At the start of 2010 I decided to attempt the IMDb Top 250 Challenge. Here’s my original post on the subject:
2009 was quite a roller-coster year over in the land of turtles called SiD. The year drifted past and I’m not quite sure what happened to it, even though it was quite eventful. Thus time flies past and blogs become neglected. So, on to a new year, a new decade, same old decline in posting as the years goes by? Let’s see!
So, stealing an idea that Nokkon Wud had at the start of 2009, I am going to attempt the IMDb Top 250 Challenge. This involves watching the Top 250 films as rated by IMDb’s user population in one year. That’s, well, that’s a lot of film, but it’s at least a more original and probably more attainable New Year’s Resolution than say exercising more! The rules I’ve set myself are to watch all of the top 250, including those I’ve seen already. If you want to give it a go but 250 is too much for one year try say the top 100. If you’re not a fan of older movies, try the top 50 lists from each decade.
IMDb’s Top 250 can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/chart/top, though of course it’s always moving so a static list as of January the 1st, 2010 can be found in this Google Doc I put together: (link).
I’ll post mini-reviews of each one as I go, though some other thoughts will often show up in these forum threads:
The IMDb Top 250 Challenge @ Boat Drinks
The IMDb Top 250 Challenge @ OcUK
Below is a table of the films I’m intending to watch, along with the date I watched it and the rating I gave it. Click the rating to jump to the review post.
| Rank | Name | Watched | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shawshank Redemption (1994) | ||
| 2 | The Godfather (1972) | ||
| 3 | The Godfather: Part II (1974) | ||
| 4 | “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)” | ||
| 5 | Pulp Fiction (1994) | ||
| 6 | Schindler’s List (1993) | ||
| 7 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) | ||
| 8 | 12 Angry Men (1957) | ||
| 9 | The Dark Knight (2008) | ||
| 10 | Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) | ||
| 11 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) | ||
| 12 | Star Wars (1977) | ||
| 13 | Casablanca (1942) | ||
| 14 | Goodfellas (1990) | ||
| 15 | Shichinin no samurai (1954) | ||
| 16 | Cidade de Deus (2002) | ||
| 17 | Fight Club (1999) | ||
| 18 | Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | ||
| 19 | Rear Window (1954) | ||
| 20 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) | ||
| 21 | The Usual Suspects (1995) | ||
| 22 | Psycho (1960) | 10/01/2010 | |
| 23 | C’era una volta il West (1968) | ||
| 24 | The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | 04/03/2010 | |
| 25 | The Matrix (1999) | ||
| 26 | Avatar (2009) | ||
| 27 | Memento (2000) | ||
| 28 | Se7en (1995) | ||
| 29 | It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) | ||
| 30 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) | ||
| 31 | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) | ||
| 32 | Sunset Blvd. (1950) | ||
| 33 | North by Northwest (1959) | ||
| 34 | Citizen Kane (1941) | ||
| 35 | Léon (1994) | ||
| 36 | Apocalypse Now (1979) | ||
| 37 | American Beauty (1999) | ||
| 38 | American History X (1998) | ||
| 39 | Forrest Gump (1994) | ||
| 40 | Taxi Driver (1976) | ||
| 41 | Vertigo (1958) | ||
| 42 | Lawrence of Arabia (1962) | ||
| 43 | WALL·E (2008) | 09/01/2010 | 8/10 |
| 44 | Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001) | ||
| 45 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) | ||
| 46 | Alien (1979) | ||
| 47 | Saving Private Ryan (1998) | ||
| 48 | A Clockwork Orange (1971) | ||
| 49 | The Shining (1980) | ||
| 50 | Paths of Glory (1957) | ||
| 51 | The Departed (2006) | 12/02/2010 | |
| 52 | To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) | ||
| 53 | The Pianist (2002) | ||
| 54 | Aliens (1986) | ||
| 55 | Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) | ||
