Strangerland

Strangerland

Worldview Entertainment etc.

5 June 2015

Drama

DVD
D

Unappealing family in a new town.  Kim Farrant directed.

Queen of the Desert

Queen of the Desert

IFC Films

November 8, 2015

Historical Drama

DVD

D+

A story I'm not that interested is marred by unrealistic dialogue and laughable casting, e.g. Pattinson as T.E. Lawrence.  Werner Herzog wrote and directed.

Practical Magic

Practical Magic

Village Roadshow Pictures etc.

October 16, 1998

Fantasy, Dramedy, Romance

DVD
C+

I kept rooting for this to be better than it is, because there are definitely elements I like: witchcraft, the setting of a small New England coastal town, the (mostly) all-female family, and the cast.  But it just didn't have, well, the magic it needed, in either the adaptation of Alice Hoffman's novel or in the direction by Griffin Dunne.

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.

The Others AKA Los Otros

The Others AKA Los Otros

StudioCanal etc.

2 August 2001

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

Too much shrieking, and not even at scary things.  Alejandro Amenábar wrote and directed.

Nine (2009)

Nine (2009)

The Weinstein Company etc.

December 25, 2009

Musical, Historical Drama

DVD
D+

A reminder of why I don't like most modern musicals, although not as bad as La La Land.  Rob Marshall directed, nine years before Mary Poppins Returns.

Moulin Rouge (2001)

Moulin Rouge (2001)

20th Century Fox

June 1, 2001

Musical, Historical Drama

DVD
D-

Years ago, a then-boyfriend kept telling me how wonderful this movie is.  Hearing so many songs I like trashed today makes me very glad I never watched this with him.  Baz Luhrmann directed and co-wrote.

The Interpreter

The Interpreter

Working Title Films etc.

April 4, 2005

Crime Drama

DVD
D

Boring, violent, and somewhat racist, but it was a bit nice to see the U.N. interior.  Sydney Pollack directed.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties

How to Talk to Girls at Parties

A24

21 May 2017

Historical Comedy, Musical?

DVD
D+

Three young punks in 1977, but I guess it also becomes sci-fi later.  This is based on the Neil Gaiman short story, which director John Cameron Mitchell co-adapted.

The Hours (2002)

The Hours 

Paramount

December 15, 2002

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

Probably the most depressing movie I ever saw in the theater.  (I couldn't walk out because I was with a friend, and we kept hoping it would get better.)  Still, the first quarter hour is almost bearable and the period details are nice.  This is based on the Michael Cunningham novel and directed by Stephen Daldry, nine years before Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.  I tagged the people I recognized and have to note that this is likely the worst Julianne Moore performance I've ever seen.

Genius

Genius

Summit

June 10, 2016

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

I might be able to buy Firth as a New York publisher in this British-American production, but Law's Southern accent as writer Thomas Wolfe is truly laughable.  This is based on A. Scott Berg's book Max Perkins: Editor of Genius, and directed by Michael Grandage.

Bewitched

Bewitched
Columbia
June 24, 2005
Fantasy, Romcom
DVD
D

Nora Ephron directed and co-wrote this mess with her sister Delia.  I saw it at the time and mostly remembered that the concept-- the movie isn't a remake of the classic TV show but a movie about a remake of the classic TV show-- was convoluted, and Will Ferrell was annoying.  Both still true, but I probably would've given the movie a C- or a pity C back in '05, and I did watch until the end.  This time, I was irritated with Kidman before Ferrell showed up, although he did bring it down from a D+.