You've probably heard by now the AFI has released a new list: The Top Ten Top Ten...hehehehe. This is what I like to call "The AFI has lost all its credibility". Not that I'm complaining about the lists, it's become sort of a seasonal tradition to see the new list and I'm all for lists, long live the lists, besides it gets people watching movies and isn't that what it's all about. Because of the list last night, more people are aware of "The Public Enemy" and "Little Caesar" and now know that there was another "Scarface" before Al Pacino's. However I do get passionate when these lists omit such worthy films. Am I the only one who thought it weird that "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" did not make it on the top ten Sci-Fi? I would've had it as runner up after "2001". Not to mention that about three of the fantasy films could be better described as comedies. I love "Groundhog Day" and "Harvey" as much as the next man, but they could've been replaced with actual fantasy films like Capra's masterpiece "Lost Horizon", and I don't even want to get into the western pics which forgot all about Anthony Mann.
But I digress, this is just little movie buff me getting all hot and bothered at a list that's suppose to be fun, but really "Cat Ballou" before "Rio Bravo"?
My dream list would be if AFI would look past its homegrown American movies and perhaps compose a list of top 100 foreign films. I guess that's something the AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE might not specialize in. But wouldn't it be great if they did. Imagine the people who could be exposed to Truffaut, Godard, Fellini, Kurosawa, and Ozu (I have not hidden my love for that man). But one could only hope
1 comment:
I 100% agree with your comments! I too wish that the AFI would say, hey we've been doing lists of American films for over ten years now, so we'd like to acknowledge some foreign classics you might be missing. In many ways, these AFI lists are hurting us culturally-- people watch all the AFI 100 and/or Oscar Best Pictures way before they get into the foreign stuff.
I also agree with the constant and shockingly frequent overlooking of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. I think George Lucas would have voted it above STAR WARS!
Plus, yes, the westerns really should have had an Anthony Mann and I too was surprised when RIO BRAVO didn't make the list.
The fantasy list was a disaster. If they wanted to do it they should have had strictly gone the LORD OF THE RINGS route.
Every year I think AFI shoots itself in the foot coming up with these shows that make it increasingly difficult to come up with new ideas for the next year. I certainly would have saved at least Sci-Fi and Animation for a top 100 special. You could do the Sci-Fi one right now.
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