Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

IMDb plot summary: The story of the legendary rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).
Directed by Bryan Singer. Directed by Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, and Ben Hardy.

There's very few things as disappointing to me as a movie musical that doesn't bother to do anything with the way they shoot the music. For a movie about one of my favorite bands of all time, they could not have been less inspired in the way they incorporated the music into the story. Instead we get a vague story of ego and teamwork that doesn't bother to develop any of the characters. I don't even know how you take a movie featuring the music of Queen and make it this dull.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Bohemian Rhapsody < The Asphalt Jungle
Bohemian Rhapsody < The Godfather
Bohemian Rhapsody > Speak
Bohemian Rhapsody < The Rescuers Down Under
Bohemian Rhapsody > Gangs of New York
Bohemian Rhapsody > Medium Cool
Bohemian Rhapsody > Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed
Bohemian Rhapsody > The Words
Bohemian Rhapsody > The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
Bohemian Rhapsody < Holiday Affair
Final spot: #2444 out of 3001.

Blackmail Is My Life (1968)

IMDb plot summary: A pungent, extremely entertaining tale of hedonistic, amoral blackmailer Matsukata.
Directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Starring Hiroki Matsukata, Tomomi Satô, Hideo Murota, and Akira Jo.

This movie went in a very different direction than I thought it would from the start. The first piece of the movie feels almost like a silly, fun heist movie about this group of young blackmailers, but then as things around them get more serious, so does the story, and we end with basically a full noir. I definitely preferred the first part of the movie, since it was something I hadn't seen before, and was a little bored by the more predictable way the story played out at the end.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Blackmail Is My Life < Descendants
Blackmail Is My Life > The Godfather
Blackmail Is My Life > Goldfinger
Blackmail Is My Life > Short Circuit
Blackmail Is My Life < Dead Man Walking
Blackmail Is My Life > Birdman of Alcatraz
Blackmail Is My Life > Teacher of the Year
Blackmail Is My Life < Anna and the King
Blackmail Is My Life < The Wailing
Blackmail Is My Life > The Cruise
Blackmail Is My Life < The Paperboy
Final spot: #1613 out of 3000.

Rachel, Rachel (1968)

IMDb plot summary: Rachel is a 35 year old school teacher who has no man in her life and lives with her mother. When a man from the big city returns and asks her out, she begins to have to make decisions about her life and where she wants it to go.
Directed by Paul Newman. Starring Joanne Woodward, James Olson, Kate Harrington, and Estelle Parsons.

(Spoilers.)

This has a lot going for it. Rachel is an interesting character, and the way the movie gets us inside her head and its fears, hopes, and impulses is really well-done. I found myself oddly disappointed that the thing that motivated her to change her life was a simple romantic affair -- I don't know what I hoped it would be, but it felt like it tread more familiar ground once that relationship got going. That being said, it was still an enjoyable watch and I still think she's a great character.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Rachel, Rachel > Lawless
Rachel, Rachel < The Lady Vanishes
Rachel, Rachel < Star Trek: Generations
Rachel, Rachel > The Vanishing
Rachel, Rachel > Ponyo
Rachel, Rachel < Punch-Drunk Love
Rachel, Rachel > Frances Ha
Rachel, Rachel > The Fixer
Rachel, Rachel > Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Rachel, Rachel > Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Final spot: #1174 out of 2999.

Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmélites (2019)

IMDb plot summary: The opera tells a fictionalised version of the story of the Martyrs of Compiègne, Carmelite nuns who, in 1794 during the closing days of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, were guillotined in Paris for refusing to renounce their vocation.
Directed by Gary Halvorson. Starring Isabel Leonard, Adrianne Pieczonka, Erin Morley, and Karen Cargill.

The music in this is nice, and there are some very striking visuals with the set and costume design. The story itself is better in concept than in execution, and it does make me interested to see other versions of this story.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Dialogues des Carmélites > Lawless
Dialogues des Carmélites < The Lady Vanishes
Dialogues des Carmélites < Full Metal Jacket
Dialogues des Carmélites > The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe (1988)
Dialogues des Carmélites < The Call
Dialogues des Carmélites < Borstal Boy
Dialogues des Carmélites < Absolute Power
Dialogues des Carmélites < Spider-Man: Homecoming
Dialogues des Carmélites < Letters from Iwo Jima
Dialogues des Carmélites > Hopscotch
Dialogues des Carmélites > After the Wedding
Dialogues des Carmélites > A Separation
Final spot: #1306 out of 2998.

Destroy All Monsters (1968)

IMDb plot summary: Female aliens take control of Earth's monsters and begin using them to destroy the human race.
Directed by Ishirô Honda. Starring Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi, and Yoshio Tsuchiya.

