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Film Notes | Back to list of reviews
Last updated: Jan 1, 2021

Items with full reviews have are highlighted and have a direct hyperlink, with items with a short review at the above pages are denoted with a #. Absolute favorite items for which a mere 5 stars does not suffice are bolded. You can follow latest reviews on my blog at The Unz Review.

SeriesFilm★rev?seenpubTagsLnotes
The 6th Day3#2000ActionEN
13 Assassins42011HistoryJP
215#2008CrimeEN
28L-128 Days Later5#2003Horror, ZombiesEN
28L-228 Weeks Later22007Horror, ZombiesEN
30042006HistoryEN
20123#20092009SciFi, DisasterEN
9th Company32005Drama, WarRU
A Cinema Prayer220192019Drama, True StoryEN
AI2#2001SciFi, AIEN
Alien-1Alien51992SciFiEN
Alien-2Alien: Covenant3#20172017SciFiEN
AvP-1Alien vs. Predator4#2004SciFiEN
Alien Girl5#20142010CrimeRU
AP-1American Pie5#1999ComedyENbest
AP-2American Pie 242001ComedyEN
AP-3American Wedding42003ComedyEN
AP-4American Pie Presents: Band Camp32005ComedyEN
AP-5American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile32006ComedyEN
AP-6American Pie Presents: Beta House32007ComedyEN
An Inconvenient Truth22006DocumentaryEN
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy42004ComedyEN
Arrival3#20182016SciFiEN
Avatar4#20092009SciFiEN
Back to the Future420211985SciFi, ComedyEN
Barely Legal42011ComedyEN
BatmanBatman: Dark Knight42008SciFi, SuperheroesEN
BatmanBatman: Dark Knight Rises520172012SciFi, SuperheroesEN
BatmanJoker5201920192019SciFi, SuperheroesENreviewed
Battle Royale5#2000SciFi, DystopiaEN
Beowulf52007HistoryEN
The Big Lebowski5#1998ComedyENbest
Bodyguards and Assassins3#2009HistoryCN
The Boondock Saints3#1999CrimeEN
Borat the Movie32006ComedyEN
The Bourne Identity42002Action, SpyEN
Bowling for Columbine12002DocumentaryEN
Braveheart41995HistoryEN
Brother4#1997CrimeRU
The Brothers Bloom4#2008ComedyEN
The Burning32009HorrorEN
Cannibal Holocaust1#1979HorrorEN
Capitalism: A Love Story32009DocumentaryEN
Cashback32006CrimeEN
Children of Men2#2006SciFi, DystopiaEN
Cliffhanger5#1993ActionENbest
Collateral Damage32002ActionEN
Commanding Heights: Battle for the World Economy520022002DocumentaryEN
Conan-1Conan the Barbarian31982FantasyEN
Conan-2Conan the Destroyer31984FantasyEN
Conan-3Red Sonja31985FantasyEN
Contagion4202020202011SciFi, DisasterENreviewed
The Crazies42010Horror, ZombiesEN
Cube-1Cube5#1997SciFiEN
Cube-2Cube 2: Hypercube42002SciFiEN
Cuties3202020202020DramaFRreviewed
DD-1Night of the Living Dead41968Horror, ZombiesEN
DD-2Dawn of the Dead51978Horror, ZombiesEN
DD-3Day of the Dead21985Horror, ZombiesEN
DD-4Land of the Dead22005Horror, ZombiesEN
DD-5Diary of the Dead32007Horror, ZombiesEN
DD-6Day of the Dead22008Horror, ZombiesEN
The Day After Tomorrow5#2004SciFi, DisasterEN
Dead Season21969Horror, ZombiesEN
Dead Snow32009Horror, ZombiesEN
Deep Blue Sea41999SciFiEN
Deep Impact31998SciFi, DisasterEN
The Descent52005HorrorENbest
The Devil Wears Prada52006Drama, ComedyEN
The Diamond Arm3#1969CrimeRU
The Dictator12012ComedyEN
Django Unchained2#20122012HistoryEN
Doom22005SciFiEN
Dr. Strangelove5#1964ComedyENbest
Dracula5#1973Horror, VampiresENbest
Drunken Master41978Action, Martial ArtsEN
Enter the Dragon41973Action, Martial ArtsEN
Equilibrium4#2002SciFi, DystopiaEN
EuroTrip420202004ComedyEN
Ex Machina5#20152015SciFi, AIENbest
The Expendables32010ActionEN
The Expendables 232012ActionEN
Fahrenheit 91152004DocumentaryEN
The Fall of an Empire: Lessons from Byzantium3200920092009DocumentaryRUreviewed
