Kuroneko (1968)

IMDb plot summary: Two women are raped and killed by samurai soldiers. Soon they reappear as vengeful ghosts who seduce and brutally murder the passing samurai.
Directed by Kaneto Shindô. Starring Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kei Satô, and Kiwako Taichi.

I should really make it a point to seek out more classic Japanese horror, as I like nearly everything I watch that falls in that genre. This one in particular grabs me because of how it mixes horror with a story about loss and taking revenge against powerful systems. The final seven minutes or so have some very genuinely creepy moments, and there are some truly gorgeous shots throughout. A very satisfying watch!

How it entered my Flickchart:
Kuroneko > No Highway in the Sky
Kuroneko > Smiles of a Summer Night
Kuroneko < Big Hero 6
Kuroneko < Beetlejuice
Kuroneko > The African Queen
Kuroneko < 25th Hour
Kuroneko < Robin Hood (1973)
Kuroneko < Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
Kuroneko < The Great Race
Kuroneko > Woman in the Dunes
Kuroneko > Deadpool
Kuroneko < Autumn Sonata
Final spot: #645 out of 2967.

First Man (2018)

IMDb plot summary: A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
Directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, and Kyle Chandler.

This is in many ways a very... obvious biopic. With the exception that it doesn't hit any of the expected beats regarding his interest in traveling to the moon. But rather than replace those with unexpected or original character arcs, Chazelle mostly replaces them with... nothing. It feels like a movie too concerned with portraying the character to the satisfaction of those who knew him, and as such it takes no risks with that character's journey. It's a very dry, very passionless film, and Claire Foy provides the only level of tension the film feels at all. It's rather baffling that Chazelle, who made a drum solo one of the most intense finales I'd ever seen in a movie, couldn't bring that dynamic intensity to a movie about man's voyage to the moon.

How it entered my Flickchart:
First Man < Call Me by Your Name
First Man > In the Line of Fire
First Man < The Rocky Horror Picture Show
First Man < Con Air
First Man > The People vs. Larry Flynt
First Man < Nine
First Man < The Score
First Man < The Rescuers
First Man > American Graffiti
First Man > Hush (1998)
First Man > Firewall
First Man < Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Final spot: #2122 out of 2966.

Murder à la Mod (1968)

IMDb plot summary: Naive young lady Karen wants to help her struggling amateur filmmaker boyfriend Christopher raise enough money so he can divorce his wife. Meanwhile, jolly psycho prankster Otto stalks the building where Christopher is shooting a low-grade adult movie in order to keep himself afloat.
Directed by Brian De Palma. Starring Andra Akers, William Finley, Margo Norton, and Jared Martin.

Soooo I hate everything about this. It's messy and gross and weird and maybe I think sometimes trying to be funny but it most definitely isn't. Not much else to say about it.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Murder a la Mod < No Highway in the Sky
Murder a la Mod < Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
Murder a la Mod < The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Murder a la Mod > Charlie Chan at the Opera
Murder a la Mod > The Stupids
Murder a la Mod < Avalanche
Murder a la Mod < Surf's Up
Murder a la Mod < The Little Princess (1939)
Murder a la Mod < Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Murder a la Mod < A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Murder a la Mod < Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
Murder a la Mod < 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Final spot: #2688 out of 2965.

Mirai (2018)

IMDb plot summary: A young boy encounters a magical garden which enables him to travel through time and meet his relatives from different eras, with guidance by his younger sister from the future.
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda. Starring Moka Kamishiraishi, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, and Haru Kuroki.

You guuuuuUUUYYYYYYS. This movie is wonderful and adorable. It is one of the best possible uses of magic realism, exploring the fears and desires of its very young protagonist through magical adventures. But the magic is never the point in and of itself, it's all there to deepen the understanding and appreciation of the characters. This is a story about parenthood and family, and how the choices we make get passed down and can continue to make the younger generations braver and kinder and more creative, and it's just a truly lovely movie. Kun especially feels *very* much like a realistic portrayal of a just-barely-post-toddler, who is frustrated by his world and does not have the words or the tools to express that yet. It also is a kind and compassionate look at the difficulties of parenthood and how that changes. It's just a really good, really sweet movie, folks.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Mirai > Mother!
Mirai > A Nightmare on Elm Street
Mirai > Breaking Away
Mirai < Take the Money and Run
Mirai > The Fountain
Mirai > Rashomon
Mirai < Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Mirai < Unforgiven
Mirai > Akeelah and the Bee
Mirai < Waking Life
Mirai < Ruby Sparks
Mirai > August Rush
Final spot: #224 out of 2964.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

IMDb plot summary: A debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist, only to match wits with a sexy insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.
Directed by Norman Jewison. Starring Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, and Jack Weston.

