For post-2008 movies, click here. This is not perfectly separate from the below.
2013
Movie Critic
Obviously, I am not a (real) movie critic. (I like the late Roger Ebert's tastes the most.) These are opinions about the movies I like and the movies I do not like. I tend to watch movies on a large projection screen (Bluray or DVD) a few months after they come out—I hate movie theaters with neighbors munching or communicating on their cellphones during the movie.
Bluray: Unfortunately, the studios are doing everything in their power to kill Bluray: from long notices about all sorts of irrelevant stuff, to the inability to continue where one has just accidentally hit the stop button, to the inability to stream a disc directly to other home devices like the ipad, to the inanely long, useless, and complex HDMI handshake which sometimes fails when one starts the equipment in the wrong order. Some commercial bootleggers have hi-res setup that shoot frame by frame with high accuracy. With a one-time $50,000 expense, anyone can make a practically perfect copy 1ms after the video reaches the screen rather than 1ms before. And once the first digital copy is out, the genie is out of the bottle. A much better and more intelligent system would have been a simple handshake over the internet, at least when available, that informs customers whether their copy is legal or illegal and offers them a legal alternative. Such a system shouldn't even have to block such copies—in case the server is down, do not aggravate your customers! But you can assume that most customers would prefer to pay a modest amount and ask a pirate reseller for a refund; and, as importantly, the studios could pinpoint the origin of the false copies and trace them back. The studios are simply stupid. It is only their monopolies on their specific content that has saved them so far.
TV vs Movies: These days, I tend to watch longer TV series. They have to an extent assumed the mantle of most interesting story-telling vehicles from the movies. I like the fact that they engross the audience in longer and more complex stories. This is because they are less predictable than 99% of Hollywood movies. The Wire is indeed so good, it would make the A1 movie list below. Foyle's War, The Forsyte Saga, Downton Abbey (1st Season) Battlestar Galactica (3rd and 4th Seasons), Sons of Anarchy would make the A2 list. I am still working my way through Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Homeland. (For the same reason, Roger Ebert is correct that video games will probably never rival the movies as story-telling vehicles. Even the best games are only modestly more complex than a 5 minute trailer.) There were also some more episodic good shows, such as Homicide, but this page focuses on longer story arcs.
What qualities make a great movie? Not a secret: A great script. If the story is historically correct, it is much better—reality is often more interesting than fiction. To be an interesting story, you as the audience must not know in advance what will happen next (and you want to learn it), and characters must be self-aware. It must transport you and engross you. No, the secret is not the actors, director, producer, music or cinematography, although all of these can help greatly. And good scripts are the opposite of what sells in Hollywood movies: Save the Cat! scripts, which are so utterly ridiculously predictable.
Frankly, I am a little envious. I have been as successful in my career as I could have ever hoped for, but I would have loved to participate in telling engrossing stories to larger audiences.
Early on, this document is well organized. The further down you get, the worse it becomes. Apologies
Some Great Movies Post 2008 or so
click here. This is not perfectly separate from the below.
Some Great Movies Pre 2008 or so
Many classical movies were great in their time, so great that they have been imitated many times. Unfortunately, it is for this reason that many of these classics have been outdone by their imitations. Thus, they are no longer on my A1-list of films to watch. Many Black-and-White movies fall into this category, for example the terrific Citizen Kane or The Searchers or The Manchurian Candidate, but also films like All About Eve and many Hitchcock classics (e.g., Psycho). (Heck, even Shakespeare's comedic formula was obsoleted by its many sitcom descendants. He invented it.)
The followup movies were not as innovative or important, but my list is about movies that I would recommend to friends to watch today, and not to a film-critic or a film-historian. Of course, many of the originals are still very good films and worth watching, but just not A-1.
To change ordering, click on table header.
- A1-List:
-
When I started adding notes to the list below, every one of my notes contained "fantastic story"...obviously. so I deleted this particular comment again. Sci-fi flicks are listed separately, even if they are A-1 (like Bladerunner, 1984, 2001, Gattaca, etc.)
Movie Year Rating Notes Avalon (1990) 6 Superb I love charming and long family histories. Braveheart (1995) 6 Superb unfortunately not historically accurate. Chinatown (1974) 6 Superb "la confidential" is another great movie with similar 1930s los angeles setting. Das Leben Der Anderen (2006) 6 Superb a portrait of a totalitarian era. first movie by director. what do you do afterwards? Doctor Zhivago (1965) 6 Superb epic portrait of a totalitarian era. I love mclean epics. Enemy At The Gates (2001) 6 Superb could have done without the love line, but this stalingrad duel is still captivating. Farewell My Concubine (1993) 6 Superb a portrait of a totalitarian era. Gandhi (1982) 6 Superb historically accurate. Godfather I (1972) 6 Superb held up well: still the godfather of all great mob films. Godfather Ii (1974) 6 Superb the best sequel of any film ever Gone With The Wind (1939) 6 Superb the only dramatic epic before 1960 that has held up. Hoop Dreams (1994) 6 Superb the only documentary on my a1 list. In The Heat Of The Night (1967) 6 Superb the Jim Crowe south explained, better than in any book. Jean De Florette And Manon Of The Spring (1986) 6 Superb you need to see both, incl the ending. Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1985) 6 Superb rare case where acting dominates the story. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) 6 Superb historically accurate. I love mclean epics. No Country For Old Men (2007) 6 Superb one of two (almost) horror movies on my a-1 list Once Upon A Time In America (1984) 6 Superb I love the long story arc. failed at the box office. Once Upon A Time In The West (1969) 6 Superb stylish. bronson did well filling in for eastwood. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 6 Superb the chief is as brillant as jack Raise The Red Lantern (1991) 6 Superb a chick flick but not for chicks. sad that zhang yimou went commercial later. Roman Holiday (1953) 6 Superb just thoroughly charming. pg rated, too. Shoah (1985) 6 Superb very painful. (my dad was in auschwitz.) Silence Of The Lambs (1991) 6 Superb one of two (almost) horror movies on my a-1 list The Age Of Innocence (1977) 6 Superb wonderful atmosphere in this movie The Elephant Man (1980) 6 Superb unusual, slow, b-w. evokes great empathy. The English Patient (1996) 6 Superb Epic. Not as good as made out at the time, but still A1. The Great Gatsby (1974) 6 Superb portrait of an era about money... The Last Emperor (1987) 6 Superb historically accurate and educational, too. The Name Of The Rose (1986) 6 Superb the medieval atmosphere transports us. please don't compare to the book. The Reader (2008) 6 Superb food for thoughts about ethics The Usual Suspects (1995) 6 Superb kaiser sosse is clever. Three Days Of The Condor (1975) 6 Superb best agent-spy movie ever. - A2-List:
-
The separation between A1 and A2 is arbitrary. The distance between many of the A-1's and A-2's can be tiny. The distribution of movie quality is probably Gaussian normal (bell-shaped). Thus, there are many more A2 movies than there are A1 movies.
