#204. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

"My diving bell has dragged you down to the bottom of the sea, with me."

A man who is paralyzed everywhere on his body except for his left eye manages to write a book, meanwhile reflecting on the life he had before his stroke.

This is what I'd like to call an eye-opening film. It's a true story about a man who literally feels trapped in his own body, and through its depressing nature, made me appreciate everything I have in my own life. It's not exactly inspiring like the synopsis would make it seem. It's an extremely realistic account of what life would be like to be paralyzed to an extensive degree from the eyes (or eye, I should state) of a cynic.

Jean-Do, the film's main character and hopeless invalid, has a forlorn attitude of his circumstance from the very beginning of his stay at the hospital. Even though his outlook considerably lightens when he begins comprising his book, it doesn't take away from the fact that he feels indefinitely imprisoned, and the words he wants to convey are excruciatingly written by a hospital speech therapist through a kind of Morse code Jean Do must do by blinking his left eye. Most of the movie's scenes are filmed from his perspective, as you hear everything he is thinking but is unable to say due to his condition. This gives a true representation of the darkness that overtakes one's life when faced with such an inexorable adversity.

I found this movie intriguing, and the French subtitles didn't take anything away from it, as I barely realized they were even there. My immediate rating is a 7.9/10.

Characters: 6.9/10

Acting: 7.7/10

Storyline: 8.2/10

Entertainment Value: 7.5/10

Immediate Rating: 7.9/10

Total Score: 38.2/50

#205. Let the Right One In

"I'm twelve. But I've been twelve for a long time."

Oscar, a bullied and neglected twelve year old, finds companionship and falls in love with his neighbor Eli. Coincidentally, while Oscar is hungry for revenge on his foes, Eli is thirsty for blood.

The more I reflect on this movie, the more I appreciate it. It's a Swedish film, and I'm not one to enjoy reading subtitles by any means, but everything about it was so interesting that I completely forgot about the language difference. I also don't much like movies about vampires, but again, this one was different. It gave me a really odd feeling while I was watching it though, probably because its main themes are romance and horror, and there was so much intimacy as well as gore involving two children.

The relationship between Oscar and Eli is somewhat disturbing, but beautiful. The two young outcasts, who have both been damaged in their lives in different ways, manage to find love within each other and display it in such a thought provoking way. Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson have so much chemistry together, and both demonstrate an acting ability far beyond their years.

Though there were a few scenes that were so gruesome they made me cringe with disgust, I admire this film's originality, and it's one that I don't think I'll forget for a longtime. My immediate score is a 7.3/10.

Characters: 6.8/10

Acting: 7.5/10

Storyline: 7.8/10

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Immediate Rating: 7.3/10

Total Score: 37.4/50

#206. Kill Bill: Vol. 2

"You and I have unfinished business."

The Bride, played by Uma Thurman, continues her pursuit of revenge as she sets out to kill Bill and two of his affiliates.

Before watching this movie, I decided it would probably be best to watch Kill Bill Vol. 1 first so I could have a clear understanding of Vol. 2, and I have to say, I found the second one to be a lot better! There were more thrilling scenes, not as much gore and fake blood, and Bill is finally a primary character. The first Kill Bill simply wouldn't be complete without Vol. 2, and I almost feel like Vol. 1 is simply a prequel. Though it was still pretty decent, I'm very surprised and disappointed to see that it is much higher

on the list.

One aspect I didn't like about this film was I felt like a few of the actors' performances, David Carradine's as Bill especially, seemed too dramatic at times, and made several scenes come off as hokey. However, this was pretty much the only thing that bothered me about Vol. 2, and that specific type of demeanor was even warranted during some of the really intense moments of the movie. I love all of the unexpected twists this film took, and I thought the ending certainly wrapped everything up quite nicely. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, and my immediate rating is a 7.3/10.

Characters: 6.8/10

Acting: 6.6/10

Storyline: 7.7/10

Entertainment Value: 7.8/10

Immediate Rating: 7.3/10

Total Score: 36.2/50