Back in High School, the American Film Institute released its list of the top 400 American made fictional movies. This is a list that would later be whittled down to a mere 100 and ranked. The moment I got my hands on the list of nominations was the moment I truly started my love of film. That was the defining event.

In an effort to share this passion with the readers, I have begun the greatest undertaking of my criticism career. I hope to someday review all 400 nominees for this site. It will be a slow process, because even though I have seen many on the list throughout my life, I wouldn't feel comfortable reviewing the films without a closer look. The reason I chose to do all 400 instead of the more famous list of 100 is so I can bring a more varied experience. Even though most didn't make the cut, these are still some of the greatest films ever made and everyone's list would be different. It's a great opportunity to watch a movie that would otherwise go unseen, to broaden horizons and take a few risks at the rental store. Mostly it's about furthering the appreciation of films by seeing the history of American fictional films develop and evolve on the screen.

Below you will see the 400 nominees listed by year. Films I have reviewed thus far are linked in white. Those that made the top 100 have their rank listed to the right of their name in parentheses. I hope some of the love of film and the adventure of the task rubs off. Enjoy.

***UPDATE*** Now, in 2007, AFI has released a brand new list. The concept is to re-pick the 100 greatest American Fiction movies of all time every ten years, thus giving new films a chance to take their rightful spot on the list. So, now my job to review the top 400 nominated films just got larger. This years list of nominated films still only numbers 400, which means significant changes had to be made in order to accomodate the decade's worth of incoming films. I've notated the changes below. Those films in RED are not part of the 2007 list, but were on the 1997 list. Those in BLUE are brand new for 2007. Titles in black text are on both. If I've reviewed the film, you'll still see that in white, but I'll notate any changes with "***" or "***" accordingly. I'll still be attempting to review the films that were taken off, since they were nominated at one time. Enjoy.

***LATER UPDATE*** On June 20, 2007, the new AFI 100 list was announced. There are quite a few surprises to the list. Out of all the new additions to the list of 400 nominees, only 4 were chosen for the top 100, and all of those were from 1997-2001. Many second-time ballot-ers made the list, but the most astounding of all was The General which jumped from being excluded all the way up to #18. There were quite a few that rose substantially in the ranks, but the film that made the biggest leap was The Searchers, climbing 84 places up the list to reach #12. The biggest drop goes to The African Queen, slipping 48 spots from #17 to #65.

All told there were 23 new films added to the list, 35 that improved their ranking, 38 that sunk to a lower place and 3 that kept the same spot (including top film Citizen Kane). You can find the 1997 rankings in RED and the new ones in BLUE. If a film made the Top 100 both times, you'll see a number after the rankings showing the differential or "NC" for "No Change" in bold. I hope you enjoy the list as much as I do and I'll continue to review as many of them as I can.


Top 400 of All-Time

1912
RICHARD III

1915
THE BIRTH OF A NATION (#44)
THE CHEAT

1916
INTOLERANCE (#49)

1917
THE POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL

1919
BROKEN BLOSSOM

1920
WITHIN OUR GATES

1921
THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
THE KID

1923
SAFETY LAST

1924
SHERLOCK, JR.
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD

1925
THE BIG PARADE
THE FRESHMAN
THE GOLD RUSH (#74) (#58) +16
GREED
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

1926
BEN-HUR

1927
THE GENERAL (#18)
THE JAZZ SINGER (#90)
SUNRISE (#82)
WINGS

1928
THE CROWD
THE WIND

1929
THE BROADWAY MELODY

1930
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (#54)
LITTLE CAESAR
MOROCCO

1931
CIMARRON
CITY LIGHTS (#76) (#11) +65
FRANKENSTEIN (#87)
THE PUBLIC ENEMY

1932
FREAKS
GRAND HOTEL
I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG
SCARFACE: THE SHAME OF A NATION
TROUBLE IN PARADISE

1933
CAVALCADE
DUCK SOUP (#85) (#60) +25
42nd STREET
KING KONG (#43) (#41) +2
QUEEN CHRISTINA
SHE DONE HIM WRONG
SONS OF THE DESERT

1934
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (#35) (#46) -11
THE SCARLET EMPRESS
THE THIN MAN

1935
DAVID COPPERFIELD
THE LITTLE COLONEL
MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (#86)
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (#85)
TOP HAT

1936
DODSWORTH
FURY
THE GREAT ZIEGFELD
MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN
MODERN TIMES (#81) (#78) +3
MY MAN GODFREY
SWING TIME (#90)

1937
THE AWFUL TRUTH
CAMILLE
THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA
LOST HORIZON
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (#49) (#34) +15
A STAR IS BORN

1938
THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD
BOYS TOWN
BRINGING UP BABY (#97) (#88) +9
JEZEBEL
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU

1939
BABES IN ARMS
BEAU GESTE
DESTRY RIDES AGAIN
GONE WITH THE WIND (#4) (#6) -2
GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS
GUNGA DIN
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (#29) (#26) +3
NINOTCHKA
ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS
STAGECOACH (#63)
THE WIZARD OF OZ (#6) (#10) -4
WUTHERING HEIGHTS (#73)
YOUNG MR. LINCOLN