This one takes a little while to get going, but when it does, it's so much fun. It was interesting to realize how satisfying I found the destruction scenes, despite the extremely dated and low-budget effects. But while it's less immersive than a modern day action movie with things exploding all over the place, it's also much easier to follow visually. "Yup, that building's getting crushed." It's a different kind of fun, like the satisfaction you get from just knocking over Lego buildings. It's not realistic by any stretch of the imagination but I maybe prefer this to the chaotic sort of "explosions and debris everywhere" style.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Destroy All Monsters > The Recruit
Destroy All Monsters < The Lady Vanishes
Destroy All Monsters > Serenity
Destroy All Monsters > Dan in Real Life
Destroy All Monsters > The Boys of Paul Street
Destroy All Monsters < Thor: Ragnarok
Destroy All Monsters < Peggy Sue Got Married
Destroy All Monsters < Andhadhun
Destroy All Monsters < The Sessions
Destroy All Monsters > 49 Up
Destroy All Monsters > Upside Down
Destroy All Monsters < Waking Ned Devine
Final spot: #838 out of 2997.

49 Up (2005)

IMDb plot summary: In 1964, to explore the adage "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man," World in Action filmed seven-year-olds. Every seven years, Michael Apted visits them. At 49, 12 agree to talk about family, work, their hopes, and the series.
Directed by Michael Apted.

This is a bit more like what I've been expecting the last two entries in the series to be like. Most people to be pretty well settled in, with the changes in their lives being expected ones. It's a quieter entry than many of the previous ones, which is all right, just not one that captures my interest as much. The most interesting recurring theme here is that of the subjects' response to the documentary itself -- often a negative one. I'll be curious to see how many of them continue to participate in the next installment.

How it entered my Flickchart:
49 Up > The Recruit
49 Up < The Hudsucker Proxy
49 Up > Serenity
49 Up > Dan in Real Life
49 Up > Akira
49 Up > Thor: Ragnarok
49 Up < Peggy Sue Got Married
49 Up < Andhadhun
49 Up < The Sessions
49 Up > Porco Rosso
49 Up < Upside Down
Final spot: #839 out of 2996.

Death by Hanging (1968)

IMDb plot summary: A Korean man is sentenced to death by hanging, but he survives the execution. For the following two hours, his executioners try to work out how to handle the situation in this black farce.
Directed by Nagisa Ôshima. Starring Kei Satô, Do-yun Yu, Fumio Watanabe, and Hôsei Komatsu.

This is a fascinating movie. I prefer the first half's comedic absurdity to the second half's surreal absurdism, but both are pretty captivating and put forth all kinds of interesting questions about guilt and conscience and responsibility.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Death by Hanging > An Affair to Remember
Death by Hanging < The Lady Vanishes
Death by Hanging > The Descendants (2011)
Death by Hanging > The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Death by Hanging > Le bonheur
Death by Hanging < Judgment at Nuremberg
Death by Hanging > M
Death by Hanging < Fright Night (2011)
Death by Hanging > Under the Skin
Death by Hanging > The Emperor Waltz
Death by Hanging > Frankenweenie
Final spot: #808 out of 2995.

42 Up (1998)

IMDb plot summary: Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Directed by Michael Apted.

(Spoilers.)

Just when I think, "OK, the *next* episode is going to just be more of the same," I watch it and get so involved again. Loss is a heavy theme in this one, as most of the people being filmed are starting to lose their parents at this point in their lives, but also loss of jobs and relationships. But in the midst of all this, new and exciting things are happening too. In particular I found myself delighted by Neil and Bruce's stories -- not only because they finally reached some goals they'd set for themselves earlier on, but also because I learned they'd become very good friends thanks to their participation in this documentary. That warmed my heart so much I had to pause the movie and relay this information to my husband, despite the fact that he hasn't been watching along with me and really doesn't know who any of these people are. Overall, such a great entry in the series.

How it entered my Flickchart:
42 Up > An Affair to Remember
42 Up > Zero Effect
42 Up < Jean de Florette
42 Up < The Grand Budapest Hotel
42 Up < Deadpool
42 Up < The Woodsman
42 Up > Auntie Mame
42 Up > Song of the Sea
42 Up > Gone Baby Gone
42 Up < Spotlight

Final spot: #707 out of 2994.

Green Book (2018)

IMDb plot summary: A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
Directed by Peter Farrelly. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, and Sebastian Maniscalco.

