CITIZEN KANE

1941. ORSON WELLES.  DRAMA. MYSTERY. 

Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.  Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. It was Welles'first feature film. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories; it won an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Herman Mankiewicz and Welles.

THE THIRD MAN

1949.  CAROL REED. STARRING ORSON WELLES, JOSEPH COTTEN.  MYSTERY. CRIME. NOIR. DRAMA. THRILLER. ROMANCE. BLACK & WHITE.  SET IN POST-WAR VIENNA.


Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime.  The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. The screenplay was written by novelist Graham Greene, who subsequently published the novella of the same name (which he had originally written as a preparation for the screenplay). Anton Karas wrote and performed the score, which used only the zither; its title music "The Third Man Theme" topped the international music charts in 1950.

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

2012. MALIK BENDJELLOUL.  WITH RODRIGUEZ.  DOCUMENTARY. BIOGRAPHY. HISTORY. MYSTERY. MUSIC.

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez. Swedish/British documentary directed by Malik Bendjelloul.

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR

1975. SYDNEY POLLACK.  STARRING ROBERT REDFORD, FAYE DUNAWAY.  SPY. DRAMA. MYSTERY. ROMANCE.

U.S. political thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel was adapted from James Grady's novel Six Days of the Condor. Set mainly in New York City and Washington, D.C., the film is about a bookish CIA researcher who comes back from lunch and discovers all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out whom he can really trust. The film addresses the perceived moral ambiguity of the actions of elements within the United States government during the early 1970s. 

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND

2002. GEORGE CLOONEY. STARRING SAM ROCKWELL, DREW BARRYMORE, JULIA ROBERTS.  SPY. CRIME. COMEDY. BIOGRAPHY. HISTORY. ROMANCE. DRAMA PERIOD.


Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 biographical spy film depicting the life of popular game show host and producer Chuck Barris, who claimed to have also been an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The film was directed by actor George Clooney and written by Charlie Kaufman, and starred Sam Rockwell, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, and Clooney.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

2011.  TOMAS ALFREDSON.  STARRING GARY OLDMAN, COLIN FIRTH, TOM HARDY.  SPY. THRILLER. MYSTERY DRAMA.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 Anglo-French Cold War espionage film directed by Tomas Alfredson. The screenplay was written by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, based on the 1974 novel by John le Carré. The film stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley, and co-stars Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatchand Ciarán Hinds. Set in London in the early 1970s, the story follows the hunt for a Soviet double agent at the top of the British secret service.

SPY GAME

2001. TONY SCOTT. STARRING ROBERT REDFORD, BRAD PITT.  SPY. ACTION. THRILLER. ROMANCE. DRAMA.

Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors. 

THE PARALLAX VIEW

1974. ALAN J. PAKULA. STARRING WARREN BEATTY.  MYSTERY. DRAMA. THRILLER. 

The Parallax View is a 1974 American dramatic thriller film directed.  The film was adapted by David Giler, Lorenzo Semple Jr and an uncredited Robert Towne from the 1970 novel by Loren Singer. The story concerns a reporter's dangerous investigation into an obscure organization, the Parallax Corporation, whose primary, but not ostensible, enterprise is political assassination.

DREAMS

1990.  AKIRA KUROSAWA.   DRAMA. ADVENTURE. DREAMS. PERIOD.  SURREAL.

Dreams (夢 Yume^?, aka Akira Kurosawa's Dreams) is a magical realism film based on eight actual dreams of the film's director, Akira Kurosawa at different stages of his life. The film is more imagery than dialogue. The film was screened out of competition at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.

YOJIMBO

1961. AKIRA KUROSAWA.  STARRING TOSHIRO MIFUNE.  ACTION.  SAMURAI. PERIOD. DRAMA.

Yojimbo (用心棒 Yōjinbō^?) is a 1961 jidaigeki (period drama) film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It tells the story of a ronin, portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords vie for supremacy. The two bosses each try to hire the deadly newcomer as a bodyguard (yojimbo in Japanese).

Léon: THE PROFESSIONAL

1994.  LUC BESSON.  STARRING JEAN RENO, NATALIE PORTMAN, GARY OLDMAN.  ACTION. DRAMA. ROMANCE. 


Léon: The Professional (French: Léon; Original U.S.: The Professional) is a 1994 English-language French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno as the titular mob hitman; Gary Oldman as corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield; a young Natalie Portman, in her feature film debut, as Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl who is taken in by the hitman after her family is murdered; and Danny Aiello as Tony, the mobster who gives the hitman his assignments.

JCVD

2008. MABROUK EL MECHRI. STARRING JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME.  ACTION. DRAMA. META. THRILLER.


JCVD is a 2008 Belgian crime comedy-drama film directed by French Tunisian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a semi fictionalized version of himself, a down and out action star whose family and career are crumbling around him as he is caught in the middle of a post office heist in his hometown of Brussels, Belgium.

INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS

2004.  ZAK PENN.  WITH WERNER HERZOG.  MOCKUMENTARY. ADVENTURE. THRILLER.  MYSTERY. COMEDY.
2004 mockumentary starring, produced by and written by Werner Herzogand Zak Penn. The small cast film follows Herzog and his crew (Gabriel Beristain, Russell Williams II) while working on the production of a movie project on the Loch Ness Monster entitled Enigma of Loch Ness. It won the New American Cinema Award at the 2004 Seattle International Film Festival.

CENTURY OF THE SELF

2002.  ADAM CURTIS.  DOCUMENTARY IN 4 PARTS.  HISTORY.

The Century of the Self is a British television documentary series by Adam Curtis. It focuses on how the work of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, and Edward Bernays influenced the way corporations and governments have analyzed,‭ dealt with, and controlled ‬people.

GOOD HAIR

2009.  CHRIS ROCK.  DOCUMENTARY.  COMEDY.
2009 American comedy documentary film produced by Chris Rock Productions andHBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock. The film focuses on African American women's hair, including the styling industry surrounding it, the acceptable look of African American women's hair in society, and the effects of both upon African American culture.

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI

2011.  DAVID GELB.  DOCUMENTARY.  FOREIGN. 
2011 American documentary film directed by David Gelb.^[2] The film follows Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old sushi master and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a Michelin three-star restaurant, on his continuing quest to perfect the art of sushi. The film also profiles Jiro's two sons, both of whom are also sushi chefs. The younger son, Takashi, left Sukiyabashi Jiro to open a mirror image of his father's restaurant in Roppongi Hills. The 50-year-old elder son, Yoshikazu, obligated to succeed his father, still works for Jiro and is faced with the prospect of one day taking over the flagship restaurant.  Heartwarming and inspiring.

ALL WATCHED OVER BY MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE

2011.  ADAM CURTIS. DOCUMENTARY. HISTORY.  IN 3 PARTS.

2011 BBC documentary series by filmmaker Adam Curtis.  The series argues that computers have failed to liberate humanity and instead have "distorted and simplified our view of the world around us". The title is taken from the 1967 poem of the same name by Richard Brautigan.

IT FELT LIKE A KISS

2009.  ADAM CURTIS.  DOCUMENTARY, HISTORY.

Themed on "how power really works in the world".  The title is taken from The Crystals' 1962 song "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)", written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

F FOR FAKE

1973.  ORSON WELLES.  DOCUMENTARY MOCKUMENTARY DRAMA SURREAL MYSTERY.
  

F for Fake (French: Vérités et mensonges, "Truths and lies") is the last major film completed by Orson Welles, who directed, co-wrote, and starred in the film. Initially released in 1974, it focuses on Elmyr de Hory's recounting of his career as a professional art forger; de Hory's story serves as the backdrop for a fast-paced, meandering investigation of the natures of authorship and authenticity, as well as the basis of the value of art. Loosely a documentary, the film operates in several different genres and has been described as a kind of film essay.  Far from serving as a traditional documentary on Elmyr de Hory, the film also incorporates Welles' companion Oja Kodar, and notorious "hoax-biographer" Clifford Irving.

WALK THE LINE

2005. JAMES MANGOLD.  STARRING JOAQUIN PHOENIX, REESE WITHERSPOON. DRAMA. ROMANCE. BIOGRAPHY. HISTORY. JOHNNY CASH. MUSIC.

2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Robert Patrick.  The film focuses on Cash's younger life, his romance with June Carter, and his ascent to the country music scene, with material taken from his autobiographies.   

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

2005.  GEORGE CLOONEY.  STARRING DAVID STRATHAIRN, GEORGE CLOONEY, ROBERT DOWNEY JR.  DRAMA.  HISTORY.  BLACK & WHITE.

MATCH POINT

2005.  WOODY ALLEN.  STARRING SCARLETT JOHANSSON, JONATHAN RHYS-MEYERS.  CRIME. DRAMA. ROMANCE.
2005 dramatic-thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen, stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton. Rhys Meyers' character marries into a wealthy family, but his social position is threatened by an affair and the subsequent pregnancy of his brother in law's ex-girlfriend, played by Johansson. The film treats themes of morality, greed, and the roles of lust, money, and luck in life, leading many to compare it to Allen's earlier film, Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS

1989.  WOODY ALLEN.  STARRING WOODY ALLEN, MARTIN LANDAU, ANJELICA HUSTON.  DRAMA COMEDY CRIME.

An opthamologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife, while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated by another woman.  1989 existential drama written, directed by and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Martin Landau, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston and Joanna Gleason.

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

2007.  WES ANDERSON.  STARRING OWEN WILSON, ADRIAN BRODY, JASON SCHWARTZMAN.  COMEDY DRAMA ADVENTURE META.



One year after their father's funeral, three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to bond with one another.  It was written by Anderson, Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola.  Originally screened following the short film Hotel Chevalier.  

PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE

2002.  PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON.  STARRING ADAM SANDLER, EMILY WATSON, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN.  COMEDY DRAMA ROMANCE.


