Godin & Barquin’s Cinephile’s Choice: Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time

15. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)

From the opening credits, writer-director-star Allen provides us with what could only be described as a true love letter to the city of Manhattan. Every minute of this love letter disguised as a romantic comedy breathes the New York atmosphere that so few films know how to capture. Whether it’s Allen’s neurotic, seemingly self-obsessed idolization of the city, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue pulsating through its veins, or the gorgeous black-and-white photography, one can see the effort placed into making a great film about a great city.

14. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

It’s kind of serendipitous that Manhattan and Taxi Driver are next to each other on this list, since they offer two very different takes on the city of New York. Whereas Allen gives the city a warm, familiar aura, Scorsese coats his New York in a near-tangible layer of grime. In Taxi Driver, New York is a city of lowlives, losers and transients, all seemingly living in squalor and struggling to get by. It’s the ultimate fictional account of urban alienation.

13. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)

Billy Wilder had a knack for comedies with bite, and The Apartment might very well be his best overall film. Standing at the crossroads of the comedy of manners, the romantic comedy and the corporate satire, the film’s overarching themes of infidelity and mistrust betray a low-key sweetness and charm that emanate from leads Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Not to mention that it’s excellently shot and damn funny.

12. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)

It’s a simple formula, really: combine the polished, rock-solid direction of a classic Hollywood film with the visceral thrills of a high-end B picture. The result was a runaway smash, the first real blockbuster, and a late but welcome addition to the pantheon of Rampaging Monster Flicks. Jaws is a film that is effortless in its brilliance, like so many great classic films, but also thrilling and impressive from a technical standpoint.

11. 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)

With 8 ½, Fellini created one of the best films ever made about filmmaking. Entirely told through a director’s point of view, we’re taken on a wild ride through personal fantasy rather than the boring realism the world has to offer. Marcello Mastroianni serves as the perfect embodiment of Fellini’s personality and guides the audience along in this delightful film about the inspiration needed to create a film.