I watch a lot of movies. Between 2013 and 2018, I watched 4,698 movies. That is an average of 783 movies a year or a little more than 2 movies a day for 6 years. We have reviewed over 3,000 of those movies at Letterboxd.com. For years WoC has tried me to get the two websites connected….well finally we are going to try and include our daily movie reviews on UMR. Will we be able to keep up? Probably not…..but we got at least one day done….as the three movies watched on New Years Day are listed here.
January 11th, 2019
Damn….does Scott Eastwood look like his dad in this western. Too bad this western is nowhere near as good as Clint’s worst western. There are couple of unique twists in this movie…and when Walton Goggins appears the movie comes to life. Too bad Walton only has a few scenes in this one. Final thought: For curious Eastwood fans only.
Very forgettable story about a good cop who is framed to look like a bad cop. Karl Urban is the main character….usually like him in movies….here he is just ok. Andy Garcia and Sofia Vergara are wasted in supporting roles. Final thought: I will have completely forgetton this movie by next month.
January 10th, 2019
Well it took 26 years….but I finally watched Spike Lee’s epic, almost 3 and a half hour movie about Malcolm X. The good stuff: Denzel Washington is awesome in the movie….probably should have won an Oscar for the movie. Some the sets look amazing. The costume design is top notch. The bad stuff: At times I felt the movie dragged on. I did not feel I got to know any new stuff on Malcolm X. I think less speeches and more behind the scenes material would have made this an even better movie. Final thought: Epic performance by Denzel makes this a movie to watch. Ranked 11th of 46 movies on our Denzel Washington Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/denzel-washington-movies-ranked/
An interesting take on the making of Citizen Kane and the battle in took to get the movie to theaters. Lots of the information was known to me, but I still enjoyed this HBO movie. All the performances are fine….but I really enjoyed Roy Scheider as movie executive. Movie does a good job of making everybody look good and bad….which is how life is. Final thought: I liked it.
Finally got around to listening to the John Boorman’s (the director) DVD commentary. Movie is still a thrilling ride that is holding up very well. Best tidbits from the commentary.
1. The kid playing the banjo is not actually playing. There is a real banjo player sitting right behind him. The real banjo player’s right hand is seen while the actor’s left hand is only strumming one cord.
2. The studio executives did not want to release the “dueling banjo” song. They told Boorman it would not play on radios. It eventually became a number one song.
3. Burt Reynolds and the writer of the novel the movie was based on, did not get along at all.
4. This was the very first role for Ned Beatty and Ronnie Cox.
5. The “Squeal Like A Pig” line was not originally written. It was created for when the movie would play on television. Once they heard it, they decided it was better than the more graphic line that was in the script.
6. Boorman really got me to notice the work of Bill (Mountain Man) McKinney. Most of McKinney’s screen time is after he is dead. Watching McKinney playing dead is truly impressive…and hard to keep your eyes off him, as scenes take place all around him.
7. Jon Voight was on the verge of quitting acting…but says this movie “saved his acting life”….only to have Boorman “try to kill him for 3 months” while they shot the movie on the dangerous water.
Overall, this was a very entertaining DVD commentary.
Ranked 1st of 67 movies on our Burt Reynolds Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/burt-reynolds-movies/
January 9th, 2019
A fun documentary on the stories of Bill Murray roaming the Earth and showing up in random people’s lives. Movie features video footage of the Murray events and interviews with the people that found Bill Murray in their kitchens, living rooms, bars and lots of other places. An enjoyable documentary….Murray fans will really enjoy this one.
January 8th, 2019
I have seen many versions of this story. This version was released on the 150th anniversary of the book. This one takes place in the modern world. Overall, the movie was fine. Movie seems to have missed the mark with the main character, Jo. For most of the movie, she was not very likable at all. In the end…this is a pretty average movie. 
Ranked 203rd of 228 movies on our 2018 Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/2018-top-grossing-movies/
January 6th, 2019
In this one… a doctor is called to visit a crumbling manor and strange things begin to occur. Took awhile to figure out where this movie was going. Was it a drama? A horror? A ghost story? Domhnall Gleason has the lead role. He spends the entire movie being grim and boring. Movie is pretty predictable and the ending can be see coming about halfway through the movie. Final thought: Pretty forgettable and pretty average.
