For around 6-8 months I assumed that this would be my #1. And it’s a great move and a great story, with just enough real life touches around the central story to add flavor without distracting from the narrative. And it’s an important story, too of course. But there are two things that gnawed at me and ultimate bumped it from the top perch.

The less important but still very irksome one is that when summing up, the movie* just HAD to not just come back to the mockingbird story/metaphor from earlier, but even said “well, that would be just like killing the mockingbird wouldn’t it” and goddamn it, trust your audience at least a little bit!

More significantly, while I was too wrapped up in the story at the time, this is a white man’s story about the terribleness of racism. And don’t get me wrong, it can be important to frame it that way – if you want to make an impact on a wide range of white audiences (and readers) in the early 60s you probably had a better bet doing so by presenting the issue this way (and you definitely had a better shot at getting funding and distribution). Give the audience someone that they can aspire to be and show how terrible the system is. But it’s still taking a very privileged and potentially naïve** view at things.

Anyway, it was a great and incredibly moving film and a well-crafted world. Makes a huge impact today when it feels like we’re running backwards as a society as fast as we can.

* Oddly, I have no idea if this is direct from the book or was just done in the movie, as I somehow managed going through high school and a liberal arts college without ever having been assigned this classic of American literature. I got Catcher in the Rye at least twice though!

** Surely, surely, Atticus didn’t think for a moment that Tom Robinson was killed actually trying to escape, right? I know I’m looking at this from a much later time but he was obviously assassinated by the deputies.

#5: In the Mood for Love (2000)

A love story that isn’t. These people have been wronged, they both know it, they know what the obvious counter-move would be, and they both want to take it….or do they? This film is generally spoken about in terms of mismatched timing and thwarted desires, and there are absolutely elements of that. But I personally think of it more in terms of it being more important to both of them that they remain true to their own sense of themselves. They are not the kinds of people to do these things, even with full justification, even if nobody else could judge them for it, because they would still judge themselves.

Up Next: Oh God I Have To Figure Out How to Order These 4 Now?

#8: Paddington 2 (2017)

So, I’ve had my fun on some of these rankings right? I mean, if pressed, would I really insist that Beavis and Butthead Do the Universe was a better movie than A Streetcar Named Desire? That Wet Hot American Summer was a bigger accomplishment than like 2/3 of the AFI Top 100 Films? I mean, come on right?

But do not – DO NOT – try to apply that line of thinking to Paddington 2. This is the ultimate feel-good movie, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have pathos. There are genuinely bad people doing bad things (I mean, family-movie-context-bad, let’s go not crazy), but everyone is growing and learning and just trying to do their best. To quote an excellent movie further down on this list, this film “made me want to be a better man.”

And it’s funny! And there is action, and original and innovative visual sequences, and generous performances all around. This is a great, great movie. Do yourself a favor and rewatch it. (And for the love of god if you haven’t seen it, see it as soon as you possibly can.)

#7: What’s Up, Doc? (1972)

A Barbara Streisand that I never knew existed – I was familiar with the songstress and the dramatic icon, but not the Manic Pixie Dream Girl version. Oh, what I had been missing! The first 2/3 or so of this is a non-stop lesson in screwball comedy and razor-sharp wit and if the movie had somehow been able to keep up that pace this likely would’ve been my favorite film of all time. Not that what comes after (mostly ridiculous chase sequences in a The Great Race meets Blazing Saddles kind of a way) is at all bad or not funny, but it takes everything in a sillier direction right when a slightly more serious one might have paid off more. But watching this was pure delight.

Up Next: Ummmmm….a 6-Way Tie for #1?

#10: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

I didn’t really plan it this way, but each of the Top Ten this year is kind of the ideal example of a type of film. Obviously, that would make this my favorite ever Western. Leone perfects his art here, taking the time to draw out scenes in a way that feels true to the form – long periods of tension, resolving with lightning-quick gun action alternate with drawn-out ranging cat-and-mouse setups. Time is almost its own character here, with the initial scene having the looooooong setup with the three hired killers gathering, lying in wait, reading themselves….and finally being quickly dispatched by Bronson’s Harmonica.

The leads are all of the director’s favorite archetypes and an all-star cast to bring them to life – the nameless taciturn hired gun in Bronson, the ruthless killer with his army of goons (a fabulously arch Henry Fonda – maybe he should’ve played bad guys more often!), the vengeful but actually-not-a-bad-guy outlaw (Jason Robards!), the enfeebled immoral land speculator getting his way via his riches, and of course Claudia Cardinale’s hooker with a heart of gold. Oh and did I mention the Ennio Morricone score?

#9: Body Heat (1981)

Ahhh, the erotic thriller. So great when done right, but so hard to actually accomplish that. We are at the pinnacle of the form here as we truly believe that Hurt would go against his better judgment and….take care of things for Kathleen Turner’s Matty. Even when he suspects that something may be off, even when she almost warns him (“Ned, whatever you think….I really do love you” is Matty’s final line between them before she leaves for the boathouse), he can’t help himself but follow through. Her control of him is deft – he actually thinks that he came up with the plan, the poor thing.

Up Next: #8 & #7!

#13: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)

A captivating and horrifying display of the ability of people to be devastatingly cruel. Even the younger couple is pretty terrible, although you do have to feel for them and their inability to escape this situation. It’s a little difficult to imagine Taylor (who is truly monumental in this) and Burton (also good, just not Taylor-level) actually staying married after this (although, I guess “staying” married was perhaps the problem). In a way it’s actually a little hopeful, in that the ultimate message is that it’s better to confront your reality and muddle your way forward than to live in continual delusion, but geez. The feel good movie of 1966!

#12: His Girl Friday (1940)

A perfect example of so many genres that it’s hard to say where it even belongs. It’s definitely a romcom, but also the romance takes second place for both of the leads to their workplace calling. And of course there is no shortage of classic screwball antics. And without the zany fast-paced repartee would we even have an Aaron Sorkin today? Grant and Russell are both scoundrels and obviously perfect for each other, even if they don’t always know it.

#11: Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) (1948)

Weaponized empathy. When you undertake to watch a bunch of “classic” movies, you sign up for the drill – you know that the contemporary impact will pale next to what it likely was at the time. Techniques and perspectives that were avant garde at the time have long since been absorbed into the culture. It makes the accomplishment no less impressive, but it means that watching them now for the first time is likely to result in more of an intellectual, thoughtful appreciation rather than getting a “WOW.” This was a WOW – to see this movie is to feel the despair and desperation of the post-war Italian sub-working-class (hey, I said it was great, I didn’t say it was fun).

Up Next: Finally, the Top Ten!

#16: Night of the Hunter (1955)

There is nothing quite like Night of the Hunter, although you can see its influence in a thousand other movies. Mitchum’s menace is obvious to the children, to the extent that he almost stops even hiding it when interacting with them while wooing their clueless mother. The tale is told at their level, which makes it almost a dreamscape at times – the mother is foolish and won’t listen, when they flee the implacable monster follows them just a step behind. If Mitchum could just kill them and still get his prize, we have no doubt that he would. It took me longer to get on the film’s wavelength than I would care to admit, but it has stayed with me.

#15: RRR (2022)

Oops, sorry Everything Everwhere, I forgot that this incredible feature was also from 2022. Unlike anything I’ve seen before, which is obviously more my failing than anything else. Watching this non-stop all-killer-no-filler action spectacle almost overloads your conscious brain and forces you to just try to keep up in taking it all in for processing later. No 3+ hour movie has ever seemed so short and I could’ve watched it again right away. You’re not going to remember the plot, but there are SO MANY other action and/or dancing sequences that will stick with you. Obviously not my favorite movie of 2022, but the one I am most comfortable recommending to everyone.

#14: Breathless (1960)

Yes yes, it’s the beginning of modern cinema yadda yadda yadda, but I’m not competent to appraise those claims or even to really dig into them. What I can say is how captivating these two horrible people are. They could be shown next to the definition of “insouciant” in the dictionary, but it carries over into, on his part, killing someone, and, on her part, turning him in as an emotional exercise to just see how she feels about it. But the movie is surprisingly uninterested in most of that, instead luxuriating in the day-to-day existence and casual, rambling interactions – although it’s not entirely clear if they are truly interactions – Michel has a late moment of clarity when he realizes “When we talked, I talked about me, you talked about you, when we should have talked about each other.” But that’s just not the kind of people that they are.

Up Next: The Rest of the Not-Quite-Top-Ten

Well, we finally made it. Goddamn base 10 primacy means that this finally feels like appropriate recognition for the top films of this odyssey. So, without further ado….

