By Blake Hodges
We have a new column to introduce you to: Movie Power Rankings! Every month we will release an updated list with the top movies thus far written by our managing editor (that’s me! Blake!…fourth wall break?). The batteries represent the juice left in this movie. What makes up the juice? I’m glad you asked. As time continues from movies we saw we start to forget them and see other movies. This battery life is the amount of energy they have left in my heart space. Most of a movie’s placement on this top 10 list is determined by how much I liked the movie but it is also made up of what the movie has, if at all, done to me since I left it.
10. Isn’t it Romantic?
The thing about doing the power rankings after March is that the #10 movie didn’t even have to beat out half of what has shown so far. In fact, this only beat out seven other movies to get here. However, this genre subverting movie does a lot to deserve praise and I’m fine to stand up for it. Most romantic comedies lack in heart and feel ridiculous but this has some characters with actual character to them. The laughs are well done and this should be added to everyone’s “overlooked movies that need to be Red boxed” list. I know that sounds crazy but isn’t any movie worth hanging with Fat Amy?
9. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Why so low? A couple of things. They shove a few musical numbers in here that really hurt it and the enjoyment/surprise factor just can’t go as far as to match the first. I am prone to love this franchise due to my deep affection with figurines that I played with far older than I’d care to admit (maybe I still do but that can be our secret). However, there are still laughs to be had and cute moments to enjoy. After all, it still made it on the list.
8. The Upside
Brian Cranston and Kevin Hart in the same movie? Yes, take my money. Kevin Hart isn’t winning any Oscars here but he is doing excellent work and proving he does have more range than just the run of the mill comedies he is type cast in. The movie has a surprising amount of feels and laughs that work and this has enough charm to earn its way onto my top ten of the year list so far. In fact, this was my favorite movie of January.
7. What Men Want
With 2019 starting off slower than my 1992 Oldsmobile (my first car God rest her soul), What Men Want is able to laugh its way up onto the list. In fact, it didn’t just make it on the list but managed to climb as high as #7! The majority of comedies try to make it completely on their laughs and leave character development out to dry. What Men Want demands both and brings the characters to life well. The theme isn’t preachy like most can be and the gimmick of her mind reading powers is used nicely. With a trailer as weak as my bench press, I wouldn’t blame you if you skipped it but I would blame you if you don’t grab it on Redbox and have a comedic filled evening.
6. Captain Marvel
I would be willing to bet all the money that my wife would let me bet (so like $20 bucks) that Captain Marvel being this low in a year this weak is your biggest surprise of my whole list. I should mention that I initially loathed Guardians of the Galaxy before I gave it a second try. I think (hope) that will be the case here. However, I am firmly in the “it was okay” category until then. The movie is void of any stakes and the plot feels painfully bland and boring because of it. My knowledge of her being the strongest Avenger that we know of is enough to let the air out of the entire movie. I loved Sam Jackson and Goose the Cat was a delight…but I just didn’t buy into Captain Marvel. Mark this movie as the one with the biggest chance of moving up if I can rewatch it and have a better time.
5. Madea Family Funeral
Before you call for my execution, let me explain. This list is 90% best movies of the year and the other 10% is my bias/enjoyment level. This franchise has had a lot of misses but they can really hit my funny bone with a sledge hammer when they are on. I know the acting is bad. I know the themes are cliché. I know everything in a technical blah blah blah aspect should make this movie far from #5 if on my list. However, I have to be honest with you all. This movie cracked me up and in a year off to as weak a start as 2019, Madea has made it high on the list. If you are being honest with yourself, you liked it more than you want to admit. (And if things don’t turn around fast, this could hold on at that ten spot for a couple more months).
4. Shazam!
I went into this one extremely bias and thats okay. How could one watch all five seasons of Chuck for comfort and not come out of it loving Zachery Levi? Oh, I should probably explain. I binged A LOT of TV in college because the school I went to made me feel like a bit of an outcast. In a way, it felt like Zachery was a friend….as crazy as that sounds. Shazam brings it with the laughs, heart, and some fresh things I’ve never experienced in a movie before. How they use the family as characters rather than a cliché is awesome and there are some jokes here that I had never experienced even though we are saturated in super hero movies. Honestly, this is right at the top for me with DC’s movies and I hope this is a sign of things to come.
3. Alita Battle Angel
Alita benefits from the classic “low expectations” movie going experience. The trailer looked like this movie could be as ridiculous as it was imaginative. From start to finish Alita Battle Angel does one of the best things a movie can do for me which is take me to a new, immersive world. There is so much to look at and think about as you see the different people and their cyborg parts. The action is the specific type of cut throat that I personally enjoy and the lead really pulls you in. While this wasn’t a complete A+ film, I left excited for the sequel and if that isn’t a marker of a good movie then I don’t know what is.
2. Five Feet Apart
Shocked to see a teen romance movie at the top of this list? Me too. The trailer will make you think this is The Fault in Our Stars 2.0 but it couldn’t be any further from that. The leads are spectacular in making you buy into the stakes. The emotional moments feel heartfelt rather than cheesy. The humor is funny rather than cringeworthy. The romance is touching rather than “roll your eyes” unbelievable. Having this monthly power rankings is enjoyable for various reasons but the top one might be giving love to movies people wrote off and completely skipped when they came out. Five Feet Apart has staying power and I can’t see it leaving the list anytime soon.
1. Us
I really despise horror movies but I love thrillers. This is a complicated set of preferences when these two genres blend together so often. Despite my disdain of the horror genre, Us is my favorite movie of the year so far and the only movie on this list that I feel confident will still be on this top ten list by the end of the year. Jordan Peele comes with an excellent premise that goes so far beyond the typical jump scares of this genre. Us is a horror of the mind that seeps into your consciousness and sits there. Furthermore, the movie starts revving up the engine very early on into the film and goes faster than my first car ever could. I’m just going to say it, Peele is our best up and coming director talent slightly over Chazelle and Coogler. The film is so gripping you won’t be able to stand up for a pee break; I know I didn’t.
Dumbo
This is the part of the column you DON’T want to be at. This section is reserved for the worst movie of the year that just doesn’t have any juice. Dumbo added to the story well to pad the run time in a way that made sense, but that isn’t really a positive to gloat over. The movie struggles to get your heart and won’t tickle your funny bone. This section is marked by the type of movie that never makes it off the run way. I haven’t checked recently, but I have a feeling Dumbo still hasn’t taken true flight yet. We expect better from you Disney.
If you enjoyed the Power Rankings, check back at the site at the beginning of each month for the updated list! In the meantime, lets chat about movies on Twitter and Instagram at Blake_in_Theaters.