Michael Murray’s List of the 10 Greatest Films of All-Time

Michael Murray’s List of the Top Ten Movies of All-Time

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1. Furmer sur le banc (1984)

This brilliant French film follows the life of cab driver Henri Beaumont as he ferries customers through the streets of Montreal during Guy Lafleur’s astonishing 60goal season as a star winger on the Canadiens. Divided into sixty, two-minutes segments, the hockey game on the cab radio (Lafleur scores in each one) serves as the connective tissue between Henri and his passengers as they talk about life. Stylistically innovative, the movie is by turns funny, intimate and revealing, a precursor to the popular show Taxi Cab Confessions. (Cameo by Guy Lafleur at the end.)

2. Chinese People (1949)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this little known film blurs the line between racist satire and disorienting sexual fetish. Hitchcock has never been more exposed or vulnerable in his craft. Starring Jerry Lewis.

3. Amish Furniture (1969)

This Swedish drama takes an unflinching look at suicide and the aftermath as it settles on an unsuspecting Amish community. Soundtrack by Jimmi Hendrix.

4. Incident at the White Tower Motel (1972)

Directed by Japanese master Kurosawa, this stands as the greatest horror film ever made. Watch for a young Jamie Lee Curtis in the bear pepper spray scene.

5. Star Wars (1977)

Directed by George Lucas, this science fiction masterwork reinterprets the bible and features a gay robot dressed in gold lame. It changed movie making forever.

6. La Sangre de la caza de la polla (1958)

Director Octavio Getino explores the often-dark relationship between man and chicken in this classic example of Spanish neo-realism. He paints a brutal, even savage portrait of cockfighting, but still, we empathize with the cock wranglers and marvel at the nobility of the cocks themselves– a troubling film that will stay with you long after your viewing.

7. Dingleberry (1934)

This silent film follows “Dingleberry,” an optimistic and naïve dog, as he travels through America during the Great Depression. One of the most remarkable social documents of the country ever made.

8. The Underground Railroad Disco Party (1977)

This film, a dazzling mix of Blaxploitation and Documentary, mines the history of the disco movement, showing us the political background that informed the music that is all too often thought of as little more than a hedonistic spasm. Explicit nudity throughout, it’s a movie that film critic Pauline Kael famously described as “boner-inducing.”

9. Chico y el frijol   (2008)

This piece of magical realism centers on the tempestuous relationship between a Latin truck driver and his  headstrong girlfriend as they wind their way through the unpredictable, often surreal landscape of communist Cuba. Uproariously funny, with a brilliant performance by Sean Penn, this film transcends the road movie genre, lifting the audience up into profound and sublime precincts rarely encountered in cinema.

10. Game of Poems (2003)

This expertly crafted Michael Bay movie follows the lives of three poets as they vie for a $500 grant. Each story– that at first seem entirely disconnected–all come together in a rising and unexpected crescendo. It’s a taut, stylish thriller. (4 hours and 23 minutes)