Old-ish news by just a couple days, but the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, in a poll of its members, has tabbed David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. as the Film of the Decade. Carving out a Top 10 list in any given year is tough, but picking from a decade’s worth of cinematic masterpieces is an especially brutalexercise. It’s always interesting to see how past favorites rise andfall in favor, and the personal unit of measurement in undertaking suchan endeavor is invariably subjective: Are they the films whose craftyou most admire, or those you most revisit? Are they films withpowerfully moving closed-circuit narratives, or need they leave youwith much to ponder?

I think the breadth of LAFCA‘s polling reflects the catholic tastes andintellectual engagement of our membership, but in so many ways Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. is an especially appropriate choice as Film ofthe Decade, and not only because it captures in elliptical fashion the polarizing extremes of life in Los Angeles. A beautiful, woozy mystery for the id, portions of itsmeaning are readily apparent, while others dance along its edges,deliciously up for substantive argument and debate — which is part ofwhat we as film critics love, after all. For some interesting reading/skimming, the full list of all 190 films receiving votes on 41 member ballots, as well as individual critic lists, is available by clicking here. Happy perusing!