My own top 30 : A list of essentials handpicked by Martin.
A good mixture of timeless classics, recent behemoths and underrated gems from around the world. These are my favorite movies.
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30 titles
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsMax von SydowGunnar BjörnstrandBengt EkerotA knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.If every movie that ever existed ceased to exist right now and i could only save one, it would be this one.
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsVincent CasselHubert KoundéSaïd Taghmaoui24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.French is my first language and somehow, i've always been so hard with french movies. Nonetheless, La Haine made his way to the top like a furious thug stomping everything in front of him.
- DirectorMichelangelo AntonioniStarsDavid HemmingsVanessa RedgraveSarah MilesA fashion photographer unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park.When you end up wondering for almost two hours ''what the heck is going on here ?'' in the most satisfying way possible.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsLeon LaiMichelle ReisTakeshi KaneshiroThis Hong Kong-set crime drama follows the lives of a hitman, hoping to get out of the business, and his elusive female partner.Wong Kar Wai could have multiple entries on this list but i limited myself to my favorite one. A must watch if you want to experience the magic of world cinema.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanJon VoightSylvia MilesA naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.An unlikely bond between a con-man and a cowboy-to-rent in the streets of New York sets the ground work for your next ''should've watched it earlier''.
- DirectorEdward YangStarsNien-Jen WuElaine JinIssei OgataEach member of a middle-class Taipei family seeks to reconcile past and present relationships within their daily lives.Unique, compelling and shattering. The human experience is presented to us through this middle class Taipei family as comforting and as hurting as we know it.
- DirectorElem KlimovStarsAleksey KravchenkoOlga MironovaLiubomiras LauceviciusAfter finding an old rifle, a young boy joins the Soviet resistance movement against ruthless German forces and experiences the horrors of World War II.Purely haunting. It will stays in your thoughts for a while.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJodie FosterCybill ShepherdA mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.We all have a movie which made us fall in love with cinema.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsBrendan FraserSadie SinkTy SimpkinsA reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.After all my years of watching movies, never a movie made me cry like this. Even if i am totally alien to the struggles of extreme obesity and the struggles of fatherhood and a dark past, i know one thing ; we all want to mean something to someone, we all have purpose and we all want to be whole. Another powerful drama on the human experience with an interesting take on the Herman Melville novel of the same name.
- DirectorSatoshi KonStarsJunko IwaoRica MatsumotoShinpachi TsujiA pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsSimon RexBree ElrodSuzanna SonMikey Saber is a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown, not that anyone really wants him back.The best movie i've seen in 2021 hands down. Simon Rex did an Oscar job right there. You wont see anyone make you fall for a jerk with that ease anytime soon, its guaranteed. Also a big shout to Sean Baker, one of the best american director you can find right now. This movie is a work of art.
- DirectorThomas VinterbergStarsMads MikkelsenThomas Bo LarsenAnnika WedderkoppA teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.Peak Mads and peak Vinterberg. Danish cinema went insanely hard with this one. How fast a kindergarten educator life can go down on a little lie will have your nails pierce your armrests.
- DirectorKatsuhiro ÔtomoStarsMitsuo IwataNozomu SasakiMami KoyamaA secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.The movie who introduced western audiences to Japanese anime. An unmatched production remastered again and again. Holding up real strong against modern anime. It was ahead of its time and it still is. Also, a quite good introduction to the cyberpunk genre.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.Another cyberpunk pick. I'm obsessed with this one. You wont get any better lightning in a movie. The ambiance is unmatched and Harrison Ford is just so good in it.
- DirectorMichaël R. RoskamStarsMatthias SchoenaertsJeroen PercevalJeanne DandoySint-Truiden, Belgium. Jacky, a young cattle farmer who is constantly pumped on steroids and hormones, is approached by a veterinarian to make a deal with a notorious beef trader.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsRock HudsonFrank CampanellaJohn RandolphAn unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity - one that comes with its own price.
- DirectorPierre FalardeauStarsHugo DubéLuc PicardPierre RivardA dramatization of the infamous Canadian terrorist abduction & murder of a government minister by a cell of The Quebec Liberation Front.
- DirectorTom HollandStarsChris SarandonWilliam RagsdaleAmanda Bearse"Fright Night" sees a teenager believing that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire. He turns to an actor in a television hosted horror movie show for help to deal with the undead.I found this one to have a perfect balance of everything. Horror movies like this are quite rare. Bonus : its aging like fine wine.
- DirectorJameson BrooksStarsDave DavisGlenn MorshowerLuke SheltonBomb City is a crime-thriller, about the cultural aversion of a group of punk rockers in a conservative Texas town. Their ongoing battle with a rival, more-affluent clique leads to a controversial hate crime that questions the morality of American justice. Based on the true-life story of Brian Deneke.Nothing is as devastating as a true story. A very well thought and well made film about a tragic event who took place not long ago, not that far away, in a broken, unfair and superficial system.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsEwan McGregorEwen BremnerJonny Lee MillerRenton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends.
- DirectorAlex GarlandStarsAlicia VikanderDomhnall GleesonOscar IsaacA young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.It was made 10 years ago and it gets relevant by the day. A truly visionary piece of modern sci-fi.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittLukas HaasEmilie de RavinA teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.Mommy's basement drug rings are no glam. I'd take a good hit of suburb score settling over a 10 million cargo bust by the FBI any day of the week. But seriously, the noir genre is having a unique revival in this teen drama from the mid 2000's with a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsDaniel Day-LewisPaul DanoCiarán HindsA story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.It got everything ; Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano and an iron grasp on the finest American mixture: oil and faith.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHugh JackmanJake GyllenhaalViola DavisWhen Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.A gripping tale with powerful acting from the first to the last second. If you are seeking a crime movie, you wont be disappointed.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderCarey MulliganJames Badge DaleA sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.My favorite Fassbender appearance. A drama masterclass. Carey Mulligan is also on top of her game, what a duo and what a story.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenTom BerengerWillem DafoeChris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.I dont know why but i've always been drawn to military movies since i'm a kid. I really wanted to put at least one military focused movie on my list. After a good meditation, i think platoon is the best all rounder you can have in the G.I. aisle. An up and coming all-star cast with a young Dafoe, a young Sheen and Whitaker to name a few. All packed in a straight forward plot coupled with an harrowing realism and masterclass directing by Oliver Stone ; an instant classic.
- DirectorKirsten JohnsonStarsKirsten JohnsonAisha BukarEric W. DavisExposing her role behind the camera, Kirsten Johnson reaches into the vast trove of footage she has shot over decades around the world. What emerges is a visually bold memoir and a revelatory interrogation of the power of the camera.When direct cinema reaches a level of unmatched quality. Profound, touching, provoking and most of all... human.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.Every movie nerd you know have seen it and told you its a banger. Thats the truth. Name a better lead duo in modern cinema. We'll wait.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsJames SpaderAndie MacDowellPeter GallagherA sexually repressed woman's husband is having an affair with her sister. The arrival of a visitor with a rather unusual fetish changes everything.Love triangles are fun, dont they ? A great exemple of a perfect scenario. Undeniable in its plot and aesthetically pleasing, Sex Lies and Videotape is the ''love'' movie you wish you saw earlier.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsRoy ScheiderBruno CremerFrancisco RabalFour unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous Latin American jungle.A movie way ahead of its time that still holds up a place amongst the greatest edge seaters you'll ever have the chance to watch. The mother of modern thrillers. Good to note it was a new take by Friedkin on the legendary french film ''Le Salaire de la Peur''.