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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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. |
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. |
16 Blocks |
71 |
A |
9/x/06 |
Bruce Willis Mos Def David Morse |
More serious than some
Willis films. |
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." |
2010 |
77 |
SF |
|
Roy Scheider John Lithgow |
A more " |
21 |
70 |
D |
04/29/09 |
Jim Sturgess Kate Bosworth Kevin Spacey Aaron Yoo Liza Lapira |
Definitely worth a
viewing. Yes, they changed the story
from the real thing to make it |
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! |
3:10 to |
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. |
300 |
73 |
D |
04/03/09 |
Gerard Butler 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. |
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. |
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. |
A Beautiful Mind |
91 |
D |
|
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 Bug’s Life |
86 |
C |
|
David Hyde Pierce etc. |
Wonderful animation, laughs to be had every minute from clever dialogue. And the “out-takes” are priceless. |
A History of Violence |
68 |
D |
|
Viggo Mortensen |
Not a typical |
A Knight’s Tale |
91 |
A |
|
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. |
A League of their Own |
83 |
C |
|
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. |
A Nightmare on |
49 |
H |
|
|
I never knew Johnny Depp was
in this. Almost recommendable. |
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. |
A Walk to Remember |
62 |
D |
02/14/09 |
Mandy Shane West |
A nice story. It starts as if it will be a typical teen
romantic comedy. It takes a nice
dramatic turn. |
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. |
Across the Universe |
82 |
M |
|
|
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. |
Aeon Flux |
69 |
SF |
|
Charlize Theron |
Better than I expected. The concepts were not all that innovative
these days, but it was well done. |
AI |
70 |
SF |
|
Haley Joel Osment |
I think they added a |
Airplane! |
78 |
C |
|
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! |
Akeelah and the Bee |
82 |
D |
|
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. |
Ali |
78 |
D |
|
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. |
Aliens |
85 |
A |
|
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. |
All the Pretty Horses |
58 |
D |
|
Matt Damon Henry Thomas |
Not what I expected.
Reminiscent of |
American Beauty |
79 |
D |
|
Kevin Spacey |
Some real truth in this. But I admit my bias against pessimistic films. Truly fine performances. |
American Pie |
73 |
C |
|
|
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. |
Amistad |
83 |
D |
12/2x/08 |
Matthew McConnaughey Morgan Freeman Anthony Hopkins |
Excellent historical
drama. All adults should know the
parts of our history represented here, and the characters make it real. |
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”? |
And Inconvenient Truth |
94 |
Doc |
|
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? |
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. |
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. |
Anna and the King |
79 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
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 |
|
Jack Nicholson Helen Hunt Greg Kinnear |
What a gem! Greg Kinnear was such a surprise. Some truly wonderful lines, and true-to-themselves characters. |
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. |
August Rush |
70 |
D |
08/20/08 |
Keri Russell Jonathan Rhys Meyers Freddie Highmore Robin Williams |
A fairy tale, with edginess
provided by |
Austin Powers in Goldmember |
40 |
C |
|
Mike Myers |
OK, there were some really funny moments, but most of the humor was too vulgar or crude or both. |
|
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.
