KOA's 100 Films: An Introduction

By: Luke Florence

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." - Clark Gable, Gone With The Wind.

Six years ago the American Films Institute aired a three-hour special unveiling the top 100 movie quotes of the past 100 years. I mention this to show precedence for what I'm about to attempt. It'll take longer than three-hours and it won't end with anything even close to Gone With The Wind, but the thought process is similar.

Ranking my 100 favorite movies of all-time.



In the past I've ranked my favorite television shows, favorite classes, favorite teachers, favorite black actor performances and even my favorite David Carr quotes. But this is different. It has an "epic" presence to it ... like it means something more.

He was the only down-hill skier on his basketball team.

Talking to my list-making partner-in-crime Matt Barnes last night we discussed many specifics with this task, but we also touched on a couple of all-encompassing ideas.

One, this list will be the most-challenging one we have ever created. First of all, ranking 100 of anything is daunting ... doubly-so when you consider you need to think/research all of the movies you have ever seen and then decide where (if at all) to put them. Granted, the first twenty or so are rather easy to locate, but after that it can become overwhelming.

Two, more so than any list we have compiled, this one will constantly change.  Our tastes in what we value will evolve over time. Billy Madison will forever be a funny film, but as I get older I begin to place less value on "silly-funny" movies. At some point I started to look for something else in the films I loved. More than anything, this list will serve as a starting-point for the rest of my life. Movies will move up-and-down frequently, but the core of this list will stay intact.

Finally, when done right, list-making is a very personal experience. This list will be revealing not just our favorite films, but a brief glimpse into our character ... who we are, and what we stand for. That's why I'm calling it the "most important list we'll ever make."

Everyone should take the time to sit back and compile a list of their favorite films. You will learn something about yourself, which makes it an invaluable insight into one's own self. And yes, I'm writing this with Anchorman residing comfortably in my top-20, but again, to completely understand my sense-of-humor you have to include Ron Burgandy.

Ribs.  I had ribs for lunch, that's why I'm doing this.

Barnes and I will be rattling off our favorite films in doses of ten for the first couple of weeks. Then, when we hit #20 we will do two separate posts of five. In order to give the top-ten the credit they are due, we will make one post for each. By the time we hit Thanksgiving our lists should be complete and probably ready to be revamped for 2012.

So here we go on a journey that's been tinkering around in my head for quite some time. If I had a bucket list, ranking my 100 favorite movies would be on it. I'm interested to learn which actors and actresses I prefer ... which directors and producers I enjoy the most, and maybe just as important, which movies I forgot to include.

The ultimate goal is to one day own all of my favorite movies. I have a vision of a book-shelf holding all of the DVD's ranked correctly. So if you don't know what to get me for Christmas in the upcoming years, you can always reference back to this list. You're welcome America.

Enjoy, and if you end up not liking my list I'm going to be completely honest and say, "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."