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
Fantasia

Phantasmagorical animation set to classical music. Not everyone’s cup of tea but entrancing if you’re in the right mood.
Children
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Play hooky with Ferris (Matthew Broderick) and friends as they celebrate their impending high school graduation.
Comedy
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Few Good Men, A

As usual, Rob Reiner—ably abetted by Jack Nicholson, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Kevin Bacon—elevates his material. Adapted by Aaron Sorkin from his play.
Drama
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Fish Called Wanda, A

Monty Python alums John Cleese and Michael Palin join psychotic ex-CIA agent Kevin Kline and lover Jamie Lee Curtis in this jewel-robbery caper.
Comedy
A
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Foreign Correspondent

Ace reporter Joel McCrea is sent to pre-WW II Europe and is immediately embroiled in a murder and kidnapping conspiracy to sabotage peace talks. Classic Hitchcock.
Mystery
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Four Weddings and a Funeral

Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell keep meeting at weddings…will they ever have one of their own?
Comedy
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
From Russia with Love

The best Bond movie, made before the series went over the top. (And of course the younger Sean Connery is the best Bond.)
Action
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Front, The

Bittersweet story of nebbish Woody Allen’s agreement to front for a blacklisted friend in the 1950s.
Drama
M
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
Gay Divorcee, The

The second Astaire-Rogers outing features memorable numbers The Continental and Night and Day.
Musical
F
AFI400
Movie Genre Rating Lists
General, The

One of the two or three all-time best silent comedies. Buster Keaton is superb as the man who has to take a train on a daring mission behind enemy lines during the Civil War. The film shows off his superb athletic/acrobatic skills, deadpan humor, and ability to construct sight-gags with wonderful timing and grace.
Comedy
A
SAG100