8. Network

 

Like any metropolis, New York is full of careerists who live to work rather than work to live, and one of the films which best encapsulates that mindset is Paddy Chayefsky’s Network. A sprawling satire lamenting the commercialization of the news industry, this film focuses on the intergenerational conflict between an aging network boss who wants to keep on running his business the way he likes, and a young executive that chases ratings like they’re no tomorrow. Though released over fifty years ago, its cultural relevance has yet to wane.