|
|
78 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
Back to the Future 2 |
79 |
C |
|
Lea Thompson Crispin Glover |
|
Back to the Future 3 |
81 |
C |
|
Michael J Fox Christopher Lloyd |
|
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. |
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. |
Batman Forever |
58 |
A |
|
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? |
|
40 |
SF |
|
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. |
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. |
Behind Enemy Lines |
50 |
A |
|
Owen Wilson Gene Hackman |
Truly hard to believe |
Bend it Like Beckham |
70 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Bewitched |
53 |
C |
1/xx/06 |
Nicole Kidman Will Ferrell |
A definite case of “better
than I expected” makes this marginally recommendable. |
Bicentennial Man |
72 |
SF |
|
Robin Williams |
What is a man? Pinnochio the android. |
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. |
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure |
73 |
C |
|
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. |
Billy Elliot |
76 |
D |
|
|
Subtitles would have helped early on, but the characters were well done, and the growth was nice to see. |
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. |
Boondock Saints |
71 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
Breach |
77 |
D |
|
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. |
Breaking Away |
72 |
D |
|
|
Coming of Age. Well done. |
Bridge to Terabithia |
71 |
F |
|
|
Not what I expected, but
well worth the watching. Reminds me of
Fifth Grade, Gus Bro, and the tree by the railroad tracks. |
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. |
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. |
Cars |
75 |
C |
|
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. |
|
92 |
D |
|
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. |
Casino Royale |
70 |
A |
|
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. |
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. |
Cellular |
59 |
A |
|
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. |
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. |
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.” |
Charlie's Angels |
52 |
A |
|
Drew Barrymore Lucy Liu Cameron Diaz |
Fun fighting, silly camp, but they knew what they were doing. |
|
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.) |
Chicken Little |
71 |
C |
|
|
Funny! Not as amazing as other Pixar stuff (The
Incredibles) but fun. |
Chicken Run |
70 |
C |
|
Mel Gibson |
I laughed more often than at most live-action comedies. Bad puns. Funny complex situations. Great spoofs. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Chronicles of Riddick |
54 |
A |
|
Vin Diesel |
Lots of atmosphere (in which
Diesel doesn’t fit well) and some cool worlds. Sci-fi lovers will enjoy. |
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 20th century, though the life lessons are
the same. What would have been
better? An actor I believed more than
Tobey Maguire. |
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 |
City of |
76 |
D |
|
Nicolas Cage Meg Ryan |
Mood wonderful; Ryan not “too perky” Dennis Franz stole it. |
Clear and Present Danger |
62 |
A |
11/xx/06 |
Harrison Ford |
|
Click |
46 |
C |
|
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? |
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. |
Collateral |
72 |
A |
|
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. |
Collateral Damage |
66 |
A |
|
|
A decent action thriller. The twist was well thought out. And the motivations of the terrorists were well presented. |
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (#4 - 1972) |
30 |
SF |
|
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. |
Contact |
96 |
SF |
|
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. |
Coyote Ugly |
50 |
D |
|
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. |
Crash |
84 |
D |
|
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. |
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
64 |
A |
07/0x/01 |
Chow Yun Fat |
Amazing action, decent acting, plot so-so. |
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 |
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? |
Dante’s Peak |
51 |
A |
|
Pierce Brosnan Linda Hamilton |
Campy; formulaic; “yeah, right!” scenes. But some tension. |
|
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. |
Dark Knight |
95 |
A |
07/27/08 12/26/08 |
Christian Bale Heath Ledger Aaron Eckhart |
A triumph! Joker was maniacal and diabolical. |
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 |
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. |
Deep End of the Ocean |
59 |
D |
|
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. |
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 |
Déjà vu |
70 |
T |
|
Denzel Washington |
Pretty darn good. The “déjà vu” was not mystical or
haphazard, and I liked the sci-fi nature of the result. |
Deterrence |
57 |
D |
|
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. |
Die Hard |
85 |
A |
|
Bruce Willis Alan Rickman |
Excellent comic-book-like
action film. Smart. You can clearly see why people wanted more
installments. |
Die Hard 2: Die Harder |
79 |
A |
|
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. |
Die Hard: With a Vengeace |
85 |
A |
|
Bruce Willis Jeremy Irons |
Really clever bad guys; a good episode |
Dinner with Friends |
55 |
D |
|
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. |
Dirty Dancing |
73 |
M |
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 |
|
Bruce Willis |
This was SO much better than it looked in previews. |
Disturbia |
67 |
T |
|
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. |
Doctor Zhivago |
68 |
D |
|
Julie Christie Omar Sherif |
Interesting period drama, but while Christie was amazing, Zhivago never seemed like a real person. |
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. |
Donnie Darko |
74 |
Sci |
Xx/xx/06 |
Jake Gyllenhall |
Weird. But good.
