The Movie Forums Top 100 of All-Time Refresh: Countdown

What really bugs me is that the current top 2 are the same top 2 on RYM. At least Imdb, RT and Letterboxd are quite different, especially Letterboxd. Speaking of which, I am COMPLETELY surprised that we didn't see Parasite on the list. That movie has been a hype-magnet ever since it came out and it is a VERY good movie. I voted Oldboy for my number 5 (my favorite foreign film that I've ever seen).

Thanks to @Yoda and @TheUsualSuspect for work above and beyond, resulting in a very enjoyable countdown.

My list, with The Godfather at #4
#1.To Kill a Mockingbird
#2. Aliens
#3. Lawrence of Arabia
#4. The Godfather
#5. Inside Moves
#6. The Ninth Configuration
#7. Split
#8. It's a Wonderful Life
#9. The Empire Strikes Back
#10. Raiders of the Lost Ark
#11.The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
#12. Gunga Din
#13. The Wizard of Oz
#14. Rear Window
#15. The Maltese Falcon
#16. Arsenic and Old Lace
#17. The Outlaw Josey Wales
#18. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
#19. The Searchers
#20. Dirty Harry
#21. Jaws
#22. Serpico
#23. Apocalypse Now
#24. Leon
#25. Die Hard

Special nod to @Austruck for including Arsenic and Old Lace on your list. Still one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

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Agreed. I read the book and thought it was TERRIBLE compared to the movie. And I usually say "The book is better" about every movie based on a book. It was tough for me to get through the book because I found it SO uninteresting in written form.

But I LOVE the movie.

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AGREED. I realize most of mine were comedies, but that is one of my all-time favorites. I have fond memories of watching it several times back when I was a teenager with my mom (it must've come on the TV at some point since you couldn't rent or buy movies back then in any form). She got me to watch it that first time, and I was smitten with it. I find something different to laugh out loud at every time I watch it.

I realized belatedly that I should have also had Some Like it Hot on my list. Next time I won't wait till the last minute to make up my list. Fargo was also missing. (sigh)

Welcome another former Corrie member to the forum!


*golf claps ensued*

You asked for people's Top 25 so here's mine. In retrospect the only thing I'd change would be maybe switching out Badlands for A Clockwork Orange. That would also involve some rearranging of course.


1. Seven Samurai
2. The Wages of Fear
3. Phantom Thread
4. No Country for Old Men
5. Blue Ruin
6. The Godfather
7. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
8. Alien
9. To Kill a Mockingbird
10. Rebecca
11. City Lights
12. 2001: A Space Odyssey
13. Blazing Saddles
14. Mad Max: Fury Road
15. Witness for the Prosecution
16. Blade Runner
17. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
18. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
19. The Bride of Frankenstein
20. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
21. Get Out
22. M (1931)
23. The Third Man
24. Goodfellas
25. A Clockwork Orange

And I've seen 85 out of those 100.


And 24 of the top 25.

The Godfather is okay, but I think it's a bit overrated. I like Al Pacino in it, but I find Marlon Brando and his mumbling very annoying.


2001: A Space Odyssey is another movie that I respect more than I like. I've seen it several times, and I don't think that I will ever really understand it.

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OPEN FLOOR.

@Yoda and @TheUsualSuspect, Thank you for all of your hard work. This countdown was a lot of fun, and the presentation was amazing!

There were only 7 movies from my list that made the countdown, (8 if you include my 1-pointer). This was my complete list:

1) Wall-E (2008)
2) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
3) 12 Angry Men (1957)
4) An Affair to Remember (1957)
5) Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert (1995)

6) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
7) West Side Story (1961)
8) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
9) When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
10) The Wizard of Oz (1939)

11) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
12) Laura (1944)
13) Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
14) While You Were Sleeping (1995)
15) Dial M for Murder (1954)

16) Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
17) 1776 (1972)
18) Random Harvest (1942)
19) North by Northwest (1959)
20) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

21) Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
22) The Big Chill (1983)
23) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
24) Jaws (1975)
25) Sunday in New York (1963) (My 1-pointer)

Wall E was a close call for me to make my 25.

