Carrie (1976)

IMDb plot summary: Carrie White, a shy and outcast 17 year-old girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.
Directed by Brian De Palma. Starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, and William Katt.

(Spoilers.)

Halfway through this movie, I was rolling my eyes and telling my husband, "This movie is SO BAD." But, oh, goodness gracious, that ending. I knew what happened -- most people probably do, even if they've never read the book or seen the movie -- but something about actually seeing it play out was horrifying and heartwrenching. Sissy Spacek's completely still body posture and wide blue eyes portray her not as a furious, vengeful teenager, but as someone in shock at how badly things went once she let her guard down. Watching her move through the school and out the door, in complete shock, covered in blood, is one of the most hauntingly sad images I may have ever seen. For someone who empathizes with outcast characters, this movie may be almost physically painful to watch. Knowing everything was going to end poorly for her made me tense during the entire second half of the movie. I've KNOWN those kids, the ones who were so sheltered they barely knew how to interact with people around them, and while most of them have, thankfully, gone on to do just fine in the real world, I couldn't help thinking of them and hurting for them as I watched this movie. I'm not sure I could say I LIKED Carrie, but it definitely stuck with me enough that I have to give it some significant props. It made a full 180 for me from being one of the worst things I'd seen this year to being a pretty stunning movie.

3.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Carrie > Dreamgirls
Carrie < The Artist
Carrie > Strictly Ballroom
Carrie > The Green Mile
Carrie > Princess Mononoke
Carrie < Don't Drink the Water
Carrie < Seven Up!
Carrie < A Goofy Movie
Carrie < Mary and Max
Carrie > Me and Orson Welles
Carrie > Crimson Tide
Final spot: #689 out of 2465.

Mr. Pip (2012)

IMDb plot summary: As a war rages on in the province of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, a young girl becomes transfixed by the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations, which is being read at school by the only white man in the village.
Directed by Andrew Adamson. Starring Hugh Laurie, Xzannjah Matsi, Healesville Joel, and Eka Darville.

(Spoilers.)

This was such a mixed bag. On one hand, I really loved Matilda's story. She was a great character, and the connection she made with the Great Expectations story was fantastic. I could have happily watched more of her story. What fell flat for me, however, was the emphasis on Hugh Laurie's character. His character was never really fleshed out, so the reveal of some of his personal life at the end seemed random more than anything else. The story is clearly not meant to be about his character and Matilda's relationship, it's meant to be about Matilda's relationship with the book characters, even if he helped bring that about. I think the movie doesn't ever quite hit its mark, though I appreciate the story it's trying to tell.

2 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Mr. Pip < The Fall
Mr. Pip > Rebel Without a Cause
Mr. Pip > A Christmas Carol (2004)
Mr. Pip < L.A. Confidential
Mr. Pip < Blade Runner
Mr. Pip > The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
Mr. Pip > Cinderella (1965)
Mr. Pip < The Aristocats
Mr. Pip > Alfie (2004)
Mr. Pip > Cracks
Final spot: #1475 out of 2464.

The Nice Guys (2016)

IMDb plot summary: A mismatched pair of private eyes investigate the apparent suicide of a porn star in 1970s Los Angeles.
Directed by Shane Black. Starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, and Matt Bomer.

This is definitely very much in the style of Shane Black's earlier movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a darkly funny comedy about two men who find themselves in over their heads trying to solve a crime. The humor here isn't quite as meta as it was there (or, IMHO, as funny), but Black's distinctly snarky dialogue is still evident. Although this plays more like a straight drama for the majority of the movie, when the laughs happen, they happen big. The general repartee between Crowe's and Gosling's characters is fun to watch, and I loved the character of Gosling's daughter, who is smart and adventurous without being too precocious. Definitely an enjoyable watch, even if it didn't wow me.

3.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Nice Guys > Dreamgirls
The Nice Guys < Argo
The Nice Guys > A Separation
The Nice Guys < The Green Mile
The Nice Guys > Duck Soup
The Nice Guys < The Big Short
The Nice Guys > The Return of the Living Dead
The Nice Guys < 2001: A Space Odyssey
The Nice Guys > De-Lovely
The Nice Guys < Rocky
Final spot: #822 out of 2463.

All the Wilderness (2014)

IMDb plot summary: A restless teenager explores the wilderness of his city while struggling with the absence of his father.
Directed by Michael Johnson. Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Virginia Madsen, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Danny DeVito.