Movie Year Rating Notes ...And Justice For All (1979) 5.5 Excellent 12 Angry Men (1957) 5.5 Excellent 48 Hours (1990) 5.5 Excellent A Better Life (2011) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 list. Very depressing. Trump Supporters--this movie is for you. A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) 5.5 Excellent leone's spaghetti movies have held up well. A Prophet (2009) 5.5 Excellent hard (and great) prison movie A River Runs Through It (1992) 5.5 Excellent A Separation (2011) 5.5 Excellent Affliction (1998) 5.5 Excellent unpleasant All The President's Men (1976) 5.5 Excellent Amadeus (1984) 5.5 Excellent sorry, this story is an invention American History X (1998) 5.5 Excellent Annie Hall (1977) 5.5 Excellent Apocalypse Now (1979) 5.5 Excellent Apollo 13 (1995) 5.5 Excellent historically accurate As Good As It Gets (1997) 5.5 Excellent Awakenings (1990) 5.5 Excellent based on a true story Bad Lieutenant (1992) 5.5 Excellent Basic Instinct (1992) 5.5 Excellent Basquiat (1996) 5.5 Excellent Ben Hur (1959) 5.5 Excellent Very weak ending.. Birdman Of Alcatraz (1962) 5.5 Excellent Blues Brothers (1980) 5.5 Excellent Born On The 4th Of July (1989) 5.5 Excellent Bound (1996) 5.5 Excellent unusually clever, covers up its low budget. Boyz In The Hood (1991) 5.5 Excellent Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) 5.5 Excellent I like Mclean, though this... Broadcast News (1987) 5.5 Excellent Buena Vista Social Club (1999) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 Cabaret (1972) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Carlito's Way (1993) 5.5 Excellent Carlos (2010?) 5.5 Excellent long miniseries Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) 5.5 Excellent Chaplin (1992) 5.5 Excellent Children Of A Lesser God (1986) 5.5 Excellent Cinema Paradiso (1988) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 City Slickers (1991) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Coogan's Bluff (1968) 5.5 Excellent Crocodile Dundee (1986) 5.5 Excellent yes, the Aussie low-budget comedy flick Crumb (1995) 5.5 Excellent Cyrano De Bergerac (1990) 5.5 Excellent Dances With Wolves (1990) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Dangerous Liaisons (1988) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Das Boot (1981) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Dead Man Walking (1995) 5.5 Excellent Dead Poets Society (1989) 5.5 Excellent Deer Hunter (1978) 5.5 Excellent Der Untergang (2004) 5.5 Excellent German movie about Hitler is historically extremely accurate. Die Hard (1988) 5.5 Excellent die hard 2 was also great. then it became too repetitive. Dirty Harry(And Magnum Force) (1971) 5.5 Excellent Donnie Brasco (1997) 5.5 Excellent Driving Miss Daisy (1989) 5.5 Excellent Easy Rider (1969) 5.5 Excellent I hate predictable endings... Ed Wood (1994) 5.5 Excellent Elizabeth (1998) 5.5 Excellent Fargo (1996) 5.5 Excellent Fiddler On The Roof (1971) 5.5 Excellent Forrest Gump (1994) 5.5 Excellent From Here To Eternity (1953) 5.5 Excellent Frost/Nixon (2008) 5.5 Excellent almost a-3 Giant (1956) 5.5 Excellent Glengary Glen Ross (1992) 5.5 Excellent unpleasant Glory (1989) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Good Morning Vietnam (1987) 5.5 Excellent Good Will Hunting (1997) 5.5 Excellent Goodfellas (1990) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Gorky Park (1983) 5.5 Excellent Great Expectations (1946) 5.5 Excellent A-1 for many decades Green Card (1990) 5.5 Excellent Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967) 5.5 Excellent almost A-1 Heat (1995) 5.5 Excellent Henry V (1989) 5.5 Excellent High Noon (1952) 5.5 Excellent open range is essentially a better remake Highlander (1986) 5.5 Excellent House Of Games (1987) 5.5 Excellent brillantly clever...like the Usual Suspects Howard's End (1992) 5.5 Excellent Hugo (2011) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 In The Name Of The Father (1993) 5.5 Excellent Jfk (1991) 5.5 Excellent but note that this movie is completely factually wrong. Jefferson In Paris (1995) 5.5 Excellent Jeremiah Johnson (1972) 5.5 Excellent An anti-western. See also Josey Wales. Jerry Maguire (1996) 5.5 Excellent Judgment At Nuremberg (1961) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1. historically