliciously
bittersweet movie makes magic out of the quotidian." - David Ansen, Newsweek |
| Selected by
Pierre Rissient, Ty Burr, Owen Gleiberman, David Sterritt,
Richard Corliss. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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13
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14
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15
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The Hurt Locker |
|
Kathryn Bigelow
new
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2008, 130m, Col, USA, Action-Drama-War |
| Jeremy
Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph
Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly, Christian Camargo,
Suhail Aldabbach, Christopher Sayegh |
|
"A small
classic of tension, bravery, and fear, which will be studied
twenty years from now when people want to understand something
of what happened to American soldiers in Iraq. If there are
moviegoers who are exhausted by the current fashion for
relentless fantasy violence, this is the convincingly blunt and
forceful movie for them." - David Denby, The New Yorker |
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Selected by Roger
Ebert, Andrew Sarris, Gilberto Perez, Molly Haskell, Leonardo
Garcia-Tsao. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Far from
Heaven |
|
Todd Haynes (6) |
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| 2002, 107m, Col,
USA-France, Drama-Romance |
| Julianne
Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson, Viola
Davis, James Rebhorn, Michael Gaston, Ryan Ward, Lindsay
Andretta, Celia Weston |
| "It rediscovers the aching,
desiring humanity in a genre --and a period-- too often
subjected to easy parody or ironic appropriation. In a word,
it's divine." - A.O. Scott, New York Times |
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Selected by Owen
Gleiberman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, A.O. Scott, Ty Burr, Manohla
Dargis. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Million Dollar
Baby |
|
Clint
Eastwood (13) |
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| 2004, 137m, Col,
USA, Drama |
| Clint
Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike
Colter, Lucia Rijker, Brian F. O'Byrne, Anthony Mackie, Margo
Martindale, Riki Lindhome |
|
"Has a beautifully
modulated sadness that's almost musical.
Eastwood once made a movie about
Charlie Parker (Bird), but this picture has the smoothly
melancholic tones of Coleman Hawkins at his greatest." -
David Denby, The New Yorker |
|
Selected by Katja
Nicodemus, Jeanine Basinger, Michel Ciment, Geoff Andrew, Pierre
Rissient. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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16
↑ |
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17
↑ |
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18
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No Country
for Old Men |
|
Joel Coen
and Ethan Coen
(21) |
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| 2007,
122m, Col, USA, Crime-Drama |
| Tommy Lee
Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly
Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen
Root, Rodger Boyce |
| "A
scorching blast of tense genre filmmaking shot through with rich
veins of melancholy, down-home philosophy and dark, dark humor,
No Country for Old Men reps a superior match of source
material and filmmaking talent." - Todd McCarthy, Variety |
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Selected by
Roger Ebert, Tom
Gunning, Jeanine Basinger, Peter Travers, Philip French. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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The Royal
Tenenbaums |
|
Wes
Anderson (19) |
 |
| 2001, 109m, Col,
USA, Drama-Comedy |
| Gene
Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke
Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Seymour Cassel,
Kumar Pallana |
| "Anderson's cinematic style
gets more adventurous from one movie to the next, and he begins
this story with bursts of originality that leave his respected
Rushmore far behind." - David Sterritt, Christian
Science Monitor |
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Selected by
Cameron Crowe,
Arnaud
Desplechin, Kent Jones, Gavin Smith, Charles Tesson. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Before Sunset |
|
Richard Linklater (15) |
 |
| 2004, 80m, Col,
USA, Romance-Drama |
| Ethan
Hawke, Julie Delpy, Louise Lemoine Torres, Vernon Dobtcheff,
Rodolphe Pauly, Mariane Plasteig, Diabolo, Albert Delpy, Marie
Pillet, Denis Evrard |
| "Because
Linklater now
wears his heart on his sleeve, he has made a film that in its
joy, optimism and aesthetic achievement keeps faith with
American cinema at its finest." - Manohla Dargis, Los
Angeles Times |
|
Selected by
Sukhdev Sandhu, Molly Haskell, Phillip Lopate, Andrew Sarris,
Gilberto Perez. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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19
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20
↑ |
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21
↑ |
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Memento |
|
Christopher Nolan (18) |
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| 2000, 113m, Col,
