The Personal Touch

"My favorite acting performances, many of which I consider among the greatest."

1. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Renee Falconetti)
2. Persona (Liv Ullmann)
3. Paris, Texas (Harry Dean Stanton)
4. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (Sheryl Lee)
5. Mulholland Dr. (Naomi Watts/Justin Theroux)
6. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Haley Joel Osment)
7. Inland Empire (Laura Dern)
8. The 400 Blows (Jean-Pierre Leaud)
9. In the Mood for Love (Tony Leung)
10. The Night of the Hunter (Robert Mitchum)
11. The Devils (Oliver Reed)
12. M (Peter Lorre)
13. Out 1 (Jean-Pierre Leaud)
14. A Brighter Summer Day (Chang Chen)
15. Carlito's Way (Al Pacino)
16. The Shining (Shelley Duvall)
17. Trust (Adrienne Shelly/Martin Donovan)
18. Sunrise (Janet Gaynor)
19. Jeanne Dielman (Delphine Seyrig)
20. Tokyo Story (Setsuko Hara)
21. The Double Life of Veronique (Irene Jacob)
22. Seven Samurai (Toshiro Mifune)
23. Carol (Rooney Mara)
24. Until the End of the World (Sam Neill)
25. The Insider (Russell Crowe)
26. Manhunter (William Petersen)
27. Blue Velvet (Kyle MacLachlan)
28. Eyes Wide Shut (Tom Cruise)
29. Eraserhead (Jack Nance)
30. Wendy and Lucy (Michelle Williams)
31. Phoenix (Nina Hoss)
32. Public Enemies (Christian Bale)
33. Mistress America (Lola Kirke)
34. Heat (Robert De Niro)
35. Queen of Earth (Katherine Waterston)
36. Casablanca (Humphrey Bogart)
37. Wild at Heart (Nicolas Cage)
38. Blackhat (Chris Hemsworth)
39. Ran (Tatsuya Nakadai)
40. The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg)
41. Brazil (Jonathan Pryce)
42. Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly)
43. Inherent Vice (Joaquin Phoenix)
44. My Golden Days (Mathieu Amalric)
45. Ali (Will Smith)
46. Orphan (Isabelle Fuhrman)
47. Kate Plays Christine (Kate Lyn Sheil)
48. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Zhang Ziyi)

Lightning in a Bottle

"My favorite film scenes, the ones that capture the essence of cinema."

1. Mulholland Dr. (Club Silencio)
2. Paris, Texas (Coffee shop)
3. Close-up (Sabzian's speech)
4. Yi yi (First date)
5. Heat (The heist)
6. The Night of the Hunter (The river)
7. Persona (The son)
8. In the Mood for Love (Corridor glance)
9. Out 1 (End of Chapter 7/Equipage)
10. Inland Empire ("Sinnerman")
11. Meek's Cutoff (Fade to black)
12. The Devils (Execution)
13. Blade Runner (Tears in the rain)
14. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (The train station/Epilogue)
15. Miami Vice (Opening club)
16. Blue Velvet (The church)
17. A Brighter Summer Day (The murder)
18. Days of Being Wild (Preparing for what comes after)
19. Trust (Counterpoint monologues)
20. L for Leisure (Dance in the headlights)
21. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Perfect day)
22. Seven Samurai (Final battle)
23. The 400 Blows (Freeze-frame)
24. Manhunter ("In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida")
25. Chungking Express (Light chase)
26. Passion (Afternoon Of A Faun)
27. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Execution)
28. Battleship Potemkin (The Odessa Steps)
29. Carol (Happy New Year)
30. Phoenix ("Speak Low")
31. The Gang's All Here (Final number)
32. Sans soleil (The black)
33. Lost in Translation (The club)
34. Godzilla (The rampage)
35. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Frank's birthday)
36. Ali (Opening montage)
37. Blow Out (Fireworks)
38. Holy Motors (Entracte)
39. Dressed to Kill (The Met)

The Written Word

"My favorite screenplays, many of which I consider among the greatest."

1. Paris, Texas
2. Sans soleil
3. Close-up
4. The Night of the Hunter
5. Trust
6. La jetée
7. In the Mood for Love
8. Mulholland Dr.
9. Persona
10. Yi yi
11. Heat
12. A Brighter Summer Day
13. Carol
14. Mistress America
15. Inland Empire
16. Blue Velvet
17. Carlito's Way
18. Breathless
19. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
20. Death Proof
21. The Devils
22. Out 1
23. Paths of Glory
24. Last Year at Marienbad
25. Inherent Vice
26. Lost in Translation
27. Seven Samurai
28. Before Sunrise
29. Sweet Smell of Success
30. Chungking Express
31. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
32. The Insider
33. Inglourious Basterds
34. The Shining
35. Sunrise
36. Queen of Earth
37. Casablanca
38. Brazil
39. Night and Fog
40. The Battle of Algiers
41. M
42. The 400 Blows
43. Public Enemies
44. Ran
45. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
46. Phoenix
47. My Golden Days
48. Looper
49. Thief
50. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
51. Blow Out
52. Ali
53. Wild at Heart
54. The Terminator
55. The Social Network
56. Manhunter
57. Miami Vice

The Cinematic Element

"My favorite uses of editing, many of which I consider among the greatest."

1. La jetée
2. Sans soleil
3. Breathless
4. Inland Empire
5. Cameraperson
6. Persona
7. Heat
8. Battleship Potemkin
9. The Passion of Joan of Arc
10. Eraserhead
11. Mulholland Dr.
12. In the Mood for Love
13. Death Proof
14. Godzilla
15. Seven Samurai
16. The Battle of Algiers
17. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
18. Possession
19. The Devils
20. Yi yi
21. Stop Making Sense
22. Out 1
23. A Brighter Summer Day
24. Trust
25. Manhunter
26. Public Enemies
27. Nosferatu
28. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
29. Mad Max: Fury Road
30. Ran
31. The Forbidden Room
32. Mistress America
33. The Insider
34. D'Est
35. Miami Vice
36. My Golden Days
37. Wild at Heart
38. The Young Girls of Rochefort
39. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
40. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
41. Ali
42. Blackhat
43. Hot Fuzz

Eye of the Beholder

"My favorite uses of cinematography, many of which I consider among the greatest."

1. Eraserhead
2. In the Mood for Love
3. Chungking Express
4. Days of Heaven
5. The Assassin
6. The Thin Red Line
7. Paris, Texas
8. The Night of the Hunter
9. Carol
10. Blade Runner
11. Heat
12. Sans soleil
13. Mulholland Dr.
14. Public Enemies
15. Thief
16. Blue Velvet
17. Out 1
18. Manhunter
19. The Double Life of Veronique
20. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
21. Yi yi
22. Persona
23. Inland Empire
24. The Young Girls of Rocherfort
25. Koyaanisqatsi
26. Miami Vice
27. Horse Money
28. Possession
29. A Brighter Summer Day
30. Blackhat
31. Close-up
32. Meek's Cutoff
33. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
34. Ran
35. The Master
36. Eyes Wide Shut
37. Stop Making Sense
38. Sicario
39. Inherent Vice
40. Wild at Heart
41. Vivre sa vie
42. The Devils
43. Jeanne Dielman
44. Lady Blue Shanghai
45. Blow Out
46. Sunrise
47. Carlito's Way
48. Ali
49. Pina
50. Non-Stop
51. D'Est
52. Trust
53. Days of Being Wild

Former Favorite Romances

Formerly: Muted Passions; The greatest cinematic love stories I've ever seen.

