Honestly, this is the first time I've ever heard the words "godawful" and "Shawshank Redemption" in one sentence. We got ourselves a movie hipster, here.

This is why we need curated lists like the AFI's top 100. I'm not saying they are the answer rather what I'm saying is truly reflective lists require critical thinking and evaluation.

Yes. I'm much more interested in the informed opinion of one person or a few experts than I am in the bland, diluted aggregate opinion of everyone.

The former at least has the potential to give me something other than safe, obvious choices.

Have you tried out Criticker [1]? Its recommendations are based on your previous scores and the scores of other members. The recommendations and the probable scores are very spot on.

[1] http://www.criticker.com/

Totally agree. Shawshank is one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Was the GP sarcastic or something, for using IMDB?

What exactly makes it so great? I found it rather pedestrian. An entertaining and competent cliché.

I think you and I are in a pretty small minority. Maybe it's because I'd already read the novel - but I walked out of Shawshank Redemption thinking "meh" - and discovered I was very, very alone in that perspective.

Yes, mainly on IMDb. The Shawshank Redemption tops the IMDb, and The Avengers have a very high score 4.6/5 on Rotten Tomatoes.