Henry V (1989)

IMDb plot summary: In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Starring Kenneth Branagh, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin, and Brian Blessed.

I've certainly read Henry V before, and I may even have seen a production of it once, but it never quite sits with me. This film feels like it has the potential to finally make it stick. What makes Kenneth Branagh's Henry more interesting is that it's willing to play more with the character's "goodness" or lack thereof. In front of his soldiers, we see him portrayed as a nearly flawless hero, but we are also privy to his back story (thanks to some flashback scenes taken from Henry IV) and his determination to abandon his friends for a change at the throne. Taken alone, Henry V seems like a straightforward hero's tale, but forced into the context of these earlier plays, he becomes a more nuanced and intriguing character. Overall a very engaging filmed version of the play.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Henry V > Kicking and Screaming (1995)
Henry V > Last Year at Marienbad
Henry V < E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Henry V < Take This Waltz
Henry V < Jack Goes Boating
Henry V < Nights of Cabiria
Henry V < The Shallows
Henry V < The Lady Vanishes
Henry V > A Nightmare on Elm Street
Henry V < It (2017)
Henry V > Red Eye
Final spot: #732 out of 2960.

The Yellow Birds (2018)

IMDb plot summary: Two young soldiers, Bartle (21) and Murph (18) navigate the terrors of the Iraq war under the command of the older, troubled Sergeant Sterling. All the while, Bartle is tortured by a promise he made to Murph's mother before their deployment.
Directed by Alexandre Moors. Starring Alden Ehrenreich, Tye Sheridan, Jennifer Aniston, and Jack Huston.

A moody, dark film that I think might be trying to make a statement about war but I'm not sure what it's actually saying? But nor is it really a character piece. There are bits of this that stand out to me as compelling, but a lot of it just feels kind of muddled, and I'm unsure what I'm supposed to get out of it.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Yellow Birds < Kicking and Screaming (1995)
The Yellow Birds < The Hoober-Bloob Highway
The Yellow Birds > War and Peace (1956)
The Yellow Birds > Sahara (2005)
The Yellow Birds > Play It Again, Sam
The Yellow Birds > City Slickers
The Yellow Birds > Bus Stop
The Yellow Birds > Animal House
The Yellow Birds > The Life of David Gale
The Yellow Birds < The Hunt
Final spot: #2226 out of 2959.

The Accidental Tourist (1988)

IMDb plot summary: An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, and Amy Wright.

I read this book several years ago and remember being charmed by it, so the film adaptation has been on my watchlist for a little while. I don't remember the dialogue being nearly this clunky in the book, though. There's a lot of character motivation conveyed through awkward exposition-style dialogue. It doesn't ruin the movie, but it does make it pretty bland. I would have loved to have gotten more of a sense of the women in this story as well -- there's definitely some Manic Pixie Dream Girl stuff going on in here. Overall, it's all right but not great.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Accidental Tourist < The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Accidental Tourist > Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
The Accidental Tourist < My Favorite Wife
The Accidental Tourist > Die Hard With a Vengeance
The Accidental Tourist > Thank You for Smoking
The Accidental Tourist > Annie (1999)
The Accidental Tourist > The Lorax (1972)
The Accidental Tourist < Rigoletto
The Accidental Tourist > Bunraku
The Accidental Tourist < Little Women
The Accidental Tourist > You Only Live Once
Final spot: #1864 out of 2958.

Hour of the Wolf (1968)

IMDb plot summary: While vacationing on a remote Scandanavian island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.
Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Gertrud Fridh, and George Rydeberg.