Sci-fi, but hidden. Or maybe
horror, but hidden in sci-fi. |
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. |
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. |
Dr. T and the Women |
15 |
C |
|
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. |
Dreamer |
64 |
F |
|
Kurt Russell Dakota Fanning David Morse |
Almost exactly what you
expect. A small twist, but really just
a wholesome family film. |
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. |
Dune (miniseries) |
86 |
SF |
|
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. |
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. |
E.T. |
92 |
SF |
|
|
Ageless, timeless, and
touching. Drew Barrymore really is a
treat. It’s too bad the girls were scared
by it when they were young. |
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. |
EdTV |
72 |
CR |
|
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. |
Eight Below |
66 |
F |
|
Paul Walker |
A fun film, very watchable, and
not as predictable as I expected. |
Elektra |
52 |
Co |
|
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. |
|
81 |
D |
|
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. |
|
64 |
D |
|
Kirstin Dunst |
A non-traditional
romance. Dealing with grief and stress
and friendship. I liked this a lot
more than I expected. |
Ella Enchanted |
86 |
C |
|
Anne Hathaway |
So much background comedy,
and such good music. This is a bright film
with a beautiful actress. I like
it. A lot! |
Emma |
38 |
C |
|
Gwyneth Paltrow |
How did society survive with people who never spoke the truth, but were expected to behave as if everyone did? |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Ethan Frome |
66 |
D |
|
Liam Neeson |
Outstanding feel to the movie; good view of life in those times, in that place. Surrounding frame was weak. |
Excalibur |
82 |
D |
|
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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! |
Fiddler on the Roof |
92 |
M |
|
Topol |
Most of us non-Jews learned
about Judaism here first. Most of the
music is excellent. The story
certainly is. |
Field of Dreams |
83 |
D |
3/7/09 |
Kevin Costner Amy Madigan James Earl Jones Ray Liotta |
“Is this heaven?” “No.
It’s |
Fight Club |
91 |
S |
|
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! |
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 |
|
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. |
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. |
Footloose |
74 |
M |
|
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. |
Forget |
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. |
Forrest Gump |
96 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
Game |
34 |
SF |
|
Danielle Fishel |
Not a good movie. One or two interesting concepts, but poorly
written and executed. |
|
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. |
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. |
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, |
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. |
Ghost |
84 |
F |
|
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. |
Ghost Rider |
41 |
A |
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Gone in Sixty Seconds |
66 |
A |
|
Nicholas Cage Robert Duvall |
Better than I expected. But I was playing Magic Online for much of
it. |
Good Night and Good Luck |
76 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
Guys and Dolls |
64 |
M |
|
Frank Sinatra Marlon Brando |
Brando is excellent, despite
his lack of singing ability. Some good
songs. Too much dancing. |
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! |
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. |
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. |
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! |
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. |
Harry Potter and the Order
of the |
94 |
F |
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 |
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. |
Hellboy |
70 |
A |
07/19/08 |
Ron Perlman John Hurt |
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. |
Highlander |
33 |
A |
|
|
Boy, was this a disappointment. |
Hitch |
78 |
C |
|
Will Smith |
A romantic comedy that
really is funny! |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Hulk |
45 |
Co |
|
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. |
I Am Legend |
78 |
SF |
|
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. |
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. |
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.) |
Importance of Being
Earnest (The) |
44 |
C |
07/31/09 |
Colin Firth |
Some shows are just better
as plays, and not as movies. Yawn. |
In Good Company |
67 |
C |
|
Dennis Quaid Topher Grace |
Better than I expected. More real, less comedy. |
Independence Day |
87 |
SF |
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. |
|
82 |
A |
5/25/08 10/30/08 08/12/09 |
Harrison Ford Shia LeBouf |
Well worth the viewing. Plenty of action. Good laughs. |
|
91 |
A |
|
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. |
|
86 |
A |
6/8/08 |
Harrison Ford Kate Capshaw |
Pure adventure; pure
fun. With a few hinted impurities –
“I’m right here!” |
Iris |
79 |
D |
|
Judi Dench |
On the plane for our |
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. |
Jarhead |
75 |
D |
|
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?