accurate Kalifornia (1993) 5.5 Excellent unpleasant L.A. Confidential (1997) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 La Story (1991) 5.5 Excellent good if you have lived in LA La Femme Nikita (1991) 5.5 Excellent Le Clan Des Siciliens (1969) 5.5 Excellent Wanna see a jet land on a freeway? Le Samourai (1967) 5.5 Excellent alain delon as an assassin. precedes "the american". Leon (The Professional) (1994) 5.5 Excellent Lone Star (1996) 5.5 Excellent I love understated films Looking For Richard (1996) 5.5 Excellent Magnolia (1999) 5.5 Excellent Malcolm X (1992) 5.5 Excellent historically accurate Manhattan (1979) 5.5 Excellent Margin Call (2011) 5.5 Excellent I teach finance. This is great. Memento (2001) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Men In Black (1997) 5.5 Excellent Million Dollar Baby (2003) 5.5 Excellent Mississippi Burning (1988) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Monsieur Klein (1976) 5.5 Excellent hard to believe that Delon is a neo-nazi in real life Monsters Inc (2001) 5.5 Excellent my favorite animated movie Mutiny On The Bounty (1962) 5.5 Excellent My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) 5.5 Excellent My Left Foot (1989) 5.5 Excellent Network (1976) 5.5 Excellent Night Of The Generals (1967) 5.5 Excellent Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 Nobody's Fool (1994) 5.5 Excellent just thoroughly charming North By Northwest (1959) 5.5 Excellent Notre Dame De Paris (1956) 5.5 Excellent Open Range (2003) 5.5 Excellent better "high noon" remake. Out Of Africa (1985) 5.5 Excellent Pascali's Island (1988) 5.5 Excellent slow. you have to like slow melancholic history pieces. Patton (1970) 5.5 Excellent Philadelphia (1993) 5.5 Excellent This movie changed our society's view of AIDS Platoon (1986) 5.5 Excellent this movie changed our society's view of vietnam. Precious (2009) 5.5 Excellent Presumed Innocent (1990) 5.5 Excellent Pulp Fiction (1994) 5.5 Excellent innovative. almost a-1. Q&Amp;A (1990) 5.5 Excellent Raging Bull (1980) 5.5 Excellent Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) 5.5 Excellent innovative Rain Man (1988) 5.5 Excellent Ran (1985) 5.5 Excellent Rebel Without A Cause (1955) 5.5 Excellent Reservoir Dogs (1992) 5.5 Excellent extremely violent Revolution (1985) 5.5 Excellent underrated Ridicule (1996) 5.5 Excellent Rocky (1976) 5.5 Excellent Roots (Tv Miniseries) (1977) 5.5 Excellent Roxanne (1987) 5.5 Excellent Saturday Night Fever (1977) 5.5 Excellent Saving Private Ryan (1998) 5.5 Excellent But trumped easily by "Band of Brothers" Scarface (1983) 5.5 Excellent Scent Of A Woman (1992) 5.5 Excellent Schindler's List (1993) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Sense And Sensibility (1995) 5.5 Excellent Serpico (1973) 5.5 Excellent Shakespeare In Love (1998) 5.5 Excellent Shutter Island (20??) 5.5 Excellent Mind-twisting. She's Gotta Have It (1986) 5.5 Excellent Shogun (Tv Miniseries) (1980) 5.5 Excellent do not watch the awful movie adaptation. Something The Lord Made (2004) 5.5 Excellent Sunset Blvd (1950) 5.5 Excellent The American (2010) 5.5 Excellent clooney as a lone assassin. see also le samourai. The Big Chill (1983) 5.5 Excellent The Breakfast Club (1985) 5.5 Excellent The Cider House Rules (1999) 5.5 Excellent The Crying Game (1992) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 The Defiant Ones (1958) 5.5 Excellent The Departed (2006) 5.5 Excellent The Duellists (1977) 5.5 Excellent The Fall (2008) 5.5 Excellent Tarsem Singh's fantasy film is incredibly creative. The French Connection (1971) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 The Fugitive (1993) 5.5 Excellent The Graduate (1967) 5.5 Excellent The Great Dictator (1940) 5.5 Excellent prescient. brillant. meaningful. The Horse Whisperer (1998) 5.5 Excellent The Hustler (1961) 5.5 Excellent The Insider (1999) 5.5 Excellent The Killing Fields (1984) 5.5 Excellent The King's Speech (2010) 5.5 Excellent historically accurate The Last Seduction (1994) 5.5 Excellent The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988) 5.5 Excellent The Lion In Winter (1968) 5.5 Excellent The Lonely Guy (1984) 5.5 Excellent The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) 5.5 Excellent The Natural (1984) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 