4o3v2h

Best film of 2025 so far.

The National Board of Review naming this one of the top ten films of 2024 is baffling. A dull, hipster-filtered Fifty Shades of Grey. Ridiculous and unintentionally funny. This maybe could have worked had it been directed by Todd Solondz or Catherine Breillat, and made in 2009.

Silly (stupid, even) but elevated greatly by the wonderful performances and George Stevens's sparkling direction. Needed a better script. A writer like Preston Sturges could've sharpened this up and turned it into another classic screwball comedy. Still, this was fun. Worth watching for Ginger Rogers alone.

Bette Davis does a terrible cockney accent, but it’s hard to take your eyes off her and she gives an imposing performance nevertheless. Leslie Howard and Reginald Owen are great as well. I guess there's not too much dramatic depth here (or at least not as much as there could have been), but still effective in its portrayal. Has a harsh, dark realism that feels surprising for the time.

Some cool atmosphere (although the cinematography and lighting sorta gave me a headache), and I’m a fan of the genre, but a bit underwhelming overall. Blanchett and Fassbender both give solid performances, but these characters aren’t particularly interesting. Too bad, as I was pretty excited to see this. Disappointing, but also not the worst way to spend 94 minutes.

The promo for this with Frank Underwood was better than the actual special, but this still has some solid bits. Highlights were the stuff about the homeless problem in LA and the royal family. Better produced than A Real Hero, but not as funny.

I love Baloo.

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom‘s cinematography is outstanding, and I personally enjoyed the set design, but I don’t think Guadagnino was the right director for this—or at the very least I didn’t care for his approach. His style is too romantic and sleek. This needed a grimier, more disgusting touch (Ferrara, Noé, Cronenberg, or Jorodowsky). The score from Reznor and Ross is good, but nowhere near as effective as what they did for Challengers. With the exception of Starkey, I didn’t care for the performances either. It’s not that they’re “bad”, but Craig and Schwartzman both seem to be trying a bit too hard. Manville as well. Also, the anachronistic use of music was corny and didn’t work. I like Nirvana and New Order as much as the next guy, but come on. For me, this peaks in the first half hour before slowly burning out (third act especially). Not terrible, but an overall dull and unsuccessful interpretation of Burroughs.

“I love college.”
–Asher Roth, 2009.

A very touching, funny, and moving family story. Sentimental without being needlessly cloying. Beautiful performances, even from Michael Richards (tho it’s still hard to not see him as Kramer). This could have been extremely melodramatic, but Keaton’s direction keeps everything sweetly understated. Underrated little gem.

Still awesome. Hawke is slightly miscast, but we can let that slide.

A fairly entertaining DNC-fetishist political thriller from the first term Obama era of complacency. To be fair, Clooney does criticize this process more thoughtfully than I would have expected him to—and compared to the recent Zero Day, this feels like The Manchurian Candidate. It’s a great ensemble cast as well, even if Gosling is slightly wooden here (but not bad). Still, you’re better off just watching the “Campaign” episode of Stella instead: vimeo.com/313216696

I’ve heard the 1952 version is much better, and I don’t doubt it. Pretty stupid, but dadgum it I had fun. I miss Tim Wilkinson.

De Niro does that face the whole time.  Basic and painfully boring.

My son's favorite noir.

I'm going to try to keep this somewhat brief. I have a lot to say about it, but it's already been said (more profoundly) by better writers and critics. I honestly found this disappointing. Even more than Nickel Boys, it's a clear and classic example of how a film can collapse under its own hype. The technical aspects and use of VistaVision, which does look spectacular, is basically a distraction from its weak narrative. Brody gives an excellent performance, but László Tóth is an empty and poorly developed character. Corbet seems to have no interest in showing Tóth's artistic training and ambition, or even in examining Brutalist architecture and its origins. The background of his relationship with Erzsébet and Zsófia also lacks development. He really missed an opportunity by ignoring these details.

Corbet decides instead to show Tóth's exploitation and victimized immigrant experience. Its childish and nihilistic attempts to dismantle the perception of the "American Dream" is personified through Tóth's relationship with Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Van Buren is the most well-developed character in the entire film. He's also an absurd, goofy ass creation whose character arc (particularly in the second half) only serves to validate the film's misguided moral themes. Van Buren's villainy could have easily been established in a more thoughtful and complex way, but Corbet takes it in a truly ridiculous direction (anyone who has seen the film likely knows what I'm referring to). Corbet smugly places the horror on Pennsylvania and its bigoted inhabitants, as opposed to European gas chambers and tyrannical dictators.

