A database of movie ratings since 1997. Includes film reviews, lists, and polls by Ian Cavalier.

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Movie Ratings & Reviews

Last film added: January 25, 2021. There are currently 1678 films in the database (since 1996).


    Keyword Search Result: "life"

    Search returned all film titles and reviews that contain the keyword "life" out of 1678 total films.
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    MASTERPIECES
  1. Movie DetailsBoyhood (2014) 10  Filmometer Best Film of the Year
    Richard Linklater's endearing, masterful 12-year epic of the life of a young man. Amazing achievement.
  2. Movie DetailsEndless Poetry (2017) 10  FantasyObscure/RareDocumentary/TrueI own on DVD
    Jodorowsky's vibrant retelling of his life continues. Chronicles personal and artistic development via magical realism.
  3. Movie DetailsEraserhead 2000 (2001) 10  FantasyHorrorMind-blowingI own on DVD
    David Lynch's restored first feature film. A nightmarish 1977 masterpiece of grotesque, eerie postindustrial life.
  4. Movie DetailsFight Club (1999) 10  Mind-blowingWith Sex/NudityI own on DVD
    This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. Edward Norton stars.
  5. Movie DetailsI Am Easy to Find (2019) 10  Musical/MusicObscure/Rare
    Mike Mills, with The National, magnificently captures the meaning of life over 26 subtitled minutes.
  6. Movie DetailsMoonlight (2016) 10  Filmometer Best Film of the YearAcademy Awards Winner for Best Picture
    A masterpiece. Tenderly chronicles a young black man's rough and anxious life in 1980s Miami.
  7. Movie DetailsPlanet Earth (2006) 10  Documentary/TrueTV Shows
    Spectacular 11-part BBC documentary of the diversity of Earth's life, from the poles to deserts.
  8. Movie DetailsTrainspotting (1996) 10  With Sex/Nudity
    Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose a career. Choose a family.
  9. Movie DetailsTree of Life, The (2011) 10  Mind-blowing
    Terrence Malick's insightful, gorgeous and bold vision. Sincerely explores the meaning of life and love.

  10. EXCELLENT
  11. Movie DetailsAi Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012) 9  Obscure/RareDocumentary/True
    Documentary about the life of celebrated Chinese artist and outspoken dissident Ai Weiwei. Compelling humanity.
  12. Movie DetailsAmerican Splendor (2003) 9  ComedyComic Book/SuperheroDocumentary/True
    Welcome to the life of Harvey Pekar, a hospital clerk, music collector and comic-book writer.
  13. Movie DetailsAmores perros (2000) 9  With Sex/Nudity
    Three interconnected stories about life in Mexico City are resolved with a fatal car accident.
  14. Movie DetailsChop Shop (2008) 9  Obscure/Rare
    A hard-working, resourceful street orphan in Queens struggles to create a better life for himself.
  15. Movie DetailsContact (1997) 9  Sci-FiI own on DVD
    Jodie Foster stars in this Carl Sagan story about the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life.
  16. Movie DetailsCoraline (2009) 9  AnimationFantasy
    A secret door reveals a young girl's alternate, button-eyed life. Fantastic experience in RealD 3D.
  17. Movie DetailsDreamlife of Angels, The (1998) 9  Obscure/RareWith Sex/Nudity
    In France, two penniless young women with few prospects become friends and share a flat.
  18. Movie DetailseXistenZ (1999) 9  ConspiracyMind-blowingSci-FiI own on DVD
    Game designer Jennifer Jason Leigh creates a virtual-reality experience indistinguishable from real life.
  19. Movie DetailsGonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008) 9  Obscure/RareDocumentary/TrueI own on DVD
    A fast-moving, entertaining portrait of late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, narrated by Johnny Depp.
  20. Movie DetailsGrizzly Man (2005) 9  Documentary/True
    Director Werner Herzog explores the life, death and values of grizzly bear activist Timothy Treadwell.
  21. Movie DetailsHoly Motors (2012) 9  FantasyWith Sex/Nudity
    Limousine-traveling man assumes nine diverse identities. Dreamlike metaphor for acting/life, the masks of each genre.
  22. Movie DetailsHow to Die in Oregon (2011) 9  Obscure/RareDocumentary/TrueI own on DVD
    Peter Richardson's respectful, heartbreaking documentary about physician-assisted suicide and the beauty of life.
  23. Movie DetailsIn Pursuit of Panama (2009) 9  ComedyObscure/RareDocumentary/True
    An allegorical, Kerouac-like documentary about two lifelong friends who embark on a seven-country road trip.
  24. Movie DetailsInto the Wild (2007) 9  With Sex/NudityDocumentary/True
    Christopher McCandless abandons his privileged life and adventures to live alone in the Alaskan wilderness.
  25. Movie DetailsLife of Pi (2012) 9  Fantasy
    A shipwrecked Indian boy survives on a lifeboat, with zoo animals for company. Magical fable.
  26. Movie DetailsSingle Man, The (2010) 9  With Sex/Nudity
    A heartbroken English professor is having trouble coping with his life in 1960s California. Wonderful.
  27. Movie DetailsStranger Than Fiction (2006) 9  FantasyMind-blowing
    Will Ferrell tries to figure out who's narrating his unraveling life. Maggie Gyllenhaal is adorable.
  28. Movie DetailsTruman Show, The (1998) 9  Mind-blowingSci-Fi
    Insurance salesman Jim Carrey discovers his entire life is actually a TV show.
  29. Movie DetailsWaking Life (2001) 9  AnimationFantasyMind-blowing
    Richard Linklater presents a uniquely animated universe that explores dream life and real life.
  30. Movie DetailsWon't You Be My Neighbor? (2018) 9  Documentary/True
    An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers.
  31. Movie DetailsWrestler, The (2008) 9  With Sex/NuditySport
    Professional wrestler Mickey Rourke must retire, but life outside the ring is a dispiriting struggle.
  32. Movie DetailsYi yi (2000) 9  
    The meaning of life explored through portraits of individual members of a Taiwanese family.

