Written by dorrk | 18 January 2018 |
One hundred and thirty-one feature films, plus three short films, totalling almost 240 hours. During 11 months of 2017, The Potluck Film Fest covered movies spanning 92 years of film history and... a bunch of different countries. I don't know how many. I just watched 240 hours of movies, I'm not going go back through them and figure out where they came from. A lot. There were a lot of countries involved. Like Japan and Sweden and... who knows?
This was a (perhaps stupidly) ambitious project made possible by the 25 participants who each recommended between three and eleven movies for me to watch during the course of the year. I watched whatever they told me to watch, even when it involved disgusting sights like teenagers eating feces, a man emitting fire from his urethra, or Rory Culkin making a wig out of spaghetti. I'm never going to shake that last one. I discovered so many new favorites, kicked a few stubborn hang-ups, learned to find more positives where I least expect them, and developed a sharper sense of what I dislike and why. There were surprising hits and misses and a whole lot of provocation and beauty, as well as doorways opened to an exponentially wider universe of movies that were previously off of my radar.
Every movie entered into the Potluck Film Fest was reviewed here on Medialifecrisis.com and ranked on my Flickchart. Below is the "Hall of Fame:" the 35 movies worthy of 4-star* ratings or higher, followed by a ranked list of every single film watched as part of this project. Clicking the titles will take you to the review.
Thanks to everyone involved, even if it consisted of looking at just one of my tweets, Facebook posts, Instagrams, or a single visit to this website.
After three years of PopGap movie challenges in different formats, and close to 700 movie reviews during that time, I'll be taking a break from formal projects in 2018. I still plan to post the occasional review here and on social media, and maybe some other fun stuff about both the movies that I've been watching and the movies that I love.
(* A couple of marginal 3.5-star movies slipped in there, too.)
Dir.: Tarsem Singh
Ranking: #200 (95.05%)
From: Josh Haysom, PopGap #25
Dir.: Ingmar Bergman
Ranking: #218 (94.60%)
From: Josh Haysom, PopGap #25
Dir.: William A. Wellman
Ranking: #235 (94.18%)
From: Jandy Hardesty, PopGap #34
Dir.: Elia Kazan
Ranking: #364 (90.98%)
From: Bas Van Stratum, PopGap #31
Dir.: Fred Zinnemann
Ranking: #425 (89.47%)
From: Andrew Kendall, PopGap #25
Dir.: Mervyn LeRoy
Ranking: #475 (88.23%)
From: Dan Kocher, PopGap #24
Dir.: Yasujirô Ozu
Ranking: #512 (87.32%)
From: Bas Van Stratum, PopGap #31
Dir.: Emir Kusturica
Ranking: #516 (87.22%)
From: Nick Dallas, PopGap #32
Dir.: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Ranking: #530 (86.87%)
From: Wade McCormick, PopGap #35
Dir.: François Truffaut
Ranking: #549 (86.40%)
From: Grant Douglas Bromley, PopGap #27
Dir.: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Ranking: #551 (86.35%)
From: Grant Douglas Bromley, PopGap #27
Dir.: Siddiq Barmak
Ranking: #553 (86.30%)
From: Mike Seaman, PopGap #28
Dir.: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Ranking: #554 (86.28%)
From: Alan Ryman, PopGap #30
Dir.: Jean-Pierre Melville
Ranking: #556 (86.23%)
From: Josh Haysom, PopGap #25
Dir.: John Sayles
Ranking: #562 (86.08%)
From: Josh Haysom, PopGap #25
Dir.: King Hu
Ranking: #578 (85.68%)
From: Rick Winters, PopGap #26
Dir.: Joss Whedon
Ranking: #607 (84.96%)
