In no particular order:
The Usual Suspects - A Master class is suspense and intrigue. I’m well aware that Kevin Spacey got caught up in the “Me too” mess this past year, as well he should have. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a brilliant actor, and this role was perhaps his best. Maybe the best ending to a movie (where so many promising films fall short) that I can recall.
The Wizard of Oz - Not much to be said about this all-time classic that everybody doesn’t already know.
The Godfather - One of the first brutally honest and realistic films about mob power produced by Hollywood. Brilliant cast and performances.
Airplane - Totally goofy and a laugh-a-minute. May not hold up so well for younger viewers - humor is almost always best enjoyed on a timely basis. But for those of us who remember seeing it as a first-run movie, the laughs still hold up.
Fargo - Off-beat, original and perfectly presented. Wonderful acting, great story-telling.
The Notebook - If a man or woman over the age of 40 can watch this entire movie and not have a tear in their eye at the end, I’d like to meet them. Beautiful film.
No Country for Old Men - Gritty, almost hard-to-watch at points. A superb Coen Brothers masterpiece.
Napoleon Dynamite - Another off-beat selection. I have found that the world is divided into two factions; those that really, really love the movie, and those that don’t get it at all. Count me among group #1.
40 Year Old Virgin - To me, this is Steve Carrel’s best work (although he is now starting to turn in some good "straight’ performances). Just a funny movie that I always enjoy watching parts of when it pops up on the TV schedule.
Saving Private Ryan - For me, not having served in war time, this movie’s opening was a stunning, in-your-face depiction of the terror and chaos that D-Day at Normandy truly was. I already had a very healthy respect for “our greatest generation” before viewing this film, but it was elevated even higher afterward. It led to some discussions with my WWII vet dad (who landed at Normandy a few weeks after D-Day) that we hadn’t had before that - for which I am grateful, especially now that he is gone.
Schindler’s List - Gripping tale of personal risk on behalf of others in Hitler’s Germany. Beatifically crafted and acted film. Really moved me the first time I saw it.
Manhunter - This is a personal favorite that very few saw in theaters. It is, in fact, based on the novel Red Dragon from the Hannibal Lector series which gave us Silence of the Lambs, etc. more than a decade after Manhunter was released in the mid-80’s. A pre-CSI William Petersen stars in this version, and I’ll admit that a more recent viewing left me feeling that the music and wardrobe had a decidedly “Miami Vice” feeling to them - not surprising, given the release date of the film. But it still holds up, IMO, and I like it a lot more than the sequel to SOTL (“Red Dragon”) which was released almost 20 years later.
Broken Flowers - an “under the radar” Bill Murray film that I stumbled into and liked a great deal. Unlike his earlier efforts (Caddyshack, Stripes, etc), this is a much more subdued and subtle role for Murray. Think “Lost in Translation” Murray, but with a more comedic slant as per the subject material.
Dragon Tatoo Trilogy (“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”)…the Original series, with sub-titles - Kept hearing about the Dragon Tatoo movie so finally ordered it from Netflix a few years back - before the American version had been made and released. Didn’t realize at the time that it was foreign with English sub-titles. Normally, not something I would have watched. But I found out that after a few minutes, my mind easily adjusted to reading the dialogue and then scanning the action, so I didn’t really think about it after that. Riveting action/suspense movie. Was thrilled to find out that there were two more movie sequels in the trilogy, and they all delivered.
Searching for Sugarman (Documentary) - If you haven’t heard anything about this one, I won’t spoil it for you. Fantastic true story of a great musician I had never heard of (and that in itself is shocking, as the tale is told) and what happened to him. Superb watch.
Up Series (Documentary) - This is something else I kind of stumbled into. Read a list that included the first of the series (Seven Up) as one of the top documentaries of all time. Did not realize it was the first of a series until watching it. The premise was to get a group of 7 year-olds, in 1964, and interview them; then, to catch up with them every 7 years afterward for updates. As I am a child more or less of the same age group, I found all of the films to be fascinating, as I could relate to the times the kids were going through at various stages, and the world they were in at those points corresponded to the world I experienced those same changes at, approximately. I highly, highly recommend this series for anyone in their late 50’s and over. Hard for me to predict how interesting it would be to someone much younger than that.
Christmas Vacation - Best Chevy Chase movie ever. A must watch every Xmas season.
Nebraska - Great balance of humor and poignant moments. You’ll LOL a few times, and choke up at others.
The Game - IMO, an under-appreciated suspense/thriller that will keep you guessing right up until the end. Great cast, headlined by Michael Douglas and Sean Penn.