The "63 in 63" Project

 The “63 in 63” Project

Hello and welcome to Cinema Wellman. I am your host David, and today we’re going to break down our recent “63 in 63” project by giving you a Top 10/Bottom 5 of those 63 chronological screenings. 

Dakota brought the project to my attention several months ago thinking it would be something I would absolutely enjoy, and she was absolutely right!

The goal of the project is to watch one film from each year you’ve spent on the planet, and if you’re a movie fan, I enthusiastically recommend you start making your list and lining up those movies today!

I, of course, began by setting up a database with slots from 1962-2025 (which is actually 64 years since I forgot you aren’t one year old the day you’re born, so I later removed the 1962 film from the entry list).

Once that was in place, I started searching for films I hadn’t yet seen for each of those years.

Then I needed to figure out if they were available for me to even see, and you’d be surprised, in this era of streaming, at how many films just aren’t readily available.

Even more surprising was the fact that there were a handful of films I had locked in at the start of the project that were no longer available when it was their screening day.

The 63 films (with the removal of 1962) broke down this way statistically.  To use a "soccer" form my record was 26-28-9. 

That’s 26 “wins” (movies given a thumbs up), 28 “draws” (movies that were just meh), and 9 “losses” (movies that were given the dreaded bomb).

So that breakdown really isn’t that bad at all.

I have already put into place another version of this project for the future in which I don’t watch new movies for each year, but my favorite movies from each year.

To no one’s surprise, that database has already been built.

We will begin where we usually do, and that’s at the bottom.

And a there’s a surprise right out of the chute since the movie was directed by a favorite director of mine.

#5: The Hunted (2003)

R/94 min/IMDb: 6.1/directed by William Friedkin

The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A., Sorcerer, The Exorcist, and… The Hunted?

Come on Billy Friedkin! You were better than this!

Tommy Lee Jones was reportedly paid twenty million dollars for this movie which seems like a reboot of The Fugitive for most of its run time. 

Jones doesn’t really do much acting at all for his 20 million. There’s a lot of sniffing dirt and looking around in the woods.

Great work if you can get it. 

And why were so many of the characters named after famous rock stars? Bonham, Kravitz, Van Zandt, Zander, Richards…why? That’s just dumb, and noticeable.

The best thing about this movie is that it was only 94 minutes long. 

#4: House of Wax (2005)

R/113 min/IMDb: 5.5/directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

If you’re a regular here at Cinema Wellman, you know how I like to go on and on about casts in films, and it’s almost always in order to praise them.

Not today.

Elisha “Kim Bauer” Cuthbert, Chad Michael “One Tree Hill” Murray, and Paris “Hilton Hotels” Hilton?!

Yikes! And why was this almost two hours long? 

Stories involving boring stereotypes we’ve seen 1,000 times before shouldn’t take two hours to tell. 

I’m a big fan of the original “Wax” film, 1953’s House of Wax starring friend of Cinema Wellman Vincent Price, and I was going to say that this one doesn’t hold a candle to the original, but…

#3: Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - Italy

UR/95 min/IMDb: 5.8/directed by Ruggero Deodato

IMDb: “An anthropologist ventures into the Amazon rainforest on a rescue mission where he recovers footage shot by a film crew documenting their disastrous encounters with local cannibal tribes.”

I should know better.

I have a poor track record with cannibal films, especially Italian cannibal films, AND I despise found footage films, but I decided to watch this anyway.

Even though it did make the Bottom 5, there is one tidbit about this film that I absolutely LOVE!

A week after the film's 1980 release, director Ruggero Deodato was arrested and charged with obscenity.

He was later charged with murdering several actors on camera and faced life in prison.

How authorities thought this footage was an actual snuff film is hysterical, and the reason Deodato was facing murder charges is because he paid the cast extra to “disappear” for a year to make it seem like they were dead.

The authorities couldn’t find the actors and charged Deodato with murder.

The charges were dropped when the living actors came forward. 

Fun fact: Cannibal Holocaust was the 2nd highest grossing film of 1983 in Japan behind E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

#2: Candy (1968)

R/115 min/IMDb: 5.1/directed by Christian Marquand

IMDb: “Candy Christian, an innocent high-schooler, encounters numerous colorful characters and humorous sexual situations while attempting to find meaning in life.”

Late 60s sex farces were plentiful, but I’m sure social diseases were as well.

You really don’t want anything to do with either.

Marlon Brando (never liked him), Richard Burton, James Coburn, John Huston, Walter Matthau, John Astin, and Ringo Starr are among those “numerous colorful characters” and they really aren’t colorful at all, mostly just creepy.

And do you really want your sexual situations to be “humorous?” I mean maybe once in a while something funny happens, but…

One to go, and it is the WORST of the “63 in 63” project, and it’s time to apologize to Andrew once again. 

