...but I know what I like!

Before exploding in indignation as you read the following Top Tens / Fifteens / Whatevers (plus a bunch of Honourable Mentions), please bear in mind the following : (*)

(*) Written in 1997, just to make clear, and not necessarily valid now (e.g. the bit about my all-time Top 10). Though the total number of films seen is updated regularly.

I've seen about 10,250 films in my life, which is obviously a lot but still leaves out a number of well-loved classics (usually the lengthy ones, like GONE WITH THE WIND or REDS, that I'm always meaning to watch but somehow never get round to). So, when a particular year's Top Ten seems to be missing the most obvious choices, it's not always because I'm being perverse or idiosyncratic - sometimes I just haven't seen the movie(s) in question. Then again, just to complicate things, sometimes I am being perverse and idiosyncratic: well-known movies don't get an automatic berth on my list, nor am I exactly Mr. Consensus. Loads of famous and/or popular movies have left me cold or lukewarm, most of them cited under "What's The Big Deal?" in the lists below (films labelled "Need To See It Again" are also in the cold-or-lukewarm camp except I don't entirely trust my opinion, having seen them too long ago).

I did try to make year-by-year lists all the way back to Silent days, but I haven't seen enough of the really old stuff to make any meaningful listing. In the end I managed to make Top Tens all the way back to 1930, but the Silent era mostly gets reduced to a handful of faves per year. Like many buffs I tend to prefer old to new - most of my all-time Top 10 (which I won't bore you with here) would come from the 40s and 50s, and it just makes my blood boil to hear people being condescending about old movies - though I guess the Time-travel factor does give classics an advantage over the here-and-now.

Couple more caveats:

(a) I'm pretty flexible about release dates - sometimes I use the year a film was made, sometimes the European release, etc. etc. I know there's some pretty sad pedants out there (I'm just an ordinary pedant), so please spare me all the just-for-the-record postings about how ARIZONA DREAM was actually made in ninety-whatever, ok?

(b) Top Tens, being compiled with the benefit of hindsight, reflect how strong a memory a film has left with me, not always how objectively "good" it is. This is why the lists below don't always agree with my ratings, and why something like AUSTIN POWERS makes the cut despite only scoring in the mid-60s. Often, films are too patchy to get the high ratings - they don't really work as films - but the good bits stay with you long after many "better" films have faded. My general rule of thumb is, if a film has become part of my life, if I still quote from it and think about it years later, then that's a favourite film, irrespective of flaws.

(c) Obviously, I haven't seen all these films in the past few months, or even years : indeed, I saw many (if not most) when I was a very different person, and second viewing may reveal a very different movie. This is especially true of late 80s and early 90s films, most of which I haven't seen since I was in high school and college (when my taste was considerably more mainstream than it is now); I've tried to re-watch in recent years, and weeded out some of the more obvious anomalies (coughHEROcough), but I still wonder whether I'd be equally impressed with (say) CANDYMAN or THE USUAL SUSPECTS if I saw them now - and suspect I wouldn't be. Pinch of salt recommended, in other words.

And here we go...

2023

1. THE HUMAN SURGE 3 (Eduardo Williams)
2. ASTEROID CITY (Wes Anderson)
3. THE ADULTS (Dustin Guy Defa)
4. ABOUT DRY GRASSES (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
5. THE TASTE OF THINGS (Tran Anh Hung)
6. RED ROOMS (Pascal Plante)
7. THE BEAST (Bertrand Bonello)
8. DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Radu Jude)
9. ANATOMY OF A FALL (Justine Triet)
10. GODZILLA MINUS ONE (Takashi Yamazaki)
11. HIT MAN (Richard Linklater)
12. FERRARI (Michael Mann)
13. ABOUT THIRTY (Martin Shanly)
14. JANET PLANET (Annie Baker)
15. THE ROYAL HOTEL (Kitty Green)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE DELINQUENTS (Rodrigo Moreno)
• What's The Big Deal?: CLOSE YOUR EYES (Victor Erice) ; FALLEN LEAVES (Aki Kaurismaki) ; PRISCILLA (Sofia Coppola)

2022

1. ONE FINE MORNING (Mia Hansen-Love)
2. DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel)
3. EO (Jerzy Skolimowski)
4. RRR (S.S. Rajamouli)
5. FALCON LAKE (Charlotte Le Bon)
6. UNREST (Cyril Schaublin)
7. TAR (Todd Field)
8. AFTERSUN (Charlotte Wells)
9. DIARY OF A FLEETING AFFAIR (Emmanuel Mouret)
10. THE BEASTS (Rodrigo Sorogoyen)
11. BARBARIAN (Zach Cregger)
12. ENYS MEN (Mark Jenkin)
13. SHOWING UP (Kelly Reichardt)
14. ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (Laura Poitras)
15. FLUX GOURMET (Peter Strickland)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): CLOSE (Lukas Dhont) ; HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Mike Cheslik)
• What's The Big Deal?: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert)

2021

1. THE GIRL AND THE SPIDER (Ramon Zurcher)
2. ZEROS AND ONES (Abel Ferrara)
3. AZOR (Andreas Fontana)
4. ANNETTE (Leos Carax)
5. MEMORIA (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
6. WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY? (Aleksandre Koberidze)
7. A HERO (Asghar Farhadi)
8. FULL TIME (Eric Gravel)
9. NEPTUNE FROST (Saul Williams & Anisia Uzeyman)
10. THE SACRED SPIRIT (Chema Garcia Ibarra)
11. WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR (Jane Schoenbrun)
12. BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN (Radu Jude)
13. BENEDICTION (Terence Davies)
14. WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
15. FRIENDS AND STRANGERS (James Vaughan)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE LAST DUEL (Ridley Scott) ; RED ROCKET (Sean Baker) ; THE DOG WHO WOULDN'T BE QUIET (Ana Katz)
• What's The Big Deal?: BELFAST (Kenneth Branagh) ; DRIVE MY CAR (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

2020

1. LOVERS ROCK (Steve McQueen)
2. ALL HANDS ON DECK (Guillaume Brac)
3. TESLA (Michael Almereyda)
4. THE THINGS WE SAY, THE THINGS WE DO (Emmanuel Mouret)
5. THE DISCIPLE (Chaitanya Tamhane)
6. DAU.NATASHA (Ilya Khrzhanovsky)
7. SHORT VACATION (Kwon Min-pyo & Han-Sol Seo)
8. CARELESS CRIME (Shahram Mokri)
9. THE LAST CITY (Heinz Emigholz)
10. THE NEST (Sean Durkin)
11. RED MOON TIDE (Lois Patino)
12. NASIR (Arun Karthick)
13. ACASA, MY HOME (Radu Ciorniciuc)
14. BEGINNING (Dea Kulumbegashvili)
15. SPONTANEOUS (Brian Duffield)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES (Junta Yamaguchi)
• What's The Big Deal?: MANGROVE (Steve McQueen) ; MANK (David Fincher) ; NOMADLAND (Chloe Zhao)

2019

1. FIRST COW (Kelly Reichardt)
2. I WAS AT HOME, BUT... (Angela Schanelec)
3. JEANNE (Bruno Dumont)
4. LITTLE WOMEN (Greta Gerwig)
5. KNIVES OUT (Rian Johnson)
6. UNCUT GEMS (Josh & Benny Safdie)
7. A VOLUNTARY YEAR (Ulrich Kohler & Henner Winckler)
8. THE VAST OF NIGHT (Andrew Patterson)
9. MARTIN EDEN (Pietro Marcello)
10. LIBERTE (Albert Serra)
11. LITIGANTE (Franco Lolli)
12. GIVE ME LIBERTY (Kirill Mikhanovsky)
13. TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
14. BAIT (Mark Jenkin)
15. AD ASTRA (James Gray)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LIGHT OF MY LIFE (Casey Affleck) ; YOUNG AHMED (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne) ; THE TRAITOR (Marco Bellocchio) ; A SUN (Chung Mong-Hong) ; IT MUST BE HEAVEN (Elia Suleiman) ; TOMMASO (Abel Ferrara) ; ATLANTICS (Mati Diop)
• What's The Big Deal?: BOOKSMART (Olivia Wilde) ; 1917 (Sam Mendes)
• Good But Over-rated: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (Quentin Tarantino) ; PARASITE (Bong Joon-ho)

2018

1. TRANSIT (Christian Petzold)
2. DOVLATOV (Alexei German Jr.)
3. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (Joel & Ethan Coen)
4. VOX LUX (Brady Corbet)
5. AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL (Hu Bo)
6. MADELINE'S MADELINE (Josephine Decker)
7. HER SMELL (Alex Ross Perry)
8. BURNING (Lee Chang-dong)
9. RAY & LIZ (Richard Billingham)
10. TREASURE ISLAND (Guillaume Brac)
11. PETRA (Jaime Rosales)
12. DIANE (Kent Jones)
13. MANDY (Panos Cosmatos)
14. CLIMAX (Gaspar Noé)
15. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT (Christopher McQuarrie)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (Lars Von Trier) ; LEAVE NO TRACE (Debra Granik) ; INFINITE FOOTBALL (Corneliu Porumboiu) ; THE LOAD (Ognjen Glavonic) ; SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey & Rodney Rothman) ; IN FABRIC (Peter Strickland) ; GENESIS (Philippe Lesage) ; DONBASS (Sergei Loznitsa) ; UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB (Stephen Susco) [only on computer]
• What's The Big Deal?: BLACK PANTHER (Ryan Coogler) ; SHOPLIFTERS (Hirokazu Kore-eda) ; A STAR IS BORN (Bradley Cooper)

2017

1. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Luca Guadagnino)
2. BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 (S. Craig Zahler)
3. WESTERN (Valeska Grisebach)
4. ZAMA (Lucrecia Martel)
5. LUCKY (John Carroll Lynch)
6. A GHOST STORY (David Lowery)
7. MRS. FANG (Wang Bing)
8. MOTHER! (Darren Aronofsky)
9. GET OUT (Jordan Peele)
10. FELICITE (Alain Gomis)
11. YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (Lynne Ramsay)
12. A GENTLE CREATURE (Sergei Loznitsa)
13. THE FLORIDA PROJECT (Sean Baker)
14. MARJORIE PRIME (Michael Almereyda)
15. THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER (Yorgos Lanthimos)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): COCO (Lee Unkrich) ; LOVE AFTER LOVE (Russell Harbaugh) ; NOVEMBER (Rainer Sarnet) ; THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (Noah Baumbach) ; SELF-CRITICISM OF A BOURGEOIS DOG (Julian Radlmaier)
• What's The Big Deal?: BLADE RUNNER 2049 (Denis Villeneuve) ; THE SHAPE OF WATER (Guillermo del Toro)

2016

1. CAMERAPERSON (Kirsten Johnson)
2. LA LA LAND (Damien Chazelle)
3. PATERSON (Jim Jarmusch)
4. NOCTURAMA (Bertrand Bonello)
5. THE NEON DEMON (Nicolas Winding Refn)
6. AQUARIUS (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
7. A WOMAN'S LIFE (Stephane Brize)
8. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Kenneth Lonergan)
9. PERSONAL SHOPPER (Olivier Assayas)
10. INDIGNATION (James Schamus)
11. 20th CENTURY WOMEN (Mike Mills)
12. ELLE (Paul Verhoeven)
13. ONE MORE TIME WITH FEELING (Andrew Dominik)
14. WOLF AND SHEEP (Shahrbanoo Sadat)
15. STAYING VERTICAL (Alain Guiraudie)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE SALESMAN (Asghar Farhadi) ; EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! (Richard Linklater) ; GRADUATION (Cristian Mungiu) ; RAW (Julia Ducournau) ; TOWER (Keith Maitland) ; THE FITS (Anna Rose Holmer) ; HEAL THE LIVING (Katell Quillevere) ; HELL OR HIGH WATER (David Mackenzie) ; THE RED TURTLE (Michael Dudok de Wit) ; A SOLAR DREAM (Patrick Bokanowski) ; THE GREASY STRANGLER (Jim Hosking)
• Good But Over-rated: TONI ERDMANN (Marin Ade)
• What's The Big Deal?: I, DANIEL BLAKE (Ken Loach) ; MOONLIGHT (Barry Jenkins)

2015

1. THE FORBIDDEN ROOM (Guy Maddin)
2. THE WITCH (Robert Eggers)
3. BLOOD OF MY BLOOD (Marco Bellocchio)
4. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (George Miller)
5. MY GOLDEN DAYS (Arnaud Desplechin)
6. THE OTHER SIDE (Roberto Minervini)
7. MISTRESS AMERICA (Noah Baumbach)
8. CAROL (Todd Haynes)
9. AFERIM! (Radu Jude)
10. MUSTANG (Deniz Gamze Erguven)
11. ONE FLOOR BELOW (Radu Muntean)
12. CREED (Ryan Coogler)
13. HEART OF A DOG (Laurie Anderson)
14. MARYLAND (Alice Winocour)
15. TIKKUN (Avishai Sivan)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): O FUTEBOL (Sergio Oksman) ; CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (Apichatpong Weerasethakul) ; ALOHA (Cameron Crowe)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE ASSASSIN (Hou Hsiao-hsien) ; BROOKLYN (John Crowley) ; THE MARTIAN (Ridley Scott)  

