Great movies are unforgettable, while movie critics learn to forget about the bad ones -- it's a necessary defense mechanism, without which we couldn't carry on with our jobs.

Every year, when I write my "Top 10" list, I also write a "bottom 10" -- a chance to purge the awful movies out of my system with one last swipe. After that, I usually only consider them again when a director who made one comes out with another movie.

But with the end of the decade -- the "aughts," the "double-ohs," or whatever you call them -- it's instructive to look in the rearview at the worst movies of the last 10 years.

Looking over nine years of "bottom 10" lists, it's comforting to see that some titles have indeed become forgotten. Anyone who can name the stars and plots of "Boys and Girls," "Whatever It Takes," "Say It Isn't So," "15 Minutes," "On the Line," "Trapped" or "Against the Ropes" -- to name just a handful of movies from the early half of the decade -- without consulting IMDb.com is a walking movie encyclopedia.

But looking at the lists, as well as the likely candidates for this year's list of ignominy, it's interesting that a few common threads emerge:

Bad sequels » Odds are high that a movie with a numeral at the end of the title (e.g., "Rush Hour 3") will be a disappointment. Especially bad are horror sequels -- such as "The Grudge 2," "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2," "Saw II" or "Saw III" (the studio stopped showing the "Saw"

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franchise to critics after that one") -- where the filmmakers don't have to pretend they're continuing the characters' story line.

Sci-fi computer animation » There's a strangely inhuman feel to most computer animation, and few can get the Pixar-level storytelling creativity and technical expertise. Examples: "Battle for Terra," "Delgo," "Space Chimps," "Fly Me to the Moon," "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

Martin Lawrence » With titles like "Rebound," "Wild Hogs," "Black Knight" and "Bad Boys II" on his resume, Lawrence has surpassed Eddie Murphy (who at least has "Dreamgirls" to his credit) as the comedian most likely to make movie critics consider changing their vacation plans.

Mike Myers » Doesn't show up on the lists as often as Lawrence, if only because he doesn't work as often (not including "Shrek" movies and his "Inglourious Basterds" cameo), but his titles -- "The Cat in the Hat," "The Love Guru" and "A View From the Top" -- are a litany of garbage.

The Wayans brothers » "White Chicks," "Little Man" and a couple of "Scary Movie" flicks have proven the Wayans family as the masters of cringe-worthy comedy -- and "Dance Flick" this year showed that the bad-taste torch has been passed to a new generation.

Holiday movies » Something about setting a movie during December puts a filmmaker on autopilot, as if the Christmas spirit will make people forgive bad moviemaking. Examples: "Four Christmases," "Christmas with the Kranks" and "Surviving Christmas." (And non-Christians aren't exempt from this: Take "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights" -- please.)

Live-action cartoons » Too often, taking the "animated" out of an animated character also means taking the life out of the character, too. Examples: "The Cat in the Hat," "Fat Albert," "Garfield: The Movie" and "Scooby Doo."

Romantic comedies with unromantic leads » When a romantic comedy features a character who should not be allowed to reproduce -- such as Patrick Dempsey in "Made of Honor," Sandra Bullock in "All About Steve," and either Cameron Diaz or Ashton Kutcher in "What Happens in Vegas" -- there's no fun in watching them try to hook up.

Michael Bay sequels » "Bad Boys II" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" have been moneymakers, but they still were cinematic overkill of the worst kind.

Sean P. Means writes the Culture Vulture in daily blog form at blogs.sltrib.com/vulture