Babe (1995)

Piglet Babe catches a lucky break when Arthur Hoggett wins him at the county fair. Though he's longing for the mother from whom he was separated, he is accepted into the litter of puppies by their mom Fly (much to the chagrin of the puppies' sire, Rex). He's such an affable little presence that he makes friends with all of the farm animals, even the sheep.

It's one of the most charming movies ever made. It's got some truly tense moments, a few sad ones, and some that are full to bursting with joy. I've seen it several times now and it has never failed to make me cry. James Cromwell plays it completely straight, which only adds to its effectiveness. 

What a treasure.

A+

The Godfather (1972)

I believe I first saw this in my 20s and, though I gave it an "A+" rating, all I had retained were a dozen or so visual memories (e.g. Michael dropping the gun as though it had burned him,  Sonny trapped at the toll booth, Kay's defeated face as a door shuts her out of the room). I was fully expecting to drop the rating upon rewatch, but found that I was just blown away -- probably even more impressed this time around than I was the first. There's simply nothing to fault here.

One of the most surprising discoveries is that it feels as though it could've been made this year. The storytelling and cinematography is timeless rather than dated. And, even at nearly 3 hours, I was never waiting out the clock. I was engaged and impressed for its entirety.

A+

The Princess Bride (1987)

Nearly perfect family movie: romance, adventure, feats of derring-do, villainy, and hilarious silliness. Wonderful the first time you see it and every bit as enjoyable the 12th time. Almost every line is quotable.

I have only one complaint: it's usually difficult to decipher Fezzik's lines (and sometimes Inigo's too), but that's easily mitigated with subtitles.

A+

Field of Dreams (1989)

I saw this in the theater back when I was in college. My friend (shout-out to Mike Flippo!) and I almost couldn't believe how wonderful it was. We were in awe. Well, I've seen it several times since then -- enough that my husband was kind of getting annoyed that I was quoting along -- and it's lost none of its magic.

Ray Kinsella takes a leap of faith that a mysterious voice should be followed. His wife takes a leap of faith that her husband hasn't lost his mind. And a practical, reclusive author can't help but jump as well. It's absolutely lovely and life-affirming. Magic.

A+

Close (2022)

Leo and Remi are the type of best friends who spend every waking minute together. If they aren't spending the night their parents ask why, since it's unusual for them to be apart. Only when they begin junior high and their closeness is questioned does Leo begin to see the relationship through different eyes. Remi struggles to understand the new paradigm as Leo begins to place boundaries and forge a new path for himself.

This tore me up in a primal way. The topics are so natural and familiar -- even though I'm in my 50s, I can remember the all-encompassing hurt of a friendship coming apart. It's a marvelous and brutal film.

A+

Marriage Story (2019)

A couple is divorcing, but have decided to remain friends. They want to be reasonable with each other and see no need to hire representation. The main reason for their break-up is that they live in New York where Charlie is a theater director, but actress Nicole has always wanted the family to spend some time in LA, her hometown. Since she's starring in a pilot out there, she decides to take their son along with her during shooting. And that's when things get complicated.

Their plans for civility go out the window when lawyers get involved. Though it was frustrating to see them go down this road with lawyers who would, seemingly, do anything to win, I also found it to be extremely believable. For Charlie and Nicole, it wasn't a petty game of "I'm gonna take you down," but rather a contest for how and where life is going to be lived and how and where their child would experience family. Unfortunately, lawyers know the game and the rules seem to be "your spouse must be the enemy." Good intentions will not survive divorce proceedings.

The juxtaposition of Nicole's joy and flourishing career against Charlie's depressive struggle was startling. It was as though there was only so much happiness and good luck to be had, and Nicole was siphoning most of Charlie's for herself. I would find myself getting so angry with Nicole until we would pause and talk it through. Putting myself in her shoes, wouldn't I do the same? No matter if I still had affection for my husband?

