The American Film Institute (AFI) voted again on the 100 best movies of all time—Orson Welles’ faux interpretation of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, Citizen Kane, remained on top. While I appreciate these types of lists I do wonder what goes into making them, especially when considering that twenty-three films got bumped from the original 1998 list (e.g. My Fair Lady, From Here to Eternity, Fantasia, etc.) Are these films not good enough anymore for their stuffy top 100 or are Titanic and The Sixth Sense (new editions) really that much better? Another thing that bugs me about the list is that it skews toward older movies. It’s not like I don’t like watching older movies—some of my favorite movies don’t even have sound (see anything with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton)--it’s just that I’d like a list that includes up-and-coming filmmakers’ joints. Batman Begins anyone? For these reasons I kind of like IMDB’s top 250 list because it includes foreign films, it’s continually updated, and it’s voted in by fans rather than elitist movie critics. But anyway, here’s the AFI list. I’ve seen fifty-seven of them. How many have you seen? Do you agree with the list? Would your list include recent blockbusters Norbit, Wildhogs, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer?
For some more fun here’s IMDB’s bottom 100.
1. “Citizen Kane,” 1941.
2. “The Godfather,” 1972.
3. “
4. “Raging Bull,” 1980.
5. “Singin’ in the Rain,” 1952.
6. “Gone With the Wind,” 1939.
7. “
8. “Schindler’s List,” 1993.
9. “Vertigo,” 1958.
10. “The Wizard of Oz,” 1939.
11. “City Lights,” 1931.
12. “The Searchers,” 1956.
13. “Star Wars,” 1977.
14. “Psycho,” 1960.
15. “2001: A Space Odyssey,” 1968.
16. “Sunset Blvd.”, 1950.
17. “The Graduate,” 1967.
18. “The General,” 1927.
19. “On the Waterfront,” 1954.
20. “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 1946.
21. “
22. “Some Like It Hot,” 1959.
23. “The Grapes of Wrath,” 1940.
24. “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” 1982.
25. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” 1962.
27. “High Noon,” 1952.
28. “All About Eve,” 1950.
29. “Double Indemnity,” 1944.
30. “Apocalypse Now,” 1979.
31. “The Maltese Falcon,” 1941.
32. “The Godfather Part II,” 1974.
33. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” 1975.
34. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” 1937.
35. “Annie Hall,” 1977.
36. “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” 1957.
37. “The Best Years of Our Lives,” 1946.
38. “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” 1948.
39. “Dr. Strangelove,” 1964.
40. “The Sound of Music,” 1965.
41. “King Kong,” 1933.
42. “Bonnie and
43. “Midnight Cowboy,” 1969.
44. “The
45. “Shane,” 1953.
46. “It Happened One Night,” 1934.
47. “A Streetcar Named Desire,” 1951.
48. “Rear Window,” 1954.
49. “Intolerance,” 1916.
50. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2001.
51. “
52. “Taxi Driver,” 1976.
53. “The Deer Hunter,” 1978.
54. “M-A-S-H,” 1970.
55. “North by Northwest,” 1959.
56. “Jaws,” 1975.
57. “Rocky,” 1976.
58. “The Gold Rush,” 1925.
59. “
60. “Duck Soup,” 1933.
61. “Sullivan’s Travels,” 1941.
62. “American Graffiti,” 1973.
63. “Cabaret,” 1972.
64. “Network,” 1976.
65. “The African Queen,” 1951.
66. “Raiders of the Lost
67. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, 1966.
68. “Unforgiven,” 1992.
69. “Tootsie,” 1982.
70. “A Clockwork
71. “Saving Private Ryan,” 1998.
72. “The Shawshank Redemption,” 1994.
73. “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” 1969.
74. “The Silence of the Lambs,” 1991.
75. “In the Heat of the Night,” 1967.
76. “Forrest Gump,” 1994.
77. “All the President’s Men,” 1976.
78. “Modern Times,” 1936.
79. “The Wild Bunch,” 1969.
80. “The Apartment, 1960.
81. “Spartacus,” 1960.
82. “
83. “Titanic,” 1997.
84. “Easy Rider,” 1969.
85. “A Night at the Opera,” 1935.
86. “Platoon,” 1986.
87. “12 Angry Men,” 1957.
88. “Bringing Up Baby,” 1938.
89. “The Sixth Sense,” 1999.
90. “Swing Time,” 1936.
91. “Sophie’s Choice,” 1982.
92. “Goodfellas,” 1990.
93. “The French Connection,” 1971.
94. “Pulp Fiction,” 1994.
95. “The Last Picture Show,” 1971.
96. “Do the Right Thing,” 1989.
97. “Blade Runner,” 1982.
98. “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” 1942.
99. “Toy Story,” 1995.
100. “Ben-Hur,” 1959.
8 comments:
I think I've seen 25 of them. Pretty awesome list though...
According to Roger Ebert, the list is voted on by the 1,500 members of the American Film Institute (the AFI). So, whoever the AFI is made up votes for these things. Basically, the list is made so the AFI can make a so to get the advertising money.
The bottom 100 list is great because those are usually the movies that critics never see. Check out how many goblin, wolf, or dragon themed movies are on the list. I guess hobgoblins aren't good enough for stuffy film critics.
I am standing strong at 44 - I quote Pulp Fiction to my wife all the time, to which she replies, "say what again?"
Bird - You gotta get on that.
Aaron - Yeah, I think they re-vote on the list, just to make some $$. I didn't make the connection between the bottom 100 and the Dungeons-and-Dragons-themed movies. Dorks.
Duane - Smart move. Marriage etiquette 101. ;)
Jed ---
Those dork movies are an awesomely bad time.
I've been waiting months to shell out money for the Jason Statham project "In the Name of the King- A Dungeon Siege Tale," only to find out that this joint was smoked out of the studios nearly a year ago.
Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, AND Burt Reynolds? Sign me up.
I've only seen 16 of them, and of those sixteen, only really got into about 8 of them.
Where's "What About Bob", and "Tommy Boy". Now those are some true classics.
I got to say "That was not smart - that was not smart" leaving "What about Bob" off the list - in fact, where is the love for Bill Murray? No "Lost in Translation," "Rushmore," or "Ghoustbusters II"? What is going on here!
Aaron - I'll see anything with Burt Reynolds in it. He has a real manstache.
Steve - You're absolutely correct. Critics don't appreciate comedies like the rest of us.
Duane - Bill Murray is a comic genius. But that doesn't matter. He'll never win an academy award.
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