Spike Lee is an iconic American filmmaker. His decades-spanning career includes over 20 feature films, including titles like Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing, and BlacKKKlansman – the latter of which won him his first Academy Award. Lee's latest joint, Da 5 Bloods is a Vietnam War drama that debuted on Netflix in 2020 to wide critical acclaim.
In addition to being a prolific director and producer, Lee is a massive movie nerd. He holds tenure at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he still hosts seminars and teaches courses about filmmaking. While raising funds through Kickstarter for his 2014 film Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, Lee drummed up interest in the project by releasing a list of essential films he gives to all graduate film students.
10 Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) - 8.3
Peter O'Toole stars in what is considered one of the most beautiful films ever made. This epic historical drama is based on the life of writer T. E. Lawrence, known for his role in the campaigns against the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Set in the provinces of Hejaz and Greater Syria, David Lean's masterpiece is equal parts character study and immersive adventure film. Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Sherif co-star.
9 Vertigo (1958) - 8.3
Alfred Hitchcock at his prime, Vertigo is a psychodrama that takes place in the sleepy, windy streets of San Francisco. It stars James Stewart as retired detective John "Scottie" Ferguson, a man suffering from extreme acrophobia – or fear of heights.
Scottie is hired by an old school friend to investigate the strange behaviors of his wife, played by Kim Novak. A tale of obsession, stolen identity, and intrigue ensues.
8 Paths Of Glory (1957) - 8.4
Paths of Glory is a hard-hitting anti-war film directed by Stanley Kubrick. Kirk Douglas plays Colonel Dax, a French commanding officer during World War I.
After Dax's men are court-martialed and charged with cowardice for refusing to follow through on an offensive that is assuredly a suicide mission, Dax rises up to do whatever he can to defend his soldiers. Unfortunately, military bureaucrats will do whatever it takes to make an example out of the men.
7 Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb (1964) - 8.4
Another Stanley Kubrick classic, Dr. Strangelove is a Cold War-era satire that examines the fall-out from an unhinged US Air Force general's choice to order a first-strike nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, which is guaranteed to cause World War III.
America's top military officers join the U.S. president in the War Room to figure a way out of the mess. Comic actor Peter Sellers shines in three roles: President Merkin Muffley, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, and the title character – a nuclear war expert and former Nazi who offers up his misguided advice.
6 Rear Window (1954) - 8.4
The second Alfred Hitchcock film on this list, Rear Window is a voyeuristic thriller starring James Stewart. Stewart plays photographer L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies, a man stuck in his New York apartment after breaking his leg on assignment.
Jeff spends his days and nights watching his neighbors, coming to believe a man across the courtyard murdered his wife. Grace Kelly plays Jeff's love interest, Lisa Carol Fremont.
5 Casablanca (1942) - 8.5
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman share the screen in this romantic drama set against the backdrop of World War I. Bogart plays an American expatriate who crosses paths with his former lover (Bergman) in Casablanca, Morocco.
Bogart's character Rick must choose between his latent feelings for Bergman's character Isla and helping Isla escape German-controlled Casablanca with her husband – a Czech resistance leader. Casablanca is revered as one of the most devastating love stories of all time.
4 City Of God (2002) - 8.6
The only contemporary film on this list, City of God is a fast-paced Brazilian movie that takes place in one of Rio De Janeiro's most infamous shantytowns: Cidade de Deus. Adapted from Paulo Lins's novel of the same name, the film traces the rise of organized crime in Cidade de Deus between the 60s and 80s.
Told from the perspective of a young man named Buscapé, much of the film is based on real events. Despite its grim subject matter, City of God is a gorgeous movie full of life, color, and raw expressions of emotions.
3 One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - 8.7
Some critics consider Jack Nicholson's role as Randle McMurphy in Miloš Forman's adaptation of Ken Kesey's popular novel the best of the actor's career. The book and the film both tell the story of a man who evades prison time by going to a mental hospital.
What McMurphy finds at the asylum is an establishment ruled by the authoritarian Nurse Ratched, a woman who exposes her wards to untold abuses. McMurphy encourages his fellow patients to resist Nurse Ratched, and the film dives into the cultural milieu during the 70s – a decade defined by the Vietnam War, counterculture movements, and political instability.
2 The Godfather: Part II (1974) - 9.0
There's no doubt Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather films are deemed some of the most vital contributions to cinema. The second installment sees Al Pacino's Michael Corleone assume control of his late father's criminal empire, a role that causes Michael to turn more sinister.
Part II takes place in the 50s, and it follows Michael as he attempts to expand the business into Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba. The film also includes memorable performances from Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Robert De Niro.
1 The Godfather (1972) - 9.2
Coppola brought Mario Puzo's mob novel to the big screen in three parts, and it all started with Marlon Brando playing patriarch Vito Corleone. The first film follows the family between 1945 and 1955, leading up to Vito's death.
This ensemble family drama reaches Shakespearean proportions as Coppola digs deep into the Corleone family's psychological underpinning. The film sets up Pacino's Michael as the inheritor of his father's throne, a move whose consequences are developed in the sequel.
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