My Canon

Every schmuck with a keyboard and an internet connection has a list. Here’s mine.

For a while now I’ve kept a running list of all the films I’ve seen and thought I might share my favorites. Below is a reverse chronological list* of the films. Happy watching.

*Re-issues have their original theatrical release date. Within each year films are ordered alphabetically.

Boyhood (2014)

Maybe the best movie of the decade, this is Richard Linklater’s masterpiece. My Film Blerg review.

The Case Against 8 (2014)

A spectacular documentary about the legal case for same sex marriage rights.

Life Itself (2014)

Roger Ebert was one of my all time favorite writers, so I adored this biography even if it didn’t quite have the depth I would have loved. My Film Blerg review.

Life of Riley (2014)

Alain Resnais’s last film is a spiritual companion piece to You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (my favorite film of last year) that again explores the theme of death in a theatrical setting. My Film Blerg review.

Mr. Turner (2014)

Mike Leigh’s testament to the life of and experiences of an artist. Rich and moving featuring an unforgettable performance from Timothy Spall. My Film Blerg review.

Wish I Was Here (2014)

Zach Braff’s follow up to Garden State as writer/director is very much a love or hate affair. I loved it. My Film Blerg review.

Before Midnight (2013)

It’s a credit to Linklater and Co. just how brave they chose to be in bringing this third chapter to the screen – and make no mistake by the time the third act roles around, it becomes absolutely clear that was a conscious choice. Also has some of the best dialogue you are ever likely to hear in a movie.

Charlie’s Country (2013)

David Gulpilil co-writes and stars in this commanding masterpiece from Rolf De Heer.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Incredible performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto are the highlight is this heavy but rewarding film. My Film Blerg review.

Frozen (2013)

The finest Disney film since The Lion King, Frozen is intelligently written and genuinely original without loosing the trademark Disney charm.

Her (2013)

Another film I’m not quite as high about as others, but it still more than deserves its spot here. Scarlett Johansson was robbed of an Oscar nomination for her voice work as Samantha, she manages to convey so much emotion and charm in her voice alone.

How I Live Now (2013)

Powerful and gripping, this rock’n’roll styled WW3 what-if from Kevin McDonald grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go for it’s entire run time. Watch the cult grow. My Film Blerg review.

Night Train To Lisbon (2013)

Apparently I’m in the minority on this one but I found it absolutely sumptuous. Beautifully made with an involving and complex story that completely drew me in. My Film Blerg review.

Omar (2013)

A moving exploration of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict framed against a love story. Powerful and heart wrenching. My Film Blerg review.

The Past (2013)

I saw this in the second of two packed out MIFF screenings and found it just as insightful and powerful as A Separation.

Short Term 12 (2013)

A powerful and rewarding indie which vividly re-enforces how a small film can benefit from sacrificing large scope for intimacy. My Film Blerg review.

Upstream Color (2013)

I’d be lying if I said I entirely understood writer/director Shane Carruth’s second feature after Primer, but I found it no less affecting. Beautiful. My review for Film Blerg.

Argo (2012)

A great political thriller and the kind of intelligent and mature entertainment that defined the political films of the 70s.

The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

The most original ‘genre’ film ever made. Period. I can still specifically remember the feeling of walking out of the preview screening of this film knowing an entire genre had been up rooted and transformed. My Film Blerg review.

The Company You Keep (2012)

Great performances by a huge ensemble and some interesting themes elevate this ‘wrong man’ thriller from the rest of the bunch. Good, old fashioned film making with no bells and whistles, just a great story and interesting characters. My Film Blerg review.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 (2012)

It may be heresy to say but I was never a big fan of Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel, which made it all the more surprising to find just how much I dug this movie. Gripping and unexpectedly gritty.

Life Of Pi (2012)

I didn’t really care for the flashback structure, but I adored the spirit of this film so completely it didn’t matter. It’s no surprise that it came from one cinema’s purest souls, Ang Lee.

Lincoln (2012)

This is great film making at its highest level. Day-Lewis earns his Oscar for his portrayal of the iconic leader, and Tony Kushner’s script, full of Lincoln’s parables and mannerisms, is about as perfectly written as they come.

Looper (2012)

Not quite sure I fully understood the time travel logic entirely here but it didn’t matter, Johnson focuses on the human journey and it pays of completely.

