My Movie Ratings - Updated January 2016

Through the end of 2015, I have rated 3323 movies and TV shows I have watched on DVD, streaming and live TV, mostly in the last few years, but some from memory of earlier viewings. I rated them, to help me remember what I have watched and how I liked it. My rating system is built around the Netflix five star system, but starting a couple years ago, I began adding decimals to make it more accurate. It essentially has evolved into a four star system. A 2.7 or lower movie is one I would probably not bother ever watching again. Ratings of 2.8 and 2.9 are marginal or reasonably satisfactory, so I might consider watching again someday.  From 3 to 3.2 are probably worth watching again. From 3.3 on up are definitely worth seeing again. Several of the older ratings were done before I started using decimals, and they are identified on the lists as "no decimal" and should be taken with a grain of salt, since a 2.7 and 3.3 movie would both have been rated three stars. Some movies are rated DNF, meaning I did not finish the movie and decided that, even though it was not good enough to hold my attention, I should not give it a low rating without seeing it all.

The Netflix star system is designed to make three of the five stars positive ratings (and thus encourage rentals). My reaction to that tactic was to hold my ratings down to mostly three stars (liked it), with a few four stars (really liked it) and a rare 5 star (loved it). From memory of viewings many years ago, I have rated some movies at Netflix, mainly for the purpose of helping the Netflix predictions of what I will like and to help me keep track of what I have already seen. At the end of 2012, I decided to add those to the ratings lists, with an indication the rating is from memory. During the year I also posted my ratings to my account at the Internet Movie Database, using their 10 star system.

References to seasons or disk numbers are not meaningful unless more than one rating is made for that title. In the case of a TV series, sometimes the series is rated as a whole and sometimes the individual seasons are rated. All of the movies include the year of release, but various sources might report the year of release as one year earlier or later. Sometimes movies of the same title are released around the same date, in which case I have tried to distinguish which one I rated, usually by indicating a country of origin. Other than for that reason, I have not indicated the country or language of a movie, since I want to discourage people from avoiding non-English language films.

Remember, these ratings had been my current opinions of what I want Netflix to recommend to me, based on my most recent viewing of the movie, and also on my mood of that day. In years past I may have rated a movie higher, but recent viewing reduced my opinion. I am not rating based on the historical merit of the movie as of the time it was released. I have tried to mostly pick movies to watch that I did not remember seeing and that I thought would at least be marginally acceptable (2.8). Of the movies listed through 2012, I rated 86% at 2.8 or above. I think the toning down of my ratings at Netflix a few years back had enabled the Netflix prediction algorithm, which was calculated to one decimal, to more accurately guide my choice of what to watch. However, during 2014 the Netflix predictions became unusable, as they claim that practically every movie I will be rating five stars. Calls to Netflix customer service made it clear they could care less if the algorithms are not working. In fact they told me they do not think people actually pay attention to the predictions.

My movie ratings lists are now updated through December 31, 2015, and are linked to in the blog side bar, both alphabetically and from high to low rated. I will try to update the lists every year.  Direct any requests for clarification to me, Tom Blake.

[NOTE:  Since this post is intended to be an ongoing resource, it will not accept any comments. If you want to post a comment about this resource or about anything else, you can do it under a different post.]

Best of 2011 – Not

During 2011, I watched about 259 movies and TV productions, of which some were multiple episodes and seasons. All were watched on my home movie setup, with my only sources non-premium cable TV, Netflix steaming year long, Netflix mailing through the summer and a few from the library. I’ll add these to my lists of movies rated (alpha and from high to low) and post a comment here when that is done.

With such limited sources I cannot really offer my list of best movies of 2011. The few I did watch were not very good and the only new TV productions I rated fairly high were from PBS, Prohibition and the new Upstairs Downstairs.

