Charly (1968)

IMDb plot summary: An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.
Directed by Ralph Nelson. Starring Cliff Robertson, Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, and Leon Janney.

Despite Flowers for Algernon being adapted multiple times to stage, screen, and radio, I've actually never seen/heard any of them, nor have I read the short story, so while I had a general idea of what happened here, this was my first chance to really discover the full story. This one feels... lacking. It *feels* like a short story expanded into a longer version, and as such it seems to be rushed, particularly toward the end, where we don't really have much, if any, time to grapple with the fact of what's coming. The majority of the film is spent setting up the climactic turn of events, and I wish the film had been more evenly distributed between the story beats. I'm not sure what the film as set up here is attempting to tell me -- ignorance is bliss? Scientists shouldn't try to mess with the human brain? I feel like it's trying to say something significant but isn't sure itself what that is. That being said, this messy film does have some nice moments. The few scenes we do get of Charly coming to grips with his fate are well-crafted and exepertly put us inside his head, and watching his story unfold is interesting. Just messy in hindsight.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Charly < Nine Lives
Charly > The Toy That Saved Christmas
Charly > The Deer Hunter
Charly < Yankee Doodle Dandy
Charly < Blade Runner
Charly < Company (1997)
Charly < Twist of Faith
Charly > The Thirteenth Floor
Charly > Dazed and Confused
Charly < Biloxi Blues
Charly < The Man in the Iron Mask
Final spot: #1896 out of 3065.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

IMDb plot summary: Four teenage mutant ninja turtles emerge from the shadows to protect New York City from a gang of criminal ninjas.
Directed by Steve Barron. Starring Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Josh Pais, and David Forman.

This is... harmless, I guess. As far as movies clearly made for children go, this one isn't nearly as obnoxious as it could have been, though it is almost ridiculously simplistic. I think it was a bonkers design choice from day one of these characters' inception to have one turtle with a red mask and one with an orange, because they look way too similar and I kept mixing them up.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles < Laura
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > The Toy That Saved Christmas
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles < Ocean's Twelve
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles < A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles < The Importance of Being Earnest
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > American Graffiti
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > The Last Temptation of Christ
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > Kinsey
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > Big Business
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > Double Jeopardy
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > Graveyard of Honor (1975)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles > Band of Outsiders
Final spot: #2203 out of 3064.

The Party (1968)

IMDb plot summary: A clerical mistake results in a bumbling Indian film star being invited to an exclusive Hollywood party instead of being fired.
Directed by Blake Edwards. Starring Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, J. Edward McKinley, and Denny Miller.

As a straight farce, this is fine. Has some good moments, builds to a nice conclusion. The moment where the toilet paper just unrolled all the way had me cackling. But it's all spoiled by the fact that for *no* reason inherent to the plot (as if that would justify it), Peter Sellers is in brownface playing an Indian character. It's not like this movie is astonishingly great outside of that, but it is a little piece of "ew" that is found throughout and makes it less enjoyable.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Party < Laura
The Party > Gone With the Wind
The Party < Ocean's Twelve
The Party < A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
The Party > Band of Outsiders
The Party > Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
The Party > Teacher's Pet
The Party < 101 Dalmatians (1961)
The Party < The Aristocats
The Party > The Peanut Butter Falcon
The Party > 12 Days of Terror
The Party > The Christmas Toy
Final spot: #2125 out of 3063.

Hang 'Em High (1968)

IMDb plot summary: When an innocent man barely survives a lynching, he returns as a lawman determined to bring the vigilantes to justice.
Directed by Ted Post. Starring Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Eg Begley, and Pat Hingle.

As far as westerns go, this one is all right. It does some interesting things looking at the ethics of vigilante justice, which is much more interesting to me. And it's kind of a downer of an ending, also an interesting route. As much as I disagree with Clint Eastwood's politics as an older actor, I really respect the way he was often willing to play in (and direct) movies where the vigilante hero isn't automatically the good guy.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Hang 'Em High < A Night to Remember
Hang 'Em High > Gone with the Wind
Hang 'Em High > Ocean's Twelve
Hang 'Em High > Suspiria (1977)
Hang 'Em High > Gattaca
Hang 'Em High < For Your Consideration
Hang 'Em High > The Hangover
Hang 'Em High < Music Within
Hang 'Em High < John Dies at the End
Hang 'Em High > Blackmail Is My Life
Hang 'Em High > The Misfits
Hang 'Em High < Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Final spot: #1598 out of 3062.

