Time of the Wolf (2003)

IMDb plot summary: When Anna and her family arrive at their holiday home, they find it occupied by strangers. This confrontation is just the beginning of a painful learning process.

Directed by Michael Haneke. Stars Isabelle Huppert, Anaïs Demoustier, and Béatrice Dalle.

Time of the Wolf is a Michael Haneke film set in a vaguely apocalyptic setting where food is scarce and people are fending for themselves. We follow a widow and her two children as they make their way and ultimately end up joining in with a large group of other wanderers hoping to make their way somewhere better. I really go back and forth on Michael Haneke. Some of his, like Amour or The Seventh Continent absolutely break me in the best way, and I love them. And then others, like The White Ribbon or this, just kind of leave me cold. On the surface, I should love the apocalyptic nature of this story, but it moves so glacially that I can't stay interested. That pace does lend itself to a sense of doom -- that the world is broken and can never be put back together -- but not in a way that I find particularly compelling. Overall, a good concept that ended up being pretty disappointing for me personally.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Time of the Wolf (2003)

📊 Ranked #2816/4307 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 39

lost to Lenny (#2168 → #2100)

beat The Forger (#3255 → #3287)

lost to The Asphalt Jungle (#2704 → #2623)

beat Anything Else (#2983 → #2998)

beat Flightplan (#2845 → #2833)

lost to Superman (#2779 → #2782)

lost to Green Street Hooligans (#2812 → #2791)

beat Mad Dog and Glory (#2828 → #2836)

beat ¡Three Amigos! (#2820 → #2828)

lost to The Love Witch (#2816 → #2757)

lost to Laura (#2818 → #2696)

beat Unsung Hero (#2819 → #2817)

Summer School (1987)

IMDb plot summary: Freddy the gym teacher has to teach remedial English in summer (high) school, if he wants tenure. As he can only teach gym and his students want fun, emphasis is on "field trips" - until he's fired unless all his students pass the test.

Directed by Carl Reiner. Stars Mark Harmon, Kirstie Alley, and Robin Thomas.

Summer School is a comedy starring Mark Harmon as a PE teacher who is unwillingly roped in to teach remedial English in summer school. He is not prepared for this and the students have no intention of letting him do it, so he has to resort to unorthodox measures to achieve those goals. I didn't have high expectations for this but it ended up mostly working for me. It's both cleverer and kinder than a lot of films in this vein often are, but it also manages to avoid being sentimental the way a film might be if it were striking a more dramatic tone. Obviously this is a horrible example of good boundaries in teacher-student relationships, but in the context of a film where we're letting our suspension of disbelief take the reins, it was a good time, and I did laugh a lot more than I thought I was going to, so nicely done.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Summer School (1987)

📊 Ranked #840/4309 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 80

beat EDtv (#2171 → #2176)

beat Open Your Eyes (#1087 → #1069)

lost to Argo (#548 → #601)

lost to The Karate Kid (#819 → #605)

beat Sisters (#953 → #996)

beat Brooklyn (#885 → #854)

lost to Back to the Future Part III (#852 → #888)

beat Shiva Baby (#868 → #968)

beat Society of the Snow (#860 → #891)

beat Bubba Ho-tep (#856 → #889)

lost to Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (#854 → #838)

lost to Roxanne (#855 → #839)

Mustang (2015)

IMDb plot summary: When five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.

Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven. Stars Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, and Tugba Sunguroglu.

Mustang is a Turkish film about 5 orphaned sisters whose guardians begin to significantly restrict their freedom in an attempt to marry them off and get them settled. This one was kind of a mixed bag for me. I really appreciated the idea behind it and seeing all these different girls with their interests and their hopes and seeing how things all kind of went down for them was very interesting in theory. I found it difficult to keep the different girls straight in my mind though, so some of the character beats got lost in trying to decipher who was who. As the story went on, it became a lot more compelling for me and so I settled into it for sure, but it took me a long time to get started and in the end, I just didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. Still a very good movie, but not one that I am really in love with.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Mustang (2015)

📊 Ranked #1863/4308 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 58

beat The Crazies (#2168 → #2161)

lost to The Other Boleyn Girl (#1087 → #1101)

lost to I and You (#1626 → #1400)

beat The Green Knight (#1894 → #1900)

beat Ponyo (#1761 → #1785)

lost to Single White Female (#1692 → #1617)

beat Island of Lost Souls (#1725 → #1814)

lost to Singles (#1708 → #1626)

beat Sorcerer (#1716 → #1769)

beat Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (#1712 → #1779)

beat Radhe Shyam (#1710 → #1843)

beat Harakiri (#1709 → #1864)

Superman (2026)

IMDb plot summary: Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.

Directed by James Gunn. Stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult.

Superman is James Gunn's reboot of the classic superhero story, this time following Superman as he faces an enemy that is actually able to physically defeat him for the first time, as well as a shocking discovery about his own past. I like James Gunn a lot but have not liked superheroes and franchise movies for a while, so I was torn up whether I was going to see this or not. In the end it was... fine. Gunn's winky self-referential humor doesn't fit as well here as it does in something like Guardians of the Galaxy, though it works best when it works as a direct foil for Clark's sincerity. I like the idea of Superman grappling with a surprise past, and that is done pretty well but it never quite grasped me the way I thought it would. As a result, this version of Superman is only mildly more compelling to me than the bland versions that came before, and it certainly doesn't make me interested in watching any of the follow-ups.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Superman (2025)

📊 Ranked #1999/4306 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 54

beat Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (#2169 → #2251)

lost to The Other Boleyn Girl (held at #1087)

lost to A Serious Man (#1625 → #1434)

beat Abigail (#1893 → #1943)

lost to La Haine (#1760 → #1501)

lost to Krisha (#1828 → #1815)

beat Backbeat (#1860 → #1861)

beat The Detective (#1844 → #1846)

beat Hotel Rwanda (#1836 → #1892)

beat Once Upon A Mattress (#1832 → #1850)

beat Walk on the Wild Side (#1830 → #1844)

lost to Death at a Funeral (#1829 → #1835)

His House (2020)

IMDb plot summary: A refugee couple makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface.