From: Rachel Gilbert, PopGap #28
Dir.: Ronald Neame
Ranking: #616 (84.74%)
From: David Conrad, PopGap #29
Dir.: Michael Curtiz
Ranking: #629 (84.42%)
From: Alex Christian Lovendahl, PopGap #32
Dir.: René Clair
Ranking: #711 (82.39%)
From: Ben Shoemaker, PopGap #27
Dir.: Claude Sautet
Ranking: #712 (82.36%)
From: Bas Van Stratum, PopGap #31
Dir.: Louis Malle
Ranking: #740 (81.67%)
From: Mike Seaman, PopGap #28
Dir.: Robert Butler
Ranking: #751 (81.40%)
From: Mike Russell, PopGap #30
Dir.: Woo-ping Yuen
Ranking: #758 (81.22%)
From: Tory Kluender, PopGap #26
Dir.: Seijun Suzuki
Ranking: #767 (81.00%)
From: Dan Kocher, PopGap #24
Dir.: Frank Tashlin
Ranking: #774 (80.83%)
From: Dan Kocher, PopGap #24
Dir.: Steven Spielberg
Ranking: #775 (80.80%)
From: Nathan Chase, PopGap #31
Dir.: Gaspar Noé
Ranking: #778 (80.73%)
From: Wade McCormick, PopGap #35
Dir.: Chia-Liang Liu
Ranking: #795 (80.31%)
From: Rick Winters, PopGap #26
Dir.: Wolfgang Becker
Ranking: #808 (79.99%)
From: Ben Shoemaker, PopGap #27
Dir.: Colin Higgins
Ranking: #809 (79.96%)
From: David Conrad, PopGap #29
Dir.: Bruce Beresford
Ranking: #815 (79.81%)
From: David Conrad, PopGap #29
Dir.: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid
Ranking: #843 (79.12%)
From: Mike Seaman, PopGap #28
Dir.: Jeffrey Blitz
Ranking: #875 (78.33%)
From: Hannah Keefer, PopGap #24
Dir.: Bruce McDonald
Ranking: #917 (77.29%)
From: Nathan Chase, PopGap #31
Dir.: Dusan Makavejev
Ranking: #939 (76.74%)
From: Dan Kocher, PopGap #24
Dir.: Yasujirô Ozu
Ranking: #948 (76.52%)
From: Alex Christian Lovendahl, PopGap #32
Dir.: Terence Young
Ranking: #950 (76.47%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #25
Dir.: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Ranking: #959 (76.24%)
From: Mike Seaman, PopGap #28
Dir.: Marlon Brando
Ranking: #965 (76.10%)
From: David Conrad, PopGap #29
Dir.: Céline Sciamma
Ranking: #972 (75.92%)
From: Rachel Gilbert, PopGap #28
Dir.: Ingmar Bergman
Ranking: #982 (75.68%)
From: Wade McCormick, PopGap #35
Dir.: Richard Thorpe
Ranking: #994 (75.38%)
From: Connor Ryan Adamson, PopGap #35
Dir.: Vincente Minnelli
Ranking: #997 (75.30%)
From: Grant Douglas Bromley, PopGap #27
Dir.: Gene Saks
Ranking: #1003 (75.15%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #25
Dir.: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi
Ranking: #1004 (75.13%)
From: Jandy Hardesty, PopGap #34
Dir.: Billy Wilder
Ranking: #1008 (75.03%)
From: Connor Ryan Adamson, PopGap #35
Dir.: Frank Capra
Ranking: #1011 (74.96%)
From: Jandy Hardesty, PopGap #34
Dir.: J.C. Chandor
Ranking: #1019 (74.76%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #34
Dir.: Edgar G. Ulmer
Ranking: #1032 (74.44%)
From: Ben Shoemaker, PopGap #27
Dir.: John Hillcoat
Ranking: #1047 (74.06%)
From: Alan Ryman, PopGap #30
Dir.: Luis Buñuel
Ranking: #1057 (73.82%)
From: Mike Seaman, PopGap #28
Dir.: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Ranking: #1058 (73.79%)
From: Josh Haysom, PopGap #25
Dir.: Yoshihiro Nakamura
Ranking: #1062 (73.69%)
From: Nick Dallas, PopGap #32
Dir.: Werner Herzog
Ranking: #1063 (73.67%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #26
Dir.: Erich von Stroheim
Ranking: #1064 (73.64%)
From: Dan Kocher, PopGap #24
Dir.: Terry Zwigoff
Ranking: #1078 (73.30%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #35
Dir.: Johnnie To
Ranking: #1079 (73.27%)
From: Tory Kluender, PopGap #26
Dir.: John Sayles
Ranking: #1101 (72.73%)
From: Ben Shoemaker, PopGap #27
Dir.: Rick Rosenthal
