"Open your eyes. Don't let your mind tell the story here." Tonic, 1996
I have three movie ratings for each movie. Keep in mind these are my own ignorant opinions, and do not reflect the "cinematic arts-community's" opinion of these movies at all. The general category rating is whether or not I liked it. The second rating is my opinion of whether or not, despite my personal feelings, it was a well-made movie. For example, I hated Unforgiven so much I wanted to bash my head against the wall for watching it. However I can't deny that it had good acting, great cinematography, etc. So if you like "those kinds" of movies, then it is probably worth watching. I allow my opinion on this second rating scale to be influenced by the larger community, but as a whole, I just rate what I think. The third rating is the genre of film--made me cry in a sad way, made me cry in a happy way, made me clutch my chair in suspense, etc.
Mr Cranky's Movie Reviews--my
hero!
Cinema
Awards for 1991-1998
The Internet Movie Database
The movies that are bolded excel in that category (for example,
Starship Troopers is a movie I especially loved, so it is
bolded, while West Side Story I especially detested, so it
similarly is bolded.
The ratings are in parentheses after the movie, along with brief notes.
Quality is in "letter grading" (A,B,C,D,F), and genre is in 3-letter
abbreviations (com=comedy, dra=drama, act=action, sci=science fiction,
mus, romance=rom, gay theme=gay). Unless otherwise specified, you can
assume that the movies I love are A-quality films (of course), so I don't
bother to note them as such.
Movies I loved, that if watched by everyone would bring world peace | Movies I hated, that made me want to hurt somebody they were so bad |
| Europa Europa (German dra) | Freeze, Die, Come to Life (B Russian dra) |
| Starship Troopers (sci) | Journey of Hope (C Turkish dra) |
| Speed (act) | Johnny Mnemonic (B sci) |
| Empire of the Sun (dra) | Citizen Kane (C dra) |
| Color Purple (dra) | Beloved (A dra) |
| Sense and Sensibility (dra) | Cyrano De Bergerac (1991) (A French dra) |
| Beautiful Thing (dra/rom/gay) | Priscilla Queen of the Desert (C dra/gay) |
| Au Revoir Les Enfants (French dra) | Black Robe (C Spanish dra) |
| English Patient (dra/rom) | Strange Days (D sci) |
| Joy Luck Club (dra) | Blue (C French dra/sad) |
| Seven Years in Tibet (dra) | Legends of the Fall (A dra) |
| Crooked Hearts (dra) | Myth of Fingerprints (F dra) |
| Swing Kids (dra) | Brazil (C surreal) |
| The Rock (act) | Eraserhead (D surreal) |
| Romeo + Juliet (dra/rom) | Avengers (D sci) |
| Saving Private Ryan (dra) | Joe Vs. the Volcano (C dra) |
| Red Corner (dra) | Silence of the Lambs (B suspense) |
| Terminator I and II (sci) | Dante's Peak (D act) |
| Star Trek: 1st Contact (sci) | Sleepers (B suspense, child sexual abuse) |
| Walk in the Clouds (dra/rom) | My Own Private Idaho (B dra/gay) |
| Amadeus (dra) | Something About Mary (C com/rom) |
| Ferris Beuhler's Day Off (com) | Kalifornia (B suspense) |
| WarGames (sci) | I Know What You Did Last Summer (D horror) |
| As Good As It Gets (dra/rom) | Braveheart (A dra) |
| Good Will Hunting (dra) | Contact (B sci) |
| Rainmaker (dra) | Ransom (C suspense) |
| Amistad (dra) | From Dusk Till Dawn (D sci) |
| Fargo (dra) | Pulp Fiction (B suspense) |
| Fifth Element (sci) | Phantom (F act) |
| Marvin's Room (dra) | Total Eclipse (C dra/rom/gay) |
| LA Confidential (dra) | Ringmaster (F com) |
| Raiders of the Lost Ark (act) | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (B act) |
| Apollo 13 (dra) | Multiplicity (C com) |
| Air Force One (act) | Mr. Nice Guy (F com/rom) |
| Prince of Egypt (animated) | Mulan (B animated) |
| Little Mermaid (animated) | Misery (B suspense) |
| Alladin, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King (animated) | Fisher King (C dra) |
| Bugs Life (animated) | Parenthood (C dra) |
