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
Commitments, The

Rollicking story of one band’s aspirations to bring soul music to the hard-working Northsiders of Dublin. Knockout performances (both dramatically and vocally) infuse this toe-tapping treat.
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Conversation, The

Chilling account of surveillance expert Gene Hackman’s unhealthy obsession with the conversation he’s just taped.
Drama
A
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Country Girl, The

Fine drama for which Grace Kelly won the best-actress Oscar; William Holden is good, and Bing Crosby offers a star turn with true pathos as an alcoholic singer-actor.
Drama
M
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Court Jester, The

Danny Kaye at his best. Tongue-twisting songs, mistaken identity, and a hysterical parody of every Robin Hood movie ever made. Remember: The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true.
Musical
A
SAG100
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Crimson Pirate, The

Good-natured fun with Burt Lancaster showing off his circus skills as the eponymous buccaneer.
Action
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Epic retelling of the Chinese fantasy saga, with heroic would-be lovers battling an old enemy and a blazing young talent to recover a mystical sword.
Drama
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Crying Game, The

A truly original film that ventures in unexpected directions; Stephen Rea gives a touching performance as an IRA terrorist seeking to make amends for the accidental death of a hostage (Forest Whitaker).
Drama
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Cyrano de Bergerac

Gerard Depardieu handles the role with aplomb; exquisite sets and costumes complement an intelligent Roxane and sympathetic Christian. (subtitled)
Drama
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Das Boot

A harrowing film about a German U-boat during WW II.
Drama
A
ETG50
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Day at the Races, A

Another great Marx Bros. film that would rate an A except for some tedious musical interludes. The Tutti-Frutti ice cream sequence stands out among the string of classic bits.
Comedy
F
AFI400