Next Up for the AFI: America's Most Inspiring Movies

[Bearcat729]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20051118/en_movies_eo/17798



AFI Gets Inspired for New List

By Gina Serpe
2 hours, 2 minutes ago

Inspiring minds want to know: Which film is most uplifting of all? AFI's on the case.

The list-happy American Film Institute is gearing up for another primetime countdown, this time focusing th powers of hierarchy on AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies.

"Over the years, the movies have given us something to cheer about," says Jean Picker Firstenberg, the institute's director and CEO. "The past few years have not been easy in America--from September 11 to the devastation of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

"AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers will celebrate the films that inspire us, encourage us to make a difference and send us from the theater with a greater sense of possibility and hope for the future."

The list is the ninth annual compilation for AFI, whose previous endeavors included 1998's 100 Years...100 Movies, 1999's 100 Stars, 2000's 100 Laughs, 2001's 100 Thrills, 2002's 100 Passions, 2003's 100 Villains, 2004's 100 Songs and last year's 100 Movie Quotes.

To aid potential voters in their choice of inspiring films, a master ballot with 300 nominations was distributed Thursday to a jury of more than 1,500 industry types.

The panel of actors, directors, critics and historians will whittle down the impressive compilation to just 100 for the prime-time special.

Flicks old and new appear on the ballot, with nominations as varied as 8 Mile and Gandhi, It's a Wonderful Life and The Karate Kid, and The Passion of the Christ and Rocky.

Not surprisingly, Hollywood nice guys
Tom Hanks and Henry Fonda led the inspiring charge, with each actor appearing in eight movies from the list.
Sidney Poitier, Gary Cooper and
Denzel Washington were the next most represented actors, with seven feel-good flicks apiece.

Directors Frank Capra and
Steven Spielberg also secured their spots as cinematic uplifters as each had a half-dozen films each making the cut, including Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and Spielberg's E.T., Schindler's List and The Color Purple.

Though AFI provided an ample selection of heart-warming flicks, should a voter's personal fave not be listed, up to five other films can be written in on each ballot.

Voters are simply asked to consider only English-language, or at least U.S.-produced, films, and motion pictures that leave audiences feeling "triumphant"--whether or not that includes a happy ending.

AFI unveils its 100 Years...100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies with a three-hour special that airs in June on CBS.

[Greyroofoo]

being partial to football I'd have to say Rudy should top the list

[JonInMiddleGA]

Hmm ... probably Rocky, and Patton immediately come to mind for me.
Not sure how to deal with Apocalypse Now, since it soars & crashes at various points. That'd leave me at least two other spots that I guess I'll fill in later.

(Hey, just because I'm not on the 1500 member jury doesn't mean I can make up a list of 5)

[Crapshoot]

Hell, Star Wars, as a series, tops my list. I come away with a certain faith in the human - that despite all the fuckups, despite the dangers, we are essentialy good people. The human spirit, to get it right, when it matters.

[panerd]

Voters are simply asked to consider only English-language, or at least U.S.-produced, films, and motion pictures that leave audiences feeling "triumphant"--whether or not that includes a happy ending.

Shawshank Redemption

[Maple Leafs]

The Passion of the Christ and Rocky

That sounds like a good movie.

[DeToxRox]

D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.

Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

Otter: Germans?

Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.

Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...

[thinks hard]

Bluto: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!

[runs out, alone; then returns]

Bluto: What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer...

Otter: Dead! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.

Bluto: We're just the guys to do it.

D-Day: Let's do it.

Bluto: LET'S DO IT!

[rkmsuf]

Can I have 10,000 marbles please?

[albionmoonlight]

Rocky and Shawshank are the ones that come right to mind for me.

[cuervo72]

I know it showed Schindler to be a nice guy and all, but I can't say I was feeling very uplifted after Schindler's List....

[Mustang]

How about Red Dawn?

WOLVERINES!!!!!


Ok.. maybe not.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs commenting on the Balboa/Jesus Buddy Flick

That sounds like a good movie.

It's along the same lines as Amazing Grace and Chuck.

[kcchief19]

I can only hope Joe Versus the Volcano is one of the Tom Hanks movies on the list ...

Similar to AFI's movie quote list, it sounds like my definition of triumphant and there's is different. I didn't find Close Encounters of the Third Kind particular triumphant, but that's just me. Movies like the The Color Purple and Schindler's List are the kind of movies that should be seen, but I wasn't left with any sense of "triumph" after seeing them. Yes, they are excellent examples of humanity shining through horror, but they aren't movies that leave me "cheering." The kind of triumph that you get at the end of Star Wars or Rocky is the complete opposite of what you feel after seeing Saving Private Ryan.

[Ksyrup]

Mother, Jugs & Speed?

[Ksyrup]

I felt a sense of triumph as DiCaprio sank to the bottom of the Atlantic in Titantic. Maybe that should be included.

[rkmsuf]

I was uplifted by Diane Lane's performance in Unfaithful.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Greyroofoo

being partial to football I'd have to say Rudy should top the list

Agreed.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Mother, Jugs & Speed?

Mmmm, mid-70's Raquel...