Forum Overview :: Peter Molyneux's The Movies

The Best Movie of 1931 by Brody Wilder 03/15/2026, 3:53pm PDT WINNER: Platinum Blonde Frank Capra directs Jeremy Renner lookalike Robert Williams and voluptuous childlike sexpot Jean Harlow in this story of a wise cracking newspaperman who elopes with an immature heiress. If you're wondering why you've never heard of Robert Williams, it's not because he was only popular in the UK like Robbie Williams, it's because he died three days after the premiere like Robbie Williams should have. Meanwhile, Jean Harlow lived an astonishing SIX more years, defining what it meant to be a pawg in the '30s and establishing the template for every platinum blonde bombshell who came after. (You're going to be seeing a lot more Frank Capra as we go along - he was basically the Spielberg of the Great Depression.) UNDERCARD Sound and camera tech was advancing at a breakneck pace, allowing for arguably the first good year in the history of talkies. With so many more honourable mentions to hand out, I'm going to start doubling them up in a series of face/offs. The good thing about all these movies is they're only about an hour long, so you can easily watch both if you feel like it. Gangster's Paradise: Little Caesar vs. The Public Enemy 1931 was the year Warner Brothers codified the gangster pic with this cinematic one-two punch. First came Little Caesar, the story of Rico Bandello, a fictional mob boss so iconic that Congress would backronym an anti-racketeering act after him 40 years later. Edward G. Robinson gives a bravura performance as Rico, all "nyahs" and "sees" and chomping on his cigar, a performance you might be familiar with if you've ever seen a cartoon with a gangster in it. Contains one great shot where the camera whirls around a room, introducing each member of the crew in turn, which Scorcese would later homage in Goodfellas. After came The Public Enemy, the story of a vicious yet short-sighted enforcer played by a scene-stealing James Cagney. He's the sort of character who, when his boss dies after being thrown from a horse, goes down to the stables and shoots the horse. Perhaps the most iconic scene involves Cagney shoving a grapefruit into Jean Harlow's face - not for any professional reason, she just pissed him off at breakfast. At one point, Cagney narrowly avoids being gunned down in the street, an effect accomplished by the actor quickly turning a corner then running for his life off-camera while a crew member opens up with a machinegun firing live ammo. Needless to say, none of this would fly under the production code introduced a few years later. Despite its historical importance, Little Caesar is pretty weak by modern standards, while The Public Enemy more or less holds up. Freddy vs. Jason: Dracula vs. Frankenstein 1931 was also the year that supernatural horror came to the silver screen, courtesy of Universal Pictures. Basing their creature features (very loosely) on classic works of literature in an effort to avoid censorship, they started by adapting a then-recently popular stage play of Dracula. Fairly dire after the brilliantly cinematic first act set in Transylvania, the remainder of the film consists of over-enunciated conversations in unconvincingly stagey rooms. The whole thing was saved only by the casting of the play's own irreplacable Hungarian lead, Bela Lugosi, as the titular sexual predator. Just watch what he does with his fingers! Frankenstein was a considerable step up. Much has been made of director James Whale's homosexuality when contextualizing this story of a scientist who seeks to reproduce with his male lab assistant instead of a vagina, turning his back with shame on the consequences of his actions before the villagers come to purge them of their sins with purifying fire. I don't know about all that, but it's a fast-paced story that keeps introducing new elaborate gothic sets, so it's pretty watchable. The real MVP may have been Kenneth Strickfaden, creator of the various Tesla coils, Jacob's Ladders, and other electric gizmos that populate Frank's lab. Please, Sir, May I Have Some Whore: Dishonored vs. Mata Hari Clash of the Tit-havers! Rival star vehicles for rival European divas, both inspired by the life of World War I exotic-dancer-cum-spy Mata Hari. I'll start with the slightly less entirely fictional one, Mata Hari, just to get it out of the way. Glossy big-budget MGM trash starring Greta Garbo, who was too good for this shit. Someone once said to Orson Welles it was a pity that Garbo only ever made two really good pictures, to which Welles famously replied, "You only need one". This is not that one. Expertly satirized as the story William Hurt tells Raul Julia in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Dishonored is more interesting. Another Sternberg/Dietrich collab, this one starts with Marlene as a destitute Viennese prostitute about to stick her head in the oven when she gets swiftly La Femme Nikita'd into the Austrian secret service, and does its best to maintain that level of off-kilter tragicomedy throughout. Like last year's Morocco, this is another film that could've easily taken the top spot on merit if only I weren't such a fucking pleb. Brought down by the bizarre miscasting of Victor McLaglen as the enemy love interest - apparently they wanted Gary Cooper, though I'm not sure that would've been an improvement - and a sad ending, which I never like. Let's call Jo Sternberg the David Lynch to Frank Capra's Spielberg. It's only 1931 yet and they both have better, much better, to come.

