Spotlight Banner Now Playing Spotlight

Reviews | Now Playing | Favorites

New Releases | Video Viewings

blue diamondHome
blue diamond Who Am I?
cyan diamondFamily
cyan diamondFilms
cyan diamondBooks
cyan diamondQuotes
cyan diamondLinks
cyan diamondWolves
cyan diamondTravels

Between new releases and videos, we see about 10 films a month.

We try to alternate, Mary picking and then I get to, but veto power can block a cboice. Both of us are very selective. We tend to like the same kinds of movies and to agree on what makes a good film and on which films deserve to be seen on the big screen and which are OK for TV, video or DVDs.

That accounts for why most films below were rated above C and similarly by both of us. It also means that films rated below "B" are pretty disappointing and anything with a "B" or higher is recommended.

A good film meets four criteria. It has to entertain us while we watch it, surprise us where it goes and how it gets there, follow interesting characters and leave the theater with us so we have something to talk about.

Epics, comedies and special effects films generally play better on a big screen in a darkened theater with a crowd, but we've grown excessively tired of films where the plot, dialogue and characters are lost amid special effects. So we now rarely see special effects films in theaters, although we make exceptions.

The films are listed below with those we've seen most recently at the top.

Send Mary and Jerry e-mail if you agree or disagree, have questions or want to discuss absolutely anything about the movies.