2014

1. BIRD PEOPLE (Pascale Ferran)
2. LEVIATHAN (Andrei Zvyagintsev)
3. WHIPLASH (Damien Chazelle)
4. THE MEND (John Magary)
5. IT FOLLOWS (David Robert Mitchell)
6. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Wes Anderson)
7. PHOENIX (Christian Petzold)
8. WELCOME TO NEW YORK (Abel Ferrara)
9. CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (Olivier Assayas)
10. COURT (Chaitanya Tamhane)
11. ANGELS OF REVOLUTION (Alexei Fedorchenko)
12. THE IRON MINISTRY (J.P. Sniadecki)
13. FORCE MAJEURE (Ruben Ostlund)
14. L FOR LEISURE (Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn)
15. '71 (Yann Demange)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): JAUJA (Lisandro Alonso) ; CALVARY (John Michael McDonagh) ; THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (Peter Strickland) ; LUCY (Luc Besson) ; HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT (Ben & Joshua Safdie) ; THE HOMESMAN (Tommy Lee Jones) ; GUEROS (Alonso Ruizpalacios) ; WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi) ; HILL OF FREEDOM (Hong Sang-soo) ; GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIAN AMSALEM (Ronit & Shlomi Elkabetz) ; STATIONS OF THE CROSS (Dietrich Bruggemann) ; NIGHTCRAWLER (Dan Gilroy) ; WHILE WE'RE YOUNG (Noah Baumbach) ; JUANA A LOS 12 (Martin Shanly) ; THE BLUE ROOM (Mathieu Amalric) ; EAT YOUR BONES (Jean-Charles Hue) ; CITIZENFOUR (Laura Poitras) ; CHRISTMAS, AGAIN (Charles Poekel)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE IMITATION GAME (Morten Tyldum) ; SELMA (Ava DuVernay) ; THE TRIBE (Miroslav Slaboshpitsky)  

2013

1. COMPUTER CHESS (Andrew Bujalski)
2. BLUE JASMINE (Woody Allen)
3. THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT (Ramon Zurcher)
4. ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (Jim Jarmusch)
5. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (Joel & Ethan Coen)
6. THE WIND RISES (Hayao Miyazaki)
7. CHILD'S POSE (Calin Peter Netzer)
8. THE GREAT BEAUTY (Paolo Sorrentino)
9. THESE BIRDS WALK (Omar Mullick & Bassam Tariq)
10. THE WORLD'S END (Edgar Wright)
11. HER (Spike Jonze)
12. UNDER THE SKIN (Jonathan Glazer)
13. CAMILLE CLAUDEL 1915 (Bruno Dumont)
14. MOUTON (Gilles Deroo & Marianne Pistone)
15. STOKER (Park Chan-wook)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): STOP THE POUNDING HEART (Roberto Minervini) ; CRYSTAL FAIRY (Sebastian Silva) ; JOE (David Gordon Green) ; I USED TO BE DARKER (Matthew Porterfield) ; HANNAH ARENDT (Margarethe von Trotta) ; STRAY DOGS (Tsai Ming-liang) ; ALL IS LOST (J.C. Chandor) ; EXHIBITION (Joanna Hogg) ; YOUNG & BEAUTIFUL (Francois Ozon) ; THE NAKED ROOM (Nuria Ibanez) ; the last 40 minutes of BEFORE MIDNIGHT (Richard Linklater)  
• What's The Big Deal?: AMERICAN HUSTLE (David O. Russell) ; STRANGER BY THE LAKE (Alain Guiraudie)  

2012

1. LEVIATHAN (Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Verena Paravel)
2. FRANCES HA (Noah Baumbach)
3. MOONRISE KINGDOM (Wes Anderson)
4. FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED (Alan Berliner)
5. TABU (Miguel Gomes)
6. NEIGHBOURHOOD SOUNDS (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
7. MUSEUM HOURS (Jem Cohen)
8. PARADISE: LOVE (Ulrich Seidl)
9. THE MASTER (Paul Thomas Anderson)
10. SPRING BREAKERS (Harmony Korine)
11. DORMANT BEAUTY (Marco Bellocchio)
12. JUST THE WIND (Benedek Fliegauf)
13. OUR CHILDREN (Joachim Lafosse)
14. ROOM 237 (Rodney Ascher)
15. COSMOPOLIS (David Cronenberg)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): DRUG WAR (Johnnie To) ; KEYHOLE (Guy Maddin) ; ARGO (Ben Affleck) ; INSIDE (Zeki Demirkubuz) ; MAGIC MIKE (Steven Soderbergh) ; EVERYBODY IN OUR FAMILY (Radu Jude) ; THE IMPOSTER (Bart Layton) ; IN ANOTHER COUNTRY (Hong Sang-soo) ; THE GREY (Joe Carnahan) ; BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW (Panos Cosmatos)  
• What's The Big Deal?: BARBARA (Christian Peztold) ; BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (Benh Zeitlin) ; LINCOLN (Steven Spielberg) ; ZERO DARK THIRTY (Kathryn Bigelow)  

2011

1. MARGARET (Kenneth Lonergan)
2. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
3. DRIVE (Nicolas Winding Refn)
4. A SEPARATION (Asghar Farhadi)
5. ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
6. SLEEPING SICKNESS (Ulrich Kohler)
7. HOUSE OF TOLERANCE (Bertrand Bonello)
8. BEGINNERS (Mike Mills)
9. PLAY (Ruben Ostlund)
10. THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY (Hiromasa Yonebayashi)
11. TAKE SHELTER (Jeff Nichols)
12. WHORES' GLORY (Michael Glawogger)
13. THE DESCENDANTS (Alexander Payne)
14. MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (Sean Durkin)
15. THE KID WITH A BIKE (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE DEEP BLUE SEA (Terence Davies) ; THE SKIN I LIVE IN (Pedro Almodovar) ; ATTACK THE BLOCK (Joe Cornish) ; THE LONELIEST PLANET (Julia Loktev) ; SHIT YEAR (Cam Archer) ; RAMPART (Oren Moverman) ; BELLFLOWER (Evan Glodell) ; TYRANNOSAUR (Paddy Considine) ; THE FUTURE (Miranda July) ; CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (Glenn Ficarra & John Requa) ; SENNA (Asif Kapadia) ; J. EDGAR (Clint Eastwood) 
• What's The Big Deal?: LE HAVRE (Aki Kaurismaki) ; THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (David Fincher) ; MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Woody Allen)  

2010

1. BLACK SWAN (Darren Aronofsky)
2. PUTTY HILL (Matthew Porterfield)
3. UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
4. TUESDAY, AFTER CHRISTMAS (Radu Muntean)
5. GREENBERG (Noah Baumbach)
6. CATFISH (Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman)
7. MEEK'S CUTOFF (Kelly Reichardt)
8. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher)
9. SILENT SOULS (Alexei Fedorchenko)
10. AMER (Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani)
11. GUEST (Jose Luis Guerin)
12. CONFESSIONS (Tetsuya Nakashima)
13. ENVY (Zeki Demirkubuz)
14. LAST TRAIN HOME (Fan Lixin)
15. THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA (Manoel de Oliveira)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): WINTER'S BONE (Debra Granik) ; SKELETONS (Nick Whitfield) ; THE CITY BELOW (Christoph Hochhausler) ; THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF NICOLAE CEAUSESCU (Andrei Ujica) ; TRASH HUMPERS (Harmony Korine) ; DEEP IN THE WOODS (Benoit Jacquot) ; ANIMAL KINGDOM (David Michod) ; MY JOY (Sergei Loznitsa) ; POETRY (Lee Chang-dong) ; CURLING (Denis Cote) ; HOW DO YOU KNOW (James L. Brooks)
• What's The Big Deal?: ANOTHER YEAR (Mike Leigh) ; CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Kiarostami) ; THE KING'S SPEECH (Tom Hooper)  

2009

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)
2. WILD GRASS (Alain Resnais)
3. THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN (Mia Hansen-Love)
4. RAPT (Lucas Belvaux)
5. DUPLICITY (Tony Gilroy)
6. HADEWIJCH (Bruno Dumont)
7. EVERYONE ELSE (Maren Ade)
8. ANTICHRIST (Lars Von Trier)
9. THE EXPLODING GIRL (Bradley Rust Gray)
10. THE WHITE RIBBON (Michael Haneke)
11. HUMPDAY (Lynn Shelton)
12. VALHALLA RISING (Nicolas Winding Refn)
13. DOGTOOTH (Yorgos Lanthimos)
14. MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE (Werner Herzog)
15. UP (Pete Docter)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): FINAL FLESH (Vernon Chatman) ; BREATHLESS (Yang Ik-joon) ; STAR TREK (J.J. Abrams) ; MID-AUGUST LUNCH (Gianni Di Gregorio) ; BRONSON (Nicolas Winding Refn) ; ABOUT ELLY (Asghar Farhadi) ; CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH (Lu Chuan) ; FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)
• What's The Big Deal?: AVATAR (James Cameron) ; THE LIMITS OF CONTROL (Jim Jarmusch)  
• Not Eligible (otherwise in the Top 10): IT FELT LIKE A KISS (Adam Curtis)

2008

1. SUMMER HOURS (Olivier Assayas)
2. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton)
3. IL DIVO (Paolo Sorrentino)
4. CHANGELING (Clint Eastwood)
5. FROWNLAND (Ronald Bronstein)
6. PAPER SOLDIER (Alexei German Jr.)
7. TWO LOVERS (James Gray)
8. A WEEK ALONE (Celina Murga)
9. JULIA (Erick Zonca)
10. SITA SINGS THE BLUES (Nina Paley)
11. STELLA (Sylvie Verheyde)
12. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (Woody Allen)
13. THE BEACHES OF AGNES (Agnes Varda)
14. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (Errol Morris)
15. THE CLASS (Laurent Cantet)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A CHRISTMAS TALE (Arnaud Desplechin) ; PONYO ON THE CLIFF BY THE SEA (Hayao Miyazaki) ; NIGHT AND DAY (Hong Sang-soo) ; IN BRUGES (Martin McDonagh) ; HUNGER (Steve McQueen) ; WENDY AND LUCY (Kelly Reichardt) ; SHOTGUN STORIES (Jeff Nichols) ; THE SKY CRAWLERS (Mamoru Oshii) ; OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST (Miguel Gomes) ; the first 50 minutes of THE BROTHERS BLOOM (Rian Johnson)      
• What's The Big Deal?: MAN ON WIRE (James Marsh) ; MILK (Gus Van Sant) ; SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Danny Boyle) 

2007

1. IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA (Jose Luis Guerin)
2. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik)
3. MY WINNIPEG (Guy Maddin)
4. MARGOT AT THE WEDDING (Noah Baumbach)
5. THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (Abdellatif Kechiche)
6. PARANOID PARK (Gus Van Sant)
7. IMPORT EXPORT (Ulrich Seidl)
8. GRINDHOUSE (Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino et al.)
9. ALL IS FORGIVEN (Mia Hansen-Love)
10. I'M NOT THERE (Todd Haynes)
11. FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
12. GONE BABY GONE (Ben Affleck)
13. RATATOUILLE (Brad Bird)
14. GOLDEN DOOR (Emanuele Crialese)
15. A MIGHTY HEART (Michael Winterbottom)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): HOSTEL, PART II (Eli Roth) ; JOSHUA (George Ratliff) ; SILENT LIGHT (Carlos Reygadas) ; MICHAEL CLAYTON (Tony Gilroy) ; THE BANISHMENT (Andrei Zvyagintsev) ; I JUST DIDN'T DO IT (Masayuki Suo) ; SUPERBAD (Greg Mottola) ; THE MIST (Frank Darabont) ; BUG (William Friedkin) ; THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson) ; DAYS AND CLOUDS (Silvio Soldini) ; HALF MOON (Bahman Ghobadi) ; THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Paul Greengrass)    
• Good But Over-Rated: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Joel & Ethan Coen)
• What's The Big Deal?: ATONEMENT (Joe Wright) ; ONCE (John Carney) 

2006

1. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
2. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
3. BRAND UPON THE BRAIN! (Guy Maddin)
4. WHITE PALMS (Szabolcs Hajdu)
5. OFFSIDE (Jafar Panahi)
6. I AM A SEX ADDICT (Caveh Zahedi)
7. THE PRESTIGE (Christopher Nolan)
8. WOMAN ON THE BEACH (Hong Sang-soo)
9. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)
10. DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT (Julia Loktev)
11. THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING (Marwan Hamed)
12. I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE (Tsai Ming-liang)
13. THE RIGHT OF THE WEAKEST (Lucas Belvaux)
14. THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Robert De Niro)
15. SLEEPING DOGS LIE (Bobcat Goldthwait)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (James Longley) ; THE CAIMAN (Nanni Moretti) ; CRANK (Neveldine/Taylor) ; INSIDE MAN (Spike Lee) ; MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann) ; THE SESSION IS OPEN (Vincenzo Marra) ; MONSTER HOUSE (Gil Kenan) ; LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (Clint Eastwood) ; COMEDY OF POWER (Claude Chabrol) ; INTERKOSMOS (Jim Finn) ; THE HOST (Bong Joon-ho) ; REQUIEM (Hans-Christian Schmid) ; PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER (Tom Tykwer) ; LONDON TO BRIGHTON (Paul Andrew Williams) ; BAMAKO (Abderrahmane Sissako)  
• What's The Big Deal?: DREAMGIRLS (Bill Condon) ; LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris) ; PAN'S LABYRINTH (Guillermo del Toro) 

