It’s hard to believe that yet another year has passed. It’s even harder to believe that I’ve been blogging for four years now, ever since my trusty Viewing Companion (VC) suggested I combine my love for movies and poetry with a Top 365 film countdown. Plus it helped to keep my mind off my hot dog business that had just gone kaput. Since then, I’ve published 825 posts before this one and earned 526 followers, for which I am very grateful. I’m glad to have started this blog simply to make friends in the blogging community and to learn of countless new movies through them. And I just find blogging to be such an enjoyable creative outlet for whatever you’re passionate about, as long as you don’t overcommit yourself. Not that I would ever do such a thing. 😛

With all the natural disasters and celebrity scandals, it’s hard to say whether 2017 was any better than 2016, but at least we were able to escape the tragedy through the movies. For one thing, I reached 500 followers earlier this year, which is a big milestone for me. This was also the first year that I watched twelve Blindspot picks, one for each month, and while I’ll rank them a little later, two ended up in my top twelve for the year. And as a certified list-fanatic, I always look forward to the end-of-year lists, including my Blogiversary post for counting down my favorite films seen in the last year and all those that I’ll be adding to my Top 365 list as of tomorrow. In addition, I must give a shout-out to the films that I still greatly enjoyed and that came very close to being List-Worthy, such as The Lake House, Fences, Empire of the Sun, The Help, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Good News, Educating Rita, The Glenn Miller Story, Ink, No Game No Life: Zero, Fletch, Girls und Panzer der Film, Cinema Paradiso, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

I had 51 new additions last year, but only 35 this time, mainly because the bar keeps being raised since I know I’ll have to take off something already on my List to make room for the newbies. Yet I still have a fair amount of diversity here, including three war dramas, four superhero movies, four time travel stories, four rom coms, two anime, two non-animated foreign films, an ape trilogy, a single horror, and a partridge in a pear tree. I suspect I’ve seen more films this year than any year prior and liked the vast majority, though do keep in mind that I tend to run behind other bloggers as far as new releases (including some I really want to see, like Coco, The Greatest Showman, and The Breadwinner), so you’ll probably see more Oscar contenders from 2016 than 2017.

It’s been especially hard ranking them this year, trying to balance personal enjoyment with objective quality, but these are my Top Twelve films seen in 2017, followed by the rest of the additions in alphabetical order. Don’t forget also my unofficial “awards” to honor certain aspects of these 35 new additions, as well as the list of departing films I’ve had to sadly kick off the List to make room.

I may have to cut down a bit in the coming year, especially since I’ll be graduating and looking for a web design job soon. Still, I enjoy movies, poetry, and lists too much to give this up, so I’ve got plenty more planned. Without further ado, here are my Top Twelve List Additions of 2017.

 

12. Dunkirk (2017)

The monumental military escape from Dunkirk was a pivotal moment in World War II, but it didn’t really enter the creative consciousness until this year, with three separate films about it: Darkest Hour, Their Finest, and of course Christopher Nolan’s universally acclaimed Dunkirk. It’s Nolan applying the best of his style, crafting three separate timelines that give us a comprehensive look at the evacuation from land, water, and air. Restrained in content yet still riveting, it’s an adrenaline-pumping experience.

 

11. A Silent Voice (2016)

Ever since I saw it, this anime drama has stayed with me. It’s a redemption story about a young boy who bullied a deaf girl and was soon marginalized himself. Years later, he seeks to make amends with her and reconnect the relationships he ruined. While slow and artsy at times, it’s a beautiful film in both animation and themes that connected with me on a personal level.

 

10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

I might be in the minority in actually enjoying Vol. 2 even more than the first Guardians of the Galaxy. For one thing, I found it funnier, and Kurt Russell as Star-Lord’s Celestial dad is a far more appealing villain than Ronin. Plus, there’s some great development for secondary characters like Yondu and Nebula, while the action is as eye-popping as anything in the MCU. I can’t wait to see the Guardians meet the Avengers in Infinity War!

 

9. Hidden Figures (2016)

As someone with direct family ties to the space program, I loved learning about this untold story of the black female computers at NASA. The way they rose from being snubbed and discriminated against to becoming indispensable members of the NASA team is tailor-made for inspirational drama, and even if some of the facts are changed, it’s an uplifting tale of intelligence and effort rewarded.

 

8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

I was very wary of my June Blindspot pick, due to Saving Private Ryan’s brutal reputation, and while it did have scenes that were hard to watch, I now see why it is considered among the best war films of all time. Spielberg outdid himself with the scope and intensity of the battle scenes and gleaned some fantastic performances from Tom Hanks and Jeremy Davies. The characters weren’t quite as well-defined as in, say, Memphis Belle, but the story was a hard-hitting testament to the horror and sacrifices of war.

 

7. Déjà Vu (2006)

Please don’t hate me for putting this above Saving Private Ryan, which is a great film but not the most watchable. Déjà Vu, on the other hand, was a thoroughly entertaining thriller that tapped into everything I love about the time travel genre. Since I’m a sucker for time travel, I can overlook a few plot holes when the rest is this good.

 

6. Planet of the Apes trilogy (2011, 2014, 2017)

This was the year I finally checked out the Planet of the Apes remakes, and every one of them exceeded expectations while also upping the quality of the visual effects. Caesar’s journey from spared experiment baby to Moses-like leader of a newly sentient race tackles far deeper themes than you’d expect from talking apes, heightened by the emotional stakes of a world torn by hatred and fear. It also confirmed Andy Serkis as the king of motion-capture performance.

 

5. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Like Saving Private Ryan, Hacksaw Ridge is way more violent than I usually like, but Mel Gibson’s faith-filled take on the true story of Desmond Doss was brilliant nonetheless. It was also the first R-rated film I saw in the theater. The first half is refreshingly clean, with Doss’s personal struggle as a conscientious objector in the army, while the blood-soaked second half allows his tenacious resolve to prove himself the equal of any man carrying a gun. As Mel Gibson’s return to form, it’s gratuitous but also moving, patriotic, and exceptional.

 

4. Shuffle (2011)

Now for my other top-rated Blindspot, again with time travel. This little-known gem from director Kurt Kuenne is a cinematic puzzle, following a man who awakes from sleep every time on a different day of his life. The way the unfolding story is edited is remarkable, and even if some people felt the ending was schmaltzy, it left me deeply satisfied.

 

3. About Time (2013)

Yes, it’s another time travel movie! Are you starting to pick up on my tastes? This romantic comedy between time-traveling Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams as yet another time-traveler’s wife charmed me as few films do these days. I was smiling more often than not, and it frankly made me wish for a romance like that of my own one day.

 

2. La La Land (2016)

That’s right, all you naysayers; I still love La La Land! After seeing it again, I recognize its flaws a bit better, such as the less than professional singing/dancing, but like 2012’s Les Miserables, it’s a film I enjoyed so much on my first viewing that I just don’t care about what others criticize. Damien Chazelle’s direction, Justin Hurwitz’s score, the performances, the themes of creativity and personal goals, the awesome opening scene—it all added up to what I still consider the best film of 2016. Feel free to disagree.

 

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

If #2 wasn’t divisive enough, how about this one? I’ve seen it twice, and I still love it. Shockingly, my VC even declared it the best Star Wars movie of them all, and she’s a long-time fan. The action scenes are outstanding, boasting more than a few “whoa” moments, and it progresses the story in fresh and unexpected ways that kept me enthralled from start to bittersweet finish. True, Finn’s subplot doesn’t amount to much and there are still unanswered questions, but none of the complaints I’ve heard resonate with me at all. This was my #1 movie that I hoped would be good this year, and it didn’t disappoint!

 

And here are the other additions in alphabetical order, some of which will be joining others of their franchise:

Arrival (2016)

A Star Is Born (1937)

The Big Sick (2017)

Cars 3 (2017)

Cinderella (2015)

Con Air (1997)

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Creed (2015)

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Hear Me (2009)

In Time (2011)

Lion (2016)

Rabbit Hole (2010)

The Red Violin (1999)

Serendipity (2001)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Starter for 10 (2006)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Wayne’s World (1992)

Wonder Woman (2017)

And to honor these films, here are some of my personal awards I give out every year, the kind that no one cares about but are still fun to give.

 

Best opening scene: La La Land

Best final scene: A Silent Voice

Coolest scene: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Biggest emotional impact: Arrival

Oldest film: A Star Is Born (1937)

Most recent film: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Longest film: Saving Private Ryan (169 minutes), followed closely by The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (163 minutes)

Shortest film: Shuffle (82 minutes)

Best soundtrack: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Best score: La La Land (The Red Violin a close second)

Best special effects: War for the Planet of the Apes

Most mind-bending: Arrival (and if it qualified, Ink)

Most family-friendly: Cinderella (2015)

Most mature: Saving Private Ryan

Scariest: The Conjuring 2

Funniest: Wayne’s World

Most controversial: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Best VC Pick: The Red Violin

Best male performance: Mathieu Amalric in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best female performance: Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole

Most represented year: 2017, with nine films

 

And now for the most painful part. It killed me to rip some of these movies from my Top 365 List, some of them just added last year and others that have been there from the beginning. I’ll tell you this: if I’ll have to knock off more favorites a year from now, it’s going to be even harder to get a List-Worthy ranking in the coming year. Despite my cutting them, these 25 “retirees” are all great movies I still love, and they will not be forgotten.

 

12 Angry Men (1957)

Bambi (1942)

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Being There (1979)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Everest (2015)

Gettysburg (1993)

The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

I Am Legend (2007) and World War Z (2013)

The Impossible (2012)

Kung Fu Panda Trilogy (2008, 2011, 2016)

The Maze Runner (2014) and The Scorch Trials (2015)

Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Of Mice and Men (1992)

Quiz Show (1994)

The Rocketeer (1991)

Roman Holiday (1953)

Room (2015)

The Social Network (2010)

Song of the Sea (2014)

Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005)

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

Tomorrowland (2015)

The Walk (2015)

 

Thank you to everyone still reading and everyone who has read, liked, followed, and commented throughout the year. Even the simplest feedback is always encouraging and appreciated. To cap off the year, below is a montage of all that 2017’s cinemas had to offer (brief language warning at 1:28).

I wish you all a very Happy New Year, and may 2018 be the best year yet, or at least better than the last one!
 

It’s been a while since my last Top Twelve list, so I thought “What better list to compile around Thanksgiving than a list of butterflies?” Yes, butterflies. Moths, too. Okay, maybe there are more seasonal topics out there, but sometimes I just like random lists. If you want a good reason for a butterfly list in autumn, though, I guess I can point to something I heard on the radio about not raking your fall leaves for fear of disturbing butterfly eggs/cocoons that could be hiding among them. I don’t normally rake my leaves anyway, so I’ll gladly take another excuse.

For this list, I’m ranking significant butterflies or moths in film. I’m only including films I’ve actually seen all the way through, so that excludes a host of films with butterfly titles, such as Butterflies Are Free, The Butterfly Room, The Mothman Prophecies, The Butterfly Effect,  M. Butterfly, The Blue Butterfly, A Pin for the Butterfly, Butterfly’s Tongue, and several just called Butterfly. A special shout-out also to some TV butterflies as well, such as the pussycat swallowtail hunter on Gilligan’s Island, the fun Castle episode “The Blue Butterfly,” Star Butterfly from Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and the “killer” butterfly from the classic SpongeBob episode “Wormy.” In addition, despite my research, I feel like I may have forgotten some worthwhile entries that just aren’t coming to mind, so feel free to comment with any lovely lepidopterans I might have missed. On to the list!

12. Alice in Wonderland (1951, 2010)

The hookah-smoking caterpillar is a memorable character in both versions of Alice in Wonderland, though his eventual transformation into a butterfly does nothing to improve his sour mood. And let’s not forget the bread-and-butterflies too.

11. TIE: Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) and Paprika (2006)

I couldn’t decide which anime film to give the edge to, so it’s a tie! In Cowboy Bebop’s stand-alone film, a terrorist’s poison gas causes hallucinations, specifically glowing butterflies as death approaches. And in a rather disturbing scene of Satoshi Kon’s imaginatively bizarre Paprika, the title character is captured and pinned as a human butterfly.

10. I Am Legend (2007)

The butterfly here is mentioned by the daughter of Robert Neville (Will Smith), the last non-vampire-ish resident of New York City. His daughter’s love of butterflies is a mere memory, but it also plays a part in the climax, which goes in two different directions depending on which ending you watch.

9. Doctor Dolittle (1967)

The end of this charming classic musical features Rex Harrison’s animal-loving doctor heading back to England atop the Giant Lunar Moth. It’s for anyone who ever wanted to ride a moth. Anyone?

8. Papillon (1973)

I always had this film confused with Bullitt and thought it would have a car chase, but it didn’t. Meaning “butterfly” in French, Papillon is the nickname of Steve McQueen’s Henri Charrière, who is imprisoned on Devil’s Island in South America and refuses to give up on escape. He has a butterfly tattoo on his chest and even catches butterflies in the jungle at one point. I’ll be interested to see how this year’s remake compares to the uneven original.

7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Yes, reviewing this film recently might have put me in a butterfly mood, and aside from Papillon’s translation, it’s the only film here with “butterfly” in the title. The butterfly isn’t an actual presence, though. One scene of an emerging adult is the main visual appearance, while Jean-Dominique Bauby’s narration compares it to his flights of fancy and his memories. “May you have many butterflies.”

6. A Bug’s Life (1998)

Since the one in Alice in Wonderland is a caterpillar most of the time, this is the only film here where a butterfly is an actual character, namely Gypsy (Madeline Kahn), the lovely assistant of Manny the mantis magician. She may not be one of the major characters, but a butterfly’s a butterfly, and I’d totally forgotten Madeline Kahn voiced her.

5. Bunny (1998)

I’m stepping outside the box a bit here to include a short film, the Oscar-winning Bunny (which you can watch above) from Ice Age director Chris Wedge. An elderly rabbit is annoyed by a persistent moth, only to discover the moth’s more symbolic and emotional nature.

4. Bright Star (2009)

Butterflies are especially popular as metaphors, and this biopic of John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his beloved Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) has particularly beautiful symbolism. After Keats moves away, Fanny fills her bedroom with captured butterflies and gushes her affection through love letters, only for the passion to slowly die away like the butterfly carcasses that eventually litter her room.

3. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Who could forget the memorable final scene of this classic anti-war epic? A butterfly collection was seen earlier in the film, and when Paul Bäumer (Lew Ayres) reaches for one on a World War I battlefield, his hand is made motionless by a sudden gunshot. Neat fact: the hand is actually that of Lewis Milestone, the director.

2. The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies (2001-3, 2012-14)

Of course, another list of mine had to feature Lord of the Rings! Gandalf’s use of a big hairy moth as a messenger eventually becomes synonymous with the intervention of giant eagles: saving him from Isengard, joining the battle at the end, and even extending their services into the Hobbit movies. That’s a handy moth to have around! I also must mention the scene in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, in which Bilbo peers above the treetops of Mirkwood and sees a host of butterflies flitting in the morning sunlight.

1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

As much as I would have liked to give Lord of the Rings the #1 spot, it had to go to The Silence of the Lambs. I mean, just look at the famous poster! Serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) has an affinity for the death’s head moth, raising them and inserting them in the throats of his victims. It’s also one of these moths that gives him away to Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), and since it plays such a key role in the plot, I had to give the top spot to this morbid moth.

Runners-Up:

Corpse Bride – The title zombie dissolves into butterflies at the end.

Dallas Buyers Club – Matthew McConaughey visits a room full of butterflies (see top photo).

Heidi – In the 2015 version, seeing a butterfly helps crippled Clara to stand.

The Last Unicorn – At the beginning, a capricious butterfly tells the unicorn she is the last of her kind.

Mothra – This would have been a really obvious choice for the list, but I haven’t actually seen a Mothra movie. Still, after Godzilla, he’s the second most popular giant monster over in Japan.

Snow White and the Huntsman – In that Sanctuary scene copied from Princess Mononoke, the fairy elk explodes into butterflies when it is shot.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – Watch out for butterfly-fishing!

You’ve Got Mail – Meg Ryan points out a butterfly on the subway.

Feel free to comment with any other cinematic butterflies I might have missed. Below is a lovely butterfly song from Hannah Montana: The Movie, back when Miley Cyrus was normal.

It may be several months before we get to see real butterflies again, but hopefully this list will hold you until then!

After potentially ticking people off with my opinions on overrated movies, I thought I’d make it up to everyone by suggesting some perhaps unfamiliar films that deserve greater attention. I’m sure everyone out there has some obscure movies that they love and wish more people knew about. You know, the kind that you watch and then really want to talk about with others until you find out no one else has seen or even heard of it. Well, I’ve seen quite a few such films since starting this blog, and I want to give these criminally underseen films their due.

Just to clarify, these are not simply movies that got bad reviews. In fact, two of them have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. With one exception, neither are these just movies that I like and others don’t; that kind of list would have to include Brother Bear, Spider-Man 3, and the Star Wars prequels. Rather, these are all movies that, for whatever reason, are not as widely known as they ought to be. You might also call it my Top Twelve Hidden Gems. To avoid listing my same old favorites, I’ve also chosen to exclude anything that’s in my Top 100 movies, so that leaves out the likes of Elizabethtown, Saints and Soldiers, and 84 Charing Cross Road. Their placement on that list already shows how I feel about them, but these other movies deserve mention too.

These aren’t even necessarily ranked by how much I like them, but by how much I think they deserve better recognition.  Thus, here are my Top Twelve Underrated Movies:

 

12. Wrinkles (2011)

This animated Spanish film was a pleasant surprise, tackling sensitive topics like aging and mental illness with a deft hand and compassionate attention to its characters. I’ve often mentioned that I enjoy mature animation that doesn’t wallow in mature subject matter, which is rare outside of anime, and Wrinkles fit that preference perfectly.

 

11. Ink (2009)

Someone get Jamin Winans a bigger budget. For a clearly low-budget production, there’s a lot going on in his cult film Ink: a battle between good and evil, dreams and nightmares; a long-nosed monster trying to steal a little girl’s soul; a distant father’s nearly broken relationship with his young daughter; and a strange and profound reflection on life, death, and regret. I’m still not quite sure what to make of this under-the-radar fantasy, but it’s definitely worth seeing, as evidenced by the 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. I’ll also mention Wynan’s next film, The Frame, which is also good but a bit too existential for me. Neither one is kid-friendly, due to language, but they’re a unique brand of filmmaking.

 

10. Harrison Bergeron (1995)

This Showtime movie from the ‘90s may not be well-known among dystopian cinema, but it should be. It stars Sean Astin as a young genius whose intellect is a source of shame in his egalitarian society where no one is allowed to be better than anyone else. At times, the extremes of this dystopia come off as laughably absurd, but it gets darker as it goes, with a hauntingly sad conclusion.

 

9. Dominick and Eugene (1988)

We’ve all heard of Rain Man, but what about the other movie that year about a pair of brothers, one of whom is mentally handicapped? While it has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, Dominick and Eugene suffers from the sad fact that no one remembers it. I only happened to catch it on an obscure movie channel. Though it’s already distinguished by outstanding performances from Ray Liotta and Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Hulce should have earned an Oscar nomination (not just a Golden Globe nod) for his performance as a mentally impaired garbageman helping his twin brother to work through medical school.

 

8. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)

Everyone seemed to love Your Name last year, but I knew of Makoto Shinkai’s talents before that, thanks to this gorgeously animated adventure (also known as Journey to Agartha) that is every bit as magical as a Studio Ghibli film and feels very much like a tribute to Miyazaki’s fantasies. Following a schoolgirl’s journey into the mystical underground realm of Agartha, accompanied by an obsessed member of a secret organization, it’s a subtly emotional story of learning to say goodbye, even when the grief threatens to destroy you and others. As marvelous as Your Name is, this one holds an even more special place in my heart.

 

7. Counterpoint (1967)

The obscure nature of this Charlton Heston war film may make you think it’s a dud, but not so. In fact, I’d say Counterpoint is among Heston’s best films, casting him as the head of a touring orchestra whose entire ensemble is captured by Nazis during the close of World War II. A cultured Nazi general (Maximilian Schell) confines them to a castle and insists they play a recital for him, and what is to follow is threateningly vague. It’s a great battle of wills and egos between Heston and Schell, highlighted by an excellent collection of classical music.

 

6. Hidden (2015)

I’m not even sure where I first heard of this horror gem, but I’m glad I discovered it. After an outbreak of some disease, a family hides in an underground bunker from whatever lurks above them. Alexander Skarsgard and Andrea Riseborough play two wonderful parents, trying to encourage their daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) and keep her spirits up in this frightening situation. The family dynamic helped me care about the characters and made the tense moments all the more potent.

 

5. Waterworld (1995)

Don’t let Waterworld’s reputation as a notorious bomb deter you. It’s actually a surprisingly entertaining actioner, one with quite a bit in common with Mad Max: Fury Road, just with water instead of desert. I’m not really sure why it’s earned such a bad reputation. The acting may be over-the-top at times but no more than Mad Max, and the expansive maritime setting is still impressive proof of the film’s ambition.

 

4. Surrogates (2009)

I seem to be more forgiving of sci-fi than the critics. Another piece of good science fiction that somehow suffered from bad reviews, Surrogates is about a warily plausible world where people only interact with the world through robotic lookalikes. Bruce Willis investigates a rare instance of murder and is reminded just how sheltered the people of this dystopia have become. Most critics said it squandered a great premise, but I think it succeeded as both cool action and thought-provoking fiction.

 

3. Shuffle (2011)

Another low-budget movie that transcends its limitations with a brilliantly original story, this time-travel flick from writer/director Kurt Kuenne doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page! T.J. Thyne plays a man who jumps to a different day of his life every time he falls asleep, which is often, and the threads of his life are gradually revealed with every leap in time. Some say it gets too sentimental by the end, but Shuffle didn’t disappoint me at all.

 

2. King of Thorn (2010)

I have never seen this anime on a single list anywhere. It’s mostly unknown even in anime circles, which is a crying shame. When a collection of people awaken from stasis after a worldwide epidemic of a virus that turns people to stone, they are thrust into a fight for their lives against monsters and reality-bending dangers. This thrilling and atmospheric blend of Aliens, Inception, and Lost has loads of unguessable twists and turns to elevate its survival-horror premise. It can be violent and confusing, but it’s also awesome and vastly underrated.

 

1. Cloud Atlas (2012)

I debated what should be #1, since any of these could have been ranked higher, but Cloud Atlas won the day. This is a movie that could have won Oscars, perhaps Best Score, Best Makeup, and maybe even Best Picture, if the Academy had been a bit more adventurous. Covering six distinct stories separated by centuries yet somehow linked by cosmic connections, Cloud Atlas is a wildly ambitious film with an incredible cast, all of whom play multiple, very different roles. It’s also a polarizing story, and I can easily see people walking away either mind-blown or just confused and exasperated. It’s long, strange in its shifts in tone, and full of New Age-y  nonsense, but there’s so much to appreciate and take in that it’s an amazing ride worth taking all the same.

 

 

And here are some other films that deserve more awareness. If you haven’t seen these movies, I highly recommend widening those horizons.

 

About Time – Fantastic time travel romance with Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams.

Bright Star – Quietly poetic biopic of John Keats.

Cannery Row – Fun and funny Steinbeck adaptation.

Flightplan – A tense Jodie Foster thriller about a mother whose daughter disappears on a plane.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – Excellent supernatural romance with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.

In Time – Brilliant dystopian premise of the time of one’s lifespan becoming currency.

In Your Eyes – Peculiar romance between two people who see through each other’s eyes.

Labyrinth of Lies – This German film about remembering Nazi war crimes should have been a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee.

Lunopolis – Conspiracy-filled found-footage sci-fi with a great twist.

The Man Who Never Was – Historical story of how a dead man helped win World War II.

Millennium Actress – Uniquely told anime of an actress seeking the unattainable.

The One I Love – A relationship movie with a Twilight Zone twist.

The Quick and the Dead (1987) – Engaging western with Sam Elliot at his mustached best.

Rabbit Hole – Affecting tale of parental grief every bit as emotional as Ordinary People.

Regarding Henry – Harrison Ford’s most underrated performance as a mentally damaged husband.

Right at Your Door – Terrifyingly real and down-to-earth disaster movie.

Secondhand Lions – Anecdotal charmer with great support from Michael Caine and Robert Duvall.

Sophie Scholl – The Final Days – Well-acted German tribute to an anti-Nazi martyr.

Strings – Very unique fantasy told completely with marionettes.

Time of Eve – Understated anime about androids discovering their humanity.

Tomorrowland – I actually found this Disney bomb to be a surprisingly fun ride.

The Way Back – Emotional journey of escapees from a Russian gulag, who walk all the way to India.

Woman in Gold – Strong performances from Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds in this tale of reclaiming art stolen by the Nazis.

 

Thanks for checking out these lists to celebrate my 500 follower milestone. Many more poems, reviews, and lists will come, and I hope to discover many more underrated movies in the future. Feel free to leave any suggestions below. I’m always on the lookout for more hidden gems!

 

We all have films that others love and we just…don’t. In fact, the whole world may love a film, critics laud it, bloggers sing its praises, Rotten Tomatoes pronounces it hot-off-the-vine Fresh, top film lists rank it among the best of its genre, and you just don’t see what all the hype is about. There’s no objective measurement of why certain films are overrated. It’s all a matter of opinion, and this list is mine.

I freely admit that “overrated” is a subjective term. I personally love movies that others may despise, like Forrest Gump, Titanic, La La Land, and Les Miserables, so don’t expect any of those on this list. Likewise, there are movies I don’t like, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but I at least recognize why others love it. This list is for movies that I don’t quite understand why they’ve earned all the acclaim they’ve gotten. To be honest, I do like some of these films, and two are even on my Top 365 list (which I’ll note below), but all of these fill my definition of overrated, regardless of how popular or iconic they are. I won’t be pulling any punches, so feel free to agree or disagree and plug your own opinion too. Don’t hate me ‘cause I’m honest! 🙂

 

12. North By Northwest (1959)

I’ve never been that enamored with Alfred Hitchcock’s films, which range from great to boring, but how North By Northwest has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes is beyond me. It’s a decent Hitchcock thriller, fueled by coincidence and mistaken identity, but only a few scenes stand out among the twisty plot. Plus, the ending is laughable. One minute, the main couple is clinging to the face of Mount Rushmore, the next they’re celebrating on a train. What the heck? It’s the most jarring shift of tone I’ve ever seen, and no one else seems to point it out.

 

11. Frozen (2013)

I do enjoy Frozen for its return to the Disney princess formula, and it’s currently #201 on my Top 365 List, even if I’m not a fan of the villain or how everything is suddenly resolved by the realization of “love” or something. But why is it that four years later, there are still Frozen toothbrushes, Frozen backpacks, Frozen breakfast cereal, Frozen juice boxes, Frozen shampoo, Frozen this and Frozen that. You can’t walk into a grocery story without seeing Anna and Elsa on some kind of merchandise. Disney somehow made Frozen merch into a commercial empire and is milking it for all its worth. But why not Wreck-It Ralph or Big Hero 6?

 

10. The French Connection (1971)

This is one thriller that was just lacking. Gene Hackman’s character of Popeye Doyle had no personality or character development to speak of, making the whole hunt for drug traffickers an uninvolving affair punctuated by a few admittedly memorable and well-shot scenes. I never like it when a film’s ending leaves me saying “That’s it?”, which is exactly what happened with that open-ended final scene. It’s not a bad film, but why it landed on AFI’s top 100 twice, I’ll never understand.

 

9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

I can’t argue against Snow White’s significance in movie history as the first feature-length animated film and Disney’s first feature. Yet what was so revolutionary back then doesn’t necessarily hold up now. I remember the last time I saw this classic being annoyed by Snow White’s grating voice and the familiar fairy tale tropes that have been done better since. And again, AFI named it the greatest animated film ever? I love the dwarfs, but Snow White feels like a film that is more respected for being the first than for being the best.

 

8. The Third Man (1949)

I have read reviews of this film noir that praise the acting, the atmosphere, the cinematography, and [shudder] the score. The score? Who could possibly like the zither-heavy score to The Third Man? It’s one of the most annoying soundtracks I’ve heard and a total contrast to the mood the rest of the film tries to create. Seriously, it sounds like music that belongs in SpongeBob SquarePants, not a dark thriller. I honestly don’t remember the rest of the movie that well, but whenever I see the score named among great soundtracks, I can’t help but shake my head in frustration.

 

7. The Dark Knight (2008)

Don’t explode. It’s okay, I don’t hate The Dark Knight, but neither do I think it’s the best superhero movie ever. The whole trilogy is currently #178 on my List, but I much prefer The Dark Knight Rises to The Dark Knight. For one, as good as Heath Ledger is as the Joker, I’ve never been a fan of dark gritty superhero movies. But the worst part of The Dark Knight is the ending. I just don’t get it. Why does Batman have to take the blame for Harvey Dent? Because the people of Gotham couldn’t take it? Please, all it does is create a can of worms and distrust for the next film to open, and the decision is too rushed to really make sense. Good movie, weak ending.

 

6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Steven Spielberg has made some fantastic movies over the years, but this is not one of the better ones. True, it’s become an icon of alien abduction cinema, but it’s also among his least entertaining features. We’re treated to Richard Dreyfuss acting crazy and ruining his marriage for much of the film, and then it ends with a tone-based light show, because what could be more riveting than a tone-based light show? There’s no twist, no deep emotion, no meaningful explanation to it all; it’s just aliens, which is surprisingly boring in this case. I can’t help but wonder if the government eventually found out that the alien message was a cook book called To Serve Man.

 

5. Shakespeare in Love (1997)

This is another film that isn’t necessarily bad. It’s actually well-acted, well-written, and well-produced. But it is not the Best Picture of 1998! It still boggles my mind that Shakespeare in Love somehow beat Saving Private Ryan and Life Is Beautiful, plus Elizabeth and The Thin Red Line. It reeks of studio bribery or favoritism. The fact that it’s complete fiction also takes away any historical significance. Plus, though Judi Dench did well as Queen Elizabeth I, what about her short performance warranted Best Supporting Actress?

 

4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

I hate to badmouth a Studio Ghibli film that is clearly a favorite of so many, but I really don’t see what the big deal is about My Neighbor Totoro. It’s a cute movie, but how can people call it Miyazaki’s best or one of the best films of 1988? Two annoying girls frolic with forest spirits; later, one thinks something bad happened but it didn’t. The end. Such a weak plot could be redeemed by Miyazaki’s proven movie magic, but I didn’t feel it. Totoro himself seems more intimidating than cuddly, especially when the only sound he makes is a big roar. Maybe I need to see it again, but I don’t get the hype.

 

3. Blade Runner (1982)

I just saw Blade Runner recently as one of my Blindspots, and I was pretty disappointed for a film that’s supposedly among the best sci-fi of all time. As with The French Connection, Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard has hardly any personality, and the characters that do are like weird caricatures, offset by a plodding pace. I know many have debated stuff like whether Deckard is a replicant, but when the film doesn’t bother to explore that kind of potential, why should I care? And talk about anticlimactic. Rutger Hauer chases him through a building like he’s going to kill him, then saves him, and dies after a short soliloquy. What? I know it’s had a huge influence on the cyberpunk genre, but for me, Blade Runner is all style over substance.

 

2. Avatar (2009)

James Cameron tried to revolutionize science fiction with Avatar, but he might have tried a more original story while he was at it. The visual effects are incredible, especially during the big battle at the end, but doesn’t all that just distract viewers from the fact that this is basically Pocahontas with blue aliens. Dances with Wolves with space marines. It’s the same old environmentalist story of the evil money-grubbing military men spoiling a native paradise and messing with nature’s perfection. I just hope Cameron has something better in mind for the sequels he’s been working on for years.

 

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Southerners have a word for things like 2001: artsy-fartsy. What the heck is this film about? Man’s evolutionary progress? The contrast between man and machine? That may be how people read it, but no, 2001 is about a black rock sending mankind to Jupiter so he can go on an LSD trip. It’s infuriating how praised and lauded this film is when I found it eminently boring and, by the end, incomprehensible. Again, ground-breaking visuals aren’t enough to cover up a stark lack of story, and the way many have discussed 2001’s deep symbolism and message just makes it seem even more pretentious and self-important. Some may say I just don’t get it, and they’re right, I don’t. There may be elements of great filmmaking, but this is by no means a great film.

 

 

Notice all the pictures of shock, anger, and sadness? Sorry if that’s you too right now. And here are some runners-up that I also find overrated.

 

5 Centimeters Per Second – Lovely animation, horribly depressing story.

An American in Paris – Weak plot that exists just for the famous overlong dance number.

Dr. Strangelove – For a classic comedy, it’s not really that funny.

Field of Dreams – The lack of explanation takes away from the fantasy appeal.

Ghost in the Shell – Style over substance, yet again.

The Godfather – Great film, yes, but hardly the best film ever made.

Interstellar – The visuals don’t quite make up for the obvious twist and slow pacing.

Juno – I liked the pro-life aspect but found Ellen Page’s misanthropic character hard to like.

Manchester By the Sea – Good acting but deeply depressing. How did this win Best Screenplay?

Midnight Special – Interesting premise, but a bit too slow-burn with little resolution.

Spirited Away – Sure, it looks amazing, but it’s also downright bizarre.

Urban Cowboy – How could anyone like this piece of trash? Worst movie ever!

 

Ah, glad I got that off my chest. Let the rebuttals begin! On Sunday, I’ll be going the other direction and posting my List of Underrated Movies. Stay tuned!

 

In the spirit of my list of movie corn (one of my favorites to compile), I’ve decided now to turn my sights on another vegetable that has found its way onto movie screens: the humble potato. That’s right, we’re going full spud here, and all manner of cinematic uses for this tuber qualify. Cue the Bubba voice— you got potato chips, potato salad, potato casserole, French fries, hash browns, latkes, knishes, potatoes au gratin, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes, tater tots, potato bread, potato soup, potato pancakes, twice-baked potatoes, and…that’s about it.

In truth, most of these picks actually feature whole potatoes rather than anything made from them, but there are notable exceptions. I have tried to compile this list with all diligence, even leaving off a few tenuous choices. For instance, I found that the root that Scarlett O’Hara digs up in the “I’ll never be hungry again” scene of Gone with the Wind is actually a radish, not a potato. Likewise, I’ve never seen many films that actually have potato in the name, such as Mashed Potatoes; Hot Potato (several movies by that name); One Potato, Two Potato; Who Made the Potatoe Salad?; and Sex Lives of the Potato Men, some of which apparently don’t even have anything to do with actual potatoes.

Plus, I’m ignoring certain vulgar potato scenes I know of, as in Soul Plane and Sausage Party. In addition, I haven’t forgotten significant potatoes in other media, such as the potato girl from Attack on Titan, the A.I. GLaDOS as a potato battery in Portal 2 (see top picture), and that ridiculously epic potato chip scene from the anime Death Note. (I wonder if they’ll keep that scene in the live-action movie this year.)

So without further ado, here are my top twelve instances of potatoes in movies. I hope you like potatoes.

12. A Fish Called Wanda

There’s something I deeply despise about this scene. Oh, yeah, it’s Kevin Kline as the most charmingly despicable jerk imaginable. I honestly can’t stand this movie, but it’s certainly a memorable scene. And yes, thank you, England, for the culinary contribution that is the chip.
 

11. A Christmas Story

While Ralphie’s little brother Randy complains about meatloaf, he apparently loves mashed potatoes, as long as he can eat like a piggy. I’m glad I was never a finicky eater.
 

10. Animal House

Ah, the famous zit scene in the cafeteria, featuring a grown-up version of Ralphie’s brother. This is one I debated for a while, mainly because I still can’t verify that it’s actually mashed potatoes that John Belushi blows out of his mouth. It’s some scoop of white food, but is it potatoes, cottage cheese, a hard-boiled egg, or something else entirely? It looks like mashed potatoes to me, though, and until I learn otherwise, it counts.
 

9. Ladies in Lavender

In this lesser-known drama about two elderly English sisters (Judi Dench, Maggie Smith) who care for a young Pole (Daniel Bruhl) who washes up on the beach, peeling potatoes transcends the language barrier.
 

8. Everything Is Illuminated

This quirky but deceptively serious tale is about a Jewish-American (Elijah Wood) traveling to Ukraine to investigate his family history from the Holocaust, and a lonely potato serves to illustrate both his compulsive collecting habits and the cultural divide between himself and his guides.
 

7. Empire of the Sun

How the mighty have fallen when once-affluent Englishmen crave a mere potato! Young Christian Bale’s Jim experiences this fall to desperation firsthand after the Japanese occupy Shanghai. “People will do anything for a potato.”

6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

I’m not enamored of this Spielberg sci-fi staple, but you’ve got to love Richard Dreyfuss’s obsessive molding of his mashed potatoes into a tiny model of Devil’s Tower.
 

5. Wolf Children

I am enamored of this beautifully charming anime film about a single mother raising her half-wolf kids. When she moves out to the country, her inexperience at farming shows, but a gruff neighbor provides her a crash course in growing plenty of potatoes.

4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Say it with me now. “Po-ta-toes! Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew!” As Sam could tell you, there’s only one way to eat a brace of coneys, and ideally it’s with taters.
 

3. The Martian

Most of you probably saw this one coming, since it’s a more recent movie. After being stranded on Mars, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) uses his incredible botany powers to grow potatoes in his own dung and stretch his food supply. I’m sure they taste much better with ketchup than with Vicodin.
 

2. Faith Like Potatoes

At least I have one movie that actually has potatoes in the name. This Christian film about a real-life South African farmer and speaker makes a stirring comparison between faith and potatoes, both of which remain hidden beneath the surface until harvest time, with inspiring results. Some may find it preachy, but it’s one of the better faith-based films out there.

1. Toy Story franchise

And the number one spot goes to none other than Mr. Potato Head, plus his Missus. Don Rickles and Pixar made a lovably irritable character out of the old Hasbro toy, which originated as an actual potato with removable body parts. Thanks to Toy Story, Mr. Potato Head is still popular and even has his own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. Now that’s a famous spud.
 
And here are a few runners-up, albeit not many, since there weren’t nearly as many movie potatoes to choose from as there were corn scenes.

The Benchwarmers – Explains that hot potatoes are actually hot.

Barefoot Gen – Two brothers fight over a sweet potato in this disturbing anime film a la Grave of the Fireflies.

Frenzy – This Hitchcock thriller has a killer rummaging through sacks of potatoes for something his latest victim took from him.

Men at Work – Don’t ever mess with a man’s fries.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding – There are no small gatherings when the potato peeling starts.

Napoleon Dynamite – “Give me some of your tots.”

Sling Blade – “I like them French fried potaters.”

Steamboat Willie – The first cartoon with synchronized sound ends with Mickey Mouse peeling potatoes for his musical antics.

The Terminal – A bag of potato chips serves as a messy metaphor for a foreign coup.

Maybe I’ll continue this food theme for future lists, but my top twelve cauliflower in movies may take some time. Thanks to everyone who reads this list, and perhaps now you’ll keep in mind the star power of that tater the next time you peel or eat one. Remember, the spuds have eyes.