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NathanBates

nathanbates
Celluloid Junkie
# Film Ratings: 2784
Member Since: 09 Jul 2017
Location: Virginia, USA
Bio: My personal web site is at
https://sites.google.com/site/nathanbatesfilms/index
(I keep a "Greatest Films" list there, as I'm trying to watch most -- if not all -- of the 1001+ Movies You Must See Before You Die and the Criterion Collection)

I generally rate movies 1-5, so I just multiply that out on the 100 scale:
5/100: Excellent, well worth watching again and again
4/80: Pretty good
3/60: Average [general rating]
2/40: Pretty bad, maybe some redeeming characteristics
1/20: Terrible; not worth watching ever again

Top 10 Movies:
1. Citizen Kane
2. Throne of Blood
3. Star Wars: A New Hope
4. Le Samourai
5. The Magicians
6. Stagecoach
7. Los Olvidados
8. Rear Window
9. The Third Man
10. North by Northwest

Comfort Movies:
1. Camp Nowhere
2. Midnight Madness
3. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
4. Tremors
5. Rat Race

Worst Movies I've Seen:
1. The Five (2010)
2. Percy Jackson II: Sea of Monsters
3. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief
4. Radioland Murders
5. Into the Storm

Recent Ratings

60 36%
Adieu Philippine (1962) - Rated 15 Jul 2025
"I have to imagine that when this was (finally) released, the younger generation found it exciting to see a film that spoke to them, while the older generation wondered whatever happened to movies with plots or character growth. It's clearly French New Wave, though, with some very odd edits. What helps save it is the zany humor sprinkled throughout (my fav moment, although I don't know why: waking up and shouting the magic words)."
40 5%
Millennium Mambo (2001) - Rated 14 Jul 2025
"I enjoyed HHH's "country" films, as they seemed to connect to some odd conception of shared experiences from small town people. This one, though, felt like a generational shift, a somewhat more somber version of Francis Ha. I'm sure viewers will say that the intentionally blurry scenes were effective, but for me they were just a headache in an otherwise plotless movie. Snowy Japan was the highlight."
80 79%
Crumb (1994) - Rated 13 Jul 2025
"A devastating documentary about an artist stuck between Mad Magazine humor and Hustler's topics. His art is sometimes funny, sometimes racist or sexist, often both. It's been said there's a fine line between genius and insanity; here we see that personified by his family members. The weirdest moment was trying to imagine Crumb having a conversation with Janis Joplin (for the Cheap Thrills album cover)."
40 5%
Funny Games (1997) - Rated 12 Jul 2025
"When part of the review score is "general enjoyment" of a movie, this home invasion film is probably not going to get high marks. Therefore, it was easy to criticize the jarring music, the meta-conversations, and the remote control scene. Points, though, for the strong cast that kept this believable in its nihilism."
60 36%
If I Should Die Before I Wake (1952) - Rated 09 Jul 2025
"This started out fairly well -- almost a child's telling of M (1931), perhaps on my mind as I watched El Vampiro Negro last night. The kid hero can make some very good "I'm scared" faces. It takes a little while for the story to move, and when it does: the parents, knowing about a child murderer out there, leave the kid alone. The "chase" scene is well photographed, but there's not a lot of mystery in how it will end. Fav: my limited Spanish was able to keep up with the film!"
60 36%
El vampiro Negro (1953) - Rated 08 Jul 2025
"Since this is a "reinterpretation" of M (1931), it's hard not to make comparisons with it. Although the basic story is the same, this offers quite a few more characters, including a cabaret dancer and a prosecutor arc that stops a little short of being interesting. A mostly-expressionless Pinzón doesn't have quite the presence of Lorre. Otherwise, this one holds its ground well, especially with some of the sewer scenes."
80 79%
Out of the Fog (1941) - Rated 07 Jul 2025
"Most noirs are memorable due to the fantastic plots or the contrived descent into darkness. This is more of a character study, and it's a relatively kooky bunch of characters (especially some of the bit parts). Almost all of the actors seem to be playing to the back of the theater. There's also the not-so-subtle overlay of "what should nations do when confronted by bullying nations" ... except I don't think the film really nails the moral. Enjoyable for the cast and the photography."
60 36%
The Piano Teacher (2001) - Rated 05 Jul 2025
"I haven't felt that uncomfortable watching a movie since Happiness. Huppert gets accolades for her performance (and that mother is something else), but I often rate on whether I'd watch a movie again. And this one's a once-was-good-enough film. (And I now might jiggle my pockets before putting my hands in.)"
60 36%
Let's Get Lost (1988) - Rated 03 Jul 2025
"Chet Baker's music was amazing. His life choices, not so much. This documentary doesn't quite make him into a tragic hero, yet there's still an amount of reverence for what he was able to accomplish. The chronology here was a bit hard to follow, and I think I got confused between his eighteen wives and girlfriends. (One thing I "miss" about the 50s was those great b&w photos of recording sessions.)"
80 79%
Gimme Shelter (1970) - Rated 02 Jul 2025
"At first, I confess to being a little "meh" about this -- like there are others in the Stones, not just Jagger. But that final shot tied it all together. It certainly became the prototype of all concert films after. I wonder, though, if that DJ who complained about the difficulty of holding a free concert has now changed his mind."