Alternative 10 Top 10

As promised, I have settled on my personal alternative to the AFI's 10 Top 10. The usual caveats apply (I haven't seen everything, I've seen more movies from the 2000s than any other decade so my choices skew new, foreign films aren't eligible), but let's get right into it with one of my favorite genres, shall we?

Top 10 American Westerns:

10. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid by George Roy Hill
9. Rio Bravo by Howard Hawks
8. Stagecoach by John Ford
7. Unforgiven by Clint Eastwood
6. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by John Huston
5. The Wild Bunch by Sam Peckinpah
4. 3:10 to Yuma by James Mangold
3. The Shooting by Monte Hellman
2. McCabe and Mrs. Miller by Robert Altman
1. High Noon by Fred Zinnemann.

To create these lists, I first came up with shortlists of up to 20 nominees, and whittled them down a bit, then ranked them and cut the lists off at 10. I made no aim to make sure I included, say, at least one John Wayne, at least one Clint Eastwood, etc. That said, I'm impressed that my western list has no repeat directors and covers 10 of the greats from Johns Ford and Huston on down to Monte Hellman and James Mangold. Speaking of Mangold, I love the 1957 3:10 to Yuma, but I think Mangold's is even better, and if I were completely honest, I would have put it in the top position. But instead I put it just behind the top three, which have all stood the test of time well. I also wrestled with the possibilities of modern westerns from Hud up to No Country for Old Men, but I chose to stick with the classic cowboy westerns. As you can see, my favorites are the more subversive westerns (like underappreciated cult gem The Shooting) that take elements of the genre established by the Ford/Hawks/Huston westerns and turn them on their heads. And as I've repeatedly stated, if this list included foreign films, I'd kick off the bottom four in favor of Leone's masterworks (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West), El Topo, and The Proposition.

Top 10 American Animated Movies:

10. Sleeping Beauty by Clyde Geronimi
9. Finding Nemo by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
8. Robin Hood by Wolfgang Reitherman
7. The Little Mermaid by Ron Clements and John Musker
6. Aladdin by Ron Clements and John Musker
5. The Jungle Book by Wolfgang Reitherman
4. Beauty and the Beast by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
3. Toy Story by John Lasseter
2. The Incredibles by Brad Bird
1. The Lion King by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

It's easy for me to claim not to be biased despite the fact that I grew up when many of the higher ranked films were released, but I genuinely believe these are the best American animated movies I've yet seen. Feel free to take that with a grain of salt. On the other hand, Snow White is based on a Grimm's fairy tale (respectable), but The Lion King is based on Hamlet (contender for the greatest written work ever). You make the call. The Jungle Book leads the classic classics for me. The story, the animation, and the music work to really transport you to the Indian jungle. And I always find Robin Hood one of the most overlooked Disney classics for some reason, despite the exciting picaresque adventure and the awesome crossbow-wielding vulture. By the way, Snow White and Cinderella are lame. Sleeping Beauty is a man's princess movie. You can quote me on that. The animation is at least on par with beloved classics Pinocchio and Bambi (Fantasia never did it for me), but this one includes dragons and sorcery. As for the Pixar choices, I haven't seen Toy Story 2 or Ratatouille since theaters, despite loving each then. Relatedly, it looks like Wall*e will earn a spot on the list soon enough.

Top 10 American Romantic Comedies:

10. Once by John Carney
9. It Happened One Night by Frank Capra
8. The Philadelphia Story by George Cukor
7. Rushmore by Wes Anderson
6. Singin' in the Rain by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly
5. When Harry Met Sally by Rob Reiner
4. Before Sunrise by Richard Linklater
3. Annie Hall by Woody Allen
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry
1. Almost Famous by Cameron Crowe

So maybe I splurged on the modern movies a little bit. In my defense, I haven't seen many of the screwball comedies, and on top of that, I rarely seek out romantic comedies anyway, so my selections are more unconventional. You're just lucky I didn't put While You Were Sleeping on here. Almost Famous, overlooked by all but Ebert, is one of the movies that rotates in and out of the slot for my favorite movie period, and Eternal Sunshine weaves a hilarious romantic tale amidst a sci-fi conceit. I probably should have gone with something like Harold and Maude for my tenth slot, but I'm far too attached to Once right now, which you'll note is hardly a romantic comedy. I admit this is my weakest genre, but then again, try to find better choices. It's difficult to top these guys, and together they perfectly encapsulate my vision of (heterosexual) romantic comedy.

