We all have different ways of defining ‘great’ film

(Photo/Full Moon Features)

Most movie fans face an obvious question at least once: What is your favorite movie?

When I was in graduate school, one of my professors in a film class asked us to list our top 10 favorite films. I was barely able to pare my own list down to 16.

Don’t laugh. It’s not an easy task to complete. So many variables have to be taken into account. Genre, the director, the cast, the era in which the film was made … and so on.

At least I’ve been fairly consistent, if a bit predictable, when asked over the years what consider to be the best film of all time. I typically have answered “Citizen Kane,” which I can defend on several levels.

Though do I really have to? Seems to me David Fincher did a credible job with his Oscar-nominated Netflix film “Mank.”

Still, back to the notion of what constitutes great film – which, after all, is what we mean when we conflate our personal favorites with what we consider greatness – I recently read an article in GQ magazine that carried the headline “The Chaos of the Streaming Era Is Great For Movie Lovers.”

The intent of the story is to make a case that buried deep in the virtual shelves of various streaming services exists a trove of cinematic treasures. And while I don’t argue that point, the story’s contention depends a lot on what we mean by the word “treasure.”

Likening an online search to what it used to be like fumbling through your neighborhood video store, where a second choice might actually be better than what you were initially looking for, the story lists what it describes as “20 great semi-obscure films from deep in the archives of Amazon Prime, Paramount Plus and more.”

I have issues with some of the movies mentioned. Watching “Miracle Mile” (1988), for example, is a bit like drinking Drano. And “Death Bed: The Bed That Eats” (1977) is so bad that it inspired a whole comic routine by Patton Oswalt (beware the profanity).

That said, I agree with the basic idea. Going beyond the popular picks is – or at least can be – good for the soul. It’s certainly worked that way for me.

Then again, I’m a big fan of “Citizen Kane.” So, as always, take what I say not with just a grain but maybe a couple of tablespoons of salt.