The Fifth Element5#1997SciFiEN
Far Cry32008SciFiEN
FAWLTY TOWERS (1975-1979)4TV, ComedyEN
Fight Club5#1999DramaENbest
Forrest Gump3#20171994ComedyEN
Frozen5#20102010HorrorENbest
GoTGAME OF THRONES (2011-2019)52018TV, FantasyENbest
GoT-1Game of Thrones: S1520132011TV, FantasyEN
GoT-2Game of Thrones: S2520132012TV, FantasyEN
GoT-3Game of Thrones: S3520132013TV, FantasyEN
GoT-4Game of Thrones: S4520142014TV, FantasyEN
GoT-5Game of Thrones: S5420152015TV, FantasyEN
GoT-6Game of Thrones: S64201720162016TV, FantasyENreviewed
GoT-7Game of Thrones: S72201920172017TV, FantasyENreviewed
GoT-8Game of Thrones: S81201920192019TV, FantasyENreviewed
Ghost in the Shell320172017SciFiEN
Girls11961ComedyRU
Gladiator420202000HistoryEN
GF-1The Godfather520201972CrimeENbest
Graveyard Shift31990HorrorEN
Grindhouse: Death Proof/Planet Terror32007HorrorEN
Grizzly Man320212005DocumentaryEN
H&K-1Harold and Kumar go to White Castle52004ComedyEN
H&K-2Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay32008ComedyEN
HP-1Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone42001FantasyEN
HP-2Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets42002FantasyEN
HP-3Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban42004FantasyEN
HP-4Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire42005FantasyEN
HP-6Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince42009FantasyEN
HP-5Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix42007FantasyEN
HP-7Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I42010FantasyEN
HP-8Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II32011FantasyEN
Hero52002HistoryCN
Hb-1The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey42012FantasyEN
Hb-2The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug32013FantasyEN
Hb-3The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies2#2014FantasyEN
The Hole5#2001HorrorEN
Home Alone41990ComedyEN
The Horde42012HistoryRU
The Human Centipede1#2002HorrorEN
HG-1The Hunger Games32012SciFi, DystopiaEN
HG-2The Hunger Games: Catching Fire32013SciFi, DystopiaEN
I Am Legend32007SciFi, Post-ApocEN
I, Robot22004SciFiEN
Idiocracy5#2006SciFiENbest
IJ-1Raiders of the Lost Ark41981ActionEN
IJ-2Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom41984ActionEN
IJ-4Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull22008ActionEN
Inception5#2010SciFiEN
Independence Day31996SciFi, DisasterEN
Interstellar5#20172014SciFiENbest
Iron Man32008SciFi, SuperheroesEN
Ironclad52011HistoryEN
Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future5#1973ComedyRUbest
Jackass: The Movie22002ComedyEN
JB-1Dr. No41962Action, SpyEN
JB-2From Russia with Love51963Action, SpyEN
JB-3Goldfinger51964Action, SpyEN
JB-4Thunderball41965Action, SpyEN
JB-5You Only Live Twice51967Action, SpyEN
JB-6On Her Majesty’s Secret Service51969Action, SpyEN
JB-7Diamonds are Forever41971Action, SpyEN
JB-8Live and Let Die41973Action, SpyEN
JB-9The Man with the Golden Gun31974Action, SpyEN
JB-10The Spy Who Loved Me41977Action, SpyEN
JB-11Moonraker31979Action, SpyEN
JB-12For Your Eyes Only41981Action, SpyEN
JB-13Octopussy41983Action, SpyEN
JB-14A View to a Kill31985Action, SpyEN
JB-15The Living Daylights31987Action, SpyEN
JB-16Licence to Kill31989Action, SpyEN
JB-17GoldenEye41995Action, SpyEN
JB-18Tomorrow Never Dies41997Action, SpyEN
JB-19The World Is Not Enough41999Action, SpyEN
JB-20Die Another Day5#2002Action, SpyENbest
JB-21Casino Royale32006Action, SpyEN
JB-22Quantum of Solace32008Action, SpyEN
