Top Tens are horrible things

Lets face it.. no one is going to agree with my top ten.
To clarify the thinking behind it is almost impossible since all it represents is the Top Ten given my mood at the time and would almost certainly be different this time tomorrow.

The lists rules denied the use of trilogies to fudge the system so Boo to that.

I thought, since this is my blog, I had a right to defend my choices and explain a couple of things.

• The Dark Knight? Really? Well... I'll talk about this first since it's probably the first thing you are shocked by. Until recently I would have included Batman Begins, but this is without any doubt my favourite Batman film. In time it may drop down, but at the moment, it's a solid number ten.
• What? No Star Wars? Well frankly no. The particular poll for Empire Magazine was "the greatest films" not the "best family entertainment" and I just don't think Star Wars is as good as any of the other films on my list. Even the Dark Knight. Sure the original series is fun and zeitgeisty, but not top ten material for me.
• Godfather Part II? Not the original? I'm on a bit more solid ground here - I think many people would be on my side with this particular film, it's got a great epic sense to it, and Bobby D is preferred by me to Marlon Brando.
• No Apocalypse Now? No. It pains me to say it, and yes it may well be a technically better film than Dark Knight. But I don't like it as much at this moment in time. It's my list and noone said it had to make sense. Plus Apocalypse now always feels twenty minutes too long for me. We could lose the whole USO bit and I wouldn't miss it. Call this number 11.
• Where are the cinema classics? Hmm... this is tougher to excuse, but I don't equate "age" with "greatness" and while films like The Third Man, M and Metropolis are fantastic, they lose out to modern greats like LOTR or Once Upon A Time In The West.
• Why the Italian Name? To be pretentious. Nothing more.
• Eternal Sunshine? Yeah. Wanna make something of it? This is one of the few films (along with recent fave, Once) that actually sells a relationship to me. It didn't work for a lot of people. Their loss.

Honourable Mentions (in no particular order) - all 10/10 or near enough in my eyes

• The Third Man
• M
• Metropolis
• Apocalypse Now
• The Empire Strikes Back
• The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Il Buono, Il Bruto, Il Cattivo... hehe)
  
• Unforgiven
• Shawshank Redemption
• Dr Strangelove
• The Shining
• The Lives Of Others
• Pan's Labyrinth / The Orphanage (a double bill to die for)
• No Country For Old Men
• Blade Runner
• Princess Mononoke / Spirited Away / My Neighbour Totoro
• All three Bourne Movies
• etc etc etc

There's no way to do these polls right. Never mind.