The American Film Institute has come up with their list of The 10 Greatest Films in 10 Classic Genres. Here are my top 3 from each genre:Animation:
- The Lion King (mostly because of my memories of seeing how much my sons enjoyed it when we saw it on the big screen)
- Toy Story (same reason as #1)
- Beauty and the Best (same reason as #1)
Romantic Comedies:
Wow! There are quite a few in the top 10 that I haven't seen. Makes it easy to pick my top 3:
- When Harry Met Sally (mainly because of the classic deli scene -- it still makes me chuckle)
- Sleepless in Seattle
- Moonstruck (Cher and Nic Cage before he became an action star!)
Western:
This is a much tougher category. I love a good western.
- The Searchers (The AFI got this one right!)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- Stagecoach
Sports:
Ah, my all time favorite movie makes this list...
- Rocky
- Raging Bull
- The Hustler
Of course we all know that Sly "Rocky" Stallone and Robert "Raging Bull" DeNiro co-starred in Cop Land! [But did we all know that in 1976, both Stallone and DeNiro duked it out for the Best Actor Oscar!]
Mystery:
Another tough category...
- North by Northwest
- The Maltese Falcon
- The Usual Suspects
Fantasy: The AFI and I agree on the top film! [It's my all-time #2 favorite movie.]
- The Wizard of Oz
- King Kong
- The Lord of the Rings
Sci-Fi: A bunch of great films made the list, but where is Aliens, The Matrix, Highlander, etc?
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers
- Alien
Gangster: The AFI got it right again... at least with the number 1 slot!
- The Godfather
- The Godfather, Part II
- Pulp Fiction
Courtroom Drama: Wow! The AFI and I are in sync... at least for the top2.
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- 12 Angry Men
- A Few Good Men
Compulsion would have been my third choice if it had made the AFI list.
Epic:
- Spartacus
- Ben-Hur
- Saving Private Ryan
Lists like these make me want to pull down some of the classics and watch them again.
12 comments:
Cool list.
Good list Craig. Here's my top 3 from each category.
Animation:
Normally I would pick the ones I liked as a kid. But I hated most everything animated as a kid. Hated Cinderella. Hated Bambi. Fantasia didn't really interest me. Hated Snow White. Hated Pinocchio. Hated Lion King. But I enjoyed Finding Nemo and Shrek. And Toy Story to an extent.
1. Finding Nemo
2. Shrek
3. Toy Story
Romantic Comedies:
I must not be a romantic comedy kind of guy, because of all these I've only seen Sleepless in Seattle. And yet there are a few romantic comedies I liked. Wish they'd made the list. Sleepless in Seattle was ok, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I think I'll skip this category.
Westerns:
1. Unforgiven
2. The Wild Bunch
3. The Searchers
Sports:
I usually don't like the sports genre that much. But Caddyshack has Bill Murray, so you know it's number 1. Sorry Sly. I like Rocky, but I'm more of a Rambo guy.
1. Caddyshack
2. Rocky
Mystery:
1. North by Northwest
2. Vertigo
3. Rear Window
I am all about Alfred Hitchc0ck. Unfortunately, I haven't seen The Maltese Falcon, but it might make the list if I had since it's got Bogie.
Fantasy:
1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. King Kong
3. Groundhog Day
I don't like musicals usually, but I have to admit that Wizard of Oz is a classic. It was really really far ahead of its time and it deserves praise just for how good it still looks and sounds today.
Fellowship is good, but it didn't make the top 3.
It's been a long time since I've seen Field of Dreams and Thief of Baghdad.
Sci-Fi:
Sci-fi must be my favorite genre, because there are too many films here for me to choose 3 favorites from.
1. Star Wars
2. The Day the Earth Stood Still
3. Alien
2001, E.T., Blade Runner, T2, and Back to the Future are all huge favorites of mine as well. But Forbidden Planet, Aliens, and some Star Trek movies deserve to be here.
Gangster:
Shame on me. I've never seen any of the Godfather movies. In fact, of the movies here I've only seen Pulp Fiction. I loved Pulp Fiction, so it's the only movie that makes my top 3.
1. Pulp Fiction
Courtroom Drama:
I kind of like this genre, but I've only seen To Kill a Mockingbird and A Few Good Men, both of which I really enjoyed. I really need to see 12 Angry Men. I'd probably really enjoy several more of the films here.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. A Few Good Men
Epic:
I love this genre. It has two Charlton Heston movies! Don't like Titanic, though. I haven't even seen that movie and I hate it. Then again I might watch it and love it. The thought scares me.
Anyway, I love love love love these three movies.
1. The Ten Commandments
2. Ben Hur
3. Lawrence of Arabia
Sorry Spartacus. You're a great movie.
Saving Private Ryan is an impressive film, but it doesn't make the top 3 either.
AFI made a lot of great selections. My list would have been different, but there were quite a few greats in there.
Crowmagnumman
Gotta have goodfellas in a gangster list.
Squaremovie
Jun 18, 2008, 9:08pm, Squaremovie wrote:
Gotta have goodfellas in a gangster list.
Agree.
Nightslasher
Picking from their list:
Animation
Pinocchio
The Lion King
Finding Nemo
I love the old school Disney animation more than today's CGI animated cartoons. But they missed Peter Pan.
Romantic Comedies
When Harry Met Sally
The only other I've seen is Sleepless in Seattle, and that film sucked, so I will only pick one. I'd actually put 50 First Dates on my list. But I'm not a big fan of the genre apparently.
Westerns
Unforgiven
Wild Bunch
The Searchers
It's a joke there are no Leone Westerns in here! Have they heard of the Good the Bad, the Ugly, and Once Upon a Time in the West? I'd even put The Magnificent Seven in the top 10 - Cat Ballou?! Come on!
Sports
Rocky
Raging Bull
Bull Durham
Caddyshack should be more in for comedy and Jerry Maguire in top 10 - please! ::)
Mystery
Chinatown
Usual Suspects
Rear Window
Fantasy
Wizard of Oz
Lord of the Rings
Tie: King Kong/Field of Dreams
Love Groundhog Day too though, but where is Jaws?
Sci-Fi
This is a very hard genre to pick from
2001: A Space Oddessy (my top 10 of all time)
Alien
Back to the Future
I preferred the 1978 Body Snatchers which is why it didn't make my list. How about Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan? or how about Close Encounters of the Third Kind? or Planet of the Apes?
Gangster
Godfather
Goodfellas
Scarface (Pacino)
Um where the hell is Once Upon a Time in America, that would have made my list!
Courtroom Drama
Not my favorite genre, haven't seen to many but...
Kramer vs. Kramer
A Few Good Men
Epic
Ben-Hur
Lawrence of Arabia
Spartacus
Dances with Wolves, Forrest Gump, Apocolypse Now, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Great Escape.
Slyclone
Based on their top 10's, my top three are:
Animation: It's been too long since I've seen many of these Disney classics to make a fair judegement.
1. Toy Story
2. The Lion King
3. Pinnochio
Romantic Comedies: I'll stick with their top 3
1. City Lights
2. Annie Hall
3. It Happened One Night
Western: One of the more flawed lists, IMO.
1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
2. Unforgiven
3. The Searchers
Sports: Another terrible list.
1. Rocky
2. Raging Bull
3. The Hustler
Mystery: Tough to choose just three here.
1. Rear Window
2. Chinatown
3. The Third Man
Fantasy:
1. It's A Wonderful Life
2. The Wizard of Oz
3. Lord of the Rings
Sci-Fi:
1. E.T.
2. Star Wars (Empire Strikes Back would've been #1 for me had it made the list)
3. 2001
Gangster: The toughest list for me to choose from. I'm going to cheat and combine The Godfather films so I can make an extra selection.
1. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II
2. Goodfellas
3. Scarface (1932)
Courtroom Drama:
1. The Verdict
2. Anatomy of a Murder
3. 12 Angry Men
Epic: I'm embarrassed to say I've never seen Gone With the Wind.
1. Schindler's List
2. Lawrence of Arabia
3. Saving Private Ryan
RockyB76
RockyB, surprised you picked Private Ryan over Ben-Hur. I enjoyed both films, but Ben-Hur is about as epic as you can get.
Don't be embarresed about not seeing Gone with the Wind, either have I. In fact I've never seen Schindlers List. :-[
Slyclone
Excellent posts all!
Would you guys not consider The Graduate as a Romantic comedy? This is easily the best if so. It's in my top films of all time let alone that genre. Sleepless in Seattle over this...what a joke!
Slyclone
Well, The Graduate is in their Top 100, so they must've had trouble categorizing it. These genres are completely flawed. Why water categories down to courtroom dramas, and if they are going to have a romantic comedy genre, shouldn't they also accommodate screwball and slapstick? Anytime your #1 movie of all time (Citizen Kane) can't be categorized (I suppose you could argue for it to be included in the mysteries genre), you know your system is flawed.
Slyclone, Leone's films aren't included because they are Italian films. Although, The Third Man and Lawrence of Arabia are British productions but they are included.
RockyB76
Based on their top 10's, my top three are:
Animation: It's been too long since I've seen many of these Disney classics to make a fair judegement.
1. Toy Story
2. The Lion King
3. Pinnochio
Romantic Comedies: I'll stick with their top 3
1. City Lights
2. Annie Hall
3. It Happened One Night
Western: One of the more flawed lists, IMO.
1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
2. Unforgiven
3. The Searchers
Sports: Another terrible list.
1. Rocky
2. Raging Bull
3. The Hustler
Mystery: Tough to choose just three here.
1. Rear Window
2. Chinatown
3. The Third Man
Fantasy:
1. It's A Wonderful Life
2. The Wizard of Oz
3. Lord of the Rings
Sci-Fi:
1. E.T.
2. Star Wars (Empire Strikes Back would've been #1 for me had it made the list)
3. 2001
Gangster: The toughest list for me to choose from. I'm going to cheat and combine The Godfather films so I can make an extra selection.
1. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II
2. Goodfellas
3. Scarface (1932)
Courtroom Drama:
1. The Verdict
2. Anatomy of a Murder
3. 12 Angry Men
Epic: I'm embarrassed to say I've never seen Gone With the Wind.
1. Schindler's List
2. Lawrence of Arabia
3. Saving Private Ryan
RockyB76
RockyB, surprised you picked Private Ryan over Ben-Hur. I enjoyed both films, but Ben-Hur is about as epic as you can get.
Don't be embarresed about not seeing Gone with the Wind, either have I. In fact I've never seen Schindlers List. :-[
Slyclone
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