January 5th, 2019
Ok….I liked this movie…..but I did not love it. Vice is about the political career of Don Chaney. Christian Bale is the highlight of the movie. He is completely convincing as Chaney. He should at least get his 4th Oscar nomination for this movie. I also enjoyed Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush and Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfield. Amy Adams is getting raves for her role…but I was not as impressed.
There are a couple of scenes that are a lot of fun to watch. A Shakespeare bedroom scene between Adams and Bale and a scene with Alfred Molina as a waiter, and a fake movie ending come to mind. On the bad side….movie fades to black way too many times and a heart operation scene goes on and on. In the end, I am glad I watched this one….but it is not one of my favorite Bale movies. 
Ranked 88th of 228 movies on our 2018 Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/2018-top-grossing-movies/
This Italy run movie is a blast to watch. You get a great look on how Italy looked in the early 1960s. Vittorio Gassman is amazing in the lead role. His Bruno is so full of life….and a movie character I will not forget anytime soon. Movie is a road trip movie that two strangers take together. The film has an amazing energy. My only complaint is an ending I did not like at all. Still…I loved this movie! 
Decent enough rom-com. Movie is neither good nor bad. Ethan Hawke might be the busiest guy work these days. Rose Byrne is solid in the lead role. Chris O’Dowd is only average in this movie….he has been better. Pretty much the definition of an average movie…so 3 stars from me. Ranked 94th of 228 movies on our 2018 Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/2018-top-grossing-movies/
Goodness gracious…this movie is filmed in such poor light, I could barely figure out what was going on. When the Slender Man is actually on screen…I thought this one was ok. Sadly he appears for about 90 seconds in the entire movie. I thought the acting was suspect, the story weak and film’s look to be terrible. I was glad when this one finally ended. Ranked 156th of 228 movies on our 2018 Movie Ranking Page.
www.ultimatemovierankings.com/2018-top-grossing-movies/
January 4th, 2019
Finally listened to the audio commentary on one of my favorite westerns. In this case those commentaries were from director, John Carpenter and critic and Howard Hawks friend, Richard Schickel. Ok…the movie is a classic and needs to be watched. The commentaries are interesting and informative.
Some of the best trivia bits gained? The belt Wayne is wearing was a gift from Hawks when they finished filiming Red River. It is the brand on the buckle was the brand of the ranch Wayne’s character was building in Red River. Rio Bravo was made in response to High Noon. Hawks felt, a good lawman would refuse help from the locals….which is what Cooper did in High Noon. One of the writers was Leigh Brackett….her last writing job was Empire Strikes Back. Wayne had some issues during the love scenes with Angie Dickinson….mainly due to their 26 year age difference. Movie took an extra 6 days to shoot. Final thought: Fans of Wayne will really enjoy the commentary as well as the movie.
Ranked 6th of 94 movies on my John Wayne Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/john-wayne-movies/
Hmmmm….well this one is certainly creepy enough. Movie is pretty much a version of Pet Cemetery. Another movie it reminded me of was Don’t Look Now. In this case a grieving mother wants to say her final goodbyes to her recently departed son. Lots of jump scares throughout the movie. I grew tired of the movie constantly having a child actress in all these gruesome scenes. Final thought: Horror fans might like this one…as for me…it was ok.
