— HERE’S THE RULES. SCROLL FOR THE RANKINGS.
First, a mission statement. The goal of “Favorite Moving Pictures” is to try to find a more objective ranking of the top movies of the year, for everyone. It’s not finding the “best made” movie, which is an impossible and/or foolish exercise. Nor is it just a listing of the most popular movies. Rather, it’s about sorting movies that are well made, culturally relevant or best of all, both, into some kind of order. It’s about finding the favorites, far and wide. We’ll do that by addressing two, key concerns.
Concern #1. You shouldn’t be able to campaign for votes to be considered a “best picture” nominee. The movie is either well made, or it isn’t. Or, the movie either had a cultural impact, or it didn’t. A luncheon and a gift bag shouldn’t change that. The process should be more quantifiable. (I know this isn’t like sports. We can’t have a series to establish a truly, objective winner. But, we can do better).
My solution is a little math. A score for movies based on their ratings after being seen (to consider quality or enjoyment) and the amount of ratings they receive overall (to consider cultural impact and audience reach). The final score is derived from an average across the more reputable, movie review sites. Over time, I’ve tinkered and toyed with a few variations and am pleased with the final edition which I think gives a wide-lens perspective of the favorite movies during the year. Simply put:
Audience Rating + Audience Engagement = Favorite Moving Picture score.
Concern #2. The common idea of a single, best picture, as it stands, usually just means picking the best drama at any awards show or on any end of the year list. I’d argue, though, that there are at least four different forms of movies and that those forms shouldn’t be cross-compared. Each form can require very different approaches in writing, performance, direction and on down the line. What’s more, each form is typically received and digested differently by an audience. So instead, the best pictures of the year should be a Mount Rushmore, featuring the top film from each category. They are:
DRAMA — The most “real” movie. It can be serious, but also, it can be funny. The main thing is that it’s generally representative of human nature.
FARCE — It’s probably comedic but not exclusively. Rather, farce indicates that the majority of the movie is more “absurd” or “quixotic” in some way.
GENRE — I thought about the name EPIC, but these movies don’t have to be grand, rather just noisier (re: set pieces) than your average movie.
FABLE — The one with the big fantasy element. A softer sci-fi or fantasy could go into the above forms; to go here the element must be “unreal.”
There you have it. Below, please find rankings of the top 10 movies in each category, with a score provided (as of March 31). Next to each you’ll find information on the movie or just more musings from myself. It’s the Favorite Moving Pictures, baby! These are them.
10 “ARE YOU THERE GOD?”
38.12 — It’s Me, Margaret. What a delight. It’s got good filmmaking, great costume and set design and wonderful performances from Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson. Shout out to a spirited Kathy Bates, too. Treat yourself for a couple hours and watch if you haven’t.
09 “TETRIS”
39.55 — A few years in, I’m not quite digging the Apple film and TV experience. Everything seems so much more about style rather than substance. I get they “love design” but movies have to have some soul. The lack isn’t true for every Apple project, but, it is for Tetris.
08 “THE ZONE OF INTEREST”
40.00 — I didn’t find it as effective as it would like to have been. On some matters, even if just once, you need to cut the understatement and say the great, big point with your chest. Nonetheless, I greatly respect the movie’s innovation and its artistry.
07 “ALL OF US STRANGERS”
40.16 — You’re gonna cry, boy. Strangers (and Zone) should have been more in the culture. I’m not sure anyone outside of NY/LA/LON saw either in theaters. I’m joking, but also, I’m not. Please put movies in theaters, widely. Or just send it to streaming.
06 “TALK TO ME”
40.32 — I’m curious if this is “the one before the one.” First, for the filmmakers - Danny and Michael Philippou - who made a really good movie, but, more so, for YouTubers (which the brothers are) crossing over into “Hollywood” in a more meaningful way.
05 “THE IRON CLAW”
40.92 — Claw is a super solid, good ‘ol sports and family drama. I’ve never watched wrestling, so I didn’t bump at the fact that the actors were physically inaccurate. I just sat - surprised - at the subtle strength and sweetness of Zac Efron’s performance.
04 “ANATOMY OF A FALL”
41.87 — I don’t think she did it, but maybe she was the lead car in the caravan that drove him to do it. It wouldn’t take much. Fall investigates whether Sandra pushed Samuel, her husband, out of a window to his death in a satisfying showcase of a murder trial.
03 “AIR”
42.90 — I should recuse myself from this blurb. I’m too in the bag for anything Michael Jordan (even if he’s not in the movie). After Saltburn, Air was the second most reviewed Drama, and held on strong to its initial solid ratings in the larger sample size.