There's no doubt Ingmar Bergman was a talented filmmaker, but I tend to appreciate his films most when they land in a more concrete, less surreal place (The Virgin Spring and Autumn Sonata, for example). There are pieces of this that are compelling -- particularly some of the ending shots of the ghosts/demons/whatever -- but it's clearly trying to create an emotional atmosphere that largely gets lost on me.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Hour of the Wolf < Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Hour of the Wolf > Running With Scissors
Hour of the Wolf < Holiday (1938)
Hour of the Wolf > Life with Father
Hour of the Wolf < Thank You for Smoking
Hour of the Wolf > The Birth of a Nation
Hour of the Wolf < Highlander
Hour of the Wolf > What Lies Beneath
Hour of the Wolf < The General
Hour of the Wolf > A Christmas Carol (2004)
Hour of the Wolf < Syrup
Final spot: #1971 out of 2957.

Role Models (2008)

IMDb plot summary: Wild behavior forces a pair of energy drink reps to enroll in a Big Brother program.
Directed by David Wain. Starring Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Bobb'e J. Thompson.

I'd seen the last 20 minutes or so of this on TV at the gym once and have been interested in checking it out ever since.  While every so often the overtly crude jokes wore out their welcome for me, it was for the most part a really funny and enjoyable flick. I love how it used LARPing as a plot device but in a way that ultimately kinda validates it as a quirky but fun hobby. There's a lot of clever dialogue and smart jokes that elevate it above something by, say, the Farrellys.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Role Models > Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Role Models > Ran
Role Models < E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Role Models < Take This Waltz
Role Models < Jack Goes Boating
Role Models < Nights of Cabiria
Role Models > The Shallows
Role Models > Auntie Mame
Role Models > Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994)
Role Models > Song of the Sea
Role Models < The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Final spot: #695 out of 2956.

The Cameraman (1925)

IMDb plot summary: Hopelessly in love with a woman working at MGM Studios, a clumsy man attempts to become a motion picture cameraman to be close to the object of his desire.
Directed by Edward Sedgwick. Starring Buster Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, and Sidney Bracey.

I always forget how much I enjoy Buster Keaton, especially in comparison to other silent era comedians. His sense of comic timing and build aligns with mine so well. There were quite a few moments in this where I found myself laughing out loud. I'm not going to say much more about it -- it's fun and funny and worth a watch.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Cameraman > Adam
The Cameraman > Do the Right Thing
The Cameraman < E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
The Cameraman < Take This Waltz
The Cameraman > My Name Is Joe
The Cameraman < The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Cameraman > Le trou
The Cameraman > Fever Pitch (1997)
The Cameraman > Philadelphia
The Cameraman > Face/Off
The Cameraman > Amelie
Final spot: #601 out of 2955.

The Seventh Continent (1989)

IMDb plot summary: A European family who plan on escaping to Australia, seem caught up in their daily routine, only troubled by minor incidents. However, behind their apparent calm and repetitive existence, they are actually planning something sinister.
Directed by Michael Haneke. Starring Birgit Doll, Dieter Berner, and Leni Tanzer.

(Spoilers ahead.)

...Oh my gosh.

OK, so I just watched Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon a week or so ago, and was exhausted with how slowly it moved, so when this movie began, I saw it was another Haneke film, and it seemed to be moving equally slowly, I braced myself for a rough ride. And, I mean, it was, but not at all for the reason I thought it would be. It was a rough ride because starting in act three, it just becomes ominous and horrifying with no reason at all. Wikipedia cites a real-life crime as inspiration for the film, especially the seemingly out-of-nowhere violence of it. Haneke here tries to craft a meaning or at least a spark of it, looking at the mundanity of car washes and eating cereal and moving up the corporate ladder as a sort of breaking point, but the strength lies in its terrifying finale. It kind of broke me, but in a good way. This makes me anxious to search out more Haneke in a way The White Ribbon definitely did not.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Seventh Continent > Adam
The Seventh Continent > Zootopia
The Seventh Continent > E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
The Seventh Continent < Take the Money and Run
The Seventh Continent < Nativity!
The Seventh Continent < Footloose (1984)
The Seventh Continent > Best in Show
The Seventh Continent > Shutter Island
The Seventh Continent < Double Indemnity
The Seventh Continent < Les Miserables in Concert (1995)
The Seventh Continent > Benny & Joon

Final spot: #331 out of 2954.