1. Citizen Kane

"I always gagged on that silver spoon."

Plot: When a media proprietor by the name of Charles Foster Kane mutters the word "Rosebud" on his deathbed, a reporter investigates the mogul's life to discover the meaning of the mysterious word. Spoiler Alert: It's a sled.

You're probably wondering why we started this adventure with AFI's #1 Film. Well, Citizen Kane is considered by many critics to be the best film ever made. But when I asked most of my friends and family what they thought, the response was overwhelmingly, "Eh... it's okay." I remained optimistic, but, rather than risk ending on a mediocre note, we decided to knock this one out first and end our countdown with #2 Casablanca (which we both love). Sadly, after finally seeing Citizen Kane, I think our decision was a good one.

Let me start with what I loved: The cinematography. If you've seen the film, you probably saw that coming. Welles used innovative camera angles and movement that rivaled Hitchcock's for their beauty and genius. From still diagonal shots from above/below and extreme closeups that seem to invade the viewer's personal space to moving shots such as a camera seemingly passing through a window, all of these techniques are still effective to this day. In addition, the high contrast and heavily backlit cinematography have become industry standards for any modern film that takes place in the '30s or '40s. I, like every other critic in the world, can only praise the visuals of the film.

The narrative style of jumping back and forth through time with flashbacks was also way ahead of it's time (no pun intended), and I applaud Welles for that as well.

But for all the beauty of it, I just can't find much substance.

Citizen Kane is one of those films that seems to get so caught up in symbolism that it detracts from the plot. As soon as we saw the shot of the "No Trespassing" sign on the fence outside of his dark, Gothic home I had a bad feeling that the sign would come to mean something. And it did. As did the sled and countless other symbols and metaphors. Okay, we get it. The film has layers. But is it that great of a movie? After all, don't we pay obscene prices for popcorn and soda and late-night showings to see something entertaining? Though I found the movie somewhat intriguing, I never really got drawn into it. I found the characters undeveloped and couldn't make myself care about any of them. Not a one. And, to be quite frank, I found the first 30-45min kind of boring. And I loved Terrence Malick's The New World, so that's saying something.

I hate to keep comparing Welles to Hitchcock, but their styles are so similar that it's hard not to. And, with Rebecca having come out only one year before Kane, it's hard not to compare the two. Both are set in a dark mansion inhabited by tormented men reflecting on some part of their past. But while Rebecca's Max gains our sympathy by fighting off the spirit of his first wife to move on with his next, Kane just seems to get what's coming to him. After spending his life accumulating wealth and trying to control those around him, he is left alone pining for his loved ones. Boo hoo. Maybe if you weren't such an ass, they'd still be there.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't hate the film. I liked it, and I'm glad I saw it. But is it the #1 movie of all time? No. Not at all.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

1 down, 122 to go...

P.S. Speaking of Rebecca, why didn't it make AFI's list???