"I love the smell of Scarlett O'Hara in the morning ... or, how I learned to stop hating AFI and embrace their faults"
> Tomorrow, I'll be a home owner. Kinda weird. Should be fun.
> Did you see Family Guy this past Sunday? Funniest joke they've ever had. Firetrucks in the wild, stalking its prey. Flat out hysterical and nonsensical — the best kind.
> Anyway, last night, AFI revealed their list of Top 100 movie quotes. (Find the whole list here.)
Needless to say, I have some issues. First, too many of the "quotes" on this list are not really quotes at all, they are catchphrases.
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." "I'll be back." "Go ahead, make my day."
Now, while those three are very important lines from pretty decent movies, they are hardly something quotable.
To me, a great movie quote is:
a) a line that sums up the movie in a succint way (or at least the theme) — this is why "Rosebud" is an outstanding quote.
b) something that you can't repeat over and over and over again in any situation (it's why "Make my day" doesn't work for me)
c) something you can instantly recognize but provokes a bit of thought — like "Tattaglia's a pimp."
d) cultural relevancy (this is a tricky one, as different cultures can embrace different genres — this is why Casablanca constantly has the most recognizable quotes, it transcends several genres and, not coincidentally, this is why Pulp Fiction gets left off most lists)
Now, those are rudimentary definitions, I know, but to see what I mean, check out the sidebar to the right. I've got my favorite 5 quotes listed. It's really a hard list for me to make, as I've gotta leave out Tombstone, Way of the Gun, Usual Suspects, Godfather Part II, Anchorman, Napoleon Dynamite, Resevoir Dogs, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Army of Darkness.
As you can tell, this is a hobby of mine.
Second, you can't pick the most obvious one. I understand why AFI did, because they deal in generalities. They look at the best aspect of each movie, and not necessarily the one that fits the movie best.
For instance, in my opinion, "Tattaglia's a pimp," seems to envoke the mood of The Godfather more than "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." The Tattglia line is delivered at the most key moment of the movie. The AFI quote is near the beginning and doesn't factor in to the main plot nearly as well.
And of course, third, any list that doesn't include Pulp Fiction is by far and away the most ridiculous list of all time. That movie is rife with quotes. Almost more so than The Godfather.
And fourth, when Caddyshack — the funniest move of all time — doesn't get mentioned until number 92, you've got a problem.
Fifth, and finally, AFI may not realize it — or their voters — but a movie doesn't have to be among the Top 100 movies of all time to have great quotes. (see Way of the Gun and Boondock Saints)
> The updates may not come as often in the next few weeks as I'm moving and working. But I'll try and keep ya'll updated.
gooch.
> Did you see Family Guy this past Sunday? Funniest joke they've ever had. Firetrucks in the wild, stalking its prey. Flat out hysterical and nonsensical — the best kind.
> Anyway, last night, AFI revealed their list of Top 100 movie quotes. (Find the whole list here.)
Needless to say, I have some issues. First, too many of the "quotes" on this list are not really quotes at all, they are catchphrases.
"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." "I'll be back." "Go ahead, make my day."
Now, while those three are very important lines from pretty decent movies, they are hardly something quotable.
To me, a great movie quote is:
a) a line that sums up the movie in a succint way (or at least the theme) — this is why "Rosebud" is an outstanding quote.
b) something that you can't repeat over and over and over again in any situation (it's why "Make my day" doesn't work for me)
c) something you can instantly recognize but provokes a bit of thought — like "Tattaglia's a pimp."
d) cultural relevancy (this is a tricky one, as different cultures can embrace different genres — this is why Casablanca constantly has the most recognizable quotes, it transcends several genres and, not coincidentally, this is why Pulp Fiction gets left off most lists)
Now, those are rudimentary definitions, I know, but to see what I mean, check out the sidebar to the right. I've got my favorite 5 quotes listed. It's really a hard list for me to make, as I've gotta leave out Tombstone, Way of the Gun, Usual Suspects, Godfather Part II, Anchorman, Napoleon Dynamite, Resevoir Dogs, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Army of Darkness.
As you can tell, this is a hobby of mine.
Second, you can't pick the most obvious one. I understand why AFI did, because they deal in generalities. They look at the best aspect of each movie, and not necessarily the one that fits the movie best.
For instance, in my opinion, "Tattaglia's a pimp," seems to envoke the mood of The Godfather more than "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." The Tattglia line is delivered at the most key moment of the movie. The AFI quote is near the beginning and doesn't factor in to the main plot nearly as well.
And of course, third, any list that doesn't include Pulp Fiction is by far and away the most ridiculous list of all time. That movie is rife with quotes. Almost more so than The Godfather.
And fourth, when Caddyshack — the funniest move of all time — doesn't get mentioned until number 92, you've got a problem.
Fifth, and finally, AFI may not realize it — or their voters — but a movie doesn't have to be among the Top 100 movies of all time to have great quotes. (see Way of the Gun and Boondock Saints)
> The updates may not come as often in the next few weeks as I'm moving and working. But I'll try and keep ya'll updated.
gooch.
posted by dr gooch at 22.6.05
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