Re: The Best Films of ALL TIME Countdown thread - 2018

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 48
Imitation Game (2014)

Rank last year - 42 (-6)
Score - 175
No. Of Lists - 4
Average Rank - 26.5
Rotten Tomatoes - 90%
Box Office - 233.5 M$
IMDB - 8
Metacritic - 73

Synopsis and General Info

British mathematician Alan Turing joins the cryptography team to help decrypt the Enigma code, but builds his own machine that is a prototype of the modern computer to decipher German codes.
Initial release: 7 January 2015 (Egypt)
Director: Morten Tyldum
Featured song: The Imitation Game
Box office: 23.35 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, MORE

Personal Comments

I have to admit it. I never understood why people like this film so much. I never saw it as anything other than just a good film. But clearly more than enough people think otherwise to get it this high on the list. I just think it suffers from the same flaws as Theory of Everything but lacks the good things to cover those flaws.
Benedict Cumberbatch's first film on the list. Will he get in with another? 

Critic Reviews 

Benedict Cumberbatch once again proves the go-to man for bringing vulnerability and warmth to a chilly, slightly off-putting intellectual oddball.Full review

Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
It's an undeniable pleasure to dig into a crackling spy thriller dished out by experts. Full review

Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
A superb thriller and a worthy biopic of a real hero. It’s also simultaneously an impressive debut for screenwriter Graham Moore, and a big-screen career highlight for Benedict Cumberbatch. Full review

Dan Jolin
Empire
An affecting tale of an extraordinary human being. Full review

Reagan Gavin Rasquinha
Times of India

[aforakshitGuest]

Oh god kitni mast list hai

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 47
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Rank last year - 38 (-9)
Score - 187
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 29.6
Box Office - 378.8m$
Rotten Tomatoes - 97%
IMDB - 8.1
Metacritic - 90

Synopsis and General Info

In an apocalyptic world, a tyrant rules over a stark desert, controlling every drop of water. Two rebels, one escaping grief and the other reaching out to her childhood, are the last hope for a few.
Release date: 15 May 2015 (India)
Director: George Miller
Film series: Mad Max
Box office: 37.89 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Film Editing, MORE

Personal Comments

Ah, a film from the ages. The best pure action film of all time in my opinion. It is a pure thrill edge-of-the-sheet two hour car chase.It is wonderfully directed, stylistic, colorful, vivid, captivating and engrossing. This is one film that needs be seen. 

Critic Reviews 

There is much to enjoy about this adrenaline-fuelled reboot, but two hours of relentless action can get a bit tiresome Charlize Theron: ‘Women will survive the apocalypse’ Full review

Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
The Guardian
It’s like a monster-truck motocross competition staged by a more nihilistic version of Cirque du Soleil, where the stakes are life and death.Full review

Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
If you want your big screen thrill ride this summer, this might just be the ticket. Full review

Reagan Gavin Rasquinha
Times of India
'Mad Max: Fury Road' is a beautifully strange, violent and thrilling cinematic composition that proves George Miller is a more brilliant maestro than ever. Full review
Kofi Outlaw
Screen Rant

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 46
Social Network (2010)

1st Rank Placements - 1
Rank last year - 64 (+18)
Score - 190
No. Of Lists - 4
Average Rank - 25.5
Box Office - 224.9m$
Rotten Tomatoes - 96%
IMDB - 7.7
Metacritic - 95

Synopsis and General Info

Mark Zuckerberg creates a social networking site, Facebook, with the help of his friend Eduardo Saverin. But soon, a string of lies tears their relationship apart even as Facebook connects people.
Release date: 12 November 2010 (India)
Director: David Fincher
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin
Box office: 22.49 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, MORE

Personal Comments

And after all the drama.... Social Network's finally out. Sorry @Pavan. Rank 46 is no small feat though! And it even improved 18 places from last year when nearly every film's moving down. This is Fincher's second entry on the list after Zodiac. And he becomes the 9th director to get 2 films on the list. Is anybody going to cross this threshold ever!  This is another of Fincher's many masterpieces. Very well made, and with some great characters, the film never lets its grip go loose. Only 4 more films with 4 votes are left to come. 

