34 movies you must see before you die.
In random order. These films are the best of the best for my taste. This list is NOT a copy of the usual "250 best films of all time" list, with Godfather, Shawshank Redemption and Forrest Gump in the top 20. Not to mention, that 90% of the top 250 are more than questionable considering milestones such as Avatar, Titanic and others, don't even make the list! But my list here is different. It focuses on:
- best entertainment factor
- outstanding cinematography and visuals
- outstanding actors
- the message of the movie
- the absolute lack of boredom
- unique movie experience
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- DirectorMel GibsonStarsGerardo TaracenaRaoul Max TrujilloDalia HernándezAs the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, a young man is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression.This movie will make you feel shocked, then you will feel frightened by the cold-hearted masses of people when they celebrate cruelty. this film is about the dark side of human nature.
There's one scene in particular, that I think is the most haunting I've ever seen in a film. But that's not all. More is to come. This film is an experience when you see it for the first time. I'm not necessarily a fan of indigenous movies, but this film captivated me. You will forget that you are watching a movie and find yourself in a nightmare. My rating is 10/10.
By the way, most of the movies on this list are not appropriate for children - especially this one. - DirectorFrancis LawrenceStarsWill SmithAlice BragaCharlie TahanYears after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.perhaps this is the best movie about "the last human on earth". and it is one of the best zombie apocalypse movies. My rating is 10/10.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsTom CruiseEmily BluntBill PaxtonA soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.If you like time-traveling movies, this is the movie for you. Edge of tomorrow has mind-blowing action and effects, a fantastic story, it is incredibly funny without being a comedy, and all actors do a great job.
Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are amazing, it is one of Tom Cruise's best movies. Bill Paxton is hilarious in that role, he plays a sergeant and he is doing it perfectly. Brendan Gleeson plays the general and he is amazing. Isn't he the guy who played the father of that teen girl of "28 days later"? I recommend watching that movie twice because there is so much going on. Don't miss that movie. It is a must watch. - DirectorAlan ParkerStarsBrad DavisIrene MiracleBo HopkinsBilly Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.An underestimated movie based on a true story that deserves more attention. although it won an Oscar, I never heard anyone talking about this one. Writer and screenplay: Oliver Stone. shocking, heartbreaking. a must-watch. My rating is 9/10.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTom HardyWill PoulterA frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.About suffering, the loss of loved ones and living through hell. There are many incredible scenes. The bear scene is undoubtedly the most breathtaking bear attack in a film. shockingly realistic. the film deserved the Oscars. 10/10.
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsBrad PittMireille EnosDaniella KerteszFormer United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatens to destroy humanity itself.This film is the most expensive horror movie ever made, and also the most successful zombie movie. It will take your breath away with countless disturbing scenes and plenty of blood and gore.
But here it comes: a certain group of critics here say, that this is "not so much a zombie movie" ............. ...(???).....(??)..
but "rather a mediocre action thriller with little blood and gore" ......... You've got to be kidding me.
Don't listen to these critics who are not to be taken seriously. Just don't.
What's happening in World War Z:
Brad Pitt is sitting with his family inside his car in a traffic jam in Philadelphia. A cop on a motorbike stops at his car and warns him, to stay inside the car, only to be run over in the next second by a truck from behind driven by a person who seems to have lost his mind. The following scenes are hard to describe:
Thousands of people panic and flee from a small horde of attacking zombies. But the number of bitten people who turn into zombies themselves increases exponentially and very quickly since the time between a bite and being an infected zombie is only about 12 seconds.
This is one of the best scenes regarding unexpected terror/horror I have ever seen.
You see Brad Pitt throwing a grenade into a horde of attacking zombies in a Boeing 747 in the air at an altitude of 30,000 feet at a speed of 580 mp/h. The damaged aeroplane has a hole due to the explosion. It immediately sucks these zombies out into the sky and some of them are sucked into the turbine...... which leads to a plane crash.
Hundreds of thousands (!) of zombies are shown in Israel and around Jerusalem which is separated from the rest of the country with high walls.
But even that doesn't help to protect the people behind the wall. You will see tens of thousands of zombies climb that 100-foot wall on a pile of zombies and invade the city of Jerusalem. This and the following scenes are perhaps the best scenes ever done in terms of non-stop attacking zombie masses.
I don't know another movie with such masses of attacking zombies.
Nevertheless, I'm not saying the film is perfect. In the panic scenes when the zombies attack, the camera is very shaky. Too shaky. And very short scenes are cut together.
I understand that this is a way to convey panic and the flight reflex, but the director sometimes overdoes it. For some mysterious reason, many filmmakers do it so in similar films.
But, it is one of my top 3 movies about a zombie apocalypse.
