The New Classics

While washing dishes tonight, we got into a discussion about classic movies. We have been on a classic movie kick lately, watching Casablanca, Vertigo, Holiday Inn, etc. Our discussion centered on a very simple idea: what are the new classics? We came up with some interesting results, so we thought we'd share.

First, we had to define what a "new classic" is. To do so, we came up with a few rules and selection criteria. First, the rules:

Rule #1
The movie has to have been made in our lifetime (since 1980) but excluding the past decade (too recent to make a judgement), thus we settled on 1980-1999.

Rule #2
We will narrow down movies based on selection criteria below to arrive at 10 films we think will be classics. Both of us have to agree on every movie in the final list with one exemption each (so Mike can choose 1 movie that Andrea cannot veto, and vice versa).

Rule #3
A series/franchise cannot be counted as a single entry, but each movie in the series is open to consideration. However, sequels and prequels do affect legacy.

After setting up the rules, we perused various websites that listed movies from the 80s and 90s and began making a list of potential candidates by using the following criteria:

1. Re-watchability (Do we enjoy watching this movie again and again)
2. Longevity (Do we still feel strongly about this movie now and is that feeling likely to last another 10-15 years)
3. Star Power (Are there major stars in the movie that make it a must-see)
4. Impact on culture (Is this movie a defining film for that era)
5. Impact on other films (Did this movie start a trend that was copied by many other films)
6. Quotability (Does Mike frequently quote the movie in daily life)
7. Diversity (When in doubt, diversity in theme/style/plot on this list is a plus)

We narrowed down our list to 10 films, which I will post next time (I know, the suspense is palpable). For now, here is our honorable mentions (last 5 cut from the list) with some notes on why we liked them and what ultimately led to us leaving them off.

Honorable Mentions

The Breakfast Club
One of the defining movies of the 80s and featured the "Brat Pack" that made a dozen films. Funny and poignant, has been imitated countless times. Was left out because it was too similar to one of the films on our list that edged it out regarding longevity.

Dances with Wolves
Fits the bill as far as epics are concerned, and Kevin Costner is actually believable as a Civil Ware vet. Great music and the film is remarkably very quotable ("Ta-tonka....Buffalo...Ta-tonka"). We ended up with too many dramas on our list, so this one had to go.

Jurassic Park
One of the few examples of a Michael Crichton novel that translated well to the big screen (Timeline, Sphere, and Congo are all great books that did not end up as great movies). Blockbuster at the time, has not aged well and the dialogue seems too cheesy to be a classic.

Top Gun
Definitely a trend-setter for high octane action films, and very quotable ("That's right, Ice-man, I am dangerous"). Very re-watchable, however a lot of the serious scenes are unintentionally funny.

Toy Story
We had a hard time leaving this one off the list. Was immensely popular and opened the door to computer animation, which is now a staple of the film industry. Ultimately, we left if off because we don't really feel like watching it again, and we felt the only films that could be seen once and still make the list had to be hard-to-watch dramas.