|
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. |
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. |
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius |
78 |
C |
|
|
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! |
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. |
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. |
|
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. |
Karate Kid |
70 |
A |
|
Ralph Macchio Pat Morita |
This is a fun movie, even 25
years removed. |
Karate Kid 2 |
68 |
A |
|
Ralph Macchio Pat Morita |
A fine follow-up. And the Okinawan love interest for Daniel
is very pretty. |
Keeping the Faith |
84 |
CRD |
|
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. |
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. |
Kill Bill vol. 1 |
69 |
A |
|
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. |
Kill Bill vol. 2 |
84 |
A |
|
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. |
King Kong (2005) |
51 |
A |
|
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. |
|
65 |
D |
1/xx/06 |
|
Visually excellent. Story was OK. |
Kiss the Girls |
68 |
T |
|
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. |
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 |
|
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. |
Ladder 49 |
78 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Lemony Snickett’s A Series
of Unfortunate Events |
72 |
C |
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. |
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. |
Lilo & Stitch |
72 |
C |
|
|
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 Children |
70 |
D |
|
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. |
Little Miss Sunshine |
72 |
C |
|
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. |
Live Free or Die Hard |
81 |
A |
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. |
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.” |
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring |
100 |
D |
12/??/01 01/??/02 04/??/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. |
Lord of the Rings: The |
98 |
D |
|
Viggo Mortensen |
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! |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Mad City (partial) |
xx |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
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! |
Man of the Year |
58 |
C/D |
|
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. |
Manchurian Candidate (The) |
77 |
S |
|
Denzel Washington |
Excellent conspiracy story. |
Master and Commander |
76 |
D |
|
Russell Crowe Ralph Bellamy |
Very interesting! Good story; character dynamics were
excellent. And there was history to
learn everywhere – I hope it was accurate. |
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. |
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. |
Memoirs of a Geisha |
73 |
D |
|
Ziyi Zhang Ken Watanabe |
Excellent mood. Educational. Not easy to identify with the culture, but
we do feel with the main character. |
Men In Black |
68 |
SF |
|
Will Smith Tommy Lee Jones |
Fun, light, action – some
neat ideas. I didn’t know it was from
a comic book. |
Men of Honor |
66 |
D |
07/04/01 |
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. |
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. |
Million Dollar Baby |
87 |
D |
|
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. |
Miracle |
83 |
D |
|
Kurt Russell |
Truly an inspiring movie, telling
a stirring story very well. Sports
stories, done well, can create exultation like little else. |
Miss Congeniality |
57 |
C |
|
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. |
|
74 |
SF |
|
Gary Sinese |
Nice job. |
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. |
Monster House |
67 |
C |
|
Steve Buscemi |
Fun. Scary images, but not over the top (since
it was PG.) |
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! |
Monty Python’s Life of
Brian |
82 |
C |
|
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! |
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. |
Mr. & Mrs. Smith |
62 |
A |
|
Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie |
Pure action, with pretty
people. |
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. |
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. |
My Fair Lady |
89 |
M |
|
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! |
National Treasure |
81 |
A |
07/xx/06 |
Nicholas Cage |
A clever action
mystery. Fun clues. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Never Been Kissed |
51 |
C |
|
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. |
Next |
57 |
A |
07/06/08 |
Nicolas Cage Jessica Biel Julianne Moore |
Good concept. Well told for most of the movie. |
Night at the Museum |
62 |
C |
|
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. |
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 |
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! |
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!” |
Ocean’s Twelve |
75 |
A |
|
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!) |
Ocean's Eleven |
74 |
A |
|
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. |
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! |
Oliver! |
87 |
M |
|
Ron Moody |
One excellent song after
another. Comedy and tragedy and atmosphere! |
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. |
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. |
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. |
One True Thing |
77 |
D |
|
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. |
|
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. |
Over the Hedge |
68 |
C |
|
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. |
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. |
Pan’s Labyrinth |
74 |
D |
|
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
Perfect Stranger |
73 |
D |
|
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. |
Phantom of the Opera |
70 |
M |
1/xx/06 |
Emmy Rossum |
I expected more. It will probably grow on me. |
Pirates of the |
94 |
F |
05/xx/07 05/24/08 |
Johnny Depp 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. |
Pirates of the |
80 |
F |
12/xx/07 03/01/09 |
Johnny Depp Keira Knightley |
A bit complicated, but quite
satisfying as a final (?) episode.
