Linda Marric
Film Critic
UK
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Streets | 1973 | Martin Scorsese |
| Singin' in the Rain | 1951 | Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen |
| The Battle of Algiers | 1966 | Gillo Pontecorvo |
| Un prophète | 2009 | Jacques Audiard |
| First Man | 2018 | Damien Chazelle |
| Rio Bravo | 1958 | Howard Hawks |
| Imitation of Life | 1959 | Douglas Sirk |
| The Apartment | 1960 | Billy Wilder |
| Brazil | 1985 | Terry Gilliam |
| Mujeres al borde de un ataque de "nervios" | 1988 | Pedro Almodóvar |
Comments
Mean Streets
The beginning of Martin Scorsese's decades long collaboration with Robert De Niro is a ballsy and genuinely thrilling New York fable. It is cinema verité in its purest and sincere form. An essential watch alongside Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy.
Singin' in the Rain
Unquestionably the single most influential musical films of all time. Its brilliant depiction of early Hollywood is as timeless as it is brilliantly self-aware. Kelly et al don't miss a single beat in this fast-paced, funny and genuinely engaging story.
The Battle of Algiers
The Algerian civil war gets the Italian neorealist treatment in this era defining account from Pontecorvo. Shot in documentary style, the film went on to effluence everyone from Chris Nolan to Quentin Tarantino with Ennio Morricone's ominous score is just the cherry on top.
Un prophète
Tahar Rahim is a revelation.
First Man
Ryan Gosling's understated delivery coupled with Chazelle's brilliant attention to detail make this into one of the best films about the space race. Its unfussy approach is what makes it a cut above the rest.
Imitation of Life
Nobody does Melodrama like Sirk does. It's all in the subtext.
The Apartment
A clever, touching and robustly acted comedy of errors form Wilder. Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon are simply sublime.
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de "nervios"
Almodóvar's mixes melodrama with black comedy in this exuberant feminist tale.