My reviews of all 100 of Ebert's "The Great Movies" has their own page. So do Shakespeare Adaptations.
Movies in the imdb Top 250 are also tracked here:
#1 - #50 • #51 - #100 • #101 - #150 • #151 - #200 • #201 - #250The Complete Reviews
Updated 11/23/17
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Reviewed 2007.
The 400 Blows (1959). Reviewed 2007.
8 ½ (1963). Reviewed 2007.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972). Reviewed 2007.
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974). Reviewed 2007.
Aliens (1986). Reviewed April, 2015. my imdb score: 9.
The aliens of Aliens are both the stuff of our deepest nightmares and puppeteering raised to apocalyptic art of the first order.All About Eve (1950). Reviewed 2007.
The Apartment (1960). Reviewed 2008.
Apocalypse Now (1979). Reviewed 2008.
The Apu Trilogy (Pather Panchali, Aparajito, The World of Apu: 1955-1960). India. Reviewed 2008.
The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Reviewed November, 2015. my imdb score: 5.
It felt like an “old movie,” in the mildly pejorative sense.The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007). Reviewed 2010.
Avatar (2009). Reviewed 2011.
The Babadook (2015). Reviewed February, 2016. my imdb score: 8.
The Babadook has good acting, good photography, a sustained and slightly gothic moodiness, and a continual sense of menace that keep you from asking too many awkward questions until after the credits roll.Battleship Potemkin (1925). Reviewed 2008.
Beauty and the Beast (1946). Reviewed 2008.
Beginners (2011). Reviewed 2012.
Belle de Jour (1976). Reviewed 2008.
The Bicycle Thief (1948). Reviewed 2008.
The Big Sleep (1946). Reviewed 2008.
Blow-Up (1966). Reviewed 2008.
Body Heat (1981). Reviewed 2008.
Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Reviewed 2010.
Boyhood (2014). Reviewed April, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
A highly successful and worthy experiment in movie-making, and a very watchable if somewhat slow-moving entertainment.The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Reviewed 2008.
Broken Blossoms (1919). Reviewed 2008.
Casablanca (1942). Reviewed 2010.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams. (2010). Documentary. Reviewed 2012.
Chimes at Midnight (1965). Reviewed March, 2017. my imdb score: 6.
...brilliant in some ways, dull in others.Chinatown (1942). Reviewed 2010.
Citizen Kane (1941).Reviewed 2009.
City Lights (1931). Reviewed 2009.
Colossal (2017). Reviewed May, 2017. my imdb score: 8.
It combined a ridiculous premise and over-the-top characterization with a kind of comic realism that I found… funny! Very funny.Coriolanus . (2011). Reviewed 2013.
Dabangg (2010). India. Reviewed 2012.
The Dark Knight (2008). Reviewed 2010. my imdb score: 2.
Days of Heaven. (1978). Reviewed 2008.
The Decalogue. (1988). Reviewed 2008.
Detour. (1945). Reviewed 2008.
District 9 (2009). Reviewed 2010. my imdb score: 8.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. (2007). Reviewed 2010.
Do the Right Thing. (1989). Reviewed 2009.
Double Indemnity. (1944). Reviewed 2008.
Downfall (Der Untergang) (2004). Reviewed August, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
Masterfully made, no fun at all, but terribly engrossing, Downfall is a serious film that needs to be approached with a serious frame of mind.Dracula (1931). Reviewed 2009.
Dr. Strangelove (1964). Reviewed 2010.
Duck Soup (1933). Reviewed 2007.
Dune (1984). Reviewed June, 2015
...the kind of fun that comes from witnessing the flowering of a classic fiasco.
E.T. (1982). Reviewed 2009.
Ex Machina (2015). Reviewed May, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
It's stylish, a bit unsettling, and a lot of fun to watch.The Exterminating Angel (1961). Reviewed 2009.
F for Fake (1973) Reviewed February, 2016. my imdb score: 8.
