We're all in this together, I guess...

High School Musical | rel. 2006 | dir. Kenny Ortega
High School Musical 2 | rel. 2007 | dir. Kenny Ortega

I was going to write this as two separate posts, but what's the point? High School Musical and High School Musical 2 are both rated 6.5/10 in the universe of moi, so there isn't going to be a tremendous difference of opinion anyway. I can easily extract my thoughts about the movies in one post.

I have a feeling that this is going to be an overlong rant that may or may not make any coherent sense. But that's okay. I have lots of meaningless drivel to say that relates to the two movies that I want to get out of my system.

High School Musical's existence entered my life through this girl I knew when I was in eighth grade. Back then, I lived in an abandoned cave right off the coast of a tiny island in Asia so I was pretty much in the dark when this movie first came out. (Simply put, I didn't have cable, thus, no Disney Channel.) At the time, I was a bit of a pretentious snob and would never have sat down to watch a movie that looked like a bunch of ridiculous teenagers prancing around the premises of their high school. Plus, I hated tween romances with a passion.

Tween romances are really just a twelve-year-old girl's fantasy and I guess it's nice for a twelve-year-old girl to see their fantasy on TV, replaced by amazingly aesthetically-pleasing people. That is sort of the point of the High School Musical franchise.

Now, I'm more willing to watch tween romances and accept them as they are. They are not made to be taken seriously or be considered masterpieces. I had to get that through my thick skull several times. Disney is making a lot of money off the franchise by creating a cast set of plastic dolls and printing the film's promo pics on a pillowcase. All the films are completed in a very short time-frame too, so I bet that saves tons of money. It's just pretty hard to take the films seriously even if I really, really try. But hey, not everything is art.

My interest in HSM peaked when I saw the new Disney Channel original movie, Camp Rock. It's supposedly a rip-off of HSM. In my opinion, it's not quite a rip-off, but it's not as guilty pleasure worthy or as entertaining as HSM. But that's a different post altogether...

For those unfamiliar with HSM's basic plot line (which I highly doubt is possible because I feel like I'm the last person on the planet to see the movies), a popular jock meets a brainy girl on vacation and they form a special connection as they sing karaoke together. Turns out, the brainy girl is the new girl at the guy's high school. They have to defeat all obstacles and step out of their comfort zones in order to obtain the lead roles for a school musical.

The entire concept of the film sounded predictable and kind of corny. But whatever. I needed to know what was at the core of all that hype. (Same reason why I want to read Twilight.)

I watched High School Musical almost right after I saw The Lizzie McGuire Movie. I was in good spirits after being charmed by my own childhood nostalgia. There was nothing in the world that could bring me down. And HSM did not bring me down at all. Not at all...

I was pleasantly surprised by the first song in the film, "A Start of Something New," sung by Zac Efron's Troy Bolton (Efron's voice was mixed with Drew Seeley's) and Vanessa Hudgens's Gabriella Montez. It's not a bad song, and in fact, it's truly poplicious in the way Disney songs usually are. (I have a soft spot for all the pop Disney has to offer--that ranges from Hilary Duff to the Jonas Brothers.) Sadly, the film makes no attempt to cover up the fact that all the songs were recorded in a studio and edited before they were inserted into the movie, but that's not a big deal. I don't nitpick too much when it comes to movies aimed at a certain age group, and that's why I gave The Lizzie McGuire Movie an 8/10. I mean, I highly doubt the kids who watch HSM cares if the songs were dubbed in or not. Honestly, I don't really care either.

But I couldn't stop laughing.

Is it just me, or was Zac Efron really exaggerating every muscle in his face in HSM whenever he started singing? He just looks so extremely weird whenever he started singing. When he sings "A Start of Something New," "Get'cha Head in the Game," and "Breaking Free," he looks as if was trying to stretch his facial muscles all the way, until they rip. I don't know if it was due to the fact that he was extremely nervous (I definitely would've been) or that was the way he was told to perform--I have no idea. But it made me laugh pretty hard: I had tears in my eyes and I couldn't really stand or sit.

