Here’s my current list of essential movies, with links to reviews where I have them. All reviews are free from major spoilers unless marked. Bear in mind I’m still working on reviewing movies, so some of them don’t have links yet.
| Title | Runtime | Director | Year | Category | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Angry Men | 1:36 | Sidney Lumet | 1957 | drama | PG |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey | 2:41 | Stanley Kubrick | 1968 | sci-fi | G |
| A Christmas Story | 1:34 | Bob Clark | 1983 | Christmas | PG |
| A Fish Called Wanda | 1:49 | Charles Crichton, John Cleese | 1988 | comedy, crime | R |
| A Hard Day’s Night | 1:27 | Richard Lester | 1964 | comedy, music | G |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | 2:07 | Elia Kazan | 1951 | drama | PG |
| A Trip to the Moon | 0:13 | Georges Méliès | 1902 | comedy | NR |
| Airplane! | 1:28 | Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker | 1980 | comedy | PG |
| Alien | 1:57 | Ridley Scott | 1979 | horror, sci-fi, thriller | R |
| Aliens | 2:17 | James Cameron | 1986 | action, sci-fi, thriller | R |
| Almost Famous | 2:42 | Cameron Crowe | 2000 | adventure, comedy, music | R |
| Amelie | 2:09 | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | 2001 | adventure, romance | R |
| American Beauty | 2:02 | Sam Mendes | 1999 | drama | R |
| Annie Hall | 1:33 | Woody Allen | 1977 | comedy, romance | PG |
| Apocalypse Now | 2:33 | Francis Ford Coppola | 1979 | drama, war | R |
| Back to the Future | 2:00 | Robert Zemeckis | 1985 | adventure, comedy, sci-fi | PG |
| Ben-Hur | 3:44 | William Wyler | 1959 | adventure, epic, historical | G |
| Black Swan | 1:48 | Darren Aronofsky | 2010 | drama, indie, thriller | R |
| Blade Runner | 1:57 | Ridley Scott | 1982 | film noir, sci-fi | R |
| Bonnie and Clyde | 1:52 | Arthur Penn | 1967 | crime | R |
| Bottle Rocket | 1:45 | Wes Anderson | 1996 | comedy, indie | R |
| Breakfast at Tiffany’s | 2:10 | Blake Edwards | 1961 | comedy, romance | NR |
| Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | 1:50 | George Roy Hill | 1969 | biopic, western | PG |
| Casablanca | 1:42 | Martin Curtiz | 1942 | romance | PG |
| Charade | 1:53 | Stanley Donen | 1963 | comedy, mystery, romance | G |
| Chinatown | 2:11 | Roman Polanski | 1974 | film noir, mystery | R |
| Citizen Kane | 1:59 | Orson Welles | 1941 | drama | PG |
| Close Encounters of the Third Kind | 2:15 | Steven Spielberg | 1977 | sci-fi | PG |
| Dances with Wolves | 3:56 | Kevin Costner | 1990 | drama, epic, historical, western | PG-13 |
| Die Hard | 2:12 | John McTiernan | 1988 | action, Christmas | R |
| Dog Day Afternoon | 2:05 | Sidney Lumet | 1975 | crime, drama | R |
| Donnie Darko | 2:13 | Richard Kelly | 2001 | indie, sci-fi, teen | R |
| E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial | 2:01 | Steven Spielberg | 1982 | sci-fi | PG |
| Enter the Dragon | 1:50 | Bruce Lee, Robert Clouse | 1973 | action | R |
| Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | 1:48 | Michel Gondry | 2004 | drama, indie, romance | R |
| Fantastic Mr. Fox | 1:27 | Wes Anderson | 2009 | animated, comedy | PG |
| Fight Club | 2:31 | David Fincher | 1999 | action | R |
| Following | 1:10 | Christopher Nolan | 1999 | crime, indie, mystery | R |
| Frances Ha | 1:26 | Noah Baumbach | 2012 | comedy, drama, indie | R |
| Full Metal Jacket | 1:58 | Stanley Kubrick | 1987 | drama, war | R |
| Gangs of New York | 2:47 | Martin Scorsese | 2002 | crime, drama, historical | R |
| Gladiator | 2:35 | Ridley Scott | 2000 | action, drama, epic, historical | R |
| Ghost World | 1:52 | Terry Zwigoff | 2001 | comedy, indie, teen | R |
| Gone with the Wind | 3:58 | Victor Fleming | 1939 | drama, epic, historical, romance | G |
| Good Will Hunting | 2:06 | Gus Van Sant | 1997 | drama | R |
| Goodfellas | 2:28 | Martin Scorsese | 1990 | biopic, crime | R |
| Grave of the Fireflies | 1:29 | Isao Takahata | 1988 | animated, drama, historical, war |
NR |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 2:02 | James Gunn | 2014 | comedy, sci-fi, superhero | PG-13 |
