The Beginners
Created by JessKlette.
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Movies...ruining the book since the 1920's.
For my friends that have been overwhelmed with my recommendations over the years. This is the beginner's list. The list is for luke-warm fan's of film, the one's who would never admit that "the film was better than the novel" (You know who you are), the ones who have briefly ventured into the terrain of Technicolor but have jumped off the train at a screening of "Deuce Bigelow"or have given up after witnessing the less than 'dynamic' range of Keanu Reeves and Nicholas Cage.
Fear not, good film exists.
I hope that you will be able to knock of these films one by one and succumb to the passion for film that will begin to grow within you. I hope these films will inspire you to look for more films made by the same directors, for more performances by some great actors and pursue beautiful cinematography by the masters of their craft. Ultimately I hope that this list would be the start of your journey through the wonderful world of moving pictures.
The films listed are evaluated by year: so take "Jaws" or "Say Anything" for example...not exactly the greatest movies known to man but they were brilliant for the years that they came out. The Impact on the trajectory of film making and cultural significance also plays a huge factor e.g "À bout de souffle (Breathless)" might be a bizarre choice but the French New Wave introduced techniques like starting the dialogue of a scene before cutting to the shots of the characters speaking. Wide consensus or popular approval are considerations for some choices e.g "Titanic" and "Finding Nemo" were chosen as they are enjoyed by a wide array of audiences. Some pictures are in the list because of the brilliant performances by actors e.g the 2011 film "Take Shelter" has an interest premise and is very well made for the budget that was available to them but it's Michael Shannon that completely steals the show and displays some of the finest acting since the beginning of film itself.
My specialty is classic American cinema...yes, contrary to hipsterian knowledge, a large percentage of the best films ever made are American and yes, films can be in English and they can be enjoyable - We don't need to sit through "Salo: 120 Days of Sodom" just so we can say that we have seen a movie that regular people who don't appreciate violent intellectual porn haven't. So there is tons of great early American film including some wonderfully dramatic, chiaroscuro inspired Film-Noir. I have also sourced important films from an array of countries, even from Iran for all you 'progressive' cool cats. An endnote: Bias is reduced when using methodology like I have listed above. Many of the film's here I am not fond of at all, including Kubrick's 40min sequence of apes bashing rocks in "2001: Space Oddessey", but these films are still significant and they do have large groups of eccentric fans.
Seeing those scribblings of movie lists handed to friends might be long gone, or keeping the place at page 22 of attempts at Tolstoy's "War & Peace"...this indestructible digital version might be the thing that gets you guys on the right track. Please enjoy these films and let me know what you think of them. : )
Pssst, want to check out the The Beginners list in our new look?
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140 new
Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao
1995 — a.k.a. Shanghai Triad, in 1 top list Check -
3 new
The Musketeers of Pig Alley
1912, in 8 top lists Check -
4 new
Cabiria
1914, in 12 top lists Check -
187 new
Ondine
2009, in 0 top lists Check -
115 new
Hong gao liang
1988 — a.k.a. Red Sorghum, in 11 top lists Check -
14 new
7th Heaven
1927, in 11 top lists Check -
178 new
Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia
2006 — a.k.a. Curse of the Golden Flower, in 2 top lists Check -
5 new
Les vampires
1915, in 14 top lists Check -
20 new
The Scarlet Empress
1934, in 12 top lists Check -
18 new
42nd Street
1933, in 12 top lists Check -
7 new
The Birth of a Nation
1915, in 21 top lists Check -
104 new
Victor/Victoria
1982, in 3 top lists Check -
169 new
House of Sand and Fog
2003, in 0 top lists Check -
8 new
Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl
1919 — a.k.a. Broken Blossoms, in 13 top lists Check -
199 new
My Week with Marilyn
2011, in 0 top lists Check -
2 new
The Great Train Robbery
1903, in 11 top lists Check -
42 new
A Star Is Born
1954, in 13 top lists Check -
145 new
Eskiya
1996 — a.k.a. The Bandit, in 2 top lists Check -
184 new
Blindness
2008, in 0 top lists Check -
49 new
The Seven Year Itch
1955, in 3 top lists Check -
6 new
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
1916, in 24 top lists Check -
119 new
Krótki film o zabijaniu
1988 — a.k.a. A Short Film About Killing, in 12 top lists Check -
118 new
Krótki film o milosci
1988 — a.k.a. A Short Film About Love, in 6 top lists Check -
66 new
Ningen no jôken
1961 — a.k.a. The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer, in 12 top lists Check -
28 new
Cat People
1942, in 15 top lists Check -
38 new
The Asphalt Jungle
1950, in 15 top lists Check -
110 new
The Killing Fields
1984, in 12 top lists Check -
31 new
Meet Me in St. Louis
1944, in 16 top lists Check -
53 new
What's Opera, Doc?
1957, in 7 top lists Check -
197 new
Biutiful
2010, in 3 top lists Check -
45 new
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953, in 11 top lists Check -
85 new
Scener ur ett äktenskap
1973 — a.k.a. Scenes from a Marriage, in 4 top lists Check -
149 new
Bacheha-Ye aseman
1997 — a.k.a. Children of Heaven, in 10 top lists Check -
123 new
Nema-ye Nazdik
1990 — a.k.a. Close-Up, in 21 top lists Check -
52 new
Letyat zhuravli
1957 — a.k.a. The Cranes Are Flying, in 17 top lists Check -
125 new
Da hong denglong gaogao gua
1991 — a.k.a. Raise the Red Lantern, in 21 top lists Check -
174 new
The New World
2005, in 10 top lists Check -
165 new
La pianiste
2001 — a.k.a. The Piano Teacher, in 7 top lists Check -
81 new
Viskningar och rop
1972 — a.k.a. Cries and Whispers, in 17 top lists Check -
155 new
Election
1999, in 7 top lists Check -
116 new
Au revoir les enfants
1987 — a.k.a. Au Revoir les Enfants, in 13 top lists Check -
77 new
Il conformista
1970 — a.k.a. The Conformist, in 20 top lists Check -
79 new
Sleuth
1972, in 4 top lists Check -
65 new
L'avventura
1960 — a.k.a. L'Avventura, in 24 top lists Check -
133 new
Trois couleurs: Blanc
1994 — a.k.a. Three Colors: White, in 10 top lists Check -
186 new
Revolutionary Road
2008, in 1 top list Check -
205 new
Take Shelter
2011, in 2 top lists Check -
16 new
All Quiet on the Western Front
1930, in 19 top lists Check -
76 new
Patton
1970, in 13 top lists Check -
185 new
Okuribito
2008 — a.k.a. Departures, in 8 top lists Check
Last updated on Apr 6, 2012;