EW's "The New Classics" Part One

Here I am, writing about yet another topic that was in everyone else's blog two weeks ago. But since I felt it necessary to put in my two cents on the AFI's 10 Top 10, why not Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 New Classics of the last 25 years? And EW didn't limit themselves to only movies; they made a list of either 50 or 100 New Classic TV shows, books, albums, pop culture fashion moments, stage productions, video games and High-Tech gadgetry, as well as small lists like 5 best book covers, 25 perfect movie posters, 5 perfect theme songs, and 10 rocking soundtracks. They really outdid themselves. Obviously is was, like, my favorite issue ever! (Not really, but I do love to devour a list!) Thank God, I'm only going to cover the films. I'll list them out and tell ya what I think, only this time I'm gonna do it in sets of 25 (4 posts) that way you can space out the reading and I won't spend the next hour just typing out the names of the films.

In the interest of fairness, this topic was covered in depth with absolutely fabulous debate over at the Scanners blog. Heather keeps telling me that I bring up topics and then send you guys other places to read about them, which is a fair cop. However, if I've already read about the particular topic somewhere else, and learned a whole mess of information and ideas far beyond anything I could come up with, trying to then talk about it on my own blog will likely result in unintended plagarism of not only ideas, but actual words as well. I don't wanna do that. So in the interest of fairness, here's link to the Scanners post "What Makes a Movie a Classic?" If you're at all interested in this list, it's really a must read, especially the comments section.

Some of the thoughts thrown around included the definition of the word "classic." One excellent post asked, if something could be a "classic blunder' or a "classic dud," then the word classic does not necessarily equate greatness, only fame. Another question debated was whether you could really ascertain classic status before a long period of time has passed. Some films are instant classics like Gone With the Wind or Casablanca. These films were well-received, reviewed and beloved from the start and their place in film history, while consistanly talked about, has not really changed; they are still considered great and classic films. Meanwhile, films like Citizen Kane or It's a Wonderful Life, while mostly well-reviewed, took several years to attain classic status. Citizen Kane, which sits upon the top of the AFI's 100 Best Films list as well as the lists of many other film criticism societies, was not always there. Until the 1960's (when it topped Sight & Sound magazine's poll of the Top 10 Films of All Time) Citizen Kane was not as highly considered. It took a good 20+ years for it to be regarded as a classic, and it's acclaim amongst critics and audiences has only grown since then.

It's hard to tell whether Gladiator will stay a beloved classic, or whether in time, it's place in film history will waver, fall and it be largely forgotten. How many people still talk, with much regularity, about Going My Way, Around the World in 80 Days, or A Man for All Seasons (which each won the Best Picture Oscar for 1944, 1956, and 1966, respectively)? Does it mean they were bad films? Not necessarily (although the Academy has a long history of bestowing the Best Picture Oscar on the wrong film), it just means they are not considered classics. Again, there is something extra, beyond the aesthetic and merits of great filmmaking, that makes a film a classic.

With that in mind, what do we think of the bottom 25?

100. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
97. Glory (1989)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
95. In the Mood For Love (2001)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
87. Swingers (1996)
86. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
84. Sideways (2004)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
79. Waiting For Guffman (1996)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
77. Sid & Nancy (1986)
76. The Departed (2006)

I think it's pretty impossible to debate the order/rank of these films; it's seriously all personal preference. So I'm just gonna stick to their status as "New Classics" - do they belong?

Several of these films would classify as "cult classics" - they did poorly at the theater, were rediscovered on video, and gained a decent fan base, even though many of them were only moderately praised by critics. Ed Wood has gained in notoriety thanks to the rising star of Johnny Depp and his continuing collaborations with director Tim Burton. It's a great film, but does anyone really talk about it? Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery started a new generation of spoof films by brilliantly lampooning the spy genre, and James Bond in particular. However, a series of sequels, and a string of less-than-stellar Mike Myers films have made this somewhat overexposed and it's hard to see the sliver of brilliance that makes the original a great film. Napoleon Dynamite is a film I definitely don't think belongs here. Yes, it's a total cult classic right now. I've watched it and laughed at it several times. But it's time-stamped. Reveling in the peculiar idiocy of the main character does not make this great art, and the extreme merchandising campaign of the film has made it extremely overexposed. While funny, it's not a great film and I think will be relegated to the "Where Are They Now?"/"I Remember When..." shelf in the future.

