digg

Join DiggAbout

The Digg Crew wants to hear your thoughts!
Please take our short survey about Digg and potential feature ideas.

See the original image at slashfilm.com —

Are Dark Knight Fanboys Burying The Godfather?

slashfilm.com — The Godfather has fallen to the #3 spot, after nearly a decade at the top of the Internet Movie Database ’s listing of the Top 250 Movies of All Time. As we reported a couple weeks ago, The Dark Knight overtook The Godfather’s throne, but this latest development is really interesting because it might show evidence of a fanboy mob at work.

show profanity settings
expand all
  • Renton, on 07/28/2008, -17/+78While originally intended to "underscore the dilemmas and concerns that people would face if they relied too heavily on the new communications infrastructure," Stand Alone Complex eventually came to represent a phenomenon where unrelated, yet very similar actions of individuals create a seemingly concerted effort.

    A Stand Alone Complex can be compared to the emergent copycat behavior that often occurs after incidents such as serial murders or terrorist attacks. An incident catches the public's attention and certain types of people "get on the bandwagon", so to speak. It is particularly apparent when the incident appears to be the result of well-known political or religious beliefs, but it can also occur in response to intense media attention. For example, a mere fire, no matter the number of deaths, is just a garden variety tragedy. However, if the right kind of people begin to believe it was arson, caused by deliberate action, the threat that more arsons will be committed increases drastically.

    What separates the Stand Alone Complex from normal copycat behavior is that the originator of the copied action is not even a real person, but merely a rumored figure that commits said action. Even without instruction or leadership a certain type of person will spring into action to imitate the rumored action and move toward the same goal even if only subconsciously. The result is an epidemic of copied behavior-with no originator. One could say that the Stand Alone Complex is mass hysteria-with purpose.

    Figure A
    http://i38.tinypic.com/3341288.jpg
    • nickbr00tality, on 07/28/2008, -4/+35I used spreeder for this.
      • Maxjan, on 07/28/2008, -0/+11I was just thinkin, "should I even bother spreeding this?"
      • quomen, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2I used longreeder for your comment.
      • DrMonkeyLove, on 07/29/2008, -1/+4I didn't bother to read it at all. It looked stupid.
      • specialK16, on 07/29/2008, -1/+2haha, took me less than a minute with spreeder.

        What was it about again?
      • Puirtabeul, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3Three paragraphs and a Pikachu image isn't exactly a wallatext, guys; and Spreeder's just one irritating off-neon color scheme away from being a veritable seizure machine.
    • GoMegaMan426, on 07/28/2008, -1/+26Quick, call section 9!
      • alexforcefive, on 07/29/2008, -0/+7I have to watch ghost in the shell 2 again, I totally didn't get it
      • innocentsinner, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3If you mean the second season of the series, I'm in the same boat.
    • BoonTobias, on 07/28/2008, -0/+6what is digg?

      final answer
    • appleseed1234, on 07/28/2008, -1/+11Dugg purely for Figure A.
    • Lukesed, on 07/29/2008, -2/+4I get your point here, but there is a real organized effort on The Dark Knight's message board on IMDB to vote it up and the Godfather down, so it isn't really relevant.
    • MasterFunk, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2Very impressive and well thought out comment Renton. Your subtle use of 2nd plane reality to describe The Dark Night and how you related, in a equally subtle way, old paradigms to describe The Godfather, blew me away.

      And I would also like to note that I completely agree, the human mind is truly the most complex machine... in IMDB.
    • vaccumpony, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1A meme fire. Something unknown ignites it and it spreads through the population as if through a dry forest.
    • rpgmaker, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1I'm dying to watch this movie, 'cause I know I'll consider it overhyped. Fanboys just can't help themselves.
    • diggydoc, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1well, then... i'm going to vote just the opposite.
  • dbldn, on 07/28/2008, -15/+86I've always despised the IMDb rating system and don't trust them in the least bit. They only represent a select view of who watches movies and caters completely to movie geeks. That is not a fair metric to judge a movie and is just a way for IMDb to generate traffic as well as date (to sell).
    • erikerikerik, on 07/28/2008, -0/+8I have to agree with you on that.

      i've also wanted a "new," list of the top movies. not just of all time. Because no matter what your going to have people reminiscent about the past and just blindly vote up what they are used to.


    • leexy, on 07/28/2008, -5/+12I find it helpful. I never watch a movie that has less than 7/10 on imdb, and so far, it's an almost fool proof system.
      And I'm won't even call my taste "mainstream"...
      • lukas88, on 07/29/2008, -2/+8I agree. There are only a couple of movies that I thought deserved better than a 7 and didn't get it. It is less reliable when you consider movies that did get a 7+ and didn't deserve it, because then the fanboy skew enters into the equation.

        In other words, it is more useful to find what not to watch than what to watch.
      • BradleyNowell1, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3So...you probably haven't seen many comedies huh?
      • Smiff2, on 07/29/2008, -0/+4BradleyNowell1 is 100% right. middling dramas/thrillers (you know, typical oscar crap) tend to get overrated, great comedy can be underrated simply because the majority of their use base don't "get" that particular style. do not take the IMDB rating as bible particularly on comedy (if you enjoy non-mainstream comedy..)
      • bosssmiley, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Four point rating scale

        http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourPoi ...
    • LilBoyLuver, on 07/28/2008, -2/+22Yeah ***** IMDB, based on their ludicrous rating system the Hottie and the Nottie is the 15th worst movie of all time.


      Not the 1st
    • lukas88, on 07/29/2008, -8/+8I have used the IMDB rating to find some great movies (just recently, Atonement). It definitely still has its uses. You can't expect any rating system to agree with you 100% of the time. Recently I have been suckered into watching some bad movies by using the iMDB rating (the man from earth, be kind rewind, and yes, the dark knight), but I will still probably reference it in the future when considering whether I want to watch a film.

      I think it is better than rottentomatoes because it uses a continuous scale as opposed to a dichotomous one (fresh or not). When you have that kind of scale, it is no surprise that Toy Story 2 gets to top place, as you will see on the rottentomatoes "best of all time" list.
    • balrog85, on 07/29/2008, -5/+3Yeah I've heard a few times something like "IMDB is the most fair because it not what critics think, its what regular people think is the best movie ever".

      From the batman ratings though:
      Males Aged 18-29 102,847 9.5
      Females Aged 30-44 1,866 8.7
      IMDb users 156,218 9.4

      Ok, two thirds of people are not males age 18-29, and female age 30-44 aren't only 1.1% of people, IMDB doesn't come close to representing the population, it represents the people who would make an account on IMDB where the only real benefit is to have your vote count for movies, which is all young guys.
      • xrisnothing, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3What's the problem with that? imdb reflects the tastes of its users, which includes a number of "fanboys"
      • Smiff2, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3balrog85's insightful comment gets dugg down.. its bang on, imdb could do something radical like adjust the weights to counter the difference in group sizes, but then they'd piss off their largest group (males aged 18-29!) btw i am a male aged 18-29 and don't trust the imdb rating at all any more..
    • LuckyEMS, on 07/29/2008, -11/+2Atonement was *****

      proof that imdb doesnt work

      also TDK was *****
    • t3hmyth, on 07/29/2008, -1/+4Film's can't objectively be called the "Best" of all time, because each (good) film is unique, and represents a completely different personal vision than any other film. Sure, some may be more enjoyable, re-watchable, innovative, etc... But that doesn't justify the "objective" placement of one film over another.
    • KyleGoetz, on 07/29/2008, -1/+10Agreed. There were people giving Wall-E a 1 because they didn't like the rating it had (9.1 or so). Now, you can dislike Wall-E all you want, but there's no way anyone with half a brain could rate it 1/10.
      • admdrew, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Eh, it is possible they still have half the brain controlling basic motor functions enabling them to click on things.
      • KyleGoetz, on 07/30/2008, -0/+1Darn Modern American English conflating "could" and "should." Well played, admdrew, but you shall rue the day you crossed me!
    • CrazyChair, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2IMDB's movie ratings are generic. It's only helpful for getting a good idea about a movie based on public opinion. If you want accurate ratings that reflect your taste only, then find a critic who shares your views.

