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mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

Applerill wrote:

Though as I’m looking into my ratings by year, I find that there isn’t a SINGLE film I like at all from 1934 (out of the 4 I’ve seen). I don’t think any year since 1924 or so has that with me.

1934 was pretty frontloaded with stuff like It Happened One Night, The Thin Man, Of Human Bondage, Little Man, What Now?, The Scarlet Empress, The Black Cat, and It's a Gift... but after those films its a bit middling.

Hayden

Location: CDMX

I wonder if I disregarded 1934 because of It Happened One Night Think

(my favourite film of the 30s, and just one of my all-time favs). Apart from The Goddess, Dos Monjes, L'Atalante, The Scarlet Empress... I mean... yeah. Neutral

Isn't too hot.

Not to mention the atrocity of Maniac.

Solid contendor.

CA Dreamin

Gender: Male
Location: LA

I'm late to responding so this will be long:

Determining a good year for cinema is predicated on what you have seen, whereas determining a bad year is partially predicated on what you haven't seen. EyeKanFly's quote sums it up:

EyeKanFly wrote:

I can only judge on what I've seen

That's it in a nutshell. It's biased, unless you had the time to watch everything (which you don't unless you're immortal). However, it's understandable that some years certainly feel weaker than others based on what the mainstream offered, and what has stood the test of time.

@EyeKanFly - I totally understand your pick with 2006. Looking at my current top 10, I have four documentaries, and a festival film that didn't actually get a wide release until 2008. And looking at all my 2006 ratings, you're right that were a lot underwhelming films that year. But hey, if you like non-fiction films, 2006 was easily one of the best years ever for documentaries. I also recommend Apocalypto, After the Wedding, and Volver.

Mercury wrote:

Because of my disposition and general disdain for modern films and my eye rolling annoyance with the artsy types (Directors) of my own millennial generation, I am inclined to say 2017 through 2022 could all be in contention.

I understand this perspective too. Mainstream movies in recent years have lacked originality, while many non-mainstream films have been either hit-or-miss or lack re-watch value. Still, 2017, '19, and '22 have a fair amount to offer. I would definitely not label them as bad years for cinema.

Other years mentioned were 1929, 1934, 1947, and 2005. The number of films I've seen from those years are (features only, excluding shorts): 17 from 1929, 20 from 1934, 28 from 1947, and 51 from 2005. Personally I don't think seen enough from the first three years to judge them as good or bad.

Based on what I've seen, I agree 1929 was lackluster, but who knows, maybe I'll have a higher opinion if ever see 40 more films from that year. 1929 was a transitional year from silent to talkie, and I will admit many the films look and sound terrible. The early microphones weren't high quality. There was a lot of annoying static noise. Furthermore, the microphones restricted what the camera and the actors could do. The cameras had less freedom to go wide or move around, they didn't want to get microphones in the shot. As for the actors, they didn't move around much within the frame because they always had to stay within a certain distance of the microphone. In some cases, you could clearly tell an actor/actress would talk in a certain direction, making it all too obvious a microphone was hidden behind a prop Laughing

. Anyway, early talkies from 1929 were visually boring. It's no wonder my four favorite films of that year were all silent films: Man With a Movie Camera, Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl, The Iron Mask.

Over time, microphone technology improved, and film-makers started using ADR to simultaneously improve audio quality and give cameras more range. By 1934, talkies were better-produced. Was it a bad year though? I can't say. I liked It Happened One Night, The Scarlet Empress, and The Thin Man.

I was a little thrown off by Hayden's 1947 bash. Out of the 28 films I've logged, I gave 9 films 8/10 or higher. Film noir in its heyday. Lady From Shanghai, Brute Force, Dark Passage, Dead Reckoning, Out of the Past, Nightmare Alley. If you dislike film noir, I can see how 1947 may not be to your liking. But Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Monsieur Verdoux, and Black Narcissus came out that year too. I'm sorry, but no way was 1947 a bad year (for me, anyway). Oops, I just contradicted myself. I know I just said 28 films logged isn't enough to judge, but you understand what I mean. The good-to-bad ratio of 1947 (again, from what I've seen Laughing

) is more favorable than some other years around it. And hopefully, if I can someday increase my 28 logged films of that year to 50ish, my judgement will improve.

Lastly, 2005. Um, not great. However, the same theme throughout this discussion applies: just keep watching and hope to unearth some overlooked gems.

Hayden

Location: CDMX

Fiiiiiiiiine.

I'll go watch more '47 films. Still think it's a weaker year though.

In that case, what's the general consensus for weakest year of the 40s?

LedZep

Applerill wrote:

Though as I’m looking into my ratings by year, I find that there isn’t a SINGLE film I like at all from 1934 (out of the 4 I’ve seen). I don’t think any year since 1924 or so has that with me.

Capra isn't up your alley, I guess? It Happened One Night is either one of the best or one of the most cliche romantic/comedy/drama Old Hollywood has produced, depending on the perspective.

The worst year of the 40s could be 41'. Apart from Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon, it's pretty mid (at least the things I've seen).
_________________
Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

LedZep wrote:

The worst year of the 40s could be 41'. Apart from Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon, it's pretty mid (at least the things I've seen).

Hold That Ghost is one of my favorite comedies and my pick for the best Abbot & Costello picture.

Humberstone's The Hot Spot is also fantastic, one of the elite film noirs nobody remembers for some reason.

Beyond that, we have another year that's rather top loaded. There's still solid pictures like All Through the Night, Ball of Fire, How Green Was My Valley, In the Navy (another good A&C film), The Little Foxes, Man Hunt, Meet John Doe, Sergeant York, Suspicion, Swamp Water, and Ziegfeld Girl. I think its a solid year, but the reason I dislike people who utter "weak year for x piece of media type" is it is all so absolutist and authoritarian to me, like they are experts to dictate what years aren't worth experiencing the art of. This is why I prefer least favorite and most favorite signifiers over things like best and weak/worst.

Hayden wrote:

In that case, what's the general consensus for weakest year of the 40s?

If you forced me to make that decision, it'd be difficult. I only think there's one masterpiece from 1949, but there's still a lot of films that are close to it. There's only one film I dislike (Tokyo Joe, one of Bogart's worst).

1943 is a year I've seen the least amount of films for in that decade and the only thing I find essential are down to four films, with only six films beneath them in a very good/great tier. It'd probably be the winner for me by metrics alone.

Hayden

Location: CDMX

Marty joined LB.

Applerill
Autistic Princess <3

Gender: Female
Age: 30
Location: Chicago

LedZep wrote:

Applerill wrote:

Though as I’m looking into my ratings by year, I find that there isn’t a SINGLE film I like at all from 1934 (out of the 4 I’ve seen). I don’t think any year since 1924 or so has that with me.

Capra isn't up your alley, I guess?)

Nah, I don't mean to kink shame, but capraphilia isn't really my thing :/

Olli

Gender: Male
Age: 54

you can see my top 100 of my 40s here. But I don't know many films from the 1940s. Watched less than 200 films. I also need to watch more films from this decade. Cool

https://boxd.it/p1ZvC

The weakest year for me is 1941? I also found 10 films for 1941 in my Top 100 and that I give a full 10/10 points to like Sea Wolf and Sullivan's Travels, but for me they are not big things like e.g. In 1940 with the great films like Grapes of Wrath and Thief of Bagdad or in 1942 with Casablanca and the brilliant To Be or Not to Be. Think

p.s. From the 7 Years old Letteboxd List for the 40s by BestEverFilms, it's says to me: You’ve watched 72 of 100 Wink

Hayden

Location: CDMX

Not sure where the 2023 film thread went (?) but I'm just wondering if anyone has some under-the-radar recs from the year. Realizing it's December, I've watched noticeably less from this year than typical by now, and I don't think it's from a lack of trying. I still have plenty in my watchlist (patiently waiting), but wondering if there's any already released gems worth checking out. I've found 2023 very topheavy— hoping to see what balances it out. I have about 30-some films I enjoyed this year, and I still have some major tickets ahead of me (Anatomy of A Fall, Poor Things, The Boy And The Heron, Wonka, The Zone of Interest, Perfect Days, Fallen Leaves), but just seeing what others have enjoyed from the year. Feels like an oddly light year for indies (unless I'm missing them).