That they're being willfully obscure, or trying to score cool points?

A bit of both? Plus a certain impatience for general critical reverence for All Things Past. There have been interesting, dynamic films being made from all over the world in the last 30 years. I just have a hard time beliving 30% of the "best" example of the medium was made in 1920-1930. Innovation of the medium is of great historic interest, of course, but to me, film is a populist medium (which Shakespeare's plays certainly were) and list doesn't much reflect that.

The site is getting hammered right now, but here’s the top 50 list: [link]

Wow, Mulholland Dr. at #28? Huh. It's the most recent movie on the list (2001). And In the Mood for Love at #24 from 2000. And lots of movies I've never heard of.

I just have a hard time beliving 30% of the "best" example of the medium was made in 1920-1930.

I'd think that some of that is that these are the ones that have endured the best, and that's easier to see as time goes on. Thousands of movies were made during that period. Only a tiny portion still remain relevant because they're not dependent on the immediate culture around them to make sense of them. They endure because they're singular.

Mostly what I see when I look at a movie from several decades back are the tropes and historical assumptions of that era. When those get stripped away by time's passage the films that still work create their own aesthetic. Something accessible to any era as long as you can relinquish the tropes of your time to see it on its own terms.

Did they change the name of The Bicycle Thief to Bicycle Thieves? Or am I remembering wrong?

Yeah, I was wondering about that. Maybe it was the sequel (rejected title: 2 Thief 2 Bicycle ).

I am so happy that Citizen Kane is no longer number one. I hate Citizen Kane. I saw it as a teenager, and I can't even tell you why I hated it, except I thought it was boring. And I loved old movies when I was a kid.

I have Citizen Kane in the house right now, awaiting viewing! Along with His Girl Friday, which I watched last night, and found frequently hilarious.

I LOVE His Girl Friday. She's smart and a bit goofy but also passionate and brave. And he's bossy and manipulative but also understands and appreciates her and together, they fight crime (literally. Plus they are very sexy together.

I also LOVE His Girl Friday! Much more enjoyable than boring old Citizen Kane

I love BOTH those movies.