www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM

Movies (Including documentaries, clips, and 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 (circa 2000). 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 probably sounds 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. Also, if you're like me, you may have attended a few film festivals over the years. In my case, I was a regular attendant at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Denver, Radical Reels, and the Backcountry Film Festival over the years - each featuring countless short feature films that were simply too numerous for me to have recorded here. Anyway, for this page I was able, pretty quickly, to recall almost a third of the movies that I've seen so far...

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(watched 'em again) many of the older movies on this list and found some I still like while others seem simple or outdated.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

Roger rates 'em:

Yes! - Roger Recommends

Yes! - Roger Recommends

12 Angry Men (1957) - a classic! 12 Years a Slave (2013) 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) 33, The (2015) 127 Hours (2010) - Gruesome! 1945: The Savage Peace (2015) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - I saw it when it first came out while I was in Junior High and was in complete awe! 2016: Obama's America (2012) 5,000 Fingers of Dr. Terwilliker, The (1953) - I watched it in 1962 and 2014 50/50 (2011) 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) Abandoned (2015) About Time (2013) Act of Valor (2012) - Excellent! Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) Affluenza (1997) - the Epidemic of Overconsumption Age of Stupid, The (2009) Airplane (1970) Airport (1980) Alamo, The (2004) - A good look at Texas history Alive: The Miracle of the Andes (1993) Alien (1979) - The first one was best! Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) - better than I thought it would be! Alone Across Australia (2003) - Filmed by Jon Muir himself! Altered States (1980) Alexander Revisited (2004) American Experience: Tesla (2016) Apocolypse Now (1979) - My favorite! American Experience: Earth Days (2009) American Beauty (1999) American Graffiti (1973) American Sniper (2014) Amistad (1997) Andromeda Strain, The (1971) Animal House (1978) Anna and the King (1999) Annie Hall (1977) Anthropoid (2016) Apocalypse Now (1979) - My most favoirt movie! Apocalypto (2006) - brutal but excellent! Apollo 13 (1995) Argo (2012) Armadillo (2010) Around Cape Horn (1929) - Captain Irving Johnson Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) Arrival, The (1996) Artificial Intelligence: A.I (2001) Astronaut Farmer, The (2006) Atlas Shrugged: Part 11 (2012) Attack the Block (2011) - not great but different! Australia (2008) Avatar (2009) - Beautiful! Babel (2006) Backcountry (2014) - gruesome! Backcountry Film Festival - always a great experience! Back to the Future (1985) Banff Mountain Film Festival - I have seen many dozens of films at their Denver Paramount Theater event Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) - yes, I enjoyed it! Battle of the Bulge (1965) Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) Beautiful Mind, A (2001) Becoming Human Part 2: Homo Sapiens: The Birth of Humanity [NOVA Documentary] (2011) Beetle Juice (1988) Ben-Hur (1959) Bernie (2011) Best in Show (2000) Beyond the Edge 2013 Big Chill, The (1983) Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017) Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) Birds, The (1963) Biutiful (2010) Black Book (2006) Blade Runner (1982) Blair Witch Project, The (1999) Blazzing Saddles (1974) - I was 17 and it seemed very funny at the time! Bliss (2007) Blues Brothers (1980) Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Book of Eli, The (2010) Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Bowling for Columbine (2002) - Sad, funny and poignant... Boy and His Dog, A (1975) Boyhood (2014) Boys From Brazil, The (1978) Braveheart (1995) Breakdown (1997) Breaking Away (1979) Bridge of Spies (2015) Bridge over the River Kwai, The (1957) Bright (2017) Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) Bug's Life, A (1998) Buddy Holly Story, The (1978) - interesting, but poor acting. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Butterflies Are Free (1972) Caddyshack (1980) Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) Casablanca (1942) - old but interesting Cat Ballou (1965) Captain Fantastic (2016) - I loved the funeral pyre scene and song! Camp Leatherneck - National Geographic (2010) Casino (1995) - Excellent! Catch 22 (1970) - the book was also fantastic! Catch Me if You Can (2002) Capote (2005) - an interesting look at In Cold Blood Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - Depp was great! Chasing Ice (2012) Che: Part One (2008) Che: Part Two (2008) - Seemed less historical than part one... Chicken Run (2000) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) City of Joy (1992) Civil War, The (1990) Clerks (1994) - weird and lude but very intertaining! Clerks II (2006) - starts out slow but is still weird, lude and intertaining! Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Cloud Atlas (2012) - complex Conspirator, The (2010) - a bit slow but good history Contact (1997) - A fantastic film with the exception of a very unnecessary sex scene... Conviction (2010) Cool Hand Luke (1967) Cosmos: A Personal Voyage - TV series (1980) Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - TV series (2014) Countdown to ZERØ - scary stuff! Cove, The (2009) Cowboys, The (1972) - excellent! Craigslist Joe (2012) Crash (2004) - pushing the boundries of diversity... Crazy Sexy Cancer (2007) Crimson Tide (1995) Cry in the Dark (1988) middle is a bit long and slow... Dallas Buyers Club (2013) DamNation (2014) Dances with Wolves (1990) Darkest Hour (2017) - excellent! Das Boot (1981) Dave (1993) Day Without a Mexican, A (2004) - Humerous and informative Dead Man Walking (1995) Dead Poets Society (1989) - Excellent! Deadpool (2016) Death Sentence (2007) Deer Hunter, The (1978) Defiance (2008) Deliverance (1972) - Excellent in its day! Departed, The (2006) - Complex and bloody Die Hard (1988) Dirty Dozen (1967) - a classic! Dirty Harry (1971) Dish, The (2000) District 9 (2009) - Hokey but different! Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The - Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007) Django Unchained (2012) Don Juan DeMarco (1995) Doors, The: When You're Strange (2009) Downfall (2004) - Der Untergang - Excellent bit of Hitler history... Dreamkeeper (2003) - I was fascinated with the Coyotoe and Spider scene Drillbit Taylor (2008) - cute! Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Dune (1984) - the book was better... Dunkirk (2017) Earthlings (2005) Easy Rider (1969) - an absolute clasic! Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Edward Abbey: A Voice in the Wilderness (1983) Eiger Sanction (1975) El Camino Christmas (2017)- good despite poor acting Elephant Man (1980) Endurance, The Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expediton (2000) Enduring Love (2004) Enemy Below (1957) - well done despite it's age Erin Brockovich (2000) E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Europa (1991) - a bit strange though... Europa Report (2013) Europe | First Peoples - PBS NOVA (2015) Everest (2015) - Excellent! Evolve: Eyes, Sex, Size, Skin, Flight, Communication, Guts, Venom, Speed, Jaws, Shape History (2008) Ex Machina (2012) Exorcist, The (1973) - Shocking in it's day! Expedition Happiness (2017) - a little too much "Rudi" but otherwise a fun trip! Fahrenheit 451 (2018) Fahrenheit 911 (2004) - My mom saw this on opening day, 06/25/04, and she loved it too! Fail-Safe (1964) Falcon and the Snowman, The (1985) Falling Down (1993) Family Man, The (2000) Far From the Madding Crowd (2015) Fargo (1999) Farthest: Voyager in Space, The (2017) Fast Runner (2001) - Good look at life up north Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (2010) - surprisingly moving! Fearless (1993) Fences (2016) Field of Dreams (1989) Fifth Element, The Fight Club (1999) - Bizzare but good! Fisher King, The (1991) Fistful of Dollars, A (1964) - Per un pugno di dollari Flags of our Fathers (2006) - excellent! Flesh Eaters, The (1964) - Saw it at the Q-Twin drive-in with Franny our sitter! Flight (2012) - fantastic upside down flying! Flight of the Phoenix, The (1965) Fly, The (1958) Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003) Food, Inc. (2008) Forbidden Planet 1956 - Krell steel! Forest Gump (1994) Forks Over Knives (2011) Founder, The (2016) Four Sheets to the Wind (2007) Fracture (2007) Frankenstein (1931) Friday the 13th (1980) Full Metal Jacket (1987) Full Monty, The (1997) Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A (1966) Galaxy Quest (1999) Gallipoli (1981) Gandhi (1982) Garbage Warrior (2007) Gasland (2010) Get the Gringo (2012) George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011) Gerald's Game (2017) Gettysburg (1993) - Excellent! Ghost (1990) Ghost Busters (1984) Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, The (2009) Gladiator (2000) Glengarry GlenRoss (1992) Glory (1989) Godfather (1972) Golden Compass, The (2007) Goldmember, Austin Powers in (2002) Gone With the Wind (1939) GoodFellas (1990) - A gory look at the mob Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) Good People (2014) Good Shepherd, the (2006) Good, the Bad, the Ugly (1966) - a classic! Good Will Hunting (1997) - Click Here for Will's NSA Speech... Graduate, The (1967) Grand Budapest Hotel, The (2014) Grapes of Wrath, The (1940) Gravity (2013) - Excellent! Great Escape, The (1963) Green Mile, The (1999) Grey, The (2012) Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee 2016) - eating feces?? Grizzly Man (2005) - an interesting look at a very disturbed "naturalist" Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) Groundhog Day (1993) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Hanna (2011) Hang 'em High (1968) Hard Candy (2005) - Disturbing and uncomfortable to watch but worth it! Harold and Maude (1971) Hateful Eight, The (2015) - Bloody wild! Heaven Can Wait (1978) Hellboy (2004) Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Help! (1965) High Plains Drifter (1973) Hidalgo (2004) Hitchcock (2012) Hobbit, The: An Unexpected Journey (2012) Horsemen (2009) - Bloody! How Does Childhood Differ Between Traditional Societies and Modern Societies? (2011) - National Academy of Sciences and Jared Diamond How the West Was Won (1962) Hud (1963) Hunt For Red October, The (1990) Hurt Locker, The (2008) I am Sam (2001) Ice Age (2002) I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (2017) If A Tree Falls - A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011) If I Had Wings (2013) I Like Killing Flies (2004) Inception (2010) Inconvenient Truth, An (2006) - It's time to take action! Independence Day (1996) India in Motion (2008) 63 Interactive Theatre, Agra, India Infinity Chamber (2016) In the Name of the Father (1993) In Bruges (2008) In Time (2011) - some plot holes though... Into the Wild (2007) - not enough wilderness scenes though... I Origins (2014) Iron Lady, The (2011) It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Jaws (1975) J. Edgar (2011) Jeremiah Johnson (1972) - a wonderful classic! Jersey Boys (2014) Jesus Camp (2006) - scary but interesting! Jack Reacher (2012) Jobs (2013) - however, they left too much out... John Adams (2008) Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) Jumper (2008) - poor acting but interesting concept! Judge, The (2014) Jurassic Park (1993) Jurassic Park, The Lost World: (1997) K*19 The Widow Maker (2002) - Reliving the Cold War era... K2: The Ultimate High (1992) - A great climbing movie! K-PAX (2001) - "Every being in the universe knows right from wrong"

