2024 Pre-Oscar Ranking -- 137 Films

7 hours before this year’s Oscars, here’s a ranking of the 137 films seen since last year’s Oscars.

[Note: Titles I've seen since the end-of-2023 ranking are 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝. Documentary Shorts [DS], Animated Shorts [AS], and Live Action Shorts [LAS] are identified by those initials.]

D: Pinocchio [2002], Priscilla

D+: Bottoms

C: Pinocchio [2022], NT Live: Good, Passages, Foe

C+: War Pony, Sorcerer [1977], Dream Scenario, Poor Things

B-: Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [2008], Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Being There [1979], Saltburn, 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫! 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐤𝐨 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]

B: John Wick: Chapter 2 [2017], Broker [2022], Theater Camp, Stripes [1981], Sonatine [1993], 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 [𝐃𝐒], 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐏𝐢𝐠 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐲𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐭, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

Catherine Called Birdy [2002], Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, You Hurt My Feelings, Animal House [1978], My Sailor My Love, 𝐈𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐨, 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐳𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐎𝐧𝐞, 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]

B+: Blue Beetle, Dumbo [1941], Snow White and the Seven Dwarves [1937], Super Mario Bros Movie, John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum [2019], The Starling Girl, May December, The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [1989], Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom [1984], Empire of Light [2022], Caddyshack [1980], Cassandro, The Boy and the Heron, Alice In Wonderland [1951], Mysterious Skin [2004], Fallen Leaves, Violent Night [2022], Lost in Translation, The Lesson, Joyland [2022], Eternal Memory, 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐩 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐍𝐚𝐢 𝐍𝐚𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐢 𝐏𝐨 [𝐃𝐒], 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 [𝐃𝐒], 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩 [𝐃𝐒], 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐁𝐂𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 [𝐃𝐒], 𝟐𝟎 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐥, 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐰𝐨, 𝐍𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚

The Holdovers, Maestro, The Iron Claw, The Color Purple, Raiders of the Lost Ark [1981]

A-: Nobody Knows [2004], Somewhere in Queens, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., John Wick: Chapter 4, Slava Ukrani, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, Joy Ride, Cinderella [1950], Out Summon [AS],

Chevalier, Seven Kings Must Die, Pinocchio [1940], Joan Baez: I Am A Noise, Wonka, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢, 𝟗𝟓 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐑𝐞𝐝, 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒], 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬' 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞

A: BlackBerry, Past Lives, Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, Groundhog Day [1993], Puss in Boots: The Last Wish [2022], Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting, Tetris, The Night of the 12th, Stop Making Sense, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, Finding Her Beat, The Mission, 𝐓𝐨 Kill 𝐚 𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫

A+: Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, It Ain't Over, A Thousand and One, Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Air, Sanctuary, Every Body, Bobi Wine: The People’s President, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Fremont, The Last Rider, Enola Holmes [2020], Nyad, Radical, Beyond Utopia, Society of the Snow, Flora and Son, 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬, 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒], Anatomy of a Fall, American Fiction, Barbie

2023 End-of-Year Ranking -- 102 Films

2023 was a year of new beginnings.

Setbacks that could have plagued the year led to genuine improvements. Hark's once great company took a nosedive, and he was out of work for months . . . before discovering a company with a dream position. 

An invaluable source of Frost mentors for years disappeared . . . just in time for every branch of the military to replace them. Thanks for the memories, Mason Wrestling; the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force are ready to take it from here. 

There's no way Danny returning to Oaxaca could be called an improvement, but the messages, phone calls, and Brody and Riley moving one year closer to Spanish immersion elementary school showed the bond was here to stay.

Brody and Riley had a bunch of new beginnings as well: Riley's first soccer practice, Brody's first basketball practice, Riley's first front/back float, Brody's first underwater swim, and both of their first trips to a waterpark -- the one at Great Wolf Lodge. 

Oh, and they saw their first full-length movie, the live-action Little Mermaid. It was also their first movie in a theater. I'm shocked their attention spans made it 135 minutes. Credit to the familiar, catchy songs, and me parceling out popcorn little . . . by little . . . by little. Toddler time can be trench warfare; you've gotta do whatever gets you through!

Here's where Little Mermaid fits in the annual year-end list. As usual, I've seen all the movies, and Hark's seen all the trailers. Hark's also added orange annotations to all my whiteboard reviews. Here's a ranking of all 102 films from 2023...