Jaws is a very good film but not one of my favourites.


The next five films were all on my list.



Pulp Fiction. An obvious but necessary choice when picking my top movies of all time.



Casablanca is one of those truly iconic classic films. Eight decades have done nothing to diminish its quality. Great characters, great story, sparkling script filled with quotable lines. Timeless.



Who doesn't love Goodfellas? Nice to see it make the top three. The most entertaining and rewatchable of Scorsese's masterpieces. Brilliant performances from an amazing cast. Full of classic scenes, great dialogue, a directorial masterclass from Scorsese and a perfect soundtrack. What a movie!


The Godfather was top of my list. Close to the perfect film. Everything about it is exceptional: the story, the script, the cast, the acting, the direction, the music, the cinematography. A truly monumental achievement. One of the rare films that is beloved both as a work of art and a piece of popular entertainment. Amazing.



A bit surprising to see 2001 take the top spot but not disappointing seeing as it is one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinema. Not the most accessible movie to watch for the average person but a visual feast for those of the right mindset. I feel like a small library could be filled with what has been written about this film, such is the depths of reflection that it inspires from so many people. Truly a work of genius. More than just a film, it is a transformative experience that makes one ponder the very essence of existence, a testament to the power and wonder of the movies. Bravo!


My thanks to all who contributed to the list and especially Yoda and The Usual Suspect for compiling and presenting it. Great job guys!

Glad 2001 made #1. I can see why many theorists, historians, and critics give this slot to either Kane or Vertigo... but honestly I think 2001 is also a contender in this same arena. As I've Discussed Before...

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Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'?

-Stan Brakhage

Just an idea, but it would be cool to have one thread (since there are THOUSANDS of posts on this thread) with nothing but stats, maybe a graphic of both lists next to each other, and maybe everyone can post their Top 25 for recommendations and more discussion, since it was a little difficult for me to keep up here. Was there a breakdown of decades from the 2010 list?



Fun Fact: I have seen 78/100 on BOTH lists.


(Maybe we can even have a poll on which list you like more, etc etc)

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There are a million things we could talk about 2001, but one of the things that always manages to surprise me, it's how well it has aged despite being a 50+ years old freakin' scifi film. I mean, that's impressive. There are scifi films that are 10 years old and already feel ancient. Seriously, the only bit I think that hasn't aged that well is Dr. Floyd's video call with his daughter, and that is if I'm being nitpicky. I think that's quite a feat that, along with its deep themes obviously, helps the film feel timeless.

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GOODFELLAS: This has already been discussed at length, so really not much to add. It's probably a movie I enjoy as much as any other, and it is also (as others have said) kind of the culmination of everything Scorsese was working towards thematically and stylistically. But I don't really have any particular passion towards it outside of the fact that its just a really exciting bit of filmmaking. All of the movies in my top 25 hit me, in some manner or another, in my guts, and this one just disippates like fizz in a soda pop once I'm finished with it. I distrust just simply having fun with a movie, especially when its a film about such a bunch of ugly people. I'm not moralizing this, just find myself drifting along over top of it, as is Scorsese's apparent design. I agree with those that say this makes us somewhat culpable in perpetuating the romance of mob life, but it still isn't enough to really make me feel or think about anything in particular. Mean Streets is, and always will be, filmdom's greatest gangster movie.

GODFATHER: A great piece of filmmaking. When something doesn't have a single hair out of place, all we can do is sit back and marvel at it. Because of this level of control shown by Coppola, the Godfather has always felt to me like a movie that is behind a piece of glass and I can't quite get my hands on it. It's the Mona Lisa of film. Bulletproof. Unlike Goodfellas though, I think this perfection adds a gravitas to the film. Makes it linger a little longer after the film ends. Even though I mentioned that it does feel a bit like a 'don't touch' museum piece, it at the same time has a very tactile quality, even from a distance. You can almost imagine what the shadows feel like in Corleone's lair. Or the stickiness of the blood the pours into your bed from a decapitated horse head. There is something alluring about this juxtaposition of something out of reach, that you can almost feel. So as a piece of 'art' (whatever that means) I do prefer it to Goodfellas. The problem with it though, is I don't enjoy it nearly as much as that. So, basically what I'm saying, is I have convoluted reasons why neither made it onto my list, as good as both obviously are.

2001: This wasn't my number one, even though it is the only film I truly believe has any right to ever be considered as such. I had at number two, and it's a crime I put it so low.

This film not only has everything I need to make it personally satisfying, but also everything it needs to stand above the rest of cinema history with almost perfect objective clarity. If you are looking for immaculate craftsmanship, it's here, as timeless as ever. Yet it is also as personal and pure a statement as you will ever find, well beyond all of the technical complexities of its production. If you want a film that is a completely singular experience, yet is also one of the most influential of all time, it's here too. Both staggeringly unique and endlessly copied. It also happens to have, contrary to popular belief, a clear and compelling story (once you dig through its meaning), yet at the same time retains its sense of mystery with multiple viewings. Thankfully, this story never once dares to tether its multidimensions aspirations to the ground. Yet, at the same time, the story can't help but makes us dig deeper into thinking about ourselves and our tiny place inside the universe. It lives in both the cosmos and in the tiny rooms we live inside, simultaneously.

For those who also like their masterpieces to irritate and annoy a large segement of those who watch it (puts hands up) 2001 is also completely uncompromising, unwilling to flinch away from its slow sense of discovery for one second to appeal to anyone who isn't willing to get on board. Yet as much as it can seem like some impenetrable art installation, it has still managed to become one of the great popular touchstones of the theater experience. It's big and small. Frightening and calming. Says everything and nothing. It deftly balances all of its contraditions, both in what is on screen, and with the impact it has left on those who've watched it. You can just become lost in it, and have no idea what happened to you, or write endless statements on its thematic depth and importance to cinematic history.

In short, it is EVERYTHING film had been moving towards at that point, and because of its enormous impact, sometimes feels like it left nothing for anyone else to discover after its release. It is a film so infinite in scope, and so minute in its directors attention to detail, you can find whatever you need in it. It offers greatness to anyone who dares open themselves up to it. And it will endlessly aggravate those who can't help but cry out 'why isn't anything happening' until the end of time.

It doesn't get better. I sometimes even wonder if other artistic mediums have their own 2001, and I don't think they do. It might be the only piece of art we should bother to leave behind us once civilization ends. Besides all of the garbage and pollution and nuclear fallout, of course. We have to make future life forms think we at least did one thing really really well. Let them wonder at our greatness! They can marvel at it like its Stonehenge, and scratch their heads at how such a thing was even possible. Or maybe they too will roll their eyes and cry out 'too slow', which might be just as good.

These are, btw, all the titles from the top 100 that I haven't seen yet.


Cabaret
Rosemary's Baby
Saving Private Ryan
8 1/2
Young Frankenstein
A Woman Under the Influence
American History X
Andrei Rublev
The Tree of Life
City of God
Rocky
Gone With The Wind
Amadeus
Aliens
Seven Samurai

I think this was my list. The placing may have changed a bit by the time I sent it, but its as close as I can find

1) The Exorcist
2) 2001: A Space Odyssey
3) Wizard of Oz
4) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
5) Woman Under the Influence
6) Rocky
7) Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
8) Killing of a Chinese Bookie
9) Beware of a Holy Whore
10) Passion of Joan of Arc
11) Ali: Fear Eat Soul
12) Sunset Blvd
13) Nashville
14) Rosemary's Baby
15) Crumb
16) Mean Streets
17) Life of Brian
18) Yellow Submarine
19) Vampyr
20) Dazed and Confused
21) 24 Hour Party People
22) Blood for Dracula
23) Blood Simple
24) Playtime
25) It's Such a Beautiful Day

A lot more respectable than I would imagine from you.

You're in for a real treat with some of those