USA, Thriller-Mystery-Drama |
| Guy Pearce,
Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Jr., Stephen
Tobolowsky, Harriet Sansom Harris, Callum Keith Rennie, Larry
Holden, Russ Fega, Jorja Fox |
| "A provocatively structured
and thrillingly executed film noir, an intricate, inventive use
of cinema's possibilities that pushes what can be done on screen
in an unusual direction." - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles
Times |
|
Selected by Mike
D'Angelo, Maitland McDonagh, Philip Kemp, Philip French, Owen
Gleiberman. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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4 Months, 3
Weeks and 2 Days |
|
Cristian
Mungiu (25) |
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| • 4 luni, 3
saptamani si 2 zile (original title) |
| 2007,
113m, Col, Romania, Drama |
| Anamaria
Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, Alexandru Potocean, Ion
Sapdaru, Teodor Corban, Tania Popa, Cerasela Iosifescu, Luminata
Gheorghiu, Adi Carauleanu |
| "The
reason 4 Months has such resonance is because it believes
with fearless audacity in the power and possibility of the
medium." -
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times |
|
Selected by
James Franco, Dudley Andrew, David Sterritt, Piers Handling,
Lizzie Francke. |
|
Amazon
IMDB |
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Pan's
Labyrinth |
|
Guillermo del Toro
(58) |
 |
| • El
Laberinto del fauno (original title) |
| 2006, 119m, Col,
Mexico-Spain-USA, Drama-Fantasy-Horror |
| Sergi
Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Ivana Baquero, Alex Angulo, Doug Jones,
Eusebio Lazaro, Paco Vidal, Federico Luppi, Ariadna Gil, Manolo
Solo |
|
"Nothing this year comes
close to being as utterly unforgettable as
Guillermo del Toro's
Pan's
Labyrinth, an extremely dark and disturbing fairy tale for
audiences say, ages 12 and up." -
Lou Lumenick, New York Post |
|
Selected by
Ron
Perlman, Frank Darabont, Roger Ebert, Leonardo Garcia-Tsao, A.O.
Scott. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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22
↑ |
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23
↑ |
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24
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Zodiac |
|
David
Fincher
(29) |
 |
| 2007,
158m, Col, USA, Crime-Drama-Thriller |
| Jake
Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr.,
Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Richmond Arquette, Bob
Stephenson, John Lacy, Chloe Sevigny |
| "Its
most impressive accomplishment is to gather a bewildering
labyrinth of facts and suspicions over a period of years, and
make the journey through this maze frightening and suspenseful." -
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times |
|
Selected by Joseph McBride, Amy Taubin, Richard
Corliss, Chris Chang, A.O. Scott. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Brokeback
Mountain |
|
Ang Lee
(35) |
 |
| 2005, 134m, Col,
USA, Drama-Romance |
| Heath
Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Anne Hathaway, Michelle
Williams, Graham Beckel, Roberta Maxwell, Anna Faris, Linda
Cardellini, Peter McRobbie |
| "Brokeback
Mountain is that rare thing, a big Hollywood weeper with a
beautiful ache at its center. It's a modern-age Western that
turns into a quietly revolutionary love story." -
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly |
|
Selected by Todd
McCarthy, Michael Atkinson, Peter Travers, Philip French, Tony
Rayns. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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Punch-Drunk
Love |
|
Paul Thomas Anderson
(16) |
 |
| 2002, 95m, Col,
USA, Comedy-Drama-Romance |
| Adam
Sandler, Emily Watson, Luis Guzman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mary
Lynn Rajskub, Lisa Spector, Julie Hermelin, Karen Hermelin,
Hazel Mailloux, Nicole Gelbard |
| "I found it exquisite. In
part I responded out of sheer amazement: I've never seen
anything like the sequences in which Sandler, in his boxy,
sea-blue suit, charges around his warehouse to the rhythm of
Brion's harsh drums." -
David Edelstein, Slate |
|
Selected by Dennis
Lim, Adrian Martin, Dave Kehr, Gerald Peary, John Powers. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
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25
↑ |
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26
↑ |
|
27
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|
Caché |
|
Michael
Haneke (45) |
 |
| • Hidden
(English title) |
| 2005, 117m, Col,
France-Austria-Germany-Italy, Thriller-Drama |
| Daniel
Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Benichou, Annie Girardot,
Bernard Lecoq, Walid Afkir, Lester Makedonsky, Daniel Duval,
Nathalie Richard, Denis Podalydes |
| "We the viewers are its
beneficiaries, watching and waiting for something awful to
happen. Here it does, first subtly, then spectacularly. The
twist is not revealed until the last shot--if you keep your avid
eyes open." -
Richard Corliss, Time |
|
Selected by Dudley
Andrew, Mark Cousins, Michael Atkinson, Nick James, Ian
Christie. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
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|
A.I.
Artificial Intelligence |
|
Steven Spielberg (46) |
 |
| 2001, 145m, Col,
USA, Science Fiction-Drama |
| Haley Joel
Osment, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards, Jude Law, Jake Thomas,
Brendan Gleeson, William Hurt, Ken Leung, Theo Greenly, Ashley
Scott |
|
"Spielberg
tells the story slowly and films it with lucid, mesmerizing
objectivity, creating a mood as layered, dissonant and strange
as John Williams's unusually restrained modernist score." -
A.O. Scott, New York Times |
|
Selected by Armond
White, Joseph McBride, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Phillip Lopate, Gavin
Smith. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
The Lord of
the Rings: The Return of the King |
|
Peter
Jackson (17) |
 |
| 2003, 201m, Col,
Germany-New Zealand-USA, Fantasy-Adventure-Action |
| Elijah
Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate
Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic
Monaghan |
| "The second installment was
better than the first, and this one is best of all. It has
spectacular action scenes and imaginary creatures, and it’s by
far the most moving chapter. The performances have deepened." -
David Ansen, Newsweek |
|
Selected by Frank
Darabont, Michael Wilmington, A.O. Scott, Peter Travers, Jeanine
Basinger. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
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28
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29
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30
↑ |
|
The Death of
Mr. Lazarescu |
|
Cristi Puiu (26) |
 |
| • Moartea
domnului Lazarescu (original title) |
| 2005, 154m, Col,
Romania, Drama |
| Ioan
Fiscuteanu, Luminata Gheorghiu, Gabriel Spahiu, Doru Ana, Dana
Dogaru, Serban Pavlu, Florin Zamfirescu, Clara Voda, Adrian
Titieni, Mihai Bratila |
| "A watchful, winding-down
tragedy of a movie that delivers what it promises. As
commentary, it's grim. As filmmaking, it's a powerfully
disturbing odyssey through the Bucharest health care system." -
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe |
|
Selected by
Mike Leigh,
Leonardo Garcia-Tsao, Stuart Klawans, J. Hoberman, James Quandt. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
The Lord of
the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
|
Peter
Jackson (20) |
 |
| 2001, 178m, Col,
USA-New Zealand, Fantasy-Adventure |
| Elijah
Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate
Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan,
Orlando Bloom |
| "An extraordinary work,
grandly conceived, brilliantly executed and wildly entertaining.
It's a hobbit's dream, a wizard's delight. And, of course, it's
only the beginning." - Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune |
|
Selected by Frank
Darabont, Michael Wilmington, Peter Travers, A.O. Scott, Jeanine
Basinger. |
|
See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
City of God |
|
Fernando Meirelles (41) |
 |
| • Cidado de
Deus (original title) |
| 2002, 129m, Col,
Brazil-Germany-France, Drama-Crime-Action |
| Matheus
Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino da
Hora, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen,
Jefechander Suplino, Alice Braga, Roberta Rodriguez Silvia |
| "An exhilarating slap in
the face, bracing and sexy, smart and visceral, stylish and raw
-- the advent of a fabulously exciting new moviemaking talent." -
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian |
|
Selected by
Tony Scott,
Roger Ebert, Peter Bradshaw, Richard Corliss, Stephen Holden. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
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31
|
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32
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33
↑ |
|
Adaptation |
|
Spike Jonze (23) |
 |
| 2002, 114m, Col,
USA, Comedy |
| Nicolas
Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, Cara Seymour,
Brian Cox, Judy Greer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ron Livingston, Jay
Tavare |
| "Spellbindingly original --
Like the wild orchid, Adaptation is a marvel of adaptation,
entwined with its hothouse environment and yet stunningly
unique." - Peter Rainer, New York Magazine |
|
Selected by
Michael Atkinson, Roger Ebert, Molly Haskell, Gavin Smith, J.