Critic Reviews 

The Social Network is a hard-charging beast of a movie with a full tank of creative gas that keeps it humming from start to finish (hell of a middle, too). Full review

Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
There was a lot of pre-release hype for "The Social Network" -- and for once, the buzz is well-deserved. Full review

Sandie Angulo Chen
Common Sense Media
You'd think the inventor of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, would have more friends than anyone. Not so much, if this particular cinematic biography comes anywhere near the truth. Full review
Paul Asay
Plugged In
A rich, understated character drama that gleefully exposes the petty playground politics at the centre of one of the internet-era's most bitter court cases. Full review

Damon Wise
Empire

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 45
Gone Girl (2014)

Top 10 Placements - 1
Rank last year - 27 (-18)
Score - 190
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 16.33
Rotten Tomatoes - 88% 
IMDB - 8.1
Metacritic -79
Box Office - 370m $

Synopsis and General Info

Mark Zuckerberg creates a social networking site, Facebook, with the help of his friend Eduardo Saverin. But soon, a string of lies tears their relationship apart even as Facebook connects people.
Release date: 12 November 2010 (India)
Director: David Fincher
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin
Box office: 22.49 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Writing Adapted Screenplay, MORE

Personal Comments

And Fincher does it!! He becomes the first director to get 3 films in the top 100 and 2 in the top 50 with two back to back films! One of my favourite thrillers of all time, this film definitely deserves its position. An intense suspense thriller, it features the best unreliable narrator in years in the form of its diary. We are made to believe in something before being completely proved wrong, and it's done so well too! The twist in this film, though so quick to come, was much better than The usual suspects imo. And the film doesn't depend entirely on it either. Even after the twist gets out the film never loses its flair and continues to offer us with edge-of-the-seat sequences one after the other. The film had a very good average rank of 16.33. Still 7  more 3 vote films are left to show up.
Saiyyam was the one to put it in his top 10, placing it at rank 10.

Critic Reviews 

Gone Girl plays like a queasily, at times gleefully, funny horror movie about a modern marriage, one that has disintegrated partly because of spiraling downward mobility and lost privilege. Full review

Manohla Dargis
The NYTimes


“Gone Girl” is a “yes, but” movie: Yes, it’s well-made, but it stays maddeningly on its own polished surfaces. It’s smart, but not clever or probing or risky enough to be truly brilliant. Full review

Ann Hornaday
Washington Post


'Gone Girl' is a layered narrative experience that can be appreciated on multiple levels - with an intriguing central mystery, rounded characters, and sharp social commentary. Full review
Ben Kendrick
Screen Rant

Damon Wise
Empire

Surgically precise, grimly funny and entirely mesmerizing over the course of its swift 149-minute running time. Full review

Justin Chang
Variety

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 44
Godfather Part 2 (1974)

Rank last year - DMI
Score - 190
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 15.66
Rotten Tomatoes - 97% 
IMDB - 9
Metacritic -90
Box Office - 47.5m $

Synopsis and General Info

Michael, Vito Corleone's son, attempts to expand his family's crime empire. While he strikes a business deal with gangster Hyman Roth, he is unaware of the dangers he has gotten himself into.
Initial release: 12 December 1974 (New York City)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Budget: 1.3 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
Screenplay: Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo

Personal Comments

Francis Ford Coppola's second entry on the list and the Godfather Trilogy's first. A classic in all respects and one of the best sequels of all time. A critically acclaimed and audience loved film. The films is also one of the only 2 sequels ever to have won the best picture oscar. A giant at over 3.5 hours long, this film justifies every single minute you'll put into it. Sequel to one of the best films of all time that's widely considered to be arguably better than the predecessor. Just unbeilevable.
Will the other film to do the same thing make it? And will any other part from the legendary Godfather Trilogy make it? Not too long before we learn, 

Critic Reviews 

"The Godfather, Part II" far from being a spinoff followup to its 1972 progenitor is an excellent epochal drama in its own right providing bookends in time. Full review

A.D. Murphy
Variety


Superbly written storylines and amazing performances by the principal actors, including Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Diane Keaton, is why PART II is considered a cinematic masterpiece. Full review

Afsheen Nomai
Common Sense Media


Arguably better than the original, this is still an amazing film. Full review

Andrew Collins
Empire

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 43
Avatar (2009)

Top 5 placements - 1
Rank last year - 39 (-4)
Score - 195
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 17.33
Rotten Tomatoes - 83%
IMDB - 7.8
Metacritic - 83
Box office: 2.788 billion USD (!!)