The Negotiator (1998) 5.5 Excellent The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) 5.5 Excellent Book was written by a Klansman, but still great. The Paper Chase (1973) 5.5 Excellent my favorite professor... The People Vs. Larry Flint (1996) 5.5 Excellent The Piano (1993) 5.5 Excellent The Princess Bride (1987) 5.5 Excellent great PG movie for children, too The Remains Of The Day (1993) 5.5 Excellent The Right Stuff (1983) 5.5 Excellent Historically accurate The Secret In Their Eyes (2010) 5.5 Excellent an argentinian understated film The Spanish Prisoner (1998) 5.5 Excellent The Straight Story (1999) 5.5 Excellent The Thin Blue Line (1988) 5.5 Excellent The Third Man (1949) 5.5 Excellent The Verdict (1982) 5.5 Excellent The Wedding Banquet (1993) 5.5 Excellent The Wild Bunch (1969) 5.5 Excellent among the earliest westerns to transform the previously all-too-predictable genre. The Wind And The Lion (1975) 5.5 Excellent The Witness (1985) 5.5 Excellent almost a-1 Thelma &Amp; Louise (1991) 5.5 Excellent Three Kings (1999) 5.5 Excellent To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) 5.5 Excellent Trading Places (1983) 5.5 Excellent Traffic (2000) 5.5 Excellent Training Day (2001) 5.5 Excellent Trainspotting (1996) 5.5 Excellent Unforgiven (1992) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 Wall Street (1987) 5.5 Excellent Wall-E (2007) 5.5 Excellent What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) 5.5 Excellent When Harry Met Sally (1989) 5.5 Excellent Almost A-1 Where Eagles Dare (1969) 5.5 Excellent Who'll Stop The Rain (1978) 5.5 Excellent Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolfe? (1965) 5.5 Excellent (unpleasant) Wonder Boys (2000) 5.5 Excellent Working Girl (1988) 5.5 Excellent Year Of The Dragon (1985) 5.5 Excellent - Close to or Almost A2-list:
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Movie Year Notes 8 Mile (2002) 5 Excellent A Beautiful Mind (2001) 5 Excellent A Few Good Men (1992) 5 Excellent American Beauty (1999) 5 Excellent Accidental Tourist (1988) 5 Excellent Ali: Fear Eats Soul (1974) 5 Excellent American Gigolo (1998) 5 Excellent An Officer And A Gentleman (1982) 5 Excellent Atlantic City (1980) 5 Excellent Becket (1964) 5 Excellent Bekenntnisse Des Hochstaplers Felix Krull (1982) 5 Excellent (European TV Miniseries) Belle Epoque (1994) 5 Excellent Beverly Hills Cop (1984) 5 Excellent Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) 5 Excellent Bugsy (Maybe) (1991) 5 Excellent Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) 5 Excellent Carlos (Long Version) (2010) 5 Excellent Casino (1995) 5 Excellent Chocolat (2000) 5 Excellent Cleopatra (1963) 5 Excellent Days Of Heaven (1978) 5 Excellent Die Blechtrommel (1979) 5 Excellent Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) 5 Excellent Do The Right Thing (1989) 5 Excellent Exodus (1960) 5 Excellent But the book is much, much better. Footnote (2011) 5 Excellent Funny Girl (1968) 5 Excellent Heaven Can Wait (1978) 5 Excellent Husbands And Wives (1992) 5 Excellent Inception (2010) 5 Excellent Interview With The Vampire (1994) 5 Excellent Julia (2009) 5 Excellent Jungle Fever (1991) 5 Excellent Last Tango In Paris (1972) 5 Excellent Little Man Tate (1991) 5 Excellent Lord Of The Rings (Trilogy) (2000) 5 Excellent Mean Streets (1973) 5 Excellent Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (1997) 5 Excellent Mississippi Masala (1992) 5 Excellent Poetic Justice (1979) 5 Excellent Quo Vadis? (1951) 5 Excellent Reds (1981) 5 Excellent Rich Man Poor Man (Tv Series) (1976) 5 Excellent Roger&Amp;Me (1994) 5 Excellent Se7en (1997) 5 Excellent Sleepless In Seattle (1993) 4.5 Excellent only for irony Sleuth (1973) 5 Excellent Solitary Man (2010) 5 Excellent The 6th Sense (1999) 5 Excellent The Boxer (1997) 5 Excellent The Crimson Pirate (1952) 5 Excellent The Gods Must Be Crazy (1990) 5 Excellent The Guns Of Navarone (1961) 5 Excellent The Hunt For Red October (1990) 5 Excellent The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) 5 Excellent The Social Network (2010) 5 Excellent Titus (1999) 5 Excellent To Live And Die In La (1985) 5 Excellent Tom Waits: Big Time? (1988) ? Up In The Air (2008) 5 Excellent Wag The Dog (1997) 5 Excellent When We Were Kings (1996) 5 Excellent Maybe Drive (2011).
