The Internet Movie Database or IMDb is the world's number 1 website for all things film (Soon to be no. 2 after this page kicks off, obviously), it rates films out of 10 stars on an average basis from user reviews and from the critics who include their work there. One of it's most alluring features is the IMDb Top 250, it's the top 250 films of the highest ratings and most votes on the site and almost every year there's another 2 or 3 new entries which are more often than not, temporary. The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather have been battling for the top spot for the last 10 years at LEAST, with Shawshank currently in the lead as the most highly rated film of all time.
For the most part, it's a highly reliable list of the best in classic cinema as well as introducing new films that are sure to reach classic status in the coming years; however there are some films in the list I think are wholly undeserving of being up there as some of the greatest. Many have since dropped out of the list which is for the best, but others remain and are fairly high up.
Now to save you all from being bored to tears, I'm going to move on with the point of this whole article, here's a list of 10 films I firmly believe should be put into this list; not just from personal preference, but as films over all, are worthy enough. They'll be listed alphabetically.
Boogie Nights (1997) - Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson blew the world away with his all-star cast sophomore feature, Boogie Nights; a film showing the chronicles of a busboy in 1977, played by Mark Wahlberg, as he enters the porn industry with a head start due to his 13" knob. It shows his rise to fame in the late 70's and the shift in society upon entering the early 80's as decline and drugs begin to take over, shifting the narrative over several characters we meet along his journey. This film is quite literally the Goodfellas of the porn world; it's structured the exact same way in terms of plot, cinematography, music, style, everything, it captures the era absolutely perfecly; it's essential viewing for any fan's of Scorsese's work on Goodfellas and to a lesser extent, Casino. It's my personal favourite of Anderson's, whose CV is absolutely A+ and while highly regarded almost everywhere and even with a whopping 7.9 rating, it still feels under appreciated. Hopefully it will be included in the near future because being in the 250 guarantees viewers of the film and I hope more people get to see this.
The Breakfast Club (1985) - Dir. John Hughes
This is without a doubt the definitive 80's teen movie, neatly blending comedy and drama that perfectly represented the youth of the 80's. It focuses on five high school students who belong to different cliques and social backgrounds, being sent to detention in the school library for a whole Saturday. Each of them there for reasons that reflect their personalities. Throughout the day they clash with each other as well as the school principal, who is just as head-wrecked that he is forced to sit there keeping an eye on all of them. As they day goes on they realise they have more in common with each other than they think. As well as being the definitive 80's teen movie, it also serves as a very important message about judgement and friendship. Absolutely terrific writing and acting from everyone on board and still holds up very strongly today. It's also celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year.
Carlito's Way (1993) - Dir. Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma hasn't done a solid flick in about 19 years now... which is seriously unfortunate because through the later years of the 70's and ALL of the 80's he was absolutely on FIRE with thrillers and crime epics, booming with grit, sleaze and brilliance. So far only one of his films has made it to the 250 and that's the impeccable Scarface. While I love a lot of his 80's output, not all deserve a place; but his '93 crime drama masterpiece most definitely deserves a spot in the top 100 at least. Al Pacino giving one of his all time best performances as Carlito Brigante, an ex convict who wants to leave his life of crime behind and move to Miami with his girlfriend to start fresh. But his corrupt lawyer and several criminals want to prevent that from happening after he gets involved with murder and theft. While it's an often tense and gritty crime thriller, it's a love story at heart. It's an absolute disgrace this film isn't in the top 250.
Children of Men (2006) Dir. Alfonso Cuarón
In recent years, Cuarón has gained mass critical acclaim for his space epic, Gravity; which up until it was torn apart by many astrophysicists (people who don't like fun) it was relaxing in the 250, but has since dropped out of it. I really enjoyed the film, but there's more important things to be in there anyway; like for instance, his frighteningly realistic and intense Sci-Fi thriller, Children of Men. Set in 2027, no child has been born for 18 years due to worldwide female infertility, mankind is rapidly becoming extinct and those left have migrated to England in hopes of survival. An ex activist discovers a pregnant woman in the hands of revolutionaries and joins them in a bid to protect her from the rampant violence occurring all over the country and ensure the baby is safely delivered. It is absolutely edge of the seat brilliance with some of the most astounding cinematography and action set pieces I've ever seen. It also gave an early preview for Cuarón's extended take cinematic style. Oh, and Charlie Hunnam is in it for all you ladies out there...
