I’m pretty stingy with my perfect scores. Any film I consider “perfect” transcends great art to become something that speaks to me personally. These are the films that hit that mark.

Alien

Objectivity doesn’t exist. Except for Alien. Alien is objectively perfect. That’s why I own three Alien T-shirts.

Raw

A lot of movies make me cry for narrative and emotional reasons. Raw is the only film that’s made me cry because it’s so aesthetically my shit.

Thelma (2017)

An artsy coming-of-age lesbian romance horror movie about a teen discovering her telekinetic powers and sexuality at the same time after having been repressed by her religious family her whole life is also extremely my shit.

Cat People (1942)

The movie that made me fall in love with Val Lewton. All those shadows, all that fear of repressed desire.

Pas de Deux

For a long time I didn’t count short films among my “perfect to me” movies, Pas de Deux made me realize that was dumb.

Drive

I don’t think I knew movies could be this pretty and image-forward before Drive.

Green Room

I described my aesthetic preferences as “I like quality violence, not necessarily quantity violence” for a long time because of Green Room. And, as always: nazi punks fuck off.

In Bruges

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are both just so wonderful here, and anything this obsessed with morality and guilt is going to work for me.

Calvary

Speaking of Brendan Gleeson being wonderful. I’m an atheist who loves movies about faith. Especially if they’re this funny and mournful.

The Night of the Hunter

Like I said, I love a movie about faith. Especially one where Robert Mitchum is scary hot. The Night of the Hunter also made “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” my favorite hymn. I will always be upset Charles Laughton only ever directed one movie.

Island of Lost Souls

I love a lot of this movie (including Laughton’s delightful performance), but the moment when the beastmen realize they can kill their god is embedded in my mind forever.

The Seventh Victim

How many other movies from 1943 are about a lesbian joining a Satanic cult? It’s also just stunning to look at.

Wall-E

Not only is Wall-E a great movie about climate change and capitalism, it’s also got like 20 minutes of pure visual storytelling.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

I love stop motion and I love symmetry. I’m also far from immune to whimsy.

The Rover

Bleak and barren post-apocalyptic neo-Western is very much ~for me~ and it’s the movie that made fall in love with Robert Pattinson.

High Life

Robert Pattinson telling Juliette Binoche “You’re foxy and you know it.” Also the hottest he’s ever been.

Antichrist

LvT edgelord king. I’ve referred to Charlotte Gainsbourg in this as my lord and savior before.

Inside (2007)

My favorite Christmas movie and that is not a joke.

In My Skin (2002)

I may write something about how relatable I find this movie at some point. I may also just keep the details of that to myself and instead say if I were forced to define my gender, I’d probably just show them this.

Broken

You know, that early career thing from the guy who did the score for Mank. You can watch a bad rip of it with Spanish subtitles here.

The Separation

Dead Ringers has nothing on The Separation. You can confirm that here.

Brick

Is it embarrassing for me that I love Brick more than any classic noir? Maybe. I just can’t help but adore the “noir in a high school” gimmick.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

I thought Elizabeth Olsen was cool before Scarlet Witch.

Nocturnal Animals

If you make an exploitation movie with artsy aesthetics I’m going to like it. If you make it a two in one movie where the other half is just Amy Adams looking gorgeous and contemplating her life choices, I’m going to love it.

Fast Five

Big, dumb, loud, and so so joyous. This is what all blockbusters should aspire to.

Born in Flames

A manifesto in the guise of a genre film.

I Am Somebody

A short doc about Black hospital workers, mostly women, striking for better wages and unionization that’s better than any feature length doc.

Robocop (1987)

I was not at all prepared for how anti-capitalist and “the police are tools of the rich” this movie is when I first saw it.

Ms. 45 (1981)

Everything I said the first time I saw it is why it is here, I just was too much of a coward to commit to the 10/10.

Maniac (1980)

Favorite slasher #1. I wrote a big thing about it how it’s doing the same things as Psycho and Taxi Driver and does them better.

Halloween II (2009)

Favorite slasher #2. It’s the only slasher that makes me cry and it’s maybe the most beautiful use of 16mm I’ve ever seen.

28 Days Later

I actually think the final act is somewhat infuriating given everything we learn about the characters before. But this was the first horror movie I saw that made me realize horror movies could be “about society.” The fact that it has a very poor view of humanity and commits to looking raw as hell also help it remain among my favorites.

Nightcrawler

“If it bleeds, it leads” often applies to my sensibilities. I also love any story where the bad guy so thoroughly wins.

The Witch

I have the Black Phillip Funko Pop.

Dead Man

I love this movie, but I would not love it nearly as much without Neil Young’s incredible score. Also, just to be clear: fuck Johnny Depp as a person.

Black Swan

What if the quest for perfection meant self destruction? It’s not that deep, but I love it.

Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12

I broke the VHS for Ocean’s 11 when I was a kid because I watched it so many times, and I think 12 might be even better.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers & The Return of the King

My mom made me read the books before I was allowed to see the movies so I spent half of my first time seeing Return of the King running out of the theater because I was scared of Shelob. I love Fellowship too, but the battles just aren’t as good which means I don’t love it as much.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

“you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!”

2001: A Space Odyssey

Murderous AI and space ballet? This is where I reveal that Stanley Kubrick is the director with the most movies in my canon.

The Shining

Few things are as stressful as The Shining in a theater.

Full Metal Jacket

Yes, the whole thing. Nothing else so fully expresses the evil of war on every level.

Apocalypse Now

Insanity made cinema.

One From the Heart

There’s nothing like it, and that goes a long way with me. Also every double exposure, cross fade, matte painting, etc. just makes me giddy.

Miller’s Crossing

When I was in high school and wanted to be different I told people that Miller’s Crossing was my favorite Coen brothers movie. I still like to be different, but now I can’t decide between Miller’s Crossing and…

No Country For Old Men

“Evil exists and it cannot be stopped” resonates with me, as does the visual world of No Country, and the fact that it’s often hilarious.

The Big Lebowski

I grew up in LA and smoked a lot of weed in high school.

Spirited Away

When I first tried to watch Spirited Away at like 8, I couldn’t make it beyond the opening parent transformation because it was too scary. Now it makes me cry every time I watch because it’s too beautiful.

Princess Mononoke

I think Princess Mononoke goes on longer than it needs to. But it’s gorgeous, thrilling, and one of the most nuanced pieces of fiction about humans’ relationship to nature so it gets a pass.

The Thing (1982)

Rob Bottin the god.

Pingu’s The Thing aka Thingu

I don’t care that one of the few films I consider perfect is a minute long parody, it brings me immense joy.

The Dark Knight

Watched it on the big screen with a crowd for the first time since it came out in November of 2024, and while it’s politics are “interesting” just fucking works as a (fairly surface level) treatise on opposing worldviews that moves along because there’s an all-timer set piece every ten minutes.

Movies I need to rewatch to ensure their place

Sometimes you need to check back in with things you love. I love these movies and that will never change. But I haven’t seen them in a while and need to make sure they still hit me the same way.

Moonrise Kingdom

Yup, I may have two Wes Anderson joints in my canon, just need to check in on this one.

Zodiac

2007 was such a crazy good year.

Sicario

Villeneuve is great at twisting your stomach into knots and I wish he’d go back to it.

The Revenant

I saw it twice in one week in IMAX and have a suspicion that it won’t hit as hard on a TV.

Harold and Maude

‎‎One of the few movies that made its way into my canon based only on one viewing. I was just so incredibly charmed, and I think I will continue to be, just need to give it another watch.