Lists. New York Times.

"I know it's hard to believe, but during the past 12 months I sometimes went two or three weeks in a row without finding anything to mock, deflate or be disappointed by, and my inner curmudgeon was frequently elbowed aside by a wide-eyed, arm-waving enthusiast," writes AO Scott. His list is topped by 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, then Ratatouille, then a slew of "pairs (and in one case a trio) of films that complete, complement, contradict or otherwise engage each other."

"More than anything [lists] are a public ritual, which is their most valuable function," writes Manohla Dargis. "I tell you what I liked, and you either agree with my list (which flatters us both) or denounce it (which flatters you). It's a perfect circle." And she's got a top two - There Will Be Blood and Zodiac, which "shook up my world in the best possible way" - and 21 more.

"The betrayal of the body, decrepitude and death: in 2007 an unprecedented number of serious films, along with the usual slasher movies, contemplated the end of life," writes Stephen Holden, introducing a more traditional top ten. His #1: There Will Be Blood.

Rounding off the New York Times lists package this Sunday is Caryn James declaring that "2007 was a year when stars broke free of their confining boxes, when the most appealing work often came out of nowhere, while big names landed with giant thuds."

Posted by dwhudson at December 23, 2007 2:28 AM