| 56 | Das Leben der Anderen (2006) | ||
| 57 | M (1931) | ||
| 58 | Double Indemnity (1944) | ||
| 59 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) | 05/01/2010 | 8/10 |
| 60 | Chinatown (1974) | 07/03/2010 | |
| 61 | Requiem for a Dream (2000) | ||
| 62 | The Third Man (1949) | ||
| 63 | L.A. Confidential (1997) | 12/01/2010 | |
| 64 | Reservoir Dogs (1992) | 01/01/2010 | 7/10 |
| 65 | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) | ||
| 66 | Das Boot (1981) | ||
| 67 | Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) | ||
| 68 | Inglourious Basterds (2009) | ||
| 69 | El laberinto del fauno (2006) | ||
| 70 | Up (2009) | ||
| 71 | City Lights (1931) | ||
| 72 | The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) | ||
| 73 | Raging Bull (1980) | 19/01/2010 | |
| 74 | The Prestige (2006) | ||
| 75 | Singin’ in the Rain (1952) | ||
| 76 | 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | ||
| 77 | Slumdog Millionaire (2008) | ||
| 78 | La vita è bella (1997) | ||
| 79 | Some Like It Hot (1959) | ||
| 80 | Back to the Future (1985) | ||
| 81 | Der Untergang (2004) | ||
| 82 | The Maltese Falcon (1941) | ||
| 83 | Modern Times (1936) | ||
| 84 | Gran Torino (2008) | ||
| 85 | Amadeus (1984) | ||
| 86 | Rashômon (1950) | ||
| 87 | Full Metal Jacket (1987) | ||
| 88 | Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988) | ||
| 89 | All About Eve (1950) | ||
| 90 | Once Upon a Time in America (1984) | ||
| 91 | Braveheart (1995) | ||
| 92 | The Elephant Man (1980) | ||
| 93 | Sin City (2005) | ||
| 94 | Metropolis (1927) | ||
| 95 | Rebecca (1940) | ||
| 96 | The Green Mile (1999) | 02/01/2010 | |
| 97 | The Great Dictator (1940) | ||
| 98 | The Apartment (1960) | ||
| 99 | The Sting (1973) | ||
| 100 | District 9 (2009) | 06/02/2010 | |
| 101 | The Great Escape (1963) | ||
| 102 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) | ||
| 103 | Batman Begins (2005) | 07/03/2010 | |
| 104 | Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) | ||
| 105 | Gladiator (2000) | ||
| 106 | Jaws (1975) | 10/02/2010 | |
| 107 | Ladri di biciclette (1948) | ||
| 108 | Unforgiven (1992) | ||
| 109 | Blade Runner (1982) | ||
| 110 | Hotel Rwanda (2004) | 05/03/2010 | |
| 111 | No Country for Old Men (2007) | 04/02/2010 | |
| 112 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) | ||
| 113 | On the Waterfront (1954) | ||
| 114 | Die Hard (1988) | ||
| 115 | Touch of Evil (1958) | ||
| 116 | Oldboy (2003) | 06/01/2010 | 7/10 |
| 117 | Det sjunde inseglet (1957) | ||
| 118 | Fargo (1996) | 03/03/2010 | |
| 119 | The Wizard of Oz (1939) | ||
| 120 | Mononoke-hime (1997) | ||
| 121 | Strangers on a Train (1951) | ||
| 122 | Per qualche dollaro in più (1965) | ||
| 123 | Heat (1995) | ||
| 124 | Donnie Darko (2001) | ||
| 125 | Cool Hand Luke (1967) | ||
| 126 | The Wrestler (2008) | ||
| 127 | High Noon (1952) | ||
| 128 | There Will Be Blood (2007) | 20/01/2010 | |
| 129 | The Manchurian Candidate (1962) | ||
| 130 | Notorious (1946) | ||
| 131 | The Sixth Sense (1999) | ||
| 132 | Annie Hall (1977) | ||
| 133 | The Deer Hunter (1978) | ||
| 134 | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) | ||
| 135 | Platoon (1986) | ||
| 136 | The Big Sleep (1946) | ||
| 137 | The General (1926) | ||
| 138 | Snatch. (2000) | ||
| 139 | Ben-Hur (1959) | ||
| 140 | Into the Wild (2007) | ||
| 141 | Million Dollar Baby (2004) | ||
| 142 | The Big Lebowski (1998) | ||
| 143 | Yojimbo (1961) | ||
| 144 | Star Trek (2009) | ||
| 145 | Ran (1985) | ||
| 146 | It Happened One Night (1934) | ||
| 147 | The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) | 16/01/2010 | |
| 148 | Life of Brian (1979) | ||
| 149 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) | ||
| 150 | The Lion King (1994) | ||
| 151 | Finding Nemo (2003) | ||
| 152 | Smultronstället (1957) | ||
| 153 | Witness for the Prosecution (1957) | ||
| 154 | The Graduate (1967) | ||
| 155 | Trainspotting (1996) | ||
| 156 | Stand by Me (1986) | ||
| 157 | Gone with the Wind (1939) | ||
| 158 | Toy Story (1995) | ||
| 159 | The Terminator (1984) | ||
| 160 | Ratatouille (2007) | ||
| 161 | Groundhog Day (1993) | ||
| 162 | Scarface (1983) | ||
| 163 | Amores perros (2000) | ||
| 164 | The Thing (1982) | 04/02/2010 | |
| 165 | 8½ (1963) | ||
| 166 | Gandhi (1982) | ||
| 167 | Dog Day Afternoon (1975) | ||
| 168 | V for Vendetta (2005) | ||
| 169 | The Grapes of Wrath (1940) | ||
| 170 | The Gold Rush (1925) | ||
| 171 | Twelve Monkeys (1995) | ||
| 172 | The Night of the Hunter (1955) | ||
| 173 | Les diaboliques (1955) | ||
| 174 | “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)” | ||
| 175 | The Princess Bride (1987) | ||
| 176 | The Incredibles (2004) | ||
| 177 | Le salaire de la peur (1953) | ||
| 178 | Casino (1995) | ||
| 179 | Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) | ||
| 180 | Children of Men (2006) | ||
| 181 | The Wild Bunch (1969) | ||
| 182 | The Killing (1956) | ||
| 183 | Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) | ||
| 184 | Hotaru no haka (1988) | ||
| 185 | In Bruges (2008) | ||
| 186 | The Exorcist (1973) | ||
| 187 | Le notti di Cabiria (1957) | ||
| 188 | The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) | ||
| 189 | The Hustler (1961) | ||
| 190 | Harvey (1950) | ||
| 191 | Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) | ||
| 192 | Ed Wood (1994) | ||
| 193 | The Kid (1921) | ||
| 194 | King Kong (1933) | ||
| 195 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) | ||
| 196 | Good Will Hunting (1997) | ||
| 197 | Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) | ||
| 198 | Rosemary’s Baby (1968) | ||
| 199 | Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | ||
| 200 | Big Fish (2003) | ||
| 201 | Dial M for Murder (1954) | ||
| 202 | Låt den rätte komma in (2008) | ||
| 203 | A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) | ||
| 204 | Brief Encounter (1945) | ||
| 205 | Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) | ||
| 206 | Stalag 17 (1953) | ||
| 207 | Crash (2004/I) | ||
| 208 | Sleuth (1972) | ||
| 209 | Duck Soup (1933) | ||
| 210 | The African Queen (1951) | ||
| 211 | Magnolia (1999) | ||
| 212 | Rocky (1976) | ||
| 213 | Mystic River (2003) | ||
| 214 | Bonnie and Clyde (1967) | ||
| 215 | Le scaphandre et le papillon (2007) | ||
| 216 | Manhattan (1979) | ||
| 217 | Rope (1948) | ||
| 218 | Network (1976) | ||
| 219 | Little Miss Sunshine (2006) | ||
| 220 | Wo hu cang long (2000) | ||
| 221 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) | ||
| 222 | La strada (1954) | ||
| 223 | Patton (1970) | ||
| 224 | Changeling (2008) | ||
| 225 | The Conversation (1974) | ||
| 226 | The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) | ||
| 227 | (500) Days of Summer (2009) | 03/01/2010 | 5/10 |
| 228 | Planet of the Apes (1968) | ||
| 229 | The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) | ||
| 230 | Shaun of the Dead (2004) | ||
| 231 | Glory (1989) | ||
| 232 | Spartacus (1960) | ||
| 233 | The Lady Vanishes (1938) | ||
| 234 | The Philadelphia Story (1940) | ||
| 235 | All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) | ||
| 236 | La battaglia di Algeri (1966) | ||
| 237 | Mulholland Dr. (2001) | ||
| 238 | Barry Lyndon (1975) | ||
| 239 | “Monsters, Inc. (2001)” | ||
| 240 | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) | ||
| 241 | His Girl Friday (1940) | ||
| 242 | Toy Story 2 (1999) | ||
| 243 | Anatomy of a Murder (1959) | ||
| 244 | Casino Royale (2006) | 08/02/2010 | |
| 245 | Brazil (1985) | ||
| 246 | Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) | ||
| 247 | Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro) (1988) | 04/01/2010 | 9/10 |
| 248 | Blood Diamond (2006) | 13/01/2010 | |
| 249 | Mou gaan dou (2002) | 13/01/2010 | |
| 250 | The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) |