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Jan. 1st, 2009 01:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brokenrecordSo I did manage to get to 100 movies this year! I only got to 14 books, unfortunately, but oh well. Anyways, here's a list of everything I saw/read with ratings and short reactions for the movies.
Movies in 2008
(There are spoilers for all the movies to varying degrees. Hopefully it's easy enough to scroll past the movies you don't want to be spoiled for.)
1. Empire Records (1995) - Didn't really like this movie much. I don't know. I can't really explain why. I just didn't find it very entertaining. There were some funny bits, but overall I just didn't enjoy it. 6/10
2. Enchanted (2007) - Really, really cute. Although, when is James Marsden going to get the girl? He seems to always lose out when he's in a love triangle. And I love James Marsden way more than Patrick Dempsey (I don't really get Patrick Dempsey's appeal), so I couldn't fully understand why Gisele would choose Robert over Edward. But whatever, it was still insanely cute. 9/10
3. Gangs of New York (2002) - This was really well-done. I thought both Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo Dicaprio were excellent in this. Cameron Diaz didn't even bother me that much, and normally I think she's a pretty terrible actress. 9/10
4. Transformers (2007) - Not the most brilliant film ever made, but it was fun enough. I wasn't expecting to get attached to any of the characters, so I was pretty surprised when I ended up going "OMG EVERYONE ELSE CAN DIE JUST PLEASE NOT BUMBLEBEE." Especially since, you know, he was an alien robot thing. Also, Shia Labeouf was very good in this, and I didn't totally hate Megan Fox's character, which I normally would in a movie like this. 8/10
5. Charlie Wilson's War (2007) - This was actually a lot better than I was expecting it to be. I guess Aaron Sorkin writing the screenplay helped it a lot. I don't know if I would've picked up on it if I hadn't gone in knowing Sorkin wrote it, but because I did, it felt a lot like an episode of The West Wing, except it was set 20 years ago. I thought Phillip Seymour Hoffman was excellent, and I wish we could've seen more of his character. The only thing I didn't like was that the end felt kind of rushed. 8/10
6. Atonement (2007) - Ok, this movie is worth seeing solely for the cinematography and the score. The Dunkirk scene was absolutely beautiful, although I think my favorite shot was actually just this random one where Robbie's in a field of red flowers (I want to say poppies, but I think I only think that because I'm thinking of the Wizard of Oz) and there's all this light and just... really pretty. And the score is ridiculously cool. Aside from those aspects, I really loved the movie. I know there are a lot of people who didn't like it, but I don't know. I thought it was really well done (although really, really sad). The only part I didn't really like was the end, set in the present, because it kind of took me out of the movie for a second. But overall, really well-done. 9/10
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) - This was another film with amazing cinematography. The whole film was really well-done. I don't really know how to describe this film. It was just beautiful and heartbreaking, even more so when you think about the fact that it's a true story. 10/10
8. The Usual Suspects (1995) - I know that this is an extremely unpopular opinion, but... I didn't think that this movie was that good. I knew about the twist beforehand, but I don't know that that took away from my enjoyment at all. My favorite part of the movie was basically the last 5 minutes, where the detective puts it all together and you see Verbal walking away with no limp and getting into the car and such. It's just that everything leading up to that point was kind of... blah. It just wasn't that interesting. It wasn't terrible, but... it just didn't really captivate my attention, either. It's not a terrible film by any means, but I also don't think it's as amazing as everyone makes it out to be. 7/10
9. 3:10 to Yuma (2007) - I thought this movie was really well done. There was some really great acting from Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, and Ben Foster. I thought the score was pretty good, as well as the cinematography. Just, yeah. Enjoyable film to watch. 8/10
10. There Will Be Blood (2007) - Daniel Day-Lewis is brilliant in this (shocking, I know). I thought Paul Dano was also really excellent. When I found out afterwards that he also played Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine, I was floored, because they are such different roles, and he pulled both off very well. The storyline is also really well-done. The movie was fairly long, but it didn't feel long while I was watching it; it held my attention all the way through. Just, yeah. Really well done. 9/10
11. Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006) - This was bizarrely sweet and charming. I really enjoyed it. 9/10
12. Zeitgeist, the Movie (2007) - Very eye-opening movie. I don't believe everything the movie claims (the stuff at the beginning is the most believable), but it's an interesting perspective. And I appreciate that the goal of the movie is not necessarily to make you believe everything they say, but to question everything, which I think is very important. 8/10
13. The Bourne Supremacy (2004) - Fun movie. It felt really short, though. I don't know. I still feel like I don't really know what I think about these movies, and won't until I see the last one. 7/10
14. Reefer Madness (1936) - Oh god, I have no idea how to rate this movie. If I rate it on actual quality of the movie, it should get like a 2, but if I rate it on how much I enjoyed it, it should get at least an 8. It was totally hilarious. I mean, "This one boy, who smoked marijuana, killed his entire family with an axe!" Just, what?! Ah, totally awesome. 8/10
15. Ethnic Notions (1986) - Very interesting. It's pretty frightening that these stereotypes about African Americans are still around today, but we're not aware of their origins and what they really mean. 8/10
16. A Beautiful Mind (2001) - I really enjoyed this. They did get some things wrong about schizophrenia (like, first off, stop calling his hallucinations delusions! Those are different things! He did have delusions, but what they referred to as delusions were hallucinations!), and about John Nash's particular case, but I still thought it reflected what it's like to have schizophrenia pretty well. It really is amazing how John Nash was able to continue through this disorder and win the Nobel Prize and all that. 8/10
17. North By Northwest (1959) - Very entertaining movie. Cary Grant was excellent. 9/10
18. Michael Clayton (2007) - Good film, but I definitely don't think it deserves a nomination for best picture. There was nothing special about it. (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly totally deserved it more.) It was difficult to piece together what was going on at the beginning, and it took me awhile to figure out the focus of the film. The first half was kind of boring, but I really enjoyed the second half. 8/10
19. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) - Very slow movie, but still really well done. I don't think they needed all the stuff about Dick and Wood and the subplots. I get that from showing Dick hitting on Wood's stepmom, you get why Wood would attack Dick, and then why Bob would kill Wood, and that leads to complications with Jesse and all, but... they easily could have just explained in a sentence or so that Dick was hiding from Wood at the Fords' house because that. They didn't really need 15 minutes of showing us it. The most fascinating part of the movie for me was the relationship between Bob and Jesse, and I wished they had had more scenes together and developed that relationship further. Both Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt were great in this, Casey Affleck in particular. 8/10
20. La Vie en rose (2007) - Marion Cotillard is extraordinary in this film. She totally makes the film. Jumping back and forth between her various stages of life was kind of annoying because I'd have no idea why she was getting injections or collapsing, and I couldn't figure out in the timeline when everything was happening (I know they have the dates and all, but it's really hard to keep track of what happened in 1951, 1935, 1960, 1963, 1959, etc.). Also, they spent so much time on Marcel, and then all of a sudden later in her life she has a husband! (Actually, reading Wikipedia, she had two husbands! I couldn't be sure if they showed that in the movie, though, because the husband wasn't on for very long, so I couldn't tell if it was the same person, or different people) I wish they had spent some time on that. Also, her having a daughter totally came out of nowhere, and I wish they hadn't left it for a surprise reveal at the end. Anyways, the movie itself is flawed, but Marion is absolutely brilliant in this. (Although, seriously, does Gerard Depardieu have to be in every French movie EVER? I swear to god, I haven't seen a French movie he hasn't been in, and I've seen a fair amount of French movies.) 8/10
21. Our Hospitality (1923) - Heh, this was fairly amusing. I've never seen a silent film before, so this was a new experience. I really enjoyed it, though. 8/10
22. As Good As It Gets (1997) - I have serious issues with the way they portrayed OCD in this film (they really didn't do a good job of distinguishing how much of his actions were due to his disorder, and how much to his personality) and, especially, how the message seemed to be that love can cure this terribly distressing disorder, when... no. And they didn't mention behavioral therapy basically at all. But ignoring all the disorder stuff, it was an enjoyable movie (besides the fact that why the hell would Carol be attracted to Melvin? There's such a huge age difference, he's not particularly attractive, and he has a terrible personality). I loved Simon's character, and Verdell was totally adorable. Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson were good, but I can't believe they won Oscars for those performances. I mean, I guess I haven't seen many of the other performances that were nominated (the only ones I think are Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting and Kate Winslet in Titanic. But whatever, I thought both of them were better), but still. I didn't think they were particularly extraordinary. I don't know. It was a pretty good movie, but nothing amazing. 7/10
23. The Hours (2002) - This was pretty interesting. I thought Julianne Moore, in particularly, was amazing in this, but Nicole Kidman was also very good. I think this is maybe the only movie I've seen where Ed Harris is not some sort of cop or part of the FBI or something like that. It was kind of bizarre. Also, I thought the score was really beautiful. 8/10
24. Gone Baby Gone (2007) - I really liked this movie overall, but what was the point to Angie? Except, I guess, to cause Patrick grief at the end? But I feel they could've shown his conflict in making the decision without that. He was already a little unsure, and then obviously all the stuff at the end where they show that Helene hasn't changed and Patrick realizes that maybe Amanda would have been better off also shows the conflict. So... what was her use? I don't know why, but she really bothered me. She was just kind of there. She didn't seem to help with the investigation at all, and I wanted to punch her when she was unsure about taking the case because she wouldn't want to see a child that had been beaten for days or sexually abused or whatever. I was like, WHAT? YOU'RE A DETECTIVE. THIS IS YOUR JOB. ALSO, YOU DON'T WANT TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO SAVE THE LIFE OF A CHILD BECAUSE IT WOULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR YOU TO SEE? WTF. Ugh. ...um, but I liked everything else! I liked the kind of... I want to say ambiguity of the end, although that's not really the term I mean. But I like that the hero doesn't necessarily do the right thing, and he might regret it. And I thought Casey Affleck was great in this. Amy Ryan was great, too. 8/10
