In & Out (1997)

IMDb plot summary: A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.
Directed by Frank Oz. Starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, and Matt Dillon.

I'm... a little torn on this one. While as always I freaking love Kevin Kline, and there are a couple good really laugh-out-loud moments in this movie, it touches on a pet peeve of mine: that gay people will always act a certain way, and if someone acts like that, well, then, they must be gay. The movie uses those stereotypes in a way that never quite gets below the surface, and while parts of it are really entertaining, a lot of it makes me squirm a little. Still, the movie has its heart in the right place and Kline is really delightful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the silly-but-heartfelt place the story landed at the end. So... it's fun, but doesn't sit quite right for me.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
In & Out > Arthur Christmas
In & Out < Argo
In & Out < Munich
In & Out > Aliens
In & Out < The Kid (2000)
In & Out > Like Crazy
In & Out > Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam
In & Out < Crimes and Misdemeanors
In & Out < High School Musical 3: Senior Year
In & Out > The Dresser
In & Out > Cabaret
Final spot: #966 out of 2344.

Mystic Pizza (1988)

IMDb plot summary: Three teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic.
Directed by Donald Petrie. Starring Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, and Vincent D'Onofrio.

This is a well-intentioned but pretty sloppy little flick, and Julia Roberts is really not good in it at all. The other two actresses make the most of some juicy moments (Lili Taylor's post-breakup monologue is actually really moving) but Roberts is just awkward and uncomfortable throughout. The stories are all pretty scattered and resolve really abruptly, with endings that are more happy than realistic, despite the fact that the first hour and a half of the movie was attempting to be a serious coming-of-age drama. If I was more into serious dramas as guilty pleasures, I'd be more likely to enjoy this, but as it is, it didn't really do anything for me.

2 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Mystic Pizza < Arthur Christmas
Mystic Pizza > 30 Minutes or Less
Mystic Pizza > MASH
Mystic Pizza < The Kids Are All Right
Mystic Pizza < My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
Mystic Pizza < The Imitation Game
Mystic Pizza < The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Mystic Pizza > The Jerk
Mystic Pizza > Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Mystic Pizza > Total Recall (1990)
Mystic Pizza < Trading Places
Final spot: #1448 out of 2343.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

IMDb plot summary: Singers Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw travel to Paris, pursued by a private detective hired by the disapproving father of Lorelei's fiancé to keep an eye on her, as well as a rich, enamored old man and many other doting admirers.
Directed by Howard Hawks. Starring Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn and Elliott Reid.

A classic musical I'd somehow never gotten around to seeing, this is really a delightfully silly little flick. Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe are both excellent (and seeing Russell impersonate Monroe toward the end is one of the film's highlights). There aren't all that many songs, but they make good use of the musical numbers they have, and the plot is entertaining, with plenty of witty dialogue. It's a fun, fluffy comedy, and I'm glad I got to see it before it went off of Netflix.

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes > Hysteria
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes > The Artist
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes < Another Woman
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes < Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes > Good Will Hunting
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes < Take This Waltz
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes > The Dictator
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes < Solaris (2002)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes > The Producers (2005)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes > Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes > Rock of Ages
Final spot: #484 out of 2341.

The Man with One Red Shoe (1985)

IMDb plot summary: A man picked randomly out of a crowd is made the target of CIA survelliance and pursuit.
Directed by Stan Dragoti. Starring Tom Hanks, Dabney Coleman, Lori Singer, and Charles Durning.

Well, let's start off with the good things about this movie. Tom Hanks is always pretty likable, and the premise is a lot of fun. There are some great scenes in the middle where they interpret everything he does as some sort of coded message, and I found that chunk of movie pretty entertaining.

It kind of devolves after that, though. Maddy is a really uninteresting female character, their chemistry is far from believable, and when the second half of the movie focuses mostly on their romance and the big chase scene at the end, it's not all that fun, and I was just kind of waiting for it to be over. Hanks himself is apparently not a fan of this one, and I can see why. It's OK, but the best parts by far are in the middle.