This is one of those heist movies that I think is trying to convey a sense of fun and danger throughout, but it falls flat for me here. Maybe it's that I don't find Steve McQueen terribly charismatic, and thus have difficulty buying Faye Dunaway's attraction to him as genuine. The use of split screen to show multiple actions is used to great effect early on in the film and then is repeated later with less clarity. The score also makes some unusual, rather abrupt, choices at times. Overall, it's a movie I didn't dislike but found largely forgettable. I haven't seen the 90s remake, but since it features Pierce Brosnan, another actor whose charisma I find unconvincing, I suspect it wouldn't fare well. However, Wikipedia reports that there's another remake in the works starring Michael B. Jordan, which might be the first one I can get behind. We'll have to see.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Thomas Crown Affair < Lady Bird
The Thomas Crown Affair > Young Mr. Lincoln
The Thomas Crown Affair < The Pajama Game
The Thomas Crown Affair > Robots
The Thomas Crown Affair > Copying Beethoven
The Thomas Crown Affair > As Good As It Gets
The Thomas Crown Affair > You Only Live Once
The Thomas Crown Affair > BASEketball
The Thomas Crown Affair < My Favorite Wife
The Thomas Crown Affair < Lazer Team
The Thomas Crown Affair > Metropolis (1927)
Final spot: #1861 out of 2963.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

IMDb plot summary: After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth.

(Some spoilers ahead.)

It feels almost unfair to review this movie. It was so clearly not made for me. Basically, if you're already on board with the entire MCU, I bet you'll like this. If you're not, it offers nothing on its own. I found it an unsatisfying "ending" to the story -- it is wildly overstuffed with characters but don't really bother to do anything in terms of character growth with any of them but Tony and Thor. Everyone else has their character growth happen either offscreen (Nebula and Bruce) or in a single line (Black Widow, Captain America I think?) or have none at all (Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Rocket). The female characters have distressingly little to do -- the two who do the most get sacrificed and victimized. (After all that outcry about Danai Gurira not being on the poster, turns out there's a reason -- she has like ONE line in the film.)

It's just too giant and overwhelming a film to give any kind of satisfying character conclusion for more than one character. I guess the fight scenes are fun. Time travel is fun but didn't get played with too much. I found it an exhausting finale to an exhausting series. But if you haven't found the series exhausting, you probably will get more out of this.

*shrug*

How it entered my Flickchart:
Avengers: Endgame < Ballet Shoes
Avengers: Endgame > Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush
Avengers: Endgame > Where the Red Fern Grows
Avengers: Endgame < Captain Marvel
Avengers: Endgame < Dark City
Avengers: Endgame < The Verdict
Avengers: Endgame > The Crazies
Avengers: Endgame > Cropsey
Avengers: Endgame < The Fortune Cookie
Avengers: Endgame > Goldfinger
Avengers: Endgame > High Society
Final spot: #1811 out of 2962.

Countdown (1967)

IMDb plot summary: Desperate to reach the moon first, N.A.S.A. sends a man and shelter separately, one-way. He must find it to survive. He can't return until Apollo is ready.
Directed by Robert Altman. Starring James Caan, Joanna Moore, Robert Duvall, and Barbara Baxley.

This is the most tedious landing-on-the-moon story I think I've ever seen. The fact that it was released just two years before the actual moon landing is fascinating, but the actual story itself is slow and tedious and largely about bureaucracy and procedures. There's very little tension or drama here, and even when they try to incorporate some late in the film, it resolves far too quickly and is disappointingly tame.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Countdown < Ballet Shoes
Countdown < The Hoober-Bloob Highway
Countdown > Hart's War
Countdown > Nick Nolte: No Exit
Countdown > 17 Miracles
Countdown > King of the Zombies
Countdown < A Man Called Peter
Countdown < Braveheart
Countdown > Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
Countdown < Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Countdown < The Matrix Reloaded
Countdown > American Made
Final spot: #2260 out of 2961.