Looks like it's time to rank some movies on my Flickchart account and talk about them here! If you missed how this works, you can check out my previous posts in the series here and here.
Let's jump right in.
1. Billy Elliot (2000) vs. Legally Blonde (2001)
This is kind of an interesting one, because both these movies were later made into musicals. If we're comparing the musicals, I would choose Legally Blonde because Laurence O'Keefe's music trumps Elton John's any day. But when it comes to the original core movies, Billy Elliot is far more compelling and beautifully done. Billy Elliot wins.
2. Les Miserables in Concert (1995) vs. Footloose (2001)
There are two other possible versions of both of these movies -- the Les Miserables concert cast from 2010 and the original 1984 Footloose. The earlier versions of both movies are better. I was unimpressed with the 2011 Footloose remake, and it definitely didn't help that the fun 1980s soundtrack was replaced by country music. Les Mis wins.
3. Holiday Inn (1942) vs. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
I am not sold on Holiday Inn as a great movie, although it does have some fun sequences. But it certainly beats the mess that was Cheaper by the Dozen. I had a large family. I knew large families. And that movie was written by someone who had no idea what they were talking about. Holiday Inn wins.
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) vs. The Matador (2005)
I remember enjoying The Matador when I watched it as part of my movie challenge last year, so it's a little puzzling that I can recall almost nothing of what actually happened in it. I had to remind myself that I actually had watched it at all. But I do remember liking it, so it beats Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which I remember not liking. The Matador wins.
5. Fatal Attraction (1987) vs. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
At first I thought, "Ooh, this is a tough choice," but then I realized it really wasn't. I just wanted it to be a tough choice because I wanted to like Rosemary's Baby more than I did. It just never gripped me, and its final scene struck me as silly rather than scary. Fatal Attraction isn't a spectacular movie, but it's a thriller that thrills, and that was more than I got from its opponent here. Fatal Attraction wins.
6. The Karate Kid (1984) vs. Lyle, the Kindly Viking (2001)
Lyle, the Kindly Viking is a VeggieTales movie, and it's a pretty decent one. It's a parody of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, which is, unsurprisingly, a gimmick that works for me. That being said, though, it's not my favorite VeggieTales movie, and while the music is great, the story is kind of blah. The Karate Kid is a better story as a whole. The Karate Kid wins.
7. Freaky Friday (1976) vs. The Others (2001)
I'm oddly fascinated by body-swap stories, so I should like Freaky Friday, but Jodie Foster's acting as a child rubs me the wrong way. The Others is a really beautifully-filmed story that easily takes the match here. The Others wins.
8. John Q. (2002) vs. The Women (1939)
The Women is another movie that I watched last year that has mostly slipped my mind. Maybe that's the peril of watching five movies a week. But it is undoubtedly better than John Q., which had a potentially interesting concept and a poorly executed script. The Women wins.
9. Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks With a Circus (1960) vs. P.S. I Love You (2007)
...Well, this is a gross matchup because I hate both of these movies. Toby Tyler is about a very annoying young boy who runs away to join the circus. We had it on VHS when I was growing up. P.S. I Love You was a movie I watched with some of my dormmates in an attempt to bond with them but, wow, did I hate that movie. I'm really not sure what to vote for here. I checked their current stats and it looks like Toby Tyler is eight spots ahead of P.S. I Love You, so it's not surprising that I'm having trouble choosing between them. I'm going to vote for Toby Tyler for now because that way at least nobody's gaining any spots on my chart. Neither one of them deserves to climb up.
10. Ali (2001) vs. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
I'm a big fan of Mighty Aphrodite. It's one of my favorite Woody Allen comedies. I find it funny and delightful. Ali, on the other hand, is not funny and delightful (which it did not try to be) nor interesting and inspirational (which it did try to be). Mighty Aphrodite wins.
No shake-ups this time around. After 145,000 rankings, my chart's in pretty good order. Maybe I should start an entirely new Flickchart account from scratch for this blog series, to show how the charts take shape before you've ranked most of your movies into place. What do you guys think? And did I get any of these decisions wrong? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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