JB-23Skyfall2#2012Action, SpyEN
JP-1Jurassic Park51993SciFiENbest
JP-2The Lost World: Jurassic Park31997SciFiEN
JP-4Jurassic World3#20152015SciFiEN
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES (1990-1995)3TV, ComedyEN
KB-1Kill Bill: Vol. 142003Action, Martial ArtsEN
KB-2Kill Bill: Vol. 242004Action, Martial ArtsEN
Kin-dza-dza!21986SciFiRU
Kingdom of Heaven32005HistoryEN
The Last Samurai22003HistoryEN
Legend of Kolovrat5201720172017HistoryRUreviewed
Leviathan2202120202014Drama, ArthouseRUreviewed
Lifeforce220201985SciFiEN
Life After People42010DocumentaryEN
The Life of Brian51979ComedyEN
Loose Change42006DocumentaryEN
LotR-1LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring5#2001FantasyENbest
LotR-2LotR: The Two Towers52002FantasyENbest
LotR-3LotR: The Return of the King52003FantasyENbest
Lord of War5#2005DramaEN
Machete22010ActionEN
MM-1Mad Max41979SciFi, Post-ApocEN
MM-4Mad Max: Fury Road5#20152015SciFi, Post-ApocEN
The Man with the Gun11938HistoryRU
The Martian4201520152015SciFiENreviewed
M-1The Matrix5#1999SciFiENbest
M-2The Matrix Reloaded52003SciFiENbest
M-3The Matrix Revolutions52003SciFiENbest
M-3+The Animatrix42003SciFiEN
Max Payne42008SciFiEN
Minority Report22002SciFiEN
Mortal Engines2#20192018SciFi, Post-ApocEN
Mortal Kombat: The Movie21995FantasyEN
The Name of the Rose5#20051986HistoryEN
National Lampoon’s Animal House520161978ComedyEN
NW-1The Night Watch5#2004FantasyRU
Ocean’s Eleven5#1960CrimeENbest
Office Space5#1999ComedyENbest
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood320192019DramaEN
Operation Y and Shurik’s Other Adventures51965ComedyRU
Overboard320171987ComedyEN
Paris32008DramaFR
The Passion of the Christ32004HistoryEN
PEEP SHOW (2003-2015)5TV, ComedyENbest
The Pianist5#2002HistoryENbest
Pirates of the 20th Century4#1979ActionRU
PotC-1Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest42006FantasyEN
PotC-3Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End42007FantasyEN
Predator41987SciFiEN
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time32010FantasyEN
Pulp Fiction31994CrimeEN
Q-2Quarantine 2: The Terminal42011Horror, ZombiesEN
REC5#2007Horror, ZombiesENbest
Red Heat31988ActionEN
The Return of the Living Dead4#1985Horror, ZombiesEN
Reservoir Dogs3#1992CrimeEN
RE-1Resident Evil42002Horror, ZombiesEN
RE-2Resident Evil: Apocalypse52004Horror, ZombiesEN
RE-3Resident Evil: Extinction32007Horror, ZombiesEN
RE-3+Resident Evil: Degeneration22008Horror, ZombiesEN
RE-5Resident Evil: Retribution22012Horror, ZombiesEN
The Road220092009SciFi, Post-ApocEN
The Road to Perdition32002CrimeEN
The Running Man31987SciFi, DystopiaEN
Sw-1Saw I32004HorrorEN
Sw-2Saw II32005HorrorEN
Sw-3Saw III3#2006HorrorEN
Sw-4Saw VI32007HorrorEN
Sw-5Saw V32008HorrorEN
Sw-6Saw VI32009HorrorEN
Schindler’s List5#1993HistoryEN
The Shawshank Redemption51994DramaEN
The Shining51980HorrorEN
Slumdog Millionaire42008DramaEN
Snakes on a Plane32006ActionEN
Snowden3#20162016Drama, True StoryEN
Snowpiercer4#20202013SciFi, DystopiaEN
The Social Network520102010Drama, True StoryEN
Solaris22002SciFiEN
Species420201995SciFi, HorrorEN
Stalker5#1979SciFiRUbest
SW-4Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace31999SciFiEN
SW-5Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones32002SciFiEN
SW-6Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith32005SciFiEN
SW-7Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens2#20172015SciFiEN
ST-1Starship Troopers4#20181997SciFiEN
Super Size Me320202004DocumentaryEN