A year late I can offer my list of the best 2010 productions I watched in 2011. Here they are in roughly diminishing order:

Downton Abbey – PBS Masterpiece about rich people and servants

Fair Game – about the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

The Fighter- quirky boxing family

The King’s Speech – working on the impediment

Inside Job – documentary about the financial crisis

The Pacific – Series like Band of Brothers on land and sea

Treme (Season one) – series about New Orleans musicians after Katrina

Marwencol –brain damaged man creates WWII 1/6 scale village in his back yard [this one was on PBS in April and I gave it 3.1, but did not write it up in this blog]

The Social Network – the birth of Facebook

The Tillman Story – cover-up of friendly fire death

Rabbit Hole – grief and guilt over death of child

Expanding the range of movie dates, here is a list of the 10 best of what I watched in 2011, again in roughly diminishing order:

The Wire (Five seasons)– 2003-2007 series about crime in Baltimore

The Duchess of York Street – 1976 PBS series about hotelier consort of King

Prayers for Bobby – 2009 about religious mother of gay son

Downton Abbey – 2010 from Masterpiece

Cautiva – 2005 Argentine girl’s parents were among “disappeared”

Emma- 2009 version

Stand by Me – 1986 classic

Scenes from a Marriage – 1973 theatrical version of Ingmar Bergman production

Twin Sisters – 2002 Dutch -  twins separated in youth

Fair Game – 2010 Valerie Plame Wilson CIA agent outed

City Island – 2009 – son of no-show Dad suddenly turns up

Wild China – 2008 documentary

Under the Same Moon – 2007 Spanish - illegal immigrants from Mexico

Bertie and Elizabeth – 2002 bio of parents of Elizabeth II

Amreeka – 2009 Arabic – Palestinian immigrants in US after 9/11

South of the Border – 2009 documentary about Latin American politics

For My Father – 2008 Israeli - drama about conflicts with settlers

The Country Teacher – 2008 Czech – big city teacher relocates to village

Friday Night Lights (Multi season) – Texas high school football and families

Elephant Man – 1980 classic

Number 20

This is posting number 20 for the year. I may do an update to my lists of movies rated, but that probably won’t happen until after the year end. Since I am not a theater goer, a list of the best new movies of the year won’t be forthcoming; but maybe a composite listing of the best movies I saw during the year would be worth posting.

Since I am not that interested in TV Christmas specials and Bowl games between mediocre football teams, I am trying to make a dent in my Netflix instant play queue, which is a rather confused mishmash from which nothing in particular has been calling to me. Trying the ones first that have the highest Netflix prediction is my current approach, though lately the predictions have most often turned out to be a little high.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 2009 (3.2). The first of three movies from the Stieg Larsson trilogy, this stylish Swedish production was a bit long but held interest throughout as the pursuit of the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy teenage girl led investigative reporter Mikael and young female Goth computer hacker Lisbeth down an old trail of sadistic violence toward women. [This Swedish movie is not the English language remake being advertised for 2011 release.]

Even the Rain – 2010 (3.1). A low budget Spanish film crew goes to Bolivia as a cost effective way to produce a movie about the Spanish exploitation of the New World under Columbus, and the moral voice of an early Dominican priest condemning the sin of exploitation. But the film bumps into the reality that the exploitation continues 500 years later, as the Bolivian government privatizes the water supply at the behest of the IMF and multi-national corporations. Indians hired as extras become embroiled in the protests against the travesty and the film makers are forced to flee or stay and support the cause. The courage of the Indians is inspiring and the effect on the film makers is emotionally powerful.

Treme  (Season One)– 2010 (3.1). Produced by some of the same people behind The Wire, this HBO drama series gives a view of post-Katrina New Orleans through the eyes of various musicians and other residents of Treme, the oldest African-American neighborhood in the city, who embrace its traditions and strive to see them endure. While heavy on musical performances right from the start, the characters take a few episodes to come together. This is much more about New Orleans itself than The Wire was about Baltimore, so knowledge of the city will enhance the appreciation of the series.

Toy Story 3 – 2010 (3.0). Andy is grown and heading for college so the time has come to decide what to do with his box of toys. Same marvelous animation and a good script with a fitting ending, but some of the scary portions of the adventure could be a little heavy for the very young.