  33. VERY GOOD
  34. Movie Details25th Hour (2002) 8  
    Edward Norton revaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before a seven-year jail term.
  35. Movie DetailsArrival, The (1996) 8  ConspiracySci-Fi
    Astronomer Charlie Sheen discovers intelligent alien life, but the aliens are keeping a deadly secret.
  36. Movie DetailsBefore Night Falls (2000) 8  Documentary/True
    A portrait of the life of Cuban author and exile Reinaldo Arenas, starring Javier Bardem.
  37. Movie DetailsBourne Supremacy, The (2004) 8  Conspiracy
    A sequel that tops the original. Matt Damon resumes his life as a trained assassin.
  38. Movie DetailsBug's Life, A (1998) 8  AnimationComedy
    A misfit ant, looking to save his colony from grasshoppers, recruits some inept circus bugs.
  39. Movie DetailsChristmas, Again (2015) 8  Obscure/Rare
    Life of a dejected Christmas-tree salesman. Small observations about human behavior, the importance of timing.
  40. Movie DetailsCoco (2017) 8  AnimationComedyFantasyMusical/Music
    On Día de los Muertos, an aspiring musician crosses into the afterlife seeking his great-great-grandfather.
  41. Movie DetailsDancer in the Dark (2000) 8  FantasyMusical/Music
    Björk arrives in America with her son, expecting life to be like a Hollywood film.
  42. Movie DetailsDavid Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020) 8  Documentary/True
    The witness statement of 93-year-old Attenborough. An urgent plea to save the world, and ourselves.
  43. Movie DetailsDavid Lynch: The Art Life (2017) 8  Obscure/RareDocumentary/TrueI own on DVD
    Lynch discusses his early life, his art and his creative process. Meditative smoking and painting.
  44. Movie DetailsDope (2015) 8  ComedyWith Sex/Nudity
    In a tough L.A. neighborhood, an overachieving teen's life changes following an underground party. Charming.
  45. Movie DetailsGarden State (2004) 8  Comedy
    Zach Braff returns to his hometown. There he meets Natalie Portman, who changes his life.
  46. Movie DetailsGood Will Hunting (1997) 8  
    Troubled MIT janitor Matt Damon is a gifted mathematician. Can he turn his life around?
  47. Movie DetailsJulien Donkey-Boy (1999) 8  Obscure/RareI own on DVD
    A Dogme 95 video-art exercise about the effects of schizophrenia on family life. Poetic desperation.
  48. Movie DetailsLife is Beautiful (1998) 8  Comedy
    Jewish man Roberto Benigni uses humor to protect his son in a Nazi death camp.
  49. Movie DetailsLovers of the Arctic Circle, The (1998) 8  With Sex/Nudity
    A story of circular lives, with circular names, in a circular place. Life is happenstance.
  50. Movie DetailsMatchstick Men (2003) 8  Comedy
    Con-artist Nicolas Cage is an obsessive-compulsive agoraphobe whose life changes drastically when Alison Lohman appears.
  51. Movie DetailsMy Life as a Zucchini (2017) 8  AnimationComedy
    Vibrant stop-motion animation about a young boy sent to a foster home. Delightful youthful resilience.
  52. Movie DetailsNói albínói (2004) 8  Obscure/Rare
    A teenager drifts through life on a remote fjord in the north of Iceland.
  53. Movie DetailsParanoid Park (2007) 8  
    Dreamlike, fractured story about a young Portland skateboarder's life and a security guard's accidental death.
  54. Movie DetailsPaterson (2016) 8  Comedy
    One week in the quiet life of Paterson, a poet in Paterson, NJ. Existential Jarmusch.
  55. Movie DetailsPushing Daisies - The Complete First Season (2007) 8  ComedyFantasyTV Shows
    A man can bring dead people back to life, with Amélie-style narration. Whimsical forensic romance.
  56. Movie DetailsSéraphine (2009) 8  Documentary/True
    Moving, evenhanded historical drama about the difficult but ecstatic life of French painter Séraphine Louis.
  57. Movie DetailsSideways (2004) 8  ComedyWith Sex/Nudity
    Two middle-aged men embark on a weeklong road-trip through California's wine country. American life-affirming.
  58. Movie DetailsSmoke Signals (1998) 8  Comedy
    Two young Indian men from an Idaho reservation take a life-changing road trip together. Soulful.
  59. Movie DetailsSpider-Man 2 (2004) 8  FantasySci-FiComic Book/Superhero
    Tobey Maguire continues his demanding double life as student and superhero. Enter supervillain Dr. Octopus.
  60. Movie DetailsTheory of Everything, The (2014) 8  Documentary/True
    Touching biography of physicist Stephen Hawking. Explores his personal life as ALS ravages his body.

