Steve's Movie Micro-Reviews: Sorted by Steve's Rating

The Movie Micro-Reviews of Steven T Will

Ratings: A rating of 50 is just barely recommendable. In fact, between 50 & 70, I would probably recommend this movie to certain people, based on the kinds of things they like. Under 50, I would not recommend. With a rating of 70-85, I’d recommend unless you hate this “Type” of movie. With a rating of 86 or more, I think this is worth recommending, even to people who might not normally like the genre of film into which this movie falls.

Title	Rating	Type	Date	Actors	Notes
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring	100	D	12/??/01 01/??/02 04/??/02 08/06/02 08/26/02	Elijah Wood Ian McKellan	What can I say. The mood is perfect. The story hangs together. The characterizations are charming and thrilling. The effects enhance and draw you in, rather than amaze or distract. Fantastic.
Lords of the Rings: Return of the King	100	D	11/10/07 03/01/09	Sean Astin	What can I say? Probably the best film (series) ever. One point people miss – there are six or seven “endings” (they don’t miss that) because that’s how Tolkien made it, and the filmmakers built to that point. It had to be.
Star Wars	99	SF	06/25/05 04/xx/06	Mark Hamill Alec Guinness	Simply the best.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi	99	SF	06/27/05 08/xx/07	Mark Hamill Harrison Ford	Triumphant, heroic, hopeful – and fun!
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back	99	SF	06/25/05 07/xx/06	Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher	The single best sequel ever. Tension, characters, surprises.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	98	D	10/23/07	Viggo Mortensen Orlando Bloom	The Ents are not silly! The orcs are mean. The slightly lower rating is for confusion they could have worked a bit harder to clear up. But still near perfection!
Contact	96	SF	08/25/00 06/4/06	Jodi Foster Matthew McConaughey	Simply one of the best science fiction films ever made. Emphasis on the “science.” Great performances and true-to-life politics.
Forrest Gump	96	D	10/13/07	Tom Hanks Robin Wright Gary Sinese	“Original” and “Unique” don’t do it justice. Tender, Sweet, Meaningful and Entertaining. Success without ambition; love without expectation; grace without pretense. Wonderful.
Jaws	96	A/S	06/17/01	Roy Scheider Richard Dreyfuss	Still the finest of the genre. It suffers only from the "mayor is too dense" syndrome. But the last hour is perfection.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind	95	SF	06/2x/01	Richard Dreyfuss	Was there ever a better, more hopeful first-contact movie? I don't think so. "Contact" maybe, but this was first.
Dark Knight	95	A	07/27/08 12/26/08	Christian Bale Heath Ledger Aaron Eckhart	A triumph! Joker was maniacal and diabolical. Harvey spent long enough as a good guy that we felt bad for his transformation. Bale was able to be Batman, and Batman was the hero Gotham really needed. So many things were perfect there’s one word that applies: Brilliant!
Raiders of the Lost Ark	95	A	10/27/07	Harrison Ford Karen Allen John Rhys-Davies	Seriously fun! Never stops moving. An achievement and a classic from the day it was released.
Schindler’s List	95	D	2006	Liam Neeson Ben Kingsley	Everyone should see this. Everyone. And we should never forget.
Wizard of Oz (The)	95	M	09/14/08	Judy Garland	How do you rate a classic? Now, after The Writer’s Journey and Wicked, I have even more appreciation for this film.
And Inconvenient Truth	94	Doc	1/4/07	Al Gore Jr.	A call to action. Clearly the finest documentary I’ve ever seen – and while that’s not saying much, I give it a very high rating. I must act. How?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	94	F	07/11/07 07/15/07 06/26/08	Daniel Radcliffe Emma Watson Rupert Grint	The best yet. The young actors have grown, and are equal to the task. The effects are wonderful – especially the final spell battle. The review in the blog: http://snippetsandwisps.blogspot.com/2007/07/fantastic-five-or-phoenix-is-phabulous.html
Moulin Rouge!	94	M	10/21/06 9/13/08	Nicole Kidman Ewan McGregor John Leguizamo Jim Broadbent	Truly one of the best films I’ve ever seen, yet I completely understand how the direction can put people off. The first 15-20 minutes are so filled with quick cuts, it’s like watching a Pee-Wee’s Playhouse on speed. I just happen to like that, so when the story slows down a bit, I’m excited, and it just gets better. And the music – fun and excellent. The “Elephant Love Medley,” “Come What May,” and “One Day I’ll Fly Away” – as well as “The Show Must Go On.” Powerful.
Pirates of the Caribbean	94	F	05/xx/07 05/24/08	Johnny Depp Orlando Bloom Keira Knightley	Set the bar for adaptations of concepts into story. Casting Depp was critical to the success, and he created a character which will live forever.
Shawshank Redemption (The)	94	S	07/05/08	Tim Robbins Morgan Freeman	Wow. I’ve never reviewed this? Here goes: Stephen King can flat-out tell a story, if he tries. Director Darabont made it better. This movie is nearly perfect. We end up inside that prison, and we yearn for freedom and justice. What’s truly amazing, from a writing viewpoint, is the strong existence of two heroes. And the more important one is Red.
The Princess Bride	94	C	06/29/05 07/xx/06 06/23/07 04/05/09	Cary Elwes Robin Wright Mandy Patinkin	Sweet! Funny! And (I know now) based on some history. Really? Wow. So many quotable lines!
The Sixth Sense	94	S	03/01/00 06/27/05	Bruce Willis	Engaging characters; well acted; perfectly set-up; great second viewing.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	93	F	06/22/07 07/17/09	Daniel Radcliffe Emma Watson Rupert Grint	An excellent story, and they told the best parts of it, and did it well! These young actors are growing into their roles, and the fantasy continues to grow. The dementors were scary! Lupin was wonderful. And Gary Oldman as Sirius? Perfect!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	93	F	11/??/01 06/26/02 07/15/09	Daniel Radcliffe Richard Harris Maggie Smith	A delight! Had I not read the book, I would still have followed the story perfectly. Since I had read it, I was amazed at how perfectly they hit the characters and setting.
The Matrix	93	SF	11/01/99 03/xx/01 07/29/01 06/09/06 06/xx/07 03/28/09	Keanu Reeves Laurence Fishburne	New peak in FX; fun concepts; tight story. The plot moves from one fully-formed environment to another equally satisfying, but very different – and does it many times. Whoa. Excellent. Old, initial thoughts: Reeves took a bit away for me. (And after a few years, it’s clear – he was born to be Neo. Will Smith? No way.)
Unbreakable	93	S	06/30/01 06/07/05	Bruce Willis Samuel L Jackson Robin Wright Penn	Another case of "It makes perfect sense" once you see it. An "Origin" story for sure. Gets better with time – I used to rate it an 83.
V for Vendetta	93	SF	2006 10/23/07 11/09/08	Hugo Weaving Natalie Portman	Such atmosphere! Such a message! And “V” is one of the most memorable characters ever. This film gets better each time I see it. So many lessons about the price of freedom, and the power of fear. It fits so well with my favorite Benjamin Franklin quote: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” I have gladly made watching this film a yearly event. “Remember, remember, the fifth of November…”
Casablanca	92	D	06/17/07	Humphrey Bogart Ingrid Bergman Paul Henreid	Finally, I’ve seen this film. And, yes, it’s a bit slower than modern films, but by 30 minutes in, Sarah was not looking at her laptop anymore, and we were fully engaged. So many quotes! And why are they quotes? Because they are great lines, with memorable moments attached.
E.T.	92	SF	12/20/07		Ageless, timeless, and touching. Drew Barrymore really is a treat. It’s too bad the girls were scared by it when they were young.
Fiddler on the Roof	92	M	11/21/06	Topol	Most of us non-Jews learned about Judaism here first. Most of the music is excellent. The story certainly is.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	92	F	6/2006 12/30/06 07/18/09	Daniel Radcliff	An excellent adaptation of a very long book. I really liked the relationship emphasis for Hermione and Ron. They got the critical story elements right. The challenges were particularly well done – dragons, merfolk, maze – and OH that confrontation at the end!
Music Man	92	M	07/20/02 9/22/06 8/29/08	Robert Preston Shirley Jones	Is there a better pure musical than this? Some of the most FUN stage music ever.
Shakespeare in Love	92	D	?? 06/09/02 08/23/05 07/xx/06 06/07/09	Gwyneth Paltrow Joseph Fiennes	Tremendous weaving of what might have been with what probably was with what never could have happened.
ST:tNG “Inner Light”	92	SF	07/04/00		Perhaps the single best story told in this series.
A Beautiful Mind	91	D	08/04/02 03/20/07	Russell Crowe Jennifer Connelly	Connelly certainly deserved this Oscar. Ron Howard deserved one, too, though not against Peter Jackson - he had me going. Amazing that they made a mathematician's story so gripping.
A Knight’s Tale	91	A	06/24/07	Heath Ledger Paul Bettany	I loved the “knights as pop stars/athletes” and the mixing of modern with medieval. And the story is stirring and fun, if completely impossible. Chaucer almost steals the show.
Animal House	91	C	7/xx/06	Tim Matheson John Belushi	A classic. I still laugh. Belushi was a comic genius. But Tim Matheson made the story.
Batman Begins	91	A	10/29/05 07/17/08	Christian Bale Michael Caine Liam Neeson Katie Holmes	Wow! This is such an excellent origin story. Particularly intriguing, to me, was the origin of all of Metropolis’s super villains from the events of this story. And the Ra’s Al Ghul framework was a great touch.
Chicago	91	M	10/21/06 04/11/08 04/11/09	Renee Zelwegger Catherine Zeta-Jones Richard Gere Queen Latifa	Fantastic music. Hard to believe these actors were not singers before being cast (except for Queen Latifa, of course.)
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	91	F	5/06 07/06 2/07 3/07		They got it right. The children were perfect – especially Lucy. The world was small enough, and the inhabitants fanciful enough, and the Queen evil enough.
Fight Club	91	S	9/22/06 06/06/07 12/29/07	Edward Norton Brad Pitt	Rule Number 1 is you never talk about Fight Club. So I can’t. But it was amazingly good – and while Fight Club was integral to the movie, the story was about so much more!
Gladiator	91	D	4/26/08	Russell Crowe Joaquin Phoenix	Great battles, big and small. Despicable villain. Strategy and tactics, with a coherent plot and meaningful motivations. Bloody, but with a purpose.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	91	A	06/24/05 06/09/06	Harrison Ford Sean Connery	As always, non-stop action, but this adds an “origin” and has the father/son relationships. Plus, they go after the ultimate artifact.
Jesus Christ Superstar	91	M	2/23/07 3/13/09	Ted Neely Carl Anderson Yvonne Elliman	What can I say. Excellent music. Great setting. I always want to see it during Lent, and it never disappoints.
The Blues Brothers	91	C	08/22/05 04/03/09	John Belishi Dan Akroyd	One of my all-time favorite comedies, and Great Music!
The Green Mile	91	S	09/08/00 08/xx/06	Tom Hanks	Wow. I didn’t know what to expect, and it blew me away. What a setting. What a story.
The Stand	91	SF	?/?/01 06/12/02 02/17/08	Gary Sinese Rob Lowe	Stephen King's masterpiece. Some stories are too long for a single movie; a mini-series allowed each act the time it needed. Gary Sinese is wonderful. Rob Lowe was excellent as deaf/mute Nick. Bill Fagerbakke was perfect as Tom Cullen. Jamey Sheridan still scares me every time I see him because of his role in this apocalyptic tale.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince	90	F	07/16/09 07/30/09	Daniel Radcliff Emma Watson Rupert Grint Michael Gambon	Oh, they did this well. Plenty of humor and teen angst, but not too much. Plenty of darkness, but not too much. The young actors are growing well. Harry on Felix – precious! Hermione crying – very believable. Ron lovedumb – so silly! The only problem was the way the ending was handled, which was not as dramatic as the story deserved.
Jurassic Park	90	A	03/xx/01 07/xx/06 05/26/08	Sam Neil Jeff Goldblum	Even ten years later, the effects are great. The story is tight, and the characters well played. Now if only anyone would ever get the computer stuff right.
Remember the Titans	90	D	04/06/01	Denzel Washington	I could watch this again and again. Inspiring, and true to life characters. There were no saints, and darn few devils.
Star Trek	90	A	05/08/09	Zachary Quinto Chris Pine Bruce Greenwood Zoe Saldana	A thrill-ride. By the time we were 30 minutes in, I was already convinced I want to see more of this cast in these characters. Yes, it’s a re-visioning of the characters. But it fits. It’s great fun!
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith	90	SF	05/21/05 03/xx/06	Hayden Christensen Ewan McGregor Natalie Portman	OK, this is what we were waiting for. All the threads tied up in a very exciting way. Regrets? Padme had nothing to do, and Christensen had no clear point at which he gave in to the Dark Side.
The Truman Show	90	D	03/22/08	Jim Carrey Ed Harris	"How will it end?" We cared immediately, and Carrey and Harris keep us caring. Two years later, “Survivor” and “reality TV” began.
X-Men	90	A	12/26/00 11/10/07	Patrick Stewart	OK, Batman was darker, and more stylized. But I can't say it was better. Certainly this was more true to the characters. It whets my appetite for more. Oh, and I was wrong: Hugh Jackman and Wolverine were the center of the movie for good reason.
X-Men 2: X-Men United (aka X2)	90	A	2/16/08	Patrick Stewart Hugh Jackman Ian McKellen Rebecca Romijn Alan Cumming	What a fun, intense story! We get Nightcrawler! We give Phoenix a reason to arise. We get some of Logan’s mysterious past, but not all of it. And we see just how dangerous mutants can really be. Loved it.
2001: A Space Odyssey	89	SF			I still like the symbolism and mystery, though the silence is tough to take. Did Frank ever say "It's full of stars."
Back to the Future	89	C	07/05/05 12/23/08	Michael J Fox Christopher Lloyd	Fun, well put together, many fun things to see on each re-viewing, excellent music, and a take on time travel that makes me smile. Love this movie.
My Fair Lady	89	M	2/24/07 12/21/07	Rex Harrison Audrey Hepburn	Such clever lyrics. A fine message about language. If only Eliza had found a man good enough for her. I hadn’t noticed the similarities in goals between Higgins and Eliza’s dad before!
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest	89	A	12/27/06 05/27/07	Johnny Depp	A very good sequel, with non-stop action. Elizabeth is not as believable, but the villains are wonderful.
Star Trek: First Contact	89	SF	06/19/00 07/xx/01 08/21/05 05/xx/06	ST:tNG cast Alfre Woodard	Characters shine with a good plot. Patrick Stewart does some of his best work.
Star Trek: Nemesis	89	SF	08/19/05	Patrick Stewart	A very good episode; dark and purposeful.
Titanic	89	D	03/24/07	Leonardo DiCaprio Kate Winslet	The re-creation is wonderful. The love story helps show the class distinctions of the time. Maybe a bit long, but on the whole, very good.
Apollo 13	88	D	09/07/08	Tom Hanks Gary Sinese Kevin Bacon	A story told extremely well. Riveting in parts. It’s amazing how many individuals has to do just the right thing to avert disaster.
As Good As It Gets	88	D C	06/25/00	Jack Nicholson Helen Hunt Greg Kinnear	What a gem! Greg Kinnear was such a surprise. Some truly wonderful lines, and true-to-themselves characters.
Gattaca	88	SF	06/??/00 01/18/09	Ethan Hawke Uma Thurman	Extremely well done sci-fi fable about prejudice and reaching beyond your limitations.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	88	F	Xx/xx/07 07/15/09		Harry still discovers the wonders of the magical world, along with us. But he begins to take ownership of his life, and the story provides plenty of chance for him to grow.
The Incredibles	88	A	07/16/05	Craig T Nelson Holly Hunter	Funny! Great story! A send-up of superheroes, while at the same time being a great superhero movie. What animation! And who could NOT want to have Elastigirl in their lives?
X-Men Origins: Wolverine	88	A	05/07/09	Hugh Jackman Liev Schreiber	Very fun, and since I didn’t know most of the story ahead of time, I got to be surprised. “The best X-Men movie?” Not quite. But very good.
Bucket List (The)	87	D	04/03/09	Morgan Freeman Jack Nicholson	Loved the characters, and with actors like this, that is already enough. “Seize the Day” and buddy movie and life lesson. How would I handle this situation? Makes you think.
Independence Day	87	SF	08/19/00 07/03/01 07/03/05 07/02/06 07/04/07 12/06/08 01/1609	Jeff Goldblum Will Smith Randy Quaid	Fantastic blockbuster FX film, with real heroes, tension, laughs. Faulty science drops it below 90, for me.
Lars and the Real Girl	87	D/C	07/08/08	Ryan Gosling Emily Mortimer Patricia Clarkson	What a strange, wonderful, sweet film! If you hear the premise and assume it’s the kind of thing Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller would do, you’re completely wrong. Lars is genuine, Karin is the kind of sister-in-law we all need. And the community is just so, well, real, in the best possible way.
Million Dollar Baby	87	D	08/28/05	Clint Eastwood Morgan Freeman Hillary Swank	The relationships developed well. And that’s good, because otherwise the moral dilemma at the end would have had no punch.
Oliver!	87	M	12/20/07	Ron Moody	One excellent song after another. Comedy and tragedy and atmosphere!
Powder	87	SF		Jeff Goldblum	Worth owning, and seeing from time to time. Simon Birch meets X-Men.
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (The)	87	D	11/28/08	Amber Tamblyn Alexis Bledel America Ferrera Blake Lively Jenna Boyd Bradley Whitford	Excellent! Touching. Real; coming of age in the 21^st century, and the power of friendship. Each of the young actresses demonstrated range; made me believe and made me care. The stories fit together without being TV-drama parallels. Easily one of the best movies I’ve seen recently. Worth owning.
Star Trek: Insurrection	87	SF	06/20/00 08/xx/05 06/xx/06 06/17/07 12/19/07 09/07/08	ST:tNG cast	For pure fun, great effects, episode-like story, this was wonderful. Not so much acting, and a few story-logic problems.
The Hours	87	D	10/20/07	Nicole Kidman Meryl Streep Julianne Moore Ed Harris	I never knew anything about Virginia Woolf. This movie made me want to learn more. The interweaving stories flowed well. Each woman, living a life she did not feel was meant for her, dealing with the despair in similar, yet different, ways.
A Bug’s Life	86	C	08/18/00	David Hyde Pierce etc.	Wonderful animation, laughs to be had every minute from clever dialogue. And the “out-takes” are priceless.
Big Fish	86	C	03/xx/05 1/27/06 08/05/07	Ewan McGregor Albert Finney Billy Crudup	What a Tale! Finney and McGregor were wonderful as a larger-than-life man. Fantasy and family. Loved it. Clever and funny and fun – and I suspect there are some men who are very much like this – or I hope there are.
Dune (miniseries)	86	SF	11/22/07	Alec Newman William Hurt	At this length, the story can make sense, unlike the 80’s movie. Though almost all the actors were unknown to me, the stars were excellent, particularly Newman as Paul/Muad’Dib. Easily re-watchable.
Ella Enchanted	86	C	10/15/06 03/08/07	Anne Hathaway	So much background comedy, and such good music. This is a bright film with a beautiful actress. I like it. A lot!
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off	86	C	04/05/09	Matthew Broderick Alan Ruck Mia Sara Jennifer Grey	OK, so the adults are clueless, but this is told from the point of view of high school seniors. The “Day Off” is a fantasy we all had at that point. We all wished we could be Ferris, but we were Cameron. Cameron needed this day with Ferris so much!
Finding Forrester	86	D	5/19/08	Sean Connery Rob Brown	Jamal is such a genuine character, and Brown plays him with great subtlety. The interplay and mutual mentoring is touching and strong. A film worth many viewings.
Finding Neverland	86	D	05/14/05	Johnny Depp	A touching and magical story. It’s hard for modern Americans to understand how upper-class British society forced decisions – and in this regard, Depp again plays a rebel, doing what is right, and inspired, rather than acceptable.
Hoosiers	86	D	03/10/07 01/18/09 04/06/09	Gene Hackman	Redemption. Everyman. David & Goliath. One of the best sports movies ever.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom	86	A	6/8/08	Harrison Ford Kate Capshaw	Pure adventure; pure fun. With a few hinted impurities – “I’m right here!” Indiana is most like Han Solo in this film. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Aliens	85	A	03/17/07	Sigourney Weaver Michael Biehn Lance Henriksen Paul Reiser	A sequel which is better than the original. Suspenseful, fun. OK, so the mystery factor is lower, and that helped the first film. But the action and character interaction are superior.
Die Hard	85	A	08/19/07 01/26/08	Bruce Willis Alan Rickman	Excellent comic-book-like action film. Smart. You can clearly see why people wanted more installments.
Die Hard: With a Vengeace	85	A	09/02/00 01/28/08	Bruce Willis Jeremy Irons	Really clever bad guys; a good episode
P.S. I Love You	85	D	6/15/08 5/22/09 07/22/09	Hilary Swank Gerard Butler Lisa Kudrow Gina Gershon Kathy Bates Harry Connick Jr.	What an excellent story. This is a “romantic comedy” because they don’t have a phrase for its type. Yeah, there’s romance; yeah, there’s comedy. But it’s a drama about life and dealing with loss and, wow.
Star Trek 2: the Wrath of Khan	85	SF	07/xx/06	William Shatner Leonard Nimoy Ricardo Montalban	Probably the best of the original cast movies.
The Matrix: Revolutions	85	SF	05/xx/05 07/02/07	Keanu Reeves Laurence Fishburne	Exciting, action-packed conclusion. The characters’ actions made sense.
The Prestige	85	D	04/04/07 03/22/08	Hugh Jackman Christian Bale Michael Caine Scarlett Johansson	Obsession. Magic. Envy. Magic. Competition. Magic. Science. Magic. Revenge. Magic.
Traffic	85	D	07/08/01	Michael Douglas Benicio Del Toro Don Cheadle	The stories wove together so well. But a pessimistic view, for sure. Who wins?
X-Men 3: The Last Stand	85	A	10/07/06 10/15/06	Patrick Stewart Hugh Jackman Ian McKellan	Excellent movie for traditional comic book story and action. Characters sometimes acted out-of-character, though.
Chocolat	84	C	2/28/09	Juliette Binoche Alfred Molina Judi Dench Lean Olin Johnny Depp	A sweet fantasy. A creamy fable. A luscious tale. Judi Dench can be so many different characters, and all well. I want to see more of Juliette Binoche. Alfred Molina’s role clearly led to his role in “The Da Vinci Code.” The chocolate creations made my mouth water. I will own this. If only to look at the tantalizing candy.
Crash	84	D	6/5/06	Don Cheadle	The interconnected nature of our lives, the hidden and overt prejudices which influence our paths, the sad state of life for many – well put together.
Ghost	84	F	03/23/07	Patrick Swayze Demi Moore Whoopi Goldberg	Excellent concept. Good plot. Attractive stars. And Whoopi is so funny! The effects are less than super, but still cool.
Keeping the Faith	84	CRD	08/13/01	Edward Norton Jenna Elfman Ben Stiller	The first movie of Stiller’s where he did not play someone really strange. I really liked this one. It said something, the characters were believable. And one scene between Norton and his priest was wonderful in explaining commitment.
Kill Bill vol. 2	84	A	9/22/06	Uma Thurman Keith Carridine Daryl Hannah Michael Madsen	And the end was VERY satisfying. Not so bloody, but definitely character-driven. I’m SO glad I saw it.
Pleasantville	84	D/C	?? 07/19/02 07/xx/06	Toby Maguire Reese Witherspoon	Great concept. Great fable. Well done, all around. Some slight inconsistencies in the transformation fundamentals, but those are easily overlooked. Just don't watch it with commercials!
Ray	84	D	Xx/xx/05	Jamie Foxx	Well played. I liked the music. Cautionary and biographical.
Shrek	84	C	?? 07/21/02	Mike Myers Cameron Diaz Eddie Murphy John Lithgow	One of the funniest animated movies ever. Maybe one of the funniest movies, period. Poking fun at the genre while being a great example of it at the same time.
Sin City	84	A	10/22/05	Bruce Willis	So much atmosphere! The gore was off-putting, but I could stand it because of the presentation in comic book visuals – white blood and so on. It’s interesting that, as I look back on it, I remember the scenes as frames of a graphic novel – exactly what Miller intended, I bet.
The Contender	84	D	07/31/01	Jeff Bridges Joan Allen Gary Oldman	I saw the ending coming, but was proud of it. The intrigue might have packed more punch if I had seen it before "West Wing" existed. Nevertheless, a fine film, with terrific acting.
The Illusionist	84	D	03/29/07 07/01/08	Edward Norton Paul Giamatti Jessica Biel	Mysterious. Loved the main character. Jessica Biel can act! Sepia visuals were stunning, and set just the right atmosphere.
Troy	84	A	07/03/05 03/17/07	Brad Pitt Eric Bana Orlando Bloom	Impressive battles, a nice take on the heroes of the Iliad.
A League of their Own	83	C	08/09/01	Geena Davis Tom Hanks	A really fun film. The end was actually unpredictable. Hanks' character was pretty unlikable, for a reason. Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell had perfect characters. A real ensemble.
Amistad	83	D	12/2x/08	Matthew McConnaughey Morgan Freeman Djimon Hounsou Anthony Hopkins	Excellent historical drama. All adults should know the parts of our history represented here, and the characters make it real.
Apocalypse Now	83	D	1/9/09	Martin Sheen Marlon Brando Robert Duvall Laurence Fishburne(!)	Though not as graphic as some war films, perhaps the most intense and disturbing in its characters. Sheen’s Willard doesn’t know who he is if he doesn’t have a mission. Brando’s Kurtz is the best at what he does, but his country won’t let him. Duvall’s Kilgore is certifiable, but unflappable in battle. Amazing imagery, an epic journey, and unpredictable characters.
Cast Away	83	D	01/xx/01 07/xx/06	Tom Hanks Helen Hunt	I still wonder about the long set-up. But contrary to some in my family, I really liked the ending, and I think that might be because of the set-up.
Dead Poets Society	83	D	1/19/09	Robin Williams Ethan Hawke Robert Sean Leonard	The themes are familiar, but the methods are unique. Robin Williams was understated, but perfectly cast as a teacher introducing free thought and the meaning of humanity to the buttoned-up boys-becoming-men. Moving. Inspiring.
Field of Dreams	83	D	3/7/09	Kevin Costner Amy Madigan James Earl Jones Ray Liotta	“Is this heaven?” “No. It’s Iowa.” Is this perfect? No, but it’s engaging, full of flavor, and a fantasy that fills empty spaces we didn’t know we had.
Great Escape (The)	83	D	11/15/08	Richard Attenborough Steve McQueen James Garner Charles Bronson	It’s amazing I hadn’t seen this before, but I sure am glad it was on PBS when I had time to watch it. Some of the third act was surprising, but then I learned it was based on a true story, and that made the whole thing even better. I really liked a young Richard Attenborough.
Holes	83	C	03/20/07 05/25/08	Shia LaBeouf Jon Voight Sigourney Weaver	What fun! All the connections. Bad guys who are bad enough, but not too bad. Heroes who are fun.
Iron Man	83	A	05/03/08 10/18/08	Robert Downey Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow Jeff Bridges Terrance Howard	What fun! I believed Stark could make it, and make it fly. Downey had just the right confidence. Paltrow as Pepper was excellent. Howard’s line as Rhodes – “Next time” – perfect! The updated origin was very close to the original, and worked. And comic relief! Way to go.
Juno	83	D	05/05/08 08/29/09	Ellen Page Jason Bateman Jennifer Garner Allison Janney J K Simmons	A good film. Believable characters. Teenagers who acted like teenagers. Parents who weren’t caricatures. Can’t say I liked the music, but it fit. We’ll see Ellen Page (Juno) again.
Miracle	83	D	11/10/07	Kurt Russell	Truly an inspiring movie, telling a stirring story very well. Sports stories, done well, can create exultation like little else.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail	83	C	10/07/06 08/13/09		And now for something completely Python. Actually, it’s less Pythonesque than one might expect – there is a story running through it. But there was plenty of irreverent nonsense!
Star Trek 3: the Search for Spock	83	SF	07/xx/06		A good episode.
Terminator (The)	83	R	6/19/08	Linda Hamilton Arnold Schwarzennegger Michael Biehn	Even 24 years later, this is a good science fiction story. Hollywood almost seems unwilling to allow senseless death in mainstream movies. Well, I guess at the time, no one knew Arnold would become the Governator, or that a trilogy would result.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian	83	F	5/19/08 12/04/08 12/25/08	Skandar Keynes Georgie Henley Ben Barnes	Though not as visually stunning as the first film, the story allowed us to see the maturing of the characters. Edmund is great! The best part of a good movie.
The Da Vinci Code	83	D	6/3/06	Tom Hanks Ian McKellan	Cool concepts, great use of symbology, a nice conspiracy story. There were times when it tried too hard to misdirect.
The Matrix: Reloaded	83	SF	04/xx/05 06/xx/07	Keanu Reeves Carrie-Anne Moss	A good follow-up to a film which maybe shouldn’t have been followed up. Moss is even better this time around.
Across the Universe	82	M	03/08/08		Excellent use of Beatles music to tell a story; very well performed. I liked all the new faces, and the way the story flowed with the music. Fun, touching, sad, happy. Good cinema.
Akeelah and the Bee	82	D	1/25/07	Laurence Fishburne Angela Bassett Keke Palmer	OK, so it was somewhat predictable, and some of the conflict relied on a too-detached single mom, but the acting was very good, and the emotional payoff was great. And “Javier” was priceless.
Excalibur	82	D	11/3/07		Though a bit disconnected, the elements and the atmosphere carry the themes. It’s not as accessible as “Camelot,” darker and more symbolic. I like them both.
Galaxy Quest	82	C	08/13/09	Tim Allen Sigourney Weaver Alan Rickman	See, this movie is funny on so many levels. It’s not for everyone, but it pokes fun at Star Trek while at the same time being like Star Trek. I laugh and laugh.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	82	A	5/25/08 10/30/08 08/12/09	Harrison Ford Shia LeBouf	Well worth the viewing. Plenty of action. Good laughs. Indiana had some excellent lines. OK, so it wasn’t quite as fulfilling as 1 & 3, but it’s still better than most movies, and lots of fun. Oh, and people who complain about Shia’s character’s entrance just need to get over themselves – it’s a tribute!
Monty Python’s Life of Brian	82	C	1/26/07	Graham Chapman John Cleese Eric Idle Michael Palin	Still funny after all these years. The humorous takes on the infighting are some of the best parts. But the very best part is the ending song!
National Treasure: Book of Secrets	82	A	12/22/07 05/24/08 08/xx/08 10/12/08	Nicolas Cage Jon Voight Ed Harris	Another well-written mystery. They followed the formula they created in the first movie, and it worked. Fun! We will own it.
Open Range	82	W	07/20/08	Robert Duvall Kevin Costner Annette Bening	I’m amazed. A Western, and I really enjoyed it. They drew me back into that time. Light on dialogue. Heavy on character, nonetheless. This is writing, acting and directing done right.
Pursuit of Happyness	82	D	12/27/06	Will Smith	Extremely well told, and the interactions are excellent.
Romeo and Juliet	82	D	12/05/08	Olivia Hussey	The Zeffirelli classic from 1968. Though a few important lines are left out for the sake of a two-hour film, the core is there. Whiting is just wonderful as a love-sick teen, and there is just no Juliet like Hussey; pretty, vulnerable, sexy, bright. We still love her.
Star Trek: Generations	82	SF	06/18/00 12/19/07	ST:tNG cast William Shatner	Fine first outing for the Next Generation crew; Data is funny.
The Golden Compass	82	F	1/1/08 4/30/08 05/24/08	Nicole Kidman Daniel Craig	Of course, most of the clever ideas came from the book, but that’s fine, because the film captured them well. Sure, it’s just part 1, but I liked the casting and the story (Hero’s Journey, for sure.) Now that I’ve read the books: Still a good film, but I don’t see how they can make a sequel. I really want to see one, but how? Even ignoring the changes to the plot order, things can’t stay sweet and wholesome, and there are some key elements that should have been introduced in this episode for the future.
The Incredible Hulk	82	A	6/27/08 10/31/08 1/3/09	Edward Norton Liv Tyler	Why didn’t I want to see this? Partially because I think the origin is weak. So what did they do? Genius! Don’t tell it! Get on to the interesting stuff! Good story. Love Liv! Effects were seamless. Ownable!
The Island	82	SF	1/xx/06	Ewan McGregor Scarlett Johansson	Don’t get a synopsis of the movie before you see it; it’s too easy to ruin the cool twists. But if you like speculative fiction, see it.
Tootsie	82	C	07/02/00	Dustin Hoffman Jessica Lange Bill Murray	Still funny after all these years!
Back to the Future 3	81	C		Michael J Fox Christopher Lloyd
Elizabeth	81	D	08/23/00	Cate Blanchett Geoffrey Rush Joseph Fiennes	Did it really happen that way? “It’s good to be the king” doesn’t really work for unmarried queens.
Gran Torino	81	D	07/21/09	Clint Eastwood	How can such an unlikeable character be so, well, likeable? Walt has prejudices on top of his racism, his angry exterior hides an angrier inner core. And yet; and yet. Deep down inside he knows good and evil. In many ways, he’s comparable to Streep’s character in Doubt. Gran Torino flowed better. And had humor. Uncomfortable humor, to be sure. I won’t own it, but I’m sure glad I saw it.
Live Free or Die Hard	81	A	07/17/07 01/29/08 09/06/08 07/06/09	Bruce Willis Justin Long	A fun, action-filled movie. It’s not as good as “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” but I had fun, and there were some spectacular stunts. When we saw "16 Blocks" this is sort of what we were expecting.
National Treasure	81	A	06/11/05 07/xx/06	Nicholas Cage	A clever action mystery. Fun clues.
Slumdog Millionaire	81	D	3/5/09		We should be thankful this movie was made. American studios seem to think we only want to see pretty white actors. The actors, young and younger, in this shocking but touching story made the film special. Certain scenes will stick with me. Maybe for the rest of my life.
Sound of Music	81	M	9/22/06		Some of the best stage music ever, but without the setting of the wonders of Austria, it could not be as powerful.
Spiderman 2	81	A	03/18/07 01/15/09	Tobey Maguire Kirsten Dunst Alfred Molina	Great fights. Superior effects of web-swinging. Great villain. Peter’s a bit too “wimpy” at times, and I still don’t like “Raindrops.”
Terminal (The)	81	C/D	06/13/05	Tom Hanks	The story was really fun – and it took pains to resist the predictable.
The Aviator	81	D	07/06/05	Leonardo DiCaprio Kate Blanchett	By the time I heard of Howard Hughes, when I was a boy, he was already a crazy recluse. This movie did a good job of informing while entertaining. DiCaprio was believeable, and Blanchett as Hepburn was a treat.
The Mummy	81	A	06/13/00	Brendan Fraser	FX galore; plot moved; Fraser seriously funny
Thirteen Days	81	D	07/20/01	Kevin Costner Bruce Greenwood	I knew almost nothing about the Cuban missile crisis. This movie taught me, and engaged me. Greenwood was very noble as JFK.
Wall E	81	C	11/27/08		Wonderfully surprising story. Disney takes the “Last Man on Earth” story from science fiction and produces a fun, beautiful film which builds in interest and drama. Not just for kids, but certainly appropriate for everyone.
Batman	80	A	07/20/08	Michael Keaton Jack Nicholson Kim Basinger	This film proved superheroes could be serious. Though a bit aged in effects, it’s still a satisfying experience, with plenty of subtlety. That “Batman Begins” outclassed it 16 years later does not diminish this one.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	80	D	08/22/09	Jim Carrey Kate Winslet	What a find! Never heard of this movie, and it was so creative, imaginative, and well-made. A tiny bit of “what if?” that would be science fiction in a different movie. See this.
Get Smart	80	C	1/1/09	Steve Carrell Anne Hatheway	Funny! Really! There was plenty of the old humor, but lots of new action, and a modern take on the Smart/99 relationship. I laughed and laughed. I might have to own this one.
Glory Road	80	D	9/x/06	Josh Lucas	Another film which demonstrates the power of sport, and its inherent attributes, as a microcosm of culture, and as an agent for change.
Hancock	80	A	07/26/09	Will Smith Justin Bateman Charlize Theron	So glad I saw this! So glad it wasn’t what it looked like in previews. Well, it was, but it was more!
I, Robot	80	SF	11/06/08	Will Smith Bridget Moynahan	While not true to the original Asimov story, the concepts translated well, the characterization of Sonny was believable, and Will Smith was just the right choice for the role of a robot-wary detective.
Kelly's Heroes	80	A	03/31/01	Clint Eastwood Telly Savales Donald Sutherland	The right amount of suspense, tragedy, and comedy. The kids even liked it.
K-Pax	80	D	05/??/02	Kevin Spacey Jeff Bridges	Many good characters. Glad I didn’t know much about the story before I saw it.
LA Confidential	80	S	08/21/00	Kim Basinger Russell Crowe Kevin Spacey	Bloodier than expected. Not a single noble character. But in the end, you were pulling for the best of them.
Nell	80	D	7/xx/06	Jodie Foster Liam Neeson	Could this really happen? Seems like it. If it did, wouldn’t it be just like this? Excellent, understated performances.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?	80	C	07/--/01	George Clooney	A true surprise. It started good, and got better and better. Clooney let loose and was truly funny!
Pirates of the Caribbean 3	80	F	05/27/07 12/xx/07 03/01/09	Johnny Depp Orlando Bloom Keira Knightley	A bit complicated, but quite satisfying as a final (?) episode. Action and characters and visuals all mixed well.
Reader (The)	80	D	04/18/09	Kate Winslet Davind Kross Ralph Fiennes	“It’s the secrets that we keep that drive our stories.” This story starts with the intensity of a teenage boy’s love, and then takes astonishing, heart-wrenching turns. Draining and ambiguous; some lives are forever defined by one short summer, by one secret kept.
Serenity	80	A	5/10/08		Now I wish I had seen “Firefly” and that it had lasted. Lots of actors we like. The story kept me interested. The bad guy was intriguing. We saw it in Mike & Tracy’s theater room – what an experience!
Signs	80	SF	06/05/05 07/xx/06 12/20/08	Mel Gibson Joaquin Pheonix	Gripping, suspenseful. A message, too – and some nice surprises.
Simon Birch	80	D	06/23/00		Feel-good tear-jerker at its best. Everyone has felt like Simon at times, and none of us handles it as well as he did.
Spanglish	80	C/D	05/31/05	Adam Sandler Paz Vega Tea Leoni	A story about love, and parenting, and responsibility, and longing. Quite good!
Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones	80	SF	05/30/05 03/xx/06	Natalie Portman Hayden Christensen Ewan McGregor	Annakin can’t decide what to be, or Christensen can’t decide how to act. The love story doesn’t resonate, but again the action is good – great to see so many Jedi in battle.
The Patriot	80	A		Mel Gibson	Well told; humanity and family and what war does to both.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?	80	D	06/06/09	Johnny Depp Leonardo DiCaprio	So glad we rented this! Depp was perfect (again) as a young man trapped by his life. DiCaprio was fantastic as Depp’s “challenged” brother. I had no idea what would happen, yet when it did, it was perfect.
American Beauty	79	D		Kevin Spacey	Some real truth in this. But I admit my bias against pessimistic films. Truly fine performances.
Anna and the King	79	D	08/01/01	Jodie Foster Chow Yun Fat	The story was familiar, but perhaps more true to reality -- though I have suspicions about the final conflict. In any case, the acting was great, and the scenery was lush and beautiful.
Back to the Future 2	79	C	07/05/05	Lea Thompson Crispin Glover
Children of Men	79	S	05/xx/07	Clive Owen Michael Caine Julianne Moore	This is old-fashioned sci-fi. A bit tough to follow at times, but I think that was part of the appeal.
Cinderella Man	79	D	04/05/09	Russell Crowe Renee Zelwegger Paul Giamatti	One great thing about true stories put to film is knowing that Hollywood can’t change the ending. Crowe was understated, Zelwegger a completely convincing Depression-era wife, and Paul Giamatti was, once again, perfect. A message for our times, too.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder	79	A	1/27/08	Bruce Willis	Being the “worst” of the “Die Hard” saga is not a very good way to say it – it’s the “least good.” Some gory parts, but some really fun action and plot points.
Hotel Rwanda	79	D	1/xx/06	Don Cheadle	The sort of thing everyone should know about. Powerful. Shows a normal guy in a terrible situation. Stay away if you can’t handle man’s inhumanity.
Iris	79	D	07/13/02	Judi Dench	On the plane for our Norway trip.
The Family Stone	79	D	9/7/06	Diane Keaton Craig T Nelson Sarah Jessica Parker Claire Danes Luke Wilson	What a touching film! And they advertised it as a comedy. I’m glad I saw it. So glad! Oh, and for future reference, I’ve finally enjoyed something with Luke Wilson in it. And he was good.
The Ring	79	H	1/20/07	Naomi Watts	Now this was scary! I couldn’t watch it straight through; I had to take breaks. Very intense.
Watchmen	79	A	3/13/09 07/27/09		I am impressed. Dark, graphic, but not as tied to the comic images as I expected from the director of “300.” I got into it. But not for the faint of heart, or those wanting a typical hero story. It’s not Dark Knight, but it’s not Fantastic Four either.
Airplane!	78	C	07/26/01	Robert Hays Leslie Nielsen	Well, this IS in fact a funny movie. The comedy was not as low-brow as I expected, and it surprised me with its targets. Well worth the viewing!
Ali	78	D	08/14/02	Will Smith	Quite good, though it was heavy on images and mood and less interested in connected story-telling. Will Smith did a great job "being Ali" rather than "impersonating Ali." I'm more curious than before about the relationships between influential African-Americans in the 60s. And I want to know if Ali and Frazier really set up the fight themselves.
Atonement	78	D	6/28/08	Keira Knightley James McAvoy	Actions have consequences, and sins might be forgivable (or they might not) but they still effect irrevocable changes. Reality is messy. I recommend to drama lovers. Strong performances.
Babel	78	D	04/02/07	Brad Pitt Kate Blanchett Many more	OK, reminiscent of “Crash” with interwoven stories. And I certainly appreciated the fine performances from actors I wouldn’t normally see. The themes of misunderstanding and impossible choices were well done. I wonder if I ought to give it a higher rating.
Deep Impact	78	D	06/xx/07	Morgan Freeman Elijah Wood Tea Leoni Robert Duvall	Two movies in the same year with the same premise. This one is much deeper than “Armageddon” – the acting is better, and the situations more realistic. And we all wish Morgan Freeman could be our President – if he’s not too busy being God. J
Hitch	78	C	06/26/05	Will Smith	A romantic comedy that really is funny!
I Am Legend	78	SF	12/21/07	Will Smith	I quite liked it. I need to read the original now. And probably see the Vincent Price version. In any case the way Smith’s character behaved was very believable. Not a great movie, but worth seeing with surround sound and a big screen.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius	78	C	08/02/02		Surprisingly funny. This was another fine example of how a kid-oriented story can be fun for adults. Lots of laughs in our viewing audience. And the voices of Patrick Stewart and Martin Short!
Ladder 49	78	D	05/13/05	Joaquin Phoenix John Travolta	Probably the best film I’ve ever seen for getting the chaos, danger and bravery associated with battling fires. Travolta is almost supporting here – this is Joaquin Phoenix’s film.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest	78	D	04/04/09	Jack Nicholson Louise Fletcher Brad Dourif Will Sampson	A flawed hero, and Nicholson plays those well – of course, this was one of his most famous. Hubris and compassion. I’m glad I saw it the same weekend as “The Bucket List.” Louise Fletcher was perfect as Nurse Ratched, and now I know why she played Winn on DS9.
Pay It Forward	78	D	06/13/01	Haley Joel Osment Helen Hunt Keving Spacey	Three of the best actors around gave good performances. The concept was great, and based on a true story. I'd have loved to have seen more of Spacey and Hunt, but the story wouldn't let it happen.
Rent	78 84	M	6/11/06 04/11/08		Loved the story. Loved the characters. Loved the primary songs. So what was wrong? Well, if you’re going to do a rock opera, there should be no un-sung dialog. However, this was NOT a rock opera, and I agree with that choice. So why was there so much singing of dialog? Most of the Mimi/Roger relationship was sung, but most of it was not a song – just sung dialog. Considering that a main plot point was that Roger could not write a song, it seemed incongruous. Still, “525,600 Minutes” is excellent, and I had never heard “La Vie Boheme” and it was fantastic. Mark, Angel, and Maureen are the best characters.
Road to Perdition	78	D	07/19/08	Tom Hanks Paul Newman Daniel Craig	Which is more important, loyalty or family? What is the definition of a “good” man? Simple questions, complicated answers.
Rounders	78	D	10/21/05	Matt Damon Edward Norton	I knew it was a Texas Hold ‘Em movie, and that’s all. It was more than that. Liked it a lot.
Star Wars Episode 1: the Phantom Menace	78	SF	05/29/05 03/xx/06 09/29/07	Natalie Portman Ewan McGregor Liam Neeson	Very pretty, and the strong female lead is welcome. Jar-Jar was a mistake, as were “midichlorians”. But a fun film.
Untraceable	78	S	07/04/08	Diane Lane	The concept was scary, the social commentary was integral to the story, and Diane Lane’s performance was excellent. Ultimately, a good movie with a few “yeah, but” items that didn’t interfere with the enjoyment. Still, be warned: disturbing images!
2010	77	SF		Roy Scheider John Lithgow	A more "Hollywood" movie, but still some good messages, and definitely some good drama.
Breach	77	D	10/04/07	Chris Cooper Laura Linney Ryan Phillippe	The story of Robert Hanssen’s capture, and the story of the agent who was right in the middle of it. Believable performances. I hope reality was close to this.
Curious Case of Benjamin Button (The)	77	F	05/05/09	Brad Pitt Cate Blanchett Tilda Swinton	This is speculative fiction couched in mainstream romance. Amazing job of make-up and effects. Story was intriguing. Imagine having the wisdom of age without the experience. P.S. Imagine the two loves of your life being Jadis and Galadriel. J
Manchurian Candidate (The)	77	S	06/12/05	Denzel Washington	Excellent conspiracy story.
One True Thing	77	D	06/22/00	Meryll Streep William Hurt Renee Zellwegger	A story with real truth about finally growing up and knowing who you and your parents are. Touching. Streep is great.
Planet of the Apes (2001)	77	SF	08/10/01 07/31/01	Matt Wahlberg Helen Bonham-Carter	I liked this. Oh, there were some troubling technology points, and I would have preferred it to end five minutes earlier, but by and large it was more cohesive than the original, and the acting by the villain, and the make-up were something!
Reign Over Me	77	D	03/24/07 05/03/08	Don Cheadle Adam Sandler Liv Tyler Jada Pinkett Smith	Cheadle was great, as expected. Sandler was up to the task, which was a surprise. Excellent interweaved themes. I think it was satisfying, despite the review I saw. Oh, and the title of the game in the movie “Shadows of the Colossus” is perfect.
Shanghai Noon	77	C	08/14/01	Jackie Chan Owen Wilson Lucy Liu	This was truly funny. The situations made it so, sorta like Blazing Saddles, but I really liked the interplay between Chan and Wilson. I forgot Wilson was in Meet the Parents. There he was a small caricature. Here he was a misplaced surfer dude. Stunts and action were wonderful.
Sleepy Hollow	77	F	10/21/07	Johnny Depp Christina Ricci	Love the atmosphere. So many excellent actors, and such a deep, dark mood. And a fun mystery, too.
Stargate: The Ark of Truth	77	SF	4/x/08	Amanda Tapping Michael Shanks Christopher Judge Ben Browder Claudia Black	Wonderful to see the gang again, and to wrap up the unfinished storyline. Every major character got to do something important, and the effects were wonderful. Nothing was quite as “Oh Cool!” as in the best episodes, but if I can’t have the series, give me more movies like this.
Superman Returns	77	A	03/xx/07		A fun action movie, with many “tip of the hat” moments to the Reeve films.
Sweeney Todd	77	M	12/30/07	Johnny Depp Helena Bonham Carter Alan Rickman	I’m having trouble rating this. An intense film, done very well. The cast was perfect for the material. The blood was overwhelming, though, and will likely cause me to never see it again.
Walk the Line	77	D	10/14/06	Joaquin Phoenix Reese Witherspoon	Entertaining. It’s always interesting to see how the “big” music stars of the time knew each other and traveled around. I liked the music – during the film. Unlike “Ray,” I did not find myself wanting to listen to it afterwards, however.
What Women Want	77	CR	07/07/01	Mel Gibson Helen Hunt	He pulled it off -- transforming in a comic, yet convincing way. And Hunt is terrific and sincere, as always.
Billy Elliot	76	D	08/06/01		Subtitles would have helped early on, but the characters were well done, and the growth was nice to see.
City of Angels	76	D	06/14/00	Nicolas Cage Meg Ryan	Mood wonderful; Ryan not “too perky” Dennis Franz stole it.
Day After Tomorrow (The)	76	A	6/20/08	Dennis Quaid Jake Gyllenhall Emmy Rossum	We’ve seen this a lot; amazing that I haven’t reviewed it before. The science may be suspect, but the visuals are fun, and the message is clear. Like most Hollywood disaster movies, the audience is left happier than we have a right to be, but it’s a good ride.
Good Night and Good Luck	76	D	9/11/06	David Strathairn George Clooney	Very interesting, nice acting and mood setting. But not as dramatic as I expected – where drama involves tension and character exploration.
Lady in the Water	76	T	1/1/07 6/21/09	Paul Giamatti	Engaging myth, cool characters you can care about. And surprises enough. I liked it more the second time around.
Master and Commander	76	D	9/19/06	Russell Crowe Ralph Bellamy	Very interesting! Good story; character dynamics were excellent. And there was history to learn everywhere – I hope it was accurate.
Rules of Engagement	76	A	03/xx/01	Samuel L Jackson Tommy Lee Jones	Was he guilty? I'm still not quite sure. But it was a fun plot with characters you cared about.
Stardust	76	F	4/6/08	Michelle Pfeiffer Claire Danes Robert De Niro	A light fantasy that had plenty of interesting ideas mixed in with the comfortable fairy-tale frame. De Niro was quite good, but I enjoyed Claire Danes even more.
The Fifth Element	76	SF C	08/11/02	Bruce Willis Ian Holm	As a comedy this works really well. It's "Stargate" played silly. And it's silly and fun. I appreciated Chris Tucker much more this time. Lots of laughs from our audience.
The Hostage	76	A	08/28/05	Bruce Willis Kevin Pollack	A Willis pic, with more seriousness and heart.
Total Recall	76	SF	08/12/01	Arnold Schwarzegger Ronny Cox	I really, really liked this at one time. Seeing it again, the gore was too much. But the story was still fun.
Cars	75	C	1/5/07	Owen Wilson Paul Newman Bonnie Hunt Larry the Cable Guy	Quite cute. I laughed quite a bit. Predictable, but enough was unexpected to make it fun.
Dolores Claiborne	75	D	04/01/09	Kathy Bates Jennifer Jason Leigh Christopher Plummer	Much less like “Misery” than it is like “Shawshank” and I guess not quite as good as either, but plenty good. A mystery with deep, well-acted characters.
Jarhead	75	D	6/6/06	Jake Gyllenhall Jamie Foxx	So this is what war was like for the Desert Storm soldiers? And this is what being a Marine really means?
Meet the Robinsons	75	C	05/07/08		This was fun! And its characters are from a children’s book Adam owned in 1992. OK, somewhat predictable, but excellent animation and imaginative characters.
Ocean’s Twelve	75	A	06/01/07	George Clooney Brad Pitt Matt Damon Catherine Zeta-Jones	Caper films are best when you like the thieves (we did,) they pull off complex heists (they did,) and there are surprising payoffs (there were!)
Silverado	75	W	09/13/08	Kevin Kline Scott Glenn Kevin Costner Danny Glover	Hey, thanks, Shawn! And Mike! Another Western definitely worth watching. I liked the characters, and the many famous actors. Linda Hunt might have been the best. Good one.
The Holiday	75	C	09/29/07	Kate Winslet Cameron Diaz Jude Law Jack Black	There were several nice twists that made this unpredictable. I liked all the main characters, and I smiled many times. This was a “comedy” in the classic sense more than the “laughing” sense, and I liked that.
The Hunt for Red October	75	A	11/19/06	Sean Connery Alec Baldwin	Intrigue, suspense, good acting, drama. A good time.
The Skeleton Key	75	H S	1/20/07	Kate Hudson	Quite gripping. Scary without being gross.
The Whole Nine Yards	75	C	08/03/00	Bruce Willis Matthew Perry	In a film with only one mostly moral guy, it’s amazing how much you like the rest. Must be the humor!
Where the Heart Is	75	D	08/11/02	Natalie Portman Ashley Judd	Hey, this was good. I really believed Portman's character, and she visibly grew through the story. Great supporting cast. OK, you could see where you wanted the story to go, and it finally got there, but there were twists and turns along the way.
Changeling	74	D	03/27/09	Angelina Jolie	The story would be jarring enough if it were pure fiction, but knowing that the authorities can be so powerful, and that men can be so destructive, in real life – it’s disturbing. Jolie was remarkable in her vulnerability and strength.
Donnie Darko	74	Sci	Xx/xx/06	Jake Gyllenhall	Weird. But good. Sci-fi, but hidden. Or maybe horror, but hidden in sci-fi.
Footloose	74	M	12/07/07	Kevin Bacon John Lithgow	Shows its age, but it’s still a fun coming-of-age show. Lithgow’s character is great, and he’s so good at it.
Lethal Weapon	74	A	1/3/09	Mel Gibson Danny Glover	More drama than the later “action only” episodes. I like it. Fun like “Die Hard” but with a “buddy movie” aspect that differentiates it nicely. Gibson and Glover have good chemistry.
Mamma Mia!	74	M	08/11/08 08/06/09	Meryl Streep Christine Baranski Amanda Seyfried Pierce Brosnan	This was fun! It took a few moments to get going, but once it started, it kept delivering: smiles, laughs and songs. Stay through the first set of end credits!
Mission to Mars	74	SF		Gary Sinese	Nice job.
