Movie Log

As I get older I find myself forgetting if I’d seen a movie or read a book. Since 2005 I have been keeping track of everything I watch, read and sometimes listen too or play. I have also organized this list by title and rating.

2008

The Odessa File

5/10

Lacks the pacing that could have made this a great spy thriller, and many of the performances are quite... more

The Love Guru

6/10

A lot of people said this was horrible, but I didn’t mind it so much. Funny but completely lacking... more

Tropic Thunder

6/10

Entertaining war film parody. A little bit too much of an action film at the end.

Kung Fu Panda

7/10

Decent animated feature that’s completely cliche, but enjoyable.

La Decima Vittima

6/10

A quirky 60’s sci-fi thriller meets bedroom farce. Fairly entertaining but the ending is muddled.

Simpsons: The Movie

5/10

Like a long medicore episode. Very disappointing.

Casino Royale

8/10

The best bond since the Spy Who Loved Me. The emphasis is on character development instead of over-the-top action... more

Evil Dead Trap

7/10

Japanese horror that draws almost note for note from Italian gore-maestro Lucio Fulci–synthy score, gratuitous eye gag, sound f/x... more

CJ7

8/10

Shephen Chow’s family movie that follows the formula laid out in E.T. a couple of decades ago. Chow knows... more

Starcrash

8/10

“Imperial battleship, halt the flow of time!” This is some awesome trash. Mostly crap, but pay attention to the... more

La Terza Madre: The Third Mother

6/10

Not at all worthy of it predecessors, Inferno & Suspiria, but at least it takes no prisoners when it... more

The Ruins

7/10

Not bad, considering the “monster” is not in the least bit scary. The initial set-up is a bit slow,... more

Contamination

7/10

Surprisingly, I was entertained by this. Yes, it’s an Italian Alien rip-off, but Alien was itself rip off of... more

Space Chimps

2/10

Horrible CGI and, except for a handful of gags, not worth your time.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

6/10

This entry into the series suffers from long stretches not much of anything happening. I suppose you could argue... more

The Host

6/10

Entertaining but thoroughly confused monster movie. The over-the-top comedic moments tend to jar you out of the already paper... more

The Machine Girl

7/10

Horrible story, horrible acting, and wall-to-wall fakey Japanese schoolgirl gore. I enjoyed every second of it.

Ratatoulli

9/10

The most visually impressive and stylized Pixar movie

Spiderman 3

6/10

In desparate need of some editing, this film runs about 1 hour too long with way too many lame... more

Superbad

7/10

Entertaining, but not quite laugh-out-loud funny. 40-year-old virgin was better.

Ti piace Hitchcock? (Do You Like Hitchcock?)

6/10

Actually, I liked this. Argento’s painterly style is nowhere to be found but I thought the story never was... more

The Stendhal Syndrome

8/10

The best of the post-Opera Argento films. Has moments of sheer brilliance, but plenty of crappy parts too. The... more

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

6/10

Entertaining, but didn’t really feel like an Indiana Jones film. Maybe it was too effects driven, rather than stunt... more

Dario Argento’s Trauma

5/10

It has its moments, but Trauma suffers from horrible dialogue (even for Argento), a wholly inappropriate score and many... more

The House of Exorcism

6/10

An entertaining rethink of Lisa and the Devil.

Kidnapped

7/10

In many ways, much tighter than Rabid Dogs, but the ending ruins the film.

The House by the Cemetary

6/10

Fulci haunted house movie. Pretty slow until the finale.

The Antichrist

5/10

Starts out interesting but loses focus in the second, exorcist wannbe, half.

Grindhouse

8/10

Shallow and stupid, but I guess that’s the point. Nonetheless, always entertaining. Tarantino’s section is mediocre but the fake... more

The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (Parapluies de Cherbourg, Les)

8/10

Visually stunning French film. If you don’t like musicals, just turn down the sound and read the subtitles… you... more

Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion)

9/10

An ingaging film about corruption, power and the law. There are threads of dark comedy mixed in with the... more

Horton Hears a Who

6/10

Mildly entertaining, but caters too much to the Shrek crowd.

The New York Ripper

6/10

You’d be hard pressed to find a movie that hated its female characters any more than this one does.... more

The Five Days of Milan

6/10

Dario Argento’s political farce. Has many funny moments, but is very confusing if you don’t know the history of... more

Seven Shawls of Yellow Silk (Crimes of the Black Cat)

8/10

Horrible quality video. A giallo that isn’t quite as stylish as its contemporaries, but has a solid plot and... more

The Eye (Gin gwai)

6/10

Mediocre ghost story in which bursts of sped-up film and of quick cuts are a lame substitute for real... more

Zombi 5: Killing Birds

1/10

Absolutely horrible. It was like a student film from a C student. The overly loud sound of chirping insects... more

Crimson

3/10

Gangster/mad scientist movie that is only worth watching tsee the satyr burlesque number in the middle of the film.

Murder Party

8/10

What’s not to love about a gory thriller/comedy that makes fun of art scene-sters.

