Challenge Number - 7/250
Date Watched 8/14/2010
Moleman's Rating - 9.1
The Dark Knight - Movie #6 - 8/16/2010
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Challenge Number - 6/250
Date Watched - 8/16/2010
Moleman's Rating - 9.5
Schindler's List - Movie #5 - 8/19/2010
Challenge Number - 5/250
Date Watched - 8/18/2010
Moleman's Rating - 9.3
The Godfather - Movie #4 - 8/11/10
Challenge Number - 4/250
Date Watched - 8/10/2010
Moleman's Rating - 9.1
Taxi Driver - Movie #3 - 8/05/2010
Challenge Number - 3/250
Date Watched - 8/05/2010
Moleman's Rating - 7.2
Moleman's Rating - 7.2
Seven Samurai - Movie #2 - 7/31/2010
Challenge Number - 2/250
Date Watched - 7/31/2010
Moleman's Rating - 7.5
It's taken me awhile to post some more reviews, but trust me I've been watching the movies. I'm not watching them in order, but will post the reviews in the order in which I watch them.
Seven Samurai was available to watch instantly on Netflix so without further a do here is my review.
This flick is ranked #15 of all time by IMDb users. However, there are less than 100,000 users votes as opposed to over 500,000 for Shawshank Redemption the first movie I reviewed. It was produced in 1954. I'm thinking that the people who ranked this movie maybe were more interested in foreign films or historically significant films.
I found the film to be enjoyable, but definitely not in my top 20. I often watch movies while working on projects (graphic design work on my book - emails - sending out applications for work), but was hoping to try and give my full attention to the movies on this list. However, at over three hours long and with subtitles I found myself drawn to work on other things.
Sami appreciated that I watched most of the movie in the kitchen while working on doing the dishes and cooking dinner...but I'm not sure that's a great sign for the movie. Don't get me wrong there were some classic moments, great story development, and some fantastic characters.
I laughed often and I can see why in 1954 it was nominated for two Oscars, but because of the fact that I didn't find it enthralling it lost a few points. I've learned that the movies I enjoy the most are high paced thrillers that make you think - this one just didn't fit into my favorites. I would however recommend it to my friends and think that watching this movie illustrated why I am happy to be doing this challenge. I think that by watching these movies that I wouldn't normally pick to watch I'm expanding my horizons.
More to come - 248 to be exact.
The Shawshank Redemption - Movie #1 - 7/28/2010
Challenge Number - 1/250
Date Watched - 7/28/2010
Moleman's Rating - 9.8
Well the members of IMDb are super freaking smart. This has been my all time favorite movie for years. This movie was available to watch instantly on Net Flix (as well as about 60 other flicks).
The love of my life Sami had never seen this movie!! Can you belive it?? So I started off this challenge the best way I know how - with her cuddled up next to me. (I've decided that even if I've seen the flick before I have to rewatch it within the year time frame for my challenge).
One of the reasons that I love this movie is because of how great it is to watch people react who are watching it for the first time (if you can find them). It was no exception with Sami and she definitely really enjoyed it.
I've seen the movie at least twenty times and it wasn't until writing these reviews that I learned that the movie is based a short story by Stephen King called "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption".
In my opinion it was both Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman best film. And that is saying a lot because Morgan Freeman was also terrific in the movie Se7en (which I'll review later) - released the year after Shawshank.
Well, since I've got 249 more of these to go in the next year I'll keep them short. And here is a random photograph from my collection as promised.
IMDb Top 250 List
My name is Daniel Mohler - a.k.a. Moleman. I got the name while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
I've done a few different online journals all about different trips I've been lucky enough to travel on. This year after hiking over 1,100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail when I got home I wanted to write about something other than travel. I decided that I wanted to write some movie reviews...and since I like having goals I decided to attempt to watch all IMDb's Top 250 User Picks in one year.
I've included the list here and once I watch a movie I'll make a separate blog entry for each of movie - I'll then add a link to the blog entry to this list here. I've also decided to include a random photograph from my photography collection for each movie...just for fun.
Hope you guys enjoy reading and letting me know what you think of each movie.
Rank | Rating | Title | My Rating |
1. | 9.1 | 9.8 | |
| 2. | 9.1 | The Godfather (1972) | |
| 3. | 9.1 | Inception (2010) | |
| 4. | 9.0 | The Godfather: Part II (1974) | |
| 5. | 8.9 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) | |
| 6. | 8.9 | Pulp Fiction (1994) | |
| 7. | 8.9 | Schindler's List (1993) | |
| 8. | 8.8 | 12 Angry Men (1957) | |
9. | 8.8 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) | |
| 10. | 8.8 | Toy Story 3 (2010) | |
| 11. | 8.8 | Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) | |
| 12. | 8.8 | The Dark Knight (2008) | |
| 13. | 8.8 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) | |
| 14. | 8.8 | Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) | |
| 15. | 8.7 | Seven Samurai (1954) | |
| 16. | 8.7 | Casablanca (1942) | |
| 17. | 8.7 | Goodfellas (1990) | |
| 18. | 8.7 | Fight Club (1999) | |
| 19. | 8.7 | City of God (2002) | |
| 20. | 8.7 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) | |
| 21. | 8.7 | Rear Window (1954) | |
| 22. | 8.7 | Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | |
| 23. | 8.7 | Psycho (1960) | |
| 24. | 8.7 | The Usual Suspects (1995) | |
| 25. | 8.7 | Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) | |
| 26. | 8.6 | The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | |
| 27. | 8.6 | The Matrix (1999) | |
| 28. | 8.6 | Se7en (1995) | |
| 29. | 8.6 | Memento (2000) | |
| 30. | 8.6 | It's a Wonderful Life (1946) | |
| 31. | 8.6 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) | |
| 32. | 8.6 | Sunset Blvd. (1950) | |
| 33. | 8.6 | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) | |
| 34. | 8.6 | The Professional (1994) | |
| 35. | 8.6 | North by Northwest (1959) | |
| 36. | 8.6 | Citizen Kane (1941) | |
| 37. | 8.6 | Forrest Gump (1994) | |
| 38. | 8.6 | Apocalypse Now (1979) | |
| 39. | 8.5 | American Beauty (1999) | |
| 40. | 8.5 | American History X (1998) | |
| 41. | 8.5 | Taxi Driver (1976) | |
| 42. | 8.5 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) | |
| 43. | 8.5 | Vertigo (1958) | |
| 44. | 8.5 | Alien (1979) | |
| 45. | 8.5 | Lawrence of Arabia (1962) | |
| 46. | 8.5 | Saving Private Ryan (1998) | |
| 47. | 8.5 | Amélie (2001) | |
| 48. | 8.5 | WALL·E (2008) | |
| 49. | 8.5 | The Shining (1980) | |
| 50. | 8.5 | A Clockwork Orange (1971) | |
| 51. | 8.4 | Paths of Glory (1957) | |
| 52. | 8.4 | The Departed (2006) | |
| 53. | 8.4 | The Pianist (2002) | |
| 54. | 8.4 | Aliens (1986) | |
| 55. | 8.4 | To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) | |
| 56. | 8.4 | M (1931) | |
| 57. | 8.4 | Spirited Away (2001) | |
| 58. | 8.4 | The Lives of Others (2006) | |
| 59. | 8.4 | Double Indemnity (1944) | |
| 60. | 8.4 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) | |
| 61. | 8.4 | Chinatown (1974) | |
| 62. | 8.4 | Requiem for a Dream (2000) | |
| 63. | 8.4 | L.A. Confidential (1997) | |
| 64. | 8.4 | Reservoir Dogs (1992) | |
| 65. | 8.4 | The Third Man (1949) | |
| 66. | 8.4 | Das Boot (1981) | |
| 67. | 8.4 | The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) | |
| 68. | 8.4 | Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) | |
| 69. | 8.4 | City Lights (1931) | |
| 70. | 8.4 | Pan's Labyrinth (2006) | |
| 71. | 8.4 | The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) | |
| 72. | 8.3 | The Prestige (2006) | |
| 73. | 8.3 | Raging Bull (1980) | |
| 74. | 8.3 | Back to the Future (1985) | |
| 75. | 8.3 | 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | |
| 76. | 8.3 | Inglourious Basterds (2009) | |
| 77. | 8.3 | Life Is Beautiful (1997) | |
| 78. | 8.3 | Modern Times (1936) | |
| 79. | 8.3 | Singin' in the Rain (1952) | |
| 80. | 8.3 | Some Like It Hot (1959) | |
| 81. | 8.3 | Amadeus (1984) | |
| 82. | 8.3 | Downfall (2004) | |