Note: Films are graded into tiers. Within tiers, films are not ranked.

D: Pinocchio [2002], Priscilla

D+: Bottoms 

C: Pinocchio [2022], NT Live: Good, Passages, Foe 

C+: War Pony, Sorcerer [1977], Dream Scenario, Poor Things

B-: Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [2008], Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Being There [1979], Saltburn 

B: John Wick: Chapter 2 [2017], Broker [2022], Theater Camp, Stripes [1981], Sonatine [1993]

Catherine Called Birdy [2002], Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, You Hurt My Feelings, Animal House [1978], My Sailor My Love

B+: Blue Beetle, Dumbo [1941], Snow White and the Seven Dwarves [1937], Super Mario Bros Movie, John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum [2019], The Starling Girl, May December, The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [1989], Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom [1984], Empire of Light [2022],  Caddyshack [1980], Cassandro, The Boy and the Heron, Alice In Wonderland [1951], Mysterious Skin [2004], Fallen Leaves

Violent Night [2022], Lost in Translation, The Lesson, Joyland [2022], Eternal Memory, The Holdovers, Maestro, The Iron Claw, The Color Purple, Raiders of the Lost Ark [1981]

A-: Nobody Knows [2004], Somewhere in Queens, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., John Wick: Chapter 4, Slava Ukrani, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse, Joy Ride, Cinderella [1950]

Chevalier, Seven Kings Must Die, Pinocchio [1940], Joan Baez: I Am A Noise, Wonka, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer

A: BlackBerry, Past Lives, Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, Groundhog Day [1993], Puss in Boots: The Last Wish [2022], Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting, Tetris, The Night of the 12th, Stop Making Sense 

The Disappearance of Shere Hite, Finding Her Beat, The Mission

A+: Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, It Ain't Over, A Thousand and One, Pinball: The Man Who Saved The Game, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Air, Sanctuary, Every Body, Bobi Wine: The People’s President, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Fremont, The Last Rider, Enola Holmes [2020], Nyad, Radical, Beyond Utopia, Society of the Snow, Flora and Son, Anatomy of a Fall, American Fiction, Barbie

2023 Pre-Oscar Ranking -- 136 Films

6 hours before this year’s Oscars, here’s a ranking of the 136 films seen since last year’s Oscars.

[Note: Titles I've seen since the end-of-2022 ranking are 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝. Documentary Shorts [DS], Animated Shorts [AS], and Live Action Shorts [LAS] are identified by those initials.]

D: Babylon

D+: Barry Lyndon [1975], 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 [𝐀𝐒]

C-: Grateful Dead Meet-Up 2022, Ghostbusters [2016], All Quiet on the Western Front

C: 𝐈𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]

C+: 𝐄𝐎, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥, Lightyear, Rurouni Kenshin [2021], The Last Duel [2021]

B-: The French Dispatch [2021], A Love Song, 𝐋𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]. 𝐌𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, The Good Boss

B: 𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 [𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏], 𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 [𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟕], 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐧 𝐎𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐌𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐭 [𝐀𝐒], 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝, Thirteen Lives, American Underdog, Nope, Eyes Wide Shut [1999], Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Top Gun [1986], Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬 [𝐃𝐒], 𝐇𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐭 [𝐃𝐒], National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation [1989], Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, After Sun, Decision to Leave

B+: The Harder They Fall, 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐞, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐄𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐬, 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐨’𝐬 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐨, 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲, Aliens [1979], The Inspection, Pig [2021], Bodies Bodies Bodies, Ghostbusters II [1989], The Phantom of the Open, You Resemble Me, The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlisle, The Woman King, Tar, Bo Burnham: Inside, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, A Christmas Story [1983], Avatar [2008], Banshees of Inisherin, Munich [2005], The Survivor, The Duke, Free Guy [2021], Turning Red, Benediction

A-: 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒], 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒], 𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒], 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 [𝐃𝐒], Aliens [1986], The Territory, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Ghostbusters [1984], Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar [2021], Crime of the Century, Fire of Love, Love Actually [2003], The Little Mermaid [1989], The Whale, The Shining [1980], The Adam Project, Bros, The Menu, Home Alone [1990], Avatar: The Way of the Water, Barbarian, The Exorcist [1974], Jurassic Park [1993]

