1. Enter the Void
2. “Biutiful”
3. Upstream Color
4. Apocalypse Now
5. The Right Stuff
2. “Biutiful”
3. Upstream Color
4. Apocalypse Now
5. The Right Stuff
Film Film RedCafe's Favourite Movies Of All Time Contest (ROUND 6)
- Thread starter Dirty Schwein
- Start date
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
Just checked and the director of Glengarry went on to direct the two 50 Shades sequels... how in the feck did that happen 
I think this is why I never vibed with it. I’ve never seen a play, so I don’t have an appreciation for that sort of thing.
Fecking hell, that's some drop off in quality. Guess they pay the bills far better than frustrated salesmen though!Just checked and the director of Glengarry went on to direct the two 50 Shades sequels... how in the feck did that happen
If you enjoy reading, you might enjoy the script. Long shot though, if plays just aren't your thing.
Replace Jack Lemon with Ben Kingsley and that's almost exactly how I described Sexy Beast to a friend this week.
Dramas always get the most discussion among film buffs and critics and people in film school but they just don't reach the box office numbers and wider appeal as stuff like fantasy or comedies.
Because a few years ago some people on IMDb for some reason wanted the godfather to lose the number 1 spot and upvoted Shawshank as much as possible. Thus it became the number one and a lot of people watched it because of that.
It’s a good movie. A very good one even. But it shouldn’t be in the conversation for best movie ever.
What a load of bollocks. The film has been universally revered since the 1990s. Are you suggesting that people in this thread are voting for films based on their IMDb ranking?
1. Hunt for the red october
2. Argo (feckyourself)
3. Three billboards outside Ebbing
4. V for Vendetta
5. Ford vs Ferrari
2. Argo (feckyourself)
3. Three billboards outside Ebbing
4. V for Vendetta
5. Ford vs Ferrari
That’s not at all what I wrote. But I made a mistake. Shawshank didn’t get upvoted, it’s vote remained constant. And I actually wrote that it’s a very good movie. I just said that it’s a movie watched by many because it happens to be the number 1 on IMDb.
Because when the dark knight came out, it’s fans downvoted the godfather to get their movie to the number 1 spot. That failed. But the godfather lost the number 1 spot to shawshank, due to the downvotes. Which obviously helped Shawshank‘s popularity and led to more people watching it. More people watching it, leads to more people liking it. More people liking it leads to more people voting for it on here.
It’s an interesting piece of history for rating sites like IMDb, rotten tomatoes and so on and shows how easily manipulated these platforms can be.
I like the movie, by the way. But in my humble opinion it should be nowhere near discussions like these. It is a very good, often watched and positive movie with well liked actors. Especially casual moviegoers like it, because it’s not too difficult. It’s a movie similar to Forrest Gump for example. It’s a very good movie watched by many. But there’s no way you can convince me that it’s one of the best dramas or movies ever made.
So your argument is that people only like it because they've seen it?
As someone who has been obsessed with 'best of' lists since I was a kid, I can tell you that Shawshank has been in the conversation since the last century and its popularity is far from a recent development. Of course more people have watched it due to IMDb. The fact that it's maintained its score as views have increased is a testament to its quality.
That being said, I've never put much stock in the IMDb list precisely for the reasons you mention. It's too open to manipulation.
No. My argument is that it happens to be a very good movie that’s been seen by more people than similar good movies and therefore gets voted more often. That’s about it.
I put Shawshank in my number two spot, but I think @HTG has a point. Shawshank is a film that's easy to like for large variety of people. While it's been very popular since the 90's, it makes sense that it would gain even more popularity after becoming number 1 on IMDb.
But now I'm interested in your top 5, @HTG!
But now I'm interested in your top 5, @HTG!
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I'm not sure it does. Yes as it gets popular more people watch it, but as more people watch it, if it wasn't worthy of the praise then its rating would suffer and that hasn't happened. I think what @HTG is getting at is that we're all philistines
Precisely what I meant.
I’ll make my list in the afternoon. I can promise some Russian existentialism and some Kubrick, of course.
Nice! I haven't watched any Russian films apart from Stalker and Battleship Potemkin, but I like Kubrick!
I kinda get what @HTG is saying. Many casuals will elevate the movie simply because of critic reviews and IMDb score. Not saying anyone here would do that but I know people that say it's the best film ever and then can't even remember the plot.
It's got everything at an 8/10 standard for people to enjoy it. Acting, narrative, feel good factor, technical attributes etc... So the more people see it the more people like it.
But it's not the best film ever made. It's not even the best drama. Not even the best prison film. Not even the best prison film adapted from a Stephen King book (that goes to Green Mile).
