Persepolis

Persepolis

CNC etc.

27 June 2007

Animation, Historical Drama

DVD
C-

I didn't really care about the protagonist.  Marjane Satrapi wrote the comic this is based on, which she adapted with her co-director Vincent Paronnaud.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Summit Entertainment

October 12, 2012

Dramedy?
DVD
C-

So I tried to watch this once before, and I read some but not all of the book.  I still didn't like it this time, but it's not terrible.  (Still don't know what Emma Watson's accent was though.)  Stephen Chbosky adapted his novel and directed.

Perfect Match

Perfect Match

CodeBlack Films

March 11, 2016

Romcom

DVD
C-

I didn't care about the characters or story, but the direction by Bille Woodruff was surprisingly good.

A Perfect Day

A Perfect Day

Mediapro etc.

28 August 2015

Dramedy

DVD
C-

Fernando León de Aranoa directed and co-wrote, based on the novel Dejarse Llover by Paula Farias, a couple years before Loving Pablo, which I disliked much more.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Fox etc.

February 12, 2010

Fantasy

DVD
C-

I read the Rick Riordan books (well, the basic series) upon initial release, so I saw this in the theater and thought it was OK.  It just didn't interest me today.  Chris Columbus directed.

Pennies from Heaven (1936)

Pennies from Heaven (1936)

Columbia

November 25, 1936

Drama

DVD
D+

Failed to catch my interest, title song included.  This is based on Katharine Leslie Moore's novel The Peacock Feather, and directed by Norman Z. McLeod.

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Warner Bros.

August 9, 1985

Comedy
DVD

B-

I didn't actually see this movie at the time, but I was very aware of it and the catchphrases that came from it.  (I did catch Pee-Wee's TV show here and there though.)  I first saw this movie in a revival theater ten or fifteen years ago, with an appreciative audience.  This time, watching it at home alone, it made me chuckle but it did feel aimless.  It's likable enough, and I enjoyed it more than most Tim Burton movies I've seen.  I've tagged as many people as I recognized.

The Peanut Butter Falcon

The Peanut Butter Falcon

Roadside Attractions etc.

August 23, 2019

Dramedy

DVD

D+

I kind of liked the music, but I didn't care about the plot or the characters.  Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz co-wrote and co-directed.

Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward

Warner Bros. etc.

October 20, 2000

Drama

DVD
C-

Could've been worse.  This is based on Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel and directed by Mimi Leder, who did a fine job with On the Basis of Sex, but this is more on a the level of Deep Impact.

Pawn Sacrifice

Pawn Sacrifice

Lionsgate etc.

September 25, 2015

Historical Drama

DVD
C-

I watched through Bobby Fischer's childhood and adolescence.  Edward Zwick directed, twenty years after Legends of the Fall and nine years after Blood Diamond, and he seems to have improved on getting relatively believable performances.

Pauline & Paulette

Pauline & Paulette

Studio Unknown

27 June 2001

Dramedy
DVD
D+

Death and disability and sisters in modern Belgium.  Lieven Debrauwer directed and co-wrote.

Patton

Patton

20th Century Fox

April 2, 1970

War Drama

DVD
C-

I had of course heard of this movie for years but actually wasn't sure what to expect.  It's not my kind of movie, but I've seen worse in this genre.  (Or at least their first quarter-hours.)  This is based on Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago, and Omar N. Bradley's A Soldier's Story.  Francis Ford Coppola co-wrote the screenplay, and Franklin J. Schaffner directed.

Patriots Day

Patriots Day

Lionsgate etc.

December 21, 2016

Drama

DVD
D

Uninteresting threads leading up to the Boston Marathon bombings.  Peter Berg directed and co-wrote, a dozen years after Friday Night Lights and a couple years before Mile 22.

Patriot Games

Patriot Games

Paramount

June 5, 1992

Action
DVD

D+

It's a nice touch having the hero's wife be a doctor.  This is based on the Tom Clancy novel and directed by Phillip Noyce, who also did '94's Clear and Present Danger, which I gave a D.

Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie

Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie

Studio unknown

July 21, 2005

Documentary

DVD
C

A comic (Jeffrey Ross)'s eye view of his first USO tour, in Iraq, so somewhat of historical interest, but not especially funny.

The Patriot

The Patriot

Columbia etc.

June 28, 2000

Historical Drama

DVD
C-

The acting, writing, and direction (by Roland Emmerich) aren't great, but I sort of liked that this focuses on the "homefront side," before actual war (Revolutionary) breaks out.

Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory

United Artists etc.

December 25, 1957

War Drama

DVD
D+

Not as bad as I expected, with this genre and Kirk Douglas.  Director Kubrick co-adapted Humphrey Cobb's novel.

Patch Adams

Patch Adams

Blue Wolf etc.

December 25, 1998

Drama

DVD
D

Yeah, not one of those Robin Williams movies I like.  This is based on Gesundheit: Good Health Is a Laughing Matter by Patch Adams and Maureen Mylander.  Tom Shadyac directed the year before Liar Liar.

Pat and Mike

Pat and Mike

MGM

June 13, 1952

Sports Comedy

DVD
C-

Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin wrote this Hepburn & Tracy vehicle where Spencer barely shows up in the first quarter hour, but it was of course nice to see Jim Backus.  George Cukor directed.

The Party (1968)

The Party (1968)

United Artists

April 4, 1968

Comedy
DVD

D+

I like the '60s trappings, but it's a bit painful watching Sellers play this much of a bumbling idiot, especially in brownface Indian (from India) makeup.  Blake Edwards directed and co-wrote.

Paris, je t'aime AKA Paris, I Love You

Paris, je t'aime AKA Paris, I Love You

Canal+

21 June 2006

Romance

DVD
C-

An anthology in which I liked the second sequence, directed by Paul Mayeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha, more than the first sequence, directed by Bruno Podalydès, who also stars in that story.

Pariah

Pariah

Focus Features

December 28, 2011

Drama

DVD
C-

Downbeat story of a young African-American lesbian.  Dee Rees wrote and directed.

Parent Trap (1998)

Parent Trap (1998)

Disney

July 29, 1998

Children's, Comedy
DVD
C-

I saw this movie at the time and liked it well enough, although I had sentimental feelings about the '60s original.  This time, other than curiosity value in Lohan's debut, I wasn't really drawn in.  Nancy Meyers directed and co-wrote.

Parasite AKA Gisaengchung

Parasite AKA Gisaengchung

CJ Entertainment

30 May 2019

Dramedy
DVD
B-

This is a weird and weirdly compelling movie.  It covers many genres, including a horror climax, and there's no one to "like" in the movie, but I definitely wanted to see what happened to all of them, and how all the threads would tie together.  Bong Joon Ho directed and co-wrote, a decade after Mother, which I gave a D+.

The Paperboy

The Paperboy

Millennium Films etc.

October 5, 2012

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

I couldn't really get into this.  Director Lee Daniels adapted Pete Dexter's novel with Dexter.

Paper Towns

Paper Towns

Fox etc.

July 24, 2015

Dramedy?

DVD
D

An adaptation of a John Green novel, about a boy's hopeless crush on his manic pixie dream girl neighbor, so I was already braced not to like it, but one of the boy's friends is truly awful.  And of course the dialogue is full of lines that no human, especially a teen human, would ever say, and not in a fun way like in Juno or Napoleon Dynamite.  Still, the hate-watch aspect bumps this up from an F+ or a D-.  Jake Schreier directed.

Paper Moon

Paper Moon

Paramount

May 9, 1973

Historical Drama, Historical Comedy

DVD
C-

I'd of course heard of this movie for almost fifty years, but I never watched it until today.  And I can't help thinking it's over-rated, especially nine-year-old Tatum's Oscar-winning performance.  She's not any better (or admittedly worse) than most of her contemporaries.  I did like the black-and-white cinematography and the period details, but I didn't care about the characters or the story.  This is based on Joe David Brown's novel Addie Pray, and directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Pan's Labyrinth AKA El laberinto del fauno

Pan's Labyrinth AKA El laberinto del fauno

Estudios Picasso etc.

11 October 2006

Historical Drama

DVD
C-

Although this hints at other genres-- fantasy, horror, war drama, etc.-- the first quarter hour is basically about a little girl and a maidservant (who might be a spy) and some other characters in '40s Spain.  Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed.

Panic Room

Panic Room

Columbia etc.

March 29, 2002

Drama?
DVD
C

I feel like there's the potential for a completely different movie I would like inside this one, since I did like the setting and characters, including an androgynous young Kristen Stewart as Jodie Foster's daughter.  But that would be a movie that doesn't turn into a thriller after the first quarter hour and would be more of a slice-of-life (albeit upper-class New York life) dramedy.  David Fincher directed and it's certainly more enjoyable than Fight Club and his other movies I've watched quarter-hours of for this project.

Panic in the Streets

Panic in the Streets

20th Century Fox

September 15, 1950

Crime Drama

DVD
D+

Kind of quiet for a movie about "panic," with the biggest drama in the first minutes about whether a little boy can have a quarter to go to the movies.  Elia Kazan directed.

Pandorum

Pandorum

Impact Pictures etc.

September 25, 2009

Sci-Fi

DVD
D-

Yeah, very much not my kind of movie.  Christian Alvart directed and co-wrote.

Pal Joey

Pal Joey

Columbia

October 25, 1957

Musical?

DVD
D+

Sinatra is obnoxious when he's not singing, being not only predictably sexist but even gratuitously racist (to a woman of course), yet the glimpse of '50s San Francisco is mildly interesting.  George Sidney directed.

The Pajama Game

The Pajama Game

Warner Bros.

August 29, 1957

Musical, Romance

DVD
C-

One of those musicals where the songs are better than the characters or the story.  Richard Bissell helped adapt his novel 7 1/2 Cents, first into a stage musical and then this movie, with director George Abbott.  And Stanley Donen is also credited as director.

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim

Legendary Pictures etc.

July 12, 2013

Sci-Fi

DVD
D

Video-gamy, including the dialogue.  Guillermo del Toro directed and co-wrote.

P.S. I Love You

P.S. I Love You

Alcon Entertainment etc.

December 21, 2007

Dramedy

DVD
D-

An annoying couple bicker and flirt.  (And then I guess he dies later.)  Director Richard LaGravenese co-adapted Cecelia Ahern's novel, months after Freedom Writers, which also starred Swank.

The Ox-Bow Incident

The Ox-Bow Incident

20th Century Fox

May 21, 1943

Western

DVD

D+

Other than seeing a relatively young Harry Morgan (28), there's not much to capture my interest here.  This is based on Walter Van Tilburg Clark's novel, and directed by William A. Wellman.

Overboard (1987)

Overboard (1987)

MGM etc.

December 16, 1987

Comedy

DVD
C-

I avoided this movie for almost 35 years because of what I knew of the premise.  And I have to say, the first quarter hour, before the deception happens, is not bad.  Not good of course, but not as creepy as I expected.  Garry Marshall directed, which is generally not a good sign.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders

Warner Bros.

March 25, 1983

Historical Drama

DVD
C-

I've read the S.E. Hinton novel a couple times and seen this movie once before, but I just wasn't into it this time, and to be honest, I started wishing that someone was doing a running commentary, contrasting the clips from Beach Blanket Bingo with this movie, particularly in the portrayal of "greasers."  (It might be implied, but I was distracted.)  Coppola directed.

Outrageous Fortune

Outrageous Fortune

Touchstone (AKA Disney) etc.

January 30, 1987

Comedy
DVD
D+

I've been curious about this movie since the time, so 35 years, but watching it today it just feels shrill and unfunny.  However, I could see it working as a "dumb comedy" with better writing and direction.  Arthur Hiller directed, seventeen years after Love Story.

The Out-of-Towners (1999)

The Out-of-Towners (1999)

Paramount

April 2, 1999

Comedy
DVD
D+

I don't know if it's because this is a remake of a 1970 Neil Simon movie that this feels so cliched and predictable, but the best I can say is it's mostly innocuous.  Sam Weisman directed, five years after D2: The Mighty Ducks, which was a bit better.

Out of Time

Out of Time

MGM etc.

October 3, 2003

Crime Drama, Romance?

DVD
D-

The misogyny alone is worth a D-, and the fact that every character seems to be convinced of their own wit irritated me, but the music and Florida scenery help balance things out.  Carl Franklin directed, eight years after he did far more justice to Denzel, and to women, in Devil in a Blue Dress.

Our Very Own (2005)

Our Very Own (2005)

Miramax

June 22, 2005

Historical Drama

DVD
B-

I liked this story of five teens in a small Southern town in 1978, even if I felt like it didn't explore everything thread fully, and the mix of tones--Fannie Flagg, ABC After School Special, That '70s Show, etc.-- didn't always work.  I could see this as a TV series, in fact.  Cameron Watson wrote and directed.

Our Friend

Our Friend

Black Bear Pictures etc.

November 16, 2019

Drama

DVD
C-

Things perked up a bit when Jason Segal started doing a romcom subplot from another universe.  Gabriela Cowperthwaite directed.

Our Brand Is Crisis

Our Brand Is Crisis

Warner Bros. etc.

October 30, 2015

Dramedy

DVD
D+

It was hard to care about any of these characters or the situation.  David Gordon Green directed.