The Problem(s) with a Best o' the Year List

December already? Crazy. A whole year of film has passed us by and you might be slowly locking your end of year picks into place. I know I've a rough sketch of what I loved the most and will put my 'Best of' list up on New Years Eve or Day. Before I do though, there are a few things I've been mulling over...

Australia (and NZ) release dates vs. American.
The end of the year is the so called 'prestige season'. A time when studios start releasing their biggest award contenders, the films they think have a real shot at Oscar glory. It's unfortunate then that the delay 'foreign' territories such as Australia experience with a lot of new releases means that we won't see some of these until next year. I'm expecting BLACK SWAN [above: cool effect] and NEVER LET ME GO to show up on a few American lists, but we won't receive either until January (or later!).
The other side of that problem is quite a few (American) 2009 films didn't get a release until early this year e.g. PRECIOUS, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, and the Best Picture winning THE HURT LOCKER. Do you include those on your list? Honestly? Probably not. They're old news, clogging up your 2010 list so you can't compare it with your peers overseas.
It would seem the final pool for Best of the Year options is a little short at both ends.

What about festival films?
I saw some tremendous films at festivals such as MIFF and although some of them have gone on to have theatrical releases, many still have not. This includes Michael Rowe's LEAP YEAR [above: intimacy], my favourite film of the festival (that wasn't part of a retrospective). It's not easy on your readers if your list includes a film that has only screened twice in this country. Also: what happens when it does get a theatrical release next year? Doesn't that make it a 2011 film?

There's still a few to come...
I wait until the very last moments of the year to post my list in case I see something genius on New Years Eve (it's happened before!). On the 26th of December we have quite a few films being released here that could be contenders. In order of likeliness to make my 'Best of' list: THE KING'S SPEECH, BLUE VALENTINE [above: a different kind of intimacy], SOMEWHERE, HEARTBREAKER, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, THE TOURIST, and LITTLE FOCKERS. Those first three I definitely have an eye on.

I didn't see everything.
Sometimes it feels like I did! However, there are a few films that slipped through the cracks and currently occupy that space between theatrical and DVD release where I have no access to a copy outside of dubious means (and I've gone there before *cough* HURT LOCKER *cough*). Three films that spring to mind: THE GHOST WRITER, FOUR LIONS and BURIED [above: claustrophobic]. I've been kicking myself over missing these, especially Polanski's latest after I had a marathon of his oldest work. I'll be kicking myself even more if they end up being among the best of 2010.

Ultimately, it's a personal thing. THE HURT LOCKER won't make my list because I saw it last year, but THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES might. You should be making your list for your own personal reflection and if others think you've included an ineligible film, they can simply exclude it from their own.
Head over to Matt Riviera's A Life On Film for a handy list of films released theatrically in Australia. It'll certainly help jog your memory as to what you may have seen...

I look forward to everyone's thoughts on film & 2010!

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