www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
Line

Movie Reel Rotating Right
 
 
 
 
  		Movies
(including documentaries and other propaganda pieces!)
Like most everybody else I love movies and had probably seen nearly a thousand of 'em by the time I decided to create this page in my late 40s (mid 2000s). So, although the page will never be able to reflect my entire movie going experience it should provide a glimpse of what I enjoy and what I don't - maybe helping you decide if your tastes are similar to mine? 1,000 Movies may sound like a lot but just think of all the flicks you've seen at school, on airplanes, or just on trips to the local theatre or even on Friday night television - not to mention all of the sequels, remakes, digitized and "colorized" versions that have come out. Anyway, for this page I was able, pretty quickly, to recall almost a third of the movies that I've seen so far...

Yellow Arrow Pointing Right Click Here for the top 100 movie quotes!

Oh, another point; I've revisited (watched 'em again) many of the older movies on this list and found some I still like while others seem simple or outdated. Nevertheless, I've kept true to my original ratings for all these movies, in their day, since at that time they struck me the way they did for a variety of reasons. Contemporary culture at the time, the political environment, or maybe a new technique or effect that had never been used before were all reasons why enjoyed many of these selections so much. And, of course, my own age and maturity at the time had a lot of influence on me as well... Anyway, you get the idea - we all have tastes that develop over time for a variety of reasons - I hope you enjoy reminiscing about some of your old favorites as much as I do!

- Roger J. Wendell
Golden, Colorado

 

Thumbs Up, Thumbs DownRoger rates 'em:

