1. "Pulp Fiction"
   "Kill Bill"
2. "The Hateful Eight"
   "Reservoir Dogs"

In 1994, Quentin Tarantino redefined indie cinema with his second feature, "Pulp Fiction." With its nonlinear plot, compelling characters and rapid-fire dialogue, "Pulp Fiction" solidified Tarantino's reputation as a filmmaker with an uncompromising vision.

1. "Goodfellas"
   "The Godfather"
2. "Casino"
   "Donnie Brasco"

Based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo, "The Godfather" regularly tops many critics' best-of lists, rivaling "Citizen Kane" for the title of best film ever made. Directed by maverick filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, "The Godfather" chronicles a decade in the history of a crime family.

1. "Se7en"
   "The Game"
2. "Zodiac"
   "Fight Club"

Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, "Fight Club" stars Edward Norton as a man wasting away in mediocrity until a charismatic soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) shows him a better way. Violent and subversive, "Fight Club" is equal parts action and psychological thriller.

1. "Taxi Driver"
   "Mean Streets"
2. "New York, New York"
   "The Godfather: Part II"

Robert De Niro stars as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam vet caught in a slow descent into madness and violence, in Martin Scorsese's masterpiece, "Taxi Driver." Written by Paul Schrader, "Taxi Driver" is a bloody trek into the psyche of a man on the edge.

1. "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
   "Raising Arizona"
2. "Barton Fink"
   "The Big Lebowski"

Joel and Ethan Coen's 1998 hit "The Big Lebowski" is a contender for the greatest cult film of all time, and that's not just like our opinion, man. This story of a bowling slacker, a millionaire and a rug is celebrated yearly by dedicated fans at "Lebowski Fest" in Louisville, Kentucky.

1. "Night of the Comet"
   "Black Christmas"
2. "Die Hard"
   "Christmas Evil"

Bruce Willis smashed the buff and fearless '80s action-hero archetype as everyman New York cop John McClane in "Die Hard." John McTiernan's 1988 yuletide action thriller has become an alternative holiday classic for movie fans who like a little blood in their eggnog.

1. "The Silence of the Lambs"
   "Philadelphia"
2. "Beloved"
   "The Manchurian Candidate"

Jonathan Demme's 1991 adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel "The Silence of the Lambs" is in the enviable company of 1934's "It Happened One Night" and 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" as one of only three films to earn the coveted big five Academy Awards.

1. "Blade Runner"
   "The Predator"
2. "Lifeforce"
   "Alien"

Directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Dan O'Bannon, "Alien" is a terrifying blend of horror and science fiction. With an unforgettable creature design by artist H.R. Giger and a star-making performance from actress Sigourney Weaver, the film spawned countless rip-offs, sequels and spin-offs.

1. "Platoon"
   "Hamburger Hill"
2. "Casualties of War"
   "Full Metal Jacket"

Stanley Kubrick brought his inimitable style to the war film with his epic Vietnam drama "Full Metal Jacket." Matthew Modine stars as Private Joker, a Marine Corps journalist with a sardonic wit. With a peace button on his flak jacket and "Born to Kill" on his helmet, Joker is into "the Jungian thing."

1. "Momento"
   "Inception"
2. "Batman Begins"
   "Insomnia"

Christopher Nolan returned Batman to his gritty roots with 2005's "Batman Begins." Christian Bale stars as the Caped Crusader in the first of three successful Batman films from Nolan. With its dark and brooding tone, "Batman Begins" is the most detailed cinematic telling of the superhero's origin.

1. "Dark City"
   "Contact"
2. "The Matrix"
   "The Astronaut's Wife"

Filmmaking dynamic duo the Wachowskis took the classic hero's journey from mythology and fused it with cyberpunk style with their 1999 blockbuster "The Matrix." Keanu Reeves stars as Neo, an ordinary man who becomes humanity's hope when the true nature of reality is revealed to him.

1. "Tequila Sunrise"
   "Conspiracy Theory"
2. "Lethal Weapon"
   "Payback"

Richard Donner's 1987 action epic "Lethal Weapon" is the buddy cop movie to end all buddy cop movies. Mel Gibson stars as an unhinged cop with a deathwish who partners with a burned-out homicide detective (Danny Glover) to bust a drug cartel in a story that is both action-packed and touching.