      I find the rating system works really well for great old/obscure films I wouldn't have found otherwise. For comedies, the rating system can fail a lot because people tend to have very different tastes. I find looking at what men near my age bracket rated the movie helps a lot.

      If they want to upset people less with a new release film having an inflated rating and "beating" the classics, they should make the votes weighted differently for the first few months or so. I don't think they should bother. People should take these things into consideration themselves.
    • dafragsta, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2I find it to be surprisingly reliable. Anything that gets a 7.0 or above is a totally worthwhile movie typically, but there is also your garden variety internet tampering as well. However, those tamperings tend to be limited to the extremes. (worst and best movies)
  • canewediggit, on 07/28/2008, -74/+266bunch of jackasses. dark knight was great, but it's nowhere near godfather status. go ahead and bury me like heath ledger now since i won't suck up to the flavor of the day.
    • cypher303, on 07/28/2008, -27/+10I don't know dude... after reading the book, I just wasn't impressed with Godfather the movie at all. It's kind of a huge let down really. So if you liked the movie and haven't yet, read the book :)
      • BNash577, on 07/28/2008, -2/+8but its not like every person read the book and was disappointed with it all of a sudden.
      • JustinHopewell, on 07/28/2008, -1/+7Books are 90% of the time better than the film, but even if I had read the Godfather series, I don't think I would bring the film down a notch in terms of my respect for it. It's a different art form than a book, with a lot less time to present the story, and I think Coppola did a great job with it as a stand-alone piece of art.
      • ilikechaitea, on 07/28/2008, -11/+6cypher, you're one of the few sane in here.

        The Godfarther (movie) is totally overrated..it is good, sure, but overrated. Compare it to other "New Hollywood" movies of the time (Pretty much everything by Scorcese, De Palma, Kubrick, even Oliver Stone) and its not even that strong...there's no need to even compare it to the book....

        and when you do, you see how weak it is. Taxi Driver, Scarface, Raging Bull, 2001, there's exciting filmmaking....
      • stevealford, on 07/29/2008, -1/+2Strangely enough, the #2 film of all time (according to imdb) is also the best book-to-film adaptation I've ever seen. If you haven't read "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King, then I whole-heartedly suggest that you do so immediately.

        It's the second story in a four-novella collection novel entitled "Different Seasons." Two of the other three stories are also great movies: "Apt Pupil" and "The Body" (which was called "Stand By Me" when made into a movie).
      • cshuttle, on 07/29/2008, -1/+2Did it insist upon itself?
      • ThatCreepyGuy, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2Francis Ford Coppola wasn't too crazy about being offered the Godfather because he thought the book was just a pulp novel, since it spends about an entire chapter talking about a woman's loose vagina.
    • NathanielJ, on 07/28/2008, -6/+46It's funny, you would have been buried to Hades and back if you posted that exact same comment a week ago.
    • thatsmyaibo, on 07/28/2008, -14/+38I like The Godfather but I really think it's one of the most over rated movies. Should Dark Knight be #1?...No. But I don't the The Godfather should be either.
      • JustinHopewell, on 07/28/2008, -3/+8It should at least be in the top 10, or perhaps the top 5, at least in terms of American film. Although, I would put Godfather II above it.
    • Kikinou, on 07/28/2008, -14/+39TDK cannot possibly be ahead of the original Star Wars
    • ChristophyBrown, on 07/28/2008, -5/+3OH NO YOU DIDN'T!
    • Akraz, on 07/28/2008, -22/+8I love the Godfather and yes it is my favourite movie, but your comment about Heath Ledger was really lowballin....
      • dmacmattack, on 07/29/2008, -1/+6You really missed the point then.
      • theuncommonman, on 07/29/2008, -7/+3No Akraz is right, it was a low-blow and completely unnecessary. Heath Ledger has nothing to do with these crazed fanboys, and to bring his death into the argument just makes this guy sound like an insensitive douchebag. His point may have been valid, but could have been stated in a much less *****-ish way. Yes I just made up that word.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/29/2008, -2/+6You honestly think Heath Ledger's current state of "dead" has nothing to do with the popularity of the movie? Not one bit?
      • Akraz, on 07/29/2008, -4/+4@ajajadude
        Totally not what I was saying. You missed my point. Saying to bury the movie like heath ledger(literally) is LOW. Im trying to have a heart here for the guy.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/29/2008, -1/+5Why is Heath Ledger anymore important than all the other people his age who die everyday? There are kids younger than him being shot at in Iraq and other places in the world and it pisses me off that Heath Ledger is being treated as more important than someone laying their life on the line so we can have the luxury of going to the movies on a whim.

        Yeah, insensitive comment about a guy who could've been a great actor. There have been a lot of "could've beens" who have had their lives cut far shorter than him. How about you people have a heart for them, too, rather than getting all uppity over one actor who ***** up and basically killed himself (Mixing prescriptions is bad enough. Mixing them with alcohol is just plain retarded, especially when you have everything going for you).
      • monroylobo, on 07/29/2008, -2/+0fudged?
      • jklikesnews, on 07/29/2008, -2/+1@Ajajadude
        I would've been just as offended if he had said "go ahead and bury me like dead soldiers"
    • t3hmyth, on 07/28/2008, -8/+10I agree that it's not the level of The Godfather, but I will say that The Dark Knight isn't a "flavor of the day." It's a film that is the best of its kind, and has staying power.
      • Taiyoryu, on 07/29/2008, -0/+9Best superhero film to date? Yes. Stacks up well against other films from other genres? Yes. Best film of all time? No.
      • techmaster, on 07/29/2008, -2/+8I agree. The Dark Knight was a really good movie, but it's not top 5, or even top 10 material. How many times has the whole superhero genre been done? It's about time they get one right. But does that mean it's as good as The Godfather? Pulp Fiction? Goodfellas? Clockwork Orange? I give credit where it's due, and TDK was a damn good movie. But it should be around #50 or so. These people voting down The Godfather just to get TDK to #1 are absolutely insane.
      • bpolitte, on 07/29/2008, -2/+0I agree, it's a great spy movie, but Casino Royale was better, just to name a recent movie of it's kind.
      • t3hmyth, on 07/30/2008, -0/+1Perhaps I didn't represent myself well. I meant it in the sense that it will be remembered for being a great superhero/comic book/stylized crime drama. But I didn't mean to implicate it with The Godfather or Pulp Fiction.

        Also, a film can't be "objectively" placed at any point on a list. Film is an art form, and there is little objectivity in it. @techmaster, you say that it "should" be around #50, but some would say it does belong in the top 10, and fewer would genuinely place it first. The idea of listmaking for films that all represent markedly different visions and ideas is something that is at best suspect.
    • DanPlainview, on 07/28/2008, -14/+8That reminds me, I have to sign up for an IMDB account so that I can give The Dark Knight a 10 and The Godfather a 0.
      • zeroshiftsl, on 07/29/2008, -4/+4And that reminds me. I'll do the same and set it back.
      • DanPlainview, on 07/29/2008, -1/+6I was... never mind. I'm gonna go bang my head on a wall somewhere...
      • cnot3, on 07/29/2008, -2/+5Won't have any effect on its position in the top 250, since you're not a regular voter.
      • DanPlainview, on 07/29/2008, -1/+4*Sarcasm*

        Did I need to put that there? Do I need to spoon feed you everything? Are you capable of wiping your own ass? It was a joke. Christ.
      • stevealford, on 07/29/2008, -3/+3Actually, zeroshiftsl, your votes won't "set it back." Your 10 for The Godfather won't negate his 0 and restore the previous balance; it will instead turn both your votes into a 5, which is still much lower than its average before he voted. You'd have to get 97 other people to give it a perfect 10 in order to "set it back" and restore its previous.
      • KyleGoetz, on 07/29/2008, -1/+1bury
    • sinurgy, on 07/29/2008, -7/+21I loved Dark Knight and in my opinion it's the best comic book movie ever but I don't think it's the best movie ever.

