150 Movies in 2021 Challenge!

[Reviresco]

17) Promising Young Woman (2020) - I thought this was great. It was a little predictable, but if got to where you expect it to go in pretty interesting ways. The director also did an interesting thing where she was constantly reframing the narrative in subtle ways. Like she would create twists, but not make a big deal out of them. It made the movie feel a lot more organic. It was equal parts crowd pleaser and thought provoking. It also does this cool thing where every character in the film is played by a well-known actor or personality, which I think made the film's themes way more effective.[Amazon Rental]

I finally got to watch this movie last night, and it was a surprise. I hadn't seen a trailer or read anything about it, so I had no idea what it was about, other than it was up for Oscars. I have to agree mostly with your review, it was thought provoking and, dare I say it, funny, but it also left me uncomfortable and angry quite a bit. I was not happy with how things ended up with Cassandra spoilers:

(dying to achieve justice)

end of spoilers, but sadly it felt true. I was wondering what other people thought.

EDIT
Fixed Spoiler tag.

Sorry about that.

[Iron Maiden]

I need to update my log of movies....


23. Coming to America 2 : great scene stealing by Wesley Snipes
24. Mask of Dimitrios: Love the Peter Lorre / Sidney Greenstreet team-up
25. Godzilla King of the Monsters (2019)
26. Godzilla vs Kong (2021)
27. Oliver (1968)
28. Carnival of Souls - one can see how the ending inspired Romero's Night of the Living Dead in some respects
29. Masque of the Red Death - more Roger Corman
30. It the Terror from Beyond Space (more 1950s sci fi and allegedly inspired Alien)
31. The Andersonville Trial (George C. Scott directing William Shatner in the lead)
32. The Uninvited (1944) - I love ghost movies. This is one of the best.
33. Them
34. Greenland (2020)
35. Dead Silence (2007) and earlier film from some of the folks who gave you the Conjuring and The Nun but not connected to the Conjuring universe AFAIK.

[C_Miller]

I've been really behind on this... I'm going to post shorter thoughts. Also I remember writing about some of these, but they're not here, so I'm not sure what that's about.

21) Godzilla (1954) - Lots of fun and the special effects really hold up. Thread the needle on interesting characters and monster action. [Criterion Channel]

22) Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) - Super engaging character study about two men who I unfortunately knew little about. Magnetic performances and strong film making all around. This is one I'll easily remember when it comes time for my year end Top 10 list. [Theater!]

23) Goodfellas (1990) - I had never seen this before. It was good. Not my favorite Scorsese (I prefer his earlier work), but a fun, frenetic movie that did not feel like it was anywhere close to its run time. This can definitely be added as proof of my theory that Scorsese is the best director of all time when it comes to endings. [Blu-Ray]

24) Soul (2020) - This was great. I'm not in the Pixar = Automatic win camp, but this was as close to an A+ that I've seen from them in a while. [Disney+]

25) Sound of Metal (2020) - I did not like this as much as Reddit did, but I still liked it. Great performances by Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke and Paul Raci, which sold the movie for me. [Amazon Prime]

26) Saving Private Ryan (1998) - I do not like this movie and this watch was no different. It's a movie that's so in love with the American mythos and for that reason, I think the messaging is off. It doesn't really have anything to interesting say about war or the people that fight it. [Amazon Rental]

27) Cabaret (1972) - I loved the tone and the juxtaposition of music and night club culture with the take over by the Nazis. I love how the Fall of the Weimar Republic zig-zaged between overt and subtle throughout the movie. Also, the music is great and manages to feel both fresh and timeless. [Blu-Ray]

28) The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021) - Pretty forgettable overall. It's another time loop movie, but after Palm Springs, I feel like my need for a time loop rom com has be satiated. Kathryn Newton is a star in the making, but was doing so much of the heavy lifting here. It's a pity that she wasn't the lead. [Amazon Prime]

29) Good Time (2017) - I wish I saw this in the theater. It was a super high anxiety movie, but a lot of that anxiety was lost on me watching it during the day in my apartment with a bad sound bar. I loved the vibe, but I wasn't really able to give myself to the movie seeing it when I did. [Netflix]

30) A Good Woman is Hard to Find (2019) - It was okay. I like a good revenge thriller, but this didn't have a ton going for it. I thought it was going to go one way and I was on board, but then it didn't go that way and I lost interest. I supposed the climax was fun. [Shudder]

31) Freaky (2020) - Like I said, Kathryn Newton is a star. This wasn't great, but she and Vince Vaughn did great. The ending was surprisingly effective. [Amazon Rental]

32) Hot Fuzz (2007) - I adored this one. Maybe one of the best edited movies I've ever seen and I'd put this up with just about any buddy cop movie, even though it's kind of a spoof. While I have been enjoying what Edgar Wright's been working on, I hope he can do another reunion between Pegg and Frost at some point in the future [Blu-Ray]

33) The King of Comedy (1982) - I loved this. This may be one of my favorite performances from De Niro as it was so against type. This would make a great double feature with Network as they are both movies that still feel fresh in theme about the media. [Blu-Ray]

34) Taxi Driver (1976)* - The first re-watch in a long time. I love this movie so much and decided to watch it back to back with King of Comedy because of Joker. What can I say, it's one of my favorite movies. The mood, the score, the transcendent performance by De Niro, the way Scorsese shoots New York, that perfect Jackson Browne needle drop. This one deserves all the hype. [Blu-Ray]

35) Before Sunrise (1995) - I had never seen any of the Before Trilogy before and I've never experienced something like the events in this film before, but it made me feel really nostalgic. It really gave me the feeling of college where you'd stay up all night talking to someone interesting about stuff that is pretty cringy looking back. Definitely captured all those feelings really well. [Amazon Rental]

36) Before Sunset (2004) - As much as Before Sunrise is the fairy tale, this one felt even more so. The real time conceit of the movie was used pretty effectively, but this one almost felt like a day dream. This is every mental conversation that you ever have in your head with the one that got away. I almost want to avoid Before Midnight, so I can leave it with Celine singing to Jesse and all of hte possibilities. [Amazon Rental]

37) Nomadland (2020) - I really liked this. It was an interesting story about a group of people that I don't know much about and the American Countryside was shot incredibly well. Frances McDormand does a fantastic job of anchoring a movie that could have easily gone off the rails. [Hulu]

38) Playtime (1967)* - Perhaps one of the greatest visual treats I've ever seen. To me, this is the answer to the question of what Chaplin would have done if he was born 30 years later. Despite little story and not much in the way of character, there is just so much going on here. In my opinion, the title does not refer to anything in the film, but to Tati's disposition as he made it. [Blu-Ray]

39) Minari (2020) - A really interesting look at the immigrant tale, told through the eyes of a child. The genius is that the film doesn't feel the need to be married to that conceit and shifts perspective to tell a coherent story. I don't know if this is going to be one I'm going to re-watch, but I'm glad I watched it once. [Premium Rental Through Local Indie Theater]

40) Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - This was way better than I expected it was going to be, but still not good. If you like Snyder as a film maker, you'll likely enjoy this. If you do not, you probably will not. I fall into the latter camp. Despite the over 4 hour run time, there was a surprising amount of plot elements that felt underbaked, which made the constant use of slo-mo and "cool" establishing shots feel even more maddening. [HBO Max]

41) Another Round (2020) - Maybe my favorite movie from 2020. There's just so much going on in this movie and it expertly jumps through several different tones. It excels at being a great dramatic movie, a hang out movie, a contemplative movie, and even a musical at the end. A very mature and fully realized vision. [Hulu]

42) Time (2020) - A great documentary about incarceration and how sentences are often disproportionately doled out to certain people in certain communities. They did a fantastic job inter-splicing home movie footage with the meat of the documentary to create something pretty artistic. [Amazon Prime]

43) A Night at the Opera (1935) - I really like Duck Soup and if I had seen A Night at the Opera before Duck Soup, I likely would have appreciated this more. It's a Marx Brothers movie, so the story is nearly non-existent, but it almost feels like a sanitized version of Duck Soup. It was fine, but if I want the Marx Brothers, I'll likely just do a re-watch of Duck Soup. [Amazon Rental]

44) Tootsie (1982) - This was fine. I liked a lot of it, but it didn't really come together for me. While the message was good, I don't think having Dustin Hoffman be the one to figure out how poorly women are treated really works in 2020. There are a ton of movies out there that have similar messages without Dustin Hoffman realizing it. Bill Murray was the real highlight. [Amazon Rental]

45) Godzilla (2014) - Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen was so boring. You had two far more interesting characters here and you almost immediately kill them off. The action was well done and despite it's problems, it was still an enjoyable monster movie. [HBO Max]

46) Kong: Skull Island (2017)* - Easily the best of the new American made Kaiju movies. The creature work is simple stronger than the rest and the characters are far more interesting, specifically the Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and especially John C. Reilly characters. Even Brie Larson, Toby Kebbel and Tom Hiddleston try their hardest with underwritten characters. It's not a great movie, but it does its best with what it tries to do. [HBO Max]

47) Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) - One of the problems when you create a big action movie is that if there's too much action and CGI, you run the risk of desensitizing your audience. That was my problem here. There was just too much stuff and it took itself far too seriously. Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown were solid, but they were extremely underdeveloped and there's a good chance my goodwill for those characters were due to liking them in other things. [HBO Max]

48) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) - This was better. I thought it did a much better job balancing the monsters with boring characters. The visuals were far less muddy than the previous entry and some of its weird choices felt a lot more earned. The big reveal in the middle sold me as it was a concept that I did not expect to see in this new set of movies. [HBO Max]

49) Shiva Baby (2021) - Maybe I should just assume Good Time didn't work for me, because I saw this movie in far worse conditions (on a laptop) and it grabbed me, making me feel anxious the whole damn time. It did feel like a low budget first feature, but it was the perfect example of doing a lot with a little. I know this isn't going to me on many peoples' radar, but check this out. I had a great time with it. [Amazon Rental]

[C_Miller]

50) All That Jazz (1979) - An absolute fever dream of a movie, in some cases quite literally. I think fewer people would have problems with musicals if they were all like this. I have liked Roy Schneider in everything I've seen him in, but this was a career performance. I also have to respect Bob Fosse for making a semi-autobiographical movie where he makes himself out to be such a dirt bag [Blu-Ray]

51) Eraserhead (1977) - Maybe the closest I've ever seen to capturing the feeling of a nightmare. I know that is a theme with Lynch, but it feels truest here. That baby is a marvel of prop making and just as grotesque as I'm sure it was in the 70s. It's hard for me to say that I liked it, but I very much appreciate it and it will command a second watch. [Blu-Ray]

52) Mank (2020) - This was a movie that was made for my sensibilities, but I just found it okay. I'm likely miffed that it was such a hit piece on Orson Welles, but that's not really here nor there. The performances were good particularly Amanda Seyfried who was dazzling. Gary Oldman was fine, but it was a performance he could do in his sleep. [Netflix]

53) Borat Subsequent Movie Film (2020) - I'm not a fan of about 45% of the humor that graces Borat and the scripted portions of the movie were tedious at best. But the parts where Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova are able to riff and improvise, it's fantastic. The film does a great job at painting a picture of 2020 America, but I feel like it may have been better served as a series of Youtube Clips.