T-1The Terminator41984SciFi, AIEN
T-2Terminator 2: Judgment Day51991SciFi, AIENbest
T-3Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines32003SciFi, AIEN
Texas Chainsaw Massacre22003HorrorEN
Threads5#1984SciFi, DisasterENbest
Titanic41997DramaEN
To Live2#1994HistoryCN
Total Recall5#1990SciFiEN
Tremors41990HorrorEN
True Lies41994ActionEN
Twins31988ComedyEN
US-2Under Siege 2: Dark Territory5#1995ActionEN
U-1Underworld42003Horror, VampiresEN
U-2Underworld: Evolution32006Horror, VampiresEN
U-3Underworld: Rise of the Lycans22009Horror, VampiresEN
Valhalla Rising22009HistoryEN
The Wandering Earth3201920192019SciFiCNreviewed
Wanted42008ActionEN
WD-1The Walking Dead: S1320122010TV, Horror, ZombiesEN
White Sun of the Desert41970DramaRU
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory51971Comedy, FantasyEN
THE WITCHER220202019TV, FantasyEN
Wolf of Wall Street520172013DramaEN
World War Z3#20132013Horror, ZombiesEN
xXx32002ActionEN
YERMAK51996TV, HistoryRU

 

Film Notes

 

The 6th Day (2000) ★★★★ / action, Schwarzenegger
Cloning – deep reflections on identity for a Schwarzenegger action movie.
21 (2008) ★★★★ / crime
The inside-out on how to count cards in blackjack.
28 Days Later (2003) ★★★★★ / horror, zombies
The best “zombie” movie after the Spanish REC. As I recall, this was one of the first movies to feature fast zombies.
2012 (2009) ★★★ / scifi, disaster
CGI overload… but not much else. [2009]
AI (2001) ★★★ / scifi, AI
Origin of the “Can a robot…? Can a nigger?” meme… not much else besides that.
Alien: Covenant (2017) ★★★ / scifi, horror
Alien vs. Predator (2004) ★★★★ / scifi, horror
So sue me, I loved it.
Alien Girl (2010) ★★★★★ / crime
One of my favorite “gangster” movies… authentic, no romanticism, and everyone meets a grisly end. [2014]
American Pie (1999) ★★★★★ / comedy
Probably my favorite slapstick comedy to this day.
Arrival (2016) ★★★ / scifi
Lower-budget Interstellar. It pretentiously tries to make deep points about the nature of communications with aliens, but fails to do so. [2018]
Avatar (2009) ★★★★ / scifi, Cameron
So much money sunk into it, it couldn’t help but be good. [2009]
Barely Legal (2011) ★★★ / comedy
Goofiest slapstick comedy.?
*Batman* Batman: Dark Knight (2008) ★★★★ / scifi, superhero, Nolan
You either die, or live long enough to become the villain.
*Batman* Dark Knight Rises (2012) ★★★★★ / scifi, superhero, Nolan
Bane became the symbol of the Alt Right. [2017]
 REVIEW 2019  *Batman* Joker (2019) ★★★★★ / scifi, superhero
“This because The Joker is an unreliable narrator. That is the single most important observation about the film – the main character’s mental problems means we can’t know which of the scenes are real, and which are hallucinations or flights of fancy. The only thing we really know for sure is there is a mentally disturbed incel called Arthur Fleck who lives in a shitty apartment with his no less crazed mother, scraping by and trying to ends meet as best he can with his limited abilities in a metropolis that seems to be going down the dumps. He has a severe case of jungle fever for a neighboring single mother, whom he imagines going out with, only to be told to leave the one time he finds himself in her apartment. This narrative device leaves the audience free to interpret the film anyway they like.“
Battle Royale (2000) ★★★★★ / scifi, dystopia
Highly original concept that preceded the Hunger Games series. (Though Lukyanenko was probably first to this with his Knights of the 40 Islands).