Yes! - Roger Recommends Yes! - Roger Recommends
  1. 12 Angry Men (1957) - a classic!
  2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - I saw it when it first came out while I was in Junior High and was in complete awe!
  3. 5,000 Fingers of Dr. Terwilliker, The (1953) Okay, I was a kid at the time!
  4. 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
  5. Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
  6. Affluenza (1997) - the Epidemic of Overconsumption
  7. Alamo, The (2004) - A good look at Texas history
  8. Alive: The Miracle of the Andes (1993)
  9. Alien (1979) - The first one was best!
  10. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) - better than I thought it would be!
  11. Alone Across Australia (2003) - Filmed by Jon Muir himself!
  12. Apocolypse Now (1979) - My favorite!
  13. American Beauty (1999)
  14. American Graffiti (1973)
  15. Amistad (1997)
  16. Anna and the King (1999)
  17. Apocalypto (2006) - brutal but excellent!
  18. Apollo 13 (1995)
  19. Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
  20. Arrival, The (1996)
  21. Artificial Intelligence: A.I (2001)
  22. Australia (2008)
  23. Avatar (2009) - Beautiful!
  24. Back to the Future (1985)
  25. Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) - yes, I enjoyed it!
  26. Beautiful Mind, A (2001)
  27. Beetle Juice (1988)
  28. Ben-Hur (1959)
  29. Best in Show (2000)
  30. Birds, The (1963)
  31. Blade Runner (1982)
  32. Blair Witch Project, The (1999)
  33. Blazzing Saddles (1974) - I was 17 and it seemed very funny at the time!
  34. Blues Brothers (1980)
  35. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
  36. Bowling for Columbine (2002) - Sad, funny and poignant...
  37. Boy and His Dog, A (1975)
  38. Braveheart (1995)
  39. Breakdown (1997)
  40. Bug's Life, A (1998)
  41. Butterflies Are Free (1972)
  42. Caddyshack (1980)
  43. Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
  44. Cat Ballou (1965)
  45. Catch 22 (1970) - the book was also fantastic!
  46. Catch Me if You Can (2002)
  47. Capote (2005) - an interesting look at In Cold Blood
  48. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - Depp was great!
  49. Chicken Run (2000)
  50. Clerks (1994) - wierd and lude but very intertaining!
  51. Clerks II (2006) - starts out slow but is still wierd, lude and intertaining!
  52. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
  53. Contact (1997) - A fantastic film with the exception of a very unnecessary sex scene...
  54. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
  55. Cowboys, The (1972) - excellent!
  56. Crash (2004) - pushing the boundries of diversity...
  57. Crazy Sexy Cancer (2007)
  58. Crimson Tide (1995)
  59. Cry in the Dark (1988) middle is a bit long and slow...
  60. Dances with Wolves (1990)
  61. Das Boot (1981)
  62. Dave (1993)
  63. Day Without a Mexican, A (2004) - Humerous and informative
  64. Dead Man Walking (1995)
  65. Dead Poets Society (1989) - Excellent!
  66. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
  67. Deliverance (1972) - Excellent in its day!
  68. Departed, THe (2006) - Complex and bloody
  69. Dirty Dozen (1967) - a classic!
  70. Dirty Harry (1971)
  71. Dish, The (2000)
  72. District 9 (2009) - Hokey but different!
  73. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The - Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007)
  74. Don Juan DeMarco (1995)
  75. Downfall (2004) - Der Untergang - Excellent bit of Hitler history...
  76. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
  77. Dune (1984) - the book was better...
  78. Easy Rider (1969) - an absolute clasic!
  79. Edward Abbey: A Voice in the Wilderness (1983)
  80. Eiger Sanction (1975)
  81. Elephant Man (1980)
  82. Endurance, The Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expediton (2000)
  83. Enduring Love (2004)
  84. Erin Brockovich (2000)
  85. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
  86. Exorcist, The (1973) - Shocking in it's day!
  87. Fahrenheit 911 (2004) - My mom saw this on opening day, 06/25/04, and she loved it too!
  88. Falling Down (1993)
  89. Family Man, The (2000)
  90. Fargo (1999)
  91. Fast Runner (2001) - Good look at life up north
  92. Fearless (1993)
  93. Field of Dreams (1989)
  94. Fight Club (1999) - Bizzare but good!
  95. Fisher King, The (1991)
  96. Fistful of Dollars, A (1964) - Per un pugno di dollari
  97. Flags of our Fathers (2006) - excellent!
  98. Flight of the Phoenix, The (1965)
  99. Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)
  100. Food, Inc. (2008)
  101. Forest Gump (1994)
  102. Four Sheets to the Wind (2007)
  103. Frankenstein (1931)
  104. Friday the 13th (1980)
  105. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
  106. Full Monty, The (1997)
  107. Galaxy Quest (1999)
  108. Gettysburg (1993) - Excellent!
  109. Ghost (1990)
  110. Ghost Busters (1984)
  111. Gladiator (2000)
  112. Golden Compass, The (2007)
  113. Goldmember, Austin Powers in (2002)
  114. Gone With the Wind (1939)
  115. GoodFellas (1990) - A gory look at the mob
  116. Good Shepherd, the (2006)
  117. Good, the Bad, the Ugly (1966) - a classic!
  118. Good Will Hunting (1997) - Click Here for Will's NSA Speech...
  119. Graduate, The (1967)
  120. Grapes of Rath, The
  121. Great Escape, The (1963)
  122. Green Mile, The (1999)
  123. Grizzly Man (2005) - an interesting look at a very disturbed "naturalist"
  124. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
  125. Groundhog Day (1993)
  126. Hang 'em High (1968)
  127. Hard Candy (2005) - Disturbing and uncomfortable to watch but worth it!
  128. Help! (1965)
  129. High Plains Drifter (1973)
  130. How the West Was Won (1962)
  131. Hud (1963)
  132. Hunt For Red October, The (1990)
  133. Ice Age (2002)
  134. Inconvenient Truth, An (2006) - It's time to take action!
  135. Independence Day (1996)
  136. India in Motion (2008) 63 Interactive Theatre, Agra, india
  137. In the Name of the Father (1993)
  138. Into the Wild (2007) - not enough wilderness scenes though...
  139. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
  140. Jaws (1975)
  141. Jeremiah Johnson (1972) - a wonderful classic!
  142. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
  143. Jumper (2008) - poor acting but interesting concept!
  144. Jurassic Park (1993)
  145. Jurassic Park, The Lost World: (1997)
  146. K*19 The Widow Maker (2002) - Reliving the Cold War era...
  147. K2: The Ultimate High (1992) - A great climbing movie!
  148. K-PAX (2001) - "Every being in the universe knows right from wrong"
  149. Karate Kid (1984)
  150. Kundun (1997) - Tibet
  1. Last Detail, The (1973)
  2. Last Samurai (2003)
  3. Last Temptation of Christ, The (1988) - Although a bit long it's an interesting twist on an old story...
  4. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
  5. Life as a House (2001)
  6. Life of David Gale, The (2003)
  7. Lion in the House, A (2006)
  8. Little Big Man (1970)
  9. Lord of the Flies (1963)
  10. Lord of War (2005)
  11. Love Bug (1968) - Okay, I was very young back then!
  12. Mad Max (1979)
  13. Mad Max 2 (1981)
  14. Magdalene Sisters, The (2002)
  15. Magnolia (1999) - a bit strange...
  16. Malcolm X (1992) - slow start but good history
  17. Marathon Man (1976)
  18. M*A*S*H (1970) - yet another classic!
  19. Mask, The (1994) - flawed but entertaining!
  20. Marathon Man (1976)
  21. March of the Penguins (2005) - Marche de l'empereur
  22. Matrix, The (1999) - Well done
  23. McLibel (2005) - Big business takes on free speech
  24. Meaning of Life, The (1983) - Click Here for more on Monty Python
  25. Mechanic, The (1972)
  26. Medicine Man (1992)
  27. Memento (2000)
  28. Michael (1996)
  29. Michael Clayton (2007)
  30. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
  31. Midnight Express (1978)
  32. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
  33. Miracle Worker, The (1962)
  34. Mission to Mars (2000)
  35. Monumental David Brower's Fight for Wild America (2004)
  36. Monster (2003) - about serial killer Aileen Wuornos
  37. Mosquito Coast (1986)
  38. Motorcycle Diaries (2004) - Diarios de motocicleta - A good look at Che's earlier years
  39. Murder Ball (2005) - Gives you a lot to think about!
  40. My Family, Mi Familia (1995)
  41. My Side of the Mountain (1969) - not as good as the book though...
  42. Nanook of the North (1922) - a bit staged but very interesting/historical
  43. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
  44. Natural Born Killers (1994) - I just liked it!
  45. Never Cry Wolf (1983)
  46. No Country for Old Men 2007) - Gory but darn interesting!
  47. Norma Rae (1979)
  48. Office Space (1999) - We've all been there...
  49. Oh, God! (1977)
  50. Omega Man, The (1971)
  51. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
  52. One, the Movie (2005) - (Okay, I got to Interview the filmmaker!)
  53. On the Beach (1959)
  54. Open Water 2003
  55. Osama (2003) - a good look at Taliban cruetly.
  56. Outland (1981)
  57. Paint Your Wagon (1969)
  58. Papillon (1973)
  59. Peaceful Warrior (2006)
  60. Perfect Storm, The (2000) - We saw it while staying at the beach!
  61. Peter Pan (2003) - I saw this version of the old clasic while on a flight to Tokyo and loved it, especially the "devilish" little Tinker Bell character!
  62. Pink Floyd the Wall (1982)
  63. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - fun!
  64. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
  65. Planet of the Apes (1968) - It was great when it first came out!
  66. Platoon (1986) - War is Hell...
  67. Play Misty for Me (1971)
  68. Poseidon Adventure, The (1972)
  69. Postman, The (1997)
  70. Powder (1995)
  71. Predator (1987)
  72. Producers, The (1968) - Also saw the play while in London
  73. Psycho (1960)
  74. Pulp Fiction (1994)
  75. Quest for Fire (1981)
  76. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) - Excellent behind-the-scenes stuff on the DVD as well!
  77. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  78. Rain Man (1988)
  79. Recruit, The (2003)
  80. Red Planet (2000) - AMEE was sure interesting!
  81. Religulous (2008)
  82. Rendition (2007)
  83. Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)
  84. Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975)
  85. Rollerball (1975)
  86. Run Lola Run (1998) - I'll be buying the DVD!!
  87. Sand Pebbles (1966)
  88. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
  89. School of Rock, The (2003) - fun!
  90. Schindler's List (1993)
  91. Sea Inside, The (2004) (Mar adentro) - Interesting euthanasia question...
  92. Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, The (2007)
  93. Seven Years in Tibet (1997) - I was able to visit the town of Uspallata, in Argentina, where Brad Pitt was filmed for this one!
  94. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - British humor at its best!
  95. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
  96. Shinning, The (1980)
  97. Showgun (1980)
  98. Sicko (2007) - Fun, Sad and Amazing!
  99. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
  100. Sixth Sense, The (1999)
  101. Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) - fun but also sad...
  102. Smoke Signals (1998) - an excellent Native American film!
  103. Sound of Music (1965)
  104. South Pacific (1958)
  105. Soylent Green (1973)
  106. Spartacus (1960)
  107. Spy Who Shagged Me, The (1999)
  108. Stand by Me (1986)
  109. Starman (1984) - I loved it!
  110. Star Wars (1977, 1980, 1983) - The first two or three were great!
  111. Sting, The (1973)
  112. Supersize Me (2004) - A good warning for all of us
  113. Suspect Zero (2004)
  114. Syriana (2005) - Good but complex
  115. Ten Commandments, The (1956)
  116. Terminator, The (1984)
  117. Texas Chainsaw Masacre (1974) - I saw it when it first came out and loved it!
  118. Thelma & Louise (1991) - great!
  119. THX 1138 (1971)
  120. Thing, The (1982)
  121. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
  122. Time Machine, The (1960
  123. Time Riders (1991)
  124. Titanic (1997)
  125. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
  126. Touching the Void (2003) - A realistic climbing movie
  127. Town Like Alice, A (1956)
  128. To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)
  129. Toy Story (1995)
  130. Traffic (2000)
  131. Trainspotting (1996)
  132. Trashed (2007)
  133. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
  134. Tremors (1990)
  135. True Grit (1969)
  136. Twelve Monkeys (1995) - releasing the germ...
  137. Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) Dos mulas para la hermana Sara
  138. U 571 (2000)
  139. Unsinkable Molly Brown, The (1964)
  140. U.S. vs. John Lennon, The (2006)
  141. Valdez Is Coming (1971)
  142. WarGames (1983) - dated but good
  143. War of the Worlds (1953) - The 2005 version was not very good...
  144. Warriors, The (1979)
  145. Water (2005)
  146. Weather Underground (2002)
  147. We Were Soldiers (2002)
  148. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
  149. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
  150. Wizard of Oz (1939) - I've seen it dozens of times!
  151. Woodsman, The (2004) - Intense
  152. Yellow Submarine (1968)
  153. Young Frankenstein (1974)
  154. Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) cute!

