2022 in Books

 As always, here is what I read this year, with my top 5 at the end:

Nonfiction

 

Sister Outsider by Audre Lord

A collection of nonfiction by Lord covering the 1970s and early 80s. Speaking from a black, feminist, lesbian experience, Lord articulates a variety of challenges to sexism, racism, and homophobia in the United States, and within the feminist and black communities in particular.

 

The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor by John Morreal

An anthology from a half century ago that has a few gems (Morreal’s essay on laughter stands out). A tour of classical theories gives way to (then-)recent scholarship.

 

The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious by Sigmund Freud

Easily the most problematic and least useful Freudian text I’ve encountered – of interest only to a specialist.

 

A Brief History of the Smile by Angus Trumble

I found this short book quite enjoyable. The author rambles through whatever smile-related topics seem to catch his fancy, from Cambodian statues to 19^th-century dentistry and photography in England, and from Japanese prints and courtesans to the yellow smiley icon.

 

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence

Lawrence of Arabia’s own account of his work and the Arab campaign of World War I. Full of spite and orientalist stereotyping, offset by innumerable descriptions of camels and landscapes, and the occasional interesting or well-written section.

 

The Need for Roots by Simone Weil

Rambling, problematic, and void of any philosophical rigor, Weil’s work of theological pronouncements and her prescription for a new France after WWII is mostly rubbish – with a handful of intriguing passages. Overall non-commendable, though.

 

Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said

What does Jane Austen have to say about Antigua? What role does Italy’s interest in Somalia play in Verdi? Does Ahab represent American imperialism? I was wary of Said, having not been fond of his work Orientalism, but this work is definitely worth a read – if you have some familiarity with authors like Conrad, Kipling, Lawrence, Ngugi, Achebe, Fanon, et al. I fear it’s a bit dense otherwise.

 

Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin

A mostly entertaining account of Darwin’s trip from Brazil to the Galapagos, and on to New Zealand, Hawaii, and back. His comments and hints of a theory of evolution are tucked away in the Galapagos section, and are but few. Long sections of geological theory also pervade the work, which becomes monotonous – but these are offset by descriptions of capybaras, coconut crabs, and other fun wildlife.

 

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A great memoir and reflective essay on being black in America – concise, clear, and compelling. I’d been meaning to get to this for years, and was glad to finally read it: a must-read for Americans.

 

Fiction

 

Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto

An excellent account of the hallucinatory, chaotic nature of war. Couto weaves together animistic visions with magical realism, all in a shimmering prose that reflects and reinforces the mirages of the characters’ impossible reality.

 

The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil

A modernist tome, the first two sections comprise a satirical, but not cynical, narrative of an Austrian navigating various intellectualisms on the eve of World War One. If Musil had ended the work there, it would have been a great book. Instead, in the third section, he introduces a long-lost sister, and the narrative takes a right turn. It was incomplete upon his death, so this section ends abruptly, and a vast collection of posthumous scraps follow – Musil didn’t have a narrative in mind, and so he tries out all sorts of scenarios – it remains unclear what he intended for the work. The philosophy is at times crystalline, and at times suffers the fate of any philosophy that isn’t grounded in logical rigor. Worthwhile, perhaps, for those with an interest in Modernism of the turn-of-the-century.

 

Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room, and The English Teacher by R.K. Narayan

This tetralogy is apparently ¾ autobiographical: Narayan tells of a boy, a youth, and a man in Swami, Bachelor, and Teacher. These give an interesting insight into upper-middle-class life in South India in the 1930s. The Dark Room is told from a female perspective, and along with Swami and Bachelor presents a formula of an unanticipated spiritual crisis requiring resolution and an ambiguous ending. The English Teacher is told instead from a first-person perspective, and is something of a disappointment. Spiritualist content (talking to the dead) takes up a significant portion of the work’s back half, presented fully straight-faced, which is off-putting. But the first three novels are worth a look if it’s an era of interest.

 

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

A very nice murder mystery, full of novel twists and turns. I’d enjoyed The Maltese Falcon many years ago, and was glad to revisit the hardboiled story-teller. Definitely open to reading more of his works someday.

 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

An overall excellent novel, page-turning, inordinately well-written, and engrossing. I have read so much Tolstoy over the years, but this was easily my favorite, after Ilych. The two main drawbacks are the last fifty pages, and the extended section relating the provincial elections – were it not for these it would be one of the best epic novels I’ve read.

 

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

The excellent story, from an author who has quickly established himself at the forefront of contemporary fiction. The journey of Cora is engrossing, challenging, and uplifting by turns. Only a few years old, it seems destined to be a classic, an entrant into the canon of black American literature alongside Morrison, Wright, Baldwin, and Ellison.

 

And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov

A Soviet realist historical epic of the Don Cossacks through WWI, the Revolution, and the following Civil War. The characters are not given their due development, and so the history and setting take the majority of the focus. Glad I read it since it deals with a region that is currently so important in global affairs, and is considered a masterpiece in Russia.

 

Mahabharata translated and abridged by Kamala Subramaniam

One of India’s foundational texts, this abridgement (still a hefty 850 pages) contains the leadup and war of the Pandavas, and its aftermath – including the famous section of the Baghavad Gita at the start of the battle. A remarkable epic of war, the work also untangles the complications of trying to live a life according to dharma.

 

Horace edited by Paul Quarrie

I’d long meant to grapple with this ancient Roman author, but this volume, from the ‘Everyman’ series, proved problematic. The translations are all done by different authors (including some very good ones: Dryden, Byron, Merwin), most from the 16^th-19^th centuries, so there is no stylistic consistency, and the Shakespearean language can sometimes be a pain. I’m at least averagely competent when it comes to Greco-Roman mythology and history, but without annotations some poems were even more inaccessible. I came away feeling I’d still not met Horace.

