Snapshot of IMDb's Top 250 films - Feb 2009

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but wouldn't it be interesting to see how the Top 250 changes over time?

Below is a snapshot of how it looks today. Since I blogged about them:

7 films have gone up in the ranking (including The Prestige, which gained an impressive 104 places).

6 have stayed the same (including Little Miss Sunshine, dammit!).

And the rest have gone down - including five films that have disappeared from the Top 250 altogether (Walk the Line, Star Wars III, Pirates I, Hero and - I'm particularly disappointed about this one - Almost Famous).

My mission is about 14% complete...

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IMDb Top 250 films as of 09 February 2009:

Rank	Rating	Title	Blogged?
1.	9.1	The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2.	9.1	The Godfather (1972)
3.	9.0	The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4.	8.9	Buono, il brutto, il cattivo., Il (1966)
5.	8.9	The Dark Knight (2008)	Yes
6.	8.9	Pulp Fiction (1994)
7.	8.8	Schindler's List (1993)
8.	8.8	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
9.	8.8	12 Angry Men (1957)
10.	8.8	Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
11.	8.8	Casablanca (1942)	Yes
12.	8.8	Star Wars (1977)
13.	8.8	Shichinin no samurai (1954)	Yes
14.	8.8	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
15.	8.7	Goodfellas (1990)
16.	8.7	Rear Window (1954)	Yes
17.	8.7	Cidade de Deus (2002)
18.	8.7	Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
19.	8.7	C'era una volta il West (1968)
20.	8.7	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
21.	8.7	The Usual Suspects (1994)
22.	8.7	Fight Club (1999)	Yes
23.	8.7	Psycho (1960)
24.	8.6	The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
25.	8.6	Sunset Blvd. (1950)
26.	8.6	Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
27.	8.6	Memento (2000)	Yes
28.	8.6	North by Northwest (1959)
29.	8.6	Citizen Kane (1941)
30.	8.6	The Matrix (1999)
31.	8.6	It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
32.	8.6	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
33.	8.6	Se7en (1995)
34.	8.6	Slumdog Millionaire (2008)	Yes
35.	8.5	Léon (1994)
36.	8.5	Apocalypse Now (1979)
37.	8.5	American Beauty (1999)
38.	8.5	Taxi Driver (1976)	Yes
39.	8.5	Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
40.	8.5	WALL·E (2008)	Yes
41.	8.5	American History X (1998)
42.	8.5	Vertigo (1958)
43.	8.5	Paths of Glory (1957)
44.	8.5	Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001)
45.	8.5	Forrest Gump (1994)
46.	8.5	M (1931)
47.	8.5	The Wrestler (2008)	Yes
48.	8.5	Double Indemnity (1944)
49.	8.5	To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
50.	8.5	The Departed (2006)	Yes
51.	8.5	Alien (1979)
52.	8.5	A Clockwork Orange (1971)
53.	8.5	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
54.	8.5	Das Leben der Anderen (2006)
55.	8.5	The Third Man (1949)
56.	8.4	The Shining (1980)
57.	8.4	Chinatown (1974)	Yes
58.	8.4	The Pianist (2002)
59.	8.4	Saving Private Ryan (1998)
60.	8.4	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)	Yes
61.	8.4	Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
62.	8.4	Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
63.	8.4	Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
64.	8.4	Aliens (1986)
65.	8.4	L.A. Confidential (1997)
66.	8.4	Requiem for a Dream (2000)	Yes
67.	8.4	Das Boot (1981)
68.	8.4	The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
69.	8.4	Laberinto del fauno, El (2006)
70.	8.4	Reservoir Dogs (1992)
71.	8.4	City Lights (1931)
72.	8.4	Rashômon (1950)	Yes
73.	8.4	The Maltese Falcon (1941)
74.	8.4	Raging Bull (1980)
75.	8.4	All About Eve (1950)
76.	8.3	Metropolis (1927)
77.	8.3	Modern Times (1936)
78.	8.3	Der Untergang (2004)
79.	8.3	Singin' in the Rain (1952)
80.	8.3	Rebecca (1940)
81.	8.3	Gran Torino (2008)