Karate Kid (1984) Kick Ass (2010) - the 11 year old girl has my vote! Killing Season (2013) Kill or Be Killed (2015) Kelly's Heroes (1970) Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - Excellent! King's Speech, The (2010) Knowing (2009) - could have been better though... Kon-Tiki (1950) Kundun (1997) - Tibet La La Land (2016) Land of Mine (2015) Last Detail, The (1973) Last of His Tribe, The (1992) - sad... Last Man on the Moon, The (2014) - some good history! Last Samurai (2003) Last Temptation of Christ, The (1988) - Although a bit long it's an interesting twist on an old story... Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Layer Cake (2004) Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) Life, Above All (2010) Life as a House (2001) Life of Brian (1979) Life of David Gale, The (2003) Lincoln (2012) - Excellent! Lincoln Lawyer, The (2011) Lion (2016) Lion in the House, A (2006) Little Big Man (1970) Little Buddha (1993) Lives of Others, The - Das Leben der Anderen (2007) Logan's Run (1976) Lonesome Dove (1989) Lone Survivor (2013 - Intense/Excellent! Lonely Are the Brave (1962) Look Who's Back (2015) Lorax, The (2012) Lord of the Flies (1963) Lord of War (2005) Love Bug (1968) - Okay, I was very young back then! Madame Curie (1943) Mad Max (1979) Mad Max 2 (1981) Magdalene Sisters, The (2002) Magic of Belle Isle, The (2012) Magnificent Seven, The (1960) Magnificent Seven, The (2016) Magnolia (1999) - a bit strange... Malcolm X (1992) - slow start but good history Malpelo Island DXpedition - HKØNA (2012) MacArthur (1977) Man Called Horse, A (1970) Man Called Ove, A (2015) Manhunt: Unabomer (2017) Marathon Man (1976) March of the Penguins (2005) - Marche de l'empereur M*A*S*H (1970) - yet another classic! Mask, The (1994) - flawed but entertaining! Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) - Superb! Matrix, The (1999) - Well done Martian, The (2015) McLibel (2005) - Big business takes on free speech Meaning of Life, The (1983) Mechanic, The (1972) Medicine Man (1992) Memento (2000) Meru (2015) - climb on! Michael (1996) Michael Clayton (2007) Midnight Cowboy (1969) Midnight Express (1978) Midway (1976) - Excellent bit of history! Milk (2008) [we lived near there in '78...] Million Dollar Baby (2004) Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things (2015) Miracle Worker, The (1962) Mission to Mars (2000) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Monumental David Brower's Fight for Wild America (2004) Monster (2003) - about serial killer Aileen Wuornos Moon 2009 Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Mosquito Coast (1986) Most Hated Woman in America, The (2017) Motorcycle Diaries (2004) - Diarios de motocicleta - (A look at the murderer's earlier life) Murder Ball (2005) - Gives you a lot to think about! My Family, Mi Familia (1995) My Side of the Mountain (1969) - not as good as the book though... My Scientology Movie (2015) Mystic Pizza (1988) Naked Prey, The (1965) Nanook of the North (1922) - a bit staged but very interesting/historical National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) Natural Born Killers (1994) - I just liked it! Never Cry Wolf (1983) New Territory - Carlos Mencia (2011) Next Three Days, The - Very Suspenseful (2010) Noah (2014) - a little strange at times... No Country for Old Men 2007) - Gory but darn interesting! No Impact Man (2009) Non-Stop (2014) Norma Rae (1979) North Face (2008) [Nordwand original title] November Man (2014) Nowhere Boy (2009) Oasis (2017) Occupy Unmasked (2012) Office Space (1999) - We've all been there... Of Gods and Men (2010) Of Mice and Men (1992) Oh, God! (1977) Omega Man, The (1971) On Any Sunday (1971) Once (2006) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - C'era una volta il West One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) One, the Movie (2005) - (Okay, I got to Interview the filmmaker!) Only The Essential - A Hike from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail (2014) On the Beach (1959) Open Range (2003) Open Water (2003) Orbiter 9 [Original title; Órbita 9] (2017) a twist on reality! Origin of Life, Arrival David Attenborough (BBC Documentary) Origins: How Life Began Neil deGrasse Tyson (PBS Documentary, 2004) Orphanage, The (2007) El orfanato Osama (2003) - a good look at Taliban cruetly. Our Souls at Night (2017) - Great story but poor acting by Redford... Outland (1981) Outlaw Josey Wales, The (1976) Paint Your Wagon (1969) Pandorum (2009) - Not well done but an interesting concept Paperboy, The (2012) Paper Moon (1973) - An excellent classic! Papillon (1973) Particle Fever (2013) - Fantastic! Pathfinder (2007) - an intriguing idea Peaceful Warrior (2006) People Like Us (2012) Perfect Storm, The (2000) - I saw it while staying at the beach! Perfect Day, A (2015) Pet (2016) 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! Pink Floyd - The Story of "Wish You Were Here" (2011) Pink Floyd the Wall (1982) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - fun! Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) Planet Earth 100 Million Years In The Future - What will happen to our world? (2014) Planet of the Apemen Battle for Earth 1 of 2 Homo Erectus (2011) - BBC Planet of the Apemen Battle for Earth 2 of 2 Neanderthal (20122 - BBC Planet of the Apes (1968) - It was great when it first came out! Platoon (1986) - War is Hell... Play Misty for Me (1971) Poisoning Paradise (2016) Pop Aye (2017) Poseidon Adventure, The (1972) Postman, The (1997) Powder (1995) Predator (1987) Predestination (2015) Primal Fear (1986) Producers, The (1968) - Also saw the play while in London Prometheus (2012) Psycho (1960) Pulp Fiction (1994) Quest for Fire (1981) Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) - Excellent behind-the-scenes stuff on the DVD as well! Radical Reels - Before it was combined with Banff, in 2018, I had been to many showings in Colorado Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Rain Man (1988) Recruit, The (2003) Red Planet (2000) - AMEE was sure interesting! Religulous (2008) Rendition (2007) Requiem for a Dream - Wild! Rescue Dawn (2007) - slow in some parts... Restrepo (2010) Resurrection (1980) Revenant, The (2015) - Intense! Rio Grande (1950) River Runs Through It, A (1992) Road, The (2009) Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975) Rollerball (1975) Romance of Radium (1937) Run Lola Run (1998) - I'll be buying the DVD!! Sackets, The (1979) Sand Pebbles (1966) Saving Private Ryan (1998) School of Rock, The (2003) - fun! Schindler's List (1993) Sea Inside, The (2004) (Mar adentro) - Interesting euthanasia question... Search for Life in Space, The (2016) Sessions, The (2012) - surprisingly moving! Seeparation, A (2011) Sense of an Ending, TheA (2017) Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, The (2007) Seven Years in Tibet (1997) - I was able to visit the town of Uspallata, in Argentina, where Brad Pitt was filmed for this one! Sex Changes That Made History, The (2015) Shaun of the Dead (2004) - British humor at its best! Shawshank Redemption, The (1994) Shimmer Lake (2017) - fascinating concept! Shinning, The (1980) Showgun (1980) Sicko (2007) - Fun, Sad and Amazing! Silence (2016) Silence of the Lambs (1991) Sixth Sense, The (1999) Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) - fun but also sad... Sleepers (1996) Small Crimes (2017) - surprisingly bloody... Smoke Signals (1998) - an excellent Native American film! Social Network (2010) Some Freaks (2016) Son of Flubber (1963) Sound of Music (1965) South Pacific (1958) Soylent Green (1973) Space Cowboys (2000) Spartacus (1960) Spy Who Shagged Me, The (1999) Stand by Me (1986) Starman (1984) - I loved it! Star Wars (1977, 1980, 1983) - The first two or three were great! Sticky Notes (2016) Sting, The (1973) Stone (2017) Strange Name Movie, The (2017) St. Vincent (2014) Supersize Me (2004) - A good warning for all of us Survivalist, The (2015) Suspect Zero (2004) Syriana (2005) - Good but complex Taken (2008) Temple Grandin (2010) Ten Commandments, The (1956) Terminator, The (1984) Texas Chainsaw Masacre (1974) - I saw it when it first came out and loved it! Thelma & Louise (1991) - great! Theory of Everything, The (2014) There Will Be Blood (2007) They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) - Excellent! THX 1138 (1971) Thing, The (1982) Three Days of the Condor (1975) Time Machine, The (1960 Time Riders (1991) Titanic (1997) To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Touching the Void (2003) - A realistic climbing movie Town Like Alice, A (1956) To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995) Toy Story (1995) Trading Places (1983) Traffic (2000) Trainspotting (1996) Transcendence (2014) Trashed (2007) Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948) Tremors (1990) True Grit (1969) True Grit (2010) Tsunami: Caught on Camera - tragic Tuskegee Airmen (1995) Twelve Monkeys (1995) - releasing the germ... Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) Dos mulas para la hermana Sara U 571 (2000) Una (2016) Unbroken (2014) Unfaithful (2002) Universe: Journey from Earth to the Edge of the Cosmos (2006) Unsinkable Molly Brown, The (1964) U.S. vs. John Lennon, The (2006) Valdez Is Coming (1971) Valkyrie (2008) - interesting historical detail Vanishing of the Bees (2009) Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago (2005) - some songs not so good... Victoria and Abdul (2017) - both cute and sad Vincent Van Gogh: A Stroke of Genius - (1997) Biography Channel Waiting for 'Superman' (2010) Walk Among the Tombstones, A (2014) Warcraft: The Beginning (2016) WarGames (1983) - dated but good War of the Worlds (1953) - The 2005 version was not very good... Warriors, The (1979) Water (2005) Weather Underground (2002) We Were Soldiers (2002) Whale Rider (2002) What is Space? - The Fabric of the Cosmos NOVA (2011) When Neanderthals and Modern Humans Met - Human evolution from 60,000 - 30,000 years ago (2015) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Who Killed America's Biggest Gadget? (2012) Wild Horse Wild Ride (2011) Wildlike (2014) Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) Wind River (2017) - wow! Witch, The: A New-England Folktale (2015) Wizard of Oz (1939) - I've seen it dozens of times! Wolf of Wall Street, The (2013) Woodsman, The (2004) - Intense Worlds Toughest Fixes: Nuclear Turbine (2008) - Nation Geographic Yellow Submarine (1968) Young Frankenstein (1974) Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) cute! Zero Dark Thirty (2013) - Jessica Chastain's role was a bit overblown... Zombieland (2009) Zookeper's Wife, The (2017) Zulu (1964) Zulu Dawn (1979)

