Only A Real Movie Buff Has Seen All Of These Movies

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A lot of people love movies. Pretty much everyone, really. There’s something for everyone. If you like sports, there are a thousand movies for you. If you like history, there are a million movies for you. Hell, if you’re interested in how movies get made, there are still a bunch of movies for you. It’s a very flexible medium. You don’t have to be interested in movies particularly, you just have to enjoy the fine art of visual storytelling and engage with what’s happening on the silver screen. Beyond that, it could be about anything. It could make you feel anything: happy, sad, inspired, terrified, moved, bewildered, confused – anything! That’s why, for many people, the art of film itself is their greatest interest. They follow directors, actors, film history, film theory, different people’s cinematic influences etc. and they go by the label ‘cinephiles.’ You can’t just go around calling yourself a cinephile, though. You have to prove it with a lot of nights in and informed opinions of the films of Alfred Hitchcock and repeated viewings of grainy black-and-white movies. So, are you worthy of calling yourself a cinephile? Tell us if you’ve seen these 25 movies and we’ll determine whether or not you are a true cinephile.

Question 1

The Godfather

Considered by many to be the greatest film ever made, The Godfather is an epic gangster movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando. Visually striking shots like a murder in the middle of a hayfield with the Statue of Liberty off in the background indicate the movie’s powerfully cinematic and skewed representation of the American Dream. Brilliant. Have you seen it?

Question 2

Casablanca

Based on an unproduced play called Everybody Comes to Rick’s, Casablanca gave us a timeless love story set during a terrible time in World War II. It gave the world hope. Romance will always prevail, no matter what’s going on. We’ll always have Paris. But have you seen the movie?

Question 3

The Dark Knight

Every cinephile loves Christopher Nolan. They love Memento, they love Insomnia, they love Inception (especially), they love Dunkirk, but perhaps the one they love the most is The Dark Knight. It’s his second Batman movie, the one where he really kicked it up a notch and gave us a vast, epic, slick thriller with a very scary villain. This may be a silly question, but have you seen The Dark Knight?

Question 4

Jackie Brown

Just like Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino is one of the gods of cinema. These are the directors who can almost do no wrong, and then when they slightly slip up with something like Death Proof or The Dark Knight Rises, they have fanboys up in arms. Jackie Brown is Tarantino’s least appreciated movie, but it’s still great. Have you seen it?

Question 5

Rear Window

Rear Window is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films. He was famous for spinning thrills and excitement out of a simple premise. He took something as mundane as a guy with a broken leg confined to his room in wheelchair with nothing but a pair of binoculars for entertainment and spun it into one of the most compelling murder mysteries ever made. Have you seen it?

Question 6

Citizen Kane

Orson Welles’ epic story exploring the life and times of an old, wealthy man who has died with the word “rosebud” being all he left behind is often regarded as being the greatest motion picture ever made. Opinions on that differ, but it was quite the accomplishment in its time.

Question 7

Mean Streets

Mean Streets is the indie film debut of iconic filmmaker Martin Scorsese. It tells the story of a young criminal whose reckless jerk of a cousin causes many problems for him. It was a huge influence on Tony Soprano himself, James Gandolfini, who said, “I saw that 10 times in a row.” It’s a little masterpiece. Have you seen it?

Question 8

The Deer Hunter

Most Vietnam War movies covered the war. Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Platoon – they all depict the horrors of the war. But The Deer Hunter went one step further. It showed life before the war, getting drafted, going off to fight, and then coming home a changed man. The actual scenes of war make up a very small part. It’s a groundbreaking masterpiece. Have you seen it?

Question 9

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Quentin Tarantino, king of the cinephiles, ranks this as his favorite movie of all time. A lot of people do. It clocks in at around three hours, but it’s a masterpiece. It’s the definitive spaghetti western, directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. Great movie. Have you seen it?

Question 10

The Seventh Seal

Now, this is highbrow. This is Ingmar Bergman reflecting on life and death through cinema as a man plays a game of chess with the Grim Reaper. This is so iconic that it was parodied by Bill and Ted, except in that they played Yahtzee. But have you seen the original?

Question 11

Easy Rider

Easy Rider changed the face of cinema. Dennis Hopper kicked off the ‘70s by going out with Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson on a couple of hogs with no script and a bunch of real drugs and making a gritty cinematic masterwork. All of a sudden, movies became crazier and more experimental. It was a landmark in the history of film. Have you seen it?