Enough about how Efron caused my unintentional laughter...

I can't stand the romance between Troy and Gabriella. I mention chemistry or the lack thereof in my reviews very often when it comes to romantic films. A romance can't work if the two leading actors share absolutely no chemistry; it only works when the audience is convinced that the two characters are in love with each other.

Efron and Hudgens did not convince me. There are some sparks in the early karaoke scene, but I think it all went downhill from there. Apparently, they are dating each other in real-life. Whatever they may share off-screen, it doesn't show on celluloid at all. Unless it's some unnecessary publicity stunt by Disney...but who really knows?

I have the same complaints with Camp Rock as well. Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas have even less chemistry than Efron and Hudgens. But they are not "dating" in real-life, so I guess that is a good enough excuse.

HSM has a shining, bright spotlight on one of its young performers and her name is Ashley Tisdale. Tisdale, which many might have been familiar with from the Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, chews up the scenery in HSM, through and through. Forget about Maddie Fitzpatrick, Tisdale will be best-remembered for Sharpay Evans, the drama queen of East High who isn't going to let two newcomers steal the musical scene away from her. Tisdale undoubtedly delivers the best performance, completely overshadowing her sidekick Lucas Grabeel, who plays her brother, Ryan and truthfully, everyone other main cast member as well. Tisdale just leaves everyone in the dust.

In addition to Tisdale playing Sharpay, Sharpay also get all the best songs in the film. "What I've Been Looking For," is sung in a very classy scene with tons of energy and fun oozed all over the screen; it is my favorite song in the movie. "Bop to the Top" is a catchy tune, sung with ambition and personality by Tisdale and Grabeel.

A performance such as Tisdale's pops like technicolor in a movie like this. You watch her and you think, "This girl's got a future in showbiz."

Even though it was probably made on the cheap and shot in a couple of weeks, HSM is not a poorly-made film. The choreography is fantastic, the songs are catchy, and the story is not terrible. The direction by Kenny Ortega is not too bad either. It's sort of like Grease made for the twenty-first century. (I'm probably the millionth person to point that out, even though I haven't seen that movie in like, forever.)

I wish I could give all the same compliments to the sequel, High School Musical 2.

I have no idea how to explain why I would rate HSM2 the same rating I gave HSM since HSM2 is one of those unnecessary sequels that Disney seems to make all the time now. (The previews on my HSM2 DVD had a trailer for the straight-to-video Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True. Yeah, I totally wanted to see that...)

HSM2 is just as entertaining as HSM, though. HSM2 is a hour-and-a-half soap. (Film soaps, I dig. TV soaps, I can't stand.) All that ridiculous drama is probably why I found so much pleasure while watching the film. It was sort of like watching Spider-Man 3, just, not really.

The plot for HSM2 is rather loose and flimsy. So Troy and Gabriella and the rest of the Wildcats get jobs at a country club owned by Sharpay and Ryan's family. Sharpay is pissed because only Troy was supposed to hired since he's still the guy she wants. Because of Sharpay's favoritism towards Troy, he gets special priviledges that detaches him from his friends. There is also a musical competition at the country club and Sharpay has her eye on the trophy, despite the rest of the Wildcats' determination to beat out the competition.

I would be lying if I said I was bored or uninterested at all.

Again, it's Tisdale who shines. James wrote an excellent blog entry about Tisdale's performance that includes all there needs to be said about Tisdale's portrayal of Sharpay. (The entry made me look forward to seeing HSM and HSM2.) Sharpay has a lot more screen time in the second film and she devours every second she has on-screen. She also has an even a more elaborate number in this film--and it's "Fabulous."

