A lot of people are talking about the AFI’s release of “top ten films” in a variety of genres. I first heard about this from Sailor Boy and another friend last night,and they were saying that the only people who would actually put 2001: A Space Odyssey ahead of Star Wars would be Pretentious Film Types. (We say this with the full knowledge that we have just named out new desktop Hal.)
Also, they are clearly not Pretentious Genre Types, because those people would probably talk about the fact that Star Wars is actually space-set epic fantasy, but that’s neither here nor there. Me, I’m Genre-Interpretive, which was probably made obvious by the way I’ve been flitting about the internet, calling ROS(B) romantic suspense, to the dismay of all those who actually write romantic suspense. I think most people who look at Star Wars see a film set in space, and that sets off the sci-fi trigger in their brains, releasing sci-fi enzymes into their hypothalami. So sci-fi is fine by me.
But I digress. As with any release of lists of this sort, you read the winners and you’re left going, “Huh? How could they leave out my very favorite blah-de-blah? those bastards!” (No Tootsie?) And “What the hell is this piece of crap doing on the list?” (Yes, Lion King, I’m looking at you. You destroyed my love affair with Disney.) I could seriously go on forever about the things I’d put on the lists that they didn’t, or the things they kept off that should have been on there.
But instead, I’d rather talk about the categories themselves. “Animation, sports, westerns, mystery, romantic comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, epic, gangster, and courtroom drama.” Huh? Courtroom drama? Srsly? It’s a strange collection of groupings, to be sure. Some problems include:
- 40% of the Mystery listmakers are Hitchcock films. Hitchcock was very clear on the fact that he did not make mysteries, and in spite of my genre-interpretive leanings, I’m inclined to agree with him.
- A lot of courtroom dramas, however, are in fact mysteries. And a few Westerns, too.
- The fantasy list could in large part just be renamed “The Holiday Movie” list. Why don’t they put Miracle on 34th St. under Courtroom Dramas? Also, again, where’s the fantasy in that movie? Isn’t the whole point that it wasn’t necessarily fantasy? The fantasy list is a mess, despite the fact that I really do like most of the movies on that list. It’s just so broad, and so strange that they would stick LOTR there but not, say, The Ten Commandments, in which many fantastical things happen as well. Is it because the latter is biblical? Because they are both pretty darn epic.
- Speaking of Epics, what they chose to classify there is mysterious to me as well. Titanic? Epic? Don’t epics usually cover a period of years rather than a few days? And Leo’s Jack doesn’t really fit the mold of epic hero. I will, however, give them Saving Private Ryan, despite the “time crunch” issue, because they pack a lot of heroism and tragedy in such a small space.
- Speaking of Titanic, they should have created a “Disaster Film” category and slapped that in there. Disaster Film is a great category. It’s cross-genre as well — you could put in natural disasters, or Daikaiju, whatever floats your boat (or flips it upside down, or sinks it).
- Rather than separate out animation, I’d prefer if it was treated as a valid medium and classified according to the genre of said animated movies (Shrek is a romantic comedy, Finding Nemo is an epic, etc. John Scalzi makes this point brilliantly when talking about the phenomenal The Incredibles. Pause to note how much I love that film. It’s really one of my favorite movies of all time.)
I’m also disappointed in the romantic comedy list, but for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on, genre wise (except for Sleepless in Seatle, which is not a romantic comedy, but rather, should go under the heading of Hollywood Meta). I’m inclined to think it’s just bias over the fact that they can’t possibly put all my favorites in one top ten list, though I am so pleased that they saw fit to cut out the horrific dreck that tries to pass itself off as romantic comedy these days. Filmmakers: please watch these films (especially the black and white ones) to see how it’s done.
Hmmm… maybe I’m not as Genre Interpretive as I thought.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
It’s the omissions that bother me more than the inclusions. If I were rewriting the lists, I’d switch in Shakespeare in Love and Four Weddings and a Funeral in place of Sleepless in Seattle and either Annie Hall or Roman Holiday (I like them both, but…) [Okay, now I realize that they're just doing American movies and 4 Weddings is surely British, but I think Shakespeare was made with American money, wasn't it? So I think it should count.)
And why are so many of the romantic comedy movies listed so old? The other categories are mostly not so dominated. Do they think there are no good modern romantic comedies? How about While You Were Sleeping, 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, Notting Hill, An Ideal Husband, Grosse Point Blank? (Okay, I have weird tastes.)
And I think animation is focused much more on the technical visual aspects than story or anything -- hence Fantasia!!! And the emphasis on early Disney and modern computer animation. (I'd much rather have The Incredibles than Fantasia!) And I agree with you that The Lion King is really overrated.
And on the SF list, I'd dump T2 and Back to the Future, and Switch in Forbidden Planet and Gattaca. And, if I'm being honest, I'd chuck out E.T. (IMHO way overrated) and switch in Star Trek 2 or 4, or Serenity, or Metropolis [or was that foreign? yeah, probably], or The Matrix, or Twelve Monkeys. Or even Planet of the Apes.
As far as missing categories, how about Musicals???
Cara
[Reply]
June 27th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Musicals would be a great category!
I think the emphasis on old rom coms is because new ones, for the most part, suck tremendously. While You Were SLeeping is fabulous, though. It’s one of the last good roms coms. And Secretary. (Yeah, I have weird taste too. From the super sweet church going practically g-rated WYWS to the S&M flick). And I think they probably wouldn’t consider teen romantic comedies, even though those are both great films you mentioned, Cara. Also, I think both NH and AIH are English, too…
As for animation, if they really were worried about the technical aspects, TRON and Roger Rabbit would be on there. RR, is also an amazing film.
They should do teen movies as a category. American Graffitti, Bring it On…
[Reply]
June 27th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Lion King should be disqualified before any consideration is given; it’s shameful how completely they ripped off Tezuka’s Kimba the White Lion.
[Reply]
June 28th, 2008 at 10:30 am
In film school we used to talk about Star Wars as being a Western actually.
And Titanic is an epic because of the Huge Swooping Camera Shots and Long Run Time. (That’s how I think of epics generally — I’m not big on epics).
I’m rather too opinionated on most films to launch into what I think should and shouldn’t be on the list, but I do need to say that I Dislike Chaplin immensely. I’d rather have seen Buster Keaton on the Rom Com list.
[Reply]
June 29th, 2008 at 12:22 am
As you point out, they clearly had idiots preparing these lists. Sure no one is ever going to agree with every inclusion and deletion… but Titanic as an epic? They must have thought epic meant long.
[Reply]
June 14th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
i love vhs shopping meter film…
find meter film, i love shopping film and love vhs online…
December 11th, 2010 at 2:23 am
I whatsoever occasions choose to look at the great quality content materials and also this create a difference I found in you post. many thanks for sharing.
[Reply]