The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)

IMDb plot summary: Ukrainian Archbishop Kiril Lakota is set free after twenty years as a political prisoner in Siberia. When the Pontiff suddenly dies, Lakota's genuine character and unique life experience move the College of Cardinals to elect him as the new Pope. But Pope Kiril I must now deal with his own self-doubt, the struggle of his friend Father Telemond, who is under scrutiny for his beliefs, and find a solution to the crisis in China.
Directed by Michael Anderson. Starring Anthony Quinn, Laurence Olivier, Oskar Werner, and David Janssen.

What an intriguing story. It definitely conjures up this enormous larger-than-life feel, helped by its including both an overture and an entr'acte despite having no musical numbers. Though perhaps not technically an epic, it definitely plays in that territory and includes those meandering philosophical discussions that fit so well there. It's a slow thoughtful film that ultimately finds itself in the difficult situation of needing to actually resolve the problems its character faces, despite those resolutions seldom being so quick or so easy. Still a worthwhile watch, but even in nearly 3 hours of film, its ending feels rushed because of the enormity of its questions.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Shoes of the Fisherman > Laura
The Shoes of the Fisherman < An American Werewolf in London
The Shoes of the Fisherman > Starship Troopers
The Shoes of the Fisherman > Gone in 60 Seconds
The Shoes of the Fisherman > The Miseducation of Cameron Post
The Shoes of the Fisherman < Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation
The Shoes of the Fisherman > The Emperor Waltz
The Shoes of the Fisherman < The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
The Shoes of the Fisherman < Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
The Shoes of the Fisherman < Fright Night (2011)
The Shoes of the Fisherman > Death by Hanging
Final spot: #834 out of 3061.

Short Term 12 (2013)

IMDb plot summary: A 20-something supervising staff member of a residential treatment facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Starring Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Stephanie Beatriz, and Rami Malek.

This is one of those films that I feel digging under my skin and getting to me years from now. It's an astonishingly good series of performances from everyone involved, but especially Brie Larson, and it hits home as a teacher, even though most of my students are not in these situations. There's a beautiful amount of nuance in this script as well, touching on a lot of different themes and how our past can affect how we deal with those themes. Just a really solid drama.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Short Term 12 > Laura
Short Term 12 > An American Werewolf in London
Short Term 12 < Vertigo
Short Term 12 > The Wolf of Wall Street
Short Term 12 < Days of Wine and Roses
Short Term 12 > Synecdoche, New York
Short Term 12 > Lolita (1962)
Short Term 12 > Star Trek (2009)
Short Term 12 < Good Will Hunting
Short Term 12 > Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Short Term 12 < The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
Final spot: #486 out of 3060.

Blow Dry (2001)

IMDb plot summary: In 2000, a small town hosts The British Hairdressing Championship, where a former 2-time winner, his son, his run-away wife and his runaway wife's lady lover reside (not all on speaking terms).
Directed by Paddy Breathnach. Starring Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, and Rachel Leigh Cook.

Despite being about a rather unusual artistic endeavor, this film regardless feels very familiar in its format and in the beats and dynamics at play. Where it succeeds is in the charisma of its stars, particularly Natasha Richardson and Alan Rickman, and watching this made me deeply sad that we have lost both of them. They're so excellent here, really bringing the heart to what could have been a much blander film. But with them, it's a sweet and enjoyable flick.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Blow Dry > Nine Lives
Blow Dry < An American Werewolf in London
Blow Dry < Starship Troopers
Blow Dry > Kinky Boots the Musical
Blow Dry > The Spy Who Loved Me
Blow Dry > Lord of the Flies
Blow Dry > The Theory of Everything
Blow Dry < A Chorus Line
Blow Dry > Aliens
Blow Dry < Winnie the Pooh
Blow Dry < Full Metal Jacket
Blow Dry < Star Trek: Generations
Final spot: #1165 out of 3059.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

IMDb plot summary: Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.
Directed by Stephan Elliott. Starring Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, and Bill Hunter.

Watching this back-to-back with To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, which came out the following year, is kind of surreal, as that was essentially just a fluffier version of this movie. This one is a little bit more willing to delve into the dangers facing these characters just trying to be themselves without automatically assuming a happy ending. I don't connect as much with these characters, but it's still a really good and lovely film with some excellent dialogue. It's just hard not to compare the two back to back!

