Tenderness

Tenderness

Lionsgate

January 15, 2009

Crime Drama

DVD
D

No matter how good the acting, I couldn't get past the depressing content, based on a Robert Cormier novel.  John Polson directed.

Six Minutes to Midnight

Six Minutes to Midnight

Lionsgate etc.

25 September 2020

Historical Drama

DVD
C+

I was drawn in by the concept but the movie got increasingly melodramatic as it went on.  Director Andy Goddard, star Eddie Izzard, and Celyn Jones, who plays Corporal Willis, co-wrote.

A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor

Lionsgate etc.

September 14, 2018

Crime Comedy?

DVD
B

I read the Darcey Bell novel this is based on and found it so bad it was good, so obviously I was curious about this, especially with a director like Paul Feig and a "can't do anything wrong" star like Anna Kendrick.  (I don't hold Pitch Perfect against her.)  I found it delightful, aware of its own outrageousness but still working as a mystery.  (With significant changes from the book.)  I wouldn't quite say it's a great movie, but I was entertained, even through three (!) commentaries.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Lionsgate etc.

June 29, 2018

Crime Drama

DVD
D-

Less violent but more racist than I expected.  Stefano Sollima directed.

Shattered Glass

Shattered Glass

Lionsgate etc.

November 26, 2003

Drama

DVD
C

I don't know if it was the zigzagging narrative or what, but I couldn't quite get into this.  Like, it made me want to read Wikipedia instead.  Billy Ray wrote and directed.

Saw

Saw

Lionsgate etc.

October 29, 2004

Horror

DVD
D-

Saved from an F+ by the "puzzle-solving" aspect.  Director James Wan, who later did Insidious, co-wrote with Leigh Whannell, who plays one of the two leads.  (I tuned out when there were still only two characters.)

Saving Sloane

Saving Sloane

Lionsgate

October 26, 2021

Children's, Drama

DVD
C-

This is cliched but better than I expected.  Steve Franke wrote and directed.

The Quarry

The Quarry

Lionsgate etc.

April 17, 2020

Drama?

DVD
D

The first quarter hour is pretty uneventful.  This is based on the Damon Galgut novel and directed by Scott Teems.

The Prince and Me

The Prince and Me

Lionsgate etc.

April 2, 2004

Romcom

DVD
C-

I enjoyed this in the theater, and I generally do, or did, like Julia Stiles, but I didn't care about either of the leads this time, especially him.  Martha Coolidge directed.

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.

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.

Norm of the North

Norm of the North

Lionsgate etc.

January 15, 2016

Children's, Animation, Fantasy, Comedy
DVD
D+

Not terrible, but the fact that they have to explain a Phish joke onscreen does not bode well.  Trevor Wall directed.

The Next Three Days

The Next Three Days

Lionsgate etc.

November 19, 2010

Crime Drama

DVD

D+

Director Paul Haggis adapted the French movie Pour Elle, which presumably had equally unsympathetic characters but with classier accents.

Nerve

Nerve

Lionsgate etc.

July 27, 2016

Sci-Fi

DVD
C-

This is based on Jeanne Ryan's book and I could see it maybe working as a YA novel but it's a bit by the numbers as a movie.  Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman co-directed.

Mud

Mud

Lionsgate etc.

May 26, 2012

Drama?
DVD
D+

A bit creepy but the setting is interesting.  Jeff Nichols wrote and directed, four years before Loving.

Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

Lionsgate etc.

September 8, 2012

Comedy?
DVD
D+

Modern-dress version of Shakespeare, but why?  It doesn't really add any extra meaning and actually makes it blander, not helped by being shot in black & white.  Joss Whedon directed and adapted.

Mooz-lum

Mooz-lum

Lionsgate

September 17, 2010

Drama

DVD
D+

This is probably an important story to tell, but it was too downbeat for me.  Qasim Basir wrote and directed.

A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls

Lionsgate etc.

October 10, 2016

Fantasy?

DVD
D+

A boy is bullied for his imagination and then conjures a monster who bullies him, I think.  This is based on the novel by Patrick Ness and directed by J.A. Bayona.

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.

Made in Italy

Made in Italy

Lionsgate etc.

7 August 2020

Dramedy
DVD
C+

I feel like there's a better movie trapped inside this one, but even the Italian scenery didn't wow me.  Still, worth a watch I think.  James D'Arcy wrote and directed.