  61. GOOD
  62. Movie DetailsAtom Smashers, The (2008) 7  Obscure/RareDocumentary/TrueTV Shows
    How does life exist? Documentary chronicles the search for the Higgs boson by Fermilab physicists.
  63. Movie DetailsBeautiful Mind, A (2001) 7  Documentary/TrueAcademy Awards Winner for Best Picture
    The struggles of a mathematical genius, inspired by the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr.
  64. Movie DetailsEuropa Report (2013) 7  Sci-Fi
    Six astronauts travel to Jupiter's moon in search of life. NASA-style realism through found footage.
  65. Movie DetailsEverything Must Go (2011) 7  Comedy
    Alcoholic Will Ferrell relapses and ruins his life, then begins living on his front lawn.
  66. Movie DetailsGirlfriend Experience, The (2009) 7  With Sex/Nudity
    Soderbergh's experimental film about free enterprise via the life of a high-end Manhattan call girl.
  67. Movie DetailsGood Shepherd, The (2006) 7  ConspiracyWith Sex/NudityDocumentary/True
    The early history of the CIA, viewed through a fictional man's life. Serious and tedious.
  68. Movie DetailsLife Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The (2004) 7  ComedyWith Sex/Nudity
    Oceanographer Bill Murray leads a surreal voyage in search of a mythical jaguar shark.
  69. Movie DetailsLife During Wartime (2010) 7  ComedyObscure/RareWith Sex/Nudity
    Todd Solondz sequel explores the virtues of forgiving and forgetting through troubling, dysfunctional family scenarios.
  70. Movie DetailsLife is to Whistle (1998) 7  Obscure/Rare
    Three characters in present-day Havana must choose between their self-restricting beliefs or living more freely.
  71. Movie DetailsLife Less Ordinary, A (1997) 7  ComedyFantasy
    Cleaning man Ewan McGregor takes Cameron Diaz hostage after being fired. Heaven offers romantic help.
  72. Movie DetailsNegotiator, The (1998) 7  Conspiracy
    Police negotiator Samuel L. Jackson has been framed. Can negotiator Kevin Spacey save his life?
  73. Movie DetailsNymphomaniac: Volume II (2014) 7  With Sex/Nudity
    Lars von Trier further explores one woman's tragic life story and sexuality. Quite bleak, intellectual.
  74. Movie DetailsPollock (2000) 7  Documentary/True
    The life, career, and artistic techniques of American painter Jackson Pollock, played by Ed Harris.
  75. Movie DetailsSecret Life of Walter Mitty, The (2013) 7  ComedyFantasy
    In this remake, daydreaming photo manager Ben Stiller finds himself in an extraordinary real-life adventure.
  76. Movie DetailsStoker (2013) 7  HorrorWith Sex/Nudity
    A mysterious uncle appears in the life of a grieving, impressionable teenager. Dark and stylish.
  77. Movie DetailsSweet and Lowdown (1999) 7  ComedyMusical/Music
    The life of a fictional jazz guitarist, starring Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, and Uma Thurman.
  78. Movie DetailsWedding Crashers (2005) 7  ComedyWith Sex/Nudity
    Divorce mediators Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson make a lifestyle out of sneaking into weddings.
  79. Movie DetailsWild Man Blues (1997) 7  Musical/MusicObscure/RareDocumentary/True
    A documentary about Woody Allen's life as he tours with his New Orleans jazz band.
  80. Movie DetailsXX/XY (2002) 7  Obscure/RareWith Sex/Nudity
    A three-way relationship during college still haunts and complicates Mark Ruffalo's life 10 years later.
  81. Movie DetailsZero Theorem, The (2014) 7  FantasySci-FiWith Sex/Nudity
    A computer hacker trying to discover the meaning of life keeps being interrupted by Management.