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > Nine Lives
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert < An American Werewolf in London
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > Starship Troopers
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > Gone in 60 Seconds
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert < The Miseducation of Cameron Post
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > Split
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > Band of Robbers
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > The Boys of Paul Street
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > Destroy All Monsters
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert > Billy Elliot the Musical Live
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert < The Secret Garden (1987)
Final spot: #862 out of 3058.

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)

IMDb plot summary: Three drag queens travel cross-country until their car breaks down, leaving them stranded in a small town.
Directed by Beeban Kidron. Starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, and Stockard Channing.

...I maybe super love this? It hits a really fascinating note between unbridled optimism about humanity and touching on the more serious aspects of homophobia -- though many of those get resolved much more neatly than they would in real life. It almost functions as a sort of power fantasy about the ideal world for these women to live in -- one where they are accepted and all the jerks are either run out of town or turn into good people at the end. It's light and fluffy and functions largely on the incredible performances of its three leads. I keep going back and forth on which one I liked the most, but they're all stellar and create such wonderful characters. I'm sure there are problematic things to be found in here, it's a movie from the 90s, but I found myself entirely enraptured with these ladies and their journey, and it was just nice to see a movie where everything works out for all the LGBT folks. That still doesn't happen very often on film and even less in the 90s, so I love when it does.

How it entered my Flickchart:
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > The Princess Diaries
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > Kubo and the Two Strings
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > Vertigo
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar < Amahl and the Night Visitors
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar < Nativity!
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > The Kindergarten Teacher
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar < Annihilation
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > A Simple Plan
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > (500) Days of Summer
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > Once
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar > Pirate Radio
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar < Stranger Than Fiction
Final spot: #312 out of 3057.

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968)

IMDb plot summary: When Castle Dracula is exorcised by the Monsignor, it accidentally brings the Count back from the dead. Dracula follows the Monsignor back to his hometown, preying on the holy man's beautiful niece and her friends.
Directed by Freddie Francis. Starring Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, and Barry Andrews.

Well, this is exactly what you would think it is. It's hilariously campy and ridiculous, and every time Christopher Lee just widens his eyes at people and they freak out is so much fun. I'm almost certainly going to forget all about it a day or two after having seen it, but it was an enjoyable watch while it was going!

How it entered my Flickchart:
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave < The Absent-Minded Professor
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave < State of the Union
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > Get Carter
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > Spinning Into Butter
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > Don't Look Now
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > Out of Time
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > A Farewell to Fools
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > Simone
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > Rancho Notorious
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave > The Black Stallion
Final spot: #2293 out of 3056, which seems low but it is what it is.

Naughty Marietta (1935)

IMDb plot summary: In order to avoid a prearranged marriage, a rebellious French princess sheds her identity and escapes to colonial New Orleans, where she finds an unlikely true love.
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard and W.S. Van Dyke. Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan, and Elsa Lanchester.

This is… oddly compelling, and I can’t put my finger on why exactly, because if I examine the individual pieces of it, none of them stand out as, “Ah, yes, that’s why I liked this movie.” But it all comes together into something very charming and engaging, and I really enjoy how abruptly the rather significant conflict is wrapped up at the end. We don’t have time for anything more elaborate than that, there are songs to be sung! And unlike a lot of films about upper-class women running away to find their freedom (there are a surprising amount of these) I actually feel like Marietta might do all right off on her own.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Naughty Marietta > Inland Empire
Naughty Marietta < An American Werewolf in London
Naughty Marietta > Away We Go
Naughty Marietta > Oliver Twist (1948)
Naughty Marietta > Billy Elliot the Musical Live
Naughty Marietta < Show Me Love
Naughty Marietta < The Happening
Naughty Marietta < There Will Be Blood
Naughty Marietta > The Matador
Naughty Marietta < The Mummy (1932)
Naughty Marietta < Hannah Arendt
Naughty Marietta > Andhadhun
Final spot: #852 out of 3055.

Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1983)

IMDb plot summary: IMDb plot summary: As the Metropolitan Museum of Art closes, Big Bird decides to leave his Sesame Street friends behind in search of Snuffy. Once locked inside for the night, educational hilarity ensues as Big Bird and Snuffy team up to help a ghost of a small Egyptian boy solve a mysterious riddle. The rest of Sesame Street's residents search for Big Bird.
Directed by Jon Stone. Starring Caroll Spinney, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, and Martin P. Robinson.