Synopsis and General Info

On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na'vi, beings who appear primitive but are highly evolved. Because the planet's environment is poisonous, human/Na'vi hybrids, called Avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free movement on Pandora. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed former Marine, becomes mobile again through one such Avatar and falls in love with a Na'vi woman (Zoe Saldana). As a bond with her grows, he is drawn into a battle for the survival of her world.
Release date: 18 December 2009 (India)
Director: James Cameron
Featured song: I See You (Theme from Avatar)
Box office: 278.8 crores USD
Did you know: "Avatar" is the world's highest-grossing film of all time.wikipedia.org

Personal Comments

Looks like we have our answer for which will be the highest grossing film on the list. Avatar has almost twice the gross of our current champion - Avengers. It is the highest grossing film ever by a long long margin. Nothing has been able to come close in the last 10 years. And all this is with good merit. This film deserves everything. It was a cinematic experience unlike any other. I saw both Titanic and Avatar in theatres and there's no doubt that they were both the two of the best cinematic experiences of my life. Avatar 2 has been in the works for a decade now but is set to come by 2020 now. Strongly anticipating it!
Andrew, forever the champion of the blockbusters, put this film at rank 4 in his list. 

Critic Reviews 

Worth watching for fans, completists and anyone who missed it on the big screen first time around - but it won't win over any haters. Full review

Nick de Semlyen
Empire


Fifteen years in the making, James Cameron's latest creation is an eye-popping spectacle of conflict between idyllic aliens and greedy humans—saturated with environmental and spiritual themes. Full review
Adam R. Holz
Plugged In


But Avatar is no Hollywood wankfest. It extends the possibilities of what movies can do. Cameron's talent may just be as big as his dreams.Full review

Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

[aforakshitGuest]

Dekho bhailogo...director best Toh Kubrick aur Hitchcock hai..when it comes to classic cinema...plus f.f.Coppola too considering godfather and apocalypse now being orgasmilcally good...but the former 2 are just fucking crazy in their every single movie..toh unki top 20 mein 5 6 honi chhiye.joki hoga nhi muje tum logo pe vishwas hai par kher apni apni raai...ab mordern cinema mein toh bc kuch zyaada he sexy directors hai jaise..Nolan tarantino scorcese PTA Fincher etc..toh in sabki ek do ek do movie toh hongi he...ab aaye exceptional..woh kaafi hadd tak clear hai 12 angry men..aur Grave of the fireflies..unka koi baal bhi baka nhi kar skta ...toh agar thoda dimag lgaya jaaye itne saare directors ko sort out krke..toh movies toh pta chalgengi..bas ranking nhi

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 42
Casablanca (1942)

Top 5 placements - 1
Rank last year - DMI
Score - 197
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 16
Rotten Tomatoes - 97%
IMDB - 8.5
Metacritic - 100
Box office: 3.7m$

Synopsis and General Info

During WWII, Rick, a nightclub owner in Casablanca, agrees to help his former lover Ilsa and her husband. Soon, Ilsa's feelings for Rick resurface and she finds herself renewing her love for him.
Initial release: 26 November 1942 (New York City)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Featured song: As Time Goes By
Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
Screenplay: Howard E. Koch, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Casey Robinson

Personal Comments

Ah, what a film. Such a perennial classic. Oh, every dialogue in this film is a classic. Such a quotable film. The film's got 6 quotes in AFI's top 100 quotes of all time. And you only need to watch it once to see why. Every scene is one to marvel at, every character is one to remember. Such style, oh! Rick Blaine.. damn, seldom has such a character ever been made. This film deserves an even better position. It's a must watch classic that every cinephile worth his salt must see.
This is the oldest film in the top 100 and also the only film from the 40s in the top 50. 
Jebin put this at number 2, the only top 10 placement for the film.

Critic Reviews 

The variety of moods, action, suspense, comedy and drama that makes "Casablanca" an A-1 entry at the b.o. Full review

Variety Staff
Variety


This is probably the most famous Hollywood movie of all time, and for good reason. Full review

Nell Minow
Common Sense Media


Much more fun than its stuffy "Greatest Film Ever Made" tag suggests, with a literate script, stylish direction, a great song and cinema's most romantic couple in Bogie and Bergman. Full review

Angie Errigo
Empire

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 41
Forrest Gump (1994)

Rank last year - DMI
Score - 200
No. Of Lists - 4
Average Rank - 23
Rotten Tomatoes - 72%
IMDB - 8.8
Metacritic - 82
Box office: 677.9m$

Synopsis and General Info

Forrest Gump, a man with a low I.Q., joins the army for service where he meets Dan and Bubba. However, he cannot stop thinking about his childhood sweetheart Jenny Curran, whose life is messed up.
Initial release: 23 June 1994 (Los Angeles)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Featured song: Forrest Gump
Box office: 67.79 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE

Personal Comments

I have never felt forrest gump to be a very special film. It is a very good and widely entertaining one, yes, but not a great film, not for me at least. For it to win best picture over pulp fiction and shawshank was quite a travesty in my opinion. But once again it's a case where the general audience's opinions and mine don't really meet. Tom Hanks was great in this film, though no doubt and the film is an iconic one in american context. 
This is our 10th best picture winner in the top 100. Let's see how many more we come across.