Having said that, I do give Corbet some credit. The direction is a bit pretentious (I personally did not like the opening sequence/"overture"), but there are certain moments where the imagery is almost overwhelmingly powerful. It's perhaps a superficial detail, but Lol Crawley's cinematography (at its best) naturally reminded me of the great (if silly) Hollywood films of the mid-late 50s. It's hard for me to not get at least slightly caught up in the nostalgia it produces for that era. It's a refreshing change of pace from the bland Netflix/streaming sheen that most contemporary movies (content?) seem to be filtered through nowadays.

Still, after Conclave it's probably the most overhyped and overrated film of 2024. Far-left and far-right fools complaining about "Zionism" (a tired and inappropriate criticism) are missing the point. Both fail to understand or address its actual flaws. Postwar diaspora, and artistic movements that emerged as a result, is a fascinating subject and could have easily made for a fascinating movie. Too bad this isn't it.

I'd be lying if I said there wasn't something deeply beautiful about it. Visually, it's stunning. Like looking at a living, breathing, curated photo album.  Having said that, its lovely form and style/perspective is unfortunately the same thing that takes me out of the experience emotionally. The first-person POV is interesting, but it makes the dialogue feel slightly hollow, and prevents any real immersion into this story, or the characters themselves. Ross seems more concerned with impressing us with technique (which again is striking, and I'm surprised Jomo Fray didn't get nominated for Best Cinematography) than with his storytelling. I ire the craft, but I just felt mostly removed from it.

Mangold’s approach is fairly standard biopic material, but not quite as straightforward as Walk the Line.  It doesn't exactly feel "unique", but it's very effective—thrilling even. The performances are wonderful. I was skeptical of how Chalamet would handle this, but he nailed it. He really put in the work to make this a sincere and complex portrayal, and not just an impression. I honestly hope he wins the Oscar. The same goes to Monica Barbaro. I was unfamiliar with her work before this, so I completely accepted her as Baez. Edward Norton gives his best performance since Birdman. Boyd Holbrook's Johnny Cash is a hoot. If there is any weak link here it's Elle Fanning, who isn't bad, but seems to flounder within the impressive ensemble cast. As a Dylan fan, it was very fun to see all the various anecdotes detailed in books and documentaries played out in a narrative. Without needlessly deifying it subjects, the film is bold in its depiction of art vs. commerce, community expectations, and "scene politics". On top of that, it's beautifully photographed and consistently engaging.

Just as impactful on a second viewing, if not more so.

“From penis to vaginaaaa!”

I keep singing this line to the tune of “Like Dylan in the Movies” by Belle and Sebastian. 

Shout-out to the Coldwell Banker dad hat in the end sequence.

Lovely.

"My name is Andy Bernard and I am a cuckold. For those of you unfamiliar with William Shakespeare, a cuckold is a man whose woman is cheating on him. I've lived the part. And let me tell you, I'd so much rather play the part on stage."

Its melodramatic conclusion is slightly disappointing, but a captivating work nonetheless. Grant (in his first collab with Hitch) and Fontaine are both excellent. Fontaine's performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, and is the only Oscar-winning acting performance in an Alfred Hitchcock film, which seems insane. Wonderful ing turns from Nigel Bruce and May Whitty. You can almost never go wrong with Hitchcock. His films are beautifully crafted, very well paced (most of the time), and filled with unique little details—Suspicion is no exception. Having said that, I can understand why some would consider this one of his more middling efforts. It's hammy at times when it should be dark, and the ending feels abrupt (and doesn't really make sense). Still, I loved it. A minor Hitchcock is still better than most other movies.

Biblical.

Well, the 2025 movie year begins. Another middling, moderately funny (at times) streaming-era romcom. Didn't need to be almost two hours.

A less insulting, slightly funnier version of Don’t Worry Darling. Still, no.

This was easily my most anticipated film release of 2024, but after seeing a somewhat polarized response (at least on here), I suddenly became nervous. After weeks of anticipation, I finally got to the theater and can say with some relief that not only is the film masterful, but in many ways actually exceeded my expectations. I try not to be a fanboy of current industry players, but Robert Eggers really is one of the best contemporary filmmakers. All four of his films are beautifully crafted works of art, and each one feels like an improvement over the last. All of them are meticulously detailed, yet somehow don't feel overly precious or self-conscious. Other filmmakers who also insist shooting on film and/or give their work some unique technical feature tend to go out of their way to make their films seem like "events", which can be distracting and cause them to collapse under their own hype. Despite carving out what some might call a "niche" style, Eggers' labored work feels direct and refreshingly unpretentious.