#20: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Just a non-stop influx of crazy madness with a soft cuddly heart ay its center. My favorite movie of 2022 and a true delight. As this was probably the most-talked-about movie of the year and a deserving Best Picture winner I don’t think I have to ramble on about it too much.

#19: Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

Goddamn brilliant. Joel McCrae and Veronica Lake knock it out of the park, but it’s Sturges’s writing and direction that is the true star. Never for a moment does the premise waiver or seem too absurd, even though there is humor amidst the relentless bleakness of the post-depression-era footage. It’s a great movie while simultaneously being a trenchantly acidic commentary on the fundamental disposability of Hollywood entertainments.

#18: Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Talk about the hidden depths of meaning….hahahahha no no no, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA. OMG what a freaking blast. Just pure joy. Gods yes.

#17: Stalker (1979)

A meditation of a movie in the best way possible. More serious and thoroughly thought out than any 3 other movies on this entire list, but by no means a dry or boring experience. The very idea of The Room is incredibly fertile ground for thought…assuming of course that it even exists. While the Stalker, the Writer, and the Professor all offer various definitive-sounding conclusions about life, the universe, and everything there is no reason why we should believe any of them. And of course, when the entire premise is a journey into a Zone where the laws of physics may not apply, there is no particular reason to believe what we see either. I fear that I’m doing the film a disservice by even trying to explain or analyze it – it’s more something to be seen and felt than anything else.

I will say that the bookend scenes seem to be from an entirely different – and much worse – movie. The hysterical wife in the beginning comes back to just lovingly accept him at the end for no appreciable reason. And what is the deal with the daughter? Not to even mention the way-too-long monologue at the end that seems to have been written by Soviet authorities (I don’t think they actually did that kind of thing in the 70s, but who knows). This ranking would’ve been a few spots higher without those.

Up Next: Gee, I Dunno, You Tell Me, Mr. Smart Guy.

Ughhhhh, the final cuts before the top 20. I thought at least one of these would be a candidate for #1 overall, too. Boy is this hard.

#22: The Wild Bunch (1969)

I used to mock Westerns, but as great as this is isn’t not even my top film of the genre this year. The cast is impeccable – not necessarily the best actors but each one perfect for the part that they play. Time is moving on and leaving these men behind, but let’s not make too much of a fuss over it – this is just the way things happen, after all. They had their time, they’re a step slower and a bit less familiar with the latest in criminal techniques, and more devious and more brutal men are taking over, but it’s not in them to adapt. Might as well go out with one last big hurrah.

#22: CODA (2021)

It would be pretty simple to reduce this to a happy crowd-pleaser, and yes there are definitely elements of that in this delightful piece, particularly the feel-good ending. But that would be missing the way the film captures, and values, everyone’s perspectives – these are all good people in tough situations making the absolute best of them that they can. Bad things happen to lots of people in lots of ways, but just because that’s the way of the world not because of any “bad guys” (even the various bureaucratic forces, normally the easy targets, are just trying to do their best for everyone) and by refusing to let it get them down they have a chance to get better. Okay, yes, it’s a feel-good movie, but what is wrong with that anyway? 2021 was a pretty great year for movies and this was my favorite.

#21: Up in the Air (2009)

One of the best, most affecting, most realistic portrayals of people who think that they know exactly who they are, finding out that maybe they don’t. Not necessarily that they are wrong, but that there is the possibility for more, that they could grow and maybe their personal philosophy was more of a justification.

Up Next: The Top 20, FINALLY

B-duh b-duh b-duh b-duh, that’s great cinema, folks!

#27: That Thing You Do (1996)

So, first off, all glory and honor to our boy Adam Schlesinger, who wrote a period-appropriate absolute banger. The rest of the movie is basically a loving look at the ’60s and an age where the biggest fears are whether you can write another hit or if your boyfriend turns out to be a jerk. Completely delightful and one that I thought for sure would be in my top 10 at the end of the year…..but oh well.

#26: Encanto (2022)

Such great songs! We Don’t Talk About Bruno is not more than the third-best tune (The Family Madrigal, What Else Can I Do, and probably Surface Pressure, too, really), but that is more an endorsement of the soundtrack than an indictment of popular taste. Great characters and, unusually for Disney, no evil wizard or anything but just people overcoming their insecurities and shortcomings and experiencing personal growth. Nice! Now just ignore that this family has the whole town basically being their feudal serfs….

