The next AFI 100 Years...100 (fill-in-the-blank) is... (1 Viewer)

[streeter]

I thought Hannibal Lecter was a bad choice at #1. He's definitely a memorable villain and belongs in the top 5, but not that close to the top. Had George Lucas not made the Star Wars prequels, I predict that Darth Vader would have been number 1. He would have had some more respect left.

Anyone have the complete list?

 

[Kristian]

Did anyone else find it somewhat disturbing that they ranked real people like Oskar Schindler and Gandhi alongside the fictional characters? I wonder how Erin Brockovich feels about being so low on the list of heroes...

IMHO, the worst omission was not having Luke Skywalker on the list, while at the same time including Han Solo. I wish they would've at least cheated like they did with Bonnie and Clyde and listed both of them as one character. The worst inclusion for me was having those generic "martians" on the list. Also, listing the Terminator twice was a bit much. I think he made his biggest impression as villain.

Those complaints aside, it was an entertaining show, but not as good as the other ones.

 

[ScottR]

I agree with the #1 choice for hero...and go Ms. Hamilton for placing #4 villain...you rock, girl!

 

[Adam_ME]

The most glaring omission for me in the list of villains was Khan. I know sci-fi usually gets the short end of the stick on all these "Best of" lists, but c'mon, there's a reason even folks who don't like Star Trek love the second film. If friggin Cruella De Vil can get on this list, show a little love for Ricardo Montalban.

On the heroes side, I wish they would've included Martin Riggs from the first Legal Wreckin flick. Since Mad Max is ineligible due to those movies being Australian, Mel Gibson's other 4-part series should've gotten the consolation pick.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

It was a great list mind you, but where on Earth was...
Hero's
John McClain Die Hard Trilogy
Morpheus The Matrix
Andy Dufreun The Shawshank Redemption
Martin Riggs Lethal Weapon Trilogy
Jack Dawson Titanic
John Miller Saving Private Ryan
Spider-man Spider-man
Eric Dravin The Crow
Jack Travin Speed
Dr. Richard Kimble The Fugitive
Villian's
John Ryder The Hitcher
Clarence Bodicker RoboCop
T-1000 T2
Predator Predator
Micheal Myers Halloween
Chucky Child's Play
"Dad" Frailty
Col. Stuart Die Hard 2
Capt. Hadley The Shawshank Redemption
Howard Pain Speed
Agent Smith The Matrix
Major. Coffee The Abyss
I realize that they had to leave out many in order to narrow the list down to 100, but geez, there are some major league hero's and villian's that they left out of that distinguished list IMO.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

So, I guess this is the official discussion thread about the list? I wish i'd identified this thread before starting one. :frowning:

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Sorry, I didn't identify John Kilduff's thread about the list before starting this one. :b

Feel free to merge it with his.

(Admin note - posts merged).

 

[Walter Kittel]

I'm not bothering with spoiler tags because the show was telecast last night.
John - Looking at your list in the other thread, I'd say that it focuses too much on contemporary films. To the credit of the AFI they considered, and included a number of classic heroes & villains. ( Flynn as Robin Hood, Tracy as Lou Gehrig, Stewart as Harold Bailey, Tracy as Father Flanagan; Cagney as Tom Powers & Cody Jarrett, Edward G. Robinson as Little Caesar, Bela Lugosi as Dracula, Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter, Robert Mitchum as Rev. Harry Powell are all solid selections. )
I would have given Han Solo's slot on the list to Luke Skywalker in a heartbeat. Sure Ford and Lucas created a great, colorful hero, but c'mon Luke was the focal point of the O.T. ( and the character I believe most people identified with in the O.T. although I could be mistaken. )
I was disappointed that Henry Fonda ( as Frank from Once Upon A Time In The West ) didn't make the cut, but at least he made the opening montage of heroes and villains. I have to agree with Adam about the omission of Khan. ( They pick the frickin' Martians but there's no love for Khan - gimme a break. )
Seeing Lucas 'Cool Hand' Jackson as a hero was pretty neat. While the segments were short, I felt that some of the presenters did a good job of making their cases as to why the characters were heroic ( or villainous .) I particularly liked the case made for Luke Jackson - who's always been one of my favorite characters. Also, Malcolm McDowell's ability to relish the performance as Alex DeLarge was kinda fun. You could almost see him becoming Alex as he reminisced about the villain having fun with the role.
Overall, it was an enjoyable telecast even if some favorites didn't make the cut, which is bound to happen whenever these types of lists are comprised.
- Walter.

 

[Galen_V]

I also don't agree with the #1 choices for either catergory. I would definately give the #1 here role to James Bond (I didn't think that Indy deserved to be over Bond), and the #1 villian should have been Michael Corleone IMHO.

Kristian-I COMPLETELY agree with you that historical characters should not have been included on the list. Especially if the movies were made about them because they are heroes. And including "Man" on the list for killing Bambi's mother? C'mon.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

As is traditional, I ran down both lists to see where MY favorites would be (if at all)
As usual, the list didn't match up with my choices at all, but it pleased enough people, I am sure.
I do think Luke Skywalker should be high on the list. I agree that actors playing REAL people should not be on that list. It's good to know Erin Brockovich is a bigger film hero than Luke
No Khan *is* a sad thing. He's a legend. I also wish Hans Gruber had been a lot higher. He was (and is) a real favorite of mine.
But the list wanted to be as diverse as possible, and please as many people as possible. Arnold was given both so he'd host the show (gotta get some ratings), no big deal.
Take care,
Chuck

 

[Chuck Mayer]

And #1 on the HERO list should have been as follows:
The Champion

And Mods, hell yeah, it's a big pic! He don't take kindly to thumbnails.
Take care,
Chuck

 

[WadeB]

I agree with the where the heck was Luke sentiments entirely.

