Edward, My Son (1949)

Cold portrait of a family built around a (never-seen) son. So lonely and depressing, but well-acted and absorbing.

B-

We Were Soldiers (2002)

Reduced a horrific war to a bundle of sentimental clichés.

D+

Recording "The Producers": A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks (2001)

I love to watch people singing for a living - love to fantasize that that could be ME! So, just by nature of the beast, this was pleasing to me. But, having Mel Brooks break in and "introduce" every song was unnecessary and off-putting. Matthew Broderick is charming and humble, while Nathan Lane comes off as a whiny diva.

C+

The White Balloon (1996)

My emotions took over a couple of times while watching this. I wanted to help this little girl recover her money…to give her a few ideas of how to accomplish this. But the kids behaved like kids do and it made for a wonderful, real-feeling movie. I was especially charmed by the soldier.

B

Sugar & Spice (2001)

This film surprised me as I had heard several negative reviews. Maybe I was just tired, but I thought it was a scream! I laughed through a lot of it and smiled through the rest.

B-

Save the Last Dance (2001)

I doubt that Julia Stiles has any chance of landing a place in Julliard…but that may be nitpicking. Clear-eyed story about mixed race couple, with the white girl as the "fish out of water."

B

Alien3 (1992)

Same ol' stuff…only this time it's Ripley and 25 cons against the beast and…Ripley's pregnant! With one of the aliens! Scary!

Somehow the tension is completely drained from the proceedings. It may have something to do with the fact that the only guy we care anything about is killed off quickly and we're stuck with blend-into-each-other leftovers. Cheesy graphics round out the film...er...not so well.

C-

September (1987)

I don't think there's any justification for not admiring Woody Allen's talent. In this "chamber piece," he functions solely as writer/director. It's nearly unrecognizable as an Allen movie – there's nothing silly about it. The only thing that's a giveaway is the cast...his standard players. But why "fix" a good thing? Acting is outstanding, with very familiar themes of loving the wrong person, betrayal, the complexity of friendship, and dealing with parents.

B+

Summer of '42 (1971)

Supposedly "touching" -- but in reality just nasty. And NO ONE in this film could act worth a damn. What a waste of time.

F

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Starts off creepy, but ultimately repeats itself and bored me. I was especially exasperated because several had recommended it as being “creepy because it’s true.” Little lesson here… “based on true happenings” and “the story you are about to see is true” are two very, very different statements. Facts: a bridge collapsed; people in the vicinity thought they saw weird figures. Not a fact: phone calls that correctly identified objects held in a closed fists were received.

However, Laura Linney co-stars, so the acting is up to scratch.

C-

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Could have gone overboard - but knew when to pull back a bit. Vardalos's voice-overs, though, were a bit intrusive – they sounded self-conscious in a part-of-my-stand-up-routine kind of way. The whole effect, however, is a sweet and charming one.

B

Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

Preachy and fairly pedestrian account of drunken couple and her disapproving father. More like a public service feature for Alcoholics Anonymous than a good film. I don't even think the acting is that great!

C

Signs (2002)

I can't think of a single person to whom I couldn't recommend this movie. It was heartbreaking, scary as hell, funny as hell, and it all felt very real – even when I was staring at an alien. The faith that is resurrected made me feel hopeful for humanity as a whole – and for a few in particular.

A

Bound for Glory (1976)

I didn't care for his attitude, his music, or his treatment of women. Guthrie comes off like a Norma Rae without any real passion and nothing to lose. What a dickhead!

D+

Army of Darkness (1993)

Extremely silly – in the best of ways – "horror" movie about a man out of time battling his clone, an evil book, an army of dead people, and lots of miniature hims. Ridiculous to the nth degree – but also hysterical. I loved the dialogue. It's oh-so-quotable!

B

The Object of Beauty (1991)

Never heard anything about this film - just showed up on my Netflix recommendation list, so I thought I'd check it out. What is it about Andie MacDowell? There's no denying that she's a horrible, horrible actress -- yet she seems to have a pretty decent record for picking original, interesting scripts. OK...so someone should get her a job as a script reader, but quit actually letting her be IN the films!

This is like two (Two, TWO) films in one. The couple is lazy and living large, though without the funds to pay for any of their large living. When their priceless mini sculpture is stolen - they suspect each other of the crime and fall apart. Their scenes are lightweight, lacking all gravitas. The real acting and power comes from the other side of the tracks...via a deaf hotel maid and her home life. That was genius.

B-

Funny Girl (1968)

I hated the mugging, etc., the one true laugh came from her pregnant bride moment. Streisand is no physical comedienne. Sharif was sad-eyed, and I never believed that he loved his bride. The musical numbers bored me stiff and the "Swan Lake" routine was an embarrassment. But...it IS watchable and, when Streisand's singing without her New Yawk over-accent, her voice is lovely.

C

Mean Machine (2001)

Can't compare to the original (Burt Reynolds' "Longest Yard") but still worthwhile. Has some real laughs, but some of the jokes are obviously cultural and specific to football (which I don't follow).

B-

The Old Man and the Sea (1958)

The narration makes it feel less like watching a movie and more like listening to a fantastic librarian reading aloud from his favorite book. The story itself was new territory for me…but I learned much and was moved.

B+

Waterproof (2001)

Felt more like a made-for-TV movie than a feature film…but that's not to say that it's bad. It just took some shortcuts and I was, at times, pretty confused. But it's a hopeful film; heartwarming.

C-