As we roll up on 2011, it comes time to honor the most sacred of film nerd traditions; compiling a top ten list. Some do fifteen; some do twenty. . . the point is that there are movies that you've enjoyed this past year, and they cry out to be ranked in a numerical order, respective of their level of quality.
Generally, this is around the time that I start doing a mad dash to catch up on all I've missed, but I've actually been pretty good at keeping up this year. After I watch True Grit (OH BOY!!!) and The Fighter (oh boy?), I'll feel satisfied that I've seen almost everything that I've wanted to see. I do live in buttfuck Michigan, so I also have to come to terms with the fact that I'm not gonna see something like, say, Blue Valentine until well into next year. C'est la vie. A good list this year beats a perfect list in five months.
There's a certain art to a top ten list. I've heard someone once say that all lists are "political", and I really agree with that. For example, imagine if there were some movie that came out that you thought was unduly ignored or underrated. If you slip it in at the bottom of your list, you're making a statement about both the film, and yourself. I once had a friend who would populate his list with the most obscure films possible, in a manner that was at once both charming and calculatingly pretentious.
One of the main questions that you'll end up asking yourself is; What do I value most in a movie? Is it some sense of objective quality? Is it purely the entertainment value? I've found myself struggling with this exact question. If you've read my review of Black Swan, you could probably hazard a guess that it'll end up on my list, since I rated it a "Masterpiece". But in the long run, I'll probably end up watching Winter's Bone more times than Swan, even though I would rank Bone with the slightly lower "Great". So what gets the higher rating? Black Swan is like sipping wine with a Nordic swimsuit model, and Winter's Bone is like throwing back beers with a cute country girl. In the end, which do I love more?
In the end it's all arbitrary, but the tough decisions are what makes the list so fun. I love looking at the top ten lists of friends, co-workers, family members and celebrities; especially if they go into WHY each film was chosen. It's also just such a great reflection of the person in question. For example, I'm not much into documentaries or comedies. It's pretty damn tough for either of those genres to crack the ten, not matter how good or well reviewed they are. There have been a couple; King Of Kong and Man On Wire being notable exceptions. But it does say something about my particular prejudices and preferences. I'm a nerd, so often you'll see my list dominated by sci-fi, fantasy, action and horror films.
It's the most wonderful time of the year for me (after Halloween, that is). I get to gorge on dead birds, make empty promises to "watch what I eat" in the coming year, and chat with my fellow nerds about the year that was. Maybe I'll get a chance to turn someone on to something they've never heard of, and maybe they'll inform me of some Jim Broadbent movie that just appeared out of nowhere.
I'll have my list done by the end of the week, and I'm looking forward to seeing all of yours!
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