Directed by Remi Weekes. Stars Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, and Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba.

His House tells the story of two refugees from South Sudan who are provided housing to live in as they seek asylum in the UK. But soon they began to worry the house is haunted, as they start seeing and hearing strange things. I really enjoy the spooky vibes of this story combined with realism based refugee story. The tragedy of both these stories blends extremely well, and by the time the final scene comes around, I was fully enthralled. There's a dreamlike quality to the whole thing as it merges the fantastical with the grimly realistic, and that atmosphere just becomes more and more powerful throughout the film's run. By the time it gets to the final scenes, I was fully sold. It's a unique and creative horror film.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 His House (2020)

📊 Ranked #843/4305 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 80

beat Sleepy Hollow (#2169 → #2170)

beat The Other Boleyn Girl (#1086 → #1087)

lost to The Lady Eve (#547 → #302)

lost to Role Models (#817 → #819)

beat The Grand Budapest Hotel (#951 → #947)

lost to Do the Right Thing (#883 → #882)

beat American Dreamz (#916 → #987)

beat Brothers (#899 → #897)

beat Brooklyn (held at #891)

beat Million Dollar Baby (held at #887)

lost to The Land Before Time (#885 → #884)

lost to Crossing Delancey (#886 → #597)

Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)

IMDb plot summary: Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp.

Directed by Jasmila Zbanic. Stars Jasna Đuričić, Izudin Bajrovic, and Boris Ler.

Quo Vadis, Aida? is a story set during the Bosnian war, focused on Aida, a translator for the United Nations who is trying to save her family as the Serbs take over her town and the UN provides little protection. This is a tough watch, but I appreciate how tightly it narrows the story into just this one family, even as it's telling a much bigger story along with it. I know very little about this era of history, and this was a harrowing depiction of it and its effect on the people involved. It's infuriating how incompetent the US is in this story, as the people keep being promised help and then... nothing happens. Overall, the film is beautifully done, very human and heartbreaking.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Quo Vadis, Aida? (2021)

📊 Ranked #1302/4304 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 69

beat The Forest (#2164 → #2165)

lost to Chronicle (#1089 → #1091)

beat Killers of the Flower Moon (held at #1626)

beat Moonstruck (#1363 → #1506)

lost to OBEX (#1228 → #1229)

lost to Finder's Fee (#1294 → #1295)

beat Prometheus (#1329 → #1457)

beat Baby Driver (#1312 → #1311)

beat Ran (#1304 → #1303)

lost to Klaus (held at #1299)

lost to The Duellists (#1301 → #1038)

lost to Punch-Drunk Love (#1302 → #1301)

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

IMDb plot summary: When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.

Directed by Nathan Juran. Stars Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, and Richard Eyer.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is a 1950s mythological epic, where Sinbad narrowly escapes being killed by the Cyclops, only to have to return to that same island so he can recover a magic lamp with a genie inside. I recently watched Jason and the Argonauts on a recommendation from the same friend who suggested this one, and this one doesn't work as well for me as that one does. The visual effects aren't as varied or as striking, though I loved the scenes with the shrunken woman helping the crew. The characters are not super distinct or interesting here. It's okay, but not one that I imagine I'll want to return to, and honestly it's tough to scrounge up enough to say about it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

📊 Ranked #2703/4303 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 41

lost to Gypsy (held at #2163)

beat The Merchant of Venice (#3252 → #3354)

lost to Rigoletto (#2702 → #2639)

beat The Man with One Red Shoe (#2980 → #2981)

beat The Boston Strangler (#2842 → #2843)

beat The Kids Are All Right (#2776 → #2777)

beat A Star Is Born (#2737 → #2739)

beat Trumbo (#2720 → #2721)

beat Ted (#2710 → #2711)

beat The Sandlot (#2706 → #2707)

beat Timeline (#2704 → #2705)

beat A Christmas Carol (#2703 → #2704)

The Christophers (2026)

IMDb plot summary: The children of a once famous artist hire a forger to complete some unfinished, long ago abandoned canvases so they'll have an inheritance when he dies.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Stars Michaela Coel, Ian McKellen, and Jessica Gunning.

The Christophers is a Steven Soderbergh movie starring Michaela Cole as someone who is hired by a famous painter's adult children to fraudulently complete their dad's unfinished paintings so that they can sell them after he is gone. She agrees partly because she has a beef with the painter himself, played by Ian McKellen. While I've never thought of myself as being a massive Soderbergh fan, I am realizing more and more that he's one of the most consistently solid filmmakers out there these days. I'm seldom blown away by his work, but I always have a good time, and that's true with this one as well. Cole is especially engaging as our protagonist, so static in her expression that it's a constant game of figuring out what is going on in her head. The whole thing is smooth and slick and a good time, even though it didn't stick with me much longer after watching it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 The Christophers (2026)

📊 Ranked #1719/4302 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 61

beat Knocked Up (#2164 → #2165)

lost to Chronicle (held at #1089)

lost to Killers of the Flower Moon (held at #1626)

beat Police Story (#1892 → #1893)

beat National Treasure (#1759 → #1760)

lost to But I'm a Cheerleader (held at #1690)

beat Incendies (#1723 → #1724)

beat Dark Waters (held at #1706)

lost to Love Songs (held at #1698)

beat Cold War (held at #1702)

lost to The Breadwinner (held at #1700)

beat Fire of Love (held at #1701)

A Bronx Tale (1993)

IMDb plot summary: An intense drama about a boy torn between his tough, hard-working father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss.