...as I learn for the thousandth time, truth is often pretty strange.The Fall (2006). Reviewed May, 2015. my imdb score: 10.
The Fall is one of my very favorite movies.Fargo (1996). Reviewed 2009.
The Five Obstructions (2003). Reviewed October, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
...fascinating stuff for anyone interested in filmmaking and the creative process.Floating Weeds (1959). Reviewed 2008.
Following (1998). Reviewed September, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
Shot in grainy black and white and without lighting, Following looks great.Footnote (2011). India. Reviewed January, 2016. my imdb score: 8.
Footnote is one of the funniest and most touching movies I’ve seen since I started reviewing movies. I want to say that right off, because it might also be a bit of a tough sell for your movie night.Frost/Nixon (2008). Reviewed 2010.
Fury Road (2015). Reviewed July, 2015. my imdb score: 6.
Fury Road offers lots of shouting, chasing, shooting, grotesque imagery, dark humor, and explosions. I thought it was pretty fun.
Gates of Heaven (1978). Reviewed 2009.
The General (1926). Reviewed 2008.
The Godfather (1972). Reviewed 2008. my imdb score: 10.
Gone Girl (2014). Reviewed July, 2015. my imdb score: 6.
...like many pretty-good but unremarkable movies, it has faded from my memory awfully quickly.Gone with the Wind (1939). Reviewed 2010.
Goodfellas (1990). Reviewed June, 2015. my imdb score: 6.
It is well acted, well filmed, and put together with loving attention to historical detail. Unfortunately for me, I mostly just find it kind of tiresome.The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Reviewed March, 2015. my imdb score: 9.
Really fun, really funny, and highly recommended for anybody who likes a glib and world-weary movie with heart and vim.The Grand Illusion (1937). Reviewed 2008.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988). Reviewed September, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
Is it great? I didn’t find it great. But I am certainly in the minority.Greed (1924). Reviewed 2010.
The Hangover (2010). Reviewed 2010.
A Hard Day's Night (1964). Reviewed 2010.
The Hateful Eight (2015). Reviewed January, 2016. my imdb score: 7.
More entertaining then it deserves to be, potentially frustrating if you compare it to its potential.Headhunters (Hodejegerne) (2012). Norway. Reviewed 2012. Revisited 2015. my imdb score: 7.
Heat (1995). Reviewed July, 2015. my imdb score: 4.
It is a little surreal... to read in Ebert's review that "the dialogue is complex enough to allow the characters to say what they're thinking: They are eloquent, insightful, fanciful, poetic when necessary. They're not trapped with cliches." It sounds great! And it also sounds like the very opposite of the movie I just watched.Hoop Dreams (1994). Documentary. Reviewed 2010.
Hugo (2011). Reviewed 2012.
The Hurt Locker (2008). Reviewed 2010.
Ikiru. (1952) Reviewed 2008.
In Bruges (2008). Reviewed 2010.
Inception (2010). Reviewed April, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
It's got the requisite gunplay, explosions, and computer-generated effects... but it also brings an intelligent script, strong acting, and strong art design to the table.Insomnia (1997). Norway. Reviewed October, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
The Norwegian version’s concern for maintaining a pensive, hard-boiled mood comes at the sacrifice of narrative clarity.Insomnia (2002). Reviewed October, 2015. my imdb score: 6.
Insomnia (USA) is a likable police procedural, but careless in its details. While it improves on some weaknesses of the original, it fails to live up to its strengths.It Follows (2015). Reviewed February, 2016. my imdb score: 7.
...good acting, good photography, a sustained slackerish moodiness, and a continual sense of menace that keep you from asking too many awkward questions until after the credits roll.It's A Wonderful Life (1946). Reviewed 2010.
JFK. (1991) Reviewed 2008.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011). Documentary. Reviewed 2012.
Jodorowsky's Dune (2014). Reviewed June, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
"...a look back from forty years later at a legendary science fiction epic that never made it out of pre-production."Juno (2007). Reviewed 2010.
