The Edge of the Frame

Well, there you have it, folks. This is my 100th post on The Edge of the Frame. It has come a long way. I can remember back to when I first tried to start a blog about four years ago, I had gotten to post number four and pretty much just gave in. However, thanks to everyone’s support, I’ve been able to push past my original quota and quite a bit further. At the current rate, and with continued support, I may be at 500 by this time, next year.

In honor of my 100th posting, I thought I’d report the Chlotrudis Society’s List of the Top 100 of the decade. For those that don’t know, the Chlotrudis Society is a non-profit organization that serves to promote and preserve the art of independent filmmaking. Sadly, I really don’t care about this list too much, mostly because of how bogus it is. First of all, any list that holds “Donnie Darko” (a great film, just horribly overrated by society, especially my generation) above films like “Brokeback Mountain,” “Memento,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” or, for God’s sake, “The Social Network,” really doesn’t hold a lot of credence in my mind.

Secondly, this is not a best of the decade list. This is a best of the decade and another year after that. In other words, films like “The Social Network” and “Winter’s Bone,” while incredible works, have no business being on this list. I know that everyone misses this time last year when all film critics and commentators could have the joy of whipping out their best films of the decade (it just has such a dramatic ring to it). However, that ship has sailed. You can’t just add a morpheme like “ish” to the end of the word decade and justify yourself like that. Suck it up, be professionals and wait nine years.

Here’s the first five films on the list. Full List after the jump:

1. In the Mood for Love
2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
3. The Lives of Others
4. Caché
5. Let the Right One In

6. There Will Be Blood
7. No Country for Old Men
8. The Piano Teacher
9. Donnie Darko
10. The Royal Tenenbaums
11. Talk to Her
12. Brokeback Mountain
13. Pan’s Labyrinth
14. Y Tu Mamá Tambien
15. Memento
16. Far from Heaven
17. My Winnipeg
18. Away From Her
19. Capote
20. The Social Network
21. Me and You and Everyone We Know
22. Grizzly Man
23. The Station Agent
24. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
25. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
26. Juno
27. Amélie
28. Mulholland Dr.
29. Once
30. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
31. Precious
32. The Hurt Locker
33. Duck Season
34. A Single Man
35. Best In Show
36. Dogville
37. Infernal Affairs
38. Man on Wire
39. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
40. 49 Up
41. Winter’s Bone
42. Protagonist
43. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
44. Mother
45. Brick
46. 3-Iron
47. Gosford Park
48. City of God
49. Last Life in the Universe
50. The Pianist
51. Bad Education
52. Jack Goes Boating
53. Hero
54. Tarnation
55. Synecdoche, New York
56. Still Walking
57. What Time Is It There?
58. White Ribbon
59. Lost in Translation
60. In Bruges
61. In the Bedroom
62. Monkey Warfare
63. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
64. Bowling for Columbine
65. Lilja 4-Ever
66. Spirited Away
67. Half Nelson
68. Punch Drunk Love
69. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
70. Italian for Beginners
71. Sping, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring
72. Marion Bridge
73. Linda Linda Linda
74. Yi Yi
75. Moulin Rouge!
76. The Proposition
77. Jellyfish
78. Sideways
79. Beau Travail
80. American Splendor
81. Dancer in the Dark
82. O Brother Where Art Thou
83. Ghost World
84. Hunger
85. Audition
86. O’Horten
87. The Edukators
88. I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
89. Undertow
90. 35 Shots of Rum
91. The Departed
92. The Return
93. WALL-E
94. 25th Hour
95. The Saddest Music in the World
96. Before Sunset
97. The Beaches of Agnès
98. Milk
99. The Queen
100. Shortbus