Critic Reviews 

A picaresque story of a simpleton's charmed odyssey through 30 years of tumultuous American history, "Forrest Gump" is whimsy with a strong cultural spine. Full review

Todd McCarthy
Variety


This film is "like a box of chocolates . . . you never know what you're gonna get" as it serves up an abundance of surprising treats, sometimes sweet and sometimes bitter. Full review

Michael Scheinfeld
Common Sense Media


History just wouldn't be the same without Forrest Gump. Movie history, that is. An IMAX re-release 20 years later makes us want to know exactly where he was running to so fast. Full review
Paul Asay
Plugged In
Empire

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 40
Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Rank last year - DMI
Score - 200
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 15.66
Rotten Tomatoes - 92%
IMDB - 8.6
Metacritic - 90
Box office: 481.8m$

Synopsis and General Info

During the Normandy invasion of World War II, Captain John Miller is assigned the task of searching for Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have already been killed in the war.
Initial release: 24 July 1998 (USA)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Featured song: Hymn to the Fallen
Box office: 48.18 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Director, MORE

Personal Comments

And Spielberg gets back into the competition with his third entry into the list with the second consecutive film to feature Hanks, one of his favorite actors, as its lead. Saving Private Ryan is a very well directed war drama, one of the best of its genre. It's also well acted and boasts a very powerful ensemble cast. The film's also well known for having started the holy tradition of trying to save Matt Damon, god bless him, throughout a film. The film didnt get any top 10 vote but still has a very healthy 15.66 average rank, getting very close to becoming the first film with 3 or more votes to have an average ranking of under 15. 
Are we done with War Dramas though? Or are we gonna get more in our list?

Critic Reviews 

Uncompromising, powerful war movie that does not pull any punches. Pefectly balances the inhumanity of war and the humanity of its protagonists. Devastating and essential viewing. Full review

William Thomas
Empire


The opening D-Day scene is not exploitation, but rather a master filmmaker's true-life recreation of one of the bloodiest battles in human history, to make one appreciate the bravery and the loss. Full review

Charles Cassady Jr.
Common Sense Media


As family-night entertainment, "Ryan" is a casualty. But as a morality tale underscoring the horror of armed combat, it accomplishes its mission brilliantly. Full review
Steven Isaac
Plugged In

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 39
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Rank last year - DMI
Score - 200
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 14.66
Rotten Tomatoes - 94%
IMDB - 8.7
Box office: 109m$

Synopsis and General Info

In order to escape the prison labour, McMurphy, a prisoner, fakes insanity and is shifted to the special ward for the mentally unstable. In this ward, he must rise up against a cruel nurse, Ratched.
Initial release: 19 November 1975 (USA)
Director: Miloš Forman
Story by: Ken Kesey
Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
Producers: Michael Douglas, Saul Zaentz

Personal Comments

And thus we have it, our first film with 3 or more votes to have an average rank of less than 15!! That is no small feat. But such is exactly what is required to get into the top 50. This film is one of the only 3 ever to grab the big 5 at the Oscars. Winning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay! One of the other two also makes our list, though exactly where is the question. The film is obviously a great one and definitely deserves a place this high up. It is often considered among the best american films and for good reason. It may have a few flaws but what it does right... it does the best. 
Jebin was the person who put it at the very top of his list. 4 1st rankers out. 8 still remain. 

