Must See Films: 50's & early 60's studio; American Independent

This week's "Must See" film lists are studio films from the 50's and early 60's (ending before the culture change hit hollywood) and American Independent Films (most of which are 1980 to the present). As a reminder, the key for reason of inclusion is: PF = Personal Favorite, AF = Art of Filmmaking, and HS = Historical Significance.

BEST STUDIO FILMS OF THE 50’S & EARLY 60’S
The Apartment (written by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond) – PF, AF
Sunset Boulevard (written by Charles Brackett & Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond) – PF, AF, HS
Singing in the Rain (written by Adolph Green and Betty Comden) – PF, AF, HS
The African Queen (adapted by James Agee & John Huston) – PF, AF, HS
Some Like It Hot (story by R. Thoeren and M. Logan, screenplay by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond) – PF, HS
The Bridge on the River Kwai (screenplay by Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman) – PF, AF, HS
Lawrence of Arabia (screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson) – PF, AF, HS
To Kill a Mockingbird (screenplay by Horton Foote) – PF, AF, HS
Dr. Strangelove (screenplay and adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern & Peter George) – AF, HS
Sound of Music (screenplay by Ernest Lehman) – PF, HS

AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FILM
Easy Rider (written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper & Terry Southern) – HS
Return of the Secaucus Seven (written by John Sayles) – PF, HS, AF
To Die For (screenplay by Buck Henry) – PF, AF
Sex, lies and videotape (written by Steven Soderbergh) – PF, HS, AF
Clerks (written by Kevin Smith) – PF, HS
Reservoir Dogs (written by Quentin Tarantino) – PF, HS, AF
Pulp Fiction (stories by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary, written by Quentin Tarantino) – PF, HS, AF
Chasing Amy (written by Kevin Smith) – PF, AF
Drugstore Cowboy (screenplay by Gus Van Sant Jr. and Daniel Yost) – PF, AF
The Usual Suspects (written by Christopher McQuarrie) – PF, AF
Memento (screenplay by Christopher Nolan) – PF, AF
Ghost World (written by Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff) – PF, AF
One False Move (written by Billy Bob Thornton & Tom Epperson) – PF, AF
Lars and the Real Girl (written by Nancy Oliver) – PF, AF