Year Released: 1969
The Wild Bunch is an American western that first hit theaters in 1969. The film, which stars William Holden, Robert Ryan, and Ernest Borgnine, is known for being controversial for its time. These days, graphic violence is pretty much expected in certain types of films. But in the late 60’s, it was just starting to emerge.
Sam Peckinpah directed and co-wrote the revisionist movie, which was deemed as “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant,” by the U.S National Film Registry in 1999. Now, it’ll be forever preserved in the Library of Congress as such.
Notorious
Year Released: 1946
Well, we’re slipping back in time as we progress down the list, and right now, we’ve landed in the 1940s. In Alfred Hitchcock’s heyday, he released plenty of films that would be remembered as classics, and Notorious is one of them.
The film stars Carey Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Raines, and falls into the spy film noir category. The film was chosen to be preserved by the Library of Congress in 2006.
The Searchers
Year Released: 1956
Another Western, The Searchers came out in the mid 1950’s, starring John Wayne. The film has high ratings on nearly every movie critic website, including Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert, and IMDb. Directed by John Ford, it follows Wayne, playing a Civil War veteran on the hunt for his abducted niece. Of course, he’s actually hunting her, not trying to rescue her like one may assume.
Of all of the Western films that Wayne starred in, this one is known for being one of, if not his absolute best. It’s both influenced and made an appearance in several other films and television shows, including Martin Scorsese’s 1967 film, Who’s That Knocking at My Door, in which two of the characters have a conversation about it.
Under the Skin
Year Released: 2013
Normally, a sci-fi film starring Scarlette Johansson doesn't need much else to get people to come to theaters. This one, however, was a little lost on moviegoers. With a budget of a little over $13 million and a box-office revenue of about $7 million, "Under the Skin" flopped hard.
That being said, critics adored it! The story of a men-eating woman-like alien and her outlook on the human world won accolades up the wazoo and was even listed as number 61 in the BBC list of 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century! Director Jonathan Glazer was also nominated for numerous awards for his work.
Groundhog Day
Year Released: 1993
The 1993 comedy classic 'Groundhog Day,' starring Bill Murray, was a relative success back when it came out. It’s a story about a cynical reporter who gets sent to cover Groundhog Day in the boring town of Punxsutawney, only to find out that due to some magical force, he has to relive the same day over and over again, with no explanation.
This film popularized the trope aptly called “Groundhog Day Loop”, in which a character has to experience the same events over and over, and starts experimenting until he finds out what caused the loop and solves it. Despite the film not having any incredible performance or acclaim when it first came out, over the years, 'Groundhog Day' has become a cult classic.