Top 10 fictional TV shows / movies from TV shows / movies

Greetings, reader!

Following "Top 10 best movies never made" two weeks ago, and "Top 10 greatest movies I have never seen" from last week, this is the culmination of my silly un-movie trilogy. Today we're looking at the greatest TV shows and/or movies that only exist within other TV shows and/or movies. Whether it's a made-up movie in a movie about movies, a fictional movie featured as a plot element in a TV show, a fake TV series made for the purpose of a real movie, or a show in a show about shows, these are my favorite fictional TV shows / movies. They're not ranked just based on how good they'd necessarily be, but based on the ingenuiety of the idea, how well it serves the plot, and how curious I'd be - for one reason or another - to see the whole thing if it was real.

Here are my honorable mentions: Cleaver (The Sopranos), Invitation to Love (Twin Peaks), The Orchid Thief (Adaptation.), Threat Level Midnight (The Office), and all the fake game shows from Saturday Night Live.

10. The McBain franchise (The Simpsons)

Sure, The Itchy & Scratchy Show would be a more popular choice - but I'd choose McBain over it any day of the week. Itchy & Scratchy is a fun gag and decent satire about violence in media, but the McBain franchise is different gravy. From the brilliant concept of lead actor Rainier Wolfcastle, a thinly veiled Schwarzenegger parody, to the over-the-top action sequences riddled with every cliché imaginable, these are just pure gold. My favorite element is the "secret story" gag - if you watch every McBain clip we see throughout The Simpsons, interspersed across tens of seasons, they actually tell a well-built, cohesive story. That's cool as shit.

9. All My Circuits (Futurama)

I've always held on to my hot take that Matt Groening's lesser-known sitcom Futurama is extremely underrated, and in fact, slightly better than The Simpsons - and funnily enough, it places just one spot above it on this list as well. Throughout the show's run, we often see clips of All My Circuits - an all-robot soap opera that is all the rage in the 31st century. And yes - a generic soap opera parody, but with a robot twist, is just as hilariously entertaining as it sounds.

8. The Thunder Gun franchise (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

Originally introduced in the utterly fantastic episode Thunder Gun Express, this fictional movie franchise combines all sorts of action franchise clichés while adding its own, IASIP-specific twist to become fantastically bonkers. The concept is funny in itself, and absolutely hysterical when you factor in the main characters' relationship to the franchise.

My favorite instance of Thunder Gun lore comes in Thunder Gun 4: Maximum Cool, which I consider to be the best episode of the sitcom's fourteenth season. In a razor-sharp commentary on current culture wars around the world of cinema, the gang is chosen as the focus group for a new Thunder Gun sequel. The film attempts to bring the franchise to the modern day with a "woke" direction, and oh boy, the main characters of this satirical anti-sitcom make for the most pitch-perfect exploration of the attitudes that take over the internet whenever a real film franchise does anything of the sort. Gags like the gang not realizing the painfully obvious subtext in the "passing the torch" sequence are pure gold.

7. The Passions of Santos (Jane the Virgin)

It was difficult to choose the best fictional TV series from Jane the Virgin - major character Rogelio De La Vega (Jaime Camil) works as a TV actor throughout the series, and we follow the behind-the-scenes misadventures of several fictional shows via his storylines. An argument could be made for any one of them: the sci-fi telenovela Tiago a Través del Tiempo is hilariously over-the-top, the conceptual Los Viajes de Guillermo is funny in an amiable and memorable way, and then there's The Passions of Steve and Brenda - the American remake of Rogelio's original telenovela, which works as a beautiful meta commentary on Jane the Virgin itself (although it spirals from there, eventually becoming This Is Mars).

But after all is said and done, I have to go with the OG - The Passions of Santos. It's the telenovela in which Rogelio stars when the show begins, and is intensely followed and loved by a majority of the show's other characters. The parallels between the fiction and the fiction-within-the-fiction are at their freshest and most clever here, and after the show is over and Rogelio moves on to other things, the Passions of Santos lore becomes a warm and nostalgic staple of Jane the Virgin.

6. Angels with Filthy Souls (Home Alone)

My seventh-graders always choose Home Alone for their end-of-the-period movie in my music class, so I've had two cases of watching the movie five or six times a week (and getting paid for it) during the past year - and that's on top of having seen the film a good 15-ish times before that in my life. Mind you, I'm still not sick of it - that's how great Home Alone is.

When you watch that movie that many times in rapid succession, you really start to pick up on every single detail (for example: you know how the McCallister family is comically filled with people at the beginning of the film, with references to a complex family tree? I now know the name of every single character in the extended family, and how they all relate to one another). And so, I've become intimately acquainted with Angels with Filthy Souls, the made-up black-and-white gangster movie that Kevin watches and later uses to trick the Little Nero's delivery guy (and later yet, the crooks).

Sure, we all remember classic lines like "ONE, TWO...TEN!" and "Keep the change, you filthy animal". But oh man, I've had the time to analyze the less memorable lines leading up to that, to the point that I have a pretty good idea of the dynamic between the gangsters Johnny and Snakes, the role of the off-screen character Acey who is mentioned, and the likely events leading up to the violent confrontation we know and love. I'm a bit less well-versed on the sequel, Angels with Even Filthier Souls, that Kevin watches in Home Alone 2 - but I'm getting there.

5. Joan Is Awful (Black Mirror)

Oh, I love it when they go full meta. In what is the undoubtedly Kaufman-iest episode of Black Mirror, and naturally one of my biggest favorites from the show as well, we follow Joan. She's a regular woman, with all sorts of mundane drama going on in her life, until one day she comes home, turns on the TV, clicks on an interesting-sounding new show on the streaming service Streamberry - only to find out, to her existential horror, that the series is about her life, with the pilot episode recounting things that happened to her on that very day.

Now, I'm not saying that Joan Is Awful would be a particularly good show (and definitely not an ethical one, either) if it was real, unlike many on today's list. But I had to rank it high, because the very concept of it is so amazingly creative. In the post-post-information age we live in, with AI "art" being shoved down our throats while questions about digital consent become more and more dystopian, this premise feels relevant as hell, and ultimately quite profound in all scariness.

4. Two Brothers (Rick and Morty)

I really could've gone with any one of the zany and inventive pieces of media that we see in the iconic episode Rixty Minutes, and its sequel Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate. For those not familiar, there are two episodes of Rick and Morty that consist pretty much entirely of the characters just watching TV, flipping around to see what different channels from different dimensions have to offer. Apparently, they were all produced in the following manner: the voice actors would just improvise some crazy-sounding TV show, and the animators would work around that to create what the show ends up looking like.

There are so many gems to choose from here: the absurd reality show Man Vs. Car, the chaotic morning show hosted by twins Michael and Pichael Thompson, the absolutely glorious trailer for Jan Quadrant Vincent 16...but if I had to choose one, I kept coming back to Two Brothers. The whole sequence is peak Rick and Morty.

3. TGS with Tracy Jordan (30 Rock)

30 Rock is another show full of fictional movies and TV shows with hysterical premises, as this is a key component the show's nature as a satire of modern showbusiness. Choosing TGS, the main show-within-a-show, almost felt like a boring choice - the sketch comedy often feels like little more than a stand-in for Saturday Night Live, whereas many of the movies and shows in the 30 Rock universe have more of an original personality to them. Who could forget movies like the poorly marketed The Rural Juror or Tracy Jordan's Black Cop / White Cop, as well as the reality show MILF Island?

But then again - TGS is home. Yes, it's a thinly veiled SNL metaphor, but that is by no means a bad thing. If anything, that ensures that Tina Fey was conveniently able to draw every little bit of inspiration from her experience in the crazy world of Saturday Night Live into this series, often making it feel like a behind-the-scenes look at that world, albeit an exaggerated one. So many of 30 Rock's most unforgettable episodes and moments stem from the work they do on TGS, so I had to pick that as the show's representative on today's topic.

Also, unlike its real-world counterpart, TGS never had a guest host do a monologue where he calls women whores. If that happened in a 30 Rock storyline, many of the characters would probably deem that it's time for Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) to retire and for Tina Fey's character to take over. Just throwing that out there.

2. Lyman's Boys / Pucks (Episodes)

Episodes, an underappreciated gem that flew sadly under the radar, is a scathing critique of Hollywood and showbiz - and more specifically, a surgical look at why so many American adaptations of British shows have failed. In the series, we follow two British writers who have just finished the critically acclaimed run of a show called Lyman's Boys - a smart, witty, classy and slow-paced British sitcom about the headmaster of a boys' school and his rambunctious students. The writers are approached by a Hollywood producer, offering a deal that they move to Los Angeles and write an American adaptation of the series! With stars in their eyes, the writers take the deal - only for their deal to turn into the utmost nightmare.

They quickly notice how their intelligent ideas are bulldozed by boardrooms full of soulless Hollywood execs, out-of-touch people who see the TV show only as a product to make money off of, and the soul of the series is thus slowly stripped away until it becomes a shallow echo of itself. Through a catastrophic chain of bad ideas, Lyman's Boys becomes Pucks - a generic and fast-paced sitcom, where the students are replaced by a hockey team, and the headmaster becomes their coach - who is played by Matt LeBlanc (the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. alumnus stars in Episodes as an exaggerated version of himself).

Throughout the razor-sharp satirical dialogue in Episodes, a few things become clear - the writers of the show (the real one, not the fictional ones) had some amazing insight into modern showbusiness, and one wishes that these made-up TV shows would be real just so you could watch them. I can only imagine what a glorious train-wreck Pucks would turn out to be, while it pains me that Lyman's Boys isn't real as they make it sound so genuinely amazing.

1. Abed's Jesus movie (Community)

I mean - it is the greatest movie ever made, and since Shirley destroyed the footage, you can't prove me wrong. I heard that it's the same movie backward and forward, and that the deleted scenes are the scenes and the scenes are the deleted scenes. Say what you will about Abed - the man cannot be killed.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I tackle the ever-nearing 2026 midterm elections by sharing how I ranked Alaska's candidates for the House and Senate on my ranked-choice ballot!

Top 10 best movies I've never seen

Greetings, reader!

So, this is a strange title, but let me explain. Following last week's "Top 10 greatest movies never made" post, I figured that this would also be a fun concept to tackle: as opposed to the classic "Top 10 best movies I've ever seen", I'm going to look at the (probably) greatest movies that I haven't seen. Essentially, this is a collection of really good-sounding films, ones that I've been meaning to catch for a long time but haven't gotten around to it. It's not just based on how "must-see" the film is considered to be, either - these are ranked based on how sure I am that I would like the film, based on what I know about it. A heartfelt recommendation from a friend whose taste I trust, for example, has much more weight than a film's IMDB rating or amount of Oscars won. That being said, most of these are big classics, so publishing this list will definitely hurt my credentials as an as-if cinephile and cause a whole lot of "WHAT THE HELL MAN, HOW HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THIS FILM, YOU HAVE NOT LIVED GOOD SIR" - and I'm fine with that. Maybe it'll motivate me to finally watch this surely-great films!

Here are my honorable mentions: Modern Times (1936), Rashomon (1950), The Apartment (1960), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), The Devil Wears Prada (2006).

10. Rear Window (1954)

Hitchcock is one of the greats, and I've enjoyed everything I have seen from him - so I can only assume that the same would apply to this acclaimed work. It's been on my shortlist forever - it's not just because of its iconic status, but also because its premise sounds genuinely compelling and like something I'd be interested in seeing even if it wasn't a universally praised classic. I also love the Simpsons episode Bart of Darkness, which I've understood to largely be a homage to Rear Window, so I've always been curious to see the source of the references. Add to that the fact that James Stewart plays the lead role, and it gets extremely hard to imagine that I wouldn't love this film.

9. Princess Mononoke (1997)

A major recurring theme on today's list will be Studio Ghibli - I've watched embarrassingly few of their movies. It's not that I have anything against them, either! Every Ghibli film I've seen has been excellent, but I just somehow haven't gotten around to seeing very many (not growing up with these movies and only discovering them as a young adult is a partial explanation, but at this point, it's no excuse).

There are a few different Ghibli movies that have such a status that I always cause outrage in my friends when it comes out that I've missed that specific film - and Princess Mononoke is one of the big ones. I've managed to avoid all spoilers so I don't really know what the film is about...but I've experienced the passion with which Ghibli fans talk about this one, and I've seen it top quite a few Ghibli rankings that people have made, so I figure it must be pretty amazing.

8. La Vita È Bella (1997)

With an 8.6 rating, this Italian classic is sitting at the 27th place of IMDB's all-time top-rated movies - making it the highest-ranking film from that list that I haven't seen. Now, popular opinion isn't everything, but a film has to be doing something very right in order to get such a rating - I know that all of the 26 movies ahead of this one are all dynamite (gun to my head, I'd have to choose David Fincher's Se7en as the worst of the bunch, and that says a lot). Not to mention the fact that this movie is ahead of universally beloved works like Back to the Future, The Lion King and Casablanca...yeah, this I gotta see.

7. Prisoners (2013)

This is probably the most subjective pick on today's list - sure, it's a well-received film, but not quite on the level of classic stature as the other nine. It's here mainly because it's very rare for a film that I haven't seen yet to check so many of my personal boxes; everything I've heard about Prisoners is a green flag for my taste in cinema. The premise sounds intriguing within its genre, the trailer looks amazing, director Denis Villeneuve has not been known to make a subpar film, and the cast (Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Paul Dano)...chef's kiss. I can't believe that I've been meaning to watch this for thirteen years, and still haven't gotten around to it.

6. The Truman Show (1998)

Status as a modern classic aside, I've gotten so many personal recommendations for this one! I am interested in critical acclaim and accolades, but I'm so much more interested when someone who knows me says "Hey, I saw this film and you came to mind, I think you specifically would like it!". Historically, such recommendations have lead to the discovery of absolute gems like Hair (1979), About Time (2013) and Calamari Union (1985).

Also, I'm pretty sure I've managed to avoid at least some spoilers (I thought that the big twist had been ruined for me, but I've since gathered that the thing I know is the initial premise and there is some twist beyond that, and I've been dodging further spoilers ever since)...I should really get around to watching this one.

5. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

A winner of 3 Oscars and widely considered a Best Picture snub, directed by Billy Wilder and starring the classiest A-listers of its time, and constantly appearing on every "Greatest movies of all time" list I encounter, this one hits all the marks. It's not just that it's such a classic either - everything about the film's vibe hints at it being the specific type of old classic that I'm bound to enjoy a lot. The film's poster strikes such a prime-Hollywood aesthetic, not to mention that downright magical IMDB synopsis: "A failed screenwriter falls into a mercenary romance with a faded silent-film star". Every word better than the last.

4. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Told you there'd be more Ghibli! With most of the films on today's list I've mainly heard praise, but with this one, I've heard at least an equal amount of warnings. Warnings about tears and heartbreak, that is. I've managed to avoid spoilers, but just based on what I've heard about the initial setting, I feel like I can guess what the infamous grimness comes from.

I've always loved gripping movies - they require a certain state of mind to get through, and they certainly take their toll on viewers like me who get emotionally invested at the drop of the hat. This film must really be something, as I've heard such an exceptional amount of "oh man, brace yourself" disclaimers - but that just makes me want to watch it more. I'm not sure if that's a morbid-curiosity thing, an "I like to be moved by art" thing or a "Challenge accepted" thing, but either way...I gotta see this one.

3. Apocalypse Now (1979)

While there are two films ahead of this one for various reasons, this is the "objectively" biggest classic (if there is such a thing) that I haven't seen. No other film that has eluded me has gained this amount of universal acclaim, and status in the world of cinema. It's one of the biggest movies in the war genre, it's one of the most respected and influential movies from the 70's, there are several lines that I've known for over ten years despite not having seen the film, and it's second only to the Godfather films when people discuss Francis Ford Coppola's culturally relevant filmography. I've been ashamed of missing Apocalypse Now for years now, and will continue to do so until I finally get around to watching it. One of these days, man...

2. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

I mean, this is just a mythical level of classic. It's a title that cinephiles say with a slight tremble of respect and awe in their voices. I have heard so many positive things about this film, and seen it on so many "Greatest movies of all time" lists, while hearing exactly zero criticisms in the process. It must be pretty f**king good. Not to mention how compelling the premise sounds - I love movies about movies, even when they're the level of Last Action Hero (1993) and The Fabelmans (2022), and when reading reviews of those films, I always got the sense that they're considered mere echoes of this love letter to cinema.

1. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Topping today's exercise in self-embarrassment, we have yet another Ghibli film. Probably considered to be the most must-watch out of Hayao Miyazaki's filmography right after Spirited Away (2001) and maybe My Neighbor Totoro (1988), this film has a massive stature among animated cinema, Japanese cinema, and who am I kidding - cinema in general.

I think I was seven years old when someone at school was talking excitedly about this film, and I figured that it sounds really good and I should really watch it - and twenty years later, the experience has somehow eluded me for all this time. When I eventually get around to it, I'm guessing it'll feel cathartic - not just because it's surely a really good movie, but also because I'll get rid of something that has been nagging at the back of my mind for a vast majority of my life so far.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I finish my "un-movie trilogy" - with a ranking of the top 10 fictional movies and TV shows from movies and TV shows.

Top 10 Best Movies Never Made

Greetings, reader!

Some weeks ago, I had a fun idea: ranking the top 10 greatest movies that were never made. As any film geek will know, there are some truly legendary films that were pitched, scripted, planned and perhaps even shot - but never finished to completion, and never published, causing endless "what if..." speculation among cinephiles. Out of this mythical group, these are the unfinished films that I would be the most curious to see, if granted access to an alternate timeline where they were released!

10. Oil and Vinegar

John Hughes, the mastermind behind feel-good 80's classics like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, wrote a screenplay in the mid-80's that tragically never came to fruition. From what we know, Oil and Vinegar was intended to star Matthew Broderick and Molly Ringwald - and the entire film would follow just those two, in a car, for the entire duration. Described as an 'intimate romantic comedy', I can only imagine how great this film could've been.

9. The First Day

The legendary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky had reportedly shot about half of this ambitious period piece, when the censors came for him. The film was going to be set in 18th century Russia, following the reign of Peter the Great - and Tarkovsky meant to use themes from that era in history to reflect the current state of things in the 1970's, and criticize the Soviet Union's state atheism.

I'm not big on organized religion myself, but as a principle, I can't help but side with the filmmaker making a provocative piece of art against the authoritarian state who only want their mainstream art made via a specific lens (*cough cough*, present-day USA and the shady deals between Hollywood and the Pentagon in the production of any mainstream military film as well as Marvel products, *cough*).

Apparently, Tarkovsky went to great lengths to try and trick the system, including the submission of a fake script to the censors - but eventually, the government got wind of his plan, and halted the project. A frustrated Tarkovsky destroyed the footage he had shot, and the world never got to see what a thought-provoking and rebellious piece of cinema The First Day might have been.

8. Superman Lives

I'm livid thinking about this - we could've had a Superman reboot written by Kevin Smith, directed by Tim Burton, and starring Nicolas Cage, but the ambitious project was ultimately abandoned...due to the critical failure of goddamn Batman & Robin (1998), and Warner Bros. having the wrong takeaway in that special way that only a Hollywood film studio can. I don't even know if the film would've been *good* - this was before the golden age of superheroes, and all three of the attached names have very hit-and-miss careers. But still...best case scenario, it could've become a beloved cult classic, and worst case scenario, it would've definitely made for an entertaining mess like Lynch's Dune at least.

7. Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon

This one is pretty much as infamous as it gets. In preparation for his ultimately unrealized Napoleon biopic, Kubrick apparently watched every movie ever made on the subject, while immersing himself in meticulous research on the historical figure's life. Jack Nicholson was tentatively assigned the role of Napoleon, while Audrey Hepburn was Kubrick's preference for Josephine. In the planning phase, Kubrick's ambition grew to unforeseen levels, with the director claiming that he expected to create the greatest film ever made.

Location costs and critical&commercial failures of similar films in the late 60's and early 70's lead to the project's cancellation. At least Kubrick got to channel some of the extensive historical research he had done into Barry Lyndon (1975), but still...this one hurts.

6. Leningrad: The 900 Days

The legendary director Sergio Leone spent his last years working on this ambitious WWII project. Robert De Niro was set to star as an American journalist who finds himself in the midst of the siege of Leningrad, Ennio Morricone was attached to compose the score, the budget was set at 100 million dollars...and two days before he was to officially sign on for the film, the 60-year-old Leone died of a heart attack. If there is indeed a Heaven, I envy those who got to see this undoubtedly magnificent film getting its premiere in the great cinema above.

5. Spike Lee's Jackie Robinson biopic

On one hand, it feels like I can't be too mad about this one, because 42 (2013), the Jackie Robinson biopic we did end up getting, is a really good film. Chadwick Boseman's breakout performance is fantastic, Brian Helgeland's directing is solid if not amazing, and the gripping and inspiring real-life story is enough to lift the film to a high level. But no matter how much I enjoyed 42, I couldn't help but feel an agonizing sense of "What if?" when I heard that a Jackie biopic was originally planned in the 90's...by Spike Lee.

Again, not to take anything away from 42 - but you just know that the story would've been so much better yet if the Spike had gotten his hands on it. He's one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, and this would've been such an obvious home run (pun intended) - the man proved his knack for biopics with Malcolm X (1992), and the story of Jackie Robinson would've combined his two greatest and most well-documented passions amidst filmmaking - Black history and culture, and sports. Man, this would've been a total all-timer.

4. Company of Angels

Can't believe we were robbed of this one, thanks to years of escalating development hell in the early 90's. A Joan of Arc biopic, starring Winona Ryder and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, would've likely been a massive landmark of feminist cinema! I can almost see the epic atmosphere and badass energy that this film would've rocked with, had it ever been released, if I close my eyes.

3. Ronnie Rocket

January 16th, 2025. My very first thoughts, upon hearing that David Lynch had died, were something along "WHAT THE HELL", "There goes a giant of immeasurable vision and influence", "This calls for a Twin Peaks re-watch" and "I'm sure he has just transcended into another plain of existence too weird for any of us to comprehend". But within the first minutes, one of the many thoughts I had was "Damn - we really never got Ronnie Rocket.

We learned quite a few bits and pieces about this unrealized film throughout Lynch's life, as he would often contemplate returning to this eternity project despite never finishing it. And oh boy, is every fact more Lynchian than the last - it was subtitled "The Absurd Mystery of the Strange Forces of Existence". The protagonist was supposed to be a detective who faces odd rooms and a mysterious train while trying to find another dimension. The plot featured teenage rock stars, tap dancers, and a major character called Ronald d'Arte, a three-foot tall man with an affinity for (or control over) electricity.

2. The Lord of the Rings

Now, obviously I'm not referring to Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which very much has been made and the world is better off for it. I'm referring to something far stranger: a LOTR adaptation by, and bear with me here, The Beatles. Yes, the rock band. No, I'm not making this up.

During that legendary trip to India that spawned much of the legendary White Album, the members of the band also became immersed in Tolkien's books, and decided that they should be the ones to adapt the greatest fantasy trilogy of all time onto the silver screen. They had thought it all through, from choice of director (Stanley Kubrick, obviously) to tentative casting (Paul as Frodo, Ringo as Sam, John as Gollum, and obviously, George as Gandalf). Victory was near...but the power of The Lord of the Rings could not be undone.

It was in this moment that J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the books, took up his lawyer. The rights that the Beatles needed in order to make the film were destroyed. The rights passed to the Tolkien estate, who had the chance to end all movie adaptations forever...but The Lord of the Rings has a will of its own. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend, legend became myth. And for three decades the source material passed out of all knowledge. But then something happened that the Tolkien estate did not anticipate - it was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable, Peter Jackson of New Zealand.

The world may be better off with this film not existing, but at the same time, I'd pay so much money to see what it would've looked like.

1. Slaughterhouse-Five, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Guillermo Del Toro

I am not kidding when I say that I, with all my imagination, could not come up with a better combination of source material, screenwriter and director if I tried. The best I could come up with, in my wildest dreams, would probably be Nathan Hill's The Nix / Aaron Sorkin / Greta Gerwig, or Stephen King's The Dark Tower / Jonathan Nolan / Christopher Nolan, or maybe Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah / Ayo Edebiri / Spike Lee - damn, this is fun! But yeah, none of those combos hold a candle to what could have been with this one.

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is one of my favorite books of all time, and it has never gotten the big-screen adaptation it deserved. Then again, it's hard to imagine any movie doing it justice - but if someone could've pulled it off, it would've been these two. Kaufman's dark humor and chaotic genius, coupled with Del Toro's strong values and out-of-the-box creativity, would've fit the source material like a glove. But alas, it never got past the stage of strong consideration - although in an interview a few years ago, Del Toro said that the pitch isn't a hundred per cent dead yet...so there's hope.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I continue my silly "un-movie trilogy" with a list of the top 10 greatest movies I've never seen.

Top 100 movie acting performances of all time

Greetings, reader!

I did a post about the 100 greatest TV acting performances last year, and now I've finally finished its even more challenging counterpart - the 100 greatest movie acting performances of all time.

I've considered it all - the skill and range showcased in the role, the unique nature of the performance, as well as how iconic the role is. It's hard to completely separate a more 'objective' appreciation for acting skill from appreciating a performance because it's moving or otherwise important to me personally, but then again, this is my subjective list, so the end result is a bit of a mixture between what I consider to be the greatest and what are my personal all-time favorites. These won't all be your conventional Oscar-winning performances - there are roles from quite a large variety of genres and purposes in the mix. I hope you enjoy!

Here are my honorable mentions:

Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp in City Lights (1931)

Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane (1941)

Claire Trevor as Gaye Dawn in Key Largo (1948)

Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann in Roman Holiday (1953)

James Dean as Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Christopher Lee as Count Dracula in Dracula (1958)

Natalie Wood as Maria in West Side Story (1961)

Jack Nicholson as R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976)

Meryl Streep as Linda in The Deer Hunter (1978)

Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid (1984)

Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986)

Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

River Phoenix as Chris Chambers in Stand By Me (1986)

Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988

Danny Aiello as Sal in Do the Right Thing (1989)

Denzel Washington as Joe Miller in Philadelphia (1993)

Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List (1993)

Robin Wright as Jenny in Forrest Gump (1994)

Robin Williams as Sean in in Good Will Hunting (1997)

Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2000)

Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland in Cast Away (2000)

Al Pacino as Will Dormer in Insomnia (2002)

Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012)

Cate Blanchett as Jude in I'm Not There (2007)

Emma Stone as Olive in Easy A (2010)

Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network (2010)

Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Robert Redford as Our Man in All Is Lost (2013)

Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get On Up (2014)

Edward Norton as Mike in Birdman! or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance (2015)

Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed in Creed (2015)

Andrew Garfield as Desmond Doss in Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Daniel Kaluuya as Chris Washington in Get Out (2017)

Sally Hawkins as Elisa Esposito in The Shape of Water (2017)

Toni Collette as Annie in Hereditary (2018)

Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck in Joker (2019)

Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden in The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides in the Dune franchise (2021-)

Zendaya as Emma in The Drama (2026)

100. Patricia Arquette as Olivia in Boyhood (2014)

The film's lengthy-production gimmick makes for a perfect proving ground to Arquette's acting skill, as she makes the most of it in this complex portrayal of motherhood.

99. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars franchise (1977-)

This strong performance combines dry wit, charismatic elegance and striking badassery to become truly iconic.

98. LaKeith Stanfield as Andre Logan King in Get Out (2017)

With very little screentime, LaKeith Stanfield permanently etches his authentically frightened facial expressions into the viewer's memory. Totally unforgettable.

97. Zendaya as Tashi Donaldson in Challengers (2024)

An important step on Zendaya's journey to being a generation-defining actress, her leading role in Challengers is filled with all sorts of fascinating nuances that can only be pulled off by the best.

96. Amy Adams as Louise Banks in Arrival (2016)

An emotionally charged lead performance driven by many things - but most of all, a powerful sense of curiosity that Amy Adams conveys in a wonderful way.

95. Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier in It (2017)

No, I'm not exaggerating when I'm putting this in my all-time top 100. This is an incredible feat of child acting, and an absolute embodiment of the Richie from the book.

94. Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise (1984-)

Many action heroes were close to making the list - I considered Matt Damon as Bourne, Christian Bale's Batman and a couple of James Bonds, as the archetype does take a specific and admirable type of skill that is rarely recognized by critics. But honestly and respectfully, none of those dudes hold a candle to Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor - the defining lead of the genre, if you ask me.

93. Greta Garbo as Grusinskaya in Grand Hotel (1932)

A mysterious aura, some classy and iconic line deliveries, and ultimately, a beautiful portrayal of compassion.

92. Delroy Lindo as Paul in Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Leave it to Delroy to portray a bitter, Trump-supporting Black man, without turning it into any sort of caricature but rather exploring how something like that happens in all complexity. Bravo.

91. Peter Sellers as Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Dude disappears so thoroughly into all three of his roles that I did not realize it was the same guy until the credits rolled. Now that's acting.

90. Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins in Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

The arguably most acclaimed actress of all time brings humor, heart and some truly impressive purposefully-bad vocals into the role that gave her her twentieth (no, really) Oscar nomination.

