The good folks at They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They? have released the 2008 update to their supremely essential aggregated 1000 Greatest Films list. You may know it better as “that thing I keep using for film reviews every Sunday.” All told, 96 films were added to the list – meaning 96 films were taken away, and unlike some of their past updates, almost all of the 192 films in flux were of reasonably solid quality. At first blush, this is my pick for the five films I’m sorriest to see kicked off the list:
–Rififi (was 578)
–Shock Corridor (was 715)
–The Thin Man (was 761)
–The Ascent (was 875)
–Topsy-Turvy (was 898)
And the five new entries (some of them coming back after a 1 or 2 year absence) that I’m happiest to see:
–Toy Story (483)
–Swing Time (541)
–The Naked Spur (723)
–3 Women (869)
–California Split (968)
For those who care about such things, six of the 51 films I reviewed this year are no longer on the list, in addition to must of the others being re-numbered:
–The Tingler (was 597)
–El Topo (was 688)
–La roue (was 767)
–Quai des Orfèvres (was 869)
–The Ascent (was 875)
–Paris qui dort (was 1000)
But don’t feel too bad for me, because this update has brought good news for my status as an edjiccated filmgoer: two days ago, I had only seen 523 of the best films ever made, but that number just jumped up to 530.
Hopefully, there will be a review tonight, but there are some particular scheduling reasons why I can’t make any promises. At any rate, my plan for the final two weeks of the year is fairly well-packed with marvels old and new. And a couple sucking holes of disappointment.