that's a list for "all time", but these film fans obviously picked a lot of movies from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, movies that they remember from their childhoods. there are 100 movies from the 1940s alone that are better than "pulp fiction", any monty python movie, "pirates of the caribbean", and any tim burton movie.

btw, sasha, where've you been? welcome back! :)

I'm sorry to say that I have to agree with every one of those selections. Maybe not in that order, but those films certainly are terrific. You also have to look at the time they came out, the expectations (or lack there of) and critical acclaim. AFI works the same way.

Considering the cultural annotations the list is not at all surprising. I can see British appeal in every one of those titles. Flat humor, farce comedy, exeggerated decorations. It's all about right.

Say, would there be any way to calculate DVDtown's 100 best from the review rating?

Chris I have the same problem that you mentioned. Long, drawn out, duds. Every movie is about 3 hours long (exceptions are there). I have hope someday Criterion/ New Yorker releases all movies by Satyajit Ray.

Hock - Fire and Earth are 2 intense movies. Fire created lot of controversy in India - riots blah blah. I am looking forward to watch "Water".

--Ranjan

chris,

your comment about musical highlight reels reminded me of a compilation movie i heard of back in college. "east side story" (- EXTERNAL LINK - is comprised of clips from musicals made on the eastern side of the iron curtain. it's probably an amusing watch to say the least. :)

eddie

I think someone is pulling our leg. This can't be a real list. I loved Shawshank, but number one?

Whoa my cheeky reply sparked a lot of discussion :D

There was a time when I went Bollywood crazy and watched a whole bunch of em but soon they felt same-y. But there are some pretty good ones; it's too bad I don't remember their titles anymore.

Oh, Ranjan...why do you think most Indian movies follow the romance/feel-good formula ? Is it purely an economical/business reason or is it more to do with the cultural/social condition there?

YCH,

Thanks to Eddie for picking your line in the post. Well to answer your question, it is both the reasons you mentioned. First, it is proven over the course of more than 30 years in the Indian film industry that the highest grossing movies have three things in common - romantic story line, good dance number and a really bad ass villian. It is risky to market a movie with these attributes missing. Second, majority of population of Indian lives in rural areas below the poverty line. This means that people in these regions enjoy movies that are fun, lightweight and easy to digest. So if you market a movie that is serious with no romance, it is bound to flop.

That is why Bollywood has continued with the traditional of creating long movies with dance numbers and a romantic story. With new breed of directors coming, the industry's view is changing.

--Ranjan

I've reviewed both of Deepa Mehta's excellent movies "Earth" and "Fire". Anyone who hasn't had the chance to watch them should go rent them.

Also, I'm really looking forward to her new film "Water", which would close the final chapter to this trilogy.

I have to admit that I would much rather watch a highlight reel of great Bollywood dance numbers than watch most Bollywood films. They have a frustrating tendency to really, really drag out the exposition and feel bloated as a result. But I sure do love some of those numbers; nothing done in American musicals over the past decade or two really compares.