When taken as just a sweet little buddy road trip movie, this is enjoyable enough. But I'm very confused about what people who gave it the Oscar nom think it's *saying*. It raises questions of privilege (both race and wealth, though the former more heavily and obviously) and then like... never resolves them? Or possibly only resolves them by saying, "Don't be individually prejudiced toward people," which... is not a new thought and is not handled interestingly here. Neither character feels changed at the end of the movie from who they were at the beginning. It's just a jumbled mess of a message.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Green Book < O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Green Book > Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Green Book < The Three Musketeers
Green Book < The Lost Boys
Green Book > Burn After Reading
Green Book > Show Boat (1951)
Green Book > Destry Rides Again
Green Book > Zero Dark Thirty
Green Book > An Officer and a Gentleman
Green Book > Happy-Go-Lucky
Green Book > The Love Witch
Final spot: #2059 out of 2993. This is a tad bit low because The Lost Boys is too low.

Ivan the Terrible, Part One (1944)

IMDb plot summary: During the early part of his reign, Ivan the Terrible faces betrayal from the aristocracy and even his closest friends as he seeks to unite the Russian people.
Directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein. Starring Nikolay Cherkasov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman, and Mikhail Nazvanov.

There's a definite stylized artfulness to this which I could see being *very* into. Everything is slow and deliberate. I commented partway that it felt like the whole movie was one long ritual, and I still think that -- not only do we get very detailed recreations of various coronation and death rituals, but all of the rest of the movie seems to be doing that as well. As such, I didn't find it particularly engaging on a narrative level but I did find it an interesting aesthetic experience.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Ivan the Terrible, Part One < An Affair to Remember
Ivan the Terrible, Part One > Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl
Ivan the Terrible, Part One < Tin Man
Ivan the Terrible, Part One > The Love Witch
Ivan the Terrible, Part One > Saturday Night Fever
Ivan the Terrible, Part One > To Have and Have Not
Ivan the Terrible, Part One < Melinda and Melinda
Ivan the Terrible, Part One > Joe Versus the Volcano
Ivan the Terrible, Part One < The Pajama Game
Ivan the Terrible, Part One < The Year Without a Santa Claus
Ivan the Terrible, Part One > Vice
Final spot: #1902 out of 2992.

35 Up (1991)

IMDb plot summary: Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Directed by Michael Apted.

I've been rewatching through the Up series from the beginning, as I'd only ever gotten to 28. I remember stopping at 28 on my last watch, with the feeling that surely now most of these people would be "settled" into their lives and wouldn't deviate too much going forward. To my surprise, that wasn't entirely true. There were quite a few who had made some big changes, and one subject who had opted out of a previous entry came back to update us on where they were now. It's interesting (and a little sad) to watch people maybe now realizing that some of the goals they set for themselves are unlikely to be achieved, but also encouraging to see so many of them making the best of whatever hand they'd been dealt. I find myself strangely attached to these people now, and will hopefully be able to get caught up on the series in the near future.

How it entered my Flickchart:
35 Up > Fantastic Mr. Fox
35 Up < The Lady Vanishes
35 Up > The Theory of Everything
35 Up < Safety Last!
35 Up < The Hateful Eight
35 Up > Children of Paradise
35 Up > The Hidden Fortress
35 Up > Before Sunset
35 Up < The Killing of a Sacred Deer
35 Up > Ant-Man
35 Up > Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe
Final spot: #1035 out of 2991.

Fail Safe (2000)

IMDb plot summary: Cold War tensions climb to a fever pitch when a U.S. bomber is accidentally ordered to drop a nuclear warhead on Moscow.
Directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Noah Wyle, Brian Dennehy, and Sam Elliott.

(Spoilers.)

The original Fail-Safe lands at 91% on my chart, but as I watch this remade version (which to my memory lines up pretty carefully with the original), I have to wonder whether it would drop on a rewatch. I suspect the power of the original rested heavily on me being surprised by its ending. It is a bold, powerful way to end the story, and wasn't at all what I had suspected when I watched the original. Knowing it's coming is a different story.

The film itself is done well. There is a serious sense of claustrophobia about every set, which works very well for the story. I liked how the dramatic character actions don't seem at all contrived -- the responses make sense for each character, and that yields a level of realism that I very much appreciate.

It's a well-made film, it just didn't pack the emotional punch I was expecting, though, as I said, that may have been the fault of already knowing how the story was going to end. But different pieces of the story stand out to me here. While with the 1964, I strongly remember that whistle at the end -- the sound that turned the tide of the story -- here I hold onto the contrast between discipline and terror that runs through every character.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Fail Safe > Wallace & Gromit in A Close Shave
Fail Safe < The Lady Vanishes
Fail Safe > The Theory of Everything
Fail Safe > Safety Last!
Fail Safe > Chain Reaction
Fail Safe > The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
Fail Safe > Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Fail Safe > Friday the 13th
Fail Safe < Red Eye
Fail Safe > A Nightmare on Elm Street
Fail Safe > Smiles of a Summer Night
Final spot: #754 out of 2990, or 75%.