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
Pink Floyd: The Wall

Searing examination of a rock star’s attempt to tear down the walls he has built over a lifetime of loss, rejection, and denial…You don’t have to be high to enjoy Alan Parker’s visual counterpoint to the rock album, but liking Pink Floyd’s music undoubtedly helps.
Musical
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Pink Panther, The

Any individual movie probably gets an M, but there are enough classic bits scattered throughout for the series to rate an F. The only ones worth watching are The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark, The Return of the Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Srikes Again, and Revenge of the Pink Panther.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Planet of the Apes

After an extended space sojourn in suspended animation, a crew of American astronauts lands on a planet where highly evolved simians rule wild humans. Adventure, social satire, and a cautionary message.
SciFi
A
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Play It Again, Sam

Nebbish film lover Woody Allen tries to emulate Humphry Bogart after his wife divorces him. Woody and Diane Keaton’s first film together is a charming spin on Casablanca.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Pride and Prejudice

Though Austen’s magnum opus gets slightly filtered for modern audiences, this engaging adaptation is still quite faithful.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Pride and Prejudice

Screenwriter Aldous Huxley takes remarkable liberties with Austen’s novel, but Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Edna May Oliver, and the rest of the cast make it eminently watchable.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Prime Suspect I

Helen Mirren’s signature performance as London’s DCI Jane Tennison, who must track down a serial killer while battling sexism in the police department.
Mystery
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Princess Bride, The

Heroes! Monsters! Magic! Miracles! True Love!
SciFi
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Prisoner of Zenda, The

Ronald Colman plays a Ruritanian prince and the English lookalike who must replace him when brother Black Michael has the prince kidnapped in a bid for the throne. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. steals the show as the wily Rupert of Hentzau.
Action
A
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Producers, The

Checking over Off-Off-Off-Off-Broadway producer Zero Mostel’s accounts, nebbishy Gene Wilder gets a crazy idea…become rich by producing a flop. Mel Brooks’s first bigscreen hit.
Comedy
M
SAG100