You can post a list of anywhere between 5 and 20 films (or more, but only 20 will be counted) from the year we're covering. The deciding factor in terms of release dates is the RYM list and the top 10 of each year will go on to the final top 100 round. The deadline is January 30th.

The points scheme is as follows:
1. 50 points
2. 40
3. 35
4. 30
5. 25
6. 20
7. 18
8. 16
9. 14
10. 12
11. 10
10. 9
...
20. 1
However, these are the maximum amounts of points. If you want to put certain films on your list but don't want to give them too many points, you can choose to give these less points than in this scheme (but never more) to decrease the impact on the overall results. If you don't specifically state that you want to give (some of) your films fewer points, I will assume the standard scheme.

Here are some lists to remind you of the great (or awful) films released in 1997, from a variety of sources:
IMDb
RYM
Films101
RottenTomatoes

1. Fireworks / Takeshi Kitano / Japan
2. Mother and Son / Aleksandr Sokurov / Russia
3. The Sweet Hereafter / Atom Egoyan / Canada
4. Lost Highway / David Lynch / U.S.
5. Princess Mononoke / Hayao Miyazaki / Japan
6. Henry Fool / Hal Hartley / U.S.
7. Men with Guns / John Sayles / U.S.
8. Taste of Cherry / Abbas Kiarostami / Iran
9. Happy Together / Wong Kar-Wai / Hong Kong
10. Boogie Nights / Paul Thomas Anderson / U.S.
11. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control / Errol Morris / U.S.
12. In the Company of Men / Neil Labute / U.S.
13. The Spanish Prisoner / David Mamet / U.S.
14. Live Flesh / Pedro Almodovar / Spain
15. Deconstructing Harry / Woody Allen / U.S.

1 . Breakdown
2 . LA Confidential
3 . Jackie Brown
4 . Con Air
5 . Austin Powers
6 . The Fifth Element
7 . Grosse Point Blank
8 . Event Horizon
9 . Gummo
10 . The Man Who Knew Too Little
11 . Face Off
12 . Starship Troopers
13 . Private Parts
14 . Cube
15 . Donnie Brasco

1 Boogie Nights
2 Jackie Brown
3 The Saint
4 Private Parts
5 LA Confidential
6 Good Will Hunting
7 The Game

1. On connaît la chanson [Same Old Song] - Alain Resnais
2. L.A. Confidential - Curtis Hanson
3. もののけ姫 [Princess Mononoke] - Hayao Miyazaki
4. Jackie Brown - Quentin Tarantino
5. I Married a Strange Person! - Bill Plympton
6. はなび [Fireworks] - Takeshi Kitano
7. Deconstructing Harry - Woody Allen
8. Lost Highway - David Lynch
9. As Good as It Gets - James L. Brooks
10. Boogie Nights - Paul Thomas Anderson
11. The Full Monty - Peter Cattaneo
12. キュア [Cure] - Kiyoshi Kurosawa
13. 春光乍洩 [Happy Together] - Wong Kar-wai
14. La vie de Jésus [The Life of Jesus] - Bruno Dumont
15. Men in Black - Barry Sonnenfeld
16. Le cousin - Alain Corneau
17. うなぎ [The Eel] - Shōhei Imamura
18. The Ice Storm - Ang Lee
19. Sue [Sue Lost in Manhattan] - Amos Kollek
20. Gattaca - Andrew Niccol

1. The Spanish Prisoner – David Mamet
2. Henry Fool – Hal Hartley
3. Funny Games – Michael Haneke
4. La buena estrella (Lucky Star) – Ricardo Franco
5. Love and Death on Long Island – Richard Kwietniowski
6. Gattaca – Andrew Niccol
7. Cube – Vincenzo Natali
8. Absolute Power – Clint Eastwood
9. Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes) – Alejandro Amenábar
10. L.A. Confidential – Curtis Hanson
11. Wag the Dog – Barry Levinson
12. Men in Black – Barry Sonnenfeld
13. In & Out – Frank Oz
14. Katuwira, donde nacen y mueren los sueños – Íñigo Vallejo-Nájera
15. La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful) – Roberto Benigni
16. Donnie Brasco – Mike Newell
17. As Good as It Gets – James L. Brooks
18. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – Clint Eastwood
19. 春光乍洩 (Happy Together) – Wong Kar-wai
20. Jackie Brown – Quentin Tarantino

21. Year of the Horse – Jim Jarmusch
22. The Fifth Element – Luc Besson
23. Good Will Hunting – Gus Van Sant
24. はなび (Fireworks) – Takeshi Kitano
25. The Ice Storm – Ang Lee
26. Titanic – James Cameron
27. Albino Alligator – Kevin Spacey
28. The Sweet Hereafter – Atom Egoyan
29. Affliction – Paul Schrader
30. The Game – David Fincher

01. Abre los Ojos (Alejandro Amenábar)
02. Lost Highway (David Lynch)
03. Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant)
04. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson)
05. Cube (Vincenzo Natali)

06. Riget II (Lars von Trier)
07. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson)
08. La Vita è Bella (Roberto Benigni)
09. The Devil's Advocate (Taylor Hackford)
10. Carne Trémula (Pedro Almodovar)

11. Donnie Brasco (Mike Newell)
12. Gattaca (Andrew Niccol)
13. As Good as it Gets (James L. Brooks)
14. The Game (David Fincher)
15. Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen)

1. Funny Games
2. La vita è bella [Life Is Beautiful]
3. The Full Monty
4. Jackie Brown
5. As Good as It Gets
6. L.A. Confidential
7. Tic Tac
8. Carne trémula [Live Flesh]
9. The Ice Storm
10. Riget II

01. Gummo
02. Good Will Hunting
03. The Devil's Advocate
04. Lost Highway
05. Titanic
06. Message To Love: The Isle Of Wight Festival
07. U-Turn
08. Wag The Dog
09. Marcello Mastroianni: Mi Rocordo, Si, Io Mi Recordo (I remember)
10. Austin Powers

Gummo: Must be the funniest portrait of american white trash ever. Or saddest, depends on your perception.

I don't suppose I can get anyone to see A Casa (The House). I haven't gotten anyone to watch other Bartas films, but I really think they're excellent films.

They're nigh-impossible to find on DVDs, but pretty much all of them are searchable on Youtube. I don't think Bartas cares about copyright infringement.

Also Taste of Cherry. It'd be a crime if Kiarostami doesn't even qualify one the fantastic films he made in the 90s.

The House on youtube is without subtitles though, isn't it?

1. Mother and Son
2. The House
3. Taste of Cherry
4. The River
5. LA Confidential
6. Live Flesh
7. Jackie Brown
8. The Sweet Hereafter
9. Princess Mononoke
10. Happy Together
11. Life Is Beautiful
12. Face/Off
13. Deconstructing Harry
14. The Blackout
15. Crazy Stranger
16. Austin Powers
Con Air (1 point)
Good Will Hunting (1 point)
Amistad (1 point)
As Good As It Gets (1 point)

Comments:

-The House: Bartas films are, admittedly, not for everyone. A good litmus test is probably Bela Tarr. If you like Werckmeister Harmonies and Satantango, there's a good chance you'll like Bartas.

-Princess Mononoke: What I love about Miyazaki is the imaginative images. What I don't like is how the characters' plan for every situation seems to be 'Charge headlong into the enemy stronghold and make righteous speeches.'

-Face/Off: One of the best action thrillers of the 90's.

-LA Confidential: Russell Crowe was such a better actor before he realized he was a great actor. Then, he was willing to be part of an ensemble cast.

-Taste of Cherry: Very intellectual film about a man planning to commit suicide. Also this one was done by Criterion so unlike other Kiarostami films, shouldn't be that hard to find.

-Jackie Brown: Most 'Normal' film of Tarantino.

