Over at his 401st Blow blog, producer Noah Harlan (who, one post below, reviews Sundance’s new iPhone app), gets all statistical on Anne Thompson’s post at indieWIRE on the Best Reviewed Films of the Decade. You’ll have to read his post to follow the math that details how the critics might have become softer as the last decade progressed, as evidenced by the average rating for the top 100 films on Rotten Tomatoes having risen from 76% to 90%.

There’s a poll you can take to register your opinion as to why this is. I quickly voted for the “critics are getting easier,” but afterwards I came to another possible conclusion: I’d be curious to see the sample set of critics analyzed over the decade. I bet it’s a lot larger now, and I wonder if the new breed of critic is more disposed towards positive reviews than the critics we entered the decade with.