It's been about a week since we watched this and I have probably discussed it for at least 5 hours and thought about it so much more than that. It is one of the most affecting films I've seen in a long time. I laughed, sobbed, was incensed, scared, and hopeless. My heart broke at least three times. It's absolutely masterful. And though he isn't the winner in the film, Adam Driver certainly deserves to win the Oscar this year. He gets a real acting workout in this film and never fails to deliver.

A+

A Man Called Ove (2016)

We first meet Ove as he is losing his temper in a shop over a coupon. We then watch him stomp around his neighborhood, checking for the infractions of residents and we think "OK -- this kind of guy." But, with the help of some new neighbors and ample flashbacks, we are reminded that no one's born a grumpy old man and grumpy old men don't have to remain so.

I watched this alone and, though I long to discuss this with someone, I'm glad I had the freedom to stop and ponder (and also, on more than one occasion, cry my eyes out). It's a beautiful story told really well.

A+

The Hunt (2013)

Pretty much the only thing I knew about this movie ahead of time was that Mads Mikkelsen is in it because I’ve been staring at his image & a predicted 5 Stars in Netflix’s “Top Picks for Susan” list for more than a year.

Beautiful acting by every single character -- including young kids -- in a very difficult story believably told. Divorced Lucas works in the kindergarten of the small town in which he’s lived since he was a boy. In a matter of days, his life as he knew it is changed. It was both infuriating and understandable -- so terrifying to watch.

Netflix was right. Five stars from me.

A+

Wit (2001)

Emma Thompson plays Vivian Bearing, a poetry professor who took a no-nonsense approach to her professional life and chooses to do the same when diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer.

This is, truly, just about perfect. There's a lot of speaking straight to the camera -- there's no attempt to hide the stage origin of the script -- but it works beautifully. She comments on what's going on now and shares memories in gorgeous flashbacks of her childhood, college, and teaching years.

I saw it for the first time more than a dozen years ago and it has stayed with me. It was surprising to find that I'd remembered it so precisely -- I guess that's what happens when one's so strongly affected by art: it takes up residence in your soul.

A+

Whiplash (2014)

Spectacular film. Gary and I actually applauded in the theater the first time we saw it. I seriously don't remember the last time I was so wrapped up in a story that my life kind of fell away and I entered the world on screen completely. I don't know anything about jazz and I don't have any desire to learn, but when I was in the theater? It was everything.

Miles Teller was phenomenal as the kid with the loving father, simple life, but huge dream of not just being great but being ONE of the greats. Every scene works. Every actor is terrific. There's not a misstep anywhere. Saw it with Gary, talked about it all day. Saw it with my younger son, talked about it all day. When I heard my older son saw it, we talked about it at length -- it's a film that evoked something in us. It's heavy with meaning. It felt big. It still feels big. I wanna watch it again right now.

A+

Casablanca (1943)

I saw this once before, probably 25 years ago, and it didn’t make much of an impression on me. I don’t know if I was distracted or simply too young to appreciate it, but I couldn’t remember it well enough to really know how I’d rate it today, so I thought I’d watch again. Boy, am I glad I did.

One thing that really surprised me was how much of the dialogue I knew by heart -- how, exactly, did that happen? Of course the “I’m looking at you kid” and “We’ll always have Paris” quotes are ubiquitous and always attributable to the movie, but I just had no idea how many other oft-used phrases are straight from the film -- “round up the usual suspects” is one such example. Even the less familiar dialogue was so quippy with a dash of noir...just crackling. And even when the words weren’t necessarily quotable, the story itself approached perfection.  It’s earned the praise heaped upon it.

A+

Raising Arizona (1987)

Nicolas Cage is a vanity-free genius and anyone who says otherwise is getting tripped up by his sketchy role selection process.  But, truth be told, even in the garbage, he’s magic.

Thankfully, this isn’t garbage and it can still make me laugh after a half-dozen viewings over the last 25 years. An absurd and hilariously quotable gem.

A+

The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

A small town that has recently suffered the devastating loss of several of its children receives a visit from a lawyer eager to involve the families in a class action suit.

This is probably the third time I've seen this film and, I must say, it's still amazingly powerful. The cast does a flawless job of portraying their bereavement without making it seem false. The flashbacks to "before the accident" are heartbreaking in their everyday contentedness. What I saw this time around was different than what I remembered from the first viewings. The possibility of beauty and poetry and sadness exists in almost every scene and I think it's just too much to extract in one sitting.

An original, emotionally draining movie.

A+

Accidental Tourist, The (1988)

I first saw this film in the theaters with Gary back when we were dating and I fell in love with it immediately. Though I've watched it several times since then, it's been at least a dozen years. So I'm delighted to find out that it holds up as more than just a charming memory.

Though it's packed with quirky characters, they never veer into the realm of ridiculous or unbelievable. Revisiting this world of the buttoned-up travel writer and the offbeat woman who saves him from himself was a true pleasure.

A+

Up in the Air (2009)

Gary liked this movie, but I flat-out loved it. In talking about it afterwards (and the conversation went on for more than a week -- it's that kind of movie), I realized that our basic understandings of what happened were different, which was why we couldn't quite agree on what it meant.

He saw the story of an emotionally-removed man who admits, at the urging of others, that there's a lack in his life and takes steps to find what's missing. I saw the story of a very content man and the busybodies who refuse to believe that contentedness could look like anything other than the "house, family, true love" standard.

Little story: when my younger son was about six years old, he played baseball in a youth league. He didn't really understand the rules but, for the first two games, every time he stepped up to the plate, he hit the pitched ball hard and was able to make it to at least first base. He liked baseball a lot for those two games. Then the coach decided to teach him how to hit the ball because AJ wasn't "doing it quite right." There was talk about stance and bat position and, hand to heaven, AJ didn't hit another ball the entire season.

That's what this movie reminded me of. The hero of the story wasn't lost or unhappy...but enough people insisted that he should be. What gave them the right? And, more importantly, why is it so hard to dismiss joy-killing criticism?

A+

Rear Window (1954)

I'd guess this is my eighth viewing -- but I can quote huge sections, so that's probably a conservative estimate. This time I was introducing my younger son to this near-perfect movie.

Simply put: it's one of my favorites. Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Thelma Ritter make a terrific trio as, respectively, a restless photographer with a broken leg stuck staring out of the window in his stuffy apartment, the society belle hopelessly in love with him, and his no-nonsense nurse.

Even if they never saw anything interesting through the window, I think I'd still enjoy a couple of hours in the company of these characters (and actors). Funny, romantic, and suspenseful -- a treasure.

A+

Revolutionary Road (2008)

This is a flat-out amazing movie.

The performances are flawless, the writing perfect, and the whole thing devastating. I've not read the novel, so I'm not sure whether Richard Yates (the novelist) or Justin Haythe (the screenwriter) deserves the credit for the oh-so-sickening yet familiar way that the mood between a married couple can shift from bliss to irritation to palpable disgust. The thin line is on naked display here and it's both uncomfortable and undeniably heartbreaking.

My personal pick for best movie of the year and I dearly wish Kate Winslet had been honored for her devastating work here rather than in the lesser The Reader.

A+

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Yes, again.

Some time ago, I made the mistake of telling my younger son, in a misguided effort to convince him to watch this with me, that it was the only movie that scared me so bad in a theater that I actually considered leaving. Well, that led to six or seven years of fearful avoidance on his part...the exact opposite of what I was going for.

He finally relented, however, and his review was "I probably like that more than 'Unbreakable'" -- which is to say "a lot."

A+ (still)

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

Probably the best movie I saw all year.

It's amazingly entertaining -- the story of a family man without too many successes in his life deciding to go for the record on Donkey Kong and what happens along the way. And, boy, what happens along the way is bizarre.

It's dramatic, touching, crazy, and maddening -- you can't make stuff like this up. Loved it.

A+

Rob Roy (1995)

I've seen this one a few times now and it is, quite simply, one of my favorite movies (in the top 20 at least).

It works as a deep romance, historical drama, and thrilling adventure.

A+