Let me start by saying I did not grow up watching Sesame Street, so my nostalgic attachment to these characters is much lower than it would be for most folks my age. That being said, this is a pretty charming little art special for kids. It’s engaging for younger ones without talking down to them, and I like how many pieces of actual art we get to see, as well as seeing characters connect to them for different reasons. The songs are all pretty decent, too. Even though I am not the intended audience for this, I admire what it’s doing.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Don't Eat the Pictures < The Princess Diaries
Don't Eat the Pictures > Start the Revolution Without Me
Don't Eat the Pictures > Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Don't Eat the Pictures > Son of Rambow
Don't Eat the Pictures > Three Amigos
Don't Eat the Pictures < Ramona and Beezus
Don't Eat the Pictures > Iron Eagle
Don't Eat the Pictures > Incredibles 2
Don't Eat the Pictures < Amazing Grace
Don't Eat the Pictures > Lost in America
Don't Eat the Pictures > Music Within
Don't Eat the Pictures > Liz & Dick
Final spot: #1581 out of 3054.

Swing Girls (2004)

IMDb plot summary: A tale of delinquent and lazy school girls. In their efforts to cut remedial summer math class, they end up vitiating and replacing the schools brass band.
Directed by Shinobu Yaguchi. Starring Juri Ueno, Yûta Hiraoka, Shihori Kanjiya, and Yuika Motokariya.

This one took a little while for me to really get into, all about this group of girls (and one boy) starting a jazz band. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and their names are hardly ever spoken, which makes it trickier to track who is who. But it settles into a nice, entertaining groove toward the end and finishes with a nice mix of silly and sentimental, along with a really fun final musical number.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Swing Girls > Inland Empire
Swing Girls < An American Werewolf in London
Swing Girls > Away We Go
Swing Girls < Catfish
Swing Girls < American Teen
Swing Girls < The Horse's Mouth
Swing Girls < Interiors
Swing Girls > How Do You Know
Swing Girls > The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Swing Girls > Princess Mononoke
Swing Girls > Children of Paradise
Swing Girls > Loving Vincent
Final spot: #1122 out of 3053.

City of God (2002)

IMDb plot summary: In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
Directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund. Starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, and Douglas Silva.

This is a movie that’s been on my watchlist for a very long time, and I should have seen it long before now. While I have a very tough time buying into crime movies, this one has some pretty heartbreaking scenes, particularly some of the ones featuring very young children getting caught up in the violence that’s all around them. The camera work could be distracting but it works here -- really makes me feel like you’re part of this world with them (though I don’t really want to be). Overall a well-made movie, even if it isn’t quite my genre.

How it entered my Flickchart:
City of God > Inland Empire
City of God < The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
City of God > Away We Go
City of God > Oliver Twist (1948)
City of God < The Miseducation of Cameron Post
City of God > The Children's Hour
City of God < World War Z
City of God > The General
City of God > Monsters Vs. Aliens
City of God < Moneyball
City of God > Meet Joe Black
Final spot: #885 out of 3052.

Jackie (2016)

IMDb plot summary: Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.
Directed by Pablo Larraín. Starring Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, and Billy Crudup.

This film comes two years after what I like to call The Year of “Difficult Men and the Women Who Loved Them” Movies. Five of the eight movies nominated for Best Picture that year fell in this category, and a sixth escaped the label only because the difficult man didn’t get a woman. Anyway, that to say I am VERY TIRED of this formula, which is probably why I avoided this movie the first time around because I felt like it would inevitably end up being *about* John F. Kennedy despite pretending to be about Jackie. To my surprise, that was not the case. It’s definitely her story. The decision for him to not even be in the movie in flashbacks until the end was genius, as it really lets us focus on her experience. And when she speaks about him, it’s often in disagreement with other people also discuss him, and since we never see him himself to confirm or deny her assessment, it makes it so much more about her reaction than about who he was. Natalie Portman is excellent here, of course. She is a master of subtle acting, particularly in her facial expressions, which means she’s so good at portraying characters who are acting one way but feel another -- something Jackie constantly must deal with as a woman going through a tragedy in the public eye. The film didn’t blow me away, but it is a good one, and best of all, it feels like a *film* instead of a solemn chronicling of events the way many biopics are.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Jackie > Lazer Team
Jackie < The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Jackie > The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Jackie < Anna Karenina
Jackie < Zoolander
Jackie > The Wedding Singer
Jackie < 35 Up
Jackie < The Sound of Music
Jackie < Junebug
Jackie > The Hidden Fortress
Jackie > The Horse's Mouth
Jackie < The Bad Sleep Well
Final spot: #1092 out of 3051.