Ranking: #1105 (72.63%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #34
Dir.: Masaki Kobayashi
Ranking: #1108 (72.55%)
From: Rick Winters, PopGap #26
Dir.: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Ranking: #1156 (71.36%)
From: Hannah Keefer, PopGap #24
Dir.: Steven Soderbergh
Ranking: #1167 (71.09%)
From: Alex Christian Lovendahl, PopGap #32
Dir.: Orson Welles
Ranking: #1295 (67.92%)
From: Alex Christian Lovendahl, PopGap #32
Dir.: Bobcat Goldthwait
Ranking: #1316 (67.40%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #32
Dir.: Pascal Laugier
Ranking: #1326 (67.15%)
From: Ryan Swinimer, PopGap #29
Dir.: John Farrow
Ranking: #1335 (66.93%)
From: Bas Van Stratum, PopGap #31
Dir.: Adam Rifkin
Ranking: #1342 (66.76%)
From: Ryan Swinimer, PopGap #29
Dir.: Dee Rees
Ranking: #1346 (66.66%)
From: Rachel Gilbert, PopGap #28
Dir.: Orson Welles
Ranking: #1366 (66.16%)
From: Rachel Gilbert, PopGap #28
Dir.: Jeff Malmberg
Ranking: #1412 (65.02%)
From: Nick Dallas, PopGap #32
Dir.: Václav Vorlícek
Ranking: #1414 (64.97%)
From: Rachel Gilbert, PopGap #28
Dir.: Peter Tscherkassky
Ranking: #1416 (64.92%)
From: Mike Seaman, PopGap #28
Dir.: Lucky McKee
Ranking: #1420 (64.83%)
From: Ryan Swinimer, PopGap #29
Dir.: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Ranking: #1442 (64.28%)
From: Hannah Keefer, PopGap #24
Dir.: Warren Beatty
Ranking: #1472 (63.54%)
From: Ryan Hope, PopGap #34
Dir.: Robert Bresson
Ranking: #1526 (62.20%)
From: Wade McCormick, PopGap #35
Dir.: Lewis Gilbert
Ranking: #1533 (62.03%)
From: Ryan Hope, PopGap #34
Dir.: Scott Glosserman
Ranking: #1547 (61.68%)
From: Ryan Swinimer, PopGap #29
Dir.: Ruggero Deodato
Ranking: #1579 (60.89%)
From: Mike Russell, PopGap #30
Dir.: Shane Meadows
Ranking: #1580 (60.86%)
From: Nick Dallas, PopGap #32
Dir.: György Pálfi
Ranking: #1599 (60.39%)
From: Wade McCormick, PopGap #35
Dir.: Lloyd Bacon
Ranking: #1692 (58.09%)
From: Nathan Chase, PopGap #31
Dir.: Nacho Vigalondo
Ranking: #1696 (57.99%)
From: Nathan Chase, PopGap #31
Dir.: Charles Crichton
Ranking: #1790 (55.66%)
From: Ryan Hope, PopGap #34
Dir.: Stephen Sommers
Ranking: #1792 (55.61%)
From: Nick Dallas, PopGap #32
Dir.: Jack Cardiff
Ranking: #1827 (54.74%)
From: Mike Russell, PopGap #30
Dir.: Guy Hamilton
Ranking: #1836 (54.52%)
From: Connor Ryan Adamson, PopGap #35
Dir.: Brett Ratner
Ranking: #1858 (53.98%)
From: Andrew Kendall, PopGap #25
Dir.: Shinya Tsukamoto
Ranking: #1868 (53.73%)
From: Alan Ryman, PopGap #30
Dir.: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Ranking: #1874 (53.58%)
From: Grant Douglas Bromley, PopGap #27
Dir.: Niki Caro
Ranking: #1884 (53.33%)
From: Bas Van Stratum, PopGap #31
Dir.: Teddy Chan
Ranking: #1891 (53.16%)
From: Rick Winters, PopGap #26
Dir.: Tom Stoppard
Ranking: #1921 (52.42%)
From: Ben Shoemaker, PopGap #27
Dir.: Ringo Lam
Ranking: #1932 (52.14%)
From: Tory Kluender, PopGap #26
Dir.: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Ranking: #1994 (50.61%)
From: Jandy Hardesty, PopGap #34
Dir.: Juan Diego Solanas
Ranking: #2009 (50.24%)
From: Andrew Kendall, PopGap #25
Dir.: Joe Johnston
Ranking: #2020 (49.96%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #30
Dir.: Lasse Hallström
Ranking: #2028 (49.76%)
From: Pat Nachtigall, PopGap #30
Dir.: John McNaughton
Ranking: #2030 (49.72%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #27
Dir.: Leo McCarey
Ranking: #2040 (49.47%)
From: Ryan Hope, PopGap #34
Dir.: Tom Tykwer
Ranking: #2042 (49.42%)
From: Nathan Chase, PopGap #31
Dir.: George Tillman Jr.