  82. FAIR
  83. Movie DetailsAnywhere But Here (1999) 6  Comedy
    Susan Sarandon and daughter Natalie Portman try to start a new life in Beverly Hills.
  84. Movie DetailsDan in Real Life (2007) 6  Comedy
    A very sweet, unremarkable romantic comedy. Steve Carell is a struggling single parent and widower.
  85. Movie DetailsFamily Man, The (2000) 6  ComedyFantasy
    On Christmas morning, investment broker Nicolas Cage wakes up in a life-altering Dickensian parallel universe.
  86. Movie DetailsForest for the Trees, The (2005) 6  Obscure/Rare
    An awkward German schoolteacher is basically unprepared for life. Her alienation is painful to watch.
  87. Movie DetailsHaiku Tunnel (2001) 6  ComedyObscure/Rare
    A comedy about tempness versus permness, both in the workplace and in life.
  88. Movie DetailsLaurel Canyon (2002) 6  Musical/MusicWith Sex/Nudity
    An uptight young man moves in with Frances McDormand and experiences a clash of lifestyles.
  89. Movie DetailsLife as a House (2001) 6  ComedyWith Sex/Nudity
    Terminally ill Kevin Kline takes custody of his teenage son. Jena Malone is charming.
  90. Movie DetailsLifeguard, The (2013) 6  Obscure/RareWith Sex/Nudity
    Lovable Kristen Bell's sensitive, sympathetic performance saves this uninspired movie. But she's actually too likable.
  91. Movie DetailsLimbo (2005) 6  Obscure/Rare
    A bullet sends a man into a repeating time loop. Afterlife as low-budget film noir.
  92. Movie DetailsNight at the Museum (2006) 6  ComedyFantasy
    New night security guard Ben Stiller discovers that museum exhibits come to life at night.
  93. Movie DetailsNew World, The (2005) 6  Documentary/True
    Malick depicts Pocahontas's life in 1600s Virginia. It's epic, sluggish, and burdened by disjointed voiceovers.
  94. Movie DetailsNothing to Lose (1997) 6  Comedy
    Tim Robbins kidnaps would-be carjacker Martin Lawrence and schemes to repair his miserable life.
  95. Movie DetailsOtherLife (2017) 6  Sci-Fi
    Biological software can induce time-compressed virtual realities, or make false memories. A lonely, cautionary tale.
  96. Movie DetailsPU-239: The Half Life of Timofey Berezin (2007) 6  Obscure/RareTV Shows
    A nuclear plant worker with radiation poisoning tries to sell stolen plutonium to Moscow gangsters.
  97. Movie DetailsSecret Life of Pets, The (2016) 6  AnimationComedy
    The silly escapades of some Manhattan pets and a psychotic rabbit. Both cute and annoying.
  98. Movie DetailsSecret Life of Pets 2, The (2019) 6  AnimationComedy
    Slightly better than the first movie. What pets do when humans aren't looking. Relatable, charming.
  99. Movie DetailsStudent Services (2011) 6  Obscure/RareWith Sex/NudityDocumentary/TrueTV Shows
    A 19-year-old freshman in France, desperate for cash, is enticed into a life of prostitution.
  100. Movie DetailsWeather Man, The (2005) 6  ComedyWith Sex/Nudity
    Successful Chicago weatherman Nicolas Cage's personal life is a failure. So he takes up archery.
  101. Movie DetailsWhat the Bleep Do We Know!? (2004) 6  Comedy
    Life is a quantum world of possibility. It's spoiled by less-than-credible talking heads and soundbites.