      However, I like how people act as if Godfather hasn't benefited from plenty of fanboyism over the years. Much like Scarface, I think it's overrated! I get it, the Napoleons of the world can't get enough of the mob movie hubris but seriously many of those movies are overrated! If there is going to be some complaining, why not talk about why Shawshank Redemption is getting the shaft as it's a much better movie than either the Godfather or Dark Knight.

      Digg me down but if you really think you're learning some deep life lessons from the Godfather, Scarface, Sopranos, etc. it's probably because you're stupid. Anyway, I'll let you get back to your GTA IV...you bad ass you!!
      • grahamvinyl, on 07/29/2008, -2/+2bravo.
      • DrMonkeyLove, on 07/29/2008, -3/+5I did not care for the Godfather. I didn't like it. Fine actors, did not like the movie. It insists upon itself. It takes forever getting in, you spend like 6 and a half hours, and I've never even finished the movie. I've tried on three separate occasions to get through and I get to the scene where all the guys are sitting around in the easy chairs and I have no idea what they're talking about. It's like they're speaking a different language.

        I love The Money Pit.
      • seiga, on 07/29/2008, -0/+4@sinurgy:

        Keep in mind that not all movies can be distilled down to a series of "lessons". The Godfather is a great movie because it is structured very well, has astounding character development, smart dialogue, great acting, and comes to a terrific and restrained closing with virtually all loose ends tied up.

        The Dark Knight is also an astounding movie, and I do believe it deserves to stay in the top 10 of all time, but I don't believe it fires on all cylinders like The Godfather does. A great case could be made to consider it the best action movie of all time though.
    • ThickGreenPuke, on 07/29/2008, -10/+10how much can you trust the list when Pulp Fiction is in the top 10 surpassing movies like Fight Club, Apocalypse Now, Clockwork Orange and 2001: Space Odyssey.
      • huskerdude, on 07/29/2008, -11/+8Why would fight club be part of a discussion of great movies?
      • ichbeineinrcg, on 07/29/2008, -3/+1"Hey, did you see Fight Club? Man, it really sucked compared to _____!"
      • Yoshi2000, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3Pulp Fiction is better than those movies.
      • ThickGreenPuke, on 07/29/2008, -1/+1"Pulp Fiction is better than those movies."
        I will be dugg down because Tarantino fans can't handle this. Everybody raves about the "awesome" dialogue Pulp Fiction has but it sounds to me like it was written by 2 guys high on weed. For *****'s sake, it analysis whether a foot massage is sexual or not. Pulp Fiction is 3-4 short stories which are tied together in the most half assed way and without a climactic end.

        @huskerdude
        I guess you think message of fight club is to go around setting up fight clubs.
    • yattias, on 07/29/2008, -11/+7Pulp Fiction is the only movie I would give a 10!
    • theOster, on 07/29/2008, -2/+7i'm going to side with peter on this one - the godfather insists upon itself.
      • seiga, on 07/29/2008, -2/+0That was a clever remark for a cartoon, but I'm not quite sure what it means.

        The Godfather doesn't propel itself through its story with obvious plot devices, so I could see how some might fail to see the structure of the story, but I don't think it really "insists upon itself."
    • tschau, on 07/29/2008, -3/+13I liked the Dark Knight a lot. Honestly though, I thought Batman Begins was much more cohesive and engaging. That was a top notch movie.
    • sq2shooter, on 07/29/2008, -3/+13Totally agree. Dark Knight was good but not epic. It was way too long and Batman's voice was just ridiculous and distracting. In the end, it was a Joker movie not a Batman movie.
    • lolwutpear, on 07/29/2008, -2/+3extra diggs for "like heath ledger"
    • buryyourhead, on 07/29/2008, -3/+5Considering Shawshank Redemption had more votes than The Godfather and was the same score as the Godfather, the IMDB staff were keeping The Godfather where it was. Shawshank Redemption in my opinion is a superior movie to the Godfather. Godfather was interesting but...I just couldn't get into it. I'd take Goodfellas over Godfather...

      Don't ask me about my business, bitch.
  • Dalhectar, on 07/28/2008, -12/+68As time progresses, more people will see IMDB. New IMDB users will vote for newer movies (a person in their 20's or teens will be more likely to see Batman vs a classic like Godfather). Thus overtime new movies will be able to overtake the classics. It's just a byproduct of the "democratization" of IMDB. Until you can pro-rate older users or users that vote on more movies vs newbies, it's just the way it is. But starting a Godfather vs Dark Knight debate sounds a lot like Star Wars vs LOTR.
    • Heidenreich12, on 07/28/2008, -4/+5very well put
    • gwisawesome, on 07/28/2008, -4/+9new younger users voting on new movies wouldn't be a problem- if 1 million people got on and voted for batman as a 9 average (still MUCH MUCH too high in my opinion) it would be put on the list appropriately-- but when these fanboys not only give their movie a perfect 10, they also go rate other older movies negatively to help 'their' movie pass it.. thats the only problem. and a huge one...

    • Paulish, on 07/28/2008, -4/+5It's just what happens. Do you see people getting angry that The Odyssey isn't on book lists anymore? Time progresses, each generation finds art that they feel expresses and explores THEIR values.
    • Mude, on 07/28/2008, -0/+14Your theory explains The Dark Knight's high rating, but it does not explain all the new "1" ratings for The Godfather. Those younger "voters" are not just voting up newer movies (that they're more likely to have seen), they're voting down the older ones (that they likely have not seen)...all in order to cook the books.

      It's a silly thing to do, really. Do fans of a movie get a prize, or a share of the gross right out of Nolan's pocket, if TDK stays at #1 on some Internet site?
    • benologist, on 07/28/2008, -0/+4IMDb is and has long been one of the most popular sites on the internet so it's not a case of more users seeing it. What it is a case of is mob mentality not being handled properly. A bunch of users like the movie and it's a great movie but the promotion system is flawed if it allows you to promote one thing by demoting another without appropriate 'dampening'.

      WebWare did a good piece on this:
      http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10000650-2.htm ...
      "That said, we have seen, with some consistency, that the system can be broken or manipulated by the actions of a passionate group of individuals, acting as a mob. If these incidents are not largely prevented in the future and become commonplace, we risk a lot of people losing faith in this otherwise very useful system."

      Digg's a good example of this (and WebWare touch on that too), a bunch of groups work very hard to promote various sites and comments that conform to their herd opinion and to quash any opposing views which is why we so rarely get opposing opinions or both sides of any story.
      • Stevethegreat, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2I find it kind of ironic and hilarious the "passionate group of individuals, acting as a mob" part. It's funny that owners of social sites that dealing with promotion (including digg) have to regard people as they trully are, prone to herd mentality.

        So much of "everyone is unique" myth that we learned in school, am I the only seeing carbon-based organisms acting alike ALL the time (myself including, at times)? It should had been "No you're not unique, nor your ***** kids are unique, you're awfully mundane like most of everyone else, douche"
    • libertao, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2IMDB does not use a straight averaging system, wiki explains it better than I could:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Movie_Databa ...

    • SRSco, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Perfect critique of community-based websites. While Digg may be one of my favorite places to find new content, the rating system is completely lame and meaningless to me. Just because thousands of Diggers thought some news was meaningful doesn't mean it's actually important. I still trust professionals over amateurs when it comes to news (that's right, I trust the MSM - the classy MSM: NPR, PBS, Economist, WaPo, NYT).

      Community-based sites are fun, but I'll never fully replace content maid by paid professionals with it. I prefer Rotten Tomatoes rating system WAY more than IMDB's.
    • Mpwns, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3star wars is better
    • flawlessjess, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3Come on we all know its a no brainer Starwars is the winner here :P
    • tech42er, on 07/29/2008, -3/+1a person in their 20's or teens will be more likely to see Batman vs a classic like Godfather

      I call bull. Most young guys have seen the Godfather; it's a classic.
    • chillypacman, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3I wonder if those same IMDB users have seen the Godfather to be giving it a 1/10?