Hoberman. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
The Departed |
|
Martin Scorsese (28) |
 |
| 2006, 152m, Col,
USA, Crime-Drama-Thriller |
| Leonardo
DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin
Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alec
Baldwin, Kevin Corrigan |
| "The screenplay, by William
Monahan, is simply sensational. Scenes play brilliantly.
Feelings flow like molten lava. The dialogue overflows with edgy
wit and acidulous arias of imprecation." -
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal |
|
Selected by Ian
Christie, Andrew Sarris, Vivian Sobchack, Peter Travers, Kent
Jones. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
Grizzly Man |
|
Werner Herzog (47) |
 |
| 2005, 103m, Col,
USA, Documentary |
| Timothy
Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Warren Queeney, Franc G. Fallico,
Willy Fulton, Sam Egli, Marnie Gaede, Marc Gaede, Larry Van
Daele, Sven Haakanson |
| "Shows and tells an
astonishing story, a disturbing and provocative tale of
obsession, bravado and self-invention that leaves you
open-mouthed for all kinds of reasons." -
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times |
|
Selected by Todd
McCarthy, Gilberto Perez, Richard Schickel, Dudley Andrew,
Phillip Lopate. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
34
↑ |
|
35
↑ |
|
36
↑ |
|
Donnie Darko |
|
Richard Kelly (49) |
 |
| 2001, 112m, Col,
USA, Fantasy-Drama |
| Jake
Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhaal,
James Duval, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore,
Katharine Ross, Noah Wyle |
| "A stunning technical
accomplishment that virtually bursts with noise, ideas and
references, but it's fundamentally a gracefully crafted movie
that's about human beings and not images." -
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon |
|
Selected by
Maitland McDonagh, Amy Taubin, Chris Chang, Elliott Stein, J.
Hoberman. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
The
Incredibles |
|
Brad Bird (40) |
 |
| 2004, 121m, Col-BW,
USA, Family-Animated-Adventure |
| Craig T.
Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Wallace
Shawn, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Brad Bird, Lou Romano,
Elizabeth Pena |
| "Bird has created the
unprecedented film that is not just a grand feature-length
cartoon but a grand feature, period, a piece of animation that's
involving across a spectrum of comedy, action, even drama." -
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times |
|
Selected by Frank
Darabont, Todd McCarthy, Jonathan Romney, David Denby, Michael
Sragow. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
Mystic River |
|
Clint
Eastwood (38) |
 |
| 2003, 137m, Col,
USA-Australia, Mystery-Drama-Crime |
| Sean Penn,
Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden,
Laura Linney, Kevin Chapman, Adam Nelson, Emmy Rossum, Cameron
Bowen |
|
"Clint
Eastwood pours everything he knows about directing into
Mystic River. His film sneaks up, messes with your head and then
floors you. You can't shake it. It's that haunting, that
hypnotic." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone |
|
Selected by Peter
Travers, David Denby, Charles Tesson,
Kiyoshi
Kurosawa, Michael Wilmington. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
37
↑ |
|
38
↑ |
|
39
|
|
Dogville |
|
Lars von Trier (43) |
 |
| 2003, 177m, Col,
Denmark-Sweden-France, Drama |
| Nicole
Kidman, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, Paul
Bettany, Blair Brown, James Caan, Ben Gazzara, Philip Baker
Hall, Udo Kier |
| "For passion, originality,
and sustained chutzpah, this austere allegory of failed
Christian charity and Old Testament payback is
von Trier's
strongest movie--a masterpiece, in fact." -
J. Hoberman, Village Voice |
|
Selected by Tom
Gunning, Stig Bjorkman, Mark Cousins,
Quentin
Tarantino, J. Hoberman. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
Syndromes
and a Century |
|
Apichatpong
Weerasethakul (50) |
 |
| • Sang
sattawat (original title) |
| 2006,
105m, Col, Thailand-France-Austria-Netherlands, Drama |
| Nantarat
Sawaddikul, Jaruchai Iamaram, Nu Nimsomboon, Arkanae Cherkam,
Sakda Kaewbuadee, Jenjira Pongpas, Sophon Pukanok, Manasanant
Porndispong, Wanna Wattanajinda, Apirak Mittrpracha |
| "As
human beings, we're geared to desire an actual plot in our
movies, and I regret to inform you that nothing really happens
in Syndromes and a Century -- and yet the experience of
the movie is all about the NOT happening. " -
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon |
|
Selected by
Jia Zhangke,
James Quandt, Tony Rayns, Jonathan Romney, Thom Andersen. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
2046 |
|
Wong Kar-wai
(34) |
 |
| 2004, 129m, Col-BW,
China-France-Germany-Hong Kong, Science Fiction-Drama-Romance |
| Tony Leung,
Gong Li, Takuya Kimura, Faye Wong, Zhang Ziyi, Carina Lau, Chen
Chang, Wang Sum, Ping Lam Siu, Maggie Cheung |
| "I'm glad that 2046 is
different from "Mood" even while being strangely of a piece with
it. Like "Mood," it’s a movie of utter wonder and ravishment.
