I’m always playing catch up with old movies I missed in their original run. This year I saw about 68. Here are my 20 favorites.

NOTE: To qualify, a movie must have been released prior to 2020.

20. Superman (1978)

1978 / dir. Richard Donner / 2 hrs. 24 minutes

who in it: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Marlon Brando

I’m honestly surprised I put this off for so long. I think it’s mainly because it was the one superhero movie my dad didn’t show me when I was a kid. Maybe he thought Christopher Reeve was an asshole. I’ll have to ask him at Christmas dinner.

Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor is easily the highlight, but the whole movie ended up being a lot more fun and entertaining than I expected. I went ahead and watched all four of the Reeve films, and while Superman II comes close to matching the original, Superman III and IV are just painfully bad. Superman III might be the more polished of the two, but it’s also one of the most boring, lifeless superhero movies I’ve ever seen.

Streaming on HBOMax

19. Black Book (2006)

2006 / dir. Paul Verhoeven / 2 hrs 25 min.

who’s in it: Carice Van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Mattias Schoenartes

A 2.5 hour Holocaust Drama Romance from the dude who did Robocop and Showgirls? WHAT?! It’s wild how much Quentin Tarantino took from Paul Verhoeven‘s Black Book to make his WWII epic, Inglorious Basterds. It’s surprising even for the King of Steals.

While Inglorious Basterds ends up being the better, more entertaining movie by miles, Black Book is still very interesting, even if it’s 20 minutes too long. The film follows Rachel Stein (Game of Thrones‘ Carice Van Houten), a singer who becomes a spy for the Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. When she’s ordered to infiltrate a Nazi camp to seduce and kill a Gestapo officer (Sebastian Koch – The Fugitive), she finds herself falling in love with him.

Streaming on Tubi

18. Pump Up the Volume (1990)

1990 / dir. Allan Moyle / 1 hr 45 min.

who’s in it: Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Annie Ross, Ahmet Zappa

This one takes place in Arizona! A great movie for young revolutionaries that like ’80s and ’90s teen movies and still know what a radio is. Christian Slater plays an unassuming high school student by day and a rebellious pirate-radio DJ by night, rallying his fellow students to rise up against their school’s corrupt administration. It’s soooooo angsty but also a very engaging and fairly moving slice of teen drama.

Samantha Mathis plays Slater‘s love interest whose name is Nora DeNiro. Why name a character after Robert DeNiro? That’s so weird. Anyway, she has her boobs out in one scene and that’s the most adult thing about Pump Up the Volume.

Available for digital rental and purchase

17. Lost in America (1985)

1985 / dir. Albert Brooks / 1 hr 31 min.

who’s in it: Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty

Ever feel like saying, “fuck it,” quitting your job and just wandering the world doing absolutely nothing for a change? That’s exactly where David and Linda Howard find themselves, two milquetoast LA yuppies who convince themselves they’re ready to rough it in the open country. As it turns out, they’re absolutely not. But their misadventures prove hilarious and they end up learning just how fragile, sheltered, and dependent their comfortable middle-class bubble has made them.

This is the first of four Albert Brooks films on this list, and while it’s the least funny of the bunch, it’s still very fun and surprisingly sharp throughout.

Available for digital rental and purchase

16. A Better Tomorrow (1986)

1986 / dir. John Woo / 1 hr 35 min.

who’s in it: Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, Emily Chu Bo-Yee

Not the best Hong Kong crime drama I’ve seen, but possibly the best Chow Yun-Fat character and performance. He’s just so fucking cool in this movie; case in point: lighting a cigarette with a burning counterfeit $100 bill while wearing sunglasses?! I wish I had the plums to do that at T.G.I. Fridays.

A Better Tomorrow is a slow burn and has a fairly basic crime-movie plot, but it’s packed with small details that are genuinely fun and memorable. Those little touches give the film its personality and help elevate it beyond the standard genre beats.

The second one is even more bat-shit insane, but it doesn’t have the focus or confidence of its predecessor.

Streaming on Tubi & Criterion Channel

15. Police Story 2 (1988)

1988 / dir. Jackie Chan / 1 hr 45 min.

who’s in it: Jackie Chan, Bill Tung, Maggie Cheung, Kwok-Hung Lam, Chor Yuen

Almost as good as the original Police Story, this early Jackie Chan–directed and acted Hong Kong action/martial arts picture is a breath of fresh air compared to 99% of American action movies released in the past ten years.

This one is darker than the first and features a barrel fight that has to be seen to be believed.

Streaming on HBOMax

14. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

1979 / dir. Don Siegel / 1 hr 53 min.

who’s in it: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Larry Hankin, Fred Ward

A sad and poignant classic about wanting to get the fuck out of prison. One of Clint Eastwood‘s better performances.

