AFI's 10 Top 10

OK, so looking at the various AFI lists if you wondered, 'How in the heck are they going to actually do a hundred Westerns or Science Fiction or Gangster films?' Well...they're not. What they've done this year for their 100 list is to do a top ten for ten different genres: Animation, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Western, Romantic Comedy, Mystery, Courtroom Drama, Gangster, Epic and Sports. For their regular lists in the past the voters had to choose from a list of 300 nominees to get down to the final hundred. This time there are fifty nominees for each of the ten categories. Some titles overlap, and as you'd expect some of the inclusions are a bit tenuous (as always). The final lists will be revealed on Tuesday, June 17th, on CBS.



Here is the AFI criteria that appears on the ballot:

• FEATURE-LENGTH FICTION FILM
  Narrative format, typically over sixty minutes in length.
• AMERICAN FILM
  English-language film with significant creative and/or production elements from the United States. Additionally, only films released before January 1, 2008 will be considered.
• CRITICAL RECOGNITION
  Formal commendation in print,television and digital media.
• MAJOR AWARD WINNER
  Recognition from competitive events including awards from peer groups, critics, guilds and major film festivals
• POPULARITY OVER TIME
  Including success at the box office, television and cable airings, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals.
• HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
  A film's mark on the history of the moving image through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation, or other ground breaking achievements.
• CULTURAL IMPACT
  A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance.

So here are the nominees for each category...

ANIMATED
AFI defines "animated" as a genre in which the film's images are primarily created by computer or hand and the characters are voiced by actors.

A skillful combination of caricature and artistry, animation amplifies reality, offering stories that are visually stylized, but emotionally truthful. Whether it's a minimalist black squiggle or a full-blow tour-de-force of color and movement, animation allows imaginary characters and inanimate objects to spring vividly to life.

The nominees: Aladdin (1992), Alice in Wonderland (1951), American Pop (1981), An American Tail (1986), ANTZ (1998), The Aristocats (1970), Bambi (1942), Beauty and the Beast (1991), A Bug's Life (1998), Cars (2006), Charlotte's Web (1973), Cinderlla (1950), Corpse Bride (2005), Dumbo (1941), Fantasia (1940), Finding Nemo (2003), Happy Feet (2006), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Ice Age (2002), The Incredibles (2004), The Iron Giant (1999), The Jungle Book (1967), Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Lion King (1994), The Little Mermaid (1989), Madagascar (2005), The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (1977), Monster House (2006), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Mulan (1998), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), 101 Dalmatians (1961), Peter Pan (1953), Pinocchio (1950), Pocahontas (1995), The Polar Express (2003), The Rescuers (1977), Robin Hood (1973), Robots (2005), The Secret of NIMH (1982), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Sleeping Beauty (1959), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999), The Sword in the Stone (1963), Tarzan (1999), Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Waking Life (2001)


FANTASY
AFI defines "fantasy" as a genre where live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.

By presenting dreamlike realms where fairies flourish, witches scheme and pigs fly, fantasy demands that audiences believe in magic and hope for wishes to come true.

The nominees: Babe (1995), Batman (1989), Beetlejuice (1988), Being John Malkovich (1999), Big (1988), Brazil (1985), Brigadoon (1954), The Canterville Ghost (1944), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Clash of the Titans (1981), Conan the Barbarian (1982), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), The Dark Crystal (1982), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Field of Dreams (1989), Ghost (1990), The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1947), Groundhog Day (1993), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harvey (1950), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), I Married a Witch (1942), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), King Kong (1933), Labyrinth (1986), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Lost Horizon (1937), The Lost World (1925), Mary Poppins (1964), The Mask (1994), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Pleasantville (1998), Portrait of Jennie (1948), The Princess Bride (1987), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Splash (1984), Superman: The Movie (1978), The Thief of Bagdad (1924), Topper (1937), Who Frames Roger Rabbit (1988), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), The Wizard of Oz (1939)


GANGSTER
AFI defines the "gangster film" as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a twentieth century setting.

Profit-minded and highly entrepreneurial, the American gangster is the dark-side of the American dream. The gangsters' lifestyles are portraits in extremes, with audiences cheering their excesses and reveling in their demise.

