kotay.net - Keith - Movies Archive

Quote of the day: "From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man--the function of his reasoning mind." --Ayn Rand

I started this page in the fall of 2000. I thought it would be interesting to put my opinions about the movies I've seen online. If I had more time I'd go back and add movies I saw before I created this page--maybe when I retire? ;-) I hope you find my comments interesting...

I didn't find the time to keep up with this page from sometime around 2003 to 2007 (slight matter of finishing my Ph.D. thesis and working as a postdoc). I hope to add more entries in the near future...

Book & Movie Ratings:

++++ = On one of my top 10 lists
 +++ = Loved it (will definitely read/watch again)
  ++ = Liked it (probably would read/watch it again)
   + = Worth the time (probably wouldn't read/watch it again)
   - = Generally good but deficient in some way (like too much violence)
  -- = Disliked it (definitely won't read/watch it again)
 --- = Hated it (wish I could excise it from my brain)

Mini-reviews

A

• Anne of the Thousand Days +++ (Very good film about the relationship between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII; great costumes, great sets, and most of all great acting from Richard Burton and, especially, Genevieve Bujold; Bujold's performance is worth seeing the film for--she is captivating as the doomed Anne; some historical inaccuracies are present, but they don't spoil the film--I'm not sure how accurate the historical record is for events that happened 500 years ago, but some feel that Anne was not as responsible for the death of Sir Thomas More as is depicted in the film; in any case, this film is well worth watching if you have any interest in 16th century England)
• Apocalypse Now ++++ (stunning film loosely based on "Heart of Darkness"--Joseph Conrad would have approved)
• A.I. ++ (Well-made but philosophically disappointing movie about whether artificial organisms are objects or beings; Spielberg's imagery dominates but there is not enough illuminating dialog to substantiate what he is making you feel; I could see bits of other Spielberg movies inside this one which made it less fresh; some plot developments were questionable)

B

• Barry Lyndon + (a period piece, nicely done overall but by the end of the mo vie I didn't really care what happened to Barry)
• Battleground ++ (fairly authentic portrait of a squad of U.S. soldiers fighting in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII; focuses amlost exclusively on the individual soldiers--little info on the tactical aspects of the battle; in 1949 it was gritty but it pales in this respect compared to more modern war films--but without the bigger picture it has to stand or fall on grit)
• Being John Malkovich + (creative idea but I didn't like any of the characters)
• Black Sunday ++ (Thomas Harris anticipates terrorism in the U.S. over ten years before it happens; Robert Shaw gives a good performance as usual)
• Blow +++ (the sad story of the rise and fall of the man who distributed most of the cocaine in the US in the 70's; Jonny Depp does a good job with the lead role; shows how easy it was back then to make a lot of money in the illicit substance game--just get a plane, fly down to Mexico, buy a lot of pot, fly it back to the US, and make a fortune--until you are caught)
• Blow Dry ++ (fun, lighthearted--although sometimes sad--movie about a hairstyling competition held in a small town in England; resembles Ballroom Dancing in many ways but the story is a bit more complex; well acted and enjoyable)
• The Bone Collector + (not too bad for most of the film but the ending was below par; Angela Jolie's plot insertion was implausible, also I guessed the murderer the first time I saw him)
• Bonfire of the Vanities + (not as bad as the box office indicated, but still flawed somehow; Tom Hanks was miscast)
• Brewster's Millions ++ (one of Richard Pryor's best films--not a laugh a minute, but amusing and likeable)
• But I'm a Cheerleader +++ (amusing, absurd, and touching story about a girl who is sent to a sexual reorientation camp because her parents and friends think she is gay; Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall stand out; amazingly these camps really exist!)

C

• Cabaret + (a period piece, short on plot but the music is good)
• Chinatown ++++ (the classic film noir with plenty of plot twists; a great job of recreating 1930's LA)
• Chocolat +++ (well-told tale of a wandering woman who sells chololates with "something extra"; some funny and touching moments wound into a script with a good theme)
• City of Angels ++ (love story set in Los Angeles in which an angel falls for a human woman and gives up his immortality to become human; well acted tear-jerker)
• The Competition +++ (very good movie about a classical piano competition; the actors do a great job at the piano--it's easy to believe they are actually playing; the romance between Amy Irving and Richard Dreyfus is well done)
• Contact +++ (One of the best movies I've seen in a long time; Jodie Foster is fantastic in this story of a radio astronomer who discovers a message from outer space; the book was written by Carl Sagan and is well adapted for the screen--although there are significant differences; both the book and the movie serve as vehicles for Sagan's exposition on science vs. religion and, to his credit, both are given their due; the visual effects are stunning--the film opens with the greatest camera pullback ever; watch this movie!)
• Courage Under Fire ++ (Decent movie about a female Gulf War helicpoter pilot who has been nominated for a posthumous Medal of Honor and the guilt-ridden officer who investigates the case; the events in question are revealed in flashbacks ala Kurosawa's Rashomon; Denzel Washington delivers his usual fine performance; serves as another good reminder of the "fog of war" and how people are tested--and sometimes have their flaws revealed--in mortal combat)
• The Courtesans of Bombay +++ (Interesting movie about Pavan Pool--a Bombay tenemant populated by singing and dancing girls and their families; in this small area female children are desired and male children are not, unlike everywhere else in India; nice opportunity to see and hear Indian entertainers, some of whom are true artists--however the poverty of these people is distressing)

