Never Mind the AFI... Here's My Top 100

Combustible Celluloid's 100 Great Movies

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

This is an update of the list I made in 1997, though many of the films are the same. I disregarded some of my previous rules about number of films per director and just tried to go with my gut. The trouble with these lists is that, by next week, I'll want to add another film and I'll have to figure out which one will get deleted to make room for it. This time, however, I'm leaving a list of previous entries at the bottom. In any case, this is what I finsished up with, on January 5, 2016.

100. The Hurt Locker (2009)
  99. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
  98. Psycho (1960)
  97. Gravity (2013)
  96. Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966)
  95. F for Fake (1973)
  94. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  93. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
  92. La Dolce Vita (1960)
  91. While the City Sleeps (1956)

Fantasia

90. The Shooting (1966)
89. Fargo (1996)
88. Vampyr (1932)
87. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
86. Fantasia (1940)
85. The Quiet Man (1952)
84. Le Samourai (1967)
83. Near Dark (1987)
82. Les Vampires (1915)
81. Halloween (1978)

Lost in Translation

80. Lost in Translation (2003)
79. Broken Blossoms (1919)
78. Stranger than Paradise (1984)
77. Winchester '73 (1950)
76. Naked Lunch (1991)
75. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
74. Blue Velvet (1986)
73. Repo Man (1984)
72. The Old Dark House (1932)
71. A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

Contempt

70. L'Age d'Or (1930)
69. The Birds (1963)
68. Contempt (1963)
67. Duck Soup (1933)
66. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
65. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
64. The Trouble with Harry (1955)
63. Seven Men from Now (1956)
62. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
61. Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

Do the Right Thing

60. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)
59. Do the Right Thing (1989)
58. The Exterminating Angel (1962)
57. M (1931)
56. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
55. Taxi Driver (1976)
54. Day of Wrath (1943)
53. Tokyo Story (1953)
52. Casablanca (1942)
51. Rashomon (1950)

Only Angels Have Wings

50. The Evil Dead (1983)
49. La Belle noiseuse (1991)
48. Pulp Fiction (1994)
47. Diary of a Country Priest (1950)
46. The Passenger (1975)
45. I Was Born, But... (1932)
44. Cat People (1942)
43. Playtime (1967)
42. Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
41. Johnny Guitar (1954)

The General

40. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
39. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
38. The General (1927)
37. Late Spring (1949)
36. L'Atalante (1934)
35. Wagon Master (1950)
34. Breathless (1960)
33. Citizen Kane (1941)
32. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
31. Persona (1966)

L'Avventura

30. The Black Cat (1934)
29. Sátántangó (1994)
28. Sunrise (1927)
27. Chimes at Midnight (1966)
26. The Great Dictator (1940)
25. Wild Strawberries (1957)
24. L'Avventura (1960)
23. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
22. Modern Times (1936)
21. Close-Up (1990)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

20. Apocalypse Now (1979)
19. Unforgiven (1992)
18. Detour (1945)
17. Crumb (1995)
16. Blade Runner (1982)
15. Yi Yi (2000)
14. Rio Bravo (1959)
13. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
12. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
11. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

City Lights

10. Vertigo (1958)
  9. Dead Ringers (1988)
  8. L'eclisse (1961)
  7. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  6. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
  5. Viridiana (1961)
  4. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
  3. City Lights (1931)
  2. Sherlock, Jr. (1924)
  1. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Also Considered...

The following are films that were either briefly on the list, or were briefly considered for the list, and have since fallen off... but may return again. They're close.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Amarcord (1974), An American in Paris (1951), The Bellboy (1960), A Better Tomorrow II (1987), Black Sunday (1960), Blow Out (1981), Boyhood (2014), Brazil (1985), Brief Encounter (1945), Casino (1995), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Charade (1963), Chinatown (1974), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Conversation (1974)

A Day in the Country (1936), Days of Heaven (1978), The Dead (1987), The Decalogue (1988), Earth (1930), Eraserhead (1977), Evil Dead II (1987), The Exorcist (1973), Fallen Angels (1995), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Foolish Wives (1922), The Fugitive (1947)

Ghost World (2001), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Gohatto (1999), The Great Silence (1968), Gun Crazy (1950), Histoire(s) du Cinema (1998), Ed Wood (1994), The Horse Thief (1987), I Know Where I'm Going! (1945), In a Lonely Place (1951), Inland Empire (2006), The Intruder (2005), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

Jackie Brown (1997), The Killer (1989), Killer of Sheep (1989), Kundun (1997), Limelight (1952), The Long Goodbye (1973), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Maltese Falcon (1941), A Man Escaped (1956), Manhattan (1979), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Mother and Son (1997), Nosferatu (1922), The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Ordet (1955), Once Upon a Time in the West (1969), Pandora's Box (1929), Park Row (1952), Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Pickup on South Street (1953), Raging Bull (1980), Re-Animator (1985), Rebecca (1940), The Red Shoes (1948), Ride Lonesome (1959), La Ronde (1950)

The Searchers (1956), The Shining (1980), Shoah (1985), Sid & Nancy (1986), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Sisters (1973), Spider Baby (1964), Spies (1928), Stalker (1979), Star Wars (1977), The Steel Helmet (1951), Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

The Thief of Bagdad (1924), The Thin Man (1934), Through the Olive Trees (1994), Touch of Evil (1958), Trouble in Paradise (1932), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Ugetsu (1953), The Unknown (1927), Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), Videodrome (1983), Vivre sa vie (1962), Voyage to the Beginning of the World (1997), The Warriors (1979), Where Is the Friend's Home? (1987), The White Diamond (2005), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), The Wildcat (1921), The Wind Will Carry Us (1999), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)