⭐ The Big Lebowski (1998) ★★★★★ / comedy
White Russians are one of my favorite cocktails too.
Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) ★★★ / history 🇨🇳
I was sympathizing with the assassins throughout. Good riddance to pro-Western traitors – the only sad thing was when they hoodwinked the mentally disabled giant into their loathsome schemes.
The Boondock Saints (1999) ★★★ / crime
Overrated. Ridiculous Russian accent, too.
Brother (1997) ★★★★★ / crime
Не брат ты мне, гнида черножопая!
The Brothers Bloom (2008) ★★★ / comedy
Good enough, but overrated.
Cannibal Holocaust (1979) ★ / horror, exploitation
WTF.
Children of Men (2006) ★★ / scifi, dystopia
Crude pro-multikulti propaganda – whites aren’t reproducing, so hey, let’s invite in Infinity Africans, not just our pensions but our very civilization depends on it! – that is predictably hailed as a classic of our times.
Cliffhanger (1993) ★★★★★ / action, Stallone
“Do you know what real love is, Kristel? Sacrifice.” Wise words.
 REVIEW 2020  Contagion (2011) ★★★★ / scifi, disaster
Chronicles an r0=4, mortality=20% zoonotic disease originating from Chinese bats. As people say, it’s highly scientifically accurate; standard Hollywood wouldn’t mention r0 or fomites. That said, there were a few WTF moments. Most prominently, some Hong Kong gov’t bigwig kidnapping a WHO official at gunpoint to blackmail them into procuring vaccines for his village.
Cube (1997) ★★★★★ / scifi
One of the best sci-fi/horror concepts ever invented.
 REVIEW 2020  Cuties (2020) ★★★ / drama
“The latest conservative triggering is over a French film called Cuties (Mignonnes)… Conversely, this furore ensured that seems to have been a pretty marginal and ultimately mediocre European “arthouse” film will have been seen by millions more people than would have watched it otherwise. … So what is Cuties? It is a film about Amy, an 11 year old girl, clumsily trying to reconcile her Senegalese Muslim immigrant identity with the thrills and vapidities of life in secular France by joining an all-female dance troupe… the supreme irony of Cuties is that it is too politically incorrect, with its criticism of patriarchal Muslim culture and implicit (if inadvertent) HBD realism, to have been made in the United States.“
The Day After Tomorrow (2004) ★★★★★ / scifi, disaster
The science is from Hollywood, but the character interactions, visuals, and suspenseful plot were all top notch.
The Descent (2005) ★★★★★ / horror
One of the best horror movies I can recall watching.
The Diamond Arm (1969) ★★★ / crime
Classic Soviet comedy, though overrated.
The Dictator (2012) ★ / comedy
Could Sasha-Baron Cohen kill himself already.
Django Unchained (2012) ★★ / history, Tarantino
Mindless blood fest masquerading as insightful social commentary. [2012]
⭐ Dr. Strangelove (1964) ★★★★★ / comedy
This is quite simply the best comedy ever made.
Dracula (1973) ★★★★★ / horror, vampires
This is my favorite vampire movie of all time, though perhaps only because I watched it when I was a child.
Equilibrium (2002) ★★★★ / scifi, dystopia
Not brilliant, but… GUN KATA! How cool is that?
⭐ Ex Machina (2015) ★★★★★ / scifi, AI
This entire movie can be viewed as a metaphor for the AI control problem, and it handles it brilliantly… just imagine the billionaire brogrammer’s mansion as the “black box”, and the naked cyborg women as the AI. [2015]
 REVIEW 2009  The Fall of an Empire: Lessons from Byzantium (2009) ★★★ / documentary
Far Cry (2008) ★★★★ / scifi
Uwe Boll is so bad… that he is good. I love Boll.
The Fifth Element (1997) ★★★★★ / scifi
Have nice recollections of watching this ages ago. One of the best comedic sci-fi movies.
Fight Club (1999) ★★★★★ / drama
Unleash your primal instincts! The cult classic status of the movie is beyond dispute.
Forrest Gump (1994) ★★★ / comedy
The funny moments are marred by the fact that Jenny obviously cucked the poor retard after hitting the wall and we are supposed to celebrate that. Shit values dressed up in can-do ‘Murica!nism. [2017]
Frozen (2010) ★★★★★ / horror
In a powerful troll move, the Ski & Snowboarding Club I was in at university played it on our bus trip to Jackson Hole ski resort. This is a very corny movie, too ridiculous to be truly scary, but some of the girls begged to differ. [2010]
GAME OF THRONES (2011-2019) ★★★★★ / TV, fantasy
These were all very good when D&D still had access to the source material. But then it all went downhill…
 REVIEW 2017  *GoT* Game of Thrones VI (2016) ★★ / TV, fantasy
 REVIEW 2019  *GoT* Game of Thrones VII (2017) ★★ / TV, fantasy
 REVIEW 2019  *GoT* Game of Thrones VIII (2019) ★ / TV, fantasy
Ghost in the Shell (2017) ★★★ / scifi
From what I understand this is a perversion of the anime. [2017]
⭐ The Godfather (1972) ★★★★★ / crime
Deserves its plaudits as the best crime/mafia film ever made, having introduced a huge number of tropes into Anglo culture: I will make you an offer that can’t be refused; swimming with the fishes; revenge is a dish best served cold; it’s not personal, it’s strictly business. [2020]
THE HOBBIT (2012-2014) ★★★★ / fantasy, Jackson
Started out well, but ended on a sour note, awkward CGI overload failing to make up for it.
The Hole (2001) ★★★★★ / horror
One of the best psychological thrillers.
The Human Centipede (2010) ★ / horror
One of the most fucked up films.
⭐ Idiocracy (2006) ★★★★★ / scifi
This is a documentary.
Inception (2010) ★★★★★ / scifi, Nolan
One of the best “mind-bending” movies.
Interstellar (2014) ★★★★★ / scifi, Nolan
Nolan is great, as usual. [2017]
Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973) ★★★★★ / comedy 🇷🇺
The best Soviet/Russian comedy? At least, that’s my opinion.
*James Bond* Die Another Day (2002) ★★★★★ / action, spy
The best “modern” JB movie. I consider the North Korean “villain” to be the real antihero.
*James Bond* Skyfall (2012) ★★ / action, spy
Once upon a time JB saved young lasses, now he saves androgynous grannies.
Jurassic Park (1993) ★★★★★ / scifi
Jurassic World (2015) ★★★ / scifi
Either I overestimated the first firm due to an impressionable young memory, or this one was decidedly underwhelming. [2015]
 REVIEW 2017  Legend of Kolovrat (2017) ★★★★★ / history
Russia’s 300, Ironclad, and Valhalla Rising. Swords like in The Witcher.
⭐ THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2001-2003) ★★★★★ / fantasy, Jackson
A solid, if not brilliant, adaptation of Tolkien’s masterpiece. It falters in the third film.
Lord of War (2005) ★★★★★ / drama
Loved the story, if not the vacuous moralism, which became too overt at the end.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) ★★★★★ / scifi, postapoc
Doof Warrior was the best. [2015]
 REVIEW 2015  The Martian (2015) ★★★★ / scifi
“Making the story of one solitary man’s struggle to survive is not a enviable task, but the creators pull it off with ample wit and verve. The protagonist Mark Watney is constantly cracking Nerd Lite jokes with himself and mission control in his struggle with the remorseless but indifferent main villain, the Red Planet itself. … At its root, it is a highly optimistic, positive, and inspirational story about the victory of technology and human ingenuity over the challenges posed by the last frontier. There should be more of these kinds of cultural products for civilization to continue to flourish.“
⭐ THE MATRIX (1999) ★★★★★ / scifi
Mortal Engines (2018) ★★ / scifi, postapoc, Jackson
They obviously banked on this being allowed in China, where tastes are even shallower than in the West. They failed. [2019]
The Name of the Rose (1986) ★★★★★ / history
I recall this as one of the best films. [2005]
The Night Watch (2004) ★★★★ / fantasy 🇷🇺
Solid Russian urban fantasy film with CGI comparable to films 10x as expensive.