My rating is 8.5/10. - DirectorAdam McKayStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJennifer LawrenceMeryl StreepTwo low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn humankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.very entertaining. satire with fantastic actors and a more realistic plot as some people might think. I want to mention that this is not a science fiction movie, even if it is classified as science fiction from IMDB. That was a mistake.
My rating is 10/10. - DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.Just in case you don't like fighting films: it is NOT A FIGHTING FILM. It's a brilliant film and Brad Pitt's best role in my opinion. In my personal Opinion, Top 3 of the best movies ever. because of the message, and the meaning behind Fight Club. 10/10. The main story and explanation of Fight Club:
No, Fight Club is NOT about toxic masculinity, and it is NOT about any of the nonsense that Wikipedia and YouTube influencers claim.
A lot of people don't even understand the main story because they only analyse parts of the film. That is like overlooking the sinking ship in Titanic but analysing the love story between Rose and Jack.
The main storyline in Fight Club is about the process of spiritual awakening (enlightenment), caused by unbearable mental suffering. The suffering is a consequence of identification with the ego, the things we own and the roles we play in a society of hypocrites. These are big mistakes and the protagonist is making all of them. Nobody knows the reason for his suffering, not even the doctor. Then, the narrator's subconscious mind creates a hallucination: Tyler Durden. It is a self-healing process, a psychosis. Hallucinations are a self-protection mechanism of the human mind when mental and physical pain becomes more than a person can stand.
Tyler shows him what he needs to change in life to end the suffering. And it works.
The narrator doesn't know this, he thinks, Tyler is a real person.
Tyler is telling the narrator:
Let go of attachment. stop identifying with your ego stop identifying with the things you own stop identifying with the roles you play in society.
You are not your job, not your car, not your credit card. (It is the nature of an ego to feel incomplete. it is unsatiable. therefore, buying new things will make the ego happy momentarily, but the feeling of incompleteness will return in the long run. All these things are teachings of ZEN Buddhism, by the way).
Tyler says: ".... never be complete, stop being perfect". Why do we want to impress people we don't even like?
Tyler teaches us to be who we are instead.
You are a man first and foremost. Fighting is in a man's nature. (And it is the stop-thinking/meditation aspect regarding enlightenment).
There are countless more references in the movie to the process of enlightenment:
Destroying the egos of new Project Mayhem members. Losing fights on purpose. Tyler and Ed Norton destroy fancy cars with baseball bats but they stop at the ordinary car and move on to the next ego-feeding car.
Enlightenment is mentioned several times in the film, for example in the chemical burn scene, which teaches us: not to run away from suffering and sacrifice, and to develop and grow through it instead. He also tells him that he'd better take his life into his own hands instead of relying on God because "he has to consider the possibility, that God might not like him, he might even hate him". Only he he is responsible for the outcome of his life and one day when he dies, he will deeply regret that he made all of these mistakes instead of living the life he was created for - instead of fitting into a society of hypocrites focused on money and ego.
At the end of the film, the narrator realises that Tyler is a hallucination and shoots himself to stop Tyler. badly injured he is telling Marla: "I am ok, I am really ok, trust me. everything is gonna be fine"
The injury doesn't matter, because the narrator's suffering has ended.
He killed Tyler because he wanted to stop him (himself) from destroying buildings and harming other people. Tyler is his ideal self, but he can't let him (himself) do that, even if he feels like it. Tyler didn't care because he was created from his subconscious mind, where emotions and beliefs take precedence.
_______________
one word to the billion times quoted rule "Don't talk about Fight Club". for whatever reason these people think it is funny to quote it....
The point of the rule is: The narrator is the ONLY person with no idea that Tyler and he are the same person. And Tyler wants to keep it that way.... that's all. ________________
One quote from the author Chuck Palahniuk: "I've always felt the story was about fixing one person rather than fixing society." ________________
I am not the only one with that "weird" ZEN Buddhism explanation. read that article: Fight Club: An Exploration of Buddhism Charley Reed University of Nebraska at Omaha - DirectorAlbert HughesAllen HughesStarsDenzel WashingtonMila KunisRay StevensonA drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.must watch. apocalyptic. underrated. WATCH IT! 9/10
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O.Inception lets you sink into it until you forget you're watching a movie.
It's not just about that ingenious idea of sharing dreams and manipulating thoughts. There are incredible visuals. Outstanding actors with Cillian Murphy, Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy and Gordon Levit in perfectly fitting roles.
And there is a complex story with many facets. On the other hand, it is easy to follow the story, since it will capture your interest for sure.
What got me the most though was the the subplot of Cobb's secret. You will develop empathy for Cobb and start to feel his sadness. His desperation. Nolan created a fascinating story about Cobb's life that will stick to you - perhaps forever.
