Recommended Movies

Posted by Elliot

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Sure, there are lots of movie review sites. And if you’re looking up something particular, they’re a great help. But if you don’t know what to watch, you need trustworthy advice to heighten the signal/noise ratio. Welcome to etg Design’s database of worthwhile movies.

The few hundred films included focus mostly on classic movies, which today probably need a little extra help getting the attention of younger viewers. These recommendations are brought to you by Elliot and Steve Grant, longtime movie buffs who are relatively open-minded about what constitutes a good movie.

To get second opinions, you can choose to display only movies that made the AFI’s 400 nominations for Top 100 movies (62K PDF) or FilmSite.org’s 200 Greatest Films. NB: Both these lists exclude foreign films; the AFI 400 was finalized in 1996.

Steve’s list includes roughly 100 movies and also excludes foreign films. To continue the pattern of 50% greater exclusivity, Elliot’s list attempts to capture the approximately 50 most important films. Within those 50, I’ve tried to cover as many genres, cultures, eras, and themes as possible. Don’t write to me complaining about the choices—it’s subjective, it’s an impossible task, and it’ll probably change over time. Finally, the intersection of all four lists is approximately 30 movies.

(If you want a larger list, take a look at the New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.)

To display films, simply select the appropriate search criteria below. You can filter the search by genre, rating, or inclusion on the various lists mentioned above.

Movie Ratings

Movies are rated on a system devised by my movie-watching cabal based on the simple question: How much worth your time and/or money is seeing this film?

There are six levels of ratings. They’re easy to remember, and they even proceed in alphabetical order:

  1. A (Advance Showing): Some films are such must-sees that they’re worth paying extra and going out of your way to catch—as you might do for an advance (a.k.a. special sneak preview) showing.
  2. F (Full Price): A film rated Full is worth seeing on its intital run in the theaters, even though you’ll have to pay the full ticket price. It’ll be worth it.
  3. M (Matinee): Matinee movies are worth seeing in the theaters, but only if you can get a discount on the ticket price. They’re good—usually a lot of fun—but probably not worth seeing more than once.
  4. R (Rental): Rental flicks have redeeming qualities, but they’re ones you definitely won’t mind catching on video. The screen may be small, but you don’t want to pay even a matinee ticket price for this kind of film.
  5. TV: A movie that gets a TV rating isn’t worth spending any money on. If it comes on TV, you probably wouldn’t mind spending a few hours to catch it, but otherwise you can avoid it with a clear conscience.
  6. W (Worthless): This bottom category is exactly what it says. A Worthless film is one that you should skip even if it comes on TV and you have nothing better to do.

Recommended Movies

Movie Genre Rating Lists
Genevieve

Charming English film about a race from Brighton to London in antique 1904 automobiles.
Comedy
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Gentleman’s Agreement

Interesting early attempt to deal with anti-Semitism in America. Gregory Peck is commissioned to write a series of articles on the subject but can’t really grasp the problem until he pretends to be Jewish. Girlfriend Dorothy McGuire is supportive but finds it difficult to accept his new situation…does she have deep-seated prejudices herself? A bit…

Drama
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Ghostbusters

Ectoplasmic silliness abounds as Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and Harold Ramis face an epidemic of ghostly disturbances in the Big Apple.
Comedy
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Gigi

Another musical in which sparkling songs (Lerner & Loewe) and performances (Maurice Chevalier, Hermione Gingold) rescue a mediocre plot.
Musical
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Godfather, The/The Godfather: Part II

The quintessential story of the American mafia, from the rise of Godfather Don Corleone to the trials of his son Michael.
Drama
A
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Gods Must Be Crazy, The

When an empty Coke bottle lands in the Kalahari, a Bushman travels into “civilization” to return it. A small film that’s big on humor.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Gold Rush, The

One of Chaplin’s two or three best, and one of the top silent comedies. Classic scenes include the lonely dinner when his date stands him up and the shoe-eating routine.
Comedy
A
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Goldfinger

Together with From Russia with Love, this film marks the high point of the James Bond series. Although you can see the beginnings of the campiness and gadgetry that mar most later entries, Goldfinger still packs a punch. The showdown with Oddjob in Fort Knox is classic.
Action
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Gone with the Wind

Another definitive film, this time of the antebellum and Reconstruction Era South. Not actually my cup of tea, but a must-see for anyone seeking cinema literacy.
Drama
M
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Graduate, The

Dustin Hoffman personifies the 1960s’ generation breaking away from their parents.
Drama
F
ETG50