The IMDB 250

[Everlong]

You're right in saying that The Dark Knight is a very "love it or hate it" kind of movie, and I'll never understand the reason for that. I just don't understand people who hate that movie, especially if they at all liked either of the other two.

[VaderBomb]

First of all, fuck IMDB.

RYM https://rateyourmusic.com/ is my favorite online film community because the vast majority of the users understand and respect artistic integrity, something which is mostly lost on IMDB. It's all about popularity and that's bullshit, but I'll bite and spend an hour deciding my personal ratings for each film that I've seen.

001. The Shawshank Redemption - 6.5/10
002. The Godfather - 10/10
003. The Godfather: Part II - 9/10
004. The Dark Knight - 7.5/10
005. Pulp Fiction - 9/10
006. 12 Angry Men - 9/10
007. Schindler's List - 8/10
008. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - 9.5/10
009. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 6.5/10
010. Fight Club - 4/10
011. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 7/10
012. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - 9.5/10
013. Forrest Gump - 2/10 This movie is a lie and deserves to be killed.
014. Inception - N/A
015. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - 9/10
016. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 5.5/10
017. Goodfellas - 9/10
018. The Matrix - 6/10
019. Star Wars: A New Hope - 10/10
020. Seven Samurai - 10/10
021. Interstellar - N/A
022. City of God - 9/10
023. Se7en - 4/10
024. The Usual Suspects - 6/10
025. The Silence of the Lambs - 7/10
026. It's a Wonderful Life - 9.5/10
027. Once Upon a Time in the West - 9.5/10
028. Léon: The Professional - 7/10
029. Life is Beautiful - 7/10
030. Casablanca - 8.5/10
031. Raiders of the Lost Ark - 8/10
032. American History X - 7.5/10
033. Saving Private Ryan - 5.5/10
034. City Lights - 10/10 = GREATEST MOVIE EVER
035. Spirited Away - 9/10
036. Psycho - 9.5/10
037. Rear Window - 9/10
038. Whiplash - N/A
039. The Untouchables - N/A
040. Modern Times - 10/10
041. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - 7.5/10
042. Memento - 7.5/10
043. The Green Mile - 6/10
044. The Pianist - 7/10
045. The Departed - 6.5/10
046. Sunset Blvd.- 10/10 - The second best movie so far after City Lights
047. Apocalypse Now- 9.5/10
048. Gladiator - 6/10
049. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 9.5/10
050. Back to the Future - 8/10
051. Alien - 8.5/10
052. The Prestige - N/A
053. The Great Dictator - 9.5/10
054. The Lion King - 7.5/10
055. The Lives of Others - 7.5/10
056. Django Unchained - 8/10
057. Cinema Paradiso - 7/10
058. The Dark Knight Rises - N/A
059. The Shining - 9/10
060. Paths of Glory - 10/10
061. American Beauty - 7/10
062. Wall-E - 7.5/10
063. North by Northwest - 10/10
064. Aliens - 8/10
065. Citizen Kane - 10/10
066. Vertigo - 9.5/10
067. Amélie - 8/10
068. M - 10/10
069. Grave of the Fireflies - 9/10
070. Das Boot - 8.5/10
071. Oldboy - 8/10
072. Princess Mononoke - 9/10
073. Toy Story 3 - N/A
074. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - 8/10
075. Once Upon a Time in America - 9.5/10
076. Reservoir Dogs - 8/10
077. A Clockwork Orange - 9/10
078. Taxi Driver - 10/10
079. Braveheart - 4/10
080. Double Indemnity - 10/10
081. Requiem for a Dream - 6/10
082. To Kill a Mockingbird - 8/10
083. Witness for the Prosecution - 9/10
084. Lawrence of Arabia - 10/10
085. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 8.5/10
086. Full Metal Jacket - 8.5/10
087. Singin' in the Rain - 9/10
088. The Sting - 8.5/10
089. Bicycle Thieves -10/10
090. Amadeus - 8/10
091. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 10/10
092. Snatch - 6/10
093. 2001: A Space Odyssey - 10/10
094. For a Few Dollars More - 9/10
095. Rashomon - 9.5/10
096. L.A. Confidential - 7/10
097. The Kid - 9.5/10
098. All About Eve - 10/10
099. The Apartment - 10/10 - Third best so far after City Lights and Sunset Blvd. (also by Billy Wilder).
100. Inglourious Basterds - N/A
101. Some Like It Hot - 9.5/10
102. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 10/10
103. Toy Story - 7.5/10
104. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 7.5/10
105. The Third Man - 9.5/10
106. A Separation - N/A
107. Yojimbo - 9.5/10
