Top 10 best movies I've never seen

Greetings, reader!

So, this is a strange title, but let me explain. Following last week's "Top 10 greatest movies never made" post, I figured that this would also be a fun concept to tackle: as opposed to the classic "Top 10 best movies I've ever seen", I'm going to look at the (probably) greatest movies that I haven't seen. Essentially, this is a collection of really good-sounding films, ones that I've been meaning to catch for a long time but haven't gotten around to it. It's not just based on how "must-see" the film is considered to be, either - these are ranked based on how sure I am that I would like the film, based on what I know about it. A heartfelt recommendation from a friend whose taste I trust, for example, has much more weight than a film's IMDB rating or amount of Oscars won. That being said, most of these are big classics, so publishing this list will definitely hurt my credentials as an as-if cinephile and cause a whole lot of "WHAT THE HELL MAN, HOW HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THIS FILM, YOU HAVE NOT LIVED GOOD SIR" - and I'm fine with that. Maybe it'll motivate me to finally watch this surely-great films!

Here are my honorable mentions: Modern Times (1936), Rashomon (1950), The Apartment (1960), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), The Devil Wears Prada (2006).

10. Rear Window (1954)

Hitchcock is one of the greats, and I've enjoyed everything I have seen from him - so I can only assume that the same would apply to this acclaimed work. It's been on my shortlist forever - it's not just because of its iconic status, but also because its premise sounds genuinely compelling and like something I'd be interested in seeing even if it wasn't a universally praised classic. I also love the Simpsons episode Bart of Darkness, which I've understood to largely be a homage to Rear Window, so I've always been curious to see the source of the references. Add to that the fact that James Stewart plays the lead role, and it gets extremely hard to imagine that I wouldn't love this film.

9. Princess Mononoke (1997)

A major recurring theme on today's list will be Studio Ghibli - I've watched embarrassingly few of their movies. It's not that I have anything against them, either! Every Ghibli film I've seen has been excellent, but I just somehow haven't gotten around to seeing very many (not growing up with these movies and only discovering them as a young adult is a partial explanation, but at this point, it's no excuse).

There are a few different Ghibli movies that have such a status that I always cause outrage in my friends when it comes out that I've missed that specific film - and Princess Mononoke is one of the big ones. I've managed to avoid all spoilers so I don't really know what the film is about...but I've experienced the passion with which Ghibli fans talk about this one, and I've seen it top quite a few Ghibli rankings that people have made, so I figure it must be pretty amazing.

8. La Vita È Bella (1997)

With an 8.6 rating, this Italian classic is sitting at the 27th place of IMDB's all-time top-rated movies - making it the highest-ranking film from that list that I haven't seen. Now, popular opinion isn't everything, but a film has to be doing something very right in order to get such a rating - I know that all of the 26 movies ahead of this one are all dynamite (gun to my head, I'd have to choose David Fincher's Se7en as the worst of the bunch, and that says a lot). Not to mention the fact that this movie is ahead of universally beloved works like Back to the Future, The Lion King and Casablanca...yeah, this I gotta see.

7. Prisoners (2013)

This is probably the most subjective pick on today's list - sure, it's a well-received film, but not quite on the level of classic stature as the other nine. It's here mainly because it's very rare for a film that I haven't seen yet to check so many of my personal boxes; everything I've heard about Prisoners is a green flag for my taste in cinema. The premise sounds intriguing within its genre, the trailer looks amazing, director Denis Villeneuve has not been known to make a subpar film, and the cast (Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Paul Dano)...chef's kiss. I can't believe that I've been meaning to watch this for thirteen years, and still haven't gotten around to it.

6. The Truman Show (1998)

Status as a modern classic aside, I've gotten so many personal recommendations for this one! I am interested in critical acclaim and accolades, but I'm so much more interested when someone who knows me says "Hey, I saw this film and you came to mind, I think you specifically would like it!". Historically, such recommendations have lead to the discovery of absolute gems like Hair (1979), About Time (2013) and Calamari Union (1985).

Also, I'm pretty sure I've managed to avoid at least some spoilers (I thought that the big twist had been ruined for me, but I've since gathered that the thing I know is the initial premise and there is some twist beyond that, and I've been dodging further spoilers ever since)...I should really get around to watching this one.

5. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

A winner of 3 Oscars and widely considered a Best Picture snub, directed by Billy Wilder and starring the classiest A-listers of its time, and constantly appearing on every "Greatest movies of all time" list I encounter, this one hits all the marks. It's not just that it's such a classic either - everything about the film's vibe hints at it being the specific type of old classic that I'm bound to enjoy a lot. The film's poster strikes such a prime-Hollywood aesthetic, not to mention that downright magical IMDB synopsis: "A failed screenwriter falls into a mercenary romance with a faded silent-film star". Every word better than the last.

4. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Told you there'd be more Ghibli! With most of the films on today's list I've mainly heard praise, but with this one, I've heard at least an equal amount of warnings. Warnings about tears and heartbreak, that is. I've managed to avoid spoilers, but just based on what I've heard about the initial setting, I feel like I can guess what the infamous grimness comes from.

I've always loved gripping movies - they require a certain state of mind to get through, and they certainly take their toll on viewers like me who get emotionally invested at the drop of the hat. This film must really be something, as I've heard such an exceptional amount of "oh man, brace yourself" disclaimers - but that just makes me want to watch it more. I'm not sure if that's a morbid-curiosity thing, an "I like to be moved by art" thing or a "Challenge accepted" thing, but either way...I gotta see this one.

3. Apocalypse Now (1979)

While there are two films ahead of this one for various reasons, this is the "objectively" biggest classic (if there is such a thing) that I haven't seen. No other film that has eluded me has gained this amount of universal acclaim, and status in the world of cinema. It's one of the biggest movies in the war genre, it's one of the most respected and influential movies from the 70's, there are several lines that I've known for over ten years despite not having seen the film, and it's second only to the Godfather films when people discuss Francis Ford Coppola's culturally relevant filmography. I've been ashamed of missing Apocalypse Now for years now, and will continue to do so until I finally get around to watching it. One of these days, man...

2. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

I mean, this is just a mythical level of classic. It's a title that cinephiles say with a slight tremble of respect and awe in their voices. I have heard so many positive things about this film, and seen it on so many "Greatest movies of all time" lists, while hearing exactly zero criticisms in the process. It must be pretty f**king good. Not to mention how compelling the premise sounds - I love movies about movies, even when they're the level of Last Action Hero (1993) and The Fabelmans (2022), and when reading reviews of those films, I always got the sense that they're considered mere echoes of this love letter to cinema.

1. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Topping today's exercise in self-embarrassment, we have yet another Ghibli film. Probably considered to be the most must-watch out of Hayao Miyazaki's filmography right after Spirited Away (2001) and maybe My Neighbor Totoro (1988), this film has a massive stature among animated cinema, Japanese cinema, and who am I kidding - cinema in general.

I think I was seven years old when someone at school was talking excitedly about this film, and I figured that it sounds really good and I should really watch it - and twenty years later, the experience has somehow eluded me for all this time. When I eventually get around to it, I'm guessing it'll feel cathartic - not just because it's surely a really good movie, but also because I'll get rid of something that has been nagging at the back of my mind for a vast majority of my life so far.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I finish my "un-movie trilogy" - with a ranking of the top 10 fictional movies and TV shows from movies and TV shows.