We’ve put together this curated collection of best movies (available across all major streaming platforms) for anyone just familiarising themselves with filmmaking. Perfect for film students and new filmmakers alike!
Curious about one of the movies on this list? We’ve included links to our reviews, and where to find the movies on Mubi – a brilliant resource for exploring classics.
The Shawshank Redemption
This movie based on the award-winning Stephen King novel Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, chronicles Andy’s time in prison but most importantly the irrefutable power of friendship.
Read our review of The Shawshank Redemption here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
Directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the titular characters, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid follows the infamous yet charming outlaws of the Wild West as a botched train robbery instigates an unrelenting chase headed by a tenacious US posse.
Read our review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Chinatown
Continuing on from the sixties new wave of auteur filmmaking with a strong European influence, Chinatown presented audiences with a hardboiled, dark and challenging noir narrative that became a major critical and commercial success.
Read our review of Chinatown here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder’s 1950 noir masterpiece pulls no punches in delivering a Gothic Hollywood narrative that feels decades ahead of its time.
Read our review of Sunset Boulevard here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Shoplifters
You can view it on Mubi here.
Vertigo
You can view it on Mubi here.
Rear Window
Hitchcock does wonders in building suspense from a very limited set. All the action in Rear Window is set within the apartment, with the viewer taking a first-person role in viewing the activities of Stewart’s neighbours.
Read our review for Rear Window here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Blade Runner: The Final Cut
Now considered to be one of the best science fiction films of all time. Fans should also check out the 2007 documentary Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner which details the production and legacy of the film.
Read our review of Blade Runner here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Blade Runner: 2049
Come for the narrative sequel, but stay for the cinematography by acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins.
You can view it on Mubi here.
Sorry To Bother You
It’s tough to know where to begin with Boots Riley’s dark and bizarre comedy Sorry To Bother You. The not-too-distant world presented to us is already ten degrees south of normal and gets stranger as we follow the rabbit hole of Riley’s outlandish story.
Read our review of Sorry To Bother You here. You can view it on Mubi here.
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club acts as an unwelcome reminder of the temperamental connections made throughout adolescence that can largely be dictated or undermined by social ranking.
Read our review of The Breakfast Club here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Parasite
This film is arguably one of 2019’s best film offerings. Almost Hitchcockian in its approach to suspense and dark humour, it makes some stark points about privilege and social divides.
Read our review of Parasite here. You can view it on Mubi here.
If Beale Street Could Talk
A beautiful addition to the romantic drama genre from Moonlight director, Barry Jenkins.
You can view it on Mubi here.
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Another Lynne Ramsay film added to the list. An expert take on the complex relationship between a parent and their child. Tilda Swinton gives a standout performance in
Read our review of We Need to Talk about Kevin here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Good Will Hunting
You can view it on Mubi here.
M
Arguably one of Fritz Lang’s most affecting films, M was one of the earliest examples of the influence sound has on elevating tension in the thriller genre.
You can view it on Mubi here.
City of God
Violent and visceral, this seminal Brazilian film masterfully takes non-linear storytelling to whole other level. Brownie points for those who also watch the documentary film City of God: 10 Years Later.
Read our review of City of God here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Moonlight
You can view it on Mubi here.
Cinema Paradiso
You can view it on Mubi here.
Capernaum
You can view it on Mubi here.
Dial M for Murder
You can view it on Mubi here.
12 Angry Men
This courtroom drama remains significant in an age where twenty-four-hour news cycles and social media have arguably resulted in the reaffirmation of personal prejudice and unhindered sharing of misinformation.
Read our review of 12 Angry Men here. You can view it on Mubi here.
The Red Shoes
The Red Shoes is a favourite of critics and audiences alike, preserving the eponymous fairy-tale in cinematic tradition.
Read our review of The Red Shoes here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Bonnie and Clyde
It challenged the notions of traditional masculinity that sent young men to war and used the open road as an outlet for their desire to live a life of freedom.
Read our review of Bonnie and Clyde here. You can view it on Mubi here.
The Usual Suspects
You can view it on MUBI here.
Wild Strawberries
You can view it on MUBI here.
Seven Samurai
So influential to many modern filmmakers, the western and action genres, and to cinematic storytelling in general, Seven Samurai was universally acclaimed upon its release and throughout the 66 years since.
Read our review of Seven Samurai here. You can view it on Mubi here.
Schindler’s List
You can view it on MUBI here.
Joker
You can view it on MUBI here.
No Country for Old Men
You can view it on MUBI here.
There Will Be Blood
Daniel Day Lewis won his second Oscar portraying oil prospector Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood – amongst nearly every other accolade under the sun, and deservedly so. Plainview represents the toxic nature of competitive individualist interests – arguably the inherent backbone of US capitalism – as he swindles, humiliates and eliminates anyone who poses a threat to his self-made success and growing empire.
Read our review of There Will Be Blood here. You can view it on MUBI here.
Get Out
You can view it on MUBI here.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
It’s funny, shocking and moving; only possible because of the expert script from screenwriter and director Martin McDonagh.
Read our review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri here. You can view it on MUBI here.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
You can view it on MUBI here.
Pan’s Labyrinth
You can view it on MUBI here.
You Were Never Really Here
The sudden colour changes from a broody palette to a Wes Anderson style set of pastels paired with 1940’s music creates a dissonance that fits the film so perfectly.
Read our review of You Were Never Really Here here. You can view it on MUBI here.
Shutter Island
The film stands as a masterclass in cinematic misdirection. Scorsese utilises conventions of low-budget horror movies, German Expressionism and film-noir to deliver a PTSD inflicted fantasy addressing the toll that unimaginable grief takes on a post-war masculinity.
Read our review of Shutter Island here. You can view it on MUBI here.
Goodfellas
You can view it on MUBI here.
Silence of the Lambs
Whether or not you view The Silence of the Lambs as a horror or a thriller, the suspense and continuous overarching tension renders this as one of the most finely crafted and exhilarating milestones of cinema history.
Read our review of Silence of the Lambs here. You can view it on MUBI here.
The Departed
An intense cat-and-mouse chase, but make it Scorsese. This crime action thriller sees an undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify one another in their attempts in infiltrate a Boston gang.
You can view it on MUBI here.
Okja
You can view it on MUBI here.
Spirited Away
Spirited Away is an iconic Studio Ghibli animation. A children’s film that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of storytelling. It accepts the dark and fantastical and the humorous, wrapping it up in this unique land and unfolding it for the audience with delicacy and care.
Read our review of Spirited Away here. You can view it on MUBI here.
Princess Mononoke
You can view it on MUBI here.
Gone Girl
You can view it on MUBI here.
The Burial of Kojo
You can view it on MUBI here.
Lost in Translation
You can view it on MUBI here.
La La Land
You can view it on MUBI here.
Beach Rats
You can view it on MUBI here.
Annihilation
Annihilation is certainly worth multiple viewings and stands as a hugely rewarding experience for fans of gothic/body horror, sci-fi or emotionally motivated cinematic storytelling.
Read our review of Annihilation here. You can view it on MUBI here.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
You can view it on MUBI here.
And that’s just the beginning! Never miss a film reference again with this FREE checklist of Top Films to see. Click on the banner to get your free download:
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