Tisdale has many scenes with Efron and I can't help but think what amazing chemistry they seem to have compared to the lackluster chemistry between Efron and Hudgens. There is the scene at the golfing course that made me sort of squee because of how cool the idea Troy x Sharpay is. I love that scene where Efron's Troy comments on his new shoes and says, "They're Italian." The "You Are the Music In Me" scene between Troy and Sharpay is incredible too because even when Troy is supposed to be hating Sharpay, Efron and Tisdale still have a lot of chemistry. But I guess that's the weird-minded shipper in me that simply distorts everything. Or maybe it was the fireworks. (I love this The Suite Life episode clip with Efron guest-starring and kissing Tisdale. It's epic, everyone.)

"Humuhumunukunukuapua'a" is totally hilarious and worth picking up the DVD for if you didn't get to see it when it first aired on the Disney Channel. (The clip is on Youtube, but I liked seeing it as part of the movie.) Oh, Sharpay! Tisdale never fails to impress me.

Although I felt rather guilty for laughing so hard at Efron's facial expressions in the first movie, I was looking forward for some more painfully funny moments in this movie as well. Well, it had several of those moments, but I did not laugh as much as I did during the first movie. That is mainly due to the fact that I found Efron kind of hot in this movie...but I'm not going to get too into that because that thought has been disturbing me to no end. He got taller, slimmer, a tan, and bluer eyes (in result of the tan or colored contacts?). And his real voice sounds strangely awesome.

Laugh all you want (because I did), but the "Bet On It" scene is already classic. The amount of parodies of that scene on Youtube is piling up.

Other than my love for Tisdale's performance as Sharpay, the Efron and Tisdale chemistry, and Efron's suddenly good looks, the rest of the movie is a dud. But thank goodness that the things I did like occupied about 75% of the film. Well, Efron's good looks occupied pretty much the entire movie, but it didn't really matter that much.

So the things that sucked, plus other random thoughts (this deserves a bullet list):

• Vanessa Hudgens. Gabriella doesn't do much in the film other than giggle and say stupid things so it's not entirely Hudgens's fault. But I can't stand Hudgens's one-note delivery of all her lines. I do think Hudgens is a good, if not great, singer. "Gotta Go My Own Way" is actually a pretty good song.
  
• I can't think of a more cringe-worthy scene in the movie than the "I Don't Dance" number. I know it is sort of a showcase for Grabeel, who is a good dancer, but I just think the entire scene feels kind of awkward and strange. I guess prancing around on the basketball court is a little better than prancing around on a baseball diamond? Perhaps.
• The whole Evans family golfing scene is pretty pointless. I understand that it is supposed to develop the interest Sharpay's father has for Troy, but it just comes off as kind of boring.
• The talking-to-singing transitions really bothered me in this film because they're ALL SO AWKWARD. I remember thinking, "WTF?" when Gabriella (Hudgens) started singing "Gotta Go My Own Way." The transition from speaking to singing in the "Work This Out" scene is also freaking weird.
  
• Speaking of awkward singing, this movie is not shy from making it seem oh-so-obvious that they ran the songs through some sound machine. But again, I don't think the kids will notice...yet.
• Troy basically says, "Screw my future, I love my friends more" near the end of the film. I don't think Disney exactly meant it that way but it just came out wrong. At that point in the film, Troy has been a total jerk to his friends because he has gotten a little too full of himself. But his friends are just so freaking annoying so I don't know...I mean, I feel like defending the message because I think I know what it was supposed to mean but...never mind. I don't get it either.
• So were Chad (Corbin Bleu) and Taylor (Monique Coleman) supposed to be an item? I don't remember any mention of it at all in this film...not that it would really add or subtract to the film, but just wonderin' you know?
• I don't understand Kelsi (Olesya Rulin). I like it when Sharpay gives those boring ballads a makeover. They always turn out more to be significantly more kickass.
  
• I kind of hated the last scene: "All For One" is not a very good song at all.

...but I still found myself liking the movie. HSM2 qualifies as a the quintessential guilty pleasure for me.

