The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (2024)

Moviemaking is an art form that transports audiences to alternate worlds, often informing our views and allowing us to learn about the people and places around us in real life. The best films try something new while staying grounded in their principles. Great actors craft memorable characters, and talented musicians provide the sound of the picture.

There are so many movies to choose from in the history of Hollywood, but what if you could only watch 50 before you die? These essential films range from science fiction to fantasy, and even superhero flicks. No matter what genre is your favorite, you’ll find a fantastic movie experience amongst this GOAT list. These are the best movies of all time!

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The Godfather (1972)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (1)

175m

Genre

Drama, Crime

Stars

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan

Directed by

Francis Ford Coppola

Watch on Amazon

Francis Ford Coppola’s tale of moral descent within the mafia serves many purposes. Film students study its camera angles, music, and symbolism. Casual fans love the depiction of the mafia and its unforgettable characters. Brando, Pacino, and Keaton. Enough said!

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The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (2)

142m

Genre

Drama, Crime

Stars

Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton

Directed by

Frank Darabont

Watch on Amazon

The Shawshank Redemption is more than just a prison story. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman’s characters evolve and demonstrate the power of male friendship and modern masculinity as they learn about themselves and others behind bars. This is one of the best Stephen King adaptations.

Forrest Gump (1994)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (3)

142m

Genre

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Stars

Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise

Directed by

Robert Zemeckis

Watch on Amazon

Tom Hanks has never been better than in this poignant piece of historical fiction. Forrest Gump proves that whimsy and morality are the key ingredients to a life well lived no matter how many people look down on your intelligence. Robert Zemeckis used revolutionary special effects that led the way for future films.

The Dark Knight (2008)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (4)

152m

Genre

Drama, Action, Crime, Thriller

Stars

Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine

Directed by

Christopher Nolan

Watch on max

The Dark Knight continues Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy with a darker tone and plenty of psychological tension. The battle between Batman and the Joker puts Gotham’s citizens at risk like never before. Heath Ledger elevated supervillain acting and blazed a trail for future stars like Joaquin Phoenix in Joker.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (5)

124m

Genre

Adventure, Action, Science Fiction

Stars

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Directed by

Irvin Kershner

Watch on Disney+

Everyone is more comfortable in The Empire Strikes Back. Harrison Ford takes Han Solo seriously. Mark Hamill feels more heroic as Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader’s evil tension clouds the entire story, strangling the audience with villainy. This second Star Wars film still feels fresh over 40 years later.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (6)

115m

Genre

Adventure, Action

Stars

Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman

Directed by

Steven Spielberg

Watch on Disney+

Raiders of the Lost Ark doubles as a Saturday morning cartoon-style romp and a picture that would set the standard for future adventure movies in its wake. Indiana Jones is a lovable treasure hunter played perfectly by Harrison Ford and Karen Allen fits well as Indy’s love interest. Even video games like Uncharted were inspired by this film.

The Matrix (1999)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (7)

136m

Genre

Action, Science Fiction

Stars

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss

Directed by

Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski

Watch on Amazon

The Matrix ushered in new cyberpunk themes in Hollywood. It also catapulted Keanu Reeves to the forefront of action and sci-fi films for the next 25 years. The story of a simulated reality that humanity must escape from feels more imminent every year with more artificial intelligence and advanced technology in real life.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (8)

201m

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy, Action

Stars

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen

Directed by

Peter Jackson

Watch on Amazon

The Return of the King closes Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy in precise, exacting fashion. Every plot thread climaxes and gives respect to its characters. The long run time is a turn-off to some casual viewers, but lovers of incredible cinema will understand that this is artistic genius flourishing.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (9)

154m

Genre

Thriller, Crime

Stars

John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman

Directed by

Quentin Tarantino

Watch on Amazon

It’s hard to explain what Pulp Fiction is about. Quentin Tarantino’s gory magnum opus is a disjointed beauty with unique characters and career-defining performances from John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie indulges in meta-storytelling and understands its place in film lore.

