Picking at a Scab

A few months ago I wrote about a list of movies on io9 that really stuck in my craw. The list is back... in a way, with the site's recent run down of Best and Worst Science Fiction/Fantasy Movies of 2010.

Once again, here's io9's list of anticipated films:

1. The Crazies (7)
2. Kick-Ass (6)
3. Predators (4)
4. Toy Story 3 (2)
5. Inception (1)

And here's how these fit in with the best/worst list:

Best:

1. The Wolfman (9)
2. Legion (8)
3. The Lovely Bones (7)
4. Iron Man 2 (6)
5. Tron: Legacy (5)
6. The Book of Eli (4)
7. Jonah Hex (3)
8. The Last Airbender (1)

Not Listed:

1. Hot Tub Time Machine
2. Repo Men
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street
4. Despicable Me
5. Priest (not yet released)
6. Red Dawn (not yet released)
7. Green Hornet (not yet released)

For the record, that's five on the Best list and eight on the Worst. That's really not too good of a track record.

Why am I picking on io9? Am I just bitter because I sent them a book back in July or August and they have yet to review it?

No.

I've been mad about the list of anticipated films since I first read it; mostly because it gave such short shrift to any independent films when that's the breeding ground for fresh entertainment; smaller films such as Moon, District 9 and Time Crimes. So where were the smaller films of 2010? Nothing got made that wasn't produced by a major studio? This is just a little too lazy and easy for me.

The smaller films didn't even make it onto the list for best/worst with the possible exceptions of The Last Exorcism and Splice but saying that those were "small" is debatable. Anything I saw advertised on national TV probably doesn't cut the mustard. Where were the films like Mars, Earthling, or Monsters?

I won't say that I've got a lock on independent horror/fantasy/sci-fi films. I actually rely on websites like io9 to give me the scoop. Check out this list from Fatally-Yours.com of The Best Horror Films of 2010 You Didn't See (But Should!) by Sarah Jahier and this one and this one from Twitch.com. I'm sure I'll have other, better best/worst lists to link to soon. Lists full of movies that I've never heard of.