1940
THE BANK DICK
FANTASIA (#58)
THE GRAPES OF WRATH (#21) (#23) -2
THE GREAT DICTATOR
HIS GIRL FRIDAY
THE MARK OF ZORRO
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (#51) (#44) +7
PINOCCHIO
REBECCA

1941
CITIZEN KANE (#1) NC
HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY
THE LADY EVE
THE LITTLE FOXES
THE MALTESE FALCON (#23) (#31) -3
SERGEANT YORK
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (#61)

1942
BAMBI
CASABLANCA (#2) (#3) -1
CAT PEOPLE
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
MRS. MINIVER
NOW, VOYAGER
THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
ROAD TO MOROCCO
TO BE OR NOT TO BE
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (#100) (#98) +2

1943
BATAAN
CABIN IN THE SKY
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
STORMY WEATHER

1944
DOUBLE INDEMNITY (#38) (#29) +9
GOING MY WAY
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO
LAURA
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK
THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT

1945
THE LOST WEEKEND
MILDRED PIERCE

1946
THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (#37) NC
THE BIG SLEEP
GILDA
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (#11) (#20) -9
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE
NOTORIOUS
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
THE YEARLING

1947
GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
OUT OF THE PAST

1948
FORCE OF EVIL
RED RIVER
TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (#30) (#38) -8

1949
ADAM'S RIB
ALL THE KING'S MEN
THE HEIRESS
INTRUDER IN THE DUST
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES
SANDS OF IWO JIMA
THE THIRD MAN (#57)
TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH
WHITE HEAT

1950
ALL ABOUT EVE (#16) (#28) -12
CINDERELLA
GUN CRAZY
THE GUNFIGHTER
SUNSET BLVD. (#12) (#16) -4
WINCHESTER '73

1951
ACE IN THE HOLE
THE AFRICAN QUEEN (#17) (#65) -48
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (#68)
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
A PLACE IN THE SUN (#92)
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (#45) (#47) -2
THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD

1952
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
HIGH NOON (#33) (#27) +6
THE QUIET MAN
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (#10) (#5) +5

1953
THE BAND WAGON
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (#52)
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
ROMAN HOLIDAY
SHANE (#69) (#45) +24
STALAG 17
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

1954
THE CAINE MUTINY
CARMEN JONES
ON THE WATERFRONT (#8) (#19) -11
REAR WINDOW (#42) (#48) -6
SALT OF THE EARTH
A STAR IS BORN
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

1955
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE
***EAST OF EDEN***
LADY AND THE TRAMP
MARTY
MISTER ROBERTS
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
OKLAHOMA
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (#59)
THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH

1956
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
GIANT (#82)
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
THE KING AND I
THE SEARCHERS (#96) (#12) +84
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

1957
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (#13) (#36) -23
A FACE IN THE CROWD
PATHS OF GLORY
THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
12 ANGRY MEN (#87)

1958
THE DEFIANT ONES
GIGI
RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP
TOUCH OF EVIL
VERTIGO (#61) (#9) +52

1959
ANATOMY OF A MURDER
BEN-HUR (#72) (#100) -28
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
IMITATION OF LIFE
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (#40) (#55) -15
ON THE BEACH
PILLOW TALK
PORGY AND BESS
SHADOWS
SOME LIKE IT HOT (#14) (#22) -8

1960
THE APARTMENT (#93) (#80) +13
ELMER GANTRY
PSYCHO (#18) (#14) +4
SPARTACUS (#81)

1961
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
EL CID
THE HUSTLER
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS
WEST SIDE STORY (#41) (#51) -10

1962
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (#5) (#7) -2
THE LONGEST DAY
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (#67)
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (#34) (#25) +9
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?

1963
THE BIRDS
CLEOPATRA
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
THE GREAT ESCAPE
HUD
IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
***THE PINK PANTHER***
TOM JONES

1964
THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY
DR. STRANGELOVE: OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (#26) (#39) -13
GOLDFINGER
MARY POPPINS
MY FAIR LADY (#91)

1965
CAT BALLOU
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (#39)
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (#55) (#40) +15

1966
FANTASTIC VOYAGE
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (#67)

1967
BAREFOOT IN THE PARK
BONNIE AND CLYDE (#27) (#42) -15
COOL HAND LUKE
THE GRADUATE (#7) (#17) -10
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (#99)
IN COLD BLOOD
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (#75)
THE PRODUCERS
THE JUNGLE BOOK
TWO FOR THE ROAD

1968
BULLITT
FUNNY GIRL
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
OLIVER!
PLANET OF THE APES
ROSEMARY'S BABY
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (#22) (#15) +7

1969
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (#50) (#73) -23
EASY RIDER (#88) (#84) +4
MEDIUM COOL
MIDNIGHT COWBOY (#36) (#43) -7
THE WILD BUNCH (#80) (#79) +1

1970
FIVE EASY PIECES
LITTLE BIG MAN
LOVE STORY
M*A*S*H* (#56) (#54) +2
PATTON (#89)

1971
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (#46) (#70) -24
DIRTY HARRY
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (#70) (#93) -23
HAROLD AND MAUDE
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (#95)
McCABE AND MRS. MILLER