Fight Club (1999)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (10)

139m

Genre

Drama

Stars

Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter

Directed by

David Fincher

Watch on Hulu

Fight Club makes violence and male brawling into a flashy and fascinating dichotomy of how humans need to react and how they actually react to pent up mental health problems. David Fincher doesn’t hold back in his direction and Edward Norton is spectacular in the starring role.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (11)

162m

Genre

Comedy, Drama, Thriller

Stars

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie

Directed by

Quentin Tarantino

Watch on Hulu

Quentin Tarantino loves to dabble with Hollywood’s history and give personal accounts of long-forgotten events. Once Upon a Time…. in Hollywood transports audiences to Los Angeles during the time of the Manson murders and tries to recreate the jarring crimes of the era for a new age. Leonardo DiCaprio is somehow underrated here.

Inception (2010)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (12)

148m

Genre

Action, Science Fiction, Adventure

Stars

Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe

Directed by

Christopher Nolan

Watch on Amazon

Dreams are kinda weird, right? Living a different life while sleeping is one of humanity’s freakiest mysteries, and Inception also realizes this. Leonardo DiCaprio commits thought crimes as someone who can invade the mind and manipulate dreams, in the process changing reality for those he enters.

GoodFellas (1990)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (13)

If The Godfather represents the Michael Jordan of mob movies, then Goodfellas is kind of like LeBron James. A newer, flashier interpretation of organized crime that hones in on different aspects of the mafia life than its predecessors, Goodfellas is Martin Scorsese’s best work. Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta are jaw-dropping.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (14)

134m

Genre

Drama, Romance

Stars

Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams

Directed by

Ang Lee

Watch on max

Brokeback Mountain changed the game for LGBTQ+ movies forever. Ang Lee’s tender direction of two gay cowboys who traverse internalized homophobia and outside discrimination may feel corny to some, but certainly revolutionary to any objective observer. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were courageous for portraying queer characters at a time when it was less acceptable.

The Avengers (2012)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (15)

143m

Genre

Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

Stars

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

Directed by

Joss Whedon

Watch on Disney+

The Avengers represents Marvel’s peak and plummet at the same time. The film understands its characters and the larger superhero universe as it combines the efforts of Captain America, Iron Man, and so many others into one shared motivation. At the same time, a multiverse in other film series has become a curse of the industry because nobody could do it like Joss Whedon did.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (16)

119m

Genre

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Stars

Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn

Directed by

Jonathan Demme

Watch on Amazon

For all intents and purposes, The Silence of the Lambs is the best horror movie ever. With an incredible heroine played by Jodie Foster and two despicable killers led by the legendary Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, this Jonathan Demme masterpiece understands how to make audiences think and scream at the same time!

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (17)

116m

Genre

Comedy, Drama

Stars

Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini

Directed by

Roberto Benigni

Watch on Amazon

Foreign language films weren’t exactly getting a lot of awards attention in the 1990s. Life is Beautiful overcame this obstacle with a universal story of parental love. Roberto Benigni plays a father who goes deep into his bag of tricks to convince his son that a concentration camp is just a game.

Back to the Future (1985)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (18)

116m

Genre

Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction

Stars

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover

Directed by

Robert Zemeckis

Watch on Netflix

Back to the Future made time travel movies fun and exciting for a new audience in the 1980s. Michael J. Fox’s innocuous innocence and chemistry with Christopher Lloyd continue to shine decades later as Marty and Doc try to navigate the paradoxes of time without taking themselves too seriously. Sequels followed, but the original remains the must-see movie of the franchise.

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (19)

132m

Genre

Romance, Drama

Stars

Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg

Directed by

Luca Guadagnino

Watch on Netflix

Timothée Chalamet’s breakout performance as an American teenager living in Italy who falls in love with an older man is a tender, sometimes awkward look at forbidden first love. The scenery of the countryside and the accompanying soundtrack make the story more artsy than it actually is, and an underrated supporting performance by Michael Stuhlberg deserves a shoutout. Call Me by Your Name is a landmark queer film of the 21st century and remains so in retrospect.

Parasite (2019)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (20)

133m

Genre

Comedy, Thriller, Drama

Stars

Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong

Directed by

Bong Joon-ho

Watch on max

Parasite is one of the most famous foreign language films of all time, and with good reason. The story of how wealthy and poor people interact and affect each other’s lives is seen through the lens of two juxtapositional families on opposite ends of the social spectrum. Elements of dark humor lighten the mood on a heavy topic.

Gladiator (2000)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (21)

155m

Genre

Action, Drama, Adventure

Stars

Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen

Directed by

Ridley Scott

Watch on Amazon

Russell Crowe was at the top of his game in Ridley Scott’s original Roman historical battle epic. Joaquin Phoenix may be ultra-famous now, but his turn as Commodus in Gladiator got him out of the shadow of his brother and ushered in his stardom. Scott’s sequel, Gladiator II, will be released in 2024.

Casablanca (1943)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (22)

102m

Genre

Drama, Romance

Stars

Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid

Directed by

Michael Curtiz

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Casablanca is the romance film that all others are measured against. Humphrey Bogart plays a lovestruck nightclub owner who must overcome a contradictory affection. Ingrid Bergman is outstanding as the female lead who asks for Bogart’s help, and the two became perhaps the most iconic romantic duo in movie history.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (23)

129m

Genre

Drama

Stars

Mary Badham, Gregory Peck, Phillip Alford

Directed by

Robert Mulligan

Watch on Tubi

Based on the famous novel by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird was a revolutionary film that helped elevate Gregory Peck’s legacy. Atticus Finch is a lawyer who knows to choose right from wrong, even if it means sacrificing everything for the sake of a Black client who is wrongfully accused of sexual assault. Robert Duvall had one of his first iconic roles here.

Ben-Hur (1959)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (24)

222m

Genre

History, Drama, Adventure, Action

Stars

Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith

Directed by

William Wyler

Watch on Amazon

Ben-Hur’s story is decent enough: a Jewish man is stabbed in the back by a Roman friend of incredible power. He tries to get back his liberties in the aftermath. The true greatness that propelled William Wyler’s historical epic to the pantheon of memorable films was the use of special effects at a time when there wasn’t a lot at filmmakers’ disposals. Creative use of props and music made Ben-Hur an experience that was ahead of its time.

Rear Window (1954)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (25)

115m

Genre

Thriller, Mystery

Stars

James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey

Directed by

Alfred Hitchcock

Watch on Amazon

Alfred Hitchcock is the top dog when it comes to classic thriller movies. We could choose any of his films as essentials, but Rear Window has all the elements of a magnum opus. Jimmy Stewart’s turn as a wheelchair-ridden man who uses his spare time to spy on his neighbors gets him into more than a little trouble when he catches a potential murderer. The film possesses both an entertaining and contemplative thematic base.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (26)

102m

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy, Family

Stars

Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley

Directed by

Victor Fleming

Watch on max

Is The Wizard of Oz the most intergenerational movie ever? It’s a rite of passage for parents to show this whimsical tale to their children as soon as they have the attention span to look at a screen for more than five minutes. Dorothy’s journey to meet the wizard is just as charming now as it was nearly 90 years ago upon release.

The Shining (1980)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (27)

144m

Genre

Horror, Thriller

Stars

Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd

Directed by

Stanley Kubrick

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Stanley Kubrick took all of the best parts of Stephen King’s The Shining while changing key components to make for the best screen adaptation possible. The result is a frightening experience perfect for spooky season! Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance with palpable rage and unhinged craziness as he deteriorates right before his family’s eyes.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (28)

127m

Genre

Drama

Stars

Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck

Directed by

Gus Van Sant

Watch on max

Matt Damon and Robin Williams are unforgettable in this story of a troubled genius and his therapist as they discover the meaning of their lives together. Good Will Hunting helped further the reputation of Damon and Ben Affleck as a formidable team. It also showed that Williams excelled just as much as a dramatic actor as he did a comedic one.

Meet the Parents (2000)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (29)

108m

Genre

Comedy, Romance

Stars

Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo

Directed by

Jay Roach

Watch on Amazon

Meeting your significant other’s parents for the first time can be one of life’s most awkward exchanges. Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro feed into all of these stereotypes in Meet the Parents as Stiller plays the nervous nurse who wants to impress his potential father-in-law (De Niro). The movie emanates early-2000s comedic energy but is still a riotous romp today.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (30)

149m

Genre

Science Fiction, Mystery, Adventure

Stars

Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester

Directed by

Stanley Kubrick

Watch on max

Stanley Kubrick’s experimentation with film techniques and movies as a literary art form peaked with 2001: A Space Odyssey. This science fiction story of a group of astronauts on a mission to Jupiter opened the doors for directors to engage in more contemplative subject matters without being criticized as corny or weird. The movie inspired a lot of alien and space fiction since.

