1001 books and films you must see before you die

Inspired by Jason Kottke, I’ve been through 1001 books and films you must see before you die and ticked off my reading (28) and viewing (215). It’s fair to say I’ve seen more of the films than read the books on these lists- I tend to read more contemporary lit, and the list focuses more on classics. There’s some glaring ommissions. And while I enjoy Brett Easton Ellis – Glamorama? Hmmm.

I’ve seen a lot of the films from the 00s, 90s, 80s and 70s, but it trails off fairly dramatically after that – but the list seems pretty fair. If you fancy doing the same, let me know in the comments, I’ve marked my favourites with an ‘*’, just so you know.

Books – full list here.

Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain*
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Farewell My Lovely – Raymond Chandler
Animal Farm – George Orwell
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway*
On the Road – Jack Kerouac*
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Muriel Spark
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson
The Shining – Stephen King
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Less Than Zero – Bret Easton Ellis*
The Bonfire of the Vanities – Tom Wolfe
London Fields – Martin Amis
Get Shorty – Elmore Leonard
American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
The Shipping News – E. Annie Proulx*
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace (Not *technically finished* – does ANYONE finish it?)
Underworld – Don DeLillo
Glamorama – Bret Easton Ellis
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen*

Films – full list here.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
City of God (2002)
The Pianist (2002)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Memento (2000)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Traffic (2000)
Meet the Parents (2000)
Gladiator (2000)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Matrix (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
American Beauty (1999)*
Three Kings (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)*
Ring (1998)
There’s Something About Mary (1998)
Magnolia (1999)*
Rushmore (1998)*
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Buffalo 66 (1998)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
The Ice Storm (1997)
Boogie Nights (1997)*
L.A. Confidential (1997)*
Trainspotting (1996)*
Scream (1996)
Fargo (1996)*
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Clueless (1995)
Heat (1995)
Seven (1995)
Smoke (1995)
Toy Story (1995)
Braveheart (1995)
Casino (1995)
Crumb (1994)
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Natural Born Killers (1994)
The Last Seduction (1994)
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
Pulp Fiction (1994)*
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Clerks (1994)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Short Cuts (1993)
Philadelphia (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Schindler’s List (1993)
The Piano (1993)
The Wedding Banquet (1993)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
JFK (1991)
Slacker (1991)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991)
Strictly Ballroom (1992)
The Player (1992)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)*
Romper Stomper (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Unforgiven (1992)*
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992)
The Crying Game (1992)
Man Bites Dog (1992)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990)
Total Recall (1990)
Boyz ‘n the Hood (1991)
Delicatessen (1991)
Dances with Wolves (1990)
Pretty Woman (1990)
Goodfellas (1990)*
Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)
Say Anything (1989)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Roger & Me (1989)
Batman (1989)
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)*
My Left Foot (1989)
Die Hard (1988)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Rain Man (1988)
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
The Naked Gun (1988)
Big (1988)
Bull Durham (1988)
Raising Arizona (1987)*
Full Metal Jacket (1987)*
Withnail and I (1987)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Broadcast News (1987)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Moonstruck (1987)
The Untouchables (1987)
Salvador (1986)*
Top Gun (1986)
Platoon (1986)*
The Fly (1986)
Aliens (1986)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)*
Stand By Me (1986)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Out of Africa (1985)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Back to the Future (1985)
Brazil (1985)
The Quiet Earth (1985)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Scarface (1983)
Amadeus (1984)
The Terminator (1984)
Paris, Texas (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)*
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)*
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Ghostbusters (1984)
A Passage to India (1984)
Utu (1983)
Terms of Endearment (1983)
The King of Comedy (1983)
Videodrome (1983)
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)*
The Big Chill (1983)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1981)
E.T.: The Extra-Terestrial (1982)*
The Thing (1982)
Poltergeist (1982)
Blade Runner (1982)
The Evil Dead (1982)*
Tootsie (1982)
Diner (1982)
Gandhi (1982)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Gallipoli (1981)*
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Airplane! (1980)
Raging Bull (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The Shining (1980)*
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)*
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Life of Brian (1979)
Apocalypse Now (1979)*
The Jerk (1979)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
Manhattan (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
Alien (1979)*
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Grease (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)*
The American Friend (1977)
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Star Wars (1977)*
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)*
Annie Hall (1977)
Rocky (1976)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Jaws (1975)*
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)*
The Wall (1975)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Chinatown (1974)*
Blazing Saddles (1974)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
The Exorcist (1973)
Mean Streets (1973)
American Graffiti (1973)
The Godfather (1972)*
Shaft (1971)
Dirty Harry (1971)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Woodstock (1970)
Easy Rider (1969)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)*
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)*
Night of the Living Dead (1968)*
Planet of the Apes (1968)
The Jungle Book (1967)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Repulsion (1965)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Psycho (1960)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Shane (1953)
High Noon (1952
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939
Dracula (1931)