Talkback: So How Did America Do Choosing the 'Best in Film'?
Good morning, class! As mentioned Tuesday before we adjourned, your homework for the evening was to take in ABC and People Magazine's Best in Film: The Greatest Films of Our Time and prepare a brief reaction for today. Movieline's own Elvis Mitchell hit his commentary out of the park; now it's your turn.
As these things go -- classics judged by an expert panel and the readers of a magazine for which Kate Gosselin is a going concern -- you can't be too surprised or upset by the results. I mean, at least Airplane! is represented, right? Ugh, and Forrest Gump. And Disney goes five for five in animation, despite Shrek? Synergy lives! Anyway, this happened -- discuss:
· Best Film: Gone with the Wind
· Best Comedy: Airplane!
· Best SciFi: Star Wars
· Best Animated Film: The Lion King
· Best Musical: The Sound of Music
· Best Suspense/Thriller: The Silence of the Lambs
· Best Action Film: Raiders of the Lost Ark
· Most Romantic Screen Couple: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet -- Titanic
· Greatest Film Character: Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump
· Greatest Line: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." -- Gone With the Wind
· Best Horror Film: The Exorcist
· Best Western Film: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
· Best Chick Flick: The Notebook
· Best Political/Historical Film: Schindler's List
· Greatest On-screen Kiss: Gone With the Wind
· Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time [ABC]
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Comments
Am I allowed to start? I'm surprised — and yet not surprised — to see The Notebook here. I mean, the list is mostly obvious chalk, but at least it does include many all-time greats. The Notebook sticks out like a sore thumb when compared with Gone with the Wind, Star Wars, The Silence of the Lambs and Raiders.
Not sure what this actually means — beyond that People readers are mostly women who love The Notebook — but maybe Logan's Run with The Gosling won't be such a financial mistake after all. Dude has fans!
I've never understood all the hate for Forrest Gump. I always figured it was some sort of film school thing.
I'm surprised there was no romantic comedy category. For all the great old ones like Brining Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story, my vote would go for When Harry Met Sally.
1) It took a negative view of the '60s counter-culture the same year that the Republicans took over congress. Many viewed it as right-wing propaganda.
2) It beat Pulp Fiction for Best Picture.
Interesting that the only black and white film on the list is the Spielberg one from '93.
(And don't pull that "of our time" nonsense on me, because I'll play the "Gone With The Wind is of our time?" card just as fast).
Gone With the Wind isn't fit to carry Citizen Kane's sizable jock.
Raiders is probably the greatest action film of all time, though. So I guess even broken clocks, etc etc.
I dunno anyone who hates or loves _Forrest Gump_ that much either way -- which I guess is precisely why I don't understand the whole Best Character distinction. Like, people LOVE Indiana Jones. They LOVE James Bond. I mean, Tony Montana and Vito Corleone have bigger cultural presences in 2011 than Forrest Gump.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the vast majority of their pollsters voted what they thought were "important" movies so they wouldn't look stupid by putting their actual favorite movies.
And because they read People, they think Schindler's List, Titanic, and Gone with the Wind qualify as "important" because they've heard of them.
"Dude has fans!"
I think you're confusing Ryan Gosling with Nicholas Sparks.
This is clearly a more contemporary list of the best. Alot of the older, and great films were f
Forgotten. "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "The Old Man And The Sea","Citizen Kane" Paul
Newman's many great films, film noir, too bad, as usual , the latest venue is the easiest
to remember. Though most films of action have been filmed against a "green background"
lately , how do we so quickly forget "Ben Hur" and other films made with real people not
computer generated fakes.Have we no imagination anymore?Do others have to gererate
it on a computer? Sad.
To answer your question, America failed miserably on all counts. Sad.
I'm honestly just embarrassed to admit I sat through the show for the first hour. Greatest on-screen kiss? At that point I thought I was watching the MTV movie awards.
I'm sure most of the readers who voted have never seen the greatest American films. Waste of time.
I am as big a fan of old studio system, golden age Hollywood as you'll find anywhere, and I probably would say my favorite comedy is "The Awful Truth," a 1930s screwball comedy with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. I can be as snobbish as anyone about movies and am willing to lament many people's lack of knowledge about movies made before they were seven years old. Most of the choices on this list are laughable or embarrassing.
BUT, all that said--did you really just dismiss "Airplane!" with an "Ugh?" Are you kidding? Have you seen it lately? I ran across it on TV last year after Leslie Nielsen died and that is still a hilarious movie. We should not feel ashamed of our fellow moviegoing citizens for voting that Best Comedy.
I thought America did okay for the most part. We overall picked quality movies and considering some of the black and white classics have not been seen by younger generations, and the fact that voting for these things is normally a teenage texting, not bad. Raiders is #1 for action. Star Wars defined and defines science fiction. And most of the movies listed were quality. But the fact Twilight made the list reinforces my teens are main voters for things like this.
I have to agree with S.T. While I think the movie was overrated, I don't know anyone who is that passionate about the movie either way. I would think Harry Potter - to name just one of dozens of examples - would have more fans than Forrest Gump.
I'm just wondering if they only polled people by landline telephone. It seems like a poll given to casual movie fans over the age of 60.
I'm not sure I want to go to Thanksgiving at your house if babies are what you're brining....
They should replace the words "Best" and "Greatest" with "Most Obvious".
Still, "Airplane!" is a surprise and an excellent choice but it combined with "Gone With the Wind" makes the voters seem older. I mean, most younger people I know haven't seen "Airplane!". I know this because I am constantly introducing them to the film...
As they went through the first 4 "Greatest Film Characters" I was already humming Darth Vader's Theme at number 1...But, stupid is as stupid does. At least my beloved Raiders got it's proper credit.. And for the record, it's Raiders...NOT Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark!
Because you don't need any imagination to do that, right? They just magically appear on screen.