IMDB Top 250 films

[yovargas]

The website imdb.com (Internet Movie Database) keeps a list going of the 250 most highly rate movies of all time: IMDb Top 250. I really like this list because, unlike all-time greatest lists from critics, it does a really good job of including both the "serious" classics (like Godfather, or Seven Samurai) and beloved populist films (like the Batmans or Terminators). It spans both old and new, well-known and obscure, serious and silly movies. That a list like this happens totally organically just based on what individuals rate these movies makes it extra cool. No such list will be perfect (nor will I agree with every choice) but this is about the closest you can get to saying that a movie is "objectively" great - these are simply the movies that real movie fans enjoy watching.

So I set a crazy little goal for myself - I am going to watch every movie on the list (as it was in early June). The only exceptions were movies from this decade (they haven't stood the test of time yet), movies I am already very familiar with, and a handful of Bollywood movies that weirdly snuck into the list (sorry India). I've been keeping a spreadsheet to track what I've seen and what I am rating them using a (US?) school-like A thru F rating system. I figure every 10 or 15 movies or so, I'll list the ratings of what I've seen so far here and see if anyone wants to yell at me for hating a beloved classic or three.

Here are the ones I've seen since starting this, in order of my ranking:

24. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) A
211. Jaws (1975) B+
175. Network (1976) B+
120. Die Hard (1988) B+
234. Castle in the Sky (1986) B
108. Metropolis (1927) B-
142. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) B-
53. The Prestige (2006) C+
101. Inglourious Basterds (2009) C
23. The Usual Suspects (1995) C
85. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) D+
114. Raging Bull (1980) D
95. For a Few Dollars More (1965) D



UPDATE - New ratings posted 09/19/2015:
All About Eve A+
Jurassic Park A
Double Indemnity A-
The Apartment B
It Happened One Night B-
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels B-
Gone with the Wind C+
High Noon C+
Sin City C+
Annie Hall D+
Ip Man D+
City Lights D
Taxi Driver NA


UPDATE - New ratings posted 10/01/2015:
Apocalypse Now A+
Princess Mononoke A+
Sunset Blvd. A
Psycho B+
Rocky B
Schindler's List B
Pirates of the Caribbean B
Se7en C+
Scarface C
Léon: The Professional C-


UPDATE - New ratings posted 01/02/2016:
Pan's Labyrinth A
Good Will Hunting A-
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest A-
Amélie B+
No Country for Old Men B+
Fargo B
Rashomon B
Rebecca B-
The Godfather B-
Paris, Texas C
Platoon C
The Godfather: Part II C-
Goodfellas D
Once Upon a Time in America D-


UPDATE - New ratings posted 02/21/2016:
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind A-
Saving Private Ryan B+
The Maltese Falcon B+
Unforgiven B
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid B-
Pulp Fiction C+
The Deer Hunter C
Vertigo C-
Wild Strawberries C-
Yojimbo C-
Mary and Max D+


UPDATE - New ratings posted 04/10/2016:
Forrest Gump A
Touch of Evil A
The Sixth Sense A-
Rear Window B+
Heat B-
North by Northwest C-
The Kid C-
To Kill a Mockingbird C-
Blade Runner D
Gandhi D
Ran F


UPDATE - New ratings posted 06/27/2016:
On the Waterfront A
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington A-
The General B
The Killing B
Dial M for Murder B-
Sunrise B-
The Bourne Ultimatum B-
The Bridge on the River Kwai B-
The Wizard of Oz B-
The Great Escape C
The Lives of Others C
Singin' in the Rain C-
Reservoir Dogs D-
Rosemary's Baby F
Casino F-


UPDATE - New ratings posted 08/21/2016:
Raiders of the Lost Ark A-
The Green Mile B+
Strangers on a Train B-
Ben-Hur C+
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly C+
The Seventh Seal C+
The Third Man C+
The Thing C
Gran Torino D+
Le Samouraï D+
The Night of the Hunter D+


UPDATE - New ratings posted 10/26/16:
Back to the Future A
The Elephant Man A
Braveheart A-
La dolce vita A-
Donnie Darko B
The Wages of Fear C
Notorious C-
Let the Right One In C-
Million Dollar Baby D+
La Strada D
Life Is Beautiful D-
The Great Dictator F
American Beauty N/A


UPDATE - New ratings posted 01/10/17:
Groundhog Day A
Fanny and Alexander A-
Dog Day Afternoon B+
Ikiru B+
Life of Brian B+
The Sting B
Das Boot B-
Some Like It Hot B-
Into the Wild C+
Trainspotting C+
In the Mood for Love C
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre C-
A Fistful of Dollars D+


