Movies to Watch

In this taut 1957 drama from Sidney Lumet, 12 jurors determine the fate of a suspected murderer. What starts as an open-and-shut case becomes something far more complex, as a lone holdout convinces the others that the defendant might not be guilty after all. As the debate unfolds, each juror's own respective prejudices bubble to the surface, with all the action taking place inside the jury room. In 2007, the film was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Director: Sidney Lumet

Runtime: 96 minutes

List 6 Rank: 2

Metascore: 96

Stacker Score: 96.9

IMDB rating: 9

Based on the 1853 memoir by (film article link)Solomon Northup, this 2013 drama tells the true story of a free Black man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) from the North who's abducted and sold into slavery down South. Over the following 12 years, Northup and his peers suffer unspeakable torment and abuse at the hands of a sadistic enslaver (Michael Fassbender). The gripping film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Lupita Nyong'o also had her breakthrough performance in the period drama, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Director: Steve McQueen

Runtime: 134 minutes

List 6 Rank: 53

Metascore: 96

Stacker Score: 92.2

IMDB rating: 8.1

Directed by French filmmaker Claire Denis, "35 Shots of Rum" was inspired by the Japanese film "Late Spring." Originally called "35 Rhums," the movie follows the relationship between a father-daughter duo and their neighbor.

Director: Claire Denis

Runtime: 100 minutes

List 1 Rank: 55

Metascore: 92

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days propelled Romanian director Cristian Mungiu to international prominence, as his movie won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film takes place in 1987, as roommates Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) and Găbița (Laura Vasiliu) attempt to secure an illegal abortion for Găbița under a restrictive Romanian dictatorship. Although it was (film article link)shut out of the Academy Awards, Mungiu's film remains an unfortunately timely portrayal of women fighting for bodily autonomy against the backdrop of fascism.

Director: Cristian Mungiu

Runtime: 113 minutes

List 6 Rank: 68

Metascore: 97

Stacker Score: 91.7

IMDB rating: 7.9

True to its name, this 2015 drama centers on a couple who have been married for 45 years. As they plan to celebrate their upcoming anniversary, the husband (Tom Courtenay) gets word his first love—who disappeared decades ago—has been found dead in a melting glacier. The news has a discernible effect on the husband and causes him to act strangely, which consequently prompts his wife (Charlotte Rampling) to re-examine the man she thought she knew so well.

Director: Andrew Haigh

Runtime: 95 minutes

List 4 Rank: 80

Metascore: 94

At the height of his career, an Italian filmmaker finds himself in a creative slump while trying to make a new movie, and he decides to get away at a luxurious resort. There, he seeks refuge in his fantastical thoughts of past loves and childhood but finds that the troubles of his reality are not far behind him. A co-production between Italy and France, the avant-garde comedy-drama was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1964, taking home Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.

Director: Federico Fellini

Runtime: 138 minutes

List 3 Rank: 45

Metascore: 93

Stacker Score: 94.02

IMDB rating: 8

Edward Yang is a quintessential director of the Taiwanese New Wave cinema movement known for its stylistic innovations and political content specific to Tawainese identity and history. "A Brighter Summer Day," set in 1960s Taiwan and based on a true event, follows a teenage boy caught up in gang life who murders his girlfriend. Yang's captivating realist style uses long takes to create a mesmerizing and affective tragedy.

Director: Edward Yang

Runtime: 237 minutes

List 3 Rank: 42

Metascore: 91

Stacker Score: 94.57

IMDB rating: 8.3

The Beatles made their film debut in this 1964 musical comedy. The audience gets a feel for Beatle-mania as we follow the band through a fictional day in the life of the musicians.

Director: Richard Lester

Runtime: 87 minutes

List 5 Rank: 15

Metascore: 96

This co-production between France and Italy takes the familiar prison drama and its intrigue to new heights. A young French Algerian, Malik (Tahar Rahim), who can neither read nor write, gets a six-year sentence and finds himself embroiled between rival convict factions. Malik is soon pulled into the Corsican mob in charge and rises in their ranks.