I can digest crap unlike anyone else I know. I'm one of those rare people who can look at you in the eye and tell you how much I honestly enjoyed Batman & Robin. I kinda-sorta like both HSM films, even though they are both considered "crap" by a lot of people over the age of twelve. Well, I think they are supposed to be fun and they are fun. There is absolutely no harm in that. Kids like them, Disney is making a fortune off them--everyone's happy. Don't ask me why, but I'm looking forward to High School Musical 3: Senior Year. (I think my post already speaks for itself, haha.)

But I'll always have a special place in my heart for Sharpay. Tisdale makes her gold.

---

I hope everyone living in the U.S. had a lovely Independence Day!

"I actually feel my brain turning into goo."

The Lizzie McGuire Movie | rel. 2003 | dir. Jim Fall

I can't hide my love The Lizzie McGuire Movie. So I won't. The quote on the subject line accurately describes how I felt while I watched the film.

I was about nine or ten when Lizzie McGuire first hit the small screen. I was obviously the target age group the show. There were girls at our school who saw popularity as a prize, who cared about what they wore, who liked to drizzle themselves in cherry-flavored lip gloss, and had a heavy intuition of what's hot or not through their subscription of "Seventeen" magazine. (Yes, these girls were, in fact, nine or ten years old!) So they related to Lizzie, who was very much like your everyday junior high school gal who dealt with the pressures exerted by school, friends, and family. Lizzie's animated counterpart, however silly, spoke great volumes of truth to what's going inside the mind of a eight to twelve year old.

But the great appeal that Lizzie had was that she was self-conscious, insecure, and uncertain about herself. That, I certainly could relate to--back then, and even now.

When the film came out back in 2003, I no longer kept up with the show. But I was always curious about it because who doesn't love looking at lovely Roman scenery? Watching the film was like a journey to satisfy my grand curiosity--in a less poetic sense, of course.

In the film, Lizzie (Hilary Duff) graduates from junior high and for her summer vacation, she gets to take a school trip to Rome. Guided by the sternly tough Miss Ungermeyer (Alex Borstein) and accompanied by a few familiar faces--Gordo (Adam Lamberg), Kate Sanders (Ashlie Brillault), and Ethan Craft (Clayton Snyder), Lizzie is off to Rome where adventures await.

After a toss of a coin into the famous Trevi Fountain, Lizzie turns around to find a Godfather-extra-who-is-supposed-to-be-hot-in-the-context-of-the-film (Yani Gellman) right in front of her very eyes. He turns out to be nothing less than an Italian singing sensation named Paolo. And he wants Lizzie. No, he needs Lizzie. You see, Paolo's singing partner, Isabella, looks just like Lizzie! And Isabella's at some island because she wants to break up her partnership with Paolo! So Lizzie has to be Isabella for a few days so the record company won't sue for Isabella's abandonment! And no one will ever know about this!

In order to spend time with Paolo, Lizzie plays sick to Miss Ungermeyer so she can sneak out during the day, with the help of her faithful lovesick puppy slash loyal friend, Gordo. While all of Lizzie's classmates are on a dull little tour bus, Lizzie gets to ride on the back of an adorable Vespa with a guy she finds cute (I may differ) driving and showing her around Rome.

Vespa? Nice Roman Holiday reference there. The Lizzie McGuire Movie, like other romantic comedies (like 1994's Only You (I think that was Venice...) and the TV movie, Sabrina Goes to Rome) that take place in Italy, is not shy from referencing or ripping off Roman Holiday, the greatest romantic comedy ever filmed in Rome and perhaps even the best romantic comedy ever. In many ways, the basic formula of The Lizzie McGuire Movie and Roman Holiday is very much alike...

In The Lizzie McGuire Movie...

