My 200 Favorite Movies: Reviews of No Country for Old Men, Kramer vs. Kramer & The Wrestler

Photo Credit: Miramax & YouTube

In yesterday's installment, I reviewed Best Picture nominees L.A. Confidential, Mystic River and Hannah and Her Sisters. This time we'll take a step up to two Best Picture winners, as well as an unlikely Best Actor...

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)

I wouldn't call myself a Coen brothers' fanatic -- though, the recent The Ballad of Buster Scruggs boosted my tempered opinion of them -- but I can certainly appreciate their unique talents and the overall quality of their work. Like many others, I think Fargo is a twisted little gem, but No Country for Old Men is a slightly superior film to me. 

As the soulless, stalking Anton Chigurh, Javier Bardem gives us one of the top 10 villains of all time. Tommy Lee Jones (Sheriff Ed Tom Bell) and Josh Brolin (Llewelyn Moss) are note perfect in the lead roles, and Kelly Macdonald is the sweet, unsung hero of the story as Llewelyn's unlucky wife, Carla Jean. 

With well-calibrated direction, patient pacing, memorable characters and some interesting philosophical ideas, No Country for Old Men is a complete film and deserving Best Picture winner.

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)

When I was initially texting with Sam Ytuarte, Jimmy Kelly and Andrew Meyer about my list back in 2016, in reference to this film I said, "Now there's a perfect example of a Fro Movie." 

Kramer vs. Kramer is a small, little film about the separation of Ted and Joanna Kramer, complex human characters played beautifully by Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Caught in the middle is their confused little boy, Billy (Justin Henry). 

Henry was deservedly showered with praise for his integral role in this touching family drama. He was an extremely likable and skilled child actor. 

Kramer vs. Kramer feels real and genuine throughout its 105-minute running time, and justice was served when it won Best Picture at the 1979 Academy Awards. Jane Alexander also deserves mention for her nuanced and vulnerable performance as Ted and Joanna's torn mutual friend, Margaret Phelps. 

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

THE WRESTLER (2008)

Darren Aronofsky films can be difficult to watch. 

It all started with the manic and claustrophobic Pi back in 1998, followed by the painful examination of drug addiction, Requiem For a Dream. In those initial successes, it almost seemed like he was intentionally trying to put the viewer through hell. It's safe to say that Mr. Aronofsky has a pretty grim outlook on life. 

However, he softened up a bit for The Wrestler, and the result is his best film to date. 

Carried by a career-reviving performance from Mickey Rourke (at least momentarily), The Wrestler is a sad story about, well, a wrestler, who doesn't quite realize that his better days are behind him. Randy "The Ram" Robinson is single, has a fractured relationship with his daughter (a feisty Evan Rachel Wood) and his only friends are a boy who plays video games with him and a sexy stripper named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), whose career trajectory mirrors Randy's. 

"The Ram" really tries to turn his messy life around. Does he succeed?

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND SCORES

(The Top 200 series will continue, but the list below includes ALL of my past reviews and scores.)

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
4. The Wrestler (9.5/10)
5. Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
6. Margin Call (9/10)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
8. Mystic River (9/10)
9. L.A. Confidential (9/10)
10. Lady Bird (9/10)
11. Stay (9/10)
12. Gone Girl (9/10)
13. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
14. 45 Years (9/10)
15. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
16. Tape (9/10)
17. A Perfect Murder (9/10)

18. War Dogs (8.5/10)
19. The Founder (8.5/10)
20. In Bruges (8.5/10)

21. Split (8.5/10)

22. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

23. Basquiat (8.5/10)

24. Moonlight (8/10)
25. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

26. The Revenant (7.5/10)
27. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

28. The Shallows (7.5/10)
29. Focus (7.5/10) 

30. The Night Before (7.5/10)
31. The Walk (7/10)

32. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
33. Loving (7/10) - No review available
34. A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
35. The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
36. The Boy (6/10) - No review available

37. Joy (5.5/10)
38. Taking Lives (5.5/10)

39. La La Land (5.5/10)
40. The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
41. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
42. Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
43. Molly's Game (5/10)
44. Set It Up (5/10)
45. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
46. Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
47. Ocean's 8 (4/10)
48. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
49. The Program (3/10)
50. Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
51. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
52. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

53. Rings (1.5/10)
54. Mother's Day (1.5/10)