The nominees: Al Capone (1959), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Atlantic City (1980), The Big Heat (1953), Bloody Mama (1970), Bonnie & Clyde (1967), Boyz N the Hood (1991), A Bronx Tale (1993), Brother Orchid (1940), Bugsy (1991), Bugsy Malone (1976), Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Casino (1995), City Streets (1931), Dead End (1937), The Departed (2006), Donnie Brasco (1997), Force of Evil (1948), G Men (1935), Get Shorty (1995), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), GoodFellas (1990), Gun Crazy (1949), Heat (1995), A History of Violence (2005), Key Largo (1948), The Killers (1946), Little Caesar (1930), Miller's Crossing (1990), New Jack City (1991), On the Waterfront (1954), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Out of Sight (1998), Prizzi's Honor (1985), The Public Enemy (1931), Pulp Fiction (1994), Reservoir Dogs (1992), The Rise & Fall of Legs Diamond (1960), The Roaring Twenties (1939), Scarface (1932), Scarface (1983), Scarlet Street (1945), Some Like it Hot (1959), Thieves Like Us (1974), Touch of Evil (1958), Underworld (1927), The Untouchables (1987), The Usual Suspects (1995), White Heat (1949)


SCIENCE FICTION
AFI defines "science fiction" as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.

Whether it's a flying saucer whirling through space or a gleaming city on a distant planet, at the core of all science fiction is the provocative question. "What if...?" Science fiction presents stories and situations that tap our brightest hopes and darkest fears about what might, one day, turn out to be true.

The nominees: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Alien (1979), Altered States (1980), The Andromeda Strain (1971), Back to the Future (1985), The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), Blade Runner (1982), Children of Men (2006), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Cocoon (1985), Contact (1997), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Destination Moon (1950), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Escape from New York (1981), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Fantastic Voyage (1966), The Fly (1986), Forbidden Planet (1956), Frankenstein (1931), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), Independence Day (1996), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), The Invisible Man (1933), It Came from Outer Space (1953), Jurassic Park (1993), Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985), The Matrix (1999), Minority Report (2002), Planet of the Apes (1968), Repo Man (1984), RoboCop (1987), Rollerball (1975), Silent Running (1972), Soylent Green (1973), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Wars (1977), Starman (1984), The Stepford Wives (1975), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Them! (1954), The Thing from Another World (1951), The Time Machine (1960), Total Recall (1990), TRON (1982), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The War of the Worlds (1953), Westworld (1973)


CONTINUED...

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

I apologize if you've covered this before, but do you get to vote on these? And if so would you have any interest in sharing some of the films you may be voting on this year?

__________________
We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

Yes, I do vote and yes, I will tell you what my ballot look like, as well as what I think the actual top tens will look like on the broadcast.

WESTERN
AFI defines the "western" as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier.

Brimming with subtext and mythology, westerns offer iconic images of a time gone by and perhaps a time that never was. A man of action with an unspoken code of honor, the western hero faces gun-toting opponents, hostile natives, lawless towns, the harsh forces of nature and the encroachment of civilization. But the westerner keeps going, drawn to the freedom of the open plains and the promise of new life.

The nominees: Bend of the River (1952), The Big Country (1958), Blazing Saddles (1974), Broken Arrow (1950), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Cat Ballou (1965), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), Dances with Wolves (1990), Destry Rides Again (1939), Duel in the Sun (1946), Fort Apache (1948), Fort Apache (1948), Giant (1956), The Gunfighter (1950), High Noon (1952), High Plains Drifter (1973), How the West was Won (1962), The Iron Horse (1924), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), Johnny Guitar (1954), The Last Picture Show (1971), Little Big Man (1970), Lone Star (1996), Lonely are the Brave (1962), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Major Dundee (1965), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), My Darling Clementine (1946), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Pale Rider (1985), The Plainsman (1936), Red River (1948), Ride the High Country (1962), Rio Bravo (1959), Rio Grande (1950), The Searchers (1956), Shane (1953), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1948), The Shootist (1976), Silverado (1985), Stagecoach (1939), The Tall T (1957), True Grit (1969), Tumbleweeds (1925), Unforgiven (1992), Union Pacific (1939), The Westerner (1948), The Wild Bunch (1969), Will Penny (1968)


SPORTS
AFI defines "sports" as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition.