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014). Reviewed April, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
"...a top-notch moving picture."
La Dolce Vita (1959). Reviewed August, 2008.
The Lady Eve (1941). Reviewed July, 2008.
Last Year at Marienbad (2008). Reviewed December, 2008.
L'Atalante (1934). Reviewed September, 2008.
L'Avventura (1960). Reviewed October, 2008.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Reviewed October, 2009.
Let the Right One In (2014). Sweden. Reviewed January, 2016. my imdb score: 8.
"At its heart, this film is a love story, with the love at its purest and most dawn-of-adolescence innocent level. But it is also kind of a revenge thriller."Love's Labours Lost (2000). Reviewed February, 2007.
M (1931). Reviewed September 2008.
Mad Max: Fury Road -- see Fury Road.
The Maltese Falcon (1941). Reviewed November 2008.
Manhattan (1979). Reviewed December 2009.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971). Reviewed December 2008.
Metropolis (1925). Reviewed January 2009.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935). Reviewed August, 2012.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). Reviewed February, 2013.
Milk (2008). Reviewed October, 2010.
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953). Reviewed November, 2008.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993). Reviewed January, 2011.
My Darling Clementine. (1946). Reviewed January 2009.
My Life to Live. (1962). Reviewed May 2010.
My Name is Khan (2010). India. Reviewed February, 2012.
Nashville (1975). Reviewed 2009.
National Gallery (2014). Reviewed October, 2015. my imdb score: 10.
we... get to see a lot of beautiful images, and to hear them discussed by engaging, knowledgeable peopleNetwork. (1976) Reviewed October, 2009.
Night of the Hunter. (1955) Reviewed 2009.
No Country for Old Men. (2007) Reviewed 2010.
Nosferatu. (1921) Reviewed March, 2009.
Notorious. (1946) Reviewed January, 2009.
Oldboy (2003). Reviewed June, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
Hard to beat as a modern film noir action thriller.On the Waterfront. (1954) Reviewed May, 2009.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). Reviewed October, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
I thought it was beautiful, confusing, charming, sometimes a bit hokey, occasionally a little disturbing, and thoroughly diverting.Oslo, August 31 (2011). Reviewed May, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
...a rewarding and darkly beautiful movie.
Pandora's Box (1929). Reviewed February, 2009.
Partner. (2007). India. Reviewed February, 2012.
"I thought it was fun."The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Reviewed March, 2009.
Peeping Tom (1960). Reviewed February, 2010.
Persona (1966). Reviewed February, 2009.
Pickpocket. (1956). Reviewed February, 2009.
Pinocchio (1940). Reviewed July, 2009.
Pink Floyd: The Wall -- see The Wall.
Playtime (1967). Reviewed February, 2016. my imdb score: 8.
And it really is a lot of fun, taken on its own terms. (Taken on other terms, such as “I want a clear storyline” or “I want people to act rationally” or “when the hell is something going to HAPPEN, for crying out loud!” it would be a nightmare.)Princess Mononoke (1997). Reviewed November, 2017. my imdb score: 7.
With many moments of beauty, violence, cuteness, humor, and suspense, it offers the complete package in terms of entertainment.Psycho (1960). Reviewed February, 2010.
Pulp Fiction (1994). Reviewed February, 2010. my imdb score: 9.
Rachel Getting Married (2008). Reviewed 2010. my imdb score: 9.
Raging Bull. (1976) Reviewed February, 2010.
Rango. (2011) Reviewed March, 2012.
Ratatouille (2007). Reviewed August, 2010.
Rebuni (2015). Ethiopia. Reviewed December, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
...it made more of an impression on me that any number of films that have been produced at hundreds of times its budget.Red River (1948). Reviewed 2009.
Requiem for a Dream (2000). Reviewed June, 2015. my imdb score: 9.
This film is a real festival of virtuoso editing.Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). Reviewed May, 2012.
Le Samourai (1967). Reviewed 2008.
Schindler's List (1993). Reviewed May, 2010.