I remember when I saw the first trailer for this movie….I had some high hopes for it. Well….the first time I watched it, I found it have a fun funny moments…but overall I was disappointed. Over the years, this one has developed a nice following. So after 10 years, I watched it again. Happy to say, I enjoyed it much more the second time. The movie still has a weak finale…..but I enjoyed most of the jokes in the movie. Luke Wilson is fun to watch as an average man of 2005, who becomes (thanks to time travel) the smartest man in the world in 2505. Final thought: A fun movie that offers up some nice laughs. Ranked 15th of 34 movies on our Luke Wilson Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/luke-wilson-movies/
January 3rd, 2019
Not nearly as bad as I was thinking it was going to be. I liked John Travolta as Gotti. The movie’s quick pace made it pretty hard to follow all the events the movie tries to cover. Much of the movie deals with Gotti’s son. I found that to be a surprising move…as I know there is enough Gotti material to fill up a 100 minute movie. Final thought: Overall, this is a pretty average movie….which is far from the horrible reputation this movie has. Ranked 38th of 47 movies on our John Travolta Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/john-travolta-movies/
I am sure younger viewers will really enjoy this movie which is about two teenage high school dropouts girls. I read a review on this one tha fits my thoughts perfectly….”boring and cringy”. Final thought….so far the worst movie I have watched in 2019….granted it was only the 6th movie. 
January 2nd, 2019
Really enjoyed the first hour of this movie. Movie takes some good jabs at both Marvel and DC superhero movies. The last 20 minutes are somewhat of a letdown as it seems to be trying to become one of the movies it is picking on in the first hour. Overall, I am getting a little tired of all the superhero movies that are coming out, but overall, I liked this movie. Ranked 63rd of 228 movies on our 2018 Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/2018-top-grossing-movies/
The 2005 Best Foreign Movie Oscar winner, was an intense look a young gangster that stumbles across something that changes his life. Movie is set in South Africa. Many times the movie sets reminded me of the science fiction movie District 9. Movie shows a sad, brutally violent world, yet manages to end on a somewhat happy note. Presley Chweneyagae as Tsotsi does wonders with the role. Final thought: A good movie…but little re-watch value to me.
January 1st, 2019
This one shows the life of a foster family in South Central Los Angeles, a few weeks before the city erupts in violence following the verdict of the Rodney King trial. I kept waiting for this movie to kick into gear…..it never really does….even with the L.A. riots as the climax of the movie. Halle Berry and Daniel Craig, at times, seem to be in a different movie…as their story seems like a rom-com versus a serious look at racial issues. Final thought: Docks the boat with a 3 star/average rating. Ranked 216th of 227 movies on our 2018 Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/2018-top-grossing-movies/
A nice look at the last years of Ernest Hemingway. Movie takes place in Cuba, about two years from his suicide in 1961. Adrian Sparks is very believable as Hemingway. Actually the entire movie makes you feel you are watching reality. Not all period movies can accomplish that. When the movie went off….I immediately went to the internet to read more about Hemingway. That is almost always a good indicator of a movie’s merit…..as it made me want to know more about the subjects I watched.
Saw this one in theaters, over three decades ago. This is the movie that made Tom Hanks a star. The humor of the movie has not aged well at all. The Eugene Levy comedy scenes are brutal to watch. John Candy’s character gets off to a shaky start (his behavior, was considered funny then, but today it is offensive) but is a likeable character by the end. That leaves the heavy lifting to Hanks and Darryl Hannah. Luckily watching the two of them together is still very enjoyable. Final thought: Not as good as I remembered…but still a decent movie. Ranked 13th of 48 movies on our Tom Hanks Movie Ranking Page. www.ultimatemovierankings.com/tom-hanks-movies/
5 more movies added….now seen 20 movies in 2019.
Hello bruce,
You are the best and i think you watch movie like i drink glass of wine…..
And you are perfectly right when i read UMR commenters or new pages and very often old pages i like, it is always with a glass of white wine or sometimes a glass of rosé
The recent UMR Hall of Famer is fun and very cool !!!!
Tres bonne journée
Pierre
Hey Pierre….now that I am back to work…..the movie watching has slowed. Watched one movie yesterday and probably getting shut out today. While you are sipping wine…and I am running on my treadmill and watching movies. Thanks for the shout out to the new UMR Hall of Fame fun. Enjoy the evening.
5 days in….and I up to 14 movies.
Lots of mornings before work gets hopping, I talk with the recent UMR Hall of Famer, George V…..and he will ask what I watched the previous night or weekend?…..many times….I have forgotten which movies I watched….well…maybe this page will make it easier for me to remember…I guess one of the first things to go is the memory.
2 days in….and I have seen 5 movies.