  102. ADEQUATE
  103. Movie DetailsAfter.Life (2010) 5  HorrorWith Sex/Nudity
    Christina Ricci is constantly naked in this pretentious horror film featuring a creepy funeral director.
  104. Movie DetailsBeyond, The (2018) 5  Sci-Fi
    Faux-documentary of astronauts, wormholes, cybernetics, alien life. Far-fetched pseudoscience. Solid visual effects.
  105. Movie DetailsEdTV (1999) 5  Comedy
    Video store clerk Matthew McConaughey agrees to have his life televised 24 hours a day.
  106. Movie DetailsEvolution (2001) 5  ComedySci-Fi
    I kept wishing for the alien life forms to kill David Duchovny and Orlando Jones.
  107. Movie DetailsMalibu's Most Wanted (2003) 5  Comedy
    A white Senator's son wants to live the hip-hop lifestyle. Don't be hatin'.
  108. Movie DetailsPicture Perfect (1997) 5  Comedy
    Successful career woman Jennifer Aniston has an incomplete personal life. What makes the perfect mate?
  109. Movie DetailsScream 2 (1997) 5  Horror
    A copycat killer begins acting out a real-life sequel. Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox scream!
  110. Movie DetailsWhat Just Happened (2008) 5  ComedyWith Sex/Nudity
    Two weeks in the life of big-time Hollywood producer Robert De Niro. Anxious, high-stakes triviality.
  111. Movie DetailsZoolander (2001) 5  ComedyConspiracy
    Ben Stiller wonders if there's more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking.

  112. FROM BAD TO WORSE
  113. Movie DetailsC.O.G. (2013) CRAP  ComedyObscure/Rare
    A self-absorbed graduate tries living the simple life in Oregon, finds self-hatred through religion? Pointless garbage.
  114. Movie DetailsLara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) CRAP  Fantasy
    Angelina Jolie is searching for Pandora's box. Alas, beauty and special effects don't equal quality.
  115. Movie DetailsVirus (1999) CRAP  HorrorSci-FiComic Book/Superhero
    Jamie Lee Curtis fights an electromagnetic alien lifeform. It's a nicely polished turd.


  116. Statistical ratings distribution of these 109 films (6.5% of total rated films):
    With enough films included, it usually approximates a bell curve with a mean near 6.5...
    (especially when considering that CRAP is 0-4 combined).
    Average rating for these 109 films: 7.4.

    10:8.3%

    9:20.2%

    8:24.8%

    7:18.3%

    6:17.4%

    5:8.3%

    CRAP:2.8%



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