As the actual list is going to come out next year, you haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve worked on it quite a bit and the list is mostly ready. What this means is that I know what has been dropped from the 2015 version.

Of course, one big reason for dropping films from the list is that there just isn’t enough room for everything, if I keep the list to a set number of films. And I’m going to. The discipline helps. As new movies come in, as I see new movies or recontextualize ones I’ve previously seen, movies also have to go.

I do still like the movies, in some cases very much, but something has changed. Usually this something is about my outlook on life or my view of the filmmakers has changed. Since the list is not yet set in stone, I’m not promising you none of these won’t find their way back on the list, but I still decided to write about this, as I felt this is an important part of the self-reflection the list is supposedly about.

Let’s go in order (from bottom of the previous list to the top):

Platoon

This is largely about Oliver Stone. This is an excellent movie, but Stone’s dangerous sort of crazy is off-putting. This is mostly about JFK, which feels like just a huge mistake, which tells you how little Stone actually understands how the world works. Since this was number 92 on the previous list, it didn’t take much to drop off.

Per qualche dollaro in più

I guess this is mostly just about my tastes expanding. There just isn’t as much room for Leone’s movies as there used to be.

Inception

Probably Leo’s fault. Gladly, he has since found himself some variety in his roles, but at some point I was just so bored with the intense look on his face. Revenant, in particular, just felt like so rote. No character development of any kind, just him looking like he was having a hard time passing a turd. That just reflected in Inception in a negative way.

Bridge on the River Kwai

I don’t really know if I can explain this one. In some ways this should actually work better for me, because the anti-jingoistic themes of the film have been of interest to me for a very long time. So, I can’t really explain this one except that there was no room.

Evil Dead

I think the new Golden Age of horror has much to do with this one. With masterful horror movies coming out regularly these days, I just don’t have the same kind of need for these older ones.

Inherit the Wind

Like Bridge on the River Kwai, I can’t really explain this one. Anti-fundamentalism is also something that appeals to me. However, I don’t think the filmmaking style this employs is for me in the same way as the writing (which in itself has problems).

District 9

One of the victims of the list not having enough room. I guess the movie has also just lost some of it’s shine over the years. I guess the approach isn’t to my liking as much as it used to be. This was one of the last cuts made, though.

Per un pugno di dollari

See Per qualche dollaro in più above.

Little Miss Sunshine

A nice feelgood movie would be a nice balancing element to all the misery porn on the final list, but here we are. Just not enough room.

The Big Lebowski

This was a bad time for comedies in general and this is just a victim of that.

To Kill a Mockingbird

The naivete of the story doesn’t appeal to me in the same way it did before.

Stalag 17

I’ve actually grown to appreciate Wilder’s writing more and more during the intervening five years, but on the other hand, this isn’t one of those movies where the writing shines. The comedy themes of the movie have started to grate on me.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

This was a bad time for comedies in general and this is just a victim of that.

No Man’s Land

I would’ve have liked to keep this one on the list, just because it’s from a country you never hear about in the context of movies and I bet there’s plenty of people, who haven’t heard about the country at all (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Still, if being from a smaller country was enough, the list would be quite different.

Not that this is a bad movie. I would still highly recommend it.

Miller’s Crossing

There are some directorial decisions here, which I wouldn’t mind highlighting, but I guess my tastes have changed, as the Coens are now completely off the list. I do still like their movies, but apparently not enough.

Gran Torino

You can see my views on Clint Eastwood evolving throughout the list. It’s the weird towing of the Republican party line without actually committing to it. Not that I even like the Republican party (actually, to me they feel like the worst kind of supervillains), but the weird spineless conformity is just not for me either.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Full Metal Jacket

I guess this has always been problematic for me. It’s just two different movies stitched into one and now the concept doesn’t work for me in the way it used to.

Harvey

I still like certain aspects of the technique, but the comedy… no, thank you.

Yojimbo

Yes, three versions of this story were dropped from the list. Perhaps it’s the story that isn’t for me anymore?

Cool Hand Luke

Part of me would like to see Paul Newman on the list in some capacity, but alas, didn’t happen. This was one of the last cuts. I do like the theme of trying to live your life your own way, even if my own way is nothing like Luke’s.

Blade Runner

This was mostly superceded by the sequel. I always had my problems with this, but the character of Roy Batty just kept this going for me. When the new one came out, this just didn’t feel as important any more.

The General

I have always had this fondness for Buster Keaton. Whereas Chaplin has a tendency to try to dodge his problems, Keaton would always take them on.

Citizen Kane

I guess the discussion around this movie has began to wear me down. Obviously, it’s common for movies as highly regarded as this, to be criticized simply for the sake of seeming edgy or an independent thinker. This is definitely something that shouldn’t corrupt my view of the film, but it does.

The Usual Suspects

This is a sad one. I would like to enjoy this the same way I used to, but sadly the accusations against both Spacey and Singer are just a difficult pill to swallow. I just can’t look at the movie the same way I used to. This was in the top 5 of each of my first three lists, but… yeah.

This is difficult, as neither has been actually convicted of any crimes as of this writing, but what can you do?