Stop Watching Your Favorite Movies. Watch These Instead.

Without a formal vote , we ’ve settled on a pantheon of perfect film . Your favorite is his favorite is mom ’s favorite is TNT ’s preferent movie to airwave on Sunday afternoon . There ’s no pity in loving the crowd - pleasing pillars of Hollywood . Stars aligned – the everyman , the everywoman , the passionate director who can paint broad strokes , a timeless story – and a classic emerged . There ’s no debate : the greats aregreat .

Because they ’re great , favorite are safe zones . We ’re puppet of wont – which is why we ’re recommending an dangerous undertaking : a few risk to rend the next time you require to turn to your well - wear off go - to motion-picture show . And presume we say , these recommendations may bebetter .

If you loveThe Godfather, seeMiller’s Crossing

The favorite : Francis Ford Coppola ’s saga of family , power , and cannolis is every turn the classic your film textbook has been say you it is . It ’s got young Pacino at the peak of his sexy top executive , Brando before he lapsed into ego - parody , Duvall at his most understated , Keaton at her most grounded , Cazale in his haunting feature of speech debut , and Caan at his most CAAN ! It ’s smarter than you call up , mirthful than it gets acknowledgment for , and purrs like the cat in Vito ’s deadly men . What could be better ?

The choice : This autumnal gangster epical from the Coen Brothers will never vie with Coppola ’s horse - head - in - the - layer ocular iconography . It does n’t need to . While the film is make full with haunting picture – you ’ll never look at fedoras the same agency again –Miller ’s Crossingis above all else a writer ’s movie . The Coens ' baroque dialog has never sounded better coming out of the mouth of actors like Gabriel Byrne , Albert Finney , and Marcia Gay Harden , who all change state this into a tough - talking ring classic . It does n’t require the scope of Coppola ’s film ; it ’s an opera in miniature .

If you loveThe Dark Knight, seeMarathon Man

The preferent : Christopher Nolan delivered peak superhero film when he dressed post-9/11 red-hot topics up in funny book habiliment . As the Joker , Heath Ledger transformed into an unstoppable force , demanding absolute valorousness ( and traces of villainy ) from Christian Bale ’s Batman . With truck - flips , explosions , and shocking turns , The Dark Knightwas and rest the definition of the advanced smash hit .

The option : Whereas composer Hans Zimmer convertsThe Dark Knight ’s sense of paranoia into the Joker ’s screak theme , John Schlesinger ’s spy thriller hold up the same note at a pitch that reverberates through the bowel . The story of a PhD candidate ( Dustin Hoffman ) captivate in a plot to transport stolen diamonds to momentaneous Nazis , Marathon Manstages campaign scenes and glorious villain moments – " Is it safe ? " asks Laurence Olivier ’s Nazi doctor after excruciate Hoffman with a dental pick – while sustain the narration on a human level . Yes , we could have picked the sprawlingHeatto filling this spot , but c’mon , Heat ’s also your favorite movie .

If you loveThe Shawshank Redemption, seeThe Tree of Life

The favourite : After whiffing at the box office in 1994 , Frank Darabont ’s prison drama became a faineant Sunday Jagannatha , generatingover $ 100 million from rental and TV repeats . Today the movie sits comfortably atop IMDb ’s top 250 inclination , and the rationality why is obvious : Shawshankis " guy ’s guy " cinema , a fantasy where tough criminal are also sentimental bros , a parable where atonement is as challenging as a load of laundry , a character reference field of study elegantly styled by Darabont , and enough weepy bit to bust reach the waterworks . Even suicide is sweet inTheShawshank Redemption .

The alternative : Terrence Malick ’s poetical flavour at youth , Father , and the conception of the universe – complete with Big Bang montage ! – dives deeply into the male experience thanShawshank , and with few tidings . Through Brad Pitt ’s eyes and Sean Penn ’s wistful lift - riding , Malick locks us up in a unlike kind of prison house : memories . It all sound like artsy mumbo - jumbo untilTree of Lifeturns life ’s bantam moment into cataclysmic events the sizing of solar flare . It ’s " guy ’s guy " cinema that ’ll mesmerize anyone who flirted with doctrine in college .

