Sydney, Australia 2011: Some movies come big, others small. Some cost tons, others get by on a shoestring. Ultimately, the ingredients for great films most often prove elusive. This site will begin recommending theatrical gems for those looking for a winner. Stay tuned.

From Trent Ling:

My family of four finds itself run ragged, stretched thin, poured out, and yet always up for more.  We have bounced from here to there, tasted this and that, and seen these and those.  Amongst the endless bustle, we regularly enjoy brief, impactful respites at the movies.  Not requiring episodic commitment, good movies, short and sweet, suit us perfectly.  We usually shoot for the stars and see works having potential for greatness.  Independent films lure us regularly, but of course, in that we win some and lose some.  Truly great films remain a rarity.

Given my enigmatic life involving the construction of charts (more on that to come over the years) and my substantial and impassioned cinematic ingestion, I will be publishing recommendations based upon the list of the best films that I have seen to date.  Over time, one-by-one, these wonderful movies of the much ballyhooed “TL Charts” will be unveiled on this website.  Bear with me; though I’ve seen a lot, I’ve not seen everything.  No need to protest.

Be aware, the TL Charts employ quasi-logarithmic scaling in order to better separate the best works.  This brings a significant grade deflation in a world accustomed to the opposite.  To follow along, TL scores mean as shown below:

8.0-10.0    Top 10 (Only the Ten Best Films of All-Time Score in this Range)

6.0-7.9      Top 40 (Only the Forty Best Films of All-Time Score Here or Better)

4.0-5.9      Great (Films of a Definite Cut Above the Standard Fare Land Here)

2.0-3.9      Good (Most Seen Films Land in this Range)

0.0-1.9      Fair (Films of this Caliber are Usually Successfully Avoided)

Powerful storytelling lies at the heart of top-notch films; and more than anything else, great works must first of all be compelling.  Relevance and timelessness remain indispensible.  Excellence in writing, directing, and acting takes some motion pictures to entirely different levels.  Art, angle, and arc set apart top films, while interspersed moments of poignancy and perfect endings lift fantastic works above others at the Cineplex.

These great motion pictures scatter across eight decades and represent but one person’s calling them as he sees them.  Sharing, offering, and recommending, I give to you what has often inspired me in wonderfully frozen windows of time on days too short with hours too few.

Enjoy!

Please feel free to join and further the discussion via the options below.  No email or website information is required to post comments (unless you seek the notifications offered).