Just to give you a glimpse of what his life is like: he already lived in another realm, and grew old in it. Then he returned to his old real life, where he was a young man when he changed the realm. Then he entered another realm to grow old in it again, followed by another return to the old and real young man's life.
If this isn't mind-blowing I don't know what else would be. - DirectorDavid MichôdStarsGuy PearceRobert PattinsonScoot McNairy10 years after a global economic collapse, a hardened loner pursues the men who stole his only possession, his car. Along the way, he captures one of the thieves' brother, and the duo form an uneasy bond during the dangerous journey.First of all: The plot description of IMDB is wrong. The movie is NOT about "his only possession, his car". The one who is responsible for that misleading description should get fired.
This is a hidden gem, and vastly underrated.
A movie, about a world in which friendship, love, and loyalty are the only reasons left to live. Don't miss that movie. Outstanding, and underrated. Guy Pearce with method acting. My rating is 9/10.
It is a slow and silent thriller with a ton of atmosphere thanks to Guy Pearce. It's perfect. It is not as freaky as the Mad Max movies. it's
better. It is serious, almost depressive.
Most importantly: the performance from Guy Pierce. This movie is all about empathy for him. '"Fear the man with nothing left to lose'" is the perfect description.
Guy Pierce is playing a broken man. A sad man who has lost everything. He only speaks if necessary. But then his life changes: the last thing that meant something to him had been stolen coincidentally, and he would do anything to get it back. He turns into a very angry man inside, - and as I said before, it is not his car that the story is about. It will be resolved in the final scene of the movie.
Robert Pattinson is also doing great.
Vastly underrated - DirectorRidley ScottStarsNoomi RapaceLogan Marshall-GreenMichael FassbenderFollowing clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.Alien Prequel, mindblowing visuals and tension. The average rating of 7.0 stars out of 10 is way too low. without a doubt, Prometheus is one of the greatest science fiction horror thrillers. again: the overwhelming visual effects. My rating is 9/10.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMichael FassbenderKatherine WaterstonBilly CrudupThe crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.Alien Prequel No. 2 is connected to the first prequel and is just as amazing as the first one. My rating is 9/10.
You might be wondering why Alien the Original is not on this list. My answer: Because it doesn't meet the requirements listed above: the cinematography and the acting are too old-fashioned, except Sigourney Weaver's. She is outstanding in the original as well as in all of her Alien movies.
Overall, these 2 prequels are the best for my taste. I hope that the next film in the franchise, "Alien Romulus" will be as excellent as these 2 prequels. It will be released in 2024, - CreatorCraig MazinStarsJessie BuckleyJared HarrisStellan SkarsgårdIn April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the following days, weeks and months.Did you know, that the biggest catastrophe of mankind, apart from wars, was not an accident? Instead, it was triggered by the greed of a handful of people. The people who have been responsible for the safety of the nuclear reactor wanted to advance their careers. therefore, these people in charge ignored all safety regulations. They wanted to complete a simulated blackout that day at all costs, no matter what. That was madness. Their careers were more important to them than the safety of millions of people - an act of selfishness and greed.
This is a 5-hour and 30-minutes movie in 5 parts and they call it mini-series. One of the best movies ever made. It's eye-opening, shocking and reveals the unsettling truth. Especially if you're a young person. this a must-watch!! All of these 5 parts are fantastic. the last part, the trial, has a public IMDB rating of 9.8! Check it out, it is indeed 9.8 as the average of 70k votes in May 2024.
Watch this, if you want to know what really happened in 1986 and how close it was to an even bigger disaster (hidden from the public - as it turned out) which would have turned most of Russia and parts of East Europe into inhabital
radioactive wasteland and killed millions more people.
what must mankind learn here: the threat is the people behind nuclear power - it is not nuclear power itself. My rating is 10/10 because of revealing the truth, the outstanding actors, the screenplay, the soundtrack - which was created by several real reactor noises (!)
and the movie's message to make mankind learn from it. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans..
"Woohoo!! ...... ready for the next trick?"
Answer from the robot:
"It'll have to be good.. We're heading into Gargantua's pull..... ."
(which is a nearby black hole).