Whether smashing a ball into the outfield, landing a right hook in the final round or crossing a finish line to the roar of a crowd, sports movies create myths and larger-than-life heroes. The stakes in sports may be simple - someone wins and someone loses - but cheering for a character who faces adversity and aims for the top is an exhilarating reminder of the power of the human spirit.

The nominees: Ali (2001), Angels in the Outfield (1951), Any Given Sunday (1999), The Bad News Bears (1976), Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976), Body & Soul (1947), Breaking Away (1979), Bull Durham (1988), Caddyshack (1980), Champion (1949), Chariots of Fire (1981), The Color of Money (1986), Cool Runnings (1993), Damn Yankees! (1958), Downhill Racer (1969), Eight Men Out (1988), Fear Strikes Out (1957), Field of Dreams (1989), The Freshman (1925), Friday Night Lights (2004), The Great White Hope (1970), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), Hoosiers (1986), Horse Feathers (1932), The Hurricane (1999), The Hustler (1961), Jerry Maguire (1996), The Karate Kid (1984), Knute Rockne, All-American (1940), A League of Their Own (1992), The Longest Yard (1974), Major League (1989), The Mighty Ducks (1992), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Miracle (2004), Mystery, Alaska (1999), National Velvet (1944), The Natural (1984), North Dallas Forty (1976), Pat & Mike (1952), Personal Best (1982), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), Raging Bull (1980), Rocky (1976), Rudy (1993), Seabiscuit (2002), Slap Shot (1977), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), White Men Can't Jump (1992)


MYSTERY
AFI defines "mystery" as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.

Steeped in the unpredictability of human nature and wrapped in a tangle of plot twists, mysteries inhabit a world where the secrets are dark and the agendas are well hidden. Unlike the open-endedness that characterizes so much of real life, a movie mystery delivers the ultimate satisfaction of a solution in the final reel.

The nominees: And Then There Were None (1945), The Big Easy (1987), The Big Heat (1953), The Big Lebowski (1998), The Big Sleep (1946), Blow Out (1981), Blue Velvet (186), The Bourne Identity (2002), Charade (1963), Chinatown (1974), The Conversation (1974), D.O.A. (1950), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Dial M for Murder (1954), The Fugitive (1993), The Game (1997), Gaslight (1944), Gosford Park (2001), The hound of the Baskervilles (1939), House of Games (1987), In a Lonely Place (1950), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Klute (1971), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Lady from Shanghai (1948), The Last of Sheila (1973), Laura (1944), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Men Who Knew Too Much (1956), Memento (2001), Mulholland Dr. (2001), Murder On the Orient Express (1974), The Naked City (1948), North by Northwest (1959), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Rear Window (1954), Rebecca (1940), SE7EN (1995), Sea of Love (1989), A Shot in the Dark (1964), Sleuth (1972), Spellbound (1945), Suspicion (1941), The Thin Man (1934), The Third Man (1949), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Usual Suspects (1995), Vertigo (1958)


ROMANTIC COMEDY
AFI defines "romantic comedy" as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.

Romantic comedy spares no one in chronicling the horror and humiliation, the hope and despair, the agony and ecstasy of Cupid's arrow. Wrapped in fantasy and charm, laced with funny little truths about the human condition, romantic comedies remind us that we're all susceptible to that crazy thing called love.

The nominees: Adam's Rib (1949), The American President (1995), Annie Hall (1977), The Apartment (1960), As Good As it Gets (1997), The Awful Truth (1937), Ball of Fire (1941), Barefoot in the Park (1967), Born Yesterday (1950), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Bull Durham (1988), City Lights (1931), Clueless (1995), Design for Living (1933), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Harold & Maude (1971), His Girl Friday (1940), It Happened One Night (1934), Jerry Maguire (1996), The Lady Eve (1941), Moonstruck (1987), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), My Man Godfrey (1934), Ninotchka (1939), Nothing Sacred (1937), The Palm Beach Story (1942), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Pillow Talk (1959), Pretty Woman (1990), Roman Holiday (1953), Roxanne (1987), Sabrina (1954), Say Anything... (1989), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Sixteen Candles (1984), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Something's Gotta Give (2003), Splash (1984), 10 (1979), There's Something About Mary (1998), Trouble in Paradise (1932), The Wedding Singer (1998), What's Up, Doc? (1972), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Woman of the Year (1942), Working Girl (1988)


COURTROOM DRAMA
AFI defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the narrative.

Innocent until proven guilty. These four words inspire stories where the outcome may be the difference between life and death. The drama inherent in the theatre of a courtroom - the accused enters, the prosecution and defense start their cases, and a jury deliberates - all build to the moment when a verdict is read.

The nominees: Absence of Malice (1981), The Accused (1988), Adam's Rib (1949), Advise & Consent (1962), Amistad (1997), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), ...And Justice for All (1979), Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956), The Caine Mutiny (1954), The Children's Hour (1961), The Client (1994), Compulsion (1959), The Crucible (1996), A Cry in the Dark (1988), Erin Brockovich (2000), A Few Good Men (1992), Fury (1936), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), I Confess (1953), I Want to Live! (1958), In Cold Blood (1967), Inherit the Wind (1960), The Insider (1999), Jagged Edge (1985), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Legally Blonde (2001), Libel (1959), Madame X (1966), A Man for All Seasons (1966), My Cousin Vinny (1992), The Onion Field (1979), Paths of Glory (1957), The Pelican Brief (1993), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Philadelphia (1993), Presumed Innocent (1990), Primal Fear (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), Reversal of Fortune (1990), A Soldier's Story (1984), Suspect (1987), The Talk of the Town (1942), A Time to Kill (1996), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), 12 Angry Men (1957), The Verdict (1982), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), The Young Philadelphians (1959)


EPIC
AFI defines "epic" as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past. Their scope defies and demands - either in the mode in which they are presented or their range across time.

A bloody sword fight in an ancient coliseum; carnage in an open battlefield; a country on the edge of revolution. With sweeping interpretations of turbulent times, epics depict characters that, whether nobly heroic or shamefully depraved, are living life on the grandest of scales.

The nominees: All Quiet On the Western Front (1930), Apocalypse Now (1979), Ben-Hur (1926), Ben-Hur (1959), The Big Parade (1925), The Birth of a Nation (1915), Braveheart (1995), The Bridge On the River Kwai (1957), El Cid (1961), Cleopatra (1963), Dances with Wolves (1990), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Forrest Gump (1994), The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (1921), Gandhi (1982), [i]Giant[p/i] (1956), Gladiator (2000), Glory (1989), The Godfather Part II (1974), Gone with the Wind (1939), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), How the West Was Won (1962), Intolerance (1916), Julius Caesar (1953), The King of Kings (1927), The Last Emperor (1987), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), The Longest Day (1962), Malcolm X (1992), The Man Who Woul;d Be King (1975), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Passion of the Christ (2004), Patton (1970), Queen Christina (1933), Quo Vadis? (1951), Reds (1981), The Robe (1953), Samson & Delilah (1949), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Schindler's List (1993), The Sign of the Cross (1932), Spartacus (1960), The Ten Commandments (1923), The Ten Commandments (1956), Titanic (1996), War & Peace (1956)

OK, my ballot, which I turned in way back in January, looked like this. Write-ins for each category were allowed, and you were asked only what your number one choice for each category was, for tie-breaking purposes. The other nine there was no order assigned.

ANIMATION
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Alice in Wonderland
Dumbo
Fantasia
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Monsters, Inc.
Pinocchio
Sleeping Beauty
Toy Story

FANTASY
1. The Princess Bride
Brazil
Conan the Barbarian
Groundhog Day
Harvey
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Who Framed Roger Rabbit

GANGSTER
1. GoodFellas
Bonnie & Clyde
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Miller's Crossing
On the Waterfront
Once Upon a Time in America
The Roaring Twenties
Scarface (1932)
White Heat

SCIENCE FICTION
1. Blade Runner
Alien (1979)
A Boy and His Dog
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Ghostbusters
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
12 Monkeys
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Thing (1982)

WESTERN
1. Unforgiven
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
The Big Country
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
High Noon
Little Big Man
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Wild Bunch

SPORTS
1. Raging Bull
The Bad News Bears
Breaking Away
Bull Durham
Eight Men Out
Hoosiers
The Hustler
The Longest Yard
Personal Best
The Set-Up

MYSTERY
1. Chinatown
The Big Sleep
Gaslight (1944)
In a Lonely Place
Laura (1944)
The Maltese Falcon
Murder On the Orient Express
North by Northwest
Rear Window
The Third Man

ROMANTIC COMEDY
1. His Girl Friday
Bringing Up Baby
Modern Romance (1981)
Ninotchka
The Palm Beach Story
The Philadelphia Story
Roman Holiday
Rushmore (1998)
Two for the Road (1967)
When Harry Met Sally...

COURTROOM DRAMA
1. 12 Angry Men
Anatomy of a Murder
...And Justice for All
The Caine Mutiny
The Devil & Daniel Webster
Inherit the Wind
Kramer vs. Kramer
Philadelphia (1993)
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Verdict

EPIC
1. Lawrence of Arabia
All Quiet On the Western Front
Apocalypse Now
The Bridge On the River Kwai
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Longest Day (1962)
The Man Who Would Be King
Reds (1981)
Spartacus
The Thin Red Line (1998)

Those were mine, but if I had to predict what the actual lists will look like I'll go with...

ANIMATION
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 2. Toy Story, 3. Beauty and the Beast. 4. Bambi, 5. The Lion King, 6. Finding Nemo, 7. Alice in Wonderland, 8. Fantasia, 9. Dumbo, 10. Pinocchio

FANTASY
1. It's a Wonderful Life, 2. The Wizard of Oz, 3. King Kong (1933), 4. Ghost, 5. The Princess Bride, 6. Harvey, 7. Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 9. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, 10. Babe

GANGSTER
1. The Godfather, 2. The Gaodfather Part II, 3. GoodFellas, 4. Bonnie & Clyde, 5. On the Waterfront, 6. White Heat, 7. Pulp Fiction, 8. The Roaring Twenties, 9. Touch of Evil, 10. Scarface (1932)

SCIENCE FICTION
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2. Star Wars (1977), 3. Blade Runner, 4. The Day the Earth Stood Still, 5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), 6. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 7. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 8. Back to the Future, 9. Planet of the Apes (1968), 10. The Matrix

WESTERN
1. High Noon, 2. Unforgiven, 3. The Searchers, 4. Shane, 5. The Wild Bunch, 6. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 7. The Magnificent Seven, 8. Red River, 9. Little Big Man, 10. Dances with Wolves

SPORTS
1. Rocky, 2. Raging Bull, 3. Breaking Away, 4. Hoosiers, 5. The Hustler, 6. Field of Dreams, 7. Bull Durham, 8. The Natural, 9. Rudy, 10. A League of Their Own

MYSTERY
1. The Maltese Falcon, 2. Vertigo, 3.Chinatown, 4. The Big Sleep, 5. Murder On the Orient Express, 6. The Third Man, 7. Rear Window, 8. Gaslight (1944), 9. North by Northwest, 10. In the Heat of the Night

ROMANTIC COMEDY
1. The Apartment, 2. Annie Hall, 3. Bringing Up Baby, 4. When Harry Met Sally..., 5. Roman Holiday, 6. His Girl Friday, 7. The Philadelphia Story, 8. The Goodbye Girl, 9. It Happened One Night, 10. Pretty Woman

EPIC
1. Gone with the Wind, 2. Lawrence of Arabia, 3. Titanic (1996), 4. Schindler's List, 5. Saving Private Ryan, 6. Gandhi, 7. Apocalypse Now, 8. Gladiator, 9. The Ten Commandments (1956), 10. Patton



So those are my guesses. How do you guys think it'll go? If you had a ballot, what would you have voted for?

my top ten science fiction films, in no particular order:

Alien, BladeRunner, CloseEncounters, Clockwork Orange, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 2001, Star Wars, The Matrix, E.T., Planet of the Apes.

I'm almost half with you on Gangster films.
. GoodFellas
Bonnie & Clyde
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Miller's Crossing
On the Waterfront
Once Upon a Time in America
The Roaring Twenties
Scarface (1932)
White Heat
Exchange Miller's, Waterfront, OUaTiA, The Roaring Twenties, Scarface (32) and White Heat with Atlantic City, Boyz N the Hood, The Departed (!!), Scarface (83) and Touch of Evil (!).