      It's like a bunch of paultards took the site over.
  • insanewriters, on 07/28/2008, -6/+148Why do some people care so much? The IMDB Top 250 doesn't advertise itself as being the greatest 250 movies of all time - it's just the 250 movies IMDB users liked the most. This shouldn't ruin how much you like or don't like a specific movie.
    • Paulish, on 07/28/2008, -0/+8Thanks for putting some much needed perspective into things insanewriters. Everyone just needs to cool down, you can still love The Godfather as much as you want.
    • JustinHopewell, on 07/28/2008, -1/+5True, but IMDB is a great place to go if you need to cross-reference an actor or film because there's just SO MUCH there. It would be nice if the list could be held to the same standard. It is a film-geek comprised list, but most film-geeks have pretty good taste in film. I imagine this is all coming from an outside source. I can't imagine a bona-fide film-geek deciding to rate the Godfather a 1 just to bump up TDK.
      • wice, on 07/29/2008, -0/+0FTA: "It’s also worth noting that while any IMDb user can vote and effect a movie’s overall rating, only regular IMDb users can influence the film’s top 250 placement."

        if that's true, then i think it's more of a reaction from some regular users to the fact that a great number of "top 1000" users voted 1 to TDK, clearly because they wanted to save The Godfather's #1 position.

        it's a silly game, i hope it ends soon.
    • JasonHaley, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1I've actually read a few film-geeks comparing Dark Knight with epics like Sparticus: http://www.wordarc.com/Alamir/2008/07/20/The_New_B ...
    • Soonago, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Agreed. I went in and voted DK a 10 and The Godfather and Shawshank a 1 just because.
  • mayavada, on 07/28/2008, -17/+74god i hate the term 'fanboys'.
    • schneb, on 07/28/2008, -13/+5It is demeaning. Just because you like a product--you're pigeon-holed.
      • stevealford, on 07/29/2008, -0/+11You're only pigeonholed if you take your "like" of a product past the product itself into other arenas, such as voting down other good products/movies just to get your "liked" product/movie to the top, whether it deserves to be there or not. If you like something, no one cares. If you like it enough to try to tear down something else just so your like can look cooler, better, or more awesome than it really is, you're a fanboy.

        Voting TDK a 10 doesn't make you a fanboy. Voting TDK a 10 and then voting the films rated above it a 0 (dishonest and at least 7 different kinds of *****) DOES make you a fanboy.
    • curtisag, on 07/29/2008, -10/+11There's no god damn way Dark Knight is the best movie ever, I'm sorry. I haven't seen it, and I can say with confidence there's just no god damn way it is. Batman isn't that great of a concept. Therefore, anyone who rates it on IMDB as the greatest movie is by definition a 'fanboy'.
      • bagelmaster, on 07/29/2008, -4/+5Go see it then. It is certainly deserving of top 100 at the least.
      • theuncommonman, on 07/29/2008, -3/+7then I guess that makes you an "anti-batman" fanboy.

        which is worse.
      • antipoet, on 07/29/2008, -2/+3I said that before I went and saw it. Even with all the hype from my main sources of pop culture commentary (digg, friends) going on and on and on about it, I still think it might have been the best movie I've ever seen.
    • SublimeRuin, on 07/29/2008, -1/+1Ha - Fanboys http://digg.com/comedy/This_Week_In_Fanboys_TDK_Ap ...
    • phantom_mullet, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2hey now...kristen bell is going to be in the metal bikini in that movie, so you better watch what you're saying
  • Ninh, on 07/28/2008, -13/+17While flawed, the IMDB voting system is still vastly superior to the "greatest film of all times" selections in movie magazines where about 5 editors pen down their 20 favourite movies and then compile it into one big list.
    • AzzidReign, on 07/29/2008, -2/+8Is it really? I ask this because THE ***** DARK KNIGHT is apparently the best film in the history of the universe. I don't think that would happen on any magazine.
    • CrazyChair, on 07/29/2008, -1/+1Agreed. Just remove films that are less than 1-2 years old and I think it gives a much better indication of the "greatest films of all time" then those lists in magazines. Films that haven't had at least a couple of years to age shouldn't really be considered for those lists even if they deserve to be on there. IMDB is an exception because it's just a rating summary page.
    • Billions, on 07/29/2008, -0/+4Not really true, because the editors of those mags might actually have more qualified, pertinent opinions about what they're writing about than a bunch of excited, satiated fans.

      It's the internet! It can reflect huge sways of opinion in a day, an hour, or less! How exciting! We can call 'Dark Knight' the best movie ever, until 'Watchmen' comes out! ...but wait, I read that's gonna suck, because no one can make a movie adaptation of that work because it's so deep and rich, so let me reserve that vote for 'Transformers 2' instead.

      "More People Voted" is not the same thing as "Proven, Studied Experts Offer Favorites."
      • Ninh, on 07/30/2008, -0/+1Actually they don't. n editors, n+1 opinions.
  • ManaSmoker, on 07/28/2008, -15/+5WHAT!!! No one is allowed to defeat the Godfather fanboys!!!
  • hermmermferm, on 07/28/2008, -2/+38Yes
  • Xihix, on 07/28/2008, -3/+2Who cares? Just like any online voting thing, these things can easily be fixed up by even one person. That list is, at best, something good to look at if you don't know what to rent and watch one night.
  • GTRagnarok, on 07/28/2008, -10/+33I've never seen The Godfather. Do I fail? :(
    • CraigReed, on 07/28/2008, -5/+32Not really but you should go watch it.
    • amawg9, on 07/28/2008, -1/+11yes, but it's not to late run to the store, Blockbuster, put it in your que, or start downloading it now.
    • mediaspree, on 07/28/2008, -6/+4I thought I was epic fail and so went out and rented it. Meh. If you didn't fall in love with it in its first run, prob not gonna light you on fire.
      • JustinHopewell, on 07/29/2008, -0/+5Not true! I was tired and not totally ready to watch a long drama when I first watched it. I returned it and rented it again a few weeks later and fell in love with mob dramas afterwards.
    • DanPlainview, on 07/29/2008, -9/+6Don't see it, read it.
      • DeathRay2K, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2Both the book and the movie are truly incredible works.
      • DanPlainview, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3I'm more of a fan of the second Godfather movie. I always loved Vito's story about when he arrived in America and how he got started. That was my favorite part of the original book. I was disappointed to see it left out of the first movie, but after watching the second movie it made sense why it was left out. The way that Michael and Vito's stories are paralleled in that movie was brilliant. Just my opinion though, I'm sure a lot of people will disagree.
      • Lukesed, on 07/29/2008, -3/+1The book is nothing special and the only reason people recommend it is because they are film buffs who don't normally read and can't tell the difference.
      • DanPlainview, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3Wow Luke that's harsh.
        I enjoyed the book very much. I also am an avid reader of fiction. Of course I am certain that your mind is already made up and there is no way to convince you that I have actually read anything.
        Still, you are a dick.
      • Jokimoto, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Read the book, too. It gives a little different perspective on the characters.
    • Briandt75, on 07/29/2008, -8/+5Yes GTRagnarok, you have failed. As does anyone else who considers themselves a movie buff and doesn't think the Godfather is a classic. It's one of the two best gangster films ever made, and if you don't know the other one, you REALLY fail as a movie fan.

