Mazes and Monsters (1982)

IMDb plot summary: When a group of friends decide to take their role-playing gaming to another level, one of their own's mental instability begins to take it too far for him.

Directed by Steven Hilliard Stern. Stars Tom Hanks, Wendy Crewson, and David Wysocki.

Mazes and Monsters is a TV movie featuring Tom Hanks in his first lead role. He plays a college student who has a mental break during a tabletop roleplaying game (modeled after Dungeons & Dragons) and begins to believe he is the actual character. This made the rounds on TikTok for his infamously cringey final scene and take on roleplaying, but it wasn't quite as bad as that scene made it look like out of context. It's definitely got cheesy TV movie dialogue, but it's not being dogmatic about the evils of Dungeons & Dragons, which would have made this a very different story. Hanks is pretty good in his first feature, really embodying this character's fragile psyche and making us feel a little worried for his well-being right from the beginning. The ending definitely does lean into earnestness in a way that is a little eye-rolly, but it's just silly, not irritating. 

🎥 Mazes and Monsters (1982)

📊 Ranked #2919/4272 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 36

lost to Hamlet (#2112 → #2113)

beat Captain January (#3214 → #3351)

lost to The TV Set (#2652 → #2649)

beat Born Reckless (#2939 → #2971)

beat Enemy of the State (held at #2800)

lost to Uptight (#2727 → #2652)

lost to Bill Cunningham New York (#2766 → #2717)

beat Mission: Impossible III (#2783 → #2749)

lost to Dr. Seuss on the Loose (#2774 → #2789)

beat Ace High (#2779 → #2790)

beat Adam (#2777 → #2884)

lost to UHF (#2776 → #2722)

Machete (2010)

IMDb plot summary: After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss.

Directed by Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez. Stars Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, and Robert De Niro.

Machete stars Danny Trejo as an assassin who is hunting down a corrupt politician, and it is a big and bloody adventure. This film was spun off of a fake trailer made by Robert Rodriguez as part of the promotion for Grindhouse, and it feels about as deep as the fake trailer. It's often even comedically ridiculous in its machisimo, between blood spurting everywhere and Machete just casually sleeping with literally every woman he runs across. There isn't any actual depth to this or anything I'm likely to remember, it's just a high-adrenaline ride through a bunch of madcap action sequences. A fun experience while I'm watching it, but it's not going to stick with me, although I'm sure it'd be a slightly different story if I loved this genre to begin with.

🎥 Machete (2010)

📊 Ranked #2583/4271 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 44

lost to Hamlet (#2114 → #2113)

beat Benedetta (#3215 → #3216)

beat Framed (#2652 → #2657)

beat An Innocent Man (#2395 → #2394)

lost to Spy Game (#2263 → #2123)

beat St. Vincent (#2330 → #2582)

beat Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (#2296 → #2478)

lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (#2279 → #2285)

lost to The Importance of Being Earnest (#2288 → #2268)

beat Flora & Ulysses (#2292 → #2476)

beat A Time to Kill (#2290 → #2297)

beat The Firm (#2289 → #2307)

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

IMDb plot summary: A series of vignettes that all have coffee and cigarettes in common.

Directed by Jim Jarmusch. Stars Bill Murray, Tom Waits, and Roberto Benigni.

Coffee and Cigarettes is an anthology film by Jim Jarmusch in which each short segment is centered around a character (or two or three) partaking in coffee and cigarettes under some circumstances. Many of these segments feature big-name actors and celebrities playing themselves. Like most anthology films, this one has good and bad segments, but overall this was an enjoyable and intriguing watch. Jarmusch's slow burn method of storytelling doesn't stretch for me over a full-length feature, but I enjoy this in small doses where I get a new setup every ten minutes or so. My personal favorite was the one starring Cate Blanchett as herself and her much less successful cousin, meeting for a brief catch-up during a press junket for Blanchett's newest film. It feels like a casual brainstorming exercise rather than a film, where every so often Jarmusch just said, "Hey, let's give some coffee and cigarettes to the actors I have in front of me and improvise something," and while it sometimes falls flat, it's an interesting creative experiment. It's a unique film that I'm glad I got to see.

🎥 Coffee and Cigarettes (2004)

📊 Ranked #1609/4269 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 63

beat The Master (#2116 → #2117)

lost to Fever Pitch (#1085 → #1083)

lost to The Long Day Closes (#1598 → #1602)

beat 3 Men and a Baby (#1855 → #1854)

lost to The Miracle Worker (#1729 → #1584)

beat Walk on the Wild Side (#1792 → #1795)

beat Man Hunt (#1761 → #1834)

lost to The Wolf Man (#1745 → #1616)

lost to The Gold Rush (#1753 → #1754)

beat Fearless (#1757 → #1758)

beat Backbeat (#1755 → #1756)

beat 12 Years a Slave (#1754 → #1803)

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

IMDb plot summary: A naïve teenager is sent to "sexual redirection" school when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being gay.

Directed by Jamie Babbit. Stars Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, and Melanie Lynskey.

But I'm a Cheerleader stars Natasha Lyonne as a cheerleader who is sent away to a camp for anti-gay conversion therapy -- she didn't even realize she was a lesbian until her family signed her up -- and we follow her journey as she figures out her newly discovered sexuality. This is a wonderful and frequently hilarious satire that also ultimately ends up being pretty sweet. Natasha Lyonne is delightful as this oblivious but well-intentioned character with no self-awareness. The comedy is extremely big and broad but the humanity at the heart of all of it is undeniable. I can easily see why critics didn't love it -- it takes BIG tonal swings that absolutely won't land with everyone -- but also why it became a cult classic. It's a fun ride and I'm glad I got to see it.

