Movies Sorted by Rating

Folks, you know this film has a lot going for it on a philosophical level when a leftist Boston reviewer complains that it isn't altruistic and collectivistic enough. Here's what he wrote under the review titled — believe it or not — "Batman Shrugged":  ... (See the whole review)

I saw Inside Job. Both critics and viewers have rated it highly (A- on Yahoo, 97% and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes). It is nominated for Best Documentary at the next Academy Awards. It is described on Yahoo as: "A comprehensive analysis exposing the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008. The global financial meltdown, at a cost of over... (See the whole review)

I saw it when it opened, the first showing in Ann Arbor, 12:10 PM, Friday, April 15.   About 50 people were in the theater.  The film was fine, very well done on many levels, in many ways.  The special effects were credible, integrated into the sound and sight of the live action.  The people who created it did an excellent job of taking a challengi... (See the whole review)

This documentary is being released on DVD on April 3, 2012. ... (See the whole review)

We discussed this show quite a bit a while ago here, and though cancelled, the whole thing is now out on DVD. Very good sense of life. The filming has also started on the movie based on the show (http://imdb.com/title/tt0379786/). (See the whole review)

Introduction and Context Setting A valid philosophy requires the induction of abstract principles based on a suitable number of similar concretes.  When she developed Objectivism, Ayn Rand induced many such principles across all branches of philosophy.  In metaphysics, Objectivism contends that we all live in one reality and that each of us ... (See the whole review)

Okay, it's French. But despite that considerable drawback, this movie has a wonderful sense of life.

"I am vengeance, I am the knight, I am BATMAN!"  This is the first volume of the Batman series from DC Comics released on DVD.  All your favorite villains are there, the Joker, Two-face, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Scarecrow and more!  Each episode is like a mini-movie, with masterful animation and serious plot lines, set to kick-ass music, showing Batma... (See the whole review)

Somewhere in the documents that founded the United States is buried the principle that religion should be separate from the state. It is a pity that the founding fathers never carved this directive ten feet high in marble, because some people just don’t get it. It seems that in each American generation there is someone who tries to inject a little ... (See the whole review)

The movie is the story of two men who overcome an obstacle by means of rationality and courage and who form a personal bond despite having nothing else in common.  The writing, acting and staging are uniformily excellent.  Bonham Carter is memorable as the smart-mouthed duchess, later queen (known to most of us as the late Queen Mum), holding her o... (See the whole review)

Few films have ever moved me as much as this one.  It is a enheartening testament to the indispensable importance of the lone, principled individual in a society ruled by fear, complacency, and terror. Gary Cooper plays the soon-to-retire small town sheriff Will Kane, who has recently married the character played by Grace Kelly (in her debut... (See the whole review)

The 1968 original was a picaresque in the tradition of Thomas Mann's Felix Krull and the folk anti-hero Tyl Eulenspiegel.  The 1999 remake is the result of a new generation with higher demands.  In the 1999 story, the conflict is hot, heated, and high-spirited.  In both versions, the motivation for multi-millionaire Thomas Crowne to pull off the pe... (See the whole review)

From a previous article I wrote: ... (See the whole review)

This movie can truly be called life-changing. It certainly changed my life; I was quite ignorant of opera before a chance viewing of the film on television introduced me to this greatest of all musical genres. As it turned out, I was in illustrious company! For the number of singers inspired by this movie includes many of the biggest operatic stars... (See the whole review)

Well, this is not exactly a movie but Emmy winning TV mini series. Don't be fooled by the name. It is the best that I've ever seen, and I am sure that you boys and girls will enjoy it. Bellow is from Amazon: "He is the ultimate high-seas hero: a man of unshakeable courage, unwavering principles and extraordinary skill. Joining the Royal Navy... (See the whole review)

I watched this film over the weekend, and was surprised at its timeless power and beauty. Of course, it is a standard of screenwriting, and filmmaking curriculum, and is on most "top ten" movie lists. I had watched it several times years ago, but it was this weekends viewing that I realized on a *personal* level just how beautiful this movie is for... (See the whole review)

This short movie (click here) was created as a school project, apparently by a 17-year-old-girl, and posted at YouTube on April 16, 2006. (On screen the movie is actually titled The Anthem, perhaps intentionally different from the book.) Despite low production values, I think it is excellent. It evokes somewhat the beginning of the We the Li... (See the whole review)