1972
CABARET (#63)
DELIVERANCE
THE GODFATHER (#3) (#2) +1
SOUNDER

1973
AMERICAN GRAFFITI (#77) (#62) +15
BADLANDS
THE EXORCIST
LAST TANGO IN PARIS
MEAN STREETS
SLEEPER
THE STING
THE WAY WE WERE

1974
BLAZING SADDLES
CHINATOWN (#19) (#21) -2
THE CONVERSATION
THE GODFATHER PART II (#32) NC
A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE

1975
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
JAWS (#48) (#56) -8
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
NASHVILLE (#59)
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (#20) (#33) -13
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

1976
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (#77)
CARRIE
NETWORK (#66) (#64) +2
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES
ROCKY (#79) (#57) +22
TAXI DRIVER (#47) (#52) -5

1977
ANNIE HALL (#31) (#35) -4
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (#64)
THE GOODBYE GIRL
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
STAR WARS (#15) (#13) -2

1978
COMING HOME
DAYS OF HEAVEN
THE DEER HUNTER (#53)
GREASE
HALLOWEEN
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE

1979
ALIEN
ALL THAT JAZZ
APOCALYPSE NOW (#28) (#30) -2
BREAKING AWAY
KRAMER VS. KRAMER
MANHATTAN

1980
AIRPLANE
ATLANTIC CITY
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
MELVIN AND HOWARD
ORDINARY PEOPLE
RAGING BULL (#24) (#4) +20
RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7
THE SHINING

1981
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
ON GOLDEN POND
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (#60) (#66)
REDS

1982
BLADE RUNNER (#97)
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (#25) (#24) +1
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH
GANDHI
MISSING
SOPHIE'S CHOICE (#91)
TOOTSIE (#62) (#69) -7

1983
THE BIG CHILL
A CHRISTMAS STORY
THE KING OF COMEDY
LOCAL HERO
EL NORTE
RETURN OF THE JEDI
THE RIGHT STUFF
RISKY BUSINESS
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

1984
AMADEUS (#53)
BEVERLY HILLS COP
GHOSTBUSTERS
THE KILLING FIELDS
STRANGER THAN PARADISE
THIS IS SPINAL TAP

1985
BACK TO THE FUTURE
BRAZIL
THE BREAKFAST CLUB
THE COLOR PURPLE
OUT OF AFRICA
WITNESS

1986
BLUE VELVET
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD
FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
HOOSIERS
PLATOON (#83) (#86) -3
STAND BY ME

1987
BROADCAST NEWS
FATAL ATTRACTION
THE LAST EMPEROR
LETHAL WEAPON
MOONSTRUCK
THE UNTOUCHABLES

1988
BIG
BULL DURHAM
DANGEROUS LIAISONS
DIE HARD
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
RAIN MAN

1989
BATMAN
BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
DO THE RIGHT THING (#96)
DRIVING MISS DAISY
FIELD OF DREAMS
GLORY
SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

1990
DANCES WITH WOLVES (#75)
GOODFELLAS (#94) (#92) +2
PRETTY WOMAN

1991
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
BOYZ N THE HOOD
RAMBLING ROSE
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (#65) (#74) -9
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
THELMA AND LOUISE

1992
THE PLAYER
UNFORGIVEN (#98) (#68) +30

1993
THE FUGITIVE
GROUNDHOG DAY
THE JOY LUCK CLUB
JURASSIC PARK
PHILADELPHIA
SCHINDLER'S LIST (#9) (#8) +1
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

1994
FORREST GUMP (#71) (#76) -5
THE LION KING
PULP FICTION (#95) (#94) +1
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (#72)

1995
APOLLO 13
BABE
BRAVEHEART
CASINO
LEAVING LAS VEGAS
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
TOY STORY (#99)
THE USUAL SUSPECTS

1996
THE ENGLISH PATIENT
FARGO (#84)
JERRY MAGUIRE

1997
AS GOOD AS IT GETS
AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY
BOOGIE NIGHTS
GOOD WILL HUNTING
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
TITANIC (#83)

1998
***RUSHMORE***
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (#71)
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

1999
AMERICAN BEAUTY
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
FIGHT CLUB
THE INSIDER
***THE MATRIX***
SIXTH SENSE (#89)
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
THREE KINGS

2000
ERIN BROCKOVICH
GLADIATOR
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
TRAFFIC

2001
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
***THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING*** (#50)
MEMENTO
MOULIN ROUGE
***SHREK***

2002
CHICAGO
***THE HOURS***
***THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS***

2003
***FINDING NEMO***
***THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING***
***LOST IN TRANSLATION***
***MYSTIC RIVER***
***PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL***

2004
***THE AVIATOR***
***ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND***
***HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN***
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
***RAY***
***SIDEWAYS***
***SPIDER-MAN 2***

2005
***BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN***
CRASH
***GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.***
***HOTEL RWANDA***

Any suggestions as to what to review next or feedback on what you thought of my reviews can be sent to jon@filmbrats.com