The film is a technical marvel. Jarin Blaschke's cinematography is easily the best of the year (2024). Incredible production and costume design. There were several moments where I just sat stunned by the imagery (Hutter walking in the snow, the arrival of the unmanned carriage, Ellen's possessed facial contortions, Orlok's shadow appearing in the window, to name just a few). Great sound. All the technical accolades it's received are obviously earned, but the performances absolutely deserve equal praise. The entire cast is excellent, Lily-Rose Depp in particular. It really is her movie, and a challenging role that she handles beautifully. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Ineson, and Dafoe are all great too. Skarsgård is brilliant. I was initially slightly disappointed with the change to Orlok's appearance, but it made sense the more I thought about it—and as the story developed I actually came to appreciate the decision. The commitment to depicting him with the features of a Transylvanian nobleman is definitely unique, and something that hasn't really been attempted before. The mustache probably wouldn't have worked on Kinski.

I still think Herzog's Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht is my favorite version. I think it has the most interesting portrayal of Orlok (a towering performance from Kinski), and tonally is the most hypnotic and disturbing. That said, I love what Eggers did with this. A dark and romantic take. Pure Gothic horror. One of the best films of 2024.

It’s very well shot, and there are some funny moments (particularly in the middle section), but it overall left me with an empty feeling.  Watchable and moves fast, yet it's also boring.  We’re supposed to be enthralled by the journey, but I knew exactly how this was going to end from moment it started.  A good performance from Mikey Madison, but Anora is a flat character.  Unlike his other films (that I’ve seen), Baker doesn’t really dive into his characters enough here to get a sense of who they are.  I felt no sympathy, and struggled to understand why I should care about anything that was happening.  My main takeaway from this was, “What did she expect?”—which I don’t think was the intention.

Like most Pixar sequels, it's nowhere near as good as its predecessor. The plot is flimsy, and almost feels like a direct-to-streaming Disney+ special. Having said that, I honestly enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.

Another gem from Hitchcock’s British period.  A brisk and tight thriller. Some surprisingly shocking and devastating moments.  Sylvia Sidney and Oskar Homolka are both superb, and make up for John Loder’s mostly forgettable performance (not bad, just slightly dull).  Kael does a great job breaking it all down in her review.

Silly and didactic.  Probably works better as a play. I still enjoyed it. Depressing, but fun. Thewlis rules.

Solarmovie stream of A Complete Unknown had terrible sound, so we somehow ended up here. Not bad, but an overall uninteresting depiction of an otherwise interesting piece of WWII history.
(Streamed on Kanopy).

"Well, you should be embarrassed."
-Chevy Chase, to Jason Reitman following a private screening of Saturday Night for SNL alumni.

Yes, yes he should.

I don’t really have anything profound to say that hasn't already been said by other s, but yeah this was bad. I will say that I do have some respect for Michaels. Even though SNL sucks now, it had some truly great eras, and I have many fond memories watching the show over the years (which generally end sometime around 2011-2012). It definitely made an impact, for better or worse. The original cast was an incredibly talented ragtag crew of unique personalities—unfortunately Saturday Night utterly fails to highlight this.

Besides the fact that none of the cast are examined with any depth whatsoever (all caricatures), my main gripe with this is that it's fucking boring. It uses the gimmicky Birdman behind the scenes approach to create a sense of intense urgency and chaos (I like Birdman btw), but it instead does the opposite. A redundant, self-congratulatory slog. Who is this movie for? Reitman's dad's friends and former colleagues and associates? The events themselves are also clearly punched-up for dramatic effect, which (again) would be fine if the movie was actually entertaining.

Chase is right.

Eisenberg did a very good job.  Part of what makes it so effective is its subtlety.  What could have been an extremely dramatic or sentimental story is instead condensed into something nuanced, relatable, and funny. The humor also brings out some of the deeper sad (and human) elements of the characters and story.  Pretty impressive.  Culkin is great, but in a way I think Eisenberg actually has the more challenging role and gives the better performance.  The 90 minute runtime is welcome, but certain aspects of the script do feel slightly underdeveloped.  That said, I still appreciated its warmth and low-key tone. Definitely one of the better films from 2024.

Not sure what to say about this. Pretty baffling, but I definitely enjoyed it. Makes very good use of its low budget, and is one of the most well made "bad" movies I've seen in recent memory. Yeoman's cinematography is great. A fun mix of inventiveness and stupidity. After The Hunger, this is the best film performance I've seen from Bowie.

