AFI 100 years... 100 Cheers

Originally Posted by acid

...one of the most evil forces in history?

Christ.

EVIL JESUS

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Hell, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is more inspiring than 'Grapes of Wrath', 'Star Wars' or '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Wonka didn't even appear on the list. This makes me quite sad.

And how on God's green Earth did 'Forrest Gump' rate only 37th, and 'Shawshank Redemption' 23rd while 'Grapes of Wrath' got 7th?

I am always suspicious of the AFI's choices because it's obvious that certain outside factors tend to influence their decisions, even when those factors are irrelevant to the criteria at hand. Total box office gross, Academy Awards earned and the relative "wow" factor of the movie's stars all seem to have played a more important role than the actual "inspirational moments", when the Institute cast its ballots.

Is 'Grapes of Wrath' really so inspiring just because it won two Oscars and was nominated for seven? Does Henry Fonda's presence make it that much more uplifting than the life of Forrest Gump? Does the fact that it was made during what some consider the "Golden Age" of film grant it automatic superiority over nearly everything since?

The AFI is known to consist of a very aged electorate. They most likely recall these movies fondly, in ways that new cinematic techniques cannot possibly duplicate because they've convinced themselves that little, if anything, is capable of being better than their precious antiques. And while some classics are indeed deserving, their predilection for older cinema places newer movies at a distinct disadvantage, it appears.

Consider that 'Pleasantville', a movie most people regard as being uplifting and well told, failed to make the list. Yet 'Erin Brokovich' made it to #73. Evidently the presence of Julia Roberts' gaping maw and overhyped cleavage in an otherwise lackluster movie about a conniving bitch is waaaaaaaaaaay more inspiring than a parable about overcoming prejudice.
And both are less inspiring than '2001: A Space Odyssey'? A psychedelic delusion of time and space is supposed to make us feel better about ourselves than 'Pleasantville' is capable? What?

But hell, the AFI picked "Some Like It Hot" and "Tootsie" as the two funniest films ever made. They think drag queens constitute better cinema than any other joke ever told. Shows where their heads are at, eh?

There's nowhere I can't reach.