The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)

IMDb plot summary: Documentary showcase, what life was like for the music artists living during the Los Angeles Heavy Metal scene in the mid and late 1980s.

Directed by Penelope Spheeris.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years is Penelope Spheeris' second delve into a musical underground associated with seediness and violence, in this case the metal of the 1980s. As she did with the punk scene in Part 1, she interviews fans, critics, and musicians themselves to get a sense of why this musical scene matters and what it means. This one is an interesting contrast to the first, because metal music, at least as demonstrated here, has a strong materialism theme to it, while the punk scene from the first film rejected that. While there are some groups that talk about this being about the music, not the fame, there are many more who talk about their dreams of wealth and power as a rock star. But like the first part, there are so many people, both fans and musicians, who are attracted to the movement because they are so convinced that they are going to die young. This was a little bit less engaging than the first film just because the concept was a little bit less new to me. There has been more media about the metal scene in the 80s, so it felt less new. But still a well produced documentary, and an interesting pairing with the first installment in the series.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)

📊 Ranked #2064/4300 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 53

beat Julie & Julia (#2169 → #2170)

lost to Tower (held at #1087)

lost to Garbo Talks (#1624 → #1626)

lost to Man Hunt (#1891 → #1843)

beat Cast Away (held at #2026)

lost to Reality Bites (#1960 → #1961)

beat Drive My Car (held at #1992)

beat The Italian Job (held at #1976)

lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (#1968 → #1969)

lost to The Slipper and the Rose (#1972 → #1973)

beat The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (#1974 → #2065)

lost to One Hundred and One Dalmatians (#1973 → #1974)

Hokum (2026)

IMDb plot summary: A horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch.

Directed by Damian McCarthy. Stars Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, and David Wilmot.

Hokum is a 2026 horror film starring Adam Scott as a bitter writer who goes to a hotel in Ireland to try to finish his book, only to get caught up in a mysterious missing person case involving potential ghosts. There are some nice spooky set pieces, and it's a nice idea for a story, but for me it all falls apart because of one tiny technical thing: this thing is lit miserably and it's frequently too dark for me to actually make out what's happening on screen. I turned the brightness up all the way on my device screen and still found myself needing to refer to the Wikipedia plot synopsis for clarity on what had been revealed. In addition to the literal darkness, it also turns into a pretty dreary story that doesn't quite earn its final character arc. A good start that never picks up steam.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Hokum (2026)

📊 Ranked #2573/4299 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 44

lost to Cast Away (#2168 → #2026)

beat A Jazzman's Blues (#3249 → #3429)

beat Outbreak (#2699 → #2863)

beat Beaches (#2432 → #2429)

beat Elle (held at #2301)

lost to Fantastic Voyage (held at #2236)

beat Anna Christie (#2268 → #2267)

beat Mank (#2252 → #2251)

beat A Time to Kill (held at #2244)

beat The Good Dinosaur (#2240 → #2241)

beat Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (#2238 → #2239)

beat Grand Illusion (#2237 → #2574)

Lady Snowblood (1973)

IMDb plot summary: A young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.

Directed by Toshiya Fujita. Stars Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, and Masaaki Daimon.

Lady Snowblood is a Japanese film about a woman whose mother is brutalized by a group of men and then dies in childbirth. She bestows on her daughter the destiny of avenging her death by killing all these men. This film was a huge influence on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill duology, and it's extremely evident watching this. The visuals are striking in very similar ways, especially the shots juxtaposing the white and red of the titular snow and blood. The plot itself becomes surprisingly convoluted given the character's singular mission, and that sometimes feels out of place in the final third. Because of all that, I find it compelling visually but not particularly in its story or characters. Worth a watch, but I'm not going to return to it any time soon.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Lady Snowblood (1973)

📊 Ranked #2146/4298 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 51

beat The Ghost and the Darkness (#2159 → #2154)

lost to Long Day's Journey Into Night (#1082 → #1080)

lost to Garbo Talks (#1618 → #1619)

lost to The Age of Adaline (#1884 → #1623)

lost to Rachel, Rachel (#2019 → #1858)

beat The Road (#2084 → #2078)

beat Scarface (#2051 → #2369)

beat The Three Faces of Eve (#2035 → #2224)

beat Aladdin (held at #2027)

lost to Rebecca (#2023 → #2020)

lost to Onibaba (#2025 → #2024)

beat The Importance of Being Earnest (#2026 → #2147)

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

IMDb plot summary: A look into the Los Angeles punk rock scene, that was largely ignored by the rock music press of the time.

Directed by Penelope Spheeris.

The Decline of Western Civilization is a documentary focusing on the L.A. punk music scene in the late 70s. There are interviews with fans, critics, and various bands hoping to make it big. This is a fascinating look at a music scene I don't really know much about, approached with curiosity and open-mindedness while also acknowledging the violence, misogyny, and substance abuse rampant in the community. This was early days in the punk scene, and so it was especially fascinating to look up all these bands that were just starting out and see what became of them. Some had moderate success, some less so, and one disbanded shortly after filming this because the lead singer died. It's interesting to see the wide variety of attitudes of those involved in the scene -- there truly isn't a coherent set of values or interests other than just wanting to rebel. Overall, an interesting documentary that admirably seeks to explore more than to explain.