#25: The Norseman (2022)

None! More! Metal! An 80’s heavy metal album cover come to life, this is the film that Robert Eggers was born to make. In some ways, more of a fable than a straightforward narrative, you can picture this being told over the campfires. There is not much point in describing this film – either you want to see a blood-drenched movie where the severed head of Willem Dafoe cackles while spouting curses in an ancient tongue or you don’t.

#24: Persona (1966)

I am not qualified to speak to the meanings and portents of this film, but the act of watching it is profoundly moving and disturbing. Fundamentally it comes to to how many women are in the shot above – one or two? I cannot prove either argument to be wrong, and the answer is deeply uneasy either way.

Up Next: More Great Movies That I Will Sully By Not Even Ranking Them in My Top 20

So, yes, this is the life I chose, but choosing between these incredible films is just ridiculous. Like, in X years I’ll look back and realize that some fantastic viewing experience I remember so fondly was, like, #30 on my 2022 films? Ridiculous.

#31: Molly’s Game (2017)

A heist movie without an actual heist, Chastain is able to convey that she is always evaluating what is going on, trying to obtain and then maintain control over a chaotic situation. People keep taking her less seriously than they should, and she only gets in trouble once someone treats her like an actual capable person and acts accordingly. The legal stuff, while featuring the always great Idris Elba, is less compelling, but also occupies less time than the main plot.

#30: City Lights (1931)

While Chaplin’s antics are more than enough to justify a movie on their own, this time he actually gets a plot worthwhile, as his romance with Virginia Cherrill’s blind flower girl is actually touching.

#29: Barbarian (2022)

OMG. OMFG!!!! The third time I can remember my job literally dropping open with shock and disorientation while watching a movie (the others being Hereditary and Black Swan). I think anyone reading this has alreay been sufficiently hectored (by me) into watching it, but I am not going to risk spoiling any part of this just in case.

#28: Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Like the best (all?) of Wes Anderson’s movies, the overly-manicured details lead to gradual revelations of real people with sympathetic issues. It’s a really loving way of making a film, sympathetically looking at the issues that all of the characters are dealing with while also being silly. Even when the worst people do the worst things (I mean, this is an Anderson movie, nobody kills anybody or anything), you have a sense of what made them that way and why they might be lashing out and why, if they could, they wouldn’t. This may be my favorite live-action Anderson, which says a lot.

Up Next: Still Trying To Come Up With 7 Move Movies That Won’t Even Make the Top 20

#35: Brightburn (2019)

Hey, I was as surprised as you are. I thought I was signing up for one of the series of “what if Superman….but evil?” series of mostly brain dead thriller exercises, but this actual took the time to explore the nature vs nurture argument. The tone is a bit light for a We Need to Talk About Kevin style conversation, but the movie definitely confronts those feelings as Elizabeth Banks has a full emotional breakdown while our evil little boy torments and kills a whollllle mess of folks.

#34: Pig (2021)

Where to even start with this one. All of the characters have real depth – there are reasons driving them that are hinted at and others that must be there but we aren’t given enough time with them to figure out what they must be. To be clear, this isn’t a failing of this wondrous movie, it’s an acknowledgement of the reality that we only get 2 hours in this world and that just can’t be enough time to know every aspect of a complex person. Cage is compelling but don’t sleep on up-and-comer Alex Wolff from Hereditary either.

#33: Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

We never learn exactly what happened to make Martha* so vulnerable to Patrick and his cult. Maybe it was no single event, maybe she was just a susceptible personality, maybe it was a bunch of things all adding up – but what we know is that by the time we meet her, she is a broken person. Her sister would like to help, but isn’t very good at it either in inclination or ability. As the point of view character becomes more and more unhinged, we can’t be sure whether the ending is a hallucination….but honestly, it’s devastating either way.

#32: Seven Samurai (1954)

I have come to the conclusion that I have nothing to add to the voluminous scholarship already existing regarding this film. In the unlikely event that any of you haven’t seen this yet, do so forthwith – it’s not just the grandfather of all adventure and team-up movies, it’s also surprisingly witty and fun.

Up Next: Somehow Another 31 Movies To Go?!?!??