MY TOP 50+ FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES FOR 1974
Fosse on Lenny with Dustin; Coppola does it again, and again, plus Mel Brooks hits the list twice... IN LIST ORDER
List activity
270 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
54 titles
- DirectorBob FosseStarsDustin HoffmanValerie PerrineJan MinerThe story of acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce, whose groundbreaking, no-holds-barred style and social commentary was often deemed by the Establishment as too obscene for the public.Hoffman is superb as is Fosse's direction...
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.The epic family saga continues...
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsGene HackmanJohn CazaleAllen GarfieldA paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.Coppola proves to be a genius...
- DirectorEttore ScolaStarsNino ManfrediVittorio GassmanStefania SandrelliThree partisans bound by a strong friendship return home after the war, but the clash with everyday reality puts a strain on their bond.Scola's overlooked masterpiece about post-war Italy as seen through the eyes of some wonderful misfits, and also paying tribute to the reemergence of the Italian cinema...
- DirectorPeter WatkinsStarsGeir WestbyGro FraasKerstii AllumThis biopic of Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch focuses on the influences that shaped his art, his devastating affair with a married woman that will haunt him for the rest of his lifeThe artist and the madness...
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJack NicholsonFaye DunawayJohn HustonA private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.Polanski and Nicholson hit a home run...
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsGene WilderMadeline KahnMarty FeldmanAn American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.Brooks' best...
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsCleavon LittleGene WilderSlim PickensIn order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.Brooks' silliest...
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsWarren BeattyPaula PrentissWilliam DanielsAn ambitious reporter gets in way-over-his-head trouble while investigating a senator's assassination which leads to a vast conspiracy involving a multinational corporation behind every event in the world's headlines.Pakula and Beatty go politics...
- DirectorClaude SautetStarsYves MontandMichel PiccoliSerge ReggianiThree friends face mid-life crises. Paul is a writer who's blocked. François has lost his ideals and practices medicine for the money. The charming Vincent faces bankruptcy and his wife, from whom he's separated, wants a divorce.Sautet gets a dream cast...
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsSean ConneryCharlotte RamplingSara KestelmanIn the late 23rd century, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.Tripping with Borman and Connery...
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsKeith CarradineShelley DuvallJohn SchuckWhen two men break out of prison, they join up with another and restart their criminal ways, robbing banks across the South.Another Altman curious piece...
- DirectorLina WertmüllerStarsGiancarlo GianniniMariangela MelatoRiccardo SalvinoA trip into the Mediterranean sea becomes a trip into the discovery of how society's frameworks of the rich and poor are delicate and temporary.Wertmuller at her peak...
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsJon VoightMaximilian SchellMaria SchellFollowing the suicide of an elderly Jewish man, a journalist in possession of the man's diary investigates the alleged sighting of a former S.S. Captain, who commanded a concentration camp during World War II.Neat thriller...
- DirectorLina WertmüllerStarsLuigi DibertiLina PolitoNino BignaminiA multitude of immigrants struggling to survive in Milan rent an apartment and face the reality of everyday life in the metropolis.Wertmuller's wonderful social observation on the Southerners...
- DirectorRichard RushStarsAlan ArkinJames CaanLoretta SwitSan Francisco police detectives Freebie and Bean are determined to bust local crime boss Red Meyers at any cost, even if this means destroying the whole city in the process.Very funny and underrated cop buddy film...
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsBurt ReynoldsEddie AlbertEd LauterA sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.Aldrich and Reynolds go well together...
- DirectorJohn HoughStarsPeter FondaSusan GeorgeAdam RoarkeDown-on-their-luck racers Larry and Deke steal from a supermarket manager to buy a car that will help them advance their racing chances. Their escape does not go as planned when Larry's one-night stand, Mary, tags along for the ride.Great little car chases...
- DirectorMichael CiminoStarsClint EastwoodJeff BridgesGeorge KennedyWith the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organize a daring new heist.Love the teaming of Eastwood and Bridges...
- DirectorJohn CassavetesStarsGena RowlandsPeter FalkFred DraperAlthough wife and mother Mabel is loved by her husband Nick, her mental illness places a strain on the marriage.The eratic Cassavetes touch of giving his actors so much freedom works wonders with the amazing Rowlands and Falk...
- DirectorMike HodgesStarsGeorge SegalJoan HackettRichard DysartHoping to cure his violent seizures, a man agrees to a series of experimental microcomputers inserted into his brain but inadvertently discovers that violence now triggers a pleasurable response to his brain.A curious gem...
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsJean-Claude BrialyAdolfo CeliMichel PiccoliA series of surreal sequences that critique morality and society in a stream of consciousness style.Bunuel finely has fun...
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsBruno S.Walter LadengastBrigitte MiraA young man named Kaspar Hauser suddenly appears in Nuremberg in 1828, barely able to talk or walk, and bearing a strange note.Perfect subject for Herzog...
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsBurt LancasterHelmut BergerSilvana ManganoA reclusive retired professor is faced with confronting modernity when a group of vulgar youths led by an obnoxious marchesa take up residence in his unused upper residence.An interesting piece from Visconti...
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsRichard DreyfussMicheline LanctôtJack WardenIn a bid to gain respect, the neglected younger son of a working class Jewish family in Montréal embarks on a series of get-rich-quick schemes to buy land surrounding a lake.Dreyfuss' cake...
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsGoldie HawnBen JohnsonMichael SacksA woman attempts to reunite her family by helping her husband escape prison and together kidnapping their son. But things don't go as planned when they are forced to take a police hostage on the road.Spielberg can almost make anything interesting...
- DirectorJamie UysStarsPaddy O'ByrneHilarious documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert.Uys shows his love for the animal kingdom...
