Everyone always asks me what my favorite movies, directors, and actors are. So here you go. The "Bayesian" stuff on some of the rankings means that there has to be a high average rating as well as a high total number of ratings to ensure that a director with a single fluke hit or a year with a single good movie doesn't jump to the top of the list.


Top 50 Movies
Avatar (2009) James Cameron A+
Braveheart (1995) Mel Gibson A+
True Lies (1994) James Cameron A+
True Romance (1993) Tony Scott A+
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) James Cameron A+
Field of Dreams (1989) Phil Alden Robinson A+
Full Metal Jacket (1987) Stanley Kubrick A+
Planet of the Apes (1968) Franklin J. Schaffner A+
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Danny Boyle A
U2 3D (2007) (multiple) A
Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) Andrew Adamson A
Closer (2004) Mike Nichols A
Hotel Rwanda (2004) Terry George A
Village, The (2004) M. Night Shyamalan A
Last Samurai, The (2003) Edward Zwick A
Love Actually (2003) Richard Curtis A
In America (2002) Jim Sheridan A
Signs (2002) M. Night Shyamalan A
Saving Private Ryan (1998) Steven Spielberg A
Contact (1997) Robert Zemeckis A
Titanic (1997) James Cameron A
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) Stephen Herek A
Interview with the Vampire (1994) Neil Jordan A
Professional, The (1994) Luc Besson A
Shawshank Redemption, The (1994) Frank Darabont A
True Romance (Director's Cut) (1993) Tony Scott A
Wrong Trousers, The (1993) Nick Park A
Malcolm X (1992) Spike Lee A
When Harry Met Sally (1989) Rob Reiner A
Bull Durham (1988) Ron Shelton A
Cinema Paradiso (1988) Giuseppe Tornatore A
Die Hard (1988) John McTiernan A
Fish Called Wanda, A (1988) John Crichton Cleese A
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (1987) John Hughes A
Three Amigos! (1986) John Landis A
Back to the Future (1985) Robert Zemeckis A
Breakfast Club, The (1985) John Hughes A
Fletch (1985) Michael Ritchie A
District 9 (2009) Neill Blomkamp A-
Inglourious Basterds (2009) Quentin Tarantino A-
Terminator Salvation (2009) McG A-
Up (2009) Pete Docter A-
Cloverfield (2008) Matt Reeves A-
Elegy (2008) Isabel Coixet A-
Religulous (2008) Larry Charles A-
WALL·E (2008) Andrew Stanton A-
Coma (2007) Liz Garbus A-
Death Sentence (2007) James Wan A-
Kingdom, The (2007) Peter Berg A-
Blood Diamond (2006) Edward Zwick A-
 
Bottom 50 Movies
Ceddo (1978) Ousmane Sembene F
L'Avventura (Adventure, The) (1960) Michelangelo Antonioni F
Pather Panchali (Song of the Road) (1955) Satyajit Ray F
Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) Tim Hill D
Funny Money (2006) Leslie Greif D
Hard Candy (2005) David Slade D
Brown Bunny, The (2003) Vincent Gallo D
Burial Society, The (2002) Nicholas Racz D
Igby Goes Down (2002) Burr Steers D
Black Knight (2001) Gil Junger D
Dr. T & the Women (2000) Robert Altman D
Scary Movie (2000) Keenen Ivory Wayans D
Billy Madison (1995) Tamra Davis D
Man of the House (1995) James Orr D
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) John Landis D
Dumb & Dumber (1994) Peter Farrelly D
Calendar Girl (1993) John Whitesell D
Aces: Iron Eagle III (1992) John Glen D
Troll 2 (1992) Joe D'Amato D
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) Joe Dante D
Home Alone (1990) Chris Columbus D
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) (multiple) D
Crimewave (1985) Sam Raimi D
Just One of the Guys (1985) Lisa Gottlieb D
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983) Dick Lowry D
Silent Rage (1982) Michael Miller D
Heartbeeps (1981) Allan Arkush D
Popeye (1980) Robert Altman D
Up in Smoke (1978) Lou Adler D
High Anxiety (1977) Mel Brooks D
Young Frankenstein (1974) Mel Brooks D
Eegah (1962) Arch Sr. Hall D
Young and the Damned, The (1950) Luis Bu?±uel D
You're Telling Me (1934) Erle C. Kenton D
Ballet Mecanique (1924) Fernand Leger D
Strike (1924) Sergei Eisenstein D
Smiling Madame Beudet, The (1923) Germaine Dulac D
Informant!, The (2009) Steven Soderbergh C-
10,000 BC (2008) Roland Emmerich C-
Gran Torino (2008) Clint Eastwood C-
Happening, The (2008) M. Night C-
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) (multiple) C-
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The (2008) Rob Cohen C-
Because I Said So (2007) Michael Lehmann C-
Eastern Promises (2007) David Cronenberg C-
Freedom Writers (2007) Richard LaGravenese C-
Hitman (2007) Xavier Gens C-
Margot at the Wedding (2007) Noah Baumbach C-
Deck the Halls (2006) John Whitesell C-
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) Tim Hill C-

