Best of the Year: 1955 - All that Heaven Allows

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In 2002 I was at the height of my movie watching experience in that I pretty much saw everything that was released. If you remember from my posts from that year, Far From Heaven was my favorite of the 92 movies I saw that year. All of the reviews I read remarked that it was Todd Haynes' tribute to the films of Douglas Sirk. Having never seen a film from Sirk, I added his most famous films to my watchlist. Unfortunately, it took me nearly 20 years to see one. After watching All that Heaven Allows, I certainly will seek out more of Sirk's films. 

Rock Hudson is an absolute snack. This is a love story as beautiful as its cinematography. That window shot.... It's just jaw-dropping.

The Year in Movies: 1955

 

1955

Number of Movies I've Seen: 5

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  2

Oscar Winner:
Marty - Feels like a really solid 1950s sitcom episode stretched to feature length. Borgnine is excellent and the film is good, but I just don't get how anyone thought this was the best movie of any year.

Box Office Winner:
Cinerama Holiday - So this sent me down a pretty interesting rabbit hole about "Cinerama", a three-projector, three-reel movie system with a curved screen that created a more immersive theater experience. This movie was the second one produced using this method, and I haven't seen it (or any movie presented in "cinerama" for that matter). It's pretty interesting though that the highest grossing movie of 1955 was a travel documentary.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Seven-Year Itch - This was almost my number one of the year. Marilyn Monroe was an embarrassingly overrated culture icon, but a grossly underrated actress. Her ability to pull off the ditzy-seeming blonde with a brain was near perfection. No film is more emblematic of this unfortunate dichotomy than this one. The famous "skirt" still from this movie takes away from what it has to say about relationships, feminism, and fidelity. Here's my review from 2010.

3. Lady and the Tramp - This is possibly my favorite of the "classic" Disney animated films. It is beautiful to behold and has a adventurous romance that is at the same time unbelievable and relatable. Skip the "live-action" remake though because they cut out the beaver who is definitely my favorite secondary character. Unfortunately, I didn't have much to say in 2010.

4. Rebel without a Cause - I am in desperate need of a rewatch of this. I remember really liking it, but it definitely hasn't stuck with me.

5. Marty

Best of the Year: 1945 - Mildred Pierce

 

Veda Pierce is the devil... and also a representation of everything that is wrong with valuing money above all else.

This movie is really good, too bad about that title... Feminism, murder mystery, and a heaping dose of what makes classic Hollywood great. I urge you to seek this one out if you haven't seen it.

The Year in Movies: 1945

 1945

Number of Movies I've Seen: 2 

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
The Lost Weekend - This isn't a bad movie by any means, but it sure is a downer. Billy Wilder wants you to know alcoholism is bad. I hear you Billy.... I hear you.

Box Office Winner:
The Bells of St. Mary's - Going My Way was the Oscar winner from 1944 that I said I haven't seen yet (but I wasn't in a hurry because, you know... Bing Crosby). This is the sequel. 'Nuff said.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. The Lost Weekend

Best of the Year: 1935 - A Night at the Opera

 

I am an optimist when it comes to criticism. I feel like art is always improving and that you can find our best music, movies, comics, and visual art in modern times. I lamented earlier this week to a student that the two genres of pop culture that seemed to me to break this rule are hip-hop music and comedic film. Just like I don't think modern hip-hop comes close to the best of the mid-90s, I don't think comedic film comes close to what these brothers were doing almost a century ago.

Duck Soup is probably their best film, but this one will always be my favorite. The musical performances and story just match-up so well with the mad-cap antics of Groucho, Chico, and Harpo.

Of course it was on my original list.

The Year in Movies: 1935

 

1935

Number of Movies I've Seen: 2 

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  1

Oscar Winner:
Mutiny on the Bounty- (PICTURED ABOVE) I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. Clark Gable is a more than adequate hero and, dare I say it, quite a bit more likable here than in Gone with the Wind. Charles Laughton provides the blueprint for aristocratic villain for decades to come. It's also pretty sexy for a naval movie or a flick from 1935.

Box Office Winner:
Mutiny on the Bounty 

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Mutiny on the Bounty 

The Year in Movies: 1925

 1925

I've put it off long enough. I promise I have started Battleship Potemkin multiple times and just haven't been able to finish it... Oh well, my first single movie year in review:

Number of Movies I've Seen: 1

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  0

Oscar Winner:
didn't exist yet

Box Office Winner:
The Big Parade - "The story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army’s Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl."  Sounds interesting and is definitely on my watchlist.

My Top Ten:
1. The Gold Rush - (PICTURED ABOVE) If you've followed me at all, you know that I am not a huge Chaplin devotee. It isn't because he was a terrible human being (which he was). It is just that his movies don't connect with me as much as Keaton (and, later, the Marx Brothers). I probably liked this one the least of his three films on the AFI top 100 (Modern Times and City Lights being the other two). Chaplin's comedies gain their power from the heart. The "dinner roll" dance is cute, but it is also overwhelmingly sad because the love interest is unreasonably mean. What can I say? Technically groundbreaking, critically disappointing.

Best of the Year: 2014 - Interstellar

 Who would've guessed? If you base your science fiction in actual science, you could make quite possibly the greatest sci-fi movie of all time! This isn't just my favorite film of 2014, it's my favorite of the new millennium. It weaves a story of intergenerational love into a fabric of hard science-fiction so effortlessly that the viewer is transported to this new future along with the characters. It almost feels like a docudrama about what actually happened rather than a futurist film about what might. Matthew McConaughey nails it as well and serves as a perfect guide to this strange new world where time bends and human love knows no bounds.

The Year in Movies: 2014

 2014

Number of Movies I've Seen: 61

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  didn't exist yet

Oscar Winner:
Birdman - Probably in a close race with 1917 for the best "one shot" movie ever made. This one is a bit better in my opinion though because of the riveting performances from Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, and Edward Norton.

Box Office Winner:
American Sniper - This movie sickens me. I have already spoken on it at length.

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. When Marnie was There - (PICTURED ABOVE) Easily my favorite of the "non-Miyazaki" Ghibli films. This was actually my favorite movie of the year until I finally got around to seeing the #1 film. I would actually recommend this to non-anime fans. Just a beautiful tale of love, loss, and perseverance.

3. Boyhood - Linklater's masterpiece filmed over 12 years. It is something to behold. I envy you if you get to see it for the first time.

4. Selma - Ava DuVernay captured something unique with this tale of the civil rights movement. She chose to focus on the personalities of those involved in the fight rather than the details of their struggle. We get to know these famous heroes rather than see outlines of their plight.

5. Chef - With Iron Man, The Mandalorian, and indie hits like this Jon Favreau has quietly positioned himself as one of the greatest actor/directors of the modern age. This one is not to be missed.

6. The Imitation Game - I'm surprised how much I've forgotten about this movie. It really hit me hard in 2014, but I haven't really thought about it much since..... huh....

7. Infinitely Polar Bear - This is one that fell through the cracks. Mark Ruffalo gives an impressive performance as a father struggling with bipolar disorder. Definitely seek this one out if you missed it.

8. Guardians of the Galaxy - What can I say? Probably the coolest comic book movie and with a heart as big as a planet.

9. Big Hero 6 - Did you know that this is a Marvel movie? Now you do. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

10. Top 5 - Chris Rock is a highly underrated director. This film and I Think I Love My Wife are underrated gems.

Best of the Year: 2004 - Millions

 

10 years ago I pointed out that this movie is criminally underseen. That still remains the case, but there is hope! Millions is streaming on Disney+! So drop what you are doing and watch this film right this moment. It's got everything I love about movies: fantasy, style, heart, message. There's even just a touch of romance, but that's not where this one is going at all. My favorite movie of 2004 AND in my top 3 favorite Christmas movies!

The Year in Movies: 2004

 2004

Number of Movies I've Seen: 71

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  12 (since there are so many, I will just make the titles hyperlinks to the original posts)

Oscar Winner:
Million Dollar Baby - I don't get the appeal of Clint Eastwood. I guess he's a pretty iconic actor, but wow is he a bland director. Unforgiven  was solid, but his recent movies have been really underwhelming. This movie is fine... just fine....

Box Office Winner:
Shrek 2 - .The worst kind of sequel. Let's just do everything we did in the first movie, but from our secondary character's perspective... blech...