- A-List, Science-Fiction:
- I love science fiction, so I
have grouped science fiction movies separately. Unfortunately, most Sci-fi
movies are dread awful. Here is my selection of better choices:
Movie Year Rating Notes 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Excellent A-1 unconditionally A Clockwork Orange (1971) Excellent Ai (2001) Excellent possibly A-2 unconditionally. great ending. Alien(S) (1979) Excellent often overrated, but still good. aliens Bladerunner (1982) Excellent A-1 unconditionally Brazil (1985) Excellent A-1 unconditionally Children Of Men (2006) Excellent bleak Conan (1982) Excellent just barely on this list. Contact (1997) Excellent A-2 unconditionally Dark City (1998) Excellent A-1 unconditionally Dark Star (1974) Excellent District 9 (2009) Excellent Dune (1984) Excellent (but poor end; avoid the scifi channel tv remake) Escape From New York (1981) Excellent barely on this list Existenz (1999) Excellent more original than inception. cronenberg... Gattaca (1997) Excellent A-1 or A-2 unconditionally Highlander (1986) Excellent Inception (2010) Excellent K-Pax (2001) Excellent spacey a different way... Mad Max 1 (1979) Excellent Men In Black (1997) Excellent Metropolis (1926+1984) (1984) Excellent Minority Report (2002) Excellent Moon (2009) Excellent Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) Excellent A-1 unconditionally On The Beach (1959) Excellent Outland (1981) Excellent Planet Of The Apes (1968) Excellent just barely. the remake is good,too. Predator (1987) Excellent Serenity (2005) Excellent Just barely... Star Trek 2: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) Excellent Star Trek 4: The Search For Whales (1986) Excellent Silent Running (1971) Excellent Soylent Green (1973) Excellent Sunshine (2007) Excellent Star Wars (1977) Excellent The original one. Others can be entertaining. Surrogates (2009) Excellent often underrated. not as bad as often claimed to be. Terminator 1 (1991) Excellent a-2 unconditionally: probably the lowest-budget film on my a-2 list Terminator 2 (1991) Excellent a-2, too. the second-best sequel ever. this one did have the budget... The Andromeda Strain (1971) Excellent The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) Excellent The rare old sci-fi flick that has held up. The Fifth Element (1997) Excellent lousy ending. The Lord Of The Rings (2003-) Excellent The Matrix (1999) Excellent great 1st half. lousy 2nd half The Road (2009) Excellent bleak...like children of men The Thing From Another World (1951) Excellent The Thirteenth Floor (2000) Excellent The Time Machine (1960) Excellent (not the 2002 version!) Time Bandits (1981) Excellent a-2 unconditionally Total Recall (1990) Excellent lousy predictable ending. Twelve Monkeys (1995) Excellent a-2 unconditionally 28 Days Later (2002) Excellent bleak...like children of men. Wall-E (2008) Excellent not really sci-fi, but still... War Of The Worlds (2003) Excellent a-2 unconditionally Westworld (1973) Excellent Zardoz (1974) Excellent Reasonable: Monsters, Inc. I have not seen "2046" or "The Man from Earth" or "The Host" or "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" or "The Adjustment Bureau" or "Super 8" or "The Fountain" or "A Scanner Darkly" or "The book of Eli" , or any Transformers or "Looper" or "Timecrimes" or "John Carter" or "Cloud Atlas" or "The Arrival" or "Underworld" or "In Time" or "The Island" or "The Dark Knight" (on Netflix Instant:) "Troll hunter" or "Vanilla Sky" or "Thor" or "The X Files" yet. I did not like Donnie Darko. I thought Star Trek (2009) was just ok (but better than most ST films, which does not mean much), just like Avatar (2009) which is a copy of Dances with Wolves in space, Equilibrium (2002), "I Robot" (2004), Solaris, and "Pitch Black" (2000). Tron has not aged well. I did not like later Terminator films, "V for Vendetta" or Stargate or 2010. I am not sure what to think of Starship Troopers.