Top 20 Directors
This list is generated using a modified "true Bayesian estimate," similar to the ranking system on imdb.com
James Cameron 8 movies A-
Robert Zemeckis 9 movies B+
John Hughes 6 movies B+
Steven Spielberg 21 movies B
Tony Scott 9 movies B
Danny Boyle 4 movies B
M. Night Shyamalan 5 movies B
Stanley Kubrick 7 movies B
Edward Zwick 7 movies B
Bryan Singer 6 movies B
David Fincher 5 movies B
Peter Berg 4 movies B
Andrew Adamson 3 movies B
Frank Darabont 3 movies B
? 8 movies B
Michael Ritchie 3 movies B
Ridley Scott 12 movies B-
Ron Howard 10 movies B-
Steven Soderbergh 8 movies B-
Brian De Palma 6 movies B-
 
Top 10 Years for Movies
This list is generated using a modified "true Bayesian estimate," similar to the ranking system on imdb.com
1989 34 movies B
1988 22 movies B
2004 59 movies B
1997 51 movies B
1991 33 movies B
2000 48 movies B
2001 52 movies B
1982 18 movies B
2002 58 movies B
2009 25 movies B
 
Top 10 Decades for Movies
This list is generated using a modified "true Bayesian estimate," similar to the ranking system on imdb.com
2000's 540 movies B
1980's 212 movies B
1990's 465 movies B
1900's 11 movies B-
1970's 65 movies C+
1960's 39 movies C+
1940's 20 movies C+
1950's 29 movies C+
2010's 2 movies C+
1910's 6 movies C+
 
Top 10 Movies per Decade
1900's (Top 10 for: 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 )
Dream of a Rarebit Fiend, The (1906) Edwin S. Porter B
Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) Edwin S. Porter B
Fantasmagorie (1908) Emile Cohl B-
Sculptor's Nightmare, The (1908) Wallace McCutcheon B-
Personal (1904) Wallace McCutcheon B-
Rescued by Rover (1904) Cecil Hepworth B-
Inn Where No Man Rests, The (1903) Geroge Melies B-
Voyage to the Moon (1902) George Melies B-
Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son (1905) G.W. Bitzer C+
Great Train Robbery, The (1903) Edwin S. Porter C+
 
1910's (Top 10 for: 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 )
Cameraman's Revenge, The (1911) Wladyslaw Starewicz B+
Pawnshop, The (1916) Charlie Chaplin B
Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) Winsor Z. McCay B
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The (1919) Robert Wiene C
Bangville Police, The (1913) Henry Lehrman C
Musketeers of Pig Alley, The (1912) D.W. Griffith C
 
1920's (Top 10 for: 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 )
Freshman, The (1925) Fred C. Taylor Newmeyer B+
Man Who Laughs, The (1928) Paul Leni B
Steamboat Willie (1928) Walt Disney B-
West of Zanzibar (1928) Tod Browning B-
It (1927) Clarence G. von Sternberg Badger B-
Nanook of the North (1922) Robert J. Flaherty B-
Kid, The (1921) Charlie Chaplin B-
Seven Chances (1925) Buster Keaton C+
Haexan (1922) Benjamin Christensen C+
Regen (1929) Joris Ivens C
 
1930's (Top 10 for: 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 )
Wizard of Oz, The (1939) Victor Fleming B+
Hurdes, Las (1932) Luis Bu?±uel B+
Modern Times (1936) Charlie Chaplin B
King Kong (1933) Merian C. + Cooper B
Lucky Number, The (1932) Anthony Asquith B
Gone with the Wind (1939) Victor Fleming B-
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) Michael Curtiz B-
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) James Whale B-
Olympia 1. Teil - Fest der V??lker (Olympia: Festival of Nations) (1938) Leni Riefenstahl C+
Housing Problems (1935) E.A. Anstev C+
 
1940's (Top 10 for: 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 )
Biography of a Motion Picture Camera (1947) ? B+
Big Sleep, The (1946) Howard Hawks B
Double Indemnity (1944) Billy Wilder B
Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz B
Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles B
Body and Soul (1947) Robert Rossen B-
Yearling, The (1946) Clarence Brown B-
Bambi (1942) David Hand B-
Strange Cargo (1940) Frank Borzage B-
Set-Up, The (1949) Robert Wise C+
 
