Lists o’ lists about 2010

• The Late, Great Blake Edwards
• Top 10 Top 10 for 2010

I can’t decide whether year end lists are a blessing, or a curse.

On the one hand, the lists generate discussion and dialogue around movies, music, cultural events, sports plays, tweets, or whatever. This is (almost) always a good thing.

In the case of films and music, it allows the critical establishment draw attention to works deserving of notice—often elevating a sleeper hit into “must-see” status. Among this year’s nominees for critical-end-of-year-list-darling category are MacGruber, Let Me In, I am Love and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. (Interestingly, SPvW is experiencing backlash for receiving too much love by some.)

On the other, lists provide critics another chance to bitch and complain, to wax superior, and to make readers feel stupid for not having recognized the genius of their selection of overlooked masterpieces. (Reverse Shot, whose column begins, “Any critic who could, with a straight face, populate a ten-best list either primarily or exclusively with American films released in one of the worst years in recent memory for homegrown filmmaking at all levels either wasn’t watching enough movies or watching movies well enough” is guilty of this.
Read this list at your own peril.

Others, like Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, pooh-pooh lists a “Silly Bandz for culture consumers”

What follows is a list of some of the favorite lists I’ve read these past few days as 2010 wanes.

And, for the sake of symmetry, they may not all be “Top 10s.” Nor will there be 10 of them.