My picks:

Animated

Peter Pan
Beauty and the Beast
Fantasia
Snow White
Cinderella
The Jungle Book
Monsters Inc.
Lady and the Tramp
Dumbo
Finding Nemo

Left out, probably because it’s a short feature rather than a full movie: Disney’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.


Fantasy

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Brigadoon (1954)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Babe (1995)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Batman (1989)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Field of Dreams (1989)
Harvey (1950)

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Angel on My Shoulder also should have made this list


Gangster

On the Waterfront (1954)
The Killers (1946)
Dead End (1937)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
White Heat (1949)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Key Largo (1948),
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)


Sci-Fi

The Thing from Another World (1951)
Them! (1954)
Frankenstein (1931)
Silent Running (1972)
Blade Runner (1982)
The Invisible Man (1933)
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Westworld (1973)


Spencer Tracy's and Frederick March's versions of Jeckel and Hyde should have been included.


Western

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
Shane (1953)
The Searchers (1956)
The Big Country (1958)
The Gunfighter (1950)
High Noon (1952)
Lonely are the Brave (1962)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Duel in the Sun (1946)
Cat Ballou (1965)

There are many good westerns left off this list, particularly Along Came Jones, The Unforgiven, The Grey Fox.


Sports

Angels in the Outfield (1951)
Pat & Mike (1952)
The Hustler (1961)
Bull Durham (1988)
Raging Bull (1980)
Champion (1949)
Fear Strikes Out (1957)
A League of Their Own (1992)
The Natural (1984)
Hoosiers (1986)

How about Trapeze!, Junior Bonner and a whole bunch of rodeo films, plus car racing films like Grand Prix, The Racers, etc. And Phar Lap.

And if Field of Dreams with a ball field full of ghosts is a fantasy, then why is Angels in the Outfield with a field full of invisible angels a sports film?

Mystery

The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Laura (1944)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
The Naked City (1948)
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)
The Big Easy (1987)
Sleuth (1972)
The Thin Man (1934)
The Usual Suspects (1995)


Romantic Comedy

His Girl Friday (1940)
Born Yesterday (1950)
Adam's Rib (1949)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Woman of the Year (1942),
The Goodbye Girl (1977)
My Man Godfrey (1934)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)


Courtroom Drama

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Inherit the Wind (1960)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Advise & Consent (1962)
Philadelphia (1993)
Compulsion (1959)
Paths of Glory (1957)

There are a couple of confusing entries here: for instance, although a good movie, Advise & Consent is about Congressional hearings, not a trial, while A Soldier’s Story is about a criminal investigation on a military base, but I don’t recall it ever getting to scenes of a court martial. The court martial scenes are brief in the Caine Mutiny and Paths of Glory, with the bulk of those two films focused on military operations.


Epic

Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Julius Caesar (1953)
The Longest Day (1962)
Giant (1956)
All Quiet On the Western Front (1930)
The Big Parade (1925)
Ben-Hur (1959)

(Forrest Gump isn’t exactly my idea of an epic with a cast of thousands of real people vs. computer graphics, but if you say so ….)


It's interesting that there are no seperate categories for musicals, war films, or comedies.

Just curious, Pike. Why did you pick the 1978 remake, Heaven Can Wait over the 1941 originial film, Here Comes Mr. Jordan?

I love them both but I've seen Beatty & Henry's version more often and more recently, so I picked that one. Could have gone with either or both. It was a ballot, I filled it out.




In past years the AFI already did an entire list of one-hundred comedies (Some Like it Hot was #1), and a top twenty-five for Musicals (Singin' in the Rain was #1). I'm sure they'll get around to war films eventually with their own list, but many are included in the "epic" ballot this time around and of course many have placed on some of the other previous lists. This one with the ten genres is the thirteenth list they've done since the original in 1998.

Holden,
I don't know the Set-Up. But Personal Best is a very questionable pick, as is The Longest Yard. Field of Dreams will definitely be in the top 10.
I would add Slap Shot, The Natural, and Caddyshack.

