Funny Games 1997

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is a film reference book edited by Steven Jay Schneider with original essays on each film contributed by over 70 film critics.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1001_Movies_You_Must_See_Before_You_Die

The objective of this Collection are Movies with:

Complex plot
Big plot twist.
Ending twist

Pulled from PTP collection

A selection of films, famed for their decision to throw convention out of the window. This list pays homage to the great surrealist films from the history of cinema.

Every year there are a huge number of movies that fly right under the radar of the average movie fan. movies that are great but just not that well known.

There are plenty of movie gems out there and hopefully this list will help you find some.

Feel free to submit new movies in the comments below.

This list contains movies/documentaries and short films. The list was originally created on IMDb. http://goo.gl/gHles

Since 1984, the Criterion Collection has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. No matter the medium—from laserdisc to DVD and Blu-ray to streaming—Criterion has maintained its pioneering commitment to presenting each film as its maker would want it seen, in state-of-the-art restorations with special features designed to encourage repeated watching and deepen the viewer’s appreciation of the art of film.

Films listed in order of spine numbers. Releases with multiple films are listed as individual items where appropiate.

Last Update: Releases up to July 2024 (Spine #1228)

Source: https://www.criterion.com/shop/browse/list?sort=spine_number

Well over a century has passed since the Lumière brothers frightened the life out of Parisians with The Arrival of a Train at a Station, and well over a million titles have since been recorded - if the Internet Movie Database is anything to go by.

Out of these million-plus movies, our team of experts has picked what we believe is the essential 1,000 - those that best sum up the dazzling achievement and variety of the movies.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/series/1000-films-to-see-before-you-die

The They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1,000 greatest films list is primarily compiled by using over 6000 individual critics' and filmmakers' best-films-of-all-time lists/ballots. The resulting list is very diverse and spans virtually all movie-producing decades and countries.

Source: http://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000.htm

A disturbing or extremely confusing experience, in particular one that is caused by deliberate psychological manipulation.

Not for those with heart conditions. You might get dirty looks if you mention these films. Welcome aboard fellow traveller. Remember it's only a movie...

The top films in the 2012 Sight and Sound Poll from the combined votes of 846 critics and 359 directors. Contains films with 3 or more votes. In order by number of votes.

The following is a list of positions and the number of corresponding votes. 21-22 (66 votes), 27-28 (55 votes), 29-30 (54 votes), 36-37 (46 votes), 39-42 (44 votes), 43-46 (43 votes), 47-50 (41 votes), 51-52 (40 votes), 53-55 (39 votes), 56-57 (38 votes), 59-60 (35 votes), 62-74 (33 votes), 75-77 (32 votes), 78-79 (31 votes), 82-88 (28 votes), 89-90 (27 votes), 91-93 (26 votes), 94-99 (25 votes), 100-103 (24 votes), 104-106 (23 votes), 107-110 (22 votes), 111-118 (21 votes), 119-127 (20 votes), 128-139 (19 votes), 140-146 (18 votes), 147-153 (17 votes), 154-166 (16 votes), 167-182 (15 votes), 183-193 (14 votes), 194-206 (13 votes), 207-228 (12 votes), 229-243 (11 votes), 244-271 (10 votes), 272-302 (9 votes), 303-330 (8 votes), 331-375 (7 votes), 376-423 (6 votes), 424-497 (5 votes), 498-624 (4 votes), 625-817 (3 votes)

Source: http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012

The greatest films ever made, as voted by MUBI’s global community of film lovers.

https://mubi.com/lists/the-top-1000

Over 1,000 films are listed in this visually arresting, full-color celebration of the silver screen. Film personalities, including actors, directors, cinematographers, and animators, write about their favorite films from a variety of angles. Martin Scorsese, Nicole Kidman, and Nick Hornby are among those who weigh in. Writers are matched to suitable (or sometimes surprising) themes and genres within the wider subject of how films can alter the course of a life. Movie stills and posters, trivia, and top-ten lists make this a book that can be dipped into or read from cover to cover. Great screen moments — endings, beginnings, kisses, death scenes — are given special spreads. The eclectic approach speaks to fans of big Hollywood blockbusters and factoid-reciting film geeks alike.

Source: https://www.amazon.com/Time-1000-Films-Change-Guides/dp/1904978738

Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements for a wider and wider audience. The foundation of the collection is the work of such masters of cinema as Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, and Kubrick. Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made it into the collection.

Source: https://www.criterion.com/library/list_view?b=Criterion&m=dvd&s=spine

Pretty complete list with over 2,000 entries. All are in alphabetical order, order of release or to be watch in a sequence as part of the so called "universe", like for instance the Conjuring-universe, or part of an anthology or serie. Anything missing or to add, please let me know.
*Last update 06/03/2024

Top voted comments in the /r/AskReddit thread below.

