1. Hannah and Her Sisters Written and directed by Woody Allen
He's right: The Marx Brothers are a reason to live.
2. Castle in the Sky Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Everything a fantasy film should be.
3. Sherman's March Directed by Ross McElwee
A man addicted to filming everything around him makes a movie that's mostly about his troubled love life. His love life's chief trouble, in turn, is that he keeps filming everything around him.
4. The Singing Detective Directed by Jon Amiel Written by Dennis Potter
I never saw the feature-length remake of this miniseries, and I'm not sure I want to. Potter's story of a disfigured detective writer's fever dreams is best told at a leisurely pace, with plenty of time to get lost in the hero's hallucinations and memories.
5. and 6. Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring Directed by Claude Berri Written by Berri and Gerard Brach, from a novel by Marcel Pagnol
To borrow a line from another movie: "You mean, all this time we could've been friends?"
7. River's Edge Directed by Tim Hunter Written by Neal Jimenez
A punk In Cold Blood.
8. Stand by Me Directed by Rob Reiner Written by Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans, from a novella by Stephen King
It's hard to believe today, but back in the '80s Reiner made some good movies.
9. Blue Velvet Written and directed by David Lynch
"A candy-colored clown they call the sandman/Tiptoes to my room every night/Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper/Go to sleep, everything is all right."
10. Man Facing Southeast Written and directed by Eliseo Subiela
Possibly the first motion picture to name a supporting character after Philip K. Dick. Gets a special jury prize for the best use of Beethoven's Ninth by a filmmaker not named Kubrick.