The 500 Greatest Movies of All-Time

Empireonline are currently taking votes for the 500 Greatest movies of all time. I like these sort of pointless votes. I think we all know that The Dark Knight will ride it's current popularity all the way to the top five and no doubt Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and the Godfather will be up there with them.

When the list is announced we can also have loads of fun picking apart the common general consensus. I've no idea what the rules are to vote (deadlines and the like), but the more the merrier so if you fancy a go use the link above to make your choices.

I find the whole deciding which are the ten best films of all time extremely difficult - I mean how can you possibly sensibly whittle it down. I decided to only use films I actually have in my collection (so no Dark Knight - not that it would make it anyway - and no cartoons; take that Pixar!) and to only let one film per director get through the second round.

Even that is problematic. How do choose between Some Like it Hot and Sunset Boulevard? Or Taxi Driver v. Raging Bull v. Goodfellas? Or Schindler's List v Close Encounters? Especially when you know I Am Sam is getting through.

I then did a kind of knock out competition where 11 films would be randomly chosen and I'd knock out the one I'd least like to see in my top ten. So hard to do - especially when you're effectively knocking out the entire works of Sidney Lumet or Ingmar Bergman or Frank Capra.

I have a top ten now. I'm going to leave it until the last day before I submit it. Got to give myself a chance to mull it over. Here's my top ten (alphabetically) until then:

Brokeback Mountain, Casablianca, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, History of Violence, L.A. Confidential, Magnolia, Star Wars: a New Hope, Unforgiven, West Side Story, Who's afraid of Virginia Woolfe.

What do you think?

Good choices or very very bad?
How would you make your list?
Are you gonna vote - Remember your favourite film needs you!

Would love your comments.