My Movie Watching Log
November 1, 2010 :
Up (trailer) ★★★★✩ (PS3 Netflix Instant) : Really sweet animation about an old guy (voiced by Ed Asner) going for an adventure that he should have gone on with his wife before she passed away. The reflective scenes of a life well lived completely choked me up.
October 15, 2006 : Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room *** (dvd) : It was an okay documentary about an incredibly grotesque subject - the overarching greed of the "smartest guys". The book I read (not this one) was better, and I thought the visuals were too flashy for the story it was trying to tell.
October 14, 2006 : Out of Sight (1998) *** (cable) : Steven Soderbergh does Elmore Leonard with some very good looking actors. Fun movie, very light but both Clooney and Lopez pulled off their rolls with aplomb.
October 4, 2006 : King Kong (2005) *** (dvd) : Solid if overlong adaptation of the classic. If I did half stars, this would go to 3 1/2. It was good, Jack Black was great and the special effects marvelous.
September 16, 2006 : Valiant (2005) *** (cable) : A solid kids animated film about a small pigeon become a hero in the RAF Homing Pigeon Service. Great voice acting and the girls really had a grand time with it.
September 15, 2006 : Brick (2005) **** (dvd) : Very interesting film noir set in a California high school. Murder, drugs, loozers and winners all clash. Much like a British crime film, I strained to understand some of the lingo, but I enjoyed the ride.
September 10, 2006 : Next Stop Wonderland (1998) *** (cable) : Really nice romantic comedy, filmed locally. Nice acting, funny story, solid all around.
September 9, 2006 : Dawn of the Dead (1978) * (dvd) : Simply awful. The worst movie I've had the displeasure to watch since sneaking into the drive-in to watch Rabid. Definitely the worst movie so far from the Scariest Movies of all time list.
February 23, 2006 : Moulin Rouge! (2001) *** (dvd) : Fantastical musical, but for some reason it didn't resonate as well as in previous viewings, which garnered 4 stars.
February 23, 2006 : This Is Spinal Tap (1984) **** (dvd) : Classic satircal "rockumentary". It goes to 11!
February 13, 2006 : The Little Mermaid (1989) *** (dvd) : Solid Disney animation; the girls really enjoyed it, I found it a tad tedious in places.
February 12, 2006 : On the Beach (1959) **** (dvd) : Waiting for the end of the world due to the atomic winds on the beaches of Australia. Very nice adaptation of the Shute novel; succeeds despite the wild overuse of "Waltzing Matilida".
February 6, 2006 : Moulin Rouge! (2001) **** (dvd) : Wonderfully weird musical, with typical Luhrman over-the-top visuals.
February 5, 2006 : Mulholland Dr. (2001) **** (dvd) : Interesting, twisted mystery thriller by David Lynch.
January 28, 2006 : Casablanca (1942) ****** (yes, 6 stars!) (dvd) : The best movie of all time. 'nuff said.
January 28, 2006 : Out of the Past (1947) ***** (dvd) : Classic film noir is even better than its reputation. Certainly light years better than the later pale remake Against All Odds (1984) . A great movie.
January 22, 2006 : Baby Doll (1956) **** (cable) : Very odd Tennessee Williams' movie about a menege a trois between a cotton ginner, his barely legal wife, and a syndicate man. Some great lines, though!
January 21, 2006 : Cinderella (1950) **** (dvd) : Classic Disney movie was greatly enjoyed by myself and my two little girls.
January 21, 2006 : Super Size Me (2004) **** (cable) : Fascinating and disturbing documentary by a man who ate nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days, morning, noon and night.
December 30, 2005 : Un long dimanche de fian�ailles [A Very Long Engagement] (2004) *** (dvd) : A film from the Amelie crew about a woman searching for answers after her fiance is declared dead at the western front during WWI. Okay, but curiously uninvolving.
December 26, 2005 : The Fugitive (1993) **** (cable) : Excellent taunt thriller as Harrison Ford attempts to keep away from Tommy Lee Jones while trying to find the real killer of his wife. Great performances by the two leads.
December 25, 2005 : A Fistful of Dollars (1964) *** (dvd) : The first of Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy, Clint is in fine form here, but the story is a little weak.
December 23, 2005 : Treasure Planet (2002) **** (dvd) : Solid Disney animation, couple with a good adaptation of a classic story, made for a fun watch with the girls.
December 20, 2005 : Prime Cut (1972) *** (dvd) : slice of 70s gangster film, with Lee Marvin trying to take out Gene Hackman. Suspect motivations all around.
November 24, 2005 : Sideways (2004) **** (DVD) : funny "road movie", with two college buddies on a wine trip before one gets married. Typical of Payne, very few of the characters are very likable, but still it was funny.
November 6, 2005 : 28 Days Later... (2002) **** (DVD) : solid end-of-the-world flick, as a small group tries to survive the ravages of a killing virus.
October 29, 2005 : Fever Pitch (2005) **** (DVD -: I really enjoyed this movie. Okay, nothing classic, but c'mon - the Red Sox, a love story and some laughs? A good time was had by all.
October 22, 2005 : Topkapi (1964) : *** (DVD) - solid, if old-fashioned, heist flick.
August 28, 2005 : Sunset Blvd. (1950) : ***** (cable) - So much for nice movies! Incredible performance by Swanson highlights this dark, delusional film. Brilliant!
August 28, 2005 : Sabrina (1954) : **** (cable) - A weekend for "nice" movies, as this was a great romantic comedy, with Audrey Hepburn cute as a button
August 27, 2005 : Once Upon Atari (2003) (V) : *** (dvd) - Solid little documentary on the rise and fall of Atari, the video game company. Very reminiscent of an old company of mine, Infocom.
August 26, 2005 : The Station Agent (2003) : **** (dvd) - what a wonderfully quiet and evocative film, with great performances and a memorable score.
August 15, 2005 : Miracle (2004) : **** (cable) - recently read the book and found this movie to be just as heartwarming. Nice job by Kurt Russell esp.
July 10, 2005 : Romancing the Stone (1984) : **** (dvd) Another fun adventure movie.
July 10, 2005 : Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) : **** (dvd) - wow, what a blast! I'd forgotten how much fun this movie was; what a relief after the previous disaster.
July 8, 2005 : Against All Odds (1984) : *** (cable) - oh, what a guilty pleasure, watching James Woods tear up the scenery, Rachel Ward look stunning, and Jeff Bridges look even less like a football player than Mac Davis
July 3, 2005 : Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) : **** (cable) - very cute little hitman movie, starring the always watchable John Cusack.
July 1, 2005 : Happiness (1998) : *** (dvd) - disturbing black "comedy" about a very disfunctional family.
June 17, 2005 : Japanese Story (2003) : **** (cable) - interesting relationship story set in the Australian outback (I'm a sucker for an Australian outback movie!)
June 16, 2005 : A Mighty Wind (2003) : **** (dvd) - very funny "mockumentary" about a folk singer reunion show.
June 3, 2005 : Racing Stripes (2005) : *** (dvd) - Perfectly servicable kid's movie, with plenty of big names for voices. A little confusing for my 4 year old, but we had fun.
June 1, 2005 : Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) : *** (theater) - better than the previous two, but still a little juvenile.
May 20, 2005 : SLC Punk! (1999) : **** (dvd) - Salt Lake City Utah-based take on Trainspotting (1996); a little derivate, but still fun.
May 7, 2005 : The Horse's Mouth (1958) : *** (dvd) - strange British comedy about a wacko artist.
May 1, 2005 : Shrek 2 (2004) : **** (dvd) - Not quite the wonder of the first one, but still a blast. Rhiannon, Adrienne and I had a great time!
April 29, 2005 : Demonlover (2002) : *** (cable) - visually arresting, yet nearly incomprehensible
April 24, 2005 : O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) : ***** (dvd)
April 23, 2005 : Chunking Express [Chong qing sen lin] (1994) : ***** (dvd)
April 18, 2005 : Smultronst�llet (1957) (aka Wild Strawberries) : ***** (dvd)
April 7, 2005 : Faith Rewarded: The Historic Season of the 2004 Boston Red Sox (2004) (V) ***** (storyline) ***1/2 (production) (dvd)
March 30, 2005 : F/X (1986) : *** 1/2 (cable)
March 27, 2005 : About Schmidt (2002) *** 1/2 (cable)
March 21, 2005 : Disbelief (2004) **** (cable)
Legend:
October 15, 2006 : Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room *** (dvd) : It was an okay documentary about an incredibly grotesque subject - the overarching greed of the "smartest guys". The book I read (not this one) was better, and I thought the visuals were too flashy for the story it was trying to tell.
October 14, 2006 : Out of Sight (1998) *** (cable) : Steven Soderbergh does Elmore Leonard with some very good looking actors. Fun movie, very light but both Clooney and Lopez pulled off their rolls with aplomb.
October 4, 2006 : King Kong (2005) *** (dvd) : Solid if overlong adaptation of the classic. If I did half stars, this would go to 3 1/2. It was good, Jack Black was great and the special effects marvelous.
September 16, 2006 : Valiant (2005) *** (cable) : A solid kids animated film about a small pigeon become a hero in the RAF Homing Pigeon Service. Great voice acting and the girls really had a grand time with it.
September 15, 2006 : Brick (2005) **** (dvd) : Very interesting film noir set in a California high school. Murder, drugs, loozers and winners all clash. Much like a British crime film, I strained to understand some of the lingo, but I enjoyed the ride.
September 10, 2006 : Next Stop Wonderland (1998) *** (cable) : Really nice romantic comedy, filmed locally. Nice acting, funny story, solid all around.
September 9, 2006 : Dawn of the Dead (1978) * (dvd) : Simply awful. The worst movie I've had the displeasure to watch since sneaking into the drive-in to watch Rabid. Definitely the worst movie so far from the Scariest Movies of all time list.
February 23, 2006 : Moulin Rouge! (2001) *** (dvd) : Fantastical musical, but for some reason it didn't resonate as well as in previous viewings, which garnered 4 stars.
February 23, 2006 : This Is Spinal Tap (1984) **** (dvd) : Classic satircal "rockumentary". It goes to 11!
February 13, 2006 : The Little Mermaid (1989) *** (dvd) : Solid Disney animation; the girls really enjoyed it, I found it a tad tedious in places.
February 12, 2006 : On the Beach (1959) **** (dvd) : Waiting for the end of the world due to the atomic winds on the beaches of Australia. Very nice adaptation of the Shute novel; succeeds despite the wild overuse of "Waltzing Matilida".
February 6, 2006 : Moulin Rouge! (2001) **** (dvd) : Wonderfully weird musical, with typical Luhrman over-the-top visuals.
February 5, 2006 : Mulholland Dr. (2001) **** (dvd) : Interesting, twisted mystery thriller by David Lynch.
January 28, 2006 : Casablanca (1942) ****** (yes, 6 stars!) (dvd) : The best movie of all time. 'nuff said.
January 28, 2006 : Out of the Past (1947) ***** (dvd) : Classic film noir is even better than its reputation. Certainly light years better than the later pale remake Against All Odds (1984) . A great movie.
January 22, 2006 : Baby Doll (1956) **** (cable) : Very odd Tennessee Williams' movie about a menege a trois between a cotton ginner, his barely legal wife, and a syndicate man. Some great lines, though!
January 21, 2006 : Cinderella (1950) **** (dvd) : Classic Disney movie was greatly enjoyed by myself and my two little girls.
January 21, 2006 : Super Size Me (2004) **** (cable) : Fascinating and disturbing documentary by a man who ate nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days, morning, noon and night.
December 30, 2005 : Un long dimanche de fian�ailles [A Very Long Engagement] (2004) *** (dvd) : A film from the Amelie crew about a woman searching for answers after her fiance is declared dead at the western front during WWI. Okay, but curiously uninvolving.
December 26, 2005 : The Fugitive (1993) **** (cable) : Excellent taunt thriller as Harrison Ford attempts to keep away from Tommy Lee Jones while trying to find the real killer of his wife. Great performances by the two leads.
December 25, 2005 : A Fistful of Dollars (1964) *** (dvd) : The first of Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy, Clint is in fine form here, but the story is a little weak.
December 23, 2005 : Treasure Planet (2002) **** (dvd) : Solid Disney animation, couple with a good adaptation of a classic story, made for a fun watch with the girls.
December 20, 2005 : Prime Cut (1972) *** (dvd) : slice of 70s gangster film, with Lee Marvin trying to take out Gene Hackman. Suspect motivations all around.
November 24, 2005 : Sideways (2004) **** (DVD) : funny "road movie", with two college buddies on a wine trip before one gets married. Typical of Payne, very few of the characters are very likable, but still it was funny.
November 6, 2005 : 28 Days Later... (2002) **** (DVD) : solid end-of-the-world flick, as a small group tries to survive the ravages of a killing virus.
October 29, 2005 : Fever Pitch (2005) **** (DVD -: I really enjoyed this movie. Okay, nothing classic, but c'mon - the Red Sox, a love story and some laughs? A good time was had by all.
October 22, 2005 : Topkapi (1964) : *** (DVD) - solid, if old-fashioned, heist flick.
August 28, 2005 : Sunset Blvd. (1950) : ***** (cable) - So much for nice movies! Incredible performance by Swanson highlights this dark, delusional film. Brilliant!
August 28, 2005 : Sabrina (1954) : **** (cable) - A weekend for "nice" movies, as this was a great romantic comedy, with Audrey Hepburn cute as a button
August 27, 2005 : Once Upon Atari (2003) (V) : *** (dvd) - Solid little documentary on the rise and fall of Atari, the video game company. Very reminiscent of an old company of mine, Infocom.
August 26, 2005 : The Station Agent (2003) : **** (dvd) - what a wonderfully quiet and evocative film, with great performances and a memorable score.
August 15, 2005 : Miracle (2004) : **** (cable) - recently read the book and found this movie to be just as heartwarming. Nice job by Kurt Russell esp.
July 10, 2005 : Romancing the Stone (1984) : **** (dvd) Another fun adventure movie.
July 10, 2005 : Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) : **** (dvd) - wow, what a blast! I'd forgotten how much fun this movie was; what a relief after the previous disaster.
July 8, 2005 : Against All Odds (1984) : *** (cable) - oh, what a guilty pleasure, watching James Woods tear up the scenery, Rachel Ward look stunning, and Jeff Bridges look even less like a football player than Mac Davis
July 3, 2005 : Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) : **** (cable) - very cute little hitman movie, starring the always watchable John Cusack.
July 1, 2005 : Happiness (1998) : *** (dvd) - disturbing black "comedy" about a very disfunctional family.
June 17, 2005 : Japanese Story (2003) : **** (cable) - interesting relationship story set in the Australian outback (I'm a sucker for an Australian outback movie!)
June 16, 2005 : A Mighty Wind (2003) : **** (dvd) - very funny "mockumentary" about a folk singer reunion show.
June 3, 2005 : Racing Stripes (2005) : *** (dvd) - Perfectly servicable kid's movie, with plenty of big names for voices. A little confusing for my 4 year old, but we had fun.
June 1, 2005 : Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) : *** (theater) - better than the previous two, but still a little juvenile.
May 20, 2005 : SLC Punk! (1999) : **** (dvd) - Salt Lake City Utah-based take on Trainspotting (1996); a little derivate, but still fun.
May 7, 2005 : The Horse's Mouth (1958) : *** (dvd) - strange British comedy about a wacko artist.
May 1, 2005 : Shrek 2 (2004) : **** (dvd) - Not quite the wonder of the first one, but still a blast. Rhiannon, Adrienne and I had a great time!
April 29, 2005 : Demonlover (2002) : *** (cable) - visually arresting, yet nearly incomprehensible
April 24, 2005 : O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) : ***** (dvd)
April 23, 2005 : Chunking Express [Chong qing sen lin] (1994) : ***** (dvd)
April 18, 2005 : Smultronst�llet (1957) (aka Wild Strawberries) : ***** (dvd)
April 7, 2005 : Faith Rewarded: The Historic Season of the 2004 Boston Red Sox (2004) (V) ***** (storyline) ***1/2 (production) (dvd)
March 30, 2005 : F/X (1986) : *** 1/2 (cable)
March 27, 2005 : About Schmidt (2002) *** 1/2 (cable)
March 21, 2005 : Disbelief (2004) **** (cable)
Legend:
- 1-5 * - quicky rating, if any
- cable - watched on a commercial-free cable channel
- dvd - watched on DVD
- tv - watched on a commercial TV channel
- theater - watched in the theater (gasp!)