I must say, I really enjoyed this. Despite being psyched about it for a year leading up to its release, I ended up skipping it in theaters. The underwhelming response it received made me lose interest. Going in with lowered expectations is probably a factor here, but I was very surprised at how entertaining and effective I thought this was. The use of CGI is excessive, but in my opinion the action sequences were spectacular (yes, even the naumachia sharks). I was also impressed with (most of) the performances. For an actor with relatively few credits, Paul Mescal carries the movie surprisingly well. Washington, Quinn, Hechinger, and McInnerny are all great as well. Nielsen and Pascal are fine, but both seem to be phoning it in a bit.

It's a completely unnecessary sequel that's goofy as fuck compared to its predecessor, but that's honestly what sorta gives this its appeal for me. That said, I don't think Scott should do a part 3. Just let it be.

Hugh Grant is the best part about this. A fun, off brand performance. I was definitely enjoying the first 40–45 minutes, but it started losing me as soon as they went downstairs (a moment that should’ve added another layer of interest). It’s effectively creepy for the most part, but the commentary is pretty basic—and like what I’ve seen some others say on here, sounds like a conversation about religion between college bros and democratic socialists at a house party in 2010.

Watched on Saturday January 4, 2025.

Excellent adaptation of the Victorian novel. A beautiful production, but with an oddly dark atmosphere and tone. The depiction of the northern industrial landscape is harsh and almost shockingly gloomy,yet there’s still a levity at its center. Outstanding performances, especially from Sinéad Cusack and Richard Armitage.

Watched on Sunday December 29, 2024.

Top 3 Fincher.

People who are calling this "anti-natalist" are missing the point.  The zoomers and millennials using the term as praise are childless dorks with no meaningful life experience.  The gen-xers and boomers using it as criticism may have adult children, but are out of touch (or unfamiliar) with contemporary satire.  In either case, I think they’re both wrong.  Showing some of the harsh realities and frustrations of motherhood (but even just parenthood in general) isn’t a nihilistic display, it’s human.  Having said that, Heller does occasionally backpedal to cover her ass and pander to the type of anger expressed by some of the folks you’d find over at “r/childfree”.

Tonally it’s a bit clunky, and it never fully commits to its “body horror” tag (which may be for the best), but it’s consistently funny and I liked it much more than I expected.  Amy Adams gives another great performance.

There are many films I love (and would defend) that could be (or have been) deemed offensive and blasphemous by Catholics and/or the Catholic Church (Dogma, Hail Mary, The Exorcist, The Decameraon to name just a few). The directors of these works may have been willing to risk this perception for the sake of realizing their vision, without necessarily having the intention to attack. Conclave is not one of these films, and is designed for people who generally fall somewhere between these two categories: (1) "Progressive" spiritual people (Catholic or otherwise) who feel they know the best path forward for the Church, or (2) People who already feel despisement and scorn for Catholics and the Church itself, or for anyone with sincere Christian faith (but who likely fetishize other faiths for condescending political reasons). We can also categorize this group as Award-season obsessives/voters.

It's a shame because visually it’s quite good, and there are some solid performances. Fiennes is especially good, and generally holds this together as best he can. The heroes and villains of this story are established within the first 20 minutes, and you can almost immediately see the angle that is being taken. It's obvious, predictable, and smug—but the papal conclave itself is effectively depicted as a mystery thriller. The vast network of the Vatican against the backdrop of Rome definitely sets a mood, and Berger's direction isn't exactly incompetent. I was engaged enough, and willing to see if my initial suspicions were at least partially incorrect. Not only was I right, but the results were worse than I could have imagined.

Without giving anything away, the final half hour is fucking absurd. Two events occur that are completely unnecessary other than to further demonize the "villains" of this story beyond redemption, and to satiate the sensibilities of its intended audience. Look, the Church isn't above criticism at all, and most of the ideas and sentiments the film attempts to address are worthy of discussion and could potentially be depicted in a more thoughtful and reflective film. This isn't it. Its basic and transparent political messaging is superficial, and prevents it from being a truly contemplative portrayal of spiritual struggle.

Very bad, but the most watchable of Lohan’s Netflix efforts so far. She has a slightly better cast assembled around her, which helps. Still, this is pretty pathetic. A truly disgusting opening credit sequence. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Genuinely curious to know if one single person in Scotland has seen this.