• Lizzie goes to Rome
• Lizzie is not satisfied with her trip because she can't hang out with an Italian pop sensation
• Lizzie pretends she's sick in bed but instead, sneaks out to see the Italian pop star, Paolo
• Paolo wants to take advantage of her since Lizzie looks exactly like his singing partner, Isabella
• Paolo and Lizzie ride a Vespa around Rome
  
• Lizzie falls in love with Paolo

In Roman Holiday...

• Princess Ann goes to Rome
• Princess Ann is not satisfied with her trip because she has to do all her royal duties
• Princess Ann is given a sedative by a doctor, but she sneaks out afterwards
• Joe Bradley finds Princess Ann and wants to take advantage of her since she's a princess and he can write a hit article about her
• Joe and Princess Ann ride a Vespa around Rome
• They fall in love

The comparison ends there. Roman Holiday is certainly more of a tearjerker than The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Of course, Roman Holiday is still vastly superior. But honestly, how many eight year old girls want to see an old black-and-white film?

But back to our friend Lizzie.

So Lizzie's sneaking around Miss Ungermeyer with Gordo saving her from trouble. She gets closer to Paolo and realizes that he's really a nice guy since he gives her the opportunity to enjoy the good life. You know, fame, food, clothing, make-up artists... Sure, Lizzie's being a little materialistic there, but the film's target audience would never care.

The target audience cares about their beloved Lizzie McGuire. She's the girl they relate to and she's the girl they love. Lizzie McGuire was the Hannah Montana of yesterday. That said, Hilary Duff was the Miley Cyrus of yesterday. I think both Duff and Cyrus are extremely likable actresses, especially as their famous characters. Like I said in the comments section of James's blog, Duff has a likable screen presence. Perhaps at the time of the comment, Agent Cody Banks may have slipped my mind since the idea of finding anything likable in the movie at all is completely blasphemis, but in general, Duff has always been impressive as Lizzie. Duff's no Audrey Hepburn but she owns the character of Lizzie like no other actress imaginable. Duff proves it again in the film version of the series.

The things I liked about this movie definitely outweighed the things that didn't quite work. The opening sequence is rather awkward, since Lizzie's younger brother Matt (Jake Thomas) seems to be filming his sister as she changes her clothing as blackmail. I mean, what kind of brother wants to watch his sister change? The parents--played by Hallie Todd and Robert Carradine--add nothing to the movie, really. But it was nice seeing them in the movie anyway.

I never expected a romance between Lizzie and Gordo; it always seemed like Gordo and Miranda to me. Speaking of Miranda, I was rather glad that Lalaine, who portrayed Miranda in the series, did not participate in the film. With Miranda there, I do not think the Lizzie-Gordo relationship would have worked as nicely. Sure, Duff and Lamberg may lack romantic chemistry, but their storyline is undoubtedly well-executed.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie may be completely predictable and silly but it is nonetheless, delightfully sweet entertainment. I am well-aware that the film has a 4.8/10 rating on IMDb and a 40% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but this movie wasn't made for those regular IMDb voters or those film critics. It was made for the fans of the show, who were about eight to twelve at the time. Although I think every film should aim to please everybody, not every film is made to please everybody. Fortunately, this film pleased me. It's fun fluff, pure and simple. The film doesn't have half the brilliance of Roman Holiday, but it has a likable heroine and enough cutesy pop tunes to satisfy young girls. To answer the previous question I stated: If your eight year old girl is unwilling to see the black-and-white 1954 classic, then The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a solid alternative. It is 50% rip-off, but also 50% charm.

Rating: 8/10

"That rug really tied the room together."

The Big Lebowski | rel. 1998 | dir. Joel Coen

This film was June's Movie of the Month at the LAMB.

Like many, I thought the dark humor in last year's Best Picture winner, No Country For Old Men was superbly executed. The way writing and directing team Joel and Ethan Coen just seemed to know the perfect timing for some chuckles in the midst of all that blood and suspense came as a surprise, since I was unfamiliar with the two filmmakers' previous films.

