Mike Nichols

Satire, current events, etc.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) -- Sometimes it seems too much like one of those "clever plays," but for the most part it's enjoyable to watch Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor going at each other. B

The Graduate (1967) -- I definitely need to see this again (saw it once in high school), but I remember being impressed by it. B

Catch-22 (1970) -- The other M*A*S*H, and pretty good. Need to see this again too. B

Postcards from the Edge (1990) -- Maybe it was okay, but I remember it being kind of dull. C

Primary Colors (1998) -- Seems like a good idea: a movie about the current president's campaign, and released while the new Monica thing was going on. But I guess not, since it was just boring. D

Angels in America (2003) -- For something made for dumb ol' HBO, of course, this is exceptional. For a regular movie, it's pretty good, and certainly ambitious. If you're a fan of the Tony Kushner play (as I more or less am), there's not much to dislike about the movie version, other than a few Mike Nicholsy stupid missteps like incorporating stock footage for no reason, or the occasional sloppy/unnecessary over-direction. But when he points the camera in the right direction and lets the very good actors do their stuff, it's good stuff. Tony Kushner is a bit immature in thought sometimes (the play seems like it was written by a guy in his early 20s instead of his mid-to-late 30s), and the play/movie often is more smoke and mirrors than substance, but it's still fun stuff and definitely worth seeing. B