30. Widows

A better Michael Mann movie than Mann himself could ever make again, Steve McQueen’s political heist movie is rich with racial and feminist subtext but, most importantly, a heart-pounding action thriller.

31. Lucky Harry Dean Stanton and David Lynch star in the former’s sensitive swansong.

32. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 Harry, Ron and Hermione get lost in the woods and dance to Nick Cave. The most real depiction of friendship the franchise ever offered.

33. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping The Lonely Island turn their unique brand of parody pop into a fully-fledged musical comedy. Intensely rewatchable satirical mayhem.

34. Easy A Emma Stone’s breakout (best?) performance in a modern day homage to The Scarlet Letter. Painfully witty high school sex comedy, with great Stanley Tucci and Thomas Hayden Church supporting turns.

35. Columbus Contemplative drama about friendship and architecture with phenomenal work from Haley Lu Richardson and John Cho.

36. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Martin McDonagh’s Coen homage is a terrific moral drama in its own right, deservedly winning Oscars for stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell.

37. The Spectacular Now Teen romantic drama that abandons dreaminess and fantasy for an honest depiction of a difficult but powerful bond. Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are remarkable, as always.

38. The Old Man & The Gun Like Harry Dean Stanton in Lucky, Robert Redford gets a sendoff role that pays tribute to his entire filmography. A charming and beautifully-directed little David Lowery project.

39. Margin Call The best movie about the 2008 financial crisis by far, JC Chandor rounds up Spacey, Irons, Bettany, Quinto and Tucci to explore the foolishness that led to economic collapse, Glengarry style.

40. Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Pretentious but impressive comment on the art of acting from Alejandro Innaritu and a fabulous Michael Keaton.

41. Room Lenny Abrahamson claustrophobically adapts the hit abduction novel with tremendous Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay mother/son chemistry that won the former the Oscar.

42. I, Daniel Blake Ken Loach has still got it. Tragic tale of the “benefits scroungers” the Daily Mail loves to whinge about that would make anyone want to vote for Jeremy Corbyn.

43. Incredibles 2 Brad Bird opts for a nontraditional superhero sequel that digs into the politics of its comic-book pastiche world. A little too smart for its own good, but undeniably another excellent entry into the Bird canon, if not a sequel quite worthy of The Incredibles.

44. If Beale Street Could Talk Symphonic love story told through micronarratives in the streets of Spanish Harlem. Beale Street could teach Terrence Malick a thing or two about how to film people dancing in the streets without making your audience cringe.

45. The Grand Budapest Hotel Painterly farce that earned Wes Anderson his first Best Picture nomination. Not the director’ best by far but a highly amusing period comedy with an astonishing aesthetic.

46. Arrival Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi is a true rarity: surprising and heartbreaking and entirely action-free. Amy Adams gives the best performance of her career as a linguist hired to translate alien symbols to ensure peace for mankind. Slight and powerful.

47. Time Out Of Mind Richard Gere is perfectly cast as an intellectual homeless man navigating the harsh landscape of a roofless New York life.

48. The Boss Baby A surprisingly affecting story about brotherhood is built into this viciously smart children’s satire of corporations, dog obsession and (arguably) Donald Trump. Deeper than you’d think. As funny as you’d hope.

49. Blue Valentine Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are as electric as ever in this charged story of a young marriage on the rocks.

50. The Descendants George Clooney’s best performance as a father struggling through his wife’s final days, caring for two precocious daughters and searching for the man his wife has been sleeping with (a terrific Matthew Lillard).

51. A Date for Mad Mary A rare Irish drama that feels totally fresh and freed from the inner bubble of RTE-approved casting, Mad Mary is a truthful and superbly-performed story of self-reckoning set on the streets of Drogheda.

52. Dunkirk Christopher Nolan applies his ‘experimenting with time’ obsession to the war movie, producing a lean and thrilling battle drama that occurs almost in real-time and mostly avoids the Britannia jingoism of similar works.

53. Mary Poppins Returns Rob Marshall’s adoring sequel to the greatest of all Disney musicals really is a best case scenario: respectful, pleasant and incredibly harmless, it gives Dick van Dyke a great cameo and does absolutely nothing to diminish the impact of the original. That’s the most we could’ve asked for.

54. Iron Man 2 With the most personality of any Marvel Studios movie, the Justin Theroux-scripted Iron Man 2 casts Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke as two hilarious villains and works like clockwork.

55. The Ides of March Clooney’s sole triumph as director is this engaging political drama from House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, the ensemble of Gosling, Giamatti, Tomei and Seymour Hoffman undeniably doing much of the heavy lifting.

56. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Animals are rarely treated with as much curiosity and dignity as in Matt Reeves’ dystopian Dawn, pitching Caesar (Andy Serkis) as a simian Colonel Kurtz holding fort in the California forests against the last surviving humans. The strongest use of motion capture technology cinema has seen.

57. Star Wars: The Force Awakens J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars reinvention is not dissimilar to Mary Poppins Returns in its reverence for source material, but it’s a lot of fun all the same with a tuned-in Harrison Ford back as Han Solo, a hyper-intense Adam Driver villain performance and a truly marvellous score by John Williams.

58. Kingsman: The Secret Service Cocky and charismatic spy caper from Matthew Vaughn that tackles the British class system and American consumerism while also allowing Colin Firth to murder a few dozen right-wing fundamentalists in a church while “Free Bird” blares. A film that won’t be ageing well but absolutely thrilled me when I was 17.

59. Coco Pixar do the Inside Out thing for the concept of death and the afterlife through the lens of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. A lovely film and probably a lot for children to handle.

60. Me & Earl & The Dying Girl Charming teen cancer comedy that introduced the world to the delightful Olivia Cooke while celebrating the life-affirming effects of making a movie with your friends.

61. Booksmart Lady Bird’s Beanie Feldstein leads her own fabulous teen girl comedy as one of a studious pair (with Kaitlyn Dever) who decide to go wild on their last night of high school. Really enlightened and charming feature debut from Olivia Wilde.

62. The Avengers Joss Whedon’s industry-shattering Marvel teamup marked the beginning of the end for interesting blockbusters but there’s no denying its powerful entertainment value. Sparks fly between Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo while Tom Hiddleston inhabits a meme-friendly postmodern villain role. Jolly trash.

63. Megamind Ahead-of-its-time superhero comedy from DreamWorks that’s somewhere on the spectrum of The Incredibles and Despicable Me and far smarter than anyone remembers.

64. Get Out Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning horror tackles racial conflict and white hypocrisy in post-Obama America with startling and darkly funny results.

65. Zootopia Colourful animal cineliterate escapades with one of the sexiest talking foxes in the movies — Jason Bateman’s Nick Wilde.

66. Blade Runner 2049 Villeneuve’s sequel is arguably superior to the original (exceedingly dull) Blade Runner, a distinctly experimental studio blockbuster that mainstream audiences would never — and weren’t expected to — appreciate.

67. Blindspotting Carlos López Estrada’s debut stands with the work of Jenkins and Peele in depicting with compelling fury the tragedies within modern African-American communities.

68. Frank Lenny Abrahamson’s strangest, most unnerving drama casts Michael Fassbender as a masked band leader intent on conquering the world but unable to conquer his vicious personal demons. A true ‘tragicomedy’ in the richest sense of the term.

69. The Dark Knight Rises Overly high expectations harmed Christopher Nolan’s rather excellent third Batman movie, as the years have passed its value has become clearer. A grim urban epic inspired by Metropolis and Dickens, it’s an extremely different type of movie to The Dark Knight, and it remains a fascinating one.

70. Les Miserables Tom Hooper is hardly a great auteur but his flashy, abrasive style has its use: in adapting the iconic musical he creates a canvas of melodrama that’s truly staggering, with heightened performances from Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.

71. Rise of the Planet of the Apes Andy Serkis’ Caesar is introduced in this tight 90 minute Apes prequel, one of the most low-key but engaging Hollywood sci-fi works of the decade.

72. Prisoners Disturbing and obtuse Villeneuve thriller with a terrific ensemble and some traumatising twists.

73. Sing Street John Carney’s most effective, well-liked film is powered by his favourite music from the 80s and the stellar “Drive It Like You Stole It”. It’s overeager but hard not to fall for.

74. Moneyball Only Aaron Sorkin could make baseball trading this interesting. Moneyball teams up Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman and it’s the only possible version of this film I would find remotely watchable. Sort of amazing.

75. Glassland Strong Irish family drama from Gerard Barrett that makes great use of Jack Reynor and Will Poulter’s very specific archetypes.

76. Love & Mercy Like Steve Jobs, a rare celebrity biopic that tries something new, this tells the life story of Brian Wilson through two narrative strands — he’s played by both Paul Dano and John Cusack.

77. Mid90s Jonah Hill’s directorial debut shows deep affection for the skateparks of his youth and is almost flawless in telling its simple narrative.

78. X-Men: First Class Matthew Vaughn’s 60s-set X-Men prequel is a stylish, sexy and culturally tuned-in alternative to standard franchise fatigue. The casting of Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy alone makes it a unique pleasure.