| Clerks (com), Chasing Amy (dra/rom/gay) | Malice (C suspense) |
| Twenty Bucks (dra) | Chariots of Fire (A dra) |
| Fried Green Tomatoes (dra) | Born on the Fourth of July (B dra) |
| Monty Python's Holy Grail (com) | Life of Brian (D com) |
| St. Elmo's Fire (dra) | Kiss of the Spider Woman (B dra/gay) |
| Breakfast Club (dra) | Home Alone (B horror, allegedly a comedy) |
| JFK (dra) | Nightwatch (B suspense) |
| Dead Poet's Society (dra) | Falling Down (B dra) |
| Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (com) | Ace Ventura (F com) |
| Flatliners (sci) | Species (D horror) |
| And The Band Played On (dra) | Equinox (C suspense) |
| Schindler's List (dra) | Spoorloog (The Vanishing) (B suspense) |
| Quiz Show (dra) | Tremors (D sci/dra) |
| Shawshank Redemption (dra) | Congo (C sci/dra) |
| Mississippi Burning (dra) | Natural Born Killers (A dra) |
| A Rooom with a View (dra/rom) | Groundhog Day (C com) |
| Pirates of Penzance (musical) | West Side Story (C musical/rom) |
| Pygmalion (1938 dra/rom) | Harold and Maude (C dra/rom) |
| Sound of Music (musical) | Evita (A musical) |
| Tron (animated/dra) | Clockwork Orange (B sci) |
| Ever After (dra/rom) | Spanking the Monkey (C dra, incest) |
| Smoke Signals (dra) | Slackers (C dra) |
| Ladyhawke (dra/rom) | Jacob's Ladder (C dra) |
| Willow (fantasy) | Escape from LA (D sci) |
| Top Secret (com) | Dumb and Dumber (F com) |
| Killing Fields (dra) | Cujo, and all other Stephen King movies (F horror) |
| Medicine Man (dra) | Highlander III (F sci/act) |
| My Cousin Vinny (com) | Cabeza de Vaca (B Spanish dra) |
| Patriot Games (act) | Leaving Las Vegas (B dra/rom) |
| Young Einstein (com) | The World According to Garp (B dra) |
| Clear and Present Danger (act) | Piano (C dra) |
| Princess Bride (com/rom) | Snow Falling on Cedars (C dra) |
| If Looks Could Kill (D 1991, com) | |
| Empire Records (dra) | |
| Love, Valour, Compassion (dra/gay) | Being at Home with Claude (D sus/gay) |
| Jeffrey (B com/rom/gay) | |
| Toy Soldiers (C act) | |
| Purple Rose of Cairo (dra/rom) | |
| Streetfighter (D act) | |
| A Time to Kill (dra) | |
| Gross Anatomy (dra/rom) | |
| Fat Man Little Boy (dra) | |
| The Last Unicorn (animated) | |
| Torch Song Trilogy (dra/gay) | |
| Queen Margo (French dra) | |
| A Question of Equality (documentary gay) | |
| Southpark (ani/com, explicit) | |
| Kiss Me Guido (dra/com/gay) | |
| The Priest (British, dra/gay) | |
| Little Voice (dra) | |
| Trick (rom/gay) | |
| Stepmom (dra) | |
| Nell (dra) | |
| Moonstruck (rom) | |
| Shakespeare in Love (rom) | |
| Tea With Mussolini(dra) | |
| Better Than Chocolate (rom/gay) | |
| Show Me Love (Swedish rom/gay) | |
| Valmont (dra) See also Dangerous Liasons and Cruel Intentions | |
| Civil Action (dra) | |
| Amy, 1998 (dra) | |
| Summer of the Monkeys (dra) | |
| Phantom Menace (Star Wars)(sci) | |
| Tarzan (animated) | |
| Brother Sun, Sister Moon (dra, Christian) | |
| My Friend, Tito (Russian, dra) | |
| The Portrait (short film, 1999) | |
| Life is Beautiful (com, Italian) | |
| Pokemon (animated) | |
| Bent (dra, gay) | |
| Anna and the King (dra) | |
| Isn't She Great (com) | |
| Run Lola Run (German, dra) | |
| Dangerous Liasons (dra) See also Valmont and Cruel Intentions |
Movies I liked | Movies I didn't care for |
| Il Postino (Italian dra) | People Vs. Larry Flynt (A dra) |
| Burnt By the Sun (Russian dra) | Titanic (A dra/rom) |
| Belle Epoque (dra/rom, French) | Matrix (B sci) |
| Mediterraneo (dra, Italian) | Swingers (C com/rom) |
| Strawberry and Chocolate (dra/rom/gay, Cuban) | Hercules (C animated) |
| Nasty Girl/Schrekliche Madchen (dra, German) | Pleasantville (C dra) |
| Stepmom (dra) | Good Burger (F com) |
| My Life in Pink/Ma Vie En Rose (dra/gay ,French) | Beavis and Butthead (D animated) |
| Indochine (dra, French) | Batman 1,2,3 (C sci) |