#1: Pufnstuff (1970)

G/98 min/IMDb: 6.5/directed by Hollingsworth Morse

If you tuned into our “Best & Worst” of the 3rd Quarter episode, you’ve already heard me apologize to Andrew for not screening Colossus: The Forbin Project with him and choosing this mess instead.

Pufnstuff was so bad, I’m here to apologize again.

Sorry, Andrew. I promise to do better next time you visit Cinema Wellman.

I guess I was bitten by the nostalgia bug with my oldest friend visiting and a movie based on a show that I absolutely adored as a kid.

A movie that had somehow eluded me for 55 years.

I wish it had remained elusive since it seems like everything I loved about the show annoyed me in this movie. 

I guess there was really no reason for this to be made OR for me to screen it for a visitor. 

Dakota keeps telling me I need a sign here that says something like “Cinema Wellman is not responsible for the films you may be subjected to screening while visiting.”

Now on to the Top 10 of our “63 in 63” project!

#10: Dolls (1987)

R/77 min/IMDb: 6.3/directed by Stuart Gordon

IMDb: “A dysfunctional family of three stops by a mansion during a storm (father, stepmother, child). The child discovers that the elderly owners are magical toy makers and have a haunted collection of dolls.”

I am NOT a fan of dolls, especially puppets and marionettes (pure evil on strings), but I AM a fan of stop-motion animation and practical effects, so these Dolls were totally welcome in Cinema Wellman.

The dysfunctional family was comical and super stereotypical, especially the stepmother, but the dolls are the real stars here. 

What could make porcelain dolls creepier?

How about ceramic dolls with skeletons under the porcelain?

Yup.

#9: Empire of Passion (1978) - Japan

R/105 min/IMDb: 7.0/directed by Nagisa Oshima

IMDb: “A married woman and her lover murder her husband and drop his body into a well, but his ghost returns to haunt them as the local gossip intensifies.”

Japanese cinema is phenomenal, and Japanese filmmakers have mastered all genres, but one of their specialties, in my opinion, is the horror story; especially the ghost story.

Kwaidan, Ugestsu, Ringu, Ju-on: The Grudge, and Hausu are all excellent Japanese ghost story films, and I’d add Empire of Passion to a slightly lower tier under those films. 

My favorite part of this story is how the townspeople all know what’s going on and are nonchalant about the murderous couple being haunted by the man they killed.

That’s just how things go in those sorts of situations. You kind of get what you deserve.

#8: Fish Tank (2009) - UK

NR/123 min/IMDb: 7.3/directed by Andrea Arnold

IMDb: “Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mom brings home a new boyfriend.”

This film made it onto my radar screen when Larry electronically shared a New York Times article about “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century,” and then Lucas’ father, Steve, passed along the paper copy to me as well.

Gotta love being known as a person who loves a list!

Thank you, Larry, and thank you, Steve!

Films about young girls awakenings are nothing new, but when they’re as raw and honest as Fish Tank is, it helps to reinvent the genre.

I’m thinking it’s also why it ended up on this New York Times list. 

One of the reasons it seemed raw to me is that Mia was played by an actress who had never acted before. 

Director Arnold spotted Katie Jarvis and her boyfriend arguing in public and offered her the part.

Adding to the freshness of the performances was the fact that the film was shot in chronological order and the cast was only given the script one week in advance. 

The cast didn’t know what was coming for their characters.

Kind of like life. 

#7: Amsterdamned (1988) - Netherlands

R/114 min/IMDb: 6.6/directed by Dick Maas

IMDb: “A hard-boiled police detective sets out to capture a gruesome serial killer terrorizing the canals of Amsterdam.”

Shot on location in the canals and waterways of Amsterdam, Amsterdamned is an entertaining action/slasher horror/thriller hybrid that actually succeeds as all three of those genres!

There is a thrilling speedboat chase through the canals of the city in this film that rivals any boating chase sequences I’ve ever seen.

Amster-damn, I enjoyed this movie!

#6: Run (2020)

PG-13/90 min/IMDb: 6.7/directed by Aneesh Chaganty

IMDb: “Chloe, a teenager who is confined to a wheelchair, is homeschooled by her mother, Diane. Chloe soon becomes suspicious of her mother and begins to suspect that she may be harboring a dark secret.”

Chloe is played by actress Kiera Allen, who also uses a wheelchair in real life, so kudos to the filmmakers for this casting, and Ms. Allen does an excellent job.

Chloe’s mother is played by the phenomenal Sarah Paulson who really tends to elevate everything she’s part of.

Run was a taut psychological thriller with a couple of excellent twists, one of which I was close to, and one I did not see coming.

Love those surprise twists in thrillers!