UPDATE - New ratings posted 04/04/17:
The Battle of Algiers A+
Cinema Paradiso B+
Fight Club B
Witness for the Prosecution C+
Chungking Express C
Diabolique C-
The 400 Blows C-
The Royal Tenenbaums C-
American History X D+
Cool Hand Luke D+
M D+
Once Upon a Time in the West D


UPDATE - New ratings posted 06/09/17:
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? B+
Before Sunrise B
Memento B
Paths of Glory B
Grave of the Fireflies B-
Stalker B-
The Best Years of Our Lives C+
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade C
Hotel Rwanda D+
The Big Sleep D+
The Gold Rush D-


UPDATE - New ratings posted 06/09/17:
La Haine B+
The Departed B
The Pianist B
Lost in Translation B-
Roman Holiday B-
Stand by Me B-
The Shawshank Redemption B-
In the Name of the Father C+
Solaris C
Modern Times D+


UPDATE - New ratings posted 11/17/17:
Underground A-
Amores Perros B
Downfall B
Judgment at Nuremberg B
Three Colors: Red B
Bicycle Thieves B-
Persona B-
The Lion King B-
A Beautiful Mind C+
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India C-
Memories of Murder C-

[Beutlin]

24. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) A
211. Jaws (1975) B+
175. Network (1976) B+
120. Die Hard (1988) B+
234. Castle in the Sky (1986) B
108. Metropolis (1927) B-
142. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) B-
53. The Prestige (2006) C+
101. Inglourious Basterds (2009) C
23. The Usual Suspects (1995) C
85. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) D+
114. Raging Bull (1980) D
95. For a Few Dollars More (1965) D

I have just once more realized that I hardly ever see movies; I am just aware of their premises, starring actors and respective critical reception. I could list you the main actors for nearly all of the above movies but I have just seen 3 1/2 of them. What's wrong with me?

Yov, I'll just say that PtB will hate you for giving Lawrence of Arabia a D+ (another movie I have not seen).

Hang on, I will be back with my own list soon.

[yovargas]

Well, the whole point was that I hadn't seen most of these beloved movies before I started this project so don't feel bad for that! Some of the ones I list will be ones I've seen but too long ago to remember well but for the most part, this is my first time seeing these.


Also, I don't care what anyone says, Lawrence is dumb and boring.


I keep meaning to reply to Dave. I'm not sure if this is a reply to Dave or not. But for some reason - I'm not exactly sure why as it's probably not a great parallel - that "nothing good dies" quote strongly reminded me of something Anthy posted on FB a while back. I very much hope she won't mind me posting a part of it here.

It was in response to one of these plates:


And she said,

Something about both of those has a very similar feel to it. A "if you'd only fought harder, you would have won too" vibe that I do indeed find quite icky. I think Shawshank, in trying to make what is really a fairly straightforward story into something more grandly inspiring, falls into the same trap. Andy "wins" because he "fought" and never let hope die, so if you fight and never let hope die, you'll win too, right?

[Beutlin]

Should I watch it anyhow?

Okay, out of the last 50 films I have seen twelve. That is actually not too bad. I gave a D to those movies which I found mediocre at best, a C to those films which I found somewhat better than the average summer block-buster, B to a good (or maybe very good) film that did not really touch me that much, and A to films that are close to my heart and/or are true cinematic achievements (there might be an excellent film with a B grade in there too but in that case the film was not really made for me). This list is, of course, completely subjective.

238: Boyhood (2014): B
229: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003): C
224: The Truman Show (1998): D+
221: The King’s Speech (2010): C
217: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): C
215: Monsters, Inc. (2011): B (saw it as a kid)
214: Groundhog Day (1993: N.A. (saw it as a kid; from what I recall I did not really understand it back then but found it somewhat funny)
213: Memories of Murder (2003): B
210: Jaws (1975): A-
209: Jurassic Park (1993): A (saw it as a kid, great fan – one of the few films I have never seen in the original synchro.)
205: Before Sunrise (1995): B (plays in my hometown)
201: The Avengers (2012): D-

Yov, I will respond to your grades when I come to those films. (this is actually fun )

[yovargas]

Should I watch it anyhow?

Depends - on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy watching guys ride camels through deserts? If you said 10, boy is this the movie for you!


12 outta 50 is quite good! About my overall ratio, I think, before I started. You'll note how many of those you posted are very recent. The list tends to skew too high for very new movies (with early hype) and then they slowly correct over time which is why I cut this decades movies from my "must watch" list.

[Beutlin]

Depends - on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy watching guys ride camels through deserts? If you said 10, boy is this the movie for you!

I have been learning Arabic for a year, so I will have to watch it sooner or later . Although I have not grown fond of camels so far...

12 outta 50 is quite good! About my overall ratio, I think, before I started. You'll note how many of those you posted are very recent. The list tends to skew too high for very new movies (with early hype) and then they slowly correct over time which is why I cut this decades movies from my "must watch" list.

