The first part of the trilogy is the one I find the most powerful and memorable of the three. Juliette Binoche (another unbelievably beautiful actress) portrays a woman almost devoured by grief following the deaths of her composer husband and her small child. There is almost no other film that so successfully and brilliantly integrates imagery, emotion and music to produce a truly wonderful and touching experience.

The fact that this film lost the Best Picture Oscar to Dances with Wolves still makes me crazy, as it's probably one of the most assured and enjoyable films ever made. What more can you say, except that if you haven't seen it, you're missing out.

A crossover hit that introduced Wong to world audiences, it is a bold announcement of a singular, exceptional talent. The film is made up of two stories, each a romance involving longing and seduction and told with incredible style and panache. A singular accomplishment and seamless melding of high style and big emotions.

Almodovar has long been considered one of the most consistently brilliant filmmakers around, and also one of the best directors of women ever. He called this film a "screwball melodrama", and that's a wonderful way to describe this touching, hilarious and deeply emotional tribute to mothers, actresses and women in general. It's his most accomplished and evenly balanced triumph.

Completely unappreciated upon its release, subsequent rejiggering of the film back to its original vision has revealed a masterfully intelligent and complex science fiction story that has influenced every film of the fantastic since. It's a landmark of visual effects and style as well as being filled with great performances, especially those by Harrison Ford and the wonderful Rutger Hauer.

It's a mob movie crossed with King Lear. The film combines old Hollwood with the modern sensibilities and desire for experimentation of the fillmakers of the era. It's immensely rich in performances, containing some of the best acting in American film. It is not only the best film of the decade, but may be one of the best films in the history of American cinema. What more is there to say?

Like its predecessor, this sequel surpasses its rather turgid subject matter in every way. It continues to elevate the story of the Corleone family to Shakespearean levels as it focuses on the downfall and loss of humanity of the central character of Michael, played with incredible skill by Al Pacino. Beautifully shot, exquisitely paced, The Godfather Part II is an absolute, unqualified masterpiece.

A case study on the effects of fascism and repression, The Conformist is also one of the most visually beautiful films ever made. The cinematography by Vittorio Storaro moves into the realm or art itself. The central story is of a man with a conflicted sexual and class identity who is so desperate to conform in Fascist Italy that he sacrifices all of his values to attain normalcy within the state.

Some argue that this is the last of Fellini's neorealist films, while others argue it is the first of his more fanciful surrealistic works. Either way, La Strada is one of the most touching and strangely beautiful films ever made, with some singularly human characters at its center. It expresses the need for gentility and kindness in all human relationships in a stunningly magical and simple way.

No other musical is so completely joyful and exuberant as Donen & Kelly's comedic tribute to Hollywood as it emerged from the silent era. Filled with great numbers like "Make 'Em Laugh", "Fit as a Fiddle", "All I Do is Dream of You", "Good Morning", and of course, the title number, this is the best of the big budget musicals made by MGM and perhaps the best musical ever made, period.

The great expressionist director Murnau made his masterpiece with this stunningly stylized tale of the battle between pastoral life, with its simple morality, and urban living, with its modern temptations. Filled with beautifully stylized and expressive set pieces, design and camerawork, it's one of the little gems of film; a strange, operatic, non-realistic film that works from sheer virtuosity.

It's filled with so many classic Chaplin moments that they defy listing. Suffice to say, this may be his funniest film, and it is also the best in its balance of pathos, tenderness and sidesplitting comedy. There's not much more to say, except that Chaplin's legendary perfectionism pays off perfectly, creating a true classic.