1. Mario Bava
   Dario Argento
2. Sergio Leone
   Lucio Fulci

By combining the uniquely American Western genre with an unmistakably European style, Italian director Sergio Leone created a highly stylized vision of the Old West. Labeled "Spaghetti Westerns," Leone's films launched Clint Eastwood to international stardom as a nameless antihero.

1. "Apt Pupil"
   "The Usual Suspects"
2. "Public Access"
   "Lion's Den"

Brian Singer's 1995 crime movie, "The Usual Suspects" focuses on a botched heist that leaves 27 men dead on a burning boat. Told in flashback, the film reveals that a mysterious crime lord named Keyser Söze is pulling the strings in a complex revenge plot.

1. Merlin
   Gandalf
2. Elric
   Tim

King Arthur as played by Graham Chapman and his knights encounter a powerful, fireball-throwing mage named Tim the Enchanter on their quest in 1975's "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." The eccentric wizard, played by John Cleese, leads the knights to the cave of the killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

1. "True Lies"
   "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"
2. "The Abyss"
   "Aliens"

"Aliens," James Cameron's 1986 sequel to the 1979 horror hit "Alien," upped the action with hoards of xenomorphs fighting a ragtag squad of space marines. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of the previous film.

1. "Blazing Saddles"
   "Young Frankenstein"
2. "High Anxiety"
   "Silent Movie"

The late Madeline Kahn earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the Teutonic Titwillow, Lili Von Shtupp in Mel Brooks' 1975 Western satire "Blazing Saddles." Channeling Marlene Dietrich, Kahn's a scene-stealer as the seductive saloon singer.

1. "The Kentucky Fried Movie"
   "The Blues Brothers"
2. "Animal House"
   "Schlock"

If you don't know the answer to this one, turn in your pledge pin. D-Day, Otter, Flounder and Bluto are all members of Faber College's most notorious frat Delta Tau Chi in the 1978 comedy "Animal House."

1. "200 Cigarettes"
   "Go"
2. "Swingers"
   "Party Monster"

Jon Favreau wrote the screenplay for 1996's "Swingers" as a vehicle for his acting career. Set against the lounge revival of the '90s, the film focuses on the lives of underemployed actors in Hollywood. A critical hit, "Swingers" helped launch the careers of Favreau, Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingston.

1. "Scarface"
   "Cape Fear"
2. "Angels With Dirty Faces"
   "Little Caesar"

Armed with a script by Oliver Stone, filmmaker Brian De Palma transformed the plot of the 1932 Paul Muni gangster flick "Scarface" into a classic for a new generation. Starring Al Pacino as Cuban refugee turned coke-fueled crime lord, "Scarface" is a must-see for fans of crime films.

1. "The Man Who Fell to Earth"
   "Maximum Overdrive"
2. "Repo Man"
   "That Was Then, This is Now"

Alex Cox's 1984 cult hit "Repo Man" stars Emilio Estevez as Otto, an aimless suburban punk who becomes the protege of a jaded auto repossessor (Harry Dean Stanton). Otto's new career takes a turn for the weird when he crosses paths with a Chevy Malibu that may contain the bodies of dead aliens.

1. "True Romance"
   "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me"
2. "Easy Rider"
   "Blue Velvet"

Dennis Hopper co-stars as the unhinged Frank Booth in David Lynch's surreal ode to film noir "Blue Velvet." A killer, a kidnapper and worse, Booth is the embodiment of the id. A "love letter" from Frank Booth is a bullet from a gun.

1. "The Road Warrior"
   "Mad Max"
2. "Warriors of the Apocalypse"
   "A Man Called Rage"

George Miller's 1979 action hit "Mad Max" stars Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, an officer in the Main Force Patrol, in a dystopian Australia. Taking place before the apocalypse that characterizes later installments of the "Mad Max" series, this film focuses on Max taking on a murderous biker gang.