Well, that's why he took the opportunity to post his personal picks, so Personal Best, especially when you come to learn how much Holden likes Robert Towne, makes total sense for him. The Set-Up is a solid boxing flick, shot in "real time" which covers some gangster connections, plus Holds loves Robert Ryan and that may well be his performance of a lifetime. I love Robert Aldrich's original The Longest Yard and own it. Even if the movie wasn't as good as it is, the ending would have made it truly memorable. He did include Field of Dreams in his prediction list. Holden loves baseball (maybe as much as movies), but sometimes he doesn't blubber as much at certain male weepies (Field of Dreams and The Natural) as I do.

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I'm also halfway with you on Westerns: Butch & Sundance, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, High Noon ,The Unforgiven, Liberty Valance, The Wild Bunch.
If The Last Picture Show is considered a Western, then it definitely belongs near the top.
My other choices are Dances With Wolves, The Searchers, and Johnny Guitar.

I'm new here, so I am not aware of Holden's admiration for Robert Towne. So I'm putting up my personal view that it doesn't belong being ranked islongside The Natural, Caddyshack, or Slap Shot.
If I recall correctly, it featured a non-professional actress, and Towne, known for his work as a screenwriter, directed it himself.

1. Lawrence of Arabia
All Quiet On the Western Front
Apocalypse Now
The Bridge On the River Kwai
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Longest Day (1962)
The Man Who Would Be King
Reds (1981)
Spartacus
The Thin Red Line (1998)

i like your list, but it's missing Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's list, and Braveheart. I'm not a fan of Reds, but I do like Heaven's Gate.
I don't agree The Last Temptation of Christ is epic, it's a personal film that is told on an intimate level.
Of course Dr. Zhivago will make AFI's list, but I've never sat through it, nor could I complete the book.

So, you've never seen Personal Best you're just giving the basics of what you know about it? Yes, Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Chinatown, directed and wrote Personal Best. It was his debut as a director and he's directed three films since then: Tequila Sunrise (1988), Ask the Dust (2006) and another track and field-themed film Without Limits (1998), a very good biopic of legendary runner Steve Prefontaine which would make my top twenty or twenty-five favorite sports films ever. One of the two main leads in Personal Best, Patrice Donnelly, was an Olympic athlete and not a professional actress, it's true. But I think she gives a fine performance and most definitely lends an air of rock-solid credibility to the track and field depicted on screen. How any of that makes it less than writer and "SCTV" alum Harold Ramis' directorial debut including Rodney Dangerfield, a stand-up comedian playing a version of the guy from his act, I don't get. Patrice was perfect for the part of an athlete vying for the Olympics, Rodney was perfect for the part of a crass loudmouth with great one-liners.

I like Caddyshack and The Longest Yard very much (if you'll re-read the post, you'll see I voted for Aldrich's ballsy prison football flick so I'm not sure what your gripe is), and given more slots I would have easily included Caddyshack as well. If you use the search function on this site you'll find my praise for them in other threads, including on previous top ten sports film lists. Turning in the ballot to the AFI for the silly lists isn't just about straight 'voting for my absolute favorites'. Some strategy is involved. I really admire Personal Best, as a sports film and just as a film in general. But it's going to have a more difficult time getting into the top ten than Caddyshack, which will get plenty of votes without mine.

Now that you don't know The Set-Up is just sad. Go rent it and get back to us.

Actually, I don't say so. It's just on the AFI ballot for their TV special - a television special that, last time I checked, does not denote the passing of any laws. None of this is written in stone, even if it makes the final list. But take it up with them. I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear your opinion on the matter.

HERE is the contact page from their webiste (www.afi.com).

Fantastic. Why not make your own lists instead of quoting all of mine then?

Was glad to see that West Side Story made it to second place in the A. F. i. list. Here's hoping this great classic makes it to numero uno!!

Other films I've liked in no particular order or category:

Raging Bull
Dirty Harry
French Connection
Bonnie & Clyde
The Bible
Once Upon a Time in America
How the West Was Won
2001: A Space Odyssey
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
E. T.
Andromeda Strain
Little Big Man
The Warriors
Klute
Endless Summer
The Graduate
Wizard of Oz
Cat Ballou
Flipper


Ahhhh...the list goes on!