If you loveAnchorman, seeBroadcast News

The preferred : Anchorman’squotability is only trump by its rewatchability . Director Adam McKay unleashed the unchecked comic i d of Will Ferrell in this dormitory - elbow room classic , and your social lifespan was never the same . The lines from this moving-picture show were mean to be shouted at a acquaintance in a railway car , shout at an opposition in a bar , or mumbled to a container of Milk River aftermaking a bad selection . Admit it : by now you ’re probably a lilliputian trite of it .

The alternative : As emotional as Baxter ’s decease is , Anchormanlacks substance . It ’s too surreal to run veridical tears . Luckily , Broadcast Newshas special love to give . This comedy from James L. Brooks does n’t have the fire - breathing satirical ambition ofNetworkor the surreal gonzo heart of McKay ’s moving-picture show , but it has something well : case you care about . Holly Hunter ’s ambitious Jane Craig , William Hurt ’s pompous Tom Grunick , and Albert Brooks ' psychoneurotic Aaron Altman are the type of flawed , riotous individuals you actually root for as they attempt to hold a little integrity in the cruel world of TV news . It may lack Ferrell ’s vulgar might , butBroadcast Newshas profundity .

If you loveFight Club, seeKill List

The favorite : adapt from Chuck Palahniuk ’s novel of the same name , Fight ClubcontinuedSe7endirector David Fincher ’s ' 90s grunge - ification of flick by appealing to the imbalanced Reb in all of us . Instead of dealing in personality , Brad Pitt becomes one , a Jiminy Cricket to Ed Norton ’s Narrator , disgruntled America ’s placeholder . If you picture this in your developmental stage , it select hold of your worldview ( at least for a instant ) .

The alternative : LikeFight Club , Kill Listexternalizes the mental strife of its principal fictitious character , a British solider suffering from post - Iraq PTSD . UnlikeFight Club , Kill Liststrips away the hyper - style . The movie , fromHigh - Risedirector Ben Wheatley , starts as family dramatic event , then explodes into psychological horror . rightful toFight Club , saying more could ruin the lurid turns , but bursts of vehemence and ironic wit have never been pair more effectively than in this occultish trip down the rabbit maw .

If you loveThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy, seePrincess Mononoke

The favorite : Peter Jackson ’s epical handling of J.R.R. Tolkien ’s novels swept up the fantasy - indisposed andSilmarillion - learn nerd alike . Every detail – the Elvish jargon , the breastplate metalworking , each clanging note in the grudge – enamored hearing and expect the last installment , Return of the King , to a record - arrange Oscar bounty . With hundreds of extras , large - scale storytelling , and digital special effects that should stand the test of time , Lord of the Ringsbecame aLawrence of Arabiafor the modernistic age , well beloved by million .

The option : Hayao Miyazaki is the Walt Disney of Nipponese animation , and an unknown to most mainstream motion-picture fan . Lord of the Ringsfans owe it to themselves to explore his filmography , from the sky - boundNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind;My Neighbor Totoro , a imaginative take on postwar youth ; and the Oscar - winningSpirited out , an indescribable coming - of - eld story . For a flick that shares DNA withLord of the Rings , then one - ups it in design and ferocious action at law , check outPrincess Mononoke , an environmental parable where ogre , giant wolves , and hitman - tot up humans duke it out for mastery over the paradise of Earth .

If you loveGoodfellas, seeAfter Hours

The deary : you could turn on Martin Scorsese’sGoodfellasat any moment and get sucked in . It ’s the perfect moving-picture show to trip on during a late - night TV channel - surfing session . Oh , is untested Ray Liotta going to the club ? I ’ll look on this part . Then , two hours later , you ’re still glue to the idiot box , see the same character raise alimentary paste sauce , yell cuss , and search the sky for helicopter in a coked - out haze . It ’s the closest thing Scorsese has to a best of album : all killer , no filler .

The alternative : Goodfellasworks because it maintains the same frenzied energy for over two hour . WithAfter Hours , Scorsese applies the same vitality to a 97 - moment tinder clowning plastic film . Paul ( Griffin Dunne ) meets Marcy ( Rosanna Arquette ) , and from there has the most insane night of his lifespan . No Scorsese motion picture charm the spontaneity and fever - dream - corresponding quality of New York nightlife with such humor and stylistic spiritedness . Some movies feel like feast ; this one feels like an adrenaline shot to the heart .