Action and characters and visuals all mixed well. |
Pirates of the |
89 |
A |
|
Johnny Depp |
A very good sequel, with non-stop
action. |
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. |
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. |
Planet of the Apes (2001) |
77 |
SF |
|
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! |
Pleasantville |
84 |
D/C |
?? 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! |
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. |
Powder |
87 |
SF |
|
Jeff Goldblum |
Worth owning, and seeing from time to time. Simon Birch meets X-Men. |
Premonition |
68 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
Producers (The) |
70 |
M |
11/27/08 |
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! |
Pursuit of Happyness |
82 |
D |
|
Will Smith |
Extremely well told, and the
interactions are excellent. |
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. |
Raiders of the Lost |
95 |
A |
|
Harrison Ford Karen Allen John Rhys-Davies |
Seriously fun! Never stops moving. An achievement and a classic from the day
it was released. |
Random Hearts |
58 |
D |
|
Harrison Ford Kristin Scott Thomas |
Good characters who never seem to grieve enough. At least there’s no “pat” ending. |
Ray |
84 |
D |
Xx/xx/05 |
Jamie Foxx |
Well played. I liked the music. Cautionary and biographical. |
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. |
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. |
Remember the Titans |
90 |
D |
|
Denzel Washington |
I could watch this again and again. Inspiring, and true to life characters. There were no saints, and darn few devils. |
Rent |
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. |
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. |
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? |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Rounders |
78 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
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! |
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. |
Save the Last Dance |
70 |
D/M |
07/10/01 05/31/08 |
Julia Stiles Sean Patrick Thomas |
Intelligent teenagers, seemed realistic. |
Schindler’s List |
95 |
D |
2006 |
Liam Neeson Ben Kingsley |
Everyone should see
this. Everyone. And we should never forget. |
|
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! |
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 |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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! |
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. |
Shakespeare in Love |
92 |
D |
?? 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. |
Shanghai |
77 |
C |
|
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 |
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.] |
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. |
Shrek |
84 |
C |
?? |
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. |
Sideways |
74 |
D |
|
Paul Giamatti |
Caught it on HBO while in |
Signs |
80 |
SF |
07/xx/06 12/20/08 |
Mel Gibson Joaquin Pheonix |
Gripping, suspenseful. A message, too – and some nice surprises. |
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. |
Simon Birch |
80 |
D |
|
|
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. |
|
84 |
A |
|
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. |
Sister Act 2 |
69 |
C |
|
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. |
Sisterhood of the
Travelling Pants (The) |
87 |
D |
11/28/08 |
Excellent! Touching.
Real; coming of age in the 21st 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. |
|
Sisterhood of the
Travelling Pants 2 (The) |
70 |
D |
03/30/09 |
|
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. |
Sleepy Hollow |
77 |
F |
|
Johnny Depp Christina Ricci |
Love the atmosphere. So many excellent actors, and such a deep,
dark mood. And a fun mystery, too. |
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. |
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. |
Snake Eyes |
46 |
T |
|
Nicholas Cage Gary Sinese |
Started well. Then got more and more far fetched. |
Snatch |
55 |
D/C |
|
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! |
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! |
Sound of Music |
81 |
M |
|
|
Some of the best stage music
ever, but without the setting of the wonders of |
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. |
Spanglish |
80 |
C/D |
|
Adam Sandler Paz Vega Tea Leoni |
A story about love, and
parenting, and responsibility, and longing.
Quite good! |
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. |
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. |
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.” |
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. |
Spiderwick Chronicles
(The) |
68 |
F |
08/29/08 |
Freddie Highmore |
Creative children’s fantasy
with enough drama for adults. |
Spirited Away |
48 |
F |
|
|
Lots of interesting ideas,
but the plot does not flow, and the characters are uneven. Sorry Paul, it just doesn’t trip my
trigger. |
Spy Games |
62 |
A |
|
Robert Redford Brad Pitt |
Everything worked, plot-wise.
Hard to take |
Spy Kids |
55 |
F |
|
Antonio Banderas |
So little violence with so much action. Cute and fun. A kiddie ride, but a fun one. |
ST:tNG “Inner Light” |
92 |
SF |
|
|
Perhaps the single best story told in this series. |
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 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. |
Star Trek 3: the Search for Spock |
83 |
SF |
07/xx/06 |
|
A good episode. |
Star Trek IV – The Voyage
Home |
72 |
SF |
|
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. |
Star Trek: First Contact |
89 |
SF |
07/xx/01 05/xx/06 |
ST:tNG cast Alfre Woodard |
Characters shine with a good plot. Patrick Stewart does some of his best work. |
Star Trek: Generations |
82 |
SF |
|
ST:tNG cast William Shatner |
Fine first outing for the Next Generation crew; Data is funny. |
Star Trek: Insurrection |
87 |
SF |
08/xx/05 06/xx/06 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. |
Star Trek: Nemesis |
89 |
SF |
|
Patrick Stewart |
A very good episode; dark
and purposeful. |
Star Trek: The Motion
Picture |
47 |
SF |
|
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. |
Star Wars |
99 |
SF |
04/xx/06 |
Mark Hamill Alec Guinness |
Simply the best. |
Star Wars Episode 1: the
Phantom Menace |
78 |
SF |
03/xx/06 |
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. |
Star Wars Episode 2:
Attack of the Clones |
80 |
SF |
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. |
Star Wars Episode 3:
Revenge of the Sith |
90 |
SF |
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. |
Star Wars: Return of the
Jedi |
99 |
SF |
08/xx/07 |
Mark Hamill Harrison Ford |
Triumphant, heroic, hopeful
– and fun! |
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. |
Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back |
99 |
SF |
07/xx/06 |
Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher |
The single best sequel
ever. Tension, characters, surprises. |
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. |
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. |
Stargate: The |
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. |
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. |
Story of Us |
67 |
D |
|
Bruce Willis Michelle Pfeiffer |
Some relationship insights spot-on; ending was out of line with characters |
Stranger Than Fiction |
69 |
D/C |
|
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. |
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? |
Superman Returns |
77 |
A |
03/xx/07 |
|
A fun action movie, with
many “tip of the hat” moments to the Reeve films. |
Superman: the Movie |
70 88 |
A |
|
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 |
Sweeney Todd |
77 |
M |
|
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. |
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. |
Take the Money and Run |
50 |
C |
|
Woody Allen |
Some funny bits, funnier in the remembering. Probably “classic Woody Allen” but slower than my modern tastes like, |
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. |
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? |
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. |
Terminal (The) |
81 |
C/D |
|
Tom Hanks |
The story was really fun –
and it took pains to resist the predictable. |
Terminator (The) |
83 |
R |
6/19/08 |
Linda Hamilton Michael Biehn |
Even 24 years later, this is
a good science fiction story. |
Thank You for Smoking |
53 |
C |
|
|
Interesting concept. Glad I saw it. But I wouldn’t see it again. |
The 6th Day |
67 |
SF |
|
|
I barely remember seeing it, and since I didn’t “review” it right away – not memorable! |
The Aviator |
81 |
D |
|
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 Big Lebowski |
48 |
C |
|
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. |
The Blue Butterfly |
60 |
D |
|
William Hurt |
A nice find. Hurt was good again, in a simple movie that
told a simple story quite well. |
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 Brothers Grimm |
