Empire Magazine's Top 500 Films

Nolanger · 24-09-2008 05:45PM #1

Does anyone take these lists seriously? They have in their Top 100 films list only one picture from the '30s and no silent movies. The decade with the most movies in the Top 100 is the '80s!
Then they thrown in a few obsure movies further down the list to gain credibility - the Italian picture Tree of Wooden Clogs at 108? Try asking for that DVD in your local XtraVision.
Appears to be a list compiled by young male movie fans who think cinema began in the '70s with a few older movies worth watching because Scorcese thinks they're good.

constitutionus · 24-09-2008 05:55PM

story of life.

you think the beatles and the rolling stones have anyting on beethoven and Wagner?

people vote for what they grew up with. 20yrs time they wont even mention the stuff from the 80s

johnny_ultimate · 24-09-2008 05:59PM

Had a quick look there, and while alot of good films get mentioned, the order is hilarious. The Dark Knight at number fifteen?

Problem with Empire is they go for popularity more than anything. And when their readers vote, they tend to vote for the latest fad (if I remember correctly, Lord of the Rings topped the last poll).

But no point getting annoyed. Empire have destroyed any credibility they once had, and at the end of the day getting annoyed at lists is futile. Now, off to cracked.com for some proper irreverent lists.

Running Bing · 25-09-2008 09:27AM

Hideously biased towards Hollywood and movies from the last twenty years.

Now dont get me wrong there has been plenty of quality stuff from Hollywood in the last twenty years but it neglects dozens of countries and six or seven decades of film making.

They put out a list of directors a few years back, I only came across the magazine yesterday when I was cleaning up. I had a look through it and I was astonished...I was actually getting angry whilst reading it (silly I know:o). Suffice it to say Robert Zemickis was ahead of Charlie Chaplin and Bergman....clowns:rolleyes:

speedboatchase · 25-09-2008 09:17PM

Cloverfield?!
Phantom Menace?!

I like Empire usually but FFS

lostexpectation · 25-09-2008 09:49PM

most of our horrible biased towards the last twenty years...

PullMyFinger! · 26-09-2008 01:52AM

speedboatchase wrote: »

Cloverfield?!
Phantom Menace?!

:eek:

I had a quick flick through the 500 and read the top ten in full. Where the fcuk were those two in the chart?!

Empire have lost a lot of points with me due to two reviews on two very opposite views of mine: Superman Returns and Taken. But it is still the second site I check to see if a film is any use (after Rotten Tomatoes)

Not The Real Scarecrow · 26-09-2008 06:52AM

Honestly disgusted by the list, it seems like they compiled it by just thinkig of 500 movies off the top of their head.Alright some of them in the top 10 are really good but the majority of it makes no sense at all.Forgive me for probably not being exact with this as I am going fromlooking at it a few hours ago,but putting the exorcist around 200 and far inferior horrors and movies above it is just taking te wee wee.As wel, I'm a massive evil dead fan, so was thrilled to see Army of Darkness in there but on flicking through couldn't understand why the other 2 weren't as they are in everyones opinions far better.I thought when I saw this at first that ,"Great this must mean that the first two are in there as well and further up".But no, I was wrong.
Not only did Empire give Taken 1 out of 5 and the Ruins 3 out of 5 but also they seem to be completely dumbing down to try and appeal to an audience that would never even flick through their magazine while they impatiently wait in the local s.t.d. clinic let alone waste their hard colleceted money from the dole office on it.

Carturo · 26-09-2008 07:25AM

Empire's a complete load to toss. It's obvious what a film is gonna get in their bullsh!t rating system.

And these are the idiots who gave Superman Returns 5 stars :rolleyes: Morons.

Pretentious gits to boot. DEATH TO EMPIRE!

TygerKrash · 26-09-2008 10:37AM

Pretentious gits to boot. DEATH TO EMPIRE!

Harsh... Empires getting a bit of a kicking here. Well I'll happily stand up and say I think its the best movie magazine out there. Of course its flawed and populist. They are human beings and they make mistakes, some of their reviewers more than others admittedly.. They're also a business and they are selling to their target cinema-going, magazine-buying audience and I'll bet thats the people who grew up with the rise of the 'Event' movie and enjoy same. While the 4 page articles go to the Iron Mans, dark knights and cloverfields of this world they do at least cover and have pretty accurate reviews of indie and foreign film. They also regularily tip their hats to the great writers,films and directors of the past with retrospective articles.

Then they thrown in a few obsure movies further down the list to gain credibility

it seems like they compiled it by just thinkig of 500 movies off the top of their head

The other point I'd like to make is the editorial staff at Empire did not compile this list.. Its a readers poll (10,000 readers submitted ten items, myself included!) and if we're saying their readership is plain wrong, well heck, thats a lot of people and smacks of the kind of movie elitism that is so derided over on the sacred cows thread. I'm probably fairly representative of the group that picked those movies, I know my top ten are in there.

Suffice it to say Robert Zemickis was ahead of Charlie Chaplin and Bergman....clowns

Sure Charlie Chaplin and Bergman rated lower than spielberg and lucas, here's why it's not a favorite or most influential director competition, its about the movies, while the Great Dictator and The Seventh seal may be great movies the simple fact is more people are going to like the far more accessible and dare I say, fun, Star wars and Indiana jones.