2005

1. THE SQUID AND THE THE WHALE (Noah Baumbach)
2. LAST DAYS (Gus van Sant)
3. REGULAR LOVERS (Philippe Garrel)
4. SIN CITY (Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller)
5. BRICK (Rian Johnson)
6. THE CHILD (Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne)
7. WORKINGMAN'S DEATH (Michael Glawogger)
8. KISS KISS BANG BANG (Shane Black)
9. GABRIELLE (Patrice Chéreau)
10. LAND OF THE DEAD (George Romero)
11. PRINCESS RACCOON (Seijun Suzuki)
12. THE 3 ROOMS OF MELANCHOLIA (Pirjo Honkasalo)
13. CORPSE BRIDE (Mike Johnson & Tim Burton)
14. THE TIME WE KILLED (Jennifer Todd Reeves)
15. ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (Miranda July)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): HIDDEN (Michael Haneke) ; THE MATADOR (Richard Shepard) ; WHO'S CAMUS ANYWAY? (Mitsuo Yanagimachi) ; THE NEW WORLD (Terrence Malick) ; CHAIN (Jem Cohen) ; INNOCENCE (Lucile Hadzihalilovic) ; THE ICE HARVEST (Harold Ramis) ; LINDA LINDA LINDA (Nobuhiro Yamashita) ; DISTRICT B13 (Pierre Morel) ; MIRRORMASK (Dave McKean) ; TAKESHIS' (Takeshi Kitano) ; GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (George Clooney) ; BUBBLE (Steven Soderbergh) ; WAR OF THE WORLDS (Steven Spielberg) ; TONY TAKITANI (Jun Ichikawa) 
• What's The Big Deal?: GRIZZLY MAN (Werner Herzog) ; A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg) ; MATCH POINT (Woody Allen)

 2004

1. TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)
3. HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Hayao Miyazaki)
4. BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater)
5. THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird)
6. CLOSER (Mike Nichols)
7. THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS (Lech Majewski)
8. TRIPLE AGENT (Eric Rohmer)
9. RED LIGHTS (Cédric Kahn)
10. DOWNFALL (Oliver Hirschbiegel)
11. KEANE (Lodge Kerrigan)
12. VERA DRAKE (Mike Leigh)
13. DUCK SEASON (Fernando Eimbcke)
14. I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD (Mike Hodges)
15. PRIMER (Shane Carruth)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): CELLULAR (David R. Ellis) ; MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Clint Eastwood) ; PRIVATE (Saverio Costanzo) ; CONTROL ROOM (Jehane Noujaim) ; TARNATION (Jonathan Caouette) ; THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR (Tod Williams) ; A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) 
• What's The Big Deal?: FAHRENHEIT 9/11 (Michael Moore)

2003

1. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS (Andrew Jarecki)
2. THE RETURN (Andrei Zvyagintsev)
3. KILL BILL, VOL. 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
4. THE FOG OF WAR (Errol Morris)
5. DOGVILLE (Lars Von Trier)
6. MEMORIES OF MURDER (Bong Joon-ho)
7. NO REST FOR THE BRAVE (Alain Guiraudie)
8. CRIMSON GOLD (Jafar Panahi)
9. MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (Peter Weir)
10. RAJA (Jacques Doillon)
11. BAD SANTA (Terry Zwigoff)
12. THE SCHOOL OF ROCK (Richard Linklater)
13. NOT ON THE LIPS (Alain Resnais)
14. GOOD MORNING, NIGHT (Marco Bellocchio)
15. SHARA (Naomi Kawase)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MYSTIC RIVER (Clint Eastwood) ; DALLAS 362 (Scott Caan) ; SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER ... AND SPRING (Kim Ki-Duk) ; BRIGHT LEAVES (Ross McElwee) ; ANA AND THE OTHERS (Cecilia Murga) ; OWNING MAHOWNY (Richard Kwietniowski) ; THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (Denys Arcand) ; PHONE BOOTH (Joel Schumacher) ; A TALKING PICTURE (Manoel de Oliveira) ; FEAR AND TREMBLING (Alain Corneau) ; THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS (Alan Rudolph) ; CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (McG) ; DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY (Guy Maddin) ; THE CORE (Jon Amiel)  
• What's The Big Deal?: AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Shari Springer Berman / Robert Pulcini) ; ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sant) ; LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola) ; SEABISCUIT (Gary Ross)

2002

1. IRREVERSIBLE (Gaspar Noé)
2. DEMONLOVER (Olivier Assayas)
3. SPIRITED AWAY (Hayao Miyazaki)
4. THE SON (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
5. THE RELIGION HOUR (MY MOTHER'S SMILE) (Marco Bellocchio)
6. 25th HOUR (Spike Lee)
7. GERRY (Gus van Sant)
8. 8 WOMEN (François Ozon)
9. ROGER DODGER (Dylan Kidd)
10. THE GREY ZONE (Tim Blake Nelson)
11. 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE (Michael Winterbottom)
12. SAFE CONDUCT (Bertrand Tavernier)
13. ADAPTATION (Spike Jonze)
14. CITY OF GOD (Fernando Meirelles)
15. BETTY FISHER AND OTHER STORIES (Claude Miller)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): SPIDER-MAN (Sam Raimi); MONDAY MORNING (Otar Iosseliani) ; ALL OR NOTHING (Mike Leigh) ; UNKNOWN PLEASURES (Jia Zhang Ke) ; IGBY GOES DOWN (Burr Steers)  
• What's The Big Deal?: CHICAGO (Rob Marshall); THE HOURS (Stephen Daldry)
• Not Eligible (otherwise in HMs): LETTRE D'UN CINEASTE A SA FILLE (Eric Pauwels)

2001

1. THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (Joel Coen)
2. WAKING LIFE (Richard Linklater)
3. Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (Alfonso Cuaron)
4. GOSFORD PARK (Robert Altman)
5. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)
6. ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU (Shunji Iwai)
7. OCEAN'S ELEVEN (Steven Soderbergh)
8. A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Steven Spielberg)
9. THE BELIEVER (Henry Bean)
10. TRAINING DAY (Antoine Fuqua)
11. THE PIANO TEACHER (Michael Haneke)
12. ROBERTO SUCCO (Cédric Kahn)
13. GHOST WORLD (Terry Zwigoff)
14. I'M GOING HOME (Manoel de Oliveira)
15. MONSTERS INC. (Pete Docter)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ELOGE DE L'AMOUR (Jean-Luc Godard) ; ICHI THE KILLER (Takashi Miike) ; THE OTHERS (Alejandro Amenabar) ; SEXY BEAST (Jonathan Glazer)
• What's The Big Deal?: SHREK (Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson)

2000

1. MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)
2. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (Joel Coen)
3. CODE UNKNOWN (Michael Haneke)
4. YI YI (Edward Yang)
5. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH (Terence Davies)
6. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Kenneth Lonergan)
7. THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (Sofia Coppola)
8. SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR (Roy Andersson)
9. BATTLE ROYALE (Kinji Fukasaku)
10. ESTHER KAHN (Arnaud Desplechin)
11. THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE (Mark Dindal)
12. CAST AWAY (Robert Zemeckis)
13. GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott)
14. TIME REGAINED (Raul Ruiz)
15. THIRTEEN DAYS (Roger Donaldson)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (Jiang Wen) ; HAMLET (Michael Almereyda) ; A PORNOGRAPHIC AFFAIR (Frédéric Fonteyne) ; MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON (Apichatpong Weerasethakul) ; ALMOST FAMOUS [160-minute 'Bootleg Cut', a.k.a. UNTITLED] (Cameron Crowe) ; WONDERLAND (Michael Winterbottom) ; TOGETHER (Lukas Moodysson) 
• What's The Big Deal?: BILLY ELLIOT (Stephen Daldry) ; WONDER BOYS (Curtis Hanson)

1999

1. TOPSY-TURVY (Mike Leigh)
2. FIGHT CLUB (David Fincher)
3. MAGNOLIA (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. THE STRAIGHT STORY (David Lynch)
5. MR. DEATH: THE RISE AND FALL OF FRED A. LEUCHTER, JR. (Errol Morris)
6. ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (Pedro Almodovar)
7. EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick)
8. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (Daniel Myrick / Eduardo Sanchez)
9. SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT (Trey Parker)
10. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (Spike Jonze)
11. LA MALADIE DE SACHS (Michel Deville)
12. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (Anthony Minghella)
13. SKIN OF MAN, HEART OF BEAST (Helene Angel)
14. AMERICAN MOVIE (Chris Smith)
15. THE IRON GIANT (Brad Bird)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): FOUR DAYS IN SEPTEMBER (Bruno Barreto); eXistenZ (David Cronenberg); THE INSIDER (Michael Mann); FAREWELL, HOME SWEET HOME (Otar Iosseliani); UNMADE BEDS (Nicholas Barker); TOY STORY 2 (John Lasseter); GREGORY'S TWO GIRLS (Bill Forsyth)
• What's The Big Deal?: AMERICAN BEAUTY (Sam Mendes)

1998

1. LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (Olivier Assayas)
2. AUTUMN TALE (Eric Rohmer)
3. THE THIN RED LINE (Terrence Malick)
4. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (Steven Spielberg)
5. SHOW ME LOVE (Lukas Moodysson)
6. THE CELEBRATION (Thomas Vinterberg)
7. THE POWER OF KANGWON PROVINCE (Hong Sang-Soo)
8. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Joel Coen)
9. THE DREAMLIFE OF ANGELS (Erick Zonca)
10. BUFFALO '66 (Vincent Gallo)
11. RUN LOLA RUN (Tom Tykwer)
12. I STAND ALONE (Gaspar Noé)
13. LA CLASSE DE NEIGE (Claude Miller)
14. MY NAME IS JOE (Ken Loach)
15. HAPPINESS (Todd Solondz)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER NEVER CRIES (James Ivory) ; THE NEWTON BOYS (Richard Linklater)
• What's The Big Deal?: SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (John Madden); THE TRUMAN SHOW (Peter Weir)

1997

1. BOOGIE NIGHTS (Paul Thomas Anderson)
2. L. A. CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson)
3. FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL (Errol Morris)
4. FUNNY GAMES (Michael Haneke)
5. THE SWEET HEREAFTER (Atom Egoyan)
6. KUNDUN (Martin Scorsese)
7. STARSHIP TROOPERS (Paul Verhoeven)
8. HENRY FOOL (Hal Hartley)
9. THE APOSTLE (Robert Duvall)
10. TASTE OF CHERRY (Abbas Kiarostami)
11. NIL BY MOUTH (Gary Oldman)
12. THE ICE STORM (Ang Lee)
13. LEILA (Dariush Mehrjui)
14. CAPITAINE CONAN (Bertrand Tavernier)
15. WILL IT SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS? (Sandrine Veysset)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): IN THE COMPANY OF MEN (Neil LaBute) ; SIX O'CLOCK NEWS (Ross McElwee); DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (Woody Allen); ON CONNAIT LA CHANSON (Alain Resnais); EYE OF GOD (Tim Blake Nelson); JACKIE BROWN (Quentin Tarantino); FACE / OFF (John Woo); DONNIE BRASCO (Mike Newell); SUNDAY (Jonathan Nossiter); SICK: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BOB FLANAGAN, SUPERMASOCHIST (Kirby Dick); THE RIVER (Tsai Ming-Liang); PRETTY VILLAGE, PRETTY FLAME (Srdjan Dragojevic); AUSTIN POWERS : INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY (Jay Roach)
• What's The Big Deal?: AS GOOD AS IT GETS (James L. Brooks)

1996

1. IRMA VEP (Olivier Assayas)
2. PARADISE LOST : THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS (Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky)
3. LA PROMESSE (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
4. SLING BLADE (Billy Bob Thornton)
5. BREAKING THE WAVES (Lars von Trier)
6. FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (David O. Russell)
7. EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU (Woody Allen)
8. JERRY MAGUIRE (Cameron Crowe)
9. GOODBYE SOUTH, GOODBYE (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
10. SECRETS AND LIES (Mike Leigh)
11. COMRADES, ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan)
12. MARS ATTACKS! (Tim Burton)
13. LES VOLEURS (André Téchiné)
14. A SUMMER'S TALE (Eric Rohmer)
15. WHEN WE WERE KINGS (Leon Gast)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY (Cedric Klapisch); TIN CUP (Ron Shelton); THE DAY A PIG FELL INTO THE WELL (Hong Sang-Soo); A SINGLE GIRL (Benoit Jacquot); THE WHITE BALLOON (Jafar Panahi); TRAINSPOTTING (Danny Boyle); TREES LOUNGE (Steve Buscemi); SCHIZOPOLIS (Steven Soderbergh); DRIFTING CLOUDS (Aki Kaurismaki); LOOKING FOR RICHARD (Al Pacino); THE FUNERAL (Abel Ferrara)

1995

1. LAND AND FREEDOM (Ken Loach)
2. SE7EN (David Fincher)
3. SAFE (Todd Haynes)
4. BEFORE SUNRISE (Richard Linklater)
5. TOY STORY (John Lasseter)
6. DEAD MAN (Jim Jarmusch)
7. LE GARCU (Maurice Pialat)
8. SALAAM CINEMA (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
9. HEAT (Michael Mann)
10. ARIZONA DREAM (Emir Kusturica)
11. CRIMSON TIDE (Tony Scott)
12. LEAVING LAS VEGAS (Mike Figgis)
13. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Ang Lee)
14. APOLLO 13 (Ron Howard)
15. TWELVE MONKEYS (Terry Gilliam)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (Jean-Pierre Jeunet / Marc Caro) ; BLUE IN THE FACE (Wayne Wang / Paul Auster) ; SHANGHAI TRIAD (Zhang Yimou) ;  CLOCKERS (Spike Lee) ; LIVING IN OBLIVION (Tom DiCillo) ; LA HAINE (Mathieu Kassovitz) ; CLUELESS (Amy Heckerling) ; CASINO (Martin Scorsese) ; LES MISERABLES (Claude Lelouch) ; ROB ROY (Michael Caton-Jones) ; THE USUAL SUSPECTS (Bryan Singer)
• What's The Big Deal?: ANTONIA'S LINE (Marleen Gorris) ; GET SHORTY (Barry Sonnenfeld) ; KIDS (Larry Clark) ; IL POSTINO (Michael Radford)
• Not Eligible (otherwise probably in the Top 5): THE KINGDOM (Lars von Trier)

