Film Starter Pack

My entire life could probably be defined by and extracted from the films that have captivated me over the years. My Netflix queue includes over 100 very different films, from Hoop Dreams to Lawrence Anyways (sorry, Xavier. I promise I'll get to it), and every free minute is usually me catching up and shortening that. My most recent adventure has been White God, which was a beautifully terrifying concerto comparing humans to dogs and their capacity to live just as intelligent and full lives. But hopefully I'll get to that in another post.

Instead, I'm here to share my history of film with you in as quick and efficient means as possible. No, I'm not going to shove intense and analytical avant garde films down your throat. I think it's a fair list of 15 genres, 82 films, and many of which are my favorites. I'm a big proponent of foreign films so there are four categories for various languages. Hopefully you'll understand that there is so much to offer through international cinema and pick up on different styles and techniques in different cultures.

I'm certain every film on this list, classic or not, will entertain you, possibly change your opinions on what film can do as a medium, and hopefully inspire you to watch another.

Silent

1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
2. The Kid
3.  The General
4.  Metropolis

Asian

1.  Oldboy
2. Mother
3. Poetry
4. I Saw The Devil
5. In The Mood For Love

French

1. The 400 Blows
2. The Intouchables
3.  Holy Motors
4. Amelie
5. Au revoir, les enfants

Spanish

1. Wild Tales
2. Pan’s Labyrinth
3. Motorcycle Diaries
4. Amores Perros
5. The Orphanage

Foreign

1. Cinema Paradiso
2.  Life Is Beautiful
3. Dogtooth
4. Run Lola Run
5. Incendies

Animated

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2.  The Secret Of Kells
3.  Spirited Away
4.  Grave Of The Fireflies
5.  Inside Out

Comedy

1.  Little Miss Sunshine
2. Annie Hall
3. Clue
4. Dr. Strangelove
5. Airplane!
6. Bridesmaids
7. The Breakfast Club
8. A Fish Called Wanda
9. Frances Ha

Thriller

1. Black Swan
2. Requiem For A Dream
3.  Seven
4. Inception
5. Sunset Boulevard

Horror

1.  It Follows
2. The Shining
3. VHS
4. Scream
5. Psycho
6. Rosemary’s Baby

Musical

1. Moulin Rouge
2. West Side Story
3. The Sound of Music

LGBT

1. Blue Is The Warmest Color
2. Stranger By The Lake
3.  Love Is Strange
4. Y Tu Mama También

Drama 

1. 12 Angry Men
2. The Godfather
3. Blue Valentine
4.  Forrest Gump
5. The Graduate
6. Pulp Fiction
7. The Truman Show
8.  Like Crazy

Cinematography

1.  The Tree Of Life
2.  2001: A Space Odyssey
3. Enter The Void
4. Heartbeats
5. Gravity

Action

1. The Raid: Redemption
2.  Mad Max: Fury Road
3. The Dark Knight

Sci-Fi

1.  Interstellar
2. The Fountain
3. Moon
4. Minority Report
5. The Matrix
6. Avatar
7. Ex Machina

Enjoy and comment below with your own recommendations and your thoughts on any viewing!

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Summer's Heat

1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup fresh cut pineapple
1/4 cup raspberries
1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup greek yogurt
ice
splash of milk or cranberry juice or champagne if you so please (why not)