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Monday, August 5, 2013

Best Movies of All Time Part 1

Last month Entertainment Weekly came out with their list of the 100 greatest movies of all time. Reviewing the list, I found myself getting increasingly annoyed at many of the mentions and at many of the omissions.

Problem #1: Citizen Kane is ALWAYS listed as #1 best movie. Have you ever seen it? It's a terrible movie. The story isn't all that compelling, the storytelling isn't captivating and the characters do not draw you in. I barely made it through to the end, honestly only doing so because it's supposed to be the best. Now I do understand that it was innovative at the time it was made, but that is not enough to make it the best movie of all time. How can anyone say it's better than Schindler's List, Gangs of New York or Pan's Labyrinth? Heck, it's not even better than Clueless.

Problem #2: The vast majority of the films listed are really old. Don't get me wrong, I think there are plenty of great older films (Wuthering Heights, Jaws, It's a Wonderful Life, Gone With the Wind) but just because a film is old and was the first of it's kind, that does NOT make it one of the best of all time. Seems like no matter who compiles these best movie lists, movies get highly rated out of some elitist ideal of what makes a good movie. This particular list had only 24 films made since 1980. Clearly there is not much respect for modern film making.

Problem #3: I can't believe how many amazing films didn't even make the list. Okay, so this is probably all a matter of taste but to me a great film is one that makes you feel something, makes you think, makes an impact on you in some fashion. And I tend to believe you have to separate films into at least 3 genres in order to rank them: drama, comedy and family. What makes a great family film is so different from what makes a good drama, and the same goes for comedy.

All this frustration over this list leaves me with no other choice, I must make my own. I've already started to compile a list of movies I love as a nomination process. Unable to escape the feeling that I'm forgetting some great films I want to open it up and take nominations from all of you. What films do you think should be included as the best of all time?




2 comments:

  1. I did not see the list so I am going to have to hop on over and take a peek. Generally, the movies I like rarely make the best list except for star wars and lord of the ring movies. Anyways, I agree with starting your own list!

    Heather

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    1. Yeah, I wanted to post a link to the list but wasn't able to find it online. I guess they just wanted to sell magazines.

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