AFI's "New" Top 100 Movies? Yawn

On Wednesday night, the American Film Institute aired a television special unveiling its choices for the top 100 movies of all time. The list was really a 10th anniversary revision; AFI previously picked its top 100 movies back in 1997, and the idea here was supposedly to update things for contemporary sensibilities.

Looking at the outcome, I'm not sure why they bothered.

The movie that was picked as No. 1 on the 1997 list, Citizen Kane, is No. 1 again on the new list. In fact, many of the titles on both lists are the same. There are some more recent additions, but they feel almost like token acknowledgements.

Of course, lists like this are simply a matter of opinion, and there is no such thing as a "definitive" selection of the top movies. Still, in today's pop culture, things like this can be fun and the AFI has more credibility than most in putting together an undertaking like this. But if they wanted to update it, why didn't they really try to make it about films that are more relevant to the people who watch movies today?

I mean, look at some of the choices (which were also on the 1997 list): Yankee Doodle Dandy, City Lights, The General, the original King Kong, The Philadelphia Story, The Best Years of Our Lives. I'm not knocking their quality, but these movies are so old that the people who enjoyed them upon their initial release in theaters are mostly dead.

Movies can say a lot about who we are as a people, and that is something that changes with each new generation. This "new" list from AFI, in my opinion, does not really reflect contemporary culture or modern-day issues and sensibilities. Not including some of the aforementioned titles doesn't mean we're destroying the master prints of those movies for all time, but you almost get the sense that the folks at AFI are thinking that when they make these choices.

Film aficionados will say, how can you not include Citizen Kane on any list of the best films of all time? Simple: Limit your list to movies from the past 40 years, which is a good span of the lifetimes of most contemporary audiences. Yes, this means many of the greats of yesteryear would not qualify, but this does not mean you can't still watch and appreciate them.

It means that as time goes on, tastes and values change and our culture should change along with them. New ideas and ways of thinking eventually replace older ones, and that is what should have been done with this list.

Having said all that, I took a crack at it myself and came up with my own top 100. I am not claiming this is a perfect list; as I said, there is no such thing. Besides, there are valid criticisms that can be made -- it does not include musicals or foreign films, simply because my own tastes do not run that way. But as a barometer of those films that have defined who we are over the last 40 years, I think it comes much closer to the mark than the mostly recycled AFI selections.

Here it is:

1. The Godfather, Parts I and II (1972-74)
2. Raging Bull (1980)
3. Taxi Driver (1976)
4. Schindler's List (1993)
5. GoodFellas (1990)
6. All the President's Men (1976)
7. Chinatown (1974)
8. Apocalypse Now (1979)
9. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
10. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
11. The French Connection (1971)
12. Pulp Fiction (1994)
13. Blade Runner (1982)
14. Jaws (1975)
15. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
16. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
17. Platoon (1986)
18. The Departed (2006)
19. L.A. Confidential (1997)
20. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
21. Wall Street (1987)
22. The Usual Suspects (1995)
23. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
24. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
25. Star Wars (1977)
26. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
27. Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
28. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
29. The Elephant Man (1980)
30. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
31. The Insider (1999)
32. A Christmas Story (1983)
33. Unforgiven (1992)
34. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
35. Contact (1997)
36. Boogie Nights (1997)
37. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
38. MASH (1970)
39. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
40. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
41. Magnolia (1999)
42. Lost in Translation (2003)
43. American Psycho (2000)
44. In the Company of Men (1997)
45. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
46. The Shining (1980)
47. Shattered Glass (2003)
48. Clean and Sober (1988)
49. Street Smart (1987)
50. Dead Calm (1989)
51. A Shock to the System (1987)
52. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
53. Casino Royale (2006)
54. Alien (1979)
55. Rocky (1976)
56. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
57. Die Hard (1988)
58. Broadcast News (1987)
59. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
60. Planet of the Apes (1968)
61. Caddyshack (1980)
62. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
63. Crash (2005)
64. Good Will Hunting (1997)
65. Bad Lieutenant (1992)
66. King of New York (1990)
67. The Accused (1988)
68. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
69. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
70. Talk Radio (1988)
71. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
72. As Good As It Gets (1997)
73. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
74. Vanishing Point (1971)
75. Dirty Harry (1971)
76. The Terminator (1984)
77. Out of Sight (1998)
78. Slap Shot (1977)
79. Superman (1978)
80. The Mosquito Coast (1986)
81. Ray (2004)
82. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
83. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
84. The Ice Storm (1997)
85. Traffic (2000)
86. Kids (1995)
87. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
88. Affliction (1998)
89. After Hours (1985)
90. Midnight Run (1988)
91. Manhunter (1986)
92. Testament (1983)
93. Borat (2006)
94. Black Christmas (1974)
95. The Untouchables (1987)
96. Aliens (1986)
97. Walk the Line (2005)
98. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
99. Ed Wood (1994)
100. Young Frankenstein (1974)

Again, my opinions are no more or less valid than anyone else's. But besides the criticisms I made earlier, there are other things about the AFI list that are just plain screwy.

For instance, most people agree that Godfather I and Godfather II are so close in quality as to make it almost impossible to conclusively say one is better than the other. I myself flip-flop back and forth on that one periodically. But AFI has the first Godfather at No. 2 and the second way down at 32.

Huh?

Then, in a nod to more recent films, Lord of the Rings made AFI's list at No. 50 -- but only the first installment. Why not the whole trilogy? It really is one movie, just made in three parts. If you disagree, ask yourself if any of the three parts can stand on their own. This is clearly the great movie epic of our times, and I think that as the years go on, it will take on the flavor of whatever is ailing the world at the present moment. Right now, you can read some parallels to the war on terror, but the films as constructed give us a world so timeless that this can change.

By limiting the titles on my list to no earlier than 1967, it forced me to make things much more contemporary. And after a while, it got hard to think of new titles -- because, in general, it is true that the quality of movies overall today is not as good as it was years ago. But that just made it more rewarding to think of films that are deserving of recognition.

One great thing we have today is a strong output of independent movies from lesser known studios, or at least newer studios that have a good track record for quality like Miramax. Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were obvious picks because they represent the best work of a major talent to emerge during the 1990s (Quentin Tarantino) and they brought a refreshing energy and attitude to movies that had been missing for a long time.

But what about other new voices? I was fascinated watching In the Company of Men, which is a little film from an independent studio. It's a movie about two creeps who are angry at how they have been treated by women and consequently decide to date a woman who works at their company, make her fall in love and then dump her. On the one hand, much of it is painful to watch. But it clearly says a lot about the problems with how men regard and treat women in today's world -- and in my book, that makes it much more relevant than Modern Times or A Night at the Opera.

What about Abel Ferrara, a great independent filmmaker who many people may not know about? I included what I thought were his two best films on my list: King of New York and Bad Lieutenant. Check them out. Ferrara is a talent who deserves wider recognition. His films are gritty and real, and never dull. He uses the best actors (Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel, respectively, in the two films mentioned). He is a great storyteller, with a style all his own.

Instead of the tired It's A Wonderful Life, I opted for A Christmas Story, which is just as much a holiday classic and has actually replaced It's A Wonderful Life as the movie that gets played over and over until you're sick of it each Christmas.

The first two Godfathers I regard more as one movie. They are obviously now old enough to be classics and are masterpieces in every way, so they easily took the top spot on my list. There is a generous helping of Martin Scorsese in my top 10 as well. Sadly, by limiting myself to 40 years, one of my favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock, had to be left out. I thought about including Frenzy from 1972, but figured that I should make room for more recent talent (besides, Frenzy is far from being The Master's best work).

The AFI usually gives short shift to science fiction and horror, two genres I love. If you've never seen George Romero's original Dawn of the Dead, watch it -- I defy anyone to say that it is not a piece of filmmaking as powerful and socially conscious as movies from more "respectable" genres. And most agree that The Empire Strikes Back is the best of the Star Wars movies, so it gets a higher ranking on my list than its predecessor. AFI seems to shun sequels in general, Godfather II notwithstanding. Some, like Empire and Aliens, are just as good as their originals if not better.

I debated about whether to include Fahrenheit 9/11. Many people feel it is not a legitimate documentary so much as a propaganda piece. I include it not to endorse any particular political side or position, but simply because it is a document of our times and very specifically the political climate of today's world.

But whether you agree with all this or not, the point is simply: think for yourself. Don't take something like the AFI lists as gospel. The fun is more in talking about the movies we enjoy and what they show us about ourselves and the world we live in. It's great to sit back and let a movie unfold on the screen or on your television, but it can be more rewarding if you participate by using your imagination and thinking critically about what it means to you. That's as good a standard for art as any.