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Lets Watch the IMDB Top 250 films

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JCtheMC

Member
I have about 85 titles to go, mostly pre-1960's stuff. Bunch of stuff on there that i've seen has aged badly and whose addition is questionable at best. The same goes for some titles from the last 5 years which are just on there because of rabid fanboyism. I'm kinda hoping to get through it sometime in the next 2 years, but it might take longer because there's a number of things left on there i really have no interest whatsoever in watching (mostly Japanese animation).

Most notably, i haven't seen any of the LOTR films, because i don't really care for fantasy mostly and i intensely disliked Tolkiens books when i tried reading them something like 15 years ago. Seeing that Harry Potter film will probably take me a while as well, as i'd have to watch every film in the franchise to have it make sense.

Most recent additions are Roman Holiday (which i loved), Dial M For Murder (which i disliked, the only "one room" Hitchcock i enjoyed is Rear Window), and Mister Smith Goes To Washington (Love Jimmy Stewart, but for me this was a 7/10 at best).

Some of the films of which i just can't believe i never saw them, and looking forward to watching are The Bicycle Thief, the restored version of Touch Of Evil, The 400 Blows and To Kill A Mockingbird (which i'm holding off on until i've read the novel).

I have a lot of trouble actually getting through the top 250 just because i get sidetracked by more recent releases or sudden infatuations with directors and actors.
 

Jokergrin

Member
1.The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

laugh1v6b1.gif
 

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
Everyone gets to number eight, people start flinging insults, thread dies, no one watches the other 242 films.
 

Ryaaan14

Banned
Shawshank is very deserving. Probably the most universally loved movie of all time from my experience.

However, I've attempted to watch Citizen Kane about 4 or 5 times and have fallen asleep every time. :_\
 
I've been going back to watch films I haven't seen before. I don't really have an order, so this could help. I just finished all of PTA movies(Boogie Nights >> TWBB >> the other ones), now I'm doing Miyazaki.
 
Shawshank is very deserving. Probably the most universally loved movie of all time from my experience.

However, I've attempted to watch Citizen Kane about 4 or 5 times and have fallen asleep every time. :_\

I love shawshank, but I don´t see it as number 1.
Also, I find it hard to believe someone who´d try to watch Kane would fall sleep the 5 times. by the third time they tried, they´d have given up.

Have you started watching it at midnight or something:p

Sorry not trying to be mean or anything, I get that Kane is old and might be a bit difficult to get into for most people today, but it´s not like it´s so slow paced that would it induce sleep on those who try to watch it.
 

jakncoke

Banned
Are we just going to use that list of today. The top 250 changes a lot, specially newer films and also fanboy films of like india..ect come and go on a frequent basis. I think i shall try and finish the top 250 though.

Have 22 to go,

72- A Seperation 2011
74- Nuovo Cinema Paradiso 1988
79 Intouchables 2011
125- Ran 1985
126- Wild Strawberries 1957
151- The Artist 2011
158- The Secret in their Eyes 2009
181- Harakiri 1962
184- Judgement at Nuremberg 1961
192- The Manchurian Candidate 1962
202- La Strada 1954
206- The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928
209- Fanny and Alexander 1982
213- Kind Hearts and Coronets 1949
218- Nights of Cabiria 1957
223 High and Low 1963
227 Roman Holiday 1953
230 Come and See 1985
238 Anatomy of a Murder 1959
243 Like stars on earth 2007
244 Throne of Blood 1957
248 la haine 1995
 

LulaBrasi

Member
Oh man, i am missing about 96 movies on that imdb list, and all of them are those old pre 1950's... That's just a bit too old for me to enjoy them.
 

hiredhand

Member
TSPDT list is great but it favours canonized auteur directors (Godard, Welles, Bunuel...) too much in comparison to less known names.

From the site:
"Where is the love? Some notable directors without a film in the 1,000 Greatest Films listing include William Wellman, Peter Greenaway, Abel Ferrara, Stephen Frears, Ettore Scola, Chuck Jones, Tsai Ming-liang, Stephen Soderbergh, Derek Jarman, The Dardenne Brothers, Ernie Gehr, Richard Donner, Jules Dassin, Peter Kubelka, Cameron Crowe, Franklin J. Schaffner, Aki Kaurismäki, Walter Hill, Jonas Mekas, Hollis Frampton, Alexander Payne, Jan Svankmajer, William Dieterle, Raúl Ruiz, Kathryn Bigelow, and many others."

