From SFGate’s Mick LaSalle:
The term “must see” is something I’ve done my best to avoid over the years. I was a film critic for nine years before I used it once, and I don’t think I’ve used it more than twice since then, if that. I mean, I may have alluded to the concept, but I don’t think I’ve ever called more than two or three things “must sees.”
However, there must be some movies out there that are must sees, and so I put the question to our readers, and the result was the above gallery.
I purposely didn’t define “must see” but left it for you decide how you define the term. For some, “must see” refers to a standard of quality. To others, a degree of cultural penetration. Sometimes a movie, or something in a movie, becomes so important or culturally pervasive that it almost feels necessary to acquaint yourself with the source.
In the above gallery, I included films that other people suggested that I either agree with or would be willing, possibly, to agree with, or at least consider. If I definitely don’t agree, but think that a lot of people would, I list the film as “by popular demand.” I also included my own choices. The parentheses following each title lists the person who suggested the title. If there is no parenthesis, then that title is my choice. However, I should say that a lot of you chose movies I would have chosen myself.
Finally, we have a big gallery as it stands, so feel free to make your own suggestions for additions, but if you’d like to suggest some subtractions, too, I’ll be taking those into account. We will be fiddling with this one.
Want to go see some earlier must-sees? Check out this gallery:
Pre-1960:
Rear Window
The Red Shoes
Meet John Doe
Napoléon (Gance)
Brief Encounter
Oliver Twist
The Lavender Hill Mob
The Ladykillers
Unfaithfully Yours
The Palm Beach Story
The Great McGinty (at least around election time)
Metropolis
The General
Nosferatu
The Lady Vanishes
Strangers on a Train
Pandora’s Box
Greed
8½
The Last Hurrah
His Girl Friday
Touch of Evil
All Quiet on the Western Front
La grande illusion
Rashomon
The Seven Samurai
Momento
Being John Malkovitch
Pan’s Labyrinth
When Harry Met Sally
Avatar (too soon?)
Peeping Tom (Powell)
Thelma & Louise
Jules and Jim
Shoot the Piano Player
Two for the Road (unappreciated)