The Girl Who Played with Fire – 2009 (3.0). In this second part of the Swedish Stieg Larsson trilogy, the story continues into new territory, with journalist Mikael and colleagues investigating the sex trade, while also giving some of the back story as Lisbeth relives the horrible story of her childhood and tracks it into the present. Though it has the same qualities of the first part, the novelty has lost its edge in this installment. 

Handsome Harry – 2009 (3.0). This indie drama about a former sailor confronting something he and his navy buddies did 30 years earlier managed to hold interest with decent acting and direction and a script that was unpredictable and subtle in its revelation of the back story. It is one of those movies where thinking back on it, you realize that while what you had understood about a scene was true at the time you watched it, once you put it all together in your mind you find there were other truths at play also.

Buck – 2011 (2.9).  An audience favorite at Sundance, this documentary about a childhood rodeo performer, physically abused by his father, who grew up to become a highly respected horse whisperer. An interesting man who does exceptional work with horses and their owners, this movie effectively presents him, but I would like to have seen more about his past and present family life.

Bliss – 2007 (2.9). In this Turkish drama a young rape victim is culturally ostracized in her village and is considered a disgrace to her family, requiring her suicide or murder. Reusing to do it herself, she is taken by a second cousin to Istanbul to be disposed of, but he cannot easily bring himself to do it. They are befriended by an older professor who is seeking a freeing sailboat adventure, while  her father and his henchmen search for her and the cousin to see the honor cleansing job gets done. The strength of this movie is in some poetic visuals, a very appealing heroine (played by Ozgu Namal), a believable cousin and the irrepressible professor.

The Girl Who kicked the Hornet’s Nest – 2009 (2.8). The conclusion of the Swedish Stieg Larsson trilogy finds Lisbeth on trial for a crime she did not commit while the investigative team works for her acquittal and seeks to punish the true villains. Still stylish, but while long is length this conclusion is shorter on drama as we know where it all is headed.

Ally McBeal  (Season 1, First 5 episodes) – 1997 (2.7). I gave this a try because I liked Callista Flockhart in Brothers & Sisters and this old series had been quite successful back in the day, plus I have not really seen any work by David E, Kelley. Overall, I found this a bit disappointing, with Callista’s acting being limited and repetitious and the stories being funny to a point but then just sort of silly. The dramatic aspects are tepid. The surreal inserts are funny at first, but then wear out their welcome. There may be better things to come in the series, but for now I’ll quit at 5 episodes. I can’t imagine ever watching all 100.

A Somewhat Gentle Man – 2010 (2.6). Slow moving and droll, this movie from Norway purposely manages to make that scenic country look very bleak, while telling the story of a newly released murderer whose crime boss wants him to kill the witness who sent him to jail. A little humor, even less drama and nothing particularly worth saying make for a barely passable film experience

Shadow Island Mysteries: The Last Christmas  - 2010 (2.2). A misguided impulse led to a viewing of this Canadian made for TV supposed mystery that was not mysterious or at all interesting and was poorly acted to boot. The wintery settings and one sexy young actress were the only redeeming features.

Losing Interest?

I thought about calling our friends at Netflix to ask a couple questions and to give some heartfelt advice. The questions would be about changes made by Netflix when I dropped the mail DVD option. “Why have you taken away the complete filmographies I used to be able to access?” and “Why are you only showing a few movie recommendations for me and telling me that I need to rate more movies to get more recommendations, even though I have rated over 2,600 movies?”.

The advice would be to put back the full filmographies and recommendations because, without those functions, I am finding that the Netflix site has significantly less attraction and I am less inclined to watch instant view movies than I was when I was still receiving DVDs. I don’t need Netflix for my archival ratings, since I have those on a spreadsheet in the better decimal accuracy, and I don’t need the Netflix recommendation algorithm because I can use the IMDb ratings, adjusted by my own formula, to better effect. Bottom line, I am beginning to wonder if Netflix instant view is worth the price.

But maybe a reality check is in order. Maybe I have been getting burned out on movie watching for a while and Netflix just made it easier to cut back. For a change of pace, since Netflix instant view has many of the older movies, I decided to go back and watch a few I had rated 4 stars at Netflix based on memory [like Peggy Sue and Unmarried Woman]. While I still thought they were good, I downgraded them to 3 stars.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

Peggy Sue Got Married – 1986 (3.2). Time travel 25 years back to high school may give the heroine a chance to choose a different course for her life, rather than marrying her high school sweetheart who ended up breaking her heart. Nice nostalgia from Francis Coppola. Nicolas Cage is a hoot as Kathleen Turner’s Dion wannabe boyfriend.

Welcome – 2009 (3.0). The write-ups for this French movie are a bit misleading. Yes, it is about a young Kurd who comes to France on his way to his sweetheart whose family has moved to London, and who runs into legal and practicability obstacles in trying to get across the Channel, so he decides to swim, with training from a French coach. But no, the film does not take place largely at sea, with the swimmer valiantly stroking on while the coach in the boat shouts encouragement. The title is ironic, because the movie shows how unwelcome the Kurds are in France. The story is actually more about the coach, who is going through a divorce from a woman who is an activist for immigrants, and how he is trying to deal with that breakup and reevaluate his own life, just at a time when the young Kurd shows up and impresses with his resolve. Well written, directed and acted with quality production values, this movie featured likeable characters in situations that felt authentic.

An Unmarried Woman – 1978 (3.0). I remember seeing this in the theater in 1978 and being impressed with script’s modern treatment of a woman going through a divorce and moving on with her life, and with the excellent acting of Jill Clayburgh. Seeing it again after more than 30 years, it still has its merits, but is also dated. The modernity of the viewpoint now seems a bit quaint and the overpowering musical score is annoying. But Jill’s performance is still quite impressive, going from a very capable working wife and mother to a distraught betrayed wife and then a nervous inexperienced woman trying to move on with her life, becoming a little too self-assured followed by an ingénue reversion with a new lover and finally capably standing on her own ready to face life confidently. Filmed on real locations and street in NYC, the passersby lens an air of documentary vitality.

Black Robe – 1991 (2.9). Jesuit missionaries in 1634 Quebec interfacing with Algonquin, Iroquois and Huron people is the background for this movie, filmed almost entirely outdoors in late autumn and early winter. A new priest sets out on 1500 mile canoe trip through Iroquois country to the Huron, accompanied by an extended Algonquin family and a young Frenchman. The Algonquin people try to figure what the Black Robe is really about and whether he is a demon, while he examines his own vocation and the difficulty of instilling Christian beliefs into people who already have their own sense of what life is about. The strength of this film is in showing the beauty of nature and the harsh reality of that place, time and mission.

Page Eight – 2011 (2.8). This PBS Masterpiece Contemporary movie stars Bill Nighy as an old British MI-5 agent confronting with the prospect of becoming a whistleblower and then having to face the expected retaliatory consequences. The star studded cast seems wasted on what turns out to be a rather tepid drama, but the overall style of the production and quality of the acting still make it worth watching.

The War of 1812 – 2011 (2.8).  This PBS documentary used reenactments, maps, a few portraits and interviews with scholars to explain how the War of 1812 came about, was fought and concluded and the effect it had. Though informative and including a few personal stories, the overall effect was not as memorable as the similar films made by Ken Burns. Granted there are no archival films and photos available to tell these older stories, the use of reenactments is tricky, sometimes adding dramatic impact but too often appearing just hokey. Here the reenactments were marginal.

North Face – 2008 (2.8). This German movie is based on a true story of two competing duos of climbers, one German and one Austrian, trying to conquer the last unclimbed mountain fce in the Alps in 1936. A childhood girl friend of the Germans now works for a newspaper and gets her first job in the field travelling with a veteran reporter to cover the climbing attempt. The climbing scenes are tremendous, with all the drama coming from the climb itself, supplemented minimally by the subplot of possible romantic interest of the woman for one of the climbers and her disdain for the veteran reporter’s treatment of the climbing dangers as good story material without regard for the safety of the climbers.

