Non-onerous onerous tasks

I might have mentioned that I'm currently in the process of settling on my "Top 50 Films". It's one of those impossible tasks, as how can you really measure one film against another? Of course, it is one of those truly nicely subjective areas. What I like isn't what you will like, but this isn't a holy war and I don't have to convince you to my point of view. My favourites are what they are, nothing more.

The idea for these lists arose from a discussion I had with some work colleagues several years ago. We started off by arriving at our collective "Best singles of all time" (thus far of course) and amalgamated them into a single list. However, arriving at agreement on the Top Ten led to what we called the 'Meg Ryan Effect'. Essentially, the number one choice ends up being no one person's favourite, rather the single appearing most often in the set of lists wins. So rather than having a single that a few people are passionate about, you end up with what most people like, but don't love. It's like Meg Ryan ... you'll find (well, probably 'found' nowadays!) most people quite like her, but no-one sees her as their 'ideal'. Essentially mediocrity wins - in a crazy world where we end up calling Meg Ryan 'mediocre'. I did say it was a bit of fun after all, didn't I?

Well, the disputes over the MRE led to an hiatus in successors to this initial list, so we arrive, almost 10 years later, and the heat is on to tie down several other lists. We're currently working on both 'Top 50 Albums' and 'Top 50 Films'. For anyone who knows me, then they'll know that paring down films to a mere 50 is an horrendous task. I started off simply by listing films that I like then reducing those to ones that I felt really meant something to me. Those films that I can recall when I watched them, what was happening in my life at the time, and how they affected me. I tried not to be drawn into selecting only those films that others would deem as having merit ... it's a personal choice as I've said, and I'll like what I like for why I like them. So there. 

So, after a long trawl I am down to my top 54 films! Yes. 54, and I can't find 4 to drop from that short-list. And those that didn't even make it, well, it's a crying shame when I look at that list too. But 50 is 50!

As an aside I've also asked for two supplementary shorter lists: your 'Top 10 Worst Films' and '10 Films that always make you cry'. For me a bad film isn't a "badly made film" or an awful b-movie. After all, I think there's a kind of honesty and merit in those movies that know they are pretty dreadful and revel in it. They know they aren't high art, nor have any pretences to be such. "Dinocroc vs Supergator" isn't a bad film. It's low-budget hokum and knows it. And there's nothing wrong with that. Not all films have Titanic's budget or Schindler's List's intentions. Films like that aren't 'bad'; they are what they are. The films I hate are those pointless, over-blown, cardboard character, plot-free, script-lacking, mindless, big budget dross too often littering our big screens. And yes, lots do seem to feature the name 'Roland Emmerich'.

Okay. Without further delay. My 'Top 200-ish Films that I really like, but aren't in my Top 54':

2001
2010
13th Warrior
Akira
American Beauty
American President
Annie Hall
Arlington Road
As good as it gets
Assault on Precinct 13
Bananas
Ben Hur
Before Sunset
Being John Malkovich
Best Friend's Wedding
Best Seller
Big
Big Blue
Big Fish
Big Trouble
Black Narcissus
Blazing Saddles
Blue Velvet
Boys
Breakfast Club
Bride of Frankenstein
Bridge over the River Kwai
Bridges of Madison County
Cabinet of Dr. Calligari
Chariots of Fire
City of God
Clear and Present Danger
Cool Hand Luke
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Dambusters
Dances with Wolves
Dark Star
Dawn of the Dead
Day for Night
Day the earth caught fire
Day the earth stood still
Deadly Run
Deep Rising
Dial M for Murder
Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde
Donnie Darko
Duel
Dune
Edward Scissorhands
Elephant Man
End of Violence
Eternal Sunshine of the spotless Mind
Eyes of fire
Fallen
Final Countdown
Fistful of Dollars
Forbidden Panet
Forest Gump
Frankenstein
Funny Face
Ghost in the Shell
Grapes of Wrath
Greyfriar's Bob
Grosse Point Blank
Groundhog Day
Happiness
Heathers
Henry V
Hero
Horror of Dracula
House of Games
House on Haunted Hill
I walked with a Zombie
Ice Cold in Alex
Ice Palace
In the Company of Men
Isle of the Dead
It's a Wonderful Life
It could happened to you
Jerry Maguire
Kick-Ass
Killer Elite
Kingpin
L'apartement
La Jetee
Last Boy Scout
Le Bossu
Leaving Las Vegas
Life is Beautiful
Little Big Man
Little Children
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Voice
Lonely are the Brave
Lord of The Rings - Fellowship of the Ring
Lucky Man
Magnificent Seven
Magnolia
Maltese Falcon
Man On Fire
Manhatten
Matchstick Men
Mathilda
Metropolis
Murder by Decree
Night of the Sunflowers
Nil by Mouth
No Way Out
Once Upon a time in America
Once Upon a time in the West
One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
On The Town
Patton
Pappilon
Paris, Texas
Peking Opera Blues
Philedelphia
Pitch Black
Play it again Sam
Play Misty for Me
Poltergeist
Presumed Innocent
Princess Bride
Quick and the Dead
Reservoir Dogs
Robin Hood, Adventures of
Roman Holiday
Rope
Roxanne
Ryan's Daughter
Saturn 3
Schindlers List
School for Scoundrels
Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Serpico
Seven
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Silkwood
Silverado
Sixth Sense
Sleeper
Sleuth
Some like it Hot
Something about Mary
Something Evil
Sophie's Choice
Splash
Stand by me
Starman
Star Wars
Stranger Than Fiction
Straw Dogs
Subway
Suspiria
Sweet and Lowdown
Sweet Hostage
Sweethearts
Ten Commandments
The Battle of Britain
The Big Chill
The Birds
The Conversation
The Dark Knight
The Devils Backbone
The Dreamlife of Angels
The English Patient
The Fisher King
The final countdown
The Fountain
The Godfather
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Great Escape
The Hidden
The Hills have eyes
The Horseman on the Roof
The Jacket
The Jerk
The Jokers
The Keep
The Legend of Hell House
The man who knew too much
The man who shot Liberty Valance
The man with two brains
The Prophet
The Raven
The Seven Little Foys
The Shootist
The Sound of Music
The Swimmer
The Three Godfathers
The Untouchables
The Verdict
The Village
The Year of living Dangerously
This Island Earth
Three Colours White
Time after Time
Tombstone
Transformers
True Grit
Twelve Angry Men
Twelve Monkeys
Two days in Paris
Usual Suspects
Videodrome
War of the Worlds
Watchers
Watchmen
Waxworks
Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael
When the Bough Breaks
When the wind blows
White Heat
Wizard of Oz
Wonderman
Young Frankenstein
Zardoz
Zulu

(as you can see, I don't mind 'trashy' or 'dumb entertainment'; and I grew up watching horror movies and westerns!)

What do you think? Could you do the same?  If not, how about your 'Top 10 worst films' or '10 films that always make you cry' (several of these might come from my top 50!) ? I'm still finalising those two, shorter, lists. Watch this space.