      Saying the Dark Knight is better than the Godfather is like saying water is better than fire. They need to both exist and are so vastly different it's an impossible comparison.

      p.s. who gives a ***** what IMDB says, it's user rated.
      • Llanowar, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Well, it is quite possible for one to not like ganster movies. I'm a movie fanatic but ganster movies and war movies for example are simply not for me.
    • Kristijan12, on 07/29/2008, -0/+4are you over 80 and on death bed?
      If not than no.
      You can watch it when ever you like.
    • sathias, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3No you don't fail just for that. However if you went and voted on the film without seeing it, then you fail.
    • asantos, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3Watch it now! FTW!
    • Billions, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3No, you don't 'fail,' but you are hurting yourself.
    • ru7hl3ss, on 07/29/2008, -0/+7If you end up seeing it, don't be shocked to find out it's overrated....
      • itchie, on 07/29/2008, -1/+1Similiar to the Dark Knight, actually DK is even more overated.. Hence this article.
  • schneb, on 07/28/2008, -3/+34"Evidence of a fanboy mob"

    Picture Don Vito Corleone being gunned down near the fruit stand.
  • KirbyMorph, on 07/28/2008, -24/+81The Dark Knight is far from the greatest film ever made. It doesn't even come close to the top 10. Great movie that wa sa lot of fun to watch, but it's littered with plot holes and convenient plot devices designed only to keep the movie moving. The fact it's at the top of that IMDB is a clear enough sign to me at just how pathetic that is as a metric for good movies.

    Honestly, does anyone think TDK is better than the Godfather, Citizen Kane, Cassablanca, Schindler's List, etc? It's a popcorn movie and that's all TDK ever will be.
    • Xihix, on 07/28/2008, -13/+7What plot holes?
      • bobalien, on 07/28/2008, -1/+19heath ledger was still alive at the end
      • Oea420, on 07/28/2008, -4/+27I magically used all the cell-phones to create a SONAR PICTURE of the world that can see anything, anywhere, anytime!
      • clak, on 07/28/2008, -15/+35I got buried for posting this a week ago, but here are just a few.

        Joker blows up a freaking HOSPITAL in BROAD freaking DAYLIGHT and makes his escape in an ultra fast SCHOOL BUS, which no cop seems able to stop, even though they've been warned that Joker will, you know, blow up a hospital. You see, this is totally believable because the cops apparently set up a perimeter two freaking miles away, just to be safe. It's not like they could have used a helicopter or something for surveillance. That would just make too much sense. /sarcasm

        Batman falls several stories to the ground, not once, but TWICE and gets up without so much as a broken bone, but hey, that's okay because his super duper special armor, (which is so strong that a dog can chew through it) protected him from the fall. That's totally realistic! Right? What's that you say? The metal roof of the Taxi totally cushioned his fall. Well, that's even BETTER! How wonderfully realistic. If I ever have to jump out of a burning building it's nice to know that a kevlar vest and a strategically placed car will break my fall.

        Police Commissioner Gordon pretends to be dead so that Joker will chase after Harvey Dent instead of his family (huh?) and Joker proceeds to kill six innocent people in the middle of downtown Chicago, uh, Gotham City, but this is okay, because by drawing the Joker out, the police are protecting the public from harm. No reason to clear the streets of pedestrians and traffic and stuff while transporting Harvey Dent as bait for a sicko maniac killer.

        Joker manages to keep a pencil perfectly balanced on a table while a large gangster stomps across the floor to fight him. Cool, but stupid.

        Joker burns a pyramid of money, because you see, money is not important to him. What's important to him is blowing and burning stuff up, which is exactly why he robs banks for a living. Makes perfect sense, no?

        Batman speaks with an annoying rasp which hides his Bruce Wayne voice because as everyone knows, Christopher Nolan wants this to be a REALISTIC depiction of Batman, which is why we have sonar cell phones in this movie and magic armor and explosive laced Bat Mobiles that turn into motorcycles which do gravity defying 360 turns on walls.

        Other complaints: There was no Wayne Manor in this film. No Bat cave. Chicago looks a bit too bright and modern to be Gotham City. Seriously, what is Gotham City without, you know, Gothic architecture? The girl playing Rachel Dawes is completely ugly, but for some reason Bruce Wayne is so obsessed with her that he decides to have sex with the whole Gotham City ballet, just so she can't go on a date with Harvey Dent.
      • zeroshiftsl, on 07/29/2008, -2/+7If I could digg you guys twice, I would.
      • alexforcefive, on 07/29/2008, -4/+19hospital one I'll give you...

        no reason batman can't have can't have special cushioning or mini airbags in his armour. He is batman after all

        has a city ever been entirely shut down while a prisoner was transported? by the way, joker set up a roadblock so the police weren't on their planned route. It's poor policing if anything, not a plot hole

        He stabbed the pencil into the table. Difficult but not impossible.

        The Joker: See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like gunpowder...and dynamite...and gasoline! Do you know what all of these things have in common? They're cheap!

        His voice was a bit annoying, yeah

        Wayne manor burned down at the end of batman begins. Can't use the batcave if you're rebuilding it. Gotham was being regenerated because of all the good batman had done - TDK is not the day after Batman Begins. ***** you, Maggie Gyllenhaal is gorgeous! He didn't have sex with the ballerinas, he just used them as cover so he could disappear to hong kong. It didn't have anything to do with rachel and harvey
      • jd87, on 07/29/2008, -0/+7Clak: I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person who thought that Nolan departed from his "realistic" depiction of Batman from BB. I didn't buy the idea that Batman actually WANTED to hang up his reigns so he could "be with" Rachel. Where was that emotion? When did they even ***** emotionally connect? They kissed once. There was absolutely no chemistry between them. I don't blame Maggie Gyllenhall or Christian Bale for this, though -- the opportunities simply did not present themselves in the movie. We were too busy canceling deals with corrupt Chinese businessmen.
      • eyefork2, on 07/29/2008, -2/+9When I saw this movie with my friends I started to wonder if I was the only one that thought Batman's raspy voice was annoying, and I feel much better now
      • clak, on 07/29/2008, -3/+11@alexforcefive

        Dude, that's just a few plot holes. I could go on and on.

        Let's see. Here's a few others.

        Why didn't the gangsters just shoot Joker when he entered? Why send over one of your hoods to rough him up? Furthermore, how the hell did Joker sneak into a meeting of the 3 most powerful mob bosses in the city? You would think they would have better security.

        How the hell did Joker manage to park a burning truck in the middle of downtown Gotham without the cops arresting him? You would have thought they would have been prepared for something like that.

        How the hell did Joker plan the bank heist so precisely that a school bus managed to plow through the wall at the exact moment one of his men was pointing a gun at him, and then have the nerve to say, "Do I look like a guy who makes plans?"

        Well now, let's see. You robbed a mob bank in broad daylight and escaped at the exact moment a line of school buses were rolling down the street. You attempted to shoot a public official while surrounded by the entire Gotham City police force and eluded detection after capturing several police officers and binding them in a room DIRECTLY ABOVE the mayor's stage, which was almost certainly checked by the police before the event. You snuck into a hospital while wearing clown makeup and dressed as a nurse, after warning the police that you were going to blow up a hospital and for some reason, Harvey Dent was left conveniently inside to talk with you. (seriously, the police seem to be extremely stupid in Gotham City. Thank God they have Batman) You managed to load what looked like thousands of barrels of explosive chemicals on 2 ferries, yet again, without the police noticing.

        Yes, *****, based on the fact that every single one of your schemes seems to work without fail, I would say you LOOK LIKE A GUY WHO MAKES ***** PLANS.
      • alexforcefive, on 07/29/2008, -5/+6The mob didn't shoot him straight away because he had all their money. Who knows how he got past the guards. Maybe he killed them, maybe he showed them his grenades. Maybe he walked up and said "I have all the mob's money, you'd better let me in".

        Who knows why the cops weren't prepared for the blockade. Why didn't they just drive past it? Like I said, poor policing. Maybe it's a metaphor for american foreign policy, like a lot of the movie seems to be. When faced with a problem or threat; why don't the authorities deal with it in a straightforward and sensible manner? Instead they take the low road, the furthest away from their intended path. etc.

        The bus coming through the wall at that precise moment was just for dramatic effect. It was a cool movie moment, don't look too much into it. Likewise don't try to figure the joker out, he's the freaking JOKER. He lied several times in the film, why would he be telling the truth about not making plans?