A: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫? [𝐃𝐒], 𝐀 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐛, 𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 [𝐀𝐒], The Terminator, Top Gun: Maverick, Vengeance, Emily the Criminal, She Said, Till, 𝐑𝐑𝐑, 𝐀𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟓, The Fallout, The Green Knight [2021], The Batman, The Fablemans, Jaws [1975], Everything Everywhere All At Once, Aladdin [1992]

A+: 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐧𝐲, 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐞 [𝐃𝐒], Ghostbusters: Afterlife [2021], Hit The Road, Prince of Egypt [1998], Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, Cha Cha Real Smooth, Bones and All, Spoiler Alert, Louis Armstrong: Black and Blues, Moonage Daydream, 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞, Wildcat, Good Night Oppy, Free Chol Soo Lee, My Old School, Hustle, 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞, Schindler’s List [1993], Beauty and the Beast [1991], 1982, Good Luck to You Leo Grande, Terminator 2: Judgment Day [1991], Good Will Hunting [1997], E.T. [1982], 12 Angry Men [1957], Memento [2000]

2022 End-of-Year Ranking -- 101 Films

Every year from here on out will probably be defined by our kids. Riley and Brody did play a huge part in 2022 -- catapulting past where they (and we) were in 2021.

There's no question, though, that for me, Hark, Riley, and Brody, the person of the year was Danny. She made an impact on family, friends, coworkers, students, and us.

I'm most thankful for the new experiences we got to share:

Trips: NY, Philadelphia, Lowell, Salisbury, Manchester, Burlington, Disney, Tampa, Minneapolis, Richmond, and Williamsburg

Concerts: Guster, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Franz Ferdinand, Dispatch, O.A.R., The Killers, Arcade Fire, Noah Kahan, Jimmy Eat World, and [virtually] Bruce Springsteen

Shows: Freaks and Geeks, Frasier, The Wire, The West Wing, The Wonder Years, The Crown, Cobra Kai, and This Is Us

Last but not least, there were the films -- and all those whiteboard reviews. Danny and Hark didn't watch every film, but seeing their blue-and-orange review highlights and hearing their thoughts was awesome. Learning 300+ Spanish and English phrases on a separate whiteboard made it even better! When we return to Oaxaca one day and/or she returns to Virginia, we'll have to continue the tradition.

On that note, here's a ranking of the 101 films we went through in 2022...

D: Babylon

D+: Barry Lyndon [1975]

C-: Grateful Dead Meet-Up 2022, Ghostbusters [2016], All Quiet on the Western Front

C+: Lightyear, Rurouni Kenshin [2021], The Last Duel [2021]

B-: The French Dispatch [2021], A Love Song, The Good Boss

B: Thirteen Lives, American Underdog, Nope, Eyes Wide Shut [1999], Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Top Gun [1986], Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation [1989], Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, After Sun, Decision to Leave

B+: The Harder They Fall, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Alien [1979], The Inspection, Pig [2021], Bodies Bodies Bodies, Ghostbusters II [1989], The Phantom of the Open, You Resemble Me, The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlisle, The Woman King, Tar, Bo Burnham: Inside, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, A Christmas Story [1983], Avatar [2008], Banshees of Inisherin, Munich [2005], The Survivor, The Duke, Free Guy [2021], Turning Red, Benediction

A-: Aliens [1986], The Territory, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Ghostbusters [1984], Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar [2021], Crime of the Century, Fire of Love, Love Actually [2003], The Little Mermaid [1989], The Whale, The Shining [1980], The Adam Project, Bros, The Menu, Home Alone [1990], Avatar: The Way of the Water, Barbarian, The Exorcist [1974], Jurassic Park [1993]

A: Top Gun: Maverick, Vengeance, Emily the Criminal, She Said, Till, The Terminator, The Fallout, The Green Knight [2021], The Batman, The Fablemans, Jaws [1975], Everything Everywhere All At Once, Aladdin [1992]

A+: Ghostbusters: Afterlife [2021], Hit The Road, Prince of Egypt [1998], Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, Cha Cha Real Smooth, Bones and All, Spoiler Alert, Louis Armstrong: Black and Blues, Moonage Daydream, Wildcat, Good Night Oppy, Free Chol Soo Lee, My Old School, Hustle, Schindler’s List [1993], Beauty and the Beast [1991], 1982, Good Luck to You Leo Grande, Terminator 2: Judgment Day [1991], Good Will Hunting [1997], E.T. [1982], 12 Angry Men [1957], Memento [2000]

2022 Pre-Oscar Ranking -- 111 Films

111 minutes before this year’s Oscars, here’s a ranking of the 111 films seen since last year’s Oscars. I’m excited that the first time in a long time, my number-one film may win Best Picture!

