My List of Must-See Movies

I have already created a list of the Most Important Novels in My Life (which is up for occasional editing and review). Now comes my list of must-see movies.

As with the most important novels, for a film to make the list it must meet one or more of the following criteria:

It was so profound and meaningful to me that I’ve seen the movie multiple times.It significantly influenced me as a writer, in terms of storytelling, structure, or character.Seeing the movie is inexorably linked to and illuminates a moment or period of time in my life.

Here’s the initial list, in no particular order. I’m sure I’ve missed some, and may regret including others. As I re-watch some of these, I will add comments, and also remove from or add movies to this list:

The GodfatherBody HeatThe Wizard of OzMichael ClaytonThe GraduateTake ShelterPulp FictionChoose MeCasablancaNocturnal AnimalsOrdinary PeopleThe Big ChillThe FugitiveJawsThe Shawshank RedemptionTrafficCrash (sorry)LantanaMartha, Marcy, May, MarleneMystic RiverAmerican BeautyGoodbye, ColumbusA History of ViolenceThe Manchurian CandidateSaving Private Ryan

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