Goodness gracious, who'd have thought an hour and 16 minutes could tick by SO SLOWLY? This is a dreary coming-of-age movie, the kind that features lots of montages of random nature images set to indie dance music where the characters have conversations about nothing and everything gets resolved in a dreamy voiceover monologue that only vaguely connects to the rest of the movie. All the actors seem to be sleepwalking their way through this, so I couldn't care less about any of their characters. It's a slog to sit through this one.

0.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
All the Wilderness < The Fall
All the Wilderness < Rebel Without a Cause
All the Wilderness > Evan Almighty
All the Wilderness < Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?
All the Wilderness < Fast Food Nation
All the Wilderness > In the Mood for Love
All the Wilderness > Baby Take a Bow
All the Wilderness < Home Alone
All the Wilderness < The Girl King
All the Wilderness < The Love Bug
All the Wilderness < Bang the Drum Slowly
All the Wilderness > Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Final spot: #2096 out of 2462.

The Front (1976)

IMDb plot summary: A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
Directed by Martin Ritt. Starring Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, and Andrea Marcovicci.

(Spoilers ahead.)

This movie walks an interesting line between comedy and drama. The subject, of course, is deadly serious, and there are a few extremely dark moments in the film, but overall it seems to be taking a more lighthearted, satirical look at this. It works most of the time, as the comedy is there but pretty understated, and that makes the more dramatic moments pop. I especially like seeing, as the credits rolled, how the film's director, writer, and several of its actors were all blacklisted themselves. It made the triumphant ending feel even more triumphant, and Woody Allen's tiny speech at the end was clearly what each one of them would have wanted to say to the committee. A smart, interesting movie.

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Front > Dreamgirls
The Front > The Artist
The Front < Benny & Joon
The Front < Back to the Future Part III
The Front < Forgetting Sarah Marshall
The Front > Zodiac
The Front < Flushed Away
The Front < Thermae Romae
The Front < 9
The Front > Quartet
The Front < Inherit the Wind

Final spot: #573 out of 2461.

Five Graves to Cairo (1943)

IMDb plot summary: During World War 2, an undercover British soldier tries get word to the Allies that the Germans have tons of supplies buried in 5 excavations across Egypt.
Directed by Billy Wilder. Starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, and Erich von Stroheim.


This early Billy Wilder flick has a great premise, full of potential for intrigue and suspense (or, in other circumstances, a dark comedy). It never *quite* lives up to that potential. The main characters don't have much personality, and it swings abruptly from exciting war adventure to dark war drama and back a few times. The best acting performance here is from Erich von Stroheim, who is commanding and chilling as Field Marshall Rommel. Everything else is a little disappointingly flat for what could have been such an interesting movie. Still a decent watch with a unique plot, but it's nowhere near being a Wilder classic or even one of his underrated gems.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Five Graves to Cairo > Dreamgirls

Five Graves to Cairo < Argo

Five Graves to Cairo > A Separation

Five Graves to Cairo < The Green Mile

Five Graves to Cairo < The Thin Man

Five Graves to Cairo < Grosse Pointe Blank

Five Graves to Cairo < The Time Traveler's Wife

Five Graves to Cairo < Men in Black

Five Graves to Cairo > The Pianist

Five Graves to Cairo < The Village

Final spot: #917 out of 2460.

Shakespeare Behind Bars (2005)

IMDb plot summary: Twenty male inmates in a Kentucky prison form an unlikely Shakespearean acting troupe.
Directed by Hank Rogerson.

As someone who believes strongly in the transformative power of the arts, I found this documentary extremely compelling. Hearing the inmates talk about their own views on the crimes that got them in there, their attitude toward rehabilitation, and how the theatre program has helped them channel themselves, is really fascinating. From a technical standpoint, the documentary is well-done also. It's quick and goes back and forth between rehearsals, character studies, and interviews with the various men involved, and the 90 minutes of film just seem to fly by. Definitely worth a watch, especially for anyone even remotely interested in theatre.

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Shakespeare Behind Bars > A Little Night Music
Shakespeare Behind Bars > The Artist
Shakespeare Behind Bars < Benny & Joon
Shakespeare Behind Bars < Back to the Future Part III
Shakespeare Behind Bars > Four Lions
Shakespeare Behind Bars > Cheaper by the Dozen
Shakespeare Behind Bars < Hard Candy
Shakespeare Behind Bars > The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Shakespeare Behind Bars < Center Stage
Shakespeare Behind Bars > We're Not Married!
Final spot: #486 out of 2459.