AFI Announces Top Ten Movies Of The Year

The American Film Institute has announced their list of the top ten films of 2007. Another day, another top 10 list, right? Well, not quite. The AFI after all, is the group that made it necessary to consider Citizen Kane the best movie of all time when they put it at the top of their list of the top 100 films, and brought everyone to consider whether Gone With the Wind was really better than Singin’ in the Rain. Unlike critics, who everyone loves to argue with, the AFI has that whiff of authority that makes everyone sit up and listen.

Variety has the full list, and what did they pick? A lot of the same stuff the critics did, actually. No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly all racked up the critics’ awards before finding themselves on this list, and Juno and Michael Clayton earned a slew of Golden Globes awards just a few days ago (no, they're not critics, but both movies got critical attention as well). Other critical favorites from throughout the year made it on there, including the much-beloved Knocked Up and Ratatouille. Into the Wild, which was adored by the Broadcast Film Critics, also found some love here, and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s two big movies of the fall, The Savages and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead rounded out the list.

This list is frighteningly close to what my top 10 of the year will be when I write it in a few weeks, which either means I am a genius destined for AFI membership (unlikely) or that there is slowly a consensus emerging of what the best films of the year actually are. There’s been much talk about how this has been a banner year for movies, with so many favorites to choose from and so many landmark efforts. What this list and the similar critics lists seem to indicate, though, is that there are some universal standouts, movies that have grand, epic things to say about humanity (No Country, There Will Be Blood) or are so well-crafted they make moviemaking look too easy (Juno, Knocked Up), or just have Philip Seymour Hoffman on their side so they can do no wrong.

The best part of this list is that its willing to include a raunchy comedy like Knocked Up or--gasp!-- a cartoon like Ratatouille. It shows willingness to not just rubber stamp the prestigious efforts; you don’t see Atonement or The Kite Runner on here, even though they’re the kind of movies intended to scream “Quality!” The AFI is recognizing that great movies can come from all corners, whether they star acting virtuosos like Daniel Day-Lewis or a talking rat.

Below is the full list of AFI television and film winners:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

INTO THE WILD

JUNO

KNOCKED UP

MICHAEL CLAYTON

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

RATATOUILLE

THE SAVAGES

THERE WILL BE BLOOD