Kyle Smith’s Best Of Lists
by Movie-ManDan | created - 22 Jan 2021 | updated - 1 week ago | PublicKyle Smith is currently the film critic for the Wall Street Journal, formerly for the National Review and New York Post. If anyone has his lists before 2006, drop them in the comments.
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1. Flora and Son (2023)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
A single mom at war with her son is trying to find a hobby for him. One day, she rescues a guitar from a dumpster.
Director: John Carney | Stars: Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Orén Kinlan, Marcella Plunkett
Votes: 12,690
2. Oppenheimer 3. Poor Things 4. Salt Burn 5. Elemental 6. Zone of Interest 7. 20 Days in Mariupol 8. Still 9. In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 10. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
R | 114 min | Comedy, Drama
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Pat Shortt
Votes: 253,212
2. Living 3. Father Stu 4. All Quiet On The Western Front 5. Fire Of Love 6. Breaking 7. Babylon 8. The Fabelmans 9. Triangle of Sadness 10. The Menu
3. Belfast (2021)
PG-13 | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Jude Hill, Lewis McAskie, Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan
Votes: 92,440
2. Licorice Pizza 3. The Worst Person in the World 4. Red Rocket 5. Dear Comrades! 6. The Last Duel 7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 8. The Velvet Underground 9. Luca 10. C'Mon, C'Mon
4. Onward (I) (2020)
PG | 102 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In a magical world full of technological advances, elven brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot set out on an adventure to resurrect their late father for a day.
Director: Dan Scanlon | Stars: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Votes: 170,081 | Gross: $61.56M
2. The Gentlemen 3. The Forty-Year-Old Version 4. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 5. The Father 6. Apocalypse ’45 7. Desert One 8. Balloon 9. On The Rocks 10. Crock of Gold
5. Never Look Away (2018)
R | 189 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
German artist Kurt Barnert has escaped East Germany and now lives in West Germany, but is tormented by his childhood under the Nazis and the GDR-regime.
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | Stars: Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch, Paula Beer, Saskia Rosendahl
Votes: 25,363 | Gross: $1.30M
Decade 1. Never Look Away 2. Arrival 3. The Tree of Life 4. First Man 5. 127 Hours 6. American Sniper 7. They Shall Not Grow Old 8. Gravity 9. Patriots Day 10. Her
6. Never Look Away (2018)
R | 189 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
German artist Kurt Barnert has escaped East Germany and now lives in West Germany, but is tormented by his childhood under the Nazis and the GDR-regime.
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | Stars: Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch, Paula Beer, Saskia Rosendahl
Votes: 25,363 | Gross: $1.30M
2. Ford v. Ferrari 3. Joker 4. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood 5. Hustlers 6. Richard Jewell 7. Parasite 8. A Hidden Life 9. Les Miserables 10. The Last Black Man In San Fransisco
7. First Man (2018)
PG-13 | 141 min | Biography, Drama, History
A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler
Votes: 202,298 | Gross: $44.94M
2. Blaze 3. Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse 4. First Reformed 5. Three Identical Strangers 6. Roma 7. Mandy 8. Black Panther 9. Free Solo 10. The Mule
8. Lady Bird (2017)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Drama
In 2002, an artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.
Director: Greta Gerwig | Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges
Votes: 329,163 | Gross: $48.96M
2. War For the Planet of the Apes 3. The Florida Project 4. Good Time 5. Wonder Woman 6. Logan 7. A Ghost Story 8. Spider-Man Homecoming 9. Stronger 10. Coco
9. Arrival (II) (2016)
PG-13 | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg
Votes: 771,500 | Gross: $100.55M
2. Manchester By The Sea 3. Patriots Day 4. Deepwater Horizon 5. Birth of a Nation 6. DePalma 7. Pete’s Dragon 8. Zootopia 9. Dr. Strange 10. Weiner
10. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
R | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper and a drifter named Max.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz
Votes: 1,086,791 | Gross: $154.06M
2. The End of the Tour 3. Sunshine Superman 4. Sicario 5. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 6. Love and Mercy 7. Anomalisa 8. Youth 9. Going Clear 10. Spotlight
11. American Sniper (2014)
R | 133 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home with his family after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis
Votes: 529,407 | Gross: $350.13M
2. Boyhood 3. Cavalry 4. Whiplash 5. The Theory of Everything 6. Edge of Tomorrow 7. Last Days In Vietnam 8. Interstellar 9. Captain America the Winter Soldier 10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
12. Gravity (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen
Votes: 863,371 | Gross: $274.09M
2. Her 3. Pain and Gain 4. Trance 5. Captain Phillips 6. Prisoners 7. Frozen 8. Mud 9. The Place Beyond the Pines 10. The Bling Ring
13. Les Misérables (2012)
PG-13 | 158 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
Votes: 346,069 | Gross: $148.81M
2. Magic Mike 3. The Impossible 4. Argo 5. Zero Dark Thirty 6. Ted 7. Flight 8. 21 Jump Street 9. Pitch Perfect 10. The Dark Knight Rises
14. The Artist (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius | Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell
Votes: 248,635 | Gross: $44.67M
2. War Horse 3. Bridesmaids 4. Captain America The First Avenger 5. Drive 6. Super 8 7. Rango 8. Contagion 9. The Iron Lady 10. 50/50
15. 127 Hours (2010)
R | 94 min | Biography, Drama
A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Sean Bott
Votes: 401,490 | Gross: $18.34M
2. Iron Man 2 3. Mlle. Chambon 4. My Dog Tulip 5. Another Year 6. Tamara Drewe 7. Hot Tub Time Machine 8. I Love You, Philip Morris 9. Youth In Revolt 10. Tiny Furniture
16. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
PG-13 | 146 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards
Votes: 323,093 | Gross: $78.62M
Decade 1. AI 2. United 93 3. Master and Commander 4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 5. Batman Begins 6. Amélie 7. Once 8. Team America: World Police 9. Inglorious Basterds 10. Almost Famous
17. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
R | 153 min | Adventure, Drama, War
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Mélanie Laurent
Votes: 1,584,786 | Gross: $120.54M
2. Up 3. Fantastic Mr. Fox 4. Watchmen 5. Funny People 6. Up In The Air 7. An Education 8. In The Loop 9. Of Time And The City 10. Shall We Kiss?
18. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan | Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor
Votes: 877,957 | Gross: $141.32M
2. Man On Wire 3. Seven Pounds 4. The Dark Knight 5. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days 6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 7. Vicky Christina Barcelona 8. Doubt 9. Rachel Getting Married 10. Funny Games
19. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
PG-13 | 112 min | Biography, Drama
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.
Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny
Votes: 110,442 | Gross: $5.99M
2. Once 3. Knocked Up 4. Into The Wild 5. Superbad 6. Ratatouille 7. No Country For Old Men 8. The Lives Of Others 9. Margot At The Wedding 10. Meet The Robinsons
20. United 93 (2006)
R | 111 min | Action, Drama, History
A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on September 11th, 2001 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.
Director: Paul Greengrass | Stars: David Alan Basche, Olivia Thirlby, Liza Colón-Zayas, J.J. Johnson
Votes: 110,953 | Gross: $31.57M
2. The Departed 3. The Good Shepherd 4. Fateless 5. Little Miss Sunshine 6. Happy Feet 7. Russian Dolls 8. Venus 9. 49 Up 10. The Painted Veil
21. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
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
90s 1. Pulp Fiction 2. Trainspotting 3. Goodfellas 4. Groundhog Day 5. Carlito's Way 6. True Lies 7. Glengarry Glen Ross 8. True Romance 9. Shawshank Redemption 10. Lion King
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,037,092 | Gross: $248.16M
80s 1. Raiders of the Lost Ark 2. Crimes and Misdemeanours 3. Reds 4. The Empire Strikes Back 5. Dead Poets Society 6. Ordinary People 7. Hannah and Her Sisters 8. Broadcast News 9. The Shining 10. ET
23. All That Jazz (1979)
R | 123 min | Drama, Music, Musical
Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid career of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.
Director: Bob Fosse | Stars: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer
Votes: 35,406 | Gross: $37.82M
70s 1. All That Jazz 2. Rocky 3. Apocalypse Now 4. The Godfather 5. Dog Day Afternoon 6. The Godfather Part II 7. Five Easy Pieces 8. Annie Hall 9. Three Days Of Condor 10. The Man Who Would Be King
24. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
PG-13 | 197 min | Drama, Romance, War
The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.
Director: David Lean | Stars: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger
Votes: 82,099 | Gross: $111.72M
60s 1. Dr. Zhivago 2. The Graduate 3. The Sound of Music 4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 5. Lawrence of Arabia 6. The Lion In Winter 7. 2001: A Space Odyssey 8. Dr. Strangelove 9. Two For The Road 10. Bonnie and Clyde
25. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,732 | Gross: $8.82M
50s 1. Singin' In The Rain 2. Bridge on the River Kwai 3. Sunset Boulevard 4. Sweet Smell of Success 5. A Face In The Crowd 6. High Noon 7. All About Eve 8. Some Like It Hot 9. Paths of Glory 10. Dial M For Murder
26. Citizen Kane (1941)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 466,064 | Gross: $1.59M
40s 1. Citizen Kane 2. Casablanca 3. The Third Man 4. Pinocchio 5. It's A Wonderful Life 6. His Girl Friday 7. A Letter To Three Wives 8. Sullivan's Travels 9. Meet Me In St. Louis 10. Double Indemnity
27. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Passed | 238 min | Drama, Romance, War
A sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 334,371 | Gross: $198.68M
30s 1. Gone With The Wind 2. The Wizard of Oz 3. The Adventures of Robin Hood 4. Top Hat 5. Mutiny on the Bounty 6. All Quiet On The Western Front 7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 8. Ninotchka 9. Midnight 10. Goodbye, Mr. Chips
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