In some cases, the 10-20 year time lapse has elevated certain films above the initial level of their contemporaries. Platoon, won the Best Picture Oscar in 1986, but it was 1987's Full Metal Jacket that makes this list. Rotten Tomatoes has Platoon at only a 88% positive rating, while Full Metal Jacket stands at 97%. In part, I think the fact the Stanley Kubrick directed Jacket benefits from Kubrick's cemented place as cinematic visionary, while Platoon suffers by being associated with Oliver Stone, a director who has failed to make an overwhelmingly successful picture since 1991's JFK. Full Metal Jacket also has the benefit of an iconic opening sequence, including R. Lee Emery's memorable performance, and the iconic suicide of Vincent D'Onofrio's character. In that same vein, I wondered why 1993's Menace II Society made the cut over the much buzzed-about Boyz in the Hood (1991). Both examine the violence of Southern California's bleak, gang-riddled life. While Boyz originally blew the lid off the topic (and made director John Singleton one-to-watch), Menace may have eventually overtaken it due to the grittier examination of low-class hoodlums, and the more tragic outcomes.

Several films I felt boasted iconic performances, but I am dubious about the "classic"-ness of the film itself. I full agree that The Talented Mr. Ripley, Far From Heaven, Breaking the Waves and Sid & Nancy are great films, boasting amazing performances from, respectively, Matt Damon and Jude Law, Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid, Emily Watson, and Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb. However, beyond these performances, these films are not much talked about, made very little splash domestically, and I find it hard to believe could classify as classics just yet, however much they may deserve it. (Then again, maybe Sight & Sound magazine will write articles about each of them in 20 years, propelling them to the top of other lists.) Ripley and Heaven both have perfectly created atmosphere's and attention to technical detail, Breaking the Waves is fascinating and daring work from Lars von Trier, Swingers introduced funnyman Vince Vaughn in all his glory and made the Rat Pack cool again, and Sid & Nancy has lasted as somewhat of a cult favorite. I think it's just too early to tell. The Talented Mr. Ripley especially surprised me, more so because it has been largely ignored critically and popularly.

I think in 10 years, Judd Apatow produced/written films will be viewed as '80's films from John Hughes. They are not all classics (but look for The Breakfast Club later on this list) but are collectively considered an iconic body of work and the voice of the '80's teen generation. If Apatow continues to put out well-received films, The 40 Year-Old Virgin could be considered his masterpiece in the future, thanks largely to Steve Carell's winning performance. I find it hard to believe that the South Park movie will be as remembered as the film is really just an off-shoot of the television show, which will go down in TV history. And I honestly can't speak in Waiting For Guffman, a Christopher Guest film I haven't seen and seems barely a cult classic.

The list does include foreign films, but in America foreign film classics are really just the foreign films that people in America actually went to see. Y Tu Mama Tambien was largely seen and talked about in 2002, and marked the mainstream arrival of director Alfonso Cuaron, one of three Mexican filmmakers (including Guillermo Del Toro and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) making their mark on Hollywood, so of course it was included. I can't say I know anything about In the Mood for Love, so it's hard for me to judge. I will say that it's typical that The Departed was included (yes, it won the Oscar, is a great film, and Scorcese's best since Goodfellas, but will it's popularity last?) when it is based on the widely praised Hong Kong film Internal Affairs (2002), which could someday be considered a classic over The Departed. Who's to say?

As for the rest, Back to the Future and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are the only films I said, "Yes, that's definitely a classic." Notice they are both a little older and have proven their popularity and critical success over the long term. I absolutely loved the recent Sideways and Michael Clayton, but I think it's hard to tell if they will just remain well-respected films, or venture into classic status. I think The Blair Witch Project is a case of something new and different causing a ruckus, but I'm not sure it will attain long-term acclaim and fame.

I haven't talked about everything, but I covered most angles and I'm getting tired. This is the link to EW's comments about #75-100 if you want to review their words. I will have the next part of this post up in the next couple days so be on the watch for it. Also, feel free to comment about what films here you think don't belong and why, as well as films that are definite classics for you.