simple thing really—hard to explain

A slow start, with a great second half.

Little Man Tate (1991) - "A single mother raises a child prodigy on her own, struggling to give him every opportunity he needs to express his gift."

Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because:  it's one of those movies that I'd heard about but didn't know
IMDB: 6.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 73% Audience: 66%

notable quote: "I once got this fortune cookie that said, 'only when all around you are different will you truly belong.'"

story: the essence of the story is the conflict between the frankly less-intelligent mother who loves her son but cannot give him what he needs, and the more-intelligent teacher who can feed his mind but is not his mother.
visuals: good cinematography. This was filmed with a vision.
costumes, hair & makeup: the costuming and so forth is well done
acting: I'm not a huge fan of Dianne Wiest. Jodie Foster's character (Dede Tate) reminds me of my sister, which alone is enough to put this on the Pass List for me

intangibles: I wanted to like it but just did not
overall: not recommended

Paths of Glory (1957) - "After refusing to attack an enemy position, a general accuses the soldiers of cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because:  it's a Stanley Kubrick war movie - that sounds crazy!
IMDB: 8.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 95% Audience: 95%

notable quote: "I apologize, sir, for not telling you sooner that you're a degenerate, sadistic old man. And you can go to Hell before I apologize to you now or ever again!"
story: lunatic general issues a order for a stupid maneuver that his underlings will not follow. Once he finds out, he goes even crazier. Mayhem ensues.
visuals: pretty good for the era
costumes, hair & makeup: typical war movie
acting: nothing outstanding

intangibles: missable
overall: not recommended

Pretty Poison (1968) - "When a mentally disturbed young man tells a pretty girl that he's a secret agent, she believes him - and murder and mayhem ensue."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: it's Anthony Perkins, pre-Hitchcock, in a suspense film
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 71%

notable quote: "You know, when grown-ups do it, it's kind of dirty. That's because there's no one around to punish them."
story: this plays like a silly 1950s sitcom until the bodies start piling up, at which time it feels a whole lot more surreal and Hitchcockian. This movie is about as fucked up as it gets - think of it as what those pretentious intellectual "scary" movies are trying for but failing miserably.
visuals: delightfully, terrifyingly normal
costumes, hair & makeup: wonderfully tied to the time and place
acting: if you can watch this and not think that Perkins (Dennis Pitt) is inherently scary, then you're a better man than me. And Tuesday Weld (Sue Ann Stepanek) makes a wonderfully weird, kooky agent-wannabe!

intangibles: waaaaaay more than meets the eye. I am almost chagrined to admit how much I liked it, but surely my readers understand that my admiration for it is cinematic, not personal.
overall: enthusiastically recommended

Phenomenon (1996) - "An ordinary man sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: John Travolta has become a fave
IMDB: 6.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 50% Audience: 59%

notable quote: "Every woman has her chair, something she needs to put herself into, Banes. You ever figure out what Lisa's chairs were, and buy 'em?"
story: OK, so, the story itself is cockamamie. But the movie swept me up, grabbed me, and would not let go. Sometimes it's like that! Grab popcorn, get comfy, and give in to the allure.
visuals: everything except the "bright light" is well done
costumes, hair & makeup: everybody seemed down-home and accessible
acting: Travolta (George Malley) is so good here. I like his action stuff but this shows real depth. Forest Whitaker (Nate Pope) is always quality. And Kyra Sedgwick (Lace Pennamin) - up 'til now an unknown quantity for me - was a treat to watch.

intangibles: I loved it. Not sure I can fully explain why, but it really got to me, and left me with a lump in my throat. Extraordinary.
overall: very highly recommended

Shoot Out (1971) - "A former bank robber searches for his double-crossing partner who left him for dead, while having to look after a 6-year-old girl."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: Gregory Peck's movies are hit or miss, and I wanted to see where this one falls on that scale
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 43%

notable quote: "Cards on the table: I might keep movin'."

story: half-ass reluctant bad guy gets betrayed, serves his time, and comes back shootin'. On his quest for revenge, he gets stuck caring for a mouthy little girl who might be his daughter. Along the way, the two hook up with a widow and her son, and face their demons.
visuals: nicely done for a Western
costumes, hair & makeup: basic, for the genre
acting: Peck (Clay Lomax) is wonderful in this vengeance saga/love story/buddy film - and at his best when being gruffly fatherly to the chatty little ragamuffin

intangibles: I liked this one a lot: it's sweet and violent!
overall: recommended

[the title quotation is from Phenomenon]