British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the White House recently, and he and President Obama exchanged gifts.  Obama gave Brown a collection of 25 DVDs (list of titles after the jump), but the big story was that the British press is all bitter and pissed about it.

“In return for a pen holder carved from the timbers of the sister ship of the one the White House desk is made from and a first edition of a seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill, the Daily Mail is appalled that “Barack Obama, the leader of the world’s richest country” gave Brown a box set of 25 DVDs selected by the American Film Institute. These, it says, include Raging Bull, Casablanca, Psycho and The Graduate. It is, the Mail says, “a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks”. ” [Guardian]

Wow, a pen holder… thanks.  That’s, uh, I mean, normally I have so much trouble with the pen, you know, just laying the f-ck down on my desk all horizontal like, but this should, uh, really nip that problem in the bud.  And as for that seven-volume biography… that’s, uh, awesome.  I mean, I read a four-volume biography last year, but after only 2000 pages… I feel like there’s so much more to know.

Citizen Kane
The Godfather
Casablanca
Raging Bull
Singin’ in the Rain
Gone with the Wind
Lawrence of Arabia
Schindler’s List
Vertigo
The Wizard of Oz
City Lights
The Searchers
Star Wars: Episode IV
Psycho
2001: A Space Odyssey
Sunset Boulevard
The Graduate
The General
On the Waterfront
It’s a Wonderful Life
Chinatown
Some Like it Hot
The Grapes of Wrath
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
To Kill a Mockingbird

I know E.T. made a lot of money, but let’s be honest, does it really belong on this list?