 

Desertion by Abdulrazak Gurnah

The Tanzanian-born Nobel laureate’s novel is pretty clearly autobiographical – yet it feels like two separate stories and separate writing exercises. Separated by generations, with a theme of desertion (parents, norms, country) two lightly-interconnected narratives unfold of life in Tanzania and Zanzibar in the era of colonialism and independence.

 

To This Day by S.Y. Agnon

A short novel – almost a novella – of a young Jewish man wandering around Berlin in the First World War. Nice enough account, but I’m not entirely sure what its purpose was.

 

Krik? Krak! By Edwidge Danticat

A short story compilation by an acclaimed Haitian author, the inter-generational tales have connections throughout. A great collection from a powerful voice.

 

Voss by Patrick White

Australia’s only literary Nobel Laureate, White’s prose doesn’t quite measure up to his themes and intentions, it seems, in his retelling of a voyage to chart the interior in the 1840s. The handling of the significant aspects of indigenous aboriginal elements, also, is fairly grating to a modern reader’s sensibilities.

 

A Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert

A very enjoyable read, which doesn’t quite match Madame Bovary’s brilliance, but is nonetheless an engaging story with great characters and language. Frederic stumbles through life trying to make decisions and direct his own future, only to find it mostly out of his hands – especially his romances.

 

The Hunger Angel by Herta Muller

The only other camp literature I’ve read on par with Solzhenitsyn – it’s no wonder Muller won the Nobel the same year this masterful work was published. The story of struggling to survive in a Soviet labor camp is told with exacting and haunting, sparse prose.

 

The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron

On the one hand, a white author writing Nat Turner as a complex, heroic figure, is an impressive turning-point in our literature. On the other hand, taking Turner, who is largely a cypher, and choosing to portray his character according to odious stereotypes, makes for an unpleasant read. It’s probably for the best that Styron’s treatment has become increasingly forgotten, despite, in the 1960s, having won a Pulitzer Prize.

 

Atonement by Ian McEwan

An excellent and interesting take on the post-modern novel, with a self-awareness that’s neither cloying or too pedantic. The story is saved by its excellent characters and plot, and not only held afloat by its language and intrigue. Telling of fateful interactions in the first half of the century, I can understand why McEwan is so revered.

 

The Prospector by JMG Le Clezio

An almost allegorical tale of a youth spent in Mauritius, searching for treasure, finding love, and crashing, as waves, against the violence of civilization and war. Le Clezio, who won the Nobel in 2008, is adept at setting and mood, but the quest for pirate’s gold feels like an excuse to soak in the West Indian Ocean’s sun.

 

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh

Possibly one of the most venomous novels ever written – a satire so vicious as to lose its humanity in the third act. The first two thirds of Tony Last’s unravelling are humorous, but the ending (seeped in colonial racism, to boot) ruins the thing.

 

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

A great, almost Victorian, family portrait – albeit cast dysfunctionally, and in the late 1990s. Franzen’s prose is excellent, and his characters and settings all-too-real. The deliberately blurred line between tragedy and farce makes for a memorable read, as do the relatable dynamics between parents and children.

 

The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler

One of the best Victorian novels I’ve ever encountered – but enjoyable to the degree in which I’m not particularly fond of Victorian novels. Amusing and insightful, the story tells of the youth of a young man’s trials, in an innovative voice and compelling style. A well-recommended read.

 

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Roy captures the linguistic playfulness of childhood better than most authors, and for that alone the novel would be noteworthy. Thematically, and in terms of structure and plot, the novel echoes other great works, sometimes a little too familiarly – twins in a small town in India, a pickle factory, and so forth. But overall, a very good story.

 

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

A great cautionary tale of the influence of teachers upon their students. Set in the years leading up to WWII, Miss Brodie cultivates a set she thinks promising – but her breezy, undisciplined self-assurance becomes that which all of her set eventually slough off, and grow out of – leaving Brodie more alone than before.

 

Top 5 6! of 2022

 

Atonement

Between the World and Me

The Underground Railroad

Sleepwalking Land

The Hunger Angel

The Way of All Flesh

Two Milestone Lists

The first list is a positive list: As of this week, I now own 700 albums. The second, is a list of movies, which I'll address further down.

Starting with the albums, then, I should state that the 700 number doesn't include classical.

Of those 700, most are studio albums, and some are live recordings. These, together, make up 580 selections. The rest are Greatest Hits, Anthologies, Compilations, etc. Of those studio and live albums, (almost exclusively LPs, with a few EPs thrown in), here are my top 500:

1.       The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

2.       The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, 1966

3.       Marvin Gaye, What's Going On, 1971

4.       James Brown, Live at the Apollo, 1963

5.       Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, 1959

6.       John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, 1964

7.       Van Morrison, Astral Weeks, 1968

8.       Stevie Wonder, Talking Book, 1972

9.       Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV, 1971

10.   David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972

11.   AC/DC, Back in Black, 1980

12.   PJ Harvey, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, 2000

13.   Guns n Roses, Appetite for Destruction, 1987

14.   The Who, Who's Next, 1971

15.   Daft Punk, Discovery, 2001

16.   Allman Brothers, At Fillmore East, 1971

17.   The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle, 1968

18.   Nick Drake, Five Leaves Left, 1969

19.   Love, Forever Changes, 1967

20.   Nas, Illmatic, 1994

21.   Keith Jarrett, The Koln Concert, 1975

22.   Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow, 1967

23.   The Strokes, Is This It?, 2001

24.   The White Stripes, Elephant, 2003

25.   Cannonball Adderley, Somethin' Else, 1958

26.   Ravi Shankar, Three Ragas, 1956

27.   Sasha, Global Underground 013: Ibiza, 1999

28.   Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt, A Meeting by the River, 1993

