The AFI list....

While scanning the web I came across the AFI top films list. Apparently it's the tenth list they've produced and it's allowed newer films the chance to make the top 100. I thought I'd go through and see if anything stuck out.

The list starts with the names I expected:

1. Citizen Kane
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca
4. Raging Bull
5. Singing in the Rain
6. Gone with the Wind
7. Lawrence of Arabia
8. Schindler's List
9. Vertigo
10. The Wizard of Oz

The list goes on for 90 more titles. For the most part I expected to see the names that were on the list. Then I came across a few that I don't understand. I'm open to any opinions on the matter.

Strike One!
#66. Raiders of the Lost Ark

I love this movie. I just don't know that I would put it anywhere near the top 100. It's a great action film with typical dialogue and the occasional comedic moment. It's always felt like more of a guilty pleasure than a masterpiece of cinema. To top it off they ranked it above Silence of the Lambs and Easy Rider?!

Strike Two!
#69. Tootsie

I have no reason to accept this as a top 100 film. It was a fun movie but it's topping the likes of The Last Picture Show and Platoon!? Poor choice......

Strike Three!
#97 & 99 Blade Runner and Toy Story

These two films should never make the top 100 anything. I hated Blade Runner but I understand why some people might like it. Still, when you leave off titles like Laura and other incredible films this is a joke.

Toy Story, on the other hand, is a great family film but I feel like it made the list more for it's pioneering technology than anything. If we're ranking films on this basis we need to reevaluate the entire list.

Well, I suppose I would find a lot of people who like this list, I just think that AFI isn't really doing a good job of studying American film.

Here's the entire list link for you:
http://www.afi.com/100years/movies10.aspx

How this all began...

So, if you're wondering how it all started, this is the story.

I moved to Fullerton, California a few weeks ago. During the next few months I'm going to be alone while the wife works and waits for law school to start. Then she'll be coming down here too. In the meantime I have a lot of time to fill. I also have a large movie collection and a Netflix account.

After playing the whole Kevin Bacon movie game I decided that it would be fun to do something similar while watching some great (and not-so-great) films. I picked a title and started. With each film I selected an actor, someone with at least a semi-important role, and used them to pick the next film.

Here's how it's gone so far:
The bolded names are the ones used to pick the next film. I am not using any actor more than once.

1. Reign Over Me
 - Starring Don Cheadle, Adam Sandler, Liv Tyler, Jada Pinkett Smith

2. Traitor
- Starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels

3. L.A. Confidential
- Starring Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger

4. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
- Starring John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jude Law, Leon Rippy, Irma Hall

5. The Aviator
- Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Ian Holm, Jude Law, Adam Scott

6. Days of Thunder
- Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, John C. Reilly, Cary Elwes

7. The Princess Bride
- Starring Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Peter Falk, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest

8. Forrest Gump
- Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Fields

9. Sleepless in Seattle
- Starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Rita Wilson, Bill Pullman, Victor Garber

10. Wyatt Earp
- Starring Kevin Costner, Bill Pullman, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Michael Madsen

11. Runaway Jury
- Starring John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Jeremy Piven

12. Constantine
- Starring Keanue Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale

13. Eagle Eye
- Starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Billy Bob Thornton

So that leaves me at my next selection. I'm not sure what to choose but I'm open to any opinions or suggestions! In the future I'll also be reviewing the films I watch. I'll also be talking about other films I'm watching which aren't part of the game I've got going.