Ocean's Eleven	74	A	06/16/02 03/08/08	George Clooney Brad Pitt Matt Damon Julia Roberts	Sorry, Sherry, but I like caper movies. This was not as good as "The Sting" but certainly had the style. And wow, lots of actors: Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Roberts, Garcia, Reiner, Gould, Cheadle.
Pan’s Labyrinth	74	D	10/28/07		I didn’t know anything about this movie, other than not to expect a fun fantasy. So I didn’t know it was foreign (Spanish). Moving story, more fantasy than I expected, intense. Worth it, if you want some serious fare.
Pride and Prejudice	74	D	06/29/09	Keira Knightley Matthew Macfadyen	It took a while to get used to the formal, structured personal interactions of the British aristocracy, but once I did, I saw the walls they built. The “pride” was clear, the “prejudice” was limiting. And, oh, the things we do for love.
Sideways	74	D	10/18/05	Paul Giamatti Thomas Haden Church	Caught it on HBO while in San Francisco. I don’t hate it, and don’t love it. Some really funny parts, and some definitely “real” parts. But I don’t know anyone like these guys.
The Usual Suspects	74	D	8/21/06	Kevin Spacey Kevin Pollack Benicio del Toro	An excellent “noir” mystery, caper. And now I know where “Keyser Soze” comes from.
Waking Ned Devine	74	C	07/18/05		See, this movie proves so many things: A) you don’t have to be beautiful to be a good actor; B) a story set in a small village in Great Britain can preach truths for anyone; C) Nudity can be funny without being titillating.
300	73	D	04/03/09	Gerard Butler Lena Headley David Wenham	The visual style of this movie was perfect for its subject. Everything tinted in a golden hue, like the age of heroes should be. Very bloody, but in a graphic-novel atmosphere. And all the people were so perfectly sculpted.
American Pie	73	C	10/19/06		One of the sexiest scenes of all time. I could not quite get over the fact that the teenagers all looked 25. Liked the Dad.
Best in Show	73	C	07/xx/01		Quite clever. It gets funnier the longer I think about it. And the story was surprising, too.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure	73	C	08/02/02	Keanu Reeves Alex Winter George Carlin	I had always heard this was funny. The Matrix might be Reeves' favorite work of mine, but he plays Ted to perfection. Time paradoxes, silliness and plain fun.
Charlie Wilson’s War	73	D	6/10/08	Tom Hanks Julia Roberts Philip Seymour Hoffman	OK, so heroes don’t have to be completely heroic, and history can turn on a few people who do what they have to do. Alternately funny and sad and scary. Will we learn our lessons? As the Zen master says – “We’ll see.”
Dan in Real Life	73	C	04/23/09	Steve Carrell Juliet Binochet Dane Cook	I’m really beginning to like to see Steve Carell. Here, a normal, likeable guy in a hard situation, but handling it well until … well, you’ll see. His character may have over-reacted, but it was understandable. And Carell did not over-act. Oh, and what guy above the age of 30 wouldn’t fall for Juliet Binochet?
Dark City	73	SF	3/7/09	Rufus Sewell Jennifer Connelly Keifer Sutherland William Hurt	In many ways, as imaginative as the Matrix, or any of the best pure sci-fi. How does Man react to being the subject of an experiment? What is reality? What is “self?” The atmosphere is excellent, but the execution is just a tad jarring. Still, worth a viewing for most people, and certainly for sci-fi fans.
Dirty Dancing	73	M	09/08/00 03/08/08 08/18/09	Patrick Swayze Jennifer Gray	Still some great music, but the story aged. I liked it more in memory. The dancing is pretty cool, though!
Disney's "The Kid"	73	F	04/05/01	Bruce Willis	This was SO much better than it looked in previews.
Memoirs of a Geisha	73	D	9/2/06	Ziyi Zhang Ken Watanabe	Excellent mood. Educational. Not easy to identify with the culture, but we do feel with the main character.
Milk	73	D	06/20/09	Sean Penn James Franco	This was all happening when I was in high school. I remember Anita, and the “Twinkie Defense.” Shameful to see what was happening. I don’t have to think Milk was a saint to appreciate what he did. Oh, and I respect James Franco’s acting abilities far more than I did when he was just Harry Osborne.
Perfect Stranger	73	D	10/27/07	Halle Berry Bruce Willis Giovani Ribisi	This was a nice mystery/drama/suspense story. They built the plot well, and the characters made sense in it.
Sense and Sensibility	73	D	07/18/09	Emma Thompson Kate Winslett Alan Rickman	Once again, the chains of aristocracy are on display, with matters of the heart pitted against the values of honor and decency. The story is well formed, and I think I liked it much better as a movie that I would have in a book. P.S. Amazing how many of these actors appear in Harry Potter later.
Seven	73	D	1/10/09	Morgan Freeman Brad Pitt	Disturbing. As expected. Well done. As expected. I don’t want to see it twice. As expected. I’m going to let my daughter live in that city? I hope reality isn’t as bleak as this.
Shaun of the Dead	73	C	1/9/09	Simon Peg Nick Frost Kate Ashfield	A hoot! Thanks for the recommendation, Pete. Lots of laughs, but none bigger than … wait – that would spoil it! “Ed” is wonderfully portrayed. [Stay away if you don’t like gore, but it really is fun and funny.]
Taken	73	A	06/04/09	Liam Neeson	Get over the fact that Liam Neeson’s daughter just happens to have an ex-CIA father who is as good as Bond, as ruthless as Jack Bauer, and as resourceful as John MacLain – but without the humor. This was a thrill ride, once it started. I hope the evil he fought does not exist in the real world, but if it does, it’s easy to pull for the hero wiping out the villains.
The Good Shepherd	73	D	05/28/07	Matt Damon	How much of this was “history?” I almost don’t want to know. Cool view of how the CIA got started, and what it meant for one of its key founders.
The Last Mimsy	73	F	09/29/07		Very Imaginative! The use of the kids was not just a “kid movie” template. Well done! If you like fantasy, see this film. If you don’t you still might like it.
The Legend of Bagger Vance	73	C	07/21/01	Matt Damon Will Smith	It never took itself too seriously, and was told with a tall-tale style that made it unimportant whether it really happened. Smiles!
Three Kings	73	D	06/12/05	George Clooney Mark Wahlberg	A fable? A war movie? A study in priorities?
True Lies	73	A	1/26/06	Arnold Schwarzenegger Jamie Lee Curtis Tom Arnold	This one got lowered over time. First time I saw it, I loved it. Re-viewing, it was a little long in places, and the scene I once thought was pure sexy got tainted as I thought about how a real wife would have reacted. The action was pure fun, though. And Arnold’s apologetic treatment of the Dobermans is really funny.
7 Pounds	72	D	1/11/09 06/28/09	Will Smith Rosario Dawson	It’s better if you know nothing of the plot when you see this movie. I’ll say that Will Smith is good again in a dramatic role, and, yet again, Rosario Dawson is the best actor we see too infrequently. She moved this into the “70s” for my ratings.
Beowulf	72	F	6/15/08	Ray Winstone Robin Wright Penn	For many sequences, the animation disappeared. For some, it was important to know it was not real. Loved that dragon battle. Good story. Hero and Tragic Hero at the same time.
Bicentennial Man	72	SF	07/01/00	Robin Williams	What is a man? Pinnochio the android.
Breaking Away	72	D	03/23/07		Coming of Age. Well done.
Collateral	72	A	08/29/05	Tom Cruise Jamie Foxx Jada Pinkett Smith	Cruise was a good bad-guy. Foxx played his part well. In the end, above average story was made better because of the actors. Still, a view-once movie.
EdTV	72	CR	08/03/01	Matthew McConneghy Jenna Elfman Woody Harrelson	One can see why they compared it to Truman, but it was much different, and I really enjoyed the characters.
Lemony Snickett’s A Series of Unfortunate Events	72	C	06/03/05 08/07/07 08/29/09	Jim Carrey	Well put together, with an eerie mood. Carrey was very convincing. I think the director did not focus enough on the kids, but when he did, they were up to the task.
Lilo & Stitch	72	C	07/23/05		I liked this better with this, my second, viewing. And we saw it at “The Lake” with no power, on my laptop and then Leah’s.
Little Miss Sunshine	72	C	04/04/07	Greg Kinnear Steve Carrell Toni Collette Abigail Breslin	This was a very strange movie. Almost the entire film, you’re thinking “I couldn’t stand living with these people.” But the payoff at the end was really quite satisfying.
Lucky Number Slevin	72	A	09/11/09	Josh Hartnett Bruce Willis	I liked it! Yes, most of its characters are bad guys, but the dialog was smart and there were enough mysteries to unravel.
Magnificent Seven (The)	72	W	04/03/09	Yul Brynner Steve McQueen Eli Wallach	A classic I had never seen. I understand why Vogler used it in “The Writer’s Journey.” Just think what a great actor like Yul Brynner could have done these days with more sophisticated direction and modern scripts. Biggest problem for me – the Western genre doesn’t connect with me.
Runaway Bride	72	CR	06/??/00	Julia Roberts Richard Gere	While the ultimate result was never in doubt, the road they took was unpredictable. Fun!
Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home	72	SF	1/30/08	William Shatner Leonard Nimoy	Save the Whales. A fun little episode that gives each of the regulars something good to do. And some really funny stuff. I had forgotten that “Annie Camden” (Catherine Hicks) was in it.
Stargate: Continuum	72	SF	08/09/08	Amanda Tapping Ben Browder Michael Shanks	It’s nice to see what this group can do with a larger budget. Essentially, a prettier, cooler two-part episode. Time travel is good. Facing the Goa’uld is good. Letting all the key players be involved is good. Jack O’Neill is very good.
Sum of All Fears (The)	72	A	07/03/09	Ben Affleck Morgan Freeman	I guess I wasn’t paying attention when this came out that it was a Jack Ryan story. They did this one very well – showing real dangers. Shocking at times, in fact. They did that?
Wag the Dog	72	D	06/14/00	Robert DeNiro Dustin Hoffman	Great characters override implausible plot elements
Waitress	72	D	11/16/08	Keri Russell Andy Griffith	There are some truths, some lives, some realities, that can be best described through drama. This film was brimming with them. Through the pies invented, baked and served by Russell’s character, we got a view of the desperation, sadness, and trampled hopes that filled her life. Through the people who loved her, we saw her value and tried with them to figure out she might get the life she deserved. Good writing, good performances, good movie.
16 Blocks	71	A	9/x/06	Bruce Willis Mos Def David Morse	More serious than some Willis films.
Boondock Saints	71	D	07/31/05	Willem Dafoe	This movie really makes a case for vigilantism. And the Willem Dafoe character is SO well-conceived and well-acted. A great movie to have seen, but I doubt I would ever watch it again.
Bridge to Terabithia	71	F	10/02/07		Not what I expected, but well worth the watching. Reminds me of Fifth Grade, Gus Bro, and the tree by the railroad tracks.
Chicken Little	71	C	6/3/06		Funny! Not as amazing as other Pixar stuff (The Incredibles) but fun.
Cider House Rules (The)	71	D	05/31/09	Tobey Maguire Charlize Theron Michael Caine Delroy Lindo	Not what I expected, but a very good movie. Life was different in the early part of the 20^th century, though the life lessons are the same. What would have been better? An actor I believed more than Tobey Maguire.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (3D)	71	A	07/11/08	Brendan Fraser	Story was what you’d expect, but familiarity is not a bad thing for a summer action flick. The effects were great (yes, we saw it 3-D) and the personalities were fun. Cotton candy – not much there, but sweet.
Lean On Me	71	D	06/30/09	Morgan Freeman Robret Guillaume	As with all “real life” stories brought to the big screen, I wonder how much of the plot was real. But one thing that was clear – Joe Clark was not a saint, but he got the job done. I hope he really did eventually start treating his teachers as teammates. P.S. It’s amazing how a good song at just the right point in a movie can give me goosebumps.
Romancing the Stone	71	A	6/17/08	Kathleen Turner Michael Douglas	Shows its age a bit, but still a fun story with real heroes and fun comic relief.
21	70	D	04/29/09	Jim Sturgess Kate Bosworth Kevin Spacey Lawrence Fishburne Aaron Yoo Liza Lapira	Definitely worth a viewing. Yes, they changed the story from the real thing to make it Hollywood, but it’s still fun, and the core of it is there. No corporation, but oh well. Very intriguing.
AI	70	SF	06/17/02	Haley Joel Osment	I think they added a Hollywood ending to a good SF story, but I still liked the movie overall.
Angels & Demons	70	M	05/21/09	Tom Hanks	Pretty darn good. Wonderful setting. Interesting sci-fi idea, and it fit well with the “Science and Religion” course I’m listening to. Not as good as “DaVinci Code” but worth seeing, for sure.
August Rush	70	D	08/20/08	Keri Russell Jonathan Rhys Meyers Freddie Highmore Robin Williams	A fairy tale, with edginess provided by New York City, and magic provided by music, and a child’s perspective. See it once, and I bet you’ll want to see it again someday.
Bend it Like Beckham	70	D	03/21/07	Parminder Nagra Keira Knightley	Easily recommendable. A story with enough inherent truth to resonate with many people, and a view into a couple of cultures I hadn’t seen: British Football, and Indian.
Benny & Joon	70	D/C	07/17/09	Johnny Depp Mary Stuart Masterson Aidan Quinn	A delightful treat: a movie that doesn’t try too hard to be too funny or too serious. Depp’s character was like someone you wish you could meet.
Casino Royale	70	A	05/26/07	Daniel Craig	Really a pretty good “origin” story. But Craig isn’t sophisticated and handsome, so it’s going to be interesting to see whether they can make him Bond-like with future movies. The movie itself was a little long, as they weaved more into the origin than we expected.