Yes, I read somewhere that newer films tend to fair better on the IMDb list. I have an old friend who uses the IMDb rating of a film as an ultima ratio for deciding whether said film is good or bad. People be crazy

Films 151-200, with some controversial grades:

198: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007): B+
189: Sin City (2005): E
185: Million Dollar Baby (2004): B
181: The Princess Bride (1987): E
172: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): N.A. (can't really remember it)
171: Life of Brian (1979): A-
169: Incendies (2010): B
168: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003): C+
166: Hotel Rwanda (2004): B
165: The Thing (1982): B+
164: No Country for Old Men (2007): B-
162: Finding Nemo (2003): C
161: Sixth Sense (1999): A-
159: Rush (2013): A-
157: Into the Wild (2007): A-
152: Fargo (1996): A

[Primula Baggins]

Is E worse than D, Beutlin? Just curious. The Princess Bride is a widely loved film, though I realize that doesn't mean everyone will enjoy it.

[yovargas]

(Posting my ratings here did make me wonder if the A thru F school rankings are mainly a US thing or if others use it as well.)

[Beutlin]

Is E worse than D, Beutlin? Just curious. The Princess Bride is a widely loved film, though I realize that doesn't mean everyone will enjoy it.

Yes, E is for a film which I actively disliked. Humor often cannot transcend time and boundaries, and with this film it showed: when my American host mum showed me Princess Bride I was baffled what she found so funny about it. I really did not like that movie (although I know that in America it is considered a classic – Inigo Montoya and all that).

(Posting my ratings here did make me wonder if the A thru F school rankings are mainly a US thing or if others use it as well.)

In my country, we use grades 1 to 5. A five means you failed the test.

Yov, why did you give Jaws "just" a B+? I was seriously considering giving it the same grade but then gave it an A - just because it is hold in such high esteem.

Movies 101-150:
148: The Deer Hunter (1978): B (might be an A – I saw it many years ago)
145: V for Vendetta (2005): E+
144: The Big Lebowski (1998): B-
143: Gran Torino (2008): A
140: Casino (1995): C
131: The Seventh Seal (1957): A+
125: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): B+
124: Heat (1995): B (again, might be an A)
121: The Hunt (2012): A
120: Die Hard (1988): C-
117: Downfall (2004): C-
113: Unforgiven (1992): A
110: Batman Begins (2005): B+
107: The Third Man (1949: A
106: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): C
105: A Separation (2011): A
103: Inglourious Basterds (2009): C- (I gave it the same grade as yov did. There are some brilliant scenes/dialogues but overall the movie is extremely dumb and childish)
102: Toy Story (1995): B (this one is certainly considered a classic but as a child there were movies which I liked much, much more)

[Beutlin]

I am on a roll here (51-100) :

99: L.A. Confidential (1997): A
98: The Kid (1921): N.A. (saw it in school many years ago – must watch it again.)
93: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975): B+
88: Full Metal Jacket (1987): B+ (I can only remember the first half of that movie however).
84: Requiem for a Dream (2000): B (might be an A?)
83: Taxi Driver (1976): A
81: Clockwork Orange (1971): B+
79: Braveheart (1995): C+
76: Once Upon a Time in America (1984): B+
75: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983): C-
71: Princess Mononoke (1997): A
65: Aliens (1986): B
61: The Dark Knight Rises (2012): C
59: Django Unchained (2012): D
58: Shining (1980): B+
56: The Great Dictator (1940): N.A. (another film I saw in school – gotta watch it again.)
54: The Lion King (1995): A (Mufasa, noooooo!)

[yovargas]

Your 1 to 5 makes more sense than our A to F because for some reason nobody knows, we skip the E. Our school grades are A thru D and then F if you fail. So yeah, no E grades here.

Yov, why did you give Jaws "just" a B+?

It's hard to get an A grade from me. I consider a B+ very strong. Pretty much everything in the movie has to work for me to get to that A level and I did have a few mostly minor issues with it that made it slip down just a notch. One of them being that, let's face it, that shark looks pretty stupid now.


So glad to see somebody else that not only saw A Separation but also loved it! It is IMO one of the very, very best films I've seen and I'm always trying to get people to see it. It's almost enough to make me forgive you for giving Finding Nemo a C.

[yovargas]

Here's some of the list's movies that I know well enough to rate A/A+ without rewatching them:

4. The Dark Knight (2008)
9. The Lord of the Rings (2001-3)
18. The Matrix (1999)
21. City of God (2002)
34. Spirited Away (2001)
43. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
58. The Shining (1980)
63. WALL·E (2008)
93. Snatch. (2000)
94. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
164. Finding Nemo (2003)
169. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
177. There Will Be Blood (2007)
203. 8½ (1963)

[Beutlin]

Your 1 to 5 makes more sense than our A to F because for some reason nobody knows, we skip the E. Our school grades are A thru D and then F if you fail. So yeah, no E grades here.

