100 "Top of My List" Favorite American and Foreign Made Films

by sherper | created - 31 Jul 2011 | updated - 16 Nov 2022 | Public

Although the movies in this list cover a wide range of genres and subject matter (with many hidden gems of lesser-known films), historical fiction / biography is the predominant genre. Titles are listed in alphabetical order.

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1. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery

72 Metascore

A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer

Votes: 987,256 | Gross: $170.74M

2. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Music

70 Metascore

Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.

Director: Stephan Elliott | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, Rebel Penfold-Russell

Votes: 55,113 | Gross: $11.22M

3. The Advocate (1993)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

In medieval France, young lawyer Richard Courtois leaves Paris for the simpler life in the country. However, he is soon drawn into amorous and political intrigues. At the same time, he is ... See full summary »

Director: Leslie Megahey | Stars: Colin Firth, Amina Annabi, Jim Carter, Donald Pleasence

Votes: 2,195 | Gross: $0.67M

The Advocate, set in 15th-century France, is based upon the career and case files of Bartholomew Chassenee, an actual lawyer of the time who served as an advocate for animals who were accused of crimes...in this case, a pig. Animals were subject to the same civil laws and penalties as human beings under French law, 1403–1596. For more info on this subject see: The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals by E. P. Evans (New York: Dutton, 1906).

4. Aimee & Jaguar (1999)

Not Rated | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

72 Metascore

In 1943 Berlin, a Nazi officer's wife meets and starts a passionate affair with a Jewish woman.

Director: Max Färberböck | Stars: Maria Schrader, Juliane Köhler, Johanna Wokalek, Heike Makatsch

Votes: 6,997 | Gross: $0.93M

5. Alien (1979)

R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

89 Metascore

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright

Votes: 951,193 | Gross: $78.90M

6. Amadeus (1984)

R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music

87 Metascore

The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice

Votes: 428,177 | Gross: $51.97M

7. Amazing Grace (2006)

PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History

65 Metascore

The idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.

Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai

Votes: 25,696 | Gross: $21.21M

8. American Beauty (1999)

R | 122 min | Drama

84 Metascore

A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley

Votes: 1,211,252 | Gross: $130.10M

9. American Psycho (2000)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

64 Metascore

A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Bill Sage

Votes: 715,969 | Gross: $15.07M

10. Apocalypse Now (1979)

R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, War

94 Metascore

A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest

Votes: 710,464 | Gross: $83.47M

11. At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)

R | 189 min | Drama, Romance

Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, ... See full summary »

Director: Hector Babenco | Stars: Tom Berenger, John Lithgow, Daryl Hannah, Aidan Quinn

Votes: 3,542 | Gross: $1.34M

12. Avatar (2009)

PG-13 | 162 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

83 Metascore

A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez

Votes: 1,386,754 | Gross: $760.51M

13. Being John Malkovich (1999)

R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

90 Metascore

A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.

Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich

Votes: 353,417 | Gross: $22.86M

14. Blow (2001)

R | 124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

52 Metascore

The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.

Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths

Votes: 275,104 | Gross: $52.99M

15. Bottle Shock (2008)

PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Drama

56 Metascore

The story of the early days of California wine making featuring the now infamous, blind Paris wine tasting of 1976 that has come to be known as "Judgment of Paris".

Director: Randall Miller | Stars: Chris Pine, Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Dennis Farina

Votes: 17,930 | Gross: $4.04M

16. Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

R | 102 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

67 Metascore

A drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.

Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams

Votes: 124,918 | Gross: $66.66M

17. Chocolat (2000)

PG-13 | 121 min | Drama, Romance

64 Metascore

A French woman and her young daughter open up a chocolate shop in a small remote village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.

Director: Lasse Hallström | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina

Votes: 201,994 | Gross: $71.51M

18. The Color Purple (1985)

PG-13 | 154 min | Drama

78 Metascore

A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery

Votes: 97,378 | Gross: $98.47M

19. Crazy Heart (2009)

R | 112 min | Drama, Music, Romance

83 Metascore

A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

Director: Scott Cooper | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, James Keane

Votes: 94,696 | Gross: $39.46M

20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

PG-13 | 166 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

70 Metascore

Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.

Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond

Votes: 695,871 | Gross: $127.51M

21. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

R | 119 min | Drama, Romance

74 Metascore

A scheming widow and her manipulative ex-lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman.

Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz

Votes: 75,161 | Gross: $34.70M

22. Doubt (I) (2008)

PG-13 | 104 min | Drama, Mystery

68 Metascore

A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.

Director: John Patrick Shanley | Stars: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis

Votes: 136,087 | Gross: $33.42M

23. The Dresser (1983)

PG | 118 min | Drama

Personal assistant Norman struggles to get deteriorating veteran actor Sir through a difficult performance of King Lear.

Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox, Zena Walker

Votes: 5,703 | Gross: $5.31M

24. Elizabeth (1998)

R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History

75 Metascore

The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.

Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Liz Giles, Rod Culbertson, Paul Fox

Votes: 105,144 | Gross: $30.08M

25. Enemy Mine (1985)

PG-13 | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

59 Metascore

During a long space war, the lives of two wounded enemies become dependent on their ability to forgive and to trust.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., Brion James, Richard Marcus

Votes: 51,438 | Gross: $4.27M

26. Evita (1996)

PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History

45 Metascore

The hit musical based on the life of Eva Perón (Evita Duarte), a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Domingo Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.

Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Madonna, Jonathan Pryce, Antonio Banderas, Jimmy Nail

Votes: 37,578 | Gross: $50.05M

27. Far and Away (1992)

PG-13 | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance

49 Metascore

A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Gibson, Robert Prosky

Votes: 68,337 | Gross: $58.88M

28. Fargo (1996)

R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller

88 Metascore

Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare

Votes: 726,894 | Gross: $24.61M

29. Farinelli (1994)

R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The story of castrato opera singer Carlo Broschi, who enthralled 18th-century European audiences under his stage name Farinelli.

Director: Gérard Corbiau | Stars: Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein, Caroline Cellier

Votes: 7,351 | Gross: $2.12M

30. The Fifth Element (1997)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

52 Metascore

In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm

Votes: 506,431 | Gross: $63.54M

31. Finding Neverland (2004)

PG | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Family

67 Metascore

The story of Sir J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.

Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell

Votes: 212,062 | Gross: $51.68M

32. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

R | 108 min | Action, Crime, Horror

48 Metascore

Two criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary refuge in a truck stop populated by vampires, with chaotic results.

Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Quentin Tarantino

Votes: 340,751 | Gross: $25.75M

33. Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)

R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

50 Metascore

Turning her back on her wealthy, established family, Diane Arbus falls in love with Lionel Sweeney, an enigmatic mentor who introduces Arbus to the marginalized people who help her become one of the most revered photographers of the twentieth century.

Director: Steven Shainberg | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr., Ty Burrell, Harris Yulin

Votes: 16,363 | Gross: $0.22M

34. Gandhi (1982)

PG | 191 min | Biography, Drama, History

79 Metascore

The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.

Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth

Votes: 240,222 | Gross: $52.77M

35. Germinal (1993)

R | 160 min | Drama, Romance

In mid-nineteenth-century northern France, a coal mining town's workers are exploited by the mine's owner. One day, they decide to go on strike, and the authorities repress them.

Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Renaud, Gérard Depardieu, Miou-Miou, Jean Carmet

Votes: 5,748 | Gross: $0.38M

36. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

R | 116 min | Crime, Drama

68 Metascore

An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.

Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman

Votes: 96,985 | Gross: $3.31M

37. Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

PG-13 | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

72 Metascore

A young peasant maid working in the house of painter Johannes Vermeer becomes his talented assistant and the model for one of his most famous works.

Director: Peter Webber | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt

Votes: 82,678 | Gross: $11.63M

38. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

R | 121 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

67 Metascore

In 1965, an unorthodox and irreverent DJ named Adrian Cronauer begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.

Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tom T. Tran, Chintara Sukapatana

Votes: 153,858 | Gross: $123.92M

39. Goya's Ghosts (2006)

R | 113 min | Biography, Drama, History

52 Metascore

Painter Francisco Goya faces a scandal involving his muse, who is labeled a heretic by a monk.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, Randy Quaid

Votes: 31,952 | Gross: $1.00M

40. The Great Debaters (2007)

PG-13 | 126 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

65 Metascore

A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.

Director: Denzel Washington | Stars: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, Nate Parker

Votes: 62,868 | Gross: $30.23M

41. The Green Mile (1999)

R | 189 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy

61 Metascore

A tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt

Votes: 1,407,880 | Gross: $136.80M

42. Hamlet (1996)

PG-13 | 242 min | Drama

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.

Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet

Votes: 40,057 | Gross: $4.41M

43. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

85 Metascore

A gender-queer punk-rock singer from East Berlin tours the U.S. with her band as she tells her life story and follows the former lover/band-mate who stole her songs.

Director: John Cameron Mitchell | Stars: John Cameron Mitchell, Miriam Shor, Stephen Trask, Theodore Liscinski

Votes: 37,353 | Gross: $3.03M

44. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama, History

79 Metascore

Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.

Director: Terry George | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Xolani Mali

Votes: 372,321 | Gross: $23.53M

45. The Hunt for Red October (1990)

PG | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

58 Metascore

In November 1984, the Soviet Union's best submarine captain violates orders and heads for the U.S. in a new undetectable sub. The American CIA and military must quickly determine: Is he trying to defect or to start a war?

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill

Votes: 214,804 | Gross: $122.01M

46. Inception (2010)

PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

74 Metascore

A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe

Votes: 2,551,688 | Gross: $292.58M

47. The Illusionist (2006)

PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

68 Metascore

In turn-of-the-century Vienna, a magician uses his abilities to secure the love of a woman far above his social standing.

Director: Neil Burger | Stars: Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell

Votes: 389,708 | Gross: $39.87M

48. I'm Not Rappaport (1996)

PG-13 | 135 min | Comedy, Drama

Two old men - a white former radical, and a black retired janitor - strike up an unusual and funny friendship on a park bench in New York, where they deal with family, drug dealers, and the pitfalls of age.

Director: Herb Gardner | Stars: Walter Matthau, Ossie Davis, Amy Irving, Craig T. Nelson

Votes: 1,860 | Gross: $0.22M

49. Instinct (1999)

R | 126 min | Drama, Thriller

43 Metascore

When noted anthropologist Dr. Ethan Powell, who left society to live in the jungle, is imprisoned for murder, it's up to young psychiatrist Theo Caulder to get through to him.

Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr., Donald Sutherland, Maura Tierney

Votes: 34,294 | Gross: $34.10M

50. The King's Speech (2010)

R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History

88 Metascore

The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.

Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi

Votes: 708,057 | Gross: $138.80M

51. Kinsey (2004)

R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

79 Metascore

A look at the life of Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the area of human sexuality research, whose 1948 publication "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" was one of the first recorded works that saw science address sexual behavior.

Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard

Votes: 50,965 | Gross: $10.21M

52. K-PAX (2001)

PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

49 Metascore

PROT is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a faraway planet named K-PAX. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.

Director: Iain Softley | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack, Alfre Woodard

Votes: 193,062 | Gross: $50.34M

53. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History

74 Metascore

Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.

Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington

Votes: 196,057 | Gross: $17.61M

54. The Last Samurai (2003)

R | 154 min | Action, Drama

55 Metascore

Nathan Algren, a US army veteran, is hired by the Japanese emperor to train his army in the modern warfare techniques. Nathan finds himself trapped in a struggle between two eras and two worlds.

Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, William Atherton

Votes: 471,253 | Gross: $111.11M

55. Léon: The Professional (1994)

R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama

64 Metascore

12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello

Votes: 1,246,246 | Gross: $19.50M

56. The Libertine (2004)

R | 114 min | Biography, Drama, History

44 Metascore

The story of John Wilmot, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work.

Director: Laurence Dunmore | Stars: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich, Paul Ritter

Votes: 37,786 | Gross: $4.84M

57. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

92 Metascore

A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.

Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean

Votes: 2,007,729 | Gross: $315.54M

58. Mask (1985)

PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama

73 Metascore

A teenager with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempt to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.

Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Cher, Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott, Estelle Getty

Votes: 32,544 | Gross: $48.23M

59. The Merchant of Venice (2004)

R | 131 min | Drama, Romance

63 Metascore

In 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.

Director: Michael Radford | Stars: Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Jeremy Irons

Votes: 38,259 | Gross: $3.77M

60. Les Misérables (1998)

PG-13 | 134 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

65 Metascore

Valjean, a former criminal, has atoned for his past and now finds himself in the midst of the French Revolution, avoiding a law-obsessed policeman hell-bent on capturing him.

Director: Bille August | Stars: Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Christopher Adamson

Votes: 43,188 | Gross: $14.10M

61. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Musical, Romance

66 Metascore

A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.

Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent

Votes: 299,405 | Gross: $57.39M

62. Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

PG | 143 min | Drama, Music

59 Metascore

A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher.

Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis

Votes: 41,712 | Gross: $82.57M

63. Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)

R | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

71 Metascore

Laura Henderson (Dame Judi Dench) buys an old London theater and opens it up as the Windmill, a performance hall which goes down in history for, amongst other things, its all-nude revues.

Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Guest, Will Young

Votes: 16,452 | Gross: $11.03M

64. The Ninth Gate (1999)

R | 133 min | Mystery, Thriller

44 Metascore

A book broker discovers his latest find may summon Satan.

Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner

Votes: 197,542 | Gross: $18.66M

The Ninth Gate is an adaptation based on the novel The Club Dumas (1993) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, a wonderful Spanish author. Other books by Pérez-Reverte include The Fencing Master (1988), The Flanders Panel (1990) and The Seville Communion (1995).

65. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

69 Metascore

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman

Votes: 330,926 | Gross: $45.51M

66. October Sky (1999)

PG | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Family

71 Metascore

The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.

Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, Chris Owen

Votes: 98,071 | Gross: $32.48M

67. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

R | 133 min | Drama

84 Metascore

In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco

Votes: 1,072,649 | Gross: $112.00M

68. The Painted Veil (2006)

PG-13 | 125 min | Drama, Romance

69 Metascore

Dr Walter gets married to the beautiful Kitty but soon finds out that she is cheating on him. Battling his way through problems, he heads to China to fight a dreaded disease spread in a small village.

Director: John Curran | Stars: Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Catherine An

Votes: 95,951 | Gross: $8.06M

69. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

R | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy, War

98 Metascore

In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú

Votes: 703,165 | Gross: $37.63M

70. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

R | 130 min | Biography, Drama

79 Metascore

The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Brett Harrelson

Votes: 100,750 | Gross: $20.19M

71. Philadelphia (1993)

PG-13 | 125 min | Drama

66 Metascore

When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.

Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman

Votes: 258,149 | Gross: $77.32M

72. The Pianist (2002)

R | 150 min | Biography, Drama, Music

85 Metascore

During WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.

Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Emilia Fox

Votes: 912,624 | Gross: $32.57M

73. The Piano (1993)

R | 121 min | Drama, Music, Romance

89 Metascore

In the mid-19th century a mute woman is sent to New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer, but is soon lusted after by a farm worker.

Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin

Votes: 95,184 | Gross: $40.16M

74. The Boat That Rocked (2009)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

58 Metascore

A band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves.

Director: Richard Curtis | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Michael Hadley

Votes: 116,084 | Gross: $7.99M

75. Plunkett & Macleane (1999)

R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

44 Metascore

Two robbers are persecuted by the law, whose servants are not much better and even worse.

Director: Jake Scott | Stars: Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Iain Robertson, Ken Stott

Votes: 10,452 | Gross: $0.47M

I'm probably the only person in the world who loves this quirky comedy but I don't care. It's a fun movie.

76. The Prestige (2006)

PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

66 Metascore

After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine

Votes: 1,441,601 | Gross: $53.09M

77. Priest (1994)

R | 98 min | Drama, Romance

A homosexual Catholic priest finds out during confessional that a young girl is being sexually abused by her father, and has to decide how to deal with both that secret and his own.

Director: Antonia Bird | Stars: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Carlyle, Cathy Tyson

Votes: 11,035 | Gross: $4.18M

78. Primary Colors (1998)

R | 143 min | Comedy, Drama

70 Metascore

A man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for President of the United States of America.

Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates, Larry Hagman

Votes: 30,116 | Gross: $38.97M

79. Pulp Fiction (1994)

R | 154 min | Crime, Drama

95 Metascore

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis

Votes: 2,221,013 | Gross: $107.93M

80. Quills (2000)

R | 124 min | Biography, Drama

70 Metascore

In a Napoleonic era insane asylum, an inmate, the irrepressible Marquis De Sade, fights a battle of wills against a tyrannically prudish doctor.

Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine

Votes: 56,743 | Gross: $7.06M

81. Ravenous (1999)

R | 101 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror

46 Metascore

In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.

Director: Antonia Bird | Stars: Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette, Jeremy Davies

Votes: 43,257 | Gross: $2.06M

82. The Red Violin (1998)

R | 130 min | Drama, Music, Mystery

57 Metascore

A red-colored violin inspires passion, making its way through three centuries over several owners and countries, eventually ending up at an auction where it may find a new owner.