Drive (2011) - Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
This film to me is 100% perfection in every single way. It's the only one of Refn's films to ever get into the 250 and much to my bemusement, has fallen back with the regular Joe's. A nameless stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for hire befriends his neighbour and her young son. They fall in love but soon after, her husband is released from prison. He gets into trouble with the mob and they threaten his family, so he needs the driver's help with a job to smooth things over with them, to which he agrees. Things go drastically wrong and now the mafia are after the driver and he must take them on to protect himself but more importantly, the girl he loves. Seems like a generic action thriller plot but believe me, it's everything more and a love story on top. Every frame of this film is outstanding, the lighting in particular is something to marvel at. Acting, cinematography, extreme violence, story and especially the new retro wave soundtrack. There is no reason for this not to be in the 250, it currently sits comfortably in my top 10 favourites.
Jackie Brown (1997) - Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Now for the film that actually inspired me to make this list in the first place (well, I had the idea before but this pushed me after a recent rewatch) - Tarantino is often regarded as one of the greatest film makers of all time and the reason for that is because it's true! Drawing stylistic inspiration from the blaxploitation films of the 1970's such as Foxy Brown & Coffy and dropping the gratuitous sex and violence for outstanding, witty dialogue and classiness, Jackie Brown follows an aging air hostess of that name who imports large sums of money for Samuel L. Jackson, a gun merchant. Two young detectives arrest her and try use her as a pawn to help bring him and his gun business down, all the while receiving help and advice from a bail bondsman who has fallen in love with her. Like all of Tarantino's flicks, it's long, dialogue heavy and exceptional. Most of his films already have well deserved places in there; excluding his contribution to Four Rooms, Death Proof and weirdly, Kill Bill: Vol 2, but it was this that surprised me most. It's his most overlooked film for sure too, essential viewing.
The Proposition (2005) - Dir. John Hillcoat
Another all time favourite sitting with it's feet up and relaxing in my own top 10 is this unconventional western goldmine. Soaked the core with dirt and grit, this follows the tale of three Irish brothers, the Burns', in Australia during the 1880's. The eldest, Arthur, a rapist/murderer who has gone off on his own, the middle, Charlie is a smart and quiet man who along with his younger and mentally challenged brother, Mikey, carries the burden of the horrible reputation their eldest brother has left for them. A British lawman captures the two and gives Charlie a proposition. He must find and kill his older brother in 9 days or they will kill his younger brother. This is one of the most expertly made films I've ever seen. The Outback setting makes it all the better too by stepping away from the American west. It's dark, violent and absolutely beautiful looking. The cinematography is mind blowing and the story itself is fantastic, written by none other than the flawless Australian musician, Nick Cave, who also provides the soundtrack. John Hillcoat's other work is terrific too but none of it comes close to this.
Serpico (1973) - Dir. Sidney Lumet
I'm definitely not alone in saying this and I'm also 100% right, but whatever your taste or your favourite films are, the 1970's was the greatest decade in cinema history. I could spend ages ranting about why (and I might just do that sometime for another article) but right now I'm going to talk about one of the defining cop dramas of the decade. Only 2 years after Dirty Harry revolutionised the cop related crime genre, Serpico managed to take the same level of sleaze and fearlessness and focus primarily on the dramatic elements and leaving behind the action. Pacino roars on screen as the real life New York cop, Serpico, who was sick to death of the rampant corruption plaguing the police force and did everything in his power to try bring it down and the officers in question to justice. This alienated him and had him labelled as a traitor and put him head to head not only with street criminals, but his own colleagues. Driven by an outstanding performance from Pacino and incredible direction from one of the finest director's of all time, Sidney Lumet, this film is one of the defining films of that decade and deserves to be recognised as so.
