In my opinion, these are 10 films that you must see before you die if you care anything about cinema or want to be in the conversation.

These aren’t the best films ever made, and there is a film here that I, frankly, don’t enjoy. But, regardless, these are 10 films that hit milestones in cinema and are must-sees for anyone who takes the craft of films seriously.

1. “Citizen Kane” — This is wildly touted as the greatest film ever made. And while any such ranking is arbitrary, this is one of cinema’s most thought-provoking gems. If you are a filmgoer, it is mandatory viewing if only to be able to discuss it. The sheer fact that Welles was even able to get the movie made is a miracle itself. The film features the most iconic word in the history of cinema, and is sure to last as a testament to filmmaking for the rest of time.

2. “Jaws” — Steven Spielberg has made some fine films in his time, but none that are as important as this one. It is one of the movies that invented the summer blockbuster. It changed the way that movies are made. When people left “Jaws,” they would get in the back of the line to see it again. This isn’t Spielberg’s best – that would be “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – but without the success of this I’m not sure if Spielberg would ever have made it where he is today.

3. “The Godfather”— Some movies have a legacy about them that is overrated. “The Godfather” isn’t one of them. With memorable acting across the board, pinpoint direction and the beautiful interior photography, Francis Ford Coppola captures a family and a business like never before or after. And, Nina Rota’s score is one of the most memorable in history, drenching our ears like a mournful dirge.

4. “Psycho” — Is there a more memorable location in film than the Bates Motel? How about a more teeth-chattering portrayal of creepiness than Anthony Perkins? It surely isn’t the first psychological thriller. However, Alfred Hitchcock pulls the audience into a vise of tension and atmosphere that is unlike anything else of the genre.

5. “Taxi Driver” — From Robert De Niro’s mirror showdown to a great child performance by Jodie Foster, Scorsese’s film vibrates with the seediness of the New York locations. The pairing of De Niro and Martin Scorsese is the great pairing in movie history and this is arguably their finest hour. This is a dark and fascinating vision into loneliness, despair and Scorsese’s favorite subject: the Catholic conscience.

6. “Gone With the Wind” — I’m not the biggest fan of this film. It is a little too racist for my liking, but regardless, this is one of the most treasured pieces in cinema history. It would lead to all sorts of films after it. Famously, it is the first film to ever use the word “damn.” However, looking at the story of the American South in the 1860s as a place like Camelot is still a gross injustice by any filmmaker.

7. “Nosferatu” — The original horror. This classic of the silent era of filmmaking defined what a vampire was to mean in film. With an eerie sense of time and place that F.W. Murnau captures at a time when we hadn’t been sensitized to the vampire culture. The film is alive and vibrates with terror. This is a movie that preys on the fears that keep us up at night.

8. “It’s a Wonderful Life” — Frank Capra is the voice of the American spirit, and this is his ode to us. It is darker than many remember it to be. In the end, this is Capra’s powerful testament to the human spirit. It is darker than people remember it to be. Jimmy Stewart gives one of his best performances as George Bailey. This is prophetic work about the people we are and the decisions we wish we hadn’t made.

9. “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” — This is the key film about greed in American cinema with a performance from one of the key American actors, Humphrey Bogart. The direction by John Huston is as good as America has ever seen. The only film in recent memory the comes close to emulating that level of greed and self loathing is “There Will Be Blood” (my favorite film of last decade), but even that pales in comparison

10. “Singin’ in the Rain” — Gene Kelly is an absolute joy as Don Lockwood. Screen musicals have never been this light and breezy. This was from a time when musicals were being written for screen and not just the stage. Sadly, they don’t make them like this anymore. This is the best musical to ever grace an audience.