Robert Rodriguez
When given an opportunity, deliver excellence and never quit.
This American filmmaker put into words what legions of directors do. Storytelling excellence litters cinematic history, across all genres. From psychological horror to slapstick comedies, top-rated movies captivate and entertain. They keep us coming back for more.
With such an ethos, it's rather a shame that Mr Rodriguez is little known outside his country. That doesn't stop us from appreciating works from his fellow directors from around the world. Ahead of National Cinema Day, Superprof explores titles from the most popular genres.
Popular Film Genres:
- Comedy: slapstick, satirical, romantic, etc.
- thrillers: action, horror, psychological, etc.
- animation: superhero, fantasy, anime, etc.
- Sci-fi: horror, adventure, philosophical, etc.
- Bonus section: the best of British Cinema
- Bonus section: great films from the past five years
Top-Rated Movies of the Comedy Genre
Comedy - particularly slapstick, is one of cinema's oldest genres. In the Silent Film Era, audiences had no witty dialogue to provoke laughter. Actors and directors relied on physical comedy to make film-goers laugh. Slapstick is extreme physical comedy, which includes facial expressions, pratfalls, and exaggerated movements.
Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers - particularly Groucho, and Charlie Chaplin are top names in Silent-Era slapstick comedy. Their brand of comedy didn't translate into the new 'Talkies' era; their popularity waned as snappy dialogue took over. However, slapstick did not die, it evolved.
Monty Python successfully married slapstick comedy with zingy one-liners. In fact, they dumped every single comedy sub-genre into that blender to create the ultimate in comedic expression. Critics and audiences around the world celebrate this comedy troupe for its brilliance and innovation. Thus, it's no surprise that the greatest comedy film ever is a Monty Python hit.
Best-Ever Comedy: Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 1975
King Arthur has a quest to fulfil, but he needs a few knights to fill out the Round Table. Searching for them becomes his pre-quest, but nobody takes him seriously - why would they?
Faithful Patsy follows him everywhere, banging his coconut shell halves, as Arthur strides about in 'horse mount' position. Poor Arthur struggles to keep his band of knights but, in the end, his quest ends in arrest.
💻Where to Watch: Netflix
🍅Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
🍿Audience rating: 9.5/10
This genius film is part social commentary, part historical, and all hysterical. It stands the Arthurian Legend on its head. Grail is nearly as heretical as The Pythons' other smash comedy, Life of Brian. The consensus ties these two films as the best comedies ever.
Other Top-Rated Movies in Comedy
| 🏆Film Title | 📆Year | 🎬Director | 🤼Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Bruges | 2008 | Martin McDonagh | Colin Farrell Brendan Gleeson Ralph Fiennes |
| Amelie | 2001 | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Audrey Tautou Mathieu Kassovitz Rufus Lorella Cravotta |
| National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | 1989 | Jeremiah S. Chechik | Chevy Chase Beverly D'Angelo Randy Quaid |
| Arsenic and Old Lace | 1944 | Frank Capra | Cary Grant Raymond Massey Priscilla Lane |
| Weekend at Bernie’s | 1989 | Ted Kotcheff | Andrew McCarthy Jonathan Silverman Catherine Mary Stewart |
Thrillers: the Best Films Ever
In this film category, we have two great franchises to acknowledge: Mission Impossible, and 007. The British Bond series is far older than its American counterpart - at least, as feature films. In the USA, Mission was first a television series. The film series didn't launch until 1996, though the studio produced a standalone title in the late 60s.
The Mission and 007 franchises are political in nature. They have cool gadgets and exciting action scenes, but the stories don't quite land. Audiences prefer stories they can relate to, that they can invest themselves in. For that, this is the best thriller of all time.
Psycho: The First Psychoanalytical Thriller - 1960
A lovestruck real estate agent embezzles funds to speed up her wedding day arrival. She rushes to her boyfriend but severe weather takes her off the road. In the distance, she sees a neon motel sign.
For safety's sake, she pulls in - the most unsafe thing she could have done! Her sister uncovers madness while trying to find her.
💻Where to Watch: YouTube, Virgin Media
🍅Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
🍿Audience rating: 9.5/10
Director Alfred Hitchcock cast this movie perfectly. He balanced the story's pedestrian nature against its malevolent elements. Who could forget that teasing glint in Norman's eyes, or the shower scene?
Add These Titles to your Watchlist
| 🏆Film Title | 📆Year | 🎬Director | 🤼Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get Out | 2017 | Jordan Peele | Daniel Kaluuya Allison Williams Bradley Whitford |
| The Silence of the Lambs | 1991 | Jonathan Demme | Jodie Foster Anthony Hopkins Scott Glenn |
| Safe Haven | 2013 | Lasse Hallström | Josh Duhamel Julianne Hough Cobie Smulders |
| Split | 2016 | M. Night Shyamalan | James McAvoy Anya Taylor-Joy Betty Buckley |
| The Guilty | 2021 | Antoine Fuqua | Jake Gyllenhaal Christina Vidal Mitchell Ethan Hawke |
Great Films in Animation
This genre boasts a list of titles so long that we could write an entire article on the best animated films ever made. Walt Disney started the animation craze on our side of the world, with Snow White (1937). However, in the Eastern Hemisphere, another animation style was all the rage.
Anime, once confined to Japan, is now a worldwide phenomenon. On one level, these films are cartoons by another name - albeit beautifully drawn. But anime takes the cartoon concept much higher. Intricate storylines and characters with backgrounds, dilemmas and resolutions to find raise the animation bar.
Thus, it's no surprise that a Studio Ghibli production, Spirited Away, earns the 'Best Animation' title. However, that film is a standalone product. It has no sequels, no spin-offs, and no live-action or stage versions. By sheer edition volume, this film stands shoulder to shoulder with that Ghibli title.
Top Animation: The Lion King - 1994
In the Pride Lands, a new king is born; all animals rush to Pride Rock to pay homage. A select band stews in their resentment, they fall spellbound to a malevolent presence.
This black-maned lion engineers his brother's end, and banishes the cub to claim the throne for himself. Will he lead the Pride Lands with grace and wisdom, or must the rightful king return to claim his throne?
💻Where to Watch: Disney, Prime, Fandango
🍅Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
🍿Audience rating: 9.3/10
This film marked the first overt display of international consideration in a Disney movie. The film cites a specific location - Tanzania, and features traditional African music elements. It's also the first Disney production made from whole cloth - not an interpretation of existing works.
Plan Your Next Movie Night Around These Titles
| 🏆Film Title | 📆Year | 🎬Director | 🤼 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeping Beauty | 1959 | Clyde Geronimi Wolfgang Reitherman | Mary Costa Bill Shirley Eleanor Audley |
| The Iron Giant | 1999 | Brad Bird | Jennifer Aniston Harry Connick Jr. Vin Diesel |
| Persepolis | 2007 | Marjane Satrapi Vincent Paronnaud | Chiara Mastroianni Catherine Deneuve |
| Wreck it Ralph | 2012 | Rich Moore | John C. Reilly Sarah Silverman Jack McBrayer |
| The Boy and the Heron | 2024 | Hayao Miyazaki | Soma Santoki Masaki Suda Aimyon |
Top-Rated Movies in Science Fiction
The Sci-fi genre had its heyday during the mid-20th Century. Since then, Sci-fi has devolved into three main types: dystopia, space epics, and horror. These types of films have their fans - otherwise, studios wouldn't make them. However, they lack the innovative stories Sci-fi of yore had in spades.
One modern-day title stands out; it assaults the senses, at times comically and others, with tragedy. Every aspect falls on-point: the cast, the production values, the story, and the satisfying conclusion. This film earned 11 Award nominations and took seven of them. It now ranks among the best Sci-fi films of all time.
Everything Everywhere All at Once - 2022
Evelyn simply has too much on her plate. A frustrated husband, a nagging dad, and a wayward daughter.
All that, on top of her own mental health issues, and the tax agency demanding an audit. And then, our heroine discovers that all is not well in the Alphaverse,
💻Where to Watch: Prime
🍅Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
🍿Audience rating: 7.7/10
We've all been there: too much going on, and not enough time, energy and brain power to manage. That's what makes this film so relatable. Add in the Sci-fi twist, and we all wish we could be Evelyn.
