Revisiting two previous topics:

I discussed the apparently unsinkable, but untrue, claim that General Motors singlehandedly wrecked urban mass transit. My thanks to a Door reader, Kryton, who sent a link to an article (part 1, part 2) that provides some interesting additional details (though I don't endorse the article's conclusion).

Ken Hirsch at No Pundit Intended extended my post on the NY Times's "Top 1000 Movies" list by gathering some data. He first compared the Times list to the 250 most popular movies as chosen by the users of the Internet Movie Database. Not counting movies that came out in 2003 or 2004, after the Times list was created, there are 86 "most popular" movies that don't make the Times list.

But the IMDB list skews toward more recent movies and very obscure movies. So, a second bit of clever data collecting by Ken is even more interesting. The IMDB also tracks the instances of a movie being referenced by other movies. Ken's post contains the 92 movies that have been referenced most. (The top two, by a considerable amount, are Wizard of Oz and Star Wars; the next five are Psycho, Godfather, Casablanca, 2001, and Jaws). Ken argues, and I agree, that such referencing ought to be useful as an indicator of "greatness".

But of the 92 most referenced movies, fully 31 don't appear on the Times Top 1000. They are as follows:

Alien, Batman, Blade Runner, Blair Witch Project, Blues Brothers, Carrie, Dr. No, Easy Rider, Evil Dead, Forrest Gump, Friday the 13th, Ghost Busters, Gojira, Halloween, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, Lion King, Matrix, Metropolis, Nosferatu, Planet of the Apes, Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Scarface, Star Wars V--The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars VI--Return of the Jedi, Superman, Terminator, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Titanic, Triumph des Willens

Two comments. One: at a minimum of these 31, Alien, Blade Runner, Forrest Gump, Lion King, Matrix, Planet of the Apes, and Scarface are all worthy. (Lest you think the Times list is simply too full of high-toned, profound movies to admit them, The Breakfast Club, Charley Varrick, and The Way We Were all make the list.)

Two: of the 31 omissions, by my quick count, 16, fall into the "science fiction/horror" genre. Could the mighty Times have a blind spot regarding that genre?

Comments

[John Palmer]

Like the NYTimes, I'm not all that keen on sci-fi/horror flicks. But I wonder if perhaps movie-list compilers are too young or something. Why don't these lists have "On Golden Pond", one of my favourites; and no Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road to..." movies? or did I miss them?

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Unfortunately, the additional details about GM and Nat'l City Lines are mostly in error. From the Appellate Court decision in U.S. v National City Lines: "It is undisputed that on April 1, 1939 defendant National City Lines, Inc had grown from an humble beginning in 1920, consisting of the ownership and operation of two second-hand busses in Minnesota....".

Contrast that with this from Part II of the article cited: "In 1936, GM formed National City Lines..."

I'll give the author credit for recognizing the utter dishonesty of Bradford Snell in all this, but it's too bad he still has to believe in a conspiracy. What actually happened is ho-hum stuff. A 19th century technology--streetcars, for which rails had to be laid down a route so the horses could pull them--replaced by early 20th century technology--diesel busses with balloon tires that could be rerouted by turning a steering wheel.