As a prologue to her year-end top-ten list, Manohla Dargis of the New York Times writes

“THE whole point of a Top 10 list, a friend recently scolded me, is to number them. (I was declining to do so.) My friend was wrong, but only because Top 10 lists are artificial exercises, assertions of critical ego, capricious and necessarily imperfect. (I have a suspicion that the sacred 10 is meant to suggest biblical certainty, as if critics are merely worldly vessels for some divine wisdom.) More than anything they are a public ritual, which is their most valuable function. I tell you what I liked, and you either agree with my list (which flatters us both) or denounce it (which flatters you). It’s a perfect circle.”

Somehow, I don’t think flattery is the primary product of these lists. Rage? Perhaps. Disbelief? Maybe . . . but flattery? Not so much . . . and how does the critic know when she’s being flattered? Print media is pretty much a one-way street, and flattery gets you nowhere if the flatter-ee knows nothing about it.

Anyway, I thought I’d do my readers a service (hi, you two!) and start a soon-to-be annual list of top-ten lists (how meta of me). Keep looking back at this if you want, because I’ll keep adding to it as I discover them.

• Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
• Glenn Erickson’s (DVD Savant) top-ten DVDs
• MSN Top Ten lists
• Slant Magazine’s Year In Film
• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
• Jim Emerson’s “My 10 best list: the movie (WGA strike/Antonioni edition)”
• Rob Nelson, Minneapolis Post
• Jeffrey Anderson (Combustible Celluloid)
• Yair Raveh’s International Film Blog (Cinemascope)
• Shawn Levy, The Oregonian
• The NewYork Times
  • A.O.Scott
  • Manohla Dargis
  • Stephen Holden
  • Dave Kehr’s DVD list
• Jen Chaney’s alternate holiday DVDs
• Mike Russell, The Oregonian (at his blog, CulturePulp)
• L.A. Times
  • Kevin Crust
  • Carina Chocano
  • Kenneth Turan
  • Dennis Lim’s DVD List
• Bunches of lists at IFC
  • Matt Singer, Allison Willmore, Michael Atkinson
  • Aaron Hillis
  • Nick Schager
  • R. Emmett Sweeney
• Tim Lucas’ (Video Watchblog) top DVDs
• Stephanie Zacharek (Salon)
• Lauren Wissot at The House Next Door
• The AV Club’s masterlist, and individual members’ lists
• Philip French, Observer
• Aquarello, Strictly Film School
• Scott Foundra, LA Weekly
• Girish
• Michael Atkinson at Zero for Conduct and IFC News (they’re different lists)
• Matt Riviera at Last Night With Riviera

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!