02 “PAST LIVES”
43.12 — Lives is a lovely film about two people who missed each other. It’s my personal, favorite drama of the year. I just love an easy movie, meaning there’s no real antagonist (besides time) and you float, rather than fight or fly, through the story.
01 “THE HOLDOVERS”
FAVORITE DRAMA OF THE YEAR | 44.37 — That’s that good stuff. Humor, mixed with drama, soaked in a little depth and sincerity. Add a garnish of holiday backdrop and a quaint setting and you got yourself a number one dish, baby. Genuinely, Holdovers is the right outcome. Though it has farcical moments, they are supplemental to the tender story of three, lone people. Casting Dominic Cessa - a new actor - was a wonderful move by Alexander Payne. Cessa holds is own, but still has a raw effect which elevates. Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph produce outstanding characters.
10 “BOTTOMS”
35.87 — My personal, favorite farce of the year. After it ended, I felt unsatisfied, not because of story but because I wanted to hang more with the crew. I loved all the idiosyncrasies of the script. It’s a solid (and wacky) addition to the high school / coming-of-age canon.
09 “BEAU IS AFRAID”
35.90 — Listen, I’m never going to see this. However, I can say with sincerity that I think it’s cool it exists. I don’t know if it should be common, to let an offbeat director like Ari Aster make a three hour movie full of strange times, but, now and then, go for it.
08 “DREAM SCENARIO”
36.57 — I’m going to backhand compliment Nicolas Cage but I don’t want it to be backhanded but there’s just no way it’s not going to be. … Who on Earth could play this weirdo role, so well, other than him? Is Nic Cage real? Maybe. Is he good? Yes.
07 “RYE LANE”
36.62 — Go on then, take us some place new. Rye is like that random weeknight when you venture out to a different neighborhood and you find another, tasty version of your favorite food. … I liked watching London pass by as these two walked on.
06 “M3GAN”
36.70 — M3GAN is a prime example of using the word and thus frame of “farce” over what could be “comedy.” The movie isn’t “funny, funny.” But also, it’s hilarious. Horror can vacillate the most through the forms but M3GAN’s tenor makes her home here.
05 “FALLEN LEAVES”
37.33 — Leaves barely even qualified for the list as so few people have seen it. It’s here, though, because those who have seen it rated it so highly, myself included. It’s an excellently crafted film about two people circling each other, until they don’t.
04 “NO HARD FEELINGS”
37.35 — The most reviewed farce of the year. It did okay in theaters but became a big hit on Netflix. So what’s the lesson for a list like this? Unless it’s a franchise event, should we hold judgement on the impact or reception of movies until they stream?
03 “BLACKBERRY”
38.57 — Shout out to all those involved but this is going to be a Glenn Howerton appreciation post. He is dynamite as Jim Balsillie, the former CEO of BlackBerry. As a long-time fan of Always Sunny, it’s great to see Howerton shine elsewhere.
02 “AMERICAN FICTION”
40.60 — Ain’t it funny? How you have to first go low to go high. Maybe “funny” isn’t the right word, but it fits for Cord Jefferson’s Fiction, in which Monk, played by Jeffrey Wright, has to dumb down and dope up his writing to sell more books, to make money, to pay for family affairs.
01 “SALTBURN”
FAVORITE FARCE OF THE YEAR | 41.25 — I don’t want to be mean on here. I want to give honest observations, but not troll. The thing is, I don’t know if Saltburn is supposed to be a farce. I know movies contain many things and not every one fits perfectly into a lane, but, if this was meant as a drama first … it was a poor one. However, if it’s viewed as camp/comedy - which I switched to mid-movie - then it’s very entertaining! Regardless, it was wildly popular and held just-above-average ratings through a large sample size. That beats higher ratings (Fiction) but much smaller viewership/impact.
10 “THE EQUALIZER 3”
37.87 — I’ve yet to see any of The Equalizer movies, but the the scores for movies one and two show a solid, steady group. I’m surprised I’ve missed them; Denzel Washington is the man who, whether a movie’s good or bad or between, you just want to see.
09 “LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND”
38.32 — Sometimes it’s your fault. I went into this not knowing the book or reading much else about the movie before hand. I just saw that cast, heard about an apocalypse and I was in. The movie under-whelmed for me, but it sure was a hit.
08 “GRAN TURISMO”
39.00 — Casting is important. We are reminded of that here. … Turismo isn’t that good to me, but this ain’t my list. I don’t think it’s as poor as critic’s say, though. In fact, there’s a troubling trend among critics in which they too highly favor the “subtle.”
07 “THE KILLER”
39.50 — My personal, favorite genre movie of the year. Michael Fassbender is deeply fun(?) as the assassin with a lover, and thus, with a conscience. I fancy a globe- trotting film when the trotting is meaningful and real (please shoot on location!).