Question 12

Taxi Driver

Martin Scorsese never made a full-on Vietnam War film. Not his style. He’s the New York guy. So, his Vietnam movie is set in New York, showing the effects of the war on the troops instead of the war itself. War has turned Travis Bickle into a bitter, violent man. Have you seen this disturbing psychological thriller?

Question 13

Blade Runner

Perfect timing. The long awaited sequel to Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, has finally been made and released and, thankfully, it’s been getting positive reviews. But a long time ago, it was the little movie that could that got overshadowed at the box office by ET and later recognized for its masterful visual style. Have you seen the original?

Question 14

Fargo

You may know Fargo as an FX anthology crime show, but if that’s all you know it is, you’re not a cinephile, my friend. It was originally a black comic crime thriller written and directed by the Coen brothers, starring the great William H. Macy. Have you seen the movie version?

Question 15

12 Angry Men

This story of a jury of twelve guys deciding the fate of a trial is a captivating drama with some truly engaging characters and performances. It’s such a simple premise and it could’ve turned out very boring – but it didn’t. It’s a classic that’s stood the test of time. Have you seen it?

Question 16

Schindler’s List

Steven Spielberg’s powerful Holocaust drama really turned heads when it was released back in 1993. The striking imagery of the girl in the red coat, the candles being lit, the survivors placing rocks on Oskar Schindler’s grave – it’s all so moving. But it is a long movie. Have you seen it?

Question 17

Fight Club

David Fincher’s brilliant psychological black comedy is a dark odyssey into the mind of an insane man who needs a release from his mundane life through mindless violence, based on the equally brilliant and even more homoerotic novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. Have you seen the film adaptation?

Question 18

Annie Hall

Annie Hall has long been considered to be the greatest romantic comedy ever made, because it’s not a series of trite clichés. It has inspired observations about romance and what is the point of it all, and it’s so funny. It’s the definitive romantic comedy. It beat Star Wars to Best Picture. Have you seen it?

Question 19

Natural Born Killers

Natural Born Killers is a dark and experimental thriller directed by Oliver Stone and written by Quentin Tarantino (one of the rare times he’s written a screenplay that he hasn’t directed). It stars Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as a Bonnie and Clyde-esque couple driving across America, killing folks who get in their way. It’s a powerhouse of filmmaking spectacle. Have you seen it?

Question 20

Dr. Strangelove

Stanley Kubrick changed the science fiction genre, the war movie, the dystopian future setting, the horror movie, the swords and sandals movie, and with Dr. Strangelove, he changed comedy. Sure, he can’t take all the credit. Some goes to Peter Sellers for his powerhouse performances in multiple roles. But Kubrick made that possible with scathing satire at a tumultuous political time. So, have you seen it?

Question 21

The Conversation

This paranoid thriller based on the Watergate scandal leads innocent, mild mannered Gene Hackman into a world of political intrigue. Francis Ford Coppola is best remembered for The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, but The Conversation is his third masterpiece that often gets forgotten. Have you seen it?

Question 22

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Paul Newman and Robert Redford were a terrific duo in film back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. No pairing of theirs is greater than this buddy western, which is famous for its ambiguous ending, but the ride that gets us there is a terrific blend of comedy, drama, romance, and action – everything that makes a western a western. Have you seen it?

Question 23

2001: A Space Odyssey

Star Wars is remembered as the science fiction movie that changed it all, but that’s not really what it is. Star Wars is fantasy set in outer space. 2001: A Space Odyssey, perhaps Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, is true science fiction, and it was groundbreaking in its day – it still is now, in fact. Have you seen it?

Question 24

Raging Bull

This black and white boxing picture does what all good sports biopics should do – it’s not about the sport, it’s about the man. It’s a deep exploration of the fractured masculinity of Jake LaMotta, who takes out his frustrations and jealousies in the ring, and eventually these emotions become his undoing. Have you seen it?

Question 25

Alien

An alien terrorizes a group of astronauts aboard a space station. This could’ve been a cheap science fiction horror flick that some director banged out in a couple of weeks for an easy paycheck. But that’s not Ridley Scott’s style. Instead, he turned this intergalactic haunted house feature into a masterpiece. Have you seen it?

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