🎥 But I'm a Cheerleader (2000)

📊 Ranked #907/4268 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 78

beat Gypsy (#2115 → #2209)

beat Flee (held at #1084)

beat I've Loved You So Long (#561 → #606)

lost to Spirited (#255 → #250)

beat Submarine (#412 → #413)

lost to The Banshees of Inisherin (#330 → #333)

lost to Hundreds of Beavers (#373 → #378)

lost to The Bridge on the River Kwai (#393 → #258)

lost to Morgan (#403 → #396)

lost to Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (#407 → #408)

beat The Boat That Rocked (#410 → #434)

lost to Enchanted April (#408 → #402)

Parenthood (1989)

IMDb plot summary: Four Buckman siblings attempt to raise their children - each in their own different style - and deal with the joys and sorrows that the process brings.

Directed by Ron Howard. Stars Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, and Dianne Wiest.

Parenthood is an ensemble comedy/drama film about, well, parenthood, starring, among others, Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, and Rick Moranis. We see how these people deal with the struggles of raising their children, as well as their current relationship with their own father and how that plays into it. There is a gentle warmth to this movie that really draws you into it. Everybody's performances manage to be comedic while also feeling fully genuine, and that's a pretty impressive feat. That being said, though, I have trouble remembering individual beats now that it's been a few days since I watched it, even while I was confident I enjoyed it. I wonder if this is one that I am going to be inclined to return to, knowing that it was a good watch but not holding any of the specifics in mind so they will surprise me again. A good film but not a great one.

🎥 Parenthood (1989)

📊 Ranked #1038/4265 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 76

beat 21 (#2009 → #2055)

lost to Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (#1076 → #1088)

beat National Treasure (#1633 → #1680)

beat Seven Chances (#1360 → #1355)

beat Nina Wu (#1233 → #1215)

beat Forgiving Dr. Mengele (#1132 → #1144)

beat Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (#1149 → #1132)

lost to Re-Animator (#1105 → #1104)

beat National Lampoon's Vacation (#1126 → #1125)

beat The Game (held at #1112)

lost to The Black Cat (#1130 → #1110)

lost to Sisters (#1148 → #923)

Krisha (2015)

IMDb plot summary: Krisha returns for Thanksgiving dinner after ten years away from her family, but past demons threaten to ruin the festivities.

Directed by Trey Edward Shults. Stars Krisha Fairchild, Alex Dobrenko, and Robyn Fairchild.

Krisha is a drama about a middle-aged woman coming back to spend Thanksgiving with close family and friends after years of being apart from them. We start seeing the relationships tense up as she tries to reconnect. This one is a slow burn, but the final third really cranks up the tension and had me glued to the screen. It's one of those films that allows its characters to sit and interact together slowly, unraveling the pieces of their personalities bit by bit, and that pays off. That works best if you can *trust* that the early quiet moments are building to something interesting, and that sometimes comes into question with occasionally awkward or overly expositional dialogue, but mostly it held my attention. And then, as I said, it comes together nicely in the end for an explosive, if very sad, conclusion. Worth a watch.

🎥 Krisha (2016)

📊 Ranked #1643/4266 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 62

beat Real Life (#2127 → #2128)

lost to Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (#1090 → #915)

lost to The Long Day Closes (#1603 → #1602)

beat Platoon (#1861 → #1862)

beat Hamlet (#1736 → #1738)

beat Swing Shift (#1665 → #1666)

lost to Glory (held at #1634)

lost to Killers of the Flower Moon (#1649 → #1651)

beat The Tragedy of Macbeth (#1657 → #1667)

lost to Kajaki (#1653 → #1647)

lost to VeggieTales: Where's God When I'm S-Scared? (held at #1655)

beat All That Jazz (#1656 → #1661)

Bring Her Back (2025)

IMDb plot summary: A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

Directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou. Stars Billy Barratt, Sally Hawkins, and Mischa Heywood.

Bring Her Back is a horror film where two orphaned siblings are placed with foster parent Sally Hawkins and her disturbed son, and things get darker from there. This one was an impressive surprise. Sally Hawkins grounds this with a perfect combination of reassuring and ominous vibes, and as we get to learn more about her story, she just becomes more interesting as a character. The film also has some of the most horrifying sequences that are going to stick in my head forever, which is either going to be a selling point or a "never ever watch this" point, depending on who you are. The creators of this film have gotten some major attention, between this and their previous film, and I am definitely going to have to seek them out in future. A worthwhile watch, if also frequently a difficult watch.

🎥 Bring Her Back (2025)

📊 Ranked #628/4270 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 85

beat The Master (held at #2123)

beat Sarah, Plain and Tall (#1093 → #1086)

lost to I ♥ Huckabees (#566 → #564)

lost to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (#833 → #648)

beat Snowpiercer (held at #959)

beat Iron Man (#897 → #890)

lost to Turning Red (#863 → #854)

beat The Hunger Games (#879 → #886)

lost to Crazy, Stupid, Love. (#870 → #867)

beat Mad Max 2 (#873 → #902)

beat Nosferatu (#871 → #900)

lost to City Girl (#872 → #870)