Chicken Run	70	C	08/05/01	Mel Gibson	I laughed more often than at most live-action comedies. Bad puns. Funny complex situations. Great spoofs.
Déjà vu	70	T	05/25/07	Denzel Washington	Pretty darn good. The “déjà vu” was not mystical or haphazard, and I liked the sci-fi nature of the result.
Family Man	70	CR	01/xx/01	Nicolas Cage Tea Leoni	Aside from the fact that it's hard to believe any man would not want to be married to Tea Leoni, the actions/reactions of Cage's character were spot-on.
Goldeneye	70	A	05/29/07 05/11/08	Pierce Brosnan Sean Bean	A very good installment. It would benefit from more action music, but the opening stunts are spectacular, and the grand scheme of the villain was good, if not quite as over-the-top as the traditional villains.
Hellboy	70	A	07/19/08	Ron Perlman John Hurt Selma Blair	Paul’s recommendation, and a good one. The characters are broad, but that’s typical of a comic book movie. Cool concepts, interesting heroes. Own? Maybe not. See the sequel? For sure.
Karate Kid	70	A	04/07/07	Ralph Macchio Pat Morita	This is a fun movie, even 25 years removed.
Little Children	70	D	10/28/07	Kate Winslet Patrick Wilson Jennifer Connelly Jackie Earle Haley Noah Emmerich	Reminiscent of “American Beauty” with its look at the lives of disconnected suburban “adults.” You could picture every plot point happening, but it still wasn’t predictable, because life isn’t. This is not for everyone.
Negotiator (The)	70	A	2/28/09	Samuel L Jackson Kevin Spacey	Definitely worth seeing, with a mystery that’s intriguing, and once of Spacey’s typical excellent performances. Just get past the action of the main character that seems so out of character – that starts the main action.
Phantom of the Opera	70	M	1/xx/06	Emmy Rossum	I expected more. It will probably grow on me.
Producers (The)	70	M	11/27/08	Nathan Lane Matthew Broderick Uma Thurman Will Ferrell	Quite funny, with songs to make you laugh, and performances that are just right. At times Broderick sounded just like Gene Wilder, but for the most part, he was his own Leo Bloom. Uma was a knockout!
Save the Last Dance	70	D/M	07/10/01 05/31/08	Julia Stiles Sean Patrick Thomas	Intelligent teenagers, seemed realistic.
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 (The)	70	D	03/30/09	Amber Tamblyn Alexis Bledel America Ferrera Blake Lively	Though the magic of the first movie was lacking, the characters were still very real, and the emphasis on friendship wove the stories together well. Entertaining.
Soloist (The)	70	D	08/20/09	Robert Downey Jr. Jamie Foxx	One of the best things about a “based on a true story” movie is that you don’t know when the plot will take a non-Hollywood turn. This is a very interesting movie about a person who steps out of his comfort zone to try to help. And it’s a story about a person dealing with psychological problems in his own way. Another note, interesting to me: This is the first movie I ever put on my Netflix queue before it even came out in theaters. I’ll do it more!
Superman: the Movie	70 88	A	08/06/07	Christopher Reeve Margot Kidder	Another movie that was significantly better originally, but it’s still quite good. Reeve really had the best feel for what Superman was like (though I still prefer Dean Cain’s Clark Kent, Reeve had a good take on him too.) And the romance scenes were great. Add the comedy of Hackman as Luthor (which was an interesting way to go, but it worked) and you have a fun film, even 29 years later.
The Graduate	70	C	08/11/00	Dustin Hoffman Anne Bancroft	Far more serious than I expected from one of the top comedies. Extremely well acted, of course.
The Italian Job	70	A	03/16/07	Edward Norton Charlize Theron Mark Wahlberg	A fun caper movie. Enough smiles, enough tricks.
The Majestic	70	D	07/19/02	Jim Carrey	They had me wondering. And Carrey is definitely an actor these days, not just a comedian.
12 Monkeys	69	SF	03/22/09	Bruce Willis Madeleine Stowe Brad Pitt	Brad Pitt steals the scenes he’s in, but Bruce Willis holds his own. But it’s Madeline Stowe who plays the “audience hero,” and she does it very, very well. From the start, you know this is a strange sci-fi story, and if you like that kind of thing, you’ll enjoy this.
3:10 to Yuma	69	W	1/9/09	Christian Bale Russell Crowe	Pretty darn good; by the end, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I like that in a story. Not quite as immersive as “Open Range” and not as many likeable characters as “Silverado.” But worth a viewing.
Aeon Flux	69	SF	6/10/06	Charlize Theron	Better than I expected. The concepts were not all that innovative these days, but it was well done.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer	69	A	06/21/07 06/14/08 07/05/08	Ioan Gruffud Chris Evans	A Super-Sized issue. It was only 90 minutes long, but it didn’t feel too short. The effects were good, the story very comic-book. OK, the Surfer didn’t get to philosophize and pontificate, but he was mysterious. And they did the right thing with the Galactus visuals.
Kill Bill vol. 1	69	A	9/22/06	Uma Thurman Lucy Liu Vivica A Fox	OK, this is bloody, comic-book violence. Because I don’t have the experience of seeing the films to which this pays tribute, I didn’t find it quite as compelling. But I definitely wanted to see the end.
Sister Act 2	69	C	03/17/07	Whoopi Goldberg Lauryn Hill	Fun. Love that music! Predictable, but I still love seeing it – or having it on in the beackground. That last piece is awesome.
Stranger Than Fiction	69	D/C	05/17/07	Will Ferrell Emma Thompson	Hey, here’s a movie with Will Ferrell that I actually liked. The comedy came from how a real person would react to an impossible situation, not from silly Ferrell characterizations.
The Day the Earth Stood Still	69	SF	12/22/08	Jennifer Connelly Keanu Reeves	An extremely good setup, with very human reactions, and characters we could believe. The end, however, was somewhat ambiguous.
The Emporer's New Groove	69	F	05/11/01	David Spade John Goodman	Surprisingly funny. I liked David Spade. How did that happen?
Wild Hogs	69	C	10/30/07	Tim Allen William H Macy John Travolta Martin Lawrence	I laughed. I did. I had low expectations, and I laughed. It was a lighter take on “City Slickers” but with a similar theme. Sometimes Travolta is good, sometimes bad. In this movie, he was both, alternately. I still recommend it for guys in their 40s-50s, and the women who know them.
27 Dresses	68	C	6/10/08	Katherine Heigl James Marsden	Good timing because of the imminent weddings; this was fun. Catherine Heigl is easy to like, and James Marsden was really good – far better than his Cyclops. OK, some predictability, but hey, it’s a romantic comedy. This is a pretty good score for a romantic comedy!
A History of Violence	68	D	6/3/06	Viggo Mortensen	Not a typical Hollywood movie – the focus on the relationships was better (first ¾ of the film) than the necessary violence near the end. But the final scene was really good.
Bolt	68	C	04/17/09	John Travolta Mylie Cyrus	Clever and sweet and funny. I laughed. It was fun to watch with kids (David and Nora) and that helped. Not “The Incredibles” but still worth the viewing.
Bourne Ultimatum (The)	68	A	07/07/08	Matt Damon Joan Allen Julia Stiles	For pure secret-agent action, Bourne beats everyone else. And in this film, he beats them senseless. Would he be as interesting if he were not the hunted? Probably not.
Doctor Zhivago	68	D	06/27/00	Julie Christie Omar Sherif	Interesting period drama, but while Christie was amazing, Zhivago never seemed like a real person.
Garden State	68	D	6/29/08	Zach Braff Natalie Portman	If your life is full of pain, do you want to live it, or get through it? What makes you feel “home?” I don’t need to see it again, but I’m sure glad I saw it.
Karate Kid 2	68	A	04/21/07	Ralph Macchio Pat Morita	A fine follow-up. And the Okinawan love interest for Daniel is very pretty.
Kiss the Girls	68	T	08/16/02	Morgan Freeman Ashley Judd	For a murder mystery/thriller in the modern era, this did a great job of generating suspense without gore. Good misdirection, Judd is believable. Freeman, as always, is sincere. I'll be glad for the sequel.
Men In Black	68	SF	10/15/07	Will Smith Tommy Lee Jones	Fun, light, action – some neat ideas. I didn’t know it was from a comic book.
Moby Dick	68	D	07/25/01	Patrick Stewart Henry Thomas	Made-for-TV version. The scene transitions showed it. I really enjoyed my first-ever viewing of the whole story. But it's hard to believe a culture existed that would make sailors obey a mad captain so far.
Over the Hedge	68	C	10/27/07	Bruce Willis Garry Shandling William Shatner	Pretty fun. I laughed a few times. Not quite as edgy as the comic strip, but fun characters that were similar enough for a fan.
Planet of the Apes	68 90	SF	07/11/01	Charleton Heston	The lower rating is a "compared to today's SF" rating. But it was thought-provoking and dramatic, in its time; that's the higher rating.
Premonition	68	D	10/02/07	Sandra Bullock	Well constructed time-shifting “mystery” story. The payoff was not quite enough for my sci-fi mind, but really pretty good. Were there inconsistencies? Maybe, but I was not distracted by them.
Spiderwick Chronicles (The)	68	F	08/29/08	Freddie Highmore	Creative children’s fantasy with enough drama for adults.
The Lake House	68	D	04/01/07	Sandra Bullock Keanu Reaves	I was expecting comedy. I’m glad it wasn’t. Time paradoxes can make your head hurt, but when told well, they can be very interesting ways to examine life.
The Omen	68	H	04/22/07	Live Schreiber Julia Stiles David Thewlis	Very good remake.
We Are Marshall	68	D	07/26/09	Matthew McConnaughey Matthew Fox	More than a football movie; that’s true. McConnaughey got a chance to play someone other than a charming eligible bachelor, and he pulled it off. I was touched, and I’m glad I saw it.
West Side Story	68	M	02/07/09	Natalie Wood Rita Moreno	Full of energy. Some good music and a great performance by Moreno. If I appreciated dance, I’d like this more, I think.
Abyss (The)	67	SF	07/05/09	Ed Harris Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	We saw the “Director’s Cut” which was long. It starts as a disaster movie. The science fiction is much later. Cool concepts. Harris and Mastrantonio are good. The “bad guys” are too artificial.
Becoming Jane	67	D	08/17/09	Anne Hathaway James McAvoy	For a biographical movie, it was remarkably like a Jane Austen novel. It’s clear how Austen came to write on the subjects she did. Hathaway was good, McAvoy fit his part. And it’s always nice to see James Cromwell.
Disturbia	67	T	11/21/07	Shia LaBouf Carrie Anne Moss David Morse	Obvious comparisons to “Rear Window” but with some modern twists. Good suspense, little gore. Worth the watch, if you’re in the mood.
Eragon	67	A	12/24/07 11/07/08	Jeremy Irons	A fun, if fluffy, fantasy. The dragon was very nicely done. Jeremy Irons added some meat to the otherwise ordinary performances. I really liked the costuming/effects of the deathly hunters used by the Shade. Worth seeing. I hope the sequel is at least as good.
Fantastic Four	67	A	Xx/xx/xx	Jessica Alba Michael Chiklis	For an origin story, it’s middle-of-the road. Good effects. I liked it.
In Good Company	67	C	07/02/05	Dennis Quaid Topher Grace	Better than I expected. More real, less comedy.
Monster House	67	C	1/6/07	Steve Buscemi	Fun. Scary images, but not over the top (since it was PG.)
Office Space	67	C	07/18/08	Ron Livingston Jennifer Aniston	I completely understand why people expected me to like this, and I did! Much smarter than most comedies. Apt use of rap music!
Patriot Games	67	A	11/xx/06 12/19/08	Harrison Ford Anne Archer Sean Bean	OK, but not gripping. Ford is good as Ryan, Bean’s a good bad guy, Archer is pretty and smart, but the plot is just OK.
Resident Evil	67	A	4/11/08	Milla Jovovich Michelle Rodriguez	For what it was – a zombie movie – it was quite good. I blogged about it as I watched it. Not great, but fun.
Spiderman 3	67	A	05/xx/07 01/15/09	Toby Maguire	Glad I saw it, and I’ll own it, but… But, there were too many long stretches of weak character development. And two of the three villains deserved a longer story than they got. Venom should have been a major story. Still, the action was good. In the category of “King Kong” in that respect. But “Kong” had too little character.
Story of Us	67	D	06/13/00	Bruce Willis Michelle Pfeiffer	Some relationship insights spot-on; ending was out of line with characters
Sydney White	67	C	07/29/08	Amanda Bynes	I had no interest until I was informed this was “Snow White” updated. With “Seven Dorks!” They were so funny! Want something light and cute? Try this.
The 6th Day	67	SF	05/19/01	Arnold Schwarzenegger	I barely remember seeing it, and since I didn’t “review” it right away – not memorable!
The Lookout	67	D	04/05/07	Joseph Gordon-Levitt Jeff Daniels	The trailers made it seem like an action movie. It was not. And it was better this way.
Collateral Damage	66	A	08/02/02	Arnold Schwarzenegger	A decent action thriller. The twist was well thought out. And the motivations of the terrorists were well presented.
Eight Below	66	F	9/1/06	Paul Walker	A fun film, very watchable, and not as predictable as I expected.
Ethan Frome	66	D	06/28/00	Liam Neeson	Outstanding feel to the movie; good view of life in those times, in that place. Surrounding frame was weak.
Gone in Sixty Seconds	66	A	04/22/07	Nicholas Cage Robert Duvall	Better than I expected. But I was playing Magic Online for much of it.
Men of Honor	66	D	07/04/01	Cuba Gooding Robert DeNiro	The only problem with historical dramas like this is when they don't quite give you enough of the mood to understand why racism was tolerated so much. But it was a good story, well acted.
