20. 8 1/2 (1963)
Fellini's seductive, autobiographical masterpiece is his most well known movie and ironically, for a film about artistic bankrupty it is so rich in inventive flourishes. Like Sunset Boulevard and Ed Wood, it is one of the greatest movies about moviemaking. It's a magical examination and a caring portrait of Fellini's alter-ego Guido Anselmi as the movie weaves in and out of his complex relationship and fantasies. It has all the trademarks of a great Fellini film and its enduring popularity in a testament to Fellini's artistry and powerful evocation. 8 1/2, because of its complexity can take multiple viewings to fully realise its brilliance - it can be inaccessible and is more of a movie for the cinephile than the casual viewer - but the fact remains, it holds an important place in cinema history. The surrealism - because of the performances and the gorgeous cinematography - is a great spectacle and there is always something new to find on each viewing. Fellini's masterwork can be seen to have influenced films such as All That Jazz, Nine and Synecdoche, New York with its reputation continuing to grow. It's a beautiful, avant-garde work of genius and will always be remembered as Fellini's finest achievement.
19. The Graduate (1967)
Dustin Hoffman's creepy outsider changed the way Hollywood thought about leading men. Hoffman is permanently uncomfortable and the unsettling tension never wilts - Hoffman didn't actually think he was right for the part. The weirdness is offset brilliantly by some carefully judged satirical humour that bites so sharply. Hoffman's disaffected misfit defined his career and towered above his performances in Straw Dogs, Rain Man, Midnight Cowboy and All the President's Men and though he was 29 at the time, it was his breakout role. The iconic seduction scene has a scary intensity created from Hoffman's characters' nervousness and is a key part of the definitive scene. Hoffman's Benjamin Braddock was the catalyst for actors like Tom Hanks and Terry Maguire getting starring roles and Braddock's Holden Caulfield-ness was intrinsically important in taking Hollywood to a different, more quirky level.
18. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
George Romero's zombie classic birthed the dawn of modern horror cinema. The tiny budget produced towering nightmares and horror legends such as Wes Craven and David Cronenberg are all in debt to Romero's debut. Night of the Living Dead is sadistically nihilistic with an uncompromising anger raging under its surface as its blunt violence shocked audiences and critics. It was the first part of Romero's frightening 'Living Dead' franchise which has spanned four decades of visceral isolation, and though good movies, Romero never topped his nerve-shredding and permanently haunting debut. The Godfather of Zombies broke all the rules in his debut movie as he played with taboos like they were nothing - authoring his contempt for convention. Romero's movies are an intense workout, overpowering the senses - putting you on edge - and it all started with Night of the Living Dead. The term "zombie" was now a part of cinema linguistics and Romero's explicit exploitation changed the way horror movies were thought of and made.