Comprehensive List of Movie Rankings Comprehensive List of Movie Rankings 
| MOVIE TITLES | GRADE | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 40-Year Old Virgin, The | A- | Steve Carrell hasn't had sex. Can it get better than this? Hehe, still chuckle about some of these lines. 2005 |
| Alfie | B | Jude Law is 2004's flavor of the month. And he cheated on Sienna Miller, wow. |
| Alien Resurrection | B- | The producers tried to pack too much into this fx-enhanced movie. A droid, aliens popping, smart aliens, cute fetus looking aliens, you name it they tried to condense all 3 previous movies into this one. |
| All About My Mother | B+ | Pedro Almodovar's foreign drama has a wry humor around transvestites after a tragic event. Interesting artistic effects from a foreign movie. |
| Almost Famous |
A | Although the setting was pre-my generation, I could feel the power of the music of an era. Based on director Cameron Crowe's real experiences as the youngest person to write for Rolling Stone magazine, he follows around Stillwater. Does anyone else hate it when actors are asked to play instruments that they obviously have no clue how to play? Well this movie doesn't do that. They look like a real group. Band-Aids, like Ms. Penny Lane and lots of partying intertwined with a delicate age-of-innocence love story make this movie. I am a Golden God! 2000 |
| Along Came a Spider | B+ | Morgan Freeman plays a seasoned detective from author James Patterson's novel series. This sequel to Kiss the Girls features a fame-seeking villain played by Michael Wincott whose honey voice rivals Barry White and Tone Loc. Director Lee Tamahori throws in multiple twists but doesn't fully develop them. This leads to shock value but lacks believability. 2000 |
| Amelie | A- | Jean-Pierre Jeunet's previous big-screen greats have been Delicatessen and City of the Lost Children. As always, this movie was quirky, but not dark like his previous two movies. Amelie is painfully shy yet completely loveable as she does what her heart tells her is right. This story is so simple, yet each moment is an amuse bouche that will bring a smile or chuckle to you. Jeunet also brings the inner beauty of Montmartre out within his movie. My advice to Jeunet is to avoid anymore "Aliens Resurrection" Hollywood Hits and instead focus on his childhood dream/nightmare-like movies. 2001 |
| American Beauty |
A- | Kevin Spacey fit perfectly for this role of the patriarch in this depressingly dysfunctional yet typical family. There's nothing like working out and a little wacky tobacky to feel young again. Love the rose petal theme that flows throughout the movie. |
| American Graffiti | B | Full of an all-star cast about those adolescent years when fast cars and flirtatious girls roam the streets. A classic, but I had too high expectations for it. |
| American Pie | B+ | Come to think of it, it does feel like warm apple pie (but not that I would know). I think it was one of those movies where if you don't expect a lot, you will be rolling in your seat. Keanu and Mr. Bean look alikes. |
| American Psycho | C | If only this movie went somewhere rather than simply being a spoof of the turbulent 80s. Even with naked killers with chainsaws running through the hallways it still had difficulty maintaining the viewer's attention and lacked depth in the plot. Some could view this movie as cultish and humorous, but I think it was a waste of $8.50 @ the Cinerama. |
| Analyze This | C+ | Robert De Niro, Lisa Kudrow, and Billy Crystal are in this romantic comedy that mixes psychiatry and the mafia. De Niro has overdone this role, but I guess he has been typecast though the comedic role that he plays is refreshing. Crystal shines at times with his quick witty remarks, but Kudrow can really be irritating. |
| Antonia's Line | B | Foreign Film, lots of awards, but disappointing |
| Any Given Sunday | C+ | The football action stayed true to the game, but the strategy and play calling was way off. Who calls a goal-line defense when time is winding down and you're up 6 points? Okay, maybe I'm being too critical, but I take the sport seriously. This movie was just too disjointed and Pacino looked horrible. Oliver Stone likes to bring audiences movies that seem big and important, but when the movie is broken down you realize that you have just been swindled of 3 hours and 9 bucks. 1999 |
| As Good As It Gets | B+ | A good but over-rated movie that had its moments. Has slow moments, but Jack Nicholson, notably the best emotional wacko actor around, steals the show with lines like women are like men minus any reason and accountability. Ouch! |
| Batman Begins | A- | Far and away the best Batman ever. Lusciously dark with Christian Bale playing the disturbed and flawed hero. Christopher Nolan of Memento fame directs. 2005 |
| Beach, The | B | Leonardo Di Caprio finds paradise lost. Fun movie (if your a teenage girl). 2000 |
| Belle Epoque | B+ | Foreign. He sleeps with all the sisters using his boyish charm. |
| Beautiful Girls | B- | Men with women problems, women with men problems. |
| Being John Malkovich |
A- | I had to see this movie simply because it was such a unique idea. It was one of those movies that captured all of those silly fantasies that you would never tell anyone else. Still searching for my Ripe Vessel. Cameron Diaz, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Catherine Keener. |
| Big Lebowski, The | B+ | The "Dude" is a wacky paranoid jobless freak that takes us on a psychedelic adventure that all comes back to bowling. |
| Billy Elliot | B | The son of a striking miners family in Northern England just wants to dance. At times the ballet seemed to transform into a form of tap dancing. Although the fast spoken english is difficult to discern at times, the frequently shouted swears will make you cringe. Nonetheless, I love delicate father-son relationship and coming-of-age movies and this one was cute. And I learned that being a "poof" in a blue-collar town in England is not easy. 2000 |
| Blair Witch Project, The | B- | I must admit that I came pretty close to being the one of thousands of moviegoers that nearly lost their cookies from all of the motion sickness because of the shoddy camera work. This was a thrilling scary movie because it never showed anything. All hype and total abstraction. |
| Blow | B | Does cocaine make you ugly? George Jung looks like he's put his body through hell. Ted Demme's choice to use the charismatic Johnny Depp was an interesting choice. This Colombian drug story feels like it has been done too many times even if it was a biographical remake of Jung's trafficking lifestyle. What always cracks me up is how they try to make Jung's father (Ray Liotta) look older by sprinkling a little flour in his hair. 2001 |
