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
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Though the Pythons have trouble ending their works, this epic sendup has numerous great moments throughout.
Comedy
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Brian has the misfortune to be born at the same time and place as a more famous Nazarene. Lots of hysterical bits, plus pungent satire of current Middle East politics.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Moscow on the Hudson

Nice second-tier movie; a rather sweet romance that will appeal particularly to immigrants—especially those from the former USSR.
Comedy
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Mouse that Roared, The

Desperate to boost its economy, the Duchy of Grand Fenwick launches a foolproof plan to wage a war with the United States—and lose, so it can receive federal aid. Except they win. Peter Sellers pulls an Alec Guinness with his multiple roles.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Gary Cooper as the small-town tuba player and poet who inherits a fortune and must deal with slick lawyers, hangers-on, and a media frenzy whipped up by ace reporter Jean Arthur.
Comedy
A
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The classic little guy vs. big political machine. Jimmy Stewart finds his apotheosis in Capra’s indictment of corruption in the Capitol.
Drama
A
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Murder on the Orient Express

Albert Finney is a wonderful Hercule Poirot in an all-star treatment of the Christie classic.
Mystery
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Music Man, The

Trouble right here in River City as con man Robert Preston tries to pull off a boys’ band scheme under the watchful eyes of Marian the Librarian (Shirley Jones).
Musical
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
My Bodyguard

When pampered Clifford Peache transfers to a Chicago public school and runs afoul of a protection ring, he decides to enlist the help of a feared school misfit. A moving story of friendship, understanding, and courage.
Comedy
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
My Fair Lady

The terrific Lerner & Loewe melodies more than make up for loss of Pygmalion‘s social commentary.
Musical
A
ETG50