Friday, June 20, 2008

Lists, Lists, Lists

I have to put up a link to the latest doings by the AFI, that selected the top 10 movies in 10 different genres.

Here's the link from Yahoo! I can't take any more abuse from Sean Kilkelly.

It really wasn't abuse. It was funny.

So here they are. I don't have time right now to break it all down and analyze with too many comments, so read and discuss. Post comments...I dare ya.

ANIMATION
1 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
2 PINOCCHIO (1940)
3 BAMBI (1942)
4 LION KING, THE (1994)
5 FANTASIA (1942)
6 TOY STORY (1995)
7 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)
8 SHREK (2001)
9 CINDERELLA (1950)
10 FINDING NEMO (2003)

I like "Aladdin" a lot, but I won't quarrel with the list.

FANTASY
1 WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)
2 LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
3 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1947)
4 KING KONG (1933)
5 MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947)
6 FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)
7 HARVEY (1950)
8 GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
9 THIEF OF BAGDAD, THE (1924)
10 BIG (1988)

I'm not a fan of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Sorry. Sue me. But I love "Harvey", "Field of Dreams" (this is fantasy and not a sports movie?), and "Big."

GANGSTER
1 GODFATHER, THE (1972)
2 GOODFELLAS (1990)
3 GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974)
4 WHITE HEAT (1949)
5 BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
6 SCARFACE: THE SHAME OF A NATION (1932)
7 PULP FICTION (1994)
8 PUBLIC ENEMY, THE (1931)
9 LITTLE CAESAR (1931)
10 SCARFACE (1983)

I bet I already know Sean's thought. He loves "The Godfather, Part II." No way would he put "Goodfellas" over it. I would, however. And "Pulp Fiction" is one of my all-time favorite movies.

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 CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971)
5 DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE (1951)
6 BLADE RUNNER (1982)
7 ALIEN (1979)
8 TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)
9 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
10 BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)

Hold on just a minute there, Obi-Wan. Under no circumstances am I putting "2001" over "Star Wars" (and that's what we called it, not "A New Hope" or "Episode IV"). I do appreciate the nod for "Back to the Future" starring the immortal Huey Lewis, who should have won an Oscar.

WESTERN
1 SEARCHERS, THE (1956)
2 HIGH NOON (1952)
3 SHANE (1953)
4 UNFORGIVEN (1992)
5 RED RIVER (1948)
6 WILD BUNCH, THE (1969)
7 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
8 MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (1971)
9 STAGECOACH (1939)
10 CAT BALLOU (1965)

I like "High Noon", "Shane", and "Stagecoach." Where the hell is "The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance?"

SPORTS
1 RAGING BULL (1980)
2 ROCKY (1977)
3 PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, THE (1943)
4 HOOSIERS (1986)
5 BULL DURHAM (1988)
6 HUSTLER, THE (1961)
7 CADDYSHACK (1980)
8 BREAKING AWAY (1979)
9 NATIONAL VELVET (1945)
10 JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)

I'd put "Eight Men Out" up before I'd ever put the insipid "Jerry Maguire" here.

MYSTERY
1 VERTIGO (1958)
2 CHINATOWN (1974)
3 REAR WINDOW (1954)
4 LAURA (1944)
5 THIRD MAN, THE (1950)
6 MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941)
7 NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
8 BLUE VELVET (1986)
9 DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)
10 USUAL SUSPECTS, THE (1995)

Bingo! The great "Vertigo", featuring perhaps Jimmy Stewart's best performance. I'll also take "Rear Window", "The Maltese Falcon", "North By Northwest", and "The Usual Suspects", thank you very much. Is "Psycho" not considered a mystery? Oh, and "Blue Velvet" was bizzarre.

ROMANTIC COMEDY
1 CITY LIGHTS (1931)
2 ANNIE HALL (1977)
3 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
4 ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)
5 PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE (1941)
6 WHEN HARRY MET SALLY… (1989)
7 ADAM'S RIB (1949)
8 MOONSTRUCK (1987)
9 HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)
10 SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993)

I'm kind of cool with this, but I'd take "The Philadelphia Story" and stop. Stewart, Kate Hepburn and Cary Grant. Laughs galore. And, I'm a big fan of "You've Got Mail", a little more than "Sleepless in Seattle."

COURTROOM DRAMA
1 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1963)
2 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
3 KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)
4 VERDICT, THE (1982)
5 FEW GOOD MEN, A (1992)
6 WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958)
7 ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959)
8 IN COLD BLOOD (1967)
9 CRY IN THE DARK, A (1988)
10 JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)

Anybody saying anything other than "To Kill A Mockingbird" can turn in their credentials now.

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 TEN COMMANDMENTS, THE (1956)

Define "Epic." Ok, whatever. This list is tenuous at best. They're all large-budget monsters, I suppose.

1 comment:

Sean G. Kilkelly said...

Interesting that Braveheart would not be listed in the "Epic" films category.

My only other qualm is that nowhere do I see Howard The Duck!

How about a rockumentary category?