someone's gonna get hurt, and it's no one's fault

I've been noting with interest the variation between Rotten Tomatoes scores and my reviews. Does the rest of the world really like it? I might not. Does my so frequent viewing dull my senses to what others find enjoyable? Am I, as I am so often accused, a film snob? Or is this just another example of Captain Kangaroo's unheralded wisdom: "Different people have different likes!"

The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) - "An accidental breakdown of a valve on the irrigation ditch launches a hot confrontation between local farmers and corrupt authorities."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: my parents foisted it upon me
IMDB: 6.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 59% Audience: 75%

notable quote: "Nobody would do anything if they knew what they were in for."
visuals: if you like the southwest, you'll like this
acting: Rubén Blades (Sheriff Bernabe Montoya), Sônia Braga (Ruby Archuleta) and Carlos Requelme (Amarante Cordova) were all terrific

intangibles: magical realism, eco-warriors, race and class, a little chemistry and a lot of community. It's inspiring, engrossing, and quite amusing. 
Academy Award winner: Best Music, Original Score
overall: recommended

Ratatouille (2007) - "A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: it's a cutie, and I was in the mood for animation
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 87%

notable quote: "You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits.... Your only limit is your soul." 
story: rebellious rat follows his heart, bravely making his way past obstacles to his dreams
visuals: fantastic art 

intangibles: I don't know much about animation, where I could give any critical feedback. My best response is like my friend W at the art museum: "I like the colors." The rat's adorable.
Academy Award winner: Best Animated Feature Film
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Writing, Original Screenplay

• Best Music, Original Score

• Best Sound Mixing

• Best Sound Editing
overall: recommended     (Last seen here.)

The Cider House Rules (1999) - "A compassionate young man, raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor there, decides to leave to see the world."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I'd always meant to but this is the first time I'd gotten around to it
IMDB: 7.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 71% Audience: 77%

notable quote: "'I just want to sit here and do nothing.'

    'To do nothing. It's a great idea, really. Maybe if I just wait and see long enough, then I won't have to do anything or decide anything, you know? I mean, maybe if I'm lucky enough, someone else will decide and choose and do things for me.'

    'What are you talking about?'

    '...but then again, maybe I won't be that lucky. And it's not my fault. It's not your fault. And that's just it: someone's gonna get hurt, and it's no one's fault.'

    'I don't want to talk about this.'

    'If we just sit here and...and we wait and see a little longer, then maybe you won't have to choose, and I won't have to do anything!'"
story: peculiar and different from anything else I'd seen
visuals: gorgeous New England locations
costumes, hair & makeup: lovely costuming
acting: Tobey Maguire (Homer Wells) is extraordinary. Michael Caine (Dr. Wilbur Larch) is stately and humbled. Paul Rudd (Wally Worthington) is perfect. And Delroy Lindo (Mr. Rose) is ... beyond words.

intangibles: see it.
Academy Award winner:
• Best Supporting Actor—Caine

• Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published—John Irving
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Director—Lasse Hallström

• Best Art Direction—Set Decoration

• Best Film Editing

• Best Music, Original Score
overall: most highly recommended

Pearl Harbor (2001) - "A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from a friend's collection
I watched it because: I'd seen the making-of movie and wanted to see what it made
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 24% Audience: 66%

notable quote: "'So, sir, you would have us mobilize the entire fleet, at the cost of millions of dollars, based on this 'spine-tingling' feeling of yours?'

    'No, sir. I understand my job is to gather and interpret material. Making difficult decisions based on incomplete information from my limited decoding ability is your job, sir.'"
story: micro-history in the form of a love triangle between two pilots and a nurse, united and divided by love and war. 
visuals: undeniably phenomenal
costumes, hair & makeup: I love the '40s clothing, and military men are always extra debonaire
acting: Dan Aykroyd as Captain Thurman is riveting, easily my favorite character in the show. Josh Hartnett (Danny Walker) was the best of the rest.

intangibles: the romance is god AWFUL - Evelyn is a mean, duplicitous, small-hearted tramp - but the history and action make it worth watching.
Academy Award winner: Best Sound Editing
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Music, Original Song

• Best Sound

• Best Effects, Visual Effects
overall: recommended with caveats

Broadcast News (1987) - "The film concerns a virtuoso television news producer who has daily emotional breakdowns, a brilliant yet prickly reporter, and the latter's charismatic but far less seasoned rival."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I saw it at the theater when it came out, which seems weird given the subject matter (who in the world would have seen it with me?) and wanted to know why
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 98% Audience: 79%

notable quote: "'It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you're the smartest person in the room.'

    'No. It's awful.'"
costumes, hair & makeup: hilariously 80s. Very foof hair, boxy dresses, skinny ties, hair gel, and what would now be called 'boho.' One dress was outstanding and hit my "ooh I would wear that" standard, though.
acting: Holly Hunter (Jane Craig) is at her most brittle here, wound up until she's just about bursting with nervous energy and anxiety. She's very pretty, obviously, and the character is brilliant, but it's hard to buy her being romantically compelling to the two disparate swains who pursue her: suave, dumb frat boy Tom Grunick, played by William Hurt, and emotional, smart, always-a-bridesmaid Aaron Altman, played by Albert Brooks. 

intangibles: it's just so angsty! While I can appreciate the genius of the media portrayal, many of the characters as individuals are irritating. 

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture—James L Brooks

• Best Actor—Hurt

• Best Actress—Hunter

• Best Supporting Actor—Albert Brooks

• Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

• Best Cinematography

• Best Film Editing
overall: recommended with reservations

[the title quotation is from The Cider House Rules]