Oh, wow, I did not know that (and I went to school in America!). I guess for me an F would be an unmitigated disaster of a film (for example 22 Jump Street falls into that category).

It's hard to get an A grade from me. I consider a B+ very strong. Pretty much everything in the movie has to work for me to get to that A level and I did have a few mostly minor issues with it that made it slip down just a notch. One of them being that, let's face it, that shark looks pretty stupid now.

I actually thought the shark still looks pretty decent (then again, I hardly ever meet a real shark in my daily life to compare it to.)

So glad to see somebody else that not only saw A Separation but also loved it! It is IMO one of the very, very best films I've seen and I'm always trying to get people to see it. It's almost enough to make me forgive you for giving Finding Nemo a C.

Seperation is an excellent written, splendidly acted drama. And it is not the only great Iranian film out there.

Finding Nemo just came out when I abandoned animated "kids" movies for good. That said, I found it very sentimental and I really did not like Dory.

[yovargas]

I really did not like Dory.

You monster!!!

[Beutlin]

Okay, the final 50:

48: Apocalypse Now (1979): N.A. (saw it many years ago – can’t really say)
47: Gladiator (2000): A+ (Are you not entertained!?!)
45: Departed (2006): B-
42: The Green Mile (1999): C
41: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): A
39: Modern Times (1936): A
36: Psycho (1960): N.A. (would have to watch it again)
34: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): C
32: Saving Private Ryan (1998): B (I never saw the beginning, and that is supposed to be the best part.)
31: American History X (1998): C (I maybe have to watch it again.)
30: Casablanca (1942): B+
29: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968): A+
27: Léon: The Professional (1994): C (really liked that movie as a kid but found it rather boring when I saw it two or three years ago.)
26: Life is Beautiful (1997): A- (saw it many years ago, might be worse nowadays)
22: Se7en (1995): A
19: Star Wars (1977): B+
18: Matrix (1999): A
17: Goodfellas (1990): B+
16: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): A+
14: Inception (2010): C-
13: Forrest Gump (1994): D
12: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980): A-
11: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): A+
10: Fight Club (1999): C
9: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): A
8: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966): A
6: Schindler's List (1993): B+
5: Pulp Fiction (1994): A-
4: The Dark Knight (2008): A-
3: The Godfather: Part II (1974): B+ (have to watch it again)
2: The Godfather (1972): A
1: The Shawshank Redemption 1994): C

Doing a quick headcount, I get 95 films. Of course, all my grades are nothing but the objective truth, and anybody questioning them would be either insane or mischievous (or the fan of a certain Pacific Regal Blue Tang ).

[Beutlin]

By the way, as a kid, my favorite Disney/Pixar films were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Bambi, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Jungle Book (arguably my first favorite film), Robin Hood, Aladdin, The Lion King, Toy Story, Hercules, Mulan (all hail Shan Yu!), A Bug's Life, and Tarzan.

Okay, enough about me, I want to see all of your grades.

[yovargas]

If a couple others are interested in doing ratings, maybe we should split these off to a new thread?


I was pretty surprised that of all the classic, beloved Disney animated movies, The Lion King was the only one that made the Top 250.

[Primula Baggins]

I think that's a good idea, yov. The lists are interesting, but they don't match the thread title and probably should have their own thread. Let me dust off my shiriffly powers and see what I can do. (Hard hats required in construction zones.)

[Primula Baggins]

Okay, it's done. yov, you are the threadstarter, so please feel free to retitle the thread as you wish (by editing the first post).

[Jude]

From that list, I've seen:

The Shawshank Redemption
The Dark Knight
The Return of the King
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Empire Strikes Back
The Two Towers
The Matrix
A New Hope
Life is Beautiful
Casablanca
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Memento
Sunset Boulevard
Back to the Future
The Prestige
The Lion King
The Great Dictator
American Beauty
Wall-E
Citizen Kane
Amélie
The Return of the Jedi
Witness for the Prosecution
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
The Sting
Singin' in the Rain
Amadeus
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
2001
Toy Story
Batman Begins
Some Like it Hot
Up
Good Will Hunting
Howl's Moving Castle
A Beautiful Mind
The Maltese Falcon
Finding Nemo
The Sixth Sense
Life of Brian
The Princess Bride
The Wizard of Oz
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Avengers
Guardians of the Galaxy
Groundhog Day
Monsters, Inc
The King's Speech
The Truman Show
Roman Holiday
X-Men: Days of Future Past

*counts them* 51! I'm surprised I've seen so many!