Prometheus (2012)

Contrary to the almost universal derision this received upon its theatrical release, I absolutely embraced this film. Scott crafts an intelligent and surprisingly philosophical journey while staying true to the feel and world of his original masterpiece. In discussing its brilliance with my editor he said I might need to champion it. Consider this just the start…

Rock The Casbah (2012)

Released in Australia in 2014, this is a masterful study of the insanity of war from Israel.

Satellite Boy (2012)

Far and away the most under rated Australian film that got its local release in 2013. This is a truly great and insanely watchable film which I really hope finds its audience. My Film Blerg review.

Skyfall (2012)

After 22 attempts (admittedly some very close), it took one of my favorite film makers Sam Mendes to make the first Bond masterpiece (Goldfinger is definitely a classic but does it really cut mustard outside the conventions of the series?). Rising above it’s stock standard villain with some unexpected emotion, this is still a gripping experience

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Extremely well made featuring some fine turns from Cooper and the much deserved Oscar winner Lawrence. I felt it succumbed too close to genre cliché’s in the last act, but that’s only because it did such a great job of subverting them until then.

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (2012)

My favorite film of 2013, made by a ninety year old with more wit, originality and sheer audaciousness than a dozen film makers half of his age combined. A tour de force from start to finish. My Film Blerg review.

The Adventures Of Tin Tin (2011)

Spielberg and Jackson coming together could not miss, and it doesn’t. An audacious and aptly stylish feature debut for the world’s greatest adventurer.

The Artist (2011)

I wasn’t quite as high on this as everyone else, but I still really, really enjoyed it. A great experience, especially for silent film fans.

Attack The Block (2011)

Assault On Precinct 13 meets The Thing in this awesome, fun and exciting film.

Café de Flore (2011)

For all of its flaws, this is an incredible film that attempts to tell stories of love from two profound and very different view points. Magical. My review at Film Blerg.

The Descendants (2011)

Payne, like so many of the film makers I feature here, is so talented that he just hits a home run every single time, even if it didn’t quite hit the highs of his Election (1999), I still found myself adoring this.

Hara Kiri: Death Of A Samurai (2011)

One of the most mature works from cinema’s biggest renegade. An exceedingly fine film showing Miike’s dramatic potential through restraint. My review at Film Blerg.

Hugo (2011)

Scoresese’s love letter to silent cinema is a magical journey through childhood. My favorite film of 2012 (when it got its Australian theatrical release).

Project Nim (2011)

Both heartbreaking and amusing, the story of Nim is one you will carry around with you forever. Brilliantly made too.

A Separation (2011)

Astounding as a character drama and a portrait of the legal process completely foreign to Westerners. This is absorbing, mature and soulful film making.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Almodovar has flirted with Hitchcock before but this is the closest he has come to fully embracing the Master, and he does it entirely within his own sensibilities. I was completely riveted from start to finish.

True Grit (2011)

Another masterpiece from the Brothers Coen. Regardless of genre, they have the unprecedented ability to completely absorb and in turn rework conventions down to the smallest detail, and being a Western, True Grit is a perfect example.

Inception (2010)

The first time I watched Inception I knew it was one of the best films I’d ever seen, and subsequent viewings have only confirmed my first impression. A masterpiece.

The Social Network (2010)

An incredible script form Aaron Sorkin and a great performance from Jesse Eisenberg are the key to this modern masterpiece.

About Elly (2009)

Before his big breakout hit with A Seperation, Iranian Asghar Farhadi made this masterful mediation on responsibility and the wide ranging effects of white lies. Incredible.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

Not only shows the potential for Motion Capture as a medium within itself, but made with such brilliance and originality that it doesn’t really matter in the end.

Daybreakers (2009)

I remember being disappointed by the Spierig’s debut Undead because I really, really wanted to love it and just didn’t, so I was ridiculously happy when they won me over completely with this. A really great genre movie through and through.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Watching this for the first time reminded me exactly how I felt the first time I saw Raiders Of The Lost Ark. What an adventure and what a world Guy Ritchie crafts. Amazing.

Watchmen (2009)

Much like Fight Club, it wasn’t until the second viewing that I realized just what a masterpiece this is. Incredible from start to finish.

The Dark Knight (2008)

As a Batman fanatic I was no fan of this the first time I saw it (nor Nolan’s trilogy in general) but managed to finally win me over when I focused on it less as a Batman story (indeed Batman himself seems oddly redundant and could be easily reworked to be a spy or cop) but as both an emotional character drama and Godfather-styled political power play.

Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

Perhaps the best of Allen’s movies from opening decade of the century. Funny, dramatic and perfectly stylized. My Retrospective at Film Blerg.

Wall-E (2008)

Maybe my favorite Pixar film.

Charlie Wilsons War (2007)

The Darjeeing Limited (2007)

Eastern Promises (2007)

A masterwork from Cronenberg, just solid film making and a great story.

Election (2005)

Tickets (2005)

A trilogy of short stories from three of the leading filmmakers in modern world cinema. Each demonstrates exactly why they are the leaders. Brilliant.

Head in the Clouds (2004)

Unfairly derided upon its release, Duigan’s melodrama works incredibly when viewed as just that, a melodrama.

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

My favorite Miyazaki. Visually stunning and heartfelt.

The Polar Express (2004)

One of my all-time favorite Christmas films, I wasn’t an easy convert to motion capture animation but this won me over completely.

Infernal Affairs 2 (2003)

Exploring the mythology set-up by the first film deeper, this is a dense and rewarding experience when seen in conjunction with part one.

The Gangs Of New York (2002)

Derided on release (I didn’t much care for it on my first watch either), I embraced this more with every viewing.

Infernal Affairs (2002)

A spectacular film, not even Scorsese could re-capture its brilliance in his Hollywood remake The Departed.

Battle Royale (2000)

A masterfully made variation on The Most Dangerous Game, this could only have come from Japan.

Chopper (2000)

Brilliantly realized by Andrew Dominik, this is also one of the funniest black comedies ever made.

10  Things I Hate About You (1999)

The smartest teen film ever made with an irresistibly charismatic performance from Ledger.

The End Of The Affair (1999)

Neil Jordan offers a fine adaptation of the Greene novel with heartfelt performances from Fiennes and Moore. Unjustly neglected.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)

For my money, the funniest movie ever made. Seriously.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Coen Brothers’ cult classic deserves every bit of its celebration. The Busby Berkley styled dream sequence is probably my favorite part.

Elizabeth (1998)

A fine performance from Cate Blanchett is the centerpiece of this intriguing Godfather-like tale of political intrigue. Masterful.

Hamlet (1997)

One of the best adaptations of any Shakespeare play, Branagh crafts an epic film that more then does justice to his material.

Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

Magical, one of my favorite Allen films. My Retrospective at Film Blerg.

Casino (1995)

Scrosese’s companion piece to Goodfellas is an equally impressive crime epic.

Forgotten Silver (1995)

Peter Jackson and Costa Botes’s biopic of revolutionary filmmaker Colin McKenzie is a must see. Funny and endearing.

The Journey of August King (1995)

An intimate drama set against the backdrop of slavery in the American deep south in 1815. It’s a small film, but perfectly made and touching.

Chungking Express (1994)

Wong Kar Wai’s testament to the insanity of love is an audaciously stylish rollercoaster of a film.

The Lion King (1994)

My favorite animated film of all time. I’ll never forget watching this Hamlet inspired masterpiece for the first time in the cinema.

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (1993)

My favorite Batman film of all time and my second favorite animated film. Narratively modeled on Citizen Kane this is surprisingly complex filmmaking and stunningly executed.

Short Cuts (1993)

Altman’s testament film is a riveting suburban epic based on the writings of Raymond Carver.

Sirens (1993)

One of John Duigan’s masterpieces this is a gorgeous and intelligent exploration of sensibility and sensuality at the turn of the century in Australia.

Malcom X (1992)

Spike Lee’s epic biography is still a powerful and passionate film with an incredible performance from Washington.

MGM: When The Lion Roars (1992)

An in-depth celebration of the famous studio features extensive clips and doesn’t;t shy away from controversy. Brilliant.

Flirting (1991)

Brilliant follow up to The Year My Voice Broke. My retrospective at Film Blerg.

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Demme’s Hannibal Lector tale is sensational.

Zentropa (Europa) (1991)

Visually spectacular and Von Trier’s most accessible film.

Dreams (1990)

A late masterpiece from one of the true legends of cinema.

Goodfellas (1990)

Brilliant in every regard, a modern classic.

Misery (1990)

Great performances from Caan and Bates, with claustrophobic direction from Reiner make this one of the best King adaptations.

Batman (1989)

Still my favourite live-action Batman, Burton’s sensibilities fit this material like a glove.

The Decalogue (1989)

A masterful mini-series with the Polish auteur taking on the Ten Commandments.

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Spike Lee’s testament film still packs a punch.

