Lists
My Top Twelve Favorite Movies
1. Vertigo
2. Network
3. Amadeus
4. Last Year at Marienbad
5. The Shining
6. Blade Runner
7. Aguirre, the Wrath of God
8. There Will Be Blood
9. First Reformed
10. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
11. Fargo
12. The Darjeeling Limited
2. Network
3. Amadeus
4. Last Year at Marienbad
5. The Shining
6. Blade Runner
7. Aguirre, the Wrath of God
8. There Will Be Blood
9. First Reformed
10. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
11. Fargo
12. The Darjeeling Limited
Top Ten of 2022
1. Tár
2. Blonde
3. The Banshees of Inisherin
4. Men
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once
6. Something in the Dirt
7. The Pale Blue Eye
8. Watcher
9. The Northman
10. Pearl
2. Blonde
3. The Banshees of Inisherin
4. Men
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once
6. Something in the Dirt
7. The Pale Blue Eye
8. Watcher
9. The Northman
10. Pearl
Top Ten of 2020 and 2021
1. Strawberry Mansion
2. The Green Knight
3. Full Time
4. Licorice Pizza
5. The Card Counter
6. Bill & Ted Face the Music
7. The Devil All the Time
8. Possessor
9. Tenet
10. Mad God
2. The Green Knight
3. Full Time
4. Licorice Pizza
5. The Card Counter
6. Bill & Ted Face the Music
7. The Devil All the Time
8. Possessor
9. Tenet
10. Mad God
Top Ten of 2019
1. Under the Silver Lake
2. Midsommar
3. Alita: Battle Angel
4. Uncut Gems
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
6. Saint Maud
7. Joker
8. A Hidden Life
9. The Irishman
10. Us
2. Midsommar
3. Alita: Battle Angel
4. Uncut Gems
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
6. Saint Maud
7. Joker
8. A Hidden Life
9. The Irishman
10. Us
Top Ten of 2018
1. First Reformed
2. Hereditary
3. Annihilation
4. The House That Jack Built
5. The Other Side of the Wind
6. Mandy
7. Burning (2018)
8. Suspiria (2018)
9. The Favourite
10. Ready Player One
2. Hereditary
3. Annihilation
4. The House That Jack Built
5. The Other Side of the Wind
6. Mandy
7. Burning (2018)
8. Suspiria (2018)
9. The Favourite
10. Ready Player One
Top Ten of 2017
1. Blade Runner 2049
2. Alien: Covenant
3. mother!
4. Phantom Thread
5. The Green Fog
6. A Ghost Story
7. It Comes at Night
8. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
9. Good Time
10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2. Alien: Covenant
3. mother!
4. Phantom Thread
5. The Green Fog
6. A Ghost Story
7. It Comes at Night
8. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
9. Good Time
10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Top Ten of 2016
1. Silence
2. The Neon Demon
3. Domain (2016)
4. Love & Friendship
5. I, Olga Hepnarová
6. Swiss Army Man
7. Kate Plays Christine
8. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
9. 10 Cloverfield Lane
10. La La Land
2. The Neon Demon
3. Domain (2016)
4. Love & Friendship
5. I, Olga Hepnarová
6. Swiss Army Man
7. Kate Plays Christine
8. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
9. 10 Cloverfield Lane
10. La La Land
Top Ten of 2015
1. The Lure
2. The Witch
3. Crimson Peak
4. Demon
5. Knight of Cups
6. The Lobster
7. Cosmos
8. The Forbidden Room
9. Queen of Earth
10. High-Rise
2. The Witch
3. Crimson Peak
4. Demon
5. Knight of Cups
6. The Lobster
7. Cosmos
8. The Forbidden Room
9. Queen of Earth
10. High-Rise
Top Ten of 2014
1. Ex Machina
2. Gone Girl
3. It Follows
4. Nightcrawler
5. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
6. Wild Tales
7. Inherent Vice
8. A Most Violent Year
9. Maps to the Stars
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2. Gone Girl
3. It Follows
4. Nightcrawler
5. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
6. Wild Tales
7. Inherent Vice
8. A Most Violent Year
9. Maps to the Stars
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Cyberpunk
Definitions of "cyberpunk" movies can vary, but it is generally accepted that they are set (in part) in a dystopian future--or at least an unfavorable future for some--and that they deal with the existential crisis of how technology redefines our sense of identity and individuality. Although these themes have been explored in films since the early days of cinema, since the term "cyberpunk" had only come into use in the early Eighties, films with similar themes are not generally given this descriptor retroactively. Below are movies that I have written about that I feel meet this definition, and are listed in order in which I wrote about them.
Blade Runner
Akira
Looper
Ghost in the Shell
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
Brazil
eXistenZ
The Running Man
Minority Report
Judge Dredd (1995)
RoboCop (1987)
Blade Runner 2049
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Black Road
Anon
Johnny Mnemonic
Alita: Battle Angel
Ready Player One
Blade Runner
Akira
Looper
Ghost in the Shell
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
Brazil
eXistenZ
The Running Man
Minority Report
Judge Dredd (1995)
RoboCop (1987)
Blade Runner 2049
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Black Road
Anon
Johnny Mnemonic
Alita: Battle Angel
Ready Player One
Experimental
Although classifying a movie as "experimental" can be subjective, these movies are generally those that defy--or outright flaunt--conventional narrative, structure, or cinematic composition. Audiences for these movies should be prepared for something that is frequently open to interpretation, but as a result, each person's experience can be different, lending to myriad interpretations. The benefit of experimental movies is that by virtue of this subjectivity, they also lend themselves to stimulating discussion with fellow movie fans. And while some movies may be more "experimental" than others, the below selections--listed in the order I wrote about them--are the most exceptional examples of this.