| Star Trek: Insurrection (sci) | Star Trek: Generations (C sci) |
| Deep Impact (sci/dra) | Armageddon (B sci) |
| 12 Monkeys (sci) | All Dogs Go To Heaven (D animated) |
| Anastasia (animated) | Antz (B animated) |
| American Werewolf in Paris/London (horror) | Delores Claiborne (C suspense) |
| Bladerunner (sci) | Demon Knight (F act) |
| Bridges of Madison County (dra/rom) | Little Buddha (B dra) |
| Birdcage (com/gay) | Dog Fight (B dra) |
| MallRats (com) | |
| Devil's Advocate (dra) | Hook (B com) |
| Eraser (act) | Good Morning Vietnam (B dra) |
| First Wives Club (com) | Dances With Wolves (A dra) |
| Gattaca (sci) | Driving Mrs. Daisy (A dra) |
| Ghost and the Darkness (dra) | Out of Africa (A dra) |
| First Sight (dra/rom) | Brady Bunch (C com) |
| Romy and Michelle (com) | Biodome (F com) |
| Saint (act/rom) | Last Supper (B dra) |
| Seventh Seal (sci) | Demolition Man (D sci) |
| To Wong Foo (com/gay) | The Crush (C suspense) |
| Tomorrow Never Dies, any James Bond Movie (act) | Honey I Shrunk the Kids (C com) |
| Truman Show (dra) | My Girl (B dra) |
| Thousand Acres (dra) | My Father the Hero (C dra/rom) |
| Truth About Cats and Dogs (com/rom) | Reality Bites (B dra) |
| Hunt for Red October (act) | Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) (A dra, German) |
| Independence Day (sci) | Arachnophobia (B horror) |
| Indiana Jones--III (act) | Mummy, 1999 (D act) |
| Interview with a Vampire (act) | Dogma (D com) |
| Jackal (act) | High Fidelity (B com/rom) |
| James and the Giant Peach (animated) | Casper the Friendly Ghost (C animated) |
| Kids (dra) | |
| Les Miserables (dra, French) | Elizabeth (A dra) |
| Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (act) | |
| Men in Black (sci) | Mystery Men (sci) |
| Mrs. WinterBourne (dra/rom) | |
| My Best Friend's Wedding (com/rom) | |
| Spitfire Grill (dra) | |
| Net (sci) | |
| Object of My Affection (dra/rom/gay) | |
| The Postman (dra) | |
| BasketBall Diaries (dra) | |
| What's Eating Gilbert Grape (dra) | |
| Twister (act) | |
| Predator (act) | |
| Bodyguard (dra/rom) | Field of Dreams (B dra) |
| School Ties (dra) | |
| What Dreams May Come (dra) | |
| Mrs. Doubtfire (com) | |
| Awakenings (dra) | Rainman (A dra) |
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (dra) | Robin Hood: Men in Tights (F com) |
| Beetlejuice (com) | |
| Fair Game (act) | Pyromaniac's Love Story (B dra/rom) |
| Three of Hearts (dra/rom/gay) | |
| Sliver (suspense) | |
| Backdraft (act) | |
| Threesome (dra/rom/gay) | |
| Monty Python's Meaning of Life (com) | |
| Last Emperor (dra) | |
| Cinema Paradiso (dra, Italian) | |
| Jerry McGuire (dra/rom) | |
| Forrest Gump (dra) | |
| Ghost (dra/rom) | The Blair Witch Project (B terror) |
| Children of a Lesser God (dra/rom) | |
| The Mission (dra) | |
| Annie (musical) | First of May (dra) |
| The Doctor(dra) | |
| Far and Away (A dra) | |
| Billy's Hollywood On Screen Kiss (dra/rom/gay) | |
| Homeward Bound (dra) | |
| Can't Hardly Wait (C com/rom) | |
| City of Angels (dra/rom) | |
| Red Dawn (B act) | |
| Drop Dead Fred (com) | |
| Better Off Dead (com) | |
| Thelma and Louise (dra) | |
| Jurassic Park (sci) | |
| Relic (B horror) | |
| Dangerous Minds (dra) | |
| Tie Me Up/Tie Me Down (Spanish dra/rom) | |
| Backdraft (act) | |
| Benny and Joon (com/rom) | |
| Nick of Time (act) | |
| Edward Scissorhands (dra) | Ed Wood (A dra) |
| Do the Right Thing (dra) | |
| League of Their Own (com) | Leap of Faith (B com) |
| Lorenzo's Oil (dra) | |
| Malcolm X (dra) | |
| The Saint (act) | |
| Gorillas in the Mist (dra) | |
| Rudy (dra) | |
| Stargate (sci) | |
| Radioflyer (dra) | |
| Reds (dra) | |
| Pretty Woman (dra/rom) | |
| Princess Caraboo (com/rom) | |
| Pelican Brief (suspense) | |
| Sister Act I-II (com) | |
| The Firm (suspense) | |
| Never Ending Story (fantasy) | |
| Raising Arizona (com) | |
| Born Yesterday (com.rom) | |
