100 Movies Revisited
Just to prove that I can waste time like the best of them, I’m reviewing the latest list of the top 100 films on IMDB (as of today) and working out what I have left to see of the list as it currently stands.
There are quite a few new entries this time around: The Departed is on there, as is Pan’s Labyrinth and The Prestige (which surprises me because as much as I thought it was good I didn’t think it was top 100 good - but considering it’s number 86, I doubt it will be in a years time.) The Bourne Ultimatum is on there as well, a film I intend to see as soon as it’s available for rental. By that time it will have dropped out as it’s too new to have any lasting power.
Anyway, the list is as follows and what I’ve yet to see is highlighted in bold. Feel free to join in or not.
1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
8. Casablanca (1942)
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
11. Seven Samurai (1954
12. Star Wars (1977)
13. 12 Angry Men (1957)
14. Rear Window (1954)
15. Goodfellas (1990)
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
17. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
18. City of God (2002)
19. The Usual Suspects (1995)
20. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
21. Psycho (1960)
22. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
23. North by Northwest (1959)
24. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
25. Citizen Kane (1941)
26. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
27. Memento (2000)
28. Fight Club (1999)
29. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
30. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
31. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
32. The Matrix (1999)
33. Taxi Driver (1976)
34. American Beauty (1999)
35. Vertigo (1958)
36. Apocalypse Now (1979)
37. Amélie (2001)
38. Se7en (1995)
39. The Departed (2006)
40. Léon (1994)
41. American History X (1998)
42. Paths of Glory (1957)
43. Chinatown (1974)
44. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
45. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
46. M (1931)
47. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
48. The Third Man (1949)
49. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
50. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
51. Alien (1979)
52. The Pianist (2002)
53. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
54. The Shining (1980)
55. L.A. Confidential (1997)
56. Downfall (2004)
57. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
58. Spirited Away (2001)
59. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
60. Double Indemnity (1944)
61. Boot, Das (1981)
62. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
63. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
64. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
65. The Lives of Others (2006)
66. Metropolis (1927)
67. Aliens (1986)
68. Raging Bull (1980)
69. Forrest Gump (1994)
70. Modern Times (1936)
71. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
72. Sin City (2005)
73. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
74. Rashômon (1950)
75. Rebecca (1940)
76. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
77. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
78. The Great Escape (1963)
79. All About Eve (1950)
80. Some Like It Hot (1959)
81. Amadeus (1984)
82. Ratatouille (2007)
83. The Seventh Seal (1957)
84. Touch of Evil (1958)
85. On the Waterfront (1954)
86. The Prestige (2006)
87. The Elephant Man (1980)
88. Jaws (1975)
89. Life is Beautiful (1997)
90. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
91. The Sting (1973)
92. Strangers on a Train (1951)
93. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
94. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
95. The Apartment (1960)
96. Batman Begins (2005)
97. City Lights (1931)
98. Braveheart (1995)
99. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
100. The Big Sleep (1946)
So, 17 to see (and I don’t think Ratatouille has even made it to the UK yet but I could be wrong). Shamefully, I own Vertigo, On the Waterfront and The Apartment and just haven’t got around to watching them yet. I’m not going to make any outlandish claims like “I’ll watch them all by the end of the year but, thinking about it, it is possible!
Hi!
The Bourne Ultimatum was as good as the Bourne Identity if not better, but much better than the Bourne Supremacy.
Hotel Rwanda made me feel disgusted with how insensitive the world is to what happens in places like Rwanda. Very powerful.
The Departed interesting, a little twist here and there. Not sure if I’d put it in top 100?
Requiem for a Dream is a MUST SEE.
I think Fight Club should have been in that list.
There are quite a few World Cinema movies that I’d prefer to see in a top 100… What did IMBD base this on do you know? Box office success, the reviewer comments, a judge panel discussion, site hits?