The Best Movie of Every Year by Brody Wilder 03/14/2026, 8:42pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1930 by Brody Wilder 03/14/2026, 8:46pm PDT         Best thread in ages NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/15/2026, 1:05pm PDT     Do you have a job/family NT by Mysterio 03/15/2026, 3:16am PDT         God forbid. NT by Brody Wilder 03/15/2026, 8:56am PDT             Is this Tom Chick? NT by mysterio 2 03/17/2026, 11:37pm PDT                 He might honestly be the last person to read and post here. NT by Kenji Carter 03/18/2026, 8:05am PDT     The Best Movie of 1931 by Brody Wilder 03/15/2026, 3:53pm PDT         Holy cow, Caltrops is back! by Mischief Maker 03/15/2026, 4:46pm PDT             Are your motivss pure, Maker of MischIEF? NT by Tomorrow People 03/16/2026, 9:39pm PDT         Re: The Best Movie of 1931 by E. L. Koba 03/19/2026, 5:15pm PDT             Set your expectations for "early talkie" and you should have a good time. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 6:25pm PDT                 Dubbing is actually pretty crucial, when you think about it. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 7:21pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1932 by Brody Wilder 03/16/2026, 6:15pm PDT         Keep 'em coming! NT by MM 03/16/2026, 6:34pm PDT         That's SIR Ian McKellan to you, smart guy. NT by caltrops analyzer 03/17/2026, 6:54am PDT             I gave Sir Ian's knighthood to Charles Laughton, who never got one. by I felt like he deserved it. 03/17/2026, 4:46pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1933 by Brody Wilder 03/17/2026, 4:45pm PDT         Thanks for doing these. by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/17/2026, 8:48pm PDT             Thanks for reading! NT by Brody Wilder 03/17/2026, 8:56pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1934 by Brody Wilder 03/18/2026, 1:06pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1935 by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 5:43pm PDT         Hitchcock by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/19/2026, 8:28pm PDT             I like Hitchcock. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 9:22pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1936 by Brody Wilder 03/20/2026, 7:35pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1937 by Brody Wilder 03/21/2026, 7:30pm PDT         We need more movies with electric chairs in them. by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/22/2026, 9:50am PDT     The Best Movie of 1938 by Brody Wilder 03/22/2026, 7:33pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1939 by Brody Wilder 03/23/2026, 4:59pm PDT         I have nothing to contribute, but I love these. NT by Hangman 03/25/2026, 12:58pm PDT         Fukk yes NT by Gary 03/25/2026, 10:02pm PDT             Re: Fukk yes by PICKLES 03/26/2026, 5:47pm PDT         #Beep# NT by Hero detector 03/26/2026, 7:07pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1940 by Brody Wilder 03/26/2026, 7:25pm PDT         YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! by HES BACK YOU LITTLE SHIITS! 03/26/2026, 8:47pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1941 by Brody Wilder 03/27/2026, 8:02pm PDT         I love Hammett. An actual real-life PI turned author, his writing rings true. by Mischief Maker 03/27/2026, 10:48pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1942 by Brody Wilder 03/29/2026, 8:20pm PDT         I was half-expecting you to be edgy and not pick Casablanca. NT by Mischief Maker 03/29/2026, 9:35pm PDT             I admit, I considered doing Arabian Nights with Maria Montez and Sabu. by Brody Wilder 03/29/2026, 9:57pm PDT                 Wizard of Oz is still good, right? 1939? NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/30/2026, 8:39am PDT                     Probably, but it's not my cup of tea. by Brody Wilder 03/30/2026, 4:43pm PDT             I didn't realize these weren't Oscar Best Picture winners until just now by laudablepuss 03/31/2026, 11:43am PDT                 The Academy has rarely selected films of cultural, historical, or aesthetic impo by Brody Wilder 03/31/2026, 5:25pm PDT                     How the hell did "Arthur" wind up being oscar-bait? by Mischief Drunkard 03/31/2026, 5:43pm PDT         Vince Gilligan said the comedic engine of Pluribus is a descendant of Bewitched. by Fullofkittens 03/30/2026, 7:26am PDT             Re: Vince Gilligan said the comedic engine of Pluribus is a descendant by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/30/2026, 8:40am PDT         Ooooh. So Bogart was 43 in Casablanca, not 37 as the script says. I'd chalked it NT by up to the smoking & booze -MM 03/31/2026, 8:53pm PDT             This was supposed to be a reply to the 1944 list. Whoops! NT by MM 03/31/2026, 8:54pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1943 by Brody Wilder 03/30/2026, 9:22pm PDT         I'm cumming!!! NT by 8======D ~ ~ ~ 03/31/2026, 4:48am PDT     The Best Movie of 1944 by Brody Wilder 03/31/2026, 8:20pm PDT         Double Indemnity is the first of these I have seen, and a top 10/15 movie for me by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/31/2026, 9:18pm PDT         Loving these! NT by The entire world 04/01/2026, 5:48am PDT             Justifies ICJ not pulling the plug on this place in 2011. NT by Keister M. Feister 04/01/2026, 7:33am PDT     The Best Movie of 1945 by Brody Wilder 04/01/2026, 7:47pm PDT         Waaaaaaaait a minute! by Mischief Maker 04/01/2026, 9:23pm PDT             Lots of people like that movie! I could be anyone. by Brody Wilder 04/02/2026, 2:49am PDT     The Best Movie of 1946 by Brody Wilder 04/05/2026, 8:36pm PDT         Brody, what makes for good film noir - to you? NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/05/2026, 9:33pm PDT             First of all, it has to hate women as much as I do. by Brody Wilder 04/05/2026, 10:46pm PDT                 I'm still working on your question. Thank you for asking it. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/08/2026, 9:42pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1947 by Brody Wilder 04/08/2026, 3:24am PDT         Re: The Best Movie of 1947 by matt mysterio 04/29/2026, 9:18pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1948 by Brody Wilder 04/11/2026, 11:08pm PDT     You bastards ran him off! NT by we can't have nice things 04/27/2026, 11:24am PDT         What are you talking about? The list is over. Movies ended in 1948. NT by Mischief Maker 04/27/2026, 11:46am PDT             I really hope he continues. NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 04/27/2026, 1:29pm PDT     The Best Movie of 1949 by Brody Wilder 04/28/2026, 5:19am PDT         Fuck yes NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/28/2026, 6:49am PDT         The Third Man was the only noir I rooted for the villain by broad strokes Yesterday, 12:36pm PDT