Directed by Robert De Niro. Stars Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, and Lillo Brancato.

A Bronx Tale is a movie written by Chazz Palminteri and directed by Robert De Niro. The two actors also feature in the film. It tells the story of a young boy in his childhood and teen years living in a neighborhood that is run by a gangster. The gangster takes the boy under his wing, much to the boy's father's dismay, and we see his coming of age story as he figures out family, romantic relationships, and friendships. This feels very much like a passion project from the two actor-creatives behind the camera on this one, and I can feel the affection for the world and these characters. Our main protagonist in particular is a very normal teen despite being surrounded by very not normal teen things, and the most compelling parts are the ones where he has to figure out the same normal stuff that everybody does, like whether his family and friends are going to approve of the girl that he likes. I often find myself zoning out during crime films, but this one keeps it so personal that much of it works for me.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 A Bronx Tale (1993)

📊 Ranked #1718/4301 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 61

beat Source Code (#2169 → #2224)

lost to Tower (#1087 → #1095)

lost to The Age of Adaline (#1624 → #1574)

beat The Act of Killing (#1891 → #1922)

beat Born Yesterday (#1759 → #1778)

lost to Memoirs of a Geisha (#1689 → #1640)

beat Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (#1722 → #1753)

beat The Thin Man (#1705 → #1735)

beat A Star Is Born (#1697 → #1648)

beat Incendies (#1693 → #1723)

lost to Silent Movie (#1691 → #1534)

beat Hot Shots! (#1692 → #1719)

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998)

IMDb plot summary: The Decline of Western Civilization III is a 1998 documentary film that follows the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers.

Directed by Penelope Spheeris.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III is the third and final piece in Penelope's Spheeris' trilogy about musical scenes adored by rebel youth. In this installment we go back to the world of punk, but the focus shifts from the music to this community of homeless punk teenagers and young adults. Spheeris spends extended time interviewing them in the houses where they are squatting, trying to figure out how they got there and where they might go. This documentary is, in my opinion, the best of the series, partly because of that slow left turn into the horrible personal lives of the group of fans. More than ever it feels like Spheeris here gets very close to her subjects, most notably in a section where we go from a house party to the aftermath of a fire at the house, during which one of the people we saw in the previous scene died. That's where it feels like the tone really shifts away from music -- we get hardly any musical performances compared to the previous two installments -- and more into this scene of teenagers who have been kicked out of their houses and fully expect just to die addicts in the streets. It's truly one of the most intense documentaries I've seen and is a difficult watch, but I think it's undoubtedly the best of the three.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998)

📊 Ranked #1108/4293 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 75

beat Another Earth (#2152 → #2148)

lost to Re-Animator (#1090 → #1077)

beat The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (#1621 → #1615)

beat Joe Versus the Volcano (#1363 → #1447)

lost to To Sir, with Love (#1230 → #1210)

lost to Men Without Women (#1294 → #1282)

lost to Wonder Man (#1327 → #1312)

beat Ghost World (#1345 → #1358)

lost to The Village (#1337 → #1318)

beat The Emperor Waltz (#1341 → #1404)

beat A Grand Day Out (#1339 → #1334)

beat After Yang (#1338 → #1333)

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.

Lost in La Mancha (2002)

IMDb plot summary: Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.

Directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe.

Lost in La Mancha is a documentary tracking Terry Gilliam's attempt to make a Man of La Mancha movie. There is however a perfect storm of catastrophes that continuously leave him behind budget with not enough film and questioning whether he's going to be able to complete this task. As a fan of Gilliam's who vaguely knew the story of how difficult this film had been to make, I really enjoyed seeing this behind the scenes of things going wrong -- and typically not because people in charge had made any decisions incorrectly. It truly is just problem after problem, from the weather to injuries to the sound stage not being what they were promised, all of which keeps pushing them further and further behind. Through it all you see Gilliam's passion and surprisingly calm responses, even though you know he must be exasperated. More than anything this documentary really highlights the nearly impossible task of putting a film together and coordinating everything to be where it needs to be when you need it to be. Even though this particular project had to be abandoned at this point in time, it is really interesting to see the process, and especially when the process goes poorly.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Lost in La Mancha (2002)

📊 Ranked #1777/4296 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 59

beat Ron's Gone Wrong (#2156 → #2255)

lost to Crocodile Dundee (#1080 → #1122)

lost to Swing Kids (#1618 → #1527)

beat Blood Diamond (#1883 → #1950)

lost to Suddenly, Last Summer (#1752 → #1773)

beat Footlight Parade (#1818 → #1931)

lost to Ben-Hur (#1786 → #1776)

beat Spanglish (#1802 → #1790)

beat Eddington (#1794 → #2209)

lost to Raising Cain (#1790 → #1747)

beat Anna and the King (#1792 → #1868)

beat How to Marry a Millionaire (#1791 → #1778)

Cell 211 (2009)

IMDb plot summary: The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot -- the inmate leading the rebellion and the young guard trapped in the revolt, who poses as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal.

