Modern Film Fanatic

Controversial Film:
Movies in this category — including Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ (2004), Kevin Smith’s Dogma (1999), and Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (1990) — generated controversy during their release, and are worth a look for this reason alone.

Cult Movie:
Films develop cults for any number of reasons; it’s my contention that film fanatics should know about these movies even if they don’t become personal favorites. Sample titles in this category include Office Space (1999), The Matrix (1999), Fight Club (1999), and Napoleon Dynamite (2004).

Cultural Window:
Some movies — such as Samira Makhmalbaf’s Blackboards (2000) and Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning (1990) — offer an invaluable opportunity to eavesdrop on a different culture or lifestyle; I consider these movies to be “must see” for everyone, not just film fanatics.

Foreign Gem:
This category is reserved for films which may or may not be known by most American audience members, but are considered to be true modern masterpieces of international cinema.

Good Show:
I’ve included this vaguely titled category as a catch-all for movies — such as Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven (2002) — which are, quite simply, a “good show”, and shouldn’t be missed by any devoted film fanatic.

Historically Relevant:
This broad category includes movies which broke new ground technologically, artistically, or thematically (such as Richard Linklater’s rotoscoped Waking Life); popular blockbusters (such as Speed or Titanic); and/or movies which hit a cultural nerve upon their release (such as Paul Greengrass’s United 93).

Important Director
Sometimes a film is worth seeing simply because it’s by a noteworthy director, such as Pedro Almodovar, Krzysztof Kieslowski, or Quentin Tarantino.

Modern Classic:
Movies in this category are what people traditionally think of when they wonder what they “should” watch in their lifetime — titles such as Schindler’s List (1993) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) which show up on countless “100 Best” lists, usually for a good reason.

Noteworthy Performance(s):
Some movies may be worth seeing simply on the basis of one or more stand-out performances — i.e., Forrest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (2006) or Julianne Moore in Safe (1995).

Oscar Winner or Nominee
Winning (or being nominated for) an Academy Award permanently secures a movie’s place in cinematic history. While we may not agree with the Academy’s choices (see Peary’s Alternate Oscars, for instance), film fanatics should at least be familiar with the winning titles.

Special Interest to Film Lovers
Finally, a handful of films dealing specifically with movies — such as Lost in La Mancha (2002), The Celluloid Closet (1995), and Cinemania (2002) — are guaranteed to be of interest to all film fanatics — don’t miss these!