The Law of Attraction -- Subjectivist Style The self-help and actualization movement (SHAM) in America today offers two polar opposites of empowerment and victimization.  The former argues that anyone can accomplish anything with enough force of will while the latter claims that everyone ultimately has no control and that someone or somethin... (See the whole review)

'What will they do to me?' 'Oh, you'll probably get away with crucifixion.' 'Crucifixion?!' 'Yeah, first offence … Crucifixion lasts hours, it's a slow horrible death. Well, at least it gets you out in the open air.' ... (See the whole review)

One of my favorite movies. Silly and fun. ... (See the whole review)

I went to see The World's Fastest Indian a couple of days ago with Jasmine and some friends. According to IMDB: "The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle -- a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967." It was fantastic! At first J... (See the whole review)

Bittersweet. The funniest (comedic) documentary of a tragedy that I've ever seen. One of the most excellent, meant-to-be-mainstream illustrations of abstract ideas I have ever seen. It combines the simpleness of the "What is Capitalism?" documentaries of the 1950's with the attention-holding animations of a modern day "Shrek." We Objectivists shoul... (See the whole review)

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino): ... (See the whole review)

This psychological drama unfolds in a modern day, somewhat leftist, middle class German high school where a well-meaning teacher attempts to demonstrate how a fascist society could re-emerge in that country. At first, the movie just seems to be about some spoiled students and their casual approach to meaningful values but we soon see that these kid... (See the whole review)

Mel Gibson stars on both sides of the camera, playing the lead role plus directing and producing this brawling, richly detailed saga of fierce combat, tender love and the will to risk all that's precious for something more precious:  freedom.  In an emotionally charged performance, Gibson is William Wallace, a bold Scotsman who used the steel of hi... (See the whole review)

There is no ideology more anathema to Objectivism that Nazism. And nothing characterizes the evil of Nazism more than the “Final Solution” – the systematic murder of over six million Jews in death factories throughout German-occupied eastern Europe during the final years of World War II. With chilling brilliance, Conspiracy dramatize... (See the whole review)

This movie has everything - action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, monsters, suspense, sword play and, of course, true love. Cary Elwes stars as Wesley as he tries to rescue his love, Buttercup, from becoming the princess bride of the title. Billy Crystal and Carol Kane are hysterical as the old jewish couple who try to magically revive the dea... (See the whole review)

It is REALLY funny. But - really offensive. There was an interesting article recently about how the South Park guys, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, (who are the same ones that did this movie) are some kind of "puzzle" becuase they mock the left and the right. It seems rather obvious that the reason that SP mocks both right and left is because they're ... (See the whole review)

Serenity is the latest creation from the man who brought us the TV version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon. It's showing now at a cinema near you. It wasn't mind blowing by my high standards, I didn't think it was that great but you get your money's worth no doubt. Following directly on from Whendon's much acclaimed TV show Firefly, th... (See the whole review)

The conflict between the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and her executioner, Bishop Cyril of Alexandria is known only from fragments of texts.  This is a fictionalized retelling of that story. This movie will be released soon.  It already has captured the attention of Objectivists because of the subject.  You can find several trailers on ... (See the whole review)

Heartwarming British comedy-drama set in nothern England during the tumultuous miner's strike in the early 1980s. 11 year old Billy chances upon a ballet class after his weekly boxing lesson, quickly discovering a natural affinity for dancing. His teacher, struck by his surprising talent, suggests he apply to the Royal School Of Ballet. This all go... (See the whole review)

The movie that gives the lie to that old collectivist platitude, "No man is an island."  Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks), an employee for FedEx, survives a terrifying plane crash and winds up deserted on a small Pacific island.  Most of the movie becomes a one-man show as Chuck applies his mind and the meager resources available to secure shelte... (See the whole review)

Scripted by Rand herself, this movie adaptation inevitably leaves out some elements of the novel and plays down others, but still presents the essentials of the storyline in an accessible manner.