82.	8.3	Some Like It Hot (1959)
83.	8.3	The Prestige (2006)	Yes
84.	8.3	Amadeus (1984)
85.	8.3	2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
86.	8.3	The Elephant Man (1980)
87.	8.3	Vita è bella, La (1997)
88.	8.3	The Apartment (1960)
89.	8.3	Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)
90.	8.3	The Great Escape (1963)
91.	8.3	Sin City (2005)	Yes
92.	8.3	Full Metal Jacket (1987)	Yes
93.	8.3	Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
94.	8.3	Touch of Evil (1958)
95.	8.3	The Sting (1973)
96.	8.3	The Great Dictator (1940)
97.	8.3	No Country for Old Men (2007)
98.	8.3	Hotel Rwanda (2004)	Yes
99.	8.3	Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
100.	8.3	Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
101.	8.3	On the Waterfront (1954)
102.	8.3	Ladri di biciclette (1948)
103.	8.3	Back to the Future (1985)
104.	8.3	Braveheart (1995)
105.	8.3	Batman Begins (2005)	Yes
106.	8.3	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
107.	8.3	Jaws (1975)
108.	8.3	Strangers on a Train (1951)
109.	8.3	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
110.	8.3	Blade Runner (1982)
111.	8.3	Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
112.	8.2	The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
113.	8.2	Unforgiven (1992)
114.	8.2	There Will Be Blood (2007)
115.	8.2	Notorious (1946)
116.	8.2	The Green Mile (1999)
117.	8.2	High Noon (1952)
118.	8.2	The Big Sleep (1946)
119.	8.2	Fargo (1996)
120.	8.2	Oldboy (2003)
121.	8.2	Gladiator (2000)
122.	8.2	Cool Hand Luke (1967)
123.	8.2	Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
124.	8.2	The Wizard of Oz (1939)	Yes
125.	8.2	Die Hard (1988)
126.	8.2	Mononoke-hime (1997)
127.	8.2	Yojimbo (1961)
128.	8.2	Donnie Darko (2001)
129.	8.2	Ran (1985)
130.	8.2	The General (1927)
131.	8.2	Annie Hall (1977)
132.	8.2	Smultronstället (1957)
133.	8.2	Salaire de la peur, Le (1953)
134.	8.2	Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
135.	8.2	Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
136.	8.2	It Happened One Night (1934)
137.	8.2	Heat (1995)
138.	8.2	Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)	Yes
139.	8.2	The Deer Hunter (1978)
140.	8.2	The Sixth Sense (1999)
141.	8.2	Ben-Hur (1959)
142.	8.2	Platoon (1986)
143.	8.2	Into the Wild (2007)
144.	8.2	Million Dollar Baby (2004)
145.	8.1	The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
146.	8.1	Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957)
147.	8.1	Life of Brian (1979)
148.	8.1	Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
149.	8.1	Diaboliques, Les (1955)
150.	8.1	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
151.	8.1	8½ (1963)
152.	8.1	Ratatouille (2007)
153.	8.1	The Big Lebowski (1998)
154.	8.1	The Killing (1956)
155.	8.1	Amores perros (2000)
156.	8.1	The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
157.	8.1	Finding Nemo (2003)	Yes
158.	8.1	The Graduate (1967)
159.	8.1	Snatch. (2000)
160.	8.1	The Night of the Hunter (1955)
161.	8.1	Brief Encounter (1945)	Yes
162.	8.1	Stand by Me (1986)
163.	8.1	Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
164.	8.1	Gandhi (1982)
165.	8.1	The Wild Bunch (1969)
166.	8.1	The Gold Rush (1925)
167.	8.1	Gone with the Wind (1939)
168.	8.1	Trainspotting (1996)
169.	8.1	V for Vendetta (2005)	Yes
170.	8.1	The Princess Bride (1987)
171.	8.1	Scarface (1983)
172.	8.1	The Thing (1982)	Yes
173.	8.1	The Incredibles (2004)	Yes
174.	8.1	The Lion King (1994)
175.	8.1	Groundhog Day (1993)
176.	8.1	Harvey (1950)
177.	8.1	Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
178.	8.1	Battaglia di Algeri, La (1966)
179.	8.1	Toy Story (1995)
180.	8.1	Children of Men (2006)
181.	8.1	Sleuth (1972)
182.	8.1	The Terminator (1984)
183.	8.1	The Hustler (1961)
184.	8.1	Umberto D. (1952)
185.	8.0	The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