108. Batman Begins - 3.5/10
109. Like Stars on Earth - N/A
110. Metropolis - 9/10
111. Unforgiven - 8/10
112. Scarface - 7/10
113. Raging Bull - 8/10
114. 3 Idiots - N/A
115. Up - N/A
116. Chinatown - 9.5/10
117. Downfall - 6.5/10
118. The Great Escape - 8/10
119. Die Hard - 7.5/10
120. The Hunt - N/A
121. On the Waterfront - 9/10
122. Pan's Labyrinth - N/A
123. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - 8.5/10
124. Heat - 9/10
125. The Bridge on the River Kwai - 9/10
126. Good Will Hunting - 7.5/10
127. My Neighbour Totoro - 9/10
128. The Seventh Seal - 10/10
129. The Bandit - N/A
130. The Gold Rush - 9.5/10
131. Ikiru - 9.5/10
132. Gone Girl - N/A
133. The Elephant Man - 9.5/10
134. Ran - 9.5/10
135. Wild Strawberries - 10/10
136. Blade Runner - 6.5/10
137. The Wolf of Wall Street - N/A
138. The General - 9/10
139. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - N/A
140. A Wednesday - N/A
141. The Secret in their Eyes - N/A
142. Casino - 6.5/10
143. Gran Torino - 7/10
144. Warrior - N/A
145. The Big Lebowski - 9/10
146. Boyhood - 9/10
147. Howl's Moving Castle - N/A
148. V for Vendetta - N/A
149. Rebecca - 9.5/10
150. Ran De Basanti - N/A
151. The Deer Hunter - 9.5/10
152. How to Train Your Dragon N/A
153. Cool Hand Luke - 9/10
154. It Happened One Night - 9.5/10
155. Judgment at Nuremberg - N/A
156. Fargo - 9.5/10
156. Trainspotting - 5.5/10
158. Gone with the Wind - 9/10
159. Into the Wild - 7/10
160. A Beautiful Mind - N/A
161. Rush - N/A
162. The Maltese Falcon - 9.5/10
163. Dial M for Murder - 8/10
164. The Sixth Sense - 6.5/10
165. The Wages of Fear - 10/10
166. Hotel Rwanda - N/A
167. The Thing - 10/10
168. Finding Nemo - 7/10
169. No Country for Old Men - 10/10
170. Mary and Max - N/A
171. Incendies - N/A
172. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - 8.5/10
173. Kill Bill: Volume 1 - 6/10
174. Platoon - 7/10
175. Life of Brian - 9/10
176. 12 Years a Slave - N/A
177. Network - 8.5/10
178. Touch on Evil - 10/10
179. Diabolique - 9.5/10
180. Annie Hall - 9/10
181. There Will Be Blood - 10/10
182. The Princess Bride - 8.5/10
183. Birdman - 8/10
184. Dil Chahta Hai - N/A
185. Stand By Me - 9/10
186. Guardians of the Galaxy - N/A
187. The Grand Budapest Hotel - 8.5/10
188. Sin City - 6.5/10
189. Ben-Hur - 8.5/10
190. In the Name of the Father - N/A
191. The 400 Blows - 10/10
192. Amores Perros - N/A
193. Million Dollar Baby - N/A
194. Hachi: A Dog's Tale - N/A
195. The Grapes of Wrath - 9/10
196. Persona - 10/10
197. The Wizard of Oz - 9/10
198. The Best Years of Our Lives - 9/10
199. The Imitation Game - N/A
200. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - 9/10
201. The Avengers - N/A
202. Gandhi - N/A
203. The Bourne Ultimatum - N/A
204. Donnie Darko - 8.5/10
205. Strangers on a Train - 9.5/10
206. 8 1/2 - 10/10
207. Shutter Island - N/A
208. Infernal Affairs - N/A
209. Twelve Monkeys - 8.5/10
210. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India - N/A
211. Stalker - 10/10 Easily one of my top five favorite films ever made
212. Jaws - 8/10
213. Gangs of Wasseypur - N/A
214. High Noon - 9/10
215. Before Sunrise - 10/10
216. The Terminator - 8.5/10
217. Notorious - 8.5/10
218. X-Men: Days of Future Past - N/A
219. Groundhog Day - 7.5/10
220. The King's Speech - N/A
221. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - N/A
222. Ip Man N/A
223. Fanny and Alexander - 10/10 Easily one of my top five favorite films ever made, but the five hour cut is necessary
224. Rocky - 10/10
225. The Night of the Hunter - 9.5/10
226. Monsters, Inc. - N/A
227. Dog Day Afternoon - 10/10
228. The Battle of Algiers - 9.5/10
229. La Haine 9.5/10
230. Memories of Murder - N/A
231. Barry Lyndon - 10/10
232. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - 4.5/10
233. A Fistful of Dollars - 8/10
234. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - 8/10
235. The Truman Show - 7.5/10
236. The Road - N/A
237. Castle in the Sky - N/A
238. The Big Sleep - 9.10
239. The Help - N/A
240. Jurassic Park - 8/10
241. Roman Holiday - 9/10
242. The Graduate - 8/10
243. Papillon - N/A
244. Beauty and the Beast - 8/10
245. The Hustler - 8.5/10
246. Prisoners - N/A
247. In the Mood for Love - 9/10
248. Rope - 10/10
249. The Celebration - 9/10
250. Before Sunset - 9.5/10