[Note: Titles I've seen since the end-of-2021 ranking are 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝. Documentary Shorts [DS], Animated Shorts [AS], and Live Action Shorts [LAS] are identified by those initials.]

F+: The Last Airbender [2010]

D-: Don't Look Up, The Windshield Wiper [AS], Bestia [AS]

D+: Memoria, Titane

C-: The Long Goodbye [LAS], Dekalog 2 [1989], Dekalog 3 [1989]

C: Suicide Squad [2016], Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby [2010], Nightmare Alley

C+: Dekalog 9 [1989], Grease [1978], Passing, Affairs of the Heart [AS],

B-: Dekalog 7 [1989], Death to 2020 [2020], Spartacus [1960], The Dress [LAS], The Power of the Dog, Licorice Pizza, A Clockwork Orange [1972]

B: Dekalog 8 [1989], The Snail and The Whale [2020], All In: The Fight for Democracy [2020], Black Widow, Lead Me Home [DS], Hand of God, Parallel Mothers, Ascension, Lunanu: A Yak in the Classroom, A Quiet Place: Part 2, Dirty Dancing [1987], Spencer, The Velvet Underground, Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb [1964], The Tragedy of Macbeth

B+: Dekalog 10 [1989], Dekalog 4 [1989], Raya and the Last Dragon [2021], The Queen of Basketball [DS], Audible [DS], Please Hold [LAS], The Lost Daughter, Three Sons for Benazir [DS], Procession, On My Mind [LAS], Tick...Tick...BOOM!, Annie Hall [1977], Salyut-7 [2017], Hoop Dreams [1994], Saturday Night Fever [1977], Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, Paths of Glory [1957], Colin in Black and White, Official Competition, Last Night in Soho, Dune, The Summer of Soul, Together Together, Luca, Lolita [1962], Platoon [1986], The Humans, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Shang-Chi, 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968], King Richard

A-: Philadelphia [1993], The Conversation [1974], To Gerard [2020], Dekalog 5 [1989], Full Metal Jacket [1987], Becoming Cousteau, Being the Ricardos, Boxballet [AS], Writing With Fire, Take And Run [LAS], Frequency [2000], The Worst Person in the World, The Mitchells vs the Machines, Suicide Squad

A: Encanto, Spider-Man: No Way Home, A Hero, Robin Robin [AS], When We Were Bullies [DS], Kapaemahu [2020], Dekalog 1 [1989], Supernova [2020], One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [1975], Street Gang, In The Heights, Apocalypse Now [1979], Belfast, Jagged, Durak (The Fool) [2014], C’Mon C’Mon, Attica. West Side Story

A+: The Guilty, Dekalog 6 [1989], Boys State [2020], Die Hard [1988], Flee, Once [2007], The Sparks Brothers, Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go for It, The Rescue, Drive My Car, Mass, CODA

2021 End-of-Year Ranking -- 78 Films

The two big changes for me and Hark in 2021 were Riley and Danny. It took years to get them here, and we’re thrilled they made it.

Riley eats and sleeps like a champ, and is now starting to look, smile, and be curious. It’s wild to think where she’ll be this time next year. Danny has been incredible, juggling two kids, parents, and languages with ease — not to mention living in a new country! Danny's also been a great friend — sharing food with Hark and art with me whenever we need it.

One thing that didn’t change this year is watching movies — and I’m glad it didn’t. My dad and grandpa didn't give up the Yankees when they had young kids, and I didn’t give up movies. Kids come first obviously, but maintaining a connection to some passion is important. Parents need to say sane!

Many people and things that helped me preserve films. I’m thankful for summer break, winter break, one week at the Toronto Film Festival, two weeks waiting for Riley in Texas, Hark, daycare, Danny, Katie, Kevin, Grandpa, Grandma, Lola, Lola Lenie, Lolo Rick, the Lennons, and a lot of color coding in Google Calendar. Technically, the 2am feedings also helped, but I would have gladly taken fewer films to sleep through the night!

On that note, here's a ranking of the 78 films I saw this year...

[Note: A film without a year listed after it came out in 2021.]

