The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm
MGM
August 26, 2005
Action, Fantasy
DVD
D

The brothers (Damon and Ledger) pretend to be witch-hunters, when I'd rather see them travel around gathering stories and writing them down.  Terry Gilliam directed but this isn't even on the level of Brazil.

Brothers at War

Brothers at War
Summit Entertainment
March 13, 2009
Documentary
DVD
D

A man (Jake Rademacher, who directed) wonders about his two brothers' war experiences in Iraq, but I don't care.

Brothers AKA Brødre

Brothers AKA Brødre
Nordisk
27 August 2004
Drama
DVD
C-

The acting seemed pretty good but I didn't care about either the brother who's a soldier or the brother who is (I think) a rapist.  Susanne Bier directed and co-wrote, as she did for After the Wedding.

Brother Sun and Sister Moon

Brother Sun and Sister Moon
Paramount
December 2, 1972
Historical Drama
DVD
D+

Franco Zeffirelli directed and co-wrote this kaleidoscopic view of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, ranging from war to family squabbles to leprosy.  And, yes, that's just in the first fifteen minutes.

Bronson

Bronson
Magnet Releasing
13 March 2009
Crime Drama
DVD
D

Considering this is a violent movie about a very violent man (played by Hardy), I "enjoyed" the first quarter hour more than I expected, mostly due to the odd touches of dark humour.  Nicolas Winding Refn directed and co-wrote.

Broken (2012)

Broken (2012)
Wild Bunch
8 March 2013
Drama
DVD
D+

While the performances and direction seemed strong in the first quarter hour, I couldn't take the bleak content (including a bullying father beating up an innocent man over a false accusation of rape), and this was only saved from a D by the relatively light-hearted "Uno" scene.  Mark O'Rowe wrote the screenplay based on the Daniel Clay novel.  Rufus Norris directed.

Bringing Down the House

Bringing Down the House
Buena Vista (i.e. Disney)
March 7, 2003
Comedy
DVD
D+

Thoroughly cliched culture-clash movie, and that's before we get to Latifah's onscreen appearance.  I found myself wishing I was watching the comparatively solid '80s Steve Martin movies All of Me and Roxanne, which at least have a sense of playfulness and wit among the predictability.  Adam Shankman directed this.

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
United Artists
August 7, 1974
Crime Drama
DVD
D

Peckinpah wrote and directed this movie which was less violent in its first quarter hour than I expected given his reputation, although there is a scene where a prostitute is hit hard enough to drop to the floor and lie there lifelessly.  This moment, by the way, is totally gratuitous, as is the pregnant girlfriend (?) of Alfredo Garcia having her dress half ripped off by her father's goons in front of what I assume is her entire extended family.  So, yeah, I'm impressed Sam reached the level of a D, but I won't expect him always to.

Brigsby Bear

Brigsby Bear
Sony Pictures
July 28, 2017
Comedy
DVD
B-

This film, co-written by Kyle Mooney, who plays the protagonist, is a bit like The Truman Show, Be Kind Rewind, and Napoleon Dynamite thrown into a blender, but I'm not sure how well blended the dark undertones, including Stockholm Syndrome, are with the uplifting messages celebrating creativity and friendship.  Also, it's sporadically funny, mostly when Greg Kinnear is onscreen (and I like that it's never addressed that he looks like he could be Mark Hamill's son, although he's only twelve years younger), and yet I did enjoy and root for the movie, and the productions within the movie.  There's an overly dated feel, in that '17 is too late for it to be 25 years after the '80s, but perhaps that's deliberate.

Mooney's childhood friend Dave McCary directed.

Brightburn

Brightburn
Sony Pictures
May 24, 2019
Horror
DVD
C-

I think part of why I enjoyed this more than most horror movies is because it didn't get gory in the first quarter hour, just suspenseful.  Not that I was going to stay tuned of course.  David Yarovesky directed.

Bright Young Things

Bright Young Things
Film Four
3 October 2003
Historical Drama, Historical Comedy
DVD
C

I stayed with this for a half hour, because of the cast and because I thought it had potential, especially with Stephen Fry as director and adapter of the Evelyn Waugh novel Vile Bodies.  But the more I watched, the less I cared about the frivolous young-ish people who went to a lot of "scandalous" parties where they wore costumes.  I was actually more interested in the manuscript that's seized by customs, but that got dropped a few minutes in.

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

The Bridges at Toko-Ri
Paramount
December 1954
War Drama
DVD
D+

Dull Korean War movie, perked up a bit by Rooney in a green hat.  Based on the James Michener novel and directed by Mark Robson.

A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far
United Artists
June 15, 1977
War Drama
DVD
C-

Well, a quarter hour of this (out of three hours!) wasn't too painful, mostly because I sort of liked the wry humor and other personal elements.  Nonetheless, it's a movie about planning a phase of World War II, and that's not really going to hold my interest, even with the promise of stars ranging from Robert Redford to John Ratzenberger.

William Goldman adapted the Cornelius Ryan novel.  Richard Attenborough directed.

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia
Walt Disney
February 16, 2007
Drama, Children's, Fantasy
DVD
B-

I saw this movie in the theater at the time and, having read the Katherine Paterson novel it's based on (reviewed here https://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/10/bridge-to-terabithia.html), I was one of the few people not shocked by Leslie's sudden offscreen death.  Watching it again, it still feels like a reasonably faithful adaptation, "timeless" with a few "modern" touches, like kids having cell phones and teens watching Hannah Montana.  I gave the book a B- as well, although for different reasons.  I'm not sure that the tones are all balanced as they would need to be in order to be better than the book, but I liked seeing the various relationship arcs.  The fantasy element is actually the least interesting aspect of the movie, although it was promoted as the big draw.

Gabor Csupo directed.  This was a few years after Hutcherson's very minor role in American Splendor, and he would've been thirteen or fourteen at the time this was shot, but already well launched on his film career, here showing a range that not many actors his age had.  (Robb is a bit too "perfect" for Leslie, but certainly charming in the role.)

The Bridge to Nowhere (2009)

The Bridge to Nowhere (2009)
Studio Unknown
August 17, 2009
Crime Drama
DVD
D

Five friends in Pittsburgh (including a post-'70s-Show Masterson) decide to become pimps.  Blair Underwood directed.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai
Columbia
11 October 1957
War Drama
DVD
C

This British-American co-production was better than I expected, since I'm not into war movies, although I freely admit to bumping it up a notch or two because of the soundtrack, especially the jaunty "Colonel Bogey" march whistle.  This is based on the Pierre Boulle novel and directed by David Lean.  And it's the fifth Alec Guinness movie I've rejected on this project.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944)

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944)

United Artists

February 11, 1944

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

Rowland V. Lee lethargically directed this adaptation of the Thornton Wilder novel.  At least the costumes and sets are nice.

Brick Lane

Brick Lane
Film4
16 November 2007
Drama
DVD
C-

A Bangladeshi girl is sent to London for an arranged marriage after her mother commits suicide.  Years later, it's clear that she is miserable but trying to make the best of things.  This is based on the novel by Monica Ali and directed by Sarah Gavron.

Breath

Breath
FilmRise
10 September 2017
Historical Drama, Sports Drama
DVD
C-

Two brothers in 1970s Australia take up surfing.  Director Simon Baker co-wrote the script based on Tim Winton's novel of the same name.

Breaking Free AKA A Leap of Faith

Breaking Free AKA A Leap of Faith
Studio Unknown [Straight to DVD]
1995 [but released to DVD years later]
Drama
DVD
C-

A boy is released from juvie to become a stable boy at a camp for blind young people.  David Mackay directed.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club
Universal
February 15, 1985
Dramedy
DVD
C-

This movie was made for my generation (my senior yearbook the following year dedicated a page to it), but I've never been a John Hughes fan and was at the time more into the Gidget TV show.  (I did watch and enjoy Footloose in the theater, which I'll talk about when and if I end up reviewing it, so I wasn't completely avoiding '80s teen movies in my '80s adolescence.)  I did see it about a decade later but couldn't have told you much about it.  (I had to see Ferris Bueller's Day Off two or three times as an adult before I actually knew that I'd seen it, rather than just heard about it.)  This time through, I thought I might stick with BC, since I liked the set-up, but then the kids started interacting and there was only so much of Judd Nelson I could take.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Paramount
October 6, 1961
Dramedy, Romance
DVD
D+

I saw the whole movie in a free outdoor showing about twenty years ago and was surprised by how much I disliked it.  This time around, I watched a quarter hour at home.  And, yes, it's still racist and the cat is the only character I like.  Based on the Truman Capote novel, and directed by Blake Edwards.

Breaker! Breaker!

Breaker! Breaker!
AIP
April 1, 1977
Action
DVD
C-

I freely admit that I would probably rate this lower if it weren't so frickin' '70s in its look and sound.  Still not my genre, but shrug, it wasn't like it was painful to watch fifteen minutes of not much happening besides Chuck Norris hanging out with his onscreen brother and eating in a diner.  Don Hulette directed.

Breakdown

Breakdown
Paramount
May 2, 1997
Action
DVD
C-

This is one of those cases where I didn't care about where the plot seemed to be heading and just wanted to see the main couple move to San Diego and settle into their new life, because I thought Kurt Russell had an interesting dynamic with his onscreen wife.  This is, by the way, the fourth Kurt Russell movie I've rejected on this project, although I'm sure there will be more.

Jonathan Mostow directed and co-wrote.

Bread and Roses

Bread and Roses
Lionsgate
September 14, 2000
Drama
DVD
D+

I found it painful to watch a young immigrant's struggles in arriving in America (illegally), being sexually harassed, and looking for work.  I suppose that's the point, but I prefer to be entertained by movies.  Ken Loach directed.

Brazil

Brazil
20th Century Fox
22 February 1985
Sci-Fi, Satire
DVD
C

While the look of this movie is impressive, I didn't think there was much of a human element in the first quarter hour, although perhaps that was deliberate.  Terry Gilliam directed and co-wrote.

Braveheart

Braveheart
Paramount
May 24, 1995
Historical Drama, War DramaDVD
C-

Not really my genre, but the Scottish scenery is of course lovely.  I tuned out before Mel Gibson showed up onscreen, but he did direct, so I'll tag him.

Bran Nue Dae

Bran Nue Dae
Roadshow Films
9 August 2009
Musical
DVD
B-

This is one of the most batshit movies I've ever seen, even for its genre.  The first third is almost believable, even when it veers into Bollywood choreography.  Then it turns into a road trip, while still a musical, with a perhaps evil priest (Geoffrey Rush) in pursuit of our young hero, who befriends his maybe-uncle and a pair of hippies, and then we end up with a farcical plot twist where half the cast is related, partly through a Scarlet-Letter-like set of confessions.  I do have to say I loved the first rendition of "Nothing I Would Rather Be," with its blend of 1920s rhythm and political satire and if the whole movie was on that level, with some of the earnestness of the early scenes as well, it could've been a B+.  The title, by the way, is aborigine for "Brand New Day," which is the more American-friendly phrasing on the DVD case.

Rachel Perkins directed, and arguably did a better job translating a stage hit onto the big screen than William Friedkin did with The Boys in the Band.

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Bram Stoker's Dracula
Columbia
November 13, 1992
Horror
DVD
D+

Francis Ford Coppola directed this ridiculously overwrought production that doesn't quite (at least not in the first quarter hour) cross over into Sobaditsgoodvania.  Technically based on a book, by Bram Stoker oddly enough.

Boys Town

Boys Town
MGM
September 9, 1938
Drama
DVD
D+

I admittedly haven't seen a lot of Spencer Tracy movies (Adam's Rib, Father of the Bride, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner are the only three that come to mind besides now this one), but I think he may well have been the most over-rated actor of his generation, if not of the twentieth century.  I actually winced at his performance in the first quarter hour of this "classic."  I didn't stick around for Mickey Rooney.  Norman Taurog directed.

The Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band
Cinema Center Films
March 17, 1970
Dramedy
DVD
C+


While I of course recognize the historical (culturally as well as cinematically) importance of this film almost a half century later, I was on the C+/B- fence for most of it.  While there are good performances in it, I think my main problem is with the main character, Michael (Kenneth Nelson, who was in the stage cast, as were all the other performers).  While I'm fine with things being ambiguous and/or unresolved (like why Alan cries on the phone), I do feel a bit of bait & switch about Michael and about the tone of the film.  While the humor early on is self-deprecating and/or bitchy towards others, there is a sense of a close-knit group of friends, with two outsiders coming in and affecting things.  But Michael plays a cruel mind game that almost everyone goes along with, only minimally protesting.  People are hurt, including the unseen wife of the maybe-straight-maybe-not character.  The game turns out to be rooted in Michael's self-loathing, his need to punish others, even those he cares about.  And if this is a character study, fine, but why have the giddy moments, like the "Heatwave" dance number?  If Michael is a conflicted character, well, this is a conflicted film, perhaps inevitable given its time period.  (The new version coming out on Netflix this year hopefully still sets this in the Summer of 1968, because I don't think contemporary gay men have the same sort of psychological issues.)

Still, this is worth watching at least once, and I'm glad I finally got to see the clips I know from multiple viewings of Celluloid Closet in context.

The Boys from Brazil

The Boys from Brazil
20th Century Fox
October 6, 1978
Drama
DVD
D+

I found this a bit campy-- I mean, 20-year-old Steve Guttenberg and Nazi clones!-- with an overdone score (the sort of thing that The Big Bus had brilliantly parodied a couple years earlier), but not enjoyably campy enough to stick with it.  This is based on the Ira Levin novel, and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. 

Boys Don't Cry

Boys Don't Cry
Fox Searchlight
October 22, 1999
Drama
DVD
C-

I saw this film at the time and found it well done but the rape scene was very upsetting and I swore I'd never watch the movie again.  More than twenty years later, I watched twenty minutes and didn't care about the characters, especially the macho and otherwise stupid behavior.  Still, it was of course interesting to see Goranson in a non-Becky-Conner role.  Kimberly Peirce directed and co-wrote.

The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast
Toho
11 July 2015
Anime, Fantasy, Action
DVD
C-

A runaway becomes the apprentice of a talking warrior beast in a parallel world.  Mamoru Hosoda wrote and directed.

The Bounty Hunter

The Bounty Hunter

Columbia

March 19, 2010

Crime Comedy, Romcom

DVD
D

A stupid comedy about stupid people, although it does have a bunch of recognizable faces, some of whom I've tagged.  Andy Tennant directed.

Borrowers (1997)

Borrowers (1997)
PolyGram
5 December 1997
Children's, Fantasy
DVD
C-

For Harry Potter fans, the main interest here is in seeing "Professor Slughorn" as the father of "Draco Malfoy."  (Tom Felton was ten but looks tiny, I mean even for a Borrower.)  This is very loosely based on the Mary Norton books, which I believe were set in the Victorian period, while this looks like the 1940s or '50s.  Peter Hewitt directed.

Born to Kill (1947)

Born to Kill (1947)
RKO
May 3, 1947
Crime Drama, Romance
DVD
B

This is one of those movies where I don't "like" anyone in it but I found them nonetheless fascinating to watch.  In particular, Claire Trevor as new divorcée Helen Trent manages to convey a wide range of emotions and motivations in one complicated and corrupt woman.  Lawrence Tierney, who was apparently typecast, as Sam Wilde is the more obvious sociopath, while her rottenness takes awhile to fully be exposed, and even then there are hints that she could possibly be redeemed.  (This is based on a book called Deadlier Than the Male, but RKO went with a more ambiguous title.)

I tagged as many people as I recognized (some of them, like Ellen Corby, in tiny roles), but of course I have to mention Esther Howard as Mrs. Kraft, a boozy old dame with a good heart.  Robert Wise did a fine job of directing, although this is very different than Sound of Music and other of his movies I've seen.

Born to Be Blue

Born to Be Blue
Entertainment One
13 September 2015
Historical Drama
DVD
D-

Another biopic about an unpleasant musician, this time Chet Baker.  Robert Budreau wrote and directed.

Born on the Fourth of July

Born on the Fourth of July
Universal
December 20, 1989
War Drama
DVD
D+

I just watched this up to the mid '60s, with a very saccharine opening in a stereotypical '50s town and then a slightly darker view of family life with the main character's strict parents and schooling.  I know the gist of the story though and didn't really care about following the protagonist into the Vietnam War.  Oliver Stone directed and co-wrote the script with Ron Kovic, whose autobiography this is based on.

Border Incident

Border Incident
MGM
October 28, 1949
Crime Drama
DVD
C

A still timely story about illegal immigration from Mexico to California, this didn't draw me in enough to keep watching, but it's certainly better than most of the movies I've checked out from the library.  Anthony Mann directed.

The Book of Life

This actually makes the visual style seem halfway decent,
by putting the blander characters front and center.

The Book of Life
20th Century Fox
October 17, 2014
Fantasy, Historical Comedy, Children's
DVD
F

This is quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen.  First of all, despite all the raves it got for its visual style, it is glaringly ugly, many of the characters more physically unpleasant than Ren & Stimpy, and pointlessly so because some of them are just very minor characters.  Secondly, I didn't care about any of the characters, including the "gods" having a bet about the marital prospects of three children who look to be about nine at most.  (I wanted someone to ask, "What if Maria doesn't want to marry either boy?  Or any boy?  Or anyone?")  Thirdly, I think the movie is meant to be a celebration of Mexican culture, but I've seen more nuance and wokeness in Speedy Gonzales cartoons.  Fourthly, what's with the ham-fisted framing device of the "detention kids" getting a secret special tour at the museum?  I could only stomach fifteen minutes of this, and only because that's my self-imposed rule, and I guess I wanted to see how low they could sink.  Jorge R. Gutiérrez directed and co-wrote and I'm going to give him all the blame that the animation crew doesn't get.

Boogie Woogie

Boogie Woogie
Vertigo Films
26 June 2009
Comedy
DVD
D+

A blah satire of the art world, mostly notable for all the recognizable faces in the cast (some of whom I've tagged).  Danny Moynihan adapted his own novel, and Duncan Ward directed.

Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde
Warner Bros.
August 13, 1967
Historical Drama, Crime Drama
DVD
D

I'd avoided this film for years because of the celebration of criminals and violence, but the badness of the first quarter-hour is surprisingly the acting by Beatty and Dunaway.  I would've gone lower with the grade, but the look of the movie is generally good, except that Dunaway doesn't look the slightest bit 1930s, especially her hair.  Arthur Penn directed.

Bone Tomahawk

Bone Tomahawk
RLJ Entertainment
October 23, 2015
Western
DVD
D-

Not-as-clever-as-it-thinks dialogue (e.g. a bartender offering an "omnipotent" drink), some bad acting (notably Lili Simmons who doesn't seem the slightest bit 19th-century), and of course violence made this movie hard for me to watch even for a quarter hour, although it was interesting to see Sid Haig (actually pretty good with his quasi-Slim-Pickens accent) almost a half century after his scene-stealing role in It's a Bikini World.  S. Craig Zahler wrote and directed.

Bolt

Bolt
Walt Disney
November 21, 2008
Action, Fantasy, Children's
DVD
C

I saw this at the time but didn't remember much about it today, so I actually felt let down that the surprisingly good action sequences led to some sort of canine rip-off of The Truman Show (and I liked The Truman Show).  At least in TTS there's a whole set-up for how they've fooled Truman, while here I kept thinking, Wait, so the show has been on the air for five years and they've been fooling a talking dog since he was a puppy?  I gave it twenty minutes total (rather than my usual fifteen) to see if it could bounce back, but the addition of stereotypical Hollywood types didn't help.

Chris Williams co-wrote, with Dan Fogelman, and co-directed, with Byron Howard (who'd do much better with animals in Tangled and of course Zootopia).

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody
20th Century Fox
23 October 2018
Historical Drama, Musical
DVD
C+

I rarely go to the movie theater these days, but I did for this movie, and came home feeling let down.  Not since Julie & Julia (2009) have I seen a movie made of two unequal halves.  In this case, we have the fun, interesting saga of how Queen made their music, and on the other we have a dreary cautionary tale about Freddie Mercury's love life, complete with a dishonest, manipulative boyfriend who could give Jude Law as Bosie a run for his money in Wilde (1997), although at least Bosie was handsome and charming.  As in Wilde, the poor loyal, cheated-on girlfriend/wife gets more sympathy and screentime than any of the men Mercury is involved with, professionally or romantically.  I would still marginally recommend this biopic for the music and for the band interacting, but I would've fast-forwarded today if I didn't want to give an honest grade.  (Just like I watched J & J on DVD by skipping scenes but will sit through the "Julie" parts if I end up reviewing it.)

Although Rami Malek got all the accolades and the Oscar, my favorite was actually Gwilym Lee as Brian May, funny and yet sincere.  And of course Tom Hollander was good, as he almost always is, here as Jim "Miami" Beach, their soft-spoken manager.  Mike Myers, who of course gave us a memorable rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Wayne's World, plays the producer who doesn't get what's great about the song.  Bryan Singer directed.