The Unbelievable Truth (1989)

Nobody writes dialogue quite like Hartley, this is a grossly under-appreciated film from the heyday of the American indie.

Die Hard (1988)

Still one of the best of its kind, taut direction from McTiernan and a strong performance from Willis.

The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)

Soulful and powerfully directed, my Retrospective at Film Blerg.

The Untouchables (1987)

De Palma’s adaptation of the classic TV series makes for a great combination of his visual style and classic Hollywood storytelling

Blue Velvet (1986)

David Lynch explores suburban dysfunction in his testament film. Masterful.

The Horse Thief (1986)

A beautiful and touching drama from the Chinese New Wave.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Hughes’s masterpiece still holds up despite its ’80s trappingings.

Explorers (1985)

Almost a companion piece to E.T., this is a much under-appreciated gem from Joe Dante.

Fright Night (1985)

Smart, funny and scary as hell; this is one of the best genre films of the ’80s.

Silverado (1985)

Kasdan’s ensemble western blew off the cobwebs with gusto, still a great adventure film.

A Nightmare On Elm St (1984)

Probably the most intelligent straight horror film ever made, its only flaws are some truly terrible special effects outside the bravura setpieces.

The Terminator (1984)

Brilliantly original and suprisingly heart warming.

The Big Chill (1983)

One of the best ensemle pieces ever made, Kasdan’s direction is flawless.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)

The best cut of Scott’s visionary masterpiece.

Come Back To The 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)

A brilliant filming of the stage play, Altman’s best film of the ’80s.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

Lucas and Spielberg are individaully masters of adventure, together they’re unbeatable.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Shining (1980)

Alien (Director’s Cut) (1979)

No filmmaker creates entire worlds within cinema like Ridley Scott and this is one of his finest examples.

Apocalypse Now Redux (1979)

Coppola’s grand opus is, among other things, tonally one of the best films ever made. A masterpiece in any form.

Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

Hayao Miyazaki’s feature directorial debut is an incredible thriller, crafting a spectacular adventure for one of the most charismatic heroes in all pop-culture.

Mad Max (1979)

My retrospective at Film Blerg.

The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)

One of Fassbinder’s undisputed masterpiece, gripping from the start to the unbelievable conclusion.

The Deer Hunter (1978)

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

Sometimes written off as pretentious and bloated and coming off the back of a cycle of similar war epics, I really got into this and enjoyed it immensely.

The Last Wave (1977)

Rolling Thunder (1977)

Featuring great performances from William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones, this goes beyond standard revenge film fare by offering a harrowing depiction of a man coming to terms with returning to society after spending time in a Vietnamese P.O.W. camp.

Stroszek (1977)

Jaws (1975)

Day For Night (1973)

The Exorcist (Special Edition Version) (1973)

Mean Streets (1973)

Aguirre: The Wrath Of God (1972)

Solaris (1972)

Lawman (1971)

Wild Child (1970)

Truffaut sensibilities match the story of Wild Child perfectly. Honest, touching and straight forward.

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

Leone’s definitive testament to the mythos of the west is perhaps his most masterful and considered film. Incredible, especially if seen on the big screen.

The Picture’s That Moved: Australian Cinema 1896-1920 (1968)

Though certainly dated, a great documentary on the early days of the Australian film industry.

7 Women (1966)

A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)

The Gospel According To St. Matthew (1964)

My Retrospective at Film Blerg

America, America (1963)

The Great Escape (1963)

The Leopard (1963)

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Vivre Sa Vie (1962)

Late Autumn (1960)

L’avventura (1960)

Inherit the Wind (1960)

One of the most intelligent and historically important films ever made. March and Tracy are dynamite in their scenes together and the screenplay is sensational/

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

The Virgin Spring (1960)

Wild River (1960)

Floating Weeds (1959)

Pickpocket (1959)

Rio Bravo (1959)

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Equinox Flower (1958)

King Creole (1958)

In one of his earliest roles, Elvis is perfectly cast as a singer who runs afoul of the mob. Unfairly considered just another vehicle for ‘The King’, Curtiz’s stylish direction cements this as a classic worth re-consideration.

Mon Oncle (1958)

Teacher’s Pet (1958)

Doris Day and Clark Gable are absolutely charming in this romantic comedy. The best, and one of the most under appreciated, of its kind.

To Catch A Thief (1958)

I’ve always enjoyed this but every time I watch it I find it growing on me even more.

3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Delmer Daves’s classic western thriller still holds up, as tense now as it was almost fifty years ago.