25. In & Out (1997) - I kind of loved this. They do play on a lot of gay stereotypes, and normally that would make me irritated (and it does bug me a little anyways), but the movie never seemed to actually be taking itself seriously, and they seemed to be parodying the stereotypes more than anything. Plus, the guy who wrote the screenplay is gay, so it's not like he's some straight guy writing gay men based on stereotypes he's heard of. It was just really hilarious, and the end was pretty heartwarming, too. 9/10
26. Annie Hall (1977) - I thought this was a very clever and fun movie. I don't think it's as brilliant as its reputation led me to believe it would be, but at the same time, I feel like I need to be older to appreciate it in its entirety. In any case, it's a very enjoyable, different kind of movie to watch. 9/10
27. Girl, Interrupted (1999) - Angelina Jolie was excellent in this, and Winona Ryder was better than I expected. This is actually the first (and only) movie I've seen of Angelina Jolie's, which is kind of crazy. Overall, I liked the movie. 8/10
28. La Grande illusion (1937) - I think this was well done, and reading about it in Film Analysis made me more appreciative of it, but honestly... it kind of bored me. I feel uncultured and ignorant and all that for thinking that since by many film critics it's hailed as one of the greatest films of all time, and... I just don't see it. It's not bad (although it does have a much slower pace than the movies I'm used to seeing) by any means, but I don't see what makes it so much greater than all other films. Renoir is an incredible director, though, I must say. 8/10
29. Gion no shimai (1936) - I kind of zoned out through the first 10 or 15 minutes of this, and then had a terrible time of figuring out what the hell was going on. This movie was also kind of too slow-paced compared to what I am used to. I don't know. A lot of the technical aspects that were highlighted in class were very impressive and made me like the film more, but just based on the story... it wasn't that interesting. 7/10
30. The Savages (2007) - This was entirely disappointing. When I saw the trailer, it looked like an intelligent dark comedy about family. The thing is... I don't really know what the movie was about. It seemed to touch the surface of a bunch of ideas, but it never went in depth with any. I expected it to be more about the brother and sister's relationship with each other and with their father, and it was kind of about that, but also not really. Everything just seemed very... muted? I also thought that the film was trying to criticize the home that the father was put into or paint it as being a bad option or whatever, but... the place was actually pretty decent. I don't know. I wanted this to be so much better than it was. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney were excellent in it, but... that was pretty much it. I really can't believe the screenplay got nominated for an Oscar, but at least it didn't win. 6/10
31. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) - Totally cute and fun movie. Not the most brilliant ever, but it's not attempting to be. Frances McDormand and Amy Adams are, of course, excellent. Lee Pace was also wonderful (and he sings! And has a British accent!). I also really liked the little moments like Guinevere and Joe sitting outside the party and seeing the planes flying overhead and all the younger people being excited, but they're just kind of weary and remark about the others not being able to remember the last war, while they can. I don't know. I really enjoyed that moment. The movie is predictable, but I thought it was very well done overall. 9/10
32. In Bruges (2008) - I expected this to be a dark comedy, and while there were definitely funny moments, it was more of just a dark drama. It was also less action-packed than I expected. But I ended up really enjoying it. Colin Farrell was excellent, much better than I expected him to be. 9/10
33. The Opium Connection(1966) - Oh my GOD this film was horrible. Just completely boring from beginning to end. I can't believe this film would be at all effective at curbing opium use or trafficking. I mean, it seems to be aimed at the people trafficking opium in the Middle East, but I feel like they probably wouldn't end up watching this movie. They seemed to add all this international mystery and action stuff to make it more interesting, but it still ended up being horribly boring. They didn't really show any negative effects of opium, either. 3/10
34. Prozac Nation (2001) - This movie was decent. I expected from the title that it would be criticizing the fact that so many American use medication to cope with depression, so I was surprised when in the end they seemed to be saying that Prozac was beneficial. It was bizarre that it really was only mentioned at the very end of the film. And the lead character was kind of annoying after awhile. But whatever, I definitely enjoyed bits of it. 7/10
35. Rain Man (1988) - Ok, I mostly liked this movie, but WHAT THE HELL WAS UP WITH THE SCORE? Ugh. It bothered me SO MUCH. It just sounded... I don't even know. It reminded me of Stand and Deliver's music, which... was not good. I don't know why it bothered me so much, it really shouldn't have, but it just sounded so... bad. I can't even explain it. It just didn't fit the movie at all. And SOMEHOW it got nominated for an Oscar! I don't understand. sigh. Um, but the rest was actually good! Dustin Hoffman was excellent, and Tom Cruise wasn't too bad. It was kind of weird at the end that I think the movie was trying to say that we should want Charlie to be able to take care of Raymond, but... it was pretty obvious that Raymond needed much more care than Charlie could provide him, and I thought it was much better for him that he go back to the institution. But anyways, pretty good movie. 8/10
36. Rear Window (1954) - I loved this. I thought the fact that it all took place in Jefferies's apartment through his window was very cool. The only issue I had with it is that I kept expecting there to be some twist and either there was no murder and he was just creating it out of his imagination, or there was a murder, but he was wrong about the person. I don't know. I just didn't think it would be so straight forward. But part of that I think is that this movie is so old, and since then, moviemakers have had to put in more and more twists to keep people interested, so I was expecting there to be more twists than there were. Still, incredibly entertaining and well-done. 10/10
37. A Man Escaped (1956) - I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. The use of sound in this film was wonderful. I thought the lead actor was absolutely excellent. Very good movie. 9/10
38. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) - Leonardo DiCaprio was absolutely brilliant in this. geez. I mean, I've always thought he was a fantastic actor before, but I didn't think he was as good when he was younger, and I didn't realize he could be THAT good. He totally deserved his nomination, and he definitely deserved the win. Johnny Depp and the rest were all good too, but he totally stole every scene he was in. Overall, it was a good movie. 9/10
39. Homegrown (1998) - ...I have no idea what this movie was trying to say. You shouldn't smoke marijuana? You should? You shouldn't grow and traffick marijuana? Trafficking marijuana shouldn't be illegal? It was just... weird. I'm still not sure who the bad guy was or what the motivation was or really anything that happened. 5/10
40.. Tokyo Story (1953) - I think I liked this. It was very slow-paced, and I don't think I had the time to really appreciate it. But I thought it was interesting and well-done. 9/10
41. Away From Her (2007) - I enjoyed this. It was sad, but very good. I thought the hospital's rule about not letting anyone visit patients for the first 30 days was totally ridiculous, though. I don't know if there are institutions that really have those rules, but it seemed like a contrivance, and I don't think their relationship would have deteriorated so quickly if it hadn't been for that rule. I don't know. Overall it was good. 8/10
42. Chungking Express (1994) - I kind of love this movie. Normally I have issues with multiple narrators, but it was really well-done here. I like how the two stories aren't really connected, even though I kept expecting them to be, but there are still loads of parallels between the two. The stories were just incredibly enjoyable to watch. 10/10
43. Shelter (2007) - Ok, so I had some issues with this. The actor playing Zach was kind of wooden, I wish they would have shown a little more build-up to Zach and Shaun hooking up and even just more of their relationship in general, and the end resolution was kind of ridiculous. I mean... it was sweet and good closure and all, but entirely unrealistic. But I kind of loved this anyways, despite all that. I liked that the movie was just as much about Zach's relationship with his family and dealing with his future and his art as it was about his sexuality. And I liked that it was kind of different than the typical gay coming out story movie in that pretty much everyone was fine with Zach, including his best friend/brother of his boyfriend, but his sister had major issues with it. (GOD was she an unlikable character, though. geez. Even the end couldn't redeem her. I mean, especially the end, since even though she accepts Zach, she's still TOTALLY ABANDONING HER CHILD. GOD. Everytime she started criticizing Zach for being a summer fling for Shaun and what a bad influence it was on Cody and all that, I just wanted to slap her. HYPOCRITE, MUCH?) Gabe's questioning of him after he finds out about him and Shaun was totally hilarious and awesome. I did kind of have issues with the fact that everyone seemed to know EVERYTHING that was going on. Like, Tori, his sister, and Gabe ALL knew that he was gay, and he, Tori, and his sister ALL knew that Shaun was gay. It was just kind of bizarre. Um, but I still enjoyed this a lot. And it was sooooo pretty. California beaches are so beautiful. 8/10
44. The Fall (2006) - This is one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. Just, the colors and the composition of shots and oh god there are some brilliant graphic matches. Just... so beautiful. Aside from the visual aspects, I really enjoyed the story as well. It was much darker than I expected it to be, but I really liked it. I especially loved the ending. And the whole... fantasy story part was awesome, especially at the end when Alexandria and Roy are kind of battling over how the story will be told, because I love that kind of stuff. I enjoyed how over-the-top the fantasy story was, and how it was so clearly made up as it went along, and how it started to blend in with reality. And Lee Pace was amazing as always. The little girl was also incredibly good. 9/10 (This is listed as a 2006 film on imdb even though I saw it in theaters this year, which is why it's listed as 2006 here and why it's not on my ranking of 2008 films below.)