The Seven Samurai (1954). Reviewed April, 2009.
The Seventh Seal (1957). Reviewed March, 2009.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Reviewed March, 2010.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Reviewed December, 2009.
Singin' in the Rain (1952). Reviewed April, 2009.
Some Like It Hot (1959). Reviewed March, 2009
Song of the Sea (2010). Reviewed April, 2015. my imdb score: 9.
...Moore’s films use beautiful, highly stylized animation to tell stories about plucky children whose lives are disrupted by goings-on not only in the adult world, but also in the rich and strange mystical realm of Irish legend.Star Wars (1977). Reviewed January, 2010
Sunset Boulevard (1950). Reviewed November, 2009.
Sweet Smell of Success (1957). Reviewed May, 2009.
Swing Time (1936). Reviewed June, 2009.
Tangerines (2013). Estonian/Georgian. Reviewed January, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
...an intelligent, effective story.Taxi Driver. (1976) Reviewed April, 2009.
Tees Maar Khan (2010). India Reviewed February, 2012. my imdb score: 5.
The Tempest (2011). Reviewed 2012.
Thale (2013). Norway. Reviewed December, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
It can seem a bit like pieces cobbled together from other movies you’ve seen, and maybe some old X-Files episodes. But, Thale has a personality of its own, too. It was more engrossing than I expected....The Third Man (1949). Reviewed July, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
The Third Man is a crisp, smart, darkly funny movie, highly stylized but with elements of gritty realism.Trouble in Paradise (1932). Reviewed July, 2009.
The Truman Show (1998). Reviewed November, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
As a film, it is arguably one of the best science-fiction films of its era. Only since it doesn’t have spaceships, people don’t notice that it’s science fiction.
Ugly (2013). India. Reviewed March, 2016. my imdb score: 8.
Highly recommended if you like Indian films but sometimes wish they were a bit grittier.Un Chien Andalou (1929). Reviewed June, 2009.
Until Sbornia Do Us Part (2013). Brazil. Reviewed May, 2015. my imdb score: 9.
Highly recommended if you like Indian films but sometimes wish they were a bit grittier.The "Up" Documentaries (1964-present). Reviewed November, 2007.
Up in the Air (2009). Reviewed November, 2010.
Vertigo (1958). Reviewed January, 2010.
Wages of Fear (1953). Reviewed July, 2015. my imdb score: 7.
Clouzot clearly intended his movie to make a statement about the degradation of men by the forces of industrial capitalism. That's cool, but the swaggering, posturing conception of masculinity he brings to the party really lowers the level.The Wall (1982). Reviewed August 2015. my imdb score: 5.
Obviously, if you love the music of Pink Floyd, that will help a lot.Whiplash (2014). Reviewed May, 2015. my imdb score: 9.
Lovely to watch, exciting to listen to, highly engaging, often disturbing, and packed with all sorts of interesting social questions without offering any easy answers. This is my kinda movie.Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966). Reviewed May, 2015. my imdb score: 8.
I was kind of riveted.The Wild Bunch (1969). Reviewed February, 2016. my imdb score: 7.
People falling off of roofs and cliffs in slow motion as they writhe in terror and in agony from their gunshot wounds have seldom been portrayed so beautifully.Wings of Desire (1986). Reviewed December, 2009.
Winter's Bone (2010). Reviewed March, 2012.
The Wizard of Oz (1939). Reviewed October, 2009.
Wolf Hall (Television Series, 2014). Reviewed November, 2015. my imdb score: 9.
It is nothing if not dialog driven, with lots of quiet stretches amid the dialog, and there is a lot of acting done with the eyes – reactions to something said or overheard, considerations of implications, and, quite often, elaborate shows of deference or patronage. The characters are often locked in mortal combat, but it is a slow-motion combat of insinuation and innuendo.Woman in the Dunes (1964). Reviewed 2009.
A Woman Under the Influence (1974). Reviewed June, 2009.
Written on the Wind (1956). Reviewed June, 2009.
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