        He planned the heist to coincide with the school buses going past. I've seen more far-fetched bank heists than this. Agreed the secret service should have checked the apartment block, but they failed and the joker used it as a distraction. When the curtains opened, everyone focused on that window, allowing the joker to shoot from another location. The hospital had been evacuated; honestly I don't know why harvey dent was left inside. The explosives on the boats were kind of crazy, but if you'll remember the only reason people were on the ferries was that the joker threatened the bridges and tunnels. Misdirection, confusion, etc. He's not batman's nemesis for nothing, you know!

        So yeah. The hospital scene is kind of dodgy if you really analyse it; but then it was one of the coolest scenes and it kept the plot moving.
      • clak, on 07/29/2008, -3/+5@alexforcefive

        Look, I'm not saying all movies have to be perfect and without plot holes. I remember reading a review of the movie Speed years ago. This stupid critic questioned why Keanu Reeves didn't shoot out the wheels of the bus before the bomb armed. The obvious answer to that is that there wouldn't have been a movie if he did that, duh.

        Okay, so I'm willing to accept some plot contrivances, but there were just too many in The Dark Knight to overlook. Joker was like God or something in this movie. What further annoyed me about this approach is the fact that Christopher Nolan set up a realistic take on Batman in Batman Begins, and then subverted everything he accomplished in the first movie.

        Also, I would have been a lot less critical of The Dark Knight if I had actually been ENTERTAINED. There was not one action scene in this movie which impressed me. Remember the fight between Darth Vader and Luke in Empire Strikes Back? Remember the fight between Neo and Agent Smith, or Ripley and the Queen Alien or the scene where Indiana Jones kills a squad of Nazi in a truck carrying the Lost Ark in Raiders of the Lost Ark?

        Those movie had great action scenes. There wasn't one scene like that in The Dark Knight. Although Heath Ledger was certainly great in this movie, I think people got carried away with the fact that they were seeing him in his last role. I think a few years from now people will be wondering what the hype was all about. I doubt very much that they will be watching The Dark Knight over and over again, like they do with a movie like Star Wars.
      • alexforcefive, on 07/29/2008, -0/+5Oh dude, definitely. The fight scenes in particular were rubbish (What is that martial art called? It's horrible!). The plot is really good though.

        I was just responding to your points, I wasn't trying to say TDK is the greatest film ever. I guess like any film, you either buy into it or you don't
      • Captj, on 07/29/2008, -0/+6He was saying he wasn't a scheeeeeeemer to try and convince harvey to...well...BE two-face.
        It's quite obvious, it's not like he's the most honest guy in the movie. He told 2, almost 3 different ways about how he got the scars, etc. etc.
      • Exact0, on 07/29/2008, -0/+4I really hated it when they were transporting Dent. Smashing cars, running over helicopters, getting shot the hell up....next scene, the van has no damage and is perfectly polished.

        Not that it's a hole in the plot, but for some reason it made me angry.
    • mizatt, on 07/28/2008, -4/+29While I agree that it doesn't belong in the IMDB top 10, I think it deserves mention above being called a "popcorn movie."
      • JustinHopewell, on 07/28/2008, -6/+12I don't know, man. It's still a summer action blockbuster, it just has a little more drama and darkness to it than most films of its kind. In the end, its really just a respectable, well-done popcorn film.
      • mizatt, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3Eh... I think people are just going to have different definitions of what a "popcorn film" is.
      • chaos7, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3"popcorn movie" is annoying
    • MikeFallopian, on 07/28/2008, -13/+2Meet the Spartans was better than Citizen Kane. That movie is seriously overrated.
    • Buzzbean, on 07/29/2008, -9/+2In my opinion, Dark Knight does beat Citizen Kane because I didn't care for CK. I believe it's one of the most over-rated movies of all time (along with Taxi Driver) but Casablanca rocked and is number one or pretty close to it in my book.

      TDK was a good movie with a creative performance as the Joker that was quite creepy, but not good enough to rate in the top 100 movies of all time.
    • curtisag, on 07/29/2008, -2/+13I suspect that people have been so utterly starved for a good movie for so long that getting one like TDK is like a starving man eating a steak dinner. Hollywood has been absolutely horrible in the past few years or more in terms of quality movie making.
      • ELCad, on 07/29/2008, -1/+6Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth, No Country For Old Men, and There Will Be Blood we're all awesome recent films.
      • happycat, on 07/29/2008, -0/+0Since when has the popularity of a movie correlated to how good the movie is?

    • beanenator, on 07/29/2008, -2/+2I thought scindlers list was good but not that good one the better halucaust movies
      • ru7hl3ss, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1I thought it was better than the other movies he mentioned at least.
    • 12D3, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2Lets get this straight. Respecting a well crafted movie and enjoying a movie, can be very different things. At times they can be the same thing.

      Who decides a movie's legacy? We do. People do.

      If I asked a million people which movie they like more, The Princess Bride or The Godfather, I bet you that The Princess Bride wins. Respecting a movie and enjoying a movie can be different things.

      It seems that so many people are getting their ***** panties in a bunch trying to compare The Dark Knight to the Godfather, or taking a chance to knock it when comparing it to Citizen Kane. And it shouldnt be compared to those movies, because its not the same type of movie. It succeeds because it gives us respectable take on a popcorn flick. You get the big explosions and something to think about. The movie can be respected and enjoyed by the masses.

      The Princess Bride was trying to be an enjoyable film, and nothing more. The Godfather was trying to be a serious, well made drama, and cared about the story and characters.

      Movies like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars both fall right in between, as does The Dark Knight. Respect the ***** out of Citizen Kane and The Godfather, but dont bash the masses for saying their favorite movie is Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or The Dark Knight.
  • dolemite5005, on 07/28/2008, -18/+10***** you. Two fanboys died burying The Godfather.
  • esko127, on 07/28/2008, -18/+43 easy steps to realizing how over-rated The Dark Knight is:

    1. Roll a fat joint (blunt prefered for multiple people)

    2. Locate a copy of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto

    3. Smoke the joint (or blunt), and watch the movie

    Until you have done so, your opinion on The Dark Knight is invalid.
  • Big2hd, on 07/28/2008, -12/+2Why can't it be just a lot people liked the film rather than "fanboys" at work.
    • NathanielJ, on 07/28/2008, -0/+5Because if you actually looked at the vote history for the Godfather, you would notice that its percentage of 1/10 votes mysteriously grew from 5% to over 6.5% in the 10 days since The Dark Knight came out (after not changing by more than 0.1% in over a year).
    • appleseed1234, on 07/28/2008, -0/+5Because people who just "liked the film" wouldn't be fanatic enough to bury The Godfather.
    • gwisawesome, on 07/28/2008, -0/+2because regular people that enjoy a movie would simply rate said movie and that would be that

      these fanboys though, they go out of their way and lowly rate 'competing movies'
  • tylercomp, on 07/28/2008, -3/+3wouldn't be surprised.
  • PiratesPrevail, on 07/28/2008, -9/+1"fanboys" is the new "poser". its the sound that makes me punch infants!
  • poontangpirate, on 07/28/2008, -26/+3Who the hell cares about the godfather? How old is that movie? Dark Knight is rated highest because it's new and it's the best movie to come out lately.

