My wife is always pestering me to rent movies SHE will like, so I used the Netflix "recommendation" feature and found "Upside of Anger." A wise choice.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I can take 5 or ten minutes of tongue-in-cheek, but a whole movie, plus annoying characters?
Foyle's War (Discs 1 and 2)
The stories center on Detective Foyle, a senior police detective in southern 1940 wartime England. While the war is progressing (this is before the U.S. came in on the Allies' side) life must go on -- and laws must be enforced.
What a refreshing film this is! It's unlike any kids' movie I've ever seen.
This is a good, but not great, popcorn movie.
Florent Siri's “HOSTAGE”
This surprisingly intelligent and well made hostage drama is another high quality vehicle for Bruce Willis (Tears of the Sun, Hart's War, Sin City) in which he demonstrates again his ability to put behind his earlier "Anybody else want to negotiate?" persona.
Park Chan Wook's “OLDBOY”
While watching this Korean film the word that popped into my head was “Kafka-esque.” Bad stuff happens to an innocent man for no apparent reason and he has to deal with it without knowing why he is being tormented.
Oliver Stone's “ALEXANDER” (Director's Cut)
Contrary to popular opinion, it IS possible to find positive reviews of this movie onlne.
Joel Schumacher's “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA”
I’ve never been a fan of this musical. The songs are repetitive and dull, the story is silly, and the overriding themes remind me of the covers of those paperback romance novels you see on sale in supermarkets. But I loved the movie, even though the three points I made above are painfully obvious. So why did I like it?
William Wellman's “ISLAND IN THE SKY” and “THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY”
These two long-out-of-circulation movies present a version of John Wayne to the public that we have all but forgotten: the strong silent type who doesn’t go around smashing people with fists or blasting them with a gun. Instead he exerts his authority through quiet determination and professionalism.
Jim Jarmusch's “MYSTERY TRAIN”
This 1989 movie tells three stories about people in Memphis whose lives almost intersect based on their staying one night in the same seedy hotel. The first story is about a young Japanese couple, visiting Memphis by train, who are paying homage to the roots of rock and roll. The young woman reveres Elvis while the young man reveres Carl Perkins.
Katsuhiro Ôtomo's “STEAMBOY”
At the end of Steamboy the credits roll over a series of detailed pictures that project the main characters of the movie into the future. We see Ray Steam’s inventions unfold even further, and they include flight and airplanes. And we see Scarlett defiantly staring into the camera as well as she shares Ray’s future.
Jasmin Dizdar's “BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE”
This movie is filled with angry, argumentative, strange, cruel, and just plain mean characters. Ultimately, it is profoundly humane.
Steven Spielberg's “WAR OF THE WORLDS”
This movie gave me nightmares.
Intelligent speculation and scrupulous attention to detail are ruined by repeated depictions of instantaneous radio communications between Mission Control and the magnificently detailed Pegasus space ship as it tours the planets.
Christopher Nolan's “BATMAN BEGINS”
The story overall is a solemn and theatrical exploration of extended, troubled, guilt-ridden adolescence.
Peter Jackson's “DEAD ALIVE”
I’m not sure what this says about me and my taste in movies, but I think this film is some type of masterpiece.
Hayao Miyazaki's “HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE”
What did I like least about this film? The answer: the ending. It is too pat, too rushed, too abrupt. What do I like most? Just about everything else. In fact, I found myself smiling at what I was seeing on the screen more often than in any movie I’ve seen since The Incredibles — and that is saying a lot.
Appleseed
This anime epic now available on DVD successfully presents a convoluted story and a creative approach to the integration of 2D characters (shaded to look 3D) and 3D graphics.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
My favorite scene: Senator Palpatine talks with Anakin Skywalker and encourages Anakin to consider turning against the rest of the Jedi. Problem is, there aren’t any other scenes like this where emotion and drama actually surface.