100 Films to Watch If You're Going to Study Film (Pt. 3)

As you already know, I've covered Part One and Two already and so, if you want the more popular films watched by students of film, then please go to those articles. You would probably want to read Part One, one to 10 since those are the ones mostly covered by film theories everywhere. They've been over-analysed so much that well, there's hardly anything left. You could surprise me by giving me an analysis on one of those films that I haven't yet seen. And trust me, I have seen a lot.

As you all know, my MA in film and writing doesn't give me the right to tell you what to watch, but it does give me the want to point people in the right direction. Again, I'm not saying watch them all—you know what type of film you want to concentrate on and which aspect you would like to perfect. You know what's best for you—but allow me to search the rivers and put out 100 more films that you should watch before you go off on to your film studies journey.

You are aware by now that this set of articles is dedicated to a very great human being that I know. She is young, but wants to study film in the future and wants to be a director. I hope she does and I know all of you on here will be super supportive of her. She's very smart and has a lot of potential and a lot of knowledge of film already—and she's one of the nicest people on the planet.

Now, let's get on with it. You know how it works by now. I will say bits here and there about films I think are really interesting. I will also put (*) by films that are my favourites. I never put films on these lists that I haven't already seen, therefore making them nice and thorough for you.

201-210

201. Bride of Frankenstein*

202. The Misfits

203. Moulin Rouge

204. Sunday, Bloody Sunday

205. Before Sunrise

206. Get Carter

207. Howl's Moving Castle*

One of the greatest feats in animation. If you want to learn about how animated films are put together then you need to watch Howl's Moving Castle. If you want to learn about how voice is used in animated film to the best extent, then you need to watch this film. It's one of the most beautiful animated experiences you will ever have.

208. Cinema Paradiso*

209. All That Jazz

210. Requiem for a Dream*

211-220

211. The Virgin Suicides*

212. Ninotchka

213. AI

214. Romeo and Juliet

215. The Magnificent Seven

216. Groundhog Day*

A brilliant achievement in editing, cinematography and character development. It may not be a very "smart" film like Fight Club or Pulp Fiction, but there is a lot to analyse here. There is a lot to learn about films that play with time and the chronology of events. It's a brilliantly funny film as well if you want to learn about good writing.

217. Crimes and Misdemeanours

218. Sin City*

219. Animal House*

220. The Thing

221-230

221. No Country for Old Men

222. Field of Dreams

223. The Lady Vanishes* (1938)

224. All the President's Men

225. A Place in the Sun (1951)

226. Brighton Rock

227. Layer Cake*

228. The Red Balloon (1956)

229. The Best Years of Our Lives*

230. American History X*

One of my favourite controversial movies ever. This is an excellent lesson in cinematography and editing. I think this film is a great achievement of how cinematography can contribute to how the character develops. You should probably watch the arrest scene if you don't want to watch the whole movie—I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to watch the whole movie though, it is brilliant.

231-240

231. Trainspotting

232. American Graffiti

233. Braveheart

234. Out of Sight

235. Midnight Cowboy*

236. The Lives of Others

237. 300

238. Zulu

239. The Last Waltz

240. The Green Mile*

241-250

241. The Lady Eve

242. Bugsy Malone

243. The Nightmare Before Christmas*

244. Fatal Attraction

245. Good Morning Vietnam*

One of the great achievements of modern cinema, we need to just forget Robin Williams is in it for a second, because seriously that guy is funny (and really makes it better for character development). If you really want to study films about the Vietnamese War then you need to watch this one film—really mostly just this film. It is a brilliant achievement of conveying story through a side-character. You still get to see the war, but through a character that is not directly connected to the war itself. It's amazing.

246. Rocky* (1976)

I have seen this film countless times and really, this is how you make a sports-based movie. There's a good blend between drama, between romance, between crime and between sports. The one thing that really makes this film what it is though, is the script. The script is amazingly written, it's a beautiful film and is possibly in my personal top 50.

247. Predator

248. Hot Fuzz

249. Lord of War*

250. The English Patient

251-260

251. The Truman Show

252. Sunshine* (2007)

253. The Breakfast Club

254. The Goonies

255. The Bourne Identity*

256. Gone in 60 Seconds*

257. Mulholland Drive

258. Zodiac*

259. Children of Men

260. The Magnificent Ambersons

261-270

261. Clerks

262. Cloverfield

263. Killer of Sheep

264. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford*

This is one of my all-time favourite films because of how well it creates the high-drama. I love the scene where the narration about reaching the next age milestone happens because it really makes the film seem like more of a biopic than just a fictionalised drama. I do believe that most of this film would be considered a biopic, but what I really want to talk about is the silences in the film. There are instances where nobody says anything and, that is even better for creating high drama rather than a lot of talking. It is a beautiful film, so please watch it.

265. Robocop (1987)

266. Batman* (1989)

267. Heathers*

268. Jerry Maguire*

269. To Have and to Have Not

270. Zelig

271-280

271. Big Trouble in Little China

272. Being John Malkovich

273. V for Vendetta*

274. Wonder Boys*

275. The Lost Boys

276. Dawn of the Dead

277. A History of Violence

278. Dog Day Afternoon*

279. Dead Man's Shoes

280. 12 Monkeys* (1995)

One of my favourite movies in the entire world, if you want to study character development through dialogue then you need to watch this film. Also, if you love Brad Pitt's best acting roles, then you need to watch this film. It's the greatest thing he's ever done and it is an amazing film. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

281-290

281. A Hard Day's Night*

282. Lethal Weapon

283. Atonement

284. Halloween* (1978)

285. The Crow

286. Dumb and Dumber

287. Unbreakable

288. Snatch*

This is again one of my favourite films ever and I'd love for you to watch it. It is the height of crime comedy and has some great soundtrack choices. If you want to study editing and how cinematography and soundtrack can come together to give great atmosphere then this is the film you want to watch. You also have to watch this film if you want to befriend me... please?

289. The Wicker Man*

290. Lord of Dogtown*

Like Rocky, this is an achievement of sports cinema. The style of the film and the way the atmosphere is presented to us is amazing, the character development and dialogue is brilliant and the plot really hits you when it comes to high-drama. I recommend this film to anyone who wants to study sports on screen because this film is absolutely incredible.

291-300

291. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*

Here's a fun fact for you: I actually had the promo-magazine titled "Johnny Sings" by Rolling Stone before this film came out and it was pretty damn awesome. My parents wanted me out of the way whilst they helped with my cousin's wedding, so I just sat there re-reading the magazine over and over again. But this film is an incredible achievement of movie-musical and possibly one of the best of its kind. The cinematography in this film is on epic proportions and the way in which the dialogue is written in so cleverly is an achievement which is quite possibly edited by the mind of Tim Burton. John Logan's screenplay is brilliant though—I would recommend you read it whilst watching the film.

292. Ben-Hur (1959)

293. High Fidelity

294. In the Company of Men

295. Jailhouse Rock*

296. Saw*

297. Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

298. Ocean's 13*

299. Enduring Love

300. Superman Returns