45. Under the Same Moon (2007) - I mostly enjoyed this. The only thing I didn't really like was the end. I don't know. It was really sweet that Enrique sacrificed his own freedom for Carlitos, but at the same time... I wanted him to stay free! I thought it would be even sweeter if he had continued to stay in touch with Carlitos and worked in Los Angeles or something. But mostly I really enjoyed it. The boy playing Carlitos was excellent. 8/10
46. In the Land of Women (2007) - "I can't believe I let you drive my car!" Hee! Oh man, Eric totally made the movie for me. I mean, it was pretty bad as it was, but without him, it would have been way worse. Well, it wasn't as bad as I expected, I guess, but... that's not saying much. I mostly wanted to watch for Kristen Stewart just because I hadn't seen her in anything and was curious since she's in Twilight, and she was pretty good. I like her way more with dark hair, though. Adam Brody wasn't terrible, but this is kind of... the typical character for him, I guess, so his performance wasn't that impressive. I hated that Carter kissed both the mom and Lucy. Just... ack. I mean, at least he didn't initiate the kiss with Lucy, but he was definitely kissing back, which was vaguely skeevy. I think the movie would've been better if he had only been into one of them. Or even better, neither of them. I think the main reason I didn't like the movie was that none of the characters acted like I'd expect real people to act. What 26-year old guy is freaking out that he hasn't settled down with a wife and achieved his dream job yet? I mean, he had steady work, and... he's 26! It just didn't feel real to me at all. Also, the fact that Lucy and her mom came to him so quickly and frequently for advice and help was totally artificial. Just... why are you pouring all your deepest thoughts and secrets to this guy you've known for like a week at most and you have nothing in common with? It was just weird. The end was decent, though. I would've hated if he ended up with either Lucy or the mom because... no. Wouldn't make sense. And the waitress was cute and sweet. Overall... bad movie. 5/10
47. Sex and Death 101 (2007) - This was kind of amusing and cute. I figured out the ending pretty quickly, but I still enjoyed it, and I'm glad that it ended how it did. Nothing really remarkable about it. 7/10
48. 27 Dresses (2008) - I thought this was pretty cute. I feel like romantic comedies like this one have recently all really sucked, but this one was actually decent for what it was. And whatever, James Marsden got the girl, and he always seems to lose out in love triangles, so I was happy about that. 7/10
49. Batman Begins (2005) - So very good! Much better than the average superhero/comic book movie. Christian Bale was really great, and the whole film was just put together really well. I think the beginning dragged a little, but once he got back to Gotham, I was totally hooked. 9/10
50. Wanted (2008) - Pretty cool. I liked that Angelina Jolie's character killed herself and the other people at the end, and that she and James McAvoy's character never really got together. The action sequences were pretty kick-ass. And there was Bright! So yeah, enjoyable movie. 8/10
51. Wall-E (2008) - lksjdf omfg SO ADORABLE. I haven't loved an animated movie this much since, like, Lion King. The animation itself was just visually stunning. I was amazed how well they were able to establish each of these characters when they barely had any dialogue. And god Wall-E was so adorable. Just... yeah. I couldn't believe how much I was rooting for him and EVE to be together. Everything was just so well-done. 10/10
52. Iron Man (2008) - Ah man, so awesome. The film was better than the average superhero movie on its own, but Robert Downey Jr. really made it amazing. He was just so good. And it was just a really enjoyable movie to watch. 9/10
53. Hancock (2008) - This wasn't as terrible as the reviews made it out to be, but it also wasn't really great, either. I think they had a really excellent idea, and I would have loved if they had carried on with what the first half of the film seemed to be for the rest of it. Unfortunately, the second half with all the mythology just came out of nowhere and wasn't given enough time to be explained and it really just went downhill with that. Oh well. At least there was Jason Bateman! 7/10
54. Lars and the Real Girl (2007) - I liked this. It was kind of bizarre, but I don't know. I thought it was well-done. Ryan Gosling was excellent. 8/10
55. The Birds (1963) - I really enjoyed this. I liked that the first hour or so just kind of built up the characters and the situation and a few small bird attacks before it really got into the heart of the story. I kind of wished it had explained why the birds started attacking people, but at the same time, I don't know that any explanation would have been really satisfying. I like that we're left to decide for ourselves the reason and if the birds continue attacking and if the main characters survive and all that. So yeah, very good. 9/10
56. Cinderella Man (2005) - I liked this a lot. Russell Crowe was excellent in this. 9/10
57. The Dark Knight (2008) - lkjsdf so good. I mean, without Heath Ledger, it's better than the average comic book movie, but with him... geez. He just makes the film. I already thought he was an excellent actor before this, but now... he somehow managed to completely blow past my expectations. Just absolutely brilliant. And I loved the character of the Joker, and the moral decisions he forced Batman and friends to make. My only complaint is that I really didn't like that they had to recast Rachel Dawes. I know that Katie Holmes isn't the best actress, but I didn't think she was as terrible as most people make her out to be, and I really hate the break in continuity. I would be more okay with it if I thought that the new actress was thousands of times better, but... I really didn't think Maggie Gyllenhaal was that much of an improvement. But whatever. The rest of the film was just perfect. I didn't think it would be able to meet expectations after all the hype over it, but it really did. 10/10
58. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - Very amusing, well-done movie. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent, of course. The acting was really good by everyone, actually. I thought the movie was perfectly paced; there wasn't too much time for set-up or anything. And it was totally hilarious. 9/10
59. Fargo (1996) - So I loved No Country for Old Men, and I love dark comedies, so I was pretty sure that I would love this movie. Unfortunately, I really didn't. It just wasn't very interesting to me. It was kind of boring (and I'm not the type of person who needs explosions and action scenes every 5 minutes to be entertained; I love plenty of movies that are slow and quiet) and the only character I really liked at all was Frances McDormand's. I also thought that she was excellent in it. I expected it to be a lot funnier than it was. I don't know. I read some reviews from other people and a lot of people said that thought it was ok after the first viewing but after the second and third they absolutely fell in love with the movie, so maybe I just need to watch it again. And I think part of it were that my expectations for what the movie would be like were much different from how the movie actually turned out. But yeah, for now, didn't care much for it. 6/10
60. The Philadelphia Story (1940) - I really enjoyed this. It took me a little while to get into, but I ended up really liking it. The scenes with Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn's characters being drunk were absolutely hilarious. They were both excellent in this, as was Cary Grant. I was kind of surprised that she ended up with Cary Grant's character since it kind of came out of nowhere, but I kind of love Cary Grant, so I was fine with it. Fun movie overall. 9/10
61. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - I enjoyed this, but I kind of expected more. I mean, I feel like when it's revealed that he volunteered for this program that it's supposed to be this plot twist or shocking revelation or whatever, but I kind of already had assumed that from the first movie, so it was just kind of like "...so?" I don't know. I enjoyed it, but I thought it would be much better, I guess. It was kind of disappointing. 8/10
62. Toy Story 2 (1999) - I kept hearing how Toy Story 2 was so excellent and better than the original and all that and I couldn't remember for the life of me if I had ever seen it. So, I decided to watch it, and it turned out that I hadn't. I thought it was really well-done, although I do like the original more. The cowgirl's voice was so annoying, and I really didn't like her character much. I also wish there had been more of Buzz and Woody together. And the movie felt really short. I mean, it was really short (less than 90 minutes), but it felt like they could have added more to it. I mean, Woody's conflict over going back home or staying to help his new friends lasted like 2 seconds. I don't know. I did really like it overall. 8/10
63. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - Ah, I really enjoyed this. The ending was absolutely hilarious, with all the zombies still just being around. I also enjoyed how it took forever for the main characters to realize anything was going on. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is an awesome duo. I didn't like it as much as Hot Fuzz, but it was still excellent. 9/10
64. Notorious (1946) - Oh wow, I adored this film. I already loved Cary Grant before this, but he was amazing. This is the first time I've seen Ingrid Bergman in anything, and she was also really amazing in this. I was expecting to enjoy it, but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. Really well-done. 10/10
65. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) - Random Jason Bateman appearance at the end! Awesome, but totally random. Anyways, I really enjoyed this film. I liked Superbad, Knocked Up, and The 40-Year Old Virgin a good amount, but I thought this was much better than all of those, which may be an unpopular opinion (I'm not really sure how well this was received). It had an excellent cast and was very well-written. I liked that it didn't totally demonize Sarah Marshall or even her new boyfriend. I actually felt bad for Sarah after she got dumped and when she was realizing what an idiot she was for letting Peter go, and I liked that you could see why they didn't work and why they wouldn't work. Also, is it weird that I really, really want to see Peter's Dracula musical? Because I really, really do. I have a feeling if it were real, I would be totally obsessed with it. 9/10
66. Persepolis (2007) - Oh wow, this was really amazing. I wasn't expecting to be that blown away by the animation, but it was absolutely spectacular. The story itself was also just beautiful. My only complaint was that the end seemed to occur very abruptly. I wasn't expecting it to end when it did. But overall, I loved it. 9/10
67. Strangers on a Train (1951) - This was pretty great. It's probably my least favorite Hitchcock I've seen so far, but considering how much I've loved all the other Hitchcock films I've seen, that's not really saying anything bad about the film. The two lead guys were excellent in this. The sister of Guy Haines's fiance was really annoying, though. I loved how the plot came together, though, and I was really worried that Guy Haines would end up taking the fall for the murder. I don't really know why I didn't like it quite as well as other Hitchcock films. It was really well-written and came together nicely at the end, but I just didn't connect with it, I guess. 9/10
68. Mamma Mia (2008) - This was... entertaining. Amanda Seyfriend was awesome, and her voice was by far the best of anyone (at least in my opinion). I also really liked Dominic Cooper in this. And Colin Firth! I can't hate any movie with Colin Firth in it. Yeah, I don't know. It was fun. 7/10
69. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) - Oh god I loved this. I remember liking James Stewart after seeing The Philadelphia Story, but this movie made me really fall in love with him. I don't know, I liked him more serious and less goofy. He absolutely killed me in that last scene. ugh. I was expecting to enjoy this, but I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. It's just a really sweet, well-made film. 10/10
70. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) - This was a really well-done documentary, but it just made me so angry. I want to say that I can't believe that Dan White only got 5 years in jail for murdering two people, but the sad thing is that I really can believe it. God. Harvey Milk was just so inspiring, and such an amazing person. He really wasn't in office very long, but he did great things. I'm ridiculously looking forward to Milk coming out. 9/10
71. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - Cary Grant said that he thought his performance in this movie was the most over-the-top of his performances and was the least favorite of all his movies, and unfortunately... I kind of agree. Not that I didn't enjoy the movie, or him in it, because I did. And I haven't seen all of Cary Grant's movies, so I can't say that it's my least favorite of all, but it is my least favorite of those I've seen. It's an entertaining movie, but I felt like it dragged in the middle section where Cary Grant's character is gone for awhile trying to get the papers to get Teddy committed and the aunts are with Johnny. And yeah, Cary Grant was pretty over-the-top. I don't know. Enjoyable, but not spectacular by any means. 8/10
72. Casablanca (1942) - Really excellent film. I don't think it's one of the best films ever made, but I did really enjoy it. Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart were excellent, of course. It was kind of weird because so many lines in the movie are used in everyday speech and referenced in so many TV shows and other movies, and I knew a good amount of them came from this movie, but not all of them. Overall, I really enjoyed it. 10/10
73. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - I really loved this. Jimmy Stewart was excellent in this, and I can't believe he got an Oscar for The Philadelphia Story instead of this, because... yeah. He was just wonderful. Especially during the filibuster scenes. The end is a little abrupt and kind of... I don't know. I read another review saying that it was naive, and I kind of agree with that. I just don't know that Paine would admit to everything at that point. But whatever, I loved the rest. It dragged in a few points, but overall it kept me entertained. And I loved the character Clarissa Saunders. In these older movies, a lot of the times the women are just kind of... pointless. But her character really impressed me. And I loved her and Jeffrey Smith together. I loved the moment when she gave him the Constitution to read during the filibuster and wrote the note in it to him that she loved him and the look on his face... ugh. I loved it. So yeah, really well done. 10/10
74. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) - I didn't really like this. I wanted to, but it just seemed kind pointless, I guess. No one really grew or changed, it seemed like. Sally Hawkins was good, but I don't think she was so amazing that she deserves an Oscar, let alone a nomination, even though I know there's a lot of buzz about her right now. I don't know, I just didn't like it, I guess. I can't really pinpoint any one thing that I really hated about it or anything. It was just kind of meh. 6/10
75. Burn After Reading (2008) - I feel like a lot of people hated this, and yeah it wasn't as good as No Country for Old Men, but I still found it enjoyable. I probably would never watch it again, but it was fun to watch. Brad Pitt was absolutely hysterical, and J. K. Simmons's scenes were the best of the whole movie. 7/10
76. W. (2008) - I seriously have no idea how I feel about this movie. It was just too real, you know? It's too soon for this movie to be made. I can't separate my hate for the Bush administration and my feelings about this movie. Some of the actors were absolutely wonderful. Josh Brolin in particular was excellent. Others were... not so much. I really did not like the woman portraying Condaleeza Rice; her portrayal just seemed too much of caricature (although it didn't even seem like a caricature of her; it was just kind of weird, to be honest). I mean, I think it was a decent film. It wasn't as terrible as I expected it to be when I first heard it was going to be made. But it was still just... too weird to watch. 7/10
77. Tropic Thunder (2008) - This was pretty funny, but I wanted it to be better than it was. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent as always, and was most of what made me enjoy the film. Tom Cruise was absolutely hysterical (as I know everyone has said). 7/10
78. Pineapple Express (2008) - This was fairly amusing. I love James Franco and I like Seth Rogan for the most part and I was mostly just excited because Freaks and Geeks reunion! I feel like I may have enjoyed this more if I actually smoked pot or was high when watching it, but whatever. There were some amusing bits. 7/10
79. A Very British Sex Scandal (2007) - Ugh so sad. I knew that the relationship between the two guys couldn't end well because, well, it's real life. But it was still sad. It was nice that he was able to come out in the end, and that this decision influenced British policies. And we have come such a long way from this time, even though we have a ways to go, still. It was well-done, I thought. 8/10
80. Juste une question d'amour (2000) - Aw this was sweet. The guy that was not the main guy looked so much like Jon Walker, it was ridiculous, though. But yeah, I enjoyed it. I like that at the end, it wasn't a 100% happy ending, and it's clear that he and his parents still have issues to work through, but there's still a chance for hope. I really liked this. 9/10
81. High School Musical 3 (2008) - Yeah, ok, I enjoyed this immensely. I think this was better than the second one which I thought was better than the first one. I thought the music was overall better than the previous movies. Sure, the plot made no sense (I seriously doubt there's any kind of program at Stanford for incoming freshman to spend like a week there in the middle of the students' school year. And what, was she just not planning on going back to school at all? Because she'd still have tests and projects and assignments and whatever. She needs to actually complete high school to be able to attend Stanford. And it didn't even seem like much of anything other than an orientation. Or maybe it was some kind of honors thing? I don't know. But no way that made any sense whatsoever in any universe. And oh man, Troy's father is the worst father ever, yes? Troy is seriously conflicted over his future and his dad is just like "What, you have to go to that Arizona good basketball school!" and actually literally says "Chad would be awfully upset if you didn't go with him" or whatever. Just like, what? Yes, it's a great idea to base choices that will affect your entire future on what your friends are doing. wtf. But hey, it's not exactly like I watch for the plot! It was honestly just fun to watch, ok? I am so ashamed for loving these movies, but whatever, I do. 8/10
82. Twilight (2008) - So here's the thing: I kind of loved it. (I feel like any credibility I might have had for having somewhat good taste in films/TV/etc. is totally gone after these past two movie reviews. Not just that I saw them both, but that I really enjoyed them and would watch them again.) I mean, looking at random reviews on my flist and friendsfriends page, people seem kind of split into people who thought it was awesome and people who thought it sucked. But the thing is, if you hated the books, I don't understand why you would think you would enjoy the movie at all. I do think the movie is an improvement over the book, but, I mean, it's still the same story with the same characters. I don't know why you would expect anything different. But whatever. I see all the flaws in it and why people don't like it, and I basically don't care. It makes me happy. It's a guilty pleasure, like HSM. They're not realistic movies, but they're fun and enjoyable. Anyways. So I did have a few issues with the movie. There were things that were left out that made me sad. The movie definitely needed more Alice and Jasper, and I wouldn't have minded more scenes with Bella and her human friends. Although I guess if leaving that stuff made more time for Edward, than I'm ok with that. There were also some things that were unintentionally hilarious. But overall I thought it was better than the book. I wasn't sure about Kristen Stewart, but I thought she was great as Bella. She made me like Bella a lot more than I like her in the books (where I basically think she's an idiot most of the time. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with these books, ok? I recognize that they're awful and some of the characters are ridiculously annoying, but they're still so much fun to read). I was unsure of Robert Pattinson before (mostly because I've just always pictured Gaspard Ulliel as Edward, and anyone who wasn't him was going to be a disappointment), but I thought he was really good, too. Mostly, the film worked because they had amazing chemistry. It would have failed without that. I really like that even though the secondary characters got less time in the book, they seemed slightly more fleshed out in the movie. I could never really distinguish between Eric/Mike in the book, but they seemed like very different characters in the movie. I thought Jessica was pretty fun in the movie (well, what little we saw of her). I was sad that Ben apparently didn't exist in the movie, though; there needed to be Angela/Ben! I thought the vampire baseball scene was kind of ridiculously cool, and I also liked seeing Edward beat up James. Actually, James, Victoria, and Laurent were all incredibly awesome as well, I thought. Just, yeah. Overall, it was fun. 8/10 (Mostly just for how enjoyable it was to watch. I mean, objectively, this isn't that brilliant of the movie, but I rate based on how much I enjoy movies, not how technically brilliant I think they are.)
83. Les Chansons d'amour (2007) - I really enjoyed this. It wasn't totally what I expected, but it was good. Very sad, for the most part. The songs were all really nice, too. 9/10
84. Milk (2008) - I thought this was really great for the most part. Sean Penn was excellent, and I also really loved James Franco. The performance I was most surprised by, though, was Emile Hirsch. I've never seen him in anything, and I wasn't expecting much for some reason, but I thought he was really amazing. It was a little slow in the beginning and I didn't like the constant voiceover/flashforward to him narrating into the tape recorder, but that lessened as the movie went on. It picked up a lot when Dan White was introduced and when Milk got elected. I kind of wished they spent more time on that period than on the earlier stuff. And I felt the beginning was... I don't know, not personal enough? I don't really know how to describe it. I did really love it, though, and I was in tears by the end. 9/10
85. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) - I actually liked this way more than I thought I would. It was pretty predictable, but I don't know, it was cute and sweet and pretty funny. 8/10
86. Casino Royale (2006) - First off, the opening credits of this were totally brilliant and awesome. I really enjoyed this, although I think it was a little too long. I didn't really get into it until Vesper was introduced. Overall I really liked, it though. Daniel Craig was excellent, and I really liked Eva Green as well. 8/10
87. Quantum of Solace (2008) - This was good, but not as good as Casino Royale. Daniel Craig is still awesome, though. 7/10
88. The Edge of Love (2008) - Oh god, this was one of the most boring movies I've ever watched. I saw the description of this movie months ago and for some reason decided I wanted to see it, and now I can't remember why, because... ugh. It was probably because Matthew Rhys was in it, and I love Matthew Rhys. But god, I didn't like any of the characters, and so I didn't really care when basically anything happened to them. It was just completely uninteresting and overly dramatic and blah. 4/10
89. Role Models (2008) - This was actually a lot funnier than I thought it would be. I love Paul Rudd infinitely, and Sean William Scott was actually pretty funny and not terribly annoying. The kids were excellent, too. It was predictable, but cute and fun. 8/10
90. Mannen som elsket Yngve (2008) - Oh god, this was good but so depressing! He basically loses everything at the end: his girlfriend, his best friend, the guy friend he likes but doesn't want to admit it. His mother has money problems and he hates his father. geez. Oh, and the guy he likes turns out to have a mental disorder, too, that he kind of helped worsen, making everything even better! And, ok, so a lot of it is his fault, but still! I mean, I enjoyed the film, but I guess I was expecting things to turn out a little better for him. 9/10
91. Let the Right One In (2008) - I liked this. It was kind of weird, but I don't know. The end was interesting and not really what I expected. I feel like it can't work out between Eli and Oskar, but at the same time, it's nice that there's a little bit of hope at the end. 9/10
92. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Oh my god I loved this. I've heard such amazing things about it but for some reason I wasn't really expecting much from it. But oh god, so good! Who knew Dev Patel could act? I hated Anwar so much on Skins, which wasn't really the actor's fault at all, but as a result, I never really thought much of him. But he was great in this. And the film was so much prettier than I was expecting! I don't really know what to say. I just thought it was really well-done. I mean, there were a few things I'm not kind of sure of, like how he got onto the show so quickly, and why he thought being on the show would affect anything (sure, he thought that Latika might be watching, but so what? That wouldn't change anything), but I kind of don't care and am just accepting everything because I really loved it. 10/10
93. Revolutionary Road (2008) - This was sad, although somehow not as sad as I was expecting? I don't know. Leonardo DiCaprio in that scene in the hospital at the end totally killed me. Also, I probably enjoyed seeing Leo and Kate Winslet together again far more than is reasonable. I thought this movie was really good, but unfortunately I didn't love it as much as I was expecting or hoping to. 9/10
94. Rope (1948) - So good! I love Hitchcock. I loved so much about this movie. The acting was great (Jimmy Stewart is always excellent, but I also liked the two main guys). I loved how everything took place in that apartment, and the long shots were totally amazing. It was just really great. 10/10
95. Saboteur (1942) - Not Hitchcock's best, but still really great. It was fun to watch. Also, I think Hitchcock has a thing for people climbing on and dangling from U.S. monuments. This movie was really reminiscent of North By Northwest (although not as good). 8/10
96. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - This is definitely my least favorite Hitchcock so far, sadly. Mostly because Charlie was really idiotic. I mean, she knows that her uncle is a murderer and is trying to kill her but she doesn't want to tell anyone because it might upset her mother! And sure, she calls the detective after she determines that he is definitely trying to kill her (whereas before she just suspected it, I guess), but he's the ONLY one she tries to call. What, there aren't police in the town? There aren't other detectives in the entire country who know about the case? And she just lets them believe that this other guy is the killer when she knows for sure that her uncle is. I don't know. It was just kind of stupid. And it wasn't enjoyable enough otherwise to make up for that. Also, the relationship between the detective and Charlie was kind of weird, too, because I thought he was like 40 something and I guess it does show that she graduated from somewhere so she's probably 18-22 or something, but still. (Oh and I did check the actors ages, and they were only like 5 years apart, so maybe it wasn't really weird, but it still seemed weird!) I mean, it wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't as good as I was expecting. 7/10
97. The Wrestler (2008) - Wow, this was really good. I was really expecting it to have a typical ending, with him getting together with Cassidy and his daughter forgiving him, so I was really surprised when it just ended where it did. I really like that it ended there, though. And Mickey Rourke was pretty amazing. Really great movie. 10/10
98. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - I was greatly amused that in that one scene in the movie theater, the movie playing was Shadow of a Doubt, considering I just saw it the night before. Anyways, I wasn't a huge fan of the beginning, and I'm kind of mixed about the end, but I liked the middle pretty well. I have a somewhat irrational dislike of Scarlett Johansson, but she didn't bother me too much in this movie (although I didn't really like her character, either). Javier Bardem is wonderful in everything, and I liked Vicky a fair amount. I wanted her and Juan Antonio to end up together, although I kind of liked that they didn't because that would be pretty unrealistic. On the other hand, the ending was kind of stupid in that both end up more miserable (particularly Vicky) than they were when they came to Barcelona. And I think Vicky is idiotic for marrying Doug. She wouldn't have to get together with Juan Antonio, but if she's that unsure and unhappy already, she shouldn't have gone through with it. But whatever! I actually did like it more than it seems like I did. Oh, but the narration was pretty unnecessary and kind of annoying, especially at the beginning. 8/10
99. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - I really enjoyed this, but I don't think it's going to be one of my absolute favorite films of all time like I was expecting. I absolutely love James Stewart, though, and he was excellent in this, as always. I was actually surprised that only the last 20 minutes or so were him finding out what life would be like if he hadn't been born and the rest was just going through his life, because I was under the impression that most of the movie was the former. 9/10
100. The Trouble with Harry (1955) - This was not quite what I was expecting, but it was really amusing and fun to watch. 9/10
And, if you're curious, this is how all the films that have come out this year that I've seen rank:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Wall-E
3. Slumdog Millionaire
4. The Wrestler
5. Milk
6. Iron Man
7. Let the Right One In
8. In Bruges
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10. Revolutionary Road
11. Mannen som elsket Yngve (The Man Who Loved Yngve)
12. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
13. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
14. Role Models
15. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
16. High School Musical 3
17. Quantum of Solace
18. Wanted
19. Burn After Reading
20. Twilight
21. Mamma Mia!
22. Tropic Thunder
23. Happy-Go-Lucky
24. Pineapple Express
25. Hancock
26. W.
27. 27 Dresses
28. The Edge of Love
I still really want to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Doubt, and The Reader, and probably a few more I'm forgetting, so I bet the top 10 or so will change once I've seen them.
Books in 2008
1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 5/5
2. I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert - 4/5
3. 9 Highland Road by Michael Winerip - 4/5
4. Hard Times by Charles Dickens - 4/5
5. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe - 3/5
6. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - 4/5
7. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad - 3/5
8. Quicksand by Nella Larsen - 3/5
9. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf - 5/5
10. Foe by J. M. Coetzee - 4/5
11. No Telephone to Heaven by Michelle Cliff - 3/5
12. Breaking Dawn by Stephene Meyer - 3/5
12. My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming - 4/5
13. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - 3/5
14. Hero by Perry Moore - 5/5
Last year I was attempting 150 movies, but that was clearly going to fail a few months into the year. I think I'll just go for 100 again, since it's still somewhat of a challenge. I think I'll try for 20 books. And I think I'm going to keep track of all the television episodes I watch in the year because I'm curious as to how many it'll actually be. I might get bored of that or forget about it after a little while, though.
Hope everyone had a happy New Year's Eve! Mine was pretty fun. Didn't get back home until 5 AM, so I just woke up like 30 minutes ago (around 1:15). That isn't really that late, but I'm pretty sure it's the latest I've ever slept in, which is kind of weird since I've totally stayed up later than that before. But whatever. It was kind of creepy driving home because it was ridiculously foggy and I've never driven in the fog at night before, and there was no one around. It was actually kind of pretty, though, too.
Movies in 2008
(There are spoilers for all the movies to varying degrees. Hopefully it's easy enough to scroll past the movies you don't want to be spoiled for.)
1. Empire Records (1995) - Didn't really like this movie much. I don't know. I can't really explain why. I just didn't find it very entertaining. There were some funny bits, but overall I just didn't enjoy it. 6/10
2. Enchanted (2007) - Really, really cute. Although, when is James Marsden going to get the girl? He seems to always lose out when he's in a love triangle. And I love James Marsden way more than Patrick Dempsey (I don't really get Patrick Dempsey's appeal), so I couldn't fully understand why Gisele would choose Robert over Edward. But whatever, it was still insanely cute. 9/10
3. Gangs of New York (2002) - This was really well-done. I thought both Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo Dicaprio were excellent in this. Cameron Diaz didn't even bother me that much, and normally I think she's a pretty terrible actress. 9/10
4. Transformers (2007) - Not the most brilliant film ever made, but it was fun enough. I wasn't expecting to get attached to any of the characters, so I was pretty surprised when I ended up going "OMG EVERYONE ELSE CAN DIE JUST PLEASE NOT BUMBLEBEE." Especially since, you know, he was an alien robot thing. Also, Shia Labeouf was very good in this, and I didn't totally hate Megan Fox's character, which I normally would in a movie like this. 8/10
5. Charlie Wilson's War (2007) - This was actually a lot better than I was expecting it to be. I guess Aaron Sorkin writing the screenplay helped it a lot. I don't know if I would've picked up on it if I hadn't gone in knowing Sorkin wrote it, but because I did, it felt a lot like an episode of The West Wing, except it was set 20 years ago. I thought Phillip Seymour Hoffman was excellent, and I wish we could've seen more of his character. The only thing I didn't like was that the end felt kind of rushed. 8/10
6. Atonement (2007) - Ok, this movie is worth seeing solely for the cinematography and the score. The Dunkirk scene was absolutely beautiful, although I think my favorite shot was actually just this random one where Robbie's in a field of red flowers (I want to say poppies, but I think I only think that because I'm thinking of the Wizard of Oz) and there's all this light and just... really pretty. And the score is ridiculously cool. Aside from those aspects, I really loved the movie. I know there are a lot of people who didn't like it, but I don't know. I thought it was really well done (although really, really sad). The only part I didn't really like was the end, set in the present, because it kind of took me out of the movie for a second. But overall, really well-done. 9/10
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) - This was another film with amazing cinematography. The whole film was really well-done. I don't really know how to describe this film. It was just beautiful and heartbreaking, even more so when you think about the fact that it's a true story. 10/10
8. The Usual Suspects (1995) - I know that this is an extremely unpopular opinion, but... I didn't think that this movie was that good. I knew about the twist beforehand, but I don't know that that took away from my enjoyment at all. My favorite part of the movie was basically the last 5 minutes, where the detective puts it all together and you see Verbal walking away with no limp and getting into the car and such. It's just that everything leading up to that point was kind of... blah. It just wasn't that interesting. It wasn't terrible, but... it just didn't really captivate my attention, either. It's not a terrible film by any means, but I also don't think it's as amazing as everyone makes it out to be. 7/10
9. 3:10 to Yuma (2007) - I thought this movie was really well done. There was some really great acting from Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, and Ben Foster. I thought the score was pretty good, as well as the cinematography. Just, yeah. Enjoyable film to watch. 8/10
10. There Will Be Blood (2007) - Daniel Day-Lewis is brilliant in this (shocking, I know). I thought Paul Dano was also really excellent. When I found out afterwards that he also played Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine, I was floored, because they are such different roles, and he pulled both off very well. The storyline is also really well-done. The movie was fairly long, but it didn't feel long while I was watching it; it held my attention all the way through. Just, yeah. Really well done. 9/10
11. Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006) - This was bizarrely sweet and charming. I really enjoyed it. 9/10
