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

Run Lola Run (1998)

How did I hear about it? My creative writing teacher was stunned when the class was so "uncultured" when we hadn't heard of a list of movies he had rattled off... and I was EMBARRASSED. So of course they all went on to my "To Watch" list, including Run Lola Run.

How did I watch it? I rented Run Lola Run from my city library and watched it with my little sister. 

Where did it lose points? The characters weren't given enough background and story to make viewers feel as though they were relatable, this was the lowest point for me. It also wasn't anywhere near quotable. 

Strongest points? The originality was strong for me. Run Lola Run is almost set up as three separate movies, each beginning the same, but ending entirely differently. It is a great butterfly effect plot that shows if one little thing was different, the outcome could be entirely changed and it could also affect the lives of the people around Lola. It is also thinkable because as you reach the end of the film you begin to wonder which of the three plotlines was real, and how Lola's story really ended.

WARNING: This film is in a language other than English, so subtitles are required.

Rating? 7/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

The Number 23 (2007)

How did I hear about it? The Number 23 was featured in WatchMojo's "Top 10 Worst Movie Plot Twists" and of course even though the video was warning me not to watch it... well I did it anyways. I'm a sucker for plot twists and watching actors break typecasting, and obviously Jim Carrey in a psychological thriller where he played a character with 0 sense of humor made me curious.

How did I watch it? I rented The Number 23 from my city library and watched it by myself whenever I had a chance. Because it's very rarely that I am by myself I watched half the movie one day and the other half another day. 

Where did it lose points? It was not very quotable, there was some language and inappropriate scenes/flashbacks and because it had such a plot twist at the end it's not necessarily a rewatchable movie (but well worth losing one point for the fantastic plot twist). 

Strongest points? For me the strongest point of this film was the thinkability, it was so hard to tell what was Fingerling's story and what was Walter's, but I believe that was the point. Walter's insanity calls the reader's attentions to the uses of the number 23 all around them, and I definitely was picking 23 out and researching it for the rest of the day. Another point was how original it was. It was inception-esque, and there was so much to pick up on, clues to the plot twist, foreshadowing, etc. 

Other Notes: Notice how at the "Steps to Heaven" the camera only ever shows Walter walking down them, signifying his fall from purity and grace just as he finds out who the author of The Number 23 really is. Also pay close attention to the numbers around Walter before his begins to investigate 23, they're everywhere. 

Rating? 7/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

As Good As it Gets (1997)

How did I hear about it? Who hasn't heard of the award-winning film As Good As it Gets? I was always ashamed to say I was a film fanatic and yet hadn't seen it. Its raved about and not mention it was on my Psych movie list.

How did I watch it? I rented As Good As it Gets from my city library and watched it with my family. 

Where did it lose points? Where do I start? I was thoroughly disappointed and didn't want to be, but I couldn't help it. There was repeated and unnecessary language throughout the film and some inappropriate content. I wouldn't watch it again because it wasn't memorable and it didn't give me anything to consider after I was done watching the film. It also wasn't quotable.

Strongest points? Nicholson's portrayal as someone with OCD was something I not only appreciated, but also believed. 

Rating? 5/10

Would I Recommend It? NO

Crash (2004)

How did I hear about it? My really cool psychology teacher gave the class a psych movie list at the beginning of the semester my junior year, even though the class has long sense ended, I'm bound and determined to watch all of them. 

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

Where did it lose points? There was repeated and unnecessary language throughout the film and some inappropriate content including nudity and rape.

Strongest points? The "thinkability" and acting were amazing. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I watched it, there's just so many meanings and storylines to consider. I'm a sucker for circle stories and unpredictability, and this film definitely won in both of those categories. I also loved how the film showed the good and bad of every character, you were never sure who to root for, and I think that was done intentionally. With such a large A-List cast you know the acting is going to be phenomenal, in particular I applaud Thandie Newton and Michael Peña. 

Rating? 9/10

Would I Recommend It? YES

Ruby Sparks (2012)

How did I hear about it? While falling down the rabbit hole to Wonderland (watching trailers on YouTube). 

How did I watch it? I rented Ruby Sparks from my city library and watched it with my mom and sister. 

Where did it lose points? There was repeated and unnecessary language throughout the film and some inappropriate content.

Strongest points? "Thinkable", "Original", "Memorable". All bookworms have wondered what would happen if they fell in love with a fictional character, and better yet what if they came to life. All writers HAVE fell in love with one of their characters, wishing they could just be real. This film answered all our wondering imaginations.

Rating? 9/10

Would I Recommend It? YES