A psychologically troubled novelty supplier is nudged into a romance with an English woman, all the while being extorted by a phone-sex line run by a crooked mattress salesman, and purchasing stunning amounts of pudding.

IN BRUGES

2008.  MARTIN MCDONAGH.  STARRING COLIN FARRELL, RALPH FIENNES. COMEDY DRAMA CRIME.
Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.  Dark comedy.

THE GREAT DICTATOR.

1940.  CHARLIE CHAPLIN.  COMEDY. DRAMA. WAR. HISTORICAL UTOPIAN FICTION.

Dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a doppelganger, a poor but kind Jewish barber living in the slums, who one day is mistaken for Hynkel.  

Molière

2007.  LAURENT TIRARD.  STARRING ROMAIN DURIS.  COMEDY DRAMA ROMANCE. FRENCH. PERIOD.


In 1657, playwright/actor Molière, having been given a theater in the capital by the King, is back in Paris after touring the kingdom of France with his company of players. One day, a young lady asks him to follow her to the deathbed of her mother... Thirteen years earlier, Molière already runs a troupe but goes broke and is thrown to prison. Fortunately, his debt is covered by Monsieur Jourdain, a rich man who wants him to help him rehearse a one-act play he has written with a view to seducing a beautiful bright young widow, Célimène. 

STARDUST MEMORIES

1980.  WOODY ALLEN.COMEDY / DRAMA / ROMANCE / BLACK & WHITE / SURREAL

While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.

MANHATTAN

1979.  WOODY ALLEN.  STARRING DIANE KEATON, WOODY ALLEN.  COMEDY / DRAMA / ROMANCE / BLACK & WHITE.


A divorced New Yorker currently dating a high-schooler brings himself to look for love in the mistress of his best friend instead.

ANNIE HALL

1977.  WOODY ALLEN.  STARRING DIANE KEATON, WOODY ALLEN.  DRAMA COMEDY ROMANCE.


A relationship, beginning to end, falling in love.

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

2011.  PAOLO SORRENTINO.  STARRING SEAN PENN, FRANCIS MCDORMAND, DAVID BYRNE.  DRAMA. COMEDY. ADVENTURE.

The film deals with a middle-aged wealthy rock star who becomes bored in his retirement and takes on the quest of finding his father's tormentor, a Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the United States.  Homage to the song "This Must Be the Place" by the Talking Heads.

CARNAGE

2011. ROMAN POLANSKI.  COMEDY.

Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the evening into chaos.  Based on the play "God of Carnage" by French playwright Yasmina Reza.

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

2008.  SAM MENDES. STARRING LEONARDO DICAPRIO, KATE WINSLET.  PERIOD DRAMA.


A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.

BEGINNERS

2010. MIKE MILLS.  STARRING EWEN MCGREGOR, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER.  DRAMA. ROMANCE.

American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. It tells the story of Oliver, a man reflecting on the life and death of his father, Hal, while trying to forge a new romantic relationship with a woman, Anna, dealing with father issues of her own.

CLOSER

2004.  MIKE NICHOLS.  STARRING NATALIE PORTMAN, JUDE LAW, CLIVE OWEN, JULIA ROBERTS.  DRAMA.  ROMANCE.
The relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other.  Written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name. The film, like the play on which it is based, has been seen by some as a modern and tragic version of Mozart's opera Così fan tutte, with references to that opera in both the plot and the soundtrack.

THE TREE OF LIFE

2011.  TERRENCE MALICK.  STARRING BRAD PITT, SEAN PENN, JESSICA CHASTAIN.  DRAMA / SURREAL / FANTASY / META.


The story of a family in Waco Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting philosophies.

INTERIORS

1978.  WOODY ALLEN.  STARRING DIANE KEATON.  DRAMA.

Three sisters find their lives spinning out of control in the wake of their parents' sudden, unexpected divorce.

TALK TO HER

HABLE CON ELLA. 2002.  PEDRO ALMODóVAR.  DRAMA.  SPANISH.

Two men share an odd friendship while they care for their girlfriends who are both in deep comas.

THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA

2005.  TOMMY LEE JONES.  STARRING BARRY PEPPER, TOMMY LEE JONES.  DRAMA / CRIME / ADVENTURE.


Ranch hand Pete Perkins looks to fulfill the promise to his recently deceased best friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico. The film was inspired by the real-life killing in Texas of an American teenager, Esequiel Hernandez Jr, by United States Marines during a military operation near the United States–Mexico border.  

HUNGER

2008.  STEVE MCQUEEN.  STARRING MICHAEL FASSBENDER.  DRAMA.

The film stars Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA)volunteer and M.P. who led the second IRA hunger strike and participated in the no wash protest (led by Brendan "The Dark" Hughes) in which Republican prisoners tried to regain political status when it was revoked by the British government in 1976. It dramatises events in the Maze Prison in the period leading up to the hunger strike and Sands' death.

SHAME

2011.  STEVE MCQUEEN.  STARRING MICHAEL FASSBENDER, CAREY MULLIGAN.  DRAMA.
In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister Sissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.