54) Midnight Cowboy (1969) - I'm really surprised at how much I loved this. Jon Voight plays naive better than anyone (which likely is not a compliment) and I have never seen Dustin Hoffman better. In many ways this is a movie straddling both the 60s and the 70s nearly perfectly. It's a movie about transition and it makes those connections so well. [Amazon Rental]

55) The Father (2020) - I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's a few months back. This movie was accurate to that experience and absolutely broke me. Great, great film, but I'm never doing that to myself again. [Amazon Rental]

56) Do The Right Thing (1989) - This movie could have been made in 1999, 2009, 2019 and I'm sure it could be made in 2029 and still feel as fresh and timely. I love how vibrant Spike made the city block and how the film is about more than just trauma. I've been reading a lot about Black excellence and I think despite the ending, the film overall is about Black excellence and Black joy and not just about the trauma that so many Black narratives are about. [Blu-Ray]

57) Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - Wes Anderson's style doesn't always work for me, but this was adorable. I think he should make more movies with children at the forefront. Adult movies about children would be a great niche for him to fill. [Blu-Ray]

58) Barry Lyndon (1975) - This Blu-Ray has been sitting my shelf for so long. I do not like period pieces, especially when they clock in at 3 hours, but I loved this. Every frame could have been a painting and Barry is just interesting enough for me to want to follow him through the film. Plus that final stinger at the end is devastating in the best way. [Blu-Ray]

59) Election (1999) - Half of this movie was perfect and the other half, while great was not what I was looking for. Anything involving the titular election was sheer gold, but I just couldn't get into Matthew Broderick's character. Maybe because I'm a teacher who hasn't lost their spark yet and I don't get it. [Blu-Ray]

60) The Night of the Hunter (1955) - I don't think I've ever seen a movie quite like this. Robert Mitchum is perfect and the story it follows goes through so many different changes of direction that it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. [Blu-Ray]

61) Kiss Me Deadly (1955) - I watched this after I got my second vaccine and I was not feeling great. I also did not connect with the movie and I'm uncertain if it was due to my head and body aches. I loved the beginning and end, but it lost my in the middle. Definitely worth a re-watch. [Blu-Ray]

62) Things Heard and Said (2021) - A relatively average ghost story/haunted house movie. Amanda Seyfried was great and I would have loved more from her, but there's really not a whole lot going for it here. [Netflix]

63) Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) - Between Sicario 2, Yellowstone and the tepid reviews Without Remorse is getting, I'm starting to think Taylor Sheridan got really lucky with Sicario, Hell or High Water and Wind River. This just wasn't good and it's less good the more I think of it. It feels lazy and maybe has some of the worst CGI I've ever seen. One more movie like this and I'm not sure Sheridan will be in my must watch category. [HBO Max]

We're chugging along... I will try not to get this much backlog before the next update.

[Mister Mets]

It's been a while since my last update. For this batch, I’ve had a few sub-goals: five films from Arrow’s streaming service, five films nominated for Academy Awards this year (this was later changed to five winners of the Academy Award this year when it took too long for me to complete it) and five films about movies.

Movie #51/ New Movie #34/ Arrow Film #1/ Film About Films #1: Deus Ex Machina: The Philosophy of Donnie Darko (Arrow)
I thought this was going to be about philosophy and unanswered questions, but it’s more of a detailed behind the scenes take of an ambitious directorial debut, although it does seem like everyone views Donnie Darko is a perfect 10/10 film, which wasn’t quite my impression. It does do a decent job explaining the visualization of abstract concepts, although it’s mainly the story of a guy who succeeds with minor complications and absurd breaks (Katherine Ross coming out of retirement to play the psychiatrist, getting the second unit director of Close Encounters of the Third Kinds as the cinematographer) which makes it seem a bit like Bohemian Rhapsody when it comes to manufactured drama.
8/10

Movie #52/ New Movie #35/ Arrow Film #2/ Film About Films #2: They Came from the Swamp: The Films of William Grefé (Arrow)
These are generally enjoyable behind the scenes anecdotes of films that I’m not eager to see: independent regional films shot quickly and at a low budget. There are some surprising connections, and excesses, especially with the accidental almost-hanging of Harold (Oddjob) Sakata, who would work with Grefé again. The films covered are certainly not high art, but the making of it seemed to be fun.
8/10

Movie #53/ New Movie #36/ Arrow Film #3: Psychomania (Arrow)
It’s better than you would expect from a movie with a reputation for driving George Sanders to suicide. The supernatural teen bike gang story is not that bad, although it’s not that good either. The rules of the fantasy are weird, and there’s a mismatch between the mischief of the biker gang and the body count. Catchy soundtrack though, especially the folk song “Riding Free.”
6/10



Movie #54: A Few Good Men (AMC+)
The direction and score are sometimes a bit too obvious, which keeps this from being a truly great movie, but it is close, looking to serious moral questions with a decent cast and set of conflicts. Nicholson’s Jessep is fantastic, contrasting quiet control with his final outburst. There is a good sense of lawyers preparing for a case, and while the plot is complicated by obvious mistakes, this does make sense given how out of their league they are.
9/10