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsTerry CamilleriJohn MeillonKevin MilesThe small town of Paris, Australia deliberately causes car accidents, then sells/salvages all valuables from the wrecks as a means of economy.Weir's weirdness...
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsGeorge SegalElliott GouldAnn PrentissWhen a casual gambler (George Segal as Bill) befriends a professional one (Elliott Gould as Charlie), he begins to mirror his life, sending both deeper into the sleazy gambling world where the stakes keep getting bigger.Altman sure knows how to pick them...
- DirectorLiliana CavaniStarsDirk BogardeCharlotte RamplingPhilippe LeroyA concentration camp survivor rekindles her sadomasochistic relationship with her lover, a former SS officer - now working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel - but his former Nazi associates begin stalking them.Rampling and Bogarde challenge their acting boundaries...
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsEllen BurstynKris KristoffersonMia BendixsenA recently widowed woman is on the road with her precocious young son, determined to make a new life for herself as a singer.Scorsese proves he has a sensitive side...
- DirectorRainer Werner FassbinderStarsBrigitte MiraEl Hedi ben SalemBarbara ValentinA lonely widow meets a much younger Moroccan worker in a bar during a rainstorm. They fall in love, to their own surprise and to the outright shock of their families, colleagues, and drinking buddies.Fassbinder picks the tough ones...
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsRoger MooreChristopher LeeBritt EklandJames Bond is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin, while he attempts to recover sensitive solar cell technology that is being sold to the highest bidder.One of my favourite Bond's as a child...
- DirectorSandy HarbuttStarsDeryck BarnesSandy HarbuttHugh Keays-ByrneAfter one of its members witnesses a political assassination, a motorbike gang becomes the target of a string of murders, prompting a cop to join their ranks to determine who is responsible.Good Aussie B-grade...
- DirectorWim WendersStarsYella RottländerRüdiger VoglerLisa KreuzerA German journalist is saddled with a nine-year-old girl after encountering her mother at a New York airport.For me the interest picked up when the child was introduced after 30 minutes in, and then in a clunky sort of way it produced some wonderful moments, but not enough to sustain its duration...
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsNinetto DavoliFranco CittiFranco MerliIn ancient Arabia, a beautiful slave girl chooses a youth to be her new master, then she is kidnapped and they must search for each other. Stories are told within stories: love, travel and the whims of destiny.Pasolini's erotic adventures...
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDan O'BannonDre PahichBrian NarelleIn the far reaches of space, a small crew, 20 years into their solitary mission, find things beginning to go hilariously wrong.Before Carpenter went dark...
- DirectorBertrand BlierStarsGérard DepardieuMiou-MiouPatrick DewaereTwo thugs harass assault, steal, murder, Marie-Ange, a jaded, passive hairdresser, joins them as lover, cook, and mother confessor, on her own search for seemingly unattainable sexual pleasure.Early effort from B. Blier and a dream cast...
- DirectorJack Haley Jr.StarsFred AstaireGene KellyBing CrosbyVarious MGM stars from yesteryear present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50-year history.For those who love their musicals...
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonWalter MatthauSusan SarandonA ruthless editor tries to get his top reporter to cover one more crime story before retirement.Worth it for Wilder and the pairing of Jack and Walter...
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonHope LangeVincent GardeniaA New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark.Bronson goes on a modern western shooting spree...
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAlbert FinneyLauren BacallIngrid BergmanIn December 1935, when his transcontinental luxury train is stranded by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before, with a multitude of suspects.Lumet orchestrates a top notch cast...
- DirectorMartin DavidsonStephen VeronaStarsSylvester StalloneHenry WinklerPerry KingTwo members of a social club in 1950s Brooklyn have more interest in romance than in rumbles.Only for the rising stars...
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsRobert RedfordMia FarrowBruce DernA Midwesterner becomes fascinated with his nouveau riche neighbor, who obsesses over his lost love.Almost pulled it off...
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsPaul WilliamsWilliam FinleyJessica HarperA disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise.The funny side to De Palma...
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsJuliet BertoDominique LabourierBulle OgierA mysteriously linked pair of young women find their daily lives preempted by a strange boudoir melodrama that plays itself out in a hallucinatory parallel reality.Enjoyed the company of these women in this overlong surreal and somewhat creative story that just got a bit tedious...
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsRichard KileySteven WarnerJoss AcklandA pilot, stranded in the desert, meets a little boy who is a prince on a planet.Surreal moments...
- DirectorDusan MakavejevStarsCarole LaurePierre ClémentiAnna PrucnalAfter winning the "most virgin" contest, Miss Canada is married to a rich milk tycoon. But she quickly flees the marriage to experience the world around her, full of sweetness and anarchy.The Dusan madness...
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsCharles BronsonLinda CristalAl LettieriA melon farmer battles organized crime and a hit man who wants to kill him.Love it when a working class man takes on the big guns...
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsBarbra StreisandMichael SarrazinEstelle ParsonsA housewife tries to finance her cab-driving husband's education.Yates gets good comedy from Streisand...
- DirectorAntonio MargheritiStarsLee Van CleefLieh LoPatty ShepardA martial artist joins a hard-hitting gunfighter in the search for treasure while bandits step into their way.Van Cleef has fun in this Western Chop-suey...
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsDavid EssexAdam FaithLarry HagmanThe rise and fall of the rock singer Jim Maclaine, in the mid 60s, with his manager, Mike, and his group, "The Stray Cats."Love the music...
- DirectorPaul MorrisseyStarsJoe DallesandroUdo KierVittorio De SicaAn ailing vampire count travels to Italy with his servant to find a bride.Morrissey has fun with the Count...
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.The mother of all slashers...