1. "Clerks"
   "Chasing Amy"
2. "Dogma"
   "Mallrats"

Indie auteur Kevin Smith is a living pop-culture encyclopedia, and his love for '70s and '80s movies is a recurring motif in nearly all his films. 1995's "Mallrats" features characters Brodie Bruce. named for both "Jaws'" sheriff and shark, and T.S. Quint, named for "Jaws'" grizzled sharkhunter.

1. "Brazil"
   "12 Monkeys"
2. "Tideland"
   "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

Filmmaker Terry Gilliam performed a cinematic miracle in 1998 when he adapted Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 semi-autobiographical novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" for the screen. Johnny Depp stars as Thompson's alter ego Raoul Duke with Benicio Del Toro standing in for attorney Dr. Gonzo.

1. "The Beastmaster"
   "Krull"
2. "The Sword and the Sorcerer"
   "Conan the Barbarian"

John Milius teamed with Oliver Stone to write his 1982 fantasy epic "Conan the Barbarian." Based on the works of 1960s pulp writer Robert E. Howard, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the titular Hyborian Age hero.

1. "Trainspotting"
   "Neds"
2. "Sweet Sixteen"
   "The Acid House"

Based on Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel, "Trainspotting," directed by Danny Boyle, stars Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton, a young heroin addict coping with life in the slums of Edinburgh. The film brilliantly combines comedy and drama with scenes of pure surrealism including a dive into a pub toilet.

1. Kurt Russell
   Billy Zane
2. Val Kilmer
   Bill Paxton

1993 was a big year for actor Val Kilmer. In addition to playing gunfighter Doc Holliday in "Tombstone," he also took on the role of another American legend, Elvis Presley — or at least his apparition in the form of Christian Slater's conscience– in the explosive "True Romance."

1. "Assault on Precinct 13"
   "Big Trouble in Little China"
2. "Escape From New York"
   "They Live"

Kurt Russell stars as Snake Plissken, a hero of WWIII turned criminal in John Carpenter's 1983 classic "Escape From New York." It's 1997, and New York has become a maximum-security prison. When Air Force One goes down in the city, it's up to Snake to rescue the President and earn his freedom.

1. William Castle
   Edward D. Wood Jr.
2. Edgar G. Ulmer
   Roger Corman

For seven decades, Roger Corman has been a force in indie film. As a writer, director and producer of B-movies, a distributor of foreign film and a cultivator of talents such as Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola and James Cameron, Corman is one of the most influential figures in cinema history.

1. "The Wild Bunch"
   "The Ballad of Cable Hogue"
2. "Straw Dogs"
   "Junior Bonner"

Based on Gordon Williams' 1969 novel "The Siege of Trencher's Farm," 1971's "Straw Dogs," directed by Sam Peckinpah, is a harrowing and violent character study of people pushed to extremes. Dustin Hoffman stars as a timid academic forced to defend his home by any means necessary.

1. Tobe Hooper
   Sam Raimi
2. David Cronenberg
   George Lucas

One of the most original filmmakers of the last 50 years, David Cronenberg ironically became a Hollywood player with 1986's "The Fly," a remake of the 1958 film of the same name. Cronenberg brought his patented brand of "body horror" to the familiar material to create a terrifying new experience.

1. "A Better Tomorrow"
   "The Killer"
2. "Broken Arrow"
   "Hard Boiled"

Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo brought a new level of artistry to the action film with 1989's "The Killer." Chow Yun Fat stars in one of his most complex roles as a hit man who develops an unlikely kinship with a cop. The action sequences of "The Killer" are utterly breathtaking.

1. "Throne of Blood"
   "The Hidden Fortress"
2. "Ran"
   "Kagemusha"

The late Akira Kurosawa has had an immeasurable influence on world cinema. In 1985, he turned to Shakespeare's "King Lear" for the plot of his samurai epic "Ran." In the film an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons to tragic results.

1. "Class of 1984"
   "1990: the Bronx Warriors"
2. "Surf Nazis Must Die"
   "The Warriors"

Initially met with negative reviews and audience violence, Walter Hill's 1979 action picture "The Warriors" has, in intervening decades, become an unqualified cult favorite. In the film, a summit of New York street gangs turns to chaos when the Warriors are framed for killing a rival gang's leader.