| 83. | 8.3 | Full Metal Jacket (1987) | |
| 84. | 8.3 | Up (2009) | |
| 85. | 8.3 | Cinema Paradiso (1988) | |
| 86. | 8.3 | Braveheart (1995) | |
| 87. | 8.3 | Once Upon a Time in America (1984) | |
| 88. | 8.3 | The Maltese Falcon (1941) | |
| 89. | 8.3 | All About Eve (1950) | |
| 90. | 8.3 | The Green Mile (1999) | |
| 91. | 8.3 | Rashômon (1950) | |
| 92. | 8.3 | Metropolis (1927) | |
| 93. | 8.3 | Gran Torino (2008) | |
| 94. | 8.3 | The Elephant Man (1980) | |
| 95. | 8.3 | The Great Dictator (1940) | |
| 96. | 8.3 | Sin City (2005) | |
| 97. | 8.3 | Gladiator (2000) | |
| 98. | 8.3 | Rebecca (1940) | |
| 99. | 8.3 | The Apartment (1960) | |
| 100. | 8.3 | The Sting (1973) | |
| 101. | 8.3 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) | |
| 102. | 8.3 | The Great Escape (1963) | |
| 103. | 8.3 | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) | |
| 104. | 8.3 | Unforgiven (1992) | |
| 105. | 8.3 | Bicycle Thieves (1948) | |
| 106. | 8.3 | Slumdog Millionaire (2008) | |
| 107. | 8.3 | Jaws (1975) | |
| 108. | 8.3 | Batman Begins (2005) | |
| 109. | 8.3 | Die Hard (1988) | |
| 110. | 8.2 | On the Waterfront (1954) | |
| 111. | 8.2 | Blade Runner (1982) | |
| 112. | 8.2 | Avatar (2009) | |
| 113. | 8.2 | Oldboy (2003) | |
| 114. | 8.2 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) | |
| 115. | 8.2 | Hotel Rwanda (2004) | |
| 116. | 8.2 | No Country for Old Men (2007) | |
| 117. | 8.2 | Touch of Evil (1958) | |
| 118. | 8.2 | The Seventh Seal (1957) | |
| 119. | 8.2 | Fargo (1996) | |
| 120. | 8.2 | Princess Mononoke (1997) | |
| 121. | 8.2 | For a Few Dollars More (1965) | |
| 122. | 8.2 | The Wizard of Oz (1939) | |
| 123. | 8.2 | Heat (1995) | |
| 124. | 8.2 | District 9 (2009) | |
| 125. | 8.2 | Strangers on a Train (1951) | |
| 126. | 8.2 | Cool Hand Luke (1967) | |
| 127. | 8.2 | Donnie Darko (2001) | |
| 128. | 8.2 | The Sixth Sense (1999) | |
| 129. | 8.2 | High Noon (1952) | |
| 130. | 8.2 | Notorious (1946) | |
| 131. | 8.2 | The Deer Hunter (1978) | |
| 132. | 8.2 | Snatch. (2000) | |
| 133. | 8.2 | There Will Be Blood (2007) | |
| 134. | 8.2 | The General (1926) | |
| 135. | 8.2 | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) | |
| 136. | 8.2 | Annie Hall (1977) | |
| 137. | 8.2 | The Big Lebowski (1998) | |
| 138. | 8.2 | The Manchurian Candidate (1962) | |
| 139. | 8.2 | Platoon (1986) | |
| 140. | 8.2 | Yojimbo (1961) | |
| 141. | 8.1 | Ran (1985) | |
| 142. | 8.1 | Into the Wild (2007) | |
| 143. | 8.1 | Ben-Hur (1959) | |
| 144. | 8.1 | The Lion King (1994) | |
| 145. | 8.1 | Million Dollar Baby (2004) | |
| 146. | 8.1 | The Big Sleep (1946) | |
| 147. | 8.1 | The Wrestler (2008) | |
| 148. | 8.1 | Toy Story (1995) | |
| 149. | 8.1 | Witness for the Prosecution (1957) | |
| 150. | 8.1 | It Happened One Night (1934) | |
| 151. | 8.1 | Life of Brian (1979) | |
| 152. | 8.1 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) | |
| 153. | 8.1 | The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) | |
| 154. | 8.1 | Finding Nemo (2003) | |
| 155. | 8.1 | Wild Strawberries (1957) | |
| 156. | 8.1 | Trainspotting (1996) | |
| 157. | 8.1 | Gone with the Wind (1939) | |
| 158. | 8.1 | The Terminator (1984) | |
| 159. | 8.1 | Groundhog Day (1993) | |
| 160. | 8.1 | Stand by Me (1986) | |
| 161. | 8.1 | Scarface (1983) | |
| 162. | 8.1 | The Graduate (1967) | |
| 163. | 8.1 | The Thing (1982) | |
| 164. | 8.1 | Amores Perros (2000) | |
| 165. | 8.1 | Dog Day Afternoon (1975) | |
| 166. | 8.1 | Star Trek (2009) | |
| 167. | 8.1 | Gandhi (1982) | |
| 168. | 8.1 | Ratatouille (2007) | |
| 169. | 8.1 | The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) | |
| 170. | 8.1 | V for Vendetta (2005) | |
| 171. | 8.1 | The Wages of Fear (1953) | |
| 172. | 8.1 | Kick-Ass (2010) | |
