The Greatest Films of All Time: 2010 Update

If, based on the title, you are expecting to see my own list set out, then I'm afraid you'll be mistaken (but probably not disappointed). I wouldn't presume to, based on my limited and idiosyncratic viewing history, make that sort of attempt. Instead I want to highlight the newest update on what has become to many (myself included) the quintessential such list. They Shoot Pictures Don't They is basically an amalgamation of many reputable such lists into a surprisingly cohesive and satisfying whole. That isn't to say that criticism of the list isn't justified, as Kevin Lee points out the list is extremely biased towards films made in the US and Europe almost ignoring films from countries with rich cinematic history like India and China as well as the films of Africa and and the rest of Asia. The beauty of such a list, though, is giving burgeoning cinephiles and critics everywhere a place to start. I personally relied really heavily on the list when I was first starting out and cannot express how many great films I have seen as a result of their inclusion on the list. As much as many critics shrug at such things, the power of such a list to give people a place to start as well as a goal can't be easily dismissed.

Here is the current top 25 (which everyone should see):

1.  Citizen Kane	Welles, Orson	1941	US
2.  Vertigo	Hitchcock, Alfred	1958	US
3.  Rules of the Game, The	Renoir, Jean	1939	France
4.  2001: A Space Odyssey	Kubrick, Stanley	1968	UK
5.  8½	Fellini, Federico	1963	Italy
6.  Godfather, The	Coppola, Francis	1972	US
7.  Searchers, The	Ford, John	1956	US
8.  Seven Samurai, The	Kurosawa, Akira	1954	Japan
9.  Singin' in the Rain	Donen, Stanley/Gene Kelly	1952	US
10. Battleship Potemkin	Eisenstein, Sergei	1925	Russia
11. Tokyo Story	Ozu, Yasujiro	1953	Japan
12. Sunrise	Murnau, F.W.	1927	US
13. Lawrence of Arabia	Lean, David	1962	UK
14. Bicycle Thieves	De Sica, Vittorio	1948	Italy
15. Godfather Part II, The	Coppola, Francis	1974	US
16. Atalante, L'	Vigo, Jean	1934	France
17. Casablanca	Curtiz, Michael	1942	US
18. Rashomon	Kurosawa, Akira	1950	Japan
19. Raging Bull	Scorsese, Martin	1980	US
20. Passion of Joan of Arc, The	Dreyer, Carl	1928	France
21. Touch of Evil	Welles, Orson	1958	US
22. Some Like it Hot	Wilder, Billy	1959	US
23. Dolce vita, La	Fellini, Federico	1960	Italy
24. Grande illusion, La	Renoir, Jean	1937	France
25. City Lights	Chaplin, Charles	1931	US

There were some films I was happy to see make the list:
Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1 at 976
Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon at 432
Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho at 752
Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies at 776
Tod Browning's Dracula at 826

And some I was disappointed by:
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight at 890
Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan at 779
Tim Burton's Ed Wood at 884