Ten years later, we’re finally getting somewhere.

The American Film Institute announced last month that it is revamping its 1998 list of the 100 best American movies of all time. That widely publicized list was the one that inspired legions of fledgling film geeks to experience the still-jolting beauty of 1941’s Citizen Kane — that list’s No. 1 pick — and cry in outrage at the banishment of 1994’s Pulp Fiction to No. 95.

It’s interesting how things have changed in a decade. Schindler’s List (1993) made it to No. 9 in ‘98, but it hardly feels like the movie of the decade that it used to. And Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), ranked No. 62 then, is now regularly (and rightly) revered as one of the few greatest American films ever made.

Based on the fresh list of 400 eligible films, it’s possible that recent deserving movies might get a fighting chance against some of the creaky old stand-bys that populated the previous list. The new crop of movies has a whopping 45 movies released after 1996, the original cutoff point for the first list.

It’s a surprisingly fair amount and even more promising considering the movies that made the cut. The now-eligible L.A. Confidential (1997), Rushmore (1998) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) deserve spots in the top 50, while the also-nominated Moulin Rouge! (2001), Finding Nemo (2003) and Boogie Nights (1997) merit a spot somewhere in the 100. Even if they don’t make it, it’s exhilarating to see that the reverse ageism of lists like these might be eroding.

When it comes down to the end result, a new top-100 list could be the chance for the recent cinematic past to shine a better light on the not-so-recent past. Robert Altman’s late resurgence before his November death could correct the glaring omission of his 1975 Nashville from the first list. And Woody Allen’s 2005 Match Point should refresh voters’ minds enough to not make Annie Hall the only movie in his astonishing career to make the cut.

Best of all, 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption — arguably the most-loved movie of the past 20 years — has another shot, and it’s sure not to miss this time.

Whatever happens, the AFI has the chance to at least start eroding the myth that just because a movie has a few decades under its belt, it’s automatically better than anything playing today. Now’s as good a time as any to give movies such as Eternal Sunshine and L.A. Confidential the due they’ll get years from now.

IF I PICKED ‘EM

My Top 10 Picks from the 400 Eligible Films

1. Annie Hall (1977)

2. Vertigo (1958)

3. The Godfather Parts I and II (1972, 1974)

4. Casablanca (1943)

5. The Last Picture Show (1971)

6. Citizen Kane (1941)

7. Pulp Fiction (1994)

8. Psycho (1960)

9. Rushmore (1998)

10. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)