So I'm rather glad I was able to see the Coens behind a full-fledged comedic romp in The Big Lebowski.

The film tells the story of Jeffrey Lebowski, nicknamed "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges) who lived in Los Angeles in the early nineties. One evening, The Dude comes home to find two men who informs him that his wife owes a large amount of debt to a man named Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) and he must pay it back because apparently, he's loaded enough to do so. The men tortures The Dude by putting his head in the toilet and even urinating on his precious rug. The funny thing is, The Dude doesn't have a wife and he's just an unemployed slacker. The men, noting The Dude's confusion and his poorly-kept home, realize that they probably have the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski on their hands, so they leave.

After thinking for some time at his favorite hang-out place--a vintage-styled bowling alley--The Dude takes up his friend Walter's (John Goodman) suggestion to find the "other" Jeffrey Lebowski and ask for some payment for the urinated rug. To The Dude's surprise, the other Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleton) is a wheelchair-bound Philanthrope who simply refuses to pay for the urinated rug. The other Lebowski is a bit of your stereotypical old millionaire jerk-face: He lives in a huge mansion with gigantic pool, is rude and suspicious to visitors like The Dude, has a yes-man, Brandt, who just worships him (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a seemingly slutty young trophy wife, Bunny (Tara Reid), and gorgeous rugs that The Dude takes no shame in stealing. Just one rug probably wouldn't hurt anybody...

The plot of the film really starts crackling when Bunny is kidnapped and the millionaire Lebowski asks The Dude to act as a courier to deliver the million in ransom. Mayhem ensues; mayhem concerning a case of underwear, a rug of sentimental value, pornography, nihilists, a shattered new (and old) car, green nail polish, a pedophile, bowling--just to name a few. But those are just ingredients that fuel this original crime story.

The Big Lebowski has an incredible cast, especially Bridges in a very likable performance as The Dude. Although I often thought the guy needed to take more baths, actually do his laundry, and get a job (but loved the shades), I liked him a whole lot and rooted for him all the way. I loved Goodman's performance as The Dude's loyal but freakishly unstable sidekick who is fearless when it comes to waving a gun around in a public bowling alley or shattering someone's brand new car (a scene that got my laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes--and that's rare). I enjoyed Huddleton and Hoffman, who often stumbles off to the sidelines but are wholly deserving of attention when they are present on-screen.

The rest of the supporting cast deliver lovely performances as well, despite that their characters come off as rather uninteresting. Julianne Moore plays Maude Lebowski, the millionaire's daughter who has an idea of her father's tricks. In her signature red hair, with a Uma Thurman a la Pulp Fiction kind of feel, Moore knows how to hold the screen like a classic film noir femme fetale with a modern kick, despite her poorly-developed character. Steven Buscemi, who plays The Dude and Walter's charmingly innocent bowling buddy, Donny in the film proves that he's always a rewarding addition to a strong cast--again, despite the fact that the character itself brings little to the movie.

The bowling alley scenes are full of rambling pointlessness. Some of the dialogue between the characters feel like the Coens got too caught up in their own quirky universe that they must reveal every single meaningless detail that adds nothing to the plot or the film's entertainment value. But the bowling alley scenes are brightened up by John Turturro in a small but interesting role as a rival bowler named Jesus--and yes, he is very funny. A subplot--if I can call it that--between The Dude and Maude feels rather undeveloped and sloppy compared to the cleverness of the rest of the film. The narration by The Stranger (Sam Elliott) isn't very necessary either.

But the rest of the film is clever enough. The dream sequences adds a bit of flair to the crazy mayhem, although the flying scenes are cheesy as hell. But they are entertaining and wonderfully choreographed, especially the the last one with The Dude bowling with Maude. I found the weirdness of it all very refreshing.

The film sure does end abruptly, though. But life goes on, I suppose.