It also favours arthouse cinema in favour of genre films and documentaries and European and American films over Asian, South American and African films.

I think this book presents a much more balanced list of essential cinema. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1001_Movies_You_Must_See_Before_You_Die
 

mnannola

Member
How is everyone watching these movies? Looks like a bunch of the top 50 is not streaming on Netflix. Anywhere else streaming or do I need to actually get my ass off the comfy couch and get the blu-rays?
 

swoon

Member
TSPDT list is great but it favours canonized auteur directors (Godard, Welles, Bunuel...) too much in comparison to less known names.

From the site:
"Where is the love? Some notable directors without a film in the 1,000 Greatest Films listing include William Wellman, Peter Greenaway, Abel Ferrara, Stephen Frears, Ettore Scola, Chuck Jones, Tsai Ming-liang, Stephen Soderbergh, Derek Jarman, The Dardenne Brothers, Ernie Gehr, Richard Donner, Jules Dassin, Peter Kubelka, Cameron Crowe, Franklin J. Schaffner, Aki Kaurismäki, Walter Hill, Jonas Mekas, Hollis Frampton, Alexander Payne, Jan Svankmajer, William Dieterle, Raúl Ruiz, Kathryn Bigelow, and many others."

It also favours arthouse cinema in favour of genre films and documentaries and European and American films over Asian, South American and African films.

I think this book presents a much more balanced list of essential cinema. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1001_Movies_You_Must_See_Before_You_Die

1001 has a bunch crummy movies and doesn't resolve any of the issue of TSPDT.

also just look at the unique films to 1001 - monsters,
apocalypto, muriel's wedding, my brilliant career - none of those films are any good. i suspect the list gets worse if you digger deeper.
 

Socreges

Banned
And on the opposite end of the spectrum...

Holy shit what an absolutely ridiculous list.
I hope nobody holds this in any sort of esteem. It's terrible.

This is the ONLY 'film list' that matters.
Heavy bias toward more classic films given how the ballots were compiled. But it's great masturbatory material for those that give more 'prestige' to anything antiquated and at least gives exposure to films people would have less likely heard of. Also better than the bias toward pop film that you see with the IMDB list.
 

swoon

Member
And on the opposite end of the spectrum...

Heavy bias toward more classic films given how the ballots were compiled. But it's great masturbatory material for those that give more 'prestige' to anything antiquated and at least gives exposure to films people would have less likely heard of. Also better than the bias toward pop film that you see with the IMDB list.

there's tons of pop on that list and it's mostly mid century stuff. i mean just watch all the films from both lists and not worry about weird misconceptions about lists. a good film is a good regardless of who made it or when it was made
 

derder

Member
I've been working on this list for the past year:

19.Casablanca (1942)
30.It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
38.North by Northwest (1959)
42.City Lights (1931)
47.The Shining (1980)
48.M (1931)
49.Vertigo (1958)
55.Double Indemnity (1944)
62.Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
63.To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
64.Das Boot (1981)
68.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
70.The Green Mile (1999)
A Separation (2011)
71.Cinema Paradiso (1988)
72.The Great Dictator (1940)
75.The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
76.L.A. Confidential (1997)
The Intouchables (2011)
77.Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
82.Bicycle Thieves (1948)
83.Some Like It Hot (1959)
85.All About Eve (1950)
92.The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
93.The Apartment (1960)
94.Unforgiven (1992)
97.The Sting (1973)
101.Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
102.Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
107.On the Waterfront (1954)
108.The Elephant Man (1980)
109.Yojimbo (1961)
110.The Great Escape (1963)
111.The Maltese Falcon (1941)
114.Rebecca (1940)
115.Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
117.For a Few Dollars More (1965)
118.The General (1926)
119.Heat (1995)
122.Ran (1985)
123.Wild Strawberries (1957)
126.Touch of Evil (1958)
128.Ikiru (1952)
129.The Deer Hunter (1978)
132.Hotel Rwanda (2004)
135.It Happened One Night (1934)
136.The Wages of Fear (1953)
139.Strangers on a Train (1951)
140.The Kid (1921)
145.The Gold Rush (1925)
146.The Artist (2011)
147.High Noon (1952)
149.Warrior (2011)
150.Trainspotting (1996)
153.The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
155.Sunrise (1927)
156.The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
158.Notorious (1946)
159.Donnie Darko (2001)
162.Million Dollar Baby (2004)
163.Diabolique (1955)
166.My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
167.How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
170.Amores Perros (2000)
173.Good Will Hunting (1997)
174.The Big Sleep (1946)
177.The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
178.Stand by Me (1986)
179.Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
182.The Graduate (1967)
183.Network (1976)
184.The Night of the Hunter (1955)
185.Mary and Max (2009)
186.The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
187.The 400 Blows (1959)
188.Gandhi (1982)
189.Dial M for Murder (1954)
190.Persona (1966)
191.The Battle of Algiers (1966)
193.The Princess Bride (1987)
196.Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
197.La Strada (1954)
198.Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
199.The Hustler (1961)
200.Sherlock Jr. (1924)
201.The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
204.The Wild Bunch (1969)
205.The Wrestler (2008)
206.Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
208.Stalag 17 (1953)
209.The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
211.A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
212.Nights of Cabiria (1957)
215.All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
216.High and Low (1963)
219.Tokyo Story (1953)
220.Rope (1948)
221.The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
222.Come and See (1985)
223.Roman Holiday (1953)
224.Infernal Affairs (2002)
225.Stalker (1979)
226.Rosemary's Baby (1968)
228.Mystic River (2003)
230.Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
231.The Celebration (1998)
233.Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
234.Nosferatu (1922)
236.Throne of Blood (1957)
237.Grand Illusion (1937)
238.Le Samouraï (1967)
Like Stars on Earth (2007)
241.Castle in the Sky (1986)
242.Magnolia (1999)

