A Twist on Things, The "Big Watch"

So there's been some stirrings in regards to the whole "Big Read" topic going on in several blogs. I'm not too big on supposedly classic literature, but I do see the validity in culturing oneself by reading such titles. Of course these lists are compiled solely on subjective opinion, but it does have some merit, even if it is to a minimal degree in some other's opinion.

However, I will not be revealing my big read statistic/score or whatnot. Instead, I'll throw a curveball and shed light on another association, the AFI. In 2007, they released a list of 100 supposedly best movies of all time. I will do the same Underline/Bold/Italicize thingamajig to the list as others have with the NEA's list. What I can say, however, is that at least they provided some form of criteria, which can be found on their website:

1 - Feature-length: Narrative format, at least 40 minutes in length.
2 - American film: English language, with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.
3 - Critical Recognition: Formal commendation in print.
4 - Major Award Winner: Recognition from competitive events including awards from organizations in the film community and major film festivals.
5 - Popularity Over Time: Including figures for box office adjusted for inflation, television broadcasts and syndication, and home video sales and rentals.
6 - Historical Significance: A film's mark on the history of the moving image through technical innovation, visionary narrative devices or other groundbreaking achievements.
7 - Cultural Impact: A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance.

So without further adieu, here's the list in all its glory! (Code: bold = watched, italicized = want to watch, underline = watched and loved)

Citizen Kane (1941)
The Godfather (1972)
Casablanca (1942)
Raging Bull (1980)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Schindler's List (1993)
Vertigo (1958)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
City Lights (1931)
The Searchers (1956)
Star Wars (1977)
Psycho (1960)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
The Graduate (1967)
The General (1927)
On the Waterfront (1954)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Chinatown (1974)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
High Noon (1952)
All About Eve (1950)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Annie Hall (1977)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
The Sound of Music (1965)
King Kong (1933)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Shane (1953)
It Happened One Night (1934)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Rear Window (1954)
Intolerance (1916)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
West Side Story (1961)
Taxi Driver (1976)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
MASH (1970)
North by Northwest (1959)
Jaws (1975)
Rocky (1976)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Nashville (1975)
Duck Soup (1933)
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
American Graffiti (1973)
Cabaret (1972)
Network (1976)
The African Queen (1951)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Unforgiven (1992)
Tootsie (1982)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) (ELUNES GRACE, YES!)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Forrest Gump (1994)
All the President's Men (1976)
Modern Times (1936)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Apartment (1960)
Spartacus (1960)
Sunrise (1927)
Titanic (1997)
Easy Rider (1969)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Platoon (1986)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Swing Time (1936)
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Goodfellas (1990)
The French Connection (1971)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Blade Runner (1982)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Toy Story (1995)
Ben-Hur (1959)

34%, I think. Not too bad, I suppose.