Nomadland

Nomadland (Chloe Zhao, 2020)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=8, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

Grief/Coping, Pseudo-Documentary, Social Realism, Travel

This film is a poem. So beautiful. Chloe Zhao has made a masterpiece (only her third film!). I felt like I was watching something momentous in the history of filmmaking. Frances McDormand is incredible--her performance feels so candid, emotional, and meaningful. Watching Fern embrace a nomad lifestyle as she copes with so much loss is moving and important. Through Fern we see ourselves as individuals and as a broken species. As she says at the beginning of the film, she is not homeless, just houseless. Who is to say that the human society we've created--with mortgages, regular schedules, jobs with insurance and benefits, etc.--is the way we should be living?

This film definitely deserved the Best Picture and Best Actress awards. Probably my favorite Best Picture winner in quite a while. Magnificent.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

Minari

Minari (Lee Isaac Chung, 2020)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Complex Relationships, Family, Farming, 1980s

A breathtakingly beautiful film about how difficult it can be to make a meaningful life--one that supports your family and your own personal dreams. It is a story about new beginnings, fresh starts, and second chances. It is about being Korean in the rural Midwest of America in the 1980s. It is about the struggles of marriage--the compromise, differences, patience. Jacob and Monica try, each in their own way, to protect each other and their children. Though they both strive for a perfection that cannot exist, they do achieve something marvelous--ultimately this story is about just letting be.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

SPECIAL: Marvel Cinematic Universe Ranked

UPDATED 7/13/2022: Added two films.

---

As most of you know, my favorite films are centered around strong scripts with emphasis on psychology and character development and relationships. So, it shouldn't seem surprising that I don't usually choose action flicks or big blockbusters. But I do love adventure and escape, so in recent years I've enjoyed watching more of these films. I got more into Star Wars and then the DC universe with the Batman films. Well, this last month or so, I finally watched all the Marvel films I could--still need to see the ones that are not on Disney+. I had already seen a few, and those are still my favorites, but I will say I liked them all much more than I thought I would. 

While the majority are still just mediocre films, in my opinion, I did really like them as a whole. My favorite hero is probably Dr. Strange (but Tony Stark is also intriguing and infuriating) and my favorite villain is Loki without a doubt. Favorite minor characters are Korg, Heimdall, and Shuri. I found most of the fight scenes boring (and sometimes way over the top) but my favorites were in Avengers: Civil War. Probably because there was a deeper and more complicated meaning behind those. I really liked seeing different worlds--everything to do with Asgard and Norse mythology was great. Some of the science and logic of certain films irritated me (and the time travel messed with my brain), but I still found it all fun.

Below I've ranked the films in order from my least favorite to favorite. Rather than write about each one (that would take far too long) I will just include my ratings this time.

22. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Rating: Q=5, P=3 / Thanks But No Thanks

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=1

21. Captain Marvel (2019)

Rating: Q=5, P=3 / Thanks But No Thanks

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=1

20. Iron Man 2 (2010)

Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

19. Ant-Man (2015)

Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

18. The Avengers (2012)

Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

17. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

16. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

15. Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014)

Rating: Q=5, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=3

14. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=3

NEWLY ADDED: 13. Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

12. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

NEWLY ADDED: 11. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

10. Avengers: Infinity Wars (2018)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

9. Avengers: End Game (2019)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

8. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

7. Thor (2011)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

6. Iron Man (2008)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

5. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

4. Black Panther (2018)

Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

3. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)*

Rating: Q=6, P=7 / Comfy Old Standard

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

*My previous rating went up on my second viewing of this one!

2. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Rating: Q=6, P=7 / Comfy Old Standard

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

1. Doctor Strange (2016)

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

I still think Dr. Strange is the best. I like his struggles and how he overcomes his ego. I like the mystic arts and wizardry and concepts of reality and psychology in this film. And I like Benedict Cumberbatch, of course.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here