42 replies to this topic

[Mike in STL]

According to the IMDB top 250 list, here's how many made the list by decade, and some of their top rated in each decade. 

 

1920s - 5. The Kid. Metropolis.

 

1930s - 7. The Wizard of Oz. Gone With the Wind.

 

1940s - 13. It's a Wonderful Life. Casablanca. Citizen Kane. 

 

1950s - 30. 12 Angry Men. Rear Window. Seven Samurai.

 

1960s - 20. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Once Upon a Time in the West. Psycho.

 

1970s - 20. The Godfather. The Godfather II. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

 

1980s - 29. Empire Strikes Back. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Back to the Future. The Shining.

 

1990s - 41. The Shawshank Redemption (Ranked #1 overall on IMDB). Pulp Fiction. Schindler's List. Fight Club. Forrest Gump. Good Fellas.

 

2000s - 51. The Dark Knight. LOTR: Return of the King. LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. LOTR: Two Towers. The Pianist. The Departed. 

 

2010s - 34. Inception. Interstellar. Whiplash. Django Unchained. The Dark Knight Rises. The Force Awakens (Probably the newest movie on the list, ranked #78).

 

 

My take....There was some talk in the 80s movies thread that the 70s was the superior decade. Despite the 80s having more in the rankings than the 70s, I think the 70's was the better decade by way of having more "largely undisputed" great movies in them. Undisputed as in, people look at you funny if you haven't see them and/or don't think they are any good at all. I mean, I'm not a Star Wars guy, but I've seen them, and can see what all fuss is about for fans of that kind of thing. 

 

Undisputed as in, my wife said she never saw Jaws, so we stopped what we were doing and I popped it in the DVD player right away. 

 

Starting with the 60s undisputed movies, I count 5. Psycho. The Great Escape. Good Bad and the Ugly. Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy.

 

Undisputed movies of the 70s, I get 10. Godfather (1 and 2). Jaws. Dog Day Afternoon. Cuckoos Nest. Taxi Driver. Star Wars. Deer Hunter. Apocalypse Now. Alien. 

 

Undisputed Movies of the 80s, I only get 7. Empire Strikes Back. Raging Bull. Jedi. Scarface, Terminator, Back to the Future, Die Hard. 

 

Undisputed of the 90s,  I say 15. Good Fellas, Silence of the Lambs, T2, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, Shawshank, Se7en, Heat. Good Will Hunting. Big Lebowski. Saving Private Ryan. American History X, American Beauty, Fight Club.

 

The 2000s are real disappointing, IMO. Like, you have to throw in all 3 LOTRs to even make a longer list. And no, I haven't seen them. Otherwise, my undisputed list would include just 5, of the 51 top 250 movies.  Gladiator. Requiem for a Dream. Oldboy (Which a lot of people haven't seen because it's Japanese, but you should). The Departed. Dark Knight.

 

2010s is too new to see what will stand the test of time. I'd say Gone Girl, Wolf of Wall Street, and Whiplash will stand the test of time. Still need to see The Martian and the The Revenant, but they are way too new to judge anyway.

 

So by decade, I think the 1990's was the best.

 

1990s

1970s

1980s

2000s

1960s

I'm not going to pretend I've seen anything with Charlie Chaplin in it.

 

Fun Fact: Titanic is NOT in the top 250 list, despite wining a boat load of awards, and bringing in a ton of money. Did I miss something? I there a reason among the general population that movie isn't held in higher regard? It's fantastic, aside from the predictable ending where, spoiler alert....the boat sinks.

[Pedro Cerrano]

For the 60s, Once Upon a Time in the West is the best western ever. Also think you're a tad too generous with your undisputed list in the 90s. Chinatown, The Sting, The French Connection, Rocky and The Conversation from the 70s are all better than several of the films you list on the 90s.

[Pedro Cerrano]

You should have a 50s undisputed too. Films like Vertigo, North By Northwest and 12 Angry Men can't be missed.

If you like noir, Double Indemnity and Out of the Past in the 40s are worth checking out

[RShack]

For the 60s, Once Upon a Time in the West is the best western ever. Also think you're a tad too generous with your undisputed list in the 90s. Chinatown, The Sting, The French Connection, Rocky and The Conversation from the 70s are all better than several of the films you list on the 90s.

 

He's also being stingy about other decades... which your mention of flicks from the 70's demonstrates...

 

I wonder how much of this comes down to one's age...  I know lotsa folks have biases in favor of ballplayers they watched in their teens... I wonder if something similar happens with movies that you were exposed to when they came out vs. ones that were history before you saw them....

[RShack]

For the 60s, Once Upon a Time in the West is the best western ever. Also think you're a tad too generous with your undisputed list in the 90s. Chinatown, The Sting, The French Connection, Rocky and The Conversation from the 70s are all better than several of the films you list on the 90s.

 

Lots of movies are great... but very few are absolutely perfect... I think Chinatown falls into the perfect category... there's not a single moment of any single scene that I would change.... for me, this puts it in the category of Casablanca, To Kill a Mockingbird, and a select few others...

[Pedro Cerrano]

Lots of movies are great... but very few are absolutely perfect... I think Chinatown falls into the perfect category... there's not a single moment of any single scene that I would change.... for me, this puts it in the category of Casablanca, To Kill a Mockingbird, and a select few others...

Ever try to tell the Chinaman joke? I try and try and try and can never get it to land. Exactly one person on Earth can tell that joke and thankfully he was cast as Jake in the movie.

[RShack]

Ever try to tell the Chinaman joke? I try and try and try and can never get it to land. Exactly one person on Earth can tell that joke and thankfully he was cast as Jake in the movie.

 

I wonder how many takes it took...

[NewMarketSean]

I assume the list is from the IMDB top 250 list? I think a lot of people overrate recent movies on there, which explains why there's 85 movies since 2000. I said it in the other thread I think the 70's is the best because you had two worlds coming together -- classic filmmaking and storytelling meeting modern acting and complex filmmaking techniques.

[Mike in STL]

For the 60s, Once Upon a Time in the West is the best western ever. Also think you're a tad too generous with your undisputed list in the 90s. Chinatown, The Sting, The French Connection, Rocky and The Conversation from the 70s are all better than several of the films you list on the 90s.

I did forget Rocky. Meant to put that one. French Connection I didn't list because I was going by the top 250 list, and it wasn't on there. The Sting was good. Didn't really stand out like others do.

 

Ummmmmm.....I'm going to have to see Chinatown. That's my bad.

 

I didn't do a 50s list because I've seen exactly one movie from the 50s. Some Like it Hot. 

 

I don't think I'm being too stingy. It's all subjective in terms of taste anyway. But I tried to be as objective as possible. 

 

Which ones in the 90's was I generous with? I think they are all must see films, still hold up after nearly, or more than 20 years, and will be considered classics.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Well you admit that you haven't seen Chinatown but I can't imagine many people think Fight Club is better than it.

[Pedro Cerrano]

And movies like Heat and Good Will Hunting are fine, but they're not all time classics IMO.

Jurassic Park is more style than substance but you can't refute its impact on special effects in film making.

[BobPhelan]

My top 100 has 3 movies from the 50's, 3 movies from the 60's, 6 movies from the 70's, 10 movies from 80's, 23 movies from the 90's, 35 movies from the 00's, and 20 movies from the 2010's.

It's really not a barometer as its my 'favorite' movies, I really got into movies in the 2000's, and I find it hard to compare older movies. There are a bunch that probably deserve to be there and there are a ton I haven't seen but a top 100 list is so arbitrary. I found it very hard to put together. I could change it daily.

[BobPhelan]

Well you admit that you haven't seen Chinatown but I can't imagine many people think Fight Club is better than it.

I would but I owe Chinatown a rewatch and haven't seen Fight Club in forever.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I think "favorite" versus "best" is an important distinction to make and often goes into a "guilty pleasure" category. I absolutely love the movie "Clue" for example. Nobody would ever call that even one of the 500 best movies ever (I don't think) but it's certainly one of my favorites.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I would but I owe Chinatown a rewatch and haven't seen Fight Club in forever.

Yea but isn't Inglorious Basterds your second favorite movie ever or something?

[papasmurfbell]

That list is modern centric.  The numbers grow through the yrs.  With all the volume there is now of course there will be more great films but better then in the past?

[BobPhelan]

I would but I owe Chinatown a rewatch and haven't seen Fight Club in forever.

Yea but isn't Inglorious Basterds your second favorite movie ever or something?

Sure is! Haha

I don't feel qualified to make a 'best' list so I just go with 'favorite'. Everyone's taste is so different and certain things work for one person and not for another. I prefer the modern style of movies plus there are just so many more movies nowadays, it's easier to cherry pick the best ones and find hidden gems.

[SportsGuy]

You should have a 50s undisputed too. Films like Vertigo, North By Northwest and 12 Angry Men can't be missed.

If you like noir, Double Indemnity and Out of the Past in the 40s are worth checking out

The Bill Russell of movies.

[BSLMikeLowe]

The Bill Russell of movies.

 

Oh stop already. I wish Kazaam was released in the 50's, because it would have kicked 12 Angry Men's ass up and down the theater aisles.

 

[Pedro Cerrano]

Lol. The Kazaam post may be the best one in the history of this board.