AFI just updated its Top 100 Films of All Time list (/film lists the full list in case you don’t want to have to sign in to download it from AFI) – for the first time movies from 1996-2006 were included. Having seen all but a few films on the list I have to say that it looks pretty good – if not predictable.

One thing I love about the list is that it included The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring instead of The Return of the King. The Return of the King of course went 11 for 11 at the 2003 Oscars and won Best Picture while The Fellowship of the Ring left two years earlier without any major awards – yet I’ve always felt it’s the best film of the series.

I also love that Stanley Kubrick is represented well with four films on the list (though he would probably rather you not associate him with Spartacus). Only Spielberg had more on there with five.

Most of the 23 they kicked out seem pretty fair to me except for The Third Man, Patton, and probably Fargo.

The lower part of the list gets a little sloppy. The Sixth Sense is a good movie, but one of the 100 best of all time? Come on. Ahead of Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, The French Connection, Blade Runner? I can think of at least another 50 that I’d consider better as well that didn’t make the cut.

I’m typing this as All the President’s Men (#77) is on HDNet – great movie.

As /film points out, there is only one film on the list that came out after 2000 – The Fellowship of the Ring. I suspect in the next list they do, a few more recent films will make the cut. The Departed comes to mind. A dark horse? Woody Allen’s Match Point.