A thread. My favorite movies from each year, starting with:
1916 INTOLERANCE ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This grandeur of this early mega-epic means there's a lot to recommend it, though I find the overall scolding and self-exonerative tone (Griffith had just released the pro-Klan BIRTH OF A NATION and been properly excoriated even as he'd been celebrated) smug and cloying; an early "cancel culture is out of control."
(This is the only film I've seen from 1916.)
[No films seen 1917 - 1924]
Incidentally, my rating system:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️| a masterpiece
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½| very good
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️| good
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½ | pretty good
⭐️⭐️⭐️| not half-bad
⭐️⭐️½| half-bad
⭐️⭐️ | not half-good
⭐️½ | pretty bad
⭐️| bad
½ | very bad
zero | a war crime
1925 SEVEN CHANCES ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐(Keaton)
I haven't seen as many Keatons as I should have (must correct that soon) but of those I have seen this is my favorite. Jaw-dropping stuff (the boulder dodge alone would make this a must-see). May have invented the slapstick comedy, the romantic comedy, the action movie, and Sonic the Hedgehog all in one film.
Also Notable: The Gold Rush, Battleship Potemkin
1926 THE GENERAL ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (Keaton)
This is heresy I know but I suspect in the end this will become my least favorite Keaton (I have trouble overcoming plots that ennoble the Confederacy, however glancingly), and I actually find it to be a stodgy example of his overall oeuvre, but even a lesser (according to me and me only) Keaton is a good time, and the set pieces and stunts are, of course, top notch. Bridge collapse is deservedly legendary.
(This is the only film I've seen from 1926.)
1927 SUNRISE (Murnau) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Surreal melodrama slash allegorical morality play holds the lasting emotional power of vivid dreams. The dog chasing the boat haunts me, as do about 1-4 dozen other images.
(This is the only film I've seen from 1927)
1928 THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (Dreyer) ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Truly unique in its vision and execution. A masterpiece of modern art; almost an immersive experience rather than a film. Falconetti gives one of the greatest performances in the medium's history.
(This is the only film I've seen from 1928)
A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆
Justin Hebert 