You Can Count on Me

You Can Count on Me

Paramount etc.

January 21, 2000

Drama

DVD
C-

Too downbeat for me, but the scenery was pretty.  Kenneth Lonergan wrote and directed, sixteen years before Manchester by the Sea, which had pretty snow.

The Wood

The Wood

MTV Productions/ Paramount

July 16, 1999

Dramedy
DVD
C-

I could picture some people loving this movie, but I couldn't relate much and the present-day stuff felt a little forced. Rick Famuyiwa directed and co-wrote

Wings (1927)

Wings (1927)

Paramount

May 19, 1927

War Drama, Romance

DVD
C-

I'm not into silents or war movies, but Clara Bow is a cutie.  William A. Wellman and Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast co-directed.

White Christmas

White Christmas

Paramount

October 14, 1954

Musical

DVD
C-

The music is good but I didn't care about the story, and Crosby and Kaye have no chemistry.  Michael Curtiz directed, and it's on a level with Life with Father.

The Way Home AKA Jibeuro

The Way Home AKA Jibeuro

Paramount etc.

5 April 2002

Drama

DVD
D+

The main character is such a brat that I couldn't even enjoy the scenery.  Jeong-hyang Lee wrote and directed.

Virgin Suicides

Virgin Suicides

Paramount

May 19, 1999

Historical Drama

DVD

C-

I didn't know how to take this.  Director Sofia Coppola adapted the Jeffrey Eugenides novel.

Urban Cowboy

Urban Cowboy

Paramount

June 6, 1980

Romance

DVD
D+

I would've gone with a C-, mostly for the music, but the sloppy way the shots were arranged was very distracting.  (Not documentary-style and not filmic.  Just like no one knew where to stand or sit, and I had no idea who I was supposed to be looking at.)  James Bridges directed and co-wrote.

The Uninvited (1944)

The Uninvited (1944)

Paramount

February 10, 1944

Horror (technically)

DVD
B

I honestly had no expectations about this movie, which turned out to be both charming and genuinely spooky.  It has elements of witty comedy, sweet romance, and soap opera, including illegitimacy and lesbianism!  Plus a cute dog, cat, and even squirrel.  Oh, and this may have the most stunning haunted house ever on film.

This is based on Dorothy Macardle's novel Uneasy Freehold, and was Lewis Allen's first feature-length film.  (I didn't care for Suddenly, from a decade later.)

Uncommon Valor

Uncommon Valor

Paramount

December 16, 1983

Action

DVD
D

Not my kind of movie.  I tuned out before most of the recognizable actors showed up.  Ted Kotcheff directed, a dozen years before Hidden Assassin.

Primal Fear

Primal Fear

Rysher/ Paramount

April 3, 1996

Crime Drama

DVD
D-

Richard Gere, crime, yawn.  This is based on William Diehl's novel and directed by Gregory Hoblit, four years before Frequency.

An Officer and a Gentleman

An Officer and a Gentleman

Paramount

August 13, 1982

Drama

DVD
F+

Much uglier than I ever imagined, with racism, sexism, homophobia, and jokes about napalm!  (I tuned out before the "romance" part.)  Taylor Hackford directed, over twenty years before Ray.

This is on a "Triple" pack of Richard Gere, but I already rejected Runaway Bride.

Trading Places

Trading Places

Paramount

June 8, 1983

Comedy, I guess

DVD
D+

I had to keep reminding myself that this was a comedy, because it wasn't so much painfully unfunny as nonfunny.  Still, it was nice seeing Philadelphia.  John Landis directed.

To Catch a Thief

To Catch a Thief

Paramount

August 5, 1955

Mystery?

DVD

C-

I didn't care about the story, but I did like the look of this, especially the aerial shots.  This is based on the novel by David Dodge.  Director Hitchcock's cameo is on the bus, fairly early on.

Titanic

Titanic

Paramount etc.

December 19, 1997

Drama

DVD
C-

I reluctantly saw this months after it came out, when it was still in theaters, with a wisecracking friend who had seen it before.  This time, I just gave it the first quarter hour, not caring about the modern-day characters, which is why I'm not listing this as a historical drama and/or romance.  As everyone knows, James Cameron wrote and directed.

Terms of Endearment

Terms of Endearment

Paramount

December 9, 1983

Historical Comedy

DVD
C-

I don't know if it's the writing, or Debra Winger's performance, but this felt really off to me, though I could see its potential.  Director James L. Brooks adapted the Larry McMurtry novel.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Paramount etc.

June 3, 2016

Fantasy, Action, Comedy

DVD

D+

Almost as flat as a pizza.  Dave Green directed.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Paramount

December 8, 1979

Sci-Fi

DVD

D+

I was never into any of the versions of Star Trek, although I probably watched a few episodes of the original series in syndication when I was a kid.  Anyway, I was either bored or thinking What? Why? with this today.  Robert Wise directed, about eleven years after Star!, the last Wise movie I reviewed.

Stalag 17

Stalag 17

Paramount

June 6, 1953

War Comedy

DVD

C

Although this is not really my genre, I did appreciate the dark humor, as well as the interesting cast.  Billy Wilder directed and co-wrote.

Sorry, Wrong Number

Sorry, Wrong Number

Paramount

September 24, 1948

Mystery

DVD
C-

The main character being unsympathetic made this hard to get into.  Anatole Litvak directed, almost twenty years before The Night of the Generals.

The Singing Detective

The Singing Detective

Icon Productions/ Paramount

January 17, 2003

Crime Drama, Historical Drama, Musical

DVD
F+

Arguably the most repellent musical I've ever tried to watch.  Keith Gordon directed.