12. Zeitgeist, the Movie (2007) - Very eye-opening movie. I don't believe everything the movie claims (the stuff at the beginning is the most believable), but it's an interesting perspective. And I appreciate that the goal of the movie is not necessarily to make you believe everything they say, but to question everything, which I think is very important. 8/10
13. The Bourne Supremacy (2004) - Fun movie. It felt really short, though. I don't know. I still feel like I don't really know what I think about these movies, and won't until I see the last one. 7/10
14. Reefer Madness (1936) - Oh god, I have no idea how to rate this movie. If I rate it on actual quality of the movie, it should get like a 2, but if I rate it on how much I enjoyed it, it should get at least an 8. It was totally hilarious. I mean, "This one boy, who smoked marijuana, killed his entire family with an axe!" Just, what?! Ah, totally awesome. 8/10
15. Ethnic Notions (1986) - Very interesting. It's pretty frightening that these stereotypes about African Americans are still around today, but we're not aware of their origins and what they really mean. 8/10
16. A Beautiful Mind (2001) - I really enjoyed this. They did get some things wrong about schizophrenia (like, first off, stop calling his hallucinations delusions! Those are different things! He did have delusions, but what they referred to as delusions were hallucinations!), and about John Nash's particular case, but I still thought it reflected what it's like to have schizophrenia pretty well. It really is amazing how John Nash was able to continue through this disorder and win the Nobel Prize and all that. 8/10
17. North By Northwest (1959) - Very entertaining movie. Cary Grant was excellent. 9/10
18. Michael Clayton (2007) - Good film, but I definitely don't think it deserves a nomination for best picture. There was nothing special about it. (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly totally deserved it more.) It was difficult to piece together what was going on at the beginning, and it took me awhile to figure out the focus of the film. The first half was kind of boring, but I really enjoyed the second half. 8/10
19. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) - Very slow movie, but still really well done. I don't think they needed all the stuff about Dick and Wood and the subplots. I get that from showing Dick hitting on Wood's stepmom, you get why Wood would attack Dick, and then why Bob would kill Wood, and that leads to complications with Jesse and all, but... they easily could have just explained in a sentence or so that Dick was hiding from Wood at the Fords' house because that. They didn't really need 15 minutes of showing us it. The most fascinating part of the movie for me was the relationship between Bob and Jesse, and I wished they had had more scenes together and developed that relationship further. Both Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt were great in this, Casey Affleck in particular. 8/10
20. La Vie en rose (2007) - Marion Cotillard is extraordinary in this film. She totally makes the film. Jumping back and forth between her various stages of life was kind of annoying because I'd have no idea why she was getting injections or collapsing, and I couldn't figure out in the timeline when everything was happening (I know they have the dates and all, but it's really hard to keep track of what happened in 1951, 1935, 1960, 1963, 1959, etc.). Also, they spent so much time on Marcel, and then all of a sudden later in her life she has a husband! (Actually, reading Wikipedia, she had two husbands! I couldn't be sure if they showed that in the movie, though, because the husband wasn't on for very long, so I couldn't tell if it was the same person, or different people) I wish they had spent some time on that. Also, her having a daughter totally came out of nowhere, and I wish they hadn't left it for a surprise reveal at the end. Anyways, the movie itself is flawed, but Marion is absolutely brilliant in this. (Although, seriously, does Gerard Depardieu have to be in every French movie EVER? I swear to god, I haven't seen a French movie he hasn't been in, and I've seen a fair amount of French movies.) 8/10
21. Our Hospitality (1923) - Heh, this was fairly amusing. I've never seen a silent film before, so this was a new experience. I really enjoyed it, though. 8/10
22. As Good As It Gets (1997) - I have serious issues with the way they portrayed OCD in this film (they really didn't do a good job of distinguishing how much of his actions were due to his disorder, and how much to his personality) and, especially, how the message seemed to be that love can cure this terribly distressing disorder, when... no. And they didn't mention behavioral therapy basically at all. But ignoring all the disorder stuff, it was an enjoyable movie (besides the fact that why the hell would Carol be attracted to Melvin? There's such a huge age difference, he's not particularly attractive, and he has a terrible personality). I loved Simon's character, and Verdell was totally adorable. Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson were good, but I can't believe they won Oscars for those performances. I mean, I guess I haven't seen many of the other performances that were nominated (the only ones I think are Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting and Kate Winslet in Titanic. But whatever, I thought both of them were better), but still. I didn't think they were particularly extraordinary. I don't know. It was a pretty good movie, but nothing amazing. 7/10
23. The Hours (2002) - This was pretty interesting. I thought Julianne Moore, in particularly, was amazing in this, but Nicole Kidman was also very good. I think this is maybe the only movie I've seen where Ed Harris is not some sort of cop or part of the FBI or something like that. It was kind of bizarre. Also, I thought the score was really beautiful. 8/10
24. Gone Baby Gone (2007) - I really liked this movie overall, but what was the point to Angie? Except, I guess, to cause Patrick grief at the end? But I feel they could've shown his conflict in making the decision without that. He was already a little unsure, and then obviously all the stuff at the end where they show that Helene hasn't changed and Patrick realizes that maybe Amanda would have been better off also shows the conflict. So... what was her use? I don't know why, but she really bothered me. She was just kind of there. She didn't seem to help with the investigation at all, and I wanted to punch her when she was unsure about taking the case because she wouldn't want to see a child that had been beaten for days or sexually abused or whatever. I was like, WHAT? YOU'RE A DETECTIVE. THIS IS YOUR JOB. ALSO, YOU DON'T WANT TO DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO SAVE THE LIFE OF A CHILD BECAUSE IT WOULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR YOU TO SEE? WTF. Ugh. ...um, but I liked everything else! I liked the kind of... I want to say ambiguity of the end, although that's not really the term I mean. But I like that the hero doesn't necessarily do the right thing, and he might regret it. And I thought Casey Affleck was great in this. Amy Ryan was great, too. 8/10
25. In & Out (1997) - I kind of loved this. They do play on a lot of gay stereotypes, and normally that would make me irritated (and it does bug me a little anyways), but the movie never seemed to actually be taking itself seriously, and they seemed to be parodying the stereotypes more than anything. Plus, the guy who wrote the screenplay is gay, so it's not like he's some straight guy writing gay men based on stereotypes he's heard of. It was just really hilarious, and the end was pretty heartwarming, too. 9/10
26. Annie Hall (1977) - I thought this was a very clever and fun movie. I don't think it's as brilliant as its reputation led me to believe it would be, but at the same time, I feel like I need to be older to appreciate it in its entirety. In any case, it's a very enjoyable, different kind of movie to watch. 9/10
27. Girl, Interrupted (1999) - Angelina Jolie was excellent in this, and Winona Ryder was better than I expected. This is actually the first (and only) movie I've seen of Angelina Jolie's, which is kind of crazy. Overall, I liked the movie. 8/10
28. La Grande illusion (1937) - I think this was well done, and reading about it in Film Analysis made me more appreciative of it, but honestly... it kind of bored me. I feel uncultured and ignorant and all that for thinking that since by many film critics it's hailed as one of the greatest films of all time, and... I just don't see it. It's not bad (although it does have a much slower pace than the movies I'm used to seeing) by any means, but I don't see what makes it so much greater than all other films. Renoir is an incredible director, though, I must say. 8/10
29. Gion no shimai (1936) - I kind of zoned out through the first 10 or 15 minutes of this, and then had a terrible time of figuring out what the hell was going on. This movie was also kind of too slow-paced compared to what I am used to. I don't know. A lot of the technical aspects that were highlighted in class were very impressive and made me like the film more, but just based on the story... it wasn't that interesting. 7/10
30. The Savages (2007) - This was entirely disappointing. When I saw the trailer, it looked like an intelligent dark comedy about family. The thing is... I don't really know what the movie was about. It seemed to touch the surface of a bunch of ideas, but it never went in depth with any. I expected it to be more about the brother and sister's relationship with each other and with their father, and it was kind of about that, but also not really. Everything just seemed very... muted? I also thought that the film was trying to criticize the home that the father was put into or paint it as being a bad option or whatever, but... the place was actually pretty decent. I don't know. I wanted this to be so much better than it was. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney were excellent in it, but... that was pretty much it. I really can't believe the screenplay got nominated for an Oscar, but at least it didn't win. 6/10
31. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) - Totally cute and fun movie. Not the most brilliant ever, but it's not attempting to be. Frances McDormand and Amy Adams are, of course, excellent. Lee Pace was also wonderful (and he sings! And has a British accent!). I also really liked the little moments like Guinevere and Joe sitting outside the party and seeing the planes flying overhead and all the younger people being excited, but they're just kind of weary and remark about the others not being able to remember the last war, while they can. I don't know. I really enjoyed that moment. The movie is predictable, but I thought it was very well done overall. 9/10
32. In Bruges (2008) - I expected this to be a dark comedy, and while there were definitely funny moments, it was more of just a dark drama. It was also less action-packed than I expected. But I ended up really enjoying it. Colin Farrell was excellent, much better than I expected him to be. 9/10
33. The Opium Connection(1966) - Oh my GOD this film was horrible. Just completely boring from beginning to end. I can't believe this film would be at all effective at curbing opium use or trafficking. I mean, it seems to be aimed at the people trafficking opium in the Middle East, but I feel like they probably wouldn't end up watching this movie. They seemed to add all this international mystery and action stuff to make it more interesting, but it still ended up being horribly boring. They didn't really show any negative effects of opium, either. 3/10
34. Prozac Nation (2001) - This movie was decent. I expected from the title that it would be criticizing the fact that so many American use medication to cope with depression, so I was surprised when in the end they seemed to be saying that Prozac was beneficial. It was bizarre that it really was only mentioned at the very end of the film. And the lead character was kind of annoying after awhile. But whatever, I definitely enjoyed bits of it. 7/10
35. Rain Man (1988) - Ok, I mostly liked this movie, but WHAT THE HELL WAS UP WITH THE SCORE? Ugh. It bothered me SO MUCH. It just sounded... I don't even know. It reminded me of Stand and Deliver's music, which... was not good. I don't know why it bothered me so much, it really shouldn't have, but it just sounded so... bad. I can't even explain it. It just didn't fit the movie at all. And SOMEHOW it got nominated for an Oscar! I don't understand. sigh. Um, but the rest was actually good! Dustin Hoffman was excellent, and Tom Cruise wasn't too bad. It was kind of weird at the end that I think the movie was trying to say that we should want Charlie to be able to take care of Raymond, but... it was pretty obvious that Raymond needed much more care than Charlie could provide him, and I thought it was much better for him that he go back to the institution. But anyways, pretty good movie. 8/10