- A-List, Comedy:
- Interestingly, it appears that while most people can relatively easily agree on what is a good drama, tastes diverge greatly when it comes to comedy. I personally like the British sense of humor, but it is definitely not to everyone's tastes.
Movie Year Rating Notes Crocodile Dundee (1986) Excellent yes, the aussie low-budget comedy flick Romy And Michelle's High School Reunion (1997) Excellent The Full Monty (1997) Excellent Young Frankenstein (1974) Excellent Brazil (1985) Excellent This Is Spinal Tap (1984) Excellent Being There (1979) Excellent Dr. Strangelove (1964) Excellent A Fish Called Wanda (1988) Excellent Delicatessen (1991) Excellent Time Bandits (1981) Excellent Down And Out In Beverly Hills (1986) Excellent Ruthless People (1986) Excellent Bowfinger (1999) Excellent Other People's Money (1991) Excellent Wayne's World (1992) Excellent The Court Jester (1956) Excellent Me And The Colonel (Maybe) (1958) Excellent Coming To America (Maybe) (1988) Excellent The Jewel Of The Nile (1985) Excellent Romancing The Stone (1985) Excellent Crossing Delancey (1988) Excellent The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) Excellent The Rocky Horror Picture Show*. (1975) Excellent Tootsie (1982) Excellent Without A Clue (1988) Excellent * if you are <15, you might like the Rocky Horrow Picture Show. If you can laugh, read the Rocky Horror Review, a Christian Analysis of the movie — though they have not yet figured out https (only http)..
- To see or resee:
-
Maybe The Replacements.
Movie Year Rating Notes A Hard Day's Night (1964) TBS Aguirre (1972) TBS AlienS (1986) TBS Austin Powers (1997) TBS Pride And Prejudice (1995) TBS The Big Sleep (1946) TBS (only the original, not the remake!) The Game (1997) TBS The Night Of The Hunter (1955) TBS 8 Mile (2002) 5 Superb A Man For All Seasons (1966) Superb Adaptation (2002) Superb Alexis Zorba The Greek (1964) Superb All Quiet On The Western Front (1979) Superb All The Real Girls (2003) Superb chick flick Almost Famous (2000) Superb Altered States (1980) Superb Avalon (Jap Scifi) (2001) Superb Babe -- Pig In The City (1998) Superb Bend It Like Beckham (2003) Superb Blazing Saddles (1974) Superb Body Heat (1981) Superb Breaking The Waves (1996) Superb Chicago (2003) Superb City Of God (2002) Superb Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2003) Superb Exotica (1995) Superb Far From Heaven (2002) Superb Gates Of Heaven (1978) Superb Howard Stern, Private Parts (2001) Superb In The Company Of Men (1997) Superb Inspector Maigret (1957) Superb (maigret tend un pihge [year na]) Invincible (2002) Superb Kill Bill (2003) Superb Kokaku Kidotai (1995) Superb Le Fils (The Son) (2003) Superb Les Amants Du Pont-Neuf (2000?) Superb Les Diabolique (1955) Superb Lion In Winter (1968) Superb M (1931) Superb Miller's Crossing (Coen Bros) (1990) Superb Minority Report (2002) Superb Monster's Ball (2001) Superb Moscow On The Hudson (19??) Superb Mr. And Mrs. Bridge (1990) Superb Nowhere In Africa (2003) Superb On The Waterfront (1954) Superb One False Move (1992) Superb Out Of The Past (1998) Superb Rear Window (1954) Superb Seize The Day (1986) Superb Snatch (2000) Superb The Departed (2006) Superb Spartacus (1960) Superb Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Superb The Aviator (2004) Superb The Battle Of Algiers (1965) Superb The Chess Player (India) (19??) Superb The China Syndrome (1979) Superb The Conversation (1974) Superb The Grapes Of Wrath (1940) Superb The Hours (2002) Superb The Hunted (2003) Superb The Jerk (19??) Superb The Long Walk Home (1990) Superb The Maltese Falcon (1941) Superb The Quiet American (2003) Excellent Spies and love The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (Not On Dvd) (1965) Superb Yellow Submarine (1968) Superb Z (1969) Superb - Some Star Ratings
-
Movie Year Rating Notes Amistad (1997) Good Brother's Keeper (1997) OK The Legend Of Bagger Vance (2000) OK The Producers (1968) OK Brassed Off (1996) OK Full Metal Jacket (1987) Good Stealing Beauty (1996) Good The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) blah Empire Of The Sun (19??) OK The Golden Bowl (2000) OK Go (1999) Good The Year Of Living Dangerously (1983) Good
Neglected
Everything below here has been neglected for many years.