29.   Clifford Brown and Max Roach, Clifford Brown and Max Roach, 1955

30.   Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport, 1956

31.   Woody Gutherie, Dust Bowl Ballads, 1940

32.   Les McCann and Eddie Harris, Swiss Movement, 1969

33.   Tangerine Dream, Rubycon, 1975

34.   Anais Mitchell, Hadestown, 2010

35.   Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton, 2015

36.   The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street, 1977

37.   The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969

38.   Moby, Play, 1999

39.   Richard O'Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975

40.   Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti, 1975

41.   Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, 1984

42.   The Clash, The Clash, 1977

43.   The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, 1968

44.   Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner, My Fair Lady [OLC], 1958

45.   Pete Seeger, We Shall Overcome, 1963

46.   The Beatles, Revolver, 1966

47.   A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory, 1991

48.   Modern Lovers, Modern Lovers, 1976

49.   DJ Shadow, Endtroducing....., 1996

50.   Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill, 1995

51.   Elvis Costello, This Year's Model, 1978

52.   Sam Phillips, Fan Dance, 2001

53.   Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA, 1984

54.   Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, 2006

55.   Beck, Sea Change, 2002

56.   Radiohead, The Bends, 1995

57.   Carole King, Tapestry, 1971

58.   Rhiannon Giddens, Freedom Highway, 2017

59.   The Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols, 1977

60.   Queen, A Night at the Opera, 1975

61.   Big Star, #1 Record, 1972

62.   Gustavo Santaolalla, Ronroco, 1998

63.   The Bothy Band, Old Hag You Have Killed Me, 1976

64.   Joni Mitchell, Blue, 1971

65.   The Doors, The Doors, 1967

66.   The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground and Nico, 1967

67.   The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses, 1989

68.   Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home, 1965

69.   Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon, 1970

70.   Fiona Apple, When the Pawn..., 1999

71.   The Beatles, White Album, 1968

72.   Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1970

73.   David Bowie, Hunky Dory, 1971

74.   The Band, Music From Big Pink, 1968

75.   U2, The Joshua Tree, 1987

76.   Van Morrison, Moondance, 1970

77.   Paul Simon, Graceland, 1986

78.   T. Rex, Electric Warrior, 1971

79.   Neil Young, After the Gold Rush, 1970

80.   Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman, 1970

81.   Quicksilver Messenger Service, Happy Trails, 1969

82.   Roxy Music, Avalon, 1982

83.   Jeff Buckley, Grace, 1994

84.   Bonnie Prince Billy, I See a Darkness, 1999

85.   Decemberists, The Crane Wife, 2006

86.   Jethro Tull, Aqualung, 1971

87.   Rory Gallagher, Irish Tour '74, 1974

88.   Ted Hawkins, The Next Hundred Years, 1994

89.   The O'Jays, Back Stabbers, 1972

90.   Joao Gilberto, Joao Gilberto, 1973

91.   The Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole, 1997

92.   Arcade Fire, Neon Bible, 2007

93.   Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco, Celia & Johnny, 1974

94.   Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Trout Mask Replica, 1969

95.   Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited, 1965

96.   Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin, 1969

97.   Stevie Wonder , Innervisions, 1973

98.   Charlie Mingus, Mingus Ah Um, 1959

99.   Curtis Mayfield, Superfly, 1972

100.                       Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, 1973

101.                       Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, 1969

102.                       Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain, 1984

103.                       The Cars, The Cars, 1978

104.                       Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes, 1979

105.                       Pentangle, Basket of Light, 1969

106.                       The Andy Statman Quartet, Between Heaven and Earth, 1997

107.                       The Eagles, Hotel California, 1976

108.                       Art Pepper, Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, 1957

109.                       The Meters, Rejuvenation, 1974

110.                       Paul Bley, Fragments, 1986

111.                       Lennie Tristano, Lennie Tristano, 1956

112.                       Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 1975

113.                       The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland, 1968

114.                       Patti Smith, Horses, 1975

115.                       Fairport Convention, Liege and Lief, 1969

116.                       Richard and Linda Thompson, Shoot Out the Lights, 1982

117.                       Black Sabbath, Paranoid, 1970

118.                       Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy, 1973

119.                       Stephen Sondheim, A Little Night Music [OBC], 1973

120.                       Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery, 1973

121.                       Sun Ra, Jazz in Silhouette, 1959

122.                       Oumou Sangare, Ko Sira, 1993

123.                       Wes Montgomery, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, 1960

124.                       Ozel Turkbas, How to Make Your Husband a Sultan, 1969

125.                       Ofra Haza, Yemenite Songs, 1984

126.                       Hector Lavoe, De Ti Depende, 1976

127.                       Paul Desmond, Take Ten, 1963

128.                       Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, The Last of the Mohicans, 1992

129.                       Djivan Gasparyan, I Will Not Be Sad in This World, 1989

130.                       Toumani Diabate and Ballake Sissoko, New Ancient Strings, 1999

131.                       Jay-Z, The Blueprint, 2001

132.                       Juana Molina, Segundo, 2000

133.                       The Beatles, Rubber Soul, 1965

134.                       Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York, 1994

135.                       Phil Ochs, There and Now: Live in Vancouver, 1968

136.                       John Coltrane, Giant Steps, 1959

137.                       Kanye West, The College Dropout, 2004

138.                       Willie Colon and Ruben Blades, Siembra, 1978

139.                       Codona, Codona 3, 1983

140.                       Dr. John, Gris-Gris, 1968

141.                       Almanac Singers, Songs for John Doe, 1941

142.                       Madvillain, Madvillainy, 2004

143.                       Kodo, Live at the Acropolis, 1995

144.                       Steely Dan, Aja, 1977

145.                       Astor Piazzolla, Tango: Zero Hour, 1986

146.                       Caetano Veloso, Livro, 1998

147.                       Kendrick Lamar, DAMN., 2017

148.                       Tal Farlow, Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow, 1957

149.                       Brian Eno, Another Green World, 1975

150.                       Goro Yamaguchi, A Bell Ringing in an Empty Sky, 1969

151.                       Los Munequitos de Matanzas, Ito Iban Echu, 1996

152.                       Konono No. 1, Congotronics, 2004

153.                       George Harrison et al., The Concert for Bangladesh, 1971

154.                       Miles Davis, In a Silent Way, 1969

155.                       Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963

