When Harry Met Sally...

When Harry Met Sally...

Castle Rock Entertainment

July 21, 1989
Romcom
DVD
B-

So here's the thing.  I saw this movie once or twice before, not at the time, because at twenty-one I was a little young for it.  I always thought it was over-rated but not terrible, and just seeing the trailers made me mildly dislike Meg Ryan for decades.  So I didn't exactly go into this with high hopes.

But it's actually pretty good, sweet and mildly funny.  I can't relate to it, I don't think I've ever related to it*, but it's definitely interesting in an anthropological sense, very much of its time.  And it's much better than at least 90% of the romcoms out there, especially ones I've attempted for this project.  And, yeah, I'll finally start cutting Meg Ryan some slack.

Nora Ephron wrote (with a lot of input), and Rob Reiner directed.

*I relate to Going the Distance hard, even if I'm not actually like any of the people in it.

Stand by Me

Stand by Me

Columbia

August 22, 1986

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

I'd of course heard of this movie since the time but never had much interest in it.  I will say I like the setting, but I didn't care about the story.  This is based on the Stephen King novella The Body, and directed by Rob Reiner.

The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride

20th Century Fox etc.

October 9, 1987

Fantasy, Comedy, Romance

DVD
C-

I just have never gotten the hype about this movie.  To be honest, everyone in the first quarter hour is a bit dull, except for the always reliable Wallace Shawn.  William Goldman adapted his own novel and Rob Reiner directed.

The Muse (1999)

The Muse (1999)

October Films

August 27, 1999

Comedy, Fantasy

DVD
B

Very witty Albert Brooks vehicle about life in Hollywood, with some nice supporting material for Stone, McDowell, and Bridges, as well as fun cameos.  The "fantasy" tag (spoilers) may not be strictly accurate, but I choose to believe it is.

Misery

Misery

Castle Rock etc.

November 30, 1990

Dramedy

DVD
C-

I had to read the Stephen King novel many years ago for a class and only got through it as a hate-read.  The first quarter hour of the movie though is a quirky little comedy-drama, contrasting the country and the city.  William Goldman wrote the screenplay and Rob Reiner directed.

The Majestic

The Majestic

Warner Bros.

December 21, 2001

Historical Drama

DVD
B-

This movie is long and more complicated than it seems capable of resolving, but I generally enjoyed it, including the contrast between Lawson and the more hostile world outside.  The cameo voicework by various directors adds some humor.  Also, I always prefer the more serious, less manic Jim Carrey, as in The Truman Show (which had a different relationship to the safe little world and the big scary world of course).  Frank Darabont directed a couple years after The Green Mile, which was much less my kind of movie.

The Bucket List

The Bucket List
Warner Bros.
December 25, 2007
Dramedy
DVD
C-

Two seriously ill men (Nicholson and Freeman) meet in a hospital room and hilarity ensues.  I assume, since I tuned out after fifteen minutes, glad to, yes, cross seeing this movie off my bucket list.  (And that was only because of Easy A.)  Still, it's always nice to get Freeman narration.  Rob Reiner directed.