   
|
||
 January 1, 2005 Movie Listomania People love lists. I know because I love lists. Besides, in publishing, the experts teach you that if you put numbers on the cover, people will buy the magazine. That’s why you see such headlines as 162 Looks for Spring! and 47 Tips for Washboard Abs. You’ll look in vain inside for any articles with those titles -- or, in most cases, anything as honest as a list. I’ve looked. Those magazines actually expect you to read the articles. Sheesh. I’ll probably get drummed out of my writers’ union for saying this, but we don’t really need the articles. Just give us the tips -- or the looks. Preferably in a list. Which is why I was delighted to find a website that forgoes all the stuff we’d probably skip and just gives us some of the best movie lists I’ve ever seen: Lists of Bests: "The best of the ‘Best of’ lists in one place." Best-of lists have two appeals. One is the discovery of good stuff you hadn’t previously known about -- that’s how I discovered Lemony Snickett’s novels, long before Jim Carey starred in A Series of Unfortunate Events. The other -- and probably strongest -- fascination with best-ofs is debating someone else’s choices. That’s a gift that keeps on giving. Take The Guardian’s 10 Top Science Fiction Movies, for example. Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back (tie), Alien, Solaris, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (tie), The Day the Earth Stood Still, War of the Worlds, The Matrix, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Pretty unassailable, huh? Hold on a minute. Alien? I don’t even think it was the best movie in the Alien franchise, much less one of the top ten. And I always thought Close Encounters of the Third Kind was second in boredom potential to the first Star Trek movie. But what would I put in their places? Total Recall, perhaps. Not a perfect movie, but if Star Wars and The Terminator get two films, why not Philip K. Dick? I’d probably opt for Metropolis as one of the best ever. I might even suggest The Fifth Element, if only on the strength of a few magical scenes. Or even Gattaca for sheer gutsiness. This could go on forever. How about the Sight and Sound Top Ten Poll of the best films of all time? Citizen Kane, Vertigo, The Rules of the Game, The Godfather, Tokyo Story, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Battleship Potemkin, Sunrise, 8 1/2, Singin’ In the Rain. That’s a heavy list. Maybe too heavy. Just one comedy? Also, Tokyo Story over The Seven Samurai? Not in my book! I’ve never seen Sunrise, so I can’t comment, but if a movie nut like me hasn’t seen it, who has? (And yes, I realize that my not having seen it does not disqualify it as one of the best movies ever made. It does make me wonder just who voted for this list.) Ahh, go look for yourself. On the Lists of Bests site are enough lists -- full of both great choices and questionable calls -- to keep you busy for ages. …Wes Phillips
|
||
|
