List of Best Films
What follows are my favorite films for 1997-2004. I
don't limit
the number of films that can be on a list. My only criteria is
that a film be at least three stars out of four―which, to me,
means the film achieved what it set out to do. A film may not
be perfect and still achieve what it set out to do. Perfection in
film is rare, as in any art.
2012
2004
- The Avengers
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Hunger Games
- Wreck-It Ralph
- Prometheus
- Safe House
- Rise of the Guardians
- Chronicle
- Skyfall
Yet to see:
- The Hobit
- Snow White and the Huntsman
- Lincoln
- Zero Dark Thirty
- Django Unchained
- The Bourne Legacy
- Magic Mike
- Life of Pi
- Jack Reacher
- Looper
- This is 40
- The Dictator
- Argo
- Les Miserables
- Margin Call
- The Master
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
2011
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
- Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- X-men: First Class
- Super 8
- Rango
- Real Steel
- Battle: Los Angeles
- We Bought a Zoo
- War Horse
- Limitless
- The Adentures of Tintin
- Moneyball
- Hugo
- The Adjustment Bureau
- Midnight in Paris
- Source Code
- Arthur Christmas
- The Ides of March
- Paul
- Drive
- The Conspirator
- The Big Year
Haven't seen:
- The Tree of Life
- Melancholia
- The Descendants
- A Separation
- Certified Copy
- Take Shelter
- Margaret
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier , Spy
2010
- The Social Network
- The King's Speech
- Inception
- 127 Hours
- The Tillman Story (documentary)
- Inside Job (documentary)
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Tangled
Haven't seen:
- Black Swan
- Winter's Bone
- The Kids Are All Right
- The Fighter
- The Aviator
- Fahrenheit 9/11
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Sideways -- Added 4/13/05
- Spider-man 2
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
- The Manchurian Candidate
- Kill Bill Vol. 2
- The Incredibles
- Some Kind of Monster
- Touching the Void
- The Forgotten
- The Passion of the Christ
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Ocean's Twelve
- Miracle
- Hellboy
-
Ladder 49
- Whale Rider
- Master and Commander
- Kill Bill Volume 1
- 21 Grams
- Seabiscuit
- Finding Nemo
- Cold Mountain
- American Splendor
- Lost in Translation
- Monster
- In America
- The Matrix Reloaded
- The Matrix Revolutions
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
- The School of Rock
- A Mighty Wind
- Capturing the Friedmans
- The Hunted
- Phone Booth
- The Italian Job
- Big Fish
- Open Range
- Minority Report
- Catch Me If You Can
- Bowling for Columbine
- Adaptation
- Chicago
- 25th Hour
- We Were Soldiers
- The Pianist
- Insomnia
- Gangs of New York
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
- The Bourne Identity
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Spider-Man
- Die Another Day
- Impostor
- Solaris
- One Hour Photo
- Blue Crush
- About a Boy
- Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron
- Panic Room
- 8 Mile
- XXX
- A Beautiful Mind
- Vanilla Sky
- Ocean's Eleven
- Memento
- Mulholland Drive
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- Monsters, Inc.
- Sexy Beast
- Bridget Jones's Diary
- The Shipping News
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- Shrek
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
- Serendipity
- Blow
- Training Day
- Hearts in Atlantis
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- Auto Focus
- Gladiator
- Erin Brockovich
- Requiem for a Dream
- Snatch
- High Fidelity
- Cast Away
- The Virgin Suicides
- Chocolat
- Traffic
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- The Patriot
- Almost Famous
- The Big Kahuna
- Quills
- Wonder Boys
- Nurse Betty
- Thirteen Days
- Rules of Engagement
- Miss Congeniality
- X-Men
- The Matrix
- The Green Mile
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
- American Beauty
- The Insider
- The Talented Mr. Ripley
- Girl, Interrupted
- Three Kings
- Notting Hill
- The Limey
- Being John Malkovich
- Man on the Moon
- Go
- Fight Club
- Run Lola Run
- The Cider House Rules
- Galaxy Quest
- Election
- The Sixth Sense
- Toy Story 2
- October Sky
- Tarzan
- Runaway Bride
- The Blair Witch Project
- Sleepy Hollow
- The Thomas Crown Affair
- Eyes Wide Shut
- Dogma
- Trekkies
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
- Mumford
- Dick
- Pushing Tin
- Music of the Heart
- Stir of Echoes
- Magnolia
- Saving Private Ryan
- The Truman Show
- The Red Violin
- Shakespeare in Love
- Life is Beautiful
- The X-Files
- Ronin
- A Bug's Life
- Buffalo 66
- Enemy Of the State
- Primary Colors
- Pi
- Hilary and Jackie
- Gods and Monsters
- The Big Lebowski
- Affliction
- Dark City
- Rushmore
- One True Thing
- The Negotiator
- Blade
- Titanic
- Star Wars: Special Edition
- The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition
- Boogie Nights
- Good Will Hunting
- The Ice Storm
- The Sweet Hereafter
- As Good As it Gets
- The Edge
- L.A. Confidential
- Wag The Dog
- The Full Monty
- Shall We Dance?
- Eve's Bayou
- Donnie Brasco
- Copland
- Air Force One
- Contact
- Men in Black
- Face/Off
- Addicted to Love
- Brassed Off
- Breakdown
- Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
- Chasing Amy
- Hard Eight
- Smilla's Sense of Snow
- When We Were Kings
- The Apostle
- One Night Stand
- The Game
- Starship Troopers
- Gattaca
- Star Wars
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Witness
- Taxi Driver
- Network
- This is Spinal Tap
- Chinatown
- Annie Hall
- The Graduate
- Citizen Kane
- The Godfather Part I
- The Godfather Part II
- Saving Private Ryan
- Patton
- The Right Stuff
- Apollo 13
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Jerry Maguire
- Apocalypse Now
- Hannah and Her Sisters
- Unforgiven
- Singin' in the Rain
- The Sound of Music
- Jaws
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- Pulp Fiction
- Forrest Gump
- Dances with Wolves
- The Wizard of Oz
- The Conversation
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Best movies about NASA and the space race
- The Right Stuff
- From the Earth to the Moon (mini-series)
- Apollo 13
- Moon Shot: The Inside Story of the Apollo Project (VHS only) - Documentary
- The Dish
- The Dream is Alive (IMAX - documentary)
- For All Mankind (documentary)
- Hail Columbia! (IMAX documentary)
- Space Station (IMAX documentary - 3D)
- The Race to Space
- Episode IV: A New Hope
- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith
- Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones