Here you can find all the movies I have watched in 2023, followed by the rating I gave them. They will be sorted from highest to lowest score.
It will be updated as I see more movies. This way, you can refer to this post at any time to find something to watch.
The titles all have links to their IMDB pages, so you can learn more about the movies and maybe give them a watch!
Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood - 9.5/10
The lives of a struggling actor, his stunt double, and Sharon Tate intertwine in 1960s Los Angeles. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and is directed by Tarantino. A very fun film!
Sunset Boulevard - 9.5/10
A struggling screenwriter meets a has-been silent film star and it has disastrous results
Apocalypse Now Redux - 9.5/10
A masterpiece by Francis Ford Coppola. Stars Martin Scheen as an army personnel recruited to execute a roque Colonel in the Cambodian jungle.
Rain Man - 9/10
One of Cruise’s finest films. Road-trip drama also starring Dustin Hoffman.
Indian Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - 9/10
Pure fun and adventure, doesn’t get much better. Harrison Ford plays the lead male role.
The Karate Kid (1984) - 8.5/10
Cheesy and predictable, but I love every minute of it. Great pairing of the lead actors, Macchio and Morita.
Jailhouse Rock - 8.5/10
One of the best Elvis Presley movies made. He plays a man recently released from prison who experiences a successful music career, with personal road bumps along the way. Elvis oozes swag in this one.
Get Shorty - 8.5/10
John Travolta plays a debt collector who heads out to Hollywood for a job and ends up in the movie business. I could watch this one often.
Insomnia (2002) - 8.5/10
Well-made murder mystery movie from Christopher Nolan. Pacino and Robin Williams star. Beautiful shots of Alaska and British Columbia.
The Manchurian Candidate - 8.5/10
A great, classic thriller about brainwashing. I was really impressed by it.
The Guns of Navarone - 8.5/10
Gregory Peck at his best. A ragtag team tries to destroy Nazi cannons to save British soldiers from death.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 8.5/10
Indiana Jones and his father, played by Sean Connery, race the Nazis for the Holy Grail. Very fun, like the two before it.
The Misfits (1961) - 8.5/10
A newly divorced woman ends up living with an aging cowboy in the Nevada Desert and eventually joins two others on a Mustang wrangling expedition. Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift, and Eli Wallach all star. A wonderful, old, character driven movie.
The Thing (1982) - 8.5/10
A sci-fi horror based on a novel about an alien creature that takes over and mimics their host. It’s set in Antarctica and has amazing effects. A grade A movie from director John Carpenter.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! - 8.5/10
Leslie Nielsen plays a bumbling cop that uncovers a plot to kill the Queen of England. Very funny comedy.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One - 8/10
Tom Cruise is back for another instalment of the MI franchise. In this one IMF tries to grab control of a highly dangerous AI, and battle numerous other interested parties.
Hard Eight - 8/10
Mellow movie featuring imperfect characters with difficult and haunting pasts.
Se7en - 8/10
A cruel movie featuring a world that isn’t fiction anymore. Great performances from Pitt and Freeman.
Body Double - 8/10
An 80s homage to Hitchcock movies but also has its own style. 80s movie fans should like this one.
Local Hero - 8/10
A man is sent to a small seaside town in Scotland to negotiate its sale price. A great toned down movie
Oppenheimer - 8/10
A biographical movie about the “father of the atom bomb” which happens to be directed by Christopher Nolan and it turned out very good.
Mars Attacks! - 8/10
50s sci-fi “junk,” but it’s 1990s, and I don’t consider it junk, it’s actually a superb homage film.
The Fisher King - 8/10
A unique movie from the mind of Terry Gilliam. It’s sad but heartwarming too.
Erin Brokovich - 8/10
Based on a true story. Julia Roberts puts in a stellar and convincing performance as a single mother who takes a California power company to court.
The Firm - 7.5/10
Another fine Cruise picture (which one isn’t??) He plays a young lawyer in deep with a mafia-linked law firm.
The Blob (1958) - 7.5/10
The first movie for Steve McQueen in a leading role. It’s about a red, slime-like, Alien lifeform that lands on Earth and consumes people in its way and, as a result, grows bigger and bigger. A group of teens desperately try to warn the other people in their town to no avail.
