American Film Institute... how I love thee

(written for an upcoming issue of The Ryder)

The American Film Institute – Listing America’s Best Films, 100 at a Time

Founded in 1967, the American Film Institute (AFI) began with the goals of training filmmakers, preserving and restoring film and video from America’s past and present, and recognizing film as an important artistic medium. The AFI has a graduate program where filmmakers can work in a collaborative environment to hone their craft. They offer a Directing Workshop for Women, which trains women in narrative filmmaking. Each year, the AFI recognizes its top ten films and television programs of the year, as well as bestows an influential filmmaker with a Lifetime Achievement Award―this year, actor/director/writer/producer Warren Beatty will be the 35th recipient of this prestigious honor.

Each summer since 1998, AFI has released a list of its Top 100 movies, categorizing them one genre at a time including Passions, Thrills, Heroes/Villains, Songs, and Quotes. This summer, AFI is announcing its Top 10 greatest films from 10 different genres. Fifty films are in the running for those ten coveted spots. Since we have a few more months until the official AFI 100 titles are released, I’ve gone through the lists of films in contention to come up with my own Top 10 for each category.

Animation
10. An American Tail (1986)
9. Robots (2005)
8. Peter Pan (1953)
7. Aladdin (1992)
6. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
5. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
4. Toy Story 2 (1999)
3. The Little Mermaid (1989)
2. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
1. Toy Story (1995) – The first feature film to be created entirely with computer animation. I was in the fifth grade when Toy Story was released. I remember seeing it in the theater with my family and being amazed at the detail put into the design of the toys. I love Woody and Buzz, but my favorite characters are the three-eyed aliens.

Fantasy
10. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
9. Batman (1989)
8. Pleasantville (1998)
7. Beetlejuice (1988)
6. Being John Malkovich (1999)
5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
3.Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
1. The Princess Bride (1987) – I dare you to name another film that has this much swashbuckling, sword fights, true love and ROUSs. I’ve often said that I could watch this film every day and never tire of it. Wesley’s "To the Pain" monologue leading to "Drop. Your. Sword." is priceless.

Romantic Comedy
10. His Girl Friday (1940)
9. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
8. Working Girl (1988)
7. It Happened One Night (1934)
6. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
5. Say Anything… (1989)
4. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
3. The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
1.When Harry Met Sally… (1989) - Nora Ephron’s harkens back to romantic comedies of the 1930s and 1940s in that the two lead characters are not looking to fall in love with each other. If anything, they are trying (though unsuccessfully in this film) to disprove the notion that men and women can never "just be friends" because sex always gets in the way. Everyone can recall Meg Ryan’s fake orgasm in the delicatessen, but it’s Billy Crystal demonstration of the "White Man’s Overbite" that brings a smile to my face every time.

Sci-Fi
10. Starman (1984)
9. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
8. Independence Day (1996)
7. Alien (1979)
6. Children of Men (2006)
5. The Matrix (1999)
4. Back to the Future (1985)
3. Jurassic Park (1993)
2. Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – I don’t think this is a science fiction film as memory erasing seems like a possibility in the near future, but it’s on AFI’s shortlist. Weaving forwards and backwards, Charlie Kaufman’s script gives us intimate, realistic glimpses into the interior life of Joel Barish (Jim Carrey in a career best performance) and his up-and-down relationship with Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet).

Western
10. High Noon (1952) – confession, haven’t actually seen all the way through, but I promise I will sometime soon (I don’t watch many westerns, and the ones I have seen, like Tombstone and 3:10 to Yuma, aren’t on the AFI list)
9. McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) – see above (though I have checked this out of the library multiple times… I will watch it one of these days, as I enjoy Robert Altman films and Warren Beatty)
8. Little Big Man (1970)
7. Silverado (1985)
6. Giant (1956)
5. Dances with Wolves (1990)
4. Blazing Saddles (1974)
3. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
2. The Last Picture Show (1971)
1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – An atypical Western, instead of our heroes riding off into the sunset, they flee south to Bolivia in hopes of getting their lives back in order and shaking the trail of law enforcer LaFours and his team of men ("Who are those guys?"). Butch and Sundance argue like brothers but their actions belie their bickering and reveal their vulnerability. When they are together, Paul Newman and Robert Redford can do no wrong. Their on-screen chemistry has never been matched.

Gangster
10. A History of Violence (2005)
9. Out of Sight (1998)
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
7. Goodfellas (1990)
6. Heat (1995)
5. The Usual Suspects (1995)
4. The Untouchables (1987)
3. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
2. The Departed (2006)
1. On the Waterfront (1954) – "You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley…" Written during the McCarthy Era, this film sets America’s Communist witch-hunt on the docks of the East Shore. The trial where Marlon Brando’s conflicted longshoreman Terry Malloy testifies against the mob bosses reflects director Elia Kazan’s own actions of naming names before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Sports
10. Chariots of Fire (1981)
9. Eight Men Out (1988)
8. The Natural (1984)
7. The Hustler (1961)
6. Field of Dreams (1989)
5. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
4. The Mighty Ducks (1992)
3. Miracle (2004)
2. A League of Their Own (1992)
1. Bull Durham (1988) – I first became aware of this film after it was on the "AFI 100 Years, 100 Laughs" list and have been quoting it daily ever since. I’m a huge fan of baseball, and it’s refreshing to see the unglamorous side to the minor leagues. Kevin Costner’s charm and vulnerability as catcher Crash Davis has only been matched by his second pairing with writer/director Ron Shelton in Bull Durham’s golf counter-part, Tin Cup (1995).

Courtroom Drama
10. The Rainmaker (1997)
9. Inherit the Wind (1960)
8. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
7. Primal Fear (1996)
6. Philadelphia (1993)
5. Erin Brockovich (2000)
4. The Insider (1999)
3. A Few Good Men (1992)
2. The Crucible (1996)
1. 12 Angry Men (1957) – One room + twelve men = nail biting intensity that I have never before seen in a movie. Henry Fonda’s Juror # 8 is an ordinary man who has to persuade eleven other men to find it in themselves to take a closer look at the evidence in order to come up with an anonymous verdict for a murder trial.

Mystery
10. Vertigo (1958)
9. The Conversation (1974)
8. Rear Window (1954)
7. The Fugitive (1993)
6. North by Northwest (1959)
5. The Bourne Identity (2002)
4. Memento (2001)
3. The Big Lebowski (1998)
2. Gosford Park (2001)
1. L.A. Confidential (1997) – Classic Good Cop-Bad Cop film noir featuring one of the best ensemble casts of the 1990s. Set in Los Angeles circa the 1950s, three cops (Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey) investigate brutal murders relating to an imprisoned mob boss amid the temptations of Hollywood (including prostitutes made up to look like movie stars) and corruption from within the police force.

Epic
10. Braveheart (1995)
9. Malcolm X (1992)
8. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
7. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
5. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
4. Gladiator (2000)
3. Titanic (1997)
2. Reds (1981)
1. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) – A visually stunning period piece with plenty of brutal battle sequences, The Last of the Mohicans is just one of many memorable films from director Michael Mann. American History was one of my favorite subjects, so seeing this in the fifth grade was a big deal. We were learning about the French and Indian war at the time, plus it meant we got to watch an R-rated movie at school. I remember really liking the actor who played Hawkeye - of course now I am aware that the actor who so impressed me was Daniel Day-Lewis, an asset to any film he’s in.

The official date for "AFI’s Top 10 Top 10" has yet to be set, but keep an eye out for an air date this June. Visit AFI.com for more information about this year’s Top 100 films.