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Monday, September 1, 2025

Unexplained List: Bestest Bests

BEST OF THE BEST
The Godfather Part II
Lawrence of Arabia
The Godfather
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Schindler’s List
12 Years a Slave
On The Waterfront
Casablanca
The Apartment
The Sound of Music
Moonlight
The Silence of the Lambs
LOTR: Return of the King
Parasite
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
The Sting
The Departed
It Happened One Night
Kramer vs. Kramer
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
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Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Explained List: My AFI Top 100

In May 2018, the podcast “Unspooled” suggested taking the AFI Top 100 and making your own list. I can’t resist making a list, so I started with the ones I had seen at the time. The original AFI list came out in 1997, and I made it the center of my film education. In 2007, the AFI updated the list, removing and replacing 23 films in the process. 

On October 3, 2024, six years after I originally posted this list, I finally watched all 100 of the 2007 list.

On August 27, 2025, roughly 28 years after the list came out, I watched the last of the films removed from the original 1997 list.

So here it is, my personal ranking of all 123 movies that have ever been included in the AFI Top 100. The ones left off the 2007 list are asterisked. I’m sure I’ll continue adjusting this list the more I think about it, but here it is.

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Sunday, August 24, 2025

Your Guide to Daily Star Trek Viewing

January 1 -- The Man Trap (TOS 1-1) // The Die is Cast (DS9 3-21) // In a Mirror, Darkly, Part I (ENT 4-18)

January 2 -- Charlie X (TOS 1-2) // Faces (VOY 1-14) // In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II (ENT 4-19)

January 3 -- Where No Man Has Gone Before (TOS 1-3) // Explorers (DS9 3-22) // Demons (ENT 4-20)

January 4 -- The Naked Time (TOS 1-4) // Jetrel (VOY 1-15) // Terra Prime (ENT 4-21)

January 5 -- The Enemy Within (TOS 1-5) // Family Business (DS9 3-23) // These Are the Voyages... (ENT 4-22)

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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Unexplained List: For the Love of Terriers

MOVIES
50) Reign of Fire
49) Zoolander
48) The Bourne Identity
47) Borat
46) Ocean’s Eleven
45) Death to Smoochy
44) Guardians of the Galaxy
43) Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
42) Knives Out
41) Wall-E
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FILMS
50) An Inconvenient Truth
49) Whiplash
48) Sorry to Bother You
47) Exit Through the Gift Shop
46) Lars and the Real Girl
45) 21 Grams
44) Challengers
43) The Prestige
42) Cecil B. Demented
41) Big Fish
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Unexplained List: Orchid Explosion by Fournier

BAD
43) The Last Duel
42) House of Gucci
41) King Richard
40) Venom: Let There Be Carnage
39) Spiral
38) Wonder Woman 1984
UNMEMORABLE
37) The New Mutants
36) The Matrix Resurrections
35) The King’s Man
34) Eternals
33) The Green Knight
32) Minari
31) Black Widow
30) Bad Education
29) Old
28) West Side Story
27) I Care a Lot
26) Army of the Dead
25) Luca
24) Onward
23) Sonic the Hedgehog
22) The French Dispatch
LIKED
21) Jungle Cruise
20) Trial of the Chicago 7
19) Mortal Kombat
18) In the Heights
17) Shang-Chi
16) The Gentlemen
15) Emma.
14) Dune: Part One
13) The Suicide Squad
12) Pig
11) Bill & Ted Face the Music
10) Free Guy
9) Nobody
RECOMMEND
8) Spider-Man: No Way Home
7) Tenet
6) Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
5) Promising Young Woman
4) Palm Springs
3) Birds of Prey
LOVED
2) Judas and the Black Messiah
1) Cruella

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Explained List: The... Ugh... Aughts

In all this time, we really haven't figured out a better term for the first decade of the 21st Century? But I digress. The New York Times list of the best movies of this century's Q1 got me thinking about making my own list. Step 1 is breaking it down by decade like I did for the 2010s. I know this century didn't begin until 2001, but I did the other decade 2010-2019, so this time it will be 2000-2009. Whatever. It's my list, I'll do what I want. Just like before, we're splitting this list into movies and films. (NOTE:  Thirteen Days is #13 and 21 Grams is #21 by sheer coincidence, not planned)

MOVIES
25) Reign of Fire
24) Zoolander
23) The Bourne Identity
22) Borat
21) Ocean’s Eleven
20) Death to Smoochy
19) Wall-E
18) Kill Bill, Vol. 1
17) Big Trouble
16) Anchorman
15) X2: X-Men United
14) Hot Fuzz
13) Thirteen Days
12) The Incredibles
11) The Transporter 2
10) Zombieland
9) Mean Girls
8) Spider-Man 2
7) A Knight’s Tale
6) Catch Me if You Can
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FILMS
25) Stranger Than Fiction
24) About Schmidt
23) An Inconvenient Truth
22) Lars and the Real Girl
21) 21 Grams
20) Best in Show
19) The Prestige
18) Cecil B. Demented
17) Big Fish
16) Secretary
15) Little Miss Sunshine
14) Bowling for Columbine
13) The Invention of Lying
12) Moon
11) The Departed
10) Juno
9) Inglourious Basterds
8) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
7) City of God
6) Adaptation.
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Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Unexplained List: For All Seasons

2025 - Sinners
2024 - Challengers
2023 - Poor Things
2022 - Everything Everywhere All At Once
2021 - Cruella
2020 - Promising Young Woman
2019 - Parasite
2018 - Black Panther
2017 - Get Out
2016 - Moonlight
2015 - Room
2014 - Predestination
2013 - Gravity
2012 - Queen of Versailles
2011 - The Descendants
2010 - Inception
2009 - Inglourious Basterds
2008 - The Dark Knight
2007 - Juno
2006 - Children of Men
2005 - The Transporter 2
2004 - The Incredibles
2003 - Finding Nemo
2002 - Adaptation.
2001 - Amelie
2000 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
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Monday, May 26, 2025

Unexplained List: Missions: Impossible

8) II
7) VIII
6) VII
5) III
4) V
3) VI
2) I
1) IV

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Saturday, May 10, 2025

Unexplained List: MCV

10) Gorr
9) Dar-Benn 
8) Zemo
7) Namor
6) Sentry
5) Vulture
4) Scarlet Witch
3) Loki
2) Thanos
1) Killmonger

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Friday, April 11, 2025

Unexplained List: UFL to NFL

10) McLeod Bethel-Thompson
9) Nick Novak
8) Quintin Demps
7) Josh Johnson
6) Graham Gano
5) Matt Bryant
4) Jim Fassel(‘s son)
3) Josh McCown
2) Steven Hauschka
1) Sean McVay

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