🎥 The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

📊 Ranked #1456/4289 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 66

beat Real Life (#2155 → #2160)

lost to Hoop Dreams (#1094 → #1115)

beat The Long Day Closes (#1623 → #1612)

lost to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (#1366 → #1194)

beat An Education (#1495 → #1580)

lost to The Harvey Girls (#1431 → #1418)

lost to Nine to Five (#1462 → #1449)

beat The Secret of NIMH (#1478 → #1530)

beat The Song of Lunch (#1470 → #1441)

beat Westfront 1918 (#1466 → #1491)

beat The Cable Guy (#1464 → #1437)

beat How to Survive a Plague (#1463 → #1456)

A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

IMDb plot summary: In the 1970s and '80s, National Lampoon's success and influence creates a new media empire overseen in part by the brilliant and troubled Douglas Kenney.

Directed by David Wain. Stars Frank Gingerich, Morgan Gingerich, and Annette O'Toole.

A Futile and Stupid Gesture is a tongue-in-cheek biopic of Doug Kenney, the founder of MAD magazine and a huge influence in American comedy during his relatively short heyday. There is no denying that the humor of Doug Kenney is absolutely not for me, and as a result there were large portions of this movie that were clearly intended to be comedic but which I found insufferable. The most enjoyable thing was the wide variety of talented comedians brought in to play the various writers and performers of MAD in all its variations. I was especially tickled by Joel McHale playing Chevy Chase, given their history together on the TV show Community. While I won't go into detail (because I think that the movie works really well when you don't know where it's heading) the final few scenes the film really gave me a different appreciation and understanding for the story it was trying to tell. It did also make me more aware of the depth of influence Kenney and MAD had on American comedy as we know it today, since I wasn't very familiar with their work beforehand. So while large portions of this weren't enjoyable for me the way that it was supposed to be, I did find it interesting, and I'm glad I saw it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

📊 Ranked #2151/4292 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 51

lost to George of the Jungle (#2151 → #2147)

beat Gigi (#3238 → #3239)

beat I'm Not Rappaport (#2687 → #2688)

beat Flubber (held at #2424)

beat Dreamgirls (#2244 → #2307)

beat The Dawn Patrol (#2226 → #2242)

beat John and Mary (#2198 → #2200)

beat Gunpowder Milkshake (#2171 → #2180)

beat Real Life (held at #2161)

beat Little Women (#2156 → #2158)

beat Another Earth (held at #2152)

Scare Me (2020)

IMDb plot summary: During a power outage, two strangers tell scary stories. The more Fred and Fanny commit to their tales, the more the stories come to life in their Catskills cabin. The horrors of reality manifest when Fred confronts his ultimate fear.

Directed by Josh Ruben. Stars Josh Ruben, Aya Cash, and Chris Redd.

Scare Me is a horror comedy film written by, directed by and starring Josh Ruben as a writer who goes to remote a remote cabin to try and finish his work. He runs across another writer with much more acclaim, and the two spend a power outage evening telling each other scary stories. This is such a unique vibe for a horror film, almost a quirky anthology film more than a linear story. While there is an overarching narrative that does eventually make its way to the end, the bulk of the actual movie is these two creating spooky tropes and acting them out for each other, and once I settled into that being what the movie was, I really enjoyed it. In fact, I think it works better than the final narrative piece that gets added onto it, although I don't know how else you would end this story. The final result is something that sometimes struggles to hold together but is a good ride.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Scare Me (2020)

📊 Ranked #1711/4297 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 61

beat You Only Live Twice (#2160 → #2168)

lost to H.M.S. Defiant (#1082 → #1092)

lost to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (#1619 → #1381)

beat The Appointment (#1884 → #1978)

beat Suspect (#1754 → #1777)

lost to Joker (#1683 → #1700)

beat Sweet Smell of Success (#1718 → #1732)

beat Ballet Shoes (#1700 → #1716)

lost to La Jetée (#1691 → #1470)

beat The Outsiders (#1696 → #1709)

beat Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (#1693 → #1712)

lost to Godzilla (#1692 → #1475)

Project Hail Mary (2026)

IMDb plot summary: A science teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship. As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance killing Earth's sun, and realizes that an unexpected friendship may be the key.

Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Stars Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, and James Ortiz.

Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as a man who wakes up on a spaceship in a different galaxy, with no memory how he gets there. Slowly his backstory returns to him, and he discovers that he is there on a hail Mary mission to save the world from their sun dying. This one has gotten a ton of acclaim lately, and for good reason -- it's pretty great. I keep waiting for that moment where I have Ryan Gosling fatigue or where his work doesn't quite gel for me, but it isn't in this movie. His performance here is charming and likable. It's my favorite kind of sci-fi movie, that ends up being about big picture humanity but also about the individuals on a very personal level. And of course the design of the alien who Gosling ends up bonding with as they try to save their mutual worlds is marvelous, and it becomes a sort of goofy buddy road trip movie in between the whole saving-the-world subplot. This movie is hopeful about our future as a species in a way that I really needed. Plus it's also just a really fun watch.

Had some hiccups on saving individual matchups, but it landed at #360 and 91% on my chart.