Director: Jacques Audiard

Runtime: 155 minutes

List 3 Rank: 75

Metascore: 90

Stacker Score: 91.3

IMDB rating: 7.8

In "A Separation," moral quandaries and family strife arise when a middle-class Iranian couple separates, but husband Nader (Payman Moaadi) refuses to leave Tehran on account of his father, who has Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, his wife Simin (Leila Hatami) sues for divorce in hopes of taking their young daughter abroad, and an incident involving the father's caretaker places the whole family's delicate balance in jeopardy. "A Separation" became the first Iranian film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Director: Asghar Farhadi

Runtime: 123 minutes

List 6 Rank: 45

Metascore: 95

Stacker Score: 92.7

IMDB rating: 8.3

A renowned play by Tennessee Williams leaped onto the big screen in 1951, with Elia Kazan helming, and Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh tackling the respective lead roles. In the film, a troubled woman named Blanche DuBois (Leigh) moves in with her sister Stella (Kim Hunter), only to find herself at odds with Stella's brutish husband, Stanley (Brando). This is one of only two films in history to win three Academy Awards for acting. Additionally, the blockbuster, which banked an estimated $4.25 million at the box office, also garnered Brando his fourth consecutive Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Director: Elia Kazan

Runtime: 122 minutes

List 6 Rank: 64

Metascore: 97

Stacker Score: 91.7

IMDB rating: 7.9

A man who has recently graduated from university heads to the beaches in Bretagne for a three-week vacation. After his girlfriend declines his invitation, he meets another woman who sparks his interest. He must decide between his new love interest and his former flame. (film article link)Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turansaid the movie was "unhurried and gently amusing." Originally released in the U.S. in 1996, the newly restored film made its American debut in the summer of 2014.

Director: Éric Rohmer

Runtime: 113 minutes

List 5 Rank: 39

Metascore: 91

Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) experiences an absurd night as he makes his way through SoHo after meeting Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) in a New York cafe. Martin Scorsese directed this black comedy that (film article link)critics liked but wasn't an instant audience favorite.

Director: Martin Scorsese

Runtime: 97 minutes

List 5 Rank: 55

Metascore: 90

Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's sublime, mystical film centers on the afterlife, exploring the experiences of 22 newly arrived people who are asked to choose their most precious memory so it can be filmed before they move into the next realm. The film is a meditation on both the power of memory and the cinematic possibilities for capturing its essence.

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Runtime: 119 minutes

List 3 Rank: 95

Metascore: 91

Stacker Score: 90.76

IMDB rating: 7.6

The sparring between warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the Alien spawned a franchise that included three sequels, two crossover films, and three prequels. (film article link)"Alien: Awakening" is a long-gestating follow-up prequel. The otherworldly genesis tale—and all its associated hijinks—has all the ingredients for a riveting, sci-fi action saga. In 2002, the movie was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Director: Ridley Scott

Runtime: 117 minutes

List 6 Rank: 86

Metascore: 89

Stacker Score: 90.6

IMDB rating: 8.5

In this 1950 drama, an obsessive actress (Anne Baxter) climbs her way to the top of a theater company by ruthlessly manipulating her supposed idol (Bette Davis). Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, "All About Eve" cynically—albeit accurately—portrays show business as a cruel and unforgiving industry, especially to actresses of a certain age. The film was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six of them, which ties it with "Titanic" and "La La Land" for the most Oscar nominations in Hollywood history. "All About Eve" became one of the first 50 movies chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Runtime: 138 minutes

List 6 Rank: 28

Metascore: 98

Stacker Score: 93.8

IMDB rating: 8.2

Almost Famous is based on the true story of director Cameron Crowe's experience working as aarticle link)teenage writer for Rolling Stone. This coming-of-age film is set in the 1970s as a young journalist goes on tour with a famous rock band.

Director: Cameron Crowe

Runtime: 122 minutes

List 1 Rank: 75

Metascore: 90

The performance of Aretha Franklin recording a gospel album was shot over two days in 1972 at the New Bethel Baptist Church in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Because (film article link)director Sydney Pollack failed to use clapper boards to synchronize the film's video and audio, the footage originally could not be used. It was not until many years later that Alan Elliott found a way to sync the film and the sound. Appearing briefly are Rolling Stones' musicians Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts who stopped by to hear Franklin sing.

Director: Alan Elliott, Sydney Pollack

Runtime: 87 minutes

List 4 Rank: 88

Metascore: 94

Set during the summer in the early '60s, four teenagers experience their last night before heading to college. The film features a young Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Suzanne Somers. Directed and co-written by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, this 1973 classic was voted one of the American Film Institute's (film article link)top 100 films of all time.

Director: George Lucas

Runtime: 110 minutes

List 5 Rank: 8

Metascore: 97

American Hustle follows the story of con artists who take part in an FBI sting operation. Starring powerhouse actors Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jennifer Lawrence, this film became known for its flashy, late-1970s style and brilliant moments of comedy. Interestingly,article link)its plot is loosely based on a true story.

Director: David O. Russell

Runtime: 138 minutes

List 1 Rank: 74

Metascore: 90