Brendan’s Conclusion

What exactly defines a “good movie” is somewhat fluid, which is why the AFI’s list is not exactly of the 100 best movies of all time. What the AFI has crafted is a list of the most “culturally significant” films of the past 100 years. This is a fairly overarching term to describe 100 movies from many different genres and time periods, and it is also sadly limited in it’s scope (as a list of American movies only, it misses some of the best foreign films that I think are better than a lot of movies on this list, such as Metropolis, Amelie, and Seven Samurai). To fully understand what “culturally significant” even means, we need to look at the time periods the movies are from. In my opinion, the AFI was trying to define culturally significant as having the greatest impact on film-making as an art form, and the general culture. For example, Star Wars, which was somewhat of a summer popcorn film with a reasonably uncomplicated plot, manages to score #13 on the list, above 2001: A Space Odyssey (#15). In my opinion, 2001 is a much better film than Star Wars, but the list goes beyond “good movie”. When you look at the vast impact Star Wars has had on our popular culture, compared to the fairly minor impact 2001 has today, you understand that from a cultural standpoint, Star Wars was a more significant film. At the same time, though the question has to be asked: Would Star Wars exist without 2001′s influences? Would 2001 have existed without Metropolis? Would any modern movie exist without the advances created in Citizen Kane? These questions may remain unanswered, but the AFI has tried their best to list movies by their significance. The movies at the top have, quite obviously, been the ones that have shaped not only the films that we have made, but to a certain extent the world we live in. The jokes we make. The references we understand. These movies still resonate throughout our life, whether from small little references dropped in everyday conversation, or from entire remakes of old classics, or entirely new works of literature, art, or film based off an already-existing universe. In my opinion, the AFI should craft a second list: in addition to the most culturally significant movie, they should create a list of what are considered the 100 absolutely best films, from a film-making and entertainment standpoint, rather than from a cultural standpoint. This would serve to make a better list for the general public to enjoy (and would mean that piece of tripe known as Gone With the Wind would probably be off the “100 best” list, which would make me happy). But then, would we have to have a discussion about what constitutes a “good” movie? I guess we’ll answer that question when it comes to it. In terms of the nitty-gritty stuff: Emily already said it. About 2.5 days worth of movie watched over the course of a month. Ouch. I think I’m done with movie-watching for a while – although I did get to see a lot of movies I hadn’t seen yet, but should have (Godfather Part II, Vertigo, etc.) All in all, it was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience.