Godzilla Minus One (2023)

IMDb plot summary: Post-war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.

Directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Starring Minami Hamabe, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, and Sakura Andô.

Godzilla Minus One is set just after the end of World War II, focusing on a disgraced Japanese former pilot who is struggling to make ends meet. When Godzilla appears as a threat to the country, the pilot is brought in to help as one of the few people who have encountered the monster before. This is the second Godzilla movie I watched as part of my 40 to 4K challenge, and it isn't nearly as interesting to me as Shin Godzilla was. I was not as drawn in by the characters and their quests to take down the monster. I did like the monster design -- some of those giant battles in the sea were very striking visually. And on paper, I really appreciate how much it centered around the aftermath of World War 2 in Japan, and how the appearance of a giant sea monster in that moment is just... spectacularly bad timing. Overall, it's a fine movie that is well put together but, as with so many franchise films for me, it all blends together with others telling basically the same story.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Godzilla Minus One > A Silent Voice

Godzilla Minus One < Elf

Godzilla Minus One > Flight of the Navigator

Godzilla Minus One > Saving Private Ryan

Godzilla Minus One < Last Action Hero

Godzilla Minus One > Nick of Time

Godzilla Minus One < The River Wild

Godzilla Minus One < The Rose

Godzilla Minus One < It (2017)

Godzilla Minus One > Doctor Strange

Godzilla Minus One < High Strung

Godzilla Minus One > Cool Runnings

Final spot: #1185 out of 4011, or 70%.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

IMDb plot summary: An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.

Directed by Morgan Neville.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? is a documentary about Fred Rogers and his career, primarily his children's show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, but also the other things he did throughout his life to try to achieve his goal of spreading kindness and conveying love. This was exactly the movie I needed to watch this year. I didn't even watch much Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood as a child, but this was so wholesome and hopeful that I teared up more than once. I loved seeing all the people who'd worked with him throughout the years talking about how deeply he cared about kids and the lessons they were learning about themselves. I expected any celebrity documentary to be more focused on trying to dig into the darker side of someone, but this really doesn't do that much at all, focusing more on his impact and heart for helping people than anything. As an educator myself, although for older ages, it really made me more hopeful about my place in the world. I may not have a reach like Fred Rogers, but I think our hearts are in a similar place, and on some level I have to trust that that is going to make a difference for someone. This was the movie I needed to watch right now, and documentaries rarely affect me that way. I'm glad I finally made space to watch it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Won't You Be My Neighbor? > The Call

Won't You Be My Neighbor? > Key Largo

Won't You Be My Neighbor? > Network

Won't You Be My Neighbor? < Parasite

Won't You Be My Neighbor? < Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Won't You Be My Neighbor? > Tarzan

Won't You Be My Neighbor? < Once

Won't You Be My Neighbor? > Field of Dreams

Won't You Be My Neighbor? < I.Q.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? < Half a Sixpence

Won't You Be My Neighbor? > Shall We Dance? (1996)

Won't You Be My Neighbor? > Trust

Final spot: #419 out of 4014, or 90%.

Oliver and Company (1988)

IMDb plot summary: A lost and alone kitten joins a gang of dogs engaged in petty larceny in New York City.

Directed by George Scribner. Starring Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, and Cheech Marin.

Oliver and Company is a Disney animated film that is a loose adaptation of Oliver Twist, with animals. Oliver is an abandoned kitten who gets taken in by a pack of thieving dogs. But then a human child finds Oliver and takes him in, and he finds his loyalty tested between his two groups of new friends. The songs are by far the best part of this weirdly short movie. The primary narrative arc, of Oliver having to choose between his two sets of new friends, would make a lot more sense if we spent more than the length of a single song showing Oliver bonding with his animal friends. As it is, it seems absolutely ludicrous that they would feel in any way betrayed by his wanting to be adopted by a rich girl and live in a mansion. That being said, the musical numbers in this are great -- not only written well but also animated very dynamically, so that the visuals really highlight the musical strengths. This is a fun series of animated music videos but sloppy as a full movie.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Oliver and Company < Can't Hardly Wait

Oliver and Company < On the Waterfront

Oliver and Company > The Internship

Oliver and Company > Charlie Wilson's War

Oliver and Company > Au bonheur des dames

Oliver and Company < Ivan the Terrible, Part One

Oliver and Company > You Only Live Once

Oliver and Company > What's Up, Tiger Lily?

Oliver and Company > Who's That Knocking At My Door

Oliver and Company > She's All That

Oliver and Company > Queen Margot

Final spot: #3076 out of 4016, or 23%.

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

IMDb plot summary: Kermit and his friends go to New York City to get their musical on Broadway only to find it's a more difficult task than they anticipated.

Directed by Frank Oz. Starring Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Dave Goelz.