156.                       Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, 2010

157.                       Madonna, Ray of Light, 1998

158.                       The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs, 1999

159.                       The Clash, London Calling, 1979

160.                       Stereolab, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, 1996

161.                       Dave Van Ronk, Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger, 1963

162.                       Various, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, 1963

163.                       Green Day, American Idiot, 2004

164.                       Propellerheads, Decksanddrumsandrockandroll, 1998

165.                       Davy Spillane & Kevin Glackin, Forgotten Days, 2001

166.                       Clifton Chenier, Bogalusa Boogie, 1976

167.                       Little Richard, Here's Little Richard!, 1957

168.                       Nirvana, Nevermind, 1991

169.                       Various, Stormy Weather Soundtrack, 1943

170.                       Radiohead, OK Computer, 1997

171.                       U2, Achtung Baby, 1991

172.                       Oliver Nelson, The Blues and the Abstract Truth, 1961

173.                       Marty Robbins, Gunfighters Ballads and Trail Songs, 1959

174.                       Art Blakey, Moanin', 1958

175.                       M.I.A., Kala, 2007

176.                       Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, 1961

177.                       R.E.M., Automatic for the People, 1992

178.                       Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville, 1993

179.                       The Yardbirds, Roger the Engineer, 1966

180.                       Bill Evans and Jim Hall, Undercurrent, 1962

181.                       Dave Van Ronk, Inside Dave Van Ronk, 1964

182.                       Nitin Sawhney, Beyond Skin, 1999

183.                       Brad Mehldau, Largo, 2002

184.                       Bobby Bland, Two Steps From the Blues, 1961

185.                       Bloque, Bloque, 1998

186.                       Junior Wells, Hoodoo Man Blues, 1965

187.                       Mississippi John Hurt, Today!, 1966

188.                       Jan Garbarek, Dis, 1977

189.                       The Meters, Look-Ka Py Py, 1969

190.                       Horace Silver, Song for My Father, 1965

191.                       Toure Kunda, Paris-Zuiginchor Live, 1984

192.                       Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come, 1959

193.                       Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Are a Drag, 1999

194.                       Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck, Djam Leelii, 1998

195.                       Dexter Gordon, Go!, 1962

196.                       Tito Puente, Dance Mania, 1958

197.                       Mongo Santamaria, Drums and Chants, 1957

198.                       Gong, Gazeuse!, 1978

199.                       James Carr, You've Got My Mind Messed Up, 1967

200.                       Wayne Shorter, JuJu, 1964

201.                       The Gil Evans Orchestra, Out of the Cool, 1961

202.                       Almanac Singers, Sod Buster Ballads, 1941

203.                       Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard, 1957

204.                       Dave Holland, Conference of the Birds, 1973

205.                       Orchestra Baobab, Pirates Choice, 1989

206.                       Almanac Singers, Deep Sea Chanteys and Whaling Ballads, 1941

207.                       Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973

208.                       Brian Wilson, Smile, 2004

209.                       Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin, Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 [Encore], 1999

210.                       Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [OBC], 1979

211.                       Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark, 1974

212.                       The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced?, 1967

213.                       Nick Drake, Pink Moon, 1972

214.                       The Replacements, Let It Be, 1984

215.                       Cream, Fresh Cream, 1966

216.                       Dusty Springfield, Dusty in Memphis, 1969

217.                       Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours, 1955

218.                       Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You, 1967

219.                       Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988

220.                       Bebel Gilberto, Tanto Tempo, 2000

221.                       James Taylor, Sweet Baby James, 1970

222.                       Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, 1977

223.                       Jorge Ben, Africa Brasil , 1976

224.                       Creedance Clearwater Revival, Cosmo's Factory, 1970

225.                       Otis Redding, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, 1965

226.                       Glenn Morgan, A Following Wind, 1993

227.                       Michel Legrand, Legrand Jazz, 1958

228.                       Massive Attack, Mezzanine, 1998

229.                       David Byrne and Brian Eno, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, 1981

230.                       Ivo Papasov, Balkanology, 1991

231.                       Manu Chao, Clandestino, 1998

232.                       Gil Scott-Heron, Pieces of a Man, 1971

233.                       Oscar Peterson Trio, Night Train, 1962

234.                       Solomon Burke, Don't Give Up on Me, 2002

235.                       Odetta, Sings Ballads and Blues, 1956

236.                       Huun Huur Tu, The Orphan's Lament, 1994

237.                       The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet, 1968

238.                       Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks, 1975

239.                       Aretha Franklin, Lady Soul, 1968

240.                       Neil Young, Harvest, 1972

241.                       Pink Floyd, The Wall, 1979

242.                       John Lennon, Imagine, 1971

243.                       Radiohead, Kid A, 2000

244.                       Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here, 1975

245.                       John Coltrane, Blue Train, 1957

246.                       Cheap Trick, In Color, 1977

247.                       The Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique, 1989

248.                       Crosby, Stills and Nash, Crosby, Stills and Nash, 1969

249.                       Chet Atkins and Les Paul, Chester and Lester, 1976

250.                       Steelism, ism, 2017

251.                       Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch, 1964

252.                       Traveling Wilburys, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, 1988

253.                       Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage, 1965

254.                       Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Deja Vu, 1970

255.                       Andrew Hill, Point of Departure, 1964

256.                       Lo Borges, Lo Borges, 1973

257.                       The Smiths, The Queen is Dead, 1986

258.                       Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story, 1971

259.                       Eubie Blake, The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake, 1973

260.                       Ile Aiye, Canto Negro, 1984

261.                       Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger, 1975

