Quarantine Activity: 100 Movies to See Before You Die

So. Sheltering in place. This has been something. In a way it felt like there's nothing to talk about. But since people are getting stir-crazy, I figured I would try and help, and share a list to help occupy people's time.

These are not my 100 favorite films, by a long-shot (some I actively dislike). Instead, I made sure no director was on here twice, and tried to give a broad array of flicks, aiming for diversity, innovation, and novelty. Really, some of these are just so-so, but they all stick with you. And a few are just exemplars of their genre, time, or movement, to round it out - I mean not everything is experimental, boundary-pushing, and cutting edge. 

If you watch them all you get an honorary film degree from the University of Walla Walla.

1924. Sherlock Jr. – United States  

1927. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans – United States

1928. The Last Command – United States

1928. The Passion of Joan of Arc – France

1929. Man with a Movie Camera – Soviet Union

1930. The Blood of a Poet – France

1931. M – Germany

1933. King Kong – United States  

1933. Duck Soup – United States  

1936. Modern Times – United States  

1936. Dodsworth – United States

1937. Grand Illusion – France

1938. Olympia – Germany

1939. The Wizard of Oz – United States

1939. Ninotchka – United States

1940. Fantasia – United States  

1940. His Girl Friday – United States  

1942. Casablanca – United States

1945. Children of Paradise – France

1949. The Third Man – United Kingdom

1949. White Heat – United States

1951. An American in Paris – United States  

1951. Awaara – India

1952. Umberto D. – Italy

1953. Ugetsu – Japan

1953. Tokyo Story – Japan

1954. Seven Samurai – Japan

1955-59. Apu Trilogy – India

1957. Sweet Smell of Success – United States

1958. Vertigo – United States

1959. The 400 Blows – France

1959. Black Orpheus – Brazil/France

1961. West Side Story – United States  

1962. Lawrence of Arabia – United Kingdom

1962. The Manchurian Candidate – United States

1963. 8 ½ – Italy

1964. A Hard Day’s Night – United Kingdom

1964. Soy Cuba – Cuba/Soviet Union

1965. Alphaville – France

1966. Andrei Rublev – Soviet Union

1966. Persona – Sweden

1966. The Battle of Algiers – Italy/Algeria

1967. Mouchette – France

1968. 2001: A Space Odyssey – United Kingdom/United States

1968. Once Upon a Time in the West – Italy/United States

1971. A Touch of Zen – Taiwan

1972. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie – France

1973. Touki Bouki – Senegal

1974. Blazing Saddles – United States

1974. Chinatown – United States  

1975. F for Fake – France/Iran/West Germany

1975. Monty Python and the Holy Grail – United Kingdom

1976. Network – United States  

1977. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope – United States  

1979. Apocalypse Now – United States  

1980. Mon Oncle D’Amerique – France

1981. Das Boot – West Germany  

1981. My Dinner with Andre – United States

1982. Koyaanisqatsi – United States

1982. Blade Runner – United States  

1985. Brazil – United Kingdom  

1985. Come and See – Belarus/Soviet Union

1986. Bashu the Little Stranger – Iran

1987. Wings of Desire – West Germany

1988. Cinema Paradiso – Italy  

1989. The Seventh Continent – Austria

1990. Goodfellas – United States

1991. Raise the Red Lantern – China

1993. Jurassic Park – United States

1993. Farwell My Concubine – China  

1994. Chungking Express – Hong Kong

1994. Pulp Fiction – United States  

1994. Clerks – United States  

1995. Ulysses’ Gaze – Greece

1997. Mother and Son – Russia

1998. The Big Lebowski – United States  

1998. The Truman Show – United States

1998. Dil Se.. – India

1999. The Wind Will Carry Us – Iran

2000. Snatch – United Kingdom/United States

2001. Mulholland Drive – United States  

2001. Spirited Away – Japan  

2001-03. The Lord of the Rings – United States/New Zealand

2002. City of God – Brazil  

2002. Talk to Her – Spain  

2004. The Incredibles – United States  

2005. The New World – United States

2006. The Wind That Shakes the Barley – Ireland  

2006. Paprika – Japan  

2008. Synecdoche, New York – United States

2008. Summer Hours – France

2009. White Material – France

2009. The Hurt Locker – United States  

2010. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives – Thailand

2010. Winter’s Bone – United States

2011. Melancholia – Denmark/Sweden

2012. Moonrise Kingdom – United States

2013. 12 Years a Slave – United States  

2014. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – United States

2016. The Handmaiden – South Korea