the top ten

AFI's ten top ten:

(and my random thoughts)

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

I like this list. I mostly agree with it (though maybe not in that order-- but that's due to my personal taste rather than objective judging), with perhaps the exception of Shrek and/or Pinocchio. With Shrek, well, it depends what the guidelines are, I suppose. It is a good movie, unique, clever. But all the pop-culture references make it age poorly, and, well, you know how I feel about sequels. Shrek has two, and it's really a concept that only works well once. As for Pinocchio, well, okay, not one of my faves, but I suppose it had Jiminy Cricket. My favorite of the list would have to be Beauty and the Beast.

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

Okay, I haven't seen King Kong, Field of Dreams (blasphemy! says all the 30 year old guys reading this) and The Theif of Bagdad (who has seen this?). All the rest, I completely adore. Big and Groundhog Day I watch every single time they come on TV. Which is roughly once a week. And Harvey stars my future/past (??) boyfriend Jimmy Stewart, so 'nuff said.

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 a Nation, 1932
7. Pulp Fiction, 1994
8. The Public Enemy, 1931
9. Little Caesar, 1930
10. Scarface, 1983

I have not seen ANY of these. The Godfather is totally in my netflix queue though, I swear. Maybe I'd watch Pulp Fiction, but I already have the tendency to label it as overrated.

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

I heard Invasion was awesome from a reputable source. Of the ones I've seen, my list of the top 3: E.T., Back to the Future, and Star Wars.

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 & Mrs. Miller, 1971
9. Stagecoach, 1939
10. Cat Ballou, 1965

Oh man, I must admit, I usually avoid westerns. I did not get/like 3:10 to Yuma, if that's any indication. I have seen Harvey Girls with Judy Garland, which is actually a musical, but it's set in the west. Good movie.

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

Outrageous. The only movie I've seen in its entirety is Jerry Maguire. I freakn' loved that movie, though. I used to watch it every time it came on TV. Tom Cruise was HOT. Renee Zellwegger was really appealing. I love Bonnie Hunt. That kid was adorable. Now, I don't think I can really watch anything Cruise is in. That crazy guy. And I finally realized that he really just plays "Tom Cruise" in every single movie he's in.

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

Ooo... good category. Vertigo was great... and weird. I actually wrote an entire research paper on The Maltese Falcon so you can probably tell how much I liked that movie. And North By Northwest will always have a special place in my heart because it is essentially the movie that got me into the classics way back in middle(?)/high school. Thanks Grandpa. :)

ROMANTIC COMEDY

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

I think I've seen these all. When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle are ANOTHER two movies I literally watch every time they come on TV. The third romantic comedy would be Overboard with Goldie Hawn. To all those people who think they're above Rom/Coms, I dare you not to totally enjoy those three movies.

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

I've only seen the top three. Mockingbird and Kramer are amazing. And I'm sure Tom Cruise played Army-Version-Cruise very well in movie #5.

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

I hate any movie that labels itself as epic. It's just cruel to make someone watch something for more than 3 hours. Also, get over yourself, movie.