F+: The Last Airbender [2010]

D+: Memoria, Titane

C-: Dekalog 2 [1989], Dekalog 3 [1989]

C: Suicide Squad [2016], Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby [2010]

C+: Dekalog 9 [1989], Grease [1978]

B-: Dekalog 7 [1989], Death to 2020 [2020], Spartacus [1960], The Power of the Dog, A Clockwork Orange [1972]

B: Dekalog 8 [1989], The Snail and The Whale [2020], All In: The Fight for Democracy [2020], Black Widow, A Quiet Place: Part 2, Dirty Dancing [1987], Spencer, The Velvet Underground, Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb [1964]

B+: Dekalog 10 [1989], Dekalog 4 [1989], Annie Hall [1977], Salyut-7 [2017], Hoop Dreams [1994], Saturday Night Fever [1977], Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, Paths of Glory [1957], Colin in Black and White, Official Competition, Last Night in Soho, Dune, The Summer of Soul, Together Together, Luca, Lolita [1962], Platoon [1986], The Humans, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Shang-Chi, 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968], King Richard

A-: Philadelphia [1993], The Conversation [1974], To Gerard [2020], Dekalog 5 [1989], Full Metal Jacket [1987], Becoming Cousteau, Being the Ricardos, Suicide Squad, Encanto, Spider-Man: No Way Home

A: Kapaemahu [2020], Dekalog 1 [1989], Supernova [2020], One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest [1975], Street Gang, In The Heights, Apocalypse Now [1979], Belfast, Jagged, Durak (The Fool) [2014], C’Mon C’Mon, West Side Story

A+: The Guilty, Dekalog 6 [1989], Boys State [2020], Die Hard [1988], Flee, Once [2007], The Sparks Brothers, Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go for It, The Rescue, Mass, Coda

2021 Pre-Oscar Ranking -- 132 Films

132 minutes before this year’s Oscars, here’s a ranking of the 132 films seen since last year’s Oscars. Next year, the count will probably be a lot lower. A rare advantage of the Covid year has been all the quarantine time to see films...

[Note: Titles I've seen since the end-of-2020 ranking are 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝. Documentary Shorts [DS], Animated Shorts [AS], and Live Action Shorts [LAS] are identified by those initials.]

F+: The Doors: Break on Thru

D+: 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗶 [𝗔𝗦], Tom Jones [1963], The Seven-Year Itch [1955]

C-: Emma, Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1992]

C: 𝗬𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 [𝗔𝗦], Father of the Bride [1950], Around the World in 80 Days [1956], 7 Plus Seven [1970]

C+: 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁 𝟮, Wonder Woman 1984

B-: The Way Back, Stalag 17 [1953], Mrs. Miniver [1942]

B: 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗱 𝟮 [𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟲], 𝗪𝗼𝗹𝗳𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 28 Up [1984], Hamlet [1948], Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am? [2019], How Green Was My Valley [1941], Easy Rider [1969], Oliver! [1968], The Greatest Show on Earth [1952], News of the World, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969], The Lost Weekend [1945], The Godfather: Part 3 [1990]

B+: 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, 𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 [𝗗𝗦], 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗗𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁 [𝗗𝗦], 𝗔 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮 [𝗗𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻, 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗭𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗻𝘆𝗱𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲, 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶, 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗶, The Cabin in the Woods [2011], An American In Paris [1951], Sabrina [1954], Breakfast at Tiffany's [1961], 21 Up [1977], 35 Up [1991], 42 Up [1998], 56 Up [2012], All the King's Men [1949], Rebecca [1940], From Here to Eternity [1953], Going My Way [1944], Patton [1970], Midnight Cowboy [1969], The French Connection [1971], Safety, Da Five Bloods, Seven Samurai [1954], Citizen Kane [1941]

A-: 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 [𝗗𝗦], 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗱 [𝗗𝗦], 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝘆𝗲 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗱 𝟯 [𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟵], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵, 𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, A Streetcar Named Desire [1951], Saint Frances, Onward, 49 Up [2005], My Fair Lady [1964], The Third Man [1949], The Godfather [1972], Marty [1955], Singin' in the Rain [1952], Sunset Boulevard [1950], Ace in the Hole [1951], The Apartment [1960], Palm Springs, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner [1967], To Sir With Love [1967], Soul, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, West Side Stories [1996]