262.                       John Fahey, The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, 1965

263.                       Waylon Jennings, Honky Tonk Heroes, 1973

264.                       Alison Krauss and Union Station, Live, 2002

265.                       King Crimson, In the Court of the Crimson King, 1969

266.                       McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy, 1967

267.                       Louis Prima, The Wildest!, 1956

268.                       Roxy Music, Country Life, 1974

269.                       Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, 1956

270.                       Marta Sebestyen and Muzsikas, Dudoltam En, 1993

271.                       Buddy Guy, Damn Right I Got the Blues, 1991

272.                       Camaron de la Isla, La Leyenda del Tiempo, 1979

273.                       Meredith Monk, Dolmen Music, 1981

274.                       Karen Dalton, It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best, 1969

275.                       Andrew Lloyd Weber, Cats [OBC], 1982

276.                       Wes Montgomery, Smokin at the Half Note, 1965

277.                       Pixies, Doolittle, 1989

278.                       Jimmy Smith, Back at the Chicken Shack, 1963

279.                       Fatboy Slim, Better Living Through Chemistry, 1996

280.                       Sinead O'Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, 1990

281.                       Sukay, Cumbre, 1990

282.                       AC/DC, Highway to Hell, 1979

283.                       EPMD, Strictly Business, 1988

284.                       Jan Hammer, Beyond the Mind's Eye, 1992

285.                       Deuter, Buddha Nature, 2001

286.                       Pink Floyd, Animals, 1977

287.                       Lee Morgan, The Sidewinder, 1964

288.                       Max Roach, We Insist!: Freedom Now Suite, 1960

289.                       Jonathan Larson, Rent [OBC], 1996

290.                       Leo Kottke, Six- and Twelve-String Guitar, 1969

291.                       The Streets, Original Pirate Material, 2002

292.                       Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker with Strings, 1950

293.                       Digital Underground, Sex Packets, 1990

294.                       Los Amigos Invisibles, Arepa 3000, 2000

295.                       Dave Matthews Band, The Gorge, 2004

296.                       Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde, 1966

297.                       Elliott Smith, XO, 1998

298.                       Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club, 1997

299.                       The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed, 1969

300.                       Billy Joel, The Stranger, 1977

301.                       Sufjan Stevens, Come On, Feel the Illinoise!, 2005

302.                       Creedance Clearwater Revival, Green River, 1969

303.                       Janet Jackson, The Velvet Rope, 1997

304.                       Massive Attack, Blue Lines, 1991

305.                       Joi, We Are Three, 2000

306.                       Santana, Abraxas, 1970

307.                       Muddy Waters, At Newport 1960, 1960

308.                       Jane's Addiction, Ritual de lo Habitual, 1990

309.                       James Booker, New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live, 1977

310.                       John Martyn, Solid Air, 1973

311.                       Dino Saluzzi, Cite de la Musique, 1997

312.                       Shuggie Otis, Inspiration Information, 1974

313.                       War, Why Can't We Be Friends?, 1975

314.                       Darren Korb, Bastion Original Soundtrack, 2011

315.                       Gladys Knight and the Pips, Imagination, 1973

316.                       Taj Mahal, The Natch'l Blues, 1968

317.                       Tony Scott, Music for Zen Meditation, 1964

318.                       David Lindley, Henry Kaiser, and Musicians from Madagascar, A World Out of Time, 1992

319.                       Waldemar Bastos, Pretaluz, 1997

320.                       The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, 1964

321.                       Jerry Lee Lewis, Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, 1964

322.                       Manu Chao, Proxima Estacion: Esperanza, 2001

323.                       Milton Nascimento and Lo Borges, Clube Da Esquina, 1972

324.                       Sublime, Sublime, 1996

325.                       Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour, 2018

326.                       Black Star, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, 1998

327.                       Frank Lazarus and Dick Vosburgh, A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine [OBC], 1980

328.                       Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die, 1994

329.                       Augustus Pablo, King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown, 1977

330.                       Ray Charles, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, 1962

331.                       The Beatles, Meet the Beatles!, 1964

332.                       The Stooges, Raw Power, 1973

333.                       Fela Kuti, Confusion/Gentleman, 1973

334.                       Prince, Sign o the Times, 1987

335.                       The Band, The Band, 1969

336.                       Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life, 1976

337.                       The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man, 1965

338.                       Television, Marquee Moon, 1977

339.                       Metallica, Master of Puppets, 1986

340.                       Tim Buckley, Dream Letter: Live in London, 1968

341.                       Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, Paris-Soweto, 1987

342.                       Mahavishnu Orchestra, Inner Mounting Flame, 1971

343.                       Charlie Mingus, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, 1963

344.                       Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen, 1967

345.                       The Who, Tommy, 1969

346.                       Arcade Fire, The Suburbs, 2010

347.                       Alison Krauss, I've Got That Old Feeling, 1990

348.                       Beth Orton, Central Reservation, 1999

349.                       Kate Bush, Hounds of Love, 1985

350.                       Ghazal, Lost Songs of the Silk Road, 1997

351.                       Ralph Towner, Solstice, 1975

352.                       Bobby Hutcherson, Components, 1966

353.                       Juan Luis Guerra y 440, Fogarate!, 1994

354.                       Hole, Live Through This, 1994

355.                       Joe Harriott Double Quintet, Indo Jazz Suite, 1966

356.                       Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters, 1973

357.                       Ahmad Jamal, At the Pershing: But Not For Me, 1958

358.                       Esperanza Spalding, Radio Music Society, 2012

359.                       Peggy Lee, Black Coffee, 1956

360.                       Baby Huey, The Baby Huey Story - The Living Legend, 1971

361.                       M83, Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts, 2003

362.                       Earth, Wind and Fire, That's the Way of the World, 1975

363.                       Brian Eno, Ambient One/Music for Airports, 1978

364.                       Sonny Clark, Cool Struttin', 1958

365.                       Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, Breakfast at Tiffany's: Music from the Motion Picture, 1961