79. Thoroughbreds Darkly comedic take on modern teen indifference sees Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke plot a murder out of boredom. Featuring a great final performance by the late Anton Yelchin.

80. 50/50 Something of a spiritual sequel to Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler’s Funny People, this Jonathan Levine comedy has become something of a Netflix-era cult classic thanks to its enduring central male friendship (Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Movies about cancer are usually hit or miss. Hit.

81. Support The Girls Concise, charming day in the life of waitresses in a Hooter’s style smarmy roadside bar, Support The Girls depicts female team camaraderie with a spirit typically reserved for male-focused sports movies. Regina Hall is remarkable.

82. Mr. Turner Mike Leigh delves into JMW Turner’s artistic career and private life and somehow makes a film that’s deeply interesting and hard to look away from. Timothy Spall takes most of the credit, snuffling and snorting around the screen as only he can do.

83. Looper Smart, original sci-fi that earned Rian Johnson his The Last Jedi laissez-faire cheque.

84. The Edge of Seventeen Hailee Steinfeld and Hayley Lu Richardson are delightful best friends in this more-memorable-than-most coming of age comedy.

85. Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation Very much Chris McQuarrie’s warm-up for Fallout, this has its moments but is a lesser Mission by some distance. Sean Harris makes for an amazing villain though.

86. Django Unchained Filthily fun Tarantino exploitation picture with great Waltz and DiCaprio nastiness.

87. Atomic Blonde Cerebral, Berlin-set spy thriller that uses Charlize Theron’s ferocious femininity as a physical fighting tool like few other female-led action movies. Exceptional soundtrack and beautifully shot and styled.

88. Christopher Robin Moving grown-up take on the Winnie The Pooh fable scripted by Alex Ross Perry, it’s hard to believe Disney greenlit something as overwhelmingly downbeat as this (they never will again).

89. Men in Black 3 Michael Stuhlbarg as a globe-headed alien medium provides the heart for this above-average summer adventure, a surprisingly enduring (and brief) time travel movie with a really strong script.

90. Bridge of Spies Spielberg’s best film this decade, a Coen Brothers-scripted, old-fashioned Cold War drama that gives Tom Hanks his most Jimmy Stewart-esque role ever.

91. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Operatic, nonsensical but intensely compelling comic-book epic from Zack Snyder. Nothing in this film is well done as much as fascinating to experience. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is a genuinely strong psychotic performance but it all turns bad in the final act as CGI takes over from character. Should not be disregarded as a significant picture in the superhero canon.

92. Boulevard Robin Williams’ last great performance as a depressed bank clerk who pursues a relationship with a young male prostitute. Moving and very much overlooked for awards consideration following Williams’ death in 2014.

93. The Revenant Leonardo DiCaprio braving the wilds of winter may be an Oscar-baiting gimmick but The Revenant remains a stunning directorial achievement from Alejandro Innaritu: shot almost entirely in natural light and reportedly a near-Apocalypse Now level difficult shoot.

94. Edge of Tomorrow Doug Liman brilliantly utilises Tom Cruise’s star persona in a character-driven time loop actioner that teams the Groundhog Day’d Cruise with a ruthless warrior (Emily Blunt) to defeat alien invaders. It sounds stupid, it looks a little too much like a video game, but it’s brutally well-structured and warms Cruise up nicely for his subsequent great performance in M:I — Fallout.

95. Mad Max: Fury Road Maximum steampunk flare inhaled from a spray canister. George Miller’s fire in a bottle epic depicts a vibrant and vicious Aussie apocalypse. It’s amazing nobody was killed on the set.

96. Gone Girl David Fincher’s most Hitchcockian film is a blackly funny sex drama sold as a murder mystery. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are superb in richly complex roles. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score is perfect.

97. The Three Stooges Before Peter opened the Green Book, the Farrelly Brothers delivered a quite personal tribute to their most esteemed comedy heroes, a goofy bangs and whistles physical comedy that stars Larry David as a nun.

98. Anomalisa Charlie Kaufman takes his absurd surrealist vibe to the land of stop-motion. A very strange and sad film.

99. Leap Year Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are awkwardly charming in this deeply culturally-insensitive Irish-set rom-com. But by gorra I enjoy Leap Year and I’ve seen it more times than I would care to admit.

100. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules The closest the big-screen has come to specifically adolescent comedy brilliance of shows like Drake and Josh and iCarly, the second Wimpy Kid movie has superb slapstick and mid-pubescent romantic yearning performed by a winning ensemble of kids.