#50. Ugestu (1953) - Kenji Mizoguchi

She Said:  Started off slowish with the opening credits willing me to almost sleep. But then it gets going and suddenly, KAPOW!

By the time it's over, you're an utter wreck and wanting to hug your partner, your child, your pet, anything alive that's nearby.

A cautionary tale of what happens when one's hunger for riches and fame overwhelms one's sense of responsibility and love - true in samurai times and sadly still true today. Also, creepiest lady's nurse...Ever.

He Said: Kind of like an Eastern Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The weakness and corruption of man is exposed in all it's despicable glory.

Adding complexity to the film is the subtle handling of the supernatural element - once the characters cross the foggy river, they enter a land of the dead. Here their deepest desires come true, but soon they have to pay the price of their greed.

As much as I love Huston's Sierra Madre, I'd say that this film has it licked.

#50. La jetée (1962) - Chris Marker

She Said: I was immediately struck by the initial imagery as I too used to go with my parents to see the planes depart from the airport in Lisbon.

Unusual film set up as a series of still shots (except for one brief moment of movement) which reminded me of the photo-romances (or fotonovelas) my mom used to read when I was a young child.

A bit hard to get into at first, with some moments of annoyance (the whispering comes to mind) but the payoff is powerful and left a knot in my stomach.

Short, graphic-arific and memorable, what have you got to lose?

He Said: Interesting that this appears at the foot of the list while Vertigo appears at the top, a movie that this pays homage to. It's also interesting to note that this inspired Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys.

However, I think that this is weaker than both of those movies. Both of those films have an emotional complexity that this lacks. Yes the ending is fantastic but the rest of the movie is distinctly average. One can't help but feel that the audacity of the last 30 seconds are the sole reason that this has planted La jetee on this list.