36. Rear Window (1954) - I loved this. I thought the fact that it all took place in Jefferies's apartment through his window was very cool. The only issue I had with it is that I kept expecting there to be some twist and either there was no murder and he was just creating it out of his imagination, or there was a murder, but he was wrong about the person. I don't know. I just didn't think it would be so straight forward. But part of that I think is that this movie is so old, and since then, moviemakers have had to put in more and more twists to keep people interested, so I was expecting there to be more twists than there were. Still, incredibly entertaining and well-done. 10/10
37. A Man Escaped (1956) - I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. The use of sound in this film was wonderful. I thought the lead actor was absolutely excellent. Very good movie. 9/10
38. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) - Leonardo DiCaprio was absolutely brilliant in this. geez. I mean, I've always thought he was a fantastic actor before, but I didn't think he was as good when he was younger, and I didn't realize he could be THAT good. He totally deserved his nomination, and he definitely deserved the win. Johnny Depp and the rest were all good too, but he totally stole every scene he was in. Overall, it was a good movie. 9/10
39. Homegrown (1998) - ...I have no idea what this movie was trying to say. You shouldn't smoke marijuana? You should? You shouldn't grow and traffick marijuana? Trafficking marijuana shouldn't be illegal? It was just... weird. I'm still not sure who the bad guy was or what the motivation was or really anything that happened. 5/10
40.. Tokyo Story (1953) - I think I liked this. It was very slow-paced, and I don't think I had the time to really appreciate it. But I thought it was interesting and well-done. 9/10
41. Away From Her (2007) - I enjoyed this. It was sad, but very good. I thought the hospital's rule about not letting anyone visit patients for the first 30 days was totally ridiculous, though. I don't know if there are institutions that really have those rules, but it seemed like a contrivance, and I don't think their relationship would have deteriorated so quickly if it hadn't been for that rule. I don't know. Overall it was good. 8/10
42. Chungking Express (1994) - I kind of love this movie. Normally I have issues with multiple narrators, but it was really well-done here. I like how the two stories aren't really connected, even though I kept expecting them to be, but there are still loads of parallels between the two. The stories were just incredibly enjoyable to watch. 10/10
43. Shelter (2007) - Ok, so I had some issues with this. The actor playing Zach was kind of wooden, I wish they would have shown a little more build-up to Zach and Shaun hooking up and even just more of their relationship in general, and the end resolution was kind of ridiculous. I mean... it was sweet and good closure and all, but entirely unrealistic. But I kind of loved this anyways, despite all that. I liked that the movie was just as much about Zach's relationship with his family and dealing with his future and his art as it was about his sexuality. And I liked that it was kind of different than the typical gay coming out story movie in that pretty much everyone was fine with Zach, including his best friend/brother of his boyfriend, but his sister had major issues with it. (GOD was she an unlikable character, though. geez. Even the end couldn't redeem her. I mean, especially the end, since even though she accepts Zach, she's still TOTALLY ABANDONING HER CHILD. GOD. Everytime she started criticizing Zach for being a summer fling for Shaun and what a bad influence it was on Cody and all that, I just wanted to slap her. HYPOCRITE, MUCH?) Gabe's questioning of him after he finds out about him and Shaun was totally hilarious and awesome. I did kind of have issues with the fact that everyone seemed to know EVERYTHING that was going on. Like, Tori, his sister, and Gabe ALL knew that he was gay, and he, Tori, and his sister ALL knew that Shaun was gay. It was just kind of bizarre. Um, but I still enjoyed this a lot. And it was sooooo pretty. California beaches are so beautiful. 8/10
44. The Fall (2006) - This is one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. Just, the colors and the composition of shots and oh god there are some brilliant graphic matches. Just... so beautiful. Aside from the visual aspects, I really enjoyed the story as well. It was much darker than I expected it to be, but I really liked it. I especially loved the ending. And the whole... fantasy story part was awesome, especially at the end when Alexandria and Roy are kind of battling over how the story will be told, because I love that kind of stuff. I enjoyed how over-the-top the fantasy story was, and how it was so clearly made up as it went along, and how it started to blend in with reality. And Lee Pace was amazing as always. The little girl was also incredibly good. 9/10 (This is listed as a 2006 film on imdb even though I saw it in theaters this year, which is why it's listed as 2006 here and why it's not on my ranking of 2008 films below.)
45. Under the Same Moon (2007) - I mostly enjoyed this. The only thing I didn't really like was the end. I don't know. It was really sweet that Enrique sacrificed his own freedom for Carlitos, but at the same time... I wanted him to stay free! I thought it would be even sweeter if he had continued to stay in touch with Carlitos and worked in Los Angeles or something. But mostly I really enjoyed it. The boy playing Carlitos was excellent. 8/10
46. In the Land of Women (2007) - "I can't believe I let you drive my car!" Hee! Oh man, Eric totally made the movie for me. I mean, it was pretty bad as it was, but without him, it would have been way worse. Well, it wasn't as bad as I expected, I guess, but... that's not saying much. I mostly wanted to watch for Kristen Stewart just because I hadn't seen her in anything and was curious since she's in Twilight, and she was pretty good. I like her way more with dark hair, though. Adam Brody wasn't terrible, but this is kind of... the typical character for him, I guess, so his performance wasn't that impressive. I hated that Carter kissed both the mom and Lucy. Just... ack. I mean, at least he didn't initiate the kiss with Lucy, but he was definitely kissing back, which was vaguely skeevy. I think the movie would've been better if he had only been into one of them. Or even better, neither of them. I think the main reason I didn't like the movie was that none of the characters acted like I'd expect real people to act. What 26-year old guy is freaking out that he hasn't settled down with a wife and achieved his dream job yet? I mean, he had steady work, and... he's 26! It just didn't feel real to me at all. Also, the fact that Lucy and her mom came to him so quickly and frequently for advice and help was totally artificial. Just... why are you pouring all your deepest thoughts and secrets to this guy you've known for like a week at most and you have nothing in common with? It was just weird. The end was decent, though. I would've hated if he ended up with either Lucy or the mom because... no. Wouldn't make sense. And the waitress was cute and sweet. Overall... bad movie. 5/10
47. Sex and Death 101 (2007) - This was kind of amusing and cute. I figured out the ending pretty quickly, but I still enjoyed it, and I'm glad that it ended how it did. Nothing really remarkable about it. 7/10
48. 27 Dresses (2008) - I thought this was pretty cute. I feel like romantic comedies like this one have recently all really sucked, but this one was actually decent for what it was. And whatever, James Marsden got the girl, and he always seems to lose out in love triangles, so I was happy about that. 7/10
49. Batman Begins (2005) - So very good! Much better than the average superhero/comic book movie. Christian Bale was really great, and the whole film was just put together really well. I think the beginning dragged a little, but once he got back to Gotham, I was totally hooked. 9/10
50. Wanted (2008) - Pretty cool. I liked that Angelina Jolie's character killed herself and the other people at the end, and that she and James McAvoy's character never really got together. The action sequences were pretty kick-ass. And there was Bright! So yeah, enjoyable movie. 8/10
51. Wall-E (2008) - lksjdf omfg SO ADORABLE. I haven't loved an animated movie this much since, like, Lion King. The animation itself was just visually stunning. I was amazed how well they were able to establish each of these characters when they barely had any dialogue. And god Wall-E was so adorable. Just... yeah. I couldn't believe how much I was rooting for him and EVE to be together. Everything was just so well-done. 10/10
52. Iron Man (2008) - Ah man, so awesome. The film was better than the average superhero movie on its own, but Robert Downey Jr. really made it amazing. He was just so good. And it was just a really enjoyable movie to watch. 9/10
53. Hancock (2008) - This wasn't as terrible as the reviews made it out to be, but it also wasn't really great, either. I think they had a really excellent idea, and I would have loved if they had carried on with what the first half of the film seemed to be for the rest of it. Unfortunately, the second half with all the mythology just came out of nowhere and wasn't given enough time to be explained and it really just went downhill with that. Oh well. At least there was Jason Bateman! 7/10
54. Lars and the Real Girl (2007) - I liked this. It was kind of bizarre, but I don't know. I thought it was well-done. Ryan Gosling was excellent. 8/10
55. The Birds (1963) - I really enjoyed this. I liked that the first hour or so just kind of built up the characters and the situation and a few small bird attacks before it really got into the heart of the story. I kind of wished it had explained why the birds started attacking people, but at the same time, I don't know that any explanation would have been really satisfying. I like that we're left to decide for ourselves the reason and if the birds continue attacking and if the main characters survive and all that. So yeah, very good. 9/10
56. Cinderella Man (2005) - I liked this a lot. Russell Crowe was excellent in this. 9/10
57. The Dark Knight (2008) - lkjsdf so good. I mean, without Heath Ledger, it's better than the average comic book movie, but with him... geez. He just makes the film. I already thought he was an excellent actor before this, but now... he somehow managed to completely blow past my expectations. Just absolutely brilliant. And I loved the character of the Joker, and the moral decisions he forced Batman and friends to make. My only complaint is that I really didn't like that they had to recast Rachel Dawes. I know that Katie Holmes isn't the best actress, but I didn't think she was as terrible as most people make her out to be, and I really hate the break in continuity. I would be more okay with it if I thought that the new actress was thousands of times better, but... I really didn't think Maggie Gyllenhaal was that much of an improvement. But whatever. The rest of the film was just perfect. I didn't think it would be able to meet expectations after all the hype over it, but it really did. 10/10
58. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - Very amusing, well-done movie. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent, of course. The acting was really good by everyone, actually. I thought the movie was perfectly paced; there wasn't too much time for set-up or anything. And it was totally hilarious. 9/10
59. Fargo (1996) - So I loved No Country for Old Men, and I love dark comedies, so I was pretty sure that I would love this movie. Unfortunately, I really didn't. It just wasn't very interesting to me. It was kind of boring (and I'm not the type of person who needs explosions and action scenes every 5 minutes to be entertained; I love plenty of movies that are slow and quiet) and the only character I really liked at all was Frances McDormand's. I also thought that she was excellent in it. I expected it to be a lot funnier than it was. I don't know. I read some reviews from other people and a lot of people said that thought it was ok after the first viewing but after the second and third they absolutely fell in love with the movie, so maybe I just need to watch it again. And I think part of it were that my expectations for what the movie would be like were much different from how the movie actually turned out. But yeah, for now, didn't care much for it. 6/10