Top 10 American Sci-Fi Movies:

10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Don Siegel
9. Blade Runner by Ridley Scott
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick
7. Donnie Darko by Richard Kelly
6. Children of Men by Alfonso Cuaron
5. A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick
4. Aliens by James Cameron
3. Eraserhead by David Lynch
2. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope by George Lucas
1. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back by Irvin Kershner

As you'll see, a couple modern sci-fi movies bumped off more classic choices like Alien or The Day the Earth Stood Still. Those films are certainly great and influential; I happen to prefer Donnie Darko's time-traveling '80s tribute and Children of Men's dystopian antihero. I probably should have ranked Blade Runner or 2001 higher, but this is a more accurate personal reflection. I admire the direction of those films, and the performances, and dear lord, the science fiction, but I don't love either of them as I do other classics. I also imagine the AFI would fall down dead at the mere thought of including Eraserhead, but Lynch doing sci-fi is one of the better genre-director match-ups. And of course the two best American science-fiction films launched a phenomenon. A New Hope (along with Jaws) revolutionized (some would say ruined) American cinema, and Empire Strikes Back fulfilled all the dark promises of the saga that began with the double-murder of an orphan's only caretakers. If foreign films were allowable, I would have worked in two Russian greats, Kin-Dza-Dza and Solyaris.

Top 10 American Fantasy/Horror Movies:

10. The Exorcist by William Friedkin
9. The Wizard of Oz by Victor Fleming
8. Frankenstein by James Whale
7. The Princess Bride by Rob Reiner
6. Rosemary's Baby by Roman Polanski
5. Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks
4. The Shining by Stanley Kubrick
3. It's a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra
2. Inland Empire by David Lynch
1. Fellowship of the Ring by Peter Jackson

As I dove into this category, I realized how few great fantasies exist. No wonder The Lord of the Rings was the first fantasy Best Picture. The Princess Bride outshines all the 80s kid fantasy flicks (Labyrinth, Willow, and, one assumes, Legend) by at once commenting on and observing the standards of fantasy adventures. Similarly, Young Frankenstein is a comedic spin on the genre that merits inclusion. The highest-ranking horror films, The Shining and Rosemary's Baby, are fantastically engaging outings by renowned directors. Meanwhile, the top few should come as no surprise after my last post, and yes, I think Inland Empire is the second best American fantasy-horror movie I've seen (assuming, of course, it counts as a fantasy-horror, and I haven't overlooked anything). I can't think of another movie that had me frightened but entranced for so long. Foreign contenders range from modern (Pan's Labyrinth) to ancient (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) to everything in between (Hour of the Wolf, Les Diaboliques).

Top 10 American Mystery Movies:

10. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by Shane Black
9. 3 Women by Robert Altman
8. Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock
7. Memento by Christopher Nolan
6. Mulholland Dr. by David Lynch
5. Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock
4. The Manchurian Candidate by John Frankenheimer
3. The Third Man by Carol Reed
2. The Big Lebowski by Joel and Ethan Coen
1. Citizen Kane by Orson Welles

What an incredibly tough category. I had to exclude so many of my favorite film noirs (The Lady from Shanghai), detective stories (The Long Goodbye), and Hitchcock thrillers (The Lady Vanishes). While we're at it, I also left off two of my all-time favorite foreign classics, Ingmar Bergman's Persona and Alain Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad. But I got to include one of the sharpest post-modern mysteries, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which has one of my favorite voice-overs. I also made sure to find room for more unconventional mysteries like 3 Women and Mulholland Dr., by two of my (apparent) favorite directors. And I rectified the AFI's egregious error of placing The Third Man too low. Now it is firmly situated behind the masterful epistemological exploration The Big Lebowski (another post-modern mystery gem) and Orson Welles' difficult-to-define revolutionary triumph Citizen Kane. Of course, Citizen Kane is much more than a mystery movie, but then, so are many of these films.

Top 10 American Crime Movies:

10. Badlands by Terrence Malick
9. Chinatown by Roman Polanski
8. Touch of Evil by Orson Welles
7. Blood Simple by Joel and Ethan Coen
6. Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone
5. Miller's Crossing by Joel and Ethan Coen
4. Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
3. Double Indemnity by Billy Wilder
2. The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola
1. The Godfather, Part 2 by Francis Ford Coppola

I didn't intend this, but for once I really withheld modern movies (Silence of the Lambs, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Seven, and most unfortunately, The Player), so this is a much more AFI-looking list than my others. And the most alarming exclusion, Goodfellas, was an oversight, but then, I don't personally like it quite as much as these ten anyway (and I've only seen it once). Still, I fully admit that it should be on here. This was another category with a bevy of worthy entries, so I have many foreign exclusions as well: Shoot the Piano Player, Le Samourai, Rififi, Elevator to the Gallows, Le Corbeau, and City of God. I especially wanted to look outside the gangster subgenre, which led me to some of my favorites (Double Indemnity, Glengarry Glen Ross, Badlands), although I adore the gangster movies here too, obviously.

