Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Year Released: 1972 With a 4/4-star rating from Roger Ebert, this 1972 film follows a group of conquistador explorers on a failed expedition on the hunt for a lost city. It’s directed by Werner Herzog, and stars Klaus Kinski – a powerhouse team when it comes to creating cinema legends, though this is said to be their best collaboration by far.
The film has a near-perfect rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and has won awards internationally, including the 1973 German Film Award and the 1977 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography.
Whiplash
Year Released: 2014 Whiplash premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize for the drama category, and the Audience Award. It follows a jazz drumming student as he tries to learn and rise up at the (fictional) Shaffer Conservatory despite an abusive instructor.
The movie became critically acclaimed upon its release, and received a number of prestigious accolades, including three Oscars at the 87th Academy Awards show. It grossed nearly $50 million at the box office against a budget of just $3.3 million.
Some Like it Hot
Year Released: 1959 This classic romantic comedy stars the legendary Marilyn Monroe and is widely regarded as one of the best films of all time. It tells the story of two musicians who must dress in drag to hide from the mafia after they wind up accidentally witnessing a crime.
Some Like it Hot was a huge success with critics and at the box office. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Director. In 2000, the American Film Institute named it number one on their list of 100 years of 100 laughs.
The Night of the Hunter
Year Released: 1955 This 1950’s film-noir focuses on the tale of a preacher who goes off the rails and on to a murder spree. The film was directed by actor Charles Laughton, his only feature-length film in which he wasn’t acting.
Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 rating, and it holds a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes out of nearly 70 votes. The film is available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video, where it also has a stellar rating of 4.3/5.
The Maltese Falcon
A film noir from the 1940s, The Maltese Falcon was both written and directed by John Huston and based on the 1930 novel by Dashiell Hammett.
During the 14th Academy Awards, the film received three nominations, including for the award of Best Picture. After Warner Bros. saw how successful the first film was, they discussed creating a sequel. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the original cast together and it was never made. Luckily, the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 1989.