Movie #55/ New Movie #37/ Arrow Film #4: Dark August (Arrow)
It’s an oddly shot take on grief and guilt. Amateurish but there is some emotional honesty.
6/10

Academy Award Winner #1: Tenet (Arrow)
Even on a second watch, it remains a spectacularly confusing film. It starts with a vaguely defined mission with multiple forces in a shootout during a terrorist attack that is cover for something else, and gets weirder from there, when John David Washington’s unnamed protagonist joins a group so mysterious he doesn’t even know who he’s working with. There are some great concepts, the visuals keep it interesting, and the action sequences are clever, even if it remains rather confusing.
7/10



Movie #56/ New Movie #38/ Arrow Film #5: What Did You Do to Solange? (Arrow)
This giallo seems dirtier than most, The protagonist- a flawed gym teacher getting involved in a mystery that affects his student/ mistress – is effective.
7/10

Movie #57/ New Movie #39: The Dead Zone (Amazon Prime)
It’s shot in an off-kilter way which fits the character’s alienation. It’s kinda slow, although not dull. The central conflict between Walken’s psychic and Martin Sheen’s crazed politician (the exact opposite of Jed Bartlett) takes a while to get going, but is compelling when it happens.
7/10

Movie #58: Justice League- The Snyder Cut (HBO+)
This is easily Snyder’s best DC film. It has some impressive sequences, and sometimes doesn’t go in the obvious direction (IE- everyone is so traumatized about losing Superman they barely talk about it.) Even with a lame villain they get across the idea that this is too big a challenge for any sole hero. Cyborg is much improved, and I completely understand why Ray Fisher was so upset at the changes to his arc in the Joss Whedon version. The Knightmare sequence is comic bookey in the best way.
8/10

Movie #59/ New Movie #40: Godzilla VS Kong (HBO+)
This was a movie that knows what it wants to be- it’s King VS Godzilla, until they team up against Mechagodzilla. It isn’t much better than it needs to be, but some recurring scenes are good enough to keep it a solid B.
7/10

Movie #60: Idiocracy (DVD)
It seems to sometimes be shot in a boring way, although this works to highlight the absurdity of what’s going on, in a world run by morons.
8/10

Movie #61/ New Movie #41: Ghost of Frankenstein (DVD)
It adds a bit to the mythos with the most well-meaning Frankenstein’s monster of the Universal Horror films, though this version doesn’t make it clear why he’s one of the great film characters. There is a nice score and production design, although the affected family is bland. Mediocre follow-up to two of the best monster movies ever.
6/10



Movie #62: The Day the Earth Stood Still (DVD)
It’s a decently made Golden Age of Hollywood sci-fi film. It is about something and captures a truly alien perspective, with a unique spin on humanity’s potential for extinction.
8/10

Movie #63/ New Movie #42/ Film About Movies #3: Making the Earth Stand Still (DVD)
A well-made “Making Of” demonstrating what happened when a B-movie was made with an A-movie budget and cast. It’s a good extra for a standard DVD. It’s mostly an assortment of pleasant “Making of” stories, although it peters at the end as it suddenly shifts to collectors showing off obscure memorabilia.
7/10

Movie #64/ New Movie #43: The Swamp (HBO+)
It’s a solid documentary about underappreciated facets of Washington DC corruption which has become more relevant now that one of the subjects Matt Gaetz is under investigation for sex trafficking. He’s a prick but comes across better than usual; it’s the first time he seems to know what makes his district special.
8/10

Movie #65/ Film About Movies #4: Tropic Thunder (Blu-Ray)
It’s an excellent satire of Hollywood and war movies, elevated by Ben Stiller’s best performance, Robert Downey Jr as the ultimate insane method actor, and Tom Cruise’s transformation into monster producer Les Grossman.
9/10

[Mister Mets]

Movie #66/ New Movie #44: La Llorona (Shudder)
This is a decent story about a prominent Central American family dealing with the trial of a patriarch, and realizing that it may be well-deserved, interspersed with a quiet ghost tale. This is not the poorly reviewed American film which used the same myth as a jumping off point.
8/10

Movie #67/ New Movie #45: Re-Animator (Shudder)
It’s trash, but that’s not necessarily disqualifying. The score really rips off Psycho. I do like the black humor.
7/10

Movie #68/ New Movie #46: The Woman in the Window (Netflix)
This movie is terrible in a fascinating way. It’s odd to consider how the director of Atonement and Darkest Hour made something so mediocre and derivative with such a great cast (Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh.) It’s tonally all over the map, and there are some weird misjudgments, like the final act that gets rid of some of the best performers.
2/10

Movie #69/ New Movie #47: Ghost Stories (AMC+)
It’s quite mixed. The shorter stories prevent you from getting to know the characters enough to care about what happens to them, as the lead hears about situations after the fact. The material is sometimes unsettling.
5/10



Movie #70/ New Movie #48/ Academy Award Winner #2/ Film About Movies #3: Mank (Netflix)
Making it in the style of a film about old Hollywood works really well. It has some interesting things to say about studios getting involved in politics, and what really matters, with Oldman’s Mank an interesting lead: a raconteur who is able to hide just how observant he really is, which makes his big outburst so cutting. It’s imperfect (the actress playing his wife is too young to be his contemporary, the clash with Welles about credit explicitly described as the third act twist comes out of nowhere) but it is really up my alley.
8/10