Streaming on MGM+

13. City on Fire (1987)

1987 / dir. Ringo Lam Ling-Tung / 1 hr 45 min.

cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Sun Yuen, Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Carrie Ng Ka-Lai

Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs “stole” a lot from this fast-paced, bloody bank robber drama starring the always incredible Chow Yun-Fat.

It’s the only Hong Kong ’80s shoot-’em-up I’ve seen not directed by John Woo that doesn’t suffer from serious pacing issues. Of all the Ringo Lam Ling-Tung pictures I’ve seen (I think four?), this is easily the best of the bunch.

Streaming on Tubi & Criterion Channel

12. Monster House (2006)

2006 / dir. Gil Keenan / 1 hr 31 min.

who’s in it: Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Jason Lee, Jon Heder, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, Nick Cannon, Kevin James

I thought this looked dumb when it came out. Hey, Michael, you’re the dummy, because this 2006 animated kids’ horror adventure slaps total ass.

It’s offbeat and weird in a way American animated kids’ movies never are, and it features genuinely interesting characters. It’s also very dark and might be too much for your little one, but I like to think this was really made for stoner teens. I think they’ll get the most out of it.

Yeah, the animation is more than a little wonky, but the story and ideas more than make up for it.

Available for digital rental and purchase

11. Real Life (1979)

1979 / dir. Albert Brooks / 1 hr 39 min.

who’s in it: Albert Brooks, Charles Grodin, Frances Lee McCain

Up there with Tombstone and Raising Arizona as one of the best movies to take place in the Grand Canyon State.

Basically a parody of 1973’s An American Family, Real Life is a mockumentary in which Albert Brooks plays a documentary filmmaker who follows a seemingly normal Phoenix family in hopes of capturing something “real” and “edgy.” The problem is that he doesn’t know when to stop directing and interferes with the family so much that his documentary might as well be scripted.

A young Charles Grodin is the MVP of the picture as the family’s dad, a nerdy dentist so perfectly nuanced in his own tediousness that he feels like a real person.

Available for digital rental and purchase

10. Defending Your Life (1991)

1991 / dir. Albert Brooks / 1 hr 52 min.

who’s in it: Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Buck Henry, Lee Grant, Shirley Maclaine

A young advertising executive, Daniel (Albert Brooks), dies in a Porsche crash and ends up in the afterlife, where everyone wears white togas, eats all the carbs they want, and has to attend court all day. There, afterlife officials show them clips of the most sinful or embarrassing moments from their lives on Earth.

They must properly “defend their life” or risk being reincarnated and forced to try again to live a righteous life. Things are going pretty badly for Daniel until he meets Julia, a seemingly perfect human being who makes him happier than he ever was on Earth.

This is a really smart and perceptive comedy and also an incredibly easy watch.

Available for digital rental and purchase

09. Election (2005)

2005 / dir. Johnnie To / 1 hr 41 min.

who’s in it: Tony Leung Ka-fai, Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Siu-Pang Clan

Far more cerebral than the 1980s John Woo Hong Kong films, Johnnie To’s Election centers on a Triad power struggle between a level-headed gangster who promises stability and a hot-headed loose cannon who promises more money. The plot itself is fairly straightforward, but where Election distinguishes itself from its crime-epic contemporaries is in its focus on how capitalism has reshaped everything, including the operations of criminal organizations, and how once-cherished traditions mean nothing in the face of slightly higher profits.

This is the film Andrew Dominik’s smug and ugly Killing Them Softly wanted to be. It should also not be confused with Alexander Payne’s 1999 comedy Election, which follows a resentful high school teacher’s vendetta against an overachieving student.

Streaming on Tubi

08. Bullet in the Head (1990)

1990 / dir. John Woo / 2 hrs 16 min.

who’s in it: Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee, Simon Yam, Fennie Yeun

In between when Woo made his best films—1989’s The Killer and 1992’s Hard Boiled—he made this positively insane, utterly relentless buffet plate of genres and ideas that follows three best friends to Vietnam during the war. Originally conceived as A Better Tomorrow 3, Bullet in the Head is the closest thing to cinematic schizophrenia I’ve ever seen.

However, as narratively messy as it gets, Bullet in the Head has a clear visual style and is never anything short of a fascinating watch. It’s Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Mikey and Nicky, Of Mice and Men, and The Departed all rolled into one, complete with a lukewarm romance subplot and even a wedding.

If only they still made movies like this.

Streaming on Tubi, Amazon Prime and Criterion Channel

07. Modern Romance (1981)

1981 / dir. Albert Brooks / 1 hr 34 min.

who’s in it: Albert Brooks, Kathryn Harold, Bruno Kirby, James L. Brooks, Bob Einstein, George Kennedy

Albert Brooks’ best film is a cautionary tale about dating entitled, toxic man-children disguised as a quirky romantic comedy. It is his cringiest work for sure. Even so, the movie contains many hilarious sequences, all of which make Brooks’ film-editor sad sack the butt of the joke. Kudos to Bob Einstein (Marty Funkhauser from Curb Your Enthusiasm), who plays a shoe salesman in what is possibly the film’s funniest scene.

