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...
| 80 T8 | Jean de Florette (1986) - 03 Dec 2023
"I don't know if there's a term for it, but I love films that have a locale that almost feels like it is its own character. Here, the Provence countryside is so beautiful to look at, even when there's nothing really happening with the plot. There's also a perfect cast for the small-town rivalry with the transplanted city people who just won't give up, even when it appears that God himself is against them. Fav scene: Jean talking wildly about raising hundreds of rabbits."
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| 60 T6 | The Last Detail (1973) - 02 Dec 2023
"A good buddy road-trip movie, with outstanding performances by the three sailors. I know the discursions are what builds up those characters, but those five days sure felt like the whole winter. The ending surprised me by being a little sudden, with not a lot of time to really think about the whole thing. Fav scene: unfolding the cots."
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| 60 T6 | Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) - 30 Nov 2023
"In most time-travel stories, the protagonist tends to force a lot of changes, hoping that one will be the right one that "sticks." Here, though, PS seems rather calculated in her almost minor deviations. Turner's performance is about the only highlight as the script wanders between drama and comedy, squeezing in a pretty predictable romance."
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| 40 T1 | The Cheat (1931) - 29 Nov 2023
"I'm trying to think how the 1930s Great Depression audience would have identified with this woman who throws around $10,000 like yesterday's garbage. But in hoping for her comeuppance, who knew it would involve a branding iron?! Even that's not enough to make this a memorable outing for Bankhead, and her histrionics in a ridiculous trial sequence don't help either."
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| 80 T8 | The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961) - 26 Nov 2023
"After 6+ hours of watching a man lose faith in his countrymen, now we get a few more hours of watching him lose faith in his idealism. The internal monologues (and endless walking) aren't quite as engaging as in the prior two films, but we're still hoping for a better resolution. It's an exhausting yet exhilarating trilogy well worth the time spent."
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| 80 T8 | The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (1959) - 25 Nov 2023
"While the melodrama ramps up a little here, so do the stakes. The overly authoritarian military doesn't take too kindly to our pacifist hero. He winds up fighting two wars -- one for his country, which we see in the powerful last hour, and one for his soul, which also certainly takes a beating. Favorite scene, though, had to be with the martinet head nurse."
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| 80 T8 | The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) - 24 Nov 2023
"What to do when you're an idealist and the rest of the world isn't? Give in, or stick to your (figurative) guns? Here, we have a naive young man trying to treat captured war prisoners as humans. It's surprisingly engaging even when he's less than successful. Only a third of the way in, but I'm looking forward to the next installment."
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| 60 T6 | Baby Face (1933) - 22 Nov 2023
"Ah, that pre-Code era, where the plot can start with a man pimping out his daughter to keep his speakeasy running. I kept thinking throughout the film that HR training sessions would be a lot more interesting if they showed this. Stanwyck is the true star; most of the men are pretty average and interchangeable. As a fan of hers, I'm glad I watched it. I just don't think I'd want to see it again."
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| 60 T6 | Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project (2019) - 21 Nov 2023
"Somewhat uneven documentary that delicately dances around race, politics, and mental illness. Stokes' obsession with capturing the news was interesting, but it appears to have come at a personal cost. It baffled me that her whole collection was pretty useless without any sort of index (other than a date, I guess), of which, as a former librarian, she must have been quite aware. Had she lived longer, I wonder what she would have thought of copyright clearance."
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| 80 T8 | Nine Queens (2000) - 19 Nov 2023
"Enjoyable story about two cons, intricately plotted like The Usual Suspects, that tends to be more focused on the characters than the job. The misdirection here is quite good; I was sure I had picked out the one clue that would give it all away but I was very wrong."
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