    I really hate "that" group of people who would give hand jobs to the creators of movies like Scarface, The Godfather, and any other stupid mob/gangster movie.
    • stevealford, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3I honestly didn't love The Godfather, but a two-week surge of 1 out of 10 votes for it directly coinciding with a landslide of 10/10 votes for TDK as soon as it's released is obviously the work of severe fanboys who want TDK to be #1. You're an idiot if you think otherwise. I wouldn't vote The Godfather a 10, but voting it a 1 only means one thing: you're trying to bring its rating down so that TDK will be on top.
  • ElBeh, on 07/28/2008, -4/+16Woah... Citizen Kane is 28 on that list. That's surprising. http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

    But... no Marx Brothers. :(
    • AGONYTUESDAY, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Duck Soup. # 180, but should be higher
  • bokep, on 07/28/2008, -10/+14The day I start caring about how people vote on imdb is the day I shoot myself and two of your friends.
    • Ramble, on 07/29/2008, -4/+23***** you. Two of my friends died when you shot two of my friends.
    • zinnate, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3in that order, i hope.
  • xL0Sx, on 07/28/2008, -5/+59Maybe the Godfather Fanboys should step it up.
    • FreddieD, on 07/29/2008, -2/+4No chance. They only know Brylcreem, tommy guns, and wifebeater shirts. Internet savvy plays no role in their lives.
    • getbusyliving, on 07/29/2008, -0/+3Most of them are dead, apparently.
  • lafan313, on 07/28/2008, -14/+20If this is really happening, that's just wrong. The Godfather is an absolute masterpiece and an example of filmmaking, storytelling, and acting at its finest. The Dark Knight is simply a great summer movie.
  • alamedaman, on 07/28/2008, -6/+31godfather fanboys clearly aren't as fanatical as batman ones... I mean who goes to comic-con with orange peels in their mouth? (if you don't get that comment, go ahead and bury)
    • JustinHopewell, on 07/29/2008, -0/+4Haha, no buries for you, sir. That was awesome. :D I bring a fish in a newspaper to my comic-con... and carry a severed horse head. The ladies love it.
    • spkrcity, on 07/29/2008, -0/+0I walk around with my hand in my jacket like I got a gun.
    • krwlngindark, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Locke fans...
  • drmobutu, on 07/28/2008, -5/+16My name is Robert, and all I can think about is Batman: The Dark Knight!
  • XombieRobot, on 07/28/2008, -7/+7Who gives a flying ***** what some douchebag list says. I can't believe so called fanboys take time out of their days just to accomplish this.

    Just like anything else on the internet, it is all subject to the userbase and group-think mentality.
    • yohnstoppable, on 07/28/2008, -0/+3yup. this is like getting upset about people digging/burying a digg comment. People move in herds, just like dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. It's how the internet works.

      BTW, the same thing happens for the bottom movies as well. so many assholes ranked troll 2 a 10, that it isn't near the worst anymore :(
  • Heidenreich12, on 07/28/2008, -16/+3I am no 'fanboy', and I have never really been into comics. One thing i did notice, is The Dark Knight is one of the first movies, in a long time, that I was willing to see more than once in the theater. Now, you'll have some people say, "Its just because Heath Ledger died". Which is crap. If anyone has seen the movie (which, really... who hasn't), knows that he brings a chill down your spine, and also makes you laugh at how good he really did the part.

    Now, as far as God Father. I believe that movie is spectacular, but can you really expect it to hold its spot forever? If it was a movie other than batman, this article would be written as well, because there are GodFather fanboys as well (ok, i'm going to stop using that term).

    I believe that the movie was stunning, and kept me waiting for more throughout the whole movie, and isn't that what a movie is suppose to do? It sure gave me my moneys worth, and its the first time in a long time that its happened. And, if I had to choose between GodFather or The Dark Knight, I couldn't. I rather just leave it up to the average and I think that IMDB isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
    • appleseed1234, on 07/28/2008, -0/+5That must be the twentieth time I've heard someone use the term "spine-chilling" to describe Heath Ledger's performance.

      He was a great actor who died while his movie was held into the summer movie season. Get over it.
      • Heidenreich12, on 07/28/2008, -1/+3i really don't care that he died. I never liked him before this movie... i just thought he had a homosexual cowboy scene that I had no desire to watch. But it is bad when you can't give the guy credit for a great role
  • petaganayr, on 07/28/2008, -12/+7I saw bits and pieces of The Dark Knight last night because I was falling asleep.
    • Briandt75, on 07/29/2008, -1/+6That's because you're the Duke of Douchebaggery. You fell asleep during the Dark Knight? are you Narcoleptic or just so pathetically bored with your life? Good lord someone buy this guy a pep pill.
      • WhoDoneIt, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1People are burying him because he doesn't like a movie or think that it was that good? *****.

        I watched it last night as well and I could give two flying ***** about it. It was a "good" movie but that was it. FAR, FAR from being awesome and Heath, well good, wasn't anything more than just that.

        And I can tell you that I haven't wasted or spent the last 2 weeks obsessing over it. I watched it because I wanted to spend some time with my wife...not because I felt I HAD to in order to be cool.
    • jellydoughnut21, on 07/29/2008, -3/+1you can't say bad things about Batman on digg!! DUGG DOWN DUGG DOWN!!
  • xOKxWhy, on 07/28/2008, -9/+3Some people just don't like the Godfather
    • Briandt75, on 07/29/2008, -1/+2ya and some people wouldn't piss with their pants on fire.
  • Kcaj, on 07/28/2008, -9/+30I call this the "Kurt Cobain" effect, which in theater was pioneered by the Lee family (See: "The Crow" and "Enter The Dragon").

    What essentially happens is, some dude dies and suddenly their most recent work is a stellar masterpiece.
    • Oea420, on 07/28/2008, -3/+12People digg this guy down, but it's part of the reason The Dark Knight is doing so well.

      Ledger was STELLAR, don't get me wrong... but there's a very large group of people (probably that don't read digg) that would not have seen this movie if it wasn't for his death and the stir up it caused.
    • leexy, on 07/28/2008, -3/+6Are you actually saying that Kurt Cobain didn't come up with any masterpiece? Idioto!
      • WhoDoneIt, on 07/29/2008, -1/+3No, and he's not saying that Heath's performace was bad. He said it was stellar. He's saying that some people ARE giving it so much praise because Heath died.

        Let me also add that some people have a hard time NOT going with the flow or trend. Sometimes people think that since most like it, they must like it to in order to fit in or belong. *see Apple products.

        Some people also don't get out of the house and thrive on the internet. I'm not saying this as a slam, but places like Digg featured the DK for weeks before and after the movie came out. It literally breathed DK. It's hard to not get into it.

        However in my "real life" I only know 1 person who has seen this movie and I haven't heard ***** about it excpet for what I read about it online..

        And I can tell you what I read online gave me expectations that couldn't be matched last night when I finally saw it. I was disappointed to say the least.

        Not because it was a bad movie, but because I was prepared to see THE movie of all movies. Far, far from it.
    • Versh, on 07/29/2008, -2/+2Um, who considers the Crow to be a masterpiece? :]
      Sure there's the posthumous boost of interest initially, but if the praise lasts (give it 5 years or so) then maybe you can be assured it is earned. Yet there's no need to wait. I don't follow Hollywood news closely, and honestly I wasn't sure who Heath Ledger was, or which movies he had been in previously--- but his Joker performance was so very very good.
    • Coffeedemon, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2The Crow was just a decent, fun movie that benefited from the publicity of a famous person's death (and a kick ass soundtrack).
    • Billions, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2If it communicates any better to the kids, I'll just point out that Marlon Brando, who plays some dude in 'Teh GodFather', is dead too, and his performance is chilling when you think about how he's like dead now.
    • sandbags, on 07/30/2008, -0/+0not to mention that bruce lee wasn't the first person to die and have interest pique in his art.
  • mdaize, on 07/28/2008, -12/+28I believe that Dark Knight is definitely a movie that deserves to be on the top 250 movie list... #1 position? I don't think so...