| Outbreak (dra) | |
| The Ref (com) | |
| City of Joy (dra) | |
| Push Mama from the Train (com) | |
| Cool Runnings (com) | |
| The Cutting Edge (dra/rom) | |
| Dennis the Menace (com) | |
| Max Headroom (sci) | |
| Some Kind of Wonderful (dra/rom) | |
| Far Off Place (dra) | |
| A Few Good Men (dra) | |
| Lost Boys (dra) | |
| Gremlins (fantasy) | |
| Handmaid's Tale (dra) | |
| Highlander I (act) | |
| IQ (dra/rom) | |
| Fortress (act) | |
| Greystoke (dra) | |
| Young Frankenstein (com) | |
| Young Sherlock Holmes (dra) | |
| True Lies (act/rom) | |
| Untamed Heart (dra/rom) | Heathers (B dra) |
| Waynes World I (C com) | Waynes World II (D com) |
| White Fang (dra) | |
| White Squall (dra) | |
| Beastmaster (C fantasy) | |
| Circle of Friends (dra/rom) | |
| Crimson Tide (act) | |
| The Cure (dra) | |
| First Knight (dra/rom) | |
| Grumpy Old Men (com) | |
| How to Make an American Quilt (dra) | |
| Lie Down With Dogs (com/rom/gay) | |
| Pie in the Sky (dra/rom) | |
| Three Muskateers (dra) | |
| White Men Can't Jump (dra) | |
| Last Temptation of Christ (dra) | |
| Karate Kid I, II(dra) | Karate Kid III (F dra) |
| Birdy | |
| The Lost Language of Cranes (dra/gay) | Man of the Year (documentary/gay) |
| The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (dra/rom/gay) | |
| The Official History (Spanish dra) | |
| Tales from the City (dra/gay) | |
| Boyfriends (British, dra/gay) | |
| Some Like it Hot (com) | |
| Stonewall (dra/gay) | |
| Before Stonewall (documentary/gay) | |
| Full Monty (com) | |
| Four Weddings and a Funeral (dra) | |
| An Ideal Husband (dra) | |
| Hairspray (com) | |
| The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (sus) | |
| Okoge (Japanese dra/rom/gay) | |
| Partners (dra/com/gay) | |
| Don't Tell Anyone (No Se Lo Digas A Nadie) (Peru dra/gay) | |
| Shine (dra) | |
| It's My Party (dra, gay) | |
| Wayward Son (dra) | |
| Walking Across Egypt (dra) | |
| The Best Man (com, 1999, John Newcombe) There were 3 "Best Man" movies in 1999. This one was set in Indiana | |
| Clay Pigeons (dra) | |
| Gods and Monsters (dra, gay) | |
| Die Brucke (The Bridge) (dra/war, German) | |
| The Celluloid Closet (doc, gay) | |
| Der Bewegte Mann (Maybe..Maybe Not) (com, gay, German) | |
| Edge of Seventeen (dra, gay) | |
| Fantasia 2000 (ani) | |
| Cruel Intentions (dra) See also Dangerous Liasons and Valmont | |
| Fire (Indian, dra, gay) |
Movies about which I'm ambivalent | ||
| Dave (B dra/rom) | Little Prince (C dra) | Toy Story (B animated) |
| X-Files (B sci) | Happy Gilmore (D com) | In and Out (B com) |
| Mission Impossible (C act) | 101 Dalmations (C animated) | Alien (B sci) |
| Gross Pointe Blank (A dra/rom) | Mask of Zorro (B act) | Opposite of Sex (A dra/rom/gay) |
| This Boy's Life (B dra) | George of the Jungle (F com) | A Man and a Woman/Un Homme et une Femme (B dra/rom, French, 1966) |
| Clueless (C com/rom) | Time Bandits (B sci) | Power Rangers (F sci) |
| Sabrina (B 1995 dra/rom) | Dead Man Walking (A dra) | Pocahontas (B animated) |
| Free Willy (C) | Shadowlands (A dra) | Ferngully (C animated) |
| Diehard, Die Harder (B act) | Stand By Me (B dra) | Encino Man (C com) |
| Point Break (D act) | Lost World (B sci) | Household Saints (B dra) |
| Toys (animated) | The Priest/El Sacerdote (Spanish B dra) | Longtime Companion (B dra/gay) |
| Blast From the Past (C com) | Deep End of the Ocean (B dra) | Love and Death on Long Island (A dra/gay) |
| Bullets Over Broadway (A dra/com) | Polyester (C dra/dark comedy) | Sixth Sense (B dra/sci fi) |
| Smila's Sense of Snow (thriller) | Cracker Man (dra) | Babette's Feast (dra, Dutch) |
| Far Away, So Close (French) | The Next Best Thing (com/dra) | The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (A dra) |
Feel free to e-mail me at webmail@jeramyt.org
"Open your eyes. Don't let your mind tell the story here." Tonic, 1996