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
High Noon

Gary Cooper stands alone when the townspeople he has protected refuse to help him face down a killer bent on revenge.
Western
A
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Highlander

Yes, it’s cheezy. Yes, Christopher Lambert is ridiculous as a Scot. But for mindless sci-fi/action, it has moments. Plus some interesting scene transitions and a Queen soundtrack.
SciFi
R
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
His Girl Friday

Cary Grant as a scheming editor and Rosalind Russell as the ex-wife and stellar reporter he’s trying to woo back. The nonstop pace and lightning repartee mean you’ll want to see this more than once.
Comedy
A
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Holiday

Fun-loving Cary Grant is engaged to a business-minded heiress, but begins to suspect that black-sheep-sister Katharine Hepburn might be the better catch.
Comedy
M
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Holiday Inn

It’s singing vs. dancing as Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire compete for the leading lady. It’s also the film that introduced White Christmas.
Musical
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
How to Steal a Million

Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn team up to steal a statue her father has forged.
Comedy
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Hustler, The

Paul Newman’s tortuous journey from pool shark to pool player is an engrossing look at life on the down side.
Drama
A
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Ideal Husband, An

Engaging adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic examines the perils of idealizing your spouse.
Comedy
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
In the Heat of the Night

Searing examination of racism and how cooperation can break down that boundary. Sidney Poitier is arrested on suspicion of murder as a black man passing through a small Southern town; Rod Steiger won an Oscar for his protrayal of the sheriff.
Drama
A
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Inspector General, The

Danny Kaye is a yokel mistaken by corrupt town officials for the Inspector General. Based on the play by Nikolai Gogol.
Musical
R
AFI400