Watched on Tuesday December 24, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday December 24, 2024.

Absurd and delightful. Beautifully directed by Cukor, with an excellent script by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman. Every character, even the minor ing ones, is so uniquely detailed. Hepburn (who is very beautiful here) gives one of her best and most likable performances. Grant does what he basically always does, and we love him for it.

A real movie for adults that's not an IP product and doesn't needlessly pander to any extremely online cult. Refreshing ("you love to see it") in an infantilized cinematic landscape filled with sequels, prequels, reboots, and remakes. I was maybe slightly underwhelmed, and the deliberation process borrows a few too many elements from 12 Angry Men (not to an extreme degree, but enough to feel a bit lazy). That said, it's engaging and classically paced with a precision that feels uniquely Eastwoodian. Hoult and Collette are both excellent, and even Messina (who I usually don't care for) is pretty good here. The ing cast feels a bit wasted/underused, and the Sutherland character seems silly and almost unnecessary.

I've seen lots of people on here complain about the ending, but I think it works perfectly—and effectively closes a story that is almost impossible to conclude in a tidy, satisfying way. I wouldn't say this is one of Eastwood's great films, but it's a very good one and definitely one of the better films from this year. Maybe we'll get one more from Clint? We'll see.

Hilarious. The title is bad, and the promotional materials are very 1994-y, but I was surprisingly impressed. Consistently funny from beginning to end. Davis, Spacey, and Leary are all great.

I have a decent amount to catch up on. Won't be able to get to the theater any time soon, so almost everything will have to be streamed.

1. Slugs
2. Tim Dillon: I'm Your Mother
3. Black Bag
4. You're Cordially Invited
5. Zero Day

The group disbanded in 2015 and posthumously self-released their final record, Headache in 2016.

1. Some Like It Hot
2. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
3. Sideways
4. Bottle Rocket
5. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
6. Tommy Boy
7. Shaun of the Dead
8. Husbands
9. Dumb and Dumber
10. The Master

Ranking all 2024 film releases* as I view them. It’s not looking like this year will end up being as strong as 2023 (while not amazing, was still the most satisfying film year since 2016), but again—we’ll see how things develop.

*I'm including features and shorts here. I will make a separate list for my "Top 10 of 2024" that will only include feature-length films.

1. Glorieux Éden
2. Megalopolis
3. Nosferatu
4. Challengers
5. A Complete Unknown
6. The Bikeriders
7. Longlegs
8. The Substance
9. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
10. Coreys

...plus 53 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Mr. Peanut is not classy. He is a regular peanut. He just happens to have a cane, a monocle and a top hat.

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Stalker
3. Orpheus
4. The Wizard of Oz
5. Seconds
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
7. The Bishop's Wife
8. La Jetée
9. Sleeper
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

1. Beauty and the Beast

   (, COCTEAU)

2. Hannah and Her Sisters

   (USA, ALLEN)

3. Rear Window

   (USA, HITCHCOCK)

4. The 400 Blows

   (, TRUFFAUT)

5. Buffalo '66

   (USA, GALLO)

6. A Man Escaped

   (, BRESSON)

7. Election

   (USA, PAYNE)

8. The Rules of the Game

   (, RENOIR)

9. All That Heaven Allows

   (USA, SIRK)

10. The Purple Rose of Cairo

    (USA, ALLEN)

yeash.

1. Fargo
2. The Purple Rose of Cairo
3. Meet Me in St. Louis
4. Manhattan
5. Mulholland Drive
6. The Palm Beach Story
7. Gangs of New York
8. Raising Arizona
9. L.A. Confidential
10. Midnight in Paris

that band?

1. Election
2. The King of Comedy
3. Fargo
4. Punch-Drunk Love
5. Trainspotting
6. Ghost World
7. Intermission
8. Storytelling
9. Kind Hearts and Coronets
10. Death to Smoochy

2024 was not a strong year for film. Only a small handful of movies I would consider "great" were released, while most fell somewhere between bad-quite good.

1. Megalopolis
2. Nosferatu
3. Challengers
4. A Complete Unknown
5. The Bikeriders
6. Longlegs
7. The Substance
8. Flow
9. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
10. Hit Man

Terrible showdown theme, but here we go.