| Boogie Nights | A- | 7 of the same cast members from Magnolia, PT Anderson's first movie had it all. Drugs, guns, lotsa sex, and one gigantic cock. I love Anderson's layers of plots in his movies, keeping the audience guessing on how they will all come together. With names like Amber Waves, Jack Horner, and Rollergirl I think they did their research. |
| Bound | A | Action, erotic, suspense. What more could you ask for? |
| Bowfinger | B+ | It's amazing to track how Eddie Murphy's roles have changed over the years. I've grown up with this actor that brought me Raw. Who would have thought that two decades later he would be making movies like "The Nutty Professor"? Steve Oz directed this Steve Martin written story. A great premise of the movie-making world and skyrocketing Hollywood salaries. 1999 |
| Boys Don't Cry |
A | Hillary Swank deserved Top Actress 2000 by portraying the toughest role. Playing the autistic or war veteran character is cake compared to the cross-dressing 'dyke' that Swank plays. As a loveable boy, Brandon, is always finding himself in trouble and with the wrong crowd. Boys Don't Cry is an emotional roller coaster that the viewer needs to be in the right mood for. During this 2-hour dark flick, not a single audience member laughed. |
| Bridget Jones Diary, The | B- | Rene Zellweger put on the pounds for the role, but couldn't sell me on the dumpy hopeless women. She had more dates than women on a roll. I'm sure the book is much more convincing. 2001 |
| Breaking the Waves | C | I had high hopes for this movie. Cheap wanna be shocker type. Sicko paraplegic husband makes annoying pip-squeaking wife do perverted things. |
| Buffalo 66 | B | Dysfunctional people are thrown together each with their own story surrounding the Superbowl with the beloved Buffalo team. The cinematography is artistically done from ever shifting vantage points. Very dark in a Lynch-esque manner. Christina Ricci and Vincent Gallo. |
| Cable Guy | B | Makes you have newfound respect for those cable dudes(Jim Carey) |
| Cast Away | A- | I wonder how much money FedEx had to pay to sponsor this movie. But then again, that crash scene made me never want to fly in a FedEx plane again (wait, I've never flown in a FedEx plane). Bob Zemeckis' daring script must have been tough to write since most of it was pure silence. No wonder we had to have Wilson. I do wish they hadn't pushed Helen Hunt into the role of the faithful girlfriend. She didn't do it for me, and besides everyone knows that she is Paul Reiser's girl (okay, maybe not). 2000 |
| Cell, The |
A | Until I re-watched Silence of the Lambs, I absolutely loved this movie. The visuals of the cinematography and the inventiveness of the plot was what sold me on this. Jennifer Lopez showed that she is a solid actress. A psychotic serial killer movie mixed with a science-fiction thriller. Clearly this movie tipped its hat to Silence of the Lambs. (2000) |
| Chasing Amy | A- | Excellent movie by Kevin Smith (Thanks!), one of my fav. directors. Ben Affleck. |
| Chicago | A- | Catherine Zeta Jones deserved Best Actress for her seductress role. |
| China Moon | B | Andie Macdowell, weak ending |
| Chocolat | B+ | Juliette Binoche plays a charming Choclatier in a small in-bred French town. Dir. Lasse Hallstrom does a wonderful job bringing this magical chocolate alive, but it was a bit too idealistic for me. Parts of this movie reminded me of the scene in Like Water for Chocholate where the sex was so intense that they both spontaneously combusted. Johnny Depp seemed like an odd match with Binoche. Nonetheless, this movie does come through strong and also stimulates the desire for that brain rush that only chocolate can do. (2001) |
| Chunking Express | A- | Hong Kong Movie, Dark, beautifully intertwined stories |
| Cider House Rules, The | B | Given all of the acclaim that this movie received, this movie was a letdown. I can easily see how this made for a good New England style book, but the movie was too predictable and the plot felt rushed. Cider and ether were the themes throughout this movie. Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron. |
| Civil Action, A | B | If this movie was trying to make lawyers seem like leeches, then this movie succeeded. How could they cut the Fenway scene? (I was an extra in that scene that recreated the '85 playoffs against the A's). |
| Clockwork Orange, A | A- | Stanley Kubrick has always been a perverse sicko and this movie sets it all off. It's full of ultra-violence and "the old in-and-out" that made it so controversial in its time. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony provides a nice backdrop that sets the audience back into a reality of recognition amongst all of the insanity. (1971) |
| Closer | A- | Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen. 2004 |
| Constant Gardener | B | I finally put my finger on why I don't like Ralph Fiennes. He has no passion. He's a phoney. And monotonous to boot. But the ladies still love him for his sensitivity. Rachel Weisz's character I just didn't care for. Kill her off. Oh wait they did. 2005 |
| Contact | A- | Jodie Foster goes space hopping or does she? |
| Copland | A- | SLY at his best |
| Coyote Ugly | B- | Having no idea what a movie is about is a good thing going into a movie. Coming out and still not knowing what the movie was about isn't. Piper Perabo is great for playing that innocent corruptible girl. Spitting your shot back into your beer, hmm, do people really do that? |
| Crash | A- | Race relations, though a tad contrived for the story. Nicely intertwined stories and big name actors. But this does work and awakens the racial awareness. |
| Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
A+ | Who woulda thunk that Ang Lee would cast such a strong female role? But this is a real epic story that dates back to a popular Chinese storybook. Even I am not into the fantastical flying around that so many critics find so unbelievable, but did we question "The Force" in Star Wars? The main complaint amongst the Asian American community was that Michelle Yeoh and Chow-Yun Fat are not native Mandarin speakers and dirtied the dialogue. Not that I noticed though. Yuen Wo-Ping's first scene of the two powerful heroines is so intense it really takes your breath away. The struggle between these two women is so strong; sisterly-love, bitter hatred, and falling for the same man. And yet the underlying love scenes are so taboo and hinted at. By the way, as the movie title suggests, there are no Dragons in this movie. 2000 |
| Dark City | B+ | This movie creates a new genre which I call Comic book science fiction. Though it compares itself to Metropolis and Blade Runner, it doesn't quite make it. The idea of implanting memories and identities within people is interesting, but still not unique enough to win me over. Alex Proyas has a great plot and an underworld similar to City of the Lost Children, but needed a little more believability and faceted character development to pull this off. 1998 |
| Deconstructing Harry | B+ | Woody Allen telling an accurate yet surreal portrait of his own life's adventures hidden amongst the lives of his multi-faceted characters. His dark humor pervades through his stylistic "off-stage" scenes of Hell. |
| Denise Calls Up | F | Hang up already! |
| Deuce Bigalow | B | Rob Schneider was always a side player in SNL, but he brought life to this role. Better than what one would expect from this type of movie. |
| Dogma | B | Shunned by the religious community, Dogma, starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock and Linda Fiorentino is a sanctimonious movie by Kevin Smith. I am surprised that religion isn't goofed on more in today's Hollywood movies. Following two discarded angels, Bartleby and Loki on their quest through a loophole that would allow them back into heaven. The plot could have been a bit better, but follows in true snoochie-boochums and 'snowballing' fashion of Mallrats and Chasing Amy. |
| Dreams | B | Japanese director that played a heavy influence on directors such as Martin Scorcese |
| Drugstore Cowboy | A- | Matt Dillon's best acting job of his career. A convincing world of debauchery. Explains why thieves never own dogs and why you should never leave your hat on the bed. Also starring Heather Graham. |
| Dude, Where's My Car? | C+ | And den? Sweeet. Hint: this movie is more fun while under the influence. |
| Election | B+ | A well-liked teacher (Mathew Broderick) and that kiss-ass that you loved to hate (Reese Witherspoon) portrayed just like we all remembered. Set in an innocuous small town, nothing but humorous mischief can come from this formula. |
| English Patient, The | A- | Unlikable characters for me. They got what they deserved |
| Eraser | B | You have been erased |
| Everyone Says I Love You | C- | I love Woody Allen, but maybe too much Soon Yi has screwed Allen. His genius lines like "my brain is my second favorite organ" are amiss in this poor boy. |
| Eyes Wide Shut |
A+ | Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman sparkle for the late Stanley Kubrick's last film. This movie tosses and turns while curving around the movie's main themes: relationships, jealousy, and sex. The true-life couple evoked real-life feelings as they traveled "under the rainbow". Several poignant scenes and images successfully put the viewer into the character's shoes. Infedellio. |
| Face Off | B+ | Director John Woo has not been known for his ingenious plots or for his deep dialogue, but he is a master and originator of the action scenes and stand-offs that Tarantino stole so gracefully. You need tremendous suspension of disbelief for this movie. |
| Fan, The | B+ | Deniro(the finest actor ever) pulled this movie out |
| Fever Pitch | B+ | Sports-romantic hybrid genre to appeal to both men and women. I love how they changed the ending to fit the Boston Miracle. Go Sox. 2005 World Champions. |
| Fight Club | B+ | Ultra-violent cults filled with screwed up people, who just happen to be quite interesting. I can just picture lots of High Schoolers starting local Fight Club Chapters. This movie made me really want to beat someone up to feel what it feels like. Love the Ikea scene and the BlueSky Studio's penguins. Ed Norton, Brad Pitt. |
| Flirting With Disaster | B+ | As the title states, everything goes wrong with a semi-big name cast. |
| Game, The | A+ | Michael Douglas plays his classic Wallstreet role in an incredible thriller that tosses and turns like Brazil. If you liked this one, definitely see the Spanish Prisoner. |
| Gladiator |
A | Russell Crowe plays Maximus, a heralded General that just wants to go home (a top quality in good generals). The battle scenes are insanely intense and packed with tasteful gore (oxymoron). But what the movie really hits home with is the realistic emotional roller coaster filled with pity, revenge, potential love, and tragedy. Crowe has succeeded in playing a better Mel Gibson than Mel ever played. Through computer animation this movie brought Rome and the Coliseum alive again. |
| >Go | A | Hilarious, yet full of solid fun action the audience follows four intertwining stories about raving twentysomethings. From the director of Swingers, this movie steals from the blueprint of Pulp Fiction and other movies. Scott Wolfe.Apr 1999. |
| Go Fish | B+ | Low (but good) budget film about lesbians. |
| Gods and Monsters | B+ | About the fruity director of the 20's classic Frankenstein, James Whale. Gods and Monsters parallels Frankenstein in that it is a serious movie yet humorously offbeat. |
| Good Will Hunting |
A+ | Best movie of the year. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck co-wrote the film that touches on several moral issues. A Must See. |
| Grosse Pointe Blank | B | Hitman spoof with tender and entertaining love story. |
| Half-baked | B- | This movie should have been plotless and instead just focused on the mishaps and adventures of the characters and Billy Bong Thornton. |
| Hero | B+ | 2004 - Jet Li. Solid fable, incredible colors, and political propoganda for a united communist China all in one story. |
| High Art | A- | Heroine and lesbians all in one movie. What more could you ask for? Ally Sheedy plays a diminishing star photographer as she uses and falls in love with the editor of Frame magazine. |
| High Fidelity |
A+ | What great characters. This John Cusack co-written movie brought to Chicago a famous British novel. We've all been there as Cusack counts through his past relationships and heartbreaks. Iben Hjejle plays the girlfriend that is tired of waiting for Cusack to grow up from his childhood fantasies. And Top10 lists will never die. 2000 |
| Honeymoon in Vegas | B | Fun movie with Nicholas Cage(top 5 fav. actors) |
| Hoop Dreams | B+ | Documentary about kids playing ball |
