- Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt (1996)
[8/10]
"Frank McCourt tells his fascinating story of growing up in poverty-stricken Ireland."
- Brave Buffalo Fighter: Waditaka Tatanka Kisisohitika by John D. Fitzgerald (1973)
[7/10]
"As you can expect from any Fitzgerald work, you get an excellent picture of the period and setting in which the events take place. You get a detailed portrayal of life in a pioneer wagon train, including the reasons for making the trek in the first place and the risks involved in the journey itself."
- Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich (2002)
[6/10]
"The movie does a good job at recreating the emotional tension that Mezrich develops in the book. So, unless you have a keen desire to know the 'true story,' I think that the movie does in two hours what it takes the book 300 pages to produce. The book gives details like the fact that team gambles all over the country and not just in Vegas, but the movie condenses the emotional states that Mezrich wanted to convey into a much more intense experience."
- Capote directed by Bennett Miller (2005)
[8/10]
"Bennett Miller does an excellent job creating an overall tone and mood in Capote that simultaneously evokes the 1950s but also stays subtle enough to work as a canvas for Capote's character."
- China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston (1980)
[6/10]
"The text is successful in questioning the myths that exits today about the Chinese Americans. It demonstrates how the Chinamen were a major work force in building the American West, and yet they are still viewed as outsiders that were trying to take advantage of the success that was built by people of European descent."
- Coal Miner's Daughter directed by Michael Apted (1980)
[6/10]
"I would have liked the movie to present more of Loretta's personal philosophy as expressed in her songs and less of her hobnobbing with stars after her rise to fame."
- Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story directed by John Gatins (2005)
[5/10]
"Russell's performance doesn't provide any new insight into fatherhood or raising horses, although he does put up a nice argument for a diverse workplace when he defends his Hispanic staff."
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman (1986)
[7/10]
"The plot moves along quickly and through the interesting metaphors of the animal heads you find yourself drawn into this personal tale of the Holocaust."
- Mongol directed by Sergei Bodrov (2007)
[6/10]
"Director Bodrov clearly wants to paint a different picture of young Temudjin than most people have from from reading about the savage Gengis Kahn. Mongol paints a picture of a stubborn, religious man devoted to his wife and determined to create a great empire for the benefit of all Mongol people -- 'even if half of them have to die for it.'"
- Queen, The directed by Stephen Frears (2006)
[9/10]
"The Queen does something unusual -- it makes a fairly severe critique of monarchy in general while giving tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's years of service to her country."
- Walk the Line directed by James Mangold (2005)
[7/10]
"Hats off to the casting director who discovered these hidden depths and talents in Joaquin Phoenix, who so completely takes on the persona of Johnny Cash that you might think Cash's spirit had returned and possessed Phoenix's body."
Average score: 6.82