1. Planet of the Apes
2. The Jungle Book
3. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
4. Mallrats
5. Escape from the Planet of the Apes
6. Tarzan
7. Beneath the Planet of the Apes
8. 28 Days Later
9. Battle for the Planet of the Apes
10. Planet of the Apes

Mmmmmmmmmmmm……

• Y Tu Mamá También
• The Dreamers
• Secretary
• The Brown Bunny
• Love
• Swimming Pool
• Boogie Nights
• In the Realm of the Senses
• I Am Curious (Yellow)
• Gilda

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

R.I.P. David Lynch

I thought it would be appropriate to pay tribute to the late, great American film artist with a personal ranking of his singular catalog of work. It may not be a "perfect" filmography (very few directors have achieved this), but in my opinion he never made any true duds. He managed to make several stellar works throughout his remarkable career of only ten feature-length films.

(I've yet to see The Straight Story, will try to correct that soon).

1. Blue Velvet
2. Eraserhead
3. Mulholland Drive
4. The Elephant Man
5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
6. Wild at Heart
7. Lost Highway
8. Dune
9. Inland Empire

Alice and To Rome with Love are my only blindspots.

1. Hannah and Her Sisters
2. The Purple Rose of Cairo
3. Zelig
4. Crimes and Misdemeanors
5. Broadway Danny Rose
6. Radio Days
7. Manhattan
8. Deconstructing Harry
9. Annie Hall
10. Love and Death

...plus 38 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Solid film year. Maybe a bit overhyped, but was still pretty good.

1. Phantom Thread
2. Brawl in Cell Block 99
3. The Florida Project
4. mother!
5. Good Time
6. Molly's Game
7. The Disaster Artist
8. Wonder Wheel
9. Lady Bird
10. Coco

Long stuff that's actually good and doesn't feel like a slog.

1. Stalker
2. Seven Samurai
3. The Godfather
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
5. The Departed
6. Lolita
7. Pulp Fiction
8. Dogville
9. La Belle Noiseuse
10. Fanny and Alexander

fun showdown, good job guys.

1. Lolita
2. Kes
3. Gilda
4. Laura
5. Misery
6. Rebecca
7. Amélie
8. Matilda
9. Paterson
10. Marty

I guess only a few of these truly qualify, but here you go.

1. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
2. Hannah and Her Sisters
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. Broadway Danny Rose
5. For Your Consideration
6. The Last Waltz
7. The Doors
8. The Ice Storm
9. You've Got Mail
10. American Gangster

BATTLE DUELS FIGHTING SCUFFLES.

1. Seven Samurai
2. Alien
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
4. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
6. Irma la Douce
7. Gangs of New York
8. Apocalypto
9. Gladiator
10. The Matrix Reloaded

one of the weaker Showdown themes, but here it is.

1. Alien
2. Rear Window
3. A Man Escaped
4. Rope
5. Stalker
6. The Thing
7. The Gold Rush
8. The Lighthouse
9. Phone Booth
10. The Room

This was a fun one. I notice some folks are really reaching with some of the titles on their lists, but hey y'all do you.

1. The King of Comedy
2. Good Morning
3. Videodrome
4. Wayne's World
5. Pleasantville
6. The Cable Guy
7. Quiz Show
8. Death to Smoochy
9. The Truman Show
10. Late Night with the Devil

Bit of a strange showdown category, but here we go.

1. Rosemary's Baby

   Sidney Blackmer (Roman Castevet)

2. The Exorcist III

   Brad Dourif (James Venamun / The "Gemini Killer")

3. An American Werewolf in London

   Griffin Dunne (Jack Goodman)

4. The House of the Devil

   Tom Noonan (Mr. Ulman)

5. Drag Me to Hell

   Lorna Raver (Mrs. Sylvia Ganush)

6. The Omen

   Billie Whitelaw (Mrs. Baylock)

7. The Brood

   Samantha Eggar (Nola Carveth)

8. Event Horizon

   Sam Neill (Dr. William G. "Billy" Weir)

9. Dead Calm

   Billy Zane (Hughie Warriner)

10. Pet Sematary

    Andrew Hubatsek (Zelda Goldman)

"Wibbling Rivalry" is a single released under the name "Oas*s" by the Fierce Panda record label in 1995.[1] It is a recording of John Harris (working for NME at the time) interviewing brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis on 7 April 1994, on the verge of their commercial breakthrough.[2] The interview is famous for featuring a violent argument between the brothers over an incident that occurred a few months prior in which Liam incited a drunken brawl on board an overnight ferry to the Netherlands, which resulted in the entire band (apart from Noel, who was not involved) being arrested and deported.

In all seriousness, this is one of the best "Showdown" categories yet. I'm proud of this list, but it doesn't even scratch the surface for films of this genre. Might make a "Part II".