| Hotel Rwanda | A- | Don Cheadle deserves the Oscar for this incredibly gutsy performance. This movie pushes you to the emotional brink. Sometimes you think that they're pushing it too far for the movies sake, but then you realize that the true footage of this real event is much worse than this portrayal. War and Politics lead to innocent lives lost. |
| Hurly Burly | B- | The Penn's argue realistically, but do we really want to hear it? Drug use pervades the script as conflict after conflict arises between friends. Wished they developed the characters as a bit more likeable, but they came off as just being pathetic. Makes a better play than a movie. Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Chazz Palmintieri. |
| Hurricane, The | B- | To do history credit, sometimes a movie has to be 3 hours long (i.e. JFK, X). This movie was historical, but no epic. The dull moments were used to show the prison disparity, but staring at a wall could have done the same effect. The other major flaw was the unreal extremes. The villain was so despicable that he had no human aspect and therefore was not believable. Denzel Washington had a stellar performance as the lead role welterweight boxer, but the storyline wasn't strong enough to carry this movie. |
| Ice Storm, The | A- | Were the 70's really that swinging to have "Key parties"? That would explain why I don't look too much like my daddy ;-) Kevin Kline (whom I will never be able to take seriously) takes advantage of his wife with Sigourney Weaver. 1997 |
| In Good Company | B+ | Corporate takeover and Toper Grace falls for Scarlett Johansson, although daddy (Dennis Quaid) doesn't approve. 2004 |
| In & Out | B- | Kevin Kline is a great actor, but all the creatively funny scenes were given away in the previews. I guess I expected a little more of a plot development/twist rather than your typical 80s semi-suspenseful script. |
| Infinity | B+ | Mathew Broderick as Richard Feynman, and Patricia Arquette |
| Insider, The | B+ | Great plotline of pitting ex-Exec versus Big Tobacco with the 60 Minutes producer as the middleman, but the director had too many fluff scenes that slowed the movie down in a failed attempt to be artistic. Russell Crowe plays the sympathetic character that gets knocked around while Al Pacino plays the producer who honors his word. Based on a true story, but as always all that this means is that something remotely similar to this story actually happened to Willamson & Brown Tobacco Inc. |
| In the Bedroom | A- | I should startoff by saying that this movie is not about sex, infidelity, or menage-a-trois. Having gone into this movie tabula rasa, I was expecting a beautiful comedy about each of these things. Instead, this movie delivers a Boys Don't Cry type movie; beautifully orchestrated and emotionally charged. At times the setup drags, but the final confrontational argument between the two parents is superb. This was the debut for director Todd Field (the piano guy from Eyes Wide Shut - 'Infidelio'). Expect huge shifts in this movie and be prepared for a serious and mature film that will stimulate interesting conversations afterwards. 2001 |
| In the Company of Men | A- | Out of nowhere comes this unexpected sardonic movie that will make women everywhere distrust men forever. Excellent plot and character development. Men are pigs. |
| In the Name of the Father | A+ | I hate IRA and Prison movies but this one really touched me |
| Iron Giant, The | A- | Though predictable, this animated movie was not created for children. This is not to say that this movie is about a 50-foot robotic dildo, but rather the thought patterns and sympathy evoked are not typically found in another Disney Classic. This movie fulfills every boy's dreams of having that big invincible friend. The animation is incredibly well done and Brad Bird's (director) work will set the bar high for animators to come. |
| Jackie Brown | B | My grading is harsh for this movie because I expected more from QT than this rushed mold fit movie from films past. Still entertaining though with Samuel Jackson as da man. |
| Jerry Maguire | A- | Show me the Money |
| Kama Sutra | A- | Independent film with a non-Hollywood ending (thank God). Nice cultural movie that has lovable but flawed characters. |
| Kolya | A | A Czech film that touches beautifully on a womanizing older man who has to take in a small Russian boy, Kolya. Both of their lives are slowly transformed by their forced presence. Overtones of political distress as the Russian forces occupy Czech-land are felt throughout the movie. Yeah, subtitles suck, but with Kolya you can't help but to read with anticipation. |
| LA Confidential | A- | Usual Suspect-like suspense. Great plot and characters. I did not see why Kim Bassinger was heralded for this movie. What was up with the Boom mikes? |
| Last Days of Disco | B+ | This movie beats Barcelona and Metropolitan, two of the directors other movies. Would the hare actually lose to the tortoise if they were to race again? Focusing on young and trendy post-college women, we take a journey through the lasts days of an era. Makes you wanna go to Funkytown and dance! |
| Legally Blonde | C+ | Reese Witherspoon was great in Election, but she could do little to save this movie. Although dubbed a "girl power" movie, I found it quite the opposite since all of the women's lives revolved around rejection and pleasing their man. 2001 |
| Liar, Liar | A | A Carey Comedy that has an excellent plot. Sometimes daddy has to lie to mommy. |
| Life is Beautiful |
A- | This is one of those movies that I should have broken my rule and known what it was about. It was like showing up at Schindler's List and expecting a comedy for me. Note: this movie is about the Holocaust. The genius (or idiocy) of it was that it was handled in such a humorous manner. The story of the child was the touchpoint for me. He was too cute and innocent. Roberto Benigni (lead actor and Director) is the Italian Jim Carrey. Benigni's goofy yet playful persona takes over the entire movie. Wow those Italians talk fast. (1997) |
| Lord of the Rings: Fellowship | A | Visually, Peter Jackson has recreated one of the most imaginative fairy tales. What the book did so well was to present a mythical world so unique and fascinating that the reader's mind was flooded with imagination. The movie makes it all come alive. The Ring Wraiths will continue to haunt my sleep, especially when they are hovering over the Hobbit's beds. The largest complaint from people has been that the Hobbits didn't look like they were 3 feet tall. Who cares? It works. Another complaint that I had was that the orcs fell so easily with just one quick blow and another 100 orcs were dead in melee battle. But then you have to understand that each of these characters is a mythical hero that each race has put forward to represent them. I know some purists out there refuse to see this movie in fear that it will not do the book justice, but this movie delivers. 2001 |