1. In the Mood for Love
2. Paris, Texas
3. Trust
4. Carol
5. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
6. Sunrise
7. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
8. Before Sunrise
9. Casablanca
10. Breaking the Waves
11. Annie Hall
12. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
13. The Young Girls of Rochefort
14. Journey to Italy
15. Mulholland Dr.
16. Miami Vice
17. Beauty and the Beast (Cocteau)
18. Pierrot le fou
19. Eyes Wide Shut
20. Wings of Desire
21. Wild at Heart
22. The Duke of Burgundy
23. Phoenix
24. My Golden Days

2015 First Watches (Unranked)

(500) Days of Summer 8½ A Clockwork Orange A Dinner of Men A Hard Day's Night A Trip to the Moon A Wild Hare A Woman Is a Woman A Woman Under the Influence A.I. Artificial Intelligence Adaptation. Aguirre: The Wrath of God Ali: Fear Eats the Soul Alphaville American Graffiti Andy Warhol Screen Tests Ani*Kuri15 Annie Hall Aparajito Army of Shadows Au hasard Balthazar Austerity Measures Autumn Sonata Badlands Barry Lyndon Barton Fink Battleship Potemkin Before Sunrise Billy's Balloon Birdman Black Mass Blue Velvet Bottle Rocket Boyhood Brazil Breaking the Waves Breathless Brooklyn Chi-Raq Chinatown Close-Up Cobain: Montage of Heck Cool Cat Saves the Kids Creed Dancer in the Dark Days of Heaven Dazed and Confused Double Indemnity Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dredd Drive Duck Amuck Dune Easy Rider Edge of Tomorrow Eraserhead Everest Ex Machina Eyes Wide Shut Fargo Film Ist. Film ist. 7-12 Five Easy Pieces Foxcatcher Full Metal Jacket The Geography of the Body Ghost in the Shell Grave of the Fireflies Halloween Heat Her Home/Alone Horse Money If 6 Was 9 In the Heart of the Sea In the Mood for Love Inland Empire Inside Job Inside Out It Follows It's Such a Beautiful Day Ivan's Childhood Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles Jeux des reflets et de la vitesse Journey to Italy Jules and Jim Key Lime Pie Killer's Kiss Koyaanisqatsi Kustom Kar Kommandos L'Atalante L'Avventura Eclipse La dolce vita La Jetée La Notte Last Year at Marienbad Lawrence of Arabia Lily and Jim Live Freaky Die Freaky Lolita Lost Highway Lost in Translation Love & Mercy M Macbeth Mad Max: Fury Road Magnolia Masculin Féminin Mattress Man Commercial Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Melancholia Midnight in Paris Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Moonrise Kingdom More at 11 Mothlight Mulholland Drive Nashville Network Night Music Night and Fog Nightcrawler No Country for Old Men On the Waterfront One Froggy Evening Operation: Rabbit Outer Space Paris, Texas Pather Panchali Paths of Glory Penis Boy Penis Man: Dickapitated Persona Phoenix Picnic at Hanging Rock Pierrot le fou Pina Playtime Premonitions Following an Evil Deed Punch-Drunk Love Quantum of Solace Queen of Earth Rashomon Rejected RoboCop Room 8 Rushmore Sans Soleil Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Selma Seven Samurai Sicario Singin' in the Rain Six Men Getting Sick Some Like It Hot Spartacus Spectre Spotlight Star Wars: The Force Awakens Stellar Stop Making Sense Straight Outta Compton Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Sunset Boulevard Sweet Smell of Success Tangerine Taxi Driver The 400 Blows The Alphabet The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Amputee The Assassin The Big Lebowski The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari The Celebration The Danish Girl The Darjeeling Limited The Double Life of Veronique The Duke of Burgundy The Elephant Man The Garden of Earthly Delights The Gift The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Grand Budapest Hotel The Grandmaster The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 The Imitation Game The Killer The Killing The Last Picture Show The Leisure Class The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou The Lion King The Martian The Matrix The Meaning of Life The Night of the Hunter The Passion of Joan of Arc The Royal Tenenbaums The Rules of the Game The Seventh Continent The Seventh Seal The Shining The Star Wars Holiday Special The Straight Story The Theory of Everything The Thin Blue Line The Thin Red Line The Third Man The Umbrellas of Cherbourg The Walk The Web The Wold Shadow The World of Apu The Young Girls of Rochefort There Will Be Blood Tokyo Story Tootsie Trainwreck Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Vivre Sa Vie What's Opera, Doc? Whiplash Wild at Heart Wings of Desire Wisdom Teeth World of Tomorrow Yi Yi