 

Note: There are a lot of bad movies out there. And, unfortunately, I've probably seen a "ton" of 'em. However, because I'm so impatient I usually don't sit through an entire movie if I'm not enjoying it. So, to be fare, I only list films that I've seen in their entirety in this column - hoping to build-up courage to revisit the really bad ones toward the bottom of this column (see Unfinished Business, further down...)...

Anyway, here are the bad movies I was able to sit through:

No! - Roger Retches No! - Roger Retches
  1. Alien: Resurrection (1997) - However, the first two were great!
  2. Are You Scared? (2006)
  3. Bourne Supremacy, The (2004)
  4. Bruce Almighty (2003)
  5. Butterfly Effect (2004) - Horrible, disjointed plot contstruction. However, the idea of going back in time, to correct present problems, has a certain appeal...
  6. Cloverfield (2008)
  7. Citizen Kaen (1941)
  8. Cliffhanger (1993) - Horrible portrayal of rock climbing!
  9. Constant Gardender (2005) - long and difficult to follow
  10. English Patient, The (1992)
  11. Evan Almighty (2007)
  12. Finding Forrester (2000)
  13. Happening, The (2008) - acting can't get much worse than this one!
  14. I am Legend (2007) - Will Smith's character was an idiot...
  15. Juno (2007) - highly overrated...
  16. Kill Bill - Two bloody, severed thumbs down for being a childish action flick with little meaning
  17. King of California (2007)
  18. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - A poor job at covering a very sad chapter in Human history...
  19. Ice Harvest (2005) - Shooting into the steamer trunk was interesting though!
  20. IMAX Kilimanjaro To The Roof of Africa (2003) - I enjoyed the real thing much better!
  21. Last of the Mohicans, The (1992)
  22. Life of Brian (1979) - Not nearly as good as all the other Monty Python stuff!
  23. Matrix Reloaded (2003) - I'll be writing them to ask for a refund and to suggest they hire my 8 year old niece to create a better story for them...)
  1. Meet Dave (2008)
  2. Millennium (1989) - Ladd and Kristofferson at their worst!
  3. Misery (1990)
  4. Mist, The (2007) - Hokey but with interesting bug parts - bad ending though...
  5. Mimic (1997)
  6. Munich (2005) - A long and poorly done propoganda film
  7. Mystic River (2003) - Good story but a very disappointing ending by Sean Penn's character
  8. Open Range (2003)
  9. Open Water 2: Adrift (2006) - not as good as the first one...
  10. Passion of the Christ - Just another religious cult film
  11. Point Break (1991)
  12. Rock, the (1996)
  13. Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, The (1976)
  14. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) - good music though...
  15. Speed (1994)
  16. Spies Like Us (1985) - poorly done in almost every regard!
  17. Terminal, The (2004) - Tom Hanks wasted his time on this one...
  18. Things to Do (2006) - a glorification of childishness
  19. Top Gun (1986)
  20. Twister (1996)
  21. War of the Worlds (2005) - I liked the 1953 version better...
  22. What Lies Beneath (2000) - Tami thought it was manipulative!
  23. What the Bleep do we Know? (2004) - A childlike interpretation of physics and spirituality - a huge disservice to thoughtful inquiry and scientific thinking. What a shame that such a wonderful theme could be so thoroughly trashed. But, I'll have to admit, I'm one of the movie's few critics - most everyone else seemd to enjoy it - that's the world for you - it's all a matter of opinion!

 

Undecided:

Maybe? - Some parts good, some parts bad... Maybe? - Some parts good, some parts bad...
  1. 10,000 B.C.
  2. 1408 (2007)
  3. 2010: Odyssey Two (1984) - Not nearly as good as the original 2001...
  4. 28 Days Later (2002) - good idea, poor execution
  5. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
  6. Air Force One (1997)
  7. Apostle, The (1997)
  8. Armageddon (1998)
  9. Astronaut's Wife, The (1999)
  10. Bambi (1942)
  11. Ben-Hur (1959)
  12. Bereft (2004 - not sure of date...) - bizarre...
  13. Blood Diamond (2006) - sad story
  14. Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004)
  15. Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
  16. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
  17. Bucket List, The (2007)
  18. Caligula (1979)
  19. Casino Royale (2006) - the usual 007 stuff...
  20. Cast Away (2000)
  21. Charly 1968 (From the book Flowers for Algernon)
  22. Cinderella Liberty (1973)
  23. Clearing, The (2004)
  24. Da Vinci Code, The (2006) - interesting idea but boring presentation
  25. Darjeeling Limited, The (2007) - I'm always interested in anything about India
  26. Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951) - historically interesting but not at all well done by today's standards!
  27. Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
  28. Dogma (1999)
  29. Dune (1984)
  30. Employee of the Month (2006)
  31. Enlighten Up (2008) - should have been better
  32. Final Cut (2004) - Interesting memory idea but very poor plot
  33. Final Destination (2000)
  34. Forest Gump (1994)
  35. Ghost Busters II (1989)
  36. Gladiator (2000)
  37. God Who Wasn't There, The (2005) - a good theme but poorly executed...
  38. GoldenEye (1995) (Another 007 flick)
  39. Gunner Palace (2004) - Not even close to Apocolypse now...
  40. Hancock (2008)
  1. Into Great Silence (2005)
  2. I, Robot (2004)
  3. James Bond 007 Casino Royale (2006)
  4. Kangaroo Jack (2003)
  5. Kite Runner, The (2007)
  6. Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance
  7. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
  8. Last Castel, The (2001)
  9. Machinist, The El Maquinista (2004)
  10. Maria Full of Grace (2004) - Sad look at Columbian drug trade
  11. Mean Creek (2004) - unsatisfying ending
  12. Memoirs of a Geisha(2005) - culturally interesting but too long...
  13. Men in Black (1997)
  14. Miss Congeniality (2000)
  15. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
  16. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - a bit of the Odyssey
  17. Ocean's Twelve (2004)
  18. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
  19. Passion of the Christ (2001)
  20. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
  21. Powaqqatsi (1988) - Life in Transformation
  22. Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - nice story but too slow
  23. Reservoir DOGS (1992) - interesting twist on cops 'n robbers...
  24. Schultze Gets the Blues (2003) - cute, sweet, but too slow!
  25. Seabiscuit (2003)
  26. Sentinel, The (2006) - Thrilling but unrealistic...
  27. Silver City (2004) - The real Colorado...
  28. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
  29. Son of Rambow (2007)
  30. Spaceballs (1987)
  31. Spring, Summer, Fall, Witner... and Spring - Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (2003)
  32. Spy Game (2001)
  33. Taps (1981)
  34. Thank You for Smoking (2005) - Poor plot but funny
  35. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
  36. Tootsie (1982)
  37. Toy Story 2 (1995)
  38. Trainspotting (1996) - bizarre and depressing
  39. Tropic Thunder (2005) - a bit too goofy...
  40. Truman Show, The (1998)
  41. War of the Worlds (2005) - Poor script, good special effects
  42. Water 2005
  43. Windtalkers (2002) - good history