| Lost in Translation | A- | An oddly uplifting yet depressing movie. Tokyo and its pure culture clash really give this movie a true loneliness although the characters are surrounded by millions of people. This movie feels incredibly real (read: non-Hollywood) in its portrayal of love, marriage, and friendships. Writer-director Sofia Coppola hits big after a dissapointing Virgin Suicides debut. Bill Murray at his finest since Rushmore ("Do you know who you're talking to? Well do you?!?"). Scarlett Johansson. Great soundtrack too. (2003) |
| Lost Souls | B | This movie got slammed by the critics, but it was interesting and better than most run-of-the-mill thrillers. Sure, The Exorcist was the king, but this movie had incredible cinematography that gave it a dream-like feel. Winona Ryder. 2000 |
| Love and Basketball | A- | "Damn, you fine". It's refreshing to finally see a sports movie that has actors that can really play. Omar Epps has some game and he flaunted it. He still doesn't have the height though. A bit too storybook at the end, but hey, it's a love story. 2000 |
| Machinist, The |
A | Christian Bale has grown to be an outstanding dark actor. And in this role where he goes from Batman physique to a 120 pound circus freak is quite the transformation. Perfect to portray this insomniac thriller. Memento-esque. 2005 |
| Magnolia | B | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (P.T.), of Boogie Nights fame, deserves a B just on the principal that a 3-hour movie can't be done unless it can be riveting for 3 straight hours. Similar to Robert Altman's Shortcuts, this movie intertwined multiple story lines of California's various walks of life. Interesting characters, but the storyline slows down to a crawl to attempt to develop them all. 1999 |
| Man on the Moon | B | Jim Carey plays homage to Andy Kaufman. They portrayed him as a genuinely crazed genius that had the knack for turning on expected behavior and giving his audiences the opposite. All this before 'shock TV' became big. This movie would have meant more to me had I grown up through the generation of Andy Kaufman, but I can see this movie meaning a lot to the right audience, but the other 95% must have hated it. |
| Maria Full of Grace | B+ | Sad story about drug mules in innocent young mexican women. In today's news labrador puppies are used for smuggling liquid heroin into the US. Sad but true. |
| Marvin's Room | A | Bratty punk Romeo shows he is a real actor |
| >Matrix, The |
A | From the directors of Bound. Keanu Reeves stars in a cinematic futuristic masterpiece. This movie contains believable answers to support a difficult plot to pull off. No need for suspension of disbelief. Strong female role which is refreshing for all of us that can't take the hysterical pathetic female role. Mar99 |
| Matrix Re-loaded | C | The dialogue reminds me of a Star Trek movie. Moves are still cool, but you've seen the fight scenes in every ubiquitous commercial. Zion was w-e-a-k. |
| Michael Collins | B | Ho hum IRA movie, lackluster |
| Mifune | C+ | Will someone tell me what the hell this movie was about? Bi-lingual Danish star Iben Hjejle (High Fidelity) stars in this screwy movie that portrays retards in a really retarded way. |
| Mission Impossible 2 | C | A wannabe blockbuster with little else. And he only bagged one girl the whole movie. You see, you need to wrap a plot around all of that cool gunslinging and triple fakie wheelhouse kicks. Tom Cruise, director: John Woo. |
| Memento |
A+ | I hate it when I agree with everyone else on a movie. I tried hard to be critical of Memento based on all of the outstanding press it was getting, but to no avail. This movie works. Amazing that no one had thought of this idea earlier on. Short-term memory loss. Yeah, I've had my share of that. Film of the year? Quite possible so. And to think that this is Christopher Nolan's first movie! Bravo, I look forward to a solid career, Mr. Nolan. 2000 |
| Men In Black | B | Entertaining when you don't expect much from a movie. Very teenage audience("teenage and entertaining" are subtle ways to say a movie was mediocre). |
| Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | A- | Kevin Spacey plays the role perfectly. Bueller is good too |
| Mission to Mars | B | Big budget, space movie, how could this not have been a hit? I guess it didn't have Will Smith. Brian de Palma directed this 2001: Space Odyssey rip-off that featured X-File alien rejects. 2000 |
| Mod Squad, The | B- | Hip Levis wearing kids rip up the bad guys in a plotless way. Entertaining at best. Claire Daines. |
| Motorcycle Diaries |
A | Set in 1952, Ernesto "Che" Guevara set on their wondrous journey through South America on the back of their beloved motorcycle. A simple and heart-warming story that explores friendship, compassion, and one last trip before becoming an adult. 2004 |
| Mr & Mrs Smith | C | The only interesting plot line was the fact that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were really screwing at the time. Poor Jen Aniston. 2005 |
| Mulan | A- | Disney has done the unthinkable and actually had a strong female lead. How daring, how bold! This movie is based on a famous Chinese tale. Those Hans (Mongolians) sure looked evil. 1998 |
| Mummy, The | B | Brandon Frasier stars in this comedic horror movie. It is very difficult to visualize Frasier in a serious role. In the middle of intense action there will be a bit of comic relief. The words "Indiana Jones" come to mind when I think about this movie. |
| Narnia | B+ | CS Lewis is quite the theoligan. To think that I was brainwashed as a kid, Aslan as Jesus as he is crucified on the stone table and shorn of his precious hair. But a great tale that I will read to my nephews. 2005 |
| October Sky | B+ | I used to not understand what a "coming of Age" film was, but October Sky defines one. It's about growing up and reaching that epiphany that you are in control of your entire life. Throw in a few rockets and a science fair and you have a warm sympathetic movie. This movie was powerful, but lacked intensity. |
| Old School | B | We can all relate to this right? College, beer, Frat, Jello wrestling. Need I say more? |
| One True Thing | B+ | An emotional tearjerker with realistic truths. What this movie did well was have a balanced set of realistic characters and settings. I don't like Meryl Streep in these types of roles, but she did well as a cancer patient. William Hurt had an interesting character, both loving yet distant, that is never fully understood. |
| Opposite of Sex, The | C | Thought I would like this satirical movie about a bitchy girl that attempts to scam money from her gay half brother, but something about Christina Ricci really nauseates me. Maybe it's her face, body, and personality. |
| Oscar & Lucinda | B- | An extremely pretentious movie that stars Ralph (pronounced Raif) Fiennes [The English Patient]. I finally figured it out about our popular effeminate star. He always plays the role of the emotionally charged, yet weakened state man that women first nurture then take advantage of him in bed. Like Elaine said in Seinfeld "Just DIE already!" |
| Others, The | A- | This movie creates a scariness to it due to the mystery and suspensefulness rather than big noisy ghosts. Similar to The Sixth Sense, this movie works by revealing details slowly as the story unfolds. 2001 |
| Pecker | B- | John Watter's had potential for this movie that ultimately petered flat. T2 boy, Edward Furlong snaps photos of the lost lives of a small town. But the movie goes to the predictable and trite making for a disapointing movie. |
| Pi | B+ | This movie must have cost less to make than the Blair Witch Project, but it was a rarity. 216. Numbers, stock market, and the Torrah are all tied together by series of numbers. Love the Massive Attack soundtrack and the NYC street shots. Director: Darren Aronofsky. |
| Pianist, The | A- | Not another Holocaust movie, I can't take it anymore. Okay, but this one is about the mutual love of music yet hatred for another race as pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) attempts to survive. Written and directed by Roman Polanski who was so brilliant until he had to flee the country for molesting little girls. 2002 |
| Pollock | A- | Ed Harris was made for this role. First off, Ed Harris is a spitting image of the deceased Jackson Pollock. The resemblance is remarkable. The fact that he spent years researching and practicing the exact strokes that Pollock brought to the art world was highly impressive. Harris, who also directed the movie, was never replaced by camera tricks and professional artists. He made it seem so natural, with perfectly timed and fluid flicks of his wrist to make the exact splatter that he intended. Jackson Pollock is the latest alcoholic, womanizing, and genius bordering on psychotic artist to have a feature movie written about him. As topsy-turvy as Pollock's life was, this is a simple and beautifully created story about the artist and his struggles to find internal peace before he falls apart. 2000 |
| Pompatus of Love | A- | Shake your peaches. Five guys sitting around 'Swingers-esque' |
| Psycho | B | Gus Van Sant does a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock in this remake that parallels the original almost verbatim. Can't beat the soundtrack of this movie. Perfect for listening to while taking a warm relaxing shower. Starring Anne Heche. |
| Punch Drunk Love | C+ | P.T. Anderson tried to make a topsy-turvy story, but only succeeds in making annoying characters. Tsk tsk. Adam Sandler, Emily Watson. 2002 |
| Pushing Tin | A | This unheralded movie really made John Cusack one of my favorite actors of the moment. For lots of naysayers, this movie likely just didn't reach them, but for me it hit a nerve that just felt good. His knack for talking fast and being that loveable loser was pushed to its limits as he fiercely competed with a great and intimidating Billy Bob Thornton. These two played off each other beautifully. Take a chance on this one. 1999 |
| Quiz Show | A | Perfectly done movie. What exactly is Geritol? |
| Rabbit Proof Fence | A- | Aboriginal movie based on a true story. Damn socializing white-people. |
| Ray | B | Over-hyped by Hollywood due to award time, this movie under-delivers. Jamie Foxx plays the womanizing, drug-doping Ray. 2004. |
| Riding in Cars with Boys | B+ | Was this the proverbial "chick-flick"? Well it was enjoyable as director Penny Marshall creates an entertaining movie of the adventures of a single mother raising a child. Drew Barrymore's own personal life parallels this movie in many ways making her a great choice for the role. 2001 |
| Requiem for a Dream |
A | From Darren Aronofsky, the director of Pi, comes another movie that feels like a trip itself. His movies tend to involve characters fully absorbed in what they do. Intensity in its sickness played by Jared Leto and Jennifer Connolly. It's best to know nothing about this movie when viewing. His use of sounds, camera angles, and repetition are trademark Aronofsky, but this movie was much more mainstream and tangible than Pi. |
| Road Trip | B | Tom Green should have had a larger role. But this makes one yearn for one last college road trip with your frat buddies. 2000 |
| Royal Tenenbaums, The | B+ | Offbeat, yes, but this is no 'Rushmore'. Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson wrote this follow up to 'Rushmore' and 'Bottle Rocket', but lacks the creativity and insights that the others had. Gene Hackman was great as the Royal Tenanbaum trying to win his way back into his children's lives after abandoning them. Still, quirky entertainment all the way through. 2001 |
| Run Lola Run | C | The cool part to this movie was the quick snapshot into the lives of strangers and passersby and how their life outcome would change based on Lola's actions. However, that didn't make up for the fact that they recycled 3 minutes worth of film into a full-length feature. |
| Rushmore |
A | From the director of Bottle Rocket, an excellent dark-comedy about adolescence. The King of afterschool clubs and antics, but still searching for his true happiness. Nothing can replace his "Rushmore". "O R they?" |
| Scary Movie | C+ | Taking the spoof a bit too far... |
| Secrets And Lies | C+ | Total disappointment. Sleeper of the year |
| Shakespeare in Love | B+ | Fiennes and Gwenyth Paltrow star in this love story that is silly at times, yet you can't help but to laugh. The Romeo And Juliet aspect of this movie still brought a tear to my eye. Fiennes portrays Shakespeare to be a prissy chump instead of the romantic stud that he was. |
| Shine | B | A rather bland movie that did not live up to its Oscar hype. I wish they focused more on David Helfgen as a child prodigy because I found it much more fascinating. |
| The Shining | A | The best horror film ever made. It made me scream like a kid. Director Stanley Kubrick's sick dreamlike horror film set the standards for the genre and this movie is one of Jack Nicholson's best works. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. red rum. |
| Showgirls | B | Uhh, is this a skin flick? |
| Signs | B | M Night Shyamalan made his first mistake when he revealed the alien lifeforms to the audience. Catching the occasional glimpse or flash of them was fine, but seeing them in full detracted from the suspense. Is this a sophomore slump for him? |
| Simple Plan, A | A- | Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Jane Fonda. A depressing yet truthful view of how falling upon money changes ones personality. Though at times this movie makes the viewer groan at the utter stupidity of the characters, all in all this movie was well made with strong characters. Once again, Thornton has typecast himself into the actor with the low-IQ(see Sling Blade, U-turn) |
| Six Days, Seven Nights | C- | A horrific romance that reaches a mutual understanding with scenes stolen from Indiana Jones. Anne Heche with Harrison Ford? Uhh, yeah. |
| Sin City |
A | Jessica Alba, Brittany Murphy, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen rock in this comic book based ultr-violent movie. The directors, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, do an outstanding job of bringing this world alive in set pieces. Mickey Rourke's story is the best. And they're coming out with the sequel in 2006. 2005 |
| Sixth Sense, The |
A | A movie that I had heard nothing about other than "Go see it". This is a truly terrifying movie, not like those ubiquitous Scream series. The camera shots were well done to prolong the anticipation in an artistic way. And a nice twist, just the way I like them. Is it getting cold in here? Bruce Willis. |
| Sleepy Hollow | B | Tim Burton's movies have a recognizable signature that almost makes them feel like they belong in a comic book. Part scary, but yet almost silly. The perfect example is Johnny Depp's medicine bag that is full of wacky inventions. |
| Sliding Doors | B | Gwenyth Paltrow plays both sides of a "What if" situation as she makes/misses her train and the drastic differences her life would have undertook. The problem was that the male leads that she falls for are both so uninteresting making me not care of the outcome. |
| Small Time Crooks | B+ | I absolutely adore how this lighthearted movie mutated midway through the movie. Just when you thought you saw through this movie as dim-witted, you realize that the whole point of the movie was the complete opposite. Love that! See ya Frenchy. 2000 |
| Snake Eyes | B- | Oh, Nicholas Cage, where have thou gone? Brian De Palma directed. 1998 |
| Snow Falling on Cedars | B+ | I detest the courtroom drama type movies but every now and then it is done right (a la Few Good Men). This movie had a great theme line of the racism during WWII, and clearly presented both sides showing the thin line between supporters and haters. The movie successfully developed its characters which to me is the difference between a good/bad movie. I loved the elderly lawyer who was played perfectly. The movie failed in keeping true to the book by Hollywood sensationalizing Ethan Hawke's character who should be quite detestable rather than cute. Also failing was the role of the Japanese woman's role being the traditional submissive type instead of the strong woman as depicted within the novel. If the screenwriter's had stayed true to the book, this movie would be heralded, but they went they sold-out (literally). |
| Something About Mary | B | Ben Stiller has the largest ears. Cameron Diaz has the largest ... well. Too many of the hilarious scenes were given away in the commercials. Brett Fav-re special appearance. |
| Something to Talk About | B- | Kyra Sedgwick, Julia Roberts. I musta missed something because this plot has been all played out. |
| Spanish Prisoner, The | A+ | Excellent suspenseful thriller. Similar to The Game in its topsy-turvy plot. Great thinking free-fall type movie with Steve Martin and directed by David Mamet who is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. |
| Spitfire Grill | B | Very cute and quaint movie set in Maine. Liv Tyler (top 10 actresses) |
| Startup.com | A | Don't you love it when a low-budget movie comes through? This documentary had characters so real, yet so flawed. Greed was portrayed better than Michael Douglas in Wall Street. Why? Because they were real people. Two friends torn through the struggle of survival of a startup. Kaleil is cut-throat. We all know people like him; someone you love to hate, but can't help but to follow. You can call me a visionary when within a year we have our first sitcom about a Startup company. Screw ER, teachers, or Ally- Startups are a perfect sitcom. 2001 |
| Star Wars- The Phantom Menace | B+ | Well after all that sickening hype and build-up, it finally came and went. Culture and society has engrained in me and all other Gen Xers that we must see this movie. I never realized before how Star Wars movies have always catered to kids. Many of the characters were comical and fun, but lacked any interesting traits. I did enjoy, however, Lucas' mixture of new computer generated characters existing in the same world as the traditional costumed lifeforms. BTW I hate the title of this movie. |
| Starsky & Hutch | B+ | "Do it". Yeah, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson make so many of these types of movies that they're becoming trite, but this 70's theme made this tolerable. 2004 |
| Straight Story, The | B | Director David Lynch produces a basic loveable story that you keep expecting something huge to happen, but it never does. Is Lynch trying to reinvent himself? His movie was so plain for a Lynch movie that it was spooky. 1999 |
| Stranger than Paradise | B | Low budget story about nothing in particular but reminds me of my boys, Peter (cynical and disapproving) and Albert (cheery and upbeat). |
| Streetcar Named Desire, A | B+ | A classic. But then again classics just can't hold up to today's complex movies, but the acting is more genuine. It's similar to how today's NBA players could beat the top NBA players from 40 years ago, but I digress. Vivien Leigh as "Steeeelllllaaaa". Marlon Brando was stacked back in the day?!? Not the Godfather that I know ; ) |
