2nd: Kiki’s Delivery Service – Hayao Miyazaki (1989)
Watched at home with Gioia. It’s my favorite Miyazaki film so far. I don’t know if it’s the best. I think Spirited Away is doing things that are a bit more complicated. Every aspect of this film is so wonderful. Kiki is such a funny, lovable character. I thought Kirsten Dunst’s vocal performance was incredible. Kiki so often can’t control the speed or volume of her voice. She sounds exactly like a 13-year-old girl. I love how these movies tackle universal themes through fantastical stories. This movie knows exactly what growing up feels like but shows it through the story of an adolescent witch. I also love how these movies have all their conflicts rooted internally. There’s not a scene in which Kiki gets in trouble for messing up, or is scolded for being too loud, etc. Instead, everyone loves Kiki. The baker is delighted every time Kiki is excitedly shouting. Kiki’s customers all love her. The tension is whether or not Kiki can figure out what’s happening inside her. It’s about how she can balance the burden of responsibility with her own personhood. One of the things I was most surprised by with this film is how slowly some of the scenes move. It’s kind of incredible. There are just scenes when Kiki is puttering around or making breakfast. They don’t have to be in the film for the plot. But I think they make the story so much more effective. It really humanizes Kiki. It feels like watching the totality of her life down to the boring, minor details. These details are in other films too. I was just surprised they were in this animated “kids” movie. It’s undoubtedly part of why this movie stands out.
Grade: A
Kiki’s Delivery Service – Hayao Miyazaki (1989)
5th: The 39 Steps – Alfred Hitchcock (1935)
Watched at home. It’s impressive. A super fun and tightly wound thriller. I was shocked by how early it was made. I don’t know if I’ve seen a movie this exciting from the 30s. I really liked the overall plot. As the movie rolled along it teetered on the point of being too outlandish. I started to fear that the mystery was not solidly fleshed out. It seemed there wasn’t any solid story, just plot to keep Hannay moving. All these fears, were of course, foolish. The plot is a web, and the story is intricately revealed to us. We aren’t privy to the information because it’s a mystery. Hitchcock keeps the audience in suspense. It was incredibly exciting to see everything come together at the end. I feel silly for doubting that it would.
The 39 Steps – Alfred Hitchcock (1935)
7th: It Chapter Two – Andy Muschietti (2019)
Watched at the Logan with Gioia. This movie, I think, is a matter of expectations. I went into it expecting it to be overlong and bad. It is certainly too long, but a decent movie. I thought at parts, it was almost a surrealistic horror film. There were times where I struggled with that. I would become lost in thought for a minute and then realize I had no idea where we were or how we got there. For the most part, I thought giving up traditional logic was a smart move. Even in the books, I don’t think Pennywise holds up to logic. The resolution of defeating him with insults was stupid, but I’m not sure any other explanation would have really worked either. The Loser’s Club aspect is what worked best in the film for me. I thought those scenes worked well around the film and helped ground the horror of Pennywise and Derry. I’m pretty surprised at the negative reaction to the film. I didn’t think it was tremendously different than the first installment. It was most definitely better than Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Grade: C+ / B-
It Chapter 2 – Andy Muschietti (2019)
9th: Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse –Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman (2018)
Watched at home with Gioia. It’s easily my favorite superhero film. I would be remised to not first mention the overall design and illustration of the film. It’s incredibly innovative and so engaging. The characters and the city feel real and lived in. On top of that, the film incorporates elements of comic strips and effects seamlessly into its story. Especially in action scenes. It makes the whole feel of the movie so dynamic. It really was delightful to watch which is something I never say about animated movies. Aside from the animation, the story is the obvious highlight. I loved how they acknowledge how tiresome it is to keep hearing the origin story over and over again. And even though they make that joke, they still mirror Miles’s journey in the same way. He’s still an awkward teenager who’s bitten by a spider and loses his uncle. If you look at the overall scope and plot of the movie, it’s a pretty typical spiderman story. What is so different about this one, is that the filmmakers choose to make small tweaks and changes where they can. I don’t want to undersell how ambitious and impressive this film is. It is both of those things. But I do think this movie’s success is from making dozens of small improvements. For instance, the soundtrack is updated. Miles’ engagement and awkward singing is updated. Miles is awkward like the Peter Parkers before him, but he’s charming. He struggles because being a teenager is hard. On top of that, it’s important to note that Miles is Latino and Black. His dad is a cop. They’re all tiny tweaks that make Miles and the story so much more engaging. The film acknowledges these changes as well. We literally have a gang of alternate spider…heroes. We see how the perception of these heroes changes over place and time. I am truly so impressed with this movie. It could be my favorite film from last year.
Grade: A
Spiderman – Into the Spiderverse – – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman (2018)
10th: Personal Shopper – Olivier Assayas (2016)
Watched at home with Gioia. I was in and out throughout the movie. I think I ultimately landed on out. Still, the film is really provocative and obviously elicited a reaction from me. I definitely resonated more with the second act in which Maureen is being texted. The film sets up the possibility that it could be Lewis or Kyra’s lover. The tension in this part of the film works so well because of it. We’ve seen a spirit. We’ve learned different modes of communications that spirits have. Kyra is waiting for a sign from Lewis. On the other hand, she’s obviously unwell. She has a strange and abrupt conversation with Kyra’s lover. A situation in which he immediately offers for her to work for him. I thought everything in this part (and to be fair the majority) of the movie worked really well. It was tense, engaging, scary. I was particularly drawn to the camera. It’s not a feature I typically notice. Here, however, it felt especially voyeuristic. I loved how it would stay behind walls as Maureen moved between rooms. I loved when she is trying clothes on that it scans up and down her body. It was in lockstep with the tone and story of the movie. I have always loved Kristen Stewart. I think she is an incredible actor. It can’t be understated that she literally carries this whole movie. Most of the film is her just looking at and responding to the phone. Moreover, the rest of the scenes are her trying on clothes. It takes a special talent to be able to make this work. I was really in awe of the performance. As much as I thought the ending wasn’t worthwhile, I don’t know if I really have a bone to pick. It does seem like a logical outcome. I just felt a bit underwhelmed after the mystery of the texting was resolved. But as much as this movie and its ending may be flawed, I’m obviously responding pretty strongly to it. Go figure.
Grade: B- / B
Personal Shopper – Olivier Assayas (2016)
14th: Porco Rosso – Hayao Miyazaki (1992)
Watched at home with Gioia. It’s wonderful. I am so impressed with how understated Miyazaki’s films are. This film leaves so many things unsaid. We learn that Porco was at one point cursed into a pig. It’s not really said how, or why, or what he can do to change back. And only at a couple of brief moments does he dwell on it. Otherwise, he just cracks jokes about his transformation. Likewise, we get a backstory with Porco and Gina. But the film intentionally doesn’t resolve that storyline. It’s left for the viewers to decide. Something that’s pretty incredible for a kid’s film. I also just love the tone of the film. Miyazaki chooses to tell this story through the framing of a 40s melodramatic movie. It’s a Humphrey Bogart style film about a flying pig. Similarly, I loved the enthusiasm and joy that’s put into the movie. At the beginning, when pirates kidnap the school children, Miyazaki chooses for them to be oblivious to the situation. The schoolgirls are delighted to be amongst the pirates. It’s delightful and hilarious. We already know the stakes of the situation. It’s Porco vs. the pirates. Miyazaki doesn’t have to heighten the tension. Instead, he makes it a comedic moment with the schoolgirls climbing all over the plane. It shows the power in making scenes, and consequently the whole film, unexpected and joyful. It elevates the whole movie.
Grade: A-
Porco Rosso – Hayao Miyazaki (1992)
15th: Network – Sidney Lumet (1976)
Watched in three parts with Gioia. It was not the ideal situation, but while the film is funny and ridiculous, it’s also fairly heady. The construction of a movie like this is daunting. Everything is layered and folds back in on itself. The movie opens with Howard saying he’ll kill himself on air for the ratings. The movie ends in the network assassinating him because of the ratings. We not only have this story, but so many others, that weave in and out, and create the movie. We have Howard’s arc as a mad prophet, Diana’s rise as a ruthless television executive, the CAA’s acquisition of UBS, Max’s friendship with Howard, Max’s affair with Diana, and the creation of a program chronicling socially-minded, terrorist groups. The film is hilarious, terrifying, and incredibly prescient. It essentially details the commodification of human eyes. Something that obviously had to exist in 1976. The ruthlessness that is satirical in the movie, feels very real in 2019. This film also feels anticipatory of “peak tv.” It confidently weaves various storylines and arcs. It trusts the viewers to follow and piece them together. So many parts of this film feel akin to something like Mad Men or an extremely cynical version of The West Wing. I was impressed with how Lumet shot the movie. In line with the satirical nature, the film is shot hyper-dramatically. Various characters masquerade as God. I’d love to rewatch this having pieced together the whole film. I think subsequent viewings would not only be rewarding but more entertaining. If I had anything to complain about, I’d say the tone and headiness is a lot to take in the first time.
Grade: B+ / A-
Network – Sidney Lumet (1976)
16th: Rebecca – Alfred Hitchcock (1940)
Watched at home with Gioia. My mom called me about 40 minutes into the film. When I told her what I was watching, she naturally asked if it was suspenseful. To that point, it hadn’t been. It had seemed like a straightforward British, generational, romance story. One that was well done, but pretty typical. After that point, obviously, the film turned. The middle third of this movie was by far my favorite. It turns into a psychological horror film in which the new Mrs. de Winter (we don’t even get a first name) tries to replace Rebecca at Manderley. At first, it’s just plainly stressful. She doesn’t know the duties of a lady. She struggles to familiarize herself with the house. The staff is clearly still attached to Rebecca. But Hitchcock slowly dials up the horror. Things get scarier and scarier. It seems as if the whole estate is trying to force her out. It’s pure psychological horror. Something that could be a forbearer to The Shining. Moreover, everything is brilliantly kept under the shadow of Rebecca. It’s not until the twist, in which we learn that Mr. deWinter didn’t love Rebecca but hated her, that the film lets up. The final third is surprising and done generally well, but grows a bit tedious. It made sense for all of the loose plot threads. Rebecca’s cousin has to return. As does the odd boathouse worker, Ben. We need a resolution to the mystery. And it is totally impressive that the film informs us Mr. de Winter murdered Rebecca and still manages to redeem him. But these threads felt the most borne out of a novel. I think the film may have worked better if it stayed rooted in the horror of Manderley, as opposed to resolving every aspect of the story. One last thing to mention. The performances are incredible. Joan Crawford and Judith Anderson, in particular, are mesmerizing. Their dynamic feels rooted in deep psychological hurt and fear. That’s not even to mention Laurence Olivier who gives a completely restrained, and understated performance. It’s one that feels weird until you realize who his character is. When you do, you see how incredible the portrayal truly is.
Grade: A-
Rebecca – Alfred Hitchcock (1940)
17th: Perfect Blue – Satoshi Kon (1997)
Watched at home with Gioia. I believe it’s my first real experience with anime. There are things that I think work really well. I like the theme and portrayal of paranoia a lot. I especially like the scope of the film. The opening shots of various crowd members talking about Mimi is really smart. It establishes the tension of the film from the start. Likewise, I thought there were a lot of really cool cuts in the film. It’s kind of a played-out device, but I liked that they would cut in and out of reality with the television show Mima is working on. It certainly adds to the confusion. You feel a bit of what Mima is going through mentally. Sadly, there are some things that I think don’t work at all. First and foremost, this movie is pornographic. I don’t think you need so much nudity or sexual violence in it. I didn’t think these scenes were done in any respectful manner. Part of it could be that I’ve never watched cartoon nudity before. Maybe I was just uncomfortable? But I think most of it comes from the fact that Mima is running around with her shirt unbuttoned for the final 20 minutes. It’s gross. Less troublesome, but still annoying, is the dream sequences. At least here it serves a purpose. Still, I think you can get away with one or two dream sequences. Once you’re over five of them, it’s tough. I think this film has its merits but I can say pretty definitively that it wasn’t for me.
Grade: C
Perfect Blue – Satoshi Kon (1997)
19th: Princess Mononoke – Hayao Miyazaki (1997)
Watched at home. So far this is my least favorite of the Studio Ghibli films I’ve seen. It is still pretty good. It is quite beautiful. A lot of the imagery and themes reminded me of The Legend of Zelda. The story is extraordinarily ambitious. Which is definitely an attribute but something that doesn’t work perfectly for me. I’ve been astounded by the restraint and simplicity in the previous Miyazaki films I’ve watched. Those stories don’t have a broad arc. Their conflicts are internal transformations. Princess Mononoke is much more complicated and almost entirely external. It’s a fantasy, war epic that is meant as an allegory for environmentalism. I liked it better than say, Avatar, but still felt a bit overwhelmed and disinterested by the scope of the story. I think regardless of its ambition the film tries to bring together a few too many storylines to work perfectly. There’s Ashitsaka’s exile and curse, his relationship with San, the samurai’s, Irontown, the beasts, demons, and eventually the forest spirit. I will say that the movie felt shorter than its runtime. Still, it was too much for my taste.
Grade: B-
Princess Mononoke – Hayao Miyazaki (1997)
22nd: Yi Yi – Edward Yang (2000)
Watched at home. It is already one of my favorite movies. It is so complexly and beautifully told. The story primarily documents the lives of three members of a family. NJ, the patriarch and a partner at a struggling engineering firm, Ting-Ting, his teenage daughter, and Yang-Yang, his 8-year-old son. We watch the family as they deal with change and hardship over the course of the year. The film extends out to other family members too but stays grounded in the perspectives of NJ, Ting-Ting, and Yang-Yang. The film begins at the wedding for NJ’s brother in law. We see Ting-Ting struggle with the marriage as her uncle left his long-time lover after impregnating her assistant, his new bride. We see Yang-Yang get bullied by girls at this wedding. And we see NJ stay muted as he watches all of this chaos. This trait is altogether more pronounced when he runs into a former lover, Sherry, and cannot even speak to her. As the movie progresses the family live their own lives which are informed by, and unwittingly reflect, the lives of their family members. As NJ reconnects with Sherry, he tells that he abruptly left her because she was dictating his life. We now understand why NJ doesn’t condemn his brother-in-law like everyone else. We now understand why NJ leaves Yang-Yang to his own eccentricities, even if it gets him into trouble. Later, NJ and Sherry recount their first date. One that perfectly mirrors the date Sherry is on. It even ends in the same painful and isolated embarrassment. NJ was too bashful to consummate his relationship. Ting-Ting is abandoned by her date as he does the same. Of course, each of these characters is unaware of this connection. They suffer and struggle with the alienation they feel even in such close proximity. Throughout Yi-Yi, the family overhears and catches glimpses of their neighbors’ turbulent life. One that they ignore until it has dire consequences. The only person the family can share their struggles with is a comatose grandmother. A relationship that NJ likens to prayer. It is poignant and heartbreaking. But the film offers some assurance that these muted sufferings are heard. Whether in dream or reality, the grandmother wakes before her death and comforts Ting-Ting. At her funeral, Yang-Yang confides his thoughts aloud, reflecting what each of his family members is feeling. Yi–Yi is a document of life, but one that sticks to emotional truths as opposed to physical ones. The moments reflected in this film are not ordinary. They’re seismic. The film is bookended by a wedding and a funeral. A birth takes place in the middle. Along the way, their grandmother falls into a coma and dies. Ting-Ting’s first boyfriend murders a teacher who had affairs with both members of the neighbor’s family. NJ reconnects with the only woman he ever loved. After explaining why he abandoned her, she does the same to him. A-Di, the troubled brother-in-law marries his lover, is left by her, has a child, fights with his distraught ex, wins and loses his debts, and ends up even. While all these things happen, Yang-Yang is there to document it. Does he capture any of this chaos? No. Instead, he photographs the backs of people’s heads, offering them the one perspective they can’t see. For the family and this film, it is all about the internal turmoil. Yang-Yang is reassuring them that the emotional wreckage they deal with is not as unseen as it feels. If the movie offers anything, it’s that while our turmoil is unique, it is not uncommon. It is the very fabric of life.
Grade: A+
23rd: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – Hayao Miyazaki (1984)
Watched at home. It is very similar to Princess Mononoke. I actually liked this earlier and rougher version more. I thought that its storylines, which are still sprawling, came together a bit more naturally. While Mononoke is more ambitious and more polished, I found charm in some of the more stripped-down aspects of this one. I thought some of the limitations in animation actually provided a little charm to the story. Likewise, I thought that there was something refreshing in the synthy score. I liked that it didn’t try to play into any melo- or hyper-dramatic moments. I still think the grand fantasy stories interest me less than Miyazaki’s everyday life ones. I can appreciate the scope and grand themes of Naucisaä… and Princess Mononoke but prefer the simpler human dramas of Kiki… or Porco Rosso.
