Here Are The AFI’s Top Ten American Films of 2021

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

For those of you already trying to make your Oscar predictions, the American Film Institute’s Top Ten List is probably the best of the early precursors. Chances are that the majority of the films listed below are going to be nominated for Best Picture.

Now, I should mention that the AFI only lists American-made productions. So, Belfast was not eligible. However, the AFI still gave Belfast a “special award,” so that should tell you just how much of a contender Belfast is going to be when the Oscar nominations are announced next year. Even when Belfast isn’t eligible to compete, it wins.

Here are the the AFI’s Top Ten Films of 2021:

CODA
DON’T LOOK UP
DUNE
KING RICHARD
LICORICE PIZZA
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
tick, tick… BOOM!
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
WEST SIDE STORY

Special Awards: BELFAST & SUMMER OF SOUL

The AFI Has Announced Their Top Ten Films Of The Year!

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The American Film Institute (the AFI) have announced their picks for the top ten American films of 2020. The AFI is generally seen as being one of the most reliable of the Oscar precursors. If a movie appears in its top ten list, there’s a good chance that it will also be nominated for Best Picture. It’s not an exact science, of course. There will usually be one or two films that manage to land a nomination without getting any recognition from the AFI. But if a film is a major contneder, it will probably also appear on the AFI list.

(Last year, Parasite was not eligible for the AFI’s top ten because it was a Korean film but it still received a “special award. This year’s special award goes to Hamilton, which I don’t think is considered to be Oscar eligible. If the AFI really wanted to make an impact, they could have given the special award to Small Axe and restarted that whole “Is it a movie or a miniseries” debate from December.)

Here are the AFI’s top ten:

Da 5 Bloods
Judas And The Black Messiah
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
One Night In Miami…
Soul
Sound Of Metal
The Trial Of The Chicago 7

SPECIAL AWARD: Hamilton

Here Are The AFI’s Top Ten of 2019

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The American Film Institute released their picks for the 10 best American films of 2019. The AFI list is usually a pretty good indicator of what’s going to be nominated for best picture. While it’s rare that every film on the AFI’s list gets a best picture nomination, it’s even more rare for a film to get a nomination without also appearing on the list. (Then again, it has happened in the past so who knows? Life is a mystery, as Doc Bowman likes to put it.)

So, with that in mind, here’s the AFI list. You’ll notice no mention of Uncut Gems, The Two Popes, or Hustlers. However, Joker made it so maybe that’ll shut up everyone on twitter whose complaining about Joaquin Phoenix not winnings the NYFCC’s best actor award. (Probably not.)

MOTION PICTURES OF THE YEAR

“The Farewell”

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

“Knives Out”

“Little Women”

“Marriage Story”

“1917”

“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

“Richard Jewell”

SPECIAL AWARD “Parasite”

(As South Korean film, Parasite was not eligible for the regular AFI honors — hence, the special award.)

Here’s the AFI’s Top Ten for 2018!

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier, this Tuesday, the American Film Institute announced their picks for the top ten American films and television shows of 2018! The AFI list is typically one of the most reliable Oscar precursors around. It’s rare that an American film picks up a best picture nomination without first getting recognized by the AFI.

(Roma, being a Mexican film, was not eligible for AFI honors but it did receive a “special award.”)

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
BLACKKKLANSMAN
BLACK PANTHER
EIGHTH GRADE
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
THE FAVOURITE
FIRST REFORMED
GREEN BOOK
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
A QUIET PLACE
A STAR IS BORN

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
THE AMERICANS
THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
ATLANTA
BARRY
BETTER CALL SAUL
THE KOMINSKY METHOD
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
POSE
SUCCESSION
THIS IS US

AFI SPECIAL AWARD
ROMA

Here Are The AFI’s Top 10 Films of 2017!

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Big Sick

Yesterday, the American Film Institute named their picks for the 10 best films of 2017!

Traditionally, the AFI has been a pretty good precursor of what’s going to actually be nominated for best picture. Usually, with one or two exceptions, the AFI Top Ten closely mirrors that best picture lineup.

(For the record, in 2016, Lion and Hidden Figures received Best Picture nominations, despite being snubbed by the AFI. Brooklyn and The Revenant pulled it off in 2015 and, in 2014, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Theory of Everything were snubbed by AFI but were still nominated for best picture.)

