IMDb's Top 10 Films: Do you agree?

[Angrboda]

It occurs to me, also, that lists like this are going to miss certain essential points. Movies, each in its own way, appeals to and satisfies certain needs. And those needs change from day to day. Perhaps what is meant by best film is a film's ability to satisfice more of your movie watching needs more often than others. However, that doesn't really address the way in which we actually use cinema. Cinema is all about satisfying those types of needs, and so what is needed, in addition to some composite score, is the type of needs that are met by the particular film. And even that changes over time. (Star Wars: A New Hope satisfied needs when it was first released that it no longer does as good a job of satisfying. And there are complexities beyond the film itself. Seeing a movie in a theater is a different experience than watching it at home, watching a movie that has just been released to the theater is different from watching one that has been out, watching a film or TV show as it is being broadcast is different from watching it from a DVD or other pre-recorded media.)

I recently added a television to my bedroom, and I'm finding the experience of watching media in that context, setting and situation is surprising me in unexpected ways. I have for years watched movies and television from a comfortable chair, and I'd forgotten how pleasant it is to lie there, half aware of the content you are watching, feeling somnolence creep over you. I find myself able to engage longer viewing experiences than I normally am attracted to having. (Part of the reason I watch few movies; a two hour film exceeded my comfort threshold before.) I also find myself watching different content than I would if I were in here, watching normally.

So, beyond my complaints about the composition of the list, it also neglects the multidimensional aspect of the film experience.

And for what it's worth, right now I'm grabbing a volume of H.P. Lovecraft stories, and my copy of Marvel Avengers, and retreating to my bed chamber. And movies like Shawshank Redemption can just fuck the hell off.

(I wish I was up to speed on my new tablet. I'd love to pull a bunch of philosophy papers in behind me....)