59 |
F |
|
Matt Damon Heath Ledger |
Choppy story-telling; hard
to follow. But the last 45 minutes
hold together well enough to satisfy. |
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 Contender |
84 |
D |
|
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 Da Vinci Code |
83 |
D |
|
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 Dark |
64 |
F |
|
|
Watching it again after so
many years, it’s remarkable how little there is to the story. |
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 Detonator |
35 |
A |
|
Pierce Brosnan Patrick Stewart |
Not convincing; some decent ideas; female lead was WEAK |
The Devil Wears Prada |
66 |
C |
|
Anne Hathaway Meryl Streep |
Somewhat formulaic, but a
few twists. And the office politics
hit home. |
The Emporer's New Groove |
69 |
F |
|
David Spade John Goodman |
Surprisingly funny. I liked David Spade. How did that happen? |
The Family Stone |
79 |
D |
|
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 Fifth Element |
76 |
SF C |
|
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 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 Fountain |
66 |
D |
|
Hugh Jackman Rachel Weisz |
Strangely told. Worth the viewing. Hard to follow for the first 10-15
minutes. |
The Game |
55 |
S |
|
Michael Douglas Sean Penn |
Suspense, with enough twists to be smart. A little “why didn’t he do X?” but not too much. |
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 Good Shepherd |
73 |
D |
|
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 Graduate |
70 |
C |
|
Dustin Hoffman Anne Bancroft |
Far more serious than I expected from one of the top comedies. Extremely well acted, of course. |
The Green Mile |
91 |
S |
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 Guardian |
63 |
D |
|
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 |
75 |
C |
|
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 Hostage |
76 |
A |
|
Bruce Willis Kevin Pollack |
A Willis pic, with more
seriousness and heart. |
The Hours |
87 |
D |
|
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. |
The Hunt for Red October |
75 |
A |
|
Sean Connery Alec Baldwin |
Intrigue, suspense, good
acting, drama. A good time. |
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. |
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 Incredibles |
88 |
A |
|
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? |
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. |
The |
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. |
The Italian Job |
70 |
A |
|
Edward Norton Charlize Theron Mark Wahlberg |
A fun caper movie. Enough smiles, enough tricks. |
The |
68 |
D |
|
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 Last Mimsy |
73 |
F |
|
|
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! |
The Lookout |
67 |
D |
|
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Jeff Daniels |
The trailers made it seem
like an action movie. It was not. And it was better this way. |
The Majestic |
70 |
D |
|
Jim Carrey |
They had me wondering. And Carrey is definitely an actor these days, not just a comedian. |
The Matrix |
93 |
SF |
03/xx/01 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.) |
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. |
The Matrix: Revolutions |
85 |
SF |
05/xx/05 |
Keanu Reeves Laurence Fishburne |
Exciting, action-packed
conclusion. The characters’ actions
made sense. |
The Messenger |
64 |
D |
|
John Malcovich |
Joan was sometimes a saint-to-be, and sometimes a |
The Mummy |
81 |
A |
|
Brendan Fraser |
FX galore; plot moved; Fraser seriously funny |
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. |
The Night Listener |
46 |
S |
|
Robin Williams Toni Collette |
I expected more. OK, but not recommendable. |
The Odd Couple |
40 |
C |
|
Walter Matthau Jack Lemmon |
Comedy Classic? I guess our modern viewing expectations are different. |
The Odd Couple 2 |
30 |
C |
|
Walter Matthau Jack Lemmon |
So they added some profanity, and made it a “buddies on the road” movie. Still slow. |
The Omen |
68 |
H |
|
Live Schreiber Julia Stiles David Thewlis |
Very good remake. |
The Pacifier |
50 |
C |
|
Vin Diesel |
Pretty silly, but fun. |
The Patriot |
80 |
A |
|
Mel Gibson |
Well told; humanity and family and what war does to both. |
The Pink Panther |
50 |
C |
|
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. |
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. |
The Princess Bride |
94 |
C |
07/xx/06 06/23/07 04/05/09 |
Robin Wright Mandy Patinkin |
Sweet! Funny!