186.	8.0	Twelve Monkeys (1995)
187.	8.0	The African Queen (1951)	Yes
188.	8.0	Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)	Yes
189.	8.0	Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
190.	8.0	Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
191.	8.0	Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
192.	8.0	Duck Soup (1933)	Yes
193.	8.0	The Conversation (1974)
194.	8.0	The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
195.	8.0	The Lady Vanishes (1938)
196.	8.0	The Kid (1921)
197.	8.0	Stalag 17 (1953)
198.	8.0	The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
199.	8.0	Casino (1995)
200.	8.0	Hotaru no haka (1988)
201.	8.0	King Kong (1933)
202.	8.0	Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007)
203.	8.0	Crash (2004/I)
204.	8.0	Dial M for Murder (1954)	Yes
205.	8.0	Ed Wood (1994)
206.	8.0	The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
207.	8.0	The Exorcist (1973)
208.	8.0	All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
209.	8.0	In Bruges (2008)
210.	8.0	The Lost Weekend (1945)
211.	8.0	Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
212.	8.0	Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)	Yes
213.	8.0	A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
214.	8.0	Rope (1948)
215.	8.0	Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
216.	8.0	Patton (1970)
217.	8.0	Rosemary's Baby (1968)
218.	8.0	Wo hu cang long (2000)
219.	8.0	Frankenstein (1931)
220.	8.0	Glory (1989)
221.	8.0	Little Miss Sunshine (2006)	Yes
222.	8.0	Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
223.	8.0	His Girl Friday (1940)
224.	8.0	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
225.	8.0	Magnolia (1999)
226.	8.0	Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
227.	8.0	Strada, La (1954)
228.	8.0	Safety Last! (1923)
229.	8.0	Belle et la bête, La (1946)
230.	8.0	Network (1976)
231.	8.0	Spartacus (1960)
232.	8.0	The Philadelphia Story (1940)
233.	8.0	Manhattan (1979)
234.	8.0	Big Fish (2003)
235.	8.0	In the Heat of the Night (1967)
236.	8.0	Great Expectations (1946)
237.	8.0	Roman Holiday (1953)
238.	8.0	Mystic River (2003)
239.	8.0	Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
240.	8.0	Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
241.	8.0	Rocky (1976)
242.	8.0	Dolce vita, La (1960)
243.	8.0	Frost/Nixon (2008)	Yes
244.	8.0	The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
245.	8.0	Laura (1944)
246.	8.0	Planet of the Apes (1968)
247.	8.0	Changeling (2008)
248.	8.0	Harold and Maude (1971)
249.	8.0	Eskiya (1996)
250.	8.0	The Message (1976)

The Prestige

#187 at time of writing.

I was extremely excited when I heard that this movie was coming out. It's about magic. I love magic. It's directed by Chris Nolan. Memento and Batman Begins are two of the best films I've ever seen. And it was getting rave reviews. Surely a winning formula?

When I finally got around to watching it, I was treated to an involving story about rivalry, risk and obsession in the golden age of magic, when a combination of Victorian sensibilities, boundless imagination and showmanship, and new technology that actually seemed magical, led to the most fascinating and inspiring conjuring there has ever been.

My appreciation of this film has grown further since reading Hiding the Elephant, which is a wonderfully told history of modern magic. Nothing to do with the film, but recommended all the same, especially if you have even a passing interest in prestidigitorial trickery.

The one complaint I have about this film is that I was slightly disappointed that the story resorted to a supernatural twist at the end after being so proudly realistic, or at least verisimilar, for most of its length. Having said that, the twist was deliciously dark, and absolutely fitting.

And hey, it's got David Bowie in it. That gets any film extra points.