I'm now watching about 2-4 a week.
 

Ultima_5

Member
I'm missing about 85 or so of these movies. Not bad in my opinion. I'll probably get around to watching them at some point. Alot of these movies are just so damn long, I can't imagine wanting to work my way through this list again
 
8 missing for me.

43) The Avengers
72) A Separation
152) Warrior
217) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
224) Yip Man
241) Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
242) Beauty and the Beast
243) Taare Zameen Par

Nothing too interesting except for maybe A Seperation and Nosferatu.
 

PlayDat

Member
I've only seen 36 out of the top 250. Not nearly as big on film as some others here. I actually just saw Groundhog Day for the first time this week. It's a shame the list skews more toward more recent films since I'd love to see some classic movies older than a couple decades old. I guess I could start with the ones already on the list but I can never motivate myself for some reason.
 

big ander

Member
I'm at 155 right now without trying for it specifically, expect I'll be in the 190-200 range by the end of the year. Not that it matters, I like using the decade- and genre-specific lists on ICM better. they're still imdb driven I believe so they get random stuff like the Turkish Dunce Class series being all over the 70's list (apparently there's a Turkish IMDB mafia), but I feel like you still get a taste of a lot of things.
 
Wow, OP must not be a film major.

Watch Bicycle Thieves, Rashomon, Sherlock Jr., Man With a Movie Camera, City Lights, and other oldies first. So great!
 

Jzero

Member
The thing that pisses me off about movies is when the characters are complete idiots. I can't believe the main character in 'Alien' went back for her fucken cat.
 

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Wow, OP must not be a film major.

Watch Bicycle Thieves, Rashomon, Sherlock Jr., Man With a Movie Camera, City Lights, and other oldies first. So great!

I actually was a film major for a bit. Went into finance though.

Anyway watched Bicycle Thieves. Really impressed with the amount of actors on screen at any given time. I need to look into the production of it because I cannot think of another film where a city just felt so alive. Not sure if they were filming on the fly or if all those scenes were staged.

I think I am going to go with The Third Man and IP Man tonight.
 
I think I've seen all of them except for some of the more recent animated and superhero movies. It's not perfect but it's a great gateway for film buffs.
 
8 missing for me.

43) The Avengers
72) A Separation
152) Warrior
217) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
224) Yip Man
241) Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
242) Beauty and the Beast
243) Taare Zameen Par

Nothing too interesting except for maybe A Seperation and Nosferatu.

A Separation is one of the absolute best films I've ever seen.
 

big ander

Member
The thing that pisses me off about movies is when the characters are complete idiots. I can't believe the main character in 'Alien' went back for her fucken cat.