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 (well, maybe I was able to sit through most of them...):

No! - Roger Retches

No! - Roger Retches

45 Years (2017) Adjustment Bureau, The (2011) Alice in Wonderland (2010) Alienate (2016) Alien Hunter (2003) - Poorly executed Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 (2017) - Australian flies around their spacesuits! Alien: Resurrection (1997) - However, the first two were great! American Fable (2016) Annihilation (2018) - goofy and incongruent Are You Scared? (2006) Black Snake Moan (2007) Beginners (2010) Bourne Supremacy, The (2004) Bruce Almighty (2003) Bullitt (1968) Butterfly Effect (2004) - Horrible, disjointed plot contstruction. However, the idea of going back in time, to correct present problems, has a certain appeal... Cloverfield (2008) Cloverfield Paradox, The (2018) - the writing arm scene was really goofy! Circle, The (2017) Citizen Kane (1941) Cliffhanger (1993) - Horrible portrayal of rock climbing! Constant Gardender (2005) - long and difficult to follow Darkest Hours, The (2011) Day the Earth Stood Still, The (2008) - 50's version was slightly better... Decendents, The (2011) Deep Impact (1998) Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You're Going (1995) Edward Scissorhands (1990) English Patient, The (1992) Evan Almighty (2007) Everything Must Go (2010) Exiles, The (1961) the 2008 remake didn't help it Exporting Raymond (2010) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) Faces of Death (1980) - very overblown in its day... Finding Forrester (2000) Frozen (2010) - interesting concept though... Get Out (2017) Ghost Story, A (2017) - fascinating concept. Happening, The (2008) - acting can't get much worse than this one! Heaven is for Real (2014) - poorly done I am Legend (2007) - Will Smith's character was an idiot... Ice Harvest (2005) - Shooting into the steamer trunk was interesting though! Invasion, The, A (2007) - poorly done. Juno (2007) - highly overrated... Kilimanjaro: To The Roof of Africa IMAX (2003) - I enjoyed the real thing much better! Kill Bill - Two bloody, severed thumbs down for being a childish action flick with little meaning King of California (2007) Ledge, The (2011 Hotel Rwanda (2004) - A poor job at covering a very sad chapter in Human history... Last of the Mohicans, The (1992) Life (2017) Life of Brian (1979) - Not nearly as good as all the other Monty Python stuff! Lockout (2012) - should have been a lot better...

Magellan (2017) - this topic had such great potential! Martian Child (2007) 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...) Meet Dave (2008) Millennium (1989) - Ladd and Kristofferson at their worst! Misery (1990) Mist, The (2007) - Hokey but with interesting bug parts - bad ending though... Mimic (1997) Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Munich (2005) - A long and poorly done propoganda film Mystic River (2003) - Good story but a very disappointing ending by Sean Penn's character My Cousin Rachel (2017) Now is Good (2012) Open House, The (2018) Open Range (2003) Open Water 2: Adrift (2006) - not as good as the first one... Passion of the Christ (2004) - Just another religious cult film Pathfinder, The (1996) - poor acting and poorly executed Pi (1998) Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Point Break (1991) Premonition (2007) Rift, The: Dark Side of the Moon - poorly done with especially inappropriate music Road, The (2009) RoboCop (2014) Rock, The (1996) Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, The (1976) Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The (2015) Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The (2013) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) - good music though... Shame (2011) Shutter Island (2010) - Unfortunately requires two viewings... Singularity (2017) Sorority Row (2009) Species (1995) - poorly done Speed (1994) Spies Like Us (1985) - poorly done in almost every regard! Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) Terminal, The (2004) - Tom Hanks wasted his time on this one... Things to Do (2006) - a glorification of childishness Titan, The (2018) Top Gun (1986) Trans-Siberian Express (2008) - too boring to watch to the end... Twister (1996) War of the Worlds (2005) - I liked the 1953 version better... We're the Millers (2013) What Lies Beneath (2000) - Tami thought it was manipulative! 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! Wonderwall (1968) World War Z (2013)

Undecided

Maybe? - Some parts good, some parts bad...