Maybe people should post their own top tens in another, cathartic, thread.

In saying all that, there are a couple of clangers on that list Cloverfield in particular shocked me. I *Hated* that movie (mostly because of the wasted potential, but also 'cause of the Nausea)

Gunther_Gloop · 26-09-2008 11:30AM

I agree with TygerKrash.
Why complain about Empire (in relation to this list at least)? The link was on their site for anyone to list their favourites. I know I did.

I haven't gone through the list because I think it's a crap idea anyway to compare movies in that way, but I just wanted to have my say. Not that I can even remember my list now.

Anyway, how many Bergman or 1920s films are discussed on this forum? Of course more recent ones would feature highly. I'm surprised they go back as far as the 80s for most of them to be honest (even though the 70s were _clearly_ the golden age!)

speedboatchase · 26-09-2008 01:56PM

I'm not sure what the actual criteria for the list was but it wasn't simply just fan votes, there's no way some crazily obscure titles like that Italian film mentioned earlier would've got into the top 150 that way. HOWEVER if it was a mix of both they at least could've changed a few things here and there - I only just noticed that the place BELOW American History X is Transformers!

26-09-2008 03:46PM

It was compiled with votes from readers, staff at the magazine and movie people like Quentin Tarantino,Edgar Wright, David Fincher and others.

Everybody picked their top 10 and the results were compiled into the Top 500 (although I think Fincher picked about 25).

I really can't see the point in getting all worked up about it. Peoples opinions are always going to be different and as was discussed in the Sacred Cow thread, just because people thing a movie is peice of genius film making doesn't necessarily mean its going to make the top of any list because people vote for what resonates with them at the time. For me, anyone who suggests any of the Star Wars movies is better than the Hustler is wrong (and an idiot...but thats a personal thing) but to be honest, I would never expect it to be a popular movie.

For me I'm looking forward to reading through it again and seeing what movies I haven't seen and using it as reference for future viewing.

My one gripe with is that The Last Boy Scout isn't on it...What are you thinking people.

Mr. K · 26-09-2008 05:22PM

I really like Empire, I'm curious as to what film magazine the people who don't like it would suggest. The 500 list isn't great, but what can you expect when anyone can vote?!

Dodge · 26-09-2008 05:28PM

Meatwad wrote: »

Honestly disgusted by the list

You've led a sheltered life if a list of films disgusts you.

faceman · 26-09-2008 08:18PM

I nearly bought the mag today thinking it was the new monthly Empire, i quickly put it back.

I like empire but i hate lists. How anyone can decide that a really good film from one particular genre is better than a really good film from another particular genre makes no sense to me!

Besides I reckon those lists are made for reasons like this - to get people talking and complaining!

Running Bing · 26-09-2008 08:24PM

TygerKrash wrote: »

Sure Charlie Chaplin and Bergman rated lower than spielberg and lucas, here's why it's not a favorite or most influential director competition, its about the movies, while the Great Dictator and The Seventh seal may be great movies the simple fact is more people are going to like the far more accessible and dare I say, fun, Star wars and Indiana jones.

Actually if you read my post I was commenting on an empire list of greatest directors from a few years back not this list.

As for Spielberg and Lucas....they have their fans and like them or not they have clearly had a huge impact (for better or worse) on cinema. Thats why I did not mention them, a lot of people rate them highly and thats their opinion so fine, I dont think it is ridiculous or outrageous that they would come ahead of Chaplin or Bergman even if its not an opinion I would share....I draw the line at Zemickis ahead of Bergamn or Chaplin though. That is just ridiculous. Honestly wtf where they thinking? Rober Zemickis..Robert fvcking Zemickis. Dont get me wrong, I love Back to the Future but Robert Zemickis? God almighty. Shymalan was up there too....sigh.

Wacker · 27-09-2008 12:06PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Problem with Empire is they go for popularity more than anything. And when their readers vote, they tend to vote for the latest fad (if I remember correctly, Lord of the Rings topped the last poll).

Close. The Fellowship topped their top 100 poll a few years ago, and when they had a top 201 movies for their 201st edition, Shawshank came in numer one. But these were just like the current one - opinion polls. No point in complaining about them. Personally I'm very happy with the winner's of the last poll and this one, although I voted in neither.

Galvasean · 27-09-2008 10:56PM

Phantom Menace LOL
I bet I could list 500 better sci-fi films.
But I wont cause lists are pointless. :pac:

MooseJam · 27-09-2008 11:10PM

good to see harry potter in there

Cactus Col · 29-09-2008 04:51PM

I don't think anybody can argue with the number 1 choice though ...

And who expected Evil dead 2 to chart so high?!

I do love when Empire does polls like this, for some reason people (and by people I mean "film buffs" or cinephiles who post on the internet, and on boards.ie ) get very indignant that regular joe bloggs get a say and DON'T vote for some obscure north korean classic that got smuggled out in 1982 and was shown once in a cinema in monaghan.

homergriffin · 30-09-2008 01:57PM

Pulp fiction. 9th best of all time?
Back to the future. 23rd?

It's obviously opinion based but still...

Slutmonkey57b · 30-09-2008 09:40PM

I was very disappointed not to see any hardcore lesbian porn on the list to be honest.

Empire Magazine's Top 500 Films

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