I just saw 100 movies out of the IMDB top 250.
You can find the movies I have seen on this link.
Here are the 5 movies I like the most, and The Shawshank Redemption, is not there on the list.
The movies are in no particular order.
Inglourious Basterds
I am a big fan of Quentin Tarantino, though I did not like the Kill Bill series. He according me is one of the best directors. It was a toss between Pulp Fiction and this movie for me, but I select this movie as I really like the Nazi-WWII theme. The best part of this movie were the charterers- the movie had very strong characters and each got their own space in the movie as it was well split into parts. The characters of Landa and Soshana were the best, but every other character was important and had its place in the storyline. The actors were brilliant too. I wanted this movie to win the Oscars in 2010, but sadly Hurt Locker won (I still do not know why).
Unforgiven
Another favorite director of mine is Clint Eastwood. Though I have not seen Million Dollar Baby yet, I have seen most the movies he has directed. I also think Invictus should be on the top 250 and could have been a better Oscar choice than Hurt Locker. The two of the best Clint Eastwood movies according to me are Unforgiven and Gran Torino, both the movies have Eastwood as the lead actor and director. Both the movies have Clint Eastwood as an old hero, who has take up arms for different causes. Gran Torino is set in modern times where as Unforgiven is based in the wild wild west, and it is the wild wild west where Clint Eastwood comes to his own. His portrayal of William Munny the old alcoholic outlaw who agrees for a last job to make some money, is outstanding. The films lead role is of a broken down guilty ex-outlaw and who does not portray the razzle and dazzle of the old western movies, well until the climax scene. I am a big fan of Eastwood’s. The wide range of movies he has made amazes me.
City of God
This Brazilian movie is in Portuguese , still it is one of my all time favorites. It is a movie about a locality (a slum) in Rio De Janerio. The story follows the life of a few kids who grow up differently, and the movie is seen through the eyes of one of the kids. The characters come alive in this movie, the climax is perhaps the best. It is one of the few movies in which everything in a scence , the streets, the chicken, the beach have significance and are beautifully depicted in a fast moving way. A must watch for sure.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Guy Ritchie Jason Statham- I am a fan. And perhaps their best movie too. I like all these English – Scottish – Irish movies in which people have beautiful accents. This movie is really fast paced, a good thrilling story line and an awesome lot of stereotypical characters e.g. The Russian and The Jew. I choose this movie above Snatch perhaps because I saw this one first. but both these movies are equally good and have this different kind of way to tell an insignificant story. An awesome entertainer.
Sin City
Frank Mullers Sin city, again the intertwined parts, awesome camera work. Black white scene with highlights in color, lipstick dress blood etc. Amazing and again a must watch.
Two other great movies would be In Bruges and Into the Wild which I did not write about.
The IMDB top 250 list is a very good guide to watch good movies. But there are a few movies which should not be on the list according to me
They are The Big Lebowski , Apocalypse Now, 2001 a Space Odyssey , Some Like it hot, and all the Indiana Jones movies.
