Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

IMDb plot summary: Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate.
Directed by James Whale. Starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, and Ernest Thesiger.

When I first watched the original Frankenstein several years ago, I didn't find it particularly compelling. It didn't have the nerdy moral and philosophical questions of the book or the creepy monster factor of a typical horror flick. The sequel is a bit more interesting. The monster is fleshed out a little and, with the addition of language, is able to convey his thoughts a bit more. The scenes between him and the blind man (later parodied in Young Frankenstein) I found very moving and a nice break in between much more heightened scenes. The final scene seems a bit abrupt in terms of resolving the story, but it has a nice grandiose Shakespearean tragedy vibe to it. Overall, a definite improvement from the first installment, and decently interesting on its own.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Bride of Frankenstein > Bonnie and Clyde
Bride of Frankenstein < The Front
Bride of Frankenstein > Man on Fire
Bride of Frankenstein > 28 Up
Bride of Frankenstein > Fanny and Alexander
Bride of Frankenstein < A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit
Bride of Frankenstein > Spanglish
Bride of Frankenstein < Pretty Woman
Bride of Frankenstein > American Outlaws
Bride of Frankenstein < Argo
Final spot: #739 out of 2727.

Phantom Thread (2017)

IMDb plot summary: Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Lesley Manville.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Phantom Thread > Bonnie and Clyde
Phantom Thread < The Front
Phantom Thread > Man on Fire
Phantom Thread < Peeping Tom
Phantom Thread > Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Phantom Thread < Zero Effect
Phantom Thread < I Saw the Devil
Phantom Thread > Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
Phantom Thread > Away We Go
Phantom Thread > The Tree of Life
Phantom Thread > Frances Ha

Final spot: #915 out of 2726.

It (2017)

IMDb plot summary: In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shapeshifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.
Directed by Andy Muschietti. Starring Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, and Finn Wolfhard.

How it entered my Flickchart:
It > The Lion in Winter
It > Quartet
It < I've Loved You So Long
It < Nativity!
It > Rock of Ages
It < Center Stage
It < The Body Snatcher
It < The Fantasticks
It < An American Werewolf in London
It > Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Final spot: #592 out of 2725.

Unbroken (2014)

IMDb plot summary: After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
Directed by Angelina Jolie. Starring Jack O'Connell, Domnhall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, and Miyavi.

This is one of those films that I struggle to know how to review or rank because it's a perfectly fine film and yet never connects to me beyond a surface level. Like so many biopics, it inherently struggles to connect all the relevant threads of one person's life into a smooth narrative (difficult because, well, our lives aren't smooth narratives). I was honestly far more interested in that part of his life casually alluded to in the epilogue -- his later return to Japan. Survival of immediate obstacles is less compelling to me than the stories of people healing from the obstacles they've survived. That being said, the story is well-paced and well-written and has some good moments. It's fine.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Unbroken > The Lion in Winter (2003)
Unbroken < The Front
Unbroken > Cape Fear (1991)
Unbroken < Peeping Tom
Unbroken < Captain Phillips
Unbroken < Malcolm X
Unbroken < The Other Side of Sunday
Unbroken > The Illusionist (2006)
Unbroken > The Killing
Unbroken > Stage Fright (2014)
Unbroken < 2001: A Space Odyssey
Final spot: #1002 out of 2724.

The Kid (1921)

IMDb plot summary: The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy.
Directed by Charles Chaplin. Starring Charles Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Carl Miller, and Edna Purviance.

Nice mix of comedy and drama -- some really lovely images highlighting character sadness, as well as a few laugh-out-loud moments. Maybe my favorite Chaplin after The Great Dictator?

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Kid > Four Weddings and a Funeral
The Kid > Quartet
The Kid < Glengarry Glen Ross
The Kid > Robin Hood (1973)
The Kid < E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
The Kid < How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
The Kid > Anomalisa
The Kid > The Muppet Movie
The Kid > The Impostors (too high on my chart)
The Kid > The Red Violin
The Kid < Bruce Almighty

Final spot: #470 out of 2723.

Whale Rider (2002)

IMDb plot summary: A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.
Directed by Niki Caro. Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, and Cliff Curtis.

This is such a lovely moving story, and Paikea is such a good character.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Whale Rider > Four Weddings and a Funeral
Whale Rider > Sweet Smell of Success
Whale Rider < I've Loved You So Long
Whale Rider > Kiss Me, Stupid!
Whale Rider < E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Whale Rider < How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Whale Rider > Hard Candy
Whale Rider < The Muppet Movie
Whale Rider < Never Let Me Go
Whale Rider < True Lies
Whale Rider > Apollo 13 (wayyyy too high on my chart)

Final spot: #486 out of 2722.

A Man Escaped (1956)

IMDb plot summary: A captured French Resistance fighter during WWII engineers a daunting escape from prison.
Directed by Robert Bresson. Starring François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, and Roland Monod.

I don't quite get the hype of this one. It's fine, but it's not particularly tense or creative or saying anything unique. As far as French prison escape movies go, I'll take Le Trou any day.

How it entered my Flickchart:
A Man Escaped < Four Weddings and a Funeral
A Man Escaped > Waltz with Bashir
A Man Escaped > Luther
A Man Escaped < Legally Blonde
A Man Escaped < Kagemusha
A Man Escaped > Robots (WHAT is this doing so high on my chart)
A Man Escaped < The Game
A Man Escaped < Happy-Go-Lucky
A Man Escaped > Meet the Parents
A Man Escaped > Milk
A Man Escaped > Disturbia

Final spot: #1648 out of 2721.