Stop what you're doing and watch these movies immediately! For this list, we’ll be ranking the big ones, the films that are considered classics by many, and those that should probably be part of a balanced cinematic diet at least once during your lifetime.
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00:00 "Can you tell me where Ziniba lives?"
00:02 "You'd go to Ziniba's? It might help, but she's one dangerous witch."
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 movies everyone should see at least once.
00:14 "If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life."
00:22 "But what about us?"
00:24 "We'll always have Paris."
00:26 For this list, we're ranking the big ones, the films that are considered classics by many,
00:31 and those that should probably be part of a balanced cinematic diet at least once during your lifetime.
00:36 Can you think of any we missed? Let us know in the comments.
00:41 Number 20, Parasite.
00:43 The critical and commercial success of Parasite is impressive for a number of reasons,
00:48 and this in part influences why it deserves your cinematic attention.
00:51 "I'm so emotional right now, can you lower it down to here?"
00:56 "I had no choice but to lift it up. I'm going to compress it."
01:02 For starters, it's the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture that wasn't filmed using the English language.
01:09 In this, Parasite manages to help change the foreign language stigma that's long been associated with the Oscars,
01:16 while at the same time exposing international cinema to a wider audience.
01:20 "Oh, my son. So this is your second home?"
01:27 Similarly, director Bong Joon-ho comes from a genre cinema background,
01:31 with Parasite further vindicating creators from this world as real contenders when it comes to movies of all shapes and sizes.
01:38 "He keeps following me."
01:43 Number 19, The Breakfast Club.
01:47 It's been said that cinema geared towards young people and teenagers doesn't always have the best writing.
01:53 "Eat my shorts."
01:56 "You just bought yourself another Saturday, mister."
01:58 "Oh, crushed."
02:00 "You just bought one more right there."
02:01 Thankfully, there have been films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Breakfast Club to challenge that conception and stereotype.
02:08 Both films display a lot of respect for their young protagonists and treat their problems with seriousness.
02:14 The Breakfast Club may start off compartmentalizing its group of high schoolers in detention,
02:19 but it's quickly established that all is not what it seems.
02:22 Everyone in The Breakfast Club undergoes a change of sorts by the movie's end,
02:26 and we, the audience, are left with our minds challenged and our hearts that much fuller for having taken this journey with them along the way.
02:34 "Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong."
02:42 Number 18. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
02:45 You don't have to like westerns in order to enjoy Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
02:50 "I know nothing at all about that case of coins. Now that gold has disappeared, but if he'd listened, we could have avoided this altogether."
02:56 Okay, so having an appreciation of the genre certainly helps, but Leone's vision is a masterclass of epic storytelling,
03:03 and is bound to enthrall even the most reticent of audiences.
03:07 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly does nothing by half measures,
03:11 and pushes the genre forward in terms of violence, scope and technique.
03:16 "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk."
03:18 Leone's film isn't just about a treasure hunt or a pistol duel.
03:21 Rather, it's a piece that takes the classic western archetype, grabs its hand and drags it along into contemporary cinema for a brand new lease on life.
03:30 "It's funny, it's all hot and funny."
03:35 [Birds chirping]
03:41 [Tires screeching]
03:43 Number 17, Singing in the Rain.
03:46 You have not lived until you've seen Gene Kelly dance,
03:50 and you haven't seen Gene Kelly dance until you've watched Singing in the Rain.
03:54 "I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain."
04:01 The impact of this film is similar to that of Leone with westerns, in that it doesn't matter whether musicals are your thing.
04:07 Singing in the Rain is old Hollywood glitz and glamour at its finest, and represents a bygone era of class and artifice.
04:15 There's a grace and beauty to the singing and dancing on display here,
04:18 as Kelly and his co-stars Debbie Reynolds and Sid Charisse light up the screen like lightning during a thunderstorm.
04:25 There's just an electricity to Singing in the Rain that cannot be matched,
04:28 and it's certainly a movie that everyone should see at least once.
04:32 [Singing]
04:43 Number 16, The Dark Knight.
04:46 Our favorite movie stars come into our lives on the silver screen,
04:49 and leave us with something that cannot be measured with money or time, an emotional connection.
04:55 "He turns to me, and he says, 'Why so serious?'"
