Some would call this a snobby list, but it's been an invaluable resource for me in finding new films to watch. It's artsy, yes, but not snobby in and of itself.
Here's the difference, though. There are a number of films on this list that I don't care for, and some filmmakers that I think are horribly overrated. Terrence Malick is a good example. I find his films incredibly pretentious and hollow. If you disagree, that's fine. But if you think that the mere fact I dislike him makes me some sort of philistine who can't appreciate good art and should "go back to watching Transformers", then yes, you are a snob. The problem is that a lot of people in this type of "artsy" film community are not only snobs, but they're too insecure to make their own opinions about films; they have to be told what is great by a list like this one.
So while I have found many films on this list that I love, including the work of Robert Bresson, Carol Reed and lesser known films of Fritz Lang, I've also been turned off by the community as a whole, thanks largely to the outspoken snobbery of a few individuals who cannot fathom the idea that I am able to enjoy both Rashomon and Lethal Weapon, both Nights of Cabiria and Bloodsport.
I KNOW, I know, this is hardly the ideal way to watch some of these classics, and while some of these uploads look just fine, the quality of others is pure shite. For those who can get hold of a better copy of those, I highly recommend it. Either way, this list is a starting point.
Interesting... could you please elaborate on how is Lumet a hack? I never criticized "your" Marx bros or Akerman... and I certainly have the right to dislike their work as you have the right to dislike Lumet, but calling this guy a "fucking hack" is way out of line.
I have no such problem with the word artsy, nor as HOW it's used by a large number of people. I fully comprehend that the goal of this list is to expand one's mind and attitude towards cinema, I'll be the first to support this notion in case someone disagrees with its content. Last but not least, democracy is relative but I do get that my "certain people" comment might spark that type of political attitude (when it's obvious that we never ever had democracy anywhere, heh)
My beef with a list like this one is BECAUSE a huge portion of French New Wave films or Golden Age Hollywood or New Hollywood or Italian neorealist films keep popping up, which is a never-ending cycle as it so happens in plenty of other "condensed" lists, only in a humongous dose in this TSPDT case, an ongoing scenario till kingdom come. My beef is that whether it's 1,2, 200 individuals who collected these films together proves that their mentality is that of a conventional academic who hasn't searched beyond his / her art-house comfort zone. Individuals who compiled a list like this one and threw in a couple of Brazilian, Greek, Indian, Yugoslav, Filipino etc titles just because they deemed them "important" is frankly insulting to me, as if those "selective" choices from those countries/regions "represent" those cinematic lands and if that's how life is, well then no...I won't accept Art as some kind of privileged, Western Empire-controlled infant.
This is absolutely the ultimate list! A bit too much American and English speaking films in it, but by far better than any other film list out there. Even if you need four years to finish it (with updates), you'll know much more about the art of cinema and film making. After watching them all, you'll just laugh when watching Avatar and the likes...
With Empire back, do not watch the YouTube version, it's a loop, not the whole movie. The actual Empire starts with the Empire State Building lights off.
It can be seen on a computer at the Warhol museum in Pittsburgh, or you can hold out for MoMA or Film Anthology Archives in NYC to screen it again. The Warhol museum is only open more than 7 hours on Fridays.
"The list is too slanted towards 'serious classics' - a 'serious film fan' should have more diverse tastes than that. "
- That's nonsense considering the list has the likes of Fight Club, Babe, The Princess Bride, and a number of more contemporary films too. And by "serious" do you mean strictly dramas? Because there are plenty of comedies and such on the list as well.
@joachimt:
That's probably a fair assessment. I guess in a way, I'm speaking of my impression of the site itself (theyshootpictures.com) and other similar sites.
I can see how analyzing all the data to create this list could be a fun hobby, but I see the resulting list as some combination of a useful resource and a simple curiosity. If the site author could be more laidback about it, i.e. "Here's a general list of films that a lot of knowledgeable people like. Check it out and maybe you'll find something cool you've never seen before", that would be fine. Yet, he insists on treating it with a tone of such reverence, as though it's written in stone that THIS IS THE ULTIMATE LIST NONE DARE QUESTION ITS GREATNESS, and every visitor to the site seems to treat it that way (at least based on the comments there).
I'm reminded of when I studied English lit in college. There's an ongoing debate among literature academics about what is considered to be in the "canon" of great English literature and what isn't, as though having some ultimate consensus list matters in the slightest, and that there needs to be some objective "truth" about the quality of art at all. It's so pompous.
So yes, I do know that most people don't actually subscribe to that way of thinking, but it feels like the ones who do are steering the argument, and hardly anyone is stepping up to challenge them.
@jimbotender - Who exactly are the people controlling this list? This is one of the most democratic lists in its construction - every year, the good people over at TSPDT? find new lists from around the world to incorporate into their list. It is not a list put together by one person, like the Rosenbaum or Ebert lists; it is not a list of one region/country like the Cinema Tropical or Kinema Junpo lists; it is not a genre, award, or iMDB list. It is a mathematically derived list using as many lists of quality as the site's purveyors are able to get their hands on. The fact that it turned out so "artsy" (and don't worry, I know that you didn't really say this was a fault) is ultimately a testament to the universal acclaim the films on this list have received.
If French New Wave films make lots of appearances here it is because many people love and were influenced by these movies. The same can be said of Italian Neo-Realism or the films of Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, and more.
But controlled by certain people?
Nah.
This ain't that list.
@Fillmore:
Don't be "turned off by the community as a whole", because of "a few individuals". It's not worth it. Most people think it is ok to have your own opinion, but most people don't post comments.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 15 of 170
Fillmore
Some would call this a snobby list, but it's been an invaluable resource for me in finding new films to watch. It's artsy, yes, but not snobby in and of itself.Here's the difference, though. There are a number of films on this list that I don't care for, and some filmmakers that I think are horribly overrated. Terrence Malick is a good example. I find his films incredibly pretentious and hollow. If you disagree, that's fine. But if you think that the mere fact I dislike him makes me some sort of philistine who can't appreciate good art and should "go back to watching Transformers", then yes, you are a snob. The problem is that a lot of people in this type of "artsy" film community are not only snobs, but they're too insecure to make their own opinions about films; they have to be told what is great by a list like this one.
So while I have found many films on this list that I love, including the work of Robert Bresson, Carol Reed and lesser known films of Fritz Lang, I've also been turned off by the community as a whole, thanks largely to the outspoken snobbery of a few individuals who cannot fathom the idea that I am able to enjoy both Rashomon and Lethal Weapon, both Nights of Cabiria and Bloodsport.
Esiersdale
Does anyone think it's ironic that this list doesn't include "They Shoot Horses Don't They?"jmars
Over 250 of these films can be found for free on YouTube. I've started a list here:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEEXTstp6pbpJeQ00IpBnr8-asRb1OsEF
I KNOW, I know, this is hardly the ideal way to watch some of these classics, and while some of these uploads look just fine, the quality of others is pure shite. For those who can get hold of a better copy of those, I highly recommend it. Either way, this list is a starting point.
bal3x
Interesting... could you please elaborate on how is Lumet a hack? I never criticized "your" Marx bros or Akerman... and I certainly have the right to dislike their work as you have the right to dislike Lumet, but calling this guy a "fucking hack" is way out of line.
Dimitris Psachos Springer
I have no such problem with the word artsy, nor as HOW it's used by a large number of people. I fully comprehend that the goal of this list is to expand one's mind and attitude towards cinema, I'll be the first to support this notion in case someone disagrees with its content. Last but not least, democracy is relative but I do get that my "certain people" comment might spark that type of political attitude (when it's obvious that we never ever had democracy anywhere, heh)My beef with a list like this one is BECAUSE a huge portion of French New Wave films or Golden Age Hollywood or New Hollywood or Italian neorealist films keep popping up, which is a never-ending cycle as it so happens in plenty of other "condensed" lists, only in a humongous dose in this TSPDT case, an ongoing scenario till kingdom come. My beef is that whether it's 1,2, 200 individuals who collected these films together proves that their mentality is that of a conventional academic who hasn't searched beyond his / her art-house comfort zone. Individuals who compiled a list like this one and threw in a couple of Brazilian, Greek, Indian, Yugoslav, Filipino etc titles just because they deemed them "important" is frankly insulting to me, as if those "selective" choices from those countries/regions "represent" those cinematic lands and if that's how life is, well then no...I won't accept Art as some kind of privileged, Western Empire-controlled infant.
Upgraded
Wait, Empire as in the Andy Warhol movie? We're doomed.jarmel
This is absolutely the ultimate list! A bit too much American and English speaking films in it, but by far better than any other film list out there. Even if you need four years to finish it (with updates), you'll know much more about the art of cinema and film making. After watching them all, you'll just laugh when watching Avatar and the likes...45MinuteZoom
With Empire back, do not watch the YouTube version, it's a loop, not the whole movie. The actual Empire starts with the Empire State Building lights off.It can be seen on a computer at the Warhol museum in Pittsburgh, or you can hold out for MoMA or Film Anthology Archives in NYC to screen it again. The Warhol museum is only open more than 7 hours on Fridays.
thetramp
"The list is too slanted towards 'serious classics' - a 'serious film fan' should have more diverse tastes than that. "- That's nonsense considering the list has the likes of Fight Club, Babe, The Princess Bride, and a number of more contemporary films too. And by "serious" do you mean strictly dramas? Because there are plenty of comedies and such on the list as well.
Fillmore
@joachimt:That's probably a fair assessment. I guess in a way, I'm speaking of my impression of the site itself (theyshootpictures.com) and other similar sites.
I can see how analyzing all the data to create this list could be a fun hobby, but I see the resulting list as some combination of a useful resource and a simple curiosity. If the site author could be more laidback about it, i.e. "Here's a general list of films that a lot of knowledgeable people like. Check it out and maybe you'll find something cool you've never seen before", that would be fine. Yet, he insists on treating it with a tone of such reverence, as though it's written in stone that THIS IS THE ULTIMATE LIST NONE DARE QUESTION ITS GREATNESS, and every visitor to the site seems to treat it that way (at least based on the comments there).
I'm reminded of when I studied English lit in college. There's an ongoing debate among literature academics about what is considered to be in the "canon" of great English literature and what isn't, as though having some ultimate consensus list matters in the slightest, and that there needs to be some objective "truth" about the quality of art at all. It's so pompous.
So yes, I do know that most people don't actually subscribe to that way of thinking, but it feels like the ones who do are steering the argument, and hardly anyone is stepping up to challenge them.
Duval Spit
@jimbotender - Who exactly are the people controlling this list? This is one of the most democratic lists in its construction - every year, the good people over at TSPDT? find new lists from around the world to incorporate into their list. It is not a list put together by one person, like the Rosenbaum or Ebert lists; it is not a list of one region/country like the Cinema Tropical or Kinema Junpo lists; it is not a genre, award, or iMDB list. It is a mathematically derived list using as many lists of quality as the site's purveyors are able to get their hands on. The fact that it turned out so "artsy" (and don't worry, I know that you didn't really say this was a fault) is ultimately a testament to the universal acclaim the films on this list have received.If French New Wave films make lots of appearances here it is because many people love and were influenced by these movies. The same can be said of Italian Neo-Realism or the films of Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, and more.
But controlled by certain people?
Nah.
This ain't that list.
filmivore
The 2023 version is out. Anyone feel like tackling the update?joachimt
@Fillmore:Don't be "turned off by the community as a whole", because of "a few individuals". It's not worth it. Most people think it is ok to have your own opinion, but most people don't post comments.
The Unofficial iCheckMovies Forum
robin28
http://theyshootpictures.com/gf1000.htm2015 version is up
obgeoff
New update landed today on theyshootpictures.comShowing items 1 – 15 of 170