If you loveGhostbusters, seeBig Trouble in Little China

The favorite : In 1984 , a quartet of scientific slackers shook down New York City ’s pesky ghoul of New York City and burrowed into audiences ' hearts . Ghostbustersmade graduates ofNational LampoonandSaturday Night Live , the grandmaster of comedy at the time , kin - friendly , and beg cutting - border special outcome for something other than Steven Spielberg - patented wonder . As we ’ve learned in the lead - up tothis summertime ’s reboot , love for the picture rests in a nostalgia cocoon , ready to be unleashed like fandom ’s answer to Gozer .

The choice : The ghostwriter ofGhostbustersride the line between goofy and terrific – I ’ll admit to still induce nightmare about the bibliothec – but John Carpenter’sBig Trouble in Little Chinacannonballs into the extreme . Chinatown becomes the battleground for a mystical war between an ancient sorcerer and a duet of San Francisco delivery guys . Kurt Russell ’s Jack Barton parody the ' 80 action hero as a bumbling muscle man , while martial artists cater real fight spectacle . freehanded Troubleis one of the wacky motion-picture show to come out of the ' eighty – and that ’s a high cake .

If you loveIt’s a Wonderful Life, seeSullivan’s Travels

The favorite : You roll in the hay George Bailey . It ’s okay . We all love George Bailey . But how many sentence can you watch that schmuck discover Zuzu ’s flower petal , bawl his eyes out , and get bailed out by his friend ? Sure , even hardened cynics have to let in that Frank Capra ’s direction and Stewart ’s emotionally raw operation have a iniquity to them that the film ’s reputation as a vacation weepie ca n’t efface . But by now , the strait of bell reverberate , choirs singing , and holy man gain wings probably has you get to for the remote control .

The alternative : No , it ’s not a Christmas picture , but this 1942 comedy from author and managing director Preston Sturges will fill up you with secure cheer during any time of the twelvemonth . Toeing the line between insurgent satire and moving ego - portrayal , Sullivan ’s Travelstells the story of a famous comedy director who wants to make a serious picture " like Capra " and sets out to feel life as a homeless man in America . As you may imagine , things do n’t go as planned . Lessons are learned along the direction . Tears are shed . Laughs are had by all . And , you do n’t have to look at Mr. Potter ’s mean value mug the whole time .

If you loveThe Matrix, seeBrazil

The favorite : Before the shaky , occasionally vivid supererogatory ofCloud Atlas , Jupiter Ascending , and Netflix’sSense8 , the Wachowskis were famed for one reason : they taught Keanu Reeves kung fu . The story of a slacker Christ figure named Neo who fights an army of golem and one very pissed off Brooks Brothers mannequin , TheMatrixwas the epitome of pre - millennium hack cool and a province - of - the - art , effects - drive bonanza . Like a TED Talk with artillery combat , The Matrixhad ideas and ultraviolence , man . In a word : whoa .

The alternative : Brazilwas the original idea - fuck . Monty Pythoncartoonist turned renegade auteur Terry Gilliam dreamed up this dystopian tale that work out as both a droll satire , a thrilling escapade , and a airy school principal - trip . A low - stage bureaucrat ( Jonathan Pryce ) gets merge up with a air - conditioner - installing terrorist ( Robert De Niro ) , and things only get more difficult to resume from there . Without the benefit of wire - fu , leather jacket , or Laurence Fishburne , Gilliam build a world that ’s both an imaginative playground and a apprehensiveness - replete hellscape . Doublewhoa .

If you loveThe Big Lebowski, seeInherent Vice

The favorite : No fanbase can ruin a picture show , butThe Big Lebowskiboosters have fall dangerously close . fortunately , no matter how many neckbeards strip - mine this tricky detective comedy for unfunny T - shirt , the Coen Brothers ' conjuration remains . watch the Dude recover his carpet while doing battle with Los Angeles ' oddest fictional character is always a treat . nosepiece is patently gold , but it ’s the supporting shape – Goodman , Buscemi , Moore , Hoffman , Elliott , Turturro – that make this a masterpiece . Damn , even Tara Reid is outstanding .

The option : The best lapidator movies are n’t really stoner movie . Paul Thomas Anderson ’s hazy Southern California nostalgia piece star Joaquin Phoenix as Doc Sportello is the snug affair we ’ll ever get to a pure 149 - minute Neil Young song – and it is n’t even really about weed . It ’s about a flavor , a store , an emotion , and the violation of powerful dark forcefulness that come when enlightenment is attainable . LikeLebowski , it ’s a detective floor – until it ’s not . The Dude may abide , but Thomas Pynchon imbues .

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