| Summer of Sam | B+ | Spike Lee really hates guidos. Once again he portrays the Italian's as the epitome of NYC's problems. He surrounds his story with a great maniacal murderer's plot (true story). Great disco scenes. |
| Supercop | B+ | Jackie Chan fucks shit up (see Rumble in the Bronx-it's better) |
| Surviving Picasso | B | Anthony Hopkins eats hum--- no paints |
| Sweet Hereafter, The | A- | Small town accident ruins lives, and is paralleled by the soiled life of a slick talking big city lawyer. This movie works because it really immerses you into the small town and into the feelings of its residents. |
| Swingers |
A | I recently told a friend of mine who had just gone through a harsh breakup and was rolling around in the mud to go out and see Swingers. Just like Mikey, "you're so Money, baby you don't even know it" (Zana) and Heather Graham is a nice catch. My rant: It's amazing how people can get so beat down and devastated by their partners that they no longer can see their self-worth. Snapping out of it takes time, but you always look back on those years and laugh on how naive love can make you. Spoke to my generation of swingers and Boyz 'n the Hood. And yes, I've been to the Dresden Room in LA. Tributes to other movies, classic lines, and great dialogue make this movie Snap. Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau (writer). 1996 |
| Switchblade Sisters | B | Rolling Thunder production by QT. Classic |
| Talented Mr. Ripley, The | A- | Matt Damon plays a dilettante in the 50's who falls in love with (Dickie-that name cracks me up) Jude Law's idyllic lifestyle. Damon and Law fit the roles perfectly. Paltrow and other vistas of Italy and the Mediterranean landscapes make the movie worth watching on the big screen. |
| Three Kings | B- | Entertaining in a solely big production action flick kinda way, but it makes me sick to see how this movie uses the Middle Eastern propaganda to define the generic people of Saudi Arabia. The title says it all "Three Kings" (btw, by my last count there were 4 in the movie). Americans view themselves as the saviors of these countries and their sickly ways when the truth is that they just want us the hell out of their country. Glorifying the Gulf War tells chapters about our own society. |
| Titanic | B- | Unbelievably corny and predictable. Just die already, you bunch of one-dimensional characters. Damn I'm harsh. |
| Titus | A- | Shakespeare's bloodiest play turned into a movie. Anthony Hopkins is great in the role of Titus Andronicus, but this movie requires multiple watchings to fully understand (or read the play!) Julie Taymor 1999 |
| Toy Story 2 | A- | Although I was quick to write this one off as a movie just for kids, it had great entertainment value. I feel like I grew up with those characters, Buzz and Woody. This sequel was even better than the first. Solid plot and adult spoofs of Star Wars. The outtakes were spectacular. |
| Traffic | A- | Although "Requiem for a Dream" did it better, Steven Soderbergh brings to life drugs in the white-collar world. I love Benicio del Toro in this role of the corrupt Mexican cop trying to make it big. 2000 |
| Triplets of Bellville, The |
A | Animation (both computer and hand-drawn) at its finest by Sylvain Chomet. A dialogue-less movie that shows through eccentricly-humorous situations everything as the story unfolds. This animation is one-of-a-kind, and departs from the larger Pixar-esque method of story-telling. Pardon my French, but "les American est tres grosse" |
| Truman Show, The | B | Entertaining and thought provoking, creating reality for the saying for life being one gigantic stage. Carey was decent, but all in all only a mediocre film. |
| Unbreakable | A- | Unbreakable was the follow up to Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's perfectly done The Sixth Sense. Knowing Shyamalan's trademark twists made this movie less exciting as its Oscar nominated predecessor. Nonetheless, the dark gloominess that is brought to this movie is a testament to Shyamalan's unique shooting style and Bruce Willis' stoic acting style. 2000 |
| U-Turn | D | Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thornton, Jennifer Lopez. Sean Penn plays the out-of-luck loser stuck in a wacked out small town. Lots of killing and sex which helped this movie sell. |
| Village, The | B | M. Night Shyamalan has been shaky since his Sixth Sense days. This one just doesn't work very well. |
| Virgin Suicides, The | B- | I am sure that this made a great book, but a movie does nothing for this story. Perhaps the fault of dir. Sofia Coppola for not bringing the story alive (pardon the pun), but it was her directorial debut. (2000) |
| Waiting for Guffman | B | Why does the volume go up to 11? |
| Waking Ned Devine | B+ | Humorous movie about old folks trying to fulfill their lottery dreams. The underlying theme here is the powerful friendship and loyalty that has lasted decades and are stronger than their marriage ties. |
| Walking and Talking | B | |
| Waterboy, The | C+ | 99% Pure Hollywood Entertainment, 1% substance. There's something wrong with your Medulla Oblongata if you expect more out of this movie. |
| We Don't Live Here Anymore | A- | Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern, and Naomi Watts star in this unheralded gem based on a pair of short stories by Andre Dubus. The dialogue is outstanding as these couples trade partners and real life issues arise. |
| Wedding Banquet, The | B+ | Ang Lee portrays the clash of cultures: Asian and American, Gay and Hetero, traditional and modern. 1993 |
| Whale Rider |
A+ | A beautiful story based on tough-love for a strong young girl, Pai, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes. This story juxtaposes traditional patriachal society versus modernism. Set in New Zealand in the Maori tribe. |
| When We Were Kings | A | Quotes: "We gonna get it on cuz we don't get along." & "I never heard no Vietcong call me nigger". The most intelligent and charismatic boxer ever, Ali. |
| X-Men | B+ | This movie was a real surpriser for me. Dubbed as the Outcast movie, this one brought real life figures and a believable story from colored pages from my childhood. This movie really featured everyone's favorite X-Men character, Wolverine, but was ended with hints of a sequel. 2000 |
| You Can Count on Me |
A | Anyone that has siblings can really identify with this movie (sorry to all you only-child people). Poignant, beautifully intertwined stories of a brother and sister's very different lives and experiences. Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney both had outstanding performances in this winner. (2000) |
