The Descendants (2011)

How did I hear about it? George Clooney got quite a buzz around award season in 2011 with this one, its been on my list ever since... I just forgot about it quite a bit. My bad. 

How did I watch it? I rented The Descendants from my city library and watched it with my mom and little sister.

Where did it lose points? A lot of cussing in manners and times that were i-n-a-p-p-r-o-p-r-i-a-t-e. It was also a pretty straight-forward film, not a lot of thinkability. 

Strongest points? The acting was phenomenal, I'll admit, I've never been a huge fan of Clooney (I myself am more a Brad Pitt girl), but he rocked it. ALSO, we've all grown to love and appreciate Shaliene Woodley on our screens at this point, but this being one of her up-and-coming films, she did great. The storyline was also a tearjerker, such a hard trial to consider, but also so compelling and an overall adventure. 

Rating? 8/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

Paper Towns (2015)

How did I hear about it? If you have spent any time with teenagers in the last five years you've heard about John Green and how he's taking over the world and breaking hearts. Last's year's The Fault in Our Stars gave all bookworms a hope for another perfect novel to film adaptation.

How did I watch it? I watched this one in the theaters with my mom and sister, couldn’t wait for the DVD or Redbox.

Where did it lose points? A few bouts of cussing, nothing too major.

Strongest points? Where do I start, “quotability” probably, some of my favorite quotes come out of this novel/film. My favorite? “What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person”.

Other Notes: If you read the novel first, try to think of the novel and film separately. I don't know how to break this to you, but they're different, extremely different. But they're both good. So think of them separately. 

Rating? 9/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)

How did I hear about it? I'm actually unsure where I first heard about it, I believe I was browsing IMDb. Needless to say I freaked out and spent the next few hours researching it. 

How did I watch it? I actually went to the theaters to watch this one! The inner-psych nerd in me couldn't wait until it came out on DVD. 

Where did it lose points? The language was very strong and there were some definitely inappropriate scenes, one in particular that you'll be able to pick out when you see it, but I'm also aware that because it was based on the real thing the film was just trying to capture what really happened. 

Strongest points? This adaptation of the real life Stanford Prison Experiment run by Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, unlike the previous tries of film adaptations, sticks very closely to the facts of what happened. I was very happy to see a film that stuck true to the experiment. The acting was phenomenal, and the casting was as well. On a very serious note... could we talk about how much Billy Crudup looked like a young Phil Zimbardo? 

Rating? 8/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

Lone Survivor (2013)

How did I hear about it? I first heard about Lone Survivor around the time that it came out, but slowly forgot about it since I am not a huge war-time movie fiend. My dad however rented it from the library a few days ago and watched it while I was away, I got a text from him exclaiming how great the film was, how I needed to watch it and how he even watched the bonus material for the film (a huge feat in my father's eyes). Once I got back a few days later, he happily returned to the library to rent it again so he could watch it with me and see my reaction. 

How did I watch it? I rented Lone Survivor from my city library and watched it with my dad and great-grandmother (whoops).

Where did it lose points? The only clear complaint I had for the film was the amount of cussing, the f-bombs in front of my 95 year old great-grandmother were a little cringe-worthy.

Strongest points? The acting was phenomenal as well as the casting (Huge fan of Emile Hirsch ever since watching Into the Wild and the Bonnie and Clyde tv-mini series). The filming was amazing as well, particularly as they were falling down the hills and each of the men's death scenes. 

Rating? 8/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

Birdman (2014)

How did I hear about it? If you pay any attention to award season what-so-ever... then you've heard of Birdman. After hearing the cast (Emma Stone is definitely growing on me and I haven't seen Ed Norton in anything except Fight Club, which is a personal favorite) along with the "revolutionary" cinematography I had to see it.

How did I watch it? I rented Birdman from my city library and watched it with my dad.

Where did it lose points? Of course there was strong language and many inappropriate scenes, but the biggest downfall for me was the lack of explanation for various scenes and characters. But I blame that on my lack of understanding and research for the film (which I will do eventually). 

Strongest points? There is reason why around award season the words cinematography and Birdman always went together. In case you were unaware, Birdman is filmed as if the camera never stops rolling, like one continuous story with no visible cuts. It's pretty revolutionary, and I'm insanely excited to see director Alejandro González Iñárritu's Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, to come out this year (Maybe, FINALLY an oscar for crowd favorite Leo? Pretty please?). Also the thinkability. When we finished the film around midnight my dad said, "Why did we do this to ourselves?", not because he didn't like it but because he knew it would lead to me researching the film and trying to understand symbolism for hours, if not days afterward. So with all that said, don't watch this if you're expecting a easy, brainless experience.

Rating? 8/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

Chernobyl Diaries (2012)

How did I hear about it? In all honesty I first considered watching this film after hearing that Jesse McCartney was in it, I may have fangirled a little everytime he came on screen... Okay a lot. 

How did I watch it? I rented Chernobyl Diaries from my city library and watched it with my dad.

Where did it lose points? The suspension was so fantastic that if the creators could've came up with a more logical and believable threat it could've given me nightmares. The legends behind Chernobyl gave the writers so much to work with and I feel as though they didn't take advantage of it. Also, the ending. Geez. I felt like when storyboarding for this film they bored themselves and just randomly threw something together. 

Strongest points? Much like my favorite horror film As Above So Below, this film built great suspension, I get scared easily and was kept on the edge of my seat for most of the film. 

Rating? 5/10

Would I Recommend It? NO

Forever, Darling (1956)

How did I hear about it? My mom, being a huge fan of Desi and Lucy, owns a boxed set of all their movies together, this was one I had not yet seen. PS I highly recommend The Long, Long Trailer, it's my favorite Lucy and Desi film. 

How did I watch it? With my mom and sister last one night at my grandparents. 

Where did it lose points? This film, although original and cute, was not very memorable and I can't picture myself ever rewatching it. 

Strongest points? This film was very innocent and cute, as well as quotable and of course laughable since Lucille Ball is in it. 

Rating? 7/10

Would I Recommend It? NO