Mary's Rating New Releases Jerry's Rating
A Star Trek A
A- The Wrestler B
A- Frost/Nixon A-
B+ Slumdog Millionaire B+
B The Curious Case of Benjamin Button A-
A Milk A-
A Wall-E A-
A There Will Be Blood B+
A- Juno A-
A- I am Legend B+
A No Country for Old Men A
B 3:10 to Yuma C+
B+ Hairspray B
B+ The Bourne Ultimatum B
A- Waitress A-
A Pan's Labyrinth A
A- Notes on a Scandal B
A Letters from Iwo Jima A
B+ Dreamgirls B
B Last King of Scotland B-
A The Queen A
A- Children of Men A-
B+ Flags of Our Fathers A-
A- Departed A-
A- The Illusionist A-
A- Prairie Home Companion A-
B+ Cars B+
B The DaVinci Code B-
B+ United 93 B+
B+ Match Point A-
A Brokeback Mountain A
A- The New World A-
A- Munich A
B+ King Kong C+
B+ Syriana B+
A Walk The Line A-
A- Good Night, and Good Luck A-
A- Capote A-
A- History of Violence A-
B+ The Constant Gardner B-
B+ Broken Flowers B+
A March of the Penquins A
B+ War of the Worlds B-
B+ Batman Begins B-
A Crash A
B+ The Interpreter B+
A Hotel Rwanda A
B Beyond the Sea B-
A Million Dollar Baby A
B House of Flying Daggers B+
A The Aviator A
A Sideways A-
B Finding Neverland B
B+ Kinsey B+
B+ The Polar Express B-
A- The Incredibles A-
A Ray A
B+ Friday Night Lights B
B Bourne Supremacy B
A Garden State A-
A Hero A
B+ Collateral B+
B+ Spiderman 2 B+
B+ The Clearing B
A- The Terminal A-
A Touching the Void A
B+ Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind B+
B- The Passion of the Christ F
B Monster B+
B+ The Girl with the Pearl Earring B-
B+ The Cooler B+
A- 21 Grams A-
B- Cold Mountain B
A Return of the King A
B+ In America B+
B+ Somethings Got To Give B
B+ Master and Commander B
B+ Station Agent B+
B+ Love Actually B+
A Mystic River A
A American Splendor A
A- Lost In Translation A-
B Thirteen B+
A- Open Range B+
A- Seabiscuit B+
A Finding Nemo A
B Winged Migration B
B+ Spellbound B+
B+ Man on a Train B
B Matrix Reloaded C
B+ X-Men United B
B+ A Mighty Wind B+
A The Hours B+
A The Quiet American A
B Rabbit-Proof Fence B
A- Adaptation A-
B+ Confessions of a Dangerous Mind B
A Gangs of New York A
B+ About Schmidt B
B+ Antwone Fisher B+
A+ Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers A
B+ Star Trek: Nemesis B+
B+ Solaris B+
A Far From Heaven A
B Punch-Drunk Love C+
A My Big Fat Greek Wedding A
B+ Road to Perdition B+
A- Minority Report A-
B Spiderman B+
A Unfaithful A
B Monsoon Wedding B
B+ Changing Lanes B
B+ Monster's Ball B
B+ In the Bedroom B+
B+ Gosford Park B-
B+ Endurance B
A- A Beautiful Mind A-
B Amelie B-
B+ The Royal Tenenbaums B
C+ Vanilla Sky B-
A The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring A
B+ KPAX B
B+ The Road Home A-
B+ The Score A-
B Final Fantasy B-
B AI C+
B Moulin Rouge B-
A Under the Sun B+
A Himalaya B+
A Spring Forward A
A Memento B+
A- Pollock B
B Quills B
A- The Pledge B
A- Shadow of a Vampire B+
B Finding Forrester B-
B+ Traffic B+
B Croching Tiger, Hidden Dragon B
A You Can Count on Me A-
A- Cast Away A-
A- All The Pretty Horses B+
A Unbreakable A
B Best of Show B+
B+ The Contender B
A- Almost Famous B+
B+ The Cell B-
B+ Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets B-
B Space Cowboys B-
B- Shanghai Noon C+
A- The Perfect Storm B
A- Chicken Run B-
B+ Small Time Crooks B+
B The Virgin Suicides B
A- Gladiator B
B Sweet and Lowdown B
B+ Topsy Turvy B-
B+ The Cider House Rules B
A Hurricane A-
A- Magnolia B
A The Green Mile A-
B- Man on the Moon B-
A Toy Story 2 A
A Being John Malkovich A
A- The Insider A-
A- Straight Story A-
B Dogma C
B The Dinner Game B-
B Three Kings B
A American Beauty A
B The Muse B-
A The Red Violin B+
A The Sixth Sense A
A The Blair Witch Project B+
B Tarzan B-
B Eyes Wide Shut B-
A- Limbo B+
B Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me B-
B Star Wars: The Phantom B-
A The Winslow Boy A
B- Matrix B-
B+ Three Seasons B
B Cookies' Fortune B+
A- A Simple Plan A-
A Affliction B+
B+ Everest (IMAX) B+
B+ Hilary and Jackie B
B Life is Beautiful C+
A The Thin Red Line A
B+ Elizabeth A-
A Shakespeare in Love A
A Gods and Monsters A-
B American History X B+
B Prince of Egypt B-
B Star Trek: Insurrection B-
A- Pleasantville B+
Mary's Rating TV/Video/DVDs Viewings Jerry's Rating
A- Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room A-