Movies Still To See
My selection is influenced by Roger Ebert, because of all the movie critics, my tastes are closest to his. Amandla (SA Music) (2003)
Movie | Year | Rating | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Argo | (2012) | TBS | |
Life Of Pi | (2012) | TBS | |
Lincoln | (2012) | TBS | |
End Of Watch | (2012) | TBS | |
Black Swan | (2010) | TBS | |
I Am Love | (2010) | TBS | |
The Kids Are All Right | (2010) | TBS movie about "The Who" | |
The Ghost Writer | (2010) | TBS | |
Another Year | (2010) | TBS | |
Never Let Me Go | (2010) | TBS | |
Bad Lieutenant | (2009) | TBS | |
Crazy Heart | (2009), | TBS | |
An Education | (2009), | TBS | |
A Serious Man | (2009) | TBS | |
Departures | (2009) | TBS | |
Disgrace | (2009) | TBS | |
Goodbye Solo | (2009) | TBS | |
Revolutionary Road | (2008), | TBS | |
Encounters At The End Of The World | (2008) | TBS | |
Shame | (2011) | TBS | |
The Tree Of Life | (2011) | TBS | |
Le Havre | (2011) | TBS | |
The Artist | (2011) | TBS | |
Melancholia | (2011) | TBS | |
The Mill And The Cross | (2011) | TBS | |
Another Earth | (2011) | TBS | |
Flight | (2012) | TBS |
maybe: Chloe (2010) All Good Things (2010), Somewhere (2010), Greenberg (2010), Secretariat, (2010) Everlasting Moments (2009), Sin Nombre (2009), Ballast (2008), The Dark Knight (2008), W (2008), I.O.U.S.A. (2008), Terri (2009), Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Arbitrage (2012), Rogue Trader (1999), Boiler Room (2000), Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005),
Movie | Year | Rating | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Better Luck Tomorrow | (2003) | TBR | asian american teens |
Spirited Away | (2002) | TBR | japanese animation |
The Pianist | (2003) | TBR | depressing |
Walking Life | (2001) | TBR | animation |
Y Tu Mama Tambien | (2002) | TBR | ? sex film |
Requiem For A Dream | (2000) | TBR | avoid: this is from the same guy who made "pi." |
Unorganized
- Books:
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- J.B. Bury, The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians
- A great history book on the fall of the Roman Empire. Easy to read and informative.
- Matt Ridley
- Genome
- SciFi Books
- Greg Bear: The Forge of God, Anvil of Stars, Eon,
Eternity, and Blood Music, are among my favorite sci-fi readings. I do not
like his later work as much. Gibson's Neuromancer is also terrific (but not
the followups). Other great authors: Orson Scott Card, Vernor Vinge, and
Jack Vance.
Among Sci-Fi Shorts: A.E. van Vogt's The Battle of Forever (1971?), is an absolute sci-fi classic, and unfortunately largely forgotten (as seems to be van Vogt). George R.R. Martin's Sandkings (1981) is easily among the five best scifi shorts ever written.And here is a forgotten great one: Mike Resnick, Birthright: The Book of Man. Give yourself a treat.
- Wear Sunscreen
- Interesting lyrics, funny urban legend.