05:01 Unfortunately, those same stars don't stay with us forever,
05:04 which is why films like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight serve as important time capsules to remember the performances we love.
05:12 Heath Ledger stunned audiences and industry professionals alike when he disappeared into his role of the Joker for Nolan's film.
05:19 "Don't talk like one of them, you're not. Even if you'd like to be."
05:24 "To them, you're just a freak."
05:27 "Like me."
05:29 The Dark Knight may be about Batman, but it's Ledger's movie full stop,
05:34 and his performance is something that needs to be seen to be believed.
05:38 Number 15, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
05:41 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was following in the footsteps of giants back when it was released in 2000,
05:47 thanks to its incredible crossover appeal with audiences.
05:50 [Speaking Chinese]
05:58 It's easy to compare the explosion and acclaim received by the film to the kung fu craze
06:03 that ignited in the wake of Bruce Lee's enter the dragon back in the 70s.
06:07 However, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is important for additional reasons,
06:12 in that it also deviated from that 70s martial arts stereotype,
06:16 bringing the more physically graceful and thematically complex wuxia style to the masses.
06:20 Is it a martial arts film? Certainly.
06:23 But Crouching Tiger is also much more than that.
06:26 It is a beautiful cinematic experience that begs to be savored.
06:30 [Speaking Chinese]
06:36 Number 14, Apocalypse Now.
06:39 There is more than one way for movie fans to enjoy just how epic Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now was in scope.
06:46 [Speaking Chinese]
06:51 On the surface, Coppola's film is one of the darkest and most captivating war films of all time.
06:57 But there's also the war that went into getting the film made in the first place,
07:01 a story that was captured by Coppola's wife with documentary footage shot on set.
07:05 It was a truly harrowing experience shooting Apocalypse Now for everyone involved.
07:11 And those results are clearly set there on the screen.
07:14 [Speaking Chinese]
07:23 It's a heady and psychedelic trip into the heart of darkness,
07:27 an abyss where this film resides, patiently waiting for its next new victim.
07:33 Number 13, Toy Story.
07:35 Who says kids movies have to be just for kids?
07:38 Clearly not the team at Pixar,
07:40 whose Toy Story franchise has gone on to be embraced by children and adults around the world.
07:45 [Speaking Chinese]
07:49 There's just a universal appeal to Buzz, Woody and all the gang
07:52 as we see just what goes on when kids aren't paying attention to their toys.
07:56 Moreover, Toy Story tackles themes that affect everyone,
08:00 from the emotional changes of growing up to feelings of abandonment, confusion and loss.
08:05 It also does so with a patient grace that transcends easily from the screen into our hearts.
08:11 Toy Story is quite simply a classic.
08:14 [Speaking Chinese]
08:18 Number 12, The Maltese Falcon.
08:20 Film noir was a hugely important movement within American cinema,
08:24 one that was influenced by German Expressionism
08:26 while carving its own black and white path into history.
08:29 "You've got to trust me, Mr. Spade.
08:32 Oh, I'm so alone and afraid.
08:35 I've got nobody to help me if you won't help me."
08:38 The Maltese Falcon is one of the best examples of this style,
08:42 a picture that's studied by film students for its contributions to visual style and narrative structure.
08:47 Indeed, the importance and influence of The Maltese Falcon can be seen in more modern works,
08:53 such as Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, which owes a debt of gratitude to the film.
08:58 It's all here, from Humphrey Bogart's hard-boiled private eye to Mary Astor's alluring femme fatale.
09:04 The Maltese Falcon didn't follow cinematic tropes, it helped create them.
09:08 "A man's partner's killed, he's supposed to do something about it.
09:11 It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him."
09:13 Number 11, The Exorcist.
09:16 There are few corners of film fandom with as much dedication as the world of horror.
09:22 "So what's wrong with it?"
09:23 "We still think the temporal lobe."
09:27 "Oh, what are you talking about, for Christ's sakes?
09:30 Did you see her or not?"
09:32 Fright fans want to see it all, re-watching their favorite scares again and again.
09:37 But what about desert island horror, the films without which fans simply could not live?
09:43 The original Halloween is certainly on that list,
09:46 but perhaps chief among them is William Friedkin's The Exorcist.
09:50 It's the Citizen Kane of horror films,
09:53 a tour de force that still manages to disturb decades after its original release.
09:58 The Exorcist was a viral hit before the term was even invented,
10:02 a word-of-mouth shocker that went on to help define the genre to this very day.
10:07 "He will like to confuse us, but he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us."
10:16 Number 10, Citizen Kane.
10:18 Speaking of Citizen Kane, there's a reason why this 1941 film continues to receive so many accolades by film scholars.
10:26 It's simultaneously a textbook example and a game-changer for the medium,
10:30 an achievement that went on to define the career of Hollywood icon Orson Welles.
10:35 Countless filmmakers studied the editing techniques, the story structure, and cinematography of Citizen Kane.
10:42 Composers listened to Bernard Herrmann's iconic score and tried to emulate its rousing and textured themes.
10:48 Perhaps unsurprisingly, Citizen Kane wasn't a financial success during its initial run,
10:53 but word travels fast and it wasn't long before Welles' work would go on to become one of the most influential films ever made.
11:00 "For the indictment, prosecution, and conviction of Boss Jim W. Geddes!"
11:07 Number 9, The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring.
11:12 Retaining an audience's interest throughout the runtime of a big-budget epic is not always easy.
11:17 "Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee."
11:19 "I don't mean to."
11:21 "Sam, we're still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?"
11:24 That is, unless your name happens to be Peter Jackson.
11:28 The first film in Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy followed in the footsteps of other filmmakers
11:33 who attempted to bring the world of author J.R.R. Tolkien to life.
11:36 Respected filmmakers such as Ralph Bakshi, Jules Bass, and Arthur Rankin Jr.
11:42 This time, however, Jackson had the budget, the setting, and the cast to make an update that would serve for many
11:48 as the definitive depiction of Tolkien on screen.
11:51 And it's difficult to argue with those people,
11:54 since The Fellowship of the Ring still possesses such an emotional resonance and cinematic relevance.
11:59 It's truly an achievement.
12:01 "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide."
12:07 "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
12:11 Number 8 - Modern Times
12:14 The world of silent film spawned a number of notable stars and impossibly creative legends.
12:20 Buster Keaton was one, while Modern Times, our next entry, comes from another - the iconic Charlie Chaplin.
12:27 Chaplin's film serves as one of the best entry points for newcomers,
12:31 as it not only sets on display the actor's natural charm and amazing physical comedy skills,
12:36 but also his ability to inject scathing satire into a narrative.
12:40 Modern Times takes square aim at America's Industrial Revolution,
12:44 and even got Chaplin in trouble with the United States government,
12:47 thanks to his left-leaning political views.
12:50 Despite, or perhaps because of this controversy, Modern Times remains unerringly relevant.
12:56 Number 7 - Gone With the Wind
12:59 Everyone loves a big-budget epic, right?
13:01 Titanic was a massive success when it was released back in 1997.
13:05 But 1939's Gone With the Wind might be one of the OGs of going big.
13:10 "Not gonna be any war!"
13:11 "Oh, honey, of course there's gonna be a war!"
13:13 "If either of you boys says war, just once again, I'll go in the house and slam the door."
13:17 Today, some of the film's content stands out as controversial, and requires a discussion of context.
13:23 But this changes nothing about Gone With the Wind as both a technical achievement and cultural touchstone.
13:29 Newcomers may be caught off guard by the film's three-hour-plus running time,
13:33 but Gone With the Wind remains one of those films with which true scholars of the medium should invest their time.
13:38 It's a grand, sweeping, romantic story the likes of which cinema will likely never see again.
13:45 "Red, if you go, where shall I go, what shall I do?"
13:50 "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
13:52 Number 6 - Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope
13:56 The '70s were a true golden age for American cinema.
13:59 From character-driven pieces and genre fare, to the summer blockbuster season that unofficially kicked off with Steven Spielberg's Jaws.
14:06 "What the hell, you son of a-"
14:08 [Gunshot]
14:09 Elsewhere, Spielberg's friend and colleague George Lucas was placing his own stamp in cinema history with a little film of which you may have heard,
14:17 called Star Wars.
14:19 "I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan."
14:22 "You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. Take her away!"
14:26 Sure, it may be known today, subtitled as Episode IV - A New Hope, but back then, it was known simply as Star Wars,
14:33 a worldwide phenomenon that captivated the imaginations of moviegoers everywhere.