| Harold and Maude | 1:31 | Hal Ashby | 1971 | romance | PG |
| Hot Fuzz | 2:01 | Edgar Wright | 2007 | action, comedy, mystery | R |
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas | 0:26 | Chuck Jones, Ben Washam | 1966 | Christmas | NR |
| Inglourious Basterds | 2:33 | Quentin Tarantino | 2009 | adventure, historical, war | R |
| Interstellar | 2:49 | Christopher Nolan | 2014 | sci-fi | PG-13 |
| Iron Man | 2:06 | Jon Favreau | 2008 | superhero | PG-13 |
| Jaws | 2:10 | Steven Spielberg | 1975 | adventure, thriller | PG |
| Juno | 1:36 | Jason Reitman | 2007 | comedy, indie, teen | PG-13 |
| Jurassic Park | 2:05 | Steven Spielberg | 1993 | sci-fi, thriller | PG-13 |
| Lady Bird | 1:34 | Greta Gerwig | 2017 | comedy, drama, indie, teen | R |
| Laura | 1:28 | Otto Preminger | 1944 | film noir, mystery | NR |
| Lawrence of Arabia | 3:48 | David Lean | 1962 | biopic, epic, historical | PG |
| Little Miss Sunshine | 1:41 | Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris | 2006 | comedy, drama, indie | R |
| Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels | 2:00 | Guy Ritchie | 1998 | comedy, crime, indie | R |
| Logan | 2:21 | James Mangold | 2017 | drama, superhero | R |
| Lost in Translation | 1:44 | Sofia Coppola | 2003 | drama, indie | R |
| Metropolis | 2:33 | Fritz Lang | 1927 | sci-fi | NR |
| Midnight Cowboy | 1:53 | John Schlesinger | 1969 | drama | R |
| Monty Python and the Holy Grail | 1:32 | Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam | 1975 | comedy | PG |
| Moonrise Kingdom | 1:34 | Wes Anderson | 2012 | adventure, comedy, drama, romance | PG-13 |
| Moulin Rouge | 2:10 | Baz Luhrmann | 2001 | musical | PG-13 |
| Mulholland Drive | 2:27 | David Lynch | 2001 | drama, mystery, thriller | R |
| Murder on the Orient Express | 2:11 | Sidney Lumet | 1974 | mystery | PG |
| Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | 2:09 | Frank Capra | 1939 | drama | NR |
| My Fair Lady | 2:52 | George Cukor | 1964 | romance | G |
| Network | 2:01 | Sidney Lumet | 1976 | drama | R |
| North by Northwest | 2:16 | Alfred Hitchcock | 1959 | action, mystery | NR |
| O Brother, Where Art Thou? | 1:48 | Coen Brothers | 2000 | adventure, historical | PG-13 |
| Office Space | 1:29 | Mike Judge | 1999 | comedy | R |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest | 2:13 | Milos Forman | 1975 | drama | R |
| Pan’s Labyrinth | 1:58 | Guillermo del Toro | 2006 | fantasy, historical, thriller | R |
| Platoon | 2:00 | Oliver Stone | 1986 | war | R |
| Primer | 1:19 | Shane Caruth | 2004 | indie, sci-fi | PG-13 |
| Psycho | 1:49 | Alfred Hitchcock | 1960 | horror, mystery, thriller | R |
| Pulp Fiction | 2:58 | Quentin Tarantino | 1994 | crime, indie | R |
| Raging Bull | 2:09 | Martin Scorsese | 1980 | biopic, drama | R |
| Rain Man | 2:13 | Barry Levinson | 1988 | drama | R |
| Rear Window | 1:52 | Alfred Hitchcock | 1954 | mystery | NR |
| Rocky | 2:02 | John G. Avildsen | 1976 | drama | PG |
| Roman Holiday | 1:58 | William Wyler | 1953 | comedy, romance | NR |
| Saving Private Ryan | 2:50 | Steven Spielberg | 1998 | epic, historical, war | R |
| Say Anything | 1:40 | Cameron Crowe | 1989 | romance, teen | PG-13 |
| Scarface | 2:50 | Brian de Palma | 1983 | crime | R |
| Schindler’s List | 3:15 | Steven Spielberg | 1993 | biopic, drama, epic, historical | R |
| Secretary | 1:51 | Steven Shainberg | 2002 | comedy, drama, indie, romance | R |
| Seven Samurai | 3:28 | Akira Kurosawa | 1954 | epic, historical | NR |
| Shaun of the Dead | 1:40 | Edgar Wright | 2004 | comedy, horror, indie | R |
| Sideways | 2:07 | Alexander Payne | 2004 | comedy, drama, indie | R |
| Silver Linings Playbook | 2:02 | David O. Russell | 2012 | comedy, romance | R |
| Snatch | 1:44 | Guy Ritchie | 2000 | comedy, crime | R |
| Some Like It Hot | 2:02 | Billy Wilder | 1959 | comedy | G |
| Spirited Away | 2:05 | Hayao Miyazaki | 2001 | animated, adventure, fantasy | PG |
| Stand By Me | 1:29 | Rob Reiner | 1986 | adventure, teen | R |
| Star Wars: A New Hope | 2:05 | George Lucas | 1977 | fantasy, sci-fi | PG |
| Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back | 2:07 | George Lucas | 1979 | fantasy, sci-fi | PG |
