top 3 of awesomeness

It seems like everyone is doing lists these days! Entertainment Weekly, in honor of their 1000th edition, made a 1000 Classics of the Past 25 Years list, which covers film, tv, music, poster art, video games, and (woot!) theatre. To me, "classic" does not mean "best," although I seem to be in the minority opinion on that. To me, classic refers to something that will stand the test of time, something that others will be references for years to come, that changed the face of its medium. Like Singing in the Rain. It's iconic. When Harry Met Sally is a good movie - with obnoxious characters - because it primarily explores a friendship and not a romance. I wouldn't call it a classic, though. Although, the orgasm scene is classic, as is the line "I'll have what she's having." Really, I have two major issues with these lists. One, how can there be fifty classics in the film and tv sections? Aren't classics supposed to sparse? And two, if you do translate "classic" to mean "best," how can the list be so broad? "The best of everything." You can't do that! Because then you have Evil Dead 2 on the same list as Lord of the Rings, which is on the same list as Die Hard. Those films are completely different, and how in the world do you compare them to each other? They're all on different levels.

So... here is the list that EW should have done. And as you all know, I hate genres. They're limiting and not very even. (Comedy can be separated into slapstick or dark, for example. And the term dramedy is such a cop-out.) So hopefully my Top 3 lists appease this problem.


Top 3 Films with a Kick-Ass Heroines
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark -- Marion Ravenwood
2. Terminator -- Sarah Connor
1. Alien -- Ellen Ripley

[Note: If you do a search for "film heroines," a bunch of online quizzes come up. "Which heroine are you?" quizzes offer such gems as "Which is your style?" and offers jeans and stilettos, print dress and ballerina shoes, or skirts and pearls as insights. How about questions like "What is your weapon of choice?" and offer guns or uncanny wit and intellect as options?]

Top 3 Cinematic Sci-Fi Guilty Pleasures
3. Galaxy Quest (thanks goddessdster!)
2. Equilibrium
1. Total Recall

[Note: I mark Total Recall as a guilty pleasure because the science is all wrong. His eyes blowing up? The three-breasted woman? It hasn't exactly held up well over time... but it's so good!]


Top 3 Literary Adaptations
3. The Princess Bride
2. The English Patient
1. American Psycho

[Note: Is it bad that I put The English Patient on here, especially since it's not very faithful to the book? The novel really spends a lot more time on Hannah, so the movie is really like... a spin-off, using the same characters. Also, I really held back by not putting Adaptation on the list...]

Top 3 Mind-Frak Films
3. Being John Malkovich
2. Fight Club
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

[Note: Wait, what? They're inside his head? Wait, Tyler Durden isn't real? What happened to Bowman?That star-child is creepy...]


Top 3 Modern Movies About Love that Don't Suck
3. Stardust
2. Forrest Gump
1. French Kiss

[Note: I heart Tristan Thorne. Stardust was so good with character development, and I really believed and rooted for the nerdy underdog. And there's something about Claire Danes that I just don't like, but I always enjoy her performances. And who doesn't want to fall in love with a Star?]