#228. The Conversation

"He'd kill us if he got the chance."

A paranoid survellience expert is hired to record a young couple's conversation. He refuses to hand over the tapes after he suspects the couple could be in great danger because of them. As the story unfolds, Harry's paranoia and burning conscience make it hard from him to distinguish what's in his mind from reality.

To be honest, I found most of this movie confusing. After it ended, I had to read reviews online and basically do a research paper to understand what happened in it. Now that I've done that, it makes more sense, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was entirely too slow. I don't see how anyone could understand what was going on until about half way through the movie. From watching the trailer, I could have sworn this movie was going to be an awesome psychological thriller like "The Secret Window" or something like that, but it was far from my expectations. Sure, there were a few some-what scary moments near the end, but not enough to classify it as a "thriller".

My favorite character was the protagonist Harry Caul. He was the one with all the psychological  problems, so it's pretty much a given; he was the most interesting. The couple was also significant, but I have to say, all the others did absolutely nothing for me. But since Harry was great, the "characters" score didn't plummet too much.

Overall, I thought the movie had a very interesting plot (after I understood it), and the end isn't something you'd expect, which I appreciate. It didn't hold my attention like some other movies, but it wasn't too bad. My immediate rating is a 6.8.

Characters: 6.7/10
Acting: 7/10

Storyline: 6.8/10
Entertainment Value: 6.3/10

Immediate Rating: 6.8/10

Total Score: 33.6/50

#229. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

"No growth without assistance. No action without reaction. No desire without restraint. Now give yourself up and find yourself again."

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an Asian film in the Mandarin language that focuses on an epic quest. Li Mu Bai decides to pass on magical sword to a friend, but it is stolen by a mysterious martial arts master. Li and his love interest Yu Shu Lien have taken on the challenge to discover who the theif is and retrieve the sword.

I've never really been fond of Asian fighting movies, and to be honest, I especially don't get hype about this one. Sure, it was fun to watch (borderlining humorous...) and it had pretty good themes going for it like honour, love, and discipline, but the plot wasn't awe-inspiring enough to catch my undivided attention. And though the acclaimed film critics would think I was insane for this, I thought the fight scenes were extremely corny. I mean running up walls, and gliding on tree tops? They could have made at least a little bit realistic. Despite this, I do commend the actors in their talents for martial arts.

I didn't really have a favorite character while watching this. There were only about four that stood out to me, and they were of course the main characters. Dark Cloud and Jiao Long were a little bit more interesting than the other two, so my favor leans toward them.

The fact that I watch the English-dubbed version could affect my judgement of this film, but it was the only version I could find. To assess it in one word, I would say it's "decent". I could watch it again to catch some underlying meaning of the storyline, but this is not my kind of movie, so I'd rather not. My immediate rating is a 6.4.

Characters: 6.8/10
Acting: 6.4/10

Storyline: 6.5/10
Entertainment Value: 6.9/10

Immediate Rating: 6.4/10

Total Score: 33/50

#230. Changeling

"I used to tell Walter, 'Never start a fight... but always finish it.' I didn't start this fight... but by God, I'm going to finish it."

In this film, Angelina Jolie plays Christine Collins, a single mother with a young son named Walter. One day, she leaves him home alone because she had to unexpectedly go in for work. She comes back that night to find that Walter is missing. After contacting the police many times, they arrive with news that her son has been found. Collins soon realizes that the boy they gave her is not her son, but a stranger they are using to cover up their failure of handling the case. Throughout the movie, Collins never stops in her attempts to receive justice and get her real son back, but must go through a countless number of trials to finally derive the truth.

The first time I sat down to watch this movie was last year. I was with my boyfriend, and we didn't get through ten minutes of it because we thought it was so boring. Watching it the second time around, I now realize how wrong we were. This is honestly one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. And the reason why? Because every single scene was so incredibly compelling. I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie, wondering what would happen next.

 The acting was extraordinary. Angelina Jolie fit the role perfectly, and I would almost bet on her being an actual "grieving mother" because of how real she made it seem.

As far as characters go, my favorite was Gordon Northcott (played by Jason Butler Harner). Though he plays a horrible person in this movie, all the scenes he was in were my favorites. His presence made the story itself all the more enthralling, and may be the reason why this film has "thriller" on its list of genres.

I can't believe that I didn't know how great this movie is until now, but I'm very glad I finally got to watch it all the way through. My immediate rating is an 8.8/10.

Characters: 8.4/10

Acting: 8.7/10

Storyline: 8.9/10

Entertainment Value: 9/10

Immediate Rating: 8.8/10

Total Score: 43.8/50

#231. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

"It's a funny thing about coming home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You'll realize what's changed is you."

The movie begins with an elderly lady lying in a hospital bed. She asks her daughter Caroline to read the diary of Benjamin Button, her former love. The diary recounts Benjamin's entire life story; all the experiences of a man who lived his life backwards.

I've seen Benjamin Button once before. My boyfriend and I actually saw it on our first date a year and a half ago. And it's still the only movie we can never agree on. He thought the concept was horrible, boring, and that it made no sense, while I found it touching and profound. And I've got to say, after watching it a second time, my opinion still hasn't changed. To me, it's still a wonderfully made film with a unique concept.

There were a lot of special and well-rounded characters in this movie. My favorite was Queenie, who played Benjamin's adopted mother, because she was a very caring and warm-hearted character. I love how she adopted Benjamin even despite his unusual disability, and cared for him like he were her own son.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this movie a lot, maybe even more the second time. There were many quotes and scenes in this movie that were very touching. I'll give it an immediate rating of 8.

Characters: 7.8/10

Acting: 8.2/10

Storyline: 8.2/10

Entertainment Value: 7.7/10

Immediate Rating: 8/10

Total Score: 39.9/50

#232. Little Miss Sunshine

"Everyone, just... pretend to be normal."

In this film, a dysfunctional family goes on a road trip to California after 7-year-old Olive is selected to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. On the way, the family encounters a countless amount of trials, but will stop at nothing until they reach their anticipated destination.

This is one of my favorite movies. I've only seen it once before now, but it was even better the second time. I love absolutely everything about it. The bittersweet sadness of the music fits the film like a glove, and the dialogue is so realistic. Actually everything about this movie is realistic in every way, which is why I believe it's held to such high acclaim. 

Every character is great in this movie, but I have a couple of favorites. I loved the dad, Richard, (played by Greg Kinnear) because his character is so believable. His failure in his career has ruined his self-esteem, yet he yearns to be known by others as being an ambitious confident man. My other favorite character was Dwayne (played by Paul Dano) because his acting captures the epitome and frustration of being a teenager, along with the drama that tags along.

There's nothing more I can say about this film. It's different, it's depressing in a very comforting sense, and I think it's perfection. My rating is an 8.7.

Characters: 8.8/10

Acting: 9/10

Storyline: 8.6/10

Entertainment Value: 9/10

Immediate Rating: 8.7/10

Total Score: 44.1/50

#233. Barry Lyndon

"I'm not sorry. And I'll not apologize. And I'd as soon go to Dublin as to hell." 

Set in the eighteenth century, Irishman Redmond Barry travels from a small village in Ireland to Dublin after killing a man in a duel. He ventures through his life as a soldier in the British army, then in the Prussian army, and then as a professional gambler. He then meets a wealthy lady named Lady Lyndon and marries her in England. His name is changed to Barry Lyndon, and he plans to acquire her fortune as well as gain his own importance. 

After reading a lot of reviews that said this movie was boring, I wasn't too excited too see it, especially considering its three hours in length. But I found myself being very pleasantly surprised while watching it. I wasn't bored at all through out the whole movie; I actually thought it was entertaining. In some ways though, I felt the plot was kind of pointless. Some events were unnecessary, as well as a few of the characters. I don't even think I had a favorite one. I thought the main character, Barry Lyndon, was interesting though not exactly likable, and the others were just a bit dull. Thankfully though, there were recognizable characters unlike the last movie I watched.

The movie overall wasn't bad at all. There were some really compelling scenes as well as gorgeous landscapes captured through out the film. I'll give it an immediate rating of 7.

Characters: 6.8/10

Acting: 7.3/10

Storyline: 6.7/10
Entertainment Value: 6.4/10

Immediate Rating: 7/10

Total Score: 34.2/50

#234. All Quiet On The Western Front

"Our bodies are earth. And our thoughts are clay. And we sleep and eat with death."

Unlike some other war movies, this film does not highlight the heroism of World War I, but the reality and drudgery of its constant adversities and a soldiers' undeniable struggle to survive. This movie basically follows the experiences of a group of young soldiers after being talked into enlisting the first world war.

I'll be very honest about this movie. I thought it was almost unbearably boring, especially the initial half hour. And I love history too, but I guess that I'm just too young to understand this movie's significance. Or maybe it's the fact that it was made 80 years ago; it's just out of my time.

I couldn't really tell who was the main character, or if there was even supposed to be one. I only heard a couple of select names through out the film. Paul did stick out to me though. I liked his character because he seemed very real. His speech near the end of the movie to the aspiring soldiers was an honest interpretation of what he felt about war, and I liked that he was almost warning them of the upcoming anguish they would face.

So I did like the ending because it captured my attention more than the rest of the movie did. And I know I missed a lot due to my mind drifting on-and-off, so it's probably a lot better than I say it is. But I'm guessing the main reason for this movie's acclaim is because it's known for being the first "good" movie of its time. It is from 1930 after all.

My immediate rating is a 6.3.

Characters: 5.8/10

Acting: 6.2/10

Storyline: 6.5/10
Entertainment Value: 5.8/10

Immediate Rating: 6.3/10

Total Score: 30.6/50