89. Meg Ryan as Sally in When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Rom-coms are another genre where the acting performances are often sadly overlooked - because really, how many could do what Meg Ryan does with this role, to such a hilarious, endearing and complete degree? This casting was lightning in a bottle, man.

88. Ian McKellen as Magneto in the X-Men franchise (2000-)

The Shakespearean gravitas that Sir Ian brings to this supervillain role has been talked about for 26 years, and will be talked about for many more to come. What a legend.

87. Cuba Gooding Jr. as Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire (1996)

Jerry Maguire is so good because they took an otherwise conventional script, style and set of actors - and then threw this complete fireball of chaos into the mix to make everything more unpredictable and interesting. I'm so glad that he won an Oscar for this!

86. Judd Nelson as John Bender in The Breakfast Club (1985)

The performance that every educator needs to see, and analyze, over and over again. Judd Nelson paints the superficial-seeming bad boy caricature, as well as the broken, humane soul found beneath, with perfection.

85. Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

It's pretty impressive when a film's plot involves a toroid singularity that could destroy the multiverse, yet the most powerful whirlwind that'll stay with you is Michelle Yeoh's towering performance.

84. Alma Pöysti as Ansa Grönholm in Kuolleet Lehdet (2023)

Many Finnish performances were close to making it (Heikki Savolainen in Tuntematon Sotilas, Seidi Haarla in Hytti Nro 6 and Pöysti's co-star Jussi Vatanen in this flick come to mind), yet this is the sole survivor after my brutal elimination process. Alma Pöysti delivers her lines, interacts with her castmates and expresses her emotions in a unique, harrowing manner throughout the film.

83. Denzel Washington as Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

From Michael Fassbender to Sir Patrick Stewart, many of the greats have tackled the lead role of The Scottish Play on the silver screen - and the very best to ever do it is, in the view of this wannabe Shakespeare enthusiast, Mr. Denzel Washington.

82. Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964)

Honestly, the plot of this movie is pretty bad, and it would be nothing short of forgettable if it wasn't for one saving grace - the divine Audrey Hepburn, gracing every scene with spectacular charm, heartfelt expressions and amazing comedic timing.

81. Keke Palmer as Emerald Haywood in Nope (2022)

First of all, Keke Palmer is funny as hell in this role, but that's just the tip of the iceberg - she uses her comedic chops to captivate the audience and get them all invested in a character who turns out to be pretty f**king interesting amidst all the chaos.

80. James Stewart as George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

A wild range of emotions is conveyed in this deeply human leading performance.

79. Nicole Kidman as Alice Harford in Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Sublime chemistry with co-star Tom Cruise, making for some of the best-acted arguing scenes in Hollywood history.

78. Robert Sean Leonard as Neil Perry in Dead Poets Society (1989)

I love every little detail within this fragile and expressive performance so much, and it dazzles me more and more every time I re-watch the film.

77. Al Pacino as Lt. Col. Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman (1992)

Come for the "wow, he's playing a blind man?", stay for the "Jesus, that's not even the most impressive aspect of the performance".

76. Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman in Adaptation. (2002)

Pure, unadulterated chaos - and it works like a charm. No one could've interpreted this specific, utterly bonkers script quite like the one and only Nic Cage.

75. Logan Lerman as Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

A personally important performance to me, but also the objective talent Lerman brings to the role cannot be denied.

74. Christopher Lee as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Between Dracula, Scaramanga and Count Dooku, I consider Sir Christopher Lee to be the greatest villain actor of all time - and this fantasy powerhouse is his crowning achievement.

73. Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025)

Funny, clever, impeccably nuanced, layered - and with some historically kick-ass vocal chops to seal the deal.

72. Jessie Buckley as Ida / The Bride / Mary Shelley in The Bride! (2026)

A unique, thoroughly captivating triple role that truly carries the film to greatness.

71. Angela Bassett as Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X (1992)

An explosively dramatic read on both the historical figure and Spike Lee's script. Angela Bassett is such a legend.

70. Lee J. Cobb as Juror #3 in 12 Angry Men (1957)

You know you can act big when you're the angriest man in a film with this title. Of course, big doesn't always equal good, but Lee J. Cobb acts big in just the right way.

69. Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen in The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1990)

An ensemble cast's version of what a good system midfielder does in football. Duvall as Tom Hagen never steals the show or makes it all about himself, but dammit if he doesn't elevate every single scene he's in via efficient line deliveries and immaculate chemistry with all of his co-stars!

68. Sadie Sink as Ellie in The Whale (2022)

Here's my hot take - not to take anything away from Brendan Fraser's deservedly Oscar-winning lead role in this film, but I was honestly even more impressed by what Sadie Sink did with her role. She swings through a wild range of emotions, brutally real-feeling difficult conversations and genuine honesty beneath layers of psychological walls like it's nothing.

67. Alfre Woodard as Carolyn in Crooklyn (1994)

A strong testament to motherhood, in a Black and economically challenged family no less, that truly stands the test of time.

66. Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in It (2017)

There are many great big-screen interpretations of iconic characters from literature, but only a select few where all barriers of conventional understanding-of-the-source-material are crossed, to a point where it seems like the actor straight-up absorbed the pages of the book to completely become the character. Bill Skarsgård in It is one of them. Oh, and here's another...

65. Javier Bardem as Stilgar in the Dune franchise (2021-)

I had like six different names from Villeneuve's Dune movies on my shortlist for this top 100, because the whole ensemble is so historically well-cast. But, in the end, only one name made it onto the list: Javier motherf**king Bardem, who is Stilgar down to every last detail.

64. Edward Norton as Narrator in Fight Club (1999)

Edward Norton is one of my all-time favorite actors, although only one of his roles made it onto this as the competition was so tough. His Fight Club role may not be quite as critically acclaimed or conventionally appreciated as his work in films like 25th Hour or American History X, but in its own category, it's utter perfection and the film would feel completely different if it was any other actor in his place.

63. Robert Pattinson as Thomas Howard in The Lighthouse (2019)

Watching Robert Pattinson playing Edward in the Twilight movies or Cedric in The Goblet of Fire, you would NOT guess the caliber of stuff he'd grow capable of later in his career. Beneath that charming smile is an unhinged beast capable of performing the most extreme, outrageous roles (said with the utmost respect).

62. Meryl Streep as Susan Orlean in Adaptation. (2002)

This one is funny because the role written for her would work just fine with a lesser actress, as the film is so centered on the Kaufman brothers - but, as is the case with films like Mamma Mia! and Don't Look Up, the film ends up being a hundred times better because they got the GOAT delivering a ridiculously good performance to spice things up.

61. Florence Pugh as Dani in Midsommar (2019)

Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis, Heather Langenkamp and all the other legendary 'final girls' from the horror genre walked so that Florence Pugh could run, acting her heart out to deliver the ultimate final form of the archetype.

60. John Hurt as John Merrick in The Elephant Man (1980)

This heartbreaking performance invokes a level of emotion that very few Hollywood actors have ever managed to reach. Outstanding work by Mr. Hurt.

59. Henry Fonda as Juror #8 in 12 Angry Men (1957)

It's pretty funny that the two men out of the twelve angry men that made it onto this list are the most angry one and the least angry one. As great as all the furious shouting by the other characters is throughout the film, nothing beats the nonchalant "I'm just asking questions" vibe that Henry Fonda brings to the function.

58. Laura Dern as Sandy Williams in Blue Velvet (1986)

Out of all the great director-actor combos out there, from Scorsese & De Niro to Nolan & Caine and everything in between, my all-time favorite is probably David Lynch and Laura Dern. She always excels in his films, and her breakthrough role in Blue Velvet is no different. What a talent.

57. Julia Stiles as Kat Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

It should be illegal for teen movies to have acting performances this intricate and powerful - I thought I was tuning in for a cute high school pseudo-Shakespeare-adaptation, and I was not emotionally prepared for the scene where Kat reads her poem in a manner that would put many Oscar-winning performances to shame.

56. Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013)

God, this national treasure was taken from us too soon. In one of the many roles that immortalized Chadwick's short-lived career, he steps into the shoes of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, and does his inspiring story justice with a fiercely passionate performance.

55. Frances McDormand as Fern in Nomadland (2020)

I genuinely believe that this Best Picture winner would be A) boring as hell, B) forgettable and C) not a Best Picture winner (barely a nominee, maybe) if they had cast a lesser actress in the lead role. Don't get me wrong, I really like Nomadland - but you cannot understate the degree to which McDormand carries the end product.

54. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise (2001-2011)

Once again, we have one of those book-to-movie adaptation roles where the character from the source material comes to life in a strikingly complete and impressively layered manner. Also, fuck J.K. Rowling.

53. Michael B. Jordan as Smoke / Stack in Sinners (2025)

Michael B. deserving of that Oscar win, with the way that Michael B. acting in this film! His double lead performance is already admirable as hell on your first viewing, but it definitely takes a re-watch to fully appreciate all the nuances that he brings to his unforgettable portrayal of the Smokestack Twins.

52. Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca (1942)

You know you're good at your craft when you'll just say a sentence and it'll be ranked at #13 on some critic's ranking of the greatest movie lines ever spoken, and five minutes later you'll say a different sentence that'll be a different critic's second-favorite movie quote of all time, and neither of those are even among the top three lines you say in that movie. No one chucks out iconic lines quite like ol' Bogart.

51. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery (1989)

In a medium filled with memorable villain performances, Kathy Bates delivers one of the very best - this chills-down-your-spine feat of acting is legitimately unsettling.

50. Saoirse Ronan as Lady Bird McPherson in Lady Bird (2017)

A subtle performance perfectly suited for Greta Gerwig's script and direction - Ronan's brand of acting here is the very definition of "sometimes less is more", as the slightest expressions and inflections speak volumes about the character's arch.

49. Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)

Tom Hanks pours so much genuine heart into this career-defining, Oscar-winning role that it's really something to behold.

48. Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Marlon Brando had made the character one of cinema's most iconic roles just two years earlier, so stepping in to play the younger version of Don Vito must have been quite the shoes to fill. A young Robert De Niro was, however, the perfect casting choice, as he really made the role his own while simultaneously staying true to the precedent set by Brando.

47. Inde Navarrette as Nikki in Obsession (2026)

You could call this recency bias, but I'm telling you - this could go down in history as one of the greats. Navarrette's breakout performance is unique in nature, fascinating as it unfolds, shockingly intense, and a complete revelation.

46. Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The protagonist goes through a lot in this film, and you can tell Tim Robbins' dedication to the craft from how every little twist and turn to his character arch can be seen reflected on his facial expressions, tone of voice and various nuances. The role lives and breathes in perfect lockstep with the story.

45. Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986)

Much like Laura Dern, Kyle MacLachlan is another actor who truly understood David Lynch's vision, and was thus an unreal casting choice for many of his projects. The fresh energy and authentic curiosity that he brings to the role of Jeffrey Beaumont really works wonders for Lynch's best film, especially as Kyle's unassuming style of acting here builds such a delicious contrast to the cynical / evil / unhinged roles by his co-stars.

44. Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance in The Shining (1980)

My favorite horror flick of all time wouldn't be anything without Shelley Duvall's one-of-a-kind interpretation of her character.

43. Barry Keoghan as Dominic Kearney in The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

With impressively little screen time, a young (and quite unknown at the time) Barry Keoghan comfortably outshines the leading duo of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson with this incredibly tragic and admirably unique performance.

42. Richard Farnsworth as Alvin in The Straight Story (1999)

At 79 years of age, and just a year before his death, Richard Farnsworth delivered a blistering tour-de-force that he'll always be remembered for. Hell of a way to go out.

41. Emma Stone as Sam in Birdman! or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance (2015)

I consider Birdman to be one of the overall best-acted films I've ever seen, with the likes of Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts all bringing their A-game into a fast-paced, conceptually challenging format - yet they all barely missed out on the list. The film's brighest-shining star, however, is Hollywood darling Emma Stone, who doesn't miss a beat while expertly combining jaded sarcasm, hard-hitting bitterness, a realistic depiction of recovery from addiction and bizarre surrealism into her role. No notes.

40. Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia (1993)

The plot of the film is very emotional in itself, but it's Hanks' performance that makes Philadelphia into the tear-jerker that it is. When aiming to educate a deeply homophobic society via a film about a good-hearted gay man treated unfairly by the world, casting America's sweetheart Tom Hanks in the role was a stroke of genius that probably got a lot of viewers thinking about their prejudices.

39. Holly Hunter as Ada McGrath in The Piano (1993)

She doesn't speak a word, nor does she need to - Holly Hunter is thoroughly mesmerizing for each second of screen time she gets in this deservedly Oscar-winning lead performance.

38. Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994)

You know a role is good when the actor has had a very prolific career, and you saw him in a bunch of stuff before this role and have seen him in a bunch more after, yet still you'll connect him to this one specific role in your mind for the rest of your life. I believe Samuel L. Jackson (the 'L' stands for 'motherfucker') was born to play Jules, and the work he does in this film is larger than life. If you replaced him with any other actor in any of his scenes, it wouldn't be half as entertaining and enthralling.

37. Diana Ross as Dorothy in The Wiz (1978)

Diana Ross, more known and experienced as a singer than an actress, got a fairly negative reception for her role in The Wiz - and, despite putting the role on this list and ranking it so highly, I kind of get it. Like many on this list, this isn't your conventional Oscar-winner-type acting performance - but, I mean, The Wiz isn't your typical film. For this bizarre, wild, utterly beautiful re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, they couldn't have found a better Dorothy, and I for one was completely captivated by her brand of acting. Also, her legendary vocal chops make for some earth-shattering emotional expression that a non-singing acting performance could never reach, particularly in the climactic track Home.

36. Diane Keaton as Kay Adams in The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1990)

Totally great when conveying big emotions in explosive arguing scenes (especially that one scene with Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II), but arguably even better when making the toned-down scenes infinitely more interesting with all sorts of nuances.

35. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007)

Many cinephiles would put this in their all-time top ten, and I completely understand why. It's a villain archetype that many have tried, quite a few have succeeded at, but only one has utterly perfected - if there's a more convincing stoic, scary, devoid-of-emotion bad guy out there, I haven't seen it.

34. Rita Moreno as Anita in West Side Story (1961)

10/10 vocals, 10/10 moves, 10/10 line deliveries, 10/10 humor - the whole cast is pretty damn talented, but even if they weren't, you might not notice because Rita Moreno had enough talent to carry the whole film.

33. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Excellent in the first film, gains more depth in the second, and reaches a point of blistering, passionate perfection in the third.

32. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

A phenomenal and rightfully Oscar-winning lead performance, as Foster brings the character to life with magnificent intensity.

31. Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface (1983)

I've seen my fair share of films where the protagonist goes through a classic rise-and-fall arch - but no one has portrayed the phases of that narrative, from the humble beginnings throughout the newly gained confidence and outrageous arrogance while on the top all the way to the chaotic despair of their downfall, quite as fully as Al Pacino in Scarface.

30. Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds (2009)

That tense-as-hell opening scene alone would put this role in this top 100, and Waltz's work for the rest of the film furthers its placement all the way to #30. Hans Landa is a villain performance that'll make you genuinely uncomfortable because of how real it feels.

29. Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Casting a cis woman as a trans man wouldn't fly today, but relative to 1999, this film did wonders for trans awareness in a profoundly transphobic society, and has gained tons of praise from the trans community. It helps that Swank plays the role respectfully, bringing heartbreaking levels of grace and nuance to the lead role.

28. Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972)

There are acting performances that are good but typical / confined to an archetype, then there are standout roles that are quite different from any other - and then, in a league of his own, is Brando as Don Vito. Fucking no one talks like this, sounds like this, or carries themselves in such a manner - and that absolutely unique approach is what makes the role so legendary.

27. Kenneth Branagh as Iago in Othello (1995)

Lifelong Shakespeare aficionado Kenneth Branagh conveys a deep understanding of the best villain the Bard ever wrote in this immersive performance.

26. Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004)

Stepping into the shoes of such a legend can't have been an easy task, but Blanchett was up for it, effortlessly outshining Leo DiCaprio's leading role and becoming the easily most memorable part of the acclaimed film.

25. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs is one of those formative films for a film geek - you think you know what good acting is from Alec Guinness in Star Wars and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and then you watch this film and are like, "Oh, okay, this is good acting". I think Sir Anthony still holds the world record for Academy Award won with the least screen time, and that's such a telling stat for this particular role.

24. Andrew Garfield as Jon in tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)

A sledgehammer performance bursting with raw emotional delivery and genuine heart. This guy is too good.

23. Isabella Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens in Blue Velvet (1986)

The entire ensemble of Blue Velvet does a great job, but even in that prestigious crowd, it's Isabella Rossellini who stands out with her tragic, layered, mysterious and completely enthralling performance.

22. Lupita Nyong'o as Adelaide Wilson / Red in Us (2019)

Quite a few double roles (and two triples?!) made it onto the list, and there are two even ahead of this one - but no double role that I've seen carries so much range between the two characters portrayed by the actress, yet it's still very believably two versions of the same character. Unreal amounts of talent went into this one.

21. Ethan Hawke as Todd Anderson in Dead Poets Society (1989)

One of the many goals that an acting performance can have is "make the viewer care about your character" - and in that, I'm not sure if there's another role in film history that accomplishes that goal to such an astronomical degree as this fully realized, beautifully expressed role.

20. James Franco as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist (2017)

I'm not exaggerating with this one - out of the many great portrayals of infamous real-life people in the biopic genre, I can't think of another person who must have been as challenging to portray as Tommy Wiseau. Yet Franco completely pulls it off, to a staggering degree. This funny yet tragic performance is a joy to behold.

19. Mahershala Ali as Juan in Moonlight (2016)

The character is only present for one third of the film, but that's easily the best part, largely thanks to the profoundly gripping yet ultimately inspiring presence that the one and only Mahershala Ali brings to his Oscar-winning supporting role.

18. Anne Hathaway as Fantine in Les Miserables (2012)

Speaking of gripping, this heartbreaking portrayal of desperation and loss of innocence will stay with you long after the credits rolled. Every second of Anne Hathaway's screentime here is gold, but the I Dreamed a Dream sequence in particular is what made this into one of the most no-brainer Oscar wins in my lifetime.

17. Ian McKellen as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

The guy will say a line like "What?" or "Oh, really!" and it'll be a delivery worth endless re-watch value and analysis due to his specific intonation and nuanced timing. And this expands tenfold when he's given more dramatic lines and monologues, where he truly gets to interpret the character with an infinite amount of gusto.

16. Taraji P. Henson as Katherine G. Johnson in Hidden Figures (2016)

There are many great movies about racism that taught me a lot about my privilege and one's responsibility to educate oneself when growing up, and those movies contain some superb acting performances. If I had to single out one portrayal of the Black experience in the United States that is harrowing, beautiful, complex and eye-opening all at once, it would probably be Taraji P. Henson acting her heart out in Hidden Figures.

15. Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network (2010)

It doesn't get much better than this. The incredible range showcased while believably staying in the same character, the moments of quiet reflection that speak volumes as well as the explosive confrontations as the character's emotions overboil - Andrew Garfield conveys it all and more in this spectacular performance.

14. Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

An immortal performance, equally unforgettable for how charming and amusing it is on the outside and for how tender and humane it ends up being on the inside as the character's journey is fully uncovered.

13. Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008)

Many have called this the greatest movie acting performance of all time, and while there are twelve that I ranked even higher, I totally get it. Ledger takes the iconic character to unforeseen, unprecedented extremes, sending chills down your spine with every line delivery while causing infinite interest in the viewer with every gesture and facial expression.

12. Laura Dern as Nikki Grace / Susan Blue in Inland Empire (2006)

Calling a performance the greatest role in Laura Dern's career is like choosing Spain's greatest midfielder or claiming a song to be the best track on Fleetwood Mac's Rumours - the competition is tough as hell, so the crown isn't given lightly. But in my view, David Lynch's final feature film is where Dern does her very best work, delivering a performance that is both thoroughly bizarre (worthy of decades of analysis) and deeply touching.

11. Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980)

Unhinged, unsettling, and totally captivating for every second of screentime. It's not exactly the Jack from the book, but it's a bizarre and thoroughly unique interpretation of the character in Kubrick's script, and one of those acting performances that you'll feel in your bones and that'll truly stay with you.

10. Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi (1982)

A juggernaut of nuanced emotion and impeccable talent, grounded in well-researched, thoroughly explored historical accuracy. Dude looked the part and acted the part, to the degree that you'll forget you're watching a biopic and feel like you're living the story instead.

9. Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023)

He fully grabs your attention already in those early scenes - and then it gets better and better with each moment, as the character gains so much depth and layers and Cillian portrays it all with perfection. You think you've seen it all when you get to the final scene - and that's when he hits you with that facial expression in the final shot, which is probably the best-acted individual face I've ever seen an actor make in anything. There is no timeline in which he wouldn't have won an Oscar for this.

8. Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

A spectacularly haunting portrayal of grief, trauma and a psychological breakdown. The Twin Peaks movie splits opinions to this day, but let's be real - the franchise wouldn't be the fully realized masterpiece that it is if it wasn't for Sheryl Lee's beautiful, magical, earth-shattering, heartbreaking and terrifying powerhouse of a performance in this instalment.

7. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025)

No, I'm not exaggerating with this placement. In one of the most moving performances I've ever seen, Cynthia Erivo provides such a full understanding of her character that the viewer becomes completely invested, ingrained even, in Elphaba's journey for every step of the way. The idealism before everything goes wrong, the bitterness upon being betrayed, the cold embrace of the villain role while undergoing a whirlwind of emotions - she does it all, and with dynamite vocals to back it up as well.

6. Willem Dafoe as Thomas Wake in The Lighthouse (2019)

I can't think of a more fruitful performance to study the f**k out of for any aspiring actor. Dafoe does things with his facial expressions and line deliveries that feel extravagant, extreme, almost inhuman - and the end result is a completely mesmerizing sledgehammer performance worthy of endless analysis.

5. Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

There are no words that do justice for how much I care about this character, and for what an unreal casting choice Sean Astin was. The absolute passion with which he acts his heart out in moments like the "Tales that really mattered" speech or the "I can't carry it for you" scene (the greatest movie moment of all time, if you ask me) - it's a wonder to behold, and I fall more and more in love with this performance with each re-watch.

4. Naomi Watts as Betty Elms / Diane Selwyn in Mulholland Drive (2001)

I have never seen, and probably will never see, a performance quite like Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive. Every second she's on screen, the viewer is absolutely glued to her, because every single thing she does - microexpressions, tonal shifts, you name it - is thoroughly interesting. If you've ever seen an actor phone in a performance, picture the complete opposite of that - that's Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive.

3. Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1990)

This is what people who grew up watching Pele must have felt like when Messi came along: I considered Al Pacino in The Godfather to be the #1 greatest movie acting performance of all time for many years, and a part of me is genuinely annoyed that I eventually saw two films with even better roles, because it hurts to admit that anything is better than this one. It's one of those roles where a small shift in his facial expression will grab your full attention in that special way that only a great movie can, and that's just the tip of the iceberg - between the phenomenal line deliveries, exquisite interactions with fellow castmates and the superb portrayals of gradual change amidst the character's journey, I could write an essay about how this role redefined the limits of acting and continues to amaze to this day.

2. Denzel Washington as Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992)

I was just inches away from putting this at #1, and even though the other top contender barely edged it out, a big part of me does consider this to be the greatest feat of pure acting talent in cinematic history. To get some idea of what I'm talking about, just watch any clip of the real Malcolm X followed by a clip with Denzel playing the part, and you'll get what I'm talking about. For the full picture, you'll have to watch the full 200-minute film, appreciating every detail that this remarkable master of the craft put into this absolute tour de force.

1. Robin Williams as John Keating in Dead Poets Society (1989)

In the end, I had to go with my heart - this'll sound like a cliche, but in addition to the objective talent that the late great Robin Williams brought to the role that made him immortal, he performed in a way that moved my very heart and soul, more deeply than any other role in cinema. The passionate energy contrasted with the subtle moments of humane fragility, the big inspiring speeches as well as the painfully genuine portrayals of human kindness - I can't even think of what to say, except for the obvious: O captain, my captain.

And finally, some statistics! Here are the actors who appeared on the list more than once:

Al Pacino (3)

Andrew Garfield (2)

Audrey Hepburn (2)

Denzel Washington (2)

Ian McKellen (2)

Javier Bardem (2)

Laura Dern (2)

Meryl Streep (2)

Tom Hanks (2)

And here are the films / film franchises that appeared more than once:

The Godfather trilogy (5)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy (4)

Blue Velvet (3)

Dead Poets Society (3)

12 Angry Men (2)

Adaptation. (2)

It (2)

Malcolm X (2)

The Lighthouse (2)

The Shining (2)

The Silence of the Lambs (2)

Wicked / Wicked: For Good (2)

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I begin a silly project that I've dubbed "the un-movie trilogy", by ranking the top 10 greatest films never made.

Ranking the big movies of the 2020's based on how obnoxious the discourse was

Greetings, reader!

This is a fun idea I had a while back! These days, whenever a big movie is released, the online discourse around it seems to be a necessary part of the experience for my generation (I always avoid it like the plague before seeing the film, but dive right into the rabbit hole after seeing it for myself. People who seek out the takes beforehand and enter the movie with a bunch of pre-conceived notions on what to think are a major pet peeve of mine). Anyways, I've noticed distinct differences in the discourse around different films - some get super-messy and summon the loudest, most annoying people in the world to flood the conversation with the absolute worst takes, while others seem to mainly provide a forum for interesting people to share interesting opinions and have an actual conversation about the film. Here is an arbitrarily handpicked selection of some of the biggest and most opinion-generating films of this decade so far, ranked from the least annoying discourse to the most annoying!

18. KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

As huge as this film was, it attracted a remarkably small amount of stupid takes (or then they just didn't find their way onto my algorithms). Mainly it just seemed to be people agreeing that the film was awesome, and I saw exceptionally few "THIS MOVIE IS OVERRATED AND YOU'RE ALL DUMB FOR LIKING IT" takes considering how big the film's hype got.

Usually, the amount of praise goes hand in hand with the amount of people hating on the film no matter how good it is, because a lot of people just have to make everything about seeming smarter than everyone rather than enjoying something. But KPop Demon Hunters managed to be an outlier regarding this phenomenon! The biggest critiques I saw were from KPop fans saying that the film wasn't completely accurate to the culture in some regards, and those were very mild in tone and educational as well.

17. Challengers (2024)

This one was quite a similar case - I reckon that Challengers was saved from obnoxious discourse thanks to the hype around the film not getting too big, even though it was one of the biggest films of 2024. From what I saw, the Challengers discourse largely began and ended at "This movie was awesome!", with cinema-themed content creators on YouTube and Instagram as well as regular people commenting on platforms like Threads all seeming to agree.

Even the within-the-plot discourse, about which characters everyone liked and agreed with and what lessons and takeaways there were to be found, went by quite painlessly. Just two years later, those have most definitely surpassed opinions about the film itself as the biggest source of polarization.

16. The Drama (2026)

With The Drama, there was a lot of discourse and varying opinions - but from what I saw, pretty much all of it was intelligent and interesting. For whatever reason, those specific archetypes of people that often taint the discourse around a film - the one who seems to want to purposefully misunderstand the film, the one who can't agree with anyone about anything but has a need to "win" the discourse by having ultra-hot takes, the one who has zero media literacy but definitely believes themselves to be smarter than everyone - seemed to largely miss this one.

And thank God for that - The Drama is filled with material that could potentially serve as a breeding ground for just the worst, most insufferable takes. After seeing the movie, I was mentally prepared for this, expecting to see stuff like "actually Emma is the villain" and "no, they're ALL right" - but I was delighted to be wrong! Many of the takes I saw were ones I agreed with, whereas others hadn't occurred to me but made me think and expanded my appreciation of the film, and even the ones I disagreed with were well-reasoned and valid points of view. The discourse wasn't nearly as one-note as the two films ranked below this one, but for a discourse filled with a large range of varying takes, this one was healthy and fun.

15. Superman (2025)

Okay, there were shitty Superman takes (as is bound to happen with such a big film) - but compared to many such cases, they were definitely in the minority. As could be expected, the conservative right hated the film, and I saw my share of "oh no, they made Superman woke!" takes - but the hate train died down quickly enough that it never got to the point of exhausting me but rather gave me a good laugh. A vast majority of the discourse was totally awesome - a large portion of people online, at least outside the MAGA bubble, seemed to be largely in agreement: this film was fun as hell!

While debates were had about who had the best performance and how does this rank among DC films, the main take I kept seeing over and over again was along the lines of "Man, it's refreshing as hell to see a movie this genuinely optimistic and unapologetically fun in the Lord's year 2025". The memes were also pure gold - "Watch Superman, a film with the legitimately compelling premise of 'What if a guy was nice?'" pops into my mind and makes me smile every now and then.