B+ Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day B
A- The Great War (PBS Series) B+
B Gonzo: The Life and Times of Hunter Thompson B
A+ Blade Runner (Deluxe DVD) A+
A+ Lonesome Dove A+
B Burn After Reading B
B+ The Talented Mr. Ripley B
B Appaloosa B
B+ Little Mermaid B
B Bridget Jones Diary B
A- Taxi to the Darkside A-
B+ Red Belt B+
A Tell No One A
A- In The Shadow of the Moon B+
C- Tropic Thunder D+
B+ Sherman's March B+
B+ And Now My Love (Toute Une Vie) B+
B Dog Town and Z Boys B
B Forgetting Sarah Marshall B
A- Changeling A-
B+ American Gangster B+
A Frozen River B
B Vicky Christina Barcelona B
B+ Man on Wire B
B+ Encounters at the End of the World B
B Founding Brothers B
B George Washington D+
B Notorious Bettie Page B
A- The Dark Knight B+
A In Bruges A-
B+ Enchanted B
B+ Snow Angels B
B+ Standard Operating Procedure B
B- Meet The Parents B-
B- Superbad B-
B The Night That Panicked America B
B+ Ironman B+
A- Young at Heart B+
A The Visitor A
B Rescue Dawn B
B+ Zodiac B+
B Dan in Real Life B
B+ Four Months, Three Weeks, and Two Days B
A Baseball (Kevin Burns) A
B+ Charley Wilson's War B+
A- The Savages B+
B+ Before the Devil Knows You are Dead B+
B Buffalo Bill: The American Experience B
B- For Your Consideration B-
B+ In the Heat of the Night B+
B+ Casino Real (2006) B+
A- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly B+
A- Recount A-
B+ Knocked Up B+
A- The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters A-
A- Geronimo A-
B+ Hoax B+
B Happy Feet C+
A Adaptation A-
A- Sweetland B
A Civil War (Ken Burns) A
B+ Into the Valley of Elah B
A- Atonement B+
A- Michael Clayton A-
B+ Into the Wild B
D Night at the Museums D-
A- The Assassination of Jesse James B
B+ Born into Brothels B
B+ Breach B
B+ American Experience: Kit Carson B+
B+ Gone Baby Gone B-
B+ Music and Lyrics B+
A- Eastern Promises A-
A- La Vie En Rose B+
A- Volver B+
B Thank You for Smoking B
A- Ratatouille B+
A- No End in Sight B+
A- Paris je t'aime B+
A Once B+
B Miracle at Sage Creek B
A- Away From Her B+
B Invaders From Mars B-
A_ White Heat A-
B+ Stranger Than Fiction A-
C+ Junebug C+
A Seven-Ups (seven films) A
A Gettysburg A
B+ Dolores Clairborne B-
A+ The Lives of Others A
C- Borat C-
B+ Songcatcher B
A+ Pan's Labyrinth A
A Reversal of Fortune A
A- Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel B
A- Thomas Jefferson B
C Romper Stomper C-
B- Bottle Rocket C-
A Crash A
A- The Magdalene Sisters B
B+ Maria Full of Grace B
B+ Fever Pitch B
A The Last Picture Show A
B Inside Man B
B One Hour Photo B
A Children of Men A
A The Conversation A
B+ The Devil Wears Prada B+
A- The Squid and the Whale B
B Be Here to Love Me B
A Sunset Boulevard A
B Serenity B-
B+ John Adams: The American Experience B
B+ Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee B+
B+ Alexander Hamilton: The American Experience B
B+ Curse of the Golden Dragon B+
B Grey Gardens B-
B+ Game Six B+
B+ The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill B+
A Forrest Gump A
B The Lake House B
C- Slapshot D
B- X-Men: The Last Stand B-
B- 16 Blocks B-
A Blue A
A White A
A Red A
B McCabe and Mrs. Miller B
B Little Miss Sunshine B-
B+ Johnson County War B-
B- Roadhouse B-
A Lady and the Tramp A
B+ De-Lovely B+
B Motorcycle Diaries B
A- Dog Day Afternoon A-
B Wedding Crashers B-
A- The Roaring Twenties A-
C The Aristocrats D+
B Sin City B-
A- Ship of Fools B+
B 40 Year Old Virgin B-
A Network A
A- Lewis & Clark (Ken Burns) A-
C- Caddyshack C
B+ Y Tu Tambien Mama B+
B+ Parenthood B
A Strangers on A Train A-
B Day of the Locust B
A- Princess Bride A-
A- Murderball A-
B Open Water B+
A- Grizzly Man A-
D Buffalo Soldiers (2003) D-
C Napolean Dynamite C-
B+ Crimes and Misdemeanors B+
B In Good Company B-
B+ Nashville B+
B+ The Upside of Anger A-
B- Kill Bill Vol. 2 B-
C Kill Bill Vol. 1 C
B+ 84 Charing Cross Road B+
B French Connection B
B+ Angels With Dirty Faces B+
B Metallica: Some Kind of Monster B
B+ Public Enemy B+
B+ Bad Santa B+
B 28 Days Later B
B+ Petrified Forest B+
B+ No Direction Home: Bob Dylan B+
B Festival Express B
B+ Supersize Me B+
A- State and Main A-
B+ The Missing B+
A- Double Indemnity A-
A Pulp Fiction A
C+ Ocean's 11 C+
