AFI's 10 Top 10: Introduction

Ahh, what would summer be without an AFI list to dish about? Based on last night in our household, these lists continue to be successful as conversation starters, and, secondarily, as pointers or reminders about films that Anne-Marie and I may have yet to see or haven't seen in awhile.

Central to their function as points for discussion is their flaws, and so, in some respects, taking issue with this or that selection is somewhat pointless, at least in the sense that lists of these sort, whether generated via the AFI or not, cannot be “fixed” so as to be indisputable. However, discussing the merits of different films, and whether the selections are biased towards or against certain kinds of films, or what is it, exactly, that makes a film “American” in the first place, is still fun and, I think, productive in terms of refining viewers' own evaluations of and exposure to different films. More than previous shows, last night's “10 Top 10” raises questions not only about film selection, but also list construction.

What follows is a series of commentaries on each of the AFI's Top 10s.

Jump to animation.
Jump to romantic comedy.
Jump to western.
Jump to sports.
Jump to mystery.
Jump to fantasy.
Jump to science fiction.
Jump to gangster (forthcoming).
Jump to courtroom drama (forthcoming).
Jump to epic (forthcoming).