It's got everything at an 8/10 standard for people to enjoy it. Acting, narrative, feel good factor, technical attributes etc... So the more people see it the more people like it.
But it's not the best film ever made. It's not even the best drama. Not even the best prison film. Not even the best prison film adapted from a Stephen King book (that goes to Green Mile).
Wait, this is all about personal favorites right? At least that's what I thought! 
That's how I been going at it tooWait, this is all about personal favorites right? At least that's what I thought!
Isnt that the case for more than half the movies on the various lists.
Someone told me to watch this whilst really high, so I did and had to turn it off after 15 minutes. Can't remember why
Obviously.
I agree with this. For me, Shawshank is a great crowd pleaser that taps into that feeling life is something to be tunneled out of to reach happiness. It's a really good film but there are plenty of better dramas in this thread alone and lots of (artistically) better films.
More importantly, why is Once Upon a Time in America being snubbed so much!
Shawshank Redemption
Good Will Hunting
The Prestige
Titanic
The Green Mile
Good Will Hunting
The Prestige
Titanic
The Green Mile
It's a crowd pleaser for sure but for me, it's almost a perfect movie. What's to score it down for? Everything about it is top drawer.
Excellent cast. Excellent direction. Excellent writing. Excellent soundtrack. But above all that, it has a massive beating heart and if the ending doesn't pluck your heartstrings then you clearly don't have one
So, what more do you need from a movie?
Two of my favourites too chap. This is England (and the subsequent TV shows) is a particularly great piece of work. Shane Meadows stuff in general is always great but I've always assumed I connect with his work because they're always filmed in my area and the dialect is very familiar.Did no one else enjoy This Is England or Glengarry Glen Ross? Two of my favourite films and only I voted for them
Not many people can do 'real life' like Shane Meadows.
This latter part of your post sums it up in a nutshell. I refuse to believe that with a gun held to their head, all these people would choose The Shawshank Redemption as a movie to take on a desert island with them. There's a certain amount of snobbery and pretentiousness around films like this where people just quote this movie as a matter of fact but in all honesty as @Dirty Schwein said, probably couldn't even remember the plot.
Unforgiven is another prime example. It was pretty obvious that it cleaned up at the Oscars because it was 'Clint Eastwood's year' but it was trash and nobody can tell me that it was better than some of the movies that also came out that year:
Single White Female
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
A Few Good Men
Damage
The BodyGuard
Malcolm X
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Reservoir Dogs
The Last of The Mohicans
Death Becomes Her
Unlawful Entry
The Player
Sister Act
White Men Can't Jump
Basic Instinct
My Cousin Vinny
I could go on....yet loads of people claim it's one of the best movies they're ever seen? It wasn't even one of the top 20 movies that year when you look at the competition and grossed at #18. I was guilty of contributing to that because I followed the hype and saw it at the cinema. I've probably seen it once or twice since...and it's still shit. Sharon Stone's The Quick & The Dead that came out a few years later was 20x better.
Clocking in at 3hr 49mins, I suspect it’s too long for some people. I voted for it in the crime category but I think it just missed out on the top 5.
Edit: Actually I’m getting confused with Seven, which came 6th. Once Upon A Time In America was not even in the top 10!
I actually would have this as a desert island film without the gun. It's totally rewatchable and has everything you need. It's a pure human story containing lots of heart, hope, despair. Enduring and overcoming adversity with what is ultimately a very uplifting and emotional ending. That's why so many like it, not just because it's 'popular' and 'easy'. Yes it is both of those things and if it was music it would definitely be 'Pop music' but so what? Perfect movie.
It flopped on release and then became a word of mouth film. Anyway that's how I remember it. It's an easy watch, full of prison film clichés, some good acting and it's a properly feel good film. I'm not surprised people liked it.
Fair play to you and respectable justification. Can fully get behind that.
Yeah it is long, but perfect for Sunday afternoon viewing.
Not enough love for Rocky 4!
I would definitely bring it if I was allowed to bring 10 films or more!
You are entitled to your opinion, but this might be the first time I've read the words "snobbery" and "pretentiousness" in relation to The Shawshank Redemption!
Peach!
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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle better than Unforgiven
Gotta love the Caf.
Gotta love the Caf.
I mean... I literally don't feel guilty about it
I remember when I went to my film school and on the first day, they asked each person to get up and talk about their favourite film.
All the students waxed lyrical about obscure French films and films from the 1950s.
Then I got up and talked about Con Air
In the end, I got the highest grade so they can all go feck themselves.