Friday, May 6, 2011

UPDATE: the 'Top 50 Films Of All Time'.... my list....

Well, it's pretty much a done deal. Granted, it's all subject to change at any time.... but for now, it's a start. As I sit here and stare at the list, I am perplexed as to what order to put it into. I have ideas on certain films as to where they'll go, however it's such a long list that it's hard to figure out where all of them will go. I mean, who says that "this movie" is number 27, where as "this movie" is number 48.... I just can't seem to overcome that hump. I am going to have to sort it out, because I have wanted to put this list together for a long time. I also have talked it up quite a bit and have built up a payoff, now I need to provide that payoff. How would you go about sorting all of this out? How would you even begin to make sense of all of this data? It's like picking out which of your children is your favorite, it's just not possible. (Now that I'm thinking of it that way.... I don't know if I want to finish this list!) Something else that concerns me is the reaction that I might get from this compliation. I am sure that not all of you will agree with a lot of my choices. I made my decisions based on re-watchability, artistic merit, if it changed me in some way or changed cinema, etc. I've including animated films, horror, comedy, drama, foreign, anything that I felt qualified. But the wonderful thing about cinema is how there is a film/movie for everyone out there. Everyone loves a film/movie for different reasons. Everyone won't like the same thing. It could be something as simple as when they watched it for the first time. Perhaps at that point, they were dealing with some really heavy stuff and the film made it so they were able to get through it all. However, the same film when viewed by someone who isn't having any issues and is in a really good spot, may find that the film is boring or terrible. That's what I love about this artistic format.

I would like to extend the invitation again to all of you.... if you have a list of your own, please submit it. I always love to see where different people's heads are at. I also think it would be fun to share and have an open forum about things. It might also be fun to compare mine with famous reviewers lists. ie: Roger Ebert. Whatever happens once this starts, don't judge.... art is up to the viewer. One mans trash is another mans treasure. Cliche after cliche back up what I'm saying and they can't be wrong, right? Something else about my list that you should know, I have taken the liberty of grouping some things together. It's not just out of laziness, there is a reason for it. I, of course, will explain myself as these things come up. Mostly, it has to do with the fact that sometimes a film/movie has counterparts that will always be linked to them. Because of that, I had to keep them as a pair of films/movies not just one by itself.

Please feel free to comment if something hits you in a good or bad spot. I love to chat about film and all it's wonder and I think this could get some good conversations going. Have you been thinking about your own choices at all? I haven't stopped thinking about it and have even gone back into my DVD library to watch some of my favorites just to see if they still hold up. So far, so good. It's what I would refer to as a 'happy side effect' of compiling this. I know it will keep changing and growing over time, I'm not naive about that. I also know that some films/movies will always be in the top spot and I can't wait to share them with you. Until then, stay thirsty my friends.

(The opening commercial for Captain Spaulding's Murder Ride, from the beginning of 'House of 1000 Corpses'....)

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