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/37kyst/what_largely_unknown_movie_is_a_must_watch/

A FEAST OF FRIGHTFUL FLICKS WAITING TO BE REDISCOVERED

As the leading name in the world of horror, Fangoria magazine has been the source of information for fans of fright flicks for more than twenty years—covering feature films, video games, comic books, collectibles, and all aspects of horror entertainment. Working closely with Fangoria’s experts, including Editor in Chief Anthony Timpone, Adam Lukeman has compiled a must-have guide for casual horror fans and hardcore horror junkies with Fangoria’s 101 Best Horror Films You’ve Never Seen.

Everyone has their favourite genre but we can surely all agree that thrillers are the best. And if you don’t believe us, there’s a suspicious figure in that darkened doorway who’d like a word. From the early classics, like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger or Fritz Lang’s M, to the films of David Fincher and Martin Scorsese, they’re rich in nerve-shredding, adrenaline-pumping rides into the darker recesses of the psyche. Thrillers show us horrors and weave in human dramas, but they use those raw materials to forge something particular: a sense of unease and suspense.

With masterful control of those elements, Hitchcock could manipulate his audiences like puppets on a string, delivering shocks that reverberate through cinema history. Fincher’s Seven and Zodiac have carried on the legacy, while films like Pig, Nightmare Alley and The Card Counter show that the thriller is the genre for all eras. Even superhero flicks, like Captain America: Civil War and The Batman, have been borrowing liberally from the crime thriller. It is, unlike many of its ill-fated characters, alive and well.

But what are the very best of them? As we’ve done with science fiction, horror films, romances, comedies, westerns and war films, we’ve dusted cinema for prints and taken a magnifying glass to its finest thrillers to boil them down to a tonne of all-timers. On the list? Murder, political intrigue, espionage, conspiracy, manipulation, gaslighting and, of course, crime. Lots of crime. Enjoy – and hold on tight.

Written by Abbey Bender, Joshua Rothkopf, Phil de Semlyen, Tom Huddleston, Andy Kryza & Tomris Laffly

Source: https://www.timeout.com/film/best-thriller-movies

Horror is one of the most readily dismissed genres from critics and film buffs, yet is, arguably, the genre with the most avid and steadfast niche following and remains popular with the general public. With horror films aiming to terrify, spook, shock, disturb, repulse, amuse, entertain and more, it's no wonder the genre is so varied, divisive and controversial.

With so many people ignoring or simply not understanding horror, many great films slip under the radar and are relatively unknown to an audience outside of hardcore horror fans. In order to counteract this and bring awareness to the greatness of the genre, this list was created.

Compiled using 2,614 lists taken from various critics/polls/magazines/books/websites/forums/horror fans, They Shoot Zombies, Don't They? is intended to be the ultimate canonical top 1000 horror list. Spanning several decades, countries and sub-genres, and using lists from a wide range of people and publications, the resulting list is quite a diverse spread and representation of the best of horror.

Source: http://theyshootzombies.com/

Concepts like the Blockbuster is introduced. 1980s is called 'one of the weaker decades in cinema'. The rise of independent films revive cinema again in the 1990s.
[This is a series of lists listing films deemed important based on their technical, artistic, historical or cultural significance. This shall also serve as a good resource for film studies however it is extensively based on my own personal preferences.
Resources:
[1]r/truefilm, IMDb, AFI's top 100, Sight & Sound Critic's Directors' Top 100, and various others.
[2] Looking at Movies: https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Movies-Fifth-Richard-Barsam/dp/0393600653 and The Movie Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Movie-Book-Ideas-Simply-Explained-ebook/dp/B017AR0MUS
[3] Download Links:Qxr, Sartre, Garshasp for more iconic ones. Yify and others for the rest. (Piracy Is Illegal ffs & I shall not be responsible)
Excerpt From https://www.imdb.com/user/ur73738276/watchlist?sort=release_date%2Casc&view=detail listing films from 1981's *Christiane F to 2000's Traffic
PS: Trakt has incorrect dates for a great many titles. so use IMDb or wikipedia! This list uses IMDb and 'Rank' is the correct order. ]
Films already watched have been exempted. Imported 274/276

From the book by Jennifer Eiss. The list is arranged by chapter. Each chapter starts with a top 10 (in alphabetical order), followed by the "best of the rest" (in alphabetical order).

#1-83: Dramatic Situatons
#84-133: Gripping Tales
#134-165: Lights, Camera…!
#166-228: Visionary Universes
#229-280: Criminal Underworlds
#281-360: Tales of Terror
#361-432: Cult Humor
#433-453: The Wild Wild West
#454-502: Film Lab

Source: https://www.amazon.com/500-Essential-Cult-Movies-Ultimate/dp/1402774869

Must watch!!
Features: Complex plot
Big plot twist.
Ending twist.

(Pulled from someone else's collection.)

From the British Film Institute book edited by Steven Jay Schneider.