| 173. | 8.1 | Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) | |
| 174. | 8.1 | The Grapes of Wrath (1940) | |
| 175. | 8.1 | Twelve Monkeys (1995) | |
| 176. | 8.1 | Grave of the Fireflies (1988) | |
| 177. | 8.1 | Casino (1995) | |
| 178. | 8.1 | The Gold Rush (1925) | |
| 179. | 8.1 | 8½ (1963) | |
| 180. | 8.1 | Diabolique (1955) | |
| 181. | 8.1 | How to Train Your Dragon (2010) | |
| 182. | 8.1 | The Night of the Hunter (1955) | |
| 183. | 8.0 | Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) | |
| 184. | 8.0 | The Princess Bride (1987) | |
| 185. | 8.0 | The Incredibles (2004) | |
| 186. | 8.0 | The Killing (1956) | |
| 187. | 8.0 | The Wild Bunch (1969) | |
| 188. | 8.0 | Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) | |
| 189. | 8.0 | Children of Men (2006) | |
| 190. | 8.0 | The Exorcist (1973) | |
| 191. | 8.0 | Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) | |
| 192. | 8.0 | In Bruges (2008) | |
| 193. | 8.0 | The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) | |
| 194. | 8.0 | The Kid (1921) | |
| 195. | 8.0 | Dial M for Murder (1954) | |
| 196. | 8.0 | Nights of Cabiria (1957) | |
| 197. | 8.0 | The Hustler (1961) | |
| 198. | 8.0 | Good Will Hunting (1997) | |
| 199. | 8.0 | Rosemary's Baby (1968) | |
| 200. | 8.0 | Ed Wood (1994) | |
| 201. | 8.0 | Harvey (1950) | |
| 202. | 8.0 | Big Fish (2003) | |
| 203. | 8.0 | Let the Right One In (2008) | |
| 204. | 8.0 | King Kong (1933) | |
| 205. | 8.0 | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) | |
| 206. | 8.0 | A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) | |
| 207. | 8.0 | Magnolia (1999) | |
| 208. | 8.0 | Rocky (1976) | |
| 209. | 8.0 | Sleuth (1972) | |
| 210. | 8.0 | Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) | |
| 211. | 8.0 | Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) | |
| 212. | 8.0 | Mystic River (2003) | |
| 213. | 8.0 | Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | |
| 214. | 8.0 | Stalag 17 (1953) | |
| 215. | 8.0 | Network (1976) | |
| 216. | 8.0 | Brief Encounter (1945) | |
| 217. | 8.0 | Rope (1948) | |
| 218. | 8.0 | The African Queen (1951) | |
| 219. | 8.0 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) | |
| 220. | 8.0 | The Battle of Algiers (1966) | |
| 221. | 8.0 | Crash (2004/I) | |
| 222. | 8.0 | Bonnie and Clyde (1967) | |
| 223. | 8.0 | The 400 Blows (1959) | |
| 224. | 8.0 | Duck Soup (1933) | |
| 225. | 8.0 | Planet of the Apes (1968) | |
| 226. | 8.0 | Manhattan (1979) | |
| 227. | 8.0 | Patton (1970) | |
| 228. | 8.0 | Toy Story 2 (1999) | |
| 229. | 8.0 | La strada (1954) | |
| 230. | 8.0 | Barry Lyndon (1975) | |
| 231. | 8.0 | The Truman Show (1998) | |
| 232. | 8.0 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) | |
| 233. | 8.0 | The Conversation (1974) | |
| 234. | 8.0 | All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) | |
| 235. | 8.0 | Anatomy of a Murder (1959) | |
| 236. | 7.9 | Little Miss Sunshine (2006) | |
| 237. | 7.9 | The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) | |
| 238. | 7.9 | Ikiru (1952) | |
| 239. | 7.9 | The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) | |
| 240. | 7.9 | Spartacus (1960) | |
| 241. | 7.9 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) | |
| 242. | 7.9 | Mulholland Dr. (2001) | |
| 243. | 7.9 | My Neighbor Totoro (1988) | |
| 244. | 7.9 | Monsters, Inc. (2001) | |
| 245. | 7.9 | Roman Holiday (1953) | |
| 246. | 7.9 | Changeling (2008) | |
| 247. | 7.9 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) | |
| 248. | 7.9 | Shaun of the Dead (2004) | |
| 249. | 7.9 | The Philadelphia Story (1940) | |
| 250. | 7.9 | Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) |
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