Comment by Gaye — October 2, 2007 @ 10:20 am
Hi Gaye and welcome. It’s based on average votes as awarded by IMDB members which is why popular new films will always rank higher than they should at first. I’ve done this twice before here and here so you can see how the list has changed over the years. Yes it’s based on popularity but it’s generally a pretty good list. The top 250 contain far more world cinema and films like Fight Club (which I also agree should be top 100!)
Comment by Tom — October 2, 2007 @ 10:55 am
Thanks Tom. I see now what you mean, with the voting system that’d be the way. Although I figured for instance Fight Club should be in the list, I had trouble deciding what I’d take out to put that one or another instead. It’s not a bad list true, as I have myself nodded approvingly as I read it. I guess for the likes of people who watch way too many movies top 100 is not a big enough number!
Last night I watched Luc Besson’s Angel-a. It’s brilliant. Apparently it was the first film he directed after a break of 7 years! I recommend it if you haven’t already seen it. I am a big fan of his films.
The night before it was H6. Terrible film I have to say. The reviews compare it to Hostel and Saw (by the way I thought Saw was much better than Hostel), not even close.
Comment by Gaye — October 2, 2007 @ 11:26 am
I do like Luc Besson although I wasn’t a big fan of The Fifth Element - much prefer Leon, Nikita and The Big Blue personally. I’d forgotten about Angel-a so will add that to the list. Thanks!
Oh, also, Fight Club is in the list - it’s number 28!
Comment by Tom — October 2, 2007 @ 11:59 am
Ah, no wonder! I missed it, too.
This conversation and last night’s movie (Angel-A) made me think of luc Besson movies I have seen and want to see so I put it on my blog
Nice list and topic!
Have you seen Ong-Bak? Luc Besson was producer of that movie and I think it is also brilliant. I recommend it, unless you hate martial arty movies.
Comment by gaye — October 2, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
I do watch martial arts movies but wasn’t entirely sold on Ong-Bak although it wasn’t bad. I think it’s mostly because I find the Thai language irritating to listen to.
Comment by Tom — October 2, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
Well, I’m busted by Item 2: I’ve never the seen Shawshank and have no desire to either. In fact, I’m almost prepared to say I’m making it a deliberate choice to NOT watch it. Don’t get me wrong, I love both the leading actors - they’re great, but the amount of hyper-sentimentalist nonsense I hear about the film (uplifting) just makes me revolt against it.
You’re probably a huge fan. Apologies. Otherwise I think I have a few more than you I haven’t seen. I need to read it properly to assess.
However, I will echo the call to watch Requiem for a Dream even if with a strong proviso. Don’t watch it if you’re feeling quite happy (or even very happy!): trust me, as great a film as it is, you will hit a downer or feel pulled that way; similarly, DEFINITELY do not watch it if you’re already having a bit of a bad day. There’s not a lot of uplift there! But is an amazing film: I saw it on a press screening (I reviewed it for a uni journal) and it utterly haunted me. I also have the DVD (because I recognise it’s an important and every good film). But I have scarcely watched it and still haven’t been able to find the ‘right’ moment to get my partner to watch it… *sigh* careful scheduling can be a pain…
Comment by Rullsenberg — October 2, 2007 @ 8:08 pm
Shawshank Redemption is an odd one. I actually do really like the film but it took me a while to get around to this. I watched it a couple of times but could never really remember what happened. After hearing people rave about it, I watched it again and really paid attention to it. At the point I realised how good a film it actually is.
The thing is, I wouldn’t call it sentimental. It is “uplifting” but it’s by no means saccharine in my opinion. (Not like The Green Mile was anyway!) Nor is it moralistic. While I might do moralistic, I have very little time for hyper-sentamentalism.
Not that I’d urge you to see it. That’s your choice. But I do have a blog post in the offing on a similar theme.
“Requiem For A Dream” is on my list. I’m awaiting it eagerly as everyone says it’s a real downer and I’m looking forward to seeing how much of a downer it actually is.
Comment by Tom — October 2, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
Pan’s Labyrinth is an awesome, awesome move!
Comment by Lishian — October 4, 2007 @ 7:14 pm