1994

1. PULP FICTION (Quentin Tarantino)
2. COLD WATER (Olivier Assayas)
3. ED WOOD (Tim Burton)
4. NOBODY'S FOOL (Robert Benton)
5. CLERKS (Kevin Smith)
6. THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (Joel Coen)
7. THREE COLOURS: RED (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
8. 71 FRAGMENTS OF A CHRONOLOGY OF CHANCE (Michael Haneke)
9. AN UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER (Lucien Pintillie)
10. BURNT BY THE SUN and ANNA 6-18 (Nikita Mikhalkov)
11. QUIZ SHOW (Robert Redford)
12. THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES (Abbas Kiarostami)
13. BEING HUMAN (Bill Forsyth)
14. I LIKE IT LIKE THAT (Darnell Martin)
15. FRESH (Boaz Yakin)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BARCELONA (Whit Stillman) ; VANYA ON 42ND STREET (Louis Malle) ; CRUMB (Terry Zwigoff) ; CROOKLYN (Spike Lee) ; LAMERICA (Gianni Amelio) ; VIVE L'AMOUR (Tsai Ming-Liang) ; DISCLOSURE (Barry Levinson) ; SPEED (Jan De Bont) ; MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE (Alan Rudolph) ; NATURAL BORN KILLERS (Oliver Stone) ; IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (John Carpenter)
• Good But Over-Rated: EXOTICA (Atom Egoyan) ; HEAVENLY CREATURES (Peter Jackson)
• What's The Big Deal?: LITTLE BUDDHA (Bernardo Bertolucci) ; LITTLE WOMEN (Gillian Armstrong) ; MURIEL'S WEDDING (P.J. Hogan)

1993

1. SHORT CUTS (Robert Altman)
2. NAKED (Mike Leigh)
3. GROUNDHOG DAY (Harold Ramis)
4. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Martin Scorsese)
5. SCHINDLER'S LIST (Steven Spielberg)
6. DAZED AND CONFUSED (Richard Linklater)
7. UN COEUR EN HIVER (Claude Sautet)
8. THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (James Ivory)
9. FEARLESS (Peter Weir)
10. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Henry Selick)
11. EQUINOX (Alan Rudolph)
12. 32 SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD (Francois Girard)
13. MATINEE (Joe Dante)
14. THREE COLOURS: BLUE (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
15. BODY SNATCHERS (Abel Ferrara)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): KING OF THE HILL (Steven Soderbergh) ; SHADOWLANDS (Richard Attenborough) ; AMERICAN HEART (Martin Bell) ; THE WEDDING BANQUET (Ang Lee) ; L'ENFER (Claude Chabrol) ; TRUE ROMANCE (Tony Scott) ; DEMOLITION MAN (Marco Brambilla) ; A PERFECT WORLD (Clint Eastwood) ; IN THE LINE OF FIRE (Wolfgang Petersen)

1992

1. UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood)
2. RESERVOIR DOGS (Quentin Tarantino)
3. LORENZO'S OIL (George Miller)
4. GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (James Foley)
5. THE STOLEN CHILDREN (Gianni Amelio)
6. CAREFUL (Guy Maddin)
7. SAVAGE NIGHTS (Cyril Collard)
8. ALADDIN (John Musker & Ron Clements)
9. THE PLAYER (Robert Altman)
10. THE HAIRDRESSER'S HUSBAND (Patrice Leconte)
11. BAD LIEUTENANT (Abel Ferrara)
12. LEOLO (Jean-Claude Lauzon)
13. L.627 (Bertrand Tavernier)
14. ONE FALSE MOVE (Carl Franklin)
15. BAXTER (Jerome Boivin)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (David Lynch) ; THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Michael Mann) ; HUSBANDS AND WIVES (Woody Allen) ; THE WATERDANCE (Neal Jimenez & Michael Steinberg) ; AND LIFE GOES ON (Abbas Kiarostami) ; BAD BEHAVIOUR (Les Blair) ; TITO AND ME (Goran Markovic) ; THE LAST BOLSHEVIK (Chris Marker) ; NOISES OFF (Peter Bogdanovich) ; HOWARDS END (James Ivory) ; CANDYMAN (Bernard Rose) ; WAYNE'S WORLD (Penelope Spheeris) ; BASIC INSTINCT (Paul Verhoeven)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE BEST INTENTIONS (Bille August) ; THE CRYING GAME (Neil Jordan) ; MALCOLM X (Spike Lee)
• Medium Length (in the Top 15, if eligible): LESSONS OF DARKNESS (Werner Herzog)

1991

1. BARTON FINK (Joel Coen)
2. JFK (Oliver Stone)
3. THE RAPTURE (Michael Tolkin)
4. THELMA AND LOUISE (Ridley Scott)
5. HOMICIDE (David Mamet)
6. BLACK ROBE (Bruce Beresford)
7. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Jonathan Demme)
8. RIFF-RAFF (Ken Loach)
9. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (James Cameron)
10. THE COMMITMENTS (Alan Parker)
11. JACQUOT DE NANTES (Agnes Varda)
12. DELICATESSEN (Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro)
13. TOTO LE HEROS (Jaco van Dormael)
14. ARMOUR OF GOD II: OPERATION CONDOR (Jackie Chan)
15. SLACKER (Richard Linklater)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): RAISE THE RED LANTERN (Zhang Yimou) ; HANGIN' WITH THE HOMEBOYS (Joseph P. Vasquez) ; THE ADJUSTER (Atom Egoyan) ; LA BELLE NOISEUSE (Jacques Rivette) ; JUNGLE FEVER (Spike Lee) ; THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS (Paul Schrader)
• What's The Big Deal?: CAPE FEAR (Martin Scorsese) ; EUROPA EUROPA (Agnieszka Holland)

1990

1. TRUST (Hal Hartley)
2. MILLER'S CROSSING (Joel Coen)
3. AVALON (Barry Levinson)
4. GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese)
5. METROPOLITAN (Whit Stillman)
6. GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (Joe Dante)
7. BULLET IN THE HEAD (John Woo)
8. TREMORS (Ron Underwood)
9. THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears)
10. SINGAPORE SLING (Nikos Nikolaidis)
11. DANCES WITH WOLVES (Kevin Costner) 
12. REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (Barbet Schroeder)
13. SURE FIRE (Jon Jost)
14. DARKMAN (Sam Raimi)
15. FLIRTING (John Duigan)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): C'EST LA VIE (Diane Kurys) ; STATE OF GRACE (Phil Joanou) ; THE FRESHMAN (Andrew Bergman) ; MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON (Bob Rafelson)
• What's The Big Deal?: CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Jean-Paul Rappeneau)

1989

1. DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee)
2. TIME OF THE GYPSIES (Emir Kusturica)
3. THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS (Steve Kloves)
4. KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (Hayao Miyazaki)
5. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (Woody Allen)
6. ROGER AND ME (Michael Moore)
7. HEATHERS (Michael Lehmann)
8. THE ASTHENIC SYNDROME (Kira Muratova)
9. LIFE AND NOTHING BUT (Bertrand Tavernier)
10. MYSTERY TRAIN (Jim Jarmusch)
11. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... (Rob Reiner)
12. SANTA SANGRE (Alejandro Jodorowsky)
13. THE CYCLIST (Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
14. THE NAVIGATOR: A MEDIEVAL ODYSSEY (Vincent Ward)
15. BREAKING IN (Bill Forsyth)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (Uli Edel) ; IMAGES OF THE WORLD AND THE INSCRIPTION OF WAR (Harun Farocki) ; MILOU IN MAY (Louis Malle) ; QUEEN OF HEARTS (Jon Amiel) ; FREEDOM IS PARADISE (Sergei Bodrov)
• What's The Big Deal?: BATMAN (Tim Burton) ; SWEETIE (Jane Campion)

1988

1. THE THIN BLUE LINE (Errol Morris)
2. A SHORT FILM ABOUT LOVE (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
3. BIRD (Clint Eastwood)
4. HIGH HOPES (Mike Leigh)
5. DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (Terence Davies)
6. THE MODERNS (Alan Rudolph)
7. DEAD RINGERS (David Cronenberg)
8. THE VANISHING (George Sluizer)
9. DIE HARD (John McTiernan)
10. MONKEY SHINES (George Romero)
11. DANGEROUS LIAISONS (Stephen Frears)
12. PELLE THE CONQUEROR (Bille August)
13. A CRY IN THE DARK (Fred Schepisi)
14. THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (Martin Scorsese)
15. BEETLEJUICE (Tim Burton)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (Isao Takahata) ; TALK RADIO (Oliver Stone) ; BULL DURHAM (Ron Shelton) ; A TALE OF THE WIND (Joris Ivens) ; SUR (Fernando Solanas) ; MISSISSIPPI BURNING (Alan Parker) ; THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (Philip Kaufman) ; ROUGE (Stanley Kwan) ; ENCOUNTER AT RAVEN'S GATE (Rolf de Heer)
• What's The Big Deal?: RED SORGHUM (Zhang Yimou) ; WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (Robert Zemeckis) ; A WORLD APART (Chris Menges)

1987

1. THE DEAD (John Huston)
2. HOUSEKEEPING (Bill Forsyth)
3. HOPE AND GLORY (John Boorman)
4. FULL METAL JACKET (Stanley Kubrick)
5. MATEWAN (John Sayles)
6. BROADCAST NEWS (James L. Brooks)
7. AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (Louis Malle)
8. RADIO DAYS (Woody Allen)
9. ROBOCOP (Paul Verhoeven)
10. LONG LIVE THE LADY! (Ermanno Olmi)
11. HOUSE OF GAMES (David Mamet)
12. RAISING ARIZONA (Joel Coen)
13. BABETTE'S FEAST (Gabriel Axel)
14. THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE (John Duigan)
15. MORNING PATROL (Nikos Nikolaidis)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE BIG PARADE (Chen Kaige) ; THE PRINCESS BRIDE (Rob Reiner) ; THE STEPFATHER (Joseph Ruben) ; TIN MEN (Barry Levinson) ; WINGS OF DESIRE (Wim Wenders) ; INNERSPACE (Joe Dante) ; THE HIDDEN (Jack Sholder) ; THE UNTOUCHABLES (Brian De Palma) ; BARFLY (Barbet Schroeder) ; CRAZY LOVE (Dominique Derrudere) ; BEST SELLER (John Flynn) ; TAMPOPO (Juzo Itami) ; ANGEL HEART (Alan Parker) ; SOMEONE TO LOVE (Henry Jaglom)
• What's The Big Deal?: EMPIRE OF THE SUN (Steven Spielberg) ; ROXANNE (Fred Schepisi)

1986

1. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch)
2. SALVADOR (Oliver Stone)
3. THE FLY (David Cronenberg)
4. SOMETHING WILD (Jonathan Demme)
5. THE GREEN RAY (Eric Rohmer)
6. HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (John McNaughton)
7. LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY (Hayao Miyazaki)
8. RIVER'S EDGE (Tim Hunter)
9. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (Woody Allen)  
10. LANDSCAPE SUICIDE (James Benning)
11. TRUE STORIES (David Byrne)
12. THE COLOR OF MONEY (Martin Scorsese)
13. WORKING GIRLS (Lizzie Borden)
14. TENUE DE SOIREE / MENAGE (Bertrand Blier)
15. 4 ADVENTURES OF REINETTE AND MIRABELLE (Eric Rohmer)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MIX-UP (Francoise Romand) ; FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (John Hughes) ; RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO (Alan Clarke) ; STAND BY ME (Rob Reiner) ; WHITE OF THE EYE (Donald Cammell) ; ALIENS (James Cameron)   

1985

1. AFTER HOURS (Martin Scorsese)
2. RAN (Akira Kurosawa) 
3. DAY OF THE DEAD (George Romero)
4. PRIZZI'S HONOR (John Huston)
5. COME AND SEE (Elem Klimov)
6. THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (Woody Allen)
7. BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis)
8. WETHERBY (David Hare)
9. A TIME TO LIVE AND A TIME TO DIE (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
10. CONTACT (Alan Clarke)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE STUFF (Larry Cohen) ; STATIC (Mark Romanek) ; WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS (Emir Kusturica)
• Guilty Pleasure: JAGGED EDGE (Richard Marquand)

1984

1. UTU (Geoff Murphy)
2. BLOOD SIMPLE (Joel Coen)
3. CHOOSE ME (Alan Rudolph)
4. FULL MOON IN PARIS (Eric Rohmer)
5. A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY (Bertrand Tavernier)
6. THIS IS SPINAL TAP (Rob Reiner)
7. PLACES IN THE HEART (Robert Benton)
8. L'AMOUR A MORT (Alain Resnais)
9. COMFORT AND JOY (Bill Forsyth)
10. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (Sergio Leone)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): GREMLINS (Joe Dante); UNDER THE VOLCANO (John Huston); CRIMES OF PASSION (Ken Russell); THE KILLING FIELDS (Roland Joffe); REPO MAN (Alex Cox)
• What's The Big Deal?: A PASSAGE TO INDIA (David Lean)
• Religious Experience: STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme)

1983

1. LOCAL HERO (Bill Forsyth)
2. ZELIG (Woody Allen)
3. GET CRAZY (Allan Arkush)
4. TENDER MERCIES (Bruce Beresford)
5. PAULINE AT THE BEACH (Eric Rohmer)
6. DEADLY CIRCUIT (Claude Miller)
7. THREE CROWNS OF THE SAILOR (Raul Ruiz)
8. RISKY BUSINESS (Paul Brickman)
9. THE BIG CHILL (Lawrence Kasdan)
10. THE KING OF COMEDY (Martin Scorsese)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker) ; MEANTIME (Mike Leigh) ; THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS (Carl Reiner) ; TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (James L. Brooks) ; VIDEODROME (David Cronenberg) ; ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (Tsui Hark) ; THE FOURTH MAN (Paul Verhoeven) ; A CHRISTMAS STORY (Bob Clark) ; A NOS AMOURS (Maurice Pialat) ; DANIEL (Sidney Lumet) ; ANGELO MY LOVE (Robert Duvall) ; REUBEN, REUBEN (Robert Ellis Miller) 
• Medium Length (in HMs, if eligible): FELLOW CITIZEN (Abbas Kiarostami)

