GoldenEye (1995)

IMDb plot summary: James Bond teams up with the lone survivor of a destroyed Russian research center to stop the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a fellow Agent formerly believed to be dead.
Directed by Martin Campbell. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, and Famke Janssen.

There are two things in this movie I enjoyed: Judi Dench, who sets the bar extremely high with her first portrayal of M, and Alan Cumming's character furiously shaking a computer monitor screaming, "SPEAK TO ME!" The rest of it is blah.

1 star.

How it entered my Flickchart:
GoldenEye < No Country for Old Men
GoldenEye < Shrek 2
GoldenEye > Agent Cody Banks
GoldenEye > Playtime
GoldenEye < Gangs of New York
GoldenEye > 30 Minutes or Less
GoldenEye > Redline
GoldenEye > Taxi
GoldenEye > Eagle Eye
GoldenEye < Rebel Without a Cause

Final spot: #2171 out of 2773.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

IMDb plot summary: The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo.

(SO many spoilers ahead.)

All right. I have lots of thoughts on this that would take way longer to put into words than I feel like committing. So here are the highlights.

1: I really enjoy the opening 45 minutes. Seeing the different character combos interact with each other is surprisingly entertaining.
2: Thanos is the most emotionally complex and narratively compelling character in the whole MCU.
3: I HATE Captain America after this movie. The ENTIRE last movie he was in was all about him taking a super principled moral stand about how he's a soldier and a few lives are going to be a necessary sacrifice when you're saving the world but it's okay because world saving is a greater good. BUT. When Vision wants to sacrifice himself to avoid giving Thanos the stone, all of a sudden Captain America won't let that happen and fights to let that not happen and, in fact, destroys the world because he fought for that not to happen. Looks like Cap's got some pretty darn wibbly wobbly moral values there, and I really wish the movies would stop pretending he's anything like the moral center of the group. Thor and Banner and even Black Widow are all 10,000 times more principled than Cap, whose code of ethics apparently varies based on whether it might make him feel sad.
4: The ending is alllllmost a bold choice. Almost. Except for the fact that the endless franchise-ish nature of this series means that all that doesn't matter. They tried to make it this dramatic final thing, but we know it isn't because the series continues. These characters' individual stories continue. If there was any actual sense of ACTUAL finality, if there was any sense that any of the people we just saw fall were ACTUALLY going to stay dead? Well, that would suck because they killed off all the characters I liked and kept around the boring ones, but on the other hand it'd be an actually bold choice that might make me feel something. The entire second half of the movie is trying to manipulate me into believing there are actual stakes here, when, no, there aren't. At least three, probably more, of our supposedly dead characters have ALREADY fake died and come back to life in other movies. So, no, you can't convince me to feel anything about that. It's more just a "Huh, I wonder how they'll resurrect them this time" puzzle.
5: Seriously, though, Thanos is fantastic. Thanos is especially fun because his moral stance is basically the same as Cap's blase "well, we're soldiers, sometimes some folks gotta die to save the planet" stance in the last movie... except Thanos actually sticks to his principles and doesn't sacrifice them when it gets tough. I super want him to convince Cap in Avengers 4 and have the two of them run around wreaking havoc until somebody is like, "Hey! Empathy is good!" and Thanos learns that empathy is good and becomes a good guy, but Captain America doesn't because Captain America doesn't know how to learn and grow as a person.

2.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Avengers: Infinity War < Pulp Fiction
Avengers: Infinity War > Shrek 2
Avengers: Infinity War > Shadows and Fog
Avengers: Infinity War > How to Deal
Avengers: Infinity War > Life of Pi
Avengers: Infinity War > Walk the Line
Avengers: Infinity War > Hoosiers
Avengers: Infinity War < The Lion in Winter (2003)
Avengers: Infinity War < Ran
Avengers: Infinity War > Primal Fear
Avengers: Infinity War > Lovelace
Avengers: Infinity War > Blue's Big Musical Movie
Final spot: #1402 out of 2772.

Loving Vincent (2017)

IMDb plot summary: In a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.
Directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman. Starring Douglas Booth, Saoirse Ronan, Helen McCrory, and Jerome Flynn.

The hand-painted frames of this movie are definitely the best thing about it. The rest of it is fine but not exciting, an episodic little mystery introducing several characters who vary in how interesting they are.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Loving Vincent > No Country for Old Men
Loving Vincent < Quartet
Loving Vincent > The Illusionist (2006)
Loving Vincent < His Girl Friday
Loving Vincent < V for Vendetta
Loving Vincent < The Fly (1986)
Loving Vincent < Nine to Five
Loving Vincent < City Lights
Loving Vincent < Witness
Loving Vincent > De-Lovely
Loving Vincent > The Shining
Loving Vincent > The Killing

Final spot: #1034 out of 2771.

Hellboy (2004)

IMDb plot summary: A demon, raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro. Starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, and Rupert Evans.

This movie looks fantastic -- great character design and effects, some really nice action sequences -- but it picks up as if we're right in the middle of a bunch of character drama I'm supposed to have a frame of reference for. (I kept checking to make sure I was actually watching the first Hellboy and not the sequel.) We get technical backstory on Hellboy but it never establishes his inner thoughts or his relationship with the people around him, especially not his romantic relationship. It just jumps right into the middle of the drama and then we're supposed to feel things? But I don't know why I should care about any of these things. We spend way more time on plot logistics and examining side characters than we do seeing anything other than jealousy from Hellboy. I just feel out of the loop, and that's not a great place for this movie to start.

(On a completely different note... the discovery of Hellboy happens on October 9, 1944, according to the movie captions... but the soundtrack on Spotify as a track called "October 7, 1944"? Which I'm assuming it's a mislabeling but maybe it's just a nice pleasant little track people could have listened to two days before Hellboy showed up before anything significant to this story happened. Also, October 7th is my birthday. But that doesn't really matter in this context.)

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Hellboy > No Country for Old Men (which I don't like... what's that doing in the middle of my chart?!)

Hellboy < Quartet

Hellboy > The Illusionist (2006)

Hellboy < Demetri Martin. Person.

Hellboy < Signs

Hellboy < Father Goose

Hellboy > Nine to Five

Hellboy < Galaxy Quest

Hellboy < The Kid (2000)

Hellboy < Gandhi

Hellboy > The Major and the Minor

Final spot: #1014 out of 2770.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

IMDb plot summary: Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Starring Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Nicole Kidman, and Raffey Cassidy.

This movie is SO INTENSE. Even in the first hour in which nothing is happening, the monotone delivery of all the characters lends a really terrifying undertone to whatever's really going on. I don't know that it'd be appropriate to say I liked this movie, but I definitely understood it more than, say, Dogtooth.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Killing of a Sacred Deer > In Time

The Killing of a Sacred Deer < Quartet

The Killing of a Sacred Deer > The Village

The Killing of a Sacred Deer > His Girl Friday

The Killing of a Sacred Deer < Oscar

The Killing of a Sacred Deer < The Great Mouse Detective

The Killing of a Sacred Deer > I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal

The Killing of a Sacred Deer > There Will Be Blood

The Killing of a Sacred Deer < I Heart Huckabees

The Killing of a Sacred Deer > The Light In Her Eyes

The Killing of a Sacred Deer > Ant-Man

Final spot: #828 out of 2769.

The Sasquatch Gang (2006)

IMDb plot summary: Young fantasy and science fiction aficionado Gavin Gore and his friends stumble onto some huge footprints in the woods. A local cop, reporter, and a renowned Sasquatch authority investigate, while two of Gavin's dim-witted neighbors hatch a scheme to profit from the situation.
Directed by Tim Skousen. Starring Justin Long, Jeremy Sumpter, Addie Land, and Joey Kern.

This movie is so bizarre. I have just learned that the writer/director also assistant directed Napoleon Dynamite, which makes a lot of sense, because that's maybe its closest relative, though it's not as magical. It's more visibly structured than Napoleon Dynamite, with at least one narrative throughline and "chapters" in which we see established events from other characters' perspectives, which turned out to be a surprisingly interesting way of fleshing out the world. Some of the jokes land, others seem a bit too manufactured to be quotable lines for the Napoleon Dynamite crowd (most of the lines tossed out by the shirtless corn-dog-eating best friend fall into the latter category, while the very brief shot of his entire family eating dinner and realizing they *all* have an aversion to shirts is the former). I like what it's trying to do, though it doesn't always succeed. This one is just weird enough to grow on me.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Sasquatch Gang > In Time
The Sasquatch Gang < The Front
The Sasquatch Gang < The Village
The Sasquatch Gang > Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
The Sasquatch Gang < Children of a Lesser God
The Sasquatch Gang > Struck by Lightning
The Sasquatch Gang < Strictly Ballroom
The Sasquatch Gang < The Absent-Minded Professor
The Sasquatch Gang < Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The Sasquatch Gang < Harakiri
The Sasquatch Gang > Ender's Game

Final spot: #1165 out of 2768.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

IMDb plot summary: In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.
Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Walton Goggins.