Movie #71/ New Movie #49: Mission Impossible (Paramount Plus)
The first Mission Impossible film does introduce Cruise’s Ethan Hunt as a decent action hero, with some great set pieces and clever twists, but these are good moments in a story that’s rather empty, hindered by the lack of a clear foe for much of it.
7/10

Movie #72/ New Movie #50/ Academy Award Winner #3: My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
It’s beautifully shot, and lovely enough that I can completely understand how it won Best Documentary. It really captures the unusual sense of the environment, and Craig Foster’s growing comfort in such an alien world. There’s a sense of deliberately withheld material behind the scenes (who is filming him when he’s supposed to be alone? What exactly were the crises in his life that led him to escape?) It is sometimes unbelievable but it does capture a bond between a weird guy and a very different creature.
8/10

Movie #73/ New Movie #51/ Academy Award Winner #4: The Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime)
The sound engineering is exceptional, showing the subjective experiences of Riz Ahmed’s musician. There are some clever decisions about how information is doled out, which sometimes makes it difficult to be grounded, but is often quite rewarding. It doesn’t go in the expected directions, dealing with addiction in addition to disability. There’s a good sense that this is the story of people who were hurt, before a new health crisis. When he recovers with a deaf community there is a great sense of the norms of a different culture, with its own set of rules, embodied by Paul Raci’s community director, whose clearly defined worldview leads to a complex reckoning.
9/10

Movie #74/ New Movie #52: Farewell to Manzanar (DVD)
It’s better than I expected considering it’s a relatively obscure TV movie about a family’s experiences in a Japanese-American concentration camp. It covers the conflicts within an abused community, even if there are some obvious artistic compromises, like the emphasis on many of the white people being well-meaning.
8/10

Movie #75/ New Movie #53/ Academy Award Winner #5: The Father (Redbox)
This take on the subjective experience of an elderly man with dementia deserves all the awards it won. Anthony Hopkins excels in a tricky performance, flipping from casual cruelty to charming, while trying to hide his confusion and fear. It depicts a world that seems to be a dark horror movie for the lead, and how it all affects those around him.
10/10

On a different note, there's an interesting collection of films posted for free until June 8: 9 works of Baltic modernistic cinema, from what is now Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the 1960s and 1970s. I would recommend Madness, the search for a spy who seems to be hiding in a lunatic asylum.

https://vimeo.com/showcase/8500709

[foxley]

I am plaeased to say that I am still on track. It's the end of May and I've just brought up my 75th film, putting me halfway through my films.

Film #75 was Gentlemen Explorers, a 2013 live-action steampunk movie with an extremely low budget ($15,000 acoording to IMDB) and aspirations far beyond both the budget and the talent of its cast.

My movies so far:

1) The Dry (2020)
2) Becky (2020)
3) The Gatling Gun (1971)
4) Angel (1983)
5) Monster Hunter (2020)
6) Asian School Girls (2014)
7) Ring of Fear (1954)
8) 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns (1993)
9) Miss Meadows (2014)
10) Promising Young Woman (2020)
11) Hooded Angels (2002)
12) Stiletto (2008)
13) A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964)
14) Felon (2008)
15) Serial Killing 4 Dummys (2004)
16) The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
17) Starred Up (2013)
18) The Locals (2003)
19) Black Angel Vol. 1 (1997)
20) Death Ring (1992)
21) Wrong Turn (2003)
22) Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
23) The Lookout (2007)
24) Intruders (2015)
25) Body (2015)
26) The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
27) Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
28) Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)
29) Pig Hunt (2008)
30) Copycat (1995)
31) Art of the Dead (2019)
32) Die, Monster, Die! (1965)
33) The Boondock Saints (1999)
34) Bloody Reunion (2006)
35) Twice-Told Tales (1963)
36) Dying Breed (2008)
37) Exam (2009)
38) Crank (2006)
39) The Loved Ones (2009)
40) Con Air (1997)
41) Triangle (2009)
42) Pagan Warrior (2019)
43) Hangman's Knot (1952)
44) Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
45) Zoltan, Hound of Dracula (1977)
46) Deathtrap (1982)
47) Maniac Cop (1988)
48) Jo Nesbø's Headhunters (2011)
49) A Blueprint for Murder (1953)
50) The Prowler (1951)
51) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
52) The Hazing (2004)
53) The Rescuers (1977)
54) Christmas Evil (1980)
55) Monster Party (2018)
56) The Warriors (1979)
57) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983)
58) Fantasy Island (2020)
59) John Doe: Vigilante (2014)
60) The Outlaws IS Coming! (1965)
61) Rimfire (1949)
62) 12 Rounds (2009)
63) Train (2008)
64) Bus 657 (2015)
65) Six Reasons Why (2008)
66) The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)
67) Starcrash (1978)
68) Demon Knight (1995)
69) The Land That Time Forgot (1974)
70) Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet (2021)
71) The Hangover (2009)
72) Hoboken Hollow (2006)
73) Sherlock: Case of Evil (2002)
74) Lady in Cement (1968)
75) Gentlemen Explorers (2013)

[Mister Mets]

So far, the collection of Baltic modernist films available for free on Vimeo for the next week reminds me a lot of the Czech New Wave.