    Now, As far as the Godfather is concerned, it is most definitely a great movie, however, I have always despised how it was #1... I truly believe that The Shawshank Rendemption is deserving of that #1 Spot and I don't see it being any other way!
    • curtisag, on 07/29/2008, -2/+3Shawshank is a great movie, but part of what I consider when I rank movies in my head is re-watchability. So I wouldn't rank it as #1. But I also think it's kind of ridiculous to rank all movies in one list. There should be a separate comedy list, drama, action/adventure, etc.
    • Briandt75, on 07/29/2008, -4/+1that's because you're a tunnel-visioned buttplug!
    • cnot3, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1If any Stephen King movie deserves the number one spot, its Sleepwalkers. What a masterpiece.
      • Jokimoto, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Um, have you not seen The Shining? Granted, the ending especially was way diff. than the book, but still, on it's own that's one good movie.
    • t3hmyth, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Film's can't objectively be called the "Best" of all time, because each (good) film is unique, and represents a completely different personal vision than any other film. Sure, some may be more enjoyable, re-watchable, innovative, etc... But that doesn't justify the "objective" placement of one film over another.
    • Pake, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1I agree with t3hmth. You can't call any one film the best (especially without being a fanboy). Here's how I see it: How many people can seriously say The Shawshank Redemption or The Godfather are any better or worse than Seven Samurai, or some other legendary movie?
  • Lucifugerising, on 07/28/2008, -8/+3Instead of ranking movies why not just watch them and enjoy them?
    • mrloci, on 07/28/2008, -1/+2bubba watch movie
      bubba no like/like movie
      bubba rank movie
  • opinionation, on 07/28/2008, -7/+1Yeah, it has nothing to do with the movie being really great or anything. Sometimes haters are worse than fanboys.

    buried
  • moyerucsb, on 07/28/2008, -10/+18Dark Knight was a good film but all this fan fare is way over the top. This is like watching a retard hump a doorknob.

    I mean seriously, I would go and say it was one of the greatest films... of the year but WTF.... Godfather status? Pft.

    L2Rate
    • jellydoughnut21, on 07/29/2008, -1/+2you can't say bad things about Batman on digg!! DUGG DOWN DUGG DOWN!!
  • Chaulis, on 07/28/2008, -8/+1This article is disappointing. Tastes change with time, and as the young get old, their favorite movies and music get old and unpopular with the newer generations. People from the time when The Godfather was at its height probably would not have willingly sat down and read The Great Gatsby and chose it as a favorite book yet in the early 20th century that's exactly what happened with the people of that time.
    • phoenixshard, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1It will be a weird day in the old folks home when we start asking the recreational directors to play some Ozzie.
    • curtisag, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Yet there are tons of more recent movies that CLEARLY are better than anyone can do with the Batman concept. Superheros are great fun and exciting, but anyone serious about movies would never rank a superhero movie as #1. There was a bunch of fangirls who drove up the boxoffice numbers for Titanic also, another example of a pretty good movie that made way more money than it should have. Now the fanboys are trying to retake the trophy, nothing more.
  • Draculecom, on 07/28/2008, -7/+2Don't worry, I make him an offer he don't refuse.
  • mbonzo531, on 07/28/2008, -16/+11Believe it or not I liked The Dark Knight more than the Godfather. I guess I am a Dark Knight fanboy.
    • hermmermferm, on 07/28/2008, -6/+12or just have bad taste!
    • cajungator2, on 07/29/2008, -7/+4Really bad taste. More people were killed in cooler ways in the Godfather
      • FreddieD, on 07/29/2008, -3/+1Hmmm, maybe. Both movies had someone who died from an object going through their eyeball.
    • Briandt75, on 07/29/2008, -2/+3haha exactly...I believe it... and you're totally a tool bonzo.
    • f54280, on 07/29/2008, -1/+1Did you vote 1/10 for The Godfather so The Dark Knight goes on the top imdb spot ? If yes, you are a fanboy, if not, well, you just have less than perfect taste...
    • Cole2026, on 07/29/2008, -2/+2I find it incredibly annoying that anyone here would say someone has bad taste for not liking a movie. The Godfather is good, but if someone does not like it, who cares? There is no perfect taste, everyone has different taste in movies.
      • abadbronc, on 07/29/2008, -1/+2Example: I like The Godfather and you don't.

        Since I have good taste you obviously do not and I am aloud to tell you that, which may be in bad taste in your mind but start reading this sentence again. [loop sentence]

        Now: You use the same exact logic and this is where discussion and debate comes from. Isn't it great. Don't be annoyed by it, embrace it.
  • SamanthaMll, on 07/28/2008, -3/+3I've seen people try to gather and rally on TDK imdb board, their post normally gets deleted, but nothing is stopping them from creating fake accounts.
  • yohnstoppable, on 07/28/2008, -7/+4Who gives a *****? It's a ranking system on the internet.
    • ajmccoll, on 07/28/2008, -1/+1So is Digg.
    • mrloci, on 07/28/2008, -1/+2why give a ***** about people giving a *****, its just a submission on the internet
      • yohnstoppable, on 07/29/2008, -0/+4Why give a ***** about me giving a ***** about other people giving a *****? It's just a comment on the internet.

        I just thought it was funny how upset this was making everyone. And the digg fanbase is every bit as fickle and herdlike as those imdb users. People here were crying for ledger to get an oscar before the movie even came out. Now I see comments like "bury me like heath ledger". Not that I really care, but it's just funny to see such a reversal over what imdb users (already known to be pretty stupid in general. just read the imdb forums for proof of that) vote on movies.

        The outrage over this is just as much popcorn entertainment as tdk was! ;)

        And no, i don't think tdk is better than godfather. I thought batman begins was better than tdk, and tdk was really good due to ledger's joker.
      • MasterTroll, on 07/29/2008, -0/+2I don't give a ***** about anything
  • Kcaj, on 07/28/2008, -6/+0This is a blatant conspiracy, luckily there was an alibi. Obviously The Dark Knight fanboys were busy trying to bury Heath Ledger at the time. Case closed.
  • Yoshi2000, on 07/28/2008, -14/+12Really? ***** Batman 1 is better than The Dark Knight!
  • kaminariko, on 07/28/2008, -3/+13Didn't we all learn the difference between popularity and quality back in high school?

    Apparently not.
  • CYR1X, on 07/28/2008, -6/+4BURY EVERYTHING.
  • havokdu, on 07/28/2008, -3/+10Give it a year or two. Fanboys always migrate to what's hot.
    Anyone remember Iron Man?
    • Kcaj, on 07/28/2008, -1/+5I remember that song from a long time ago...

      I.... AM... IROOOONN MAAAN
  • klipz, on 07/28/2008, -4/+3Same thing has been happening on youtube with Avril's girlfriend music video.

    I liked Dark Knight a lot, but by no means is it better than The Godfather.
  • magneteye, on 07/28/2008, -1/+6Exactly.Why people keep saying "of all time" is beyond me. It's just a reflection of the IMDB.com users, yet people act like it is the end-all authority and we have to buy into their *****. I have my own Top 250, I could give a ***** about these lemmings.
  • JAGUART, on 07/28/2008, -4/+10Tracking voters of the IMDB Daily Poll for a number of years now, it's pretty typical that the "average" voter has seen few movies made before 1980, and has no idea who directors like David Lean, Ingmar Bergman, George Cukor, John Huston, Elia Kazan (to name a few), even are. And just is telling is that actors before 1980 rarely get top votes in any daily poll.

    Essentially you have a legion of MySpace users propelling films like "Donnie Darko" into the Top 250.
  • nunofgs, on 07/28/2008, -1/+5Yeah, advertise it on Digg whydontcha.
  • tubbsthezombie, on 07/28/2008, -4/+4I loved The Godfather. I liked the Dark Knight, but don't think it deserves number one by any stretch. I've decided to not go by what the imdb boards say, and just make my own "top 250" list.
  • ryan83189, on 07/28/2008, -1/+2Im guessing that the fanboys built up a huge hype for the movie, so large that it could never deliver, no matter how good, and were slightly disappointed that it was not the epic it was hyped to be, whether they admit it or not. They now search for any and all metrics that can re affirm their brainwashed belief that it was the best movie ever made (and in some cases game them), because the 7 times they saw it must not have led them to believe that it was, and honestly- it wasn't the best movie ever, by far the best super hero movie out there(if you can call it that), but no where close to the epics it tops on the list. I don't need a rating, or box office numbers to know a movie was good, but apparently fanboys of this movie do. If you think it's a ten, vote it a ten, but don't downvote a masterpiece like The Godfather or Shawshank to inflate a stat for your favorite movie.
    • WhoDoneIt, on 07/29/2008, -0/+1Thank you for saying that. Precisely how I feel.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 100 of 116 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.