06. Police Story (1985)

1985 / dir. Jackie Chan / 1 hr 40 min.

who’s in it: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Bill Tung, Chor Yeun, Mars

One of the most rousing and consistently inventive action pictures I’ve seen in recent memory. Jackie Chan’s first Police Story is fun and funny in equal measure, showcasing show-stopping practical stunt work while never taking itself too seriously.

ACAB, except if it’s Jackie Chan.

Streaming on HBOMax

05. Thelma & Louise (1991)

1991 / dir. Ridley Scott / 2 hrs 9 min.

who’s in it: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Brad Pitt, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald

I can’t believe it took me so long to see this classic, but I’m glad I finally did.

Sarandon and Davis are outstanding here, and their chemistry is unbelievable as two women dealing with a fuck ton of trauma who go on a road trip that turns into a crime spree. A young Brad Pitt is also a standout as a drifter cowboy con man who charms his way into their lives.

Still, this is ultimately Sarandon and Davis’ show. It’s often considered a “feminist classic,” but I think anyone who isn’t a frothing-at-the-mouth misogynist can enjoy it. Yes, even dipping-their-toes-in-the-water misogynists can probably enjoy it.

Available for digital rental and purchase

04. Strangers on a Train (1951)

1951 / dir. Alfred Hitchcock / 1 hr 41 min.

who’s in it: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker

One of Hitchcock‘s twistiest thrillers that inspired a much shittier movie called Throw Mama From the Train. Hitchcock‘s version at least has tennis.

Streaming on Tubi

03. Days of Heaven (1978)

1978 / dir. Terrence Malick / 1 hr 34 min.

who’s in it: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz

One of the single most gorgeous movies ever shot. Like many Malick films, this one suffers from a lack of character development in service of its breathtaking visual poetry. That said, Days of Heaven tells a simple enough story to mostly get away with it.

An outlaw farm worker (Richard Gere) convinces his lover (Linda Manz) to seduce and marry their boss (Sam Shepard). They tell their boss they are siblings, which inevitably makes things strange when their boss starts poking around. The film is also narrated by a child, the farm worker’s younger sister, played excellently by Brooke Adams.

A slow burn told in broad strokes and considered by Malick to be more of a “melodrama” than a traditional drama, this one really worked for me.

Available for digital rental and purchase

02. Badlands (1973)

1973 / dir. Terrence Malick / 1 hr 33 min.

who’s in it: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri

My vote for the best Terrence Malick film, yes, even more so than The Tree of Life. Badlands works because it has all the gorgeous imagery of a Malick film paired with two central characters who are complex, interesting, and actually relatable.

Kit (Martin Sheen) is a 25-year-old garbage collector/rebel who falls in love with Holly (Sissy Spacek), a 15-year-old with a real butthead of a dad. The two go on a murder-spree road trip.

It’s kind of gross, and these are edgy, sometimes outright unlikable characters, especially Kit. Few films so thoroughly transport you to a specific time and place.

Available for digital rental and purchase

01. You Can Count on Me (2000)

2000 / dir. Kenneth Lonergan / 1 hr 51 min.

who’s in it: Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Rory Culkin, Matthew Broderick, Jon Tenney, Josh Lucas

Up until this year, I had only seen bits and pieces of Kenneth Lonergan’s You Can Count on Me, but a recent Ruffalo kick finally pushed me to finally sit down and watch it. I’m extremely glad I did, because it’s one of the greatest depictions of a sibling relationship I’ve ever seen committed to film. It’s never ham-fisted, instead it unfolds as a beautifully nuanced character study that feels achingly real.

The story follows Terry (Mark Ruffalo), a young drifter with a troubled past who returns to his hometown to visit his sister, Sammy (Laura Linney). Their parents died tragically when they were young, leaving Sammy, now a single mother, to take on an almost surrogate parental role in Terry’s life, something he deeply resents. Sammy wants Terry to stay so she can look after him, while Terry blames the town for many of his problems and cannot wait to bail. As they attempt to navigate their strained relationship, Terry also tries to become a positive male role model for Sammy’s son Rudy (a fantastic Rory Culkin), and that is when things begin to really unravel.

Despite the obvious love they have for one another, neither sibling can fully escape their shared trauma or the quiet resentment they harbor toward each other. You Can Count on Me is not loud or cathartic in the way most mainstream family dramas are. Instead, it finds its power in smaller, seemingly insignificant moments that carry more weight than we initially realize. It affected me in a profound way.

Available for digital rental and purchase