So this is supposed to be an old timey western, but it mostly reminds me of a (much) more bloody version of an Agatha Christie novel. Several characters, all locked together in one location, each with their own secrets that slowly get exposed over the course of the story... even a long monologue from the lead about who most likely committed the crime. It doesn't have quite as much Tarantinoesque dialogue as some of his other movies, but it feels like his version of a fun bottle episode old timey murder mystery. Significantly more interesting than his last western.

3.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Hateful Eight > Another Thin Man

The Hateful Eight < The Front

The Hateful Eight > Men in Black

The Hateful Eight > Auntie Mame

The Hateful Eight < Oscar

The Hateful Eight < The Great Mouse Detective

The Hateful Eight > Before Sunset

The Hateful Eight > The Hidden Fortress

The Hateful Eight > Ant-Man

The Hateful Eight > The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

The Hateful Eight > Blazing Saddles

Final spot: #822 out of 2767.

The Babadook (2014)

IMDb plot summary: A widowed mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.
Directed by Jennifer Kent. Starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, and Barbara West.

I am not sure I'm totally sold on the likely symbolism for the monster, but I love the way this plays out. And it's a stellar performance from Essie Davis, who exudes such physical and emotional exhaustion from moment one. Some of the horror moments go on a bit long, but that's totally forgivable when the relational moments are as good as they are.

3.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Babadook > Another Thin Man

The Babadook < The Front

The Babadook > Men in Black

The Babadook > Auntie Mame

The Babadook > Oscar

The Babadook > The Reader

The Babadook > Gone in 60 Seconds

The Babadook < Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Babadook > High Strung

The Babadook < Chariots of Fire

Final spot: #706 out of 2766.

300 (2006)

IMDb plot summary: King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C.
Directed by Zack Snyder. Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, and David Wenham.

This movie is so, so ridiculous. I was probably not supposed to be giggling as much as I did at the awful, cheesy dialogue, but every time these characters opened their mouths it was pretty hilarious. I'm a little bummed that the movie used its stunning cinematography and colors and framing just to show us a bunch of heads getting chopped off. It's a very beautiful-looking movie that is a boring story told strangely.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
300 > Love is a Many-Splendored Thing
300 < The Front
300 < Men in Black
300 > Swing Time
300 < Full Metal Jacket
300 < Muppet Treasure Island
300 < Wild Heart Can't Be Broken
300 < Gold Diggers of 1933
300 > Seven Chances
300 > Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
300 > Wild Zero

Final spot: #1200 out of 2765.

Weekend (2011)

IMDb plot summary: After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.
Directed by Andrew Haigh. Starring Tom Cullen, Chris New, Jonathan Race, and Laura Freeman.

There are parts of this I really like, some really fascinating scenes, but there's also a LOT of just... wandering and waiting and mumbling, and I find myself anxious to just get on with the story. I appreciate what mumblecore movies are trying to do, but I always feel like I'd like them better cut down into a 20-minute movie. That being said, I really like the 20-minute version of this. The characters are compelling and likable and nuanced, and the ending works. It's not going to land super high on my chart because I did get bored during all the in-between bits, but I'm glad I saw it.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Weekend < Another Thin Man

Weekend > Run Lola Run

Weekend < Lilo & Stitch

Weekend > The Forest

Weekend > Wind River

Weekend > American Graffiti

Weekend > Smokin' Aces

Weekend > Casino Royale

Weekend > Birdman of Alcatraz

Weekend > Bananas

Final spot: #1730 out of 2764.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

IMDb plot summary: A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Starring Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Caine.

I'm torn here. There are parts of this that are really super duper fun -- it's silly, the gadgets are super fun, Colin Firth is delightfully dry, Samuel L. Jackson is delightfully ridiculous -- but it's also ramping up some really unpleasant stuff. Like I'm not a huge fan of not one, but two, horrifying mass murder scenes filmed like exciting action sequences and set to rock anthems. That's a bit much, even for me. I'm not a huge fan of so obviously granting our hero a random woman as a reward at the end. I'm not a huge fan of how the Kingsmen make such a big deal about not taking a life but they want to recruit someone who'd be 100% willing to shoot an innocent dog, no questions asked (does this not seem like the exact kind of person you wouldn't want?). It's kind of like going on an awesome date with a cool, funny, good-looking person who every so often just kicks you in the shins. After a couple of kicks you start thinking, "Hmm. Maybe this date isn't going so well after all." I think I can ignore the shin-kicking enough to remember our time together fondly, but not enough to want to get together again.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Kingsman: The Secret Service > Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Kingsman: The Secret Service < Say Anything...
Kingsman: The Secret Service > Men in Black
Kingsman: The Secret Service > Source Code
Kingsman: The Secret Service < Watchmen
Kingsman: The Secret Service > Blazing Saddles
Kingsman: The Secret Service < An Education
Kingsman: The Secret Service < Army of Darkness
Kingsman: The Secret Service < Queen of Katwe
Kingsman: The Secret Service < 2012
Kingsman: The Secret Service > The Nice Guys

Final spot: #818 out of 2763. That seems a bit high, but we'll let it sit for now.

Monkey Business (1952)

IMDb plot summary: A chemist finds his personal and professional life turned upside down when one of his chimpanzees finds the fountain of youth.
Directed by Howard Hawks. Starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, and Marilyn Monroe.

A silly 1950s comedy with Cary Grant was a good bet for me as far as a movie I'd probably enjoy. Unfortunately, the primary joke of the movie doesn't work very well for me. I think I counted two chuckles and a lot of impatient looking at the clock. I do think they did an excellent job of making both leads refreshingly even-tempered and reasonable as their normal selves, so it was clear when they were *not* being that. In a lesser movie, there'd have been a lot more of them blowing up at each other after the "episodes" ended for things they did during them. Overall the concept is just an excuse for the leads to run around acting silly, and the brand of silliness they're going for here isn't bad in and of itself, but it just doesn't work for me. (Plus, there's a *really* uncomfortable way-too-long segment full of Native American stereotypes that made me squirmy. It would have been easier to factor that out if I'd liked the rest of the movie more.)

1.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Monkey Business < Another Thin Man
Monkey Business > The English Patient
Monkey Business < Lilo & Stitch
Monkey Business < The Forest
Monkey Business > Bedtime Story
Monkey Business > Before I Fall
Monkey Business > Young Mr. Lincoln
Monkey Business > The Visitor
Monkey Business < A Man Called Peter

Flickchart crapped out on me at this point, but it's in a pretty accurate spot: #1910 out of 2762.

Song of the Sea (2014)

IMDb plot summary: Ben, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the fairies and save the spirit world.
Directed by Tomm Moore. Starring David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, and Lisa Hannigan.

This is so lovely. In more than one way it reminded me of a Studio Ghibli film, with its strong and relatable child protagonists and its immersion in cultural myths (though these myths are Celtic, not Japanese). The animation is really stunning, and even if I hadn't liked the story as much as I did this would be worth watching just to look at it. Such a beautiful movie.

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Song of the Sea > Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

Song of the Sea > The Front

Song of the Sea < I've Loved You So Long

Song of the Sea < Nativity!

Song of the Sea > Rock of Ages (why is this still so high on my chart?)

Song of the Sea < Center Stage

Song of the Sea > Super 8

Song of the Sea > The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Song of the Sea < The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Song of the Sea > Gone Girl

Song of the Sea < The Cranes are Flying

Final spot: #567 out of 2761.

Lovely & Amazing (2001)

IMDb plot summary: Self-esteem and insecurity are at the heart of this comedy about the relationship between a mother and her three confused daughters.
Directed by Nicole Holofcener. Starring Catherine Keener, Emily Mortimer, Brenda Blethyn, and Raven Goodwin.

You ever watch one of those movies that move you deeply but you didn't realize it until the end of the movie when suddenly you were crying for no known reason? I'm still not sure I can actually verbalize the sum of this movie's parts, but all its parts are incredible. Each scene just seems astonishingly... true. It helps that such incredible actors are cast. (Can we all just agree the world would be a better place if Catherine Keener was in every movie?) As the story went on I was struggling to put together each (marvelous) individual scene into its place in the narrative as a whole, but in the end I'm not even sure that matters as much as it usually would for me, because each piece of it is so good. This is one that's going to stay with me for awhile and that I expect to revisit in the future.

(Note: I just actually looked the movie up and it's by Nicole Holofcener WHICH MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. I watched her film Walking and Talking as well recently and was similarly struck by the natural truthfulness of every moment. Obviously I need to see everything this woman has written.)

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Lovely & Amazing > Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Lovely & Amazing > The Front
Lovely & Amazing < I've Loved You So Long
Lovely & Amazing > Robin Hood (1973)
Lovely & Amazing < Jaws
Lovely & Amazing > The Shape of Water
Lovely & Amazing > The Great Gatsby (2013)
Lovely & Amazing < The Joy Luck Club
Lovely & Amazing < The Virgin Spring
Lovely & Amazing < Philomena
Lovely & Amazing > The Wolf of Wall Street

Final spot: #450 out of 2760.

A Quiet Place (2018)

IMDb plot summary: A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
Directed by John Krasinski. Starring Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe.

This was really pretty incredible. So perfectly put together from beginning to end. It builds the tension well and develops the characters impressively with so little dialogue. I also loved how it was a great mix of horror movie and post-apocalyptic movie and family drama. There are layers to this!

4.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
A Quiet Place > Dead Man Walking
A Quiet Place > Quartet
A Quiet Place > Glengarry Glen Ross
A Quiet Place > Some Like It Hot
A Quiet Place < Back to the Future Part II
A Quiet Place < Rope
A Quiet Place > Strangers on a Train
A Quiet Place < 127 Hours
A Quiet Place < Sleuth
A Quiet Place < Dial M for Murder
A Quiet Place > Speed
Final spot: #148 out of 2759. That is... higher than I expected. But I think it deserves it.

Castle in the Sky (1986)

IMDb plot summary: A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Starring Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek, Cloris Leachman, and Mark Hamill.

This is in the higher echelon of Miyazaki films, for me. It's got some of his best world and character design (the robots!). Just an excellent movie all around.

4.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Castle in the Sky > Dead Man Walking
Castle in the Sky > Baby Driver
Castle in the Sky > Garden State
Castle in the Sky < The Birdcage
Castle in the Sky < Once
Castle in the Sky < The Wizard of Oz
Castle in the Sky > Field of Dreams
Castle in the Sky < Broadway Danny Rose
Castle in the Sky > Grease
Castle in the Sky > High Noon

Final spot: #314 out of 2758.

Jackie Brown (1997)

IMDb plot summary: A middle-aged woman finds herself in the middle of a huge conflict that will either make her a profit or cost her life.
Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, and Bridget Fonda.

Dang, Tarantino makes cool-looking movies. I've been trying the past couple weeks to watch more mindfully for visual elements in film, and this was just... so many screenshots. The poster makes it look so much more boring.

4 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Jackie Brown > The Lost Weekend
Jackie Brown > Sweet Smell of Success
Jackie Brown < Garden State
Jackie Brown < Kiss Me, Stupid!
Jackie Brown < Doctor Strange
Jackie Brown < Upside Down
Jackie Brown > The Departed
Jackie Brown < Marty
Jackie Brown > Serendipity
Jackie Brown < Cannibal!: The Musical

Final spot: #660 out of 2757.

The Death of Stalin (2017)

IMDb plot summary: Follows the Soviet dictator's last days and depicts the chaos of the regime after his death.
Directed by Armando Iannucci. Starring Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, and Michael Palin.

3.5 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Death of Stalin > Is It College Yet?
The Death of Stalin < Baby Driver
The Death of Stalin > The Return of the Living Dead
The Death of Stalin > Peeping Tom
The Death of Stalin > Wristcutters: A Love Story
The Death of Stalin > A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit
The Death of Stalin > The Impossible
The Death of Stalin > High Strung
The Death of Stalin < My Life as a Dog
The Death of Stalin < Christmas in Connecticut
The Death of Stalin < Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The Death of Stalin > Chariots of Fire

Final spot: #698 out of 2756.