Swimming With Sharks (1994)

IMDb plot summary: A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.

Directed by George Huang. Starring Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, and Benicio Del Toro.

This all hinges on Frank Whaley and Kevin Spacey's performances, and they are both great. Spacey has always excelled at playing cold, cruel people, and this is no exception. And Whaley's ruthless ambition shines through even in the early scenes before we wonder if he's starting to be corrupted by his boss' view of power. The third lead is a female character and her treatment in the movie... well, leaves more than a little to be desired. While that definitely is meant to speak to the obvious misogyny of Spacey's character and how he sees her, the film doesn't do a GREAT job of fleshing her out as an individual, and I think that was a missed opportunity. However, it's still largely a smart, interesting film and I did still have a good time watching it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Swimming With Sharks > Pitch Perfect 2

Swimming With Sharks < Chronicle

Swimming With Sharks < A Doll's House

Swimming With Sharks < You Can Count on Me

Swimming With Sharks > Hamlet (2009)

Swimming With Sharks > Bonnie and Clyde

Swimming With Sharks > Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Swimming With Sharks < Bridge of Spies

Swimming With Sharks > Cast Away

Swimming With Sharks > Pather Panchali

Swimming With Sharks > A Star Is Born (1954)

Final spot: #1448 out of 3277, or 56%, which seems far too low but the chart doesn't lie!

The Hill (1965)

IMDb plot summary: In a North African military prison during World War II, five new prisoners struggle to survive in the face of brutal punishment and sadistic guards.

Directed by Sidney Lumet. Starring Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, and Alfred Lynch.

This is a genre I usually can't get into at all, but this is crafted so well it does push past those negative genre biases. It's especially interesting how the film shows things that already push characters to the margins of society -- such as weight, race, and sexual orientation -- being used as fuel to further humiliate and dehumanize these prisoners. It also does a really wonderful job of growing the tension of injustice. As the prisoners try more and more avenues to achieve human treatment, and the higher-ups close more doors in their faces, you can REALLY feel the rising panic of "There's nothing we can do about this," even as the circumstances continue to worsen. The scenes on the hill itself are shot really well and convey a really visceral sense of physical punishment. Definitely a movie to check out.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Hill > Pitch Perfect 2

The Hill < My Name Is Joe

The Hill > A Doll's House

The Hill > The Polka King

The Hill > The Last Metro

The Hill < Re-Animator

The Hill > Auntie Mame

The Hill > Gone Baby Gone

The Hill > The Color Purple

The Hill > Unbreakable

The Hill > Wonder Boys

The Hill > Billy Liar

Final spot: #871 out of 3276, or 73%.

Cargo (2019)

IMDb plot summary: A young female astronaut, who joins a reclusive astronaut aboard a spaceship, struggles with her job as she interacts with mysterious Cargos that appear on the ship.

Directed by Arati Kadav. Starring Vikrant Massey, Shweta Tripathi, Nandu Madhav, and Konkona Sen Sharma.

These are likable characters, and it's fun to watch how they interact with each other and with their cargo. The plot itself is a very light one and is much more focused on the idea of exploring this world, and that is definitely the most engaging part of the story. The tedious bureaucracy of this life-and-death cycle, the casual existence of otherworldly creatures dubbed "demons," the supernatural powers everyone has, the extended lifespans you don't realize are a thing until nearly the end of the movie... It's a fascinating little future to be dropped in the middle of. And as a quiet exploration of a possible future, it's very successful. It might be striving for more, some lessons about lives worth lived or something along those lines, and it's much less successful there, but still worth a watch as a creative universe to set a story in.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Cargo > Broken Embraces

Cargo < My Name Is Joe

Cargo > Phone Booth

Cargo > Under the Skin

Cargo < The Last Metro

Cargo < Peggy Sue Got Married

Cargo > The Artist

Cargo < Seven Chances

Cargo < We're No Angels

Cargo < A Snoodle's Tale

Cargo < The Mummy (1932)

Cargo > L'atalante

Final spot: #996 out of 3275, or 70%.

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

IMDb plot summary: In an oppressive future, a fireman whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.

Directed by François Truffaut. Starring Julie Christie, Oskar Werner, Cyril Cusack, and Anton Diffring.

This is a book that has lingered in the public consciousness for a long time and is still an atmospheric dystopian world, but aside from the beautiful and moving final scene, I'm not sure the film does the book any favors. The decision to cast Julie Christie in two parts was especially ineffective, as she gives essentially the same portrayal of both of them, and the script makes Montag's change of heart feel rather abrupt and unjustified. The final third or so is definitely the strongest, and as I said I truly adored the final scene, but overall it feels like a rather cold adaptation of a story about the power of art.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Fahrenheit 451 > Broken Embraces

Fahrenheit 451 < My Name Is Joe

Fahrenheit 451 < A Doll's House

Fahrenheit 451 < You Can Count on Me

Fahrenheit 451 < Hamlet (2009)

Fahrenheit 451 < Duel

Fahrenheit 451 > Hellboy

Fahrenheit 451 > The Misfits

Fahrenheit 451 < Sunday in the Park with George

Fahrenheit 451 < Monsters

Fahrenheit 451 < Dark and Stormy Night

Fahrenheit 451 < Frank

Final spot: #1598 out of 3274, or 51%.