I was also surprised not to see Spiderman, Frodo, Neo. Perhaps these are too new to have made the list.

Finally, anybody find Mel Gibson's absence odd. William Wallace should be high on this list IMHO, and there are other Mel characters that might qualify too. You think his recent run-ins with Hollywood types kept him off?

 

[streeter]

Did anyone notice Emperor Ming on the poster background behind Harrison Ford? I wonder how many votes he got, LOL.

 

[Malcolm R]

Michael Myers would make a good addition. The Father from "Frailty" could be either a hero or a villain depending on your beliefs and interpretation of the film.
And, as with Morpheus, I think Agent Smith is still "to be determined" pending the conclusion of the trilogy.

 

[Coressel]

I watched only a few minutes of this thing last night. My wife and I laughed our asses off at the "recaps" before the commerical breaks.
Finally, after all these years, I have found the perfect title for my ever-evolving screenplay:
MAN FROM BAMBI
Perhaps the next few AFI shows could be:
100 Films, The Best 100 Feet
100 Films, 100 Flops
100 Films, 100 One-Liners
100 Films, 100 Z's (Most Boring Films of all Time!)
100 Films, 100 Flavors
100 Films, 100 Explosions
100 Films, 100 Farts
100 Films, 100 Fucks (I'd stay awake for that one...)
100 Films, 100 Philistines

 

[Malcolm R]

That would be funny. I wonder if they'd have any trouble lining up celebrities for the interview/discussion segments?

 

[Scott D S]

That would be funny. I wonder if they'd have any trouble lining up celebrities for the interview/discussion segments?

Well, Paul Verhoeven was the first filmmaker to attend the Razzie Awards when Showgirls was nominated (and won). I'm sure he'd be happy to do it.

 

[ThomasC]

Here's the list:
http://www.afi.com/tv/handv.pdf

 

[Seth Paxton]

Isn't this still a first 100 YEARS list? That should have eliminated Brockovich, Gladiator, and Training Day in my mind, and I think Gandalf would go on before Frodo or Maximus. Agent Smith over Alonzo Harris (Denzel) isn't even close in my mind, and that's going only on the first Matrix. Smith has already become an American icon, quoted, imitated and loved as a character. In fact Hugo had trouble ditching that image in viewers minds in the LOTR films.
I agree on pairing Luke with Han. They paired Woodward and Berstein, Butch and Sundance, and Thelma and Louise after all. In fact if they are separate then I'd put Luke above Han. We all loved Han, but Luke was still THE MAN in those films.
Frailty - you can't have one of the greatest villains/heroes in a film that almost no one saw. I think the characters need to be entrenched in the public conscious and not just with film geeks (otherwise I'd be 100% behind Chuck's choice ).
Kimble was a very nice guy and heroic in how he considered other people in the face of his own dangers, BUT that film is still mostly about him saving his own ass. I love Titanic and think Leo was the best part, but I wouldn't place him anywhere near the top of a heroes list.
And I don't have a problem with real people being part of the list. The characters still come from the filmed version and do not represent 100% known facts anyway. As biographic as they are their filmic appeal comes from the acting, writing and directing of the film more than just who they were. Plenty of great people, certainly as great as Erin B, have had films made of their lives that were totally forgettable.
Some of my nitpicks -
Clarice Starling, come on. That film is all about Hannibal. Foster is good in the role, but that character was not special in a heroic way. Without Hannibal its just another cop flick. Compare it to French Connection which was all about Popeye, for example. Clarice should not be anywhere near Ripley, comparing 2 female leads. Cripes, Foster was a better hero in "Bad News Bears", and I mean that sincerely.
Atticus is great, but I think Indiana Jones has to be #1.
Excuse me, I know I love the film more than the average person, but how in the hell is Judah Ben-Hur not on the list? Chariot race anyone? Slave ship? He had the action, he had the journey, he had a shitload of Oscar wins, he's a huge icon, and only Moses stands higher (barely) as the classic Heston role.
For that matter Messala could stand a little love too. I think people just forget how iconic those 2 are together. He's one of the most evil characters of all-time.
I don't put Hans on the list. Good villain, but not great. That film was all about Bruce, yet he DOESN'T make the list??
Freddie over Mike Myers or Jason. Come on, seriously now. And don't say its for his one liners because in the first film he hardly speaks at all. That's just so wrong in so many ways.
Martians is a bit iffy, but maybe farther down the list. But Man in Bambi???? WTF? Yes, the whole species are evil SOBs. How can a generic character that is barely in any scenes be one of the greatest villains? Do people really sit around and say "Man those humans in Bambi were awesome"? When you watch the film does it get better during the scenes with "Man" like it does when Hannibal is on screen..."boy, I can't wait till there is another scene with those exciting human characters". An utterly retarded choice, especially when so many other Disney villains were left off - I mean Lion King, hello out there. Jungle Book, even Nemo from 20K Leagues. Keey-ripes what a terrible choice.

 

[David_Jr]

Here is the complete list.
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/....ap/index.html