Director: François Girard | Stars: Carlo Cecchi, Jean-Luc Bideau, Christoph Koncz, Jason Flemyng

Votes: 34,490 | Gross: $9.47M

83. Restoration (1995)

R | 117 min | Biography, Drama, History

66 Metascore

The exiled royal doctor to King Charles II devotes himself to helping Londoners suffering from the plague, and in the process falls in love with an equally poor woman.

Director: Michael Hoffman | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, David Thewlis, Polly Walker

Votes: 9,924 | Gross: $4.10M

84. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

89 Metascore

A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen

Votes: 42,415 | Gross: $7.27M

85. Secret Window (2004)

PG-13 | 96 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

46 Metascore

A successful writer in the midst of a painful divorce is stalked at his remote lake house by a would-be scribe who accuses him of plagiarism.

Director: David Koepp | Stars: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro, Timothy Hutton

Votes: 209,578 | Gross: $48.02M

86. Shakespeare in Love (1998)

R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, History

87 Metascore

The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.

Director: John Madden | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson

Votes: 234,375 | Gross: $100.32M

87. The Shining (1980)

R | 146 min | Drama, Horror

68 Metascore

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers

Votes: 1,107,073 | Gross: $44.02M

88. Sunshine (1999)

R | 181 min | Drama, History, Romance

71 Metascore

The fate of a Hungarian Jewish family throughout the 20th century.

Director: István Szabó | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Weisz, Jennifer Ehle

Votes: 15,800 | Gross: $5.10M

Sunshine follows three generations of the Jewish family, Sonnenschein (literally "Sunshine" in German), from the beginning of the 20th century to the period after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. During WW2 the family is eventually sent to a concentration camp; the father is later killed by an SS guard in a horrifying scene that is not for the faint of heart.

89. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

R | 116 min | Drama, Horror, Musical

83 Metascore

The legendary tale of a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.

Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall

Votes: 386,979 | Gross: $52.90M

90. Swimming with Sharks (1994)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Crime

66 Metascore

A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.

Director: George Huang | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Benicio Del Toro

Votes: 25,020 | Gross: $0.38M

91. There Will Be Blood (2007)

R | 158 min | Drama

93 Metascore

A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds, Martin Stringer

Votes: 641,310 | Gross: $40.22M

92. Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)

R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

45 Metascore

Five different criminals face imminent death after botching a job quite badly.

Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe

Votes: 29,800 | Gross: $0.53M

93. Tombstone (1993)

R | 130 min | Biography, Drama, History

50 Metascore

A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.

Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre | Stars: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton

Votes: 166,362 | Gross: $56.51M

94. Traffic (2000)

R | 147 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

86 Metascore

A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect an informant. A jailed drug baron's wife attempts to carry on the family business.

Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jacob Vargas

Votes: 219,772 | Gross: $124.12M

95. The Usual Suspects (1995)

R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

76 Metascore

The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.

Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin

Votes: 1,145,707 | Gross: $23.34M

96. Vatel (2000)

PG-13 | 103 min | Biography, Drama, History

44 Metascore

Vatel is the cook of Prince Condé. When the prince invites Louis XIV to hunt, he has to give lavish banquets in order to fall in his favor. But when Vatel falls in love with the king's mistress, love and duty come into conflict.

Director: Roland Joffé | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Julian Glover

Votes: 8,255 | Gross: $0.05M

97. Winter's Bone (2010)

R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

90 Metascore

An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact.

Director: Debra Granik | Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt, Isaiah Stone

Votes: 150,574 | Gross: $6.53M

98. With Honors (1994)

PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy, Drama

Convinced his thesis will have him graduate with honors from Harvard University, a stuffy student finds himself at the mercy of a homeless man's demands when he holds the papers hostage.

Director: Alek Keshishian | Stars: Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, Moira Kelly, Patrick Dempsey

Votes: 15,911 | Gross: $20.04M

99. The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

PG-13 | 127 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

68 Metascore

The story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle, which helped him set the land speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Iain Rea, Tessa Mitchell

Votes: 58,621 | Gross: $5.13M

100. The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)

PG | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

When an English cartographer must tell a Welsh village that their mountain is only a hill, the offended community sets out to change that.

Director: Christopher Monger | Stars: Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney, Ian McNeice

Votes: 18,706 | Gross: $10.90M



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