Filmsite is a film-review website established in 1996 by senior editor and film critic-historian Tim Dirks, and continues to be managed and edited by him for over two decades.
Overview
The site contains over 300 detailed reviews of English language films for which Dirks argues "there is reasonable consensus by most film historians, critics and reviewers" regarding their status as revered movies. Criteria for Dirks' selections include a film's technical innovations, recognition from award shows, accessibility to audiences, and influence on its genre. Although the "Greatest Films" lists do not include foreign language films and therefore exclude various widely acclaimed movies, Dirks makes clear that they are intended to be geared toward
classical Hollywood cinema
Classical Hollywood cinema is a term used in film criticism to describe both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking which became characteristic of American cinema between the 1910s (rapidly after World War I) and the 1960s. It eventually b ...
of the 20th century, and briefly discusses foreign films in many other areas of the site.
In many cases, a review goes through a film
scene-by-scene. The site also contains many other lists, and pages offering an introduction to cinema literacy. Filmsite.org is free with limited advertising and no "premium" (fee-based) service. Other features include a section for "Greatest Films of the Year" and summaries of the
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
.
Longtime proponent for the site, ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
'' film critic
Roger Ebert, described it as "an invaluable repository of movie descriptions and dialogue" and an "awesome website
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
contains detailed descriptions of 300 great American films, along with many other riches."
Filmsite.org considered the Top 100 resulting from the Top 250 Films survey of the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
, "tabulated in the early 2020's decade", and marked the common items with its "100 Greatest Films" as a comparative measure. In a 2020 article about Filmsite, CultureSonar referred to the site as "A One-Man IMDb."
References
External links
Filmsite.org
American film review websites
Internet properties established in 1996
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