Joker (2019)

IMDb plot summary: In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.

Directed by Todd Phillips. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy.

Gotham is certainly not a far cry from any US city in how unforgiving it is for those in need, and it's clear that the film is trying to make something of a statement about modern-day treatment of mental health issues. It's a compelling watch, and Joaquin Phoenix is mesmerizing, so overall I think it is a pretty good movie... However, it does still fall at least somewhat into the trap that made me want to not see the movie in the first place, in that Joker is so beloved and compelling a character that this film inevitably glamorizes him and his message of "Those who have wronged me get what they deserve and I cannot be blamed for wreaking vengeance on them." I wish this story had been told without invoking this character. Nothing in the narrative demands a comic book back story. And I think I would have liked it much better had it not come with the baggage Joker carries with him.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Joker > Letters from Iwo Jima

Joker < My Name Is Joe

Joker > Phone Booth

Joker < The Polka King

Joker < Inherit the Wind

Joker < The Impossible

Joker > Poltergeist

Joker < The Thin Man

Joker > Starship Troopers

Joker > Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie

Joker > Battle Royale

Joker > Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

Final spot: #1189 out of 3273, or 64%.

My Dinner With Andre (1981)

IMDb plot summary: Two old friends meet for dinner; as one tells anecdotes detailing his experiences, the other notices their differing worldviews.

Directed by Louis Malle. Starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn.

This is a slow, talky, philosophical movie, which sometimes is EXACTLY the kind of thing I love. This one... definitely falls a little flat. I think I attribute that to Andre Gregory's demeanor more than anything. As he shares, he frequently comes across as one of those smug people who is sure they have all the answers and looks down with pity on the poor plebes who don't get it yet. Combine that with the fact that his journey to find himself dances REAL close to the "poverty tourism" line, and we just get a character I loathe. You can absolutely do talky philosophy movies -- Waking Life and Before Sunrise, both by Richard Linklater, excel at this. But you have to want to be around those characters and listen to them talk and find their ideas captivating, and I found Gregory so off-putting that it was a constant mental effort to focus away from him as a person and listen to his ideas at all. A mismatch for me.

How it entered my Flickchart:

My Dinner With Andre < Broken Embraces

My Dinner With Andre < The Best Years of Our Lives

My Dinner With Andre > Special

My Dinner With Andre > Rancho Notorious

My Dinner With Andre > Bedtime Story

My Dinner With Andre > Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World

My Dinner With Andre < Lilo & Stitch

My Dinner With Andre > Little Manhattan

My Dinner With Andre > Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

My Dinner With Andre > Kelly's Heroes

My Dinner With Andre < It's Always Fair Weather

Final spot: #2482 out of 3272, or 24%.

Christmas on the Square (2020)

IMDb plot summary: An embittered "Scrooge" of a woman plans to sell her small town, regardless of the consequences to the people who live there.

Directed by Debbie Allen. Starring Christine Baranski, Dolly Parton, Jenifer Lewis, and Josh Segarra.'

This is apparently based on a stage play, and it absolutely has a "filmed community theater holiday production" vibe to it, with a lot of the primary actors turning in just the hammiest and most bizarre performances I've ever seen. The story itself also makes zero sense, the songs are most definitely NOT Parton's best work, themes are emphasized only to be abruptly dropped. There are some just outright baffling decisions, like the eight-year-old child apparently left to tend bar in her father's establishment while he's off at a protest meeting at the church (where an entire song gleefully suggests physically assaulting Baranski) -- and then Baranski and the child sing a cynical duet about how awful life is while nursing their respective cocktails. Like... whose idea was that? Who greenlit it? It's a baffling and hilarious movie that's worth a watch with a snarky movie companion.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Christmas on the Square < Broken Embraces

Christmas on the Square > Secondhand Lions

Christmas on the Square < Anchors Aweigh

Christmas on the Square < Sideways

Christmas on the Square < The Black Stallion

Christmas on the Square > Elizabethtown

Christmas on the Square > Love in the Afternoon

Christmas on the Square < Give My Regards to Broad Street

Christmas on the Square < Heidi (1937)

Christmas on the Square < Ivan the Terrible, Part One

Christmas on the Square > How to Deal

Christmas on the Square < My Favorite Wife

Final spot: #2374 out of 3271, or 27%.