Top 100: 5-1

Finally... here is the final installment.

5. Schindler's List (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg)
If there was any doubt that Steve Spielberg was one of the pre-eminent storytellers and visual artists of our time, I would certainly hope that this magnificent film could lay those to rest. It is one of the most complete films I have ever seen. In terms of performance, production, content, direction, nearly every aspect of this film is perfectly executed. But the film also has certain intangible qualities that make it transcendent, one of these being the seamless presentation of the title character, Oskar Schindler. But more than anything, Spielberg's artisty shines in this movie. It is the most bracingly vibrant and powerful film of his career.

4. The Insider (1999, dir. Michael Mann)
Although I was underwhelmed by his most recent effort, Public Enemies, I know one thing about Michael Mann with absolute certainty: he is capable of being an ingenius filmmaker, and nothing illustrates this better than his best film, The Insider. Let me say one thing from the outset, I think Al Pacino's performance in The Insider is the best of his career. Godfather... No. Godfather 2... No. Dog Day Afternoon... No. Scent of a Woman... No. The Insider... Oh, Yeah! Secondly, The Insider is one of the most dazzlingly well-made films of all time, and it is perhaps the best example of Mann's extraordinary abilities as a director. And finally, this film just sticks it to the tobacco companies, and in reality I find this film to be a piercing critique of the corporatization of America in general.

3. Children of Men (2006, dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
Cuaron's visually astonishing Children of Men is the best film of the 21st century, and it stands as a stark but brilliant plea for humanity to take a stake in their own world, and each other.

2. Rear Window (1954, dir. Alfred Hitchcoc)
What I love about this film is that for the first 30 minutes it is a genuine, deeply involved character study, and yet, it transitions seamlessly into an absorbing voyeuristic mystery. One of the most compelling and richly entertaining films of all time.

1. JFK (1991, dir. Oliver Stone)
Occassionally, or perhaps even frequently, a film may require a totally open and unbiased second viewing in order for a person to fully appreciate that film’s distinct quality and transcendent power. Oliver Stone’s highly controversial JFK is in my opinion a film uniquely deserving of a such a second look, although I must personally confess that one viewing is all it took for me to be completely astonished by Stone’s dazzlingly rich masterpiece. Even JFK’s most stern detractors would most likely be perfectly willing to admit that the film is technically brilliant. Its seamless and hypnotic juxtaposition of not only multiple film formats but also a dizzyingly impressive amount of alternate narrative strains alone makes it a modern cinematic landmark. More than advocating for any specific conspiracy theory, Stone's film is a passionate plea for Americans to take back their country from corrupt interests.