B+ Public Enemy A-
A The Wild Bunch A
B+ 61 B+
B Babette's Feast B
A- Le Bete Humaine B+
B+ Rushmore B+
B+ Planet of the Apes B+
A Yankee Doodle Dandy (Deluxe DVD) A
B Bowfinger B
B The Fog of War B
A- Empire Falls B+
B Mildred Pierce B
B+ House of Sand and Fog B+
B Hidalgo B-
A+ Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Deluxe DVD A+
A+ Casablanca A+
B School of Rock C+
A Angels in America A
A- Dead Again B+
A- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country B+
B+ The Bourne Identity B+
A Rashomon (DVD) A
D- Old School D-
B+ Thief of Time B
B Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl B-
A Signs A
A+ Treasure of the Sierra Madre (DVD) A
B Daredevil B
B+ Phonebooth B+
B+ Ice Age B+
B Relic B
B Hondo B
B+ Star Trek: The Motion Picture B+
C- Bowling for Columbine D+
B+ The Gift B
A Finding Nemo (Deluxe DVD) A
A- The Godfather: Part III B+
B Auto Focus B
A- Sunshine State A-
A The Godfather: Part II A
B+ Magnificent Seven B+
A+ The Two Towers (DVD: Extended Edition) A+
B+ High Fidelity B+
B+ Se7en B+
A On the Waterfront A
A The Godfather A
B+ We Were Soldiers (DVD) B+
B+ Titanic (DVD) A
A Terminator A
A+ Dances with Wolves (DVD special edition) A
A Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan A
A Manon of the Spring A
A High Noon A
A Jean de Florette A
A Psycho A
A- Die Hard B
B Legally Blonde B
B+ X-Men B+
B The Red Pony B
A- National Velvet B
B+ Black Stallion B
B- The Misfits C+
B+ Heist A-
B Two Rode Together B
B+ Bend of the River B
C- Training Day D+
B Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron B-
B+ Mad Max B+
A Unforgiven A-
A+ Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring A
B+ North by Northwest B+
A+ Umberto D A
A Toy Story 2 A-
B Harry Potter and The Sourcerer's Stone B
A+ American Beauty A
B The Ref B
B The Cowboy B
A Unbreakable A
B Black Hawk Down B
B+ Thousand Pieces of Gold B
A Thirteen Days A
B+ Shrek C+
B Dream West B
A The Usual Suspects A
A Apocalypse Now Redux A
B+ The Hidden A-
A- Dark City B-
B+ The Claim B+
B The Grass Harp B
A Coal Miner's Daughter A-
A- Missing A-
B+ Badlands A-
B Carrie B+
B Excalibur B
C+ For the Love of the Game C+
B+ O' Brother, Where Art Thou? B+
B+ Gladiator B+
B+ Sydney 2000 B
B+ Dinner With Friends B+
B+ Snow Falling on Cedars B+
B How the West was Won B
A- The Sand Pebbles A-
C+ Titan A.E. C+
B+ Wild River B+
F Fight Club F
B Experiment in Terror B
B- Pitch Black B
A+ Lawrence of Arabia A
B The Kid B
B The Patriot C+
B The Red Tent B
A Apollo 13 B+
C+ Priscilla, Queen of the Desert C
B+ Erin Brockovich B+
A 12 Monkeys A
A Pulp Fiction A
B+ Run Lola Run B+
A- In Country A-
A 2001: A Space Odyssey A
A- Nobody's Fool B+
B+ Look Who's Talking B -
B Die Harder B
B Waiting For Guffman B
B+ Opposite of Sex B+
A Cookies Fortune A-
B- eXistenZ C
A Cinema Paradiso A
C Rated X C+
B+ Insurrection B
B Trekkies B
B The General's Daughter B
B+ Blood on the Moon B
B My Antonia B
A Longitude A-
A- Arlington Road A
A- The Exorcist A
A+ The Sixth Sense A
B Now Voyager B-
B+ True Grit B
B- Entrapment C+
A Treasure of the Sierra Madre B+
B+ Fail Safe B+
A The Searchers B+
C True Crimes C
C Analyze This C
B Soldier C
A Vertigo B+
A- The Set-Up A-
C+ You've Got Mail C+
B+ Champion B+
C+ Kid Galahad C+
A- The Harder They Fall A-
A Requiem for a Heavyweight B+
B- Gentleman Jim C+
D Something About Mary D
B Somebody Up There Likes Me B
B Thirty-two Short Film about Glenn Gould B-
B+ Grosse Pointe Blank B+
B- Babe: Pig in The City C+
B Deep Impact C
B Mimic C+
A+ LA Confidential A
A- Abyss (Director's Cut) B
A Do the Right Thing A
B+ Diner A-
B Reality Bites B-
B+ Fast Times at Ridgemont High B
B The Outsiders B
A The Quiet Man C+
A Zero Effect A-
B As Good as it Gets C+
C The Gingerbread Man C
B Buffalo Soldiers B
B The Game B-
A- The Big Parade B+
A- Gallipoli B+
A Platoon A
B- Ulzana's Raid B-
B+ Red Badge of Courage B-
A All Quiet on the Western Front A
B- Sands of Iwo Jima C
B+ Battleground C+
B+ Toy Story B
B+ Gattaca B-

New Releases | Video Viewings

Spotlight Reviews | Now Playing | Favorites Spotlight
Home | My story | Family | Films | Books | Quotes | Links | Wolves | Travels |

Send e-mail

Last updated Sunday, September 27, 2009