The Muppets Take Manhattan follows Kermit and company in New York City as they try to get their school play produced on Broadway. It turns out to be tougher than they thought, though, and the group goes through quite a few ups and downs trying to get their show on stage. I always prefer non-literary adaptations of Muppet stories, but this one feels a little flat. The story feels rushed, partly because it sets aside a whole bunch of time at the end of the film to watch a huge chunk of their stage musical, and so the build-up to get to that moment has to move quickly. There's an abrupt amnesia subplot that is by far the most enjoyable piece of the movie, and I wish that had come up a little earlier and been a more substantial plot point. Definitely a hit-and-miss film with a few fun moments, but the final results doesn't quite reach the mark for me.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Muppets Take Manhattan < The Call

The Muppets Take Manhattan > I Am Number Four

The Muppets Take Manhattan > Legends of the Fall

The Muppets Take Manhattan < Infinity Pool

The Muppets Take Manhattan > Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library

The Muppets Take Manhattan < The Kids Are All Right

The Muppets Take Manhattan > Thank You For Smoking

The Muppets Take Manhattan < Crank

The Muppets Take Manhattan > Phantom of the Paradise

The Muppets Take Manhattan > Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

The Muppets Take Manhattan > In the Heat of the Night

Final spot: #2334 out of 4010, or 42%.

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

IMDb summary: This contemporary romantic comedy based on a global bestseller follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family.

Directed by Jon M. Chu. Starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, and Michelle Yeoh.

Crazy Rich Asians stars Constance Wu as a woman who goes with her boyfriend to a family wedding, only to discover his family is obscenely rich and are deeply unimpressed with her. After loving Jon M. Chu's musical films, I realized I should probably go back and give this one a try, and I'm so glad I did. It's a charming rom com, not to mention the endless appearances of all my favorite East Asian actors. The pacing of the story is a bit strange -- very episodic and occasionally almost stakesless -- but once I relaxed into the vibe, it was a great watch. It's glitzy and glamorous in all the right ways while still keeping its heart. Is it a life-changing movie? No, definitely not for me. But I had a great time watching it and am glad I finally got around to it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Crazy Rich Asians > A Silent Voice

Crazy Rich Asians < Elf

Crazy Rich Asians < Family Business

Crazy Rich Asians > Saving Private Ryan

Crazy Rich Asians > Auntie Mame

Crazy Rich Asians > Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee

Crazy Rich Asians > Whip It

Crazy Rich Asians > Tower

Crazy Rich Asians > La La Land

Crazy Rich Asians < Safe

Crazy Rich Asians > Anna Karenina

Final spot: #1006 out of 4004, or 75%.

Paddington 2 (2017)

IMDb plot summary: Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

Directed by Paul King. Starring Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, and Hugh Bonneville.

Paddington 2 is the sequel to 2014's Paddington, and in this installment of Paddington's life with the Browns, he finds himself framed for an antique store theft, so he works to transform the jail from within while the Brown family searches for the real thief on the outside. This is definitely more fun than the first film, with more fun characters and adventures, better jokes, and one surprisingly wonderful musical number. Watching this and Dungeons & Dragons back to back, I am fully on board with Hugh Grant entering his villain era as an actor. The supporting cast as a whole is just much stronger than it is in the first, and I find it much easier to be charmed by the adventures than I did previously. This is a weird analogy maybe, but it reminds me of the best Muppets movies in its vibe and how it structures its story. I'm still anti-franchises and I'd still rather have only one film in the Paddington franchise, I'd just rather it be this one.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Paddington 2 > A Silent Voice

Paddington 2 > Key Largo

Paddington 2 < The People Under the Stairs

Paddington 2 > Spencer

Paddington 2 > Down With Love

Paddington 2 < Pink Floyd the Wall

Paddington 2 > Regarding Henry

Paddington 2 > I've Loved You So Long

Paddington 2 < In the Loop

Paddington 2 > Lawrence of Arabia

Paddington 2 < Tomboy

Paddington 2 > Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Final spot: #572 out of 4005, or 86%.

Paddington (2014)

IMDb plot summary: A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.

Directed by Paul King. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, and Julie Walters.

Paddington is based on the children's book about a young bear from Peru who comes to live with a family in London. In the film version, Paddington is staying with a family called the Browns as he searches for the British explorer who first made contact with his bear family. This has been on my to-watch list for a very long time, particularly on the strength of my friends' recommendations. While I didn't love it quite as much as many of them did, it is a charming little movie. Ben Whishaw as Paddington captures the perfect amount of innocent formal politeness, and it makes his character immediately endearing. The supporting cast of Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, and the rest of the Browns is also pretty sweet, although I don't feel as much of an immediate affinity with them. And I'm much less interested in the subplot with Nicole Kidman as a villain -- her story feels like a bland distraction to the core of the story. Overall, though, it's a pleasant movie and a nice way to spend an afternoon, if not life-changing.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Paddington > The Call

Paddington < Elf

Paddington > Flight of the Navigator

Paddington > Seven Chances

Paddington > Florence Foster Jenkins

Paddington < Creature from the Black Lagoon

Paddington > How to Train Your Dragon

Paddington > Borrowed Wives

Paddington < Wolf

Paddington > Carefree

Paddington < The Song of Lunch

Paddington > The Pirate Movie

Final spot: #1323 out of 4006, or 67%.