My Blueberry Nights (2007)

IMDb plot summary: A young lonely woman takes a soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love while encountering a series of offbeat characters along the way.
Directed by Kar-Wai Wong. Starring Jude Law, Norah Jones, David Strathairn, and Natalie Portman.

This kind of works as a series of short films but is much less compelling as an overall narrative. Elizabeth’s arc from story to story is mostly unconnected (and I don’t think it’s Norah Jones’ acting inexperience at fault here, it’s a script problem) but the people she finds herself enmeshed with are fascinating, especially David Strathairn’s alcoholic police officer unwilling to accept the demise of his marriage. The bookended pieces are only held together by Jude Law being supernaturally charming.

How it entered my Flickchart:
My Blueberry Nights > Lazer Team
My Blueberry Nights < The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
My Blueberry Nights < Gentleman's Agreement
My Blueberry Nights < As It Is In Heaven
My Blueberry Nights < Holiday (2018)
My Blueberry Nights < The Wiz
My Blueberry Nights < I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
My Blueberry Nights < The Pursuit of Happyness
My Blueberry Nights < A Night to Remember
My Blueberry Nights < The Absent-Minded Professor
My Blueberry Nights < The Princess Diaries
My Blueberry Nights > Company (2011)
Final spot: #1524 out of 3050.

Annihilation (2018)

IMDb plot summary: A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
Directed by Alex Garland. Starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac, and Tessa Thompson.

This is an astonishingly great movie. Alex Garland’s previously film Ex Machina was a clever and thoughtful piece as well, but this one is a little less explained and relies a little more heavily on psychological and emotional cinematic language, and the result is incredible. It’s full of haunting imagery and sounds/music, as well as some dramatic choreography that is simultaneously terrifying and beautiful. And I love how many great, fleshed out female characters there are. Sci fi has such a sad lack of them, and here all our five protagonists are all women and passing the heck out of the Bechdel test and it’s great. The themes of depression and self-destruction are conveyed in such a compelling, powerful way -- I’m still thinking about this film several days after having seen it.

How it entered my chart:
Annihilation > Avengers: Age of Ultron
Annihilation > An American Werewolf in London
Annihilation > Vertigo
Annihilation < Amahl and the Night Visitors
Annihilation > Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Annihilation > The Kindergarten Teacher
Annihilation < The Lego Movie
Annihilation > A Simple Plan
Annihilation > (500) Days of Summer
Annihilation > Once
Annihilation > Pirate Radio
Annihilation > Stranger Than Fiction
Final spot: #310 out of 3049.

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

IMDb plot summary: Zak runs away from his care home to make his dream of becoming a wrestler come true.
Directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz. Starring Zack Gottsagen, Dakota Johnson, Shia LaBeouf, and Thomas Haden Church.

I love the story behind this movie. The young actor playing Zak in the movie met the writer/director and expressed his desire to be in a movie someday, and voila, this movie was written for him. I just wish that that actor had gotten a better project from it. It definitely centers his character and gives him some agency -- something a lot of movies about folks with disabilities do not do -- but the emotional and narrative arcs of this movie go *nowhere*, and the movie can’t figure out how to end, so it just abruptly jumps from a climactic moment (that complicates things rather than smooths them) to the happy ending. It’s so abrupt and so unexplained that I genuinely found myself wondering if it was a dream sequence. Additionally, this type of movie usually ends with the characters having learned or grown or… something. I’m not convinced any of them did? They all just did things. Especially Eleanor -- why is she even in this movie? It’s a strange, messy movie with a good heart.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Peanut Butter Falcon < Lazer Team
The Peanut Butter Falcon > Rancho Notorious
The Peanut Butter Falcon < Closer to the Moon
The Peanut Butter Falcon < 101 Dalmatians (1961)
The Peanut Butter Falcon > Nine
The Peanut Butter Falcon > Arlington Road
The Peanut Butter Falcon > Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?
The Peanut Butter Falcon > The Birth of a Nation
The Peanut Butter Falcon < The Aristocats
The Peanut Butter Falcon < 12 Days of Terror
The Peanut Butter Falcon > Petulia
Final spot: #2104 out of 3048.

The Dirty Dozen (1967)

IMDb plot summary: During World War II, a rebellious U.S. Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers.
Directed by Robert Aldrich. Starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, and Jim Brown.