A: 𝗜𝗳 𝗔𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗱 [𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟰], 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲, The Lives of Others [2006], The Interrupters [2011], Ip Man [2008], Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Ben-Hur [1959], The Sound of Music [1965], Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles, The Trial of Chicago 7, Corpus Christi, The Godfather: Part Two [1974], Some Like It Hot [1959], 7 Up! [1964], 63 Up [2019], High Noon [1952], Dating Amber, The Half of It, Lilies of the Field [1963], The Night of the Hunter [1955], Mank

A+: 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽, 𝗤𝘂𝗼 𝗩𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗶𝗱𝗮?, 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝘆𝗮, 𝗠𝘆 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, Witness for the Prosecution [1957], Fiddler on the Roof [1971], Gentleman's Agreement [1947], Roman Holiday [1953], The Best Years of Our Lives [1946], Come As You Are, Sound of Metal, Promising Young Woman, On the Waterfront [1954], A Man for All Seasons [1966], In the Heat of the Night [1967], All About Eve [1950], Casablanca [1943], West Side Story [1961]

2020 End-of-Year Ranking -- 98 Films

Hindsight will not save 2020. It will always be known for pain. When you had a once-in-a-century pandemic and moral decay that seemed to grow worse by the day, it's inevitable.

It feels wrong, though, to end on that. I need to focus on the positive, starting with 20 people that got me through it. 1: Hark. 2: Brody. 3: Delmy, Brody's ally at daycare. 4: Danny, Brody's ally in Oaxaca. 5-8: Katie, Kevin, Nadine, and Paul, our NY saviors. 9: Mandy, our hope for the future. [Fingers crossed, because of her, at this time next year, Brody could have a sister.] 10-20: Family and friends I can't list because I can't narrow them down. [Seriously -- ten does not come close to covering them.]

The other major thing that got me through 2020 was movies. Being able to escape from the real world to reel ones made a difference. Knowing that I would eventually be able to share them with people helped as well. On that note, here's a ranking of the 98 films I saw this year...

[Note: Any film without a year listed after it came out in 2020.]

F+: The Doors: Break on Thru

 

D+: Tom Jones [1963], The Seven-Year Itch [1955]

 

C-: Emma, Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1992]

 

C: Father of the Bride [1950], Around the World in 80 Days [1956], 7 Plus Seven [1970], Irresistible

 

C+: Wonder Woman 1984, Gigi [1958]

B-: The Way Back, The Sting [1973], Stalag 17 [1953], Mrs. Miniver [1942]

 

B: 28 Up [1984], Hamlet [1948], Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am? [2019], How Green Was My Valley [1941], Easy Rider [1969], Oliver! [1968], The Greatest Show on Earth [1952], News of the World, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969], The Lost Weekend [1945], The Godfather: Part 3 [1990]

 

B+: The Cabin in the Woods [2011], An American In Paris [1951], Sabrina [1954], Breakfast at Tiffany's [1961], 21 Up [1977], 35 Up [1991], 42 Up [1998], 56 Up [2012], Female Pleasure, All the King's Men [1949], Rebecca [1940], From Here to Eternity [1953], Ordinary People [2016], Going My Way [1944], Patton [1970], Midnight Cowboy [1969], The French Connection [1971], Safety, Da Five Bloods, Seven Samurai [1954], Citizen Kane [1941]

 

A-: A Streetcar Named Desire [1951], Saint Frances, Onward, 49 Up [2005], My Fair Lady [1964], The Third Man [1949], The Godfather [1972], Marty [1955], Singin' in the Rain [1952], Sunset Boulevard [1950], Ace in the Hole [1951], The Apartment [1960], Palm Springs, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner [1967], To Sir With Love [1967], Soul, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, West Side Stories [1996]

 

A: The Lives of Others [2006], The Interrupters [2011], Ip Man [2008], Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Ben-Hur [1959], The Sound of Music [1965], Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles, The Trial of Chicago 7, Corpus Christi, The Godfather: Part Two [1974], Some Like It Hot [1959], 7 Up! [1964], 63 Up [2019], High Noon [1952], Dating Amber, The Half of It, Lilies of the Field [1963], The Night of the Hunter [1955], Mank, Crip Camp

 

A+: Witness for the Prosecution [1957], Fiddler on the Roof [1971], Gentleman's Agreement [1947], Roman Holiday [1953], The Best Years of Our Lives [1946], Come As You Are, Sound of Metal, Promising Young Woman, On the Waterfront [1954], A Man for All Seasons [1966], In the Heat of the Night [1967], All About Eve [1950], Casablanca [1943], West Side Story [1961]

2020 Pre-Oscar Ranking -- 131 Films

131 minutes before this year’s Oscars, here’s a ranking of the 131 films seen since last year’s Oscars. Next year, the count will be a lot lower. Freedom this summer, meals this fall, and Brody’s naps this winter made it possible, but it will surely be lower in the future.

