31 Jan 04

IMDb 250: This Is Personal

Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in the Godfather. Shown in profile sitting in an armchair, with a thoughtful look and pose. Black and white photograph, 1972.

  1. Godfather, The (1972) 10/10
  2. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994) 7/10
  3. Godfather: Part II, The (1974) 10/10
  4. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003) 10/10
  5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002) 9/10
  6. Casablanca (1942) 8/10
  7. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001) 9.5/10
  8. Schindler's List (1993) 8/10
  9. Shichinin no samurai (1954) 10/10
  10. Star Wars (1977) 10/10
  11. Citizen Kane (1941) 8.5/10
  12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 8/10
  13. Dr. Strangelove (1964) 8/10
  14. Rear Window (1954) 9.5/10
  15. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 9.5/10
  16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 8/10
  17. Memento (2000)
  18. Usual Suspects, The (1995) 8/10
  19. Pulp Fiction (1994) 9/10
  20. North by Northwest (1959) 9.5/10
  21. 12 Angry Men (1957)
  22. Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) 8/10
  23. Psycho (1960) 8.5/10
  24. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 8/10
  25. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) 9/10
  26. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991) 8.5/10
  27. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 7.5/10
  28. Goodfellas (1990) 9.5/10
  29. American Beauty (1999) 8/10
  30. Vertigo (1958) 9/10
  31. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
  32. Matrix, The (1999) 9/10
  33. Apocalypse Now (1979) 9.5/10
  34. Pianist, The (2002) 8/10
  35. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 7.5/10
  36. C'era una volta il West (1968) 9.5/10
  37. Some Like It Hot (1959) 8/10
  38. Third Man, The (1949) 8.5/10
  39. Taxi Driver (1976) 8.5/10
  40. Paths of Glory (1957)
  41. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
  42. Fight Club (1999) 8.5/10
  43. Boot, Das (1981) 9/10
  44. Double Indemnity (1944)
  45. L.A. Confidential (1997) 8/10
  46. Chinatown (1974) 7.5/10
  47. Singin' in the Rain (1952) 8/10
  48. Maltese Falcon, The (1941) 8.5/10
  49. M (1931)
  50. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
  51. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957) 7/10
  52. All About Eve (1950)
  53. Se7en (1995) 8.5/10
  54. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 8.5/10
  55. Cidade de Deus (2002)
  56. Saving Private Ryan (1998) 7.5/10
  57. Raging Bull (1980) 9/10
  58. Rashômon (1950) 9/10
  59. Wizard of Oz, The (1939) 7/10
  60. Sting, The (1973) 7/10
  61. Alien (1979) 8.5/10
  62. American History X (1998) 8/10
  63. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
  64. Léon (1994) 8/10
  65. Vita è bella, La (1997)
  66. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
  67. Touch of Evil (1958)
  68. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 10/10
  69. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948) 8/10
  70. Great Escape, The (1963) 8/10
  71. Wo hu cang long (2000) 9/10
  72. Reservoir Dogs (1992) 8.5/10
  73. Clockwork Orange, A (1971) 9/10
  74. Amadeus (1984) 8.5/10
  75. Modern Times (1936) 9/10
  76. Ran (1985) 10/10
  77. Annie Hall (1977) 8/10
  78. On the Waterfront (1954)
  79. Jaws (1975) 8/10
  80. Braveheart (1995) 8/10
  81. High Noon (1952) 8/10
  82. Apartment, The (1960) 8/10
  83. Fargo (1996) 7.5/10
  84. Aliens (1986) 8.5/10
  85. Sixth Sense, The (1999) 8/10
  86. Shining, The (1980) 10/10
  87. Strangers on a Train (1951) 8/10
  88. Blade Runner (1982) 9/10
  89. Metropolis (1927) 8.5/10
  90. Duck Soup (1933)
  91. Finding Nemo (2003)
  92. Donnie Darko (2001)
  93. General, The (1927)
  94. City Lights (1931)
  95. Princess Bride, The (1987)
  96. Toy Story 2 (1999)
  97. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
  98. Great Dictator, The (1940) 8.5/10
  99. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957) 8/10
  100. Notorious (1946) 8.5/10
  101. Lola rennt (1998)
  102. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989) 8/10
  103. Full Metal Jacket (1987) 8.5/10
  104. Rebecca (1940) 7/10
  105. Mononoke-hime (1997)
  106. Big Sleep, The (1946)
  107. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) 7/10
  108. Graduate, The (1967) 8.5/10
  109. Manhattan (1979) 8/10
  110. It Happened One Night (1934)
  111. Patton (1970) 8/10
  112. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 8/10
  113. Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)
  114. Deer Hunter, The (1978) 8.5/10
  115. Searchers, The (1956) 7.5/10
  116. Yojimbo (1961) 9.5/10
  117. Glory (1989)
  118. Ladri di biciclette (1948)
  119. Philadelphia Story, The (1940)
  120. African Queen, The (1951) 8/10
  121. Forrest Gump (1994) 7.5/10