Don't Miss These Other Great Sci-fi Titles
| 🏆Film Title | 📆Year | 🎬Director | 🤼Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Day the Earth Stood Still | 1951 | Robert Wise | Michael Rennie Patricia Neal Hugh Marlowe |
| Solaris | 1972 | Andrei Tarkovsky | Donatas Banionis Natalya Bondarchuk Jüri Järvet |
| Back to the Future | 1985 | Robert Zemeckis | Michael J. Fox Christopher Lloyd Lea Thompson |
| Jurassic Park | 1993 | Steven Spielberg | Sam Neill Laura Dern Jeff Goldblum |
| Save the Green Planet | 2003 | Jang Joon-hwan | Shin Ha-kyun Baek Yoon-sik |
British Cinema: The Best Films Ever
East and West - American and Asian, those film productions tend to grab all the headlines. We can further break Asian offerings into Japanese - anime, and Korean (KDramas). Now, a new contender emerges. Chinese films are making inroads in all genres.
Meanwhile, British cinema quietly plugs along, cranking out delightful stories every year. Some of our titles might get the acclaim, but the British studios and directors hardly receive a mention. Our feature title - the best British film made that year, makes our point.
Gandhi - 1982
An English barrister finds offence in being relegated to the 'poor' class. This insult compels the young lawyer to pick up the torch for emancipation of a people oppressed. His passion is contagious, spurring others to his cause.
💻Where to Watch: BBC Select, Roku, YouTube
🍅Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
🍿Audience rating: 9.2/10
This sweeping epic is magnetic for being about recent events. Sir Kingsley absolutely smashes his breakout role; his transformation is a credit to his talent and the studio makeup techs'. Despite its historical inaccuracies (do look them up!), this film is a riveting watch.
Also See These Great British Films
| 🏆Film Title | 📆Year | 🎬Director | 🤼Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funny Bones | 1995 | Peter Chelsom | Oliver Platt Lee Evans Richard Griffiths |
| Human Traffic | 1999 | Justin Kerrigan | John Simm Lorraine Pilkington Shaun Parkes |
| Shaun of the Dead | 2004 | Edgar Wright | Simon Pegg Kate Ashfield Lucy Davis |
| Shooting Fish | 1997 | Stefan Schwartz | Dan Futterman Stuart Townsend Kate Beckinsale |
| A Room for Romeo Brass | 1999 | Shane Meadows | Andrew Shim Ben Marshall Paddy Considine |
Great Films from the Past Five Years
After a whole thesis on the best films ever, we end in disappointment. Over the past five years, we lived through the COVID pandemic, which shuttered studios and cinemas. Once things got up and running again, we were all too broke to afford a night out.
Still, a few gems emerged. Dune bears mentioning, of course, as does Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. Wolfwalkers fills the animation slot, and Nope satisfies the horror criterion. However, this title defies classification. Vastly underrated, it is, indeed, one of the best films of the past five years.
The Lighthouse - 2019
A 19th-Century lighthouse keeper gets a new protégé. This new hand gets all the demeaning work while having no access to the lantern room proper.
He soon begins to hallucinate; from there, it's a slow slide into madness and horror.
💻Where to Watch: Apple TV, BFI Player
🍅Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
🍿Audience rating: 7.2/10
This film has a bit of everything: the horror of The Birds, the fatalistic sense of All Is Lost, the strangeness of Get Out. The story itself is banal, but so well done that you'll stick around just to see what happens next.
Put These Great Films on Your Watchlist
| 🏆Film Title | 📆Year | 🎬Director | 🤼Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dune | 2019 | Denis Villeneuve | Timothée Chalamet Zendaya Rebecca Ferguson |
| Love Lies Bleeding | 2024 | Rose Glass | Kristen Stewart Katy O'Brian Jena Malone |
| Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019 | 2019 | Céline Sciamma | Noémie Merlant Adèle Haenel |
| Oppenheimer | 2023 | Christopher Nolan | Cillian Murphy Emily Blunt Matt Damon |
| Parasite | 2019 | Bong Joon-ho | Song Kang-ho Lee Sun-kyun Choi Woo-shik Park So-dam |
What's Your Go-To Film Genre?
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