Directed by Daniel Monzón. Stars Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, and Antonio Resines.

Cell 211 is set in a maximum-security prison in Spain where the most dangerous prisoners successfully take over their cell block. Unbeknownst to them, a brand-new guard is trapped in the closed-off block, and he must convince the prisoners that he is one of them. I did not have high hopes for this one going into it, but it turned out to be a surprisingly and enjoyably taut thriller. It's especially interesting to watch the relationship build between the main character and the primary antagonist. Our protagonist is intelligent and makes quick savvy decisions in this situation he finds himself in. It also does a little bit more of a nuanced job than prison films sometimes do at looking at the question of treatment of the prisoners. While these men are absolutely violent and dangerous and not to be messed with, it does also show how additional violence visited upon them does not fix the problem. An enjoyable action thriller that has a little bit of depth beneath it. Pretty good watch!

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Cell 211 (2009)

📊 Ranked #1995/4287 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 54

beat Another Earth (#2152 → #2145)

lost to Hoop Dreams (#1093 → #1114)

lost to The Long Day Closes (#1622 → #1634)

lost to Lifeforce (#1883 → #1745)

beat Lord of the Flies (#2019 → #2100)

lost to Imitation of Life (#1951 → #1927)

beat Struck by Lightning (#1985 → #2082)

lost to The Informer (#1969 → #1825)

beat Drive My Car (#1977 → #1988)

lost to One Hundred and One Dalmatians (#1973 → #1995)

lost to Dark and Stormy Night (#1975 → #1976)

lost to Murder on the Orient Express (#1976 → #1854)

Dark Waters (2019)

IMDb plot summary: A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.

Directed by Todd Haynes. Stars Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, and Tim Robbins.

Dark Waters tells the true story of lawyer Robert Bilott, played by Mark Ruffalo, who began his career in the employ of a chemical corporation. However, he begins to discover that that company may be responsible for some horrific effects after dumping unregulated chemicals, and he sets out to try to prove it and get restitution for the victims. This is pretty well-told, although it's a deeply depressing story. Mark Ruffalo is very good at playing this sort of worn down bureaucratic character who is going to do the right thing even if he's exhausted. Despite this being an important story and well told, I did find myself tuning out a little bit and emotionally disengaging because of feeling overwhelmed by how common this kind of behavior actually is, which is of course I'm sure the exact opposite of the reaction that I was intended to have for this film. But I came around a bit by the end. Closing out the film in the middle of the struggle, rather than with a neat bow, was unexpectedly encouraging as a reminder that there are still people who are fighting for those who can't fight for themselves. A depressing film which offers a tiny glimpse of hope that was much needed at the end.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Dark Waters (2019)

📊 Ranked #1630/4288 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 63

beat The Woman in Black (#2161 → #2327)

lost to Crocodile Dundee (held at #1114)

beat Cell 211 (#2112 → #2114)

lost to Prometheus (#1388 → #1391)

lost to The Trojan Women (#1520 → #1519)

lost to She's Gotta Have It (#1584 → #1383)

lost to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (#1613 → #1608)

lost to Frozen (#1375 → #1328)

lost to Krisha (#1612 → #1531)

beat Love Songs (#1361 → #1658)

lost to Coffee and Cigarettes (#1620 → #1537)

lost to Red Rocket (#1088 → #1050)

Jingle Jangle (2020)

IMDb plot summary: An imaginary world comes to life in a holiday tale of an eccentric toymaker, his adventurous granddaughter, and a magical invention that has the power to change their lives forever.

Directed by David E. Talbert. Stars Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, and Hugh Bonneville.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a Christmas musical about a toy inventor whose apprentice steals all his ideas and runs off to capitalize on them. Years later, the disillusioned inventor is visited by his granddaughter, who is determined to bring his spark back to life. I vaguely remember this movie garnering some attention when it came out but it had completely disappeared from my memory. It's got some cute moments and a couple of fun songs, most notably the villain songs, which stand out with the amount of energy they bring to the story. Even the moments that designate this as clearly a film for children with a wildly whimsical message of believe in yourself at all costs, they don't sit in an annoying place and are just kind of not fully for me.

Keegan-Michael Key and Ricky Martin are the best part of the whole thing though. The good characters are a little too perfect and sweet, and as a result their songs are kind of vague inspirational blandness that mostly I'm waiting for it to be done with. But then the villain numbers are so engaging that it brings me right back in. Some good moments, though I don't know that I have an interest in revisiting it on the whole.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)

📊 Ranked #2300/4286 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 49

beat The Accidental Tourist (#2151 → #2310)

lost to Red Rocket (#1094 → #1084)

lost to The Long Day Closes (held at #1623)

lost to Kiss Me Kate (#1884 → #1727)

lost to Peppermint Candy (#2020 → #2021)

beat Spider-Man: Homecoming (#2083 → #2287)

lost to State and Main (#2051 → #1982)

lost to Top Hat (#2067 → #2068)

beat The Wailing (#2075 → #2280)

lost to Bowling for Columbine (#2071 → #1939)

lost to It's Kind of a Funny Story (#2073 → #2072)

beat The Ascent (#2074 → #2247)

A House of Dynamite (2025)

IMDb plot summary: When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, and Gabriel Basso.