Interstellar is an epic science fiction movie. Travelling through a wormhole is not enough. This movie shows everything, even what it is like, when entering a black hole - a singularity with all the consequences in spacetime in terms of relativity. And it will give you goosebumps and tears towards the end. It is a lot about the meaning of life and the purpose of love. Again: purpose of love. Chris Nolan is not only a filmmaker artist and story writer. He is a wise man. I deeply admire his art. My rating is 10/10. - DirectorCameron CroweStarsTom CruisePenélope CruzCameron DiazA self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover.mind blowing. mind-bending. but in the end it all makes perfect sense. very underrated movie. My rating is 9/10.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsDaniel CraigChris EvansAna de ArmasA detective investigates the death of the patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.NO NO NO WAIT! I refused to watch this family comedy-drama with James Bond for several years until I finally had nothing better to do and watched the 2nd part first (the sequel "Glass Onion"), because of Edward Norton, a divinely talented actor. Then I thought, well, that was stunningly good, Daniel Craig is a fantastic comedian. I couldn't believe it. Then, I finally saw the original "Knives Out" and all I can say is that it's a perfect comedy-drama with a fantastic plot and story that I won't spoil here. Trust me when I tell you that you won't be wasting your time. It's brilliant. My rating is 9/10.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.In case you don't know and think the film is old-fashioned and hyped: it's not. Pulp Fiction is perhaps the best film ever made, and it features the coolest and funniest scenes that lead to even more hilarious scenes. great actors, and a great script. It is very violent though. My rating is 10/10.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonMarton CsokasChloë Grace MoretzA man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him cannot stand idly by when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters.the greatest and most mind-blowing movie about a 1 man-army guy, who kicks the asses of people who deserve it. no other movie like this comes even close to it. better than John Wick and more realistic. My rating is 10/10.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonPedro PascalAshton SandersRobert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?this sequel is as mind-blowing as the original. The newly released 3rd part takes it to the next level and is highly recommended as the original and the sequel. My rating of the sequel is 9/10.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsCillian MurphyNaomie HarrisChristopher EcclestonFour weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.extremly thrilling and apocalyptic.
- DirectorPierre MorelStarsLiam NeesonMaggie GraceFamke JanssenA retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris."I have no time for mercy and fear".
After the introduction of the characters, the film turns into a high-speed train of "tell me what I want to know or I'll kick your ass like no one ever has".
No other film has this kind of non-stop high-tension action. an absolute must-see. the best of the genre. second to none. my raitig is 09/10. - DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason StathamHolt McCallanyJosh HartnettA mysteriously stoic character is hired as a security guard by a cash truck company responsible for transporting a lot of money around Los Angeles each week.This remake of an old movie is entertaining, brutal, and extremely impressive. It's Stratham's best movie. I am not a fan of his "Transporter" movies. But this one plays in a different league. I don't see any weaknesses. I rated it 09/10.
- DirectorZak HilditchStarsNathan PhillipsAngourie RiceJessica De GouwA self-obsessed young man makes his way to the party-to-end-all-parties on the last day on Earth, but ends up saving the life of a little girl searching for her father. Their relationship ultimately leads him on the path to redemption.This movie might start an awakening process. it
kicks the viewer out of auto-pilot mode when they are watching the final 20 minutes with tears in their eyes. this movie has the most powerful message of any film that I know. many people in the modern Western world forget to think about the most important question of all: what is the meaning of life? what is life, what are we living for? but as soon as we know we will die for sure soon, due to a disease or an unavoidable lethal event, we start to think about these questions. this movie makes one thing pretty clear: on the last day on Earth, suddenly we see what matters in our lives. material things have no value at all. It is the non-material things that matter, they stay forever.
(think about it this way: even nonmaterial art stays forever. For example, Mozart's compositions. you get the point)
Things like friendship, compassion, love, forgiveness, and honesty, are the only things that matter if you think about it. your good and bad actions, compassion and helping other people. even on the last minute of Earth, just one thing matters: love.
And even from a rational and logical point of view, love has the highest requirements of anything that can evolve in a universe. Think about it as a chain of requirements. Love has the longest chain of requirements. 2 humans, emotions, life, a habital planet, and so on. Therefore, everything supports the theory, that love is the purpose of the universe.
If this isn't a great message, I don't know what else would be one. A vastly underrated movie. My rating is 9/10. - DirectorStanley KubrickStarsTom CruiseNicole KidmanTodd FieldA Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.Many people who watched this for the first time say, this is a "once in a lifetime" experience when it comes to movies. By the way, this movie has a suspicious background story: build up your own opinion due to these facts: the producers have seen the version of Stanley Kubrick - his final cut before the movies went public. a few days later Kubrick unexpectedly died. it was before the movie was released. then, the producers cut 20 minutes out and released the movie to the public. so they released a different version than Kubrick's. That is very suspicious, to say the least. My rating is 10/10.
the story is about a Satanistic occult ritual, a sex orgy. the cult members are leading politics, leaders of the world, and the elites. totally shocking and mindblowing, because it's not only fiction. Stanley Kubrick wanted to show the world a sign, of what the Illuminati cult is about. if you missed watching this movie in your life, you missed one of the most important and shocking movies ever made. In my book, it's Kubrick's greatest movie. Stanley Kubrick was not a weirdo, he had an IQ of 200