Well these are my friend Dale Marquez’s suggestions at the very least. I’ve seen some of them already – back when I was young, for film classes back in college, during film festivals, and some with friends or on my own. Here is his list but I might add a title or two. Titles in italics mean I’ve seen them.
- 2001 A Space Odyssey
- Let The Right One In
- The 39 Steps
- Pierrot Le Fou
- 2046
- Take Shelter
- Memento
- The 400 Blows
- An Education
- Volver
- Donnie Darko
- 13 Samurais
- Blue Velvet
- Billy Liar
- THX 1138
- Solaris
- Punch Drunk Love – and I hated it
- Malena
- Heavenly Creatures
- Stranger Than Fiction
- Claire’s Knee
- The Party
- Man On Wire
- The Red Balloon
- Lost In Translation
- Playtime
- Le Samourai
- Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
- Le Bonheur
- Blow-Up
- All About Lily Chou-chou
- Rec
- The Passenger
- Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
- Gummo
- Vertigo
- Mary And Max
- Peeping Tom
- Some Kind Of Wonderful
- Funky Forest
- Brazil
- The Fight Club
- Chungking Express – my favorite
- Last Year At Marienbad
- Monty Python And The Holy Grail
- Being John Malkovich
- Shaun Of The Dead
- The Phantom Of Liberty
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- Elevator To The Gallows
- Ratcatcher
- Trois Couleurs: Rouge
- Songs From The Second Floor
- The Beaches Of Agnes
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Virgin Suicides
- Ghost World
- Beginners
- Trainspotting
- High Fidelity
- Shallow Grave
- Cinema Paradiso – my favorite
- The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie
- Oh Brother Where Art Thou
- Spoorloos
- Pump Up The Volume
- Audition – didn’t finish. got bored
- Repulsion
- In The Mood For Love
- Il Postino
- Swingers
- Trois Couleurs: Blanc
- Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams
- Secrets And Lies
- Stranger Than Paradise
- Breakfast Club
- The Graduate
- The Man With The Moving Camera
- The Way Home
- 8 1/2
- This Is Spinal Tap
- To Catch A Thief
- The Big Lebowski
- Eyes Without A Face
- The Obscure Object Of Desire
- The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
- A Clockwork Orange
- The Bakery Girl Of Monceau
- Love Affair, or The Case Of The Missing Switchboard Operator
- L’Avventura
- Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
- Pi
- Amelie – another favorite
- Flirt
- Au Revoir Les Enfants
- Bande a Part
- Billy Elliot
- Belle De Jour
- The Spirit Of The Beehive
- Following
- Usual Suspects
- The Loneliness Of The Long-Distance Runner
- Stroszek
- Rear Window
- Taste Of Honey
- Save The Green Planet
- Hausu
- Dogville
- Living In Oblivion
- Kill The Day
- Late Spring
- The Double Life Of Veronique
- Irma Vep
- Magnolia
- Paperhouse
- A bout de Souffle
- Late August, Early September
- Mulholland Drive
- Seven Samurai
- Old Boy
- Y Tu Mama Tambien
- The Princess And The Warrior
- City Of God
- Cleo From 5 to 7
- Sex, Lies And Videotape
- Nobody Knows
- Le Derriere
- The Dreamers
- Festen
- 24 Hour Party People
- Children Of Men
- Pretty In Pink
- A Woman Under The Influence
- Weekend
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Before Sunset
- Infernal Affairs
- La Jetee
- Pan’s Labyrinth
- Grizzly Man
- Control
- The City Of Lost Children
- El Topo
- Talk To Her
- Amateur
- Mon Oncle
- Happiness
- Fanny And Alexander
- Wild Strawberries
- Dr. Strangelove
- Not One Less
- The Devil And Daniel Johnston
- Night On Earth
- American Psycho
- Run Lola Run
- Moon
- Closely Watched Trains
- Orfeu Negro
- Akira
- The Shining
- Through A Glass Darkly
- Almost Famous
- Meshes Of The Afternoon
- Career Opportunities
- Masculin Feminin
- Bob Le Flambeur
- The Devil’s Backbone
- The Last Great Wilderness
- The Cranes Are Flying
- 500 Days Of Summer
- Rashomon
- Full Metal Jacket
- Rififi
- The Skin I Live In
- Persona
- Ladri di Biciclette
- Un Chien Andalou
- The Gleaners And I
- The Wicker Man
- Annie Hall
- The Third Man
- Career Girls
- Clerks
- Groundhog Day
- The Seventh Seal
- Harold And Maude
- Notorious
- My Architect
- Jeux Interdits
- Eraserhead
- Loves Of A Blonde
- Pulp Fiction
- The Lady Vanishes
- The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
- The Last Days Of Disco
- Insomnia
- Knife In The Water
- M
- Tokyo Story
I’ll make a different list with my recommendations some day.