A House of Dynamite tells the same story from three different perspectives: that of the United States seeing a missile launched from somewhere in the Pacific toward Chicago, with no country willing to take credit for it and only minutes to decide how to respond. This is gripping and also depressing -- pretty par for the course for Kathryn Bigelow, I suppose. Retelling the same events from different perspectives somehow brought new drama and tension each time, even though I knew exactly where it was headed on the subsequent versions of the story. The film never offers any real sense of release, keeping its grip on you from beginning to end. Its ambiguous ending preserves the ominous tone rather than resolving it. Excellently made, but so relentlessly uncomfortable that I'm not sure I ever want to watch it again.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 A House of Dynamite (2025)

📊 Ranked #1118/4295 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 74

beat Mudbound (#2154 → #2324)

beat Jack Goes Boating (#1081 → #1077)

lost to Petite Maman (#544 → #314)

lost to Megamind (#814 → #813)

lost to Yojimbo (#947 → #665)

lost to The Pirates of Penzance (#1013 → #997)

lost to Teen Beach Movie (#1045 → #1031)

beat Kuroneko (#1063 → #1076)

beat Big Trouble in Little China (#1055 → #1040)

lost to The Cameraman (#1051 → #1026)

beat Crazy Rich Asians (#1053 → #1074)

beat Atonement (#1052 → #1049)

In America (2002)

IMDb plot summary: A family of Irish immigrants adjust to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.

Directed by Jim Sheridan. Stars Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, and Djimon Hounsou.

In America tells the story of an immigrant Irish family in the United States. The father wants to be an actor, and his wife and two daughters are having to figure out how to make their way in this new world, as well as how to deal with the tragic death of their youngest brother. This is a sweet movie that follows a lot of familiar ground but tells it well. It does a good job of keeping the focus on the younger siblings while also making it clear to us the viewers what is happening that may be going over their heads. I also like the ending scene, which comes together nicely. However, I did find it boring much of the time, with its slow, meandering pace making it difficult for me to stay fully engaged. It's undeniably sweet and heartfelt, but ultimately too slight to leave much of an impression once it was over.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 In America (2003)

📊 Ranked #2018/4291 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 54

beat The Ghost and the Darkness (#2150 → #2149)

lost to Re-Animator (#1087 → #1088)

lost to Laurence Anyways (#1618 → #1608)

lost to Fanboys (#1879 → #1868)

lost to Lo (#2015 → #1867)

beat The Little Things (#2080 → #2081)

beat 17 Again (#2048 → #2165)

beat Fly Away Home (#2031 → #2026)

beat A Few Good Men (#2023 → #2055)

beat 3 Men and a Baby (#2019 → #2017)

lost to The Ladykillers (#2017 → #1958)

beat Walk Cheerfully (#2018 → #2019)

World's Greatest Dad (2009)

IMDb plot summary: When his son's body is found in a humiliating accident, a lonely high school teacher inadvertently attracts an overwhelming amount of community and media attention after covering up the truth with a phony suicide note.

Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. Stars Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, and Morgan Murphy.

World's Greatest Dad stars Robin Williams as a father with the world's worst son: a cruel, crass, disinterested teenager who shows no interest in anything or fondness for anyone. When the son accidentally passes away during an attempt at autoerotic asphyxiation, Williams decides to stage his death as a suicide, complete with note, which makes people see his son in a whole new light that is in no way consistent with the person he was. For any of my theater friends who are thinking, “this sounds a lot like Dear Evan Hansen,” you're not wrong, although this does a better job of telling that story. In the first portion of this film I found myself really not excited to spend a full two hours with the son character, so it was definitely an emotional journey when I suddenly learned I wasn't going to have to, for very sad in-story reasons. Williams himself is of course an exceptionally empathetic character. He always had an extraordinary ability as an actor to engender sympathy, even when doing some terrible things as he does in this movie. I am not sold on the ending -- I don't think it really ties the whole thing together, and that kind of lets it down for me as a whole. But it's an interesting film with a subtle performance by Williams.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 World's Greatest Dad (2009)

📊 Ranked #2127/4294 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 52

lost to I Lost My Body (#2148 → #1963)

beat The Conjuring (#3241 → #3238)

beat It's Not You, It's Me (#2685 → #2682)

beat An Innocent Man (#2420 → #2411)

beat Out of Africa (#2289 → #2581)

beat Rodney King (#2220 → #2213)

lost to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (#2188 → #2173)

beat Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (#2204 → #2400)

beat EDtv (#2196 → #2188)

beat Fatherhood (#2192 → #2393)

beat Source Code (#2190 → #2184)

lost to Vanya on 42nd Street (#2189 → #2181)

O'Dessa (2025)

IMDb plot summary: A farm girl in search to recover a cherished family heirloom travels to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love. To save his soul, she must put the power of destiny to the ultimate test.

Directed by Geremy Jasper. Stars Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Murray Bartlett.

O'Dessa is a post-apocalyptic gender-swapped musical retelling of the story of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which Sadie Sink plays a young balladeer destined to change the world with her guitar. This is a wonderful mishmash of vibes and styles, and while that chaotic back-and-forth will definitely be a turn-off for some folks, I had a great time with it. The post-apocalyptic plot is cheesy and sometimes awkwardly done, but something about these enormously broad unsubtle strokes worked, especially once I realized the mythological basis of the story. The folksy nature of the songs is a stark contrast to the high technological feel of the rest of the world, and I really love that. Plus the songs are actually just pretty good on their own, which of course is a big pull for me in a musical movie. This movie is absolutely not gonna gel with everybody. It has a very distinct style, but I found myself fully drawn in and had a great time with it.

