The Movie Year in Review

 

You Bring The Popcorn

Time for the annual summation of the movie watching here at the Phlipside. There was a bit of a surprise waiting when I totaled the numbers. Almost half of this year’s movies ranked in the top two categories. I’m not sure that’s ever happened before.

So here are the raw numbers:

43 total movies (excluding the Christmas movies), five of them made the highest level (5 stars), while a whopping 14 made four-star status. Six movies fell to the two-star level and only one descended to the very bottom.

So, a quick look in reverse order, with my Top Nine at the end.

The sole one star movie was the fabulously awful “Llamageddon”. This move is both a technical mess and lacks the charm of movies like “The Room” or “Plan 9 From Outer Space” to become classic cult movies. I must admit, there is a tiny little llama shaped soft spot for this movie. It is ABSOLUTELY awful, but that alone makes it special. Watch at your own risk.

At the two star level, I found two movies based on stories by one of my favorite authors, Ernest Hemingway. Both “A Farewell to Arms” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” let the original material down. “Split Second” was a garbage, low-budget dystopian future (set in 2008!), “The Electric Life of Louis Wain” failed to make the main character appealing despite having Benedict Cumberbatch in the role, “They Might Be Giants” is one of the dumbest Sherlock Holmes spinoffs I’ve ever seen. Last, but certainly not least, was the huge disappointment of “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh”. Set in my beloved home city, based on a bestseller by Michael Chabon, the movie was slow, dull and lacked any appreciation of the people or the city.

With those out of the way, that brings me to my Top Nine movies of the year. With only four slots open after the five star ratings taking up most of the space, it was tough. There are movies that I LOVED that got bumped like “A Man Called Otto”. Three of the potential titles were quick eliminations – “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” was amazing, but not a movie I’m likely to watch again. The same goes for “1917”, and “Solo – A Star Wars Story”. The second title did what it was asked to do and did it well. But I don’t see going back to it. On the other hand, I watch “Armageddon” every other year or so. If I catch it streaming, I’ll stop to watch it. I’m well aware of the shortcomings of the movie, but again, it is exactly what the movie studio wanted it to be. Five titles down, five more to go. The next five all missed the list by the tiniest amounts. Those were “Dark Victory”, “Honky Tonk Man”, “House On The River”, “Shop Around the Corner”, and “Going My Way”. Any of these movies are well worth your time to watch.

But that gets us down to the final nine titles. Two of the remaining four star movies are newer, one of them is more than five decades old.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” is a stunning movie, unlike anything that comes quickly to mind. Two brilliant performances stand at the center of the claustrophobic story of two men trapped in a strange relationship. You’ll find it on many lists of the best movies of the 21st century so far. No argument from me.

Less known is “Get Low” from 2009. Based loosely on a real person, Robert Duvall is reason enough to watch this mix of mystery, redemption and death. Really amazing little picture.

Jumping back into the last century, we find “Life Is Sweet” which lives up to the title. The story of a working class family in London, trying to find their way through hard times. It’s sweet, and funny, and (again) not like most other movies.

Last on this part of the list, but first in my heart, is “Play Misty For Me”. An essential Clint Eastwood movie that allowed the actor to move into new directions on the screen and into directing. Radio has changed a lot since those days, but it still speaks to the DJ in my heart.

That gives us a drama, a comedy/horror, a comedy/drama, and a classic slasher movie. On to the best of the year!

“Hoop Dreams” stands out because it’s a documentary. Often slotted as the best documentary of all time, the journey of two young men pursuing a dream of basketball glory is enthralling.

There are two “classics” on the list this year. “12 Angry Men” is still an amazing ensemble performance, with Henry Fonda leading an incredible cast. Trapped in a single room, they hold a young man’s life in their hands. Meanwhile, “You Can’t Take It With You” traps the decidedly different Sycamore family in their home as they combat big industry and find love in a brilliant Frank Capra comedy.

I hadn’t seen “Amadeus” in years, but remembered that I enjoyed it. In fact, the semi-historical/semi-fantasy vision of the life of the classical music genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is almost beyond words. Tom Hulce and R. Murray Abraham are brilliant, and the music is sublime.

There was one movie this year that took me by surprise at a level that was a surprise itself. I knew nothing about “Two-Lane Blacktop” before watching it. With two music legends in the lead roles, I went into the movie with low expectations. But James Taylor and Dennis Wilson were letter perfect as the obsessed road racers. An amazing movie that has not gotten the kind of notice it deserves over the years.

Looking back, it was an amazing year for movies. I felt like I got back into my groove, and along the way discovered so many wonderful titles.

I can hardly wait to see what’s waiting for me in 2024!