National Society of Film Critics:

100 Essential Films

In 2002, the National Society of Film Critics published the book The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films (edited by Jay Carr). The list was unranked but has been ranked here according to the films’ overall status in Dave’s Movie Database.

The actual list consists of 107 titles because the book listed some series as single entries. Those movies were The Godfather and The Godfather Part II; Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein; The Apu Trilogy: Pather Panchali (1955), The Apu Trilogy: Aparajito (1956), and The Apu Trilogy: The World of Apu (Apur Sansar) (1959); La Strada and The Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria); and Red Sorghum (1987), Ju Dou (1990), and Raise the Red Lantern (1991).

1. The Godfather (1972) / The Godfather Part II (1974)
2. Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
3. Gone with the Wind (1939)
4. Citizen Kane (1941)
5. Casablanca (1942)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
8. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
9. Psycho (1960)
10. Vertigo (1958)

11. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
12. Pulp Fiction (1994)
13. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
14. Raging Bull (1980)
15. Chinatown (1974)
16. The Seven Samurai (Schichinin no Samurai) (1954)
17. Annie Hall (1977)
18. All About Eve (1950)
19. Double Indemnity (1944)
20. The Graduate (1967)

21. On the Waterfront (1954)
22. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
23. The Searchers (1956)
24. Fargo (1996)
25. The Exorcist (1973)
26. Modern Times (1936)
27. Metropolis (1927)
28. Touch of Evil (1958)
29. Unforgiven (1992)
30. Tokyo Story (Tôkyô Monogatari) (1953)

31. L.A. Confidential (1997)
32. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
33. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
34. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
35. The Wild Bunch (1969)
36. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
37. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
38. The General (1927)
39. The Rules of the Game (La Règle du Jeu) (1939)
40. Nashville (1975)

41. Rashômon (1950)
42. The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) (1959)
43. High Noon (1952)
44. Battleship Potemkin (Bronenosets Potyomkin) (1925)
45. The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc) (1928)
46. The Sweet Life (La Dolce Vita) (1960)
47. Do the Right Thing (1989)
48. M – Eine Stadt Sucht Einen Mörder (1931)
49. Duck Soup (1933)
50. Breathless (A Bout de Souffle) (1959)

51. The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet) (1957)
52. Frankenstein (1931) / Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
53. The Birth of the Nation (1915)
54. Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror (aka “Nosferatu, the Vampire”) (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens) (1922)
55. Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis) (1945)
56. Greed (1924)
57. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
58. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
59. The Apu Trilogy:

Pather Panchali (1955)
Aparajito (1956)
The World of Apu (Apur Sansar) (1959)

60. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

61. Ugetsu (aka “Ugetsu Mongatari” or “Tales of a Pale Moon After the Rain”) (1953)
62. Man with a Movie Camera (Chelovek s Kinoapparatom) (1929)
63. L’Atalante (aka “Le Chaland Qui Passe”) (1934)
64. Top Hat (1935)
65. The Piano (1993)
66. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
67. Trouble in Paradise (1932)
68. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
69. The Decalogue (Dekalog) (1988)
70. Rome, Open City (Roma Città Aperta) (1945)

71. Blow-Up (1966)
72. 42nd Street (1933)
73. Red Sorghum (1987) / Ju Dou (1990) / Raise the Red Lantern (Da Hong Deng Long Gao Gao Gua) (1991)
74. Pandora's Box (aka “Lulu”) (Die Büchse der Pandora) (1929)
75. The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
76. La Strada (1954) / The Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria) (1957)
77. Killer of Sheep (1977)
78. Easy Rider (1969)
79. Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól I Diament) (1958)
80. The Bank Dick (1940)

81. The Palm Beach Story (1942)
82. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978)
83. Written on the Wind (1956)
84. Diner (1982)
85. The Young and the Damned (Los Olvidados) (1950)
86. Close-Up (Nema-ye Nazdik) (1990)
87. The Public Enemy (1931)
88. Faces (1968)
89. Enter the Dragon (1973)
90. Closely Watched Trains (Ostre Sledované Vlaky) (1966)

91. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
92. Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
93. Winchester ‘73 (1950)
94. Les Vampires (1915)
95. Landscape in the Mist (aka “Topio Stin Omichli” or “Paysage Dans Le Brouillard”) (1988)
96. Happy Together (1997)
97. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
98. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)
99. The Entertainer (1960)
100. Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)

Resources:

Dave’s Movie Database: Movie Lists
National Society of Film Critics (2002). The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films (edited by Jay Carr)
National Society of Film Critics (official website)

Originally posted 8/13/2019; last updated 6/2/2023.

Wednesday, December 18, 2002

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers released

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Released: December 18, 2002

Studio: New Line Cinema

Genre: fantasy/adventure/drama

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 342.60 Worldwide: 947.94

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 566.34 Worldwide: 1418.90

Directing: Peter Jackson

Screenwriting: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson

Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler

Review:

In the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the fellowship has broken. “This is a considerably darker film” ^EM as the “series takes on more of a sweeping, Nordic feel.” ^E18 “Where the first movie developed its emotional tone from the brightness of The Shire to a darker climax, the sequel is more of a one-note affair, shadowy in both look and content.” ^E18

The hobbits Frodo (Wood) and Sam (Astin) continue their journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring, accompanied by the mysterious Gollum. “In an age where computer-generated characters and scenes are commonplace.” ^MSN The latter is “one of the most captivating CGI creatures to date,” ^MSN “a brilliant combination of computer trickery and raspy vocals from Andy Serkis.” ^EM “It does it again with Treebeard, a walking, talking tree that manages to keep the audience enchanted and glued to the screen.” ^MSN

Aragorn the warrior (Mortensen), Legolas the elf (Bloom), and Gimli (Rhys-Davies) the dwarf and the people of Rohan stand up to the evil Sauron’s allies. It all builds up “to Helm’s Deep, a ferocious action crescendo which features gratuitous scenes of dwarf-tossing.” ^E18

“Jackson cleverly tempers the louder, brasher sequences with some heartstring-tugging moments - peasants despondent as they are forced to abandon their villages, Aragorn and Arwen’s troubled relationship, and, of course, the return of Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen, superb as ever), one of the film's most powerful, memorable images that may well leave Ring devotees a little misty-eyed.” ^EM