1982

1. FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Ingmar Bergman)
2. MY FAVORITE YEAR (Richard Benjamin)
3. YOL: THE WAY (Serif Goren & Yilmaz Guney)
4. DINER (Barry Levinson)
5. THE STATE OF THINGS (Wim Wenders)
6. BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott)
7. LIQUID SKY (Slava Tsukerman)
8. TOUTE UNE NUIT (Chantal Akerman)
9. E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (Steven Spielberg)
10. SHOOT THE MOON (Alan Parker)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE FAN (Eckhart Schmidt) ; THE NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani) ; A ROOM IN TOWN (Jacques Demy) ; ASCENDING SCALE (Shyam Benegal) ; PASSION (Jean-Luc Godard) ; WHITE DOG (Sam Fuller) ; MOONLIGHTING (Jerzy Skolimowski) ; VERONIKA VOSS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) ; TOOTSIE (Sydney Pollack)

1981

1. MODERN ROMANCE (Albert Brooks)
2. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg)
3. THE AVIATOR'S WIFE (Eric Rohmer)
4. MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR (George Miller)
5. THE GAMES OF COUNTESS DOLINGEN (Catherine Binet)
6. SMASH PALACE (Roger Donaldson)
7. LOLA (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
8. DIVA (Jean-Jacques Beineix)
9. SOUTHERN COMFORT (Walter Hill)
10. CUTTER'S WAY (Ivan Passer)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MS .45 (Abel Ferrara) ; BODY HEAT (Lawrence Kasdan) ; S.O.B. (Blake Edwards) ; THIEF (Michael Mann) ; COUP DE TORCHON (Bertrand Tavernier) ; CIRCLE OF DECEIT (Volker Schlondorff) ; GALLIPOLI (Peter Weir) ; PRINCE OF THE CITY (Sidney Lumet) ; EXCALIBUR (John Boorman) ; THREE BROTHERS (Francesco Rosi)

1980

1. DRESSED TO KILL (Brian de Palma)
2. MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE (Alain Resnais)
3. THE RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN (John Sayles)
4. THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (John Mackenzie)
5. AIRPLANE! (Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker)
6. BLOODY KIDS (Stephen Frears)
7. THE BIG RED ONE [162-minute version] (Sam Fuller)
8. THE NINTH CONFIGURATION (William Peter Blatty)
9. THE FALLS (Peter Greenaway)
10. PROSTITUTE (Tony Garnett)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE STUNT MAN (Richard Rush) ; RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese) ; SPETTERS (Paul Verhoeven) ; COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (Michael Apted) ; THE CHANGELING (Peter Medak) ; LES BONS DEBARRAS (Francis Mankiewicz) ; ORDINARY PEOPLE (Robert Redford) ; VIRUS (Kinji Fukasaku) ; THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick)
• What's The Big Deal?: GREGORY'S GIRL (Bill Forsyth)

1979

1. APOCALYPSE NOW (Francis Coppola)
2. THE BLACK STALLION (Carroll Ballard)
3. OVER THE EDGE (Jonathan Kaplan)
4. SAINT JACK (Peter Bogdanovich)
5. BEING THERE (Hal Ashby)
6. ALL THAT JAZZ (Bob Fosse)
7. MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN (Terry Jones)
8. L'ENFANT SECRET (Philippe Garrel)
9. BYE BYE BRAZIL (Carlos Diegues)
10. WISE BLOOD (John Huston)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): SERIE NOIRE (Alain Corneau) ; THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill) ; VENGEANCE IS MINE (Shohei Imamura) ; WINTER KILLS (William Richert) ; SCUM (Alan Clarke)
• What's The Big Deal?: ALIEN (Ridley Scott) ; '10' (Blake Edwards)
• Medium Length (in HMs, if eligible): SOFT FICTION (Chick Strand)

1978

1. DAYS OF HEAVEN (Terrence Malick)
2. THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS (Ermanno Olmi)
3. DOSSIER 51 (Michel Deville)
4. IN A YEAR OF 13 MOONS (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
5. THE DEER HUNTER (Michael Cimino)
6. MOVIE MOVIE (Stanley Donen)
7. DAWN OF THE DEAD (George Romero)
8. HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter)
9. BLUE COLLAR (Paul Schrader)
10. FINGERS (James Toback)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE DRIVER (Walter Hill) ; GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS (Bertrand Blier) ; KILLER OF SHEEP (Charles Burnett) ; AUTUMN SONATA (Ingmar Bergman) ; ALEXANDRIA ... WHY? (Youssef Chahine) ; PIRANHA (Joe Dante) ; INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (Philip Kaufman) ; STRAIGHT TIME (Ulu Grosbard) 
• What's The Big Deal?: BIG WEDNESDAY (John Milius) ; THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH (Fred Schepisi) ; COMING HOME (Hal Ashby) ; HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Warren Beatty / Buck Henry) ; SUPERMAN (Richard Donner)

1977

1. 3 WOMEN (Robert Altman)
2. ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen)
3. AN AVERAGE LITTLE MAN (Mario Monicelli)
4. PROVIDENCE (Alain Resnais)
5. AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY (Manmohan Desai)
6. LAST CHANTS FOR A SLOW DANCE (Jon Jost)
7. MARTIN (George Romero)
8. THE DUELLISTS (Ridley Scott)
9. JULIA (Fred Zinnemann)
10. DESPERATE LIVING (John Waters)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE DEVIL, PROBABLY (Robert Bresson) ; STAR WARS (George Lucas) ; SOLEMN COMMUNION (Rene Feret) ; KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (John Landis) ; ABIGAIL'S PARTY (Mike Leigh)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE GOODBYE GIRL (Herbert Ross) ; THE TURNING POINT (Herbert Ross)

1976

1. ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES (Francesco Rosi)
2. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (Alan J. Pakula)
3. ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (John Carpenter)
4. CARRIE (Brian De Palma)
5. STAY HUNGRY (Bob Rafelson)
6. GOD TOLD ME TO (Larry Cohen)
7. CRIA CUERVOS (Carlos Saura)
8. JONAH WHO WILL BE 25 IN THE YEAR 2000 (Alain Tanner)
9. THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND (Fred Schepisi)
10. BOUND FOR GLORY (Hal Ashby)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): NETWORK (Sidney Lumet) ; THE SCAR (Krzysztof Kieslowski) ; INSIANG (Lino Brocka) ; MIKEY AND NICKY (Elaine May) ; ROCKY (John G. Avildsen) ; THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE (John Cassavetes) ; BORDELLA (Pupi Avati) ; TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese) ; DOWN AND DIRTY (Ettore Scola) ; THE FRONT (Martin Ritt)
• What's The Big Deal?: SEVEN BEAUTIES (Lina Wertmuller)

1975

1. JAWS (Steven Spielberg)
2. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (Terry Gilliam / Terry Jones)
3. NASHVILLE (Robert Altman)
4. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (John Huston)
5. BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick)
6. DOG DAY AFTERNOON (Sidney Lumet)
7. LOVE AND DEATH (Woody Allen)
8. HESTER STREET (Joan Micklin Silver)
9. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (Milos Forman)
10. THE PASSENGER (Michelangelo Antonioni)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MIRROR (Andrei Tarkovsky) ; THE DAY OF THE LOCUST (John Schlesinger) ; SMILE (Michael Ritchie) ; SHIVERS (David Cronenberg)

1974

1. CHINATOWN (Roman Polanski)
2. JUGGERNAUT (Richard Lester)
3. CALIFORNIA SPLIT (Robert Altman)
4. FEAR EATS THE SOUL (RainerWerner Fassbinder)
5. THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (Joseph Sargent)
6. THE GODFATHER, PART II (Francis Ford Coppola)
7. NADA (Claude Chabrol)
8. THE PARALLAX VIEW (Alan J. Pakula)
9. THE MOUTH AGAPE (Maurice Pialat)
10. DEATHDREAM (Bob Clark)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ALICE IN THE CITIES (Wim Wenders) ; ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (Martin Scorsese) ; XALA (Ousmane Sembene) ; THE TRAVELLER (Abbas Kiarostami) ; A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes) ; BLACK CHRISTMAS (Bob Clark) ; SCENT OF A WOMAN (Dino Risi) ; ALLONSANFAN (Paolo & Vittorio Taviani) ; CLAUDINE (John Berry) ; DARK STAR (John Carpenter) ; ZARDOZ (John Boorman)
• What's The Big Deal?: AMARCORD (Federico Fellini) ; BLAZING SADDLES (Mel Brooks)

1973

1. MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese)
2. THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (Peter Yates)
3. PAPER MOON (Peter Bogdanovich)
4. THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (Jean Eustache)
5. F FOR FAKE (Orson Welles)
6. PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (Sam Peckinpah)
7. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (George Lucas)
8. TURKISH DELIGHT (Paul Verhoeven)
9. THE STING (George Roy Hill)
10. CHARLEY VARRICK (Don Siegel)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE HOUR-GLASS SANATORIUM (Wojciech Has) ; DAY FOR NIGHT (Francois Truffaut) ; THE LONG GOODBYE (Robert Altman) ; BADLANDS (Terrence Malick) ; THE LAST DETAIL (Hal Ashby) ; STATE OF SIEGE (Costa-Gavras) ; SERPICO (Sidney Lumet) ; BATTLES WITHOUT HONOUR AND HUMANITY (Kinji Fukasaku) ; TORSO (Sergio Martino) ; LEMORA: A CHILD'S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL (Richard Blackburn) ; THE CRAZIES (George A. Romero) ; SEX AND FURY (Norifumi Suzuki) ; SAVE THE TIGER (John G. Avildsen) ; PROXY WAR (Kinji Fukasaku) ; THE LAST OF SHEILA (Herbert Ross) ; WEDDING IN BLOOD (Claude Chabrol) ; COFFY (Jack Hill)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE WICKER MAN (Robin Hardy)

1972

1. CABARET (Bob Fosse)
2. FAT CITY (John Huston)
3. THE GODFATHER (Francis Ford Coppola)
4. THE HEARTBREAK KID (Elaine May)
5. SALOME (Carmelo Bene)
6. DELIVERANCE (John Boorman)
7. THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (Luis Bunuel)
8. ACROSS 110th STREET (Barry Shear)
9. ULZANA'S RAID (Robert Aldrich)
10. SEASON OF THE WITCH (George Romero)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BAD COMPANY (Robert Benton) ; THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) ; A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG (Peter Medak) ; PLAY IT AGAIN SAM (Herbert Ross) ; SLEUTH (Joseph L. Mankiewicz) ; FRENZY (Alfred Hitchcock) ; THE MATTEI AFFAIR (Francesco Rosi) ; WHAT'S UP, DOC? (Peter Bogdanovich) ; PRIME CUT (Michael Ritchie) ; AVANTI! (Billy Wilder)
• What's The Big Deal?: LAST TANGO IN PARIS (Bernardo Bertolucci); SOLARIS (Andrei Tarkovsky)

1971

1. MURMUR OF THE HEART (Louis Malle)
2. McCABE AND MRS. MILLER (Robert Altman)
3. LOVE (Karoly Makk)
4. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (Peter Bogdanovich)
5. THE HOSPITAL (Arthur Hiller)
6. FATA MORGANA (Werner Herzog)
7. THE LONG FAREWELL (Kira Muratova)
8. WAKE IN FRIGHT (Ted Kotcheff)
9. THE BEGUILED (Don Siegel)
10. THE DEVILS (Ken Russell)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LITTLE MURDERS (Alan Arkin) ; BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) ; A GIRL IS A GUN (Luc Moullet) ; GLEN AND RANDA (Jim McBride) ; SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG (Melvin Van Peebles) ; THE GOALIE'S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (Wim Wenders) ; THE ANDERSON TAPES (Sidney Lumet) ; DIRTY HARRY (Don Siegel) ; WILD ROVERS (Blake Edwards) ; AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT (Ian MacNaughton) ; STRAW DOGS (Sam Peckinpah) ; MON ONCLE ANTOINE (Claude Jutra)
• What's The Big Deal?: A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick)

1970

1. DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST (Satyajit Ray)
2. LA RUPTURE (Claude Chabrol)
3. THE WILD CHILD (Francois Truffaut)
4. CLAIRE'S KNEE (Eric Rohmer)
5. LE BOUCHER (Claude Chabrol)
6. DEEP END (Jerzy Skolimowski)
7. WANDA (Barbara Loden)
8. I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER (Gilbert Cates)
9. PERFORMANCE (Donald Cammell & Nicolas Roeg)
10. EVEN DWARFS STARTED SMALL (Werner Herzog)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): TRASH (Paul Morrissey) ; THE CONFORMIST (Bernardo Bertolucci) ; THE REVOLUTIONARY (Paul Williams) ; RECONSTRUCTION (Theodoros Angelopoulos) ; DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE (Frank Perry) ; TWEET'S LADIES OF PASADENA (Timothy Carey) ; HOSPITAL (Frederick Wiseman) ; LOVING (Irvin Kershner) ; GIMME SHELTER (David & Albert Maysles & Charlotte Zwerin) ; LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS (Cy Howard) ; MAIDSTONE (Norman Mailer) ; THE HART OF LONDON (Jack Chambers) ; M.A.S.H. (Robert Altman) ; ZORN'S LEMMA (Hollis Frampton) ; TOO LATE THE HERO (Robert Aldrich) ; HI, MOM! (Brian DePalma) ; THE MOLLY MAGUIRES (Martin Ritt) ; WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A NAKED LADY? (Allen Funt)