-Mother and Son: Beautifully shot, very slow moving visual film from the same director as Russian Ark. Not for everyone, but some may love it.

I want to apologize for the tone of some of my posts. I just think that there are films from poorer nations that are just as good as the films from richer nations, and they shouldn't be overlooked just because they don't show up on lists made by critics or because they're a little harder to find. Equally good films should have equal chance to be acclaimed no matter what country they come from.

Once again, a lot of very good movies.
1. On connaît la chanson (Alain Resnais)
2. The Ice Storm (Ang Lee)
3. Funny Games (Michael Haneke)
4. Marius et Jeanette (Robert Guédiguian)
5. Gattaca (Andrew Niccol)
6. La vita è bella (Roberto Benigni)
7. Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino)
8. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson)
9. Lost Highway (David Lynch)
10. Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train (Patrice Chéreau)
11. Fireworks (Takeshi Kitano)
12. Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant)
13. Assassin(s) (Mathieu Kassovitz)
14. Alien : resurection (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

I would have thought Boogie Nights would make it easily, but it actually has a hard time.

Not that hard a time, usually the cutoff lies somewhere around 100 points and it already has those. I'll also be voting for it, so it's almost certainly through.

1. Boogie Nights
2. L.A. Confidential
3. The Sweet Hereafter
4. Chasing Amy
5. In the Company of Men
6. Titanic
7. Donnie Brasco
8. The Full Monty
9. The Ice Storm
10. Good Will Hunting

Very good year:
1. Jackie Brown
2. Princess Mononoke
3. Contact
4. Starship Troopers
5. Gattaca
6. Hana-Bi
7. Sweet Hereafter
8. Lost Highway
9. L.A. Confidential
10. Spanish Prisoner
11. The Kingdonm II
12. Mrs. Brown
13. As good as it gets
14. The Devil's Advocate
15. Good Will Hunting
16. The Game
17. Event Horizon
18. Face/off
19. Alien Resurrection
20. Men in Black

1. La vita è bella [Life Is Beautiful]
2. The Ice Storm
3. Jackie Brown
4. はなび [Fireworks]
5. Lost Highway
6. Boogie Nights
7. Neitoperho
8. Fifth Element
9. Abre los ojos [Open your Eyes]
10. Titanic
11. Con Air
12. Shooting Fish
13. Good Will Hunting
14. もののけ姫 [Princess Mononoke]
15. Wag the Dog
16. A Life Less Ordinary
17. Donnie Brasco
18. Face/Off
19. L.A. Confidential
20. Gattaca

1) Good Will Hunting
2) The Full Monty
3) Lolita
4) Mrs Brown
5) Liar Liar
6) Men in Black
7) A Life Less Ordinary
8) Jackie Brown
9) Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
10) The Borrowers

First my own top 10:

1. La Vita È Belle (Roberto Benigni)
2. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson)
3. Donnie Brasco (Mike Newell)
4. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson)
5. The Full Monty (Peter Cattaneo)
6. Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino)
7. The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan)
8. The Game (David Fincher)
9. As Good As It Gets (James L. Brooks)
10. Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki)

And the final results, with both the race for #1 and #9-#12 turning out to be incredibly close. Guy's last-minute list made things a bit less close, but before that there was just 1 point difference between #10 and #11.

Title (Director) - Points/Votes/#1s
1. Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino) - 293/11/1
2. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson) - 292/11/0
3. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson) - 204/7/2
4. La vita è bella [Life is Beautiful] (Roberto Benigni) - 192/7/2
5. Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant) - 181/9/1
6. Lost Highway (David Lynch) - 171/7/0
7. もののけ姫 [Princess Mononoke] (Hayao Miyazaki) - 133/6/0
8. The Full Monty (Peter Cattaneo) - 126/5/0
9. The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan) - 122/5/0
10. Funny Games (Michael Haneke) - 120/3/1

Close:
The Ice Storm (111)
Fireworks (110)

Even Tarantino's Jackie Brown finishes first...