🎥 O'Dessa (2025)

📊 Ranked #250/4285 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 95

beat The Chalk Garden (held at #2143)

beat Holiday (#1089 → #1088)

beat Collateral (#563 → #578)

lost to Late Spring (#256 → #253)

lost to tick, tick... BOOM! (#412 → #262)

beat Chariots of Fire (#488 → #499)

beat The Innocents (#448 → #451)

lost to Boyz n the Hood (#431 → #429)

beat 'night, Mother (#439 → #436)

beat The Seventh Continent (#435 → #443)

beat Naughty Marietta (#433 → #445)

beat Billy Elliot: The Musical Live (#432 → #450)

The Drama (2026)

IMDb plot summary: A happily-engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli. Stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Alana Haim.

The Drama stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as an engaged couple just weeks away from their wedding. But when Zendaya reveals something about her past that neither her fiance nor her closest friends knew, it suddenly changes how everybody thinks about her, the wedding turns from a joyful celebration into a build up full of dread. This is from the same director who gave us Dream Scenario in 2023, one of my favorites of that year, and while this one doesn't go in the same strange Charlie Kaufman-esque direction in terms of fantastical storyline, I found it extremely engaging as a character study and a building of atmosphere. Pattinson and Zendaya are both really incredible in this, as we see their attempts to regain normalcy just fall to pieces. The tension of the story is almost overwhelming by the time we get to the final third, and the climax is electric and impossible to stop watching, despite also being some of the most uncomfortable, cringiest interactions I have seen. This is truly a film that marvelously portrays a train wreck you can't look away from. A deliciously uncomfortable watch that I'm going to remember for a long time.

🎥 The Drama (2026)

📊 Ranked #289/4284 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 93

beat Real Life (#2141 → #2142)

beat Luca (#1088 → #1112)

lost to The Beaver (#562 → #561)

beat New York, New York (#827 → #826)

beat Werewolves Within (#696 → #697)

beat Date Night (#631 → #640)

beat The Kite Runner (#596 → #617)

lost to A Letter to Three Wives (#578 → #579)

beat In This Corner of the World (#587 → #593)

beat Drunken Angel (#583 → #590)

beat Animal Crackers (#580 → #584)

beat The Kid Detective (#579 → #580)

Ransom (1996)

IMDb plot summary: Multi-millionaire Tom Mullen's son is kidnapped, but after initially agreeing to pay the ransom Mullen then decides to use the ransom money as a bounty.

Directed by Ron Howard. Stars Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, and Rene Russo.

Ransom is a thriller starring Mel Gibson as a wealthy tycoon whose son is kidnapped and held for ransom. It's about that simple a plot, but I had a surprisingly good time with this -- surprisingly for me, at least. Furious vigilante father films can definitely be hit or miss for me, but this one has a pretty good storyline where the characters do behave believably and I can follow along on the journey. The final 15 minutes or so especially are an enjoyable thrill ride as we see the culmination of the villain being taken down. It takes some unexpected turns but nothing too out of left field to take you out of the story. As far as 90s thrillers go, this is a pretty good one and one that I could see enjoying again sometime.

🎥 Ransom (1996)

📊 Ranked #1212/4283 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 72

beat Alice Adams (#2142 → #2143)

lost to Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Performance (held at #1107)

beat Laurence Anyways (#1597 → #1614)

beat Friday the 13th (#1373 → #1370)

beat The Color Purple (#1204 → #1226)

beat Identity (held at #1167)

lost to The Body Snatcher (#1142 → #1141)

lost to Kneecap (#1145 → #1142)

lost to To Live (#1160 → #1156)

beat Going My Way (#1149 → #1154)

beat CBGB (#1169 → #1208)

beat The Man in the Iron Mask (#1158 → #1157)

Cold War (2018)

IMDb plot summary: In the 1950s, a music director falls in love with a singer and tries to persuade her to flee communist Poland for France.

Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski. Stars Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, and Borys Szyc.

Cold War is a story about a couple in post World War 2 Europe. We follow the two of them over several decades as they meet, part, reunite, break up, and so forth. This one took me a long time to gel with. One problem for me which is very much a "me" problem and not a problem with film, is that I had great difficulty recognizing the male half of this couple, so there were moments when he would show up and have interactions with the woman and I didn't realize it was him, which means I definitely missed portions of this story that were significant. At one point during the film when I realized that I had completely lost the plot, I went to Wikipedia and looked up the summary, only to realize that there had been several interactions that I had completely missed the meaning of because I had thought that they were different people. That being said, the deeper digging into what actually was happening did help it gel for me quite a bit, and by the time the end rolled around, I was much more invested in the story and found the ending very emotionally impactful. This is definitely one that I need to go back and rewatch because given on how much I liked the ending, I might like the rest of it more than I thought he did as well.

🎥 Cold War (2018)

📊 Ranked #1414/4282 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 67

beat Another Earth (#2139 → #2132)

lost to The Lobster (#1088 → #1109)

lost to Marie Antoinette (#1611 → #1601)

lost to The Princess and the Frog (#1872 → #1744)

beat Struck by Lightning (#2006 → #2064)

beat Journey to Greenland (#1939 → #2117)

beat The Act of Killing (#1905 → #1913)

lost to Dark Shadows (#1887 → #1847)

lost to Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles (#1895 → #1882)

beat You Can Count on Me (#1901 → #1898)

beat Drive My Car (#1898 → #1987)

lost to Death to Smoochy (#1896 → #1712)

Fire of Love (2022)

IMDb plot summary: Intrepid scientists and lovers Katia and Maurice Krafft died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unraveling the mysteries of volcanoes by capturing the most explosive imagery ever recorded.

Directed by Sara Dosa.

Fire of Love is a documentary about a marriage volcanologist couple, following their joint careers as they researched volcanoes and ultimately lost their lives in the course of their work. This is kind of a fascinating combination of personal love story and educational film. We follow what makes these two people willing to risk their lives to get close enough to active volcanoes to learn about them. The film is strangely gentle for having such a big and dramatic topic as a natural disaster, but I think that's in its favor that it doesn't sensationalize the story and just allows it to be as unique as it is. It also is in fact very educational about volcanoes along the way -- mostly through the lens of "this is what they learned about them and why they by way of also telling the story of these two people and what motivates them to study the more deadly volcanoes in the hopes of finding better methods of prediction and protection. Pretty interesting documentary that moves along quickly.

🎥 Fire of Love (2022)

📊 Ranked #1077/4281 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 75

beat The Firm (#2321 → #2322)

lost to Gremlins (#1124 → #1125)

lost to Seven Days Leave (held at #1629)

lost to The Glass Menagerie (#1873 → #1871)

beat The Forest (#1995 → #2061)

beat One Hundred and One Dalmatians (#1943 → #1977)

beat Dot the I (#1859 → #1882)

beat 8-Bit Christmas (#1879 → #2027)

beat Event Horizon (#1867 → #1866)

beat Vicky Cristina Barcelona (#1868 → #1874)

beat The Princess and the Frog (#1866 → #1872)

The Breadwinner (2017)

IMDb plot summary: In 2001, Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. When her father is captured, a determined young girl disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family.

Directed by Nora Twomey. Stars Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, and Noorin Gulamgaus.

The Breadwinner is about a young girl in Afghanistan who dresses as a boy when her father is unexpectedly jailed and there is no one to be the head of their house. This is a really compelling story with a great main character. It so clearly paints this picture of how difficult this girl's and her sisters' lives are now that there is not a man of the house to take care of them. The animation is really lovely, traditional in some ways but very vivid. The film also does a really nice job of growing these characters so that it's so easy to understand where each of them is coming from and how they relate to each other. It's a great cast of ensemble characters besides just our main girl. This one is definitely worth watching.

🎥 The Breadwinner (2018)

📊 Ranked #1717/4280 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 61

beat Memphis Belle (#2142 → #2187)

beat Robot & Frank (#1092 → #1125)

beat The Kid Detective (#565 → #608)

lost to Take the Money and Run (#257 → #258)

lost to Citizen Kane (held at #417)

beat The Goodbye Girl (#492 → #563)

lost to Next Goal Wins (#454 → #453)

beat Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (#470 → #556)

lost to Jackie Brown (#462 → #509)

beat The Lady Eve (#466 → #471)

beat Soapdish (#464 → #552)

lost to 10 Cloverfield Lane (#463 → #343)

Apollo 11 (2019)

IMDb plot summary: A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.

Directed by Todd Douglas Miller.

Apollo 11 is a documentary about the Apollo 11 moon landing, using a bunch of never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes and of the launch itself. While documentaries, especially documentaries cobbled together from old footage, can be very dry, this one is surprisingly engaging. The documentary is set out in a very linear fashion, with just a straight series of interactions of the crew and the command folks on the ground. We hear them make their journey, share their observations, and of course land on the moon. I found myself amazed by how smoothly everything went -- no abrupt changes needed, no last-minute saves -- it went just about as smoothly as the whole thing possibly could, which is kind of a miracle. I was surprised at how captivating it was when there was very little conflict or surprise, just a bunch of examples of "a day in the life" in space. Its unique nature does mean that I have no interest in really watching it again, but it was fascinating to watch once.

🎥 Apollo 11 (2019)

📊 Ranked #2462/4279 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 47

lost to Wayne's World (#2138 → #2012)

beat My Best Friend's Wedding (#3230 → #3331)

beat Take Me Out to the Ball Game (#2681 → #2685)

beat Spaceballs (held at #2416)

beat Pat and Mike (#2286 → #2292)

beat Meet John Doe (#2211 → #2229)

lost to Two Weeks Notice (#2173 → #1984)

beat Happythankyoumoreplease (#2193 → #2237)

beat The Lost Skeleton Returns Again (#2183 → #2187)

beat The Wrestler (#2177 → #2205)

beat An Affair to Remember (#2175 → #2179)

Love Songs (2007)

IMDb plot summary: Ismael and Julie enter a playful yet emotionally laced threesome with Alice. When tragedy strikes, these young Parisians are forced to deal with the fragility of life and love.

Directed by Christophe Honoré. Stars Ludivine Sagnier, Louis Garrel, and Clotilde Hesme.

Love Songs is a French musical that begins by being about a couple's relationship (and an occasional throuple) and then, when one half of that couple dies unexpectedly, we follow the male half on his journey of healing. This is clearly in the style of Jacques Demy, who I love, and I can see those pieces in this work. I'm a little less swayed by the story we're following -- French romance films often have a unique relational language that I do not identify with at all -- but the songs are great. They were easily the highlight, and I wish on some level that this was fully sung-through like some of Demy's were. The rest of the story and the romance are told pretty well, and while there are ups and downs and how engaged I was in the actual plot, it pulls it together at the end for me for sure. A unique little movie that I am glad that I got the chance to watch.

