The Goal

Watch the top 50 films, as voted on IMDb‘s Top 250 films chart.

Why?

I really like getting lost in a movie, especially when sick, tired or on a rainy day. I really like good movies; interesting plots, good acting, good sets and good music.

The more movies I watch, the more picky I become. This makes it hard to enjoy new movies, particularly when a few similar ones come out at the same time.

The movies that got in the top 50 on the above-mentioned IMDb chart have had millions of votes, so they must be good.

Progress so far…

I printed off the list and ticked off the ones I’ve already seen. Here’s the edited chart:

1. The Shawshank Redemption (see below)
2. The Godfather – WATCHED ALREADY
3. The Godfather: Part II – WATCHED
4. Pulp Fiction – WATCHED
5. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – WATCHED
6. 12 Angry Men – WATCHED
7. Schindler’s List – WATCHED ALREADY (see below)
8. The Dark Knight – WATCHED ALREADY
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – WATCHED ALREADY
10. Fight Club – WATCHED ALREADY (see below)
11. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back – WATCHED ALREADY
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – WATCHED ALREADY
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – WATCHED ALREADY
14. Inception – WATCHED ALREADY
15. Goodfellas – WATCHED
16. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope – WATCHED ALREADY
17. Seven Samurai – WATCHED
18. The Matrix – WATCHED ALREADY
19. City of God – WATCHED
20. Forrest Gump – WATCHED ALREADY
21. Once Upon a Time in the West – WATCHED (partly)
22. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – WATCHED ALREADY
23. Insert Disney Movie Here – WATCHED ALREADY
24. Se7en – WATCHED
25. The Silence of the Lambs – WATCHED ALREADY
26. Raiders of the Lost Ark – WATCHED ALREADY
27. The Dark Knight Rises – WATCHED ALREADY
28. Life is Beautiful – WATCHED ALREADY
29. Rear Window. Replaced by Close Encounters of the Third Kind – WATCHED
30. Psycho – WATCHED
31. It’s a Wonderful Life – WATCHED ALREADY
32. Leon: The Professional. Replaced by The Pianist – WATCHED ALREADY
33. Back to the Future – WATCHED ALREADY
34. Memento – WATCHED
35. American History X – WATCHED ALREADY
36. Apocalypse Now. Replaced by Amelie – WATCHED ALREADY
37. Terminator 2: Judgement Day – WATCHED ALREADY
38. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Replaced by Monty Python and the Holy Grail – WATCHED ALREADY
39. Saving Private Ryan. Replaced by 2001: A Space Odyssey – WATCHED
40. North By Northwest. Replaced by Star Trek: The Motion Picture – WATCHED
41. Alien – WATCHED ALREADY
42. The Castle – WATCHED ALREADY
43. Spirited Away. Replaced by Tales from Earthsea – WATCHED
44. Citizen Kane – WATCHED
45. The Shining – WATCHED
46. The Great Dictator – WATCHED
47. American Beauty – WATCHED ALREADY
48. Taxi Driver – WATCHED
49. Vertigo – WATCHED
50. Toy Story 3 – WATCHED ALREADY

So that’s about half left to watch, after my recent efforts described later in the post. I’ll write a mini review after watching, and link it on the above edited chart. I’ll probably also take the opportunity to rewatch a few favourites I’ve already seen, but I may not blog about those.

I’ve already started by watching two films from the Top 50: Schindlers List and The Shawshank Redemption. I picked these by going into the local movie store, chart printoff in hand, and renting the first two that I found.

I had already watched and apprecited Schindlers List in high school English. I really liked how Schindler reformed, and the risks and efforts of Itzhak Stern until Schindler came around. If I had not studied Nazi Germany in high school modern history, I would find the contrast between the characters a little strong. Unfortunately, too much of what happened in the film was true.

On a slightly happier note: The Shawshank Redemption. The movie seemed a bit more authentic, and less touched up than recent movies. Maybe I just like it because it’s more like the first movies I watched when younger… the first sign of old age, perhaps? I’m also a big fan of Morgan Freeman and liked the ending of the story.

Another watch from the top list was Fight Club. It’s a bit odd, but the ending was a surprise the first time I watched it.

I’m writing this while at a work conference, and have a couple of movies borrowed/rented and ready for watching this weekend. Based on the reports from friends and family, they should be good.