1969

1. KES (Ken Loach)
2. MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (Eric Rohmer)
3. MEDIUM COOL (Haskell Wexler)
4. EASY RIDER (Dennis Hopper)
5. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (John Schlesinger)
6. Z (Costa-Gavras)
7. A MARRIED COUPLE (Allan King)
8. THE COW (Dariush Mehrjui)
9. ONE FINE DAY (Ermanno Olmi)
10. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (George Roy Hill)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE PASSION OF ANNA (Ingmar Bergman) ; DILLINGER IS DEAD (Marco Ferreri) ; THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? (Sydney Pollack) ; DETECTIVE (Rudolf Thome) ; GOYOKIN (Hideo Gosha) ; THE VIRGIN SOLDIERS (John Dexter) ; LA FEMME INFIDELE (Claude Chabrol) ; WOMEN IN LOVE (Ken Russell) ; THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE (Ronald Neame)
• What's The Big Deal?: ALICE'S RESTAURANT (Arthur Penn)

1968

1. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick)
2. MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT (Tomas Guiterrez Alea)
3. HEAD (Bob Rafelson)
4. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George Romero)
5. OLIVER! (Carol Reed)
6. RACHEL, RACHEL (Paul Newman)
7. SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM: TAKE ONE (William Greaves)
8. THE PRODUCERS (Mel Brooks)
9. TARGETS (Peter Bogdanovich)
10. ROSEMARY'S BABY (Roman Polanski)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE BOFORS GUN (Jack Gold) ; HIGH SCHOOL (Frederick Wiseman) ; PETULIA (Richard Lester) ; FACES (John Cassavetes) ; JE T'AIME JE T'AIME (Alain Resnais) ; FLESH (Paul Morrissey) ; PRETTY POISON (Noel Black) ; IF... (Lindsay Anderson) ; BYE BYE BRAVERMAN (Sidney Lumet) ; SECRET CEREMONY (Joseph Losey) ; SHAME (Ingmar Bergman) ; TEOREMA (Pier Paolo Pasolini) ; THE SECRET LIFE OF AN AMERICAN WIFE (George Axelrod) 
• What's The Big Deal?: ROMEO AND JULIET (Franco Zefirelli)
• Need To See It Again: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Sergio Leone)

1967

1. BONNIE AND CLYDE (Arthur Penn)
2. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (Jacques Demy)
3. THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols)
4. EL DORADO (Howard Hawks)
5. HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (David Swift)
6. TITICUT FOLLIES (Frederick Wiseman)
7. POINT BLANK (John Boorman)
8. DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY (Jim McBride)
9. TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER (Jean-Luc Godard)
10. BELLE DE JOUR (Luis Bunuel)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): WAIT UNTIL DARK (Terence Young) ; BEACH RED (Cornel Wilde) ; HOW I WON THE WAR (Richard Lester) ; THE TRIP (Roger Corman) ; THE WITCHES (Luchino Visconti, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Franco Rossi & Vittorio de Sica) ; TWO FOR THE ROAD (Stanley Donen) ; THE SHOOTING (Monte Hellman) ; LE SAMOURAI (Jean-Pierre Melville)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE FIREMEN'S BALL (Milos Forman) ; MOUCHETTE (Robert Bresson)
• Need To See It Again: PLAYTIME (Jacques Tati)

1966

1. PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman)
2. SECONDS (John Frankenheimer)
3. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (Sergio Leone)
4. THE HAWKS AND THE SPARROWS (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
5. MASCULIN FEMININ (Jean-Luc Godard)
6. ANDREI RUBLEV (Andrei Tarkovsky)
7. L'ARMATA BRANCALEONE (Mario Monicelli)
8. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (Fred Zinnemann)
9. THE FORTUNE COOKIE (Billy Wilder)
10. KILL, BABY ... KILL! (Mario Bava)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE PROFESSIONALS (Richard Brooks) ; THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (Gillo Pontecorvo) ; THE RISE OF LOUIS XIV (Roberto Rossellini) ; LA GUERRE EST FINIE (Alain Resnais) ; AU HASARD, BALTHAZAR (Robert Bresson) ; 7 WOMEN (John Ford) ; DEATH OF A BUREAUCRAT (Tomas Gutierrez Alea) ; TORN CURTAIN (Alfred Hitchcock) ; SILENCE HAS NO WINGS (Kazuo Kuroki) ; ALFIE (Lewis Gilbert) ; A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY (Fielder Cook) ; YOU'RE A BIG BOY NOW (Francis Ford Coppola)

1965

1. REPULSION (Roman Polanski)
2. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (Martin Ritt)
3. BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (Otto Preminger)
4. CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (Orson Welles)
5. THE KNACK (Richard Lester)
6. THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET (Jan Kadar & Elmar Klos)
7. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Robert Wise)
8. LOVES OF A BLONDE (Milos Forman)
9. THE SLEEPING CAR MURDERS (Costa-Gavras)
10. THE SARAGOSSA MANUSCRIPT (Wojciech Has)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE GREAT RACE (Blake Edwards) ; KING RAT (Bryan Forbes) ; HELP! (Richard Lester) ; LE BONHEUR (Agnes Varda) ; DARLING (John Schlesinger) ; OPERATION CROSSBOW (Michael Anderson) ; A THOUSAND CLOWNS (Fred Coe) ; FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! (Russ Meyer) ; THE IPCRESS FILE (Sidney J. Furie) ; THE WAR LORD (Franklin J. Schaffner) ; THE ROUND-UP (Miklos Jancso) 
• What's The Big Deal?: JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (Federico Fellini)

1964

1. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (Jacques Demy)
2. DR. STRANGELOVE (Stanley Kubrick)
3. CHARULATA (Satyajit Ray)
4. THAT MAN FROM RIO (Philippe de Broca)
5. THE BEST MAN (Franklin J. Schaffner)
6. FAIL-SAFE (Sidney Lumet)
7. KISS ME, STUPID (Billy Wilder)
8. SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON (Bryan Forbes)
9. THE KILLERS (Don Siegel)
10. THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (John Huston)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): BLACK PETER (Milos Forman) ; DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID (Luis Bunuel) ; BEFORE THE REVOLUTION (Bernardo Bertolucci) ; GERTRUD (Carl Dreyer) ; A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (Richard Lester) ; THE SOFT SKIN (Francois Truffaut) ; THE TRAIN (John Frankenheimer) ; KING & COUNTRY (Joseph Losey) ; LORNA (Russ Meyer) ; SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (John Frankenheimer) ; TOPKAPI (Jules Dassin) ; KWAIDAN (Masaki Kobayashi) ; ONIBABA (Kaneto Shindo) ; SHADOWS OF OUR FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS (Sergo Paradjanov) ; MARY POPPINS (Robert Stevenson)
• What's The Big Deal?: MARNIE (Alfred Hitchcock)

1963

1. CHARADE (Stanley Donen)
2. THE SILENCE (Ingmar Bergman)
3. THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock)
4. BILLY LIAR (John Schlesinger)
5. 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
6. MURIEL (Alain Resnais)
7. AMERICA, AMERICA (Elia Kazan)
8. SHOCK CORRIDOR (Samuel Fuller)
9. LA VISITA (Antonio Pietrangeli)
10. WINTER LIGHT (Ingmar Bergman)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): LE JOLI MAI (Chris Marker) ; SAMMY GOING SOUTH (Alexander Mackendrick) ; THE GREAT ESCAPE (John Sturges) ; AN ACTOR'S REVENGE (Kon Ichikawa) ; BAY OF ANGELS (Jacques Demy) ; THE RED LANTERNS (Vasilis Georgiades) ; BLACK SABBATH (Mario Bava) ; FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (Terence Young)

1962

1. HARAKIRI (Masaki Kobayashi)
2. THE EASY LIFE (Dino Risi)
3. ADVISE AND CONSENT (Otto Preminger)
4. AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (Yasujiro Ozu)
5. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (John Frankenheimer)
6. THE TRIAL (Orson Welles)
7. I FIDANZATI (Ermanno Olmi)
8. THE MIRACLE WORKER (Arthur Penn)
9. THE MUSIC MAN (Morton da Costa)
10. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Robert Mulligan)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): KNIFE IN THE WATER (Roman Polanski) ; DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (Blake Edwards) ; A KIND OF LOVING (John Schlesinger) ; CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Herk Harvey) ; BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (John Frankenheimer) ; LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (David Lean) ; WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (Robert Aldrich) ; FAMILY DIARY (Valerio Zurlini) ; THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER (Tony Richardson)  
• What's The Big Deal?: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (John Ford)

1961

1. LOLA (Jacques Demy)
2. IL POSTO (Ermanno Olmi)
3. THE EXILES (Kent MacKenzie)
4. ONE, TWO, THREE (Billy Wilder)
5. VIRIDIANA (Luis Bunuel)
6. THE HUSTLER (Robert Rossen)
7. THE INNOCENTS (Jack Clayton)
8. SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (Elia Kazan)
9. PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS (Shohei Imamura)
10. A WOMAN IS A WOMAN (Jean-Luc Godard)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): PARIS BELONGS TO US (Jacques Rivette) ; LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (Alain Resnais) ; WEST SIDE STORY (Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins) ; THE MISFITS (John Huston)  
• What's The Big Deal?: BLACK SUNDAY (Mario Bava)

1960

1. THE APARTMENT (Billy Wilder)
2. L'AVVENTURA (Michelangelo Antonioni)
3. LES BONNES FEMMES (Claude Chabrol)
4. PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock)
5. SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (Francois Truffaut)
6. BREATHLESS (Jean-Luc Godard)
7. LE TROU (Jacques Becker)
8. EYES WITHOUT A FACE (Georges Franju)
9. ZAZIE DANS LE METRO (Louis Malle)
10. THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Roger Corman)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE SAVAGE INNOCENTS (Nicholas Ray) ; ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (Luchino Visconti) ; THE LADY WITH THE LITTLE DOG (Josef Heifits) ; LA DOLCE VITA (Federico Fellini) ; MODERATO CANTABILE (Peter Brook) ; PARAKH (Bimal Roy) ; THE SUN'S BURIAL (Nagisa Oshima) ; THE TIME MACHINE (George Pal) ; SPARTACUS (Stanley Kubrick) ; THE SUNDOWNERS (Fred Zinnemann) ; the first 45 minutes of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (John Sturges)

1959

1. ANATOMY OF A MURDER (Otto Preminger)
2. SOME LIKE IT HOT (Billy Wilder)
3. RIO BRAVO (Howard Hawks)
4. THE WORLD OF APU (Satyajit Ray)
5. TIME STOOD STILL (Ermanno Olmi)
6. THE 400 BLOWS (Francois Truffaut)
7. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais)
8. SHADOWS (John Cassavetes)
9. I'M ALL RIGHT JACK (John Boulting)
10. RIDE LONESOME (Budd Boetticher)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): NORTH BY NORTHWEST (Alfred Hitchcock); OPERATION PETTICOAT (Blake Edwards) ; LA CAIDA (Leopoldo Torre Nilsson) ; A HOLE IN THE HEAD (Frank Capra)

1958

1. ASHES AND DIAMONDS (Andrezj Wajda)
2. TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles)
3. MURDER BY CONTRACT (Irving Lerner)
4. THE TARNISHED ANGELS (Douglas Sirk)
5. MAN OF THE WEST (Anthony Mann)
6. GIGI (Vincente Minnelli)
7. VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock)
8. THE MUSIC ROOM (Satyajit Ray)
9. GIANTS AND TOYS (Yasuzo Masumura)
10. THE VIKINGS (Richard Fleischer)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ENJO (Kon Ichikawa) ; THE LAST HURRAH (John Ford) ; A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (Roy Baker) ; VERBOTEN! (Sam Fuller) ; WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES (Nicholas Ray)

1957

1. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Alexander Mackendrick)
2. 12 ANGRY MEN (Sidney Lumet)
3. THE PAJAMA GAME (George Abbott / Stanley Donen)
4. A MATTER OF DIGNITY (Michael Cacoyannis)
5. THE SEVENTH SEAL (Ingmar Bergman)
6. PATHS OF GLORY (Stanley Kubrick)
7. THE TALL T (Budd Boetticher)
8. PYAASA (Guru Dutt)
9. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (Jack Arnold)
10. SNOW COUNTRY (Shiro Toyoda)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): DECISION AT SUNDOWN (Budd Boetticher) ; BARNACLE BILL (Charles Frend) ; A FACE IN THE CROWD (Elia Kazan) ; THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (David Lean) ; NIGHT OF THE DEMON (Jacques Tourneur) ; IL GRIDO (Michelangelo Antonioni) ; WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (Frank Tashlin) ; 3.10 TO YUMA (Delmer Daves) ; WILD STRAWBERRIES (Ingmar Bergman) ; THE HOUSE OF THE ANGEL (Leopoldo Torre Nilsson)
• What's The Big Deal?: EDGE OF THE CITY (Martin Ritt) ; FUNNY FACE (Stanley Donen) ; NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (Federico Fellini)

1956

1. A MAN ESCAPED (Robert Bresson)
2. THE SEARCHERS (John Ford)
3. ATTACK! (Robert Aldrich)
4. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (Don Siegel)
5. THE KILLING (Stanley Kubrick)
6. SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (Budd Boetticher)
7. THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW (Douglas Sirk)
8. THE WRONG MAN (Alfred Hitchcock)
9. SHOZO, A CAT AND TWO WOMEN (Shiro Toyoda)
10. FRIENDLY PERSUASION (William Wyler)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): APARAJITO (Satyajit Ray) ; MOBY DICK (John Huston) ; WRITTEN ON THE WIND (Douglas Sirk) ; PATTERNS (Fielder Cook) ; THE BURMESE HARP (Kon Ichikawa) 
• What's The Big Deal?: BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (Fritz Lang)