Zombi 4: After Death

5/10

I thought it was better than Zombi 3, but not by much. More gore, and an effective opening. Paper... more

Zombi 3

4/10

Fulci literally phones this one in. A few interesting shots, but mostly poorly paced and horribly acted with no... more

Children of Men

9/10

A great sci-fi film with lots of long-shot action sequences that will have you wondering how the heck they... more

2007

Talladega Nights

6/10

Business as usual comedy from Ferrell.

Baron Blood

7/10

Bava doesn’t quite have the monster movie thing down. Has it’s moments, but overall just a mediocre Gothic horror.

Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key

6/10

An Italian twist on Poe’s “The Black Cat.” All the standard giallo elements are here in this better-than-average entry... more

Lisa and the Devil

9/10

Trippy and confused, but somehow this movie works for me. Telly Savalas is great. One of Bava’s best.

Five Dolls for an August Moon

6/10

A Bava play on the And then There Were None theme.

Four Times That Night

7/10

Strange Bava sex comedy based on Rashomon.

Flushed Away

6/10

So-so animated feature from Ardmann. Much of the humor falls flat.

Hot Fuzz

8/10

Not quite as funny as Shaun of the Dead, but entertaining nontheless.

The Devil’s Rain

4/10

Even Shatner and Ernest Borgnine in a goat mask can’t save this lame devil worshipers movie.

Who Saw Her Die

6/10

Predictable yet watchable giallo. Ennio Morricone music gets quite repetetive even though it’s a nice theme.

Rabid Dogs

8/10

Posthumous Bava film. Most of the action takes place in a car as bandits kidnap a woman, man and... more

Horror Express

6/10

Okay horror film about a “fossil” that kills with a look.

The Decent

8/10

Very effective horror movie. Claustrophbia abounds.

The Case of the Bloody Iris

7/10

Well done giallo with a decent plot and a fair ending.

Short Night of the Glass Dolls

7/10

Initially compelling giallo that loses steam at the out-of-nowhere ending.

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids

5/10

Ho-hum giallo offering. You can see the earplug in Antonio Sabato’s ears at the climax.

Shock

7/10

Horrible child acting ruins what would be a great thriller.

Torso

8/10

Very suspenseful third act make up for the awful first 2/3 of the movie. This one get better with... more

Planet of the Vampires

8/10

Colorful and holds your attention despite the technical limitations of the era. Very cool art design.

Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye

5/10

Mildly entertaining giallo. Not terribly suspensful or scary.

Munich

7/10

Decent thriller, that gets a bit too political at times and, like Spielburg’s last few movies, doesn’t know when... more

Knocked Up

6/10

Entertaining comedy that is a veiled chick flick.

Flightplan

6/10

Lame third act really ruins this otherwise tight thriller.

Feast

6/10

Limited budget and bad acting. Not as funny as it should have been and not very scary at all.

Kill Baby… Kill!

7/10

Slow moving ghost story that is just a bit lacking in budget to make it great. I write a... more

Knives of the Avenger

5/10

A viking tale that’s a bit too weak on style and action.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much

8/10

Lighthearted giallo with great B&W photography.

The Devil’s Backbone

7/10

Ghost story set in an orphanage during spanish civil war. I would have preferred more ghosts and less reality.

Pan’s Labyrinth

9/10

Dark fantasy amid Franco’s spanish civil war. Great effects, story and characters.

Idiocracy

7/10

Entertaining one-joke movie about a future of stupid people.

Sleepless

6/10

Not awful, but far from Argento’s best. A few inventive shots and Max Von Syndow make it worth a... more

A Scanner Darkly

6/10

Mildly intriguing but, beyond the acting, fails on many fronts.

Borat

7/10

Does not live up to the hype, but has its moments.

Black Sabbath

8/10

Collection of 3 horror tales. They vary in quality but the last is superb.

Danger: Diabolik

8/10

Visually stunning comic book adaptation. The plot and character development are a bit lacking though.

Two Mules for Sister Sara

7/10

The plot is a bit disjointed at times and Shirley McClane is not terribly good , but Clint Eastwood... more

I Drink Your Blood

3/10

Low budget grindhouse production about killer, satanic hippies. Pretty boring. Only the last, zombie-flick inspired 10 minutes are kinda... more

The Church

6/10

Disappointing resolution and shallow characters, but enough interesting imagery and weirdness to moderately recommend.

Buio Omega (Beyond the Darkness)

5/10

Cheesy Italian horror film about a taxidermist who is infatuated with his dead girlfriend. It’s a character study without... more

The Wicker Man

7/10

Classic tale of pagan villagers. I was spoiled because I already knew the twist ending, but was enjoyable nonetheless.... more

Clerks II

8/10

Funny and a nice sequel. Hindered by Kevin Smith’s lack of comic timing as a director (and actor). But... more

Art School Confidential

7/10

Falls apart when it attempts to become high-minded satire near the end, but the characterizations of art school stereotypes... more

Slither

6/10

Silly but entertaining monster movie.

Aragami

5/10

The companion piece to 2LDK. Not as good, and a bit too talky and not enough fighting.

2008

2007

2006