Grade: B- / B
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – Hayao Miyazaki (1984)
24th: Days of Heaven – Terrence Malick (1978)
Watched at home. It’s visually stunning. One of the most beautifully shot movies I’ve ever seen. Malick puts such care into the world of this movie. The first third of the film is almost a literal document of the harvest. There’s very little in the way of plot besides hints of things to come. Instead, you feel like you’re watching actual footage of life and work at a farm. More than that actually. It’s so beautiful and tactile you feel like you’re there. Not even just watching it in a film. On top of that, Richard Gere and Brooke Adams are stunning. And it really works for the roles the movie requires of them. Gere is so good looking and well-kept that it feels unnatural. There’s a suspicion that he would be above physical labor for the rest of his life. That he has loftier aspirations. Even his wardrobe fits that theme. He’s always dressed a bit nicer than everyone around him. For Brooke Adams, it’s hard not to trust her. You can’t help falling in love with her. On top of that, Linda Manz’s narration is hypnotic. I would listen to her talk about anything. I loved how everything was subtly designed and set up. The movie is so hypnotic that it works. The narration tells you that there’ll be a salvation for the blessed, and everyone else will burn. Her character picks a locust at the beginning of the film. The film even begins with Richard Gere attacking and maybe killing his foreman. All of these things come to pass and they’re still surprising. A locust infestation ravages the harvest. Sam Shepard, in his rage, burns down everything. Richard Gere inevitably kills him. Due to Malick’s design, these things aren’t obvious, they’re inevitable. It makes the impact of the film all that much more powerful. For a brief moment, you are in paradise. And then it’s taken away.
Grade: A-
Days of Heaven – Terrence Malick (1978)
25th: The Wind Rises – Hayao Miyazaki (2013)
Watched at home. It feels quite different from most of his work that I’ve seen. First, there aren’t any magical elements in the story. There are dreams, but they function in the way dreams work in real life. Jiro explores ideas and inspirations but besides that, it’s not directly connected to reality. Moreover, this film is centered on Jiro who isn’t young or a girl: two traits for most of Miyazaki’s protagonists. The film also is different in that it spans a lifetime. All of Miyazaki’s other work spans a couple of days at most. How does it all add up? I think it’s pretty good. I am actually drawn to Miyazaki’s simpler stories so this one works for me. I like how rooted it stays in Jiro’s quest to build airplanes. I like that while there are a few other storylines, they’re all connected to Jiro. I think there are drawbacks too. I was actually surprised that I missed the magic. Not in its transformative powers. But I felt that this movie was missing a little eccentricity or charm. Jiro is an endearing figure, but he’s not an adolescent witch or a Humphrey Bogart-esque pig. The thing I find most surprising is that besides it being Miyazaki, I’m not sure why this was animated. I think everything works just as well if the movie is live-action, and some of the more poignant aspects may work even better. Overall, I really like this direction that Miyazaki takes. I’d be interested in him exploring stories like this. This one is pretty good, it just has a few lulls.
Grade: B
The Wind Rises – Hayao Miyazaki (2013)
27th: The Shawshank Redemption – Frank Darabont (1994)
Watched at home with Gioia. Probably the first time I had watched it in ten or so years. It really holds up. I was actually surprised by how brutal so much of the film is. I honestly didn’t really remember that there is rape or such excessive violence. The interlude of Brooks and his eventual suicide is really sad. These parts feel borne out of the Stephen King universe. Just unrelenting brutality. It can be argued, that you need these scenes for the payoff to ultimately work. The first 2/3rds of the movie are trying to crush you. They want you to feel buoyed by the humanity of the film, and then to try to crush it out. Of course, this is all to make the prison escape exhilarating. Which it is. I don’t have too much else to say.
Grade: A-
The Shawshank Redemption – Frank Darabont (1994)
30th: The Castle of Cagliostro – Hayao Miyazaki (1979)
Watched at home with Gioia. This was a good pairing with The Wind Rises. The first and (as of now) last features by Miyazaki. There is plenty to admire. It’s a good story. It’s funny and action-packed. It even touches on some themes that become staples in Miyazaki’s later work. There is not, however, much refinement. The movie is silly and really slapstick at parts. All of the characters are the most extreme versions of themselves. It’s not subtle. I think to some extent that works for this movie. Even while Miyazaki is figuring things out, it’s still very fun and entertaining. Still, it doesn’t even approach the nuance and emotional depth he becomes capable of later.
Grade: B-
The Castle of Cagliostro – Hayao Miyazaki (1979)
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