EW's "The New Classics" Part Four

You can start celebrating - we've made it to the end. Look no further if you want to read EW's praise of the Top 25 (I know, I know, you guys just can't get enough!)

25. Shrek (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1989)
23. Memento (2001)
22. Rushmore (1998)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
20. The Lion King (1994)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
13. Goodfellas (1990)
12. The Matrix (1999)
11. This is Spinal Tap (1984)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
9. Die Hard (1988)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
5. Toy Story (1995)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
3. Titanic (1997)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Once you get to #1, it seems pretty obvious that Pulp Fiction would be it, right? No other single film has had such lasting influence in movies being made today, especially when it comes to messing with the time frame and writing stylized dialogue. Everyone knows this movie, and almost everyone admires it as one of the best. (There was an especially great post at The Cooler blog a few days after the issue of EW had come out, espousing the vices and virtues of Pulp Fiction on current filmmaking and pop culture. Check it out.) I full-heartedly agree with #1, although I think it may be kind of played out in 30 years, but that's then. In addition to QT's icon, Schindler's List deserves the nod for signaling the beginning of Spielberg's grown-up period and immersing us as fully as the medium of film allows, in the visceral abominations of the Holocaust. Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan earned it's place for that horrifically realistic beach-landing, and for, as Ebert put it, "making a philosophical film about war almost entirely in terms of action."

Goodfellas and Do the Right Thing are also no-brainers (there are a lot more in this section). Goodfellas is one of Martin Scorcese's masterpieces, telling a mobster story with infinite style, headlong enthusiasm, and even incorporating the wife's conflicted, complicit feelings about her compromised world. Spike Lee changed the way a lot of people thought about race with 1989's Do the Right Thing; he made it clear that just because segregation was over and affirmative action was in play, didn't mean that race relations were clear or that resentments based on race don't still exist and effect our everyday lives. I've seen blogs that question whether that films still retains the same power and incendiary social commentary, but even if it's point of view becomes outdated, I think it will remain a testament to some of the conflicts of the later 20th century.

I question the enduring quality of The Matrix's storyline, but I don't dispute it's eye-popping action and revolutionary "bullet-time" concept. I can't be sure of when the summer blockbuster concept originated, but I feel pretty secure in saying that Die Hard greatly contributed to it's mystique and success, gave us the great "Yippee Kai Yay, Mother Fucker!" line, Alan Rickman's awesomely bad baddie, and made Bruce Willis the epitome of macho tenderness we know and love today. And in the vein of famously evil, yet kind of likable and magnificent bad guys, Anthony Hopkins made Hannibal Lector pop culture magic in Silence of the Lambs, as well as officially ushering in the decade of blockbuster courtroom, detective, wrongfully accused and John Grisham thrillers. However eternal their fame, I do wonder if the subject matter and context will be as dutifully revered in the future: couldn't it be dangerous to glamourize a serial killer and cheer on his plan to murder the (admittedly odious) warden/doctor of his jail? The non-stop gun shooting of The Matrix can get old, and it was followed by two of the most disappointing sequels ever (after the Star Wars prequels, of course), and it's hard to tell if the action sequences of Die Hard will look as cool in the future when the "European bad guys takeover corporation in madness of greed" set-up seems so arcane.

What can I really say about Titanic or the Lord of the Rings trilogy? They are epic, blockbuster money-makers, deeply beloved, huge staples of popular entertainment. There is no doubt they will be fused to the core of pop culture for many years to come (Leonardo DiCaprio, Gollum, "I'm the King of the World!", "GAN-dolf!"). But they are also both films full of flaws (no matter how much I love them, I must admit this). The glossy veneer of Titanic has already begun to fade under sharp criticism of it's bare bones plot, stock characters and ridiculous dialogue, and the once-revolutionary special effects won't seem so groundbreaking in 20 years (they already look less slick). Someday Titanic may be viewed as little more that the Towering Inferno of the '90's (that disaster flick got a Best Picture nom too, though not the win), apart from it's historic worldwide box-office. I think the LotR trilogy will fair better in the critical world, and the fact that it's a franchise helps ensure it's longevity, but it too has moments of ridiculous dialogue (even if Tolkien wrote it, doesn't mean Elijah Wood can pull off saying all of it), good vs. evil generalizations, and intermittent lulls of staggering plot stalls in films stuffed to the brim with characters and plot. (Don't hate me, I really do love them. I just don't know how they'll fair on the critical end of "classicism" in the future.)