Oppenheimer (2023)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (31)

181m

Genre

Drama, History

Stars

Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon

Directed by

Christopher Nolan

Watch on Amazon

Oppenheimer was more than just an awards-season darling in 2023. The film made the story of the atomic bomb and its development much more human as Christopher Nolan dove into the life and emotions of its creator, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Robert Downey Jr. also showed his non-Marvel acting chops in a supporting role.

Citizen Kane (1941)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (32)

119m

Genre

Mystery, Drama

Stars

Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore

Directed by

Orson Welles

Watch on Amazon

Citizen Kane is the Babe Ruth of film. Often taught in movie classes and literature seminars as the ultimate work of motion picture fiction, Orson Welles’ story of a troubled businessman named Charles Foster Kane is equal parts of myth and magic. Even if it’s boring now, it’s requisite viewing for people who enjoy cinematic history.

The Sting (1973)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (33)

129m

Genre

Comedy, Crime, Drama

Stars

Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw

Directed by

George Roy Hill

Watch on Amazon

Paul Newman and Robert Redford have never been better than in this legendary crime flick about con artists taking from the mafia and the fallout of such a decision. The Sting is one of the more light-hearted and easily digestible movies of the 1970s despite its content being brought around the edges at first glance.

The Terminator (1984)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (34)

108m

Genre

Action, Thriller, Science Fiction

Stars

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton

Directed by

James Cameron

Watch on Amazon

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the villain role to perfection in James Cameron’s iconic futuristic sci-fi drama The Terminator. Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese must rescue humankind from the ominous artificial intelligence Skynet. All they have to do is stay alive so Sarah’s son, John, can be the savior. Sounds easy enough. . .

Spider-Man (2002)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (35)

121m

Genre

Action, Science Fiction

Stars

Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst

Directed by

Sam Raimi

Watch on Amazon

Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film is a testament to the depth of storytelling possible in a superhero movie with the requisite writers and creative talent behind the scenes.Spider-Man accurately translates New York City’s arachnid hero to the big screen using limited special effects and a more raw, realistic portrayal of violence.

The Truman Show (1998)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (36)

103m

Genre

Comedy, Drama

Stars

Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich

Directed by

Peter Weir

Watch on Amazon

Jim Carrey was once the biggest comedy actor in Hollywood. His doubters claimed he couldn’t do drama, but The Truman Show changed that perception. Carrey plays a man whose entire life is a sham. He lives in a simulated reality television program that eventually lets its guard down. When Truman finds out the truth, his life will never be the same.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (37)

131m

Genre

Action, Drama

Stars

Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro

Directed by

Joseph Kosinski

Watch on Amazon

Top Gun: Maverick is everything fun about a Tom Cruise movie, updated for modern audiences and older generations alike. Cruise returns as Maverick, now an older airman with new responsibilities and family ties. The movie helped catapult the box office back to relevancy after the stay-home orders of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jurassic Park (1993)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (38)

127m

Genre

Adventure, Science Fiction

Stars

Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum

Directed by

Steven Spielberg

Watch on Amazon

Jurassic Park’s magic lies in the fact that certain scenes raise the hair on the back of your neck whether you’ve seen them once or ten times. Steven Spielberg’s creativity and craft have never been better than in this adaptation of Michael Crighton’s novel about a theme park housing real-life dinosaurs reincarnated from 65 million-year-old DNA. The Jurrasic Park franchise endures as one of summer’s indelible film series with several sequels and a reboot.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (39)

107m

Genre

Mystery, Thriller, Drama

Stars

Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette

Directed by

M. Night Shyamalan

Watch on max

Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment develop a fascinating rapport as a psychologist and patient in which the latter has disturbing visions. The movie’s shocking climax overshadows its greatness during the lead-up to the end. Make no mistake, The Sixth Sense is much more than just a twist ending.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (40)

122m

Genre

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Stars

Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin

Directed by

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Watch on Amazon

No Country for Old Men is all cinematic vibes with no plot, and it couldn’t have worked out any better for the Coen brothers. Javier Bardem wanders the desert as the most psychotic individual in recent film history. Woody Harrelson does Woody Harrelson things. Tommy Lee Jones gets to monologue at the end of the day. Complete and utter masterpiece!