| Star Wars: Return of the Jedi | 2:16 | George Lucas | 1981 | fantasy, sci-fi | PG |
| Sunset Boulevard | 1:55 | Billy Wilder | 1950 | film noir | G |
| Superbad | 1:59 | Greg Mottola | 2007 | adventure, comedy, teen | R |
| Taxi Driver | 1:54 | Martin Scorsese | 1976 | crime, drama | R |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 2:34 | James Cameron | 1991 | action, sci-fi | R |
| Terms of Endearment | 2:12 | James L. Brooks | 1983 | comedy | PG |
| The African Queen | 1:46 | John Huston | 1951 | adventure, romance | PG |
| The Apartment | 2:05 | Billy Wilder | 1960 | comedy, drama, romance | NR |
| The Big Lebowski | 1:59 | Coen Brothers | 1998 | comedy | R |
| The Blues Brothers | 2:28 | John Landis | 1980 | adventure, comedy, music, musical | R |
| The Breakfast Club | 1:37 | John Hughes | 1985 | comedy, drama, teen | R |
| The Darjeeling Limited | 1:44 | Wes Anderson | 2007 | drama | R |
| The Dark Knight | 2:32 | Christopher Nolan | 2008 | crime, superhero | PG-13 |
| The Deer Hunter | 3:02 | Michael Cimino | 1978 | drama, war | R |
| The Departed | 2:31 | Martin Scorsese | 2006 | crime | R |
| The French Connection | 1:44 | William Friedkin | 1971 | crime, thriller | R |
| The Godfather | 2:57 | Francis Ford Coppola | 1972 | crime, drama, epic | R |
| The Godfather: Part II | 3:20 | Francis Ford Coppola | 1974 | crime, drama, epic | R |
| The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | 2:59 | Sergio Leone | 1966 | epic, western | R |
| The Graduate | 1:46 | Mike Nichols | 1967 | comedy, drama | PG |
| The Grand Budapest Hotel | 1:40 | Wes Anderson | 2014 | comedy | R |
| The Grapes of Wrath | 2:09 | John Ford | 1940 | drama | G |
| The Great Dictator | 2:06 | Charlie Chaplin | 1940 | comedy | G |
| The Green Mile | 3:09 | Frank Darabont | 1999 | drama | R |
| The Jerk | 1:44 | Carl Reiner | 1979 | comedy | R |
| The Karate Kid | 2:06 | John G. Avildsen | 1984 | action, teen | PG |
| The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | 1:59 | Wes Anderson | 2004 | comedy | R |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | 3:48 | Peter Jackson | 2001 | epic, fantasy | PG-13 |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | 3:21 | Peter Jackson | 2003 | epic, fantasy | PG-13 |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | 3:55 | Peter Jackson | 2002 | epic, fantasy | PG-13 |
| The Maltese Falcon | 1:41 | John Huston | 1941 | film noir, mystery | PG |
| The Nightmare Before Christmas | 1:16 | Henry Selick | 1993 | animated, Christmas | PG |
| The Princess Bride | 1:38 | Rob Reiner | 1987 | adventure, comedy, fantasy, romance | PG |
| The Room | 1:39 | Tommy Wiseau | 2003 | drama | R |
| The Royal Tenenbaums | 1:50 | Wes Anderson | 2001 | comedy | R |
| The Shawshank Redemption | 2:22 | Frank Darabont | 1994 | drama | R |
| The Shining | 2:26 | Stanley Kubrick | 1980 | horror, thriller | R |
| The Silence of the Lambs | 2:18 | Jonathan Demme | 1991 | horror, mystery, thriller | R |
| The Squid and the Whale | 1:28 | Noah Baumbach | 2005 | drama, indie | R |
| The Third Man | 1:48 | Carol Reed | 1949 | film noir, mystery | NR |
| The Treasure of the Sierra Madre | 2:06 | John Huston | 1948 | adventure | NR |
| The Usual Suspects | 1:48 | Bryan Singer | 1995 | crime, indie, mystery | R |
| The Wizard of Oz | 1:52 | Victor Fleming | 1939 | adventure | G |
| This is Spinal Tap | 1:25 | Rob Reiner | 1984 | comedy, music | R |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 2:10 | Robert Mulligan | 1962 | drama | NR |
| Tootsie | 1:59 | Sydney Pollack | 1982 | comedy | PG |
| Unforgiven | 2:11 | Clint Eastwood | 1992 | western | R |
| V for Vendetta | 2:13 | James McTeigue | 2005 | action, drama, thriller | R |
| Walk the Line | 2:16 | James Mangold | 2005 | biopic, drama, music | PG-13 |
| West Side Story | 2:33 | Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise | 1961 | musical | PG |
| Who Framed Roger Rabbit | 1:44 | Robert Zemeckis | 1988 | animated, comedy, film noir, mystery | PG |
| Your Name | 1:46 | Makoto Shinkai | 2016 | animated, drama, romance, teen | PG |