A Face In The Crowd (1957)

Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (1957)

Another great rendition of the Earp story, this time centering on his friendship with Doc Holiday. The climatic shoot out is one of the best in cinema.

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Wild Strawberries (1957)

Bergman makes one of the best road trip movies with a touching performance from the master filmmaker Victor Sjöström in his twilight.

Bob The Gambler (1956)

Early Spring (1956)

Another masterful Ozu film.

A Man Escaped (1956)

The Searchers (1956)

Written On The Wind (1956)

Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)

Bergman blends high comedy and high drama like no other filmmaker, until I saw this, I wouldn’t have thought such a thing was possible.

Rear Window (1954)

Robinson Crusoe (1954)

La Strada (1954)

Flavor Of Green Tea Over Rice (1952)

Another touching masterwork from Ozu. My piece exploring some of his work, including this, at Beer Movie.

Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

Ace In The Hole (1951)

Equally as effective as Sunset Blvd., this is an increasingly cynical and bitter look at the worst parts of our humanity.

On Dangerous Ground (1951)

Nicholas Ray directs this hard-nose noir thriller featuring great turns by Robert Ryan, Ida Lupino and Ward Bond.

The River (1951)

Maybe the most beautifully shot film ever produced. Also a lyrical coming of age story.

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

After making the prototypical siege movie, Huston turns his attention to the prototypical gangster movie. Sure to put some hair on your chest.

Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Masterful Wilder. Great writing, great performances and brilliant direction. A justifiable classic.

Late Spring (1949)

Another great Ozu film. My piece dedicated to the great man at Beer Movie.

Le Silence de la Mar (1949)

Melville’s first film is an incredible dissection of life in times of war and the impossible circumstances people are put under.

Key Largo (1948)

The prototypical siege movie is tough as nails genre filmmaking from Huston at his best.

Record Of A Tenement Gentleman (1947)

It’s a tough call but I think this is the Ozu film that touched me the most. One of the great endings in all of cinema.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945)

Elia Kazan’s debut feature film is the touching story of a little girl growing up poor in Brooklyn. Great performances and a masterful screenplay.

Lifeboat (1944)

One of Hitchcock’s great ‘experiment’ pictures, I loved this tale of humanity in one of its less impressive moments. Stunning from the first scene until the last.

Five Graves To Cairo (1943)

An early atypical gem from Billy Wilder demonstrates his brilliance with every kind of genre.

For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)

Not considered with anywhere near as much esteem as it should be, Gary Cooper is excellent in this adaptation of the Hemingway novel.

The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943)

One of the great biopics, this is bravura film making from the immortal team of Powell and Pressburger.

Sahara (1943)

A great story, well told and featuring a strong performance from Bogart. Brian Trenchard-Smith’s 1995 remake is just as good too.

Bambi (1942)

Having already set the benchmark for what was technically possible in animation, Disney here raises the bar for dramatic storytelling. So touching.

Casablanca (1942)

Curtiz’s masterpiece is all kinds of awesome. Everything is just so perfect that it’s hard to single a single aspect.

Citizen Kane (1941)

There’s not much I can add to what’s already been said about Kane except that I concur whole heartedly with the general consensus that it is one of the greatest films ever made.

The Lady Eve (1941)

One of the great screwball comedies, Sturges was such a master at these. Fonda’s terrific but Stanwyck walks off with the movie.

The Loyal 47 Ronin: Part 1 (1941)

The first part of Mizoguchi’s adaptation of the timeless tale of honor is stunning.

The Great Dictator (1940)

This send up of Hitler is one of the funniest films ever made, Chaplin notably regretted it when the true extent of Hitler’s evil was revealed to the world, but I still did a great thing here. Roger Ebert also took issue with his character-breaking monologue denouncing fascism at the end but I totally bought into it.

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

James Stewart won the Oscar for his performance here and while he deserved it, the real greatness comes from Hepburn and Grant. Grant shows a rare adeptness in his more dramatic moments and Hepburn was born to play here conflicted socialite.

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

A great script, two great performances and a great director at the peak of his powers.

Dodge City (1939)

A great action adventure with Flynn’s usual charisma driving the story along. Makes for a great double bill with Virginia City – also directed by Curtiz.

Frontier Marshall (1939)

Maybe the best Wyatt Earp film from the still much under appreciated Allan Dwan. Perhaps Scott’s greatest performance too.

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Cagney and Bogart are both dynamite in this rollicking prohibition story. Walsh’s direction was never as explosive.

