Yeah, sorry, this is mostly just for me.

Yesterday I got my top 10 movies of 2017 posted just hours before a self-imposed March 1 deadline, and it took a flurry of early-evening activity to pull it off. Even so. Feb. 28? I can't do better than that? Made me wonder when I posted the top 10 list in previous years.

Here are the dates, along with my #1 movie in parentheses. 

• December 31, 2009 (“L‘Heure d’ete”)
• February 7, 2011 (“Un Prophete”)
• February 13, 2012 (“The Tree of Life”)
• February 10, 2013 (“De rouille et d‘os”)
• January 17, 2014 (“Wolf of Wall Steet”)
• January 12, 2015 (“Boyhood”)
• January 13, 2016 (“Theeb”)
• February 25, 2017 (“Manchester By the Sea”)
• February 28, 2018 (“Call Me By Your Name”)

I was impressed by all those mid-Januarys. And a December! The hell? Way to be on top of things, younger me.

I began to wonder about my #1s, too. Three of the first four were French. What happened to that? Them or me? Or Hollywood taking it up a notch? Mostly male stories, too: sensitive (“Manchester”) or insensitive (“Wolf”). The only female leads are in “L’heure” and “De rouille.” And “L‘heure” is more ensemble. 

Next year is my 10th year doing this and I’m tired of this end-of-February shit. But the movie studios, releasing the best films later and later in the year, aren't helping much.