The TV Addict 

Over at G.L.I. Press, they have an excellent article analyzing thirteen films that “[take] an assumption about how American movies are supposed to be made and [change] it, sometimes resulting in something truly memorable.” Lists like these are often very subjective, and accessible to intense scrutiny, but I have to say this list is a pretty dead-on compilation of innovative films. Whatever oversights there were, are easily and politely corrected by those who comment on the article.

As for my own comments, I might slightly debate the selection of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK for a rule-breaking film involving the good guys losing. I’m sure there are other earlier examples, but the one that readily comes to my mind is CHINATOWN where the good guy loses… really badly (it even earned the No. 1 spot in my Top 15 Bleakest Film Endings because of that fact). Also, it’s hard to really feel that the bad guys really win at the end EMPIRE STRIKES BACK because you knew there was going to be another film that would inevitably lead to the heroes’ victory.

I can’t resist the urge to suggest some additions as well. I might be inclined to throw in LONE STAR and UNFORGIVEN in the already excellently selected “re-imagined Westerns category.” I’d maybe nit-pick that Christopher Nolan started playing with reverse order narrative in his earlier film, FOLLOWING, and I’d nominate SUNSET BOULEVARD for being a film that not only told you (and showed you) in the opening scene that the protagonist would die, but would also go on to be narrated by the deceased character.