366.                       Chico Science and Nacao Zumbi, Da Lama Ao Caos, 1994

367.                       Rush, Grace Under Pressure, 1984

368.                       Toots and the Maytals, Funky Kingston, 1972

369.                       Duke Ellington, Jazz Party, 1959

370.                       Hariprasad Chaurasia, Raga Darbari Kanada, 1993

371.                       Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster and Panaiotis, Deep Listening, 1989

372.                       Fishbone, Truth and Soul, 1988

373.                       The Band, The Last Waltz, 1978

374.                       Ali Akbar Khan, Traditional Music of India, 1995

375.                       Skip Spence, Oar, 1969

376.                       Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story [OBC], 1957

377.                       Michael Kamen, Brazil, 1985

378.                       Youssou N'Dour, Immigres, 1984

379.                       Janelle Monae, The Electric Lady, 2013

380.                       Jurassic Five, Quality Control, 2000

381.                       The Police, Ghost in the Machine, 1981

382.                       The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

383.                       Portishead, Dummy, 1994

384.                       Adele, . 21, 2011

385.                       Makaya McCraven, Universal Beings, 2018

386.                       Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman, 1988

387.                       R.E.M., Out of Time, 1991

388.                       R.L. Burnside, Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down, 2000

389.                       Beck, Mutations, 1998

390.                       Willis Alan Ramsey, Willis Alan Ramsey, 1972

391.                       Dimi Mint Abba and Khalifa Ould Eide, Moorish Music from Mauritania, 1990

392.                       Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime, 1984

393.                       Charlie Haden, Nocturne, 2001

394.                       Benny Goodman, The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, 1938

395.                       Jill Scott, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, 2000

396.                       Ali Farka Toure, The River, 1990

397.                       Elis Regina, Como e Porque, 1969

398.                       Khaled, N'ssi N'ssi, 1993

399.                       Sly and the Family Stone, There's a Riot Going On, 1971

400.                       Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic, 1974

401.                       Tom T Hall, In Search of a Song, 1971

402.                       Mahmoud Ahmed, Ere Mela Mela, 1975

403.                       John Kander and Fred Ebb, Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville [OBC], 1975

404.                       The Ramones, Ramones, 1976

405.                       Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out, 1959

406.                       Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express, 1977

407.                       The Ramones, Rocket to Russia, 1977

408.                       Big Brother and the Holding Company, Cheap Thrills, 1968

409.                       The Grateful Dead, Live/Dead, 1969

410.                       Parliament, Mothership Connection, 1975

411.                       Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle, 1973

412.                       Joe Henderson, Power to the People, 1969

413.                       Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, Byker Hill, 1967

414.                       Dizzy Gillespie, Afro, 1954

415.                       Max Roach Trio, Featuring the Legendary Hasaan, 1965

416.                       Barry White, Can't Get Enough, 1974

417.                       Erykah Badu, Mama's Gun, 2000

418.                       Jerry Bock and Sheldon Hardnick, Fiddler on the Roof [OBC], 1964

419.                       Deep Purple, Machine Head, 1972

420.                       Michael Jackson, Off the Wall, 1979

421.                       B.B. King, Live at the Regal, 1965

422.                       The Grateful Dead, American Beauty, 1970

423.                       The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, 1971

424.                       U2, War, 1983

425.                       Eric B. and Rakim, Paid in Full, 1987

426.                       Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto ft. Antonio Carlos Jobim , Getz/Gilberto, 1964

427.                       Mary J. Blige, My Life, 1994

428.                       Bjork, Homogenic, 1997

429.                       The Doors, Strange Days, 1967

430.                       Nick Drake, Bryter Later, 1970

431.                       Supertramp, Breakfast in America, 1979

432.                       Lightnin' Hopkins, Lightnin' Hopkins, 1959

433.                       Jimmie Spheeris, Isle of View, 1971

434.                       Junior Kimbrough, All Night Long, 1992

435.                       Djavan, Luz, 1982

436.                       Randy Weston, The Spirits of Our Ancestors, 1991

437.                       Jason Moran, The Bandwagon, 2003

438.                       Townes Van Zandt, Live at the Old Quarter, Houston Texas, 1977

439.                       Sandy Denny, Sandy, 1972

440.                       Salif Kieta, Moffou, 2002

441.                       Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, The Hottest New Group in Jazz, 1960

442.                       The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis: Bold as Love, 1967

443.                       Laura Nyro, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, 1968

444.                       Joan Baez, Joan Baez, 1960

445.                       Mother Love Bone, Apple, 1990

446.                       Boukman Eksperyans, Kalfou Danjere, 1992

447.                       Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Blow in the Wind, 2001

448.                       Dave Douglas, Charms of the Night Sky, 1998

449.                       Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison, 1968

450.                       Frank Zappa, The Best Band You've Never Heard in Your Life, 1991

451.                       Nat King Cole, After Midnight, 1957

452.                       Ray Charles, The Genius of Ray Charles, 1959

453.                       Oscar Brown Jr., Sin and Soul, 1960

454.                       Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley, 1956

455.                       Bob Marley and the Wailers, Natty Dread, 1974

456.                       Michael Jackson, Thriller, 1982

457.                       Simon and Garfunkel, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, 1966

458.                       Miles Davis, Bitches Brew, 1970

459.                       The Who, Live at Leeds, 1970

460.                       Aerosmith, Rocks, 1976

461.                       Santana, Santana, 1969

462.                       The Beatles, Let It Be, 1970

463.                       The Who, The Who Sell Out, 1967

464.                       Blondie, Parallel Lines, 1978

465.                       Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Composer of Desafinado Plays, 1963