[PorkChop]

010. Fight Club - 4/10

what

[EmperorWu]

I have to agree with Hanley! the Godfather movies are vastly overrated. As great as they are in some parts, they also have a lot of weak points.

[UTK]

010. Fight Club - 4/10

what

I'd actually have to agree. It gets worse every time I see it.

[PorkChop]

010. Fight Club - 4/10

what

I'd actually have to agree. It gets worse every time I see it.

I recall you having a Con Air sig a while back. This invalidates anything you say about films, and probably even life in general.

[The Legend]

I've only seen about 20% of the films on that list, a little more maybe.

[Hanley!]

First of all, fuck IMDB.

Well, yeah. I think I've made it clear already that I don't have the highest opinion of their rankings and their rating system. But I figured the 250 was still a good place to try and find some new films and catch up on those that are apparently "must see".

[Everlong]

IMDB is useful in the sense that it gives a clear ranking of what the average person considers the best movies.

If you're looking for movies that are ones critics place on their top lists, sources like RottenTomatoes or MetaCrtiic are probably better options.

I don't necessarily agree with the IDMI rankings but they're generally pretty useful in determining whether or not I'll enjoy a movie.

[EmperorWu]

Oh by the way Hanley! if you give Seven Samurai a bad rating I'm going to run away crying like a little girl. That's my favorite movie of all time.

[Hanley!]

Oh by the way Hanley! if you give Seven Samurai a bad rating I'm going to run away crying like a little girl. That's my favorite movie of all time.

It'd be almost worth it just for that.

Won't be too long until I get to that one anyway, I've seen most of the rest of the top 20 already.

[UTK]

010. Fight Club - 4/10

what

I'd actually have to agree. It gets worse every time I see it.

I recall you having a Con Air sig a while back. This invalidates anything you say about films, and probably even life in general.

I had that ironically.

Though I do love that movie, unironically.

[Hanley!]

Film #005: Pulp Fiction


First time viewing?
Nah, I've seen it a few times

Thoughts:
This is a weird flick, because just about everyone said it was the best film ever for at least a decade there. It's what all the cool kids were doing. But nowadays, it gets a more mixed reaction. I'm pretty sure there are a few people here who really dislike the film. Whereas some others will probably count it among their favourites.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I like this film quite a bit. I don't think it's Tarantino's strongest: that would be Reservoir Dogs. I even think I may have enjoyed Inglorious Basterds more than this. Though I've only seen that once, so I'd have to rewatch it to make sure.

Usually I'm a big fan of a tight screenplay and a well scripted story, but Pulp Fiction's story is nothing to write home about. It's the dialogue and the tone of the film, along with the way the story is told that make it a classic. This film is a classic example of style over substance, though in this case I don't intend that as an insult. Tarantino introduced a style that felt very fresh and new at the time, and it gives this film a lot of energy.

Some of the most memorable and iconic moments from the film are nothing more than throwaway pieces of dialogue. It's one of the few films where you'll regularly hear characters talk about things that aren't immediately relevant to the plot. What makes this work though, is that these conversations still serve a purpose. They can help establish characters. In the case of the two hitmen, it shows that these are regular guys and that this is just a job to them.

The songs selected for the film were perfect, and the casting was spot on too. It revitalised John Travolta and basically made Samuel L Jackson a thing. Most of this film was just very well put together. I didn't like everything about it though. I found Bruce Willis's sections could be pretty tedious at times. The scene with the gimp felt a bit silly to me. And the mystery of what's inside the box always seemed a little shoehorned in, and bit pretentious.

Personal Rating: 7/10

Does it belong on this list?
For sure. It offered something very different at the time. And there are still very few films like it. Tarantino himself has completely mis-used some of these techniques in his later movies, which shows you how much finesse it must have taken to make this as good as it is.

[Hanley!]

Film #006: 12 Angry Men


First time viewing?
Yes

Thoughts:
I love this film.