 

For a variety of reasons (Sometimes because I lost interest or other times when I was interupted and had to leave to go do something else...) I didn't finish watching these movies in their entirety but may return to them someday:

Unfinished Business Unfinished Business
  1. Being John Malkovich (1999)
  2. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925, Silent)
  3. Doors, The (1991)
  4. Green Berets, The (1968)
  5. Harry Potter (2001, 2002, 2004, 2007) - Couldn't stand any of 'em...
  6. Hellboy II: The Golden Army 2008
  7. Lord of the Rings (1978, 2001, 2002, 2003) - Yuck, I don't know if I can watch 'em!
  1. Love Story (1970)
  2. Rocky (1976)
  3. School of Rock (2003)
  4. Small Soldiers (1998) - Cute, but I got interupted for car repairs...
  5. Shrek the Third (2007) - I fell asleep watching it on a flight from Munich...
  6. Star Wars (1999, 2002, 2005) - The first three were great, those that followed weren't very entertaining...
  7. Waiting for Guffman (1996) - Made me nervous...
  8. Zorba the Greek (1964) - Made me nervous...

 

Line

 

Waiting List:
Movies I've been planning to see but
just haven't gotten around to yet...
  1. Full Signal (2009)
  2. Messenger, The (2009)
  3. Path to Freedom - The Original Modern Urban Homestead
  4. Division Street (2009)
  5. John Adams (2008)
  6. Daddy of Rock 'N' Roll, The (2003)
  7. City of Joy (1992)
  8. Subdivide and Conquer (1999)
  9. Road, The (2009)
  10. Casablanca (1942)
  11. Exiles, The (1961)
  12. Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
  13. Other People's Lives???
  14. Little Buddha (1993)
  15. Blackbook (2006)
  16. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)
  17. Key Largo (1948)
  18. African Queen, The (1951)
  19. Caine Mutiny, The (1954)
  20. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
  21. El Cid (1961)
  22. www.zeitgeistmovie.com
Movie Theatres Aren't Much Fun

For most of our adult lives my wife and I have tried to avoid movie theatres by either renting the DVD (VHS at one time!), downloading the video, or borrowing from the library (our favorite!). Movie theatres are usually uncomfortable, noisy, expensive and sticky (stuff on the floor). Apparently others are starting to feel the same as Randy sent me this, at the end of December '09, after breaking with tradition and going to his local theatre:

Twice during the past week I actually went to the movie theater and sat
amongst the masses. And what a treat that was! I had no idea how
persistently glowing cell phones and endless pea-brained witless
comments would enhance my experience. Do most movie-goers have the
attention span of a 3-week old puppy? And the non-human sounds around
me from gulping down buckets of popcorn and boxes of Milk Duds was an
added treat. Clearly, society is collapsing.

 

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Filmmakers:

 

(Click on thumbnail image for a larger view)

Producer John de Graff and Roger Wendell 09-09-2005 It's not often I have the pleasure of meeting a real movie producer but on September 9, 2005 that's what happened! John De Graff, producer of Affluenza, took time out of his busy schedule to chat with me at the Sierra Club's 2005 Summit in San Francisco. It was refreshing to hear John talk about his own personal effort to live a low-impact, low consumption life-style. He did admit that frequent air travel was a regular part of his business but he made every effort to keep it to a minimum. I won't hold it against him as my own job keeps me in the air way too much as well! Filmmaker Ward Powers And, as luck would have it, in September '06 I had the pleasure of conducting a radio interview with first time moviemaker Ward Powers about his project, One, the Movie - we received great listener response!