What a strangely paced movie. In two and a half hours it barely has time to introduce any of characters and doesn't have time for any kind of denouement, leaving me genuinely confused about whether it thinks these characters were worth exploring or saving. I guess we're just supposed to be rooting for the Major and everyone else's story is expendable, which I'd say feels weirdly incongruous with the tone of the movie, but I suppose it isn't. While this plot should have an obviously arc of redemption through heroism, these men are only really ever seen as war fodder, even by our protagonist, it's just a question of whether or not they're going to be GOOD war fodder. It turns out they are, so... yay?

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Dirty Dozen < The Sasquatch Gang
The Dirty Dozen > Stardust Memories
The Dirty Dozen < The Giver
The Dirty Dozen > X2
The Dirty Dozen < The Lorax (1972)
The Dirty Dozen < Into the Wild
The Dirty Dozen < An Ideal Husband
The Dirty Dozen < Martha Marcy May Marlene
The Dirty Dozen > Cracks
The Dirty Dozen < The General
The Dirty Dozen < Syrup
The Dirty Dozen < A Christmas Carol (2004)
Final spot: #2089 out of 3047.

The Lighthouse (2019)

IMDb plot summary: Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
Directed by Robert Eggers. Starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Defoe.

While I admire the many decisions that clearly went into this and the boldness of Willem Defoe and Robert Pattinson's performances, it fails to land for me. I mostly found myself frustrated with its refusal to separate reality from insanity for the viewer. I know that it's mirroring the messy mental states of its characters, but it's got to have an especially spellbinding emotional center to hold onto me through that, and this wasn't that for me. At the end of the day, I look at this and think, "What am I supposed to get out of this?" I admire the viewing experience it clearly brought to others, but I found it empty.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Lighthouse > The Sasquatch Gang
The Lighthouse < The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Lighthouse < The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lighthouse < Going My Way
The Lighthouse < Hulk
The Lighthouse > Muppet Treasure Island
The Lighthouse < Kagemusha
The Lighthouse < It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
The Lighthouse < Don Jon
The Lighthouse < Star Trek: First Contact
The Lighthouse < Love's Labour's Lost
The Lighthouse < The Wiz
Final spot: #1475 out of 3046.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

IMDb plot summary: Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.
Directed by Tim Burton. Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, and Michael Gabon.

This is exceptionally silly but manages to be just campy enough to be an enjoyable ride, even if it's not necessarily something I'd recommend to anyone. Christina Ricci's accent alone, however, loses this movie probably half a star.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Sleepy Hollow > Struck by Lightning
Sleepy Hollow < The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Sleepy Hollow < The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Sleepy Hollow > Invictus
Sleepy Hollow > Griff the Invisible
Sleepy Hollow < John Carter
Sleepy Hollow > The Fixer
Sleepy Hollow < Punch-Drunk Love
Sleepy Hollow < The Slipper and the Rose
Sleepy Hollow < Hereditary
Sleepy Hollow < Josie and the Pussycats
Final spot: #1213 out of 3045.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982)

IMDb plot summary: Sweeney Todd returns to London to uncover the past, along the way meeting Mrs. Lovett, and begins to start his life of crime.
Directed by Terry Hughes and Harold Prince. Starring Angela Lansbury, George Hearn, Cris Groenendaal, and Sara Woods.

This is now my third version of Sweeney Todd I've seen, and they all have slightly different flavors, from the gritty quasi-realism of the 2001 concert to the gloomy goth vibes of the 2007 Tim Burton adaptation. This one is opera and melodrama. The enormous, over-the-top reactions, the slapsticky comedy-- it's all Big and Dramatic and Presentational. Sometimes that works. "Epiphany" was pretty thrilling, and the final "Ballad of Sweeney Todd" is electrifying. I like George Hearn here more than I've EVER liked him, and that includes when he played the exact same character in the '01 concert. Angela Lansbury is delightful, of course. However, it does in the end come down to the fact that Sweeney is my least favorite of Sondheim's big musicals, and I don't think I'm ever going to see a version of it that I love. Like all productions, it has its pros and cons (Johanna and Anthony being major cons here), and I'm not sold on the show as a whole yet. Glad I finally saw this one though!

How it entered my Flickchart:
Sweeney Todd > Struck by Lightning
Sweeney Todd < 22 Jump Street
Sweeney Todd < Gentleman's Agreement
Sweeney Todd > Invictus
Sweeney Todd > Griff the Invisible
Sweeney Todd > EDtv
Sweeney Todd > Total Recall (1990)
Sweeney Todd < The Descendants
Sweeney Todd > Marnie
Sweeney Todd > Kind Hearts and Coronets
Sweeney Todd > Draft Day
Final spot: #1154 out of 3044, or 62%.