So, what does that mean for 2017? Well, it’s very good news for The Big Sick, Wonder Woman, and Get Out, all of which are genres that have traditionally struggled to get best picture nominations. It’s also potentially bad news for both Mudbound and Darkest Hour, neither of which made the AFI’s list.

“The Big Sick”
“Call Me By Your Name”
“Dunkirk”
“The Florida Project”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”
“Wonder Woman”

Here are the American Film Institute’s Picks For Top 10 Films of 2016!

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last Friday, the American Film Institute announced their picks for the 10 best films of 2016! The AFI is considered to be one of the more reliable of the Oscar precursors so we’ll have to wait and see what this list means for potential dark horse nominees like Hacksaw Ridge and Zootopia.

Here’s the list!

(Important to note: The AFI list is in alphabetical order.)

ARRIVAL
FENCES
HACKSAW RIDGE
HELL OR HIGH WATER
LA LA LAND
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
MOONLIGHT
SILENCE
SULLY
ZOOTOPIA

The AFI Announced Its Picks For The Top Ten American Films of 2015!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The American Film Institute has announced their picks for the 10 best American films of 2015. The AFI is usually considered to be one of the more accurate of the Oscar precursors so it’s a big deal the SAG ensemble nominee Straight Outta Compton made the list.

And it also might be a big deal that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is on the list as well. Remember that the majority of critics did not see Force Awakens until earlier this week It will be interesting to see if it emerges as an amazingly late Oscar contender. With both Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian also on the AFI list as well, could it be the year of Sci-Fi at the Oscars?

(And just imagine if Ex Machina managed to show up in the list of nominees?)

It’s also a big deal that potential Oscar nominees like The Revenant, Joy, Beasts of No Nation, and Trumbo were all left off the list. (At the same time, the wonderful Brooklyn was not eligible for an AFI nomination.)

Here’s the list!

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR

THE BIG SHORT
BRIDGE OF SPIES
CAROL
INSIDE OUT
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
THE MARTIAN
ROOM
SPOTLIGHT
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Here Are The AFI’s Top Eleven Films Of The Year!

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier today, the American Film Institute announced their picks for the top 11 movies and top 10 television shows of 2014! As much as it pains me to admit it, Sasha “You Know Who I Am” Stone of Awards Daily actually makes a valid point when she says that the AFI picks are actually a pretty good guide to what the Academy voters are responding to. While Oscar watchers like me might get excited when Tom Hardy wins at LAFCA, the AFI is actually probably a better precursor to what actually will be nominated.

(Of course, immediately after making that point, she starts in on her usual “it’s all about me” nonsense because that’s what she does, after all.)

So, with all that in mind, here are the AFI’s picks:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
“American Sniper”
“Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
“Boyhood”
“Foxcatcher”
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
“Into the Woods”
“Nightcrawler”
“Selma”
“Unbroken”
“Whiplash”

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
“The Americans”
“Fargo”
“Game of Thrones”
“How to Get Away With Murder”
“Jane the Virgin”
“The Knick”
“Mad Men”
“Orange Is the New Black”
“Silicon Valley”
“Transparent”

And, here are the names of the 20 members of the AFI jury:

Tom Pollock,

Jeanne Basinger,

Bob Gazzale,

Mark Harris,

Marshall Herskovitz,

Patty Jenkins,

Lisa Kennedy,

Kasi Lemmons,

Matthew Libatique,

Akira Mizuta Lippit,

Leonard Maltin,

Claudia Puig,

Peter Travers

And Finally The AFI

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Finally, to close out a busy day on the awards front, the American Film Institute today announced their picks for the 10 best films and the 10 best television shows of 2011. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I love lists. Especially when they end in even numbers like 10.

Here are the AFI’s top 10 films, listed in alphabetical order:

1) Bridesmaids (Yay! Girl power!)

2) The Descendants (Overrated)

3) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Bleh)

4) The Help (Crowd pleaser)

5) Hugo (Yay!)

6) J. Edgar (Forgettable)

7) Midnight in Paris (Overrated)

8 ) Moneyball (Crowd pleaser)

9) The Tree of Life (Haunting)

10) War Horse (Spielberg)

Here are the top 10 television series: