Broadcast News (1987)

IMDb plot summary: Take two rival television reporters: one handsome, one talented, both male. Add one Producer, female. Mix well, and watch the sparks fly.
Directed by James L. Brooks. Starring William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, and Robert Prosky.

(Spoilers.)

My non-mystery movie for June was Broadcast News (1987), Greg's #3. I really knew nothing about this movie going into it, but I really enjoyed it. It makes zero sense to me to have Holly Hunter billed third of the main cast, as she is obviously the central character. And she's a great one. She's very relatable and likable -- much more so than either of her co-stars. The dialogue to this movie is so sharp and funny, and it's the key to making a lot of this pop. I also found myself pleasantly surprised by the ending -- I had a feeling she was going to end up with William Hurt, who I pretty strongly disliked, and to see the three of them end up with their own separate lives was a much more satisfying ending than her landing with either of her male leads. I'm a little uncertain of whether it resonated with me enough to stick with me, but it was definitely a fun one-time viewing if nothing else.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Broadcast News > To Sir, With Love
Broadcast News > Zero Effect
Broadcast News < Jean de Florette
Broadcast News > Easy A
Broadcast News < Transamerica
Broadcast News > A Single Man
Broadcast News < Knights of Badassdom
Broadcast News > Captain Blood
Broadcast News < School of Rock
Broadcast News < Clue
Broadcast News < Evil
Broadcast News < True Lies
Final spot: #501 out of 2989, or 83%.

The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

IMDb plot summary: Inspector Clouseau is put on the case when the Pink Panther diamond is stolen, with the Phantom's trademark glove the only clue.
Directed by Blake Edwards. Starring Peter Sellers, Christopher Plummer, Catherine Schell, and Herbert Lom.

Peter Sellers' brand of humor is very, very seldom mine, and that's the case for the majority of this movie. It's not necessarily objectionable or unpleasant the way bad comedy can be, it just falls very flat for me much of the time and leaves me feeling bored, and if there's anything a zany slapstick comedy shouldn't be, it's boring. The plot is pretty thin apart from the jokes, so if they don't work, the movie doesn't either.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Return of the Pink Panther < To Sir, With Love
The Return of the Pink Panther > Barry
The Return of the Pink Panther < O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Return of the Pink Panther < How to Marry a Millionaire
The Return of the Pink Panther < The Rescuers
The Return of the Pink Panther > MASH
The Return of the Pink Panther < It Could Happen to You
The Return of the Pink Panther < Alice in Wonderland (1999)
The Return of the Pink Panther < Live-In Maid
The Return of the Pink Panther < Eddie the Eagle
The Return of the Pink Panther < Pride and Prejudice (1940)
The Return of the Pink Panther < Les Miserables (1935)
Final spot: #2194 out of 2988.

Barbarella (1968)

IMDb plot summary: Barbarella, an astronaut from the 41st century, sets out to find and stop the evil scientist Durand Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy.
Directed by Roger Vadim. Starring Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg, and Milo O'Shea.

I really didn't know what to expect from this, but on my journey to watch 100 movies from 1968, this one just kept popping up on lists, so I thought, "Fine, fine, I'll just watch it." And it was dumb and cheesy and really was only there for the sexcapades, but every so often an intentional joke would land, and that was fun. Not much else to say about this one. Oh, but it was cool to find out Duran Duran got their band name from this movie.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Barbarella < To Sir, With Love
Barbarella < Almost Famous
Barbarella < Curious George
Barbarella < Sweet Home Alabama
Barbarella < The Incredible Journey
Barbarella > Flesh for the Inferno
Barbarella > The Incredible Mr. Limpet
Barbarella > Trans-Europ-Express
Barbarella < Left Behind (2001)
Barbarella > Hop
Barbarella < The Santa Clause 2
Final spot: #2902 out of 2987.

Finian's Rainbow (1968)

IMDb plot summary: An Irish immigrant and his daughter move into a town in the American South with a magical piece of gold that will change people's lives, including a struggling farmer and African American citizens threatened by a bigoted politician.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele, and Don Francks.

This is maybe the best possible film adaptation of one of the worst musicals everrrrrrrrrr. Coppola embraces the cringey nonsensicalness of the script in a way that ends up giving it some really beautiful nonlinear magic, especially in the music numbers, which feel more like music videos in the style of giant Hollywood musicals than anything else. The second rendition (of five, for some reason) of "Look to the Rainbow" is especially a joy. It's one of those numbers that taps deeply into why I love musicals so much. The movie could cut out everything in between the musical numbers, make just about as much narrative sense, and be quite a bit more enjoyable. But what works, REALLY works, and even though there were a lot of other moments that made me go, "Oh, my, no," it's the first movie in awhile that I've really been swept away by, and almost every single musical number managed that.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Finian's Rainbow > The Miracle Worker
Finian's Rainbow > Henry V
Finian's Rainbow < Grease
Finian's Rainbow < Easy A
Finian's Rainbow < La La Land
Finian's Rainbow > Reservoir Dogs
Finian's Rainbow > Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Finian's Rainbow > Brave
Finian's Rainbow < Dust
Finian's Rainbow > National Lampoon's Vacation
Finian's Rainbow > Robot and Frank
Final spot: #659 out of 2986.

Burning (2018)

IMDb plot summary: Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood as him, who asks him to look after her cat while on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.
Directed by Chang-dong Lee. Starring Ah-in Yoo, Steven Yeun, Jong-seo Jun, and Soo-Kyung Kim.

This movie took me two weeks to watch. Reviews describe it with the words of a thoroughly engaging thriller: "taut," "lurid," "compelling," but every time I began watching it, it lulled me to sleep or boredom within 15 minutes, and I just couldn't summon up the will to keep watching. I'm glad I finally finished it, but it just couldn't capture my attention at any point in its 2+ hours.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Burning < The Miracle Worker
Burning > The Butterfly Effect
Burning < Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex...
Burning < From Here to Eternity
Burning < First Man
Burning < Shadow of a Doubt
Burning < Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Burning > Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Burning < Mystic Pizza
Burning < Apocalypse Now
Burning < The Godfather
Burning > Hamlet 2
Final spot: #2226 out of 2985.

Isadora (1968)

IMDb plot summary: A biography of the dancer Isadora Duncan, the 1920s dancer who forever changed people's ideas of ballet.
Directed by Karel Reisz. Starring Vanessa Redgrave, John Fraser, James Fox, and Jason Robards.

I get pieces of what this film is trying to do. I just kind of don't care. Old Isadora presents a much more interesting narrative than the young free-spirited dancer we spend most of our time with. I wish we had seen more of a transition from the latter to the former, even though the contrast is fairly interesting on its own. It just ultimately didn't do much for me.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Isadora < The Miracle Worker
Isadora > Silver Streak
Isadora > Pepito and the Magic Lamp
Isadora < Mickey Blue Eyes
Isadora > Snakes on a Plane
Isadora > Winter's Bone
Isadora < Bridge to Terabithia
Isadora < The Women
Isadora > Sweet and Lowdown
Isadora < Peter Pan (2003)
Isadora < Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Isadora > Kiki's Delivery Service
Final spot: #1717 out of 2984.

Leave No Trace (2018)

IMDb plot summary: A father and his thirteen year-old daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever.
Directed by Debra Granik. Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard, and Derek John Drescher.

I'm finding it difficult to put my thoughts on this movie into words. Maybe it's because the movie itself is quiet and makes me want to be quiet in response. But this is an excellent flick. I really appreciate how much story and personality is packed into it despite not having much dialogue at all. Tom is a fascinating character to watch interact with the world around her. It's one that is going to sit with me in a way something like Captain Fantastic or Into the Wild didn't.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Leave No Trace > Gold Diggers of 1933
Leave No Trace < It (2017)
Leave No Trace > I Love You, Man
Leave No Trace > Gandhi
Leave No Trace > Beyond the Sea
Leave No Trace > Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Leave No Trace > Dredd
Leave No Trace > Zootopia
Leave No Trace < Primer
Leave No Trace > My Life as a Dog
Leave No Trace > Friday the 13th
Final spot: #753 out of 2983.

Manhunter (1986)

IMDb plot summary: Former F.B.I. profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial killer named "the Tooth Fairy" by the media.
Directed by Michael Mann. Starring William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, and Brian Cox.

This is definitely a movie that made a lot of Choices. Most of them are effective, like the frequent all-white color scheme that gives us a feeling of claustrophobia, particularly in the earlier scenes with Lecktor. The soundtrack is also extremely atmospheric. However, I was much less convinced by Mann's screenplay, which feels almost ridiculously simplistic. I found myself laughing nearly every time Graham sat by himself and muttered to the killer. It's just a trope that comes across as a little silly to me even back in 1986. However, most of these quirks ended up striking me as kind of charmingly awkward rather than truly irritating, and in the end I still had a good time with the movie.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Manhunter > Gold Diggers of 1933
Manhunter < It (2017)
Manhunter > Two Weeks Notice
Manhunter > Men in Black
Manhunter < Beyond the Sea
Manhunter < Dogma
Manhunter > High Strung
Manhunter < Pushing Tin
Manhunter > Whisky Galore!
Manhunter < The Country Girl
Manhunter > The Pianist
Final spot: #899 out of 2982, or 70%.

The Great Silence (1968)

IMDb plot summary: A mute gunfighter defends a young widow and a group of outlaws against a gang of bounty killers in the winter of 1898, and a grim, tense struggle unfolds.
Directed by Sergio Corbucci. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff, and Luigi Pistilli.

(Spoilers ahead.)

Westerns as a genre typically don't spark my interest at all. I find stereotypical western heroes unrelatable and unlikable, and I dislike the vibe of "don't you miss the old days of independence and vigilante justice?" vibe that so many of them give off. The few westerns I am drawn to are ones that subvert the genre, and this one definitely does that. There's such a sense throughout this of violence begetting violence -- even legal violence, even violence in the service of others, eventually it just all circles back and hurts everyone. I really didn't see the ending coming at all and found it startling and devastating.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Great Silence > 300
The Great Silence > Henry V
The Great Silence < Vertigo
The Great Silence < Easy A
The Great Silence < Woman in the Dunes
The Great Silence < Reservoir Dogs
The Great Silence > Brooklyn
The Great Silence > Gone Girl
The Great Silence < Seven Up!
The Great Silence < The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The Great Silence < The Cranes Are Flying
The Great Silence < Song of the Sea
Final spot: #710 out of 2981.