466.                       Blind Faith, Blind Faith, 1969

467.                       Traffic, John Barleycorn Must Die, 1970

468.                       Joe Jackson, Night and Day, 1982

469.                       Cal Tjader, Primo, 1973

470.                       Johnny Mathis, Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959

471.                       R.E.M., Murmur, 1983

472.                       Chick Corea, Light as a Feather, 1973

473.                       Yes, The Yes Album , 1971

474.                       Band of Gypsys, Band of Gypsys, 1970

475.                       Cassandra Wilson, Blue Light 'til Dawn, 1993

476.                       Sleater-Kinney, Call the Doctor, 1996

477.                       Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil, 1964

478.                       Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, 1960

479.                       The Mothers of Invention, We're Only In It For the Money, 1968

480.                       Burl Ives, Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger, 1941

481.                       Duke Ellington, Far East Suite, 1966

482.                       Randy Newman, 12 Songs, 1970

483.                       Uncle Tupelo, Anodyne, 1993

484.                       John Mayall with Eric Clapton, Bluesbreakers, 1966

485.                       Al Green, Call Me, 1973

486.                       The Modern Jazz Quartet, European Concert, 1962

487.                       Thomas Dolby, Gate to the Mind's Eye, 1994

488.                       Bill Evans Trio, Waltz for Debby, 1961

489.                       The Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, 1966

490.                       Casey Hurt, The Unfortunates, 2013

491.                       Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell, Old and New Dreams [1979], 1979

492.                       Flatt and Scruggs, Foggy Mountain Jamboree, 1957

493.                       Lalo Schifrin, Bullitt, 1969

494.                       The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy, 1985

495.                       Neu!, Neu! 75, 1975

496.                       Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998

497.                       Larry Young, Unity, 1966

498.                       James Reynolds, The Mind's Eye, 1990

499.                       A Cid Symphony, A Cid Symphony, 1967

500.                       Alex North, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951

 

The second list, then, regards films. This list is a negative list: as of this week, there are 500 acclaimed films that didn't make the cut for my top 101. Here are those 500 films. (If some seem less acclaimed, they were likely old entrants on my personal list, that later got bumped.)

Pinocchio

The Fly

Finding Nemo

E.T.: The Extraterrestrial

Drunken Master II

Bonnie and Clyde

It's a Wonderful Life

Bringing Up Baby

The Philadelphia Story

Kind Hearts and Coronets

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

A Streetcar Named Desire

Some Like It Hot

Singing in the Rain

Meet Me in St. Louis

Schindler's List

Battleship Potemkin

City Lights

In a Lonely Place

Aguirre: The Wrath of God

The Lady Eve

Out of the Past

Metropolis

Charade

The Awful Truth

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

The Bride of Frankenstein

Belle et Beste

Tokyo Story

Swing Time

Unforgiven

Pyaasa

Awaara

Annie Hall

Fantastic Planet

The Searchers

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Closely Watched Trains

Berlin: Symphony of a City

Nayagan

Kandahar

It's a Gift

Bande a Part

Yellow Submarine

Das Boot

The Crowd

Detour

Baby Face

The Shop Around the Corner

Juliet of the Spirits

Double Indemnity

The Seventh Seal

Rules of the Game

Miller's Crossing

All Quiet on the Western Front

Paths of Glory

Raging Bull

Leolo

On the Waterfront

M. Hulot's Holiday

Leon: The Professional

Gone With the Wind

47 Ronin

The Three Caballeros

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Roman Holiday

The Pink Panther

Rear Window

Around the World in 80 Days

All About Eve

North by Northwest

Sleeping Beauty

Inherit the Wind

Spartacus

West Side Story

Cabaret

Goldfinger

My Fair Lady

Harvey

The Great Race

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The Producers

Young Frankenstein

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The Man in the Glass Booth

Logan's Run

Life of Brian

The Muppet Movie

Airplane!

Gallipoli

The Big Chill

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8^th Dimension

Clue

The NeverEnding Story

This is Spinal Tap

Full Metal Jacket

Stand By Me

Rain Man

The Abyss

Dead Poets Society

Twelve Monkeys

Reservoir Dogs

The Usual Suspects

Cannibal: The Musical!

Magnolia

Dogma

Office Space

Zoolander

Princess Mononoke

Spirited Away

Love Actually

Labyrinth

Time Bandits

Videodrome

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

42^nd Street

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Silence of the Lambs

Braveheart

American Beauty

Titanic

The Matrix

Moulin Rouge

Howl's Moving Castle

American Psycho

Toy Story

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Enter the Dragon

L'Aventurra

Fight Club

Scarface

Adventures of Robin Hood

The Day the Earth Stood Still

M*A*S*H

The Sting

Die Hard

The Lost Weekend

Judgment at Nuremberg

Terminator

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Back to the Future

Fargo

Manhattan

Sabrina

Miracle of Morgan's Creek

Intolerance

Raise the Red Lantern

Stagecoach

Night of the Hunter

39 Steps

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Belle de Jour

Sunset Blvd

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

High Noon

Gunga Din

The Graduate

Harold and Maude

When Harry Met Sally...

The Ox-Bow Incident

Rashomon

Wild Strawberries

Patton

Platoon

La Strada

Strangers on a Train

Road Warrior

Breathless

Open City

It Happened One Night

Nosferatu

Gospel According to St. Matthew

The Earrings of Madame de...