Doc Hollywood - 7.5/10
Great job by Michael J. Fox as a hot-shot doctor who gets stuck in a small town on his way to LA.
From Here to Eternity - 7.5/10
A dramatic look at the numerous lives of soldiers and others just before the Pearl Harbour attack.
Night of the Creeps - 7.5/10
80s alien/slasher/zombie movie that’s good fun.
Teen Wolf (1985) - 7.5/10
Michael J. Fox plays a high school basketball player who discovers he is part Werewolf. When he is in wolf form he becomes the best player on the court. It’s a fun movie that I enjoyed more then I thought I would.
Galaxy Quest - 7.5/10
A star trek spoof that’s done quite well. Featuring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Rickman as cast members of a sci-fi show that get involved in a real-life war between two alien species.
Memoirs of an Invisible Man - 7/10
Pleasantly surprised by this Chevy Chase film. He ends up becoming invisible and is hunted by a government organization. Better than what the critics say.
Escape from Fort Bravo - 7/10
A measured western about Confederate soldiers escaping a Union prison camp, both sides eventually face Apaches. Stars William Holden.
Dirty Dancing (1987)- 7/10
A young girl falls in love with a lake resort dance instructor, played by the legendary Patrick Swayze.
The Last Boy Scout - 7/10
A buddy-cop movie that was made near the end of the genre’s peak. It won’t be everybody’s favourite, but I think it’s worth a watch.
The Fugitive - 7/10
Harrison Ford plays a wrongly convicted doctor who escapes custody and attempts to clear his name. It’s a nice movie; it has to be one of the most played on TV in history. Seems like it’s on every week.
Notting Hill - 7/10
A peak Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts flourish in this rom-com. The supporting cast is pretty funny.
The Hudsucker Proxy - 7/10
A Coen brothers’ film about a dim-witted man who takes charge of a large company. It stars Tim Robbins. It’s not bad, but it’s not amazing either.
Ed Wood - 7/10
A biographical film about the “worst director” Ed Wood who made countless B-movies of which some were loved and many derided. Johnny Depp plays Wood pretty well. Presented in black and white.
Soapdish - 7/10
An ensemble of actors play the cast and production team of a daytime soap opera, where there is lots of drama off the set.
Repo Man - 6.5/10
A cult classic starring Emilio Estevez as a repossession man. Sci-fi is sprinkled in too. I didn’t like it that much, but some people love it, maybe you might.
The Two Jakes - 6/10
A not-so-hot follow-up to Chinatown. They could have done without this one or made it earlier…and better.
Roustabout - 5.5/10
Elvis is a motorcycle-riding singer that keeps a carnival afloat with his mesmerizing performances but there is plenty of drama too. It’s not the best Presley film out there that’s for sure. Does have a few nice songs if you like his music.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 5.5/10
The only movie not to feature Michael Myers. The story revolves around a toy company that is making masks for Halloween that contain a dark secret. It mixes together many different tropes from other thriller/horror movies and the storyline is also a bit out there. It’s not terrible but not anything special either.
The Next Karate Kid - 4/10
The fourth movie in the Karate Kid franchise. It doesn’t have Ralph Macchio but still includes Pat Morita. It’s karate in name only, and the story is weak. Not the greatest, to put it mildly.
The Specialist - 4/10
A pitiful Stallone action/spy movie. Sharon Stone and James Woods also star. There are one or two okay moments, but the rest are bad. I’d say the Miami setting is the best part of it all.
1941 - 3/10
Supposed to be a comedy about the panic around the Los Angeles coast area after the Pearl Harbor attack. It’s messy and most importantly not funny.
I love Substack for its capability of allowing serendipitous discovery. I typed in dreams and you were the most interesting one that popped up. I dropped a post yesterday (be honored if you checked it out) that referred to an obscure 1975 movie that Jimmy Buffett did the music. It's called Rancho Deluxe. I'm now researching for a post on dreams - and will revolve around the 1984 movie called Dreamscape. Have you seen either one?