That specific case: it's Ripley's first moment of pure humanity and wonderfully turns her from a simple fighter into a morally impervious hero.
In general: silly thing to get pissed off about. If a character acts differently than their previously established character, that's one thing. Acting stupid in general is something everyone does on a daily basis and being annoyed by characters doing so signals a short fuse
 

Jzero

Member
That specific case: it's Ripley's first moment of pure humanity and wonderfully turns her from a simple fighter into a morally impervious hero.
In general: silly thing to get pissed off about. If a character acts differently than their previously established character, that's one thing. Acting stupid in general is something everyone does on a daily basis and being annoyed by characters doing so signals a short fuse
Yea i guess i would feel differently if i had pets.
 
5.The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
6.12 Angry Men (1957)
7.Schindler's List (1993)
16.Goodfellas (1990)
20.The Matrix (1999)
21.Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
22.Rear Window (1954)
23.The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
27.The Usual Suspects (1995)
28.Se7en (1995)
29.Psycho (1960)
30.It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
31.Leon: The Professional (1994)
32.Sunset Blvd. (1950)
35.Apocalypse Now (1979)
36.American History X (1998)
37.Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
38.North by Northwest (1959)
39.Saving Private Ryan (1998)
42.City Lights (1931)
44.American Beauty (1999)
46.Taxi Driver (1976)
47.The Shining (1980)go (1958)
50.Paths of Glory (1957)
51.The Pianist (2002)
52.Modern Times (1936)
54.Amélie (2001)
55.Double Indemnity (1944)
57.The Lives of Others (2006)
61.Life Is Beautiful (1997)
62.Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
63.To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
64.Das Boot (1981)
65.Requiem for a Dream (2000)
67.The Third Man (1949)
69.The Prestige (2006)
70.The Green Mile (1999)
A Separation (2011)
71.Cinema Paradiso (1988)
72.The Great Dictator (1940)
73.Gladiator (2000)
74.Chinatown (1974)
75.The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
76.L.A. Confidential (1997)
The Intouchables (2011)
77.Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
78.Rashomon (1950)
80.Full Metal Jacket (1987)
81.Singin' in the Rain (1952)
82.Bicycle Thieves (1948)
83.Some Like It Hot (1959)
84.Amadeus (1984)
85.All About Eve (1950)
86.Metropolis (1927)
87.Raging Bull (1980)
88.Braveheart (1995)
89.Oldboy (2003)
92.The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
93.The Apartment (1960)
94.Unforgiven (1992)
96.Princess Mononoke (1997)
97.The Sting (1973)
99.Downfall (2004)
101.Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
102.Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
104.Inglourious Basterds (2009)
105.The Seventh Seal (1957)
107.On the Waterfront (1954)
108.The Elephant Man (1980)
109.Yojimbo (1961)
110.The Great Escape (1963)
111.The Maltese Falcon (1941)
112.Batman Begins (2005)
114.Rebecca (1940)
115.Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
116.Snatch. (2000)
117.For a Few Dollars More (1965)
118.The General (1926)
119.Heat (1995)
120.Blade Runner (1982)
121.Fargo (1996)
122.Ran (1985)
123.Wild Strawberries (1957)
126.Touch of Evil (1958)
128.Ikiru (1952)
129.The Deer Hunter (1978)
130.Jaws (1975)
131.No Country for Old Men (2007)
133.Cool Hand Luke (1967)
134.Scarface (1983)
135.It Happened One Night (1934)
136.The Wages of Fear (1953)
137.The Wizard of Oz (1939)
138.The Sixth Sense (1999)
139.Strangers on a Train (1951)
140.The Kid (1921)
141.The King's Speech (2010)
143.Annie Hall (1977)
144.Black Swan (2010)
145.The Gold Rush (1925)
146.The Artist (2011)
148.Platoon (1986)
149.Warrior (2011)
150.Trainspotting (1996)
151.Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
152.Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
153.The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
154.Into the Wild (2007)
155.Sunrise (1927)
156.The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
157.The Thing (1982)
158.Notorious (1946)
159.Donnie Darko (2001)
160.Gone with the Wind (1939)
161.Casino (1995)
162.Million Dollar Baby (2004)
163.Diabolique (1955)
164.Life of Brian (1979)
169.Ben-Hur (1959)
170.Amores Perros (2000)
172.V for Vendetta (2006)
173.Good Will Hunting (1997)
174.The Big Sleep (1946)
175.Groundhog Day (1993)
176.Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
177.The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
178.Stand by Me (1986)
179.Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
180.Harakiri (1962)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
181.Twelve Monkeys (1995)
182.The Graduate (1967)
183.Network (1976)
184.The Night of the Hunter (1955)
185.Mary and Max (2009)
186.The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
187.The 400 Blows (1959)
188.Gandhi (1982)
189.Dial M for Murder (1954)
190.Persona (1966)
191.The Battle of Algiers (1966)
192.District 9 (2009)
193.The Princess Bride (1987)
194.The Killing (1956)
195.8½ (1963)
196.Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
197.La Strada (1954)
199.The Hustler (1961)
200.Sherlock Jr. (1924)
201.The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
203.The Exorcist (1973)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
204.The Wild Bunch (1969)
205.The Wrestler (2008)
206.Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
208.Stalag 17 (1953)
209.The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
210.Barry Lyndon (1975)
211.A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
212.Nights of Cabiria (1957)
214.Star Trek (2009)
215.All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
216.High and Low (1963)
217.Ip Man (2008)
219.Tokyo Story (1953)
220.Rope (1948)
221.The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
222.Come and See (1985)
223.Roman Holiday (1953)
224.Infernal Affairs (2002)
225.Stalker (1979)
226.Rosemary's Baby (1968)
228.Mystic River (2003)
229.Let the Right One In (2008)
230.Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
231.The Celebration (1998)
232.Monsters, Inc. (2001)
233.Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
234.Nosferatu (1922)
236.Throne of Blood (1957)
237.Grand Illusion (1937)
238.Le Samouraï (1967)
239.Manhattan (1979)
Like Stars on Earth (2007)
240.Shutter Island (2010)
242.Magnolia (1999)