And (I know now) based on some history. Really?
Wow. So many quotable lines! |
The Rainmaker |
60 |
D |
|
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 Replacements |
52 |
CD |
|
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. |
The Ring |
79 |
H |
|
Naomi Watts |
Now this was scary! I couldn’t watch it straight through; I had
to take breaks. Very intense. |
The Sixth Sense |
94 |
S |
|
Bruce Willis |
Engaging characters; well acted; perfectly set-up; great second viewing. |
The Skeleton Key |
75 |
H S |
|
Kate Hudson |
Quite gripping. Scary without being gross. |
The Stand |
91 |
SF |
?/?/01 |
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. |
The Thomas Crowne Affair |
63 |
A |
|
Pierce Brosnan Rene Russo |
Some very clever schemes and twists; nudity/sex did not add heat. |
The Time Machine |
60 |
SF |
|
Guy Pearce |
Really excellent until the end. Great visuals. My expectations were exceeded, but just because I was told to expect something sub-par. |
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. |
The Usual Suspects |
74 |
D |
|
Kevin Spacey Kevin Pollack Benicio del Toro |
An excellent “noir” mystery,
caper. And now I know where “Keyser
Soze” comes from. |
The Village |
66 |
S |
|
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. |
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! |
The Whole Nine Yards |
75 |
C |
|
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! |
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. |
Three Kings |
73 |
D |
|
George Clooney Mark Wahlberg |
A fable? A war movie? A study in priorities? |
Titanic |
89 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
Tootsie |
82 |
C |
|
Dustin Hoffman Jessica Lange Bill Murray |
Still funny after all these years! |
Total Recall |
76 |
SF |
|
Ronny Cox |
I really, really liked this at one time. Seeing it again, the gore was too much. But the story was still fun. |
Traffic |
85 |
D |
|
Michael Douglas Benicio Del Toro Don Cheadle |
The stories wove together so well. But a pessimistic view, for sure. Who wins? |
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. |
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. |
Transporter (The) |
50 |
A |
04/04/09 |
Jason Statham |
A couple of inventive action
sequences, but not much else. A time
filler. |
|
84 |
A |
|
Brad Pitt Eric Bana Orlando Bloom |
Impressive battles, a nice
take on the heroes of the Iliad. |
True Lies |
73 |
A |
|
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 |
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. |
Unbreakable |
93 |
S |
|
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. |
Untraceable |
78 |
S |
07/04/08 |
|
The concept was scary, the
social commentary was integral to the story, and |
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: I have gladly made watching
this film a yearly event. “Remember,
remember, the fifth of November…” |
Van Helsing |
56 |
A |
|
Hugh Jackman |
Fine effects, but the story
had lots of incongruities – much of the typical monster mythology was
ignored. |
Virtuosity |
52 |
SF |
|
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. |
Wag the Dog |
72 |
D |
|
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. |
Waking Ned Devine |
74 |
C |
|
|
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 |
Walk the Line |
77 |
D |
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
We Are |
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. |
|
68 |
M |
02/07/09 |
Natalie Wood Rita Moreno |
Full of energy. Some good music and a great performance by |
What Women Want |
77 |
CR |
|
Mel Gibson Helen Hunt |
He pulled it off -- transforming in a comic, yet convincing way. And Hunt is terrific and sincere, as always. |
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. |
Where the Heart Is |
75 |
D |
|
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. |
Wild Hogs |
69 |
C |
|
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
X-Men |
90 |
A |
|
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 |
X-Men 3: The Last Stand |
85 |
A |
|
Patrick Stewart Hugh Jackman Ian McKellan |
Excellent movie for
traditional comic book story and action.
Characters sometimes acted out-of-character, though. |
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. |
XXX |
61 |
A |
|
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. |
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