AFI Top 10 films of each genre

[SteelSD]

Mine:

ANIMATION
"Akira" (Hon. Mention: "Shrek")

FANTASY
"The Devil's Advocate" (Hon. Mention: "Donnie Darko")

GANGSTER
"Goodfellas" (Hon. Mention: "The Godfather")

SCIENCE FICTION
"Star Wars" (Hon. Mention: "The Matrix")

WESTERN
"Tombstone" (Hon. Mention: "Serenity")

SPORTS
"Raging Bull" (Hon. Mention: "Hoosiers")

MYSTERY
"The Usual Suspects" (Hon. Mention: "Unknown")

ROMANTIC COMEDY
"Chasing Amy" (Hon. Mention: "Sense and Sensibility")

COURTROOM DRAMA
"To Kill a Mockingbird" (Hon. Mention: "12 Angry Men" <1957>)

EPIC
"Spartacus" (Hon. Mention: "Lord of the Rings- Return of the King" <Extended Version>)

[919191]

Isn't horror a genre?

[Scrap Irony]

Great picks, Steel.

Mine:

ANIMATION
The Lion King with Shrek a close second.

FANTASY
Rosemary's Baby with Legend second. (The make-up and acting of Fred Gwynn make it great.

GANGSTER
The Godfather, Part II. Nothing else comes close.

SCIENCE FICTION
Spaceballs. At ludicrous speed.

WESTERN
Silverado Kevin Kline in his best role. And a Kevin Costner I can almost stomach. Brian Dennehy plays a great bad guy, too.

SPORTS
Eight Men Out, then Rocky

MYSTERY
The Usual Suspects. The script is perhaps the best ever written.

ROMANTIC COMEDY
Notting Hill. I'm a sucker for that Julia Roberts speech and the end. And the use of songs (especially Ain't No Sunshine Since She's Gone) is first-rate.

COURTROOM DRAMA
"To Kill a Mockingbird" (Hon. Mention: "12 Angry Men" <1957>) Agreed on both. Gregory Peck is the best Hollywood has come to the perfect father.

EPIC
"Lord of the Rings. Or, if it fits, The Indiana Jones films. (The first three.)

[rotnoid]

How in the world does Citizen Kane (for my money, the greatest movie ever made) not make a single one of these lists? That's all the proof I need that this was more about marketing and ratings than actual movie quality.

[camisadelgolf]

How in the world does Citizen Kane (for my money, the greatest movie ever made) not make a single one of these lists? That's all the proof I need that this was more about marketing and ratings than actual movie quality.

I endorse this statement completely. I actually opened this thread just to see where it would be listed, and I'm shocked that it wasn't mentioned.

[Oxilon]

I never understood the fascination with 2001: Space Odessey. Perhaps it was because I was never stoned out of my mind when I watched it.

[TRF]

ANIMATION
I'm thinking Wall-E will be at the top of this list next year. I loved Surf's Up.

FANTASY
Princess Bride

GANGSTER
pheh. I hate gangster movies. no appeal for me.

SCIENCE FICTION
Serenity was the most realistic/futuristic Sci Fi flick I have ever seen.

WESTERN
3:10 to Yuma (the re-make) was outstanding.

SPORTS
Bull Durham,

MYSTERY
The Usual Suspects.

ROMANTIC COMEDY
As Good As It Gets. I love Helen Hunt.

COURTROOM DRAMA
A Time to Kill.

EPIC
Lord of the Rings.

[Rojo]

Mine:

ANIMATION
"Akira" (Hon. Mention: "Shrek")

FANTASY
"The Devil's Advocate" (Hon. Mention: "Donnie Darko")

GANGSTER
"Goodfellas" (Hon. Mention: "The Godfather")

SCIENCE FICTION
"Star Wars" (Hon. Mention: "The Matrix")

WESTERN
"Tombstone" (Hon. Mention: "Serenity")

SPORTS
"Raging Bull" (Hon. Mention: "Hoosiers")

MYSTERY
"The Usual Suspects" (Hon. Mention: "Unknown")

ROMANTIC COMEDY
"Chasing Amy" (Hon. Mention: "Sense and Sensibility")

COURTROOM DRAMA
"To Kill a Mockingbird" (Hon. Mention: "12 Angry Men" <1957>)

EPIC
"Spartacus" (Hon. Mention: "Lord of the Rings- Return of the King" <Extended Version>)

Its a good list but I you hit on two of my over-rateds, The Usual Suspects and Donnie Darko, especially Donnie Darko. Its a student film that gets lost mid-way through and then tries to find its way back with a "clever" ending.

After, Pulp Fiction, a truly great movie, there was a rash of preening criminal films. Most of them were terrible. Usual Suspects wasn't as bad as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but was pretty forgettable.

[RedlegJake]

These genres suck. I mean the breakdown - and then the films they include in each one left me scratching my head sometimes. I'd have about 50 more specific genres if I was doing the lists, or else just four or five widely inclusive ones. For instance comedy has possible genres like
romantic - Notting Hill
spoof - Spaceballs
dark - The Upside of Anger
slapstick - Pet Detective
family - Cheaper by the Dozen
sports - Major League

Or just roll em all into one genre of Comedy

[Caveat Emperor]

ANIMATION
Toy Story (Hon. Mention: Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi ("Spirited Away"))

FANTASY
The Princess Bride (Hon. Mention: Big Fish)

GANGSTER
The Godfather (Hon. Mention: Goodfellas)

SCIENCE FICTION
The Empire Strikes Back (Hon. Mention: The War of the Worlds (1956))

WESTERN
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Hon. Mention 3:10 to Yuma (2007)

SPORTS
The Field of Dreams (Hon. Mention: Rocky)

MYSTERY
Se7en (Hon. Mention: The Usual Suspects)

ROMANTIC COMEDY
As Good As it Gets (Hon. Mention: Groundhog Day)

COURTROOM DRAMA
My Cousin Vinny (Hon. Mention: A Few Good Men)

EPIC
Braveheart (Hon. Mention: The Great Escape)

[westofyou]

ANIMATION
Toy Story (Hon. Mention: Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi ("Spirited Away"))

FANTASY
The Princess Bride (Hon. Mention: Big Fish)

GANGSTER
The Godfather (Hon. Mention: Goodfellas)

SCIENCE FICTION
The Empire Strikes Back (Hon. Mention: The War of the Worlds (1956))

WESTERN
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Hon. Mention 3:10 to Yuma (2007)

SPORTS
The Field of Dreams (Hon. Mention: Rocky)

MYSTERY
Se7en (Hon. Mention: The Usual Suspects)

ROMANTIC COMEDY
As Good As it Gets (Hon. Mention: Groundhog Day)

COURTROOM DRAMA
My Cousin Vinny (Hon. Mention: A Few Good Men)

EPIC
Braveheart (Hon. Mention: The Great Escape)

Sierre Madre a western?

Nah.... I remember seeing cars in that one.

IIRC from film school, a western is more about the time than the locale, hence the western tends to focus on the individual vs the shrinking old world and he is encroaching on that world and helping that slowly die.

Hence... my favorite western is The Searchers.... with every other one pulling up in the rear.

On horses.:

[Homer Bailey]

How didn't The Untouchables make the Gangster list....

I thought The Untouchables was so weak. Costner was so boring, and nothing about it seemed serious. DeNiro was such an awesome Capone, and he was barely in it. It made a mockery out of what was a very serious time.

[Homer Bailey]

How in the world does Citizen Kane (for my money, the greatest movie ever made) not make a single one of these lists? That's all the proof I need that this was more about marketing and ratings than actual movie quality.

Agreed.