The NFR Class of 2023: My Ballot

It’s that time of year again; when the National Film Board Preservation meets to determine this year’s NFR inductees and I post my ballot as a not-so-subtle attempt to sway their votes. Here are my 50 picks for films that deserve to be on the Registry. Movies with an * are movies I’m nominating this year for the first time.

The Five Timers Club (Movies that I have nominated at least five times but have yet to make it): 9 to 5 (1980), Big (1988), It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), The Miracle Worker (1962), Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996), The Sixth Sense (1999)

Personal Favorites: Rope (1948), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Exploratorium (1974), Hardware Wars (1978), Clue (1985), Home Alone (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Best in Show (2000), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

A Favorite that Should at Least Be on the List of Eligible Titles on the NFR’s Website: Original Cast Album: Company (1970)

Animation!: Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906), Feline Follies (1919)*, Der Fuehrer’s Face (1942), Cat Concerto (1947)*, Alice in Wonderland (1951), Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)*, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Space Jam (1996)*, Finding Nemo (2003)

A Whole Buncha ’80s: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Gremlins (1984)*, The Karate Kid (1984), The Color Purple (1985), Blue Velvet (1986), Labyrinth (1986), Dirty Dancing (1987), Fatal Attraction (1987), Beetlejuice (1988), Say Anything… (1989)*

Grab Bag: The Wolf Man (1941)*, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), The Great Escape (1963), Fantastic Voyage (1966)*, The Heartbreak Kid (1972)* Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Cast Away (2000)*, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)*, Moulin Rouge! (2001)*, Borat (2006)*, 300 (2007)*, Bridesmaids (2011)

And finally, the Newly Eligible from 2013: 12 Years a Slave (2013)*, Frozen (2013)*

On average, three of the movies on my nominations ballot make the cut. Which ones will it be? Can I beat my personal best of getting five films on the list in one year? And is anyone on the National Film Preservation Board actually reading this? We’ll find out the answers to all of these questions in December.