It’s time to tear apart another AFI list!

5 comments June 18th, 2008

Last night, in yet another bid to sell more DVDs, the American Film Institute released its list of the top ten films in several genres. I’ll skip the complaint that “animation” is a process, not a genre, and get right to the listings, then offer my typically shrewd comments after each category:

Animation

1. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, 1937

2. Pinocchio, 1940

3. Bambi, 1942

4. The Lion King, 1994

5. Fantasia, 1940

6. Toy Story, 1995

7. Beauty And The Beast, 1991

8. Shrek, 2001

9. Cinderella ,1950

10. Finding Nemo, 2003

Comments: SNOW WHITE, which I’ve seen dozens of times in the last several months (thanks, Allison!) is definitely a groundbreaking work of animation, and it holds up surprisingly well. But it’s not nearly as good as PINOCCHIO or (especially) BAMBI, Disney’s crowning achievement. There should be more Pixar on the list — especially TOY STORY 2 and THE INCREDIBLES. SHREK, I’m sorry, is an adequately animated collection of pop culture references that doesn’t deserve a spot, not matter how much money it made. And while CINDERELLA has its moments, I’ve grown to hate this story of a young woman who refuses to stand up for herself no matter what. The fact that millions of little girls, my daughter included, love it, is sort of disturbing.

Fantasy

1. The Wizard Of Oz 1939

2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, 2001

3. It’s A Wonderful Life, 1946

4. King Kong, 1933

5. Miracle On 34th Street, 1947

6. Field Of Dreams, 1989

7. Harvey, 1950

8. Groundhog Day, 1993

9. The Thief Of Bagdad, 1924

10. Big, 1988

Comments: The usual suspects, and WIZARD deserves its top spot. I prefer TWO TOWERS of the trilogy, but I can see why they’d go with the first in the series. And it’s nice to see GROUNDHOG DAY on the list — it’s one of the best movies of the last 25 years, and it really is a fantasy film.

Science Fiction

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968

2. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977

3. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 1982

4. A Clockwork Orange, 1971

5. The Day The Earth Stood Still, 1951

6. Blade Runner, 1982

7. Alien, 1979

8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991

9. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers ,1956

10. Back To The Future, 1985

Comments: Not a bad list, overall. I’d put the replace T2 with the original TERMINATOR, but aside from that, it’s hard to argue with the choices. Not a whole lot of science fiction in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, but it’s a great film, and what other category are you going to put it in? Teen comedy? Actually…

Sports

1. Raging Bull, 1980

2. Rocky, 1976

3. The Pride Of The Yankees, 1942

4. Hoosiers, 1986

5. Bull Durham, 1988

6. The Hustler, 1961

7. Caddyshack, 1980

8. Breaking Away, 1979

9. National Velvet, 1944

10. Jerry Maguire, 1996

Comments: Ahem? THE BAD NEWS BEARS? SLAP SHOT? Give NATIONAL VELVET and JERRY MAGUIRE the boot to make room for these 1970s classics. Nice to see THE HUSTLER up there, and not the more modern (and less effective) THE COLOR OF MONEY.

Western

1. The Searchers, 1956

2. High Noon, 1952

3. Shane, 1953

4. Unforgiven, 1992

5. Red River, 1948

6. The Wild Bunch, 1969

7. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, 1969

8. McCabe And Mrs. Miller, 1971

9. Stagecoach, 1939

10. Cat Ballou, 1965

Comments: CAT BALLOU? Really? How about BLAZING SADDLES, in honor of the late Harvey Korman?

Gangster

1. The Godfather, 1972

2. Goodfellas, 1990

3. The Godfather Part II, 1974

4. White Heat, 1949

5. Bonnie And Clyde ,1967

6. Scarface: The Shame Of The Nation, 1932

7. Pulp Fiction ,1994

8. The Public Enemy, 1931

9. Little Caesar, 1931

10. Scarface, 1983

Comments: I’d put GOODFELLAS in the top spot, but that’s just me. Otherwise, it’s a pretty solid list, though I’d make room somehow for MILLER’S CROSSING. Maybe by removing one of the SCARFACEs.

Mystery

1. Vertigo, 1958

2. Chinatown, 1974

3. Rear Window, 1954

4. Laura, 1944

5. The Third Man, 1949

6. The Maltese Falcon, 1941

7. North By Northwest, 1959

8. Blue Velvet, 1986

9. Dial M For Murder, 1954

10. The Usual Suspects, 1995

Comments: “Mystery” covers so much ground it’s almost impossible to narrow it down to 10. I’ve always thought LAURA was a tad overrated, and I might replace it with another noir, like OUT OF THE PAST. All the Hitchcock is good, and it’s nice to see BLUE VELVET get some recognition. As for more modern films, how about MEMENTO, SEVEN, last year’s brilliant ZODIAC or, in the same vein but a little older, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN?

Romantic Comedies

1. City Lights ,1931

2. Annie Hall, 1977

3. It Happened One Night, 1934

4. Roman Holiday, 1953

5. The Philadelphia Story, 1940

6. When Harry Met Sally…, 1989

7. Adam’s Rib, 1949

8. Moonstruck, 1987

9. Harold And Maude, 1971

10. Sleepless In Seattle, 1993

Comments: I’ll go with ANNIE HALL, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT and HAROLD AND MAUDE, but I’ve never been much of a Chaplin fan, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY is (sorry fans) a Woody Allen ripoff and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY hasn’t aged especially well. How about HIS GIRL FRIDAY, MY MAN GODFREY, any of the THIN MAN movies or RUSHMORE? 

Oops! Last-minute edit to add THE APARTMENT, the greatest romantic comedy ever made!

Courtroom Drama

1. To Kill A Mockingbird, 1962

2. 12 Angry Men, 1957

3. Kramer Vs. Kramer, 1979

4. The Verdict, 1982

5. A Few Good Men, 1992

6. Witness For The Prosecution, 1957

7. Anatomy of a Murder, 1959

8. In Cold Blood,1967

9. A Cry In The Dark, 1988

10. Judgment At Nuremberg, 1961

Comments: Listen, I love IN COLD BLOOD more than anyone, but the courtroom scene in that movie is a few minutes long, at most. I’d put ANATOMY OF A MURDER in the top spot. Everything a courtroom drama should be, this movie is — and it has Floyd the Barber in a small role!

Epic

1. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962

2. Ben-Hur, 1959

3. Schindler’s List, 1993

4. Gone With The Wind, 1939

5. Spartacus, 1960

6. Titanic, 1997

7. All Quiet On The Western Front, 1930

8. Saving Private Ryan 1998

9. Reds, 1981

10. The Ten Commandments, 1956

Comments: Of all the “genres” on the list, this one interests me the least. These sort of movies tend to be Oscar bait, with big budgets and huge spectacles taking the place of genuine human interest. Sure, SCHINDLER’S LIST is great and TITANIC is the most popular movie of all time, but when’s the last time you felt like watching either one? SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has a great beginning, a pretty good ending and nothing in between, and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is a camp classic dragged out to fill air time (and lots of it) every Easter. GONE WITH THE WIND, for all it’s politically incorrect content, at least manages to be entertaining, and I haven’t seen REDS in years but I still remember the emotional impact of Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton finally reuniting.

OK, that’s my take on the list. What’s yours?