Ocean’s Eleven (1960) ★★★★★ / crime
Perhaps the best “heist” film I ever watched. It’s nice to observe how casino operators in 1950s America cared about the financial health of their clients.
Office Space (1999) ★★★★★ / comedy
Perhaps the best office comedy.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) ★★★ / drama, Tarantino
Is Tarantino developing a reactionary streak as he approaches old age?
PEEP SHOW (2003-2015) ★★★★★ / TV, comedy
The Pianist (2002) ★★★★★ / history
My favorite Holocaust film, more so than Schindler’s List.
Pirates of the 20th Century (1979) ★★★★★ / action
A classic Soviet comedy/action movie.
REC (2007) ★★★★★ / horror, zombies
This is, in my opinion, the best zombie movie ever made. Step aside Romero.
Reservoir Dogs (1992) ★★★ / crime, Tarantino
Kinda overrated. Tarantino will only get worse.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) ★★★★ / horror, zombies
Very corny and good. Nice music.
Saw III (2006) ★★★ / horror
The best film in this morbid series.
Schindler’s List (1993) ★★★★★ / history, Spielberg
Classical pretensions that it more or less fulfills.
Snowden (2016) ★★★ / drama, true story
Don’t know the extent to which it was factual, but it struck me as plausible. Some natsec honcho: “In 20 years, no one will care about Iraq”; China, Russia are the real threats.
Snowpiercer (2013) ★★★★ / scifi, horror – 2020
Geoengineering attempt to stop global warming goes very wrong, as Earth turns into a snowball instead. The last humans survive in a caste-based society on a train circumnavigating the globe every few months, and are ruled over by an eccentric billionaire/inventor called Wilford (Willy Wonka’s successor?). So, “Bioshock on Rails.” Excellent fight scenes, good pacing, and absurdist humor are partly negated by a surfeit of plot holes.
Species (1995) ★★★★ / scifi, horror
Cut above the typical horror B-movie. The idea of an existential risk transmitted as a message from outer space is a plausible and dangerous one, even if unlikely to be accomplished within 1/4 of a kilobyte – concept clearly borrows from A for Andromeda. [2020]
⭐ Stalker (1979) ★★★★★ / scifi 🇷🇺
Though this is generally an inane genre, this is one of the best “existentialist” movies. It is amazing how much hidden (and not so much) ideological subversion the USSR let Tarkovsky get away with.
*Star Wars* Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (2015) ★★ / scifi
Very boring, SJwish grrlpower that is going down the gutter because of Russian Nazis (who else?). [2017]
Starship Troopers (1997) ★★★★ / scifi, Verhoeven
While Heinlein’s original is ultimately a celebration of martial values, the movie is instead a satire on war and patriotism in the style of a Hollywood sci-fi B movie. It accomplishes what it sets out to do. [2018]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) ★★★★★ / scifi, AI, Cameron
Threads (1984) ★★★★★ / scifi, disaster
This BBC semi-documentary on the after effects of nuclear war is better than any nuclear apocalypse movie. Just watch it already.
To Live (1994) ★★ / history 🇨🇳
Look, I am obviously not a fan of Maoism, but this is just propaganda. Might be a good movie if made less overt.
Total Recall (1990) ★★★★★ / scifi, Schwarzenegger
Perhaps the best Schwarzenegger movie. “You haven’t been told enough to think.”
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) ★★★★★ / action
“Assumption is the mother of all fuckups.”
 REVIEW 2019  The Wandering Earth (2019) ★★★ / scifi 🇨🇳
Chinese sci-fi makes its big debut on the world cinematographic stage – but falls flat on characterization.
World War Z (2013) ★★ / horror, zombies
Brooks had deserved success with the Zombie Survival Guide, and milked it for all it was worth with the mediocre World War Z. The film is not significantly better. While the visuals are memorable, it is riddled with massive plot holes and colored by painfully obvious and belabored propaganda of progressivism and Zionism.