The Other Side of Sunday – 1996 (2.8). This Norwegian Oscar nominated drama [Netflix labels as a comedy also] tells about the 1960ish coming of age of a teenage daughter of a small town married priest with a sickly wife. The girl struggles with her emerging sexuality as she also resists getting confirmed for fear of living her life as what she calls a “church hag”. Unable to fully relate to the other teenagers, she warms up to a repressed woman who is the church organist and who is attracted to the priest. Though it has its moments, the overall effect is a bit off putting and it is hard to fully warm up to the girl even though one can sympathize with her situation and admire her determination.

Eight Men Out – 1988 (2.8). This dramatization of the 1919 Chicago Black sox scandal seems to be fairly straight forward at first but then starts to feel increasingly like a stylized presentation from some sort of pulp magazine. Maybe that was the intention, but I found it disappointing. Despite apparently fairly high production values, scenes of playoff and World Series ball games were woefully deficient in creating any feeling of actually being present at these events. There was no cast of thousands of extras and the sounds and many of the close ups indicated sound stage and sand lot rather than real major league stands and ball fields. The actual baseball playing showed a minimal amount of time spent teaching the actors to look like professional ball players. But this true story and the period feel are enough to make the movie still watchable.

SherryBaby – 2006 (2.7). Maggie Gyllenhaal exposes herself literally and figuratively and appears in every scene in this movie written and directed by a female mentee of her mother. The story is aboout a sexually promiscuous parolee trying to stay drug free, get a  job and establish a relationship with her young daughter who has been in the care of the parolee’s brother and wife. The script spends too much time showing the promiscuity and does not offer any explanation for the behavior until near the end. If the explanation had been given earlier and the rest of the movie devoted to confronting it, the film would have been much better.

Warrior of Light – 2001 (2.7). This German made documentary about an artistic upper crust Brazilian woman who developed her own program for helping street kids in Rio, is a little too disjointed and spends too much time listening to the woman expound rather than showing more of the lives of the children on the street, but it may be worth watching to see the woman practice a dedicated hands on type of love for these unfortunate but exotically appealing children.

Qwikster Doesn’t Quicken

Netflix just announced they are aborting Qwikster, the intended new web site for the DVD mail side of the business. They also claim to have added a few hundred more movies for streaming as well as numerous TV show episodes. In fact, they claim old TV episodes are quite popular with customers. Having recently powered through four seasons of Friday Night Lights, I must admit it is nice to be able to watch the next episode of a series instantly whenever the urge strikes. But if the series is not available for instant view, then getting individual DVDs from Netflix can be a slow process, as I found out with The Wire. Public libraries often have each season of a TV series available in one boxed DVD set, as I found for The Wire

I am not sure if it is appropriate to include videos of stage performances like standup comedy routines in my lists here. I do rate them on my database and at Netflix, for a record of what I have seen and to help with the Netflix recommendation algorithm. I have listed some here in the past but may not include them in the future. A film of a stage play or opera might be more appropriate for inclusion, but I rarely watch such material; in fact I have never been able to stay with an opera viewing for more than a few minutes.

Here is what I have watched since I posted my last list. [The ratings I give are on my own number system which is explained at the link on the sidebar].

Wild China – 2008 (3.4). Fascinating sights and wonderful cinematography are captivating in this six part BBC documentary about the flora and fauna of China and what is being done by the Chinese government to protect them. Intelligently narrated and without any other commentary or interviews, the movie is an encouraging pleasure to watch, but though informative, it could have reached a higher level if it was just a little more informative about the details.

Prohibition – 2011 (3.2). Ken Burns and Lynn Novick document the history of the Temperance movement, the passage of the Prohibition amendment to the Constitution, its implementation by the Volstead Act, the challenges of enforcement and the eventual repeal. There are lessons here about culture, morals, politics and government, presented via archival photos and footage with actor voiceovers and some anecdotal remembrance interviews. The film manages to not be ideological beyond professing great respect for the personal freedom protections embodied in the Constitution, and pointing out that Prohibition was a freedom restricting aberration.