🎥 Love Songs (2007)

📊 Ranked #1257/4278 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 71

beat Lilies of the Field (#2137 → #2238)

lost to Do the Right Thing (#1087 → #878)

lost to The Wolf of Wall Street (#1610 → #1606)

beat Live Flesh (#1869 → #1871)

beat Hero (held at #1742)

beat American Movie (#1672 → #1671)

beat Hereditary (#1641 → #1728)

beat Hamlet (#1625 → #1623)

beat Patsy & Loretta (#1617 → #1723)

beat Música (#1613 → #1659)

lost to Krisha (#1611 → #1254)

lost to The Salesman (#1612 → #1597)

Maria (2024)

IMDb plot summary: Maria Callas, the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity.

Directed by Pablo Larraín. Stars Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Alba Rohrwacher.

Maria is a biopic of opera singer Maria Callas in the final days of her life. Callas is played by Angelina Jolie, and we see her reminiscing about her past fame, as well as working to restore her damaged voice. I didn't realize until after finishing the film that this is the third in the trilogy of famous women of the 1900s that included Jackie and Spencer before, but it makes sense, because this one is compelling in a very similar way. I was fascinated by its choice to hop in and out of the realism of the story, mirroring Callas' fragile mental state. This is one of Jolie's best acting performances, in my opinion, and not just because of the fact that she studied opera to be able to do her own singing, and while we would never believe her as Callas in her prime (thus using recordings for those sequences), I can totally buy her as a ruined Callas. It's a sad and contemplative film that overall really hits its markers for me. Definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of opera or Angelina Jolie or any of the other films in this biopic series.

🎥 Maria (2024)

📊 Ranked #797/4277 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 81

beat John and Mary (#2182 → #2183)

beat The Other Boleyn Girl (#1091 → #1093)

lost to I ♥ Huckabees (#570 → #572)

lost to The History of Future Folk (#852 → #863)

lost to Night Must Fall (#987 → #993)

beat Amistad (#1065 → #1113)

beat The Other Side of Sunday (#1023 → #1025)

lost to The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (#1006 → #1009)

lost to Fruitvale Station (#1016 → #1017)

lost to The Wild Robot (#1014 → #831)

beat Kwaidan (#973 → #979)

lost to The Quick and the Dead (#1019 → #1021)

The Family That Preys (2008)

IMDb plot summary: Two families from different walks of life learn to work together.

Directed by Tyler Perry. Stars Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, and Sanaa Lathan.

The Family that Preys is a Tyler Perry movie about a family, focusing most frequently on the two grown daughters who have very different attitudes toward romance and money. As the two argue and fight and bring their other family members into it, secrets begin to be revealed. I don't have a wide knowledge of Perry's work, but this was enjoyable, if forgettable. Characters and motivations here are drawn with extremely big, broad strokes. In some ways it is a melodrama, where the villains are villains for very little reason aside from that they're just evil. That being said, it is a fun ride to watch the villains try to finagle their way into getting what they want, and it's satisfying to ultimately see the heroes win out in the end. There are a lot of plots going on here, and I wish they were a little bit more cohesive rather than just feeling slapped together, but hopping back and forth between them certainly meant that I was seldom bored. Not fully my style or genre, but I'm not mad I watched it.

🎥 Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys (2008)

📊 Ranked #2381/4276 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 49

lost to Memphis Belle (#2131 → #2101)

beat The Other Sister (#3225 → #3342)

beat Heartbeat (#2676 → #2693)

lost to In the Mood for Love (#2412 → #2213)

beat A Lady to Love (#2540 → #2510)

beat Pi (#2474 → #2396)

lost to Air Force One (#2443 → #2279)

beat The Bat Whispers (#2458 → #2495)

lost to Wide Awake (#2450 → #2290)

lost to Pete's Dragon (#2454 → #2296)

beat Love Exposure (#2456 → #2493)

beat Wreck-It Ralph (#2455 → #2514)

Caught Stealing (2025)

IMDb plot summary: When his neighbor asks him to take care of his cat, a former baseball prodigy now working as a bartender finds himself in the middle of gangsters without knowing why. He must use all his cunning to survive and understand what is happening.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Stars Austin Butler, Regina King, and Zoë Kravitz.

Caught Stealing stars Austin Butler as a washed-up baseball wunderkind who is now an alcoholic bartender. When he finds himself unexpectedly mixed up with his neighbor's shady dealings, he has to pull himself together and figure out how to keep himself and his loved ones safe. This is kind of a departure for Darren Aronofsky, as in many ways, it's just a straightforward action crime movie. I've always been most impressed with Aronofsky when he explores themes of obsession and how that brings people down, and he touches on that a tiny bit in the aspects where the character is having to confront their addiction to alcohol, but the big picture is not as intense as it often is with his films. Instead we get a more straightforward story about an unexpected getting caught up in a criminal scheme and it for the most part follows familiar and expected beats. Austin Butler is charismatic here and he is an easy hero to root for. A little on the expected side for this director, who often is a little bit more experimental, but it is ultimately well done.

🎥 Caught Stealing (2025)

📊 Ranked #1760/4275 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 60

beat Obvious Child (#2117 → #2290)

lost to Twister (#1086 → #932)

lost to Something to Sing About (#1599 → #1592)

lost to The Help (#1857 → #1951)

beat Sweet Bird of Youth (#1989 → #1984)

beat Serpico (#1921 → #1914)

lost to Swiss Army Man (#1888 → #1885)

beat Notes on a Scandal (#1903 → #1992)

lost to Splice (#1895 → #1890)

lost to Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles (#1899 → #1896)

beat Lucky Number Slevin (#1901 → #1967)

beat 1408 (#1900 → #1966)