Mission Impossible II AKA M:i-2

Mission Impossible II AKA M:i-2

Paramount

May 24, 2000

Action
DVD
D+

Yeah, you knew I wasn't gonna go for this, since even the theme music is just kinda meh.  John Woo directed.

The Missing (2003)

The Missing (2003)

Columbia etc.

November 26, 2003

Western
DVD
D+

Bumped up from a D for the character of a female doctor (albeit unlicensed).  This is based on the novel The Last Ride by Thomas Eidson (with that spelling).  Ron Howard directed.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Focus Features

March 7, 2008

Historical Comedy
DVD
C-

I could see what they were going for here, but I just didn't think it worked.  This is based on the Winifred Watson novel and directed by Bharat Nalluri.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Tim Burton Productions etc.

September 25, 2016

Fantasy

DVD
D+

I couldn't get through the Ransom Riggs novel and this is one of those movies where I don't like the Tim Burton "look."

Miss Juneteenth

Miss Juneteenth

Sailor Bear etc.

June 19, 2020

Drama

DVD

C-

A bit slow-moving.  Channing Godfrey Peoples wrote and directed.

Miss Julie

Miss Julie

Columbia TriStar etc.

7 September 2014

Historical Drama, Romance

DVD
D+

An unappealing triangle (although I like Samantha Morton in some other roles, like Sophia in the 1997 miniseries of Tom Jones), uninterestingly shot.  Liv Ullmann directed, and adapted the Strindberg play.

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

Castle Rock Entertainment etc.

March 24, 2005

Crime Comedy
DVD
C

I saw both Miss C movies in the theater at the time and enjoyed them more then.  (If there's anything this project has taught me is that popcorn and other perks of cinematic viewing generally make it more pleasurable than home viewing, but watching at home is obviously easier, especially during Covid.)  I own the 2000 movie on VHS and gave it a B-.  I gave this a half hour today, rooting for it to click, but it just didn't.  Still, yeah, I have definitely seen worse movies in this project.  John Pasquin directed.

Misfits (2021)

Misfits (2021)

Film Gate Productions etc.

June 11, 2021

Crime Drama

DVD
C-

Not my type of movie but undeniably stylish.  Renny Harlin directed.

Misery

Misery

Castle Rock etc.

November 30, 1990

Dramedy

DVD
C-

I had to read the Stephen King novel many years ago for a class and only got through it as a hate-read.  The first quarter hour of the movie though is a quirky little comedy-drama, contrasting the country and the city.  William Goldman wrote the screenplay and Rob Reiner directed.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Beachside etc.

January 22, 2018

Historical Drama

DVD
C

I knew I wouldn't be able to take this serious look at a gay conversion camp, especially having seen the delightful (yet subversive) But I'm a Cheerleader years ago.  Still, I could see this was sincere and well made.  Desiree Akhavan directed and adapted the novel by Emily M. Danforth.

The Mirror Has Two Faces

The Mirror Has Two Faces

Sony

November 15, 1996

Romance

DVD
B-

Barbra directed this vanity production, but that doesn't make it bad.  I will say that even at the time she seemed a little old (at 54) for the role, but, as in the very different Yentl, she is believable playing a younger woman who goes through a transformation.  Yes, the movie is corny and at times implausible, but it still drew me in, even if I'm less romantic and more experienced than I was 25 years ago.

Miracles from Heaven

Miracles from Heaven

Columbia etc.

March 16, 2016

Drama

DVD
D+

Obviously, I wasn't going to go for this, but I was leaning towards a C- until the kid sister had to pointlessly renounce pizza.  Still, it's better than Heaven Is for Real.  This is based on Christy Beam's memoir with the unwieldy title Miracles from Heaven: A Little Girl, Her Journey to Heaven, and Her Amazing Journey of Healing.  Patricia Riggen directed.

Miracle of the White Stallions

Miracle of the White Stallions

Disney

March 29, 1963

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

The horses are pretty but Robert Taylor is wooden, the story not that interesting.  This is based on the book The Dancing White Horses of Vienna by Alois Podhajsky.  Arthur Hiller directed seven years before Love Story, a much more famous adaptation.

Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna

Disney etc.

September 26, 2008

Crime Drama, Historical Drama

DVD
D+

This felt hokey, so I wasn't surprised when I found out that it's based on a novel, by James McBride.  Spike Lee directed, and this is far inferior to BlacKKKlansman, his historical dramedy a decade later.

Miracle

Miracle

Disney

February 6, 2004

Sports Drama, Historical Drama

DVD
C-

I like the period details and Patricia Clarkson is fun, but, well, it is a hockey movie.  Gavin O'Connor directed.  I tagged the politicians who appear in the opening montage.

The Ministers

The Ministers

Grow Pictures

October 16, 2009

Crime Drama

DVD
D+

Bumped up because I like New York accents.  Franc. Reyes wrote and directed.

Mindgamers

Mindgamers

Terra Mater Factual Studios

4 October 2015

Sci-Fi

DVD
D-

Definitely not my kind of movie, although it could've been worse.  The appropriately named Andrew Goth directed.

Mind the Gap

Mind the Gap

Sky Island Films

March 13, 2004

Dramedy
DVD
D+

I didn't like any of the characters but I kind of liked the cinematography.  Eric Schaeffer wrote and directed.

Minari

Minari

A24

January 26, 2020

Historical Drama

DVD
C+

While there were elements of this I liked, including of course the touches of humor, and I did watch it to the end, it was just too downbeat for me, and I think even more than it had to be.  Lee Isaac Chung wrote and directed.

Milton's Secret

Milton's Secret

Momentum Pictures etc.

30 September 2016

Drama

DVD
C-

A bit depressing but the soundtrack is nice.  This is based on the book by Eckhart Tolle and Robert Friedman.  Barnet Bain directed and co-wrote.

The Million Dollar Hotel

The Million Dollar Hotel

Lionsgate etc.

February 9, 2000

Dramedy?
DVD
C-

This straddles the line between unintentionally funny drama and unfunny comedy.  The soundtrack's not bad anyway.  Wim Wenders directed.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Warner Bros. etc.

December 15, 2004

Sports Drama

DVD
F+

As a boxing movie, this would be ranked low for me anyway, but I had to take it down a notch for the ludicrous Texan dialect, with phrases like "I likes" and "I knows."  This is based on the short stories of F. X. Toole and directed by Eastwood, who also stars, but not as the title character, I assume.

Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress

Madhouse

14 September 2002

Anime, Historical Drama, Fantasy

DVD
C-

I personally couldn't get into this, but I could see why it was critically acclaimed.  Satoshi Kon directed and co-wrote.

Milk

Milk

Focus Features etc.

November 26, 2008

Historical Drama

DVD

B-

I was really moved by this movie when I saw it in the theater, but rewatching it I felt more distant, I think partly because a lot of the supporting characters are barely sketched in.  Still, Penn remains solid as the title character.  Gus Van Sant directed, and I've tagged some of the real people who appear in archival footage.

Mile 22

Mile 22

STX Films etc.

August 17, 2018

Action

DVD
D-

I lost interest in this as soon as it became clear it wasn't about a couple bickering over directions.  Peter Berg directed.

Mildred Pierce

Mildred Pierce

Warner Bros.

October 20, 1945

Crime Drama

DVD
B-

I've seen this before, possibly more than once, but maybe not in over twenty-five years.  This time I was most struck by, one, how much better the female performances are than the male (and, yes, I will always love Eve Arden); and two, how Forties it is, not just in its noir feel but in references to the economy and the War.  Faulkner apparently was one of the uncredited contract workers who adapted the James M. Cain novel.  Michael Curtiz directed, after The Adventures of Robin Hood and before Life with Father.