http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/fil...s/series/53494

Movie #76/ Estonian Film #1/ Film About Films #2: The Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel/ ‘HUKKUNUD ALPINISTI’ HOTELL (Vimeo)
It is trippy, a rare example of Estonian science-fiction, as a detective story in a ski lodge takes a weird turn when suspected criminals start seeing duplicates. It gets into interesting moral questions about the right way to behave in an absurd situation. Can and should you follow the letter of the law when non-human entities are just trying to survive?
7/10



Movie #77/ New Movie #54/ Latvian Film #1: Four White Shirts/ ČETRI BALTI KREKLI (Vimeo)
The 1960s Latvian film (not released until 1987) that reminds me a lot of work from the Czech new wave. It’s a story we’ve seen before of an songwriter dealing with precious to change his lyrics, but in Soviet-Era Riga the censors have teeth. My Estonian-born mother was astonished that the film was even made, given the depiction of Soviet bureaucracy. The music was pretty decent, and it’s clever how the first censor is well-meaning, but gets the ball rolling. I might decide it’s 10/10 on a second watch. This was better than I expected any of these movies to be.
9/10

Movie #78/ New Movie #55/ Latvian Film #2: Redundant/ LIEKAM BŪT (Vimeo)
This generally feels like a well-made 1950s/ 1960s French crime film, albeit in a setting with different rules. It’s a story we’ve seen before of a middle-aged ex-con looking for a final score. What works is the sense of how trapped he is, and the alternatives available. This is a story where crime is not done out of economic necessity, but more to give a sense of purpose and to live big. We get to see the major relationships in his life: the prettiest Taxi Driver in Riga as his love interest, a sister who wants a normal life, desperate former colleagues, and the police officer who wants to help him find a good life.
8/10

[C_Miller]

64) A League of Their Own (1992)* - I adore this movie. Sure, it's a bit imperfect such as setting up story lines that don't always get fulfilled and choosing the wrong main character, but there's just so much to like here. [Blu-ray]

65) The 39 Steps (1935) - I didn't quite enjoy this as much as I was hoping to. There was a lot to like, but I couldn't help but just see it as an underbaked template for North by Northwest. I think part of it may have been how it was very British and I think I may have missed a lot of the cultural sign posts. [Criterion Channel]

66) Rififi (1955) - I love heist movies and it was really fun to see the movie that established so many genre tropes. This biggest thing that I really appreciated with this movie is how economical the storytelling is. It does such a great job establishing all four characters without bogging it down in subplots. Plus it is one of the most intense movies I've seen in a long time. [Blu-ray]

67) In the Mood for Love (2000) - Wow. This was incredible. I don't think I quite absorbed everything that I could have, but what I did absorb really stuck with me. As someone who has kind of been involved in a similar relationship to the one depicted in the film, this spoke to me. Definitely is one that invites repeat viewings, which is always nice when springing on a Criterion blind buy. [Blu-ray]

[Attila Kiss]

This Century
109. 2067 (2020) - ✰✰✰
110. Cruella (2021) - ✰✰✰
111. Baskin (2015) - ✰✰✰✰
112. Breeder (2020) - ✰✰✰✰
113. Follow Me (2020) - ✰✰✰✰
114. The Upside (2017) - ✰✰✰✰
115. Lucky Luke (2009) - ✰✰✰✰
116. Chaos Walking (2021) - ✰✰✰
117. Wrath Of Man (2021) - ✰✰✰✰
118. Budapest Heist (2020) - ✰✰✰✰✰
119. The Comeback Trail (2020) - ✰✰✰
120. The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) - ✰✰✰✰
121. Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) - ✰✰✰
122. The Unthinkable (2018) - ✰✰✰✰✰
123. Persian Lessons (2020) - ✰✰✰✰
124. The Little Things (2021) - ✰✰✰
125. The Adventurers (2017) - ✰✰✰
126. Ghosts Of War (2020) - ✰✰✰✰
127. The Virtuoso (2021) - ✰✰✰
128. Balcancan (2005) - ✰✰✰✰
129. Vanguard (2020) - ✰✰✰✰
130. Dark Skies (2013) - ✰✰✰
131. The Lie (2018) - ✰✰✰

Last Century
132. Dance With The Devil a.k.a Perdita Durango (1997) - ✰✰✰✰
133. Weird Science (1985) - ✰✰✰✰
134. Till Marriage Do Us Part (1974) - ✰✰✰

[CJStriker]

I am so proud to see so many people this year again participating in the challenge!

Sorry I have not posted my list since the start, I plan to have it up soon and I’ve been keeping on top of keeping up with my movies as well, and so far I’ve been pretty pleased with my viewing and my goals!

Love seeing all your lists, I love seeing all the details you each put into your lists, thank you to each and everyone of you for being a part of this yearly challenge!

[Mister Mets]

Continuing with the Baltic films. Incidentally, you guys have one more day to see them on Vimeo.

http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/fil...s/series/53494

Movie #79/ New Movie #56/ Lithuanian Film #1: Ave, Vita (Vimeo)
This was a take on the Holocaust released in the 1960s that feels modern in terms of how it deals with the topic, showing flashbacks to an atrocity while the present focuses on the survivors and the media attention to one man’s ritual. It seems like a bit like Godard. The strange editing choices (sudden cuts, obvious ADR, use of photos over text) work in that context. Unfortunately, scenes removed by censors make the narrative a bit hard to follow at times, and there is the icky compromise of removing Jewish references of key characters, which makes it seem vague why they were targeted. That was likely the only way the film could have been made at all, but it keeps the film from being great.
8/10

Movie #80/ New Movie #57/ Lithuanian Film #2: June, the Beginning of Summer (Vimeo)
It’s an interesting example of hyperlink cinema, reminding me of Altman or Rules of the Game, showing the interconnected stories in a small town, some of which are more compelling than others, or at least have better resolutions. It does have some nice touches about the specifics of the setting, like the question of whether the town can survive the addition of a new factory, or an injury caused by shrapnel embedded in a log.
7/10



Movie #81/ Estonian Film #2: Madness/ Hullumeelsus (Vimeo)
It was already one of my favorite Estonian movies (which I don’t mean in the sense of a backhanded compliment) and I like it even more this time around. Maybe it’s because I know the story, and that lets me analyze certain things differently. Maybe it’s the quality of the transfer. It’s a good idea for a story executed well, as a German official during the end of World War II searches for a British spy within an asylum. He interviews people with different forms of insanity, many of whom were affected by the war. Jüri Järvet, probably the best-regarded Estonian actor, is excellent as the official, starting out as sneaky but composed, and then getting more reckless and unhinged as the pressure mounts and he’s exposed to all the lunatics.
10/10

Movie #82/ New Movie #58/ Estonian Film #3: Ideal Landscape (Vimeo)
This is a weird one to make sense of. It follows a hapless Soviet bureaucrat, who can’t get the people of a small town to follow directions for a harvest. Complicating factors include local knowledge, as they recognize the climate doesn’t allow for a harvest yet. And he’s got a tough time figuring out if they’re telling the truth or lying to him. Sometimes it isn’t clear if they’re acting in good faith. It’s very Estonian, in the sense that it’s meant for an audience who understands the very specific context. Looking at it now, it just doesn’t feel like something set in the 1940s. It feels like what it is; people in the early 80s pretending it’s right after World War II. But it is interesting to see a Graduate-style story of a young man trying to figure out his life, in the very specific context of a CPSU official who just wants things to go well so he can go to college, and he can’t get the people around him to respect him.
7/10



Movie #83/ New Movie #59/ Latvian Film #3: Apple In The River (Vimeo)
This one has an almost anthropological take on young love, evident by the narration and one character’s job of working on an archeological dig. There’s a very specific sense of location (the small community in an island near the capitol about to be changed by the advent of a new bridge. It’s pleasant and captures the awkwardness of two young people in love trying to make sense of the world, and each other.
8/10

Movie #84/ New Movie #60/ Lithuanian Film #3: The Beauty (Vimeo)
The shortest of the films at barely over an hour. It does capture the world of children pretty well, with a little girl trying to figure out why the new kid doesn’t like her. The theme of inner beauty rings a bit hollow, because a sad speech about how outer appearances don’t matter is given by someone who doesn’t look too bad, but it does give a sense of how a kid sees things, and what she would prioritize and be offended by. It is beautifully shot.
8/10

There are some commonalities with the films. Asia and Africa seem quite exotic to people who see images of those countries, but have no hope of ever going there. The Soviet Union has no problem with Nazis being the bad guys, but while Jews are references in some of the films, there are no Jewish characters. There’s a mournfulness to the disappearance of an old way of life, and an understanding that bureaucrats don’t know best, which might be why some of the films weren’t widely distributed in the Soviet Union.

[C_Miller]

68) Nashville (1975) - Once I was able to get into the style of the film, I really enjoyed it and I'd almost go as far as to call it a masterpiece. The tone is so well balanced between comedy and tragedy and I think Altman treats his characters with far more sympathy than others would. There are a lot of take downs of media and celebrity culture (including a couple that will also be mentioned in this post) that do not share the same sympathies and I think that's what makes this a great film. [Blu-Ray]

69) Ace in the Hole (1951) - It's interesting that I paired these two together, though it was unintentional. I'm just trying to get through all of my unwatched Criterions before the next sale. But this works so well as a companion piece to Nashville. This movie is dark, seedy and extremely timeless. One of the things that I really appreciated about this movie is how Wilder chose to indict the system rather than the man. It would have been an easy way out to make Tatum the villain of the story, but while he does dark things, he is not. Wilder was clearly playing jump rope with the Hays Code and the movie was better for it. [Blu-Ray]

70) Rebecca (1940) - Alfred Hitchcock's first American produced movie. I have delved a bit into early Hitchcock recently and it has not been my thing, but I really enjoyed Rebecca. It's really a masterclass in subversion of expectations and does a great job with its use of gothic imagery. This is also maybe the earliest film I've seen where I really appreciated the cinematography. That first tracking shot of Manderley did a remarkable job setting the tone while the final shot made me wonder how exactly they did it. [Blu-Ray]

71) Seven Samurai (1954) - Not all classics are created equal. Some may have been good in their time, but no longer work. Some I can appreciate, but don't thrill me. But others make me mad at myself for not seeing them sooner. Seven Samurai is included in that last group. This movie is incredible and earns its classic status. The movie just cooks and doesn't feel anywhere close to its 3.5 hour running time. The sequences range from exciting to fascinating whether its an action scene or a character scene. The characters are so well realized despite all having the same job and external goal, but each character is defined by their own unique internal goals and personalities. No one fades into the background. I can't wait to give this one a rewatch knowing where it all ends up. [Blu-Ray]

72) Videodrome (1983) - This one did not work as well for me as I wanted it to. I really liked the overall tone and vibe of the movie. I tend to like movies about secrets that the protagonist spends the movie attempting to unpack and I like it when those secrets involve Sci-Fi elements. I even think the messaging was really good and thought provoking, but overall, the actual meat of the film just left me cold. Perhaps it's a movie that I can revisit later and get more out of. [Blu-Ray]

