My Favorite Movies: #55-50

And now we've reached all the films that I rate as 5-star masterpieces.



55. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

The best and creepiest horror film of all time. And so different from other films in the genre too.

54. The Leopard (Luchino Visconti, 1963)

Another film highly recommended by Tyler and one that I ended up loving. This, to me, is the Italian response to Gone With The Wind. Like I already said, I am a sucker for movies where I am taken on a journey with a wide range of characters. Burt Lancaster and Romolo Valli nailed their roles. Lancaster became one of my favorites with his performance in this film and I cannot wait to check out his other films.

53. Strangers On A Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951)

At one point, this was my favorite Hitchcock. While this is no longer true, there is no denying this film's visuals and plot. The character of Bruno is one of the creepiest in cinematic history.

52. The Exterminating Angel (Luis Bunuel, 1962)

An interesting piece from Bunuel with a unique and intriguing group of characters in a unique and intriguing setting/plot.

51. Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010)

One of the best shot films of all time and with fantastic performances all around. Another film that had me in tears at the end.

50. The Aviator (Martin Scorsese, 2004)

While I've only seen 3 Scorseses, I rate 2 of them perfect 5s and the other one a 4. The latter was close to making the list, but ultimately didn't; however, like Aviator and the other Scorsese to come, I still consider it a fantastic film. The Aviator is just another glance into the mind and genius of a true master. It's rare for a film to have such a wide range of actors and for every single one of them to nail their roles, however brief. And the cinematography is so gorgeous, evident in the attached picture.

And we've now made it halfway through!