NEW: LA Film Critics Awards for 1998

"I love these list-making occasions, even though I know we should all be embarrassed to do such things in public."

-- Richard T. Jameson
editor, Film Comment,
responding to a survey of favorite films

OK, let's just settle this right now, shall we?  No single group or organization or poll has really done a good job of selecting the best movies of all time.  Naturally, they all have their biases and limitations. The AFI 100 and National Film Registry lists, for example, are by definition limited only to American films (except for when the AFI cheats and includes a British film like Lawrence of Arabia).  Other annual lists -- the Oscars, the major critics' groups -- are chosen on an annual basis, and although they have sometimes made choices that contemporary retrospective surveys might overlook, they offer a year-by-year perspective rather than a more comprehensive, historical one.

But now,  Jeeem's CinePad is proud to present the ONLY poll that gives you an overview of ALL the most illustrious awards (that's right -- NO total jokes, like the Golden Globes!). Using only the finest ingredients (i.e., the most prestigious and comprehensive cine-data available anywhere), PLUS the CinePad's highly refined, exclusive Cine-Sort technology©™® (involving ultra-complex mathematical formulas to precisely adjust for and counter-balance the strengths and shortcomings of the various sources), these illustrious honors have been analyzed, weighted, compared, and compiled into a more-or-less definitive listing of the world's all-time most acclaimed movies.  Of course, we are still somewhat limited by the flaws inherent in the source data (I mean, Nashville and Letter From and Unknown Woman and Sansho Dayu, Only Angels Have Wings and almost all of Buster Keaton's silent features -- Our Hospitality, Sherlock, Jr., The Navigator, The General, Seven Chances, Steamboat Bill, Jr., etc.) really oughtta be at least in the Top 20, don't you agree?).  But there you go...

Oh, and by the way: this whole idea is pretty silly, really. When it comes to movies, there's never any consensus (except, maybe at the lowest-common-denominator level of the box office, but that says nothing about a movie's quality).  I'd have a pretty difficult time making a list of my 500 favorite (not to mention "best" or "most important") films.  But movie lovers are kind of like baseball fans: we love lists, we love stats, and (most of all) we love arguing about 'em.  So, argue away.  You can even do it while hanging out in Jeeem's Kitchen, if you like...

-- Jim Emerson
Owner and proprietor of Jeeem's CinePad

NOTE: This survey does not include 1998 awards, which will be added in early 1999, after they are all announced. New National Film Registry titles announced November 16, 1998.

Awards/honors:
(click on names of organizations for more details)

AFI 100 -- American Film Institute poll of greatest American Films, 1915-1997. Listed by rank.
NFR -- National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress (American films at least 10 years old); 25 additions selected annually
Sight & Sound -- respected British film magazine's international critics' poll of top ten greatest films of all time, regardless of nationality.  Voted in the second year of every decade, since 1952. (See below for rankings, color codes)  
Academy Awards -- US Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences "Oscar" winners for best picture (P) and best foreign language film (F), 1927-present
LAFCA -- Los Angeles Film Critics' Association awards for best picture (P) and foreign (or foreign language) film (F), 1975-present
NSFC -- US National Society of Film Critics awards for best picture (P) and foreign (or foreign language) film (F), 1966-present
NYFCC -- New York Film Critics Circle awards for best picture (P) and foreign (or foreign language) film (F), 1935-present

Symbols/colors:
P -- annual best picture award
F -- annual best foreign (or foreign-language) film award
Sight & Sound poll:
Numerals signify ranking in each decade's poll, color coded as follows:
1992 1982 1972 1962 1952

Jeeem's peculiar country codes: