Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky

Cruise/Wagner

December 14, 2001

Sci-Fi?

DVD
C-

The music and the performers other than Cruise aren't bad.  (I tagged the ones I recognized.)  Cameron Crowe directed and co-wrote.

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.

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 Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight

Weinstein Company

December 30, 2015

Western?

DVD
D

Another historical Tarantino flick.

Follow Me, Boys!

Follow Me, Boys!

Disney

December 1, 1966

Historical Drama

DVD
C+

Long, uneven, but somewhat entertaining tale of a dedicated scoutmaster, with the un-Disney topics of alcoholism and infertility handled in the Disney manner.  Kurt Russell, in his first Mouse House movie, gives the best performance.  Note that part of the muddle of the movie is the way it handles a "feminist" speech.  This is based on MacKinlay Kantor's book God and My Country and directed by Norman Tokar, eleven years before Candleshoe.

Dark Blue

Dark Blue
United Artists
February 21, 2003
Crime Drama
DVD
D-

Heartless (and gratuitously sexist) criminals (robbery and murder), racist and smug cops, directed by Ron Shelton.  The only interesting thing here was the stuff about Rodney King in the background.  This is the fifth Kurt Russell movie I've rejected, and probably not the last.

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.

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.

Big Trouble in Little China

Big Trouble in Little China
20th Century Fox
July 2, 1986
Action, Comedy
DVD
C

Although this isn't really my genre, I can see why it's a cult classic and I did like it better than Kurt Russell's The Best of Times from that same year.  Director Carpenter has a certain panache, but I just didn't care about the story or the characters.

The Best of Times (1986)

The Best of Times (1986)
Universal
January 31, 1986
Sports Comedy
DVD
C-

I wanted to like this movie, because I read the very positive Pauline Kael review ages ago (not quite at the time, but a few years later), and I like Kurt Russell and sometimes love Robin Williams.  Unfortunately, I disliked Williams's character, who is the protagonist, as he's a whiner and a cheater and just not funny.  Too bad.  It would be nice to like a sports comedy for a change.

Roger Spottiswoode directed.