Rico Gagliano

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Wings of Desire

Wenders' vision — of a sad, divided world that's still so full of romance and potential that an angel is willing to give up immortality to experience it — only feels more important, decades later. Henri Alekan's roving camera and luminous images haven't been bested since.

Mad Max 2

In which Miller defines the post-apocalyptic aesthetic and sets the standard for high-octane action, without ever sacrificing his soul or his intellect. Peak myth-making.

Amarcord

For me, the perfect balance of Fellini the absurdist, the satirist and the humanist.

Matewan

Strip it down, and it's a pretty straightforward tale of good guys rising up against bad guys. But Sayles and every one of his collaborators give it the weight of Greek tragedy.

The Godfather

Obviously.

Do the Right Thing

It's understandably remembered for its rage — and the fury of the climax feels more inevitable than ever now. But what's often forgotten, and what most astonishes on repeat viewings, is Lee's loving portrait of an entire community full of beautiful, imperfect people. Love and hate; there it is.

Cow

A verite documentary, starring a farm animal, that says more about humanity — and what it hath wrought — than any movie this century. Whenever I think everything's been done in cinema, I think of this film and am reminded there's more to come.

Barry Lyndon

One of Kubrick's most brutal movies was also his most visually beautiful — which seems exactly the point.

Before Sunrise

Two wordless scenes here — in a movie otherwise full of near-constant conversation — elevate it to greatness. The first is a static shot of two people in a room, listening to a record. The second is a simple montage of various locations around Vienna. The emotions evoked by both are more immense than in whole films full of bombast. In the middle of all that dialogue — pure cinema.

Get Out

It seems like a movie this important couldn't possibly this entertaining, but here we are.