The Thin Red Line (1998) - Dir. Terrence Malick
One of the best if not the best first time watches of 2014 for me. It immediately become one of the best films I have ever watched. With a humongous all star cast, we follow a soldier gone AWOL who is caught and brought back into battle against the Japanese during World War II. He pretty much only knows a life of solitude from living on an island with a tribe of peaceful people and struggles to adapt to the carnage of war. Running at 170 minutes, every second of it was incredible. I know some might find it unappealing due to some of the philosophical narration, but don't let that deter you. There's no war film like this. Visually it is astounding, several times Malick caught lightning in a fucking bottle with the shots he got. I think this film would have been bigger had it perhaps come out a year later, as it was released the same year as Saving Private Ryan, which took all the glory. Don't get me wrong, SPR is an incredible film, but this is equally as good, possibly better in ways! Hans Zimmer's score is amazing too, he recorded a lot of it with the tribe shown in the film. I implore everyone to watch this film and you will see that it is 100% deserving of a spot somewhere in the top 30.
The Wrestler (2008) - Dir. Darren Aronofsky
We've reached the FOURTH film in my list that I keep a seat for in my personal top 10. Aronofsky's heartbreaking and realistic drama follows Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, a professional wrestler who peaked during the 80's and 90's and is now a wash-up, struggling with part time work to make ends meet. After having a heart attack following his most recent fight, he decides to retire and try rekindle his relationship with his estranged daughter and begins a potential relationship with an aging stripper. Possibly the most emotionally exhausting film I've ever seen along with Aronofsky's other masterpiece, Requiem For A Dream and Derek Cianfrance's relationship drama, Blue Valentine, this is a film that can wreck you no matter how many times you watch it. It was going to be fairly high up in my top list of The Top 10 Greatest Movie Endings of All Time, but I couldn't find a decent video link for it when I was writing it. What makes this work so well is just how real everything feels and how absolutely spellbinding Mickey Rourke was. He was robbed of that best actor Oscar; Sean Penn was brilliant in Milk but Rourke wiped the floor with him in this. Fact. It proved that Rourke is one of the all time best when he really wants to be. It was in the 250 for a couple of years before but due to pure stupidity, it has been knocked out. It NEEDS to be back in there and more people NEED to see it.
I hope you enjoyed this list! Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know! - I'll be working on a list of 10 films that SHOULDN'T be in the top 250 too, as well as another 10 that should be included, so keep your eyes peeled folks.
For the most part, it's a highly reliable list of the best in classic cinema as well as introducing new films that are sure to reach classic status in the coming years; however there are some films in the list I think are wholly undeserving of being up there as some of the greatest. Many have since dropped out of the list which is for the best, but others remain and are fairly high up.
Now to save you all from being bored to tears, I'm going to move on with the point of this whole article, here's a list of 10 films I firmly believe should be put into this list; not just from personal preference, but as films over all, are worthy enough. They'll be listed alphabetically.
Boogie Nights (1997) - Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson blew the world away with his all-star cast sophomore feature, Boogie Nights; a film showing the chronicles of a busboy in 1977, played by Mark Wahlberg, as he enters the porn industry with a head start due to his 13" knob. It shows his rise to fame in the late 70's and the shift in society upon entering the early 80's as decline and drugs begin to take over, shifting the narrative over several characters we meet along his journey. This film is quite literally the Goodfellas of the porn world; it's structured the exact same way in terms of plot, cinematography, music, style, everything, it captures the era absolutely perfecly; it's essential viewing for any fan's of Scorsese's work on Goodfellas and to a lesser extent, Casino. It's my personal favourite of Anderson's, whose CV is absolutely A+ and while highly regarded almost everywhere and even with a whopping 7.9 rating, it still feels under appreciated. Hopefully it will be included in the near future because being in the 250 guarantees viewers of the film and I hope more people get to see this.
The Breakfast Club (1985) - Dir. John Hughes
This is without a doubt the definitive 80's teen movie, neatly blending comedy and drama that perfectly represented the youth of the 80's. It focuses on five high school students who belong to different cliques and social backgrounds, being sent to detention in the school library for a whole Saturday. Each of them there for reasons that reflect their personalities. Throughout the day they clash with each other as well as the school principal, who is just as head-wrecked that he is forced to sit there keeping an eye on all of them. As they day goes on they realise they have more in common with each other than they think. As well as being the definitive 80's teen movie, it also serves as a very important message about judgement and friendship. Absolutely terrific writing and acting from everyone on board and still holds up very strongly today. It's also celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year.