Despite its minor flaws, I did laugh very much throughout The Big Lebowski and was engaged in the plot enough to care about the fate of the characters. I guess in that way, the Coens fulfilled their purpose.

Rating: 7.5/10

A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow

Eugene Levy and Catharine O'Hara performing the nominee for Best Original Song from the film, A Mighty Wind at the Academy Awards in 2004.

Beautiful, right?

I adore great American folk music. Overall, I enjoyed Christopher Guest's mockumentary, but this song (written by Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole) definitely made me like the film even more.

America's (AFI's) 10 Greatest Films in 10 Classic Genres

I was unable to catch the CBS special that was on Tuesday since I was studying for my French and English finals, but I am happy to announce that the list is available online.

Some great choices here and there. It was completely expected that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Searchers, Raging Bull, Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey (can you believe I've NEVER seen 2001?), The Godfather, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Lawrence of Arabia top their respected genres.

Well, I was hoping Gone with the Wind would top the epic list, but hey, Lawrence of Arabia is not too shabby either. I do not think Lawrence of Arabia reaches the entertaining stamina and grand melodrama of Gone with the Wind, but it is a very good film, perhaps because of Peter O'Toole's charismatic and convincing performance as T.E. Lawrence.

But I would never have guessed that City Lights would top the romantic comedies list. I don't think I know a single person who would watch City Lights and think, "Wow, what a great romantic comedy!" Although Annie Hall would have been a more conventional and expected choice (it still came in #2), Roman Holiday defines (for me, at least) what the romantic comedy genre is all about. Its ending is every bit as bittersweet as the ending to City Lights, but Roman Holiday is far more romantic and comedic than City Lights. Roman Holiday is one of my all-time favorite movies.

Jerry Maguire is a...sports movie? Like someone once said on IMDb, it's a "chick flick disguised as sports movie." That movie isn't about sports. It discusses the subject of what it takes to be a football player with sacchrine ooze, but it doesn't actively discuss the harsh determination required to be an athlete in the way say, Raging Bull and Rocky do. I actually think it would have been more appropriate to place Jerry Maguire in the romantic comedy list, just because it really is a romantic comedy. They could have replaced Sleepless In Seattle (You've Got Mail is much better, IMO) with Jerry Maguire. But hey, I have a weird soft spot for Jerry Maguire. The film is so unbelievably corny, but Cameron Crowe's fluff works.

I'm not the most avid viewer of the western genre, but it has been growing on me. How do I know? I absolutely adore the top four movies on the list. The Searchers is a wonderful film, and I remember being absolutely surprised on how entertaining and suspenseful the film is, especially at its climax. I also love High Noon, not only for Gary Cooper's incredible performance, but for Grace Kelly not being a mere damsel-in-distress but a strong woman who is able to defend herself in a man's genre. Shane is a great movie, if only for Alan Ladd's fantastical coolness in the film. I can go on forever about Unforgiven. It is my favorite western film. Clint Eastwood delivers one helluva performance, on-screen and off-screen in the director's chair. And I can't say enough about Gene Hackman's villainous turn...all I can really say is, HE'S AMAZING. I'm slowly becoming a huge Hackman fan.

I'm definitely not the biggest fan of The Wild Bunch, but just how cool is that iconic image of the film? William Holden rules.

Oh, To Kill a Mockingbird. I love that movie (and book) to pieces. Glad to see it top the courtroom drama list. And I wish Back to the Future is slightly higher on the sci-fi list because really, it's probably the most fun I've ever had watching a film.

But I wish Scarface would somehow roll of this planet and suddenly evaporate into a black hole. What is so great about that movie anyway other than the unintentionally funny parts? I mean, I realize how iconic it is, but not even Al Pacino's performance and Michelle Pfeffier's beautiful presence could save that mess of a movie. And I do love Pacino a whole lot and I'm glad to see both Godfather films make the list.

Enough of my pointless little rant. What are your opinions on AFI's newly unveiled list?