Critic Reviews 

Nicholson explodes on the screen in a performance so flawless in timing and character perception that it should send half the stars in Hollywood back to acting school.
February 23, 2015 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
 Top Critic



Unlike its frontman, this multi-Oscar-winning drama hasn't aged particularly well.
April 10, 2017 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Tom Huddleston
Time Out
 Top Critic

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 38
Shutter Island (2010)

 


Top 10 placements - 1
Rank last year - 21 (-17)
Score - 207
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 29.4
Rotten Tomatoes - 68% 
IMDB - 8.1
Metacritic - 63
Box Office - 295m $
 

Synopsis and General Info

Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, but Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
Release date: 4 June 2010 (India)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Box office: 29.48 crores USD
Screenplay: Laeta Kalogridis
Awards: Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Horror/Thriller
 

Personal Comments

A vastly underrated film, this is a master of twists and atmosphere. A great Scorsese film, his third on our list and with this he becomes the third director to join that club. The twist at the end really blows your mind. The final ending is also pretty touching. And all the rest of the film too! The atmosphere building and music was superb. Leo was a part of it so great acting is a given.
This was put at number 10 by Ayush

Critic Reviews 

This one's a gritty drama, with Scorsese creating some marvellous set pieces where the past intervenes with the present and Leonardo creates a compelling picture of brooding disarray. Full review

Times of India


"Shutter Island" is a great-looking, highly stylized, very intense thriller in the vein of Martin Scorsese's earlier Cape Fear (1991). Full review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Common Sense Media

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 37
Andaz Apna Apna (1994)

 


Top 5 Placements - 1 
Top 10 placements - 2
Rank last year - 18 (-19)
Score - 215
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 14.66
IMDB - 8.3
 

Synopsis and General Info

Amar and Prem belong to middle-class families but dream big. Gaiety ensues when they both vie to win over a multi-millionaire's daughter to become her heritor.
Release date: 11 April 1994 (India)
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi
Music director: Tushar Bhatia

Personal Comments

And the first Hindi film in our top 50 shows up. Oh, and the last too, of course. After all which other Hindi film could have trumped this? It deserves to be the highest ranked hindi film. It is undoubtedly a cinematic classic and according to so many of us - the best Hindi film ever. This film was way ahead of its time. Each and Every Dialogue from the film is Memorable - easily the most quotable Hindi film ever. It is the most fun you will have in a film. And it is INSANELY Rewatchable. I personally have watched this over 25 times.
This is also the first film to be in the top 10 of more than 1 person! It was number 10 on mine and number 5 on Sagar's.

Songs 

1
Do Mastanae
Balu, Vicky Mehta                                6:04
2
Dil Karta Hai
Mangal Singh                                      4:59
3
Ye Raat Aur Ye Doori
Asha Bhosle, Balu                                5:12

View 3+ more

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 36
Psycho (1960)

 


Rank last year - DMI
Score - 220
No. Of Lists - 4
Average Rank - 20
IMDB - 8.5
Rotten Tomatoes - 97
Metacritic - 97
Box Office - 50m$
 

Synopsis and General Info

Marion disappears after stealing money from her employer. Her lover and sister try to find her and end up reaching the infamous Bates Motel, where they meet Norman Bates.
Initial release: 16 June 1960 (New York City)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Featured song: Prelude
Screenplay: Joseph Stefano
Story by: Robert Bloch

Personal Comments

And Hitchcock makes his third and final entry into the list with Psycho. His fans will hope none of the other 3 directors with 3 films on the list manage another film on it. It's a never ending debate over which is the best among these three. All 3 from his holy trinity made the list - Rear Window, Vertigo and Psycho. This time, Psycho has trumped. Such a classic, seriously. Probably the most influential film on the entire list. It has influenced so many movies that it is not even a point of contention to say that both thrillers and horror genres own a huge huge lot to this one film for all they have churned out since. In fact it was ranked number 1 by AFI in its list of the best thrillers of all time. Do we agree and is this the last thriller on the list? We'll see.

Critic Reviews 

Timeless classic. Superb performances and the infamous shower scene make this the perfect nightmare. Full review

David Parkinson
Empire


This Hitchcock film is a classic, and for good reason. Full review

Sarah Wenk
Common Sense Media

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 35
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

 


Top 5 placements - 1
Rank last year - 57 (+22)
Score - 227
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 26.6
IMDB - 8.3
Rotten Tomatoes - 93
Metacritic - 89
Box Office - 72.3m$
 

Synopsis and General Info

Joel and Clementine begin a relationship post a train journey together, unaware that they had previously been in a relationship, the memories of which were clinically erased.
Initial release: 19 March 2004 (USA)
Director: Michel Gondry
Featured song: Theme
Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman
Awards: Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, MORE

Personal Comments

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, easily one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. And probably the best romance I've yet come across. So creative, so well told, with such a solid script by Kaufman (obviously he won the oscar for it) and above all, so heartfelt! One of the best post-2000s films and one you all need to see. One of the few times Jim Carrey acted in a serious role and he gave one of his best performances in it. And winslet is her usual amazing. The amazing chemistry between them only serves to lift the film to even greater heights.
Murtaza put this film at number 3 on his list.