14. Sinners (2025)

In a manner quite similar to Superman, this critical darling of 2025 did have its haters, but they were such a small (if loud) minority that they didn't ruin the discourse no matter how hard they tried. For every one "Ugh, why is a film about SINNING winning Oscars in my America?" that I encountered, there were about ten fascinating points about the characters, themes and hidden layers. The film itself was a perfect recipe for fruitful discourse, as there's so much to analyze and unpack. Of course, the film's acclaim got to be so big that it attracted the "actually, it's overrated and you're all stupid for enjoying it" crowd, but even they stayed relatively tame when compared to many similar cases.

13. Tenet (2020)

Now we're starting to get to ones where the discourse was a bit annoying, but not nearly among the worst instances. With Tenet, my only issue with the discourse was how much of it was negative, especially due to a large amount of critiques having very poor reasoning. Look, if you don't like the film, that's perfectly fine, but the Tenet hate seemed so forced - it's like Christopher Nolan had had so many well-received movies in a row, that the internet felt that it's time to turn on him. Most of the negative reviews I saw (and I saw a lot) really gave the vibe that the viewer had walked into the theater having decided beforehand that they won't like the film, and will thus be looking for reasons to nitpick. Other than that, the discourse wasn't too bad though!

12. Oppenheimer (2023)

Two Nolan films in a row! A big chunk of the Oppenheimer discourse was alright - people were having fun with the whole Barbenheimer thing, and the internet was ready to like Nolan again after blowing off some steam with Tenet. However, there was a semi-significant portion of takes that now feel like a precursor to what we've seen a lot more in the last one or two years - due to a combination of factors, we're in a media literacy crisis, which is largely why more and more of the film discourse we see gets flooded with the worst takes.

The case with Oppenheimer wasn't as bad as some, but it wasn't great either - while there were many positive reviews from people who understood what the film was about as well as well-reasoned critiques on how it handled its delicate subject manner, both the positive and negative ends of the discourse also had their share of some truly wild takes. From pro-nuclear-warfare people who liked the movie because all the anti-war subtext whooshed right over them, all the way to people to trashed the film without even seeing it because someone on TikTok claimed that it glorifies U.S. foreign policy, there were some brilliant examples of why we really need media literacy training in the current climate.

11. Barbie (2023)

I swear, both sides of the Barbenheimer coin being ranked consecutively was a pure coincidence! But, yeah - to the surprise of absolutely no one, Barbie had the even more annoying discourse out of the two. I considered ranking it significantly higher, because at its very worst, the discourse got ugly as hell - remember Ben Shapiro's 43-minute rant about why he hated the movie, and all of the other insecure man-babies who got offended by the film? Yeah, that absolutely sucked, and I saw a lot of comments that temporarily tested my faith in humanity.

However, it isn't ranked higher than this, because when I look back on the discourse in its entirety, I see it as a net positive.

Not to take anything away from how worrisome the manosphere hate campaign against this film was, but as much of that content as I saw, there was way more good stuff. I saw some fantastic takes unpacking the different messages and motifs of the film, and a lot of people seemed to be having an actual conversation instead of yelling past each other. The movie had clearly moved a lot of people in many different ways, and seeing how meaningful it was to so many people and how much power viewers found from within was a joyful part of the Barbenheimer summer experience.

10. Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025)

My big problem with this otherwise decent discourse was the emergence of a fairly common phenomenon that has become a real pet peeve to me: people take the good parts for granted. Of course, I wasn't familiar with the Broadway musical when I walked into the first film, so it makes sense that elements like the story and songs weren't as big of a deal for OG fans of the musical as they were for someone like me experiencing them for the first time. But still, the musical getting a big-budget cinematic adaptation - and one that got the job done with flying colors - is a big deal, yet after the first month or so, I often felt like I was the only one who felt so.

Instead of talking about things like the intricate set design, the magical atmosphere, the spectacular arrangements, the phenomenal performances and how powerfully the story hit in today's political landscape, a vast majority seemed to take all of that for granted and instead focus on odd nitpicks or going on and on about how the stage version is better (which I believe, but still - you don't watch The Return of the King and constantly remind everyone about how you like the book more). When you look at the amount of continued hype and praise that many of the big movies in the last few years have gotten, I couldn't help but feel sad about Wicked doing so many things right that were hardly mentioned in the discourse.

This also carried into the larger cinematic discourse of 2024 and 2025 - when people who aren't into musical theater were wondering what's so great about the film / calling it overrated / confessing they didn't see it, the demographic who I expected to be defending the film - Broadway geeks - were weirdly quiet and/or neutral, with a whole lot of "yeah, it was alright". I must have seen a different movie than them, because the first Wicked was the best film of 2024 and Wicked: For Good was a top three for 2025 as well. You don't have to agree with that, but still, I was let down by the lack of recognition after the short-lived initial hype.

9. The Odyssey (2026)

None of Christopher Nolan’s films from the 2020’s have been ranked particularly high on this list, as the discourse is always mainly nice - both the main aspects of praise and the main critiques are often well-reasoned ones. However, The Odyssey is clearly ahead of Tenet and Oppenheimer, because the far-right trolls did try their darnest to hijack the discourse.

They didn’t completely take over my algorhithms, as is the case with some of today’s highest-ranked instances, but they were definitely louder and more prominent than with many other films. The discourse has been pretty illuminating if you don’t look at the transphobic and racist reactions to the film’s casting choices, but I do have to include that in my view of the discourse, as I saw so much forced hate being spewed at Elliot Page and Lupita Nyong’o. What a dumb f**king world we live in.

8. Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024)

Writing this post has made me think about a clear distinction in any given film's discourse: there's the conversation about the movie in its surrounding context (how good it was, how does it rank within that year's movies or that director's catalogue etc.), and the conversation about the stuff within the movie (people who agree with each other over how good the film was, debating what they thought of the characters, events and thematic takeaways). With Denis Villeneuve's Dune, both conversations had a lot of good stuff, but the discourse stayed relevant for so long that it was almost inevitable that the God's-gift-to-the-internet crowd got all over it.

Suddenly, amidst the "This is the best movie of the decade so far!" and "I find it a bit overrated but still, an amazing production" takes, we started to see bullshit like arrogant men going "This is the #1 greatest movie of all time and if you disagree with that it's because you're too dumb to understand it" as well as negative takes that were clearly a reactionary take on the film's hype (hating on something just to be contrarian - a classic).

The same goes for the conversation about the film's substance - for a beautiful fleeting moment, my algorithms were flooded with interesting debates on the politics and morality of various factions in Dune, but sooner or later, the ones with the worst takes became the loudest, ranging from "Paul is the hero" (no he isn't) to "the movie and the original book suck because they play into a white savior narrative" (did I mention we're in a media literacy crisis?).

7. A Minecraft Movie (2025)

Taking things too seriously is a sin that we're all guilty of every now and then - hell, I'm probably committing it right now with this post. But at least I'll never be like the guys who took over the discourse over the f**king Minecraft movie by taking it about a thousand per cent too seriously.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find the right take here: like the film or hate it, it's a movie for kids, and Minecraft fans, and particularly kids who are Minecraft fans. And whatever your thoughts on the film are, the film was objectively a success, as millions of Minecraft-loving kids around the world loved it and got tons of joy from it. Now, if you aren't a kid or a Minecraft fan, yet you still watch the film, and don't like it...you'd think that the natural reaction would be something like "well, this wasn't for me". That was my reaction at least - the film was silly and I didn't enjoy it very much, but I could easily imagine how perfect it was for the target audience.

Well, oh boy, a lot of people did NOT have that reaction, instead making the kids' movie all about themselves with long, serious rants about how cinema is dead because a movie for children dared to make some lazy jokes and have clichés in the plot. I've come across many annoying archetypes of people who discuss film online, but pretty much nothing beats "guy who walks into every movie of every genre demanding it to be The Godfather" in terms of pure annoyance.

6. Obsession (2026)

The big horror hit of this year was a hard one to rank here, because to be fair, there was a lot to like in the discourse. I saw many good takes and analyses out there - but there are a few major things that heavily downweighed my enjoyment of the discourse, and more or less inspired me to write this post.

The biggest, most glaring one is the same shit we've seen over the years with Fight Club, American Psycho and Joker: men who don't get the f**king point. Not to spoil too much but Bear, the protagonist of the film, is...not a good guy. Which flew past the heads of a bunch of people. That in itself could still be sort of understood (although definitely worrying) - as an initial reaction, because the film is a lot to take in and many viewers take time to process what they've seen. But alas, for the insecurity that festers in a lot guys is a powerful force to be reckoned with - so, something that I saw a *lot* of on the Internet was people who got the point discussing how fucked up Bear's actions were and how he's the true villain of the story, and a bunch of guys taking that *not* as an opportunity to listen and learn, but rather as something to get pissed off about and start a whole culture war in the defense of a f**king horror movie character.

Also, this isn't nearly as big of a nuisance, but the rhetoric from many of the people who I agree with about the film's substance also got annoying. Like, the message of Bear being the villain and the film being a statement about rape culture is important to get out there, but because the internet is the internet, a lot of people turned having the right take into a f**king Olympic sport - I saw so many people bragging about how smart they are in a way that really goes against the idea that art moves everyone differently - "I knew that Bear was the bad guy from the first 20 seconds, and if you didn't catch the red flags then, you're definitely a TERRIBLE PERSON" et cetera. So much for appreciating the film's nuance and layers. But, like I said, that's far from being the main concern.

5. The Bride! (2026)

This is like if you took the attitudes and elements that made the Barbie and Sinners discourses slightly annoying, but instead of being a loud but small minority, they'd make up a majority of the discourse. I'm definitely biased here as I really liked this film, so naturally the overwhelmingly negative reception hurt my feelings (and before you say "what the hell is wrong with you, why would you take it personally if a bunch of random people don't like a movie you liked", I'm well aware of that being a dumb and unnecessarily stressful trait, but I can't help it. I think it's partially because I have that special kind of overblown empathy that often comes with the autism spectrum where I even feel empathy for a f**king movie as if it's a person with feelings, and partially because those of us who were bullied as kids have this fun little thing where our sense of self-worth is a bit too tied to a whole bunch of weird stuff for the rest of our lives).

