I'm cute! I'm cuuuuuuuute!

This is a weird bunch, even for me. Spoiler alert on the last one!

 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) - "Sam the snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his beaming honker, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudolph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But Santa's sleigh is fogged in. But when Santa looks over Rudolph, he gets a very bright idea."
source: streamed on Dish
I watched it because: it's a classic, a favorite
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 95% Audience: 82%
my IMDB: 9/10

notable quote: "'Why weren't you at elf practice?'

    'Just fixing these dolls' teeth.'"

MPAA rating: TV-G

directed by: Larry Roemer

my notes: sweet and comforting.
overall:  recommended

Just Wright (2010) - "Leslie Wright is a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight. All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie's childhood friend Morgan, who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of 'best friend"'forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him? "

source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: I've been in Queen Latifah mode since seeing Last Holiday
IMDB: 5.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 47% Audience: 61%
my IMDB: 5/10

MPAA rating: PG

directed by: Sanaa Hamri

my notes: I adore Common and like Queen Latifah. This is a not-unpleasant movie despite the two leads having zero.chemistry.!
overall: marginally recommended

Valley of Love (2015) - "Isabelle and Gérard go to a strange appointment in Death Valley, California. They have not seen each other for years and are here to answer to an invitation from their son Michael, a photographer, which they received after his suicide, six months ago."
source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: I want to see more Gérard Depardieu
IMDB: 6.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 73% Audience: 54%
my IMDB: 4/10

MPAA rating: unrated

directed by: Guillaume Nicloux

my notes: this is a hard movie to like. Not much action, lots of thinking, a little dialog - and only in French, to boot.
overall: not recommended

Brooklyn's Finest (2009) - "In Brooklyn, amid drug deals, violence, casual racism, poverty, housing projects, and corrupt cops, we follow three officers: Tango, African-American, working undercover, believing he's earned a promotion to a desk job but told he has to set up the bust of an ex-con who saved his life; Sal, who'll commit murder to get cash; and, Eddie, the precinct's oldest beat cop, a week to go before retirement, assigned to mentor an earnest rookie. Can this end well for any of the three? "
source: I borrowed the DVD from the public library
I watched it because: you'll see...
IMDB: 6.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 44% Audience: 46%
my IMDB: 1/10 DNF

notable quote: "I don't want God's forgiveness. I want his fuckin' help!"

MPAA rating: R

directed by: Antoine Fuqua

my notes: this movie inspires me to offer a new notation in my reviews--DNF. I managed to get through 2/3 of it but was stupefied with boredom and turned it off. It's trying to be 10 other things but it only succeeds at confusing and dull. Blegh. (Also doesn't help that the entire reason I found it - being one of the three movies that Lily Taylor and Vincent D'Onofrio have done together - was obviated when D'Onofrio's character bites it {violently!} in the first 5 minutes.)
overall: not even remotely recommended

[the title quotation is from Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer]