Comments on: Movie List-o-Rama

By: MDR

MDR — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:52:45 +0000

Sounds like a great book, thanks for the recommendation Ken! I'm sorry that I can't recommend one I received as a gift a number of years ago titled "Guide to the Best 1,000 Moives Ever Made" by the New York Times. Most of the films that I hadn't already seen (which I've subsequently gotten to see via Netflix) have been disappointing, to put it kindly.

By: Ken Loar

Ken Loar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:23:54 +0000

One LIST that really opened my eyes to great movies was a book that I purchased from Sam's Club as a Christmas present for my wife. "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" has been a source of great pleasure as I learn so much more about a medium I thought I knew all about. It has introduced me to so much that I was ignorant of, that have become personal favorites (before "THE BOOK" came along, "Nosferatu" was the only movie that I associated with F. W. Murnau, missing greats like "Sunrise" and "The Last Laugh"). Some that I ignored that I just considered "more of the same" (like "Little Caesar" or "The Palm Beach Story") a those that just did not show up on my primitive radar screen. Foreign films that did not really mean much to me so I missed a lot (like everything by Sergei Eisenstein and Jean Renoir's "The Grand Illusion"). Though "THE BOOK" is now laughingly dubbed "Marge's Bowling Ball" the wife and I are constantly (OK, ME more than SHE) looking to TCM to help us find so many of the movies so that, when we must die we will at least be able to say "Yeah, I saw that one. But, did YOU see …?"

By: Bored @ work

Bored @ work — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:31:36 +0000

It seems some film watchers memories get shorter & shorter every year or I'm just getting older & older. OK I know I'm getting older but still, doesn't anyone think there were movies made before 1970?Most of those replacement films are from the late 60s/early 70s & up.Toy Story? Really? Seriously?

By: Ken Loar

Ken Loar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:52:56 +0000

I was simultaneously expecting and surprised by the removal of "Birth of a Nation". Praised and despised equally, it is no more or less as influential as early films go. However, I think that the inclusion of "Intolerance" is part of the natural progression of the whole back story.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:34:48 +0000

Will it take… ten years, maybe twenty, or can we ask now—WHAT the HELL were they thinking?!!But I guess that's what they will be saying, ten, maybe twenty years from now…But taking out FANTASIA, c'mon now, yer killin' me…

By: MDR

MDR — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:52:37 +0000

While I'm happy about many of the new additions to AFI's list, I'm stunned that not a single Audrey Hepburn movie remains. In fact, the biggest losses IMNSHO from the original list are: Stagecoach, My Fair Lady, and A Place in the Sun (1951). As far as the new additions are concerned, I'm most glad to see Sullivan's Travels, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, In the Heat of the Night, Spartacus, Sunrise, 12 Angry Men, and Swing Time (even if Top Hat is missing).

By: MikeJ

MikeJ — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:57:25 +0000

I was thrilled to see Gone With the Wind drop a few spots, but sadly it didn’t fall off the list completely. Here’s hoping that in another ten or twenty years that piece of garbage will be off the list.

By: MDR

MDR — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:47:30 +0000

Jason, 23 films fell off of AFI's original list but only 5 were newly eligible (e.g. more recent movies). It is shocking to see which movies fell out of favor with AFI voters, but perhaps their voting members have changed significantly over the past 10 years. Here is what was replaced:39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)44. BIRTH OF A NATION, THE (1915)52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)53. AMADEUS (1984)54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)57. THIRD MAN, THE (1949)58. FANTASIA (1940)59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)63. STAGECOACH (1939)64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)67. MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (1962)68. AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN (1951)73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)82. GIANT (1956)84. FARGO (1996)86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)89. PATTON (1970)90. JAZZ SINGER, THE (1927)91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)92. PLACE IN THE SUN, A(1951)99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)and here are the rankings of the new additions:18 GENERAL, THE 49 INTOLERANCE 50 LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE 59 NASHVILLE 61 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS 63 CABARET 67 WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? 71 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 72 SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE 75 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 77 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN 81 SPARTACUS 82 SUNRISE 83 TITANIC 85 NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A 87 12 ANGRY MEN 89 SIXTH SENSE, THE 90 SWING TIME 91 SOPHIE'S CHOICE 95 LAST PICTURE SHOW, THE 96 DO THE RIGHT THING 97 BLADE RUNNER 99 TOY STORY

By: Jason W.

Jason W. — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:33:35 +0000

I suppose I can't quibble with a lot of the choices on the AFI's top 100 list since so many seem to be quintessential representatives of the American cinema but I really hate to see a few contemporary films like TITANIC, FORREST GUMP & THE SIXTH SENSE make the cut because people have short memories or haven't seen the more deserving titles like THE LADY EVE or KISS ME DEADLY or THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962) or STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. or MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER or ROSEMARY'S BABY but why go on? I should just be happy that the list includes SUNRISE and DUCK SOUP and BONNIE AND CLYDE and BLADE RUNNER and other favorites. And please it's time to take BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID off the list.