My list, for future reference

I may ignore some of the nerdier movies though. I think a lot of the ratings on imdb are skewed by the fact that most people using the site are nerds.
 

big ander

Member
My list, for future reference

I may ignore some of the nerdier movies though. I think a lot of the ratings on imdb are skewed by the fact that most people using the site are nerds.

Do you mean film nerds when you say nerds? Because, let me assure you, the imdb top 250 is no list for and by film nerds
 

C4Lukins

Junior Member
I can't take any list seriously that proposes Scarface to be one of the top 250 films of all time.

Again, it is not about taking the list itself seriously. It is about exposing yourself to movies you may not otherwise seek out.

Speaking of Scarface, it would easily be on my top 250 list. There really is no other movie like it.
 
30.It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
42.City Lights (1931)
45.Toy Story 3 (2010)
48.M (1931)
52.Modern Times (1936)
55.Double Indemnity (1944)
61.Life Is Beautiful (1997)
63.To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
A Separation (2011)
72.The Great Dictator (1940)
The Intouchables (2011)
81.Singin' in the Rain (1952)
82.Bicycle Thieves (1948)
83.Some Like It Hot (1959)
84.Amadeus (1984)
85.All About Eve (1950)
86.Metropolis (1927)
97.The Sting (1973)
99.Downfall (2004)
101.Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
109.Yojimbo (1961)
110.The Great Escape (1963)
111.The Maltese Falcon (1941)
115.Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
118.The General (1926)
122.Ran (1985)
126.Touch of Evil (1958)
128.Ikiru (1952)
135.It Happened One Night (1934)
140.The Kid (1921)
145.The Gold Rush (1925)
146.The Artist (2011)
147.High Noon (1952)
149.Warrior (2011)
155.Sunrise (1927)
156.The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
158.Notorious (1946)
160.Gone with the Wind (1939)
163.Diabolique (1955)
164.Life of Brian (1979)
167.How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
169.Ben-Hur (1959)
174.The Big Sleep (1946)
177.The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
185.Mary and Max (2009)
186.The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
187.The 400 Blows (1959)
188.Gandhi (1982)
191.The Battle of Algiers (1966)
193.The Princess Bride (1987)
195.8½ (1963)
197.La Strada (1954)
198.Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
200.Sherlock Jr. (1924)
201.The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
206.Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
208.Stalag 17 (1953)
212.Nights of Cabiria (1957)
215.All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
217.Ip Man (2008)
219.Tokyo Story (1953)
220.Rope (1948)
221.The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
222.Come and See (1985)
230.Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
231.The Celebration (1998)
233.Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
234.Nosferatu (1922)
235.Beauty and the Beast (1991)
236.Throne of Blood (1957)
237.Grand Illusion (1937)
Like Stars on Earth (2007)
241.Castle in the Sky (1986)

what should i make a priority
 
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