NathanBates

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, but with 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
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, but with 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
Check out NathanBates's...
60 34% | The Goat (1921) - Mar 29, 2023
"You can tell the Keystone Kops were pretty popular around this time, because Keaton (and Arbuckle before him) rely a lot on police chase sequences. Of course, there are good gags sprinkled throughout, but I couldn't help feeling I had seen a lot of it before."
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80 77% | The 'High Sign' (1921) - Mar 29, 2023
"What a great "dollhouse" view of the house with the secret panels! Interesting to see fellow Arbuckle star St. John make a quick appearance. I feel like walking down the street and making the secret "high sign" to see if anyone else returns it. (Likely, I'd just be beaten up.)"
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60 34% | Hard Luck (1921) - Mar 29, 2023
"I've mentioned it before, but the beginnings and ends of these Keaton shorts are drastically different. Some good parts, some a little overdone. I had hopes we'd finish the armadillo excursion, though."
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60 34% | The Haunted House (1921) - Mar 28, 2023
"Not one of my favorites, but I chucked during a lot of the haunted house bits. Must have been a heck of an operation to have stooges able to walk back and forth through the hallways. This felt like it should be the opener for "A Matter of Life and Death" (named "Stairway to Heaven" in the US)."
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60 34% | Neighbors (1920) - Mar 28, 2023
"The long police sequence with the see-saw board was a little tiring, and the love interest disappeared for a huge chunk of this short, so I wouldn't rate this as one of Keaton's best. Favorite moment: rising out of the wagon like a ghost (or like the Great Pumpkin)."
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80 77% | The Scarecrow (1920) - Mar 28, 2023
"A strong short, although I'd be darned if I could tell you how all those parts fit together. I wasn't a fan of the dog sequence, but that house arrangement was a riot."
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60 34% | Convict 13 (1920) - Mar 28, 2023
"Apparently, golf can be a dangerous game. Although there's some funny bits, the prison sequence felt way too long."
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80 77% | One Week (1920) - Mar 28, 2023
"Who knew prefab houses were a thing in 1920? I'm always impressed with the stunts -- how did they not lose time filming due to injury?"
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80 77% | Almost Famous (2000) - Mar 26, 2023
"Really enjoyable coming-of-age story with rock trappings, but there sure were a lot of shots of people smiling at each other."
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60 34% | Executioners (1993) - Mar 21, 2023
"(Fight) something (three girls in a tub) something (explosions) something (betrayal) something (drink rat blood) something (bigger explosions) something. I'd love to think that this has a three-hour version that actually explains at least some of the plot and the random characters. It's silly mindless fun, but tries too hard to be a grittier version of the first Heroic Trio with even higher stakes. A few good but too-short fight sequences with a huge amount of filler around them."
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