[Note: Titles of films I've seen since the end-of-2019 ranking are 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝. Documentary Shorts [DS], Animated Shorts [AS], and Live Action Shorts [LAS] are identified by those initials.]

D: The Rolling Stones Story [2015]

D+: Cavalcade [1933]

C-: As Above So Below [2014], The Great Ziegfeld [1936], The Lion King [live action], Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench [2009]

C: 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗲 [𝗗𝗦], The King of Comedy [1982], Apollo 11

C+: 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗸𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗸𝗶 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 [𝗔𝗦], Crazy Stupid Love [2011], Raging Bull [1980], Uncut Gems, Waves

B-: 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 [𝗗𝗦], Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Women at War, 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁, 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱

B: 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮-𝗖𝗵𝗮 [𝗗𝗦], 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 [𝗔𝗦], Gimme Shelter [1970], Song of the Sea [2014], Hereditary [2018], Mean Streets [1973], Casino [1995], Gangs of New York [2002], Frozen 2, Judy, Tea With the Dames [2018], Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Captain Marvel, Snowpiercer [2013], Jojo Rabbit, Western Stars, Ford v. Ferrari, Yesterday

B+: 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗠𝗮𝗻: 𝗙𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗢𝗸𝗷𝗮 [𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟳], Sunrise: The Story of Two Humans [1927], The Last Temptation of Christ [1987], Rocketman, 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀, 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘆, Dolemite Is My Name, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, How to Train A Dragon [2010], Booksmart, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Beasts of No Nation [2015], Bombshell, Joker, Modern Times [1937], City Lights [1931], End of the Century, The Last Black Man in San Francisco

A-: 𝗘𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆, 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗠𝗮𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆, 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲 (𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗔 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹) [𝗗𝗦], 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻, Drive [2011], Paddington [2015], Paddington 2 [2018], Toy Story 4, The Mustang, Friends With Benefits [2011], You Can't Take It with You [1938], It Happened One Night [1934], Mutiny on the Bounty [1935], How to Train A Dragon 2 [2014], Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore [1974], Knives Out, Goodfellas [1990], Fruitvale Station [2013], The Life of Emile Zola [1937], How to Train A Dragon 3, Echo in the Canyon, The Irishman

A: 𝗡𝗲𝗳𝘁𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 [𝗟𝗔𝗦], 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 [𝗔𝗦], 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 [𝗗𝗦], Pain & Glory, Homemade, Shazam, Girl, Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, Deadwood: The Movie, Honey Boy, Wild Rose, Gone With The Wind [1939], Queen & Slim, Dark Waters, The Two Popes, Taxi Driver [1976], The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Biggest Little Farm, Maiden, Avengers: Endgame, Us

A+: 𝗟𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀, Metropolis [1927], M [1931], Crossfire Hurricane [2015], Pavarotti, 1917, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Marriage Story, The Lighthouse, Parasite, The Rider [2017], 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝟭𝟮 [𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯], Luce, The Farewell, 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮, Blinded by the Light

2019 End-of-Year Ranking -- 97 Films

2019 will forever be defined by the birth of my son. It was the first, second, and third most important thing this year. Coming in fourth, though, was the realization that I could still hold on to films. I was able to do so by binging a bunch the summer before he was born and linking a bunch with meals after he was born. The strategy of rotating shifts Hark and I used gave Brody the time he needed with both of us. In turn, Hark got to preserve his YouTube campaigns, and I got to preserve this list.

I’m sure the list will be shorter in the future, but for now, here are the 97 movies I saw this year...

