110 Years, 100 Movies!: The AFI's Self Re-evaluation

Back in 1997, AFI celebrated the century mark of the cinema by releasing a list of what they dubbed the 100 greatest American films of all-time. Citizen Kane reigned supreme, Steven Spielberg was the most celebrated director, and animation was once again snubbed, garnering just 2 spots on the list.

Well, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 100th anniversary list, AFI is once again offering a list of the 100 greatest American movies, this time with the potential inclusion of those films made from 1997-2006, to be announced tonight at 8 on CBS, hosted by the ubiquitous Morgan Freeman.

According to the AFI website, the ballot consists of 400 movies (over 100 years? It seems like there have been 400 movies released just this year already) from which voters can choose, plus up to 5 write-ins if necessary.

Of course, the majority of the '97 list is predicted to hold steady, but the real question is just how many of the movies from the interim will make the list? There are several quality contenders (some that I would vouch for, others not so much, but they are relevant and have many fans): Gladiator, Moulin Rouge, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Fight Club, Shrek, Memento, Crash, The Sixth Sense, Almost Famous, Office Space, The Ring, Being John Malkovich, Sideways, Saving Private Ryan, Million Dollar Baby, Brokeback Mountain, The Big Lebowski, Black Hawk Down, and the list goes on. And then there are some films who have gained in reputation in recent years like The Shawshank Redemption (thanks to TBS' near-incessant airing thereof) or were otherwise omitted last time that could make the leap into the list.

What do you think? What should/shouldn't make the list? Should there be a list at all?
The Chicago Reader's indispensable (if intentionally contrarian) movie guru, Jonathan Rosenbaum, wrote, in his lament of the original list, "Is the list simply a commercial ploy dreamed up by a consortium of marketers to repackage familiar goods, or is it a legitimate cultural contribution that's somehow supposed to improve the quality of our lives? (Are we still capable of distinguishing between the two?) If it's the former, then surely it qualifies as front-page news only if we're living in the equivalent of Stalinist Russia. If it's the latter, then why does the list contain so many movies that lie--about Vietnam (The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now), about racism (The Birth of a Nation, Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction), about countless other matters? And why are so many of the entries aesthetically bland or worse while recapitulating all the worst habits of Hollywood self-infatuation...my impulse is to defend the breadth, richness, and intelligence of the American cinema against its self-appointed custodians, who seem to want to lock us into an eternity of Oscar nights."

I hastily threw together a rough top 50 (minus Kubrick, because I never know if his movies are "American" or "British") to partake in the festivities, and I encourage you to do the same:
Adaptation
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Amadeus
Annie Hall
Before Sunset
Birth
The Body Snatcher
Captain Blood
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Directors Cut)
Detour
Do the Right Thing
Double Indemnity
Duck Soup
The Front
The General
Ghostbusters
The Godfather
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Jaws
Kicking and Screaming
The Kid
The King of Comedy
The Lion King
Love and Death
The Magnificent Ambersons
Meet Me in St. Louis
Miller's Crossing
Million Dollar Baby
Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Murder on the Orient Express
Night of the Hunter
North by Northwest
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Player
Quiz Show
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rear Window
Requiem for a Heavyweight
The Set-Up
Shadow of a Doubt
Shop Around The Corner
Singin in the Rain
Sullivan's Travels
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Sunset Boulevard
Trading Places
When Harry Met Sally
You Can't Take it With You

Dang it! Spielberg wins again.