D

• The Day of the Jackal ++ (an acceptable adaptation of Forsyth's fantastic novel; several small--and unecessary--plot changes mar what would otherwise be a +++ movie)
• Diamonds are Forever + (the 7th Bond film and the weakest of the Connery films; Connery quit making Bond films after You Only Live Twice but was lured back after On Her Majesty's Secret Service did poorly at the box office (unfairly); in this film he looks bored and seems to be just going through the motions--after this film he vowed to never make another Bond film again (and it seemed like he felt that way while he was making it--note that his vow was broken when he made Never Say Never Again); noteworthy scenes: elevator fight with Peter Franks)
• Doctor No +++ (the first James Bond movie; follows Fleming's book fairly closely which is a good thing; Connery hasn't quite got James Bond down yet, but the tidbits of real espionage help make the film; noteworthy scenes: 007 and Miss Taro in her apartment, Honey Rider emerging from the ocean)
• Dogma - (some funny, irreverent moments but it's a sign of our times when a comedy has graphic violence)
• Drowning Mona + (after Mona is murdered everyone is a suspect because everyone hated her; attempts to be quirky a la Fargo but falls short; some laughs but not enough)

E

• End of Days - (no redeeming qualities whatsoever and way, way too much violence--Arnold should be ashamed; I originally gave this a '---' rating, now I'll give it '-' since I've actually watched it again--it's still excessively violent but Arnold does a decent job of showing us his battle with his his inner demons as he battles an external demon)

F

• Fallen ++ (nicely done thriller pitting a cop against a serial-killer demon who can take over any body he touches; Denzel Washington is great as usual)
• Finding Forrester +++ (good story about an inner-city boy who becomes friends with a famous recluse writer; as usual Sean Connery gives a great performance; my one gripe is with the boy's entry for the essay contest--it was too obviously a plot element)
• Forrest Gump +++ (an unlikely success, this movie has an incredible balance--a yin and yang of tradegy and comedy which uplifts the viewer; amazingly well acted by Hanks--a lesser actor could have doomed this film, Gump requires Hanks' fundamental goodness to establish rapport with the audience)
• The Frighteners -- (strange comedy/horror hybrid featuring Michael J. Fox as a con man who can see ghosts--he elists some to haunt houses which he then 'exorcises' for a fee; the first half of the movie has some funny and suspenseful moments, later the movie devolves into true horror as a mysterious force is killing people and Fox tries to stop it; in the end it's horror for it's own sake with the 'required' blood and gore that a 'modern' horror film seems to need (and which I find disturbing)
• From Here to Eternity + (okay period piece about military life in Hawaii before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; well acted but I suspect the book is much better)
• From Russia with Love +++ (the second James bond film and the best Connery 007 film in my opinion; Connery has figured out how to play Bond to a tee; believable espionage plot (unlike later Bond films no one is trying to destroy the world); Robert Shaw is great as the SPECTRE assassin; noteworthy scenes: fight with Robert Shaw in the train, any scene with Daniela Bianchi)

G

• Galaxy Quest ++ (a campy sendup of the Star Trek universe; funny and yet not making fun of Roddenberry's basic message)
• Gandhi ++++ (a great movie about a great man--everyone should see this movie)
• The Gathering Storm ++ (Fine portrait of Winston Churchill in the years prior to World War II; Albert Finney shines as Churchill--all the famous mannerisms are there as well as the kind and not-so-kind aspects of his nature)
• Girl, Interrupted +++ (very good story of a girl who has lost herself and is persuaded to check herself into a sanatorium; asks the question "what is sanity?" very well; Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie give very good performances)
• The Godfather ++++ (one of the best movies ever made; a modern day Greek tragedy)
• Godfather III + (the movie is well done, but there nothing fundamentally new here--I'd rather watch the original)
• Goldfinger ++ (the third 007 film is a bit of a letdown in my opinion (although many consider this the best Bond film of all; the plot to destroy the Fort Knox gold supply is a bit silly and I find Auric Goldfinger annoying; what's really missing are the exotic locales--Miami and Kentucky don't cut it; noteworthy scenes: Shirley Eaton covered in gold paint; golf game with Goldfinger)
• The Goodbye Girl ++++ (my favorite romantic comedy; Neil Simon's writing is superb and Richard Dreyfuss & Marsha Mason have great chemistry)
• The Great Raid ++ (well-made and authentic WWII rescue story about American prisoners of the Japanese in the Philippines; the brutality of the Japanese is difficult to watch and makes me angry--it also conflicts with my personal experience of the Japanese people, who have generally been very nice)
• The Greatest Story Ever Told ++ (not as good as King of Kings in my opinion; the Sermon on the Mount is more alluded to than actually shown; abbreviating The Lords Prayer was inane--even though they did the full length version later)

H

• Hardcore +++ (Disturbing tale of a religious man trying to find his missing daughter--the search takes him into the world of pornography where the daughter has taken refuge from his controlling, fundamentalist religious outlook; a harsh look at the seedy side of life and death in our pleasure-based culture; good performance by George C. Scott as the father)
• High Anxiety +++ (Mel Brooks' comic tribute to Alfred Hitchcock; so many truly inspired comic moments you have to watch the film again and again)
• The Hunted + (modern day samurai movie--very violent but it's hard to do a samurai movie without violence; it's nice to see Yoko Shimada again)

I

• The Island + (interesting sci-fi story that started out well, but devolved into an over-the-top chase movie; the premise is people raised to be organ donors of the rich and famous--a chilling theme that has been explored several times in cinema)

J

• Jumanji +++ (This movie has become a holiday favorite of mine--the story is very original, Robin Williams is well cast, and the kids are likable)
• Just Visiting ++ (amusing story of a medieval knight and his slave who are transported to modern times; the culture clash is very funny)

K

• King of Kings +++ (well done film on the life of Jesus; Jeffrey Hunter is somewhat miscast as Jesus, but he does a good job in the role; interesting depiction of Judas' motivation for betraying Jesus)

L

• The Legend of Billy Jean ++ (good story and I like Helen Slater)
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou + (mildly amusing parody of Jacques Cousteau-type oceanographic exploration; perhaps it was funnier than I think--I watched Munich earlier in the evening and it may have affected my ability to appreciate comedy)
• The Longest Day +++ (very well done movie about the D-Day invasion; based on Cornelius Ryan's book--Ryan did the screenplay; perhaps a bit too star-studded by today's standards, but after watching it a few times the stars fade and the plot shines)
• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy ++ (I'm rating all three movies at the same time because I feel the same way about all three: they are well made and enjoyable to watch, but they don't compare to the books; it may be unfair to compare the movies to the books, but I can't help it--the books are masterpieces and the movies just are not; I admit I have warmed up slightly to the movies now that I've seen them a couple of times--I was disappointed on the first viewing because of the plot changes, now I guess I just accept them; the one issue I still have is that movies are too busy--the genius of Tolkien's work is the pacing: action followed by calm interludes; even at 9 hours the movies have almost no calm interludes, and the ones they do have are sometimes not authentic)

M

• The Maltese Falcon +++ (they don't get much better than this, what a great film!; a classic performace by Bogart, and great character actors to back him up)
• The Matrix +++ (a very creative movie; would have been +++ but there are several scientific gaffes, such as using humans for batteries which is laughable--the screenwriters should have talked to somebody who knows something about science; okay, years have passed and I'll admit that I've watched this many more times so I'll have to upgrade it to '+++')
• The Matrix Reloaded ++ (defintely not as good as the first movie, but then what sequel is?--still fun to watch, though)
• The Matrix Revolutions ++ (the worst of the trilogy, has the standard appeal of the others but can't live up to the expected big finish; the Wachowski brothers had a great idea for the Matrix, but they couldn't come up with a philosophically appealing ending so the viewer is left feeling slighted--don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's easy to do but there is an expectation nonetheless)
• Micki and Maude ++ (I don't know why but I like this movie despite the somewhat implausable plot; the characters are very likeable even though the situation is not very nice)
• Miss Congeniality ++ (a comedy featuring Sandra Bullock as a tomboy FBI agent who goes undercover as a beauty pagent contestant to find a mad bomber; a bit silly but Sandra is engaging as usual)
• The Mummy +++ (I really like this movie--it's fun and has great effects)
• Munich + (the story of the Israeli retribution for the 1972 Munich massacre of its Olympic athletes; the movie tries not to take sides--instead the moral is that "an eye for an eye" just propagates the madness; the people killed by the Israeli hit sqad were replaced by even more brutal people, which brings into question the basis of the killing--on the other hand one can understand the Israeli desire to not let the Palistinians get away with it; well made but I only give it one + because I don't think I could watch it again)
• Murder on the Orient Express +++ (fantastic adaptation of Agatha Christie's thriller; Albert Finney is amazing as Hercule Poirot--the film is worthwhile for his performance alone, although the rest of the all-star cast does a fine job; really just a magnificently well-made film and a joy to watch whenever it's on)
• My Dinner with Andre ++++ (the antithesis of a 90's movie: all talk and no action--an intellectually stimulating film; first-time viewers need to have patience--you'll understand why this is a great movie if you see it through to the end)
• My Favorite Martian + (weak movie based on the TV series; the actors gave it a good go but it just wasn't that funny)

N

• Network +++ (one of the great movies of the 70's, a scathing denunciation of the television culture; a must see)

O

• The Odessa File +++ (great movie about some nasty people who happen to be real)

P

• Patton ++++ (George C. Scott gives one of the all-time great cimematic performances as Patton, the quintessential military man)
• The Phantom Menace + (the 4th Star Wars movie, and they're getting worse each time; 10-year-old slave Annakin Skywalker finds the intelligence, the time, and the money to build C3PO and a jet-powered racer?--yeah, right!; John Lucas is blatantly catering to the pre-teen audience--can anyone say sell-out?; has the usual incredibly fast chase scenes that are getting old by now; couldn't take any more of Jar Jar Binks; only interesting in the sense that it fills in the details of episodes 4-6)
• Platoon ++ (Decent movie about the Vietnam war; does well illustrating the living--and dying--conditions of the average soldier; a bit overdone in some parts, such as the conflict between the two sergeants which results in murder)

T

• The Ten Commandments ++++ (a moving story of man's imhumanity to his fellow man and of the power of religion)
• 10 Things I Hate About You ++ (it's hard to screw up Shakespeare; Julia Stiles puts in a good performance as Cat)
• Terminator 3 ++ (I probably would have given this a '+' right after I saw it, but time has passed and I recently watched it again--it's not so bad as casual entertainment, although the violence is a bit much at times; in general, the Terminator concept has run it's course)
• Terms of Endearment ++ (well acted story about the relationship between a mother and daughter, but somehow I didn't connect with it; Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson give good performances--both won Oscars)
• Three Kings +++ (very good movie about the Gulf War in which four GI's try to steal gold taken from Kuwait; this movie is like a chameleon--at different times it's a comedy, a drama, and an action film but most of all it's an anti-war film which makes some good points about Desert Storm and it's aftermath)
• Thunderball ++ (the 4th James Bond film finds 007 trying to find two stolen nuclear warheads in the Bahamas--better than Goldfinger but not quite up to the first two films; noteworthy scenes: 007's fight with the "grieving widow," Bond's stay at the health clinic; the underwater scenes)
• To Have and Have Not ++ (Hemingway story with Humphrey Bogart as the male lead, running a fishing boat in Martinique during the early days of WWII; most notable for Lauren Bacall's debut performance and her chemistry with Bogie)
• Tokyo Joe + (not-very-interesting Bogart vehicle set in post WWII Japan)
• Tomorrow Never Dies + (The Bond films are lost without Ian Fleming's books to guide them--they are now just a series of unlikely action sequences strung together; how many automatic rounds did 007 dodge without a scratch?--it's beyond ridiculous)
• Toy Soldiers + (terrorists take over a private boy's school and the kids fight back; some unrealistic elements detract from the story making this seem like a TV movie)
• 12 Angry Men ++++ (the struggle for truth in all its complexity; fantastic character acting)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey ++++ (Stankey Kubrick at his best--still one of the best looking sci-fi movies ever made)

W

• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? +++ (an amazing film; the integration of toons and people is fantastic)
• Who's Harry Crumb? ++ (farce starring John Candy as an inept private eye; the gags are silly but I still laughed; somehow JC pulls it off--he's not Peter Sellers but he *is* funny)

X

• X-Men ++ (fun movie if you've seen the cartoon version or read the comic books; the casting was well done, the plot was weak--a comic book plot not acceptable for a major motion picture)

Y

• The Yakuza ++ (bad business deal pits Robert Mitchum's character against the Japanese underworld; accurate depiction of Japan although limited in scope to the seamier side of Japanese life; not for the squeamish--violence abounds as you would expect in a movie of this type)
• You Only Live Twice ++ (the 5th Bond film--a major departure from the book; ridiculous plot in which SPECTRE captures U.S. & Soviet space capsules (not in the book); scenes in Japan are interesting because I've been there--may not be that interesting to others; noteworthy scenes: Bond buried at sea, 007 knowing the correct temperature for sake; training scenes at Himeji castle)