Ranking: #2063 (48.90%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #31
Dir.: Christopher Nolan
Ranking: #2065 (48.85%)
From: Connor Ryan Adamson, PopGap #35
Dir.: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
Ranking: #2069 (48.75%)
From: Hannah Keefer, PopGap #24
Dir.: Adam Elliot
Ranking: #2084 (48.38%)
From: Ryan Swinimer, PopGap #29
Dir.: J Blakeson
Ranking: #2098 (48.03%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #28
Dir.: Jackie Chan
Ranking: #2105 (47.86%)
From: Tory Kluender, PopGap #26
Dir.: Jodie Foster
Ranking: #2106 (47.83%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #24
Dir.: Charles Barton
Ranking: #2131 (47.21%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #24
Dir.: Jim Jarmusch
Ranking: #2146 (46.84%)
From: Alex Christian Lovendahl, PopGap #32
Dir.: The Wachowskis
Ranking: #2149 (46.77%)
From: Andrew Kendall, PopGap #25
Dir.: Ann Hui
Ranking: #2174 (46.15%)
From: Rick Winters, PopGap #26
Dir.: Nagisa Ôshima
Ranking: #2277 (43.60%)
From: Grant Douglas Bromley, PopGap #27
Dir.: Richard Curtis
Ranking: #2298 (43.08%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #30
Dir.: Mel Smith
Ranking: #2384 (40.95%)
From: Mike Seaman, PopGap #28
Dir.: Jamie Adams
Ranking: #2438 (39.61%)
From: David Conrad, PopGap #29
Dir.: Johnnie To
Ranking: #2507 (37.90%)
From: Mike Russell, PopGap #30
Dir.: Morten Tyldum
Ranking: #2510 (37.83%)
From: Pat Nachtigall, PopGap #30
Dir.: Garth Jennings
Ranking: #2521 (37.55%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #28
Dir.: Mike Nichols
Ranking: #2566 (36.44%)
From: Hannah Keefer, PopGap #24
Dir.: Robert Zemeckis
Ranking: #2616 (35.20%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #31
Dir.: Jaco van Dormael
Ranking: #2749 (31.90%)
From: Jandy Hardesty, PopGap #34
Dir.: Yimou Zhang
Ranking: #2784 (31.04%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #26
Dir.: Baz Luhrmann
Ranking: #2846 (29.50%)
From: Andrew Kendall, PopGap #25
Dir.: Howard Hawks
Ranking: #2847 (29.48%)
From: Ryan Hope, PopGap #34
Dir.: Jeff Probst
Ranking: #2954 (26.83%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #27
Dir.: Oliver Stone
Ranking: #3072 (23.90%)
From: Pat Nachtigall, PopGap #30
Dir.: Hark Tsui
Ranking: #3098 (23.26%)
From: Tory Kluender, PopGap #26
Dir.: Sam Mendes
Ranking: #3138 (22.27%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #32
Dir.: Marjane Satrapi
Ranking: #3176 (21.33%)
From: Nigel Druitt, PopGap #29
Dir.: Mark Pellington
Ranking: #3453 (14.47%)
From: Connor Ryan Adamson, PopGap #35
Dir.: Sam Raimi
Ranking: #3511 (13.03%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #29
Dir.: Peter Chelsom
Ranking: #3695 (8.47%)
From: Ty Tag, PopGap #35
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