Carlito's Way (1993) - Dir. Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma hasn't done a solid flick in about 19 years now... which is seriously unfortunate because through the later years of the 70's and ALL of the 80's he was absolutely on FIRE with thrillers and crime epics, booming with grit, sleaze and brilliance. So far only one of his films has made it to the 250 and that's the impeccable Scarface. While I love a lot of his 80's output, not all deserve a place; but his '93 crime drama masterpiece most definitely deserves a spot in the top 100 at least. Al Pacino giving one of his all time best performances as Carlito Brigante, an ex convict who wants to leave his life of crime behind and move to Miami with his girlfriend to start fresh. But his corrupt lawyer and several criminals want to prevent that from happening after he gets involved with murder and theft. While it's an often tense and gritty crime thriller, it's a love story at heart. It's an absolute disgrace this film isn't in the top 250.
Children of Men (2006) Dir. Alfonso Cuarón
In recent years, Cuarón has gained mass critical acclaim for his space epic, Gravity; which up until it was torn apart by many astrophysicists (people who don't like fun) it was relaxing in the 250, but has since dropped out of it. I really enjoyed the film, but there's more important things to be in there anyway; like for instance, his frighteningly realistic and intense Sci-Fi thriller, Children of Men. Set in 2027, no child has been born for 18 years due to worldwide female infertility, mankind is rapidly becoming extinct and those left have migrated to England in hopes of survival. An ex activist discovers a pregnant woman in the hands of revolutionaries and joins them in a bid to protect her from the rampant violence occurring all over the country and ensure the baby is safely delivered. It is absolutely edge of the seat brilliance with some of the most astounding cinematography and action set pieces I've ever seen. It also gave an early preview for Cuarón's extended take cinematic style. Oh, and Charlie Hunnam is in it for all you ladies out there...
Drive (2011) - Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
This film to me is 100% perfection in every single way. It's the only one of Refn's films to ever get into the 250 and much to my bemusement, has fallen back with the regular Joe's. A nameless stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for hire befriends his neighbour and her young son. They fall in love but soon after, her husband is released from prison. He gets into trouble with the mob and they threaten his family, so he needs the driver's help with a job to smooth things over with them, to which he agrees. Things go drastically wrong and now the mafia are after the driver and he must take them on to protect himself but more importantly, the girl he loves. Seems like a generic action thriller plot but believe me, it's everything more and a love story on top. Every frame of this film is outstanding, the lighting in particular is something to marvel at. Acting, cinematography, extreme violence, story and especially the new retro wave soundtrack. There is no reason for this not to be in the 250, it currently sits comfortably in my top 10 favourites.
Jackie Brown (1997) - Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Now for the film that actually inspired me to make this list in the first place (well, I had the idea before but this pushed me after a recent rewatch) - Tarantino is often regarded as one of the greatest film makers of all time and the reason for that is because it's true! Drawing stylistic inspiration from the blaxploitation films of the 1970's such as Foxy Brown & Coffy and dropping the gratuitous sex and violence for outstanding, witty dialogue and classiness, Jackie Brown follows an aging air hostess of that name who imports large sums of money for Samuel L. Jackson, a gun merchant. Two young detectives arrest her and try use her as a pawn to help bring him and his gun business down, all the while receiving help and advice from a bail bondsman who has fallen in love with her. Like all of Tarantino's flicks, it's long, dialogue heavy and exceptional. Most of his films already have well deserved places in there; excluding his contribution to Four Rooms, Death Proof and weirdly, Kill Bill: Vol 2, but it was this that surprised me most. It's his most overlooked film for sure too, essential viewing.
