This week, The American Film Institute announced its updated list of the 100 Greatest Films of All Time, and while “Citizen Kane held down the top spot, I was surprised to see how many 40 and 50 year old movies are a lot greater now than they were in 1998. Here are some of the notable leaps from the 1998 List to the 2007 List and my explanations for how they happened:

“Raging Bull – 1998: #24, 2007: #4
2007 Oscar wins for “The Departed made critics go back and take a look at spunky, talented kid named “Marty Scorcese.

“The Searchers – 1998: #96, 2007: #12
Overwhelming gayness of “Brokeback Mountain has critics longing for the days of the John Wayne western, when gay sex was merely implied.

“The Godfather – 1998: #3, 2007: #2
(passing up “Casablanca)Critics were so happy the ending didn’t just go to silent black, they were able to disregard existence of both World War II and love.

“The Jazz Singer – 1998: #90, 2007: Not in Top 100
America is still just as racist as it was in 1998, we’re just not voting racistly anymore.

“The General – 1998: Not in Top 100, 2007: #18
Massive success of recent crappy sequels have made people realize they’d much rather pay to see Buster Keaton run around on top of a train and fall a lot.

“On The Waterfront – 1998: #8, 2007: #19
Critics agree that it’s becoming exponentially harder each year to not imagine that every time Marlon Brando speaks, he’s asking for butter.

“Vertigo – 1998: #61, 2007: #9
Grammy voters’ neverending U2 orgy somehow spills over to AFI list; Bob Dylan’s most recent album also named #85 greatest film ever made.

“Schindler’s List – 1998: #9, 2007: #8
Historians have discovered that the Holocaust was, in fact, about 1% more horrible than originally believed.