#5: April and the Extraordinary World (2015) - France

PG/105 min/IMDb: 7.2/directed by Christian Desmares & Franck Ekinci

IMDb: “It’s 1941 but France is trapped in the 19th century, governed by steam and Napoleon V, where scientists vanish mysteriously. Avril, a teenage girl, goes in search of her missing scientist parents.”

I was mesmerized by this alternate history look at WWII France stuck in the 19th century albeit a 19th century with sinister totalitarian undertones. 

I’ve always enjoyed stories like this and Phillip K. Dick’s “The Man in the High Castle” because I think it’s fun to imagine what things would be like if…

I love this steampunk Paris complete with dual Eiffel Towers, airships, tons of steam, and gears, gears, gears!

 

#4: Synecdoche, New York (2008)

R/124 min/IMDb: 7.5/directed by Charlie Kaufman

IMDb: “A theater director struggles with his work and the women in his life as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.”

I may not know how to pronounce the title (si-NEK-duh-kee), but this film is both unforgettable and extremely difficult to describe. 

It’s dreamlike and nightmarish at the same time, it’s very claustrophobic at times, and you never really know what you’re seeing. 

Remember that in the IMDb synopsis, there is mention of a theater director creating a “life-size” replica of New York City in a warehouse.

Think of that for a minute.

It’s accurate. 

The theater director is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, so this film has that extra magic that only he can bring to a production.

I miss him so much.

#3: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

PG-13/103 min/IMDb: 7.9/directed by Stephen Chbosky

IMDb: “Charlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends two seniors, he learns to cope with his friend’s suicide and his tumultuous past.”

When I told people that I was going to screen this, I was met by a barrage of, “You’ve NEVER seen that?!” comments, while others proclaimed their love for the movie.

Another example of really enjoying a movie while not being in the intended demographic at all. 

Never be afraid to “reach” when it comes to movies and your initial perceptions. 

#2: I Saw the Devil (2010) - South Korea

NR/144 min/IMDb: 7.8/directed by Kim Jee-woon

IMDb: “A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.”

This was an example of a movie that stayed with me for days, and I always love movies that have that power over me.

I wanted to see this so badly once I read about it that I purchased the DVD for this project.

Instead of giving you my two cents, I’m going to give you the 8th grade book report version by reading you the back of the DVD since I couldn’t do any better.

“I Saw the Devil is a shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished tale of murder and revenge. The embodiment of pure evil, Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. On a freezing, snowy night, his latest victim is the daughter of a retired police chief and pregnant fiancé of an elite special agent. Obsessed with revenge, the agent is determined to track down the murderer, even if doing so means becoming a monster himself. And when he finds Kyung-chul, turning him into the authorities is the last thing on his mind, as the lines between good and evil fall away in this diabolically twisted game of cat and mouse.’

Well done, DVD package writers.

This is wild and twisted from start to finish.

Which brings us to #1, or I should say a co #1. 

Speaking of wild and twisted, we have…

#1: A Lars Von Trier Doubleheader!

Melancholia (2011) - Denmark

R/135 min/IMDb: 7.1

IMDb: “Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.”

AND

Dancer in the Dark (2000) - Denmark

R/135 min/IMDb: 7.9

IMDb: “An Eastern European US immigrant with a love for musicals has to cope with the gradual loss of her vision.”

If you are familiar with director Lars von Trier’s films such as Breaking the Waves and Dogville, you’ll understand why Larry texted me and asked if a “wellness visit” was needed after I screened these two films.

Once again, these are movies that stayed with me for days, and in the case of Dancer in the Dark, haunted me for days.

Movies about the end of the world are one thing, movies about the end of the world in the hands of Lars von Trier are another thing altogether. 

I cannot stress enough how I really really really REALLY do NOT want to be around if we ever run into one of these end of days scenarios, but it sure is wild thinking about it and how things really would go down. 

I have a pretty good guess since people come close to cannibalism after the power is out for more than 8 hours, but you never know.

A fun odd fact about Melancholia; director Lars von Trier, star Kirsten Dunst, and the host of Cinema Wellman were all born on April 30th. 

And only Lars von Trier would combine the story of family strife and sisters in turmoil on one of their wedding days with the end of the entire world.

Speaking of the end of the entire world, I thought my entire world was ending when I watched Dancer in the Dark.

Bjork is stunning as the young mother losing her eyesight (her young son has the same condition), and I really have no idea how she was not nominated for an Academy Award for this performance.

This story was gut-wrenching, frustrating, and torturous.  

I found myself shouting “No!” through sobbing tears at the end of this movie. 

And yet it’s here at the top of this list of “63 in 63.”

Amazing.

Well, that is a wrap from here at Cinema Wellman as we recapped yet another of our seemingly endless projects.

We hope you join us next time when we weigh in on The New York Times list of “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century.”

I mentioned that list earlier in this episode, and since I’ve now seen them all, I have some issues!

Isn’t that the truth?

Until then, take care.