This is really difficult because -- even beyond the standard conflicts of assessing artistic quality -- I haven't seen many great movies since college. I've matured a bit since then, and my tastes have shifted, yet I have no great movies to speak of, so I'm trying to scrape the bias off some of my old favorites.
Paul Thomas Anderson needs to make this list, being a blend of classic moviemaking and modern stylistic adventure. He's bold without being crass; intellectual without losing empathy. Magnolia and There Will Be Blood are the only options, probably.
When I saw Birdman in college I thought "this is as perfect as movie as I've seen." It lacks grandeur, as far as this list is concerned, and it's ultimately silly, but still.
2001: A Space Odyssey. I don't love submitting an option that has no strong characters and no emotional arc, but the narrative and artistic arcs are too epic to ignore.
Melancholia. I don't know whether critics like this movie. I thought it was a tremendous collision of the intimate and the epic.
Can I say Titanic? I also don't know whether critics like this one... I don't think I've seen it on lists of peak cinema other than in terms of box office revenue. I haven't seen it in a while. But isn't it one of the great archetypal stories, told for optimal entertainment value?
Synecdoche New York is too taste-specific to make this list, but I want it here. Other Kaufman doesn't qualify.
The Departed has to be the greatest Scorsese I've seen. It isn't as epic as some of the others, but it's dense and it hits hard. I love this movie.
Alright, here are the tiers so far:
- Magnolia
- 2001: A Space Odyssey, There Will Be Blood, Synecdoche New York
- The Departed, The Tree of Life, Persona, Melancholia, Punch-Drunk Love, Titanic, Birdman, Godfather
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