Speed	66	A	08/21/09	Keanu Reeves Sandra Bullock Dennis Hopper	Non-stop action helps obscure the impossibility of the action itself. Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper have good characters, and Keanu Reeves is passable as a brash action cop. Candy, but tasty.
The Devil Wears Prada	66	C	04/06/07	Anne Hathaway Meryl Streep	Somewhat formulaic, but a few twists. And the office politics hit home.
The Fountain	66	D	09/28/07	Hugh Jackman Rachel Weisz	Strangely told. Worth the viewing. Hard to follow for the first 10-15 minutes.
The Village	66	S	06/01/05	Joaquin Phoenix	OK, so it wasn’t as good as Shyamalan’s previous movies, but the mood was there for most of the film, and the surprises were OK. Just kind of anti-climactic.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	66	A	06/24/09	Shia La Beouf Megan Fox	Better than the original, for me. More story. I liked the supernatural elements (very Japanese). And the kids took me for Father’s Day, so that helped. Not so good: visually confusing – too much motion, hard to tell good robots from bad; too rude/crude in parts.
Kingdom of Heaven	65	D	1/xx/06	Orlando Bloom	Visually excellent. Story was OK.
Once	65	M	06/21/09		“It was like they took a camera into someone’s life.” Yep, and he was a musician, so the music (which was good) made sense. The realism was entertaining. The pacing will not please the action-oriented.
Secretary	65	D	1/10/09	Maggie Gyllenhaal James Spader	Mike is right – Maggie Gyllenhaal is great in this! I believed her from the beginning. I’m sure glad she’s not my daughter. Hard to recommend (and hard to rate) due to its subject matter, but the performances – brilliant. Spader, once seen in this, had to become Alan Shore. Not the same as his Mr. Grey, but a less twisted take on a flawed but keen character.
Sliding Doors	65	D	05/26/09	Gwyneth Paltrow	A very interesting concept – how different would Helen’s life be if only she had/had not gone through those sliding doors? Are some things “meant to be” no matter what? Is delaying bad news better for you, or worse? A good movie to see once.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	64	A	07/0x/01	Chow Yun Fat	Amazing action, decent acting, plot so-so.
Dreamer	64	F	9/12/06	Kurt Russell Dakota Fanning David Morse	Almost exactly what you expect. A small twist, but really just a wholesome family film.
Elizabethtown	64	D	8/30/06	Orlando Bloom Kirstin Dunst	A non-traditional romance. Dealing with grief and stress and friendship. I liked this a lot more than I expected.
Firewall	64	D	03/xx/08	Harrison Ford Paul Bettany Virginia Madsen	Well, I don’t quite buy Ford as a computer geek, but this was entertaining. His family were very good, and Paul Bettany has been good in everything.
Guys and Dolls	64	M	1/20/07	Frank Sinatra Marlon Brando	Brando is excellent, despite his lack of singing ability. Some good songs. Too much dancing.
Sentinel (The)	64	A	6/18/08	Michael Douglas Keifer Sutherland Eva Longoria Kim Basinger	Good suspense and mystery. View once for a fun time.
The Dark Crystal	64	F	6/4/06		Watching it again after so many years, it’s remarkable how little there is to the story.
The Messenger	64	D		John Malcovich	Joan was sometimes a saint-to-be, and sometimes a California girl? But her intensity saved it, and Malcovich was subdued enough not to steal the show.
Eagle Eye	63	SF/A	10/28/08	Shia LaBeouf Michelle Monaghan Rosario Dawson Billy Bob Thornton	Another “Big Brother” “I, Robot” and not as good as those but certainly worth one watching. More in line with the latter than the former in atmosphere. I liked LaBeouf and Monaghan together, but Rosario Dawson was the best character, and probably actor, in the thing. But then again, I don’t care for Billy Bob Thornton.
The Guardian	63	D	04/04/07	Kevin Costner Ashton Kutcher	This movie had too many stories it was trying to tell. The training was cool to see. The primary story was OK, but lost its impact because of the proliferation of other sub-stories.
The Thomas Crowne Affair	63	A	06/05/00	Pierce Brosnan Rene Russo	Some very clever schemes and twists; nudity/sex did not add heat.
A Walk to Remember	62	D	02/14/09	Mandy Moore Shane West	A nice story. It starts as if it will be a typical teen romantic comedy. It takes a nice dramatic turn.
Clear and Present Danger	62	A	11/xx/06	Harrison Ford
Mr. & Mrs. Smith	62	A	03/10/07	Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie	Pure action, with pretty people.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding	62	C	05/27/09	Nia Vardalos John Corbett Michael Constantine	Sweet and very familiar to people with real families (all of us.) This might be a once-in-a-career movie for Nia Vardalos (but I hope not.) Funny and loveable.
Night at the Museum	62	C	11/1/07	Ben Stiller Carla Gugino Dick Van Dyke	Stiller didn’t do his normal character, so that was a positive. They didn’t drag out the premise, and that was nice. A fun, family fantasy. Once.
Quantum of Solace	62	A	06/03/09	Daniel Craig	This is not the old Bond. Still good action sequences, but the fun is gone. OK for what it is.
Spy Games	62	A	06/21/02	Robert Redford Brad Pitt	Everything worked, plot-wise. Hard to take Redford being so cold, but great to have him calculating.
Get Shorty	61	C	1/10/09	John Travolta Gene Hackman Rene Russo Dennis Farina Danny DeVito	Travolta can play such charismatic characters. Silly movie, Hollywood insiders must have loved making it. Still some nagging questions: what was the $10,000 for? How long would those agents really wait? Are producers really that dumb? Still, glad I saw it.
Taking Chance	61	D	09/16/09	Kevin Bacon	Very moving. Honestly. A simple film, based on a real event, that touches on honor and respect for our fallen military personnel. Kevin Bacon did a great job. I wonder if there were even 1000 words of dialog? Even 500?
The Invasion	61	A	4/6/08	Nicole Kidman Daniel Craig	It’s a zombie movie! With zombies who can run, but no consumption of brains. Worth one viewing, if you like that sort of thing.
Tomorrow Never Dies	61	A	11/10/08	Pierce Brosnan Terri Hatcher Jonathan Pryce	Choosing a media mogul as a megalomaniacal mastermind makes sense. We have Rupert Murdoch, after all. This perhaps was the most believable technological threat in the pre-Daniel Craig Bond movies. It’s fun, Bond is Bond. Not particularly memorable , but good for diversion.
XXX	61	A	08/09/02	Vin Diesel Samuel L Jackson	Sherry will disagree, but I thought the action and stunts were good enough, and the plot hung together well enough, to overlook some language and misogyny.
Australia	60	D	03/26/09	Hugh Jackman Nicole Kidman David Wenham	It’s two movies, with the same characters. A sweet near-comedy, followed by a serious drama. Strange construction, somewhat predictable, but I’m glad I saw it. Good music.
Enchanted	60	C	6/28/08	Amy Adams Patrick Dempsey James Marsden	Fun, and sometimes funny. Disney pokes fun at itself, while also showing us life can learn from fairy tales. Worth a viewing.
I’ve Loved You So Long	60	D	07/30/09	Kristin Scott Thomas Elsa Zylberstein	Though it was paced pretty slowly, the characters were believable, and we really come to appreciate the main character, very subtly played by Kristin Scott Thomas. Probably more moving in its original language. (Yes, we watched a foreign film. We did it with English dubbing. Worked pretty well.)
The Blue Butterfly	60	D	9/1/06	William Hurt	A nice find. Hurt was good again, in a simple movie that told a simple story quite well.
The Rainmaker	60	D	08/08/01	Matt Damon Danny DeVito Jon Voight	A "film-noir" feel, and really, a different kind of lawyer movie. Oh, the bad guys were the same, but Damon's character lucked into some things, was carried by DeVito's, and grew in ways few movie lawyers do.
The Time Machine	60	SF	08/03/02	Guy Pearce	Really excellent until the end. Great visuals. My expectations were exceeded, but just because I was told to expect something sub-par.
Cellular	59	A	08/20/05	Kim Basinger Chris Evans Jason Statham William H. Macy	Plot makes more sense than you think it will when you hear the teaser. But when the mystery is revealed, it leaves other plot points weak. Still, entertaining.
Deep End of the Ocean	59	D	09/03/00	Michelle Pfeiffer Treat Williams Whoopi Goldberg	All-in-all, entertaining. It did not make me feel for the family the way it could have, and the reactions at the end were a bit unbelievable. But the good elements outweighed the bad.
The Brothers Grimm	59	F	3/31/06	Matt Damon Heath Ledger	Choppy story-telling; hard to follow. But the last 45 minutes hold together well enough to satisfy.
All the Pretty Horses	58	D	07/05/01	Matt Damon Henry Thomas	Not what I expected. Reminiscent of Midnight Express, but in 1940's TX and Mexico
Batman Forever	58	A	06/24/05	Val Kilmer Jim Carrey Nicole Kidman Chris O’Donnell	Carrey as The Riddler steals the show, but Kilmer didn’t put up much of a fight. Robin was a better character, and had more punch. Nicole Kidman’s character was just plain wrong. Oh, and they set up Billy Dee Williams to be Two-Face in the original Burton Batman – why is Tommy Lee Jones doing it now?
Man of the Year	58	C/D	03/29/07	Robin Williams Laura Linney Christopher Walken	Not what I expected --- less comedy, more serious. Impossible – as with so many stories which rely on computers messing things up.
Noise	58	D	11/26/08	Tim Robbins Bridget Moynahan	What if something that happens every day drove you to distraction? That’s the problem Tim Robbins’ character has with noise. Car alarms in particular. Not good if one lives in New York City. How he doesn’t deal with it, and then tries to deal with it, make for an interesting story. It’s not for everyone – it’s rated R for a reason – but it’s well told.
Random Hearts	58	D	06/07/00	Harrison Ford Kristin Scott Thomas	Good characters who never seem to grieve enough. At least there’s no “pat” ending.
Transformers	58	A	05/04/08	Shia LeBouf	Fun parts, silly parts, stupid parts. Good effects. More story than I was expecting, but there were too many characters. Glad I saw it finally, but I won’t likely see it again.
Wanted	58	A	04/31/09	James McAvoy Angelina Jolie Morgan Freeman	Why, in some venues, does over-the-top impossible-to-achieve action work OK (James Bond, Mission Impossible) and in others it doesn’t? Perhaps it’s my expectations. Or whether I care about the characters. Anyway, cool action, but entirely unbelievable. Characters were OK, but not engaging. See once if you like action, and don’t mind swearing and blood.
40-Year-Old Virgin (The)	57	C	04/04/09	Steve Carell Katherine Keener Seth Rogen	Better than I thought, but still with more super-crude humor than I appreciate. Still, I laughed some, and enjoyed it. Once.
Deterrence	57	D	08/07/01	Kevin Pollack Timothy Hutton	We rented it because it was by the same guy who did The Contender. I can see it, but it was basically a one-act play. I thought the set-up so implausible, and the reaction of the president so extreme, it lost something. But the twists were clever and there were some interesting points.
Miss Congeniality	57	C	07/27/01	Sandra Bullock Michael Caine	This is a comedy, not a romantic comedy. The FBI are really idiots, but beyond that, the setup is fun, and the characters OK. We never do see Bullock in the bikini, but we laugh.
Next	57	A	07/06/08	Nicolas Cage Jessica Biel Julianne Moore	Good concept. Well told for most of the movie. Moore was a good FBI agent; I want to see more of her films. But, sadly, the ending fell short. A shame. Three more lines of dialogue and one more scene; that’s all it would have taken. High 70s down to mid 50s.
A Prairie Home Companion	56	C	6/12/08	Meryl Streep Lily Tomlin Woody Harrelson John C Reilly	Funny how I didn’t know what to expect, and yet when it was done, I felt like that was just what I should have expected. I liked the characters, the down-to-earth mixed with the art, the symbolic with the real. Not an Oscar winner, and not for everyone, but I liked it. Once.
School of Rock	56	C	5/13/08	Jack Black	I’m going to forgive the predictability because of the fun kid characters. Man, could that guitar player play!
Van Helsing	56	A	4/1/06	Hugh Jackman	Fine effects, but the story had lots of incongruities – much of the typical monster mythology was ignored.
Dinner with Friends	55	D	08/28/05	Dennis Quaid Andie MacDowell Greg Kinear Toni Collette	Excellent at finding common issues in married couples, and raises good questions about how to deal with them. Also has a nice emphasis on how a break-up affects other relationships.
Doubt	55	D	07/20/09	Meryl Streep Phillip Seymour Hoffman	How can a movie with such wonderful performances be rated so low? The pacing. I would get engrossed in one scene, and then totally get pulled out of the atmosphere by time the next one happened. The climactic scene between Hoffman and Streep was thrilling, but not enough.
Ocean’s Thirteen	55	A	07/20/08	George Clooney Brad Pitt Al Pacino	Serviceable, worth a viewing, but the humor was lighter, the scams not as cool. I think they are done. If you liked the first ones, you’ll like it, but you won’t say “Let’s see it again!”
Seeker (The): The Dark Is Rising	55	F	07/06/08	Christopher Eccleston	I had low expectations, and they were exceeded quite well. Visuals were quite good; story was predictable, but fun; supporting “reality” characters were solid, but the fantasy ones were cardboard. See it once if you like fantasy.
Snatch	55	D/C	07/21/02	Brad Pitt	Some really dark humor, in a very stylized movie. How can you pull for any of these guys? Pitt's accent performance was something, though!
Spy Kids	55	F	04/06/01	Antonio Banderas	So little violence with so much action. Cute and fun. A kiddie ride, but a fun one.
The Game	55	S	06/09/00	Michael Douglas Sean Penn	Suspense, with enough twists to be smart. A little “why didn’t he do X?” but not too much.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor	55	A	06/22/09	Brendan Fraser	An OK, soft-serve, treat. Not luscious, not substantial, but enjoyable. Fraser is not old enough to have a kid that old, but the story needed it. Cool use of the Terracotta army. Loved the Yetis.
Bridget Jones’s Diary	54	C	09/12/09	Renee Zelwegger Hugh Grant Colin Firth	I’m not much of a Romantic Comedy guy, but this was OK. Still, when we finished it, we happened to see the end of “The Holiday” which was similar, but funnier and better.
Chronicles of Riddick	54	A	05/14/05	Vin Diesel	Lots of atmosphere (in which Diesel doesn’t fit well) and some cool worlds. Sci-fi lovers will enjoy.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles	54	C	05/xx/07	Steve Martin John Candy	A couple truly hilarious scenes, and then the rest. I liked the movie, really. And it’s not TOO long. But a few more laughs would have been good.
Bewitched	53	C	1/xx/06	Nicole Kidman Will Ferrell	A definite case of “better than I expected” makes this marginally recommendable.
Dr. Strangelove	53	D	08/xx/07	Peter Sellers George C Scott	Sorry – it didn’t hold up over time. It was worth seeing again, once. Wish I hadn’t bought it.
Star Wars: the Clone Wars	53	A	05/08/09		OK, the animation was good. But that doesn’t make it good enough. Action is not enough if you don’t care about the characters, or believe there’s any real danger. Saw it once. That’s enough.
Thank You for Smoking	53	C	04/07/07		Interesting concept. Glad I saw it. But I wouldn’t see it again.
World Is Not Enough (The)	53	A	11/15/08	Pierce Brosnan Sophie Marceau Denise Richards	I think this is the weakest of the Brosnan Bond films. Confusing story. Sophie Marceau is a worthy Bond girl, but Denise Richards distracted with a meager performance. At least “M” got involved, but it didn’t really matter.
Charlie's Angels	52	A	04/06/01	Drew Barrymore Lucy Liu Cameron Diaz	Fun fighting, silly camp, but they knew what they were doing.
Elektra	52	Co	06/10/05	Jennifer Garner	Some very nice martial arts, and some cool villains near the end. But too weak on the story. Still, Garner is quite attractive in every outfit she wears.
Happening (The)	52	S	11/23/08	Mark Wahlberg Zooey Deschanel	Worth seeing once; M. Night Shyamalan knows how to film suspense. But the story hinged on a sci-fi concept that could have been told much more effectively. “We’ll never really know” can be spooky, but here, it wasn’t.
The Final Season	52	D	5/21/08	Sean Astin	A pretty good story in the vein of “Hoosiers” but with modern issues of small-town life. Stilted and slow in some spots, but seeing the Luther shirts on Sean Astin, having Cedar Rapids Kennedy appear, and knowing it really happened make it a “recommend.”
The Replacements	52	CD	08/15/01	Gene Hackman Keanu Reeves Brooke Langton	See there were these logical errors in the film, related to football, how it's played, how its players are motivated, etc. But I decided to forgive it for that, and the story was fun.
Virtuosity	52	SF	06/24/00	Denzel Washington Russell Crowe	The first thing I saw Crowe in -- played a bad guy very well. Interesting twist near the end, but pretty pedestrian SF.
Dante’s Peak	51	A	06/10/00	Pierce Brosnan Linda Hamilton	Campy; formulaic; “yeah, right!” scenes. But some tension.
King Kong (2005)	51	A	6/7/06	Jack Black	Glad I saw it – once. There was one, really long, really good action sequence. The rest was just too slow, or too redundant.
Never Been Kissed	51	C	09/01/00	Drew Barrymore	Moderately entertaining, but we’re supposed to hope the hero can become one of the mindless, narrow-minded superficial popular ones. Rubs me wrong.
Once Upon a Mattress	51	M	11/xx/08	Carol Burnett Tracy Ulmann Zooey Deschanel	Not particularly well done. The musical itself is just a middling effort (though it has a special place in my heart) but the best parts are left out or lost in other aspects in this TV-special version.
Pollock	51	D	07/28/09	Ed Harris Marcia Gay Hardin	As a biopic, it was honest. As a film, it wasn’t very gripping. Can only recommend to people really interested in the artist behind the art.
Rush Hour	51	AC	07/24/01	Jackie Chan Chris Tucker	Fun fight scenes, but I never liked the Chris Tucker character. Chan was funny, though, and the outtakes are worth staying to the end.
Behind Enemy Lines	50	A	08/30/02	Owen Wilson Gene Hackman	Truly hard to believe Wilson has the smarts to be a pilot, but the story was good, and the reality of war was shown enough, but not too much.
Coyote Ugly	50	D	08/12/01	Piper Perabo Adam Garcia Maria Bello	John Goodman was the best part of this. The female lead had a strange mix of fear (most of the movie) and confidence (see the seduction scene). But I have to admit it was better than I thought.
Drumline	50	D	08/28/09	Nick Cannon Zoe Saldana Leonard Roberts	The only thing that made this sort of interesting was the music and the drums. I guess I did enjoy a couple of the actors. Leonard Roberts was in Heroes – good there and here. Zoe Saldana was bright, but I couldn’t see why she was attracted to Nick Cannon’s hero. Still, it was a step on the way to Uhura.
Meet the Parents	50	C	03/31/01	Ben Stiller Robert DeNiro	Comedy is so subjective. I just can't feel for someone who gets into messes because he lies. It's the sit-com formula that I hate, stretched to two hours. Some funny bits, and De Niro makes a scary future father-in-law.
Take the Money and Run	50	C	08/16/00	Woody Allen	Some funny bits, funnier in the remembering. Probably “classic Woody Allen” but slower than my modern tastes like,
Tale of Desperaux (The)	50	K	09/16/09	Matthew Broderick Dusting Hoffman Emma Watson	Quite pretty, and the story was OK. Sometimes it felt like there were too many storylines. And one of the “heroes” got pretty un-heroic for a while and that bugged me. Still, OK.
The Pacifier	50	C	03/20/05	Vin Diesel	Pretty silly, but fun.
The Pink Panther	50	C	9/1/06	Steve Martin	I chuckled some, laughed a few times. I would like to compare with Sellers – I seem to remember a much more subtle humor.
Transporter (The)	50	A	04/04/09	Jason Statham	A couple of inventive action sequences, but not much else. A time filler.
A Nightmare on Elm Street	49	H	10/19/06		I never knew Johnny Depp was in this. Almost recommendable.
10,000 BC	48	F	10/15/08		Almost worth a viewing for its atmosphere and visuals. The story was mostly predictable, but there were a couple of surprises that made it mildly interesting. I won’t recommend it, though.
Forget Paris	48	CR	09/09/00	Billy Crystal Debra Winger	Romantic comedy with some real fun moments. Winger was not given much to work with. I’m glad I saw it.
Sphere	48	SF	07/21/01	Samuel L Jackson Dustin Hoffman Sharon Stone	Oh, this could have been so much better. The premise was fun, and funny. The science and reasoning were weak and, in the end, anticlimactic. Can’t quite make the “recommend” list.
Spirited Away	48	F	12/29/06		Lots of interesting ideas, but the plot does not flow, and the characters are uneven. Sorry Paul, it just doesn’t trip my trigger.
The Big Lebowski	48	C	10/22/05	Jeff Bridges John Goodman Steve Buscemi	Was probably funnier than I thought – I was gaming while watching it. “The Dude Abides” is a nice sentiment.
Sound of Thunder (A)	47	SF	03/14/09	Ben Kingsley	Expectations were low, so this was passable. Interesting concepts, but in the end, you could read the classic Bradbury story in less time and be more entertained.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture	47	SF	6/9/06	William Shatner Leonard Nimoy	I have to own this for completeness, and it wasn’t awful – but it certainly was slow. It had been so long since I had seen it, I actually forgot about V-ger. Until Spock’s mind contacted it, and then “Oh, yeah….” Not recommendable to non-Trek folks.
Twilight	47	D	04/15/09	Robert Pattinson Kristen Stewart	Mildly entertaining. One “new” idea about vampires. Cullen didn’t look “conflicted” so much as “constipated.” Bella was on the verge of being interesting, without ever getting there.
Click	46	C	1/25/07	Adam Sandler Christopher Walken Kate Bekinsale	If only Sandler weren’t so enamored with the crude humor, I could have liked this enough to recommend it. Honestly, how funny is it seeing a dog humping a stuffed animal? Again. And Again?
Snake Eyes	46	T	08/25/02	Nicholas Cage Gary Sinese	Started well. Then got more and more far fetched.
The Night Listener	46	S	04/06/07	Robin Williams Toni Collette	I expected more. OK, but not recommendable.
Dungeons & Dragons	45	A	07/01/01	Jeremy Irons	Some fine bits with lots of poor acting and wastes of characters. Did the dwarf do anything? And why not keep the original ending? Can’t recommend to non-D&D fans.
Hulk	45	Co	06/10/05	Jennifer Connelly Nick Nolte	Too long, and strayed quite far from the true story. Some nice effects, and the ending villain would have been OK, if the rest of the movie had been more comic-bookish. As it was, it was silly.
The Wedding Planner	45	RC	07/28/01	Jennifer Lopez Matthew McConnaughey	Two very attractive actors with a plot that forced them to play stupid too many times. But at least there was not a lot of sleeping around!
Importance of Being Earnest (The)	44	C	07/31/09	Colin Firth	Some shows are just better as plays, and not as movies. Yawn.
Escape from the Planet of the Apes	42	SF	07/30/01	Roddy McDowell Kim Hunter	Oh, at least this one had some moral points. But the pace and the lack of music looked so very 60's TV.
Ghost Rider	41	A	07/23/07	Nicholas Cage	Well, for completeness sake, I’m glad I saw it. And the chains were cool. But the story was weak, it was hard to follow, and the logic didn’t work.
Austin Powers in Goldmember	40	C	08/09/02	Mike Myers	OK, there were some really funny moments, but most of the humor was too vulgar or crude or both.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (#5 - 1973)	40	SF	08/10/01	Roddy McDowell Paul Williams	I think they better have been trying for camp, because that's what they got. Still, some entertainment value, and it finally ends the saga.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes	40	SF	07/28/01	James Franciscus	Continuity be darned. If the movie didn't move so slowly, perhaps they could have explained the humans better, but I don't think they had anything in mind.
The Odd Couple	40	C	06/15/00	Walter Matthau Jack Lemmon	Comedy Classic? I guess our modern viewing expectations are different.
Love in the Time of Cholera	39	D	11/23/08	Javier Bardiem Giovanna Mezzogiorno Benjamin Bratt John Leguizamo Hector Elizondo	I suspect this was a good adaptation of a story other people would like quite a bit – it was an Oprah Book Club book, after all. Unfortunately, the story was not very interesting and the kind of consuming love represented in the hero looked more like obsession and craziness to me. I imagine it’s recommendable to some class of viewer – I just don’t know who.
Emma	38	C	06/24/00	Gwyneth Paltrow	How did society survive with people who never spoke the truth, but were expected to behave as if everyone did?
X-Files: I want to Believe	38	SF	08/xx/09		Bummer. Just a bad episode in movie format. It answered one or two things about Mulder & Scully’s relationship, and that’s about it.
The Detonator	35	A	06/10/00	Pierce Brosnan Patrick Stewart	Not convincing; some decent ideas; female lead was WEAK
Game Box 1.0	34	SF	05/17/07	Danielle Fishel	Not a good movie. One or two interesting concepts, but poorly written and executed.
Highlander	33	A			Boy, was this a disappointment.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (#4 - 1972)	30	SF	08/07/01	Ricardo Montalban Roddy McDowell	This was clearly the worst of the series. No explanations for big sci-fi points. And the humans were dumb, dumb, dumb. The final speech at the end was rambling and ultimately pointless.
The Odd Couple 2	30	C	06/22/00	Walter Matthau Jack Lemmon	So they added some profanity, and made it a “buddies on the road” movie. Still slow.
Starship Troopers	28	SF			The first two thirds of this movie was drek,, awful, stupid. Once they finally engaged the bugs in battle, there was finally something worth watching. Most of the effects were good – especially the bugs. But, oh, the dialog was bad, the acting was wooden, the set was weak, the costumes unimaginative. The book was probably good, but this movie is bad.
Resident Evil – Apocalypse (2)	25	H	04/05/09	Milla Jovovich	This was just bad. Fell asleep in the first hour-plus, because there was no story, just zombie violence. It finally got interesting in the final 10 minutes, as it set up for a sequel. Why should I trust they can make a sequel any better?
Dr. T and the Women	15	C	08/04/01	Richard Gere Helen Hunt	Oh, was this bad. With the huge cast of female stars, I kept thinking it had to get better. It never did. And what was the point of showing the birth? This movie is not worth the time, even to see pretty women. You want that, see "Pretty Woman" again.

Amy Grant: Greatest Videos 1986-2004		M			Love the music. Visuals are beautiful and romantic and mood setting. On which CD did she ever sing “The Things We Do For Love” and “Simple Things”?
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Disk 1 – Best of Bugs Bunny		C			Lots of wonderful Bugs Bunny cartoons. “Rabbit Seasoning” with Elmer and Daffy. “Long-Haired Hare” and “Rabbit of Seville” for classical music fun. And “Of course you know, this means war.”
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Disk 2 – Best of Daffy & Porky		C			Daffy and Porky shorts. I don’t know why, but when I was growing up, I never noticed how frequently the two were paired. The majority of the cartoons on this disk had both, from general comedy like “Duck Amuck” to famous pairings such as “Duck Dodgers in the 24½ Century.”
Mad City (partial)	xx	D	08/12/01	John Travolta Dustin Hoffman	I wish I had seen it all (second half was on after a movie completed). Cautionary tale of the power of the media to make a story and harm innocents.