1955

1. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton)
2. KISS ME DEADLY (Robert Aldrich)
3. ORDET (Carl Dreyer)
4. BOB LE FLAMBEUR (Jean-Pierre Melville)
5. LE AMICHE (Michelangelo Antonioni)
6. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (Nicholas Ray)
7. SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT (Ingmar Bergman)
8. THE BIG COMBO (Joseph H. Lewis)
9. FLOATING CLOUDS (Mikio Naruse)
10. LES GRANDES MANOEUVRES (René Clair)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MISTER ROBERTS (John Ford & Mervyn Le Roy) ; IL BIDONE (Federico Fellini) ; EAST OF EDEN (Elia Kazan) ; THE LADYKILLERS (Alexander Mackendrick) ; RIFIFI (Jules Dassin) ; THE NIGHT MY NUMBER CAME UP (Leslie Norman) ; THE PHENIX CITY STORY (Phil Karlson) ; LOLA MONTES (Max Ophuls) ; FRENCH CANCAN (Jean Renoir) ; ARTISTS AND MODELS (Frank Tashlin) ; MOONFLEET (Fritz Lang) ; LES DIABOLIQUES (Henri-Georges Clouzot) ; THE COURT JESTER (Norman Panama & Melvin Frank) ; THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (Otto Preminger)

1954

1. REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock)
2. SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (Stanley Donen)
3. THE RAID (Hugo Fregonese)
4. CAMILLA (Luciano Emmer)
5. JOHNNY GUITAR (Nicholas Ray)
6. DIAL M FOR MURDER (Alfred Hitchcock)
7. SENSO (Luchino Visconti)
8. THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
9. SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Kenji Mizoguchi)
10. VERA CRUZ (Robert Aldrich)

• Honourable mention (ranked): THE 'MAGGIE' / HIGH AND DRY (Alexander Mackendrick) ; SOUND OF THE MOUNTAIN (Mikio Naruse) ; VOYAGE TO ITALY (Roberto Rossellini) ; RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 (Don Siegel) ; LA SPIAGGIA (Alberto Lattuada) ; LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS (Mikio Naruse) ; A STAR IS BORN (George Cukor) ; THE CAINE MUTINY (Edward Dmytryk)
• What's The Big Deal?: ON THE WATERFRONT (Elia Kazan)

1953

1. THE WAGES OF FEAR (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
2. UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi)
3. BEAT THE DEVIL (John Huston)
4. GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (Howard Hawks)
5. THE BAND WAGON (Vincente Minnelli)
6. THE NAKED SPUR (Anthony Mann)
7. THE BIG HEAT (Fritz Lang)
8. GENEVIEVE (Henry Cornelius)
9. EL (Luis Bunuel)
10. KISS ME KATE (George Sidney)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): A JAPANESE TRAGEDY (Keisuke Kinoshita) ; STALAG 17 (Billy Wilder) ; MADAME DE... (Max Ophuls) ; SUMMER WITH MONIKA (Ingmar Bergman) ; TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu) ; CRIME WAVE (Andre de Toth) ; PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (Samuel Fuller) ; HONDO (John Farrow)
• What's The Big Deal?: NIAGARA (Henry Hathaway) ; SHANE (George Stevens)

1952

1. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen)
2. UMBERTO D. (Vittorio de Sica)
3. FORBIDDEN GAMES (René Clement)
4. FIVE FINGERS (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
5. THE CRIMSON PIRATE (Robert Siodmak)
6. HIGH NOON (Fred Zinnemann)
7. IKIRU (Akira Kurosawa)
8. THE NARROW MARGIN (Richard Fleischer)
9. THE GOLDEN COACH (Jean Renoir)
10. SCANDAL SHEET (Phil Karlson)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): TWO CENTS WORTH OF HOPE (Renato Castellani) ; MOULIN ROUGE (John Huston) ; THE MARRYING KIND (George Cukor) ; PARK ROW (Samuel Fuller) ; CLASH BY NIGHT (Fritz Lang) ; THE SOUND BARRIER (David Lean) ; THE LUSTY MEN (Nicholas Ray) ; THE PICKWICK PAPERS (Noel Langley) ; VIVA ZAPATA! (Elia Kazan) ; HUNTED (Charles Crichton) ; RANCHO NOTORIOUS (Fritz Lang)

1951

1. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Elia Kazan)
2. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (Christian Nyby)
3. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Alfred Hitchcock)
4. THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE (John Huston)
5. HIS KIND OF WOMAN (John Farrow)
6. OTHELLO (Orson Welles)
7. ON DANGEROUS GROUND (Nicholas Ray)
8. THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (Charles Crichton)
9. A PLACE IN THE SUN (George Stevens)
10. OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS (Carol Reed)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT (Alexander Mackendrick) ; SUMMER INTERLUDE (Ingmar Bergman) ; THE TALL TARGET (Anthony Mann) ; THE BROWNING VERSION (Anthony Asquith) ; ACE IN THE HOLE (Billy Wilder) ; FIXED BAYONETS (Sam Fuller) ; THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (Robert Wise) ; WESTWARD THE WOMEN (William A. Wellman) ; UNDER THE PARIS SKY (Julien Duvivier) ; MIRACLE IN MILAN (Vittorio De Sica) ; CARMEN COMES HOME (Keisuke Kinoshita)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE AFRICAN QUEEN (John Huston)

1950

1. DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST (Robert Bresson)
2. IN A LONELY PLACE (Nicholas Ray)
3. ALL ABOUT EVE (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
4. THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (John Huston)
5. THE GUNFIGHTER (Henry King)
6. STARS IN MY CROWN (Jacques Tourneur)
7. RASHOMON (Akira Kurosawa)
8. WINCHESTER '73 (Anthony Mann)
9. WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (Otto Preminger)
10. THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE (Frank Launder)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): WAGONMASTER (John Ford) ; THE FURIES (Anthony Mann) ; STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR (Michelangelo Antonioni) ; D.O.A. (Rudolph Maté) ; NIGHT AND THE CITY (Jules Dassin) ; LOS OLVIDADOS (Luis Bunuel) ; SUNSET BOULEVARD (Billy Wilder) ; CAGED (John Cromwell) ; THE MAGNET (Charles Frend) ; FATHER OF THE BRIDE (Vincente Minnelli) ;  THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON (Robert Siodmak) ; THE MEN (Fred Zinnemann)
• What's The Big Deal?: HARVEY (Henry Koster)

1949

1. THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed)
2. THE SET-UP (Robert Wise)
3. THE WINDOW (Ted Tetzlaff)
4. INTRUDER IN THE DUST (Clarence Brown)
5. WHITE HEAT (Raoul Walsh)
6. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
7. ACT OF VIOLENCE (Fred Zinnemann)
8. CRISS CROSS (Robert Siodmak)
9. STRAY DOG (Akira Kurosawa)
10. KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (Robert Hamer)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): I SHOT JESSE JAMES (Samuel Fuller) ; PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (Henry Cornelius) ; HOUSE OF STRANGERS (Joseph L. Mankiewicz) ; SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (John Ford) ; BORDER INCIDENT (Anthony Mann) ; THE RECKLESS MOMENT (Max Ophuls) ; ON THE TOWN (Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen) ; REIGN OF TERROR (Anthony Mann) ; SALON MEXICO (Emilio Fernandez) ; ORPHEE (Jean Cocteau) ; ALL THE KING'S MEN (Robert Rossen)
• What's The Big Deal?: I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE (Howard Hawks)

1948

1. BICYCLE THIEVES (Vittorio de Sica)
2. TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (John Huston)
3. THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (Orson Welles)
4. UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (Preston Sturges)
5. A FOREIGN AFFAIR (Billy Wilder)
6. THE RED SHOES (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
7. THE SEARCH (Fred Zinnemann)
8. THE FALLEN IDOL (Carol Reed)
9. LA TERRA TREMA (Luchino Visconti)
10. PITFALL (Andre de Toth)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE NAKED CITY (Jules Dassin) ; RED RIVER (Howard Hawks) ; STATE OF THE UNION (Frank Capra) ; FORCE OF EVIL (Abraham Polonsky) ; YELLOW SKY (William Wellman) ; THE BIG CLOCK (John Farrow) ; SLEEP, MY LOVE (Douglas Sirk) ; HAMLET (Laurence Olivier) ; SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (Fritz Lang) ; LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN (Max Ophuls) ; MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (H.C. Potter)

1947

1. ODD MAN OUT (Carol Reed)
2. BLACK NARCISSUS (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
3. DAISY KENYON (Otto Preminger)
4. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
5. OUT OF THE PAST (Jacques Tourneur)
6. MONSIEUR VERDOUX (Charles Chaplin)
7. MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (George Seaton)
8. BRIGHTON ROCK (John Boulting)
9. GERMANY YEAR ZERO (Roberto Rossellini)
10. ANTOINE AND ANTOINETTE (Jacques Becker)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): NIGHTMARE ALLEY (Edmund Goulding) ; QUAI DES ORFEVRES (Henri-Georges Clouzot) ; CROSSFIRE (Edward Dmytryk) ; KISS OF DEATH (Henry Hathaway) ; THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (Felix Feist) ; HOLIDAY CAMP (Ken Annakin)

1946

1. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Frank Capra)
2. MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (John Ford)
3. THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks)
4. GREAT EXPECTATIONS (David Lean)
5. PAISA (Roberto Rossellini)
6. NOTORIOUS (Alfred Hitchcock)
7. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
8. CANYON PASSAGE (Jacques Tourneur)
9. GREEN FOR DANGER (Sidney Gilliat)
10. CLUNY BROWN (Ernst Lubitsch)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE YEARLING (Clarence Brown) ; FROM THIS DAY FORWARD (John Berry) ; THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (William Wyler) ; THE BATTLE OF THE RAILS (René Clément) ; THE KILLERS (Robert Siodmak) ; SYLVIA AND THE GHOST (Claude Autant-Lara) ; GILDA (Charles Vidor) ; DECEPTION (Irving Rapper)
• What's The Big Deal?: LA BELLE ET LA BETE (Jean Cocteau)

1945

1. A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (Elia Kazan)
2. BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean)
3. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (René Clair)
4. OBJECTIVE BURMA! (Raoul Walsh)
5. DETOUR (Edgar G. Ulmer)
6. SCARLET STREET (Fritz Lang)
7. OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (Roy Rowland)
8. THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (John Ford)
9. WONDER MAN (Bruce Humberstone)
10. PRIDE OF THE MARINES (Delmer Daves)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): PERFECT STRANGERS / VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (Alexander Korda) ; THE CLOCK (Vincente Minnelli) ; CORNERED (Edward Dmytryk) ; THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (Albert Lewin) ; CHILDREN OF PARADISE (Marcel Carné) ; DEAD OF NIGHT (Cavalcanti, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer & Charles Crichton) ; IT'S IN THE BAG (Richard Wallace) ; OPEN CITY (Roberto Rossellini) ; I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) ; LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE (Robert Bresson) ; THE SEVENTH VEIL (Compton Bennett)

1944

1. THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (Preston Sturges)
2. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Billy Wilder)
3. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli)
4. TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Howard Hawks)
5. HENRY V (Laurence Olivier)
6. HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (Preston Sturges)
7. THE UNINVITED (Lewis Allen)
8. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (Frank Capra)
9. THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (Robert Wise & Gunter von Fritsch)
10. THE WAY AHEAD (Carol Reed)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (Jean Negulesco) ; THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE (David Butler) ; WHEN STRANGERS MARRY (William Castle) ; LIFEBOAT (Alfred Hitchcock) ; THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (Fritz Lang) ; PHANTOM LADY (Robert Siodmak) ; MURDER, MY SWEET (Edward Dmytryk)

1943

1. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
2. SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Alfred Hitchcock)
3. THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (William Wellman)
4. LE CORBEAU (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
5. FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO (Billy Wilder)
6. THE HUMAN COMEDY (Clarence Brown)
7. AIR FORCE (Howard Hawks)
8. MY LEARNED FRIEND (Will Hay & Basil Dearden)
9. MUNCHHAUSEN (Josef von Baky)
10. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (Jacques Tourneur)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): DAY OF WRATH (Carl Dreyer) ; THE CROSS OF LORRAINE (Tay Garnett) ; THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS (David Butler) ; HI DIDDLE DIDDLE (Andrew L. Stone) ; THE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US (Vittorio De Sica) ; HEAVEN CAN WAIT (Ernst Lubitsch)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE MORE THE MERRIER (George Stevens)

1942

1. CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz)
2. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (Orson Welles)
3. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (Preston Sturges)
4. KINGS ROW (Sam Wood)
5. GENTLEMAN JIM (Raoul Walsh)
6. THIS GUN FOR HIRE (Frank Tuttle)
7. WENT THE DAY WELL? (Cavalcanti)
8. THE PALM BEACH STORY (Preston Sturges)
9. ROXIE HART (William Wellman)
10. JOURNEY INTO FEAR (Norman Foster)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ROAD TO MOROCCO (David Butler) ; SYMPHONIE EINES LEBENS (Hans Bertram) ; THE BLACK SWAN (Henry King)

1941

1. THE MALTESE FALCON (John Huston)
2. CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles)
3. HELLZAPOPPIN' (H.C. Potter)
4. THE LITTLE FOXES (William Wyler)
5. HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (John Ford)
6. NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK (Edward Cline)
7. THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE (Raoul Walsh)
8. THE LADY EVE (Preston Sturges)
9. BALL OF FIRE (Howard Hawks)
10. SUSPICION (Alfred Hitchcock)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (Alexander Hall) ; H.M. PULHAM, ESQ. (King Vidor) ; MAN HUNT (Fritz Lang) ; THE GREAT AMERICAN BROADCAST (Archie Mayo)
• What's The Big Deal?: SERGEANT YORK (Howard Hawks)