Wow, I've already written a lot. I'll try to make the rest of this as brief as possible. Jerry Maguire, Rushmore, and Boogie Nights. I love it, but think Maguire is overrated and apart from the catch-phrase trifecta "Show me the money!", "You complete me", and "You had me at hello", will be more of a people-who-grew-up-in-the-90's classic, rather than a true classic. I prefer director Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. I also think that Wes Anderson's real triumph has been The Royal Tenenbaums (though Rushmore stands out in ways because of Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman's performances), and that Magnolia is the better Paul Thomas Anderson film. Boogie Nights has the notoriety because it takes place within the porn industry, but I think Magnolia has a bigger fanbase (which is kind of necessary to achieve classic status). As for Moulin Rouge and Memento? I was shocked to see Moulin Rouge ranked this high. It did allow the musical to once again become a working genre, but it's far too frenetic and audaciously loud to be universally liked; it's divisive and always will be. And Memento, though introducing director Christopher Nolan, and telling a compelling story, is not as revolutionary as we once thought. The backward storytelling technique is clever, but had been done before, and I honestly don't hear it mentioned much anymore, accomplished or not.

Casino Royale was a brilliant reboot of the James Bond franshise (already well-established) but is it really that classic a movie? It's effective and riveting, but only stands out this far in comparison to other Bond films. It's a great spy thriller, but not an enduring classic apart from the Bond name. Edward Scissorhands also benefits from the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp two-punch that has become so beloved in recent years. Depp's performance is iconic, but the plot itself is never "great", only intriguing and this film shouldn't ever be more than a cult classic. The Lion King has popularity on it's side, but aside from Mufasa's Hamlet-inspired death, lacks the depth of other Disney cartoons. Pumbaa and Timon are lovable, but they're no Scuttle, Lumiere, Genie, Gus-Gus, or Dopey. Scar is a fairly effective villain, but his heyena sidekicks are lame and his song sucks (can anyone sing it for me right now? No? How about "Gaston"? "No one's got a small cleft in his CHIN like Gaston!" Case closed.) Shrek has potential, but it's popularity is diluting it's power. The original is so inventive and charming and Donkey is one of the all-time great sidekicks, but how many lame sequels will follow? Right now we're at three, with plans for a fourth and fifth. Does anyone remember The Land Before Time? That great little movie about the dinosaur friends? Well, we all used to love it....until it became fatally tainted by the 12 and counting sequels that dragged it's name through the mud with their ludicrous plots, crappy animation and horrible songs. There's a lesson in that fate for you makers of Shrek, if you catch my drift. However, I have no trouble believing that Toy Story is a classic. Pixar's first feature opened the door to not only a new style of popular animation, but is famous for telling stories that could only be told in animation, from a point of view rarely heard. Toy Story is the patriarch of this legacy and wears it's crown well.

There are still 5 more, but I'm tired and I bet you are too. Short list: Crumb is a much-praised documentary, unseen by me, that will need a hearty boost of fans to retain classic status; A Room With a View is great, but only here because Daniel Day-Lewis is awesome, Merchant/Ivory championed the period piece, and there are no other strictly "period piece" films on this list; This is Spinal Tap is a legend and will stay one; Hannah and Her Sisters is my favorite Woody Allen film, but I think Crimes and Misdemeanors is generally considered his '80's classic; and as for Blue Velvet? David Lynch is a crazy, rule-bending director, and a rarity in this business. His films are arty and incomprehensible and original and beautiful, and I don't get them at all. He deserves a film on this list and Blue Velvet is his most well-known, though I haven't seen it. I wouldn't be surprised if both it and Mullholland Drive are considered his classics for years to come.

So we're done! Yay! I'd ask you to comment, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you won't and I'm just gonna have to be all right with that. I, and other bloggers who wrote about this list, certainly thought it would be more of a button-pusher and debate-starter than it has since turned out to be. Which is unfortunate. I really did want to know what you guys thought "classic" meant in film standards. Oh well, another time, perhaps. :)