Palm Beach Story

The Bicycle Thief

The Thief of Bagdad (24)

The Thief of Bagdad (40)

Steam Boy

Stalag 17

A Clockwork Orange

The Lady Vanishes

Nights of Cabiria

The Circus

Ran

The Killing

Seduced and Abandoned

Gigi

Blue Velvet

Alien

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

In the Mood for Love

Rocky

Blow-up

Last Tango in Paris

David Copperfield

Zelig

A Taste of Cherry

Best Days of Our Lives

Anatomy of a Murder

The Big Sleep

To Have and Have Not

Harakiri

Sullivan's Travels

Marty

Nashville

Come and See

High and Low

Ashes and Diamonds

Forbidden Games

Black Orpheus

Secret of Kells

The General

Do the Right Thing

The King's Speech

L'Atalante

Andrei Rublev

Tora Tora Tora

Curse of the Cat People

The Lost World (1925)

Nanook of the North

Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages

1911

Lost in Translation

Birth of a Nation

There Will Be Blood

Brief Encounter

Touch of Evil

Tokyo Drifter

Gimme Shelter

Tokyo Olympiad

General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait

Z

The Times of Harvey Milk

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

The Leopard 

Simon of the Desert

The Phantom Carriage

Marathon Man

Make Way for Tomorrow

Amarcord

For All Mankind

Kramer v. Kramer

Rio Bravo

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

The Apartment

Le Million

McCabe and Mrs. Miller

Badlands

Brief Encounter

My Man Godfrey

The Crime of Monsieur Lange

Winter’s Bone

The Artist

L'Age d'Or

The Blue Angel

Pierrot le Fou

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Peeping Tom

Withnail and I

Schizopolis

Alphaville

The Orphic Trilogy

Ball of Fire

Grapes of Wrath

Once Upon a Time in America

Frost/Nixon

From Here to Eternity

The Great Dictator

Pan’s Labyrinth

Melancholia

Being There

Ivan the Terrible

Fanny and Alexander

The War is Over

The Human Beast

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Wall Street

The Lion in Winter

Becket

House

3 Idiots

Memento

Hamlet (1996)

Good Night, and Good Luck

Rififi

Vampyr

Hell in the Pacific

The Right Stuff

The Fifth Element

The Ghost and the Darkness

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Soylent Green

Ghostbusters

Frozen

Lincoln

When Worlds Collide

The Time Machine (1960)

THX 1138

Planet of the Apes

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

The Asphalt Jungle

Medium Cool

Throne of Blood

Days of Heaven

Tree of Life

The Wind Will Carry Us

My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle

Moonrise Kingdom

The Blob

Winchester ‘73

Yi Yi

Gojira

Le Jour se Leve

Au Hasard Balthazar

Peking Opera Blues

Sansho the Bailiff

Japon

Mullholand Dr

Bashu the Little Stranger

Wages of Fear

Rebecca

Diabolique

City of Lost Children

Devdas (02)

Lagaan

The Greatest Show on Earth

Cimarron

The Flowers of St. Francis

A Matter of Life and Death/ Stairway to Heaven

A Separation

Going My Way

Mrs. Miniver

Argo

The Broadway Melody

You Can’t Take It With You

A Beautiful Mind

The Departed

Midnight Cowboy

12 Years a Slave

Gentleman’s Agreement

Tom Jones

Million Dollar Baby

Mutiny on the Bounty

The Deer Hunter

In the Heat of the Night

Adaptation

Ordinary People

Terms of Endearment

Hamlet (1948)

Out of Africa

Gandhi

Dances With Wolves

No Country for Old Men

All the King’s Men

Viridiana

Letter from an Unknown Woman

Bombay

Jodhaa Akbar

The Steel Helmet

I am Cuba

Pigs and Battleships

Letter Never Sent

The Saragossa Manuscript

Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte

The Fire Within

Pink Flamingos

Hamlet (1964)

Union Pacific

Mamma Roma

Flesh for Frankenstein

Blood for Dracula

Mother and Son

Russian Ark

Robocop

Spotlight

Sixty Six

Grave of Fireflies

Ghost in the Shell

The Freshman

The Social Network

Black Swan

Touki Bouki

Cairo Station

Cabin in the Woods

Putney Swope

The Fall

The Act of Killing

L.A. Confidential

All That Jazz

Children of Men

The Man Who Fell to Earth

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Darjeeling Limited

The Last Waltz

Silence

Killer of Sheep

Hero

Trances

Timbuktu

Tsotsi

Daresalam

Citizenfour

Man on Wire

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Nanami: Inferno of First Love

Trouble in Paradise

The Seventh Continent

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Moonlight

Close-Up

A Brighter Summer Day

Spring in a Small Town

Inside Llewyn Davis

In Vanda’s Room

Lola (1961)

The Mikado (1939)

Amour

Innocence Unprotected

The Bank Dick

Seconds

(The Complete) Monterey Pop

Diner

Faces

Chimes at Midnight

Repo Man

The Gleaners and I

The Shining

Eyes Wide Shut

Dark City

Stalker

Night of the Living Dead

Get Out

On Golden Pond

Cool Hand Luke

I'm Not There

Old Boy

White Material

Wendy and Lucy

The Phantom Thread

The Shape of Water

Shadow of a Doubt

Late Spring

Witness for the Prosecution

Floating Weeds

Snowpiercer

Top Hat

The Handmaiden

Easy Rider

The Revenant

Where Are My Children (1916)

Road to Perdition

Nightcrawler

Black Panther

Los Olvidados

Carol

Macario

The Breadwinner

Paris Texas

Imitation Game

Triumph of the Will (obviously)

Samurai Rebellion

Whale Rider

The Thin Red Line

Carmen Jones

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Barton Fink

The Jazz Singer (1927)

The Conversation

The Florida Project

Wild at Heart

Friendly Persuasion (1956)

Elephant

Othello (1951)

Scarecrow (1973)

Napoleon (1927)

The Navigator (1924)

Underworld (1927)

The Docks of New York

The Post

All the President’s Men

The Triplets of Belleville

Django Unchained

Lady Bird

Mank

City Hall (2020)

Soul

Minority Report

Nomadland

Daisies

The Dacians

Michael Clayton

Heaven Can Wait

Magnificent Obsession

Hearts and Minds

Interstellar

Dune

Parasite

The Entertainer

Cleo from 5 to 7

To Kill a Mockingbird