When graduate student Jamie Garland heard Internet Movie Database was releasing a top 250 movie list, she was eager to get started on a list of her own that included all the movies she determined as the best. With the help of her friends, graduate student Morgan Siebert and Truman State alumna Becky Phung, Garland set out on a mission to create YouTube videos reflecting their top 100 best movies.
IMDb’s list was voted on by IMDb users, according to the IMDb website. Because the list is based on user voting, the IMDb website also can sort the list based on number of rankings each movie has, release dates and personal rankings. The website also includes an IMDb ranking.
Although the website does not specify what factors went into considering the ratings other than user votes, Garland said she ranked movies based on awards and nominations the movie received, critical reviews and personal preferences. She said she also considered whether her and her friends had seen the movie or not.
“There were a lot of films that I really wanted to be on there, but we limited ourselves to only 100,” Garland said. “We had originally decided on 50, but there was no way we could cut it down. There were too many good movies.”
Garland said it took her and her friends about 10 days to create the list last October. She said it includes a wide variety of movies, and is an eclectic mix of lighthearted movies, such as “My Neighbor Totoro,” and hard-hitting classics, such as “Apocalypse Now.”
After creating the list, Garland said she and her friends decided they would upload video reviews of the movies to YouTube. Creating the YouTube channel helped her keep track of how often she was uploading videos so she could decide when to make a new one, she said.
Compared to a blog, Garland said creating the videos would be easier to keep up with. Because Garland is interested in pursuing a career in video editing, she said editing the videos gives her more experience in that field.
As a film studies minor, Garland said she also is interested in becoming a screenwriter. She said her passion for movies started at a young age, and she finds the deeper meanings of films captivating — something she wishes a wider audience could appreciate.
“As art forms they deserve to be discussed and viewed, whether they were made in 2015 or in 1939,” Garland said.
To read more about their top 100 list, pick up the latest issue of The Index (pg. 9).