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Before Sunset - I'll talk about this more in my 1995 recap in a few weeks, but I adore these films. This is the only one of the three to go for a "real-time" narrative and the actors pull it off effortlessly. I am blown away by the ending every single time. Jesse & Celine forever!

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - I know I say this a lot, but I really need to rewatch this one with Abby. I can't wait to see her eyes as she watches how Michel Gondry breaks all the rules to bring Charlie Kaufman's vision to the screen. Stop what you are doing and go watch this film on Netflix.

4. Friday Night Lights - On my shortlist for best sports film of all time and easily the best football film ever made. Suck it Remember the Titans.

5. Saved! - Criminally underrated and underseen movie. If you grew up in Sunday School and questioned your teacher every week, this movie is for you. Mandy Moore is actually okay, but Macaulay Culkin is divine.

6. The Incredibles - On my shortlist for best superhero film of all time. It was actually a step down for Pixar for me (and for Brad Bird whose previous film was The Iron Giant), but a step down from Pixar's greats is still stellar.

7. A Very Long Engagement - World War I, beautiful cinematography, lost love, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Audrey Tautou. What's not to love?

8. Garden State - (PICTURED ABOVE) I actually said this best in my original post so I'll just direct you to that.

9. Finding Neverland - I dig Peter Pan stories. It stands to reason that I would dig an origin story of the Peter Pan legend.

10. Shaun of the Dead - I actually have grown to love this movie more over the last 15 years. It hits a 39 year-old a whole lot different than a 23-year-old. 

Best of the Year: 1994 - Clerks

 Somewhere around 1999 I discovered film. Sure I loved Star Wars, action movies, sci-fi, and even some classics, but I hadn't truly discovered what I would come to love about movies. I had yet to see a film from Tarantino, Woody Allen, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, or Richard Linklater. I'm not sure Clerks was my first venture into this strange new world, but it certainly feels like it. It had no explosions, no movie stars, no real plot, heck not even any color. What it lacked in normal movie tropes it made up for in what has become my favorite aspect of filmmaking: screenplay. I fell in love with listening to these characters talk. It was different, smart, and exciting. Thank you Kevin Smith. Because of you I discovered film. 

Here's my quick take from 2010.

The Year in Movies: 1994

 1994

Number of Movies I've Seen: 37

Number of Movies from my original top 365:  10 (since there are so many, I will just make the titles hyperlinks to the original posts)

Oscar Winner:
Forrest Gump - I love this movie, but it really hasn't aged well. An argument I really got behind was that Forrest was not a dynamic character. He never changes, never grows, never learns anything from start to finish. I think that really weakens the films lasting appeal.

Box Office Winner:
The Lion King- Hamlet with lions and top shelf Disney renaissance animation. Good stuff. Now if we can just convince these guys to stop with the "live-action" remakes...

My Top Ten:
1. NEXT POST!

2. Pulp Fiction - (PICTURED ABOVE) You're going to see plenty of Tarantino in these late decades. Many say this is his masterpiece. It certainly is his most groundbreaking and the film that ingrained his signature style, but I think he has become a much better storyteller in recent years with films like Inglorious Basterds and The Hateful Eight. 

3. Natural Born Killers - It's too bad that this film got caught up in the "Tipper Gore mid-90s violence in media is bad" campaign. The film is so much more than its violence and its title. It is almost a Grapes of Wrath for modern times (victims of the system fight for their way of life). I know there were "copycat" murders, but .... eh... I think this is an underrated gem.

4. Forrest Gump 

5. Maverick - This is just a plain old fun movie. I'd probably recommend it to anyone. Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner take the viewer on a yippee-ki-yay, bank-robbin, poker playing ride through the wild west.

6. Leon: The Professional - 12 year-old Natlie Portman portrays Mathilda who becomes the sidekick of an assassin (Jean Reno) after her family is killed. This is good stuff and I really need to watch it with Abby.

7. The Lion King 

8. Hoop Dreams - Roger Ebert felt that this was the greatest documentary ever made. He's a smart man. If you like movies or basketball or both, boy do I have a film for you.

9. The Shawshank Redemption - This movie is pretty darn good. Unfortunately it is also one of the most overrated movies of all time so I won't say much more about it.

10. Reality Bites - Another in desperate need of a rewatch. Worth it just for greasy Ethan Hawke and Lisa Loeb.