06 “EXTRACTION 2”
39.92 — Is there such a thing as a niche block-buster? The Extraction movies are huge but hardly talked about. I think they’re above average action movies but there’s just something about the Netflix tag that makes it feel fleeting and/or closed off.
05 “SOUND OF FREEDOM”
42.57 — Let’s talk about the movie. Freedom is a decent, engaging crime thriller with some flair (and no conspira- cies). It’s only listed this high for its impact. Whether you’re suspect of the strategy or not, it could be a turning point in guerrilla marketing.
04 “SOCIETY OF THE SNOW”
42.87 — Another movie that should have been much bigger culturally. The story of the incredible crash in 1972 by a Uruguayan Air Force flight carrying a rugby team and the aftermath is well-crafted and admirably performed by new(ish) actors.
03 “THE COVENANT”
42.90 — Another movie that became a different level of hit on streaming and it rides that popularity toward the top. It’s not unwarranted; I really liked the movie and especially the performance of Dar Salim, who plays a man on the run in his own home.
02 “KILLERS OF | FLOWER MOON”
45.67 — Flower Moon feels like a kind of movie that was made in the 1960s/70s and transported to today. It is impressive in so many ways and luminous to so many things. The long runtime jokes are justified but just endure, and then be rewarded.
01 “OPPENHEIMER”
FAVORITE GENRE OF THE YEAR | 63.27 — No disrespect to the other movies but Oppenheimer at number one was never in doubt. It was the most engaged with movie across platforms and it held the highest ratings, even among a far larger sample size. It is a moment, but what does it mean? For the industry, I actually don’t think it means much. “Barbenheimer” was some kind of solar eclipse, unlikely to be replicated. For Nolan, though I wonder if this is his Schindler’s List and if, like Spielberg, he’ll consider making more “real” stories again (but still, I’d hope, with some trademark grandeur).
10 “THE CREATOR”
38.75 — The Creator is the great hope. It’s the only big-budget movie on this list that isn’t a sequel or based on IP or even a book. The hope fades. The original movie failed to impact in theaters, though it did slowly come around to sufficiency.
09 “THE DIAL OF DESTINY”
39.22 — I hope this was a fine movie and it seems people liked it enough, however, I’m in protest. I fired this up and didn’t make it out of the first part. I’m staunchly against the de-aging tech. CGI overuse is bad as is; I don’t want to see a fake Harrison Ford!
08 “WONKA”
39.60 — Hugh Grant don’t give a f*ck. I love it. His Oompa Loompa performance was one of the best of the year. Am I joking? Yes? Is there truth behind every joke? Yes! … Wonka was charming overall, but I did miss the “creep” vibes of the 1971 original.
07 “HONOR AMONG THIEVES”
43.72 — I admit; the cynic in me scoffed when I first heard about this. We’re doing board games now? But, I watched it during the holidays and damn if it isn’t a good ‘ol, adventure romp. Sure, the CGI is shit, but the story and characters give a good time.
06 “GODZILLA MINUS ONE”
43.75 — My personal, favorite fable movie. Outside my bias, I believe if more people saw this, it would be the top fable of the year. Its high scores from a smaller sample would hold, because it’s about as good as it gets from a big-tent, monster movie.
05 “DEAD RECKONING”
46.30 — The latest Mission: Impossible keeps the high standards high. Hayley Atwell provides a terrific bit of zany/romcom energy to the incredible action. Here’s to hoping the next one is great, but also, that it’s the last. Come back to “cinema,” Tom!
04 “POOR THINGS”
46.45 — Ya’ll some freaks.
03 “JOHN WICK 4”
49.42 — There’s a case for Wick and Reckoning to go in the “genre” section. The reason for placing them in “fable” is that, truthfully, they’re just superheros now. Nonetheless, Wick offers some of the best choreography and staging you’ll see.
02 “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3”
51.65 — This was number one until right now, the last week of Q1. It got a little lost in the conversation due to its early Spring release and the bloodbath of good to great movies that followed. It was a big hit, though. The Guardians stay the most beloved in Marvel.
01 “BARBIE”
FAVORITE FABLE OF THE YEAR | 51.82 — Honestly, it’s one the wildest swings in movie history. Barbie as IP to be turned into a movie was obvious but it’s the way that Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie and co. turned it into a movie that’s wild. When I first heard about it, I expected the full Disney, but Barbie’s got some rock ‘n’ roll to it. Not all the storytelling swings landed but I’m happy they swung, nonetheless. All in all, Gerwig’s now trademark blend of sincere warmth and quirky cool make for a good time. … It was risky - from script to marketing - but it was a win. Or, no, it was a conquest.
“DRAMA”
“GENRE”
“FARCE”
“FABLE”
Written by Evan Sandoval
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