1. Hannah and Her Sisters
2. The Godfather
3. The Iron Claw
4. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
5. The Godfather Part II
6. The Virgin Suicides
7. The Darjeeling Limited
8. You Can Count on Me
9. Step Brothers
10. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

this was a tricky one.

1. Good Morning
2. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
3. The Snowman
4. Millions
5. Room for One More
6. Uncle Buck
7. Dear Frankie
8. 8-Bit Christmas
9. Whale Rider
10. The Secret of Kells

I was listening to Bill Maher and Quentin Tarantino discuss "train movies" on the Club Random Podcast, and it got me thinking about them myself. What a fun subgenre. Mostly associated with thrillers because of the "trapped" element, but they can also be associated with any genre. They don't need to take place entirely on a train, but a significant portion must have that setting.

As far as I'm concerned, these are the best "train" films.

1. The Lady Vanishes
2. Some Like It Hot
3. Brief Encounter
4. White Christmas
5. The Darjeeling Limited
6. The Palm Beach Story
7. Strangers on a Train
8. La Chinoise
9. Six Shooter
10. Twentieth Century

2021 was…interesting. Movies had a softy re-opening, and attendance made you surrender your dignity. Only a few "great" films were released, and most were docs. PTA provided the only great non-doc feature.

1. Licorice Pizza
2. The Beatles: Get Back
3. Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
4. Oasis: Knebworth 1996
5. People Just Do Nothing: Big in Japan
6. Red Rocket
7. House of Gucci
8. West Side Story
9. Old Henry
10. The Tender Bar

An awful year in film. Had to include a TV doc and two separate 2.5 star films to make a full top 10.

1. Onward
2. Hubie Halloween
3. The Last Dance
4. A Quiet Place Part II
5. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
6. Kajillionaire
7. Another Round
8. Soul
9. Rifkin’s Festival
10. The Trial of the Chicago 7

sweaty films.

1. Sorcerer
2. Rear Window
3. Do the Right Thing
4. The Seven Year Itch
5. 12 Angry Men
6. Summer of Sam
7. A Streetcar Named Desire
8. The Proposition
9. Body Heat
10. Mad Max: Fury Road

Not a terrible year, but not the most exciting either.

1. Love
2. Bridge of Spies
3. The Hateful Eight
4. Irrational Man
5. Bone Tomahawk
6. The Overnight
7. The Revenant
8. The Witch
9. Deep Web
10. Born to Be Blue

The best year in film in over 15 years.

1. The Iron Claw
2. The Taste of Things
3. Anatomy of a Fall
4. The Boy and the Heron
5. Killers of the Flower Moon
6. Ferrari
7. The Holdovers
8. Asteroid City
9. Priscilla
10. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

Not a great movie year. Eggers provided the only truly interesting and engaging cinematic experience.

1. The Northman
2. jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
3. Tim Dillon: A Real Hero
4. Barbarian
5. The Fabelmans
6. X
7. Fourth of July
8. Thirteen Lives
9. Elvis
10. The Pale Blue Eye

A few good films, but 2019 is probably the most overrated film year in recent memory. People romanticize it because it was the last year before COVID derailed the movie going experience.

1. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
2. The Lighthouse
3. Uncut Gems
4. The Irishman
5. Ad Astra
6. Beyond The Visible - Hilma af Klint
7. Marriage Story
8. The King
9. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
10. First Cow

Not too impressive a year. Lots of 3.5 stars represented here.

1. Dragged Across Concrete
2. The House That Jack Built
3. Climax
4. Echo in the Canyon
5. Incredibles 2
6. Wildlife
7. Vox Lux
8. Mandy
9. Hereditary
10. Greta

Massive improvement.

1. Hail, Caesar!
2. Wiener-Dog
3. Nocturnal Animals
4. Supersonic
5. The Nice Guys
6. Certain Women
7. Silence
8. Paterson
9. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
10. Manchester by the Sea

thrillingly tight

1. Rope
2. The Killing
3. Phone Booth
4. The Stranger
5. Snake Eyes
6. The Night of the Hunter
7. Spartan
8. Dressed to Kill
9. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
10. Swimming Pool

Movies about fandom. I thought it would be easier to compile this list. Some of these are a bit of a stretch (imo), but I saw other people listing them so fuck it.

1. The King of Comedy
2. Almost Famous
3. The Purple Rose of Cairo
4. Cinema Paradiso
5. Misery
6. The Dreamers
7. Play Misty for Me
8. Mister Lonely
9. Ready to Rumble
10. The Fanatic

anthology films.