But the key here is different." -
Glenn Kenny, Premiere |
|
Selected by
Raymond Bellour, Michael Atkinson, Amy Taubin, Andrew Sarris,
Nick James. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
40
|
|
41
↑ |
|
42
|
|
Ghost World |
|
Terry
Zwigoff (22) |
 |
| 2001, 111m, Col,
UK-USA-Germany, Drama-Comedy |
| Thora
Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Illeana
Douglas, Bob Balaban, Stacy Travis, Charles C. Stevenson Jr.,
Dave Sheridan, Teri Garr |
|
"If, like me, you've been
wondering how
Terry Zwigoff, the
brilliant documentary filmmaker who made Crumb, would
negotiate his shift to fiction filmmaking, here's your answer:
brilliantly." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader |
|
Selected by Roger Ebert, Kent
Jones, Chris Chang, Richard Corliss, A.O. Scott. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
WALL-E |
|
Andrew
Stanton (68) |
 |
|
2008, 98m, Col, USA, Animated-Adventure-Comedy |
| Ben Burtt,
Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, MacInTalk, John
Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver, Kim Kopf, Lori
Alan |
|
"The visual
design of Wall-E is arguably Pixar's best. Stanton, who
wrote the script with Jim Reardon from a story he concocted with
Peter Docter, creates two fantastically imaginative,
breathtakingly lit worlds." -
Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter |
|
Selected by
Vivian Sobchack, Leonardo Garcia-Tsao, Frank Darabont, David
Denby, John Anderson. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
United 93 |
|
Paul
Greengrass (37) |
 |
| 2006, 110m, Col,
USA-UK-France, Drama-Historical-Thriller |
| Christian
Clemenson, Trish Gates, Polly Adams, Cheyenne Jackson, Opal
Alladin, Gary Commock, Nancy McDoniel, David Alan Basche,
Richard Bekins, Susan Blommaert |
|
"A respectful,
accomplished, non-exploitative piece of historical filmmaking
and - for audiences - a gripping white-knuckle ride all the way." -
William Arnold,
Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
|
Selected by Michael Atkinson,
John Waters,
Gavin Smith, Peter Keough, Michael Sragow. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
43
|
|
44
↑ |
|
45
|
|
Moulin Rouge! |
|
Baz
Luhrmann (31) |
 |
| • Moulin
Rouge (alternative spelling) |
| 2001, 126m, Col,
USA-Australia, Drama-Musical-Romance |
| Nicole
Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard
Roxburgh, Garry McDonald, Jacek Koman, Matthew Whittet, Kerry
Walker, Kylie Minogue |
| "A landmark musical movie
-- controversial, mercurial, even cheeky. It's the kind of film
that wildly divides audiences and critics -- people tend to
either love or hate it. I loved it." - Michael Wilmington,
Chicago Tribune |
|
Selected by Owen
Gleiberman, Mark Cousins, Dennis Lim, David Ansen, Michael
Wilmington. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
Children of
Men |
|
Alfonso Cuarón (77) |
 |
| 2006, 109m, Col,
UK-USA, Drama-Science Fiction-Thriller |
| Clive Owen,
Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam,
Claire-Hope Ashitey, Pam Ferris, Danny Huston, Peter Mullan,
Oana Pellea |
| "Made with palpable energy,
intensity and excitement, it compellingly creates a world gone
mad that is uncomfortably close to the one we live in. It is a
Blade Runner for the 21st century." -
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times |
|
Selected by Frank
Darabont, Jonathan Romney, Michael Atkinson, Peter Travers,
Peter Keough. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
The Squid and
the Whale |
|
Noah Baumbach (33) |
 |
| 2005, 80m, Col,
USA, Drama-Comedy |
| Jeff
Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Halley
Feiffer, Anna Paquin, William Baldwin, David Benger, Molly
Barton, Bo Berkman |
| "A satirical
comedy--ruthless and heartbreaking, but a comedy nonetheless.