Raging Bull (1980)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (41)

129m

Genre

Drama

Stars

Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci

Directed by

Martin Scorsese

Watch on max

Martin Scorsese takes a break from the mob to enter the boxing ring with Robert De Niro as his muse. Raging Bull lets viewers inside the psyche of a boxer whose personal and professional aspirations tangle into a toxic alchemy of destruction. It’s not as famous as Rocky, but it’s a better film.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (42)

134m

Genre

Drama, History

Stars

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o

Directed by

Steve McQueen

Watch on Amazon

12 Years a Slave is unique 19th century-set drama that depicts the tumultuous journey of a man sold into slavery and eventually freed from his trauma. Brad Pitt served as a producer.giving the film some star power behind the camera as talented individuals such as Lupita Nyong’o did their thing on-screen.

Sophie's Choice (1982)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (43)

151m

Genre

Drama, Romance, War

Stars

Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol

Directed by

Alan J. Pakula

Watch on Amazon

Sophie’s Choice is now known more as a colloquial term for an impossible choice one must make in life than for its great storytelling. That’s unfortunate as Meryl Streep is revelatory as a mother who must relive her memories of being in the Holocaust when she forms an abusive relationship with a man.

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

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (44)

179m

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy, Action

Stars

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen

Directed by

Peter Jackson

Watch on Amazon

All of The Lord of the Rings films are perfect, but The Fellowship of the Ring begins the adventure on a note that allows the sequels to shine in full. The formation of the group that is sent to destroy the One Ring fills fantasy fans with pride. The movie is as inspirational as it is thrilling!

The Sound of Music (1965)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (45)

174m

Genre

Drama, Family, Music, Romance

Stars

Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker

Directed by

Robert Wise

Watch on Disney+

Julie Andrews and her youthful clan of prodigious singers never seem to age out of style. The Sound of Music showed that the world wanted more tunes and joy on the big screen. It’s been copied and remade, but hardly duplicately nearly 60 years later.

Jaws (1975)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (46)

124m

Genre

Horror, Thriller, Adventure

Stars

Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Directed by

Steven Spielberg

Watch on Netflix

It’s hard to make a horror movie without zombies, demons, or ghosts, but Jaws was more frightening at the time than any poltergeist spectacle. Steven Spielberg leveraged the power of the ocean’s infinite darkness to implicate sharks as nature’s scariest sight. Nowadays we just have Sharknado. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Star Wars (1977)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (47)

121m

Genre

Adventure, Action, Science Fiction

Stars

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Directed by

George Lucas

Watch on Disney+

Star Wars has grown so much, yet even younger fans understand how brilliant the original film is from 1977. Although not all of the actors bought in and many of the concepts seemed cheesy at the time, A New Hope introduced so many of the franchise’s storytelling tropes that remain ingrained in the picture today.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (48)

202m

Genre

Drama, Crime

Stars

Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton

Directed by

Francis Ford Coppola

Watch on Amazon

The Godfather Part II matches its parent film in tone and excellence because it doesn’t try too hard. By maintaining the same characters and building upon their basis in The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola engages the audience in the full history of the Corleone family. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino both in the same movie? That’s almost unfair.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (49)

130m

Genre

Drama, Family, Fantasy

Stars

James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Directed by

Frank Capra

Watch on Amazon

It’s a Wonderful Life was revolutionary for being one of the first films to tackle depression and suicide. Now a Christmas classic, Jimmy Stewart portrays a man who discovers his worth and the holiday spirit at the same time.

Moonlight (2016)

The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (50)

111m

Genre

Drama

Stars

Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe

Directed by

Barry Jenkins

Watch on Amazon

Moonlight uses three different actors to depict the journey of a Black man who discovers how his sexuality and childhood experiences make him who he is today, for better or worse. Barry Jenkins’ direction is courageous and unique. Watching a film like Moonlight should be requisite as we try to fight against racism and homophobia.

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The 50 best movies of all time: Add these to your watch list - The Manual (2024)

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Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.