The Longest Yard (1974)

 

The original prison football movie starring Burt Reynolds. I'm glad they remade this, because it mostly sucked. Very few redeeming moments.

Rating: D-

Gangster No. 1 (2000)

 

An old-school-like British mobster movie that had stylistic potential, but got bogged down with grotesque violence. 

Rating: C-

Bullet Boy (2004)

 

Mostly boring with incomprehensible blather muttered by the two leads. Stupid people make stupid decisions and suffer the consequences. Who cares. 

Rating: F

Manda Bala (2007)

 

A Brazilian documentary covering both corruption and violence among politicians and criminals. While I found much of this film interesting, sometimes disturbing, my fear is that it may give foreigners the wrong idea about Brazil. Sure, there is violence and corruption. But show me a 3rd world country that doesn't have these. Show me a 1st world country for that matter.

I lived all over Brazil for 2 years. Not once did I encounter danger or crime. I was never robbed, kidnapped, or harmed in any way. Viewers may get the wrong impression about the degree of danger that exists. Is it still worth seeing? Yes, both the documentary and the country. Just use common sense when seeing both. 

Rating: C+

Cradle 2 The Grave (2003)

 

As far as rapper kung fu movies go, it's not a bad one. Some great fight sequences with an ok plot. What an obnoxious little girl portraying DMX's daughter.

Rating: C

The Santa Clause 2 (2002)

 

Not nearly as entertaining as the first, but not all bad either. Most of the scenes in the North Pole are fairly weak. The entire clone Santa subplot was lame. However, the scenes in the real world were oftentimes funny and well written. Loved Molly Shannon's bit part. 

Rating: C-

Birthday Girl (2001)

 

This Nicole Kidman flick didn't get much attention at the box office, but I enjoyed it. An Englishman gets more than he bargained for when he brings home a Russian Internet bride. 

Rating: C+

Man On Wire (2008)

The brilliance of director James Marsh is how he created an intriguing, sometimes thrilling documentary around the simple act of wire walking. It doesn't hurt that the key players are great story tellers and complete naturals in front of the camera. 

The other secret to this film's success is the documentary within the documentary. That is, the story of the Twin Towers. Just as interesting as the tale of how a man walked between them is the historical footage showing them going up. Two beyond human feats intertwined into one gripping film. 

Rating: B

A Murder Of Crows (1998)

 

A murder/mystery that managed to keep me awake. 

Rating: C

Terminator Salvation (2009)

 

Just because 3 movies, a TV series, and a theme park ride have paved the path before you, doesn't mean you get to skimp on character development and story. Salvation dives right in, as if the audience has been waiting anxiously for the next installment.

Lots of robots and explosions with little to make the audience care who lives or dies. This is what your get when MCG is directing. His style may suit the Charlie's Angels crowd, but it's not suited for anything with depth.

Rating: D

The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill (2003)

 

If you like parrots and San Francisco, then you will like this

documentary.

Rating: C+

Welcome To Collinwood (2002)

 

Produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney with an amazing cast. Smart little heist movie with subtle humor. Well acted of course, especially by Sam Rockwell.

Rating: C+

Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)

 

A gritty British film from the director of "This Is England". The story is told through flashbacks. Kind of dreary. 

Rating: C

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

I'm not usually a fan of black and white films, but in the hands of The Coen Brothers, it looked beautiful. Smooth storytelling with cool narration from Billy Bob. I didn't care for the ending. 

Rating: C

The Life Of David Gale (2003)

 

Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslett star in a movie about capital punishment that makes its point without shoving it down your throat. Chilling in some parts, gruesome in others. Not something you'd watch for a good time.

Rating: C+

Thick As Thieves (1999)

 

I caught wind of this in the Sundance film guide and rented it through Netflix. Alec was in excellent form. The supporting actors did a hell of a job. Interesting plot with the right amount of humor. 

Rating: C+

Serendipity (2001)

 

Predictable but fun. Jeremy Piven & Eugene Levy had me cracking up. 

Rating: C+

All I Wanna Do (1998)

Early work from Kirsten Dunst. Catholic school girls revolt.

Rating: C+

Beyond Borders (2003)

 

Mostly disjointed storytelling with weak attempts to manipulate your heart strings. 

Rating: D

The One (2001)

The plot was a stretch, but a good stretch. Jet Li was in fine form. Solid special effects for the time.

Rating: C+