14:38 Star Wars was the space opera to end all space operas, a smash hit that forever changed summer cinema trips,
14:45 and led to one of the most beloved movie sequels, The Empire Strikes Back.
14:50 [Dramatic music]
14:52 "No...it's not true."
14:55 Number 5 - Seven Samurai
14:58 There are names that cinephiles recognize as true masters of the silver screen.
15:03 One of those names is Akira Kurosawa, a Japanese legend who crafted some of the art form's most influential movies.
15:10 [Speaking Japanese]
15:21 Seven Samurai is just one of Kurosawa's masterpieces,
15:25 a 200-plus minute epic that's a masterclass in storytelling and visual beauty.
15:31 The film may deal with samurai, but it also possesses themes of loss and finding one's place in the world,
15:37 of how to cope with time, about how things change, and how we define ourselves once that which defines us has gone away.
15:44 Seven Samurai is much more than just swordplay and adventure.
15:48 It is a true cinematic experience.
15:50 [Speaking Japanese]
16:00 Number 4 - Psycho
16:02 What defines a horror movie, and what separates it from a thriller?
16:06 "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound uncaring."
16:10 "What do you know about caring? Have you ever seen the inside of one of those places?"
16:14 It's difficult to say, yet still, horror fans cheered when The Silence of the Lambs
16:19 won the Best Picture Oscar back in 1992.
16:22 Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho sort of works within both worlds,
16:25 serving as a compelling and tragic character study,
16:28 while at the same time providing some of the most iconic shocks of the decade.
16:32 Hitch wasn't known as the master of suspense for nothing,
16:35 and Psycho just might serve as one of the director's crowning achievements,
16:39 a horror classic full of surprises that still feels so very fresh today.
16:44 "They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am."
16:51 Number 3 - 2001 A Space Odyssey
16:54 It's not surprising at all that our top tier of films here
16:57 are by some of the finest to ever sit behind a camera.
17:00 Stanley Kubrick is certainly one of those people, a creative obsessive,
17:04 whose austere and relentlessly watchable works have gone on to become textbook cases about how to make a movie.
17:11 "I would recommend that we put the unit back in operation and let it fail."
17:16 2001 A Space Odyssey is one of Kubrick's most well-known pieces,
17:20 but also one of his best, a slice of hard sci-fi that challenges its audience at every turn.
17:26 This is a measured, moody piece that questions humanity's place in the world,
17:31 while also daring to get marvelously psychedelic throughout its runtime.
17:35 Simply stated, 2001 A Space Odyssey is a must-see.
17:39 Number 2 - The Godfather
17:42 We love to quote our favorite movies.
17:44 "Instead of you coming to my house on the day my daughter's to be married,
17:47 and you ask me for the murder money."
17:50 And like it or not, some of those quotes become so well-known,
17:54 they enter the pop culture zeitgeist and lexicon forever.
17:58 The Godfather is one of those films, but it's also an outlier in that Francis Ford Coppola's
18:02 massive crime epic still lives up to all the hype.
18:05 This is a film that never gets old, no matter how many of its beats you've memorized,
18:10 or how much trivia you know.
18:12 It's a marvel that Coppola was able to assemble this perfect cast,
18:16 and deliver this perfect movie at the perfect time.
18:19 The Godfather is tops, and watching it is always a good decision.
18:23 "This one time...
18:24 This one time I'll let you ask me about my affairs."
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18:46 Movies are for everyone, and everyone has their favorite movie.
18:54 The Wizard of Oz, for many, stands at the top of this list, and with good reason.
19:03 It's magical how perfectly The Wizard of Oz fits into our movie-watching habits as children,
19:08 yet stays with us as we get older.
19:10 Becoming one of those comfort food films, we find ourselves viewing again and again.
19:15 And if you've never seen The Wizard of Oz, doesn't really matter,
19:19 because a first-time viewing is just like the hundredth.
19:22 Warm, familiar, and universally nostalgic.
19:25 The wonder of Dorothy's adventures in the land of Oz are part of cinema's DNA.
19:30 Strands of indescribable magic that unite us all as movie fans.
19:35 "Remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love,
19:41 but by how much you are loved by others."
19:44 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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19:52 [music]