Anyways, back to The Bride! - it's not just that people didn't like it. After all, there are plenty of movies that I enjoyed but got generally hated, and while it's always slightly upsetting, it doesn't necessarily mean that the discourse is especially annoying. But with this one, it had to do a lot with why people didn't like it, as a massive majority of negative reviews that I read seemed to reflect an attitude where the viewer didn't give the movie a chance, expected the completely wrong thing from the film and got mad when it didn't meet their self-centered demands. Also, it's directed by a woman and starring another woman in a strong lead role, so naturally a huge part of the film's backlash was riddled with sexism.

The Bride! is just the kind of bold, artistic and genuinely different film that if a man had directed roughly the same movie, the internet would largely be praising it and calling it a cult masterpiece - but when Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jessie Buckley do it, people resort to the "every movie should be The Godfather" school of thought and equate artistic style choices and chaotic humor with a perceived lack of skill.

It reminds me of the Whitman quote used in Ted Lasso: "Be curious, not judgmental". A curious person sees a strange, unique film and assumes that the movie is doing something smart so the viewer wants to process what they're seeing so they can understand it; a judgmental person sees a strange, unique film and their small mind can't comprehend that they'd be the one who isn't getting it, so therefore it's the movie that must be dumb. Christ.

4. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

I get a headache thinking about this one. I like walking into a film with my mind being as tabula rasa as it possibly can - naturally, if I know things ahead of time, they affect my viewing experience, but once the film starts to roll, I try to put all of that out of my mind, because the movie deserves to be experienced as its own individual film, and not purely in relation to the viewer's expectation. And boy, does it often feel like I'm the only one who does that.

Everything Everywhere All At Once was, in my opinion, a really good movie. Some people liked it, some didn't, some think it was the greatest movie of all time, some absolutely hated it - and all of that is fine. It's the type of art piece that divides opinions, and that's kind of beautiful. What really gets my goat about the EEAAO discourse, however, is how over 90% of the discourse I followed had very little to do with the film itself, but rather became completely about people mirroring the film to their own expectations and/or the amount of hype that was currently going on, and clearly thinking that whatever they have to say about the film in relation to what everyone else is saying right now is much more important than what they genuinely thought of the film - and when that happens over and over again, with the discourse lasting a long time, it just becomes a bunch of noise.

I can't fully explain why it was so frustrating, but YouTuber Man Carrying Thing has a great video satirizing the EEAAO discourse. The jist of it is, whenever the film was getting more hype, everyone on the internet seemed to agree that they now need to start hating the film on principle, and when that went on for a while, everyone else on the internet decided that they like the film 100x more than they initially did now that there's a debate going on, and the same whiplash happened over and over again for over a year. This discourse was people vs. people vs. people vs. people vs. people, with the movie itself getting completely lost in the noise.

3. One Battle After Another (2025)

Now we're really getting to the exhausting ones. This is probably the only film on this list where I actually blame the movie itself for the obnoxious discourse, more so than the viewers. Although it probably wasn't intentional, the fact is that in the Lord's year 2025, One Battle After Another feels like it was created in a laboratory to fuel the most insufferable discourse imaginable for the media literacy crisis and political climate we're in.

I mean, it's cinematically well-made enough that it could be called a masterpiece and a deserving Best Picture winner, but also not quite on the level of some films out there (*cough cough*, Sinners, *cough*), so that its accolades can be reasonably argued against even when you take the politics out of it. And oh boy, when you get to the politics of it - the film manages to somehow be so woke and so un-woke at the same time, that it really seems to do its darndest to just piss EVERYONE off (except for the apolitical crowd, who did seem to be its biggest fans).

I mean - on one hand, it's a film where the heroes are revolutionaries fighting against a fascist government, with some pretty clear metaphors to the Trump regime, and it gives a lot of agency to strong female characters and Black revolutionaries. But on the other, the story is centered around a white male protagonist played by Leonardo DiCaprio, while some of the story choices arguably veer on fetishizing Black women, and even the digs at fascism end up coming across as semi-cowardly half measures that don't have much to say (especially when you compare it to some of the bolder political films from the last years).

Now, there were some positive takes and some negative ones that I saw about this film that were well-reasoned and nuanced - but oh boy, were they drowned out by the loud majorities of people who loved it in a black-and-white way while failing to acknowledge its flaws, and people who hated it in a black-and-white way while failing to acknowledge its merits, and these two groups working overtime to purposefully misunderstand each other to the utmost degree. Man, forget about the movie - the real One Battle After Another was the discourse we made along the way.

2. Weapons (2025)

As you may have noticed, most of my gripes with online film discourse have to do with my values and political views beyond cinema - but here is a glaring exception. The Weapons discourse was annoying as hell purely on the level of cinema geeks discussing cinema with other cinema geeks. I still can't quite put a finger on what made this discourse so uniquely frustrating to my taste, but I'll try my best to analyze it here.

It definitely has a lot to do with the film's genre, and the preconceived notions that people have about genres. I've always been a "every genre has good movies and bad ones, so I don't really put any genre ahead of another" guy, so it has always baffled me when people go "I only watch action movies" or "I hate sci-fi" or anything like that. Horror has a unique position within cinema, as it used to be a genre that a vast majority of cinephiles didn't take seriously, and the last few decades have created somewhat of a divide - for some subsections of movie fans it seems to have almost surpassed every other genre, with films like Midsommar and Sinners getting levels of praise you don't really see elsewhere, but then there still are those movie enthusiasts who take themselves too seriously and still aren't into horror - which must be becoming increasingly difficult to defend for anyone who claims to love cinema, as the genre has broken so much amazing ground in the 2010's and 2020's. And the way in which Weapons fits into this phenomenon might just be why I became so livid with the discourse.

For me personally, it was a really good movie, if not a great one - the type that barely misses out on my top 10 of the year but makes the honorable mentions. Following the discourse, it seemed that any interesting thoughts about the movie in itself kept getting drowned out by two opposite groups - horror fans who didn't like this film for whatever reason and considered it very overrated, and people who generally look down on horror but liked this film. I saw tons of comments from both groupings, and both seemed to convey a very unfair attitude when the film isn't discussed on its own merits, but rather like a strange pawn in the commenter's weird relationship to the entire genre.

People from the first group didn't criticize the film because of any actual flaws, but because it didn't meet their exact criteria for what a horror film should be like, and it all ended up sounding like they're just saying "Look, I want to look smarter than everyone else so obviously I hate this very popular horror movie because I actually saw these 10 obscure horror films this year and consider them to be better, so obviously Weapons sucks and I'm very smart" between the lines. And the second group was somehow even more annoying, with the subtext of their take sounding like "Look, I have never given horror cinema a chance before because of some stuck-up attitude, but now this masterpiece is the best movie of the year and maybe the decade, because it does a bunch of stuff that I consider revolutionary even though the same elements could be recognized in any decent horror flick watched by a more open-minded person".

1. Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

This one genuinely felt like I was being pranked. I felt like I was going crazy, or somehow living in a different dimension than everyone else. It felt like I was the only one who had watched the first Joker, then followed the news as a sequel is announced, and then watched the trailer and read about how the director, producers, stars and overall marketing made it very clear that this sequel is going to be a musical. So, I walked into the cinema, curious to see what a musical sequel to Joker would look like. I'd like to think that even if I wouldn't have known about this style choice beforehand, I would've realized that it's a musical from the first musical number, and then I would've tried to orientate to that idea so that I could enjoy the film, giving it a fair chance.

A lot of people didn't have that experience; Joker: Folie à Deux was one of the most universally reviled films of the year, scoring a 5.2 on IMDB and winning the Razzie awards for Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel and Worst Screen Combo. And in a case similar to The Bride! or A Minecraft Movie, my problem wasn't that people didn't like it - many of my favorite films are generally divisive ones, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But my problem was the reasoning that people had: after reading tons of negative reviews and angry comments, I have yet to hear *one* criticism about the film where the 'critic' gives the impression that they gave the film a fair chance and walked in with an open mind.

The negative reviews seemed to be about 20 per cent pure misogyny (the first Joker had Joaquin Phoenix as the individual male lead and this sequel had Lady Gaga as her co-star, and one of the main characters being a woman was clearly too much for a lot of insecure men to handle), and about 80 per cent complaints about the film being a musical. Mind you, they weren't comments of substance saying that it was a bad musical, or explaining why the film being a musical was inherently bad - people just were mad that it was a musical. Part of this appeared to be the similar "I don't like this genre" attitude that we see all the time with horror / fantasy / sci-fi from people who simply haven't given the genre a chance....and a much larger part was something even more baffling.

People felt ambushed and attacked by the film's choice of genre. No, I'm not kidding. In a vast majority of negative reviews that I read, there was a recurring theme where the viewer has walked into the cinema expecting a very similar film to the first Joker, and when the sequel turns out to be a musical, they immediately decide that this is the worst film of all time, because how dare they subvert one's expectations like that? Over and over again, I kept seeing comments about the film that blamed false advertising and complained that the film was completely different from what it was supposed to be - and that's the part that made me feel like I was trapped in the Twilight Zone or something.

The film's marketing was very open about the fact that it was going to be a musical. Look, if you don't follow movie news and like go into a film without knowing anything beforehand, that's fine - but people were out there claiming that they've seen the trailers, followed the hype, had specific expectations, but still somehow felt personally betrayed when the movie was the exact kind of movie that had been advertised, because these people had somehow missed the glaring signs or just wanted and excuse to complain about the film. God, thinking about this one gives me a headache - thank goodness it's the last one. Let's hope that no film in the rest of the decade surpasses this one in terms of exhausting discourse.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a big one - the top 100 movie acting performances of all time.