ahwell's Top 100 Movies - 2020

I liked Mary and Max. Did not care for 400 Blows.

I really liked The 400 Blows. Fantastic film, but I've only seen it the once.

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Yeah, I loved this movie. I think I've seen it before because I remembered certain parts. It's certainly a classic for a reason, it's one of those movies like The Princess Bride that I find un-imaginable that someone could dislike. Michael J. Fox is of course awesome, like every role he's in. All the time travel humor works excellently, and it's never too in your face; that is to say, the movie blends humor, sci-fi, and drama quite perfectly.

Great for all ages, and one of the best films of the 80s!!

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I think BTTF is a good movie, but I definitely liked it more when I was a kid than I do now.

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It's a great. I'd like to think it would make my next 100

The perfect movie, or so they say. I loved it, that's for sure.

Yes a really entertaining film.

Following this list really makes me want to do my own. But it’s coming. I’m taking my time though.

Back to the Future is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again, and never get tired of it. It would most likely place somewhere on my top 100 list.

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OPEN FLOOR.

I grew up with this one.

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Look, Dr. Lesh, we don't care about the disturbances, the pounding and the flashing, the screaming, the music. We just want you to find our little girl.

Hayao Miyazaki, without doubt, is a legend. And many people see Princess Mononoke as his best film. While I don't think it's his Magnum Opus, it is certainly a masterpiece, a towering giant in the field of animation that is one of the most powerful and moving films ever made. It is certainly important, along with films like Akira and My Neighbor Totoro, in that it helped bring anime to a larger audience. With Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki took a step further in his storytelling as well. This film was his first rated PG-13, which shows in the often violent and mature themes.

The environment has been a key - or at least a part - in almost every one of Miyazaki's movies. In Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind it's as blatantly obvious as in Princess Mononoke; the film is literally about nature and the environment. Films like Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service are more subtle, but they'll touch on environmental films. Same goes for Spirited Away, which uses the river spirit Haku as a symbol for pollution causing rivers and natural landmarks to be destroyed and "forgotten." But in Princess Mononoke his themes cannot be mis-interpreted (at least his environmental themes). This movie chronicles the story of Medieval Japan in which a young prince, in search of a cure for a wound by a cursed boar, stumbles across an ongoing war between nature and civilization.

What I think I like most about Miyazaki's style is his way of putting depth and ambiguity into his characters. Take Lady Eboshi, the strong leader of Iron Town who seeks to destroy all nature on the mountain top in order for humans to prosper. At the beginning, she is portrayed as a ruthless seeker of power, and a lust for wealth. But as we explore more, we also discover more facets to her personality. The townspeople fiercely defend her, and she is not only a good leader, she is also kind to cripples and the injured. She makes sure everyone is provided for and she gives everyone fair jobs. While she has a huge flaw - her need for destruction on the mountain - she clearly has good sides too.

That is only one example. San, or Princess Mononoke, is another great example of Miyazki's excellent character writing. San is a girl raised by wolves and taught to hate mankind. Her intentions are good - she seeks to preserve nature and the environment as humanity tries to take over. However, her often ruthless killing and blind stereotyping (of Prince A****aka notably) make her a very flawed character. So we have two major characters (both female, interestingly) on different sides of the conflict which are portrayed in a very similar ways - as a mixed bag of good and evil.

That's how the world is, correct? 99.999999% of the time there is a mushy in-between of good and evil. There are bad decisions made by good people, and good decisions made by bad people. This, essentially, is the carrying force of Princess Mononoke. The Prince's role is almost symbolic in that he brings together these forces into an entity that can work together. And the film does, as a matter of fact, end with optimism. After all the death and fighting, we are presented with the option that we can work together, and coincide - we meaning nature and human civilization.

But those examples are just some of the many intricate layers and themes of this amazing film. It is truly "epic," a fantasy that slowly unfolds like a Bach Choral Piece or Wagner's Ring Cycle. It has wondrous sights and fantastical story lines. It is complex, endlessly watchable, and in the end, simply a masterpiece.

Most of the time I never seem to be able to fully connect with Miyazaki... there’s a few of his films I really like though and some I just admire.

Princess Mononoke feels extremely ambitious for an animated feature and I liked that. I didn’t love the movie but I almost did I think. So I would like to watch it again.

Princess Mononoke is easily one of my favorite Miyazaki films. How effectively it depicts the foolishness that is hatred never ceases to amaze me.

Miyazaki

There's a bunch of Miyazaki I like more than this but it's still a good film.

It's hot and you get out of bed and don't want to move a muscle. You sit and you think about what you want to do for the day, and you don't want to do anything. It's not cozy anywhere, but in bed it's easier to pretend your relaxing. It's safe. And warm; too warm. Did I mention it's hot?

There are maybe 5-10 movies I've seen in my life that do something I had never seen in cinema before or since. 2001: A Space Odyssey without a doubt. Pulp Fiction certainly. There Will be Blood and Apocalypse Now and a few others. Now I can add on to those few Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.