Top 10 American Action/Adventures:

10. The Bridge on the River Kwai by David Lean
9. Kill Bill, Vol. 2 by Quentin Tarantino
8. Straw Dogs by Sam Peckinpah
7. No Country for Old Men by Joel and Ethan Coen
6. The Matrix by Larry and Andy Wachowski
5. Jaws by Steven Spielberg
4. Die Hard by John McTiernan
3. Lawrence of Arabia by David Lean
2. The Return of the King by Peter Jackson
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark by Steven Spielberg

I had more trouble with this list than any of the others, and for a while I considered scrubbing Action/Adventure for a different genre. Most of the action contenders were in the crime category, and other adventure candidates were in sci-fi, fantasy or war. But I think I came away with a very interesting collection that isn't oversaturated by modern action movies (it pained me to keep Sin City off the list). Kill Bill Vol. 2 is the one that comes closest to being both an action and adventure movie, and frankly, I think the Kill Bill saga is Tarantino's greatest accomplishment yet. I'm very glad to find a spot for Straw Dogs, which saves its final act for one of the most memorable sieges to date. No Country for Old Men is the most intelligent film on the list (and impossible to categorize, so cut me some slack here), and I hope time allows it to move up the rankings. Again, The Matrix revolutionized action blockbusters, as Jaws did a couple decades prior. As you can see, I favor adventures, with Die Hard leading the action pack, and the top three saved for the most gripping adventure stories ever told.

Top 10 American War Movies:

10. Stalag 17 by Billy Wilder
9. Jarhead by Sam Mendes
8. The Best Years of Our Lives by William Wyler
7. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
6. Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick
5. Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg
4. The Deer Hunter by Michael Cimino
3. Platoon by Oliver Stone
2. Paths of Glory by Stanley Kubrick
1. Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola

Clearly I chose to include movies that deal with war without actually showing soldiers in battle: Stalag 17 is yet another tribute to Billy Wilder's snappy writing, The Best Years of Our Lives is a powerful early testament to the trouble with reassimilation, and Johnny Got His Gun is probably harder to watch than the rest of these combined. Jarhead's standing in for some of the greater modern war films that I believe will stand the test of time (Rescue Dawn, little else), and though often overlooked, it happens to be quite stunning in its own right. Meanwhile, my top 6 are the usual suspects, headed up by Coppola's philosophical exercise. Of course, three of my all-time favorite war films are foreign--Army of Shadows, The Battle of Algiers, and Ivan's Childhood--and would certainly bump the last three off the list.

Top 10 American Dramas:

10. George Washington by David Gordon Green
9. Barton Fink by Joel and Ethan Coen
8. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans by F.W. Murnau
7. Schindler's List by Steven Spielberg
6. A Streetcar Named Desire by Elia Kazan
5. Network by Sidney Lumet
4. The Last Picture Show by Peter Bogdanovich
3. All About Eve by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
2. Sunset Blvd. by Billy Wilder
1. Casablanca by Michael Curtiz

Perhaps due to the category's catchall nature, this was the toughest list to cut down. But I wanted to make sure it spanned from the greatest classics to overlooked modern gems, as you'll notice the rankings extend from Casablanca on down to George Washington. And with the exception of my more oddball choices for the final two slots (brilliant dramas, one from the '90s and one from the '00s), this is the list most like something you'd see by the AFI, and all are films for which I hold an intense appreciation. Accordingly, I also have a longer list of foreign candidates: 8 1/2, Andrei Rublev, Cries and Whispers, L'Avventura, Wild Strawberries, and Werckmeister Harmonies.

There you have it. My hardest categories were the ones with too many brilliant candidates (Mystery, Crime, and Drama), which made me warm to the AFI list a little bit. If I hadn't taken such a strong stand, I'd have been tempted to narrow the categories down to Gangster or Epic too. Also I kept trying to insert Orson Welles movies, but most of them aren't technically American (The Trial, Chimes at Midnight, Mr. Arkadin), so I was bound by the rules. My final assertion: this list is nowhere near perfect, in part because I developed it in just a couple hours. Part of me tried to objectively rank the best American films (as if such a thing were possible), and part of me played favorites, and part of me accidentally forgot about Goodfellas. But it is empirically 42 times better than the AFI's 10 Top 10, which is all I really set out to do. And as with that list, this is just a starting point. I'm sure I've forgotten about other great movies, and lucky for me, there are even more classics waiting to be seen.