  122. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
  123. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
  124. Ben-Hur (1959) 8/10
  125. Green Mile, The (1999) 8.5/10
  126. Shrek (2001)
  127. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) 10/10
  128. Hable con ella (2002)
  129. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) 8/10
  130. Unforgiven (1992) 9.5/10
  131. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 8/10
  132. Stalag 17 (1953) 7.5/10
  133. Grapes of Wrath, The (1940)
  134. Gone with the Wind (1939) 7.5/10
  135. Night of the Hunter, The (1955)
  136. Wild Bunch, The (1969) 7/10
  137. Christmas Story, A (1983) 7/10
  138. Straight Story, The (1999)
  139. Elephant Man, The (1980) 8/10
  140. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) 8/10
  141. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
  142. Hustler, The (1961)
  143. Platoon (1986) 7.5/10
  144. Back to the Future (1985) 7/10
  145. Lost in Translation (2003)
  146. Young Frankenstein (1974) 6.5/10
  147. His Girl Friday (1940)
  148. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  149. Die Hard (1988) 6.5/10
  150. Amores perros (2000) 7.5/10
  151. Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) 7/10
  152. Grande illusion, La (1937)
  153. Gold Rush, The (1925) 7/10
  154. Spartacus (1960) 8.5/10
  155. Almost Famous (2000)
  156. Dogville (2003)
  157. Charade (1963)
  158. Life of Brian (1979) 7.5/10
  159. Conversation, The (1974) 8/10
  160. Gladiator (2000) 9/10
  161. Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962) 8/10
  162. Festen (1998) 6/10
  163. Smultronstället (1957) 8/10
  164. Magnolia (1999)
  165. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
  166. Mystic River (2003)
  167. Toy Story (1995) 6.5/10
  168. Roman Holiday (1953) 7/10
  169. Being John Malkovich (1999)
  170. Sling Blade (1996)
  171. Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925) 8/10
  172. Insider, The (1999) 6/10
  173. Night at the Opera, A (1935) 8.5/10
  174. Brazil (1985) 8.5/10
  175. Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951) 8.5/10
  176. All the President's Men (1976) 7.5/10
  177. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
  178. Mulholland Dr. (2001)
  179. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) 7/10
  180. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
  181. Killing, The (1956)
  182. Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)
  183. Exorcist, The (1973) 7/10
  184. To Be or Not to Be (1942) 7.5/10
  185. Ed Wood (1994) 6/10
  186. Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994) 8/10
  187. Terminator, The (1984) 6.5/10
  188. Stand by Me (1986) 6.5/10
  189. Twelve Monkeys (1995) 8/10
  190. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) 7/10
  191. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
  192. Adaptation (2002)
  193. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
  194. Ying xiong (2002) 10/10
  195. Harvey (1950)
  196. Gandhi (1982) 8/10
  197. Miller's Crossing (1990) 8/10
  198. Trainspotting (1996) 8.5/10
  199. Network (1976)
  200. Right Stuff, The (1983) 8.5/10
  201. Lion in Winter, The (1968)
  202. Midnight Cowboy (1969) 8.5/10
  203. Groundhog Day (1993) 7/10
  204. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 7.5/10
  205. Rain Man (1988) 8/10
  206. 8½ (1963)
  207. Others, The (2001) 6.5/10
  208. Laura (1944)
  209. King Kong (1933) 8/10
  210. Minority Report (2002) 7.5/10
  211. Snatch (2000) 7.5/10
  212. Stagecoach (1939) 7.5/10
  213. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) 7.5/10
  214. Hotaru no haka (1988)
  215. 39 Steps, The (1935) 8/10
  216. Whale Rider (2002)
  217. Traffic (2000) 8/10
  218. Strada, La (1954) 7/10
  219. Untouchables, The (1987) 8.5/10
  220. Big Lebowski, The (1998) 8/10
  221. Beauty and the Beast (1991) 7/10
  222. Henry V (1989) 7.5/10
  223. Thin Man, The (1934)
  224. Rio Bravo (1959)
  225. In the Heat of the Night (1967) 7/10
  226. Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, La (1928)
  227. Todo sobre mi madre (1999) 8/10
  228. Planet of the Apes (1968) 7/10
  229. Fantasia (1940)
  230. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
  231. Being There (1979)
  232. Good Will Hunting (1997) 8/10
  233. Die xue shuang xiong (1989) 7.5/10
  234. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
  235. Red River (1948)
  236. X2 (2003) 7.5/10
  237. Beautiful Mind, A (2001) 8.5/10
  238. Clerks (1994)
  239. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 7/10
  240. MASH (1970) 6.5/10
  241. Big Fish (2003)
  242. Man Who Would Be King, The (1975) 7.5/10
  243. Sleuth (1972)
  244. Quiet Man, The (1952)
  245. Heat (1995) 9.5/10
  246. Road to Perdition (2002) 7.5/10
  247. Ikiru (1952)
  248. JFK (1991) 8.5/10
  249. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 8/10
  250. Sweet Hereafter, The (1997)

