Top 100 Movies of All Time…? Or Better Yet…

The other day, i read in the papers that AFI just released their new ‘Top 100 Movies of All Time’ series updated for 2007. They only named the top 10 in the article, you need to be a member to login to their website to see to full list. But judging from the list, NINE out of the TEN movies were released before i was born. The other was released when i was still in school.

So what’s the point of releasing this top 100 thing every year? Okay well, maybe one or two recent films get to break into no.87 and no.99 (i’m speculating here), but by and large, i am thinking these people who voted on these things will always think that old is always better than new. But anyway, different people have different tastes.

Here’s the list from 10 to 1. I happen to have watched all ten of the movies, they’re all classics alright, but movies from a different era are not for everyone today. So i’ve put my suggestions of recent movies in comparison… Don’t worry, no spoilers here.

Number 10 – THE WIZARD OF OZ
A kind of kiddie movie where this girl from Kansas, a tin man, a scarecrow and a lion go on sort of a road trip along the yellow brick road. A lot of singing and smiley faces ensues. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, if you ask me.
Modern day recommendation: Little Miss Sunshine – A dysfunctional family take a road trip across America to take part in a beauty pageant for small girls. Lots of swearing, gay jokes and also a dead body. My vote for movie of the year.

Number 9 – VERTIGO
Classic Hitchcock psychological thriller about a cop who thinks his girlfriend is more than who she says she is.
Modern day recommendation: Any episode of CSI. Or any of those cop dramas on TV. At least they are in colour.

Number 8 – SCHINDLER’S LIST
Nazis killing Jews. Banned in Malaysia.
Modern day recommendation: Borat – Kazakhs chasing Jews. Also banned in Malaysia. But a lot funnier.

Number 7 – LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
White man fighting with the Arabs on camels in the desert. Very exciting movie, primary school teacher made us watch this in school. (He also let us watch the world cup and thomas cup in the school library).
Modern day recommendation: Alexander – A lot more blood than Lawrence of Arabia. Actually there aren’t many movies about Arabs these days, you can understand why. Aladdin does NOT count.

Number 6 – GONE WITH THE WIND
Aiyah, that black and white love story with the ‘frankly i don’t give a damn’ and ‘play it again’ lines, la. The ones your grandma always talk about one…
Modern day recommendation: Any rom-com starring Hugh Grant.

Number 5 – SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
Gene Kelly er.. singing in the rain.
Modern day recommendation: Can’t think of any other movie about someone er… singing in the rain.

Number 4 – RAGING BULL
Great story of De Niro as a boxer.
Modern day recommendation: Rocky I. Or Million Dollar Baby.

Number 3 – CASABLANCA
Bogart and Bergman in a romantic movie set in the Moroccan city of Casablanca. Ends with that famous line, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Modern day recommendation: Any rom-com starring Sandra Bullock.

Number 2 – THE GODFATHER
“You’ve gotta keep it in the family…”
Modern day recommendation: The Sopranos. Okay, that’s not a movie but the similarities are uncanny.

Number 1 – CITIZEN KANE
A lot of these websites always rank this in the top 3… it’s good, but i don’t really like it. But of course i can’t think of any other new movie that is as ambitious like it. Nope, not even Shrek the Third, or ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’ haha.

[tags]afi, movies[/tags]