The Proposition (2005) - Dir. John Hillcoat
Another all time favourite sitting with it's feet up and relaxing in my own top 10 is this unconventional western goldmine. Soaked the core with dirt and grit, this follows the tale of three Irish brothers, the Burns', in Australia during the 1880's. The eldest, Arthur, a rapist/murderer who has gone off on his own, the middle, Charlie is a smart and quiet man who along with his younger and mentally challenged brother, Mikey, carries the burden of the horrible reputation their eldest brother has left for them. A British lawman captures the two and gives Charlie a proposition. He must find and kill his older brother in 9 days or they will kill his younger brother. This is one of the most expertly made films I've ever seen. The Outback setting makes it all the better too by stepping away from the American west. It's dark, violent and absolutely beautiful looking. The cinematography is mind blowing and the story itself is fantastic, written by none other than the flawless Australian musician, Nick Cave, who also provides the soundtrack. John Hillcoat's other work is terrific too but none of it comes close to this.
Serpico (1973) - Dir. Sidney Lumet
I'm definitely not alone in saying this and I'm also 100% right, but whatever your taste or your favourite films are, the 1970's was the greatest decade in cinema history. I could spend ages ranting about why (and I might just do that sometime for another article) but right now I'm going to talk about one of the defining cop dramas of the decade. Only 2 years after Dirty Harry revolutionised the cop related crime genre, Serpico managed to take the same level of sleaze and fearlessness and focus primarily on the dramatic elements and leaving behind the action. Pacino roars on screen as the real life New York cop, Serpico, who was sick to death of the rampant corruption plaguing the police force and did everything in his power to try bring it down and the officers in question to justice. This alienated him and had him labelled as a traitor and put him head to head not only with street criminals, but his own colleagues. Driven by an outstanding performance from Pacino and incredible direction from one of the finest director's of all time, Sidney Lumet, this film is one of the defining films of that decade and deserves to be recognised as so.
The Thin Red Line (1998) - Dir. Terrence Malick
One of the best if not the best first time watches of 2014 for me. It immediately become one of the best films I have ever watched. With a humongous all star cast, we follow a soldier gone AWOL who is caught and brought back into battle against the Japanese during World War II. He pretty much only knows a life of solitude from living on an island with a tribe of peaceful people and struggles to adapt to the carnage of war. Running at 170 minutes, every second of it was incredible. I know some might find it unappealing due to some of the philosophical narration, but don't let that deter you. There's no war film like this. Visually it is astounding, several times Malick caught lightning in a fucking bottle with the shots he got. I think this film would have been bigger had it perhaps come out a year later, as it was released the same year as Saving Private Ryan, which took all the glory. Don't get me wrong, SPR is an incredible film, but this is equally as good, possibly better in ways! Hans Zimmer's score is amazing too, he recorded a lot of it with the tribe shown in the film. I implore everyone to watch this film and you will see that it is 100% deserving of a spot somewhere in the top 30.
The Wrestler (2008) - Dir. Darren Aronofsky
We've reached the FOURTH film in my list that I keep a seat for in my personal top 10. Aronofsky's heartbreaking and realistic drama follows Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, a professional wrestler who peaked during the 80's and 90's and is now a wash-up, struggling with part time work to make ends meet. After having a heart attack following his most recent fight, he decides to retire and try rekindle his relationship with his estranged daughter and begins a potential relationship with an aging stripper. Possibly the most emotionally exhausting film I've ever seen along with Aronofsky's other masterpiece, Requiem For A Dream and Derek Cianfrance's relationship drama, Blue Valentine, this is a film that can wreck you no matter how many times you watch it. It was going to be fairly high up in my top list of The Top 10 Greatest Movie Endings of All Time, but I couldn't find a decent video link for it when I was writing it. What makes this work so well is just how real everything feels and how absolutely spellbinding Mickey Rourke was. He was robbed of that best actor Oscar; Sean Penn was brilliant in Milk but Rourke wiped the floor with him in this. Fact. It proved that Rourke is one of the all time best when he really wants to be. It was in the 250 for a couple of years before but due to pure stupidity, it has been knocked out. It NEEDS to be back in there and more people NEED to see it.
I hope you enjoyed this list! Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know! - I'll be working on a list of 10 films that SHOULDN'T be in the top 250 too, as well as another 10 that should be included, so keep your eyes peeled folks.
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