My Favorite Films Ever Made, By Category
So, I took it upon myself to come up with every category/genre of film that I recognize as legitimate. That took a while. Then, I put my favorite film from each respective category in its place. That was step two. It was also the final step. That’s the whole thing.
You may notice from my list that I have more categories than you probably do, clocking in at a whopping 34. This is because I had to split categories in order to include some of my must-haves. This is also because I wanted to, so get over it. You may also notice that some of these categories are somewhat, um, loose. For example, Once Upon a Time in the West is listed as an “Epic” to leave room for something else in the “Spaghetti Western” genre. And Clue is a “Mystery,” but only sorta. My methods are simply an excuse to include the films I want to include.
All this being said, please keep in mind that this list is both subject to change, and also the objective and definitive film list that is eternally correct. Please comment below any disagreements or your personal picks!
List arranged alphabetically by genre.
*….* = Denotes My Favorite Film
Action
Big Trouble in Little China
(dir. John Carpenter, 1986)
Adventure
Raiders of the Lost Ark
(dir. Steven Spielberg, 1981)
Animated
Up
(dir. Pete Doctor, 2009)
Biopic
The Social Network
(dir. David Fincher, 2010)
Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life
(dir. Frank Capra, 1946)
Comedy (Show-Your-Kids)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
(dir. Stanley Kramer, 1963)
Comedy (Don’t-Show-Your-Kids)
Office Space
(dir. Mike Judge, 1999)
Coming of Age
*Almost Famous*
(dir. Cameron Crowe, 2000)
Crime (Mafia)
Goodfellas
(dir. Martin Scorsese, 1990)
Crime (Other)
Reservoir Dogs
(dir. Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
Documentary [TIE]
Hoop Dreams
(dir. Steve James, 1994)
and
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time
(dir. Robert B. Weide, 2021)
Drama
12 Angry Men
(dir. Sidney Lumet, 1957)
Epic
Once Upon a Time in The West
(dir. Sergio Leone, 1968)
Fantasy
The Return of the King
(dir. Peter Jackson, 2003)
Foreign Language
Pan's Labyrinth
(dir. Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)
Historical Fiction
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood
(dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2019)
Horror
The Thing
(dir. John Carpenter, 1980)
Independent
Evil Dead
(dir. Sam Raimi, 1981)
Mockumentary
Waiting for Guffman
(dir. Christopher Guest, 1996)
Musical
The Muppet Movie
(dir. James Frawley, 1979)
Mystery
Clue
(dir. Jonathan Lynn, 1985)
Parody [TIE]
Airplane!
(dir. David and Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, 1980)
and
Galaxy Quest
(dir. Dean Parisot, 1999)
Romance
About Time
(dir. Richard Curtis, 2013)
Romantic Comedy
When Harry Met Sally
(dir. Rob Reiner, 1989)
Satire
They Live!
(dir. John Carpenter, 1989)
Science Fantasy
The Empire Strikes Back
(dir. Irvin Kershner, 1980)
Science Fiction
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
(dir. Nicholas Meyer, 1982)
Sports
Rocky
(dir. John Avildsen, 1976)
Superhero
Spider-Man
(dir. Sam Raimi, 2002)
Thriller
The Sixth Sense
(dir. M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
War
Saving Private Ryan
(dir. Steven Spielberg, 1998)
Western (Spaghetti)
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
(dir. Sergio Leone, 1966)
Western (Gravy)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
(dir. George Roy Hill, 1969)
Western (Blue Milk)
Star Wars
(dir. George Lucas, 1977)