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Mystery Train
3. Tampopo
4. The Canterbury Tales
5. Night on Earth
6. Slacker
7. Amores Perros
8. Fallen Angels
9. Coffee and Cigarettes
10. Cat's Eye

80s horror.

1. The Shining
2. The Thing
3. An American Werewolf in London
4. Inferno
5. Vampire's Kiss
6. Poltergeist
7. The Lair of the White Worm
8. Near Dark
9. Ghost Story
10. Christine

give my fuckin regards to Broadway.

• Rope
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• Brief Encounter
• Richard III
• 12 Angry Men
• Harvey
• His Girl Friday
• A Streetcar Named Desire
• West Side Story
• Blithe Spirit

I removed a few titles that I felt were less dystopian and more "post-apocalyptic".

1. Stalker
2. La Jetée
3. Seconds
4. Children of Men
5. Dark City
6. Sleeper
7. WALL·E
8. Idiocracy
9. Mad Max
10. Code 46

This was a tough one.

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. The 400 Blows
3. A Man Escaped
4. The King of Comedy
5. The Seventh Seal
6. The Brown Bunny
7. Days of Heaven
8. Fargo
9. Punch-Drunk Love
10. Down by Law

MOVIES WITH FOOD, DINNER, EATING.

1. Babette's Feast
2. The Taste of Things
3. Tampopo
4. Ratatouille
5. Big Night
6. GoodFellas
7. Mostly Martha
8. Volver
9. The Menu
10. The Trip

movies about movies.

1. 8½
2. Hail, Caesar!
3. Ed Wood
4. Contempt
5. Bowfinger
6. For Your Consideration
7. The Player
8. The Disaster Artist
9. Tropic Thunder
10. X

I'm not not including films from the Silent era, which don't really seem applicable to this list anyway, unless they happen to be "quiet" films with minimal music.

1. A Man Escaped
2. The Brown Bunny
3. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
4. Heart of Glass
5. Days of Heaven
6. The Eyes of My Mother
7. Elephant
8. Stalker
9. Morvern Callar
10. The Meetings of Anna

FRIENDS OF CINEMA

I don't know why I participate in these "Showdown" lists. I guess because it's a fun little exercise (and I'm procrastinating stuff at work). Once again, people: you GOTTA READ the prompts/descriptions for these things. It's TEN movies (10) and they have to focus on duos (two people).

• Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Mikey and Nicky
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
• Dumb and Dumber
• Old Joy
• Ghost World
• Shaun of the Dead
• Grumpy Old Men
• Tommy Boy
• Muriel's Wedding

films about turning over new leaves and fresh starts

1. Baby Face
2. Dogville
3. The Palm Beach Story
4. Seconds
5. Gone Girl
6. The Quiet Man
7. Showgirls
8. Billy Liar
9. Muriel's Wedding
10. The Majestic

still need to catch up on a few (Zone of Interest, American Fiction, and couple others), but I think this is pretty much it.

1. The Iron Claw
2. Anatomy of a Fall
3. The Boy and the Heron
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
5. Ferrari
6. Priscilla
7. Asteroid City
8. The Holdovers
9. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
10. BlackBerry

People need to start reading the descriptions for these Showdown lists, because I'm seeing lots of Ladybirds and Power of the Dogs and Hurt Lockers.

TAKE NOTE, FOLKS:
Only movies watched by fewer than 25,000 are eligible. Smdh.

1. The Notorious Bettie Page
2. The Last Mistress
3. River of Grass
4. The Namesake
5. Working Girls
6. Nights and Weekends
7. Sex Is Comedy
8. Holy Smoke
9. What About Me
10. Northern Soul

...the director has a key role in choosing the cast , production design and all the creative aspects of filmmaking."
Wikipedia, 2024.

1. Rear Window
2. Hannah and Her Sisters
3. The Departed
4. It's a Wonderful Life
5. The Exorcist
6. Sideways
7. The Thin Red Line
8. 8½
9. The Godfather
10. Anatomy of a Fall

1. The Exorcist
2. GoodFellas
3. Almost Famous
4. The Godfather
5. Hannah and Her Sisters
6. Fargo
7. The Departed
8. Pulp Fiction
9. Citizen Kane
10. The Holdovers

the thing she does to please....

• Leave Her to Heaven
• Saving Silverman
• Femme Fatale
• Audition
• Mona Lisa
• Body Heat
• The Lair of the White Worm
• Showgirls
• To Die For
• The Shape of Things