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Look Rob, I don't think we're going to come to common ground here on film aesthetics. I believe in an overall, holistic evaluation of a film when evaluating greatness. This gestalt can be greater than the sum of it's parts, or lesser. Basically, how does the overall film work? Do I want to...

Look Rob, I don't think we're going to come to common ground here on film aesthetics. I believe in an overall, holistic evaluation of a film when evaluating greatness. This gestalt can be greater than the sum of it's parts, or lesser. Basically, how does the overall film work? Do I want to...

If I were to do a poll of people's favorite colors to see if there was a concensus, and it turned out most people like blue, it still wouldn't mean that blue was any given person's favorite color. When it comes to subjective vs. objective, you can't have it both ways. If I were to say that...

If I were to do a poll of people's favorite colors to see if there was a concensus, and it turned out most people like blue, it still wouldn't mean that blue was any given person's favorite color. When it comes to subjective vs. objective, you can't have it both ways. If I were to say that...

I haven't seen either of those. My idea of great films are films like: The Apartment Rear Window The Godfather Citizen Kane Casablanca Star Wars Dr. Strangelove Raiders of the Lost Ark 2001 North by Northwest Some Like It Hot Stalag 17 Chinatown The Godfather Part 2 The Bridge...

I haven't seen either of those. My idea of great films are films like: The Apartment Rear Window The Godfather Citizen Kane Casablanca Star Wars Dr. Strangelove Raiders of the Lost Ark 2001 North by Northwest Some Like It Hot Stalag 17 Chinatown The Godfather Part 2 The Bridge...

OK Rob, I'll try to explain, but I doubt if I'll do a good job, and I know you'll disagree in any case. For me 'greatness' is not something objective about a film, it's something subjective, and more than that it's personal. I don't doubt for a moment that when you sit down and watch LOA...

OK Rob, I'll try to explain, but I doubt if I'll do a good job, and I know you'll disagree in any case. For me 'greatness' is not something objective about a film, it's something subjective, and more than that it's personal. I don't doubt for a moment that when you sit down and watch LOA...

Of course Jim, you do realize that the fact that your "general population of film-buffs" refuses to confer membership on people who don't tow the party line in terms of what's already established as a 'classic', proves that it's exactly the kind of elitist, anti-free will society you've been...

Of course Jim, you do realize that the fact that your "general population of film-buffs" refuses to confer membership on people who don't tow the party line in terms of what's already established as a 'classic', proves that it's exactly the kind of elitist, anti-free will society you've been...

Thanks Jim. That clears that up. :) And I just like to thank Brook for black-balling me. :)

Thanks Jim. That clears that up. :) And I just like to thank Brook for black-balling me. :)

Well Jim, Plan 9 From Outer Space is classic Ed Wood, so I guess that makes Plan 9 a classic in the same sense as Citizen Kane? And just because there's a lot of people buying older movies doesn't make them film buffs. Someone who buys a Cary Grant film cause they fondly remember Cary Grant...

Well Jim, Plan 9 From Outer Space is classic Ed Wood, so I guess that makes Plan 9 a classic in the same sense as Citizen Kane? And just because there's a lot of people buying older movies doesn't make them film buffs. Someone who buys a Cary Grant film cause they fondly remember Cary Grant...

I love these conversations. We're never going to resolve anything but it's certainly interesting and thought-provoking to discuss it. I agree with you Lew that most of those qualify as classics (at least the ones I've seen), though I have to say that there are still a few on there that I think...

How does it happen? Are you sure there's not a secret society of film snobs that canonizes all these works? :) I actually have more of a problem with the Sight & Sound list than the AFI list. While the S&S is filled with classics, it's also got a lot of films that are on there just because...

Yeah, but the problem is that even classics viewed in the dispassionate light of many years, may, after a number of other years have passed, become non-classics. I'm not certain that it's any less valid to say that Toy Story is a classic, though it may not be thought of that way in 100 years...

I'll start by saying that we're never going to get a definition here that we can agree on. I'll also kick in by disagreeing with Lew. While I understand the idea that time often helps put things in perspective, I think any arbitrary selection of that time is meaningless. A 25 year old film...