Thursday, June 21

I know it was you. You broke my heart.

So, I watched the AFI Top 100 Films last night and, naturally, was annoyed by the ranking of many. I realize that no such list could come close to satisfying me, or anyone else, but here are some of my biggest issues with the list:


  • ET is NOT a better film than To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Where the hell is The Women?
  • All the President's Men deserves a much higher ranking than #77
  • Sunset Boulevard could surely replace Schindler's List as #8
  • Some Like it Hot sits at #22 but I'd place Dr. Strangelove at least at that ranking. Instead the Doc site at #39
  • Nashville? Really? Are we really that enamoured wtih over-miking a cast?

On the other hand I'm completely cool with the top three:

#1 Citizen Cane
#2 The Godfather
#3 Casablanca


Their combined influence alone earns them top spots.


My personal pick for #1 most hated film on the list? That's easy, I HATED A Clockwork Orange. Blechhh! Kubrick was a mental case and this film was a cry for help. I saw it once and will never watch it again. Not as long as there are films like Singin' In the Rain and Moonstruck out there. The Shining offered a brief glimpse of his "genius" but otherwise, I don't get his rep.


But I digress...


I could go on and on and on about this rather insignificant topic but I won't. Instead, I'll list a few of my faves that rank simply because I will sit and watch them EVERY time they are on tv. These are the films that I will actually squeal at when I see them listed on the Tivo guide. I just just love them!
  • The Godfather
  • Sunset Boulevard
  • All the President's Men
  • Jaws
  • Moonstruck (not on top 100)

These films are also important because my family tends to quote many of them. In fact, my brother can go through an entire meal reciting lines from The Godfather only. It annoys many but I never get tired of him repeating "we're talking about a crooked cop..." with a mock Michael Corleone busted jaw speech impediment. It gets me every time. For a while, in my family, the worst thing you could be called was Fredo. We still say in disgust "What a Fredo!" whenever someone is particularly clueless (President Bush, for instance, is the perfect example of a Fredo.)


So that's a sample of my little list, what films will you watch at every opportunity?

No comments: