300 Essential Movies I Must Watch

I recently finished reading Christopher Null’s book, “Five Stars! How to Become a Film Critic, the World’s Greatest Job” and at the very end of the book is a list of 300 essential movies that the aspiring modern film critic should watch.

A nagging part of me felt like if I didn’t finish watching all 300 essential movies, then I didn’t officially finish the book, nor did I acquire all the foundational knowledge I would need to critique movies with a deeper understanding.

So, I made it a goal for myself to deepen my knowledge of film during this second year of my movie review blogging journey.

My goal is to:

1. Watch all 300 essential movies by 7/20/22 (the 2nd year anniversary of my movie blog)
2. Have something to say about each movie (AKA: remember the plot and why I liked it or disliked it) and
3. Have a social media post dedicated to each movie

Now, looking at the list of movies I must watch is very overwhelming. Especially when some movies are super long and some look super boring but it wouldn’t be a challenge if it was easy.

I’m going to put the full list down below and update the list showing my progress and rating for each film.

Follow the challenge on my social media platforms. Most especially on Instagram cuz that’s where I post most directly and frequently.

• Instagram
• Facebook

This is a new era of film knowledge for me. Wish me luck!

Update 3/10/23: So, unfortunately, I did not even come close to completing the list of movies I must watch by 7/20/22. My priorities have shifted to learning how to maximize profits on this movie blog. Follow my journey here!

Once I get a good system going with this movie blog I absolutely plan on returning to finish this list of movies I must watch at a more reasonable pace.

300 Essential Movies I Must Watch

1. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) — (7/10)
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) — (3/10); so long and boring
3. The 400 Blows (1959) — (7/10)
4. 8½ (1963) — (7.5/10); iconic opening scene
5. The African Queen (1951) — (6.5/10); stereotyped Africa
6. After Hours (1985) — (7.5/10); wild story
7. Airplane! (1980) — (9/10); universally hilarious
8. Alien (1979) — (5/10); too dull to thrill
9. Aliens (1986) — (9.8/10) stellar sequel
10. All About Eve (1950) — (8.6/10), classy
11. Amadeus (1984) — (6/10)
12. Amélie (2001) — (8/10); dreamy and whimsical
13. American Beauty (1999) — (7.5/10) deprivation to depravity
14. American Graffiti (1973) — (3.5) white American teen culture defined
15. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) — (4/10); racist & sexist
16. Annie Hall (1977) — (5/10); meh
17. The Apartment (1960) — (8.2/10); great character development
18. Apocalypse Now (1979) — (3.3/10); immerses you in war
19. The Artist (2011) — (7.8); a creative ode to early Hollywood
20. Audition (1999) — (6.5/10); more creepy than thrilling
21. Back to the Future (1985) — (9.5/10); skillful plot
22. Barbarella (1968) — (5.2/10); so bad, it’s almost good
23. Batman (1989) — (8/10); classic superhero movie structure
24. Battleship Potemkin (1925) — (4.5/10); the steps of Odessa MAKE this movie
25. Ben-Hur (1959)
26. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
27. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
28. The Birds (1963)
29. The Birth of a Nation (1915)
30. Blade Runner (1982)
31. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
32. Blazing Saddles (1974) — (8.8/10; racial humor done right)
33. Blood Simple (1984)
34. Blue Velvet (1986) — (4/10; meaningless and disturbing)
35. The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
36. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
37. Brazil (1985)
38. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) — (5.5/10; pretty basic)
39. The Breakfast Club (1985)
40. Breathless (1960)
41. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
42. Brokeback Mountain (2005) — (6.5/10; raw and career-jumpstarting)
43. Bullitt (1968)
44. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
45. Caddyshack (1980)
46. Carrie (1976)
47. Casablanca (1942)
48. The Celebration (1998)
49. Chinatown (1974) — (4/10); a white man’s movie
50. A Christmas Story (1983)
51. Citizen Kane (1941)
52. Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
53. Cleopatra (1963)
54. Clerks (1994)
55. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
56. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
57. Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
58. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
59. Coup de Torchon (1981)
60. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
61. Crumb (1994)
62. The Crying Game (1992)
63. The Dark Knight (2008)
64. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
65. Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
66. Dead Poets Society (1989)
67. Deliverance (1972)
68. Die Hard (1988) (9/10); not your typical Christmas movie
69. Diner (1982)
70. Dirty Dancing (1987)
71. Dirty Harry (1971)
72. Do the Right Thing (1989)
73. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
74. Double Indemnity (1944)
75. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
76. Duck Soup (1933)
77. Duel (1971)
78. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
79. Easy Rider (1969)
80. Ed Wood (1994)
81. El mariachi (1992)
82. Election (1999)
83. The Elephant Man (1980)
84. The Endless Summer (1965)
85. The English Patient (1996)
86. Enter the Dragon (1973)
87. Eraserhead (1977)
88. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
89. The Exorcist (1973)
90. Exotica (1994)
91. Fail Safe (1964)
92. Fanny and Alexander (1982)
93. Fantasia (1940)
94. Far from Heaven (2002)
95. Fargo (1996)
96. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
97. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) — (5.5/10); obnoxious main character energy
98. A Few Good Men (1992)
99. Freaks (1932)
100. The French Connection (1971)
101. Fritz the Cat (1972)
102. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
103. Fury (1936)
104. Gandhi (1982)
105. Gaslight (1944)
106. The General (1926)
107. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
108. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
109. Glitter (2001)
110. The Godfather (1972)
111. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
112. The Gold Rush (1925)
113. Gone with the Wind (1939)
114. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
115. Goodfellas (1990)
116. The Graduate (1967)
117. Grand Hotel (1932)
118. The Grand Illusion (1937)
119. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
120. Grease (1978)
121. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
122. Groundhog Day (1993)
123. Halloween (1978)
124. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
125. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
126. Heathers (1989)
127. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
128. Heaven’s Gate (1980)
129. Heavy Metal (1981)
130. High Noon (1952)
131. Highlander (1986)
132. The Hours (2002)
133. House of Games (1987)
134. Howards End (1992)
135. The Hustler (1961)
136. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
137. Imitation of Life (1959)
138. Inception (2010)
139. The Incredibles (2004)
140. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
141. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
142. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
143. Inherit the Wind (1960)
144. It Happened One Night (1934)
145. Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
146. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
147. Jaws (1975)
148. The Jazz Singer (1927)
149. Jean de Florette (1986)
150. JFK (1991)
151. Jules et Jim (1962)
152. Jurassic Park (1993)
153. The Karate Kid (1984)
154. King Kong (1933)
155. L.A. Confidential (1997)
156. La cage aux folles (1978)
157. La jetée (1962)
158. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
159. L’avventura (1960)
160. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
161. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
162. The Lion King (1994)
163. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
164. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
165. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
166. Lost in Translation (2003)
167. M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (1931)
168. MAS*H (1970)
169. Magnolia (1999)
170. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
171. Man Bites Dog (1992)
172. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
173. Marathon Man (1976)
174. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
175. The Matrix (1999)
176. Medium Cool (1969)
177. Memento (2000)
178. Metropolis (1927)
179. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
180. Minority Report (2002)
181. Misery (1990)
182. Modern Times (1936)
183. Mommie Dearest (1981)
184. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
185. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
186. My Man Godfrey (1936)
187. Nanook of the North (1922)
188. Natural Born Killers (1994)
189. Network (1976)
190. North by Northwest (1959)
191. Nosferatu (1922)
192. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
193. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
194. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
195. Paths of Glory (1957)
196. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
197. The Piano (1993)
198. Pink Flamingos (1972)
199. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
200. Pinocchio (1940)
201. Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)
202. Planet of the Apes (1968)
203. The Player (1992)
204. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
205. Pretty Woman (1990)
206. The Princess Bride (1987)
207. The Producers (1967)
208. Léon (1994)
209. Psycho (1960)
210. Pulp Fiction (1994)
211. Raging Bull (1980)
212. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
213. Rashômon (1950)
214. Real Genius (1985)
215. Rear Window (1954)
216. Tell Your Children (1936)
217. Repulsion (1965)
218. Rio Bravo (1959)
219. Road to Utopia (1945)
220. Rocky (1976)
221. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
222. Roger & Me (1989)
223. Roman Holiday (1953)
224. Rope (1948)
225. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
226. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
227. The Rules of the Game (1939)
228. Run Lola Run (1998)
229. Run Silent Run Deep (1958)
230. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
231. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
232. Scarface (1983)
233. Schindler’s List (1993)
234. Scream (1996)
235. The Searchers (1956)
236. Se7en (1995)
237. Seven Samurai (1954)
238. The Seventh Seal (1957)
239. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
240. Shaft (1971)
241. Shallow Grave (1994)
242. Shane (1953)
243. The Sheik (1921)
244. Shine (1996)
245. Shock Corridor (1963)
246. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
247. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
248. The Sixth Sense (1999)
249. Slacker (1990)
250. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
251. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
252. Some Like It Hot (1959)
253. The Sound of Music (1965)
254. Spider-Man (2002)
255. Spirited Away (2001)
256. Stand by Me (1986)
257. Star Wars (1977)
258. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
259. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
260. Straw Dogs (1971)
261. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
262. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
263. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
264. Swingers (1996)
265. Taxi Driver (1976)
266. The Ten Commandments (1956)
267. The Terminator (1984)
268. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
269. This Man Must Die (1969)
270. Titanic (1997)
271. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
272. Tokyo Story (1953)
273. Toy Story (1995)
274. Toy Story 2 (1999)
275. Traffic (2000)
276. Trainspotting (1996)
277. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
278. The Tree of Life (2011)
279. Triumph of the Will (1935)
280. TRON (1982)
281. 12 Angry Men (1957) — (8/10); amazing staging
282. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
283. Unforgiven (1992)
284. The Usual Suspects (1995)
285. The Verdict (1982)
286. Vertigo (1958)
287. Wall Street (1987)
288. WarGames (1983)
289. Wayne’s World (1992)
290. West Side Story (1961)
291. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
292. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
293. White Heat (1949)
294. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
295. The Wicker Man (1973)
296. The Wild Bunch (1969)
297. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
298. Witness (1985)
299. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
300. Zodiac (2007)

How many of these ~300 essential movies~ have you seen? What movies should be on this list that aren’t already? Talk to me in the comments!

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Peace, love, and lots of popcorn,

IMO