This is why I wanted to do this list in the first place: I was sure that I'd find some movies that would be right up my alley. And this is one of them. Though I was delighted to see that there are some films on the IMDB 250 clocking in at less than two hours, I was initially worried when I saw that it was a film from 1956. I thought that some of the references might be dated and that it might not hold up so well today. But my concerns were completely unfounded.

The film is about a jury deliberating on a murder case. Basically the entire film takes place in one room. It's one extended scene - basically just 90 minutes of men arguing with each other. But it's done so well.

Usually when I watch a movie - even a movie that I love - there'll be something that I wish had been done differently. But I really can't find any fault with 12 Angry Men at all. It's a simple story, but it's a simple story told well. I could tell from early on that this movie was made with a lot of precision and care, just by watching the men walk into the courtroom. They all held themselves differently, and had their own mannerisms. They're also wiping themselves off with handkerchiefs and fanning themselves, letting the audience know that it's an extremely hot day before we ever have to be told.

Right from the off the film tries to make sure that you don't get any of these men confused with each other. That's a real concern, given the setting and the run-time. There's not a huge amount of physical differences between these men, and the film doesn't have much time to establish their characters. And yet without making any of them unrealistically colourful characters, the film manages to establish 12 unique people. Each piece of dialogue (whether they're talking about the trial or not) establishes something about a character in the room. And there are a number of verbal Chekov's guns which are subtly introduced to the audience throughout the film, and we receive a satisfying pay off for everyone of them.

I also thought it was impressive how thorough an impression of the actual case I received, just from listening to these men talk. And the case itself was interesting too. Which couldn't have been an easy accomplishment, using just dialogue. Ending the film without us knowing whether the man was in fact innocent or guilty was refreshing too. We don't need to know. It wasn't important for the story.

So yeah, this was great. Anyone who hasn't seen it, you definitely should. It's only an hour and a half out of your life and you won't regret it.

Personal Rating: 10/10

Does it belong on this list?
Without a doubt. After watching this, you'll realise that basically every jury scene you've ever seen on television or in the movies has taken something from this film. It has obviously been extremely influential.

[Ali]

It makes me so happy to see that you love 12 Angry Men. It's in my top 2 or 3 favorite films, and I can watch it at any time. It's a film you can just put on and become thoroughly engaged by, no matter what you were doing before.

[Matteo]

12 Angry Man is fantastic filmmaking. The blocking and framing is some of the best you'll ever see from that time period, and the writing is sublime. In saying that, Lumet has produced superior works, notably the darkly satirical Network and criminally overlooked The Pawnbroker, the latter being an impeccable achievement in editing. Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and The Verdict are all good, too, and I can not recommend Fail Safe, one of the greatest Cold War thrillers, enough. I'd also (hesitantly) recommend William Friedkin's remake (or - to some - adaptation) of 12 Angry Men. It lacks the technical greatness of Lumet's work, but it's still a compelling viewing for the most part.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Just read in the Metro today that the Godfather was a book adaptation, didn't know that.

[EmperorWu]

Where you at Hanley? We are enjoying these.

[Hanley!]

Where you at Hanley? We are enjoying these.

I watched Schindler's list last night, so I'll get a review of that one up later. Might watch The Good, the Bad and the Ugly over the weekend. I'll pick up speed soon, as I've seen almost everything between 11 and 20 already.

[Hanley!]

Film #007: Schindler's List


First time viewing?
Yes

Thoughts:
I find it difficult to express my thoughts on this film. It was a difficult watch, and honestly it took me quite some time to get fully into the film. It lost my attention at times. The horrors depicted were affecting, but occasionally the violence was so frequent that I became desensitized to it. The pace was also quite slow, which is something that can bother me in films when it's not used to good effect.

While I was on the fence for the first hour, I started to get more into the film as it progressed. The central performances were very well done. Ralph Fiennes was brilliant, and I don't think I've ever seen Liam Neeson give a performance nearly as powerful as this one. Ben Kingsley was great too. Schindler's character progression was compelling, as he slowly goes from thinking of his employees as commodities to thinking of them as people.

The slow pacing ultimately worked in the movie's favour in many respects, as it put across the passage of time nicely and effectively conveyed the slow, depressing trudge through the war for these people. But along with the horrific imagery, this was another aspect of the film that made it more effective than enjoyable. It's hard to truly like a film that's this sad. But it really manages to get its point across. Ultimately I would say that I appreciated the film, but I wouldn't watch it a second time.

Personal Rating: 7/10

Does it belong on this list?
Yes. It's a film that really does an excellent job at selling the importance of the events it's depicting. You really feel the weight of the atrocities committed against the Jewish people, and it sells the massive influence that Schindler had on them. Worth watching once.