It has such a surging, powerful, relentless energy. It's not violent, not even "angry" per say. Just powerful. You have the power. Fight the power. Did Mookie Do the Right Thing? I'm not the first person to say it (heck, the director has said it), that's not the question. That's the question for those who want to see this as a simple story that says "racism is bad".

This is so much more complex than that. It's so much smarter, so much more aware. I can't even honestly say in one cohesive sentence what Do the Right Thing is "saying" because that's like summing up what 2001: A Space Odyssey or There Will be Blood is about. We don't need a "theme" and "moral" set in stone. Cinema is of the soul, not the mind. It is not rational like statistics and data which reaches "conclusions". Movies can reach conclusions but they can also drive us to reach the conclusions.

Once this started, I could not tear my eyes away. Not a shot is wasted here. And I could write a whole separate review on how insanely fitting and perfect the camera work is. From the long "fourth wall break" takes to the dutch angles to the fast-moving high tension shots. Spike Lee knows exactly what every scene - what every line - needs, and somehow makes it seem spontaneus.

I can only hope that some day Do the Right Thing will become dated and irrelevant. But the fact remains that if you throw in a couple cell phones and change some of the dialogue/dates this could be made, shot for shot, today and be just as god damn important. I'm not going to write too much about what is going on around the United States right now, because this is a review of the movie first and foremost. But I plead you all to think about what is the right thing, and then do it. Spike Lee doesn't give us any answers here, and he couldn't have. There are no real answers right now. But there are the actions we can take to move forward and make the world a better place.

It's good. Not top 100 good, but good.

I'm not sure how to feel about this one. As a fourth-generation Italian-American, how it portrays all of us as saying, "Get the f--k back to Africa," never sat right with me.

I have barely seen any Spike Lee films. And this is not one of them.

Do the Right Thing didn't do anything for me.

First The Iron Giant, and then this? Brad Bird is a living genius, right up there with Miyazaki and Andrew Stanton as one of the greatest animators ever. I mean, this guy did Ratatouille as well! He doesn't make bad movies. And The Incredibles is definitely a good movie, a really good movie. The thing about The Incredibles is that it feels like a film that's written for adults with kids as a second thought. That's Pixar's main "thing" (started with Toy Story, still going strong with films like Up and Ratatouille), and The Incredibles is probably the prime example of an adult film for children.

Maybe that's why I'm appreciating it more and more as I grow older. When I was younger I loved the cool action sequences (that opening scene - it's like the opening of an Indiana Jones movie in terms of excitement), and I loved the powers and technology of everyone. It was just a blast to watch, and I'm sure it's a blast for almost everyone to watch. But when you get older you notice the subtleties of this film, the deep human truths that lie beneath the surface. The Incredibles is a fast, fun, and action-packed ride that's also hilarious. But it's also deeply profound.

The superheros have failed, apparently, in this alternate version of the '50s. Oh wait, before I even go into more of that, I love the setting! It could have worked in modern day, too, but Brad Bird set it in the 50s or 60s and it makes it great. We get this old-timey feel, with no overused technology (well, at least in normal life, not speaking of Syndrome) and great looking old cars. I mean, the whole vibe of this movie is just great. It kind of reminds of Wall-E's vibe in the beginning, the usage of post-apocalyptic visuals paired with old music.

Anyways... oh yeah. The superheros have failed, apparently. No one wants them to be heroes anymore. After the opening scene, we get a shocking montage of lawsuits, newspaper clippings, and much more, that lead to the outcome that superheroes no longer exist. This will set us up for the themes and layers of the story that is to come, and it's done beautifully.

This is one of the longest Pixar movies, at about two hours, but it feels like the time flies by. We get a rather complex story - several possible protagonists - and interesting places and things to look at. The first half I think is better, as it is almost a slice of life film. Bob's scenes in his insurance company are gold, and every scene with the family is done to perfection. Gosh, that family fight scene, that's one of the best things Pixar has ever done!

Bob's arguments with Helen I bet even made some parents uncomfortable watching it with their kids. It's bitingly accurate at times, specifically when Bob comes home and they get into a shouting match. And that brings me back around to the screenplay. The screenplay is one of the things that makes this by and far the best superhero movie ever made. The issue with a lot of Marvel/DC movies is that they rely too much on visual effects and action, and they get away with a lousy and boring screenplay. That's why the most famous quotes from these movies are things like "Avengers assemble," and "I am Iron Man." Great quotes there. What The Incredibles does differently is that it has quotable and interesting dialogue, some of it can be chilling with its power as well. Take for instance a series of quotes during an argument between Helen and her son Dash. Helen says, "Everyone is special, Dash." His response? "That's just another way of saying no one is." Basically The Incredibles is saying that true talent should be recognized, and that covering up your abilities is just not helpful to you or anyone else.

There are so many other great quotes. Mirage: "If you want to bet on something, bet your own life!" Yeesh. "Honey, where's my super suit?!" Classic Samuel L. Jackson. Anyways, I haven't said half of the things I want to say about this masterpiece, but if you somehow haven't watched The Incredibles by now, watch it. Now. Do it.