It's time for me to be a film schnob. (Elite people say "schnob" instead of "snob" and regret that there isn't an R in the word to roll.)

I'm not posting my "favorite movies" here. In the ancient days of "At-A-Glance Film Reviews" I had my twelve favorite films, but it didn't take me long to figure out that I would never be happy with ANY list, ordered or unordered, short or long, that attempted to represent my "favorite movies" completely. I'm always seeing more movies, so it would change as my exposure to other films increased. Seeing more movies doesn't just provide new candidates for the list; it changes how I see *other* movies that use the same devices and formulas. And the appeal of movies -- especially great movies -- changes over time. My immediate response to "Barton Fink" was only moderate, once the credits rolled; it wasn't until some weeks later, after the movie sat around in my head a while and made me think, that I realized how brilliant it is. Some movies improve with successive viewings, like the 1983 Joseph Papp production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance," which is rich in details that cannot all be noticed the first time through. Some movies weaken with successive viewings, such as a number of action blockbusters that mask thin plots and characters with adrenaline.

Browsing through this thread, I see a lot of people saying that Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Toy Story, Star Wars, etc, are their favorite films. There's nothing wrong with this -- hey, I love them all -- but there is a whole wide world of amazing movies out there beyond those films that rank number one at the box office on their opening weekends, because some studio thought they would appeal to the lowest common denominator and therefore pumped millions of dollars into advertising and merchandising.

What follows is a non-canonical list of movies that resonated powerfully within me that aren't also widely seen in the modern mainstream. I don't mean that they are all arty, cerebral exercises that only film schnobs like me can appreciate, while normal people would rather stick to explosions, thank you very much. Some, as in the case of "The Great Train Robbery," are essentially no more than fun action suspense films -- except that something about the writing, the acting, the characterization, the plot twists, etc, has a special sort of style, such that the film becomes somehow so compelling that it etches itself indelibly on the mind, and one comes away feeling that s/he has witnessed something very special and unique.

The list is alphabetized. I have provided genres only reluctantly, for those films that fall into a genre of some kind; several surpass categorization. "The Red Violin," for example, is a drama/comedy/tragedy/romance/suspense/biography escapist con game culture clash study, which is pretty remarkable for any film, let alone one whose only main character is an inanimate object.

At any rate, here is my list. Chances are, you've seen few if any of them, but if you love movies and are interested in finding some diamonds amongst the coal, you won't go far wrong tracking these down:

1. Barton Fink (1991; drama/thriller)

2. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946; drama about returning WWII veterans and the difficulties they have integrating back into society -- made in 1946, when nothing could be more relevant; won the Best Picture Oscar that year)

3. Brief Encounter (1946; the only films I've ever seen, although I know of others, that takes a sympathetic [which is not to say approving] look at what drives people to have affairs; extremely thought-provoking)

4. Bringing Up Baby (1938; likely the greatest non-silent comedy ever made -- fast-paced and just as hilarious today as ever)

5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000; reasonably well known, but I thought I'd list it anyway simply for how astonishingly *beautiful* this film is)

6. Dead Again (1991; my favorite non-Hitchcock Hitchcockian thriller, perhaps because it ISN'T strictly a "Hitchcockian thriller" but something that transcends its roots and becomes something original)

7. Dead of Night (1945; inexplicably memorable anthology of horror stories)

8. Dear Heart (1964; a black comedy you either get or don't -- get it, and it's hilarious)

9. Do the Right Thing (1989; Spike Lee's masterpiece -- a look at the intricately intertwined lives of the residents of one inner city street, over the course of a single day -- the film remains neutral in the face of the racial controversies it broaches, as Lee does not presume to have all the answers)

10. Frequency (2000; mystery/thriller)

11. Gaslight (1944; one of the best psychological thrillers ever made)

12. The General (1927; Buster Keaton's finest and a contender for the greatest comedy ever made)

13. The Great Escape (1963; prisoners of war attempt to break out of a concentration camp -- one great thing about this film is its balance of mood: it can be humorous and grim, neither counteracting the other)

14. The Great Train Robbery (1979; heist/suspense)

15. A Hard Day's Night (1964; generally considered the greatest rock-n-roll movie ever made)

16. Heat (1995; Al Pacino AND Robert De Niro? That's enough to radiate cool, but this film is intelligent and thoughtful as well)

17. Ikiru (1952; such a very *human* film)

18. It Started With Eve (1941; comedy)

19. The Lady Eve (1941; comedy)

20. Moulin Rouge (2001; hardly unknown, but it's masterfully done, and there's no other movie like it)

21. Network (1976; social satire about the tastes of television audiences -- contains a number of amazingly acted monologues, among other things)

22. Noises Off (1992; *are* there any other films, let alone other comedies, faster paced?)

23. Oliver! (1968; gritty musical version of Oliver Twist)

24. The Pirates of Penzance (1983; more than a film version of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta -- there is joy in every frame of this production)

25. Pleasantville (1998; can be viewed as a disposable comedy AND as a thought-provoking social commentary)

26. The Producers (1968; the only Mel Brooks film I truly love)

27. The Red Violin (1998; inexplicably compelling; a true work of art)

28. 1776 (1972; musical enactment of the events that led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence -- a surprisingly unreserved film that is funny at times and powerfully frank about war and slavery at others)

29. Short Cuts (1993; defies genre pigeonholding -- turn to my review on At-A-Glance, as well as my review of its "making of" documentary, for more about it)

30. Sleuth (1972; an intellectual cat-and-mouse game -- superior precursor to "Deathtrap," which I recommend if you like this one)

31. Sneakers (1992; heisty stuff with a great cast)

32. Three Kings (1999; something original in the guise of a war movie)

33. Topsy-Turvy (1999; as if fantastic acting and dialogue weren't enough, this film is the most comprehensive study I've seen of the world of theater)

34. Traffic (2000; the most comprehensive study I've seen of the world of drugs)

35. Wait Until Dark (1967; extremely suspenseful Hitchcockian thriller)

36. The War of the Roses (1989; a black comedy gone berserk)

37. Witness For the Prosecution (1957; a courtroom mystery with more shocking twist endings than you can shake a stick at)

38. The Wrong Box (1966; oddball British comedy)