Thirteen Movies Released in 2007 Land in the IMDB Top 250 of All Time: What the Hello Kitty?

By Timothy Sexton, published Jan 09, 2008
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As noted previously, the polls and rankings on Internet Movie Database (IMDB) are heavily slanted toward the most recent movies. The daily poll consistently pits older movies and actors against lesser but more recent movies and actors and it is distressing to view these polls as an indication of the lack of movie knowledge among today's younger filmgoers. As for the user generated ratings that determine the best 250 movies of all time, anyone who knows anything about movies will use this list purely for the purposes of a good laugh. As an example, consider that an astonishing 13 movies released in 2007 have earned high enough ratings to make into the IMDB Top 250.

First, some math. Thirteen is an exceptional number of movies from any one year to be named among the 250 best ever made. I mean 1939 is generally considered the finest year ever for movies, yet only three films made that year can be found among the IMDB Top 250. If you think that's outrageous then consider the fact that only 23 films made during the entire 1970s make the list. That's less than twice the number for 2007 alone, and the 1970s are considered the last great decade for movies. My own personal choice for the last truly great year for movies, 1980, is only represented four times. Meanwhile, no less than seven movies from 2006 made the list. Now for the real shock: this decade has already produced 32 movies that IMDB visitors consider to be one of the best 250 movies ever made.

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Whilst I do agree that there are a lot of brilliant films preceding the 21st century, times change, and film taste, just like literature, music, and art, changes. There are a number of truly brilliant films made in the past 10 years that are assuredly up there with the greats; Pan's Labyrinth, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Gladiator, The Descent, and many more. I will say however that older films are not getting the recognition they deserve from todays generation; I myself haven't seen The Godfather films, Scarface, or many other 'classics'.

Posted on 03/14/2008 at 2:03:07 PM

 
I won't agree that the past 2 decades have not produced great films or that they are worse then films from the 1930's but I will agree that this particular list is wrong. Do IMDB voters all suffer from ADD?

Posted on 03/13/2008 at 1:03:55 PM

 
I gotta say this is scary, yeah, some great films came out last year, but, really? It is scary how little today's youth know about classic cinema. I guess I could be considered today's "youth" as I'm under 30, but I grew up watching all those great old films that were always on tv in the middle of day, so I learned to love them at a young age. I think most people today are just not willing to watch anything not current as they don't believe that the classics can have any relevance in their own modern life. Sad.

Posted on 03/11/2008 at 2:03:27 PM

 
In all fairness, 2007 was a great year for movies compared to the last 2 years, so I can see how some of these movies ended up so high on the list. But I do think you make a good point of how these lists are skewered towards the younger generation who are more in tune with the movies of today as opposed to anything from the 70's or before that. For the record, I never thought Sofia Coppola was as bad as people made her out to be in "Godfather III." But whatever way you look at that, we can all agree that she does much better work behind the camera. "No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" definitely belong on the top 250 list if you ask me. The beginning of the new millenium has not given us a great wealth of cinema it seems, but that's all the more reason to celebrate 2007 because it was easily a step ahead of all the rest. Hopefully, 2008 will be better.

Posted on 03/07/2008 at 12:03:20 PM

 
great!! Cyn

Posted on 03/07/2008 at 10:03:56 AM

 
I think Juno was sheer brilliance, but I don't know what those guys were smoking. Grindhouse? Hot Fuzz? I know both have their followings, but for ALL time? I can't believe it! Say it ain't so!

Posted on 02/29/2008 at 2:02:48 PM

 
I noticed this too. It' s dumb. 2007 sucked for movies, including almost all the Oscar nominees.

Posted on 02/27/2008 at 12:02:11 AM

 
Ratatloulie is on there!!! Oh the horror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And which Sweeney Todd made the list - the one with Johnny Deep, or the one made back in the seventies with the other guy (yes ladies and gents, Sweeney Todd was a movie before Depp decided to remake it), and Hot Fuzz?? AM I the only one who has not heard of the movie.... ugh, there are some absolutely atrocious picks in there.....

Posted on 02/26/2008 at 1:02:52 PM

 
Dear Mr. Anonymous: I never said that you had to be educated to determine the worth of a movie. I was referring to the highly empirical evidence that people who take those "Best Movies Ever" polls on IMDb obviously haven't seen many classic movies--thus not being educated to them. Not knowing they even exist is considerably different from how your mental processes work when watching a film. And I'm one to believe that edifying people as well as entertaining them is the best policy in making films. Of course, as long as the edification parts of the movie work on a more subconscious level, all the better. *Greg now steps off his pedestal that's only slightly elevated enough to see the quite obvious poll results at IMDb...albeit a reminder that this necessarily doesn't reflect ALL people who hang out at IMDb...and who flood Timothy Sexton's comment sections* ;)

Posted on 02/22/2008 at 1:02:22 AM

 
Wholeheartedly agree with Tim and Gregoriancant, the chaff thrown out today appeals only to the lowest common denominator. TCM is my mainstay, and also why I don't bother subscribing to any of the movie channels. Monotonous repetitive landfill shown over and over again. Thank goodness for private DVD libraries, which I believe true film fans have in the absence of substance on TV. This isn't strictly a single instance occurring only upon IMDB, but a nationwide cultural laziness. Humor in the mainstream is now highlighted by semi-literate scripts consisting of looped flatulence jokes. Movies are no longer being made for adults, but for Playstation Fanboys who stare fixedly at CGI without a care for plot or sharp dialogue. To sum up our current popular culture, I once offered a hard bound copy of HG Wells' War Of The Worlds to a neighbor's teenaged son. He flipped through the pages, then seriously inquired as to why there were no pictures.

Posted on 02/20/2008 at 9:02:52 AM

 
Relax, man. Its all gonna be ok.

Posted on 02/18/2008 at 4:02:58 PM

 
Don't forget Superbad, Transformers, Live Free or Die Hard, Knocked Up, and 300 to name a few. Those were in the 250 for a while.

Posted on 02/18/2008 at 2:02:05 PM

 
Let's go over them and I will voice my opinion on these movies 21- No Country for Old Men- Great Movie, but will easily forgot sometime in the future. Give it time to get off. 80- There Will be Blood- MASTERPIECE. should be kept there 105- Ratatouille- Liked it, but Top 250? Surely You must be joking. 116- The Bourne Ultimatum- Eh it was okay. Fun movie, but not to be kept on there. 129- Sweeney Todd- Should only be kept on because its Burton's Best. 156- American Gangster- Mediocre at Best. 171- Grindhouse- Loved it and it was a fun movie, but Top 250 is pushing it. 172- Juno- Eh, I'm mixed on this. 182- Taare Zameen Par- Don't know what this is 189- 3:10 to Yuma- Best Western in a while. Should stay there. Better than the original. 210- Hot Fuzz- Laughed out loud at this movie, but im mixed about whether it should stay. Shaun of the Dead was good but that movie needs to get off The TOP 250. 247- Atonement- Haven't seen it yet. Looks good though.

Posted on 02/18/2008 at 1:02:59 PM

 
What elitist thinking gregoriancant, that uneducated people can't tell what a good movie is. You forget that movies should entertain! The Bourne Ultimatium was exciting to watch, its was just fun. Get Off your pedastal and remember what makes movies so special.

Posted on 02/18/2008 at 7:02:54 AM

 
Now, if only the studio honchos in Hollywood would go out on a limb and let those TCM-educated young actors/directors make their own films. Hollywood just plain doesn't want to take chances with anything any more--especially when they can make a fortune off crapola so easily. Damn the word "precedent"...

Posted on 01/09/2008 at 12:01:45 PM

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