Steve Reviews the Top 100 Movies

AFI is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the American film industry. Among the things they produce in conjunction with CBS is a Top 100 list of various topics. Their most fascinating and talked about is of course the Top 100 Movies of the Last 100 years list. Honestly I have a few problems with this list, but then again isn’s that the fun part of making a list like this. There are plenty of items on here that I have not seen and frankly have very little interest in seeing, but I have challenged myself that during the course of 2012 I will watch all 100 movies on this list, if I haven’t already – if I have already seen it and deem it worth I will watch it again. Jaws for example will be a repeat viewing. For each film I will write a review of my own. That is if I can even find the movie to watch. Where the heck am I supposed to find Birth of A Nation from 1915? Or 1925′s Gold Rush?

That being said, I am sure my reviews will be far less cerebral, but honest from my viewpoint. I will not hold back punches. Just because they are a classic in someone else’s eyes does not make them watchable or enjoyable in mine. Now I won’t go as far as replacing Citizen Kane with Transformers 2 : Revenge of Montezuma (or whatever that turd was called) but I will give you an directed assessment from someone who did not spend their college years in film class sipping tea deeply analyzing the sub-subtext of the end credits, looking for hidden meaning behind the Key Grip. I can say that straight off the bat I am disturb by the fact that of the 100 movies on this list only 14 were made after 1980. Since I was born in 1975 only 24 movies made this list. My generation apparently does not have much to say when it comes to great cinema. I beg to differ on that point. Are you trying to tell me that nothing worth my viewing effort was made within my life time? Well I guess I will find out. By the end of the year I will produce my own Top 100 list and we can compare the results.

PS – One side note. I seriously doubt I will be able to do these reviews in order. I have to work myself up to some of these. I am not looking forward to Annie Hall or West Side Story, but I will keep my promise and watch them even if it is December 31, 2012. All my reviews will start with what is available through Netflix or any of the free services accessible through my Roku, Boxee Box or WD Live.

AFI Top 100 Films – 10th Anniversary Edition (This is the list I am going to review)

#	MOVIE	YEAR
1	CITIZEN KANE	1941
2	THE GODFATHER (reviewed)	1972
3	CASABLANCA (reviewed)	1942
4	RAGING BULL	1980
5	SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN	1952
6	GONE WITH THE WIND	1939
7	LAWRENCE OF ARABIA	1962
8	SCHINDLER’S LIST	1993
9	VERTIGO	1958
10	THE WIZARD OF OZ	1939
11	CITY LIGHTS	1931
12	THE SEARCHERS	1956
13	STAR WARS	1977
14	PSYCHO	1960
15	2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY	1968
16	SUNSET BLVD.	1950
17	THE GRADUATE	1967
18	THE GENERAL	1927
19	ON THE WATERFRONT	1954
20	IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE	1946
21	CHINATOWN	1974
22	SOME LIKE IT HOT	1959
23	THE GRAPES OF WRATH	1940
24	E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL	1982
25	TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD	1962
26	MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON	1939
27	HIGH NOON	1952
28	ALL ABOUT EVE	1950
29	DOUBLE INDEMNITY	1944
30	APOCALYPSE NOW	1979
31	THE MALTESE FALCON	1941
32	THE GODFATHER PART II	1974
33	ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST	1975
34	SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS	1937
35	ANNIE HALL	1977
36	THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI	1957
37	THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES	1946
38	THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE	1948
39	DR. STRANGELOVE	1964
40	THE SOUND OF MUSIC	1965
41	KING KONG	1933
42	BONNIE AND CLYDE	1967
43	MIDNIGHT COWBOY	1969
44	THE PHILADELPHIA STORY	1940
45	SHANE	1953
46	IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT	1934
47	A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE	1951
48	REAR WINDOW (Reviewed)	1954
49	INTOLERANCE	1916
50	THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING	2001
51	WEST SIDE STORY	1961
52	TAXI DRIVER	1976
53	THE DEER HUNTER	1978
54	MAS*H	1970
55	NORTH BY NORTHWEST	1959
56	JAWS	1975
57	ROCKY	1976
58	THE GOLD RUSH	1925
59	NASHVILLE	1975
60	DUCK SOUP	1933
61	SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS	1941
62	AMERICAN GRAFFITI	1973
63	CABARET (reviewed)	1972
64	NETWORK	1976
65	THE AFRICAN QUEEN	1951
66	RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK	1981
67	WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?	1966
68	UNFORGIVEN	1992
69	TOOTSIE	1982
70	A CLOCKWORK ORANGE	1971
71	SAVING PRIVATE RYAN	1998
72	THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION	1994
73	BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID	1969
74	THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS	1991
75	IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT	1967
76	FORREST GUMP	1994
77	ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN	1976
78	MODERN TIMES	1936
79	THE WILD BUNCH	1969
80	THE APARTMENT	1960
81	SPARTACUS	1960
82	SUNRISE	1927
83	TITANIC	1997
84	EASY RIDER	1969
85	A NIGHT AT THE OPERA	1935
86	PLATOON	1986
87	12 ANGRY MEN (reviewed)	1957
88	BRINGING UP BABY	1938
89	THE SIXTH SENSE	1999
90	SWING TIME	1936
91	SOPHIE’S CHOICE	1982
92	GOODFELLAS	1990
93	THE FRENCH CONNECTION (Reviewed)	1971
94	PULP FICTION	1994
95	THE LAST PICTURE SHOW	1971
96	DO THE RIGHT THING	1989
97	BLADE RUNNER	1982
98	YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (Reviewed)	1942
99	TOY STORY	1995
100	BEN-HUR	1959