[Attila Kiss]

Last Century
135. The Night Evelyn Came Out Of The Grave (1971) - ✰✰✰✰ (NSFW)
136. The Slumberparty Massacre (1982) - ✰✰✰ (NSFW)
137. White Of The Eye (1987) - ✰✰✰

This Century
138. Triad Wars a.k.a. Fatal Move (2008) - ✰✰✰✰
139. Sector 7 (2011) - ✰✰✰✰
140. The Pirates (2014) - ✰✰✰✰
141. The Lady In The Car With Glasses And A Gun (2015) - ✰✰✰✰
142. Don't Kill It (2016) - ✰✰✰
143. Message Man (2017) - ✰✰✰✰
144. The Perfect Killer (2017) - ✰✰✰
145. The Trouble With You (2018) - ✰✰✰✰
146. Angel Of Mine (2019) - ✰✰✰✰
147. Line Of Duty (2019) - ✰✰✰
148. Antebellum (2020) - ✰✰✰
149. A Quiet Place Part II (2020) - ✰✰✰✰
150. Archive (2020) - ✰✰✰
151. Becky (2020) - ✰✰✰✰
152. Mortal (2020) - ✰✰✰
153. The Secrets We Keep (2020) - ✰✰✰
154. The Superdeep (2020) - ✰✰✰
155. Breaking News In Yuba County (2021) - ✰✰✰✰
156. Gaia (2021) - ✰✰✰

[Mister Mets]

For this batch, I’ve had a few sub-goals: five French films, five films from AFI’s list of the funniest movies ever, five films by actor-directors and because I’ve realized that I haven’t been many watching any silent movies this year (that’s what happens when I don’t keep track of decades): five movies from the silent era.

Movie #85/ New Movie #59: Tom & Jerry (DVD)
It’s mostly pleasant all-ages film. I like the conceit that human characters are live-action, and all animals are animated. There’s a carelessness to the story as evident by the lack of attention to what makes an A-list celebrity wedding special. Are they both famous? Are they actors? Influencers? The main arc is pretty obvious, although it’s resolved okay.
6/10

Movie #86/ New Movie #60/ Actor-Director #1: A Quiet Place Part 2 (Theater)
It may be a little self-indulgent for John Krakinski to do a film about how his character is so awesome. This sequel continues logically from the first, and builds on the world okay. There is some plot induced stupidity and the narrative trudges a bit, although it is interesting where it gets to the point where you don’t know what’s happening next.
8/10

Movie #87/ New Movie #61: The Sparks Brothers (Theater)
It’s a straightforward documentary about a relatively obscure long-running band. I’ve never heard of them, aside from the trailer for their upcoming other film Annette, although I do get the sense that they’ve been parodied dozens of times before, which makes sense. They’re so distinctive, and they’ve been visible enough over the years while still being kinda unknown. For the same reason some people who saw the movie thought it was an elaborate mocumentary, they are great to parody. Wright gets to what makes the band special, even if more time on individual songs would be appreciated when we’re dealing with a band so obscure. Granted, that trick might be hard with 25 albums. It does certainly show the band’s ability to change, and how they were often ahead of everyone else.
8/10

Movie #88/ New Movie #62/ French Movie #1: Le Chinoise (Mubi)
This is an odd Godard film. Mainly it’s intellectual debates among ridiculous left-wing radicals before they go and take things up a notch. It’s strange that Godard seemed to believe in militant maoism given how well he makes fun of it.
7/10

Movie #89/ New Movie #63/ French Movie #2: The Oldest Profession (Kino Lorber Blu-Ray)
It’s an oddball anthology with top French directors tackling the world’s oldest profession. I suspect that no one would be surprised that a 1960s French movie about prostitution is sometimes a bit misogynstic. For the subject matter, it’s also typically quite tame. Some of the jokes are okay.
5/10



Movie #90/ New Movie #64/ Silent Film #1/ AFI 100 Laughs #1/ Actor-Director #2: The Navigator (Blu-Ray)
It’s a fun Keaton film with two incompetent young people stuck on a boat together, barely able to manage, required complex rube goldberg devices to manage the most simple things. It often showcases Keaton’s mastery of the comedic long-shot. A final encounter with an island of cannibals has not aged as well as most of the film.
8/10

Movie #91/ French Movie #3/ Silent Movie #2: The Passion of Joan of Arc (Criterion Blu-Ray)
This time I watched the 24 frames per second version with the score by Adrian Utley and Will Gregory. The score was very modern, but worked quite well with the timelessness of the source material. It remains one of the best movies ever made, with a powerhouse performance by Renée Jeanne Falconetti at the destruction and spiritual salvation of a great woman.
10/10

Movie #92/ AFI 100 Laughs #2: Monkey Business (DVD)
It’s the Marx brothers, so it has some inspired gags, and is sometimes ahead of the audience. The brothers play stowaways who get involved in a mob conflict, which works as a centerpiece.
8/10

Movie #93/ New Movie #65/ French Movie #4/ Actor-Director #3: Let’s Make a Dream (Mubi)
This is very obviously a theatrical adaptation, with the direction a bit dull. Sometimes it goes on a little bit too long, although it is witty and charming. The restoration on Mubi is imperfect, but it does have some great sequences and twists, especially a cad’s elaborate fantasy of what his girl is doing when heading his way.
7/10