Maybe? - Some parts good, some parts bad...

10,000 B.C. (2008) 11/8/16 (2017) - too biased... 1408 (2007) 2010: Odyssey Two (1984) - Not nearly as good as the original 2001... 28 Days Later (2002) - good idea, poor execution 300 (2006) Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) Acts Of Vengeance (2017) African Queen, The (1951) Air Force One (1997) Alabama Moon (2009) - a cute idea poorly executed All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Apostle, The (1997) Armageddon (1998) Arrival (2016) - This was my initial rating but I liked it better the 2nd time Astronaut's Wife, The (1999) Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 (2011) Baby Mammoth (2008) - Extinction Was Just the Beginning... Bambi (1942) Beaver, The (2011) Ben-Hur (1959) Bereft (2004 - not sure of date...) - bizarre... Big Lebowski, The (1998) - could have been much better Big Trouble (2002) silly but funny at times Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - nice soundtrack! Blood Diamond (2006) - sad story Borat (2006) Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004) Bridge to Terabithia (2007) Brokeback Mountain (2005) Bruno (2009) Bucket List, The (2007) Caligula (1979) Casino Royale (2006) - the usual 007 stuff... Cast Away (2000) Charly 1968 (From the book Flowers for Algernon) Cheyenne Autumn (1964) Cinderella Liberty (1973) Clearing, The (2004) Clockwork Orange, A (1971) Colony, The "Colonia" (2015) Come Sunday (2018) Concussion (2013) Contagion(2011) Cowboys and Aliens (2011) Coyote Waits (2003) Da Vinci Code, The (2006) - interesting idea but boring presentation Darjeeling Limited, The (2007) - I'm always interested in anything about India Dark Wind (1991) Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955) Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951) - interesting and historical but not well done Descent, The (2005) Death Wish (1974) Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) Doctor Strange (2016) - poor ending... Dogma (1999) Driving Miss Daisy (1989) Deuces Wild (2002) Dune (1984) Elysium (2013) Employee of the Month (2006) Enlighten Up (2008) - should have been better Evita (1996) - Historical but not enough detail! Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Final Cut (2004) - Interesting memory idea but very poor plot Final Destination (2000) Final Destiny [Original title: Brace for Impact] (2017) - poor acting Forest Gump (1994) Fury of a Patient Man Tarde para la ira (2016) Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) Ghost Busters II (1989) Ghost and the Darkness, The (1996) Gladiator (2000) God Who Wasn't There, The (2005) - a good theme but poorly executed... GoldenEye (1995) (Another 007 flick) Gone Girl (2014) Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017) Good Bye Lenin! (2003) Greatest Movie Ever Sold, The (2011) Gunner Palace (2004) - Not even close to Apocolypse now... Gunga Din (1939) Hancock (2008) Hangover, The (2009) Horses: The Story of Equus: IMAX (2002) Hunger Games, The (2012) - An interesting idea badly written and poorly executed I am Number Four (2011) Icarus (2017) - too long and boring at times... Identity (2003) Idiocracy (2006) I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) Immitation Game, The (2014) Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story (1992) Mr. X?? Incredibles, The (2004) Inglourious Bastards (2009) Intersellar (2014) Into Great Silence (2005) Into the Abyss (2011) - An anti death penalty propoganda piece I, Robot (2004) Island in the Sky (1953) James Bond 007 Casino Royale (2006) Jerk, The (1979) Kangaroo Jack (2003) Key Largo (1948) Kite Runner, The (2007) Kodachrome (2017) Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance (1982) Kung Fu Panda (2008) Lady Bird (2017) Last Big Field Day, The - The 2004 W3AO operation (2011)

Last Castel, The (2001) Lazarus Project, The (2008) - interesting concept but executed too slowly Life off Grid (2016) Life of Pi (2012) Local Hero (1983) Looper (2012) - disjointed Love and Other Drugs (2010) Machinist, The El Maquinista (2004) Magnolia (1999) Maltese Falcon, The (1941) - a classic but very poor acting Maria Full of Grace (2004) - Sad look at Columbian drug trade Mean Creek (2004) - unsatisfying ending Memoirs of a Geisha(2005) - culturally interesting but too long... Men in Black (1997) Messenger, The (2009) Miss Congeniality (2000) Mission, The (1986) Monuments Men, The (2014) Moonlight (2016) Mountain Men, The (1980) Music Never Stopped, The (2010) - poor acting Napoleon Dynamite (2004) Nebraska (2013) Never Let Me Go (2010) O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - a bit of the Odyssey Ocean's Twelve (2004) Ocean's Eleven (2001) One Hour Photo (2002) - somewhat awkward On GOlden Pond (1981) Ornithologist, The (O Ornitólogo - original title) (2016) - Confusing! Pacific Rim (2013) Passengers (2016) Passion of the Christ (2001) People vs. Larry Flynt, The (1996)- historical, kind of... Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) Powaqqatsi (1988) - Life in Transformation Predators (2010) - this theme is almost runout... Primer: What Happens If It Actually Works? (2004) Princes Bride, The (1987) Promised Land (2012) - a little slow at times... Purge, The (2013) Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - nice story but too slow Quadrophenia (1979) (the ending made me a bit dizzy...) Rabbit Hole (2010) Radius (2017) - interesting concept that was poorly executed Raiders of Old California (1957) Ram Dass, Going Home (2018) Red (2010) - a bit goofy at times Red Blood, Yellow Gold (1967) Red Dawn (1984) Reservoir DOGS (1992) - interesting twist on cops 'n robbers... Running Man, The (1987) Salvation Boulevard (2011) Schultze Gets the Blues (2003) - cute, sweet, but too slow! Seabiscuit (2003) Secretariat (2010) Sentinel, The (2006) - Thrilling but unrealistic... Seven Psychopaths (2012) - some parts interesting Shanghai Noon (2000) Shape of Water, The (2017) She Came to the Valley 1979 Silver City (2004) - The real Colorado... Skins (2002) - poor acting Skyfall (2012) Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Snowpiercer (2013) - wierd! Son of Rambow (2007) Spaceballs (1987) Split (2016) Spring, Summer, Fall, Witner... and Spring - Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (2003) Spy Game (2001) Stalingrad (2013) Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Straw DOgs (1971) Super 8 (2011) Super High Me (2007) Taps (1981) Thank You for Smoking (2005) - Poor plot but funny Thing, The (2011) This is Spinal Tap: Special Edition (1984) Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) Tootsie (1982) Toy Story 2 (1999) Toy Story 3 (2010) Trainspotting (1996) - bizarre and depressing Transformers (2007) - Too long but a couple funny parts... Trigger Effect, The (1996) - interesting concept but poor acting... Trinity and Sartana Are Coming (1972) Tropic Thunder (2005) - a bit too goofy... Truman Show, The (1998) Unforgiven (1992) Unstoppable (2010) Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) Vengeance: A Love Story (2017) - nice theme but slow start and bad acting Via Ut Roma Road to Rome (2009) Voyeur (2017) - Netflix Walk in the Woods, A (2015) A fun story but poor acting by Redford and Nolte Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) Walmart: The High Cost Of Low Prices (2005) War of the Worlds (2005) - Poor script, good special effects Water (2005) Wesley Willis: The Daddy of Rock 'n' Roll (2003) Wild (2014) Windtalkers (2002) - good history Year One (2009) Zodiac (2007)

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:

Waiting List: Some of the movies I've been planning to see but haven't been able to find or just haven't gotten around to yet...

Filmmakers: (Click on thumbnail image for a larger view)

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!

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!

Protectng the camera

Protectng the camera

Camera vehicle

Camera vehicle

Actual filming

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

Encountering Stars!

I had the good fortune of sitting with Pierce Brosnan for much of the evening on Saturday, February 26, 2017. This was at Foss Auditorium in Golden, Colorado, for the viewing of his wife's new film (Poisoning Paradise, about Bill 2491 and Native Hawaiian communities being exposed to pesticides on Kaua'i). His wife, Keely Shaye Smith, was also there to discuss the film the audience. At the end she came to the back of the theatre, where we had both been sitting, where he had been holding a small thermos drink for her - very chivalrous! Although I couldn't get a "selfie" of Pierce and me (I didn't have my phone) this was the same jacket and scarf he was wearing in the theatre. Oh, and his wife's film was one of many being featured by the Colorado Environmental Film Festival that weekend - a great event!

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."

Although I like most of the 100 top movie quotes of all time the following are some of my personal favorites:

• Apocolypse Now (1979)
  Kilgore: Smell that? You smell that?
  Lance: What?
  Kilgore: Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. [kneels] I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like [sniffing, pondering] victory. Someday this war's gonna end...
• Good Will Hunting (1997)
  (Matt Damon, as Will Hunting, being interviewed for a possible job with the National Security Agency - the spooks who conduct electronic eavesdropping for the U.S. Government)

  Why shouldn't I work for the NSA? That's a tough one. But I'll take a shot. Say I'm working at the N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody can break. So I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never had a problem with get killed. Click Here for the rest of the quote...

• Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
  While travelling, Jeremiah comes across Del Gue, a guy who has been burried up to his neck in the ground. Jeremiah asks Gue, "Injuns put you here?" The man replies, "twern't Mormons."
• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
  President Merkin Muffley: [to Kissoff] Hello? ... Ah ... I can't hear too well. Do you suppose you could turn the music down just a little? ... Oh-ho, that's much better. ... yeah ... huh ... yes ... Fine, I can hear you now, Dmitri. ... Clear and plain and coming through fine....I'm coming through fine, too, eh? ... Good, then ... well, then, as you say, we're both coming through fine. ... Good. ... Well, it's good that you're fine and ... and I'm fine. ... I agree with you, it's great to be fine. ... a-ha-ha-ha-ha ... Now then, Dmitri, you know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the Bomb. ...The *Bomb*, Dmitri.... The *hydrogen* bomb! ... Well now, what happened is ... ah ... one of our base commanders, he had a sort of ... well, he went a little funny in the head ... you know ... just a little ... funny. And, ah ... he went and did a silly thing. ... Well, I'll tell you what he did. He ordered his planes ... to attack your country... Ah... Well, let me finish, Dmitri. ... Let me finish, Dmitri. ... Well listen, how do you think I feel about it?! ...Can you *imagine* how I feel about it, Dmitri? ... Why do you think I'm calling you? Just to say hello? ... *Of course* I like to speak to you! ... *Of course* I like to say hello! ... Not now, but anytime, Dmitri. I'm just calling up to tell you something terrible has happened... It's a *friendly* call. Of course it's a friendly call. ... Listen, if it wasn't friendly ... you probably wouldn't have even got it. ... They will *not* reach their targets for at least another hour. ... I am ... I am positive, Dmitri. ... Listen, I've been all over this with your ambassador. It is not a trick. ... Well, I'll tell you. We'd like to give your air staff a complete run-down on the targets, the flight plans, and the defensive systems of the planes. ... Yes! I mean i-i-i-if we're unable to recall the planes, then ... I'd say that, ah ... well, ah ... we're just gonna have to help you destroy them, Dmitri. ... I know they're our boys. ... All right, well listen now. Who should we call? ...*Who* should we call, Dmitri? The ... wha-whe, the People... you, sorry, you faded away there.... The People's Central Air Defense Headquarters. ... Where is that, Dmitri? ... In Omsk. ... Right. ... Yes. ...Oh, you'll call them first, will you? ... Uh-hu ... Listen, do you happen to have the phone number on you, Dmitri? ... Whe-ah, what? I see, just ask for Omsk information. ...Ah-ah-eh-uhm-hm ... I'm sorry, too, Dmitri. ...I'm very sorry. ... *All right*, you're sorrier than I am, but I am as sorry as well. ... I am as sorry as you are, Dmitri! Don't say that you're more sorry than I am, because I'm capable of being just as sorry as you are. ... So we're both sorry, all right?! ... All right.
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
  "Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure."

My Five Most Favorite Movie Scenes:

2001, Contact, Apocalypse Now and Dreamkeeper contain my most favorite individual scenes. Although Dreamkeeper isn't one of my most favorite movies I still liked it a lot and enjoyed the Coyote and Spider scene more than almost any others except for the aforementioned 2001, Contact, and Apocalypse. Of Course the scene where Dave unplugs HAL, in 2001, is a classic by most standards as is the Colonel Kilgore piece in Apocalypse, where he's talking about the smell of napalm in. Also, I've repeatedly watched the scene (over and over!) where Jodie Foster first hears the alien signal in Contact - although one of my favorite movies, too, Contact has a gratuitous sex scene and some bureaucratic and political bungling that detract a bit from an otherwise fantastic movie.

My favorite movie "clips" (or scenes) aren't necessarily the same as my favorite movie quotes. Dreamkeeper's Coyote and Spider scene has simple dialogue but contains that nighttime-half-asleep-dream appearance that really captivated me. "Tweren't Mormons," as mentioned earlier (Jerimiah Johnson, in my "Movie Quotes" section), is a great quote that's also part of a great scene with Del Gue buried up to his head by Indians.

Another close runner-up was the marine's meltdown in Aliens (game over man, game over!). There are tons of other good scenes, too, in other movies, but the ones I mention here stick out best in my memory and bring the most pleasure when I think about 'em!

Dave unplugs Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey

Ellie hears an alien signal in Contact

Spider and Coyote in Dreamkeeper

Too many great scene to select just one!

Lieutenant Colonel Kilgorer loves the smell of napalm in the morning in Apocolypse Now

Televison:   It's been a busy life with almost no time for television (plus we have no reception where I live). Although I've seen a bit of it while traveling (hotel rooms, at a friend's house, etc.) I'm confident I haven't missed much! That being said, there were some programs I was able to catch either in part, or in their entirity, that I really enjoyed: Carnivale Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Cosmos: A Personal Voyage Expanse, The Fargo Kung Fu (when I was very young) Oz Naked and Afraid Survivor (the first few seasons)

Links:

Back to Roger J. Wendell's Home Page...

Abbey | About | Blog | Contacting Me | Copyright | Disclaimer | Donate | Guest Book | Home | Site Index | Solutions | Terms, Conditions and Fair Use | What's Changed or New?
Copyright © 1955 -