As a symbol of freedom and adventure, space is also a romantic frontier. The 1999 film, October Sky, based on Homer Hickam's biographical novel, Rocket Boys, illustrates the excitement, motivation, and sense of personal potential and achievement that can result when private individuals set out on their own to conquer the final frontier. Just after ... (See the whole review)

This review was posted to the General Forum before I discovered how to post it here. Thanks to Jonathan Fauth for his directions. * * * * * After walking out in the middle of the campy Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (supposedly the #1 Movie in America) with the foppish Captain Jack Sparrow, I was sorely in need of a good m... (See the whole review)

Barbara Stanwyck, for a period during the 1940’s the highest paid actress in Hollywood and woman in the US, was a self-made woman, if ever there was one. Queen of the film noir, Stanwyck was known for playing tough broads, often the girlfriend of a mobster as in Night Nurse and in Ball of Fire - or a killer herself - as in Double Indemnity. Havin... (See the whole review)

I have just finished watching the first of three PBS DVDs of Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy and was impressed. I expect the following two disks to be just as good. The first DVD details the struggle over the years between Keynes and Hayek for pre-eminence. I was surprised with the degree of impartiality in the presentation fro... (See the whole review)

Capitalism Cooked Correctly Unfortunately, there are not many TV programs that positively demonstrate the virtues of capitalism like "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares." And after watching a single episode, you will understand why. The program follows celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in his attempts to bring sound business practices to failing ... (See the whole review)

In the midst of one of the most cynical and repugnant Presidential campaigns in our nation’s history—a campaign which features three candidates for whom expediency and pragmatism have taken the place of principle—HBO has chosen to air a seven part miniseries on John Adams, deemed by Objectivist Professor C. Bradley Thompson as America’s greatest fo... (See the whole review)

The year is 2053 and everyone in America is equal. not just under the law, but de facto by "handicapping."  Athletes wear sandbags. Golf clubs are hinged  at the head. Everyone wears headbands that interfer with brain activity. C is the morally best grade you can get in school. Harrison Bergeron is an A student, despite his headband.  Via h... (See the whole review)

Romantic, screwball comedy at its finest...

Reviewed by Larry Elder at: ... (See the whole review)

This series deserved the PEABODY AWARD it was granted.  The show does highlight ethical challenges, but resolutions are few and far between.  Therein my wife and I find the intrigue of plot, theme and character development -- subject, as always to the limitations of the writers.  ... (See the whole review)

A wonderful portrayal of character and the ethics of doing the right thing. A love story, a comedy, a morality play. Three outstanding performances from Holly Hunter as Jane Craig the slightly neurotic but brilliant tv producer, William Hurt as Tom Grunick the flashy, up & coming news anchor and Albert Brooks (who steals the show) as Aaron Altman t... (See the whole review)

Directed by the incomparable Sergio Leone, these three movies A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, were among the first so-called "spaghetti westerns" to achieve real commercial success in the US, blasting Clint Eastwood (the iconic "Man With No Name") and Lee Van Cleef (who plays two completely different... (See the whole review)

This is the classic story of the deaf and blind Helen Keller (Patty Duke) and her teacher, Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft). Pitied for her handicaps and thought to be retarded, Helen has been indulged and left in ignorance, resulting in a spoiled child without any concept of language. Annie, herself raised in a home for blind and deaf children, must... (See the whole review)

I passed on this movie when it first came out, only to watch it with immense enjoyment on dvd. The story centers on two men fighting for survival in the wild. The *real* story however is about reason, and action in the pursuit of values. I found it to be a celebration of that which is good and heroic in this world. It is written by David Mamet, who... (See the whole review)

Season 1 of the medical drama "House", with Hugh Laurie starring as the ruthlessly rational and funny American doctor.

Regarded by some genre fans as one of the best action movies of the 1990s, this is certainly one of Arnie's most memorable, and reunited him with James Cameron, who had previously directed him in the first two Terminator movies and would go on to make the DiCaprio/Winslet Titanic movie. Some SOLOists may regard this as an odd recommendation, but I ... (See the whole review)

Throughout its 7 year run, this innovative and daring show not only developed a solid teenage/young adult fan base, but won substantial critical praise and several Emmy nominations. Due to it's setting in a fantasy/supernatural context, the show may at first glace appear to be quite at odds with Objectivism, but due to the ingenious vision of creat... (See the whole review)