Only 16 movies watched in December. Football bowl games got in the way, I guess. The first 8:

215. (522.) Silverado (1985)
More video game than western, this film struck me as the kind of black and white view of the west that 1955 Doc Brown envisioned was real history in Back to the Future III. The movie is a lot of fun, mainly because of the vastly underrated Kevin Kline.

216. (523.) Hearts of the West (1975)
A more cynical movie than Silverado, Andy Griffith steals his scenes as a washed-up western movie actor. The movie is heavily influenced by silent comedies, inspiring more than a few laughs.

217. (524.) Fifty Pills (2006)
I'm not going to lie: I watched this only because Kristen Bell was in it. Think Go meets Van Wilder with no budget, and you're probably envisioning this movie.

218. (525.) Igor (2008)
Ironically, for a film based on Frankenstein lore, this animated movie fails to be greater than the sum of its parts. It's dark and clever, but too... something — straightforward? shallow? poorly scripted? something — for its own good. A little texture polish and script doctoring might have made this film a classic.

219. (526.) Dead of Night (1945)
Truly a great suspense story. Highly recommended to Hitchcock and Twilight Zone fans.

220. (527.) The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
Also great. Fritz Lang's early films are all amazing. If he hadn't been so self-indulgent in the editing room, he might be renowned as the greatest director of all time.

221. (528.) The Big Chill (1983)
I don't get it. These people are not like any people I know, and they aren't like any people I want to know. Even the best of them can't help being a corporate tool. No point in fighting the future: if we all turn into such douches, humanity is doomed.

222. (529.) Extract (2009)
I think it's funny that a movie called Extract essentially presents a distilled version of Mike Judge's world view. Everyone in this film is in a trouble of their own making, but a little honesty makes it all work out in the end because everyone really means well. It's every King of the Episode ever, I think.

Eight more movies to go before we get to the end of the year recap!

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