While You Were Sleeping

While You Were Sleeping

Hollywood Pictures etc.

April 21, 1995

Romcom
DVD
C-

I like Sandra Bullock, including in romcoms, but it's hard to get invested in a story where she "falls in love" with a man she's never actually met.  Jon Turteltaub directed, fifteen years before The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Where the Red Fern Grows, Part Two

Where the Red Fern Grows, Part Two

Red Fern II

1992 (Straight-to-video I think)

Historical Drama

DVD

D+

I can't remember if I read the original book by Wilson Rawls, but it probably doesn't matter.  Jim McCullough, Jr., directed.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing

Columbia etc.

July 15, 2022

Historical Drama, Crime Drama

DVD

D+

At least it had scenery and a cat.  This is based on the novel by Delia Owens, and directed by Olivia Newman.

Where Hope Grows

Where Hope Grows

Godspeed Pictures etc.

April 6, 2014

Drama

DVD
D+

Not as heavy-handed as it could've been.  Chris Dowling wrote and directed.

Where God Left His Shoes

Where God Left His Shoes

Vulcan Productions

April 27, 2007

Drama

DVD
C-

Pretty good acting but the story is too downbeat for me.  Salvatore Stabile wrote and directed.

Where Eagles Dare

Where Eagles Dare

Winkast Film Productions etc.

21 December 1968

War Drama

DVD
D

So dull that I kept checking the time-stamp every minute or so, feeling like I'd zoned out for twenty minutes.  But the snow was kind of pretty.  Brian G. Hutton directed, before Kelly's Heroes and The First Deadly Sin.

When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There

Studio Ghibli

19 July 2014

Anime, Drama

DVD
B

A twelve-year-old falls in love with the ghost of her grandmother.  OK, not exactly, but there's an awful lot of blushing and secrets and declarations of love for your standard "kid meets a cool ghost" story.  Either way, this is the first Studio Ghibli anime I haven't rejected.  The scenery is gorgeous, the story is compelling, and the voicework is solid.  Yes, I would've liked a different ending, but the one they offer is still moving.

Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi co-adapted the novel by Joan G. Robinson.