[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)

1929 MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Vertov) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
How can it be breaking the rules when it's making the rules even as it's breaking them? Watching the language of cinema be discovered and revealed in 68 short minutes. Best paired with the Cinematic Orchestra's score.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1929)

1930 ANIMAL CRACKERS (Heerman)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of the top 4 Marx Brothers movies (also as you'll see among the far-too-few movies from the 1920s and 30s I've seen; must correct that). Outside of the top 4, it's hard to judge. Inside the top 4 it's hard to read. But that's errelephant. The nerve; evoking an elephant on Mastodon. I'd put this joke to bed but I have no idea how to get a mammoth into my pajamas. It's wooly hard to do.

This movie makes me laugh wooly hard. Hooray for Captain Spaulding.

1931 M (Lang) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Fritz Lang's impressionistic nightmare—the first serial killer story? Thorny social commentary expertly blended with pulp. A grim descent into a realm of layered human abuse, where systems of justice are less connected to community than are systems of crime; where predators are cultivated and victims abandoned, and wherein even the predators find themselves compelled to dispense rough vengeance, if only to restore their own semblance of order.

Also notable: City Lights

1932 HORSE FEATHERS (McLeod) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Why I'd horsewhip you if I had a horse."

The lesser of the 4 great Marx movies is still pretty damn good, with classic bit after classic bit and classic line after classic line. "Whatever it is, I'm against it" may be Groucho at his most quintessential. Anything further, Father? The idea! I married your mother because I wanted children. Imagine my disappointment when you arrived.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1932)

1933 DUCK SOUP (McCarey)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
Marx Brothers off the leash. If you ever wondered "well why not just make the whole movie Marx Brothers zaniness" this is the one; you can almost see the Looney Tunes formula (less anvils) being created. It's the consensus pick for the greatest Marx, and whenever I'm having a strange interlude, it's mine. Mirror scene is rightfully lauded but it's all good. This duck is verified.

Also notable: saw King Kong but didn't like it.

1934 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (Kapra) ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
The invention of the modern romantic comedy? At first I was distracted by the ludicrous premise and by the sheer bulk of the rom-com tropes (tropes which yes, this movie basically invented), but before long Gable and Colbert’s chemistry and comic chops (Colbert for everything but especially the hilarious face she pulls just before she makes her last-second dash to the car) brought my walls of Jericho down.

Also notable: L'Atalante was...OK.

1935 ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐ A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (Wood)
Saw Animal Crackers as a child and imprinted on it like a baby bird; it's my favorite. Duck Soup is the consensus pick, and it's the zaniest. Horse Feathers loses a point b/c the interludes drag most, but it's a solid pick. This one is in my opinion the best movie. Everything (even every musical number) works, everything pops, sharp as a tack, endless classic bits.
No need to argue though: they're ALL the best.

(This is the only film I've seen from 1935)