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

Project Almanac (2015)

How did I hear about it? I first saw a trailer for it while in a movie theater. I thought it looked interesting and took a mental note of the title, which was at the time Welcome to Yesterday. Because the title was later changed and the release date was pushed back I forgot about it until seeing another trailer for it, under its current title, while in theaters for Mockingjay: Part I.

How did I watch it? I rented Project Almanac from my city library and watched it with my family. 

Where did it lose points? There was repeated and unnecessary language throughout the film and some inappropriate content. It was also not a very quotable film, which is important to me as the script is everything. 

Strongest points? The "thinkability" was high with this one. As with any other looping storylines like this one, it had me wondering what was real and what wasn't. 

Rating? 8/10
Would I Recommend It? YES

Being Vocal

Why I created "The Never Ending List": I love movies, I love being vocal about my opinions and I love writing.

I have a never ending list of movies to watch on my phone. The list grows and grows when I am given suggestions, when I go to Target and roam the entertainment section and mostly when I watch Watch Mojo on YouTube (My biggest time suck ever, I could spend hours watching their countdown videos). This list is ridiculously long and I think this summer is the perfect time to cut it down. I will try to continue this throughout the school year, but what can I say, I'm a senior and I can't promise anything. 

How "The Never Ending List" will work:

To be fair and unbiased, I will only be reviewing films that I do not have preconceived notions about. I will not review anything I have already watched, unless I completely do not remember it. Of course there is no way to fully avoid biases, I'm a sucker for Leonardo DiCaprio movies and I'm not a big horror or sci-fi fan, but I promise to try my very best to set those preferences aside. 

When rating out of ten I will always use a scale that I created, that way every movie will be judged on the same points. I will always post a picture of this rating, regardless of whether I get to writing more of a review. I will also give a general yes or no recommendation and other notes. 

My main focus will be films, but I will also be writing reviews for books and albums to shake things up every once and a while. 

I will take any suggestions!

Thank you in advance,
Kelsea