D: The Rolling Stones Story [2015]

D+: Cavalcade [1933]

C-: As Above So Below [2014], The Great Ziegfeld [1936], The Lion King [live action], Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench [2009]

C: The King of Comedy [1982], Apollo 11

C+: Crazy Stupid Love [2011], Raging Bull [1980], Uncut Gems, Waves

B-: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Women at War

B: Gimme Shelter [1970], Song of the Sea [2014], Hereditary [2018], Mean Streets [1973], Casino [1995], Gangs of New York [2002], Frozen 2, Judy, Tea With the Dames [2018], Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, Captain Marvel, Snowpiercer [2013], Jojo Rabbit, Western Stars, Ford v. Ferrari, Yesterday

B+: Spider-Man: Far From Home, Okja [2017], Sunrise: The Story of Two Humans [1927], The Last Temptation of Christ [1987], Rocketman, Dolemite Is My Name, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, How to Train A Dragon [2010], Booksmart, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Beasts of No Nation [2015], Bombshell, Joker, Modern Times [1937], City Lights [1931], End of the Century, The Last Black Man in San Francisco

A-: Drive [2011], Paddington [2015], Paddington 2 [2018], Toy Story 4, The Mustang, Friends With Benefits [2011], You Can't Take It with You [1938], It Happened One Night [1934], Mutiny on the Bounty [1935], How to Train A Dragon 2 [2014], Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore [1974], Knives Out, Goodfellas [1990], Fruitvale Station [2013], The Life of Emile Zola [1937], How to Train A Dragon 3, Echo in the Canyon, The Irishman

A: Pain & Glory, Homemade, Shazam, Girl, Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, Deadwood: The Movie, Wild Rose, Gone With The Wind [1939], Queen & Slim, Dark Waters, The Two Popes, Taxi Driver [1976], The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Biggest Little Farm, Maiden, Avengers: Endgame, Us

A+: Metropolis [1927], M [1931], Crossfire Hurricane [2015], Pavarotti, 1917, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Marriage Story, The Lighthouse, Parasite, The Rider [2017], Luce, The Farewell, Blinded by the Light

2019 Pre-Oscar Ranking -- 88 Films

8 hours before Oscars, here's a ranking of the 88 films I've seen since the last Oscars.

[Note: Next year, and all future years, the count will be a lot lower. Need to get them all in now before the kid. Titles of films I've seen since the end-of-2018 ranking are 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝. Documentary Shorts [DS], Animated Shorts [AS], and Live Action Shorts [LAS] are identified by those initials.]

F+: Bus Story [2014 AS].

D: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald.

C-: Ready Player One. Footprints [AS 2014]. Me and Moulton [2014 AS].

C: 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]. Parveneh [LAS 2014]. Butter Lamp [LAS 2014]. Deadpool 2.

C+: 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 [𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟎].

B-: 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 [𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟐]. Sorry To Bother You.

B: 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐱. 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐱 [𝐀𝐒]. 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 [𝐀𝐒]. 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]. 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]. 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫 [𝐀𝐒]. 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩 [𝐃𝐀𝐒]. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 [𝐀𝐒]. 𝐁𝐚𝐨 [𝐀𝐒]. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥 [𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟐]. Mission Impossible: Fallout. At Eternity's Gate. First Man. John Wick. Ant-Man and the Wasp.

B+: Mid 90s. Boogaloo and Graham [2014 LAS]. The Wife. 𝐀 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 [𝐃𝐀𝐒]. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧 & 𝐎𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞. 𝐅𝐚𝐮𝐯𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]. 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐬. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝. 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 [𝐃𝐀𝐒]. 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 [𝐃𝐀𝐒]. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 [𝐋𝐀𝐒]. Widows. Creed II. Eighth Grade. Mary Poppins Returns. Shoplifters. The Old Man and the Gun. Bumblebee. Can You Ever Forgive Me? The Greatest Showman. Love Simon. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭. 𝐁𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐲.

A-: Duet [2014 AS]. The Bigger Picture [2014 AS] 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 [𝐀𝐒]. 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭-𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 [𝐀𝐒]. The Favourite. A Private War. Avengers: Infinity War. Crazy Rich Asians 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝. 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐩. Green Book. Black Panther.

A: The Phone Call [2014 LAS]. Burning. A Quiet Place. 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐭 [𝐃𝐀𝐒]. 𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐦. Roma. BlacKKKlansman. Won't You Be My Neighbor? Boy Erased. Ben is Back. A Star is Born. Ralph Breaks The Internet.

A+:𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐎𝐥𝐝 [𝐭𝐡𝐞 + 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐜 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝]. Free Solo. The Hate U Give. RBG. The Guilty. Searching. 𝐈𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Three Identical Strangers. Blindspotting.