 

Jeep commercial!

During the evening of August 6, 2008, I was "scouting" the area of Yankee Boy Basin (in the vicinity of Ouray and Telluride Colorado) in preparation to climb Mt. Sneffels (14,150 ft/4,313 m) early the next morning. On my way back down the 4wd road I ran into this film crew at 11,000 feet (3,353 m)!! The light seemed low, to me (but seemed to satisfy them as you'll hear them say, in my YouTube video, "The saturation now is perfect" - whatever that means!!), and it was even sprinkling a bit. Nevertheless, they continued to film in ernest with a crew of at least 15 people (I can only imagine how much all this cost, being advised that the dozen or so director's assistants, alone, were each being paid $250 uSD per day, not to mention food, lodging and travel expenses!!) working diligently on the production. Since we were on public land they allowed me to hang around without hesitation. They were also controlling some of the 4wd traffic but did a great job in keeping the traffic flowing, and people happy, as much as possible. It was a very interesting affair that I'm happy I ran into. Oh, the camera vehicle was really out-of-this-world with its gyroscopically controlled camera-on-a-boom constantly panning and scanning every inch of the canyon. Really strange!

Jeep commercial being filmed in Yankee Boy Basin at about 11,000 feet - 08-06-2008
Protectng the camera 		Jeep commercial being filmed in Yankee Boy Basin at about 11,000 feet - 08-06-2008
Protectng the camera 		Jeep commercial being filmed in Yankee Boy Basin at about 11,000 feet - 08-06-2008
Camera vehicle 		Jeep commercial being filmed in Yankee Boy Basin at about 11,000 feet - 08-06-2008
Camera vehicle 		Jeep commercial being filmed in Yankee Boy Basin at about 11,000 feet - 08-06-2008
Actual filming

YouTube Logo - Small Click Here for my YouTube video of them filming the Jeep commercial!

 

Nanook of the North - 1922 Some Filmmaking History
From the inside DVD cover of David Shepard's restoration of
Robert Flaherty's 1922 classic, Nanook of the North
"IN ITS EARLIEST YEARS (APRROX. 1895-1902), film production was dominated by 'actualities,' short pictures of real people in real places. Comprised largely of two categories - the travelogue and, more substantially, the industrial-life portrait - these films favored an unmediated view of the world over arranged spectacle."

"Though they gave way in popularity to the narrative fictions of Georges Méliès and Edwin Porter, they continued to be produced in great number. Robert Flaherty's great innovation was simply to combine the two forms of actuality, infusing the exotic journey with the details of indigenous life. By so doing, Flaherty transcended the travelogue, as the picturesque became a real and respectful portrait."

"THE PORTRAIT HAS TWO THINGS that, even today, remain at the very core of the documentary idea. These are process and duration - the detailed representation of how everyday things are done (covering a kayak, negotiating ice floes, hunting, and caring for children) and how long the doing takes. For instance, consider Nanook's stunning igloo-building sequence, where labor is not only revealed in its social context, but emerges, through Nanook's skill and Flaherty's cinematic revelation, as a n ideal of beauty and spirituality."

"First there is shelter, then warmth, and finally light (the window!). Here and elsewhere in the film, by giving real processes a human dimension, craftsmanship and artistry become one. Nanook of the North pioneered these ideas, and it remains nearly matchless in executing them."

 

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Links:

  1. Audio
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  3. Books
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  5. Bumper Stickers
  6. Folkstreams - Preserving of documentary films about American culture
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  8. IMDb - The Earth's biggest Internet movie database!
  9. KGNU
  10. MetaCafe - World's Best Videos
  11. Music
  1. Pangea Day - "Films made by the world for the world"
  2. Quotes
  3. Quote of the Quarter
  4. Quote Quiz archive page
  5. RottenTomatoes.com ranked 100 worst films of this decade
  6. Strange and unusual stuff
  7. Tidbits and Miscellanea
  8. Trivia and teasers
  9. Videos
  10. Writing by me...
  11. YouTube - a few hundred of my own videos...

 

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