Critic Reviews 

Don't expect anything standard-issue from this uniquely funny, unpredictably tender and unapologetically twisted romance. Full review

Peter Travers
Rolling Stone


A love story in reverse, written by Charlie Kaufman, best known for his work on the offbeat films "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation."Full review
Bob Smithouser
Plugged In


This fabulously imaginative and deliciously loopy romance is the sweetest movie yet from the magnificently twisty mind of writer Charlie Kaufman.Full review

Nell Minow
Common Sense Media

[InfernusAdmin]

Ranks 136 - 150

Rank	Film	Score	Votes	Average Rank
136	District 9	50	1	24
136	before midnight	50	1	24
138	last samurai	50	1	25
138	My Neighbour Totoro (1988)	50	1	25
138	Mad Max 1	50	1	25
141	Back to the Future (1985)	50	3	43
142	Locke (2014)	45	2	39.5
143	Garden of Words (2013)	42	2	41
144	Prisoners	42	2	44
145	Remember the Titans	40	1	26
145	Gangs of Wasseypur	40	1	26
145	Once upon a time in the west	40	1	26
148	Wizard of Oz	40	1	27
148	Harry Potter and the Order of Pheonix	40	1	27
148	Notting Hill	40	1	27
148	The Reader	40	1	27

[InfernusAdmin]

2 more Japanese, 2 animated and a Hindi film out

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 34
No Country for Old Men (2007)

 


Top 10 placements - 1
Rank last year - DMI
Score - 230
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 26.4
IMDB - 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes - 93
Metacritic - 91
Box Office - 171.6m$
 

Synopsis and General Info

A hunter's life takes a drastic turn when he discovers two million dollars while strolling through the aftermath of a drug deal. He is then pursued by a psychopathic killer who wants the money.
Initial release: 4 November 2007 (Hollywood)
Director: Joel Coen
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Box office: 17.16 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE

Personal Comments

A Coen brothers masterpiece for our 34th rank. Our 11th Best Picture winner, and one of the more deserving ones. An intense thriller that's quite unlike what we generally see. The first two thirds make for an engrossing chase film while the final third does away with all the cliches and takes the film to an ending I doubt many expected. A superbly directed and very well acted film. Features Javier Bardam as one of the most memorable cinematic villains of all time. Such a character, his. This film definitely deserves its place in the top 35.
Akshit put this film at rank 7 on his list.

Critic Reviews 

Violent, poetic, gripping, thrilling and blackly funny: that’ll be the Coens doing what they do best then. Now with added humanity. Full review

Ian Nathan
Empire


The desolate landscape and moral layout evoke old Westerns, but the film also reconsiders that genre's conventions, suggesting comparisons between now and "the old times. Full review

Cynthia Fuchs
Common Sense Media


Driving straight through the night from 'Fargo' to West Texas, the Coen brothers have created a blood-soaked (Oscar-winning) modern Western that's as chilling as it is hopeless. Full review
Bob Hoose
Plugged In

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Rank 33
Catch me if You Can(2002)

 
Rank last year - 48 (+15)
Score - 230
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 25.6
Rotten Tomatoes - 96%
Box Office - 352m$
IMDB - 8.1
 

Synopsis and General Info

Frank Abagnale Jr is a con man who poses as a pilot, doctor and lawyer and cashes forged cheques worth millions before his 21st birthday, despite being constantly chased by FBI agent Carl Hanratty.
Initial release: 25 December 2002 (USA)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Featured song: Catch me if you can
Box office: 35.21 crores USD
Awards: BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, MORE

Personal Comments

Surprising entry this high up on the list. But well, it's definitely got the guns to justify it. Starring Hanks, Leo and featuring the debut of Amy Adams plus Directed by Spielberg. This film has it all. Oh and yeah that reminds me... this is Spielberg's 4th film on the list!! He becomes the first guy to cross the 3 films threshold. Let's see if anyone's got it in them to beat this guy now.