Mighty Joe Young (1998)

Mighty Joe Young (1998)

Disney

December 25, 1998

Children's, Sci-Fi

DVD
D+

I liked the 1949 original but the sound recording on this was super annoying.  Ron Underwood directed, five years after Heart and Souls.

Midway (1976)

Midway (1976)

Universal

June 18, 1976

War Drama

DVD
C-

This looks like just about every male actor in Hollywood was in it (from Henry Fonda to Erik Estrada), although I tuned out long before most of them showed up.  Still, it's not bad for a war movie.  Jack Smight directed.

Mid90s

Mid90s

A24 etc.

October 26, 2018

Historical Drama

DVD
D-

With that title and Jonah Hill writing and directing, you might think this would be a nostalgic comedy but it's actually quite depressing on multiple levels.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Warner Bros. etc.

November 21, 1997

Drama

DVD
C-

The first quarter hour just felt like either set-up, or a casual tour of Savannah.  This is based on the novel by John Berendt and directed by Clint Eastwood.

Midnight Express

Midnight Express

Columbia

May 18, 1978

Crime Drama

DVD
D-

Not exactly my kind of movie, and I tuned out long before it got too violent.  Oliver Stone adapted Billy Hayes's memoir, but apparently changed a lot.  Alan Parker directed, before he did The Commitments and Evita in the '90s.

Middle of Nowhere

Middle of Nowhere

AFFRM and Participant Media

October 12, 2012

Drama

DVD
D+

Another depressing movie today, written and directed by Ava DuVernay.

Mickey and the Bear

Mickey and the Bear

Thick Media etc.

March 9, 2019

Drama

DVD
C-

Annabelle Attanasio wrote and directed, depressing content beautifully shot.  

Mia Madre

Mia Madre

Arte France Cinéma etc.

16 April 2015

Drama

DVD
C-

Somewhat depressing story of a middle-aged female movie director.  Nanni Moretti directed and co-wrote.

Mia and the White Lion

Mia and the White Lion

M6 Films etc.

August 2, 2018

Children's, Drama

DVD

C-

I didn't care for the preteen protagonist, even when she warmed up to the lions a little.  Gilles de Maistre directed and co-wrote.

The Mercy (2018)

The Mercy (2018)

BBC Films etc.

9 February 2018

Historical Drama

DVD
C-

I liked the period details but didn't care that much about the story.  James Marsh directed.

Mensaka

Mensaka

Studio Unknown

1998

Drama

DVD
D+

Bleak view of a bunch of young people, although nothing too shocking happens in the first quarter hour.  This is based on a novel by José Ángel Mañas and directed by Salvador Garcia Ruiz.

Men with Brooms

Men with Brooms

Alliance Atlantis

8 March 2002

Sports Comedy, Romcom

DVD
C+

I found this a little hard to follow; maybe too many characters.  Still, it has its moments.  Paul Gross directed, co-wrote, and stars, and, yes, I preferred him in Gunless.

Megamind

Megamind

DreamWorks

November 5, 2010

Children's, Animation, Sci-Fi, Comedy
DVD
C-

When this started, I thought it had potential, but I'm tired of backstories where the "villains" are the victims.  Tom McGrath directed.

Meetings with Remarkable Men

Meetings with Remarkable Men

Enterprise Pictures Ltd.

February 1979

Drama

DVD
D+

Not much happens in the first quarter hour.  This is based on the book by G.I. Gurdjieff, and directed by Peter Brook, who helped adapt it for the screen, and who did Lord of the Flies in '63.

Meet Me After the Show

Meet Me After the Show

Twentieth-Century Fox

August 15, 1951

Musical, Comedy, Romance

DVD
B+

This movie is both satisfyingly tropy and full of wacky surprises.  Grable is an utter delight, but everyone else throws themselves into it, even the one-line cop who tells Macdonald Carey (as Grable's jerkface husband) that he'll see him again soon.  The songs and dances are for the most part amazing, especially the proto-feminist "Betting on a Man."  One of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in ages, and surprisingly "modern" for a 70-year-old movie, like something from the later '50s or even '60s or '70s, from the slang ("chick," "dig") to the quasi-beatnik musclehead played by Rory Calhoun.  There's even a number (the one about "Joe") that anticipates Julie Brown's "Big and Stupid."  This is one of the few movies in this project I'd actually buy, although the DVD I watched is woefully lacking in extras.

Richard Sale directed and co-wrote.  And, yes, Gwen Verdon plays a character named Sappho!

Meet Bill

Meet Bill

First Look International

April 4, 2008

Comedy

DVD
D+

Eckhart plays a character so unappealing in personality and appearance that I was glad his wife (Banks) was cheating on him.  Melisa Wallack wrote and co-directed with Bernie Goldmann.

Medium Cool

Medium Cool

Paramount

August 27, 1969

Drama

DVD
C-

This is, pardon the pun, unfocused in its narrative, although it's nice to see Peter Bonerz before The Bob Newhart Show.  Haskell Wexler wrote and directed.

The Meddler

The Meddler

Sony Pictures etc.

April 22, 2016

Dramedy
DVD
C-

A good cast can't get past the weak script, by director Lorene Scafaria, who did the equally weak Hustlers three years later.

[Monty Python's] Meaning of Life

[Monty Python's] Meaning of Life

Universal

31 March 1983

Comedy
DVD
C

OK, so here's the thing.  I saw this (on VHS) two or three years after it came out, and I found some parts funny and some parts disgusting, but the best part was undoubtedly the dazzling "Every Sperm Is Sacred" segment (including the Protestant couple across the way).  It remains both brilliant satire and a catchy musical number.  But the rest of the first half hour I watched today just didn't click with me.  And I really didn't want to reexperience the restaurant scene again.

Mean Streets

Mean Streets

Warner Bros.

October 14, 1973

Crime Drama

DVD
D+

I didn't care about the characters but I bumped this up for the very '60s soundtrack.  Scorsese directed and co-wrote, a year before he did Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, which I much prefer.

Me and Orson Welles

Me and Orson Welles

CinemaNX etc.

November 25, 2009

Historical Drama

DVD
C+

Although there were elements I liked, and I did stay with the movie until the end, it did feel off to me, especially very un-1930s Danes.  I was leaning towards maybe a B- initially, but I was sort of done before the movie was.  Still, the period details are solid, and Christian McKay is remarkably good as Welles.  Certainly this is better than director Linklater's Before Sunset (2004), which I gave a C-.  As soon as I saw that this movie is based on the Robert Kaplow novel, I thought That explains it, meaning that the pluses and minuses feel like they're because this is an adaptation.

McFarland, USA

McFarland, USA

Disney

February 20, 2015

Sports Drama

DVD
D

If not racist, then racist-adjacent.  Niki Caro directed.

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner

20th Century Fox etc.

September 19, 2014

Sci-Fi

DVD
C-

I read the James Dashner novel but found it confusing and not intriguing enough to continue with the series.  But it was still somewhat better than this adaptation.  Wes Ball directed.

Max Steel

Max Steel

Open Road Films etc.

October 14, 2016

Sci-Fi

DVD
C

This didn't quite click with me but I was sort of into the "new kid at school" thread mixed with "what's happening to my body, not puberty-related" thread.  Stewart Hendler directed.

Maverick

Maverick

Warner Bros. etc.

May 20, 1994

Western, Comedy

DVD
C-

The comedic elements make this more interesting than most Westerns, but not enough for me to stay with it.  (I tuned out before Garner shows up.)  William Goldman wrote the screenplay (inspired by the TV show of course) and Richard Donner directed.

The Matrix Revolutions

The Matrix Revolutions

Village Roadshow etc.

November 5, 2003

Sci-Fi

DVD
D+

Soft speaking, loud shooting.  The "Wachowski Brothers," Lana and Lilly, co-wrote and co-directed.