A Glean movie guide
The Essential Cinema Bucket List
The definitive must-watch list.
From timeless classics to modern masterpieces, these are the films that defined the medium.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Godfather
A sprawling, Shakespearean epic that redefined the crime genre and remains the gold standard of American filmmaking.
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
The Shawshank Redemption
A deeply moving story of hope and friendship that remains one of the most beloved and universally acclaimed films.
Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.
- 03
Parasite
A razor-sharp social satire that blends genres seamlessly to deliver a shocking and unforgettable cinematic experience.
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.
- 04
Schindler's List
A harrowing yet essential portrait of humanity that stands as one of the most powerful achievements in film history.
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.
- 05
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s non-linear masterpiece revitalized independent cinema with its sharp wit and iconic style.
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.
- 06
12 Angry Men
A gripping courtroom drama that proves you only need one room and a brilliant script to create immense tension.
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.
- 07
Spirited Away
A breathtaking journey into a world of spirits that showcases the limitless imagination of hand-drawn animation.
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.
- 08
The Dark Knight
A gritty, philosophical take on the superhero mythos anchored by a haunting, legendary performance.
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.
- 09
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s visual odyssey remains the most ambitious and influential science fiction film ever made.
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.
- 10
Seven Samurai
Akira Kurosawa’s epic tale of honor and defense set the blueprint for the modern action ensemble.
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.
- 11
Citizen Kane
Widely regarded as the most technically innovative film in history, it changed how stories are told on screen.
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.
- 12
The Matrix
A mind-bending fusion of philosophy and groundbreaking action that defined the turn of the millennium.
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.