Critic Reviews 

FBI Agent Hanratty might be one of the best bank fraud men in the Bureau, but he’s never met a suspect like this. Frank Abagnale not only forges checks, he forges lives. Full review
Loren Eaton
Plugged In


Part period piece, part chase film, part drama, Steven Spielberg's movie about the youngest person ever to make the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List is terrifically entertaining. Full review

Nell Minow
Common Sense Media

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Rank 32
Life of Pi (2012)

 


Rank last year - 14 (-18)
Score - 230
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 25.4
Rotten Tomatoes - 88%
IMDB - 7.9
Box Office - 609m$

Metacritic - 79
 

Synopsis and General Info

Pi Patel finds a way to survive in a lifeboat that is adrift in the middle of nowhere. His fight against the odds is heightened by the company of a hyena and a male Bengal tiger.
Release date: 23 November 2012 (India)
Director: Ang Lee
Featured song: Pi's Lullaby
Box office: 60.9 crores USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Director, MORE

Personal Comments

One of my favourite films, this was included in 5 lists. This film deserves to be this high, in fact it should have been higher. It's a beautiful captivating film that makes you think. As its tagline says it makes you believe the unbelievable. Its a beautiful beautiful film and one that you can watch again and again. Ang Lee is a master of beautiful sequences and that has never been put on display better than here. The survival story of a boy in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean... with a tiger. And with a spiritual angle that never gets too much but is present enough to better the script. Do watch this anybody who hasn't already
This was put at number 7 by me.

Critic Reviews 

If you aren't put-off by the idea of exploring some new age concepts about life and spirituality, then this a film the entire family will enjoy during the holiday season. Full review
Kofi Outlaw
Screen Rant


To produce a coherent film from Martel’s tricky novel would be achievement enough, but Ang Lee has extracted something beautiful, wise and, at times, miraculous. Full review

Olly Richards
Empire


"Life of Pi" is a beautiful, emotionally resonant tale of faith, friendship, and perseverance. Full review

Betsy Bozdech
Common Sense Media

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Rank 31
Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Top 10 Placements - 2
Rank last year - 22 (-9)
Score - 232
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 28.6
Rotten Tomatoes - 67% 
IMDB - 8
Metacritic - 64
Box Office - 307.1
 

Synopsis and General Info

Chris Gardner takes up an unpaid internship in a brokerage firm after he loses his life's earnings selling a product he invested in. His wife leaves him and he is left with the custody of his son.
Initial release: November 2006 (Miami Beach)
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Featured song: A Father's Way
Screenplay: Steven Conrad
Awards: MTV Movie Award for Next Generation, MORE

Personal Comments

And Will Smith enters our countdown with his best film. A beautiful and rare film, It was touching and extremely well acted. The outflow of emotions in the climax was unbelievable, one of my favorite scenes ever. This film shows that Will Smith can do anything he sets his mind to. 
This film was in the top 10s of Revant and Andrew. 

Critic Reviews 

Jaden Smith is adorable; he delivers an endearing performance as Gardner's son, Christopher, in what turns out to be a simple, sentimental, but ultimately inspiring movie. Full review

Cynthia Fuchs
Common Sense Media


An admirably unsentimental biopic with an excellent central performance, but it doesn’t impact as strongly as it could. Full review

Chris Hewitt
Empire

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Rank 30
Finding Nemo (2003)

Top 10 Placements - 2
Rank last year - 33 (+3)
Score - 235
No. Of Lists - 4
Average Rank - 20.75
Rotten Tomatoes - 99% !!
IMDB - 8.1
Metacritic -90 !!
Box Office - 307.1
 

Synopsis and General Info

After his son gets abducted in the Great Barrier Reef and is despatched to Sydney, a meek clownfish embarks on a journey to bring him home.
Initial release: 30 May 2003 (Canada)
Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Featured song: Finding Nemo: Nemo Egg (main title)
Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Andrew Stanton, MORE
Did you know: "Finding Nemo" is the ninth-highest-grossing animated film of all time. wikipedia.org

Personal Comments

Finally another animated film!! This is a beautiful film. A film of epic proportions. An infinitely re-watchable film and one to watch with the full family. This is an epic adventure film with a gentle story at its heart. So many different creatures, all so well animated and so interesting. Oh, and that ocean... so beautiful. Years have passed and the animation still amazes me. This is another of Pixar's masterpieces. The critics loved it too like all of pixar's others. 99% RT! 90 MT!! This is a great film and one that will always be close to our hearts. Will any other animated film make it over this one?
This film was put at number 6 by me and number 10 by Andrew,

Critic Reviews 

Pixar may have the most advanced animation technology in the world, but they never forget that what matters most in a movie is story, characters, imagination, and heart. Full review

Nell Minow
Common Sense Media


Watch Finding Nemo (in 3D) if you have never seen it before. Watch Finding Nemo once again – this time in 3D -- if you have seen it all before. Full review