Other Listers

  1. Mike Hudson (Seriocomic)
  2. Sharif Ewee (Blue Plaid Shirt)

The Concept

List the IMDb Top 250 films,
rate the ones you have seen,
strengthen the ones you haven't,
highlight/emphasize the best.

Feel free to use this list's markup as a start. It is safe.

Adapted from an idea by me-me-me.

Filed under: on January 31, 2004, 2:17 pm  

11 Comments (skip to form)

  1. seriocomic

    Comment on January 31, 2004 at 7:38 pm

    What a great idea. I have being trying to think of a way to get people to look at the IMDB's top 250 for a long time, why not bring it to them?

    I think there will be a lot of strong tags used in my list.

    Very nice list Lars.

  2. Lars Holst

    Comment on January 31, 2004 at 9:35 pm

    Thanks Mike. I must have spent three hours converting the markup, a task that included changing IMDb's table based markup to an ordered list, finding English film titles where needed, looking up the correct ISO language codes, etc.

    IMDb is an outstanding resource, but it would be really great if it would output/export lists ("MyMovies" and others) in, say, OPML format. We are geeks here, after all.

    Either way, I look forward to seeing your list.

    As for the many strong tags, bear in mind that the more films you watch, the leaner your markup will be ;)

  3. seriocomic

    Comment on January 31, 2004 at 10:01 pm

    Ha! You might be surprised/annoyed/amused to learn that I am considering re-converting the markup back to tables to allow for dynamic sorting.

    However, if that fails, I'm just gonna use the list method.

    I've done the markup, just need to go through and add my rating :)

  4. Lars Holst

    Comment on February 1, 2004 at 9:27 am

    No worries Mike, I'm just shocked/humiliated/devastated :)

    I actually toyed with that idea myself. I'd been wanting to implement a sortable table (preferably but not necessarily for some useful purpose) ever since seeing a really good example of this a few months ago, but I felt I didn't have enough DOM/JavaScript knowledge. I'll have to look into that Kryogenix example, and possibly reconvert my list.

    Damn you.

  5. Sharif

    Comment on February 2, 2004 at 10:11 pm

    Great idea, Lars! I'm working on my own list and will be posting it to my site as soon as Movable Type decides to cooperate,

  6. Lars Holst

    Comment on February 3, 2004 at 1:35 am

    Thanks Sharif. I look forward to seeing your list! Note that there's a geekified version of the list available at Seriocomic. Also, in addition to the Kryogenix script Mike uses there, Anne van Kesteren recommends SortTableRows.

    So many choices, so little time…

  7. Adam Bramwell

    Comment on February 5, 2004 at 2:52 pm

    Omigod what a geek. And what a huge post! Great to see.

    I'd printed out the IMDB top 250 a few years back, and i'm actually quite glad I did as it avoids the Rings movies, which I honestly believe are over-rated.

    Good does not equal epic.

    Every so often I pick up my IMDB print-out and scan it for a new movie, then hunt it down. The print-out sits less than one foot from my right hand for ~8hrs a day.

    I might peruse it right now …

  8. Lars Holst

    Comment on February 7, 2004 at 3:47 pm

    No, no, no, Adam. Mike is the geek here! Haven't you seen his list?!?

    I disagree with you on the Ring movies (obviously). The trilogy is not only a series of great movies in itself, but also the best adaptation of a book I have ever seen. Peter Jackson certainly deserves all the credit he's received.

    A print-out is an excellent idea though :)

  9. ludy

    Comment on July 11, 2005 at 5:04 pm

    Hi, I would like to have a program to export mymovies in imdb. Is it possible in anyway you built this list?

    Thank you for your time!

    Ludy

  10. Lars Holst

    Comment on July 12, 2005 at 1:14 pm

    I wish! But no, it was done manually. Sorry.

  11. The 250

    Comment on March 26, 2006 at 12:33 am

    By the way, forgive me for commenting so late, but since we’re talking about the 250 list, everyone might be interested in this:

    www.twofifty.org

    This isn’t spam btw, it’s just the best dang tool I have found for those who like to keep track of their movie list.

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