A Glean movie guide
The Essential Cinema Bucket List
Every frame a masterpiece.
The definitive films that shaped history and redefined the art of storytelling.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Godfather
A masterclass in tension and family legacy that redefined the crime epic.
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
- 02
Citizen Kane
A revolutionary mystery that pioneered the visual language of modern filmmaking.
Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.
- 03
Seven Samurai
The foundational action epic that perfected the 'team-on-a-mission' narrative.
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
- 04
2001: A Space Odyssey
A visual and philosophical journey that remains the gold standard for science fiction.
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
- 05
Parasite
A razor-sharp social thriller that made history as a global cinematic phenomenon.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 06
Spirited Away
A breathtaking hand-drawn fantasy that captures the pure magic of imagination.
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
- 07
Pulp Fiction
A bold, non-linear ride that injected new energy into independent cinema.
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
- 08
Schindler's List
A profound and visually stunning testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
- 09
Casablanca
The ultimate wartime romance and a perfect example of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
- 10
The Dark Knight
A gritty, complex crime drama that elevated the superhero genre to new heights.
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
- 11
Psycho
A shocking thriller that shattered conventions and changed horror forever.
When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.
- 12
12 Angry Men
A gripping courtroom drama that proves how much power lies in a single room.
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.