Friday Night Lights (Season Four) – 2009 (3.2). The story transition to season four is smooth and the progression of the characters during the season feels real as some characters learn from their experiences while others struggle to make sense of what happens in their lives. We look forward to following the characters into season five, the final one, expecting that leaving them after that will feel like the right thing to do.

The Bicycle Thief – 1948 (3.2). I thought I had at least since parts of this Italian classic through the years, but was surprised on viewing that I did not recognize anything until the final scene. Filmed mostly on the streets of Rome, the movie has a realistic fluidity as we follow the man and his young son tracking down the essential bicycle that was stolen from him on the first day of a job that he had finally been able to obtain in the devastated post war economy. Though very low budget and quite simple in theme, this film has an enduring realism in capturing a moment and place.

Out of Ireland – 1995 (3.1). This documentary tells the story of Irish emigration to America using the personal journeys of a handful of individuals, with archival pictures and movies and interviews with historians and folklorists, and actors doing voiceovers. The political, religious and economic background is well presented, both in Ireland and in America. The film tells the story of each individual separately, which is easier to follow than when the stories are interwoven as many documentaries do.

Amexicano – 2007 (2.9). Picking up a little handyman work from a friend, an overweight Italian-American man is anxious about having to hire a day worker helper, but after a bad      experience with a US citizen Mexican day worker, he finds a hard working illegal immigrant from Mexico, and becomes involved with him personally. A little clumsy at first, this small indie gets better and the actors are appealing. Carmine Famiglietti, who has a gentle sincerity about his portrayal of the overweight man, wrote the script.

Familia – 2005 (2.9). Writer/Director Louise Archambault showed promise in both categories with this French language drama from Canada about three generations of women in a family mixed up by divorce and infidelity. It takes a while to catch on to what is going on and who is who, but that turns out to be mostly intentional. The direction is smooth and the acting good. Unfortunately, whether by nature or nurture, and in spite of the fact the men are worse than the women, the entire family is rather unlikeable.

Nightjohn – 1996 (2.9). This TV movie about clandestine literacy teaching of slaves in the ante bellum South feels a little like a caricature at first but then settles into a decent drama with a very good finish. Keeping slaves illiterate was a vital part of keeping them enslaved. Literacy lifts the lowly and receives a memorable endorsement from this story.

Shades of Ray – 2008 (2.8). A young half Pakistani half white couple are matched up by their Pakistani fathers, but the young man has an offer of marriage pending with his white girlfriend. The young leads have appeal, but everyone else is a bit stereotyped, with the male sidekick role being one that should have been jettisoned. The story has a few laughs and occasionally tries to make a social point, but is pretty tepid.

Under the Bombs – 2007 (2.9). There is some drama and a hint of romance in this Arabic language movie about a Lebanese woman returning to south Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 bombings by Israel. Her 6 year old son was staying there with her sister when the bombs struck and the woman is desperate to find them. She hires a cabbie who is brave or foolish enough to take her. But what is most interesting about the film is the almost documentary images of the actual destruction and havoc that occurred.

Yanks -1979 (2.8). This drama of two American soldiers training in England for the WWII D-Day invasion and falling in love with British women who were committed to British servicemen away in combat was too long and yet the script failed to use its time to adequately explore the feelings of the characters in sufficient depth. The acting was marginal, with the women doing better than the men. Despite the always worthwhile premise, this film failed to deliver anything memorable.

Maze – 2000 (2.7). Rob Morrow co-wrote directed and starred in this not particularly funny romance about an artist with fairly severe Tourette’s who falls in love with the girlfriend of his best friend who is away for seven months in Africa with Doctors without Borders. Clumsy at first, with the Tourette’s symptoms particularly uncomfortably portrayed, the movie gets a little better as Laura Linney becomes more involved, though a nude scene of her as a model did not need to be so flagrant to make its point.