1940

1. THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (Ernst Lubitsch)
2. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (Howard Hawks)
3. THE BANK DICK (Edward Cline)
4. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (John Ford)
5. CHRISTMAS IN JULY (Preston Sturges)
6. FANTASIA (Ben Sharpsteen)
7. THE LETTER (William Wyler)
8. PINOCCHIO (Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske)
9. THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (Raoul Walsh)
10. THE SEA HAWK (Michael Curtiz)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): THE STARS LOOK DOWN (Carol Reed) ; THE LONG VOYAGE HOME (John Ford) ; NORTHWEST PASSAGE (King Vidor) ; FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (Alfred Hitchcock) ; GASLIGHT (Thorold Dickinson) ; MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (Edward Cline) ; ARISE, MY LOVE (Mitchell Leisen) ; THE MARK OF ZORRO (Rouben Mamoulian) ; NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (Carol Reed) ; STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR (Boris Ingster) ; THE GREAT DICTATOR (Charles Chaplin) ; THE GHOST BREAKERS (George Marshall)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Ludwig Berger / Tim Whelan / Michael Powell)

1939

1. THE RULES OF THE GAME (Jean Renoir)
2. ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (Howard Hawks)
3. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (George Marshall)
4. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Frank Capra)
5. LE JOUR SE LEVE (Marcel Carné)
6. NINOTCHKA (Ernst Lubitsch)
7. OF MICE AND MEN (Lewis Milestone)
8. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (William Dieterle)
9. DARK VICTORY (Edmund Goulding)
10. STAGECOACH (John Ford)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): MY APPRENTICESHIP (Mark Donskoi) ; THE WIZARD OF OZ (Victor Fleming) ; THE ROARING TWENTIES (Raoul Walsh) ; MIDNIGHT (Mitchell Leisen) ; THREE SMART GIRLS GROW UP and FIRST LOVE (Henry Koster) ; LOVE AFFAIR (Leo McCarey)
• What's The Big Deal?: WUTHERING HEIGHTS (William Wyler)

1938

1. BRINGING-UP BABY (Howard Hawks)
2. THE LADY VANISHES (Alfred Hitchcock)
3. THE CHILDHOOD OF MAXIM GORKI (Mark Donskoi)
4. LA BETE HUMAINE (Jean Renoir)
5. A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER (Lloyd Bacon)
6. ALEXANDER NEVSKY (Sergei Eisenstein)
7. ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (Michael Curtiz)
8. HOLIDAY (George Cukor)
9. JEZEBEL (William Wyler)
10. LES DISPARUS DE ST. AGIL (Christian-Jaque)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND (Henry King) ; L'ETRANGE MONSIEUR VICTOR (Jean Gremillon) ;THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Michael Curtiz & William Keighley) ; BOY MEETS GIRL (Lloyd Bacon)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE CITADEL (King Vidor) ; THE DAWN PATROL (Edmund Goulding) ; THREE COMRADES (Frank Borzage)

1937

1. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (David Hand)
2. THE HURRICANE (John Ford)
3. ANGEL (Ernst Lubitsch)
4. THE AWFUL TRUTH (Leo McCarey)
5. LA GRANDE ILLUSION (Jean Renoir)
6. CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (Victor Fleming)
7. ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL (Henry Koster)
8. THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (John Cromwell)
9. STAGE DOOR (Gregory La Cava)
10. THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (Michael Powell)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  YOUNG AND INNOCENT (Alfred Hitchcock) ; THE GREAT GARRICK (James Whale) ; LOST HORIZON (Frank Capra) ; PEPE LE MOKO (Julien Duvivier) ; A DAY AT THE RACES (Sam Wood) ; NOTHING SACRED (William Wellman) ; WAY OUT WEST (James Horne)

1936

1. MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin)
2. FURY (Fritz Lang)
3. SWING TIME (George Stevens)
4. MY MAN GODFREY (Gregory LaCava)
5. THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE (Jean Renoir)
6. OUR RELATIONS (Harry Lachman)
7. MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (Frank Capra)
8. SHOWBOAT (James Whale)
9. THE DEVIL-DOLL (Tod Browning)
10. THREE SMART GIRLS (Henry Koster)

• Honourable Mention (ranked):  SISTERS OF THE GION (Kenji Mizoguchi) ; COME AND GET IT (Howard Hawks & William Wyler) ; LLOYD'S OF LONDON (Henry King) ; FOLLOW THE FLEET (Mark Sandrich) ; ROBIN HOOD OF EL DORADO (William A. Wellman) ; BY THE BLUEST OF SEAS (Boris Barnet) ; THE GREEN PASTURES (William Keighley & Marc Connelly) ; THINGS TO COME (William Cameron Menzies)
• What's The Big Deal?: SAN FRANCISCO (W.S. Van Dyke)
• Not Eligible (otherwise would be #2): A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (Jean Renoir)

1935

1. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (Sam Wood)
2. THE 39 STEPS (Alfred Hitchcock)
3. TOP HAT (Mark Sandrich)
4. DAVID COPPERFIELD (George Cukor)
5. CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS (Jacques Feyder)
6. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (Frank Lloyd)
7. CHINA SEAS (Tay Garnett)
8. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (James Whale)
9. LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (Henry Hathaway)
10. HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE (Mitchell Leisen)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ALICE ADAMS (George Stevens) ; THE GOOD FAIRY (William Wyler) ; A POT WORTH A MILLION RYO (Sadao Yamanaka) ; REMEMBER LAST NIGHT? (James Whale) ; AN INN IN TOKYO (Yasujiro Ozu) ; LES MISERABLES (Richard Boleslawski) ; RUGGLES OF RED GAP (Leo McCarey) ; THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN (Josef von Sternberg) ; PETER IBBETSON (Henry Hathaway)

1934

1. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (Frank Capra)
2. THE GAY DIVORCEE (Mark Sandrich)
3. LE GRAND JEU (Jacques Feyder)
4. MASKERADE (Willi Forst)
5. WONDER BAR (Lloyd Bacon)
6. LITTLE MAN, WHAT NOW? (Frank Borzage)
7. THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Josef Von Sternberg)
8. THE BLACK CAT (Edgar G. Ulmer) 
9. TWENTIETH CENTURY (Howard Hawks)
10. SING AS WE GO (Basil Dean)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): KID MILLIONS (Roy Del Ruth) ; IT'S A GIFT (Norman Z. McLeod) ; THE LAST MILLIONAIRE (René Clair) ; LA SIGNORA DI TUTTI (Max Ophuls) ; MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (W.S. Van Dyke) ; A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS (Yasujiro Ozu)
• What's The Big Deal?: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (Alfred Hitchcock)

1933

1. DUCK SOUP (Leo McCarey)
2. HARD TO HANDLE (Mervyn Le Roy)
3. THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN (Frank Capra)
4. FOOTLIGHT PARADE (Lloyd Bacon)
5. HALLELUJAH I'M A BUM (Lewis Milestone)
6. GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (Mervyn Le Roy)
7. COUNSELLOR AT LAW (William Wyler)
8. BOMBSHELL (Victor Fleming)
9. STATE FAIR (Henry King)
10. DINNER AT EIGHT (George Cukor)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): KING KONG (Merian C. Cooper / Ernest B. Schoedsack) ; THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (Fritz Lang) ; NIGHTLY DREAMS (Mikio Naruse) ; THE INVISIBLE MAN (James Whale) ; LADY FOR A DAY (Frank Capra) ; ZOO IN BUDAPEST (Rowland V. Lee) ; LADY KILLER (Roy Del Ruth) ; GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE (Gregory La Cava) 
• What's The Big Deal?: THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (Alexander Korda)
• Not Eligible (otherwise in the Top 5): THE FATAL GLASS OF BEER (Clyde Bruckman)

1932

1. I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (Mervyn Le Roy)
2. LOVE ME TONIGHT (Rouben Mamoulian)
3. RED DUST (Victor Fleming)
4. FREAKS (Tod Browning)
5. SHANGHAI EXPRESS (Josef von Sternberg)
6. VAMPYR (Carl Dreyer)
7. I WAS BORN, BUT... (Yasujiro Ozu)
8. BLESSED EVENT (Roy Del Ruth)
9. TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch)
10. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (Cecil B. DeMille)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): ONE HOUR WITH YOU (Ernst Lubitsch & George Cukor) ; THE OLD DARK HOUSE (James Whale) ; SCARFACE (Howard Hawks) ; HORSE FEATHERS (Norman Z. McLeod) ; JEWEL ROBBERY (William Dieterle) ; IF I HAD A MILLION (Ernst Lubitsch, Norman Taurog, Stephen Roberts, Norman Z. McLeod, James Cruze, William Seiter & Bruce Humberstone) ; THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (Ernest B. Schoedsack & Irving Pichel) ; WHAT SCOUNDRELS MEN ARE! (Mario Camerini) ; RED-HEADED WOMAN (Jack Conway) ; BACK STREET (John M. Stahl) ; MILLION DOLLAR LEGS (Edward Cline) ; THREE ON A MATCH (Mervyn Le Roy)
• What's The Big Deal?: BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (Jean Renoir)

1931

1. M (Fritz Lang)
2. THE PUBLIC ENEMY (William A. Wellman)
3. TABU (F.W. Murnau)
4. BLONDE CRAZY (Roy Del Ruth)
5. THE LAST FLIGHT (William Dieterle)
6. MONKEY BUSINESS (Norman Z. McLeod)
7. CITY LIGHTS (Charles Chaplin)
8. SAFE IN HELL (William A. Wellman)
9. CITY STREETS (Rouben Mamoulian)
10. LE MILLION (René Clair)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): NAIL IN THE BOOT (Mikhail Kalatozov) ; THE THREEPENNY OPERA (G.W. Pabst) ; THE FRONT PAGE (Lewis Milestone) ; A NOUS LA LIBERTE (René Clair) ; PLATINUM BLONDE (Frank Capra) ; OTHER MEN'S WOMEN (William A. Wellman) ; QUICK MILLIONS (Rowland Brown) ; NIGHT NURSE (William A. Wellman) ; MADCHEN IN UNIFORM (Leontine Sagan) ; THE EASIEST WAY (Jack Conway) ; DAYBREAK (Jacques Feyder)

1930

1. EARTH (Alexander Dovzhenko)
2. MOROCCO (Josef von Sternberg)
3. ANIMAL CRACKERS (Victor Heerman)
4. MONTE CARLO (Ernst Lubitsch)
5. PEOPLE ON SUNDAY (Robert Siodmak & Edgar G. Ulmer)
6. BEAUTY PRIZE (Augusto Genina)
7. LAUGHTER (Harry d'Abbabie d'Arrast)
8. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Lewis Milestone)
9. LITTLE CAESAR (Mervyn LeRoy)
10. ABSCHIED (Robert Siodmak)

• Honourable Mention (ranked): L'AGE D'OR (Luis Bunuel) ; THE BLUE ANGEL (Josef von Sternberg)

1929

1. THE IRON MASK (Allan Dwan)
2. PANDORA'S BOX (G.W. Pabst)
3. HARBOUR DRIFT (Leo Mittler)
4. THE MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Dziga Vertov)
5. THE GODLESS GIRL (Cecil B. DeMille)
6. BROADWAY BABIES (Mervyn LeRoy)

1928

1. THE CROWD (King Vidor)
2. THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (Josef von Sternberg)
3. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Carl Dreyer)
4. L'ARGENT (Marcel L'Herbier)
5. THE MYSTERIOUS LADY (Fred Niblo)
6. SHOW PEOPLE (King Vidor)
7. WEST OF ZANZIBAR (Tod Browning)
8. STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. (Charles Reisner)
9. THE WIND (Victor Sjostrom)
10. THE CIRCUS (Charles Chaplin)

Honourable Mention (ranked): STORM OVER ASIA (Vsevolod Pudovkin)

1927

1. SUNRISE (F.W. Murnau)
2. METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang)
3. BERLIN, SYMPHONY OF A GREAT CITY (Walter Ruttman)
4. THE KID BROTHER (Ted Wilde)
5. BED AND SOFA (Abram Room)
6. THE LOVE OF JEANNE NEY (G.W. Pabst)
7. THE UNKNOWN (Tod Browning)
8. OCTOBER (Sergei Eisenstein)

1926

1. MOTHER (Vsevolod Pudovkin)
2. FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE (Sam Taylor)
3. EXIT SMILING (Sam Taylor)
4. THE BLACKBIRD (Tod Browning)
5. THE GENERAL (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman)
6. MANTRAP (Victor Fleming)

1925

1. THE GOLD RUSH (Charles Chaplin)
2. SEVEN CHANCES (Buster Keaton)
3. VARIETE (E.A. Dupont)
4. STRIKE (Sergei Eisenstein)
5. THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Sergei Eisenstein)
6. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (Rupert Julian)
7. TUMBLEWEEDS (William S. Hart & King Baggot)

1924

1. SHERLOCK JUNIOR (Buster Keaton)
2. GREED (Erich Von Stroheim)
3. THE NAVIGATOR (Buster Keaton & Donald Crisp)
4. GIRL SHY (Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor)
5. HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (Victor Sjostrom)

up to 1923

1. THE OUTLAW AND HIS WIFE (Victor Sjostrom, 1918)
2. INTOLERANCE (D.W. Griffith, 1916)
3. THE PENALTY (Wallace Worsley, 1920)
4. SAFETY LAST (Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 1923)
5. NOSFERATU (F.W. Murnau, 1922)
6. THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE (Victor Sjostrom, 1921)
7. THE STREET (Karl Grune, 1923)
8. THE OYSTER PRINCESS (Ernst Lubitsch, 1919)
9. WHY WORRY? (Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 1923)
10. OUR HOSPITALITY (Buster Keaton & John G. Blystone, 1923)