Times of India


To find Nemo is to discover underwater treasure. The animation has the depth of the ocean itself. The adventure is both fun and fulfilling. And the lessons just keep on swimming. Full review
Steven Isaac
Plugged In

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Rank 29
Taxi Driver (1976)

Top 5 placements -1
Top 10 Placements - 2
Rank last year - DMI
Score - 245
No. Of Lists - 3
Average Rank - 10.33
Rotten Tomatoes - 98% 
IMDB - 8.3
Metacritic -94
Box Office - 28.3m$
 

Synopsis and General Info

Travis, an ex-marine and Vietnam veteran who works as a taxi driver in New York City, is driven to save a preadolescent prostitute from her pimp in an effort to clean the city of its sleaze.
Initial release: 8 February 1976 (USA)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Featured song: Theme From Taxi Driver
Screenplay: Paul Schrader
Awards: Palme d'Or, MORE

Personal Comments

And a few films after Spielberg, Scorsese makes gets his 4th entry on the list. Taxi Driver is the highest placed film to be on only 3 lists. It's Stellar average rank of 10.33 is the fifth best among all movies with 2 or more votes and 4th best among those with 3 or more. Taxi Driver is a neo-noir classic, and one that completely lives up to its name. A psychological thriller (we seem to really love those) where the film completely takes us into its world. With the cinematography, the direction and the De Niro's masterful acting, not to mention Jodie Foster's debut as a child star, the film manages to engross you and certainly leaves you thinking. This is a filmt hat stays with you for quite some time even after it ends. Among the greatest films from the 70s. 2 more films from the 70s are still left to make an appearance, one among them the paramount neo noir classic.
This film was put at number 5 by akshit and number 6 by Jebin   

Critic Reviews 

Teenagers curious about extremely violent films are likely to learn of this film's reputation, especially the tour-de-force performance of Robert De Niro. Full review

David Gurney
Common Sense Media


It’s a startling, disturbing picture of social disarray, with De Niro redefining the angst of a socially dysfunctional citizen who has been transformed into a rage machine. Full review

Times of India


The blend of Schrader's script, Scorsese's direction and De Niro's performance is both riveting and unnerving. A film that will stay with you forever. Full review

William Thomas
Empire

[InfernusAdmin]

Rank 28
Titanic (1997)

Rank last year - 29 (+1)
Score - 250
No. Of Lists - 5
Average Rank - 21.66
Rotten Tomatoes - 88% 
IMDB - 7.7
Metacritic -74
Box Office - 2.187B $
 

Synopsis and General Info

Seventeen-year-old Rose hails from an aristocratic family and is set to be married. When she boards the Titanic, she meets Jack Dawson, an artist, and falls in love with him.
Initial release: 18 November 1997 (London)
Director: James Cameron
Featured song: My Heart Will Go On
Box office: 218.7 crores USD
Did you know: "Titanic" is the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time in Canada and the US (135,551,900 estimated admissions). wikipedia.org

Personal Comments

Ah, Titanic... What More to say about this film? The Highest grossing film ever, adjusted (single run). Doubled the previous world record for highest gross, nothing had ever before done such a thing nor has any film done it since. The film won 11 Oscars, the most for any film ever. Even it's soundtrack topped Billboard all year round and won grammys. Absolutely no height this film didn't touch. No film has ever been such a phenomenon. Its box office run is still the stuff of legends and those of us deeply interested in box office still often look back at how it all happened and marvel. The film completely blew up the careers of everyone involved with it- Leonardo, Winslet, Celine Dion, etc. And usually stars that achieve such phenomenal success with a single film end up being one hit wonders.But this film was just something else, it was just too big I guess, and Leo and Winslet managed to have probably the best careers and filmography of all actors of the current generation after this film. Even Cameron himself managed to repeat the success with his very next film.
Nothing compares to the experience of watching this in cinema, maybe that's why the film got so many to watch it multiple times in the theatre. This is a film that mesmerizes and none can deny its charm. In my opinion the film is at the perfect place on this list.

Critic Reviews 

For Cameron, Titanic is an attempt to raise pop entertainment to the level of art. Full review

Peter Travers
Rolling Stone


You won’t mind seeing the Titanic sink all over again - in 3D exactly a hundred years from the moment it actually happened. Full review

Times of India


Cameron was clearly inspired by the challenge of reproducing the event with a physical verisimilitude and impact inconceivable in the numerous previous film and TV versions of the event. Full review

Todd McCarthy
Variety

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