1950's (Top 10 for: 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 )
North By Northwest (1959) Alfred Hitchcock B+
Three Faces of Eve, The (1957) Nunnally Johnson B+
War of the Worlds, The (1953) Byron Haskin B+
Some Like It Hot (1959) Billy Wilder B
Vertigo (1958) Alfred Hitchcock B
Ten Commandments, The (1956) Cecil B. B
Night and Fog (1955) Alain Resnais B
High Noon (1952) Fred Zinneman B
Singin' in the Rain (1952) (multiple) B
Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951) Robert Wise B
 
1960's (Top 10 for: 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 )
Planet of the Apes (1968) Franklin J. Schaffner A+
Barbarella (1968) Roger Vadim B+
Seven Up! (1964) Paul Almond B+
My Night at Maud's (1969) Eric Rohmer B
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Stanley Kubrick B
Odd Couple, The (1968) Gene Saks B
Rosemary's Baby (1968) Roman Polanski B
Dirty Dozen, The (1967) Robert Aldrich B
Graduate, The (1967) Mike Nichols B
Dr. Zhivago (1965) David Lean B
 
1970's (Top 10 for: 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 )
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Steven Spielberg A-
Close Encounters of the Third Kind [Special Edition] (1977) Steven Spielberg A-
Jaws (1975) Steven Spielberg A-
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) Mel Stuart A-
Charlotte's Web (1973) (multiple) B+
Clockwork Orange, A (1971) Stanley Kubrick B+
Out-of-Towners, The (1970) Arthur Hiller B+
Apocalypse Now (1979) Francis Ford Coppola B
Alien (1979) Ridley Scott B
Rocky II (1979) Sylvester Stallone B
 
1980's (Top 10 for: 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 )
Field of Dreams (1989) Phil Alden Robinson A+
Full Metal Jacket (1987) Stanley Kubrick A+
When Harry Met Sally (1989) Rob Reiner A
Bull Durham (1988) Ron Shelton A
Cinema Paradiso (1988) Giuseppe Tornatore A
Die Hard (1988) John McTiernan A
Fish Called Wanda, A (1988) John Crichton Cleese A
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (1987) John Hughes A
Three Amigos! (1986) John Landis A
Back to the Future (1985) Robert Zemeckis A
 
1990's (Top 10 for: 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 )
Braveheart (1995) Mel Gibson A+
True Lies (1994) James Cameron A+
True Romance (1993) Tony Scott A+
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) James Cameron A+
Saving Private Ryan (1998) Steven Spielberg A
Contact (1997) Robert Zemeckis A
Titanic (1997) James Cameron A
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) Stephen Herek A
Interview with the Vampire (1994) Neil Jordan A
Professional, The (1994) Luc Besson A
 
2000's (Top 10 for: 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 )
Avatar (2009) James Cameron A+
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Danny Boyle A
U2 3D (2007) (multiple) A
Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) Andrew Adamson A
Village, The (2004) M. Night Shyamalan A
Closer (2004) Mike Nichols A
Hotel Rwanda (2004) Terry George A
Last Samurai, The (2003) Edward Zwick A
Love Actually (2003) Richard Curtis A
Signs (2002) M. Night Shyamalan A
 
2010's (Top 10 for: 2010 )
Bill Maher... But I'm Not Wrong (2010) , B
Temple Grandin (2010) Mick Jackson B


Favorite Actors
In no particular order.
  Least Favorite Actors
In no particular order.
Alec Baldwin
Steve Carell
Vincent Cassel
Chevy Chase
George Clooney
Bradley Cooper
Kevin Costner
Tom Cruise
Matt Damon
Johnny Depp
Aaron Eckhart
William Fichtner
Dexter Fletcher
Claire Forlani
Harrison Ford
Robert Forster
Victor Garber
Hugh Grant
Jake Gyllenhaal
Tom Hanks
Cheryl Hines
Jason Isaacs
Hugh Jackman
Chris Klein
Kevin Kline
Jude Law
Ron Livingston
Paul Lynde
William H. Macy
Leslie Mann
Steve Martin
Lee Marvin
Rachel McAdams
Matthew McConaughey
Bill Murray
Timothy Olyphant
Clive Owen
Al Pacino
Jeremy Pevin
Pete Postlethwaite
Jean Reno
Ryan Reynolds
Julia Roberts
Sam Rockwell
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Shawnee Smith
Ben Stiller
KaDee Strickland
Billy Bob Thornton
Stanley Tucci
John Turturro
Rachel Weisz
Bruce Willis
Luke Wilson
Owen Wilson
Reese Witherspoon
Sam Worthington
Steve Zahn
Rene Zellweger
  Ben Affleck
Charles Bronson
Mel Brooks
Hayden Christiansen
Colin Firth
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Rick Moranis
Chuck Norris
Keanu Reeves
Will Smith
James Spader
John Travolta

Then you have the actors who need a good beating: Will Smith, Richard Gere, and Warren Beatty. Only when these actors play characters who suffer do I seem to enjoy their movies.