This year marks the American Film Institute's 40th Anniversary. In honor of that occasion and their 10th Annual 100 year 100 movies tribute show (which airs this year on CBS at 7:00 p.m. Central and Mountain Time), they have been asking people to comment on their blog about their favorite film. I laud the AFI and their involvement in honoring achievements in American cinema and for inviting so many of us to participate in the conversation about great films.
Accordingly, I took a moment to post a bit on their blog and mine about my favorite film, which is no secret on this blog.
The Sixth Sense -- Best Twist Ever
(Click to Purchase Poster)
First of all, there is a difference between a person's favorite film and, perhaps, the film that he or she might rank as the best of all time. For a great many years, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial was my favorite film. As a young high school newspaper film critic, I was invited to see it at the Denver area trade screening--long before most regular critics had even seen it. I'll never forget how it felt experiencing the film having no clue as to whether E.T. was a good or bad alien. It was that twist that the rest of the world never enjoyed. They'd already seen E.T. and Elliot side-by-side on the cover of Time Magazine as best friends. For me, really, to become my favorite film, it's all in the magic of the twist. Hence why no sooner did The Sixth Sense come out, then it became my new favorite film, somewhat sadly, as I hated to see E.T. replaced. The Sixth Sense was the first film that I saw and immediately went to the ticket counter to see a second time. I needed, right then, to discover how I had been 'tricked'. Why had not I noticed? Were there clues I just had not see? In my mind, at the present point in time, the twist in The Sixth Sense is a crowning achievement in cinema. It will be very, very hard to ever top it. Even M. Night Shyamalan has not done so, and if anyone should be able to top him, it would be himself.
Haley Joel Osment from as Cole Sear
(Click Still Photo to Purchase)
The elegance of this film though with its incredible ability to weave together all of the most potent human emotions from fear to joy to humor to sadness comes from the interactions of young Haley Joel Osment--who definitely got robbed with no nomination for Best Actor and losing the Supporting Actor to, with all due respect, Mr. Michael Caine--with Bruce Willis and Toni Collette. I have seen the film in excess of 30 times, and no matter how you slice it up, the film is a masterpiece in every way. Shot by shot, moment by moment, the film's depth of perception into the souls of what ails us captivates and challenges our own understanding of the value of a life filled with regrets. There have been amazing, gripping, powerful, and outstanding films before and since The Sixth Sense to be sure, but no film before or since has dangled the bait of such a compelling twist and in a quick montage at the end tied it all up revealing with clever compunction how it was all right there to be noticed but for, perhaps, us not seeing that which we would not want to believe.
Please visit their blog to post about your favorite film: AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies Blog and / or visit the AFI main site to find out all about their annual 3-hour show and all the good work they do for American film.
Accordingly, I took a moment to post a bit on their blog and mine about my favorite film, which is no secret on this blog.
The Sixth Sense -- Best Twist Ever
(Click to Purchase Poster)
First of all, there is a difference between a person's favorite film and, perhaps, the film that he or she might rank as the best of all time. For a great many years, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial was my favorite film. As a young high school newspaper film critic, I was invited to see it at the Denver area trade screening--long before most regular critics had even seen it. I'll never forget how it felt experiencing the film having no clue as to whether E.T. was a good or bad alien. It was that twist that the rest of the world never enjoyed. They'd already seen E.T. and Elliot side-by-side on the cover of Time Magazine as best friends. For me, really, to become my favorite film, it's all in the magic of the twist. Hence why no sooner did The Sixth Sense come out, then it became my new favorite film, somewhat sadly, as I hated to see E.T. replaced. The Sixth Sense was the first film that I saw and immediately went to the ticket counter to see a second time. I needed, right then, to discover how I had been 'tricked'. Why had not I noticed? Were there clues I just had not see? In my mind, at the present point in time, the twist in The Sixth Sense is a crowning achievement in cinema. It will be very, very hard to ever top it. Even M. Night Shyamalan has not done so, and if anyone should be able to top him, it would be himself.
Haley Joel Osment from as Cole Sear
(Click Still Photo to Purchase)
The elegance of this film though with its incredible ability to weave together all of the most potent human emotions from fear to joy to humor to sadness comes from the interactions of young Haley Joel Osment--who definitely got robbed with no nomination for Best Actor and losing the Supporting Actor to, with all due respect, Mr. Michael Caine--with Bruce Willis and Toni Collette. I have seen the film in excess of 30 times, and no matter how you slice it up, the film is a masterpiece in every way. Shot by shot, moment by moment, the film's depth of perception into the souls of what ails us captivates and challenges our own understanding of the value of a life filled with regrets. There have been amazing, gripping, powerful, and outstanding films before and since The Sixth Sense to be sure, but no film before or since has dangled the bait of such a compelling twist and in a quick montage at the end tied it all up revealing with clever compunction how it was all right there to be noticed but for, perhaps, us not seeing that which we would not want to believe.
Please visit their blog to post about your favorite film: AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies Blog and / or visit the AFI main site to find out all about their annual 3-hour show and all the good work they do for American film.
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