The movie is also about disintegration and the possibility of
rebirth. In other words, it’s a small miracle." - David Denby, The New Yorker |
|
Selected by J. Hoberman, Kenneth Turan,
David Ansen, Molly Haskell, Peter Keough. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
46
|
|
47
↑ |
|
48
↑ |
|
Flight of
the Red Balloon |
|
Hou Hsiao-Hsien
(30) |
 |
| • Le Voyage
du ballon rouge (original title) |
|
2007, 115m, Col, France-Taiwan, Drama |
| Juliette
Binoche, Simon Iteanu, Fang Song, Hippolyte Girardot, Louise
Margolin, Anna Sigalevitch, Flore Vannier-Moreau, Gregory
Dreyfuss, William Hatig, Clara Dumont |
| "Flight
of the Red Balloon is in a class by itself. In its
unexpected rhythms and visual surprises, its structural
innovations and experimental perfs, its creative
misunderstandings and its outré syntheses, this is a movie of
genius." - J. Hoberman, Village Voice |
|
Selected by Jonathan Rosenbaum, John Anderson, Amy Taubin,
Michael Atkinson, Berenice Reynaud. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
Still Life |
|
Jia Zhangke
(73) |
 |
| • Sanxia
haoren (original title) |
|
2006, 113m, Col, Hong Kong-China, Drama-Romance |
| Tao Zhao,
Sanming Han, Hong Wei Wang, Zhou Lan, Yong Huang, Jianlin Peng,
Zhubin Li |
|
"Few of China's
Sixth Generation filmmakers have turned to their country's
explosive economic growth and its attendant upheavals with so
sharp an eye and so heavy a heart as
Jia Zhang-ke." -
Ken Fox, TV Guide |
|
Selected by
Tony Rayns, Dennis Lim,
Kiyoshi Kurosawa,
Arnaud
Desplechin, Richard Combs. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
Summer Hours |
|
Olivier Assayas
new
|
 |
| • L'heure
d'été (original title) |
|
2008, 103m, Col, France, Drama-Family |
| Juliette
Binoche, Charles Berling, Jeremie Renier, Edith Scob, Dominique
Reymond, Valerie Bonneton, Isabelle Sadoyan, Alice de
Lencquesaing, Emile Berling, Kyle Eastwood |
| "French
films traditionally take France and its eternal appeal for
granted. Summer Hours is the rare film that worries about
that, worries about the future, and that proves to be
invaluable." -
Kenneth Turan, Los
Angeles Times |
|
Selected by Graham
Fuller, Kent Jones, Phillip Lopate, Todd McCarthy, Glenn Kenny. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
49
↑ |
|
50
|
|
|
|
Requiem for a
Dream |
|
Darren Aronofsky (76) |
 |
| 2000, 100m, Col,
USA, Drama |
| Ellen
Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans,
Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Keith David, Sean Gullette,
Dylan Baker, Hubert Selby Jr. |
| "Aronofsky
brings a new urgency to the drug movie by trying to reproduce,
through his subjective camera, how his characters feel, or want
to feel, or fear to feel." -
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times |
|
Selected by Owen
Gleiberman, Gerald Peary, Roger Ebert, John Anderson, Sam Adams. |
| See also:
1,000
Greatest Films |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
|
The Queen |
|
Stephen Frears (24) |
 |
| 2006, 103m, Col,
UK-France-Italy-USA, Biography-Drama |
| Helen
Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Helen McCrory, Alex
Jennings, Roger Allam, Sylvia Syms, Tim McMullan, Robin Soans,
Lela Peploe |
| "The Queen is the most
reverent irreverent comedy imaginable. Or maybe it's the most
irreverent reverent comedy. Either way, it's a small
masterpiece." - David Edelstein, New York Magazine |
|
Selected by
Glenn Kenny, Michael Wilmington, Molly Haskell, Peter
Keough, Michael Sragow. |
|
Amazon
metacritic |
|
|
> 51-100 |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
21st Century
Home Summary:
The 250 Films
The Top 50 Directors Browse by Ranking:
1-50
51-100
101-150
151-200
201-250
Previous Titles |
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