So a new American Film Institute top 100 movies list is out. Decided by Hollywood's actors, filmmakers, critics and writers. Now, before you all ask, No, I don't have the 100 list. You can obtain it at the AFI website once you have created a user account. I was pretty surprised by a few of the choices...but mostly because I had only seen one of the top ten films! I like to consider myself a movie fan but I know that I have quite a few "classic" movies to watch to get to fan status. The problem for me is that I prefer to be recommended films rather than go out to see a film that is considered a great movie. I like someone I know to suggest a title based on my likes and dislikes. I'm trying to make some progress, however. Only last month Ms. AllClick and I snuggled up to watch "Dr. Strangelove". This came out in 1964. Slow progress indeed.
What was really surprising about the AFI list was that some of the movies have changed considerably in their ranking. In 1998 "Raging Bull" was at 24. This year it was no. 4. Vertigo went from no. 61 to no.9. Is it just that DVD releases of these movies have made them more available and more watched? Maybe it is that in comparison to modern movies these have stood out more as remarkable pieces of cinema. Either way, we shouldn't rely to much on lists. I tend to trust the IMDB top 250 list..but even that has it's pitfalls.
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