2.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Man With One Red Shoe < Arthur Christmas
The Man With One Red Shoe > My Favorite Wife
The Man With One Red Shoe > The High and the Mighty
The Man With One Red Shoe > The Kids Are All Right
The Man With One Red Shoe < Ted
The Man With One Red Shoe < Glory
The Man With One Red Shoe > Zero Dark Thirty
The Man With One Red Shoe > Con Air
The Man With One Red Shoe < Swing Kids
The Man With One Red Shoe > Milk
Final spot: #1285 out of 2340.

When Strangers Click (2011)

Plot summary: Director Robert Kenner explores the world of online dating through the stories of five individuals who went looking for love on the Internet.
Directed by Robert Kenner.

This little hour-long TV documentary about Internet relationships is surprisingly interesting. It's nicely varied, and as someone who has formed plenty of friendships online (though no romances) I really liked seeing stories like the Second Life couple who found a way to have a solid friendship and relationship online since they can't be together in real life any time soon. It's a little amateur in its production, but it's a pretty entertaining little flick, and definitely hits on something that I think still has a bad reputation despite the fact that so many people meet online these days.

2.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
When Strangers Click > Hysteria
When Strangers Click < Argo
When Strangers Click < Munich
When Strangers Click < Aliens
When Strangers Click > Born Yesterday
When Strangers Click < Inland Empire
When Strangers Click < Cypher
When Strangers Click > Skyfall
When Strangers Click < Captains Courageous
When Strangers Click > From Russia With Love
Final spot: #1083 out of 2339.

The Light in Her Eyes (2011)

IMDb plot summary: Houda al-Habash, a conservative Muslim preacher, founded a Qur'an school for girls in Damascus, Syria when she was just 17 years old. In a world rarely seen, The Light In Her Eyes tells the story of a leader who challenges the women of her community to live according to Islam, without giving up their dreams. Shot right before the uprising in Syria erupted, the film is an exclusive look at a social movement thriving in a country controlled by a repressive regime.
Directed by Julia Meltzer and Laura Nix.

I am always fascinated by stories of people who strive to be progressive while also wanting to remain true to the traditions of their faith. That's a story that's not told about Muslims nearly enough. There's a bit of an assumption among too many Americans that the only non-radical Muslims lives in western countries, and seeing this story is a beautiful counterpoint to that. Houda is not abandoning her faith by encouraging girls and young women to become educated, she is simply determined to find out and teach what the Quran itself says, rather than just blindly following the non-Scriptural traditions held to by other Muslims. It's fascinating and important to see the overall positive response toward her and her school taking a step forward for Muslim women. Really interesting.

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Light In Her Eyes > Arthur Christmas
The Light In Her Eyes < Argo
The Light In Her Eyes > Munich
The Light In Her Eyes > The Mummy (1932)
The Light In Her Eyes > Source Code
The Light In Her Eyes < Oscar
The Light In Her Eyes > Before Sunset
The Light In Her Eyes < The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
The Light In Her Eyes < I Heart Huckabees
The Light In Her Eyes > Frankenweenie
The Light In Her Eyes > My Date With Drew

Final spot: #635 out of 2342.

Porco Rosso (1992)

IMDb plot summary: The adventures of "Porco Rosso", a veteran WW1 pilot in 1930s Italy, who has been cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Starring (in the English dub) Michael Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Cary Elwes, and Susan Egan.

One of my favorite things about Miyazaki is his ability to blend emotional depth with adventurous goofiness. That's done excellently here. We have a cast of enjoyable characters, a pretty light plot, and then some just stunningly beautiful and touching scenes like the ending and the ghost pilots. (The ghost pilots may be the most beautiful thing I've seen in any Ghibli flick.) It also has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments with its slightly zany sense of humor. This isn't my favorite Miyazaki, but it's pretty delightful, and well worth a watch.

3.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Porco Rosso > Hysteria
Porco Rosso < Argo
Porco Rosso > Munich
Porco Rosso > The Mummy (1932)
Porco Rosso > Happy Feet
Porco Rosso > Were the World Mine
Porco Rosso < Atonement
Porco Rosso < Don't Drink the Water
Porco Rosso < Top Secret!
Porco Rosso < Down With Love
Porco Rosso < Army of Darkness
Porco Rosso > Zoolander
Final spot: #619 out of 2338.