The Rules Of The Game (1939)

Another masterpiece from Renoir.

Stagecoach (1939)

The greatest introductory shot of all time appears in this most entertaining big screen return to form for Wayne who hadn’t made an “A Picture” for ten years after The Big Trail flopped.

The Grand Illusion (1937)

What a movie. Great performances (especially from Stroheim) and incredible direction from Renoir. Such a humanist masterpiece.

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

It’s crazy how good this movie is, even before you consider just how technically innovative it was. A true miracle of film making.

The Scarlet Empress (1934)

A stunning historical epic from Sternberg. Masterful with incredible set design and a great story and characterization of its titular character driving it.

Footlight Parade (1933)

This is the pinnacle of the Berkley musicals. Whereas most have typically masterful dance sequences, this also has a razor sharp screwball script and a brilliant performance from James Cagney to go along with it.

The Old Dark House (1932)

Hard to find on any format but screening regularly on late night ABC in Australia, this is a spectacular compliment to Whale’s Frankenstein films and features the creature himself, Boris Karloff. Part of its appeal is the weirdness that Whale evokes in his shot and design choices.

Trouble In Paradise (1932)

I’m not quite the fan of Lubitsch that most film fans are but this is irresistible. One of the best comedies ever made.

City Lights (1931)

My favorite Chaplin. Exceedingly funny but in the end it all comes down to a girl and that’s why I dig it so much.

Dracula (Spanish Version) (1931)

It’s one of the great tragedies of cinema that Tod Browning’s version with Lugosi (which was shot simultaneously with this) gets considered a classic, even though its frankly terrible, and this far superior version is a mere footnote. Get the DVD or Blu-Ray just for this.

The Docks Of New York (1928)

An extraordinarily moving film so artfully made by Sternberg. Heartbreaking and beautiful.

The Wind (1928)

Lillian Gish is extraordinary in one of Victor Sjöström’s greatest works. His use of landscape and environment is at its peak here and the superb musical accompaniment on the Turner Classics VHS that I saw it on added to it beautifully.

Metropolis (Reconstruction) (1927)

I happened to have watched the Reconstruction version (at the Astor in St. Kilda – an incredible experience) but other cuts are just as good. Lang’s set piece are thrilling and his set design is stunning.

Napoleon (1927)

One of my favorite films ever made. I’ve only seen the “Zoetrope” version that Francis Ford Coppola put out during the eighties due to a surprising lack of availability. Well worth tracking down and hopefully Kevin Brownlow’s five hour cut will get a DVD release in the near future.

Flesh and the Devil (1926)

Garbo and Gilbert are great but I found myself enthralled in the story and Clarence Brown’s masterful direction.

Mother (1926)

A Russian classic.

The Scarlet Letter (1926)

Before The Wind, Victor Seastrom teamed with Lillian Gish for this incredible adaptation of the Hawthorne novel. Rare, but well worth the effort of seeing.

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

My favorite Buster Keaton film features some of the artist’s best set pieces and effects. It’s also perhaps cinema’s first self-aware film in that the plot involves going through the cinema screen into the film itself.

Foolish Wives (1922)

They don’t make movies like this anymore. A relatively personal story played out on a gigantic scale, Von Stroheim follows his worthy debut Blind Husbands with a similar tale of deception and greed. Absolutely masterful.

Nanook Of The North (1922)

A lot as already been said about this early feature length documentary but what struck me was how much I found myself caring the title character and his people. Makes a nice double feature with Flaherty’s Louisiana Story which transposes the same concept to a young boy and oil drilling in the bayou.

Nosferatu (1922)

This gothic masterpiece is made with such beauty despite the subject matter and Max Schreck’s justly iconic performance is superb.

The Birth Of A Nation (1915)

While Griffith may not have been the inventor of all the film techniques he was purported as being (as detailed in his aptly named autobiography that he started but never finished writing “The Man Who Invented Hollywood”), he was certainly the first to master them. This is incredible and audacious film making which still feels epic to this day.

Regeneration (1915)

Raoul Walsh’s first surviving film, this prototypical gangster film set in New York is truly remarkable.

Cabiria (Kino Cut) (1914)

The first epic masterpiece. Perhaps the first masterpiece full stop. It’s amazing how well it still holds up too. I watched the two hour Kino Cut but a three hour longer cut has since surfaced and premiered at Cannes a few years ago (which Roger Ebert writes about here). Sadly it’s yet to be released to home video.