60. The Philadelphia Story (1940) - I really enjoyed this. It took me a little while to get into, but I ended up really liking it. The scenes with Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn's characters being drunk were absolutely hilarious. They were both excellent in this, as was Cary Grant. I was kind of surprised that she ended up with Cary Grant's character since it kind of came out of nowhere, but I kind of love Cary Grant, so I was fine with it. Fun movie overall. 9/10
61. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - I enjoyed this, but I kind of expected more. I mean, I feel like when it's revealed that he volunteered for this program that it's supposed to be this plot twist or shocking revelation or whatever, but I kind of already had assumed that from the first movie, so it was just kind of like "...so?" I don't know. I enjoyed it, but I thought it would be much better, I guess. It was kind of disappointing. 8/10
62. Toy Story 2 (1999) - I kept hearing how Toy Story 2 was so excellent and better than the original and all that and I couldn't remember for the life of me if I had ever seen it. So, I decided to watch it, and it turned out that I hadn't. I thought it was really well-done, although I do like the original more. The cowgirl's voice was so annoying, and I really didn't like her character much. I also wish there had been more of Buzz and Woody together. And the movie felt really short. I mean, it was really short (less than 90 minutes), but it felt like they could have added more to it. I mean, Woody's conflict over going back home or staying to help his new friends lasted like 2 seconds. I don't know. I did really like it overall. 8/10
63. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - Ah, I really enjoyed this. The ending was absolutely hilarious, with all the zombies still just being around. I also enjoyed how it took forever for the main characters to realize anything was going on. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is an awesome duo. I didn't like it as much as Hot Fuzz, but it was still excellent. 9/10
64. Notorious (1946) - Oh wow, I adored this film. I already loved Cary Grant before this, but he was amazing. This is the first time I've seen Ingrid Bergman in anything, and she was also really amazing in this. I was expecting to enjoy it, but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. Really well-done. 10/10
65. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) - Random Jason Bateman appearance at the end! Awesome, but totally random. Anyways, I really enjoyed this film. I liked Superbad, Knocked Up, and The 40-Year Old Virgin a good amount, but I thought this was much better than all of those, which may be an unpopular opinion (I'm not really sure how well this was received). It had an excellent cast and was very well-written. I liked that it didn't totally demonize Sarah Marshall or even her new boyfriend. I actually felt bad for Sarah after she got dumped and when she was realizing what an idiot she was for letting Peter go, and I liked that you could see why they didn't work and why they wouldn't work. Also, is it weird that I really, really want to see Peter's Dracula musical? Because I really, really do. I have a feeling if it were real, I would be totally obsessed with it. 9/10
66. Persepolis (2007) - Oh wow, this was really amazing. I wasn't expecting to be that blown away by the animation, but it was absolutely spectacular. The story itself was also just beautiful. My only complaint was that the end seemed to occur very abruptly. I wasn't expecting it to end when it did. But overall, I loved it. 9/10
67. Strangers on a Train (1951) - This was pretty great. It's probably my least favorite Hitchcock I've seen so far, but considering how much I've loved all the other Hitchcock films I've seen, that's not really saying anything bad about the film. The two lead guys were excellent in this. The sister of Guy Haines's fiance was really annoying, though. I loved how the plot came together, though, and I was really worried that Guy Haines would end up taking the fall for the murder. I don't really know why I didn't like it quite as well as other Hitchcock films. It was really well-written and came together nicely at the end, but I just didn't connect with it, I guess. 9/10
68. Mamma Mia (2008) - This was... entertaining. Amanda Seyfriend was awesome, and her voice was by far the best of anyone (at least in my opinion). I also really liked Dominic Cooper in this. And Colin Firth! I can't hate any movie with Colin Firth in it. Yeah, I don't know. It was fun. 7/10
69. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) - Oh god I loved this. I remember liking James Stewart after seeing The Philadelphia Story, but this movie made me really fall in love with him. I don't know, I liked him more serious and less goofy. He absolutely killed me in that last scene. ugh. I was expecting to enjoy this, but I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. It's just a really sweet, well-made film. 10/10
70. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) - This was a really well-done documentary, but it just made me so angry. I want to say that I can't believe that Dan White only got 5 years in jail for murdering two people, but the sad thing is that I really can believe it. God. Harvey Milk was just so inspiring, and such an amazing person. He really wasn't in office very long, but he did great things. I'm ridiculously looking forward to Milk coming out. 9/10
71. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - Cary Grant said that he thought his performance in this movie was the most over-the-top of his performances and was the least favorite of all his movies, and unfortunately... I kind of agree. Not that I didn't enjoy the movie, or him in it, because I did. And I haven't seen all of Cary Grant's movies, so I can't say that it's my least favorite of all, but it is my least favorite of those I've seen. It's an entertaining movie, but I felt like it dragged in the middle section where Cary Grant's character is gone for awhile trying to get the papers to get Teddy committed and the aunts are with Johnny. And yeah, Cary Grant was pretty over-the-top. I don't know. Enjoyable, but not spectacular by any means. 8/10
72. Casablanca (1942) - Really excellent film. I don't think it's one of the best films ever made, but I did really enjoy it. Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart were excellent, of course. It was kind of weird because so many lines in the movie are used in everyday speech and referenced in so many TV shows and other movies, and I knew a good amount of them came from this movie, but not all of them. Overall, I really enjoyed it. 10/10
73. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - I really loved this. Jimmy Stewart was excellent in this, and I can't believe he got an Oscar for The Philadelphia Story instead of this, because... yeah. He was just wonderful. Especially during the filibuster scenes. The end is a little abrupt and kind of... I don't know. I read another review saying that it was naive, and I kind of agree with that. I just don't know that Paine would admit to everything at that point. But whatever, I loved the rest. It dragged in a few points, but overall it kept me entertained. And I loved the character Clarissa Saunders. In these older movies, a lot of the times the women are just kind of... pointless. But her character really impressed me. And I loved her and Jeffrey Smith together. I loved the moment when she gave him the Constitution to read during the filibuster and wrote the note in it to him that she loved him and the look on his face... ugh. I loved it. So yeah, really well done. 10/10
74. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) - I didn't really like this. I wanted to, but it just seemed kind pointless, I guess. No one really grew or changed, it seemed like. Sally Hawkins was good, but I don't think she was so amazing that she deserves an Oscar, let alone a nomination, even though I know there's a lot of buzz about her right now. I don't know, I just didn't like it, I guess. I can't really pinpoint any one thing that I really hated about it or anything. It was just kind of meh. 6/10
75. Burn After Reading (2008) - I feel like a lot of people hated this, and yeah it wasn't as good as No Country for Old Men, but I still found it enjoyable. I probably would never watch it again, but it was fun to watch. Brad Pitt was absolutely hysterical, and J. K. Simmons's scenes were the best of the whole movie. 7/10
76. W. (2008) - I seriously have no idea how I feel about this movie. It was just too real, you know? It's too soon for this movie to be made. I can't separate my hate for the Bush administration and my feelings about this movie. Some of the actors were absolutely wonderful. Josh Brolin in particular was excellent. Others were... not so much. I really did not like the woman portraying Condaleeza Rice; her portrayal just seemed too much of caricature (although it didn't even seem like a caricature of her; it was just kind of weird, to be honest). I mean, I think it was a decent film. It wasn't as terrible as I expected it to be when I first heard it was going to be made. But it was still just... too weird to watch. 7/10
77. Tropic Thunder (2008) - This was pretty funny, but I wanted it to be better than it was. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent as always, and was most of what made me enjoy the film. Tom Cruise was absolutely hysterical (as I know everyone has said). 7/10
78. Pineapple Express (2008) - This was fairly amusing. I love James Franco and I like Seth Rogan for the most part and I was mostly just excited because Freaks and Geeks reunion! I feel like I may have enjoyed this more if I actually smoked pot or was high when watching it, but whatever. There were some amusing bits. 7/10
79. A Very British Sex Scandal (2007) - Ugh so sad. I knew that the relationship between the two guys couldn't end well because, well, it's real life. But it was still sad. It was nice that he was able to come out in the end, and that this decision influenced British policies. And we have come such a long way from this time, even though we have a ways to go, still. It was well-done, I thought. 8/10
80. Juste une question d'amour (2000) - Aw this was sweet. The guy that was not the main guy looked so much like Jon Walker, it was ridiculous, though. But yeah, I enjoyed it. I like that at the end, it wasn't a 100% happy ending, and it's clear that he and his parents still have issues to work through, but there's still a chance for hope. I really liked this. 9/10
81. High School Musical 3 (2008) - Yeah, ok, I enjoyed this immensely. I think this was better than the second one which I thought was better than the first one. I thought the music was overall better than the previous movies. Sure, the plot made no sense (I seriously doubt there's any kind of program at Stanford for incoming freshman to spend like a week there in the middle of the students' school year. And what, was she just not planning on going back to school at all? Because she'd still have tests and projects and assignments and whatever. She needs to actually complete high school to be able to attend Stanford. And it didn't even seem like much of anything other than an orientation. Or maybe it was some kind of honors thing? I don't know. But no way that made any sense whatsoever in any universe. And oh man, Troy's father is the worst father ever, yes? Troy is seriously conflicted over his future and his dad is just like "What, you have to go to that Arizona good basketball school!" and actually literally says "Chad would be awfully upset if you didn't go with him" or whatever. Just like, what? Yes, it's a great idea to base choices that will affect your entire future on what your friends are doing. wtf. But hey, it's not exactly like I watch for the plot! It was honestly just fun to watch, ok? I am so ashamed for loving these movies, but whatever, I do. 8/10
82. Twilight (2008) - So here's the thing: I kind of loved it. (I feel like any credibility I might have had for having somewhat good taste in films/TV/etc. is totally gone after these past two movie reviews. Not just that I saw them both, but that I really enjoyed them and would watch them again.) I mean, looking at random reviews on my flist and friendsfriends page, people seem kind of split into people who thought it was awesome and people who thought it sucked. But the thing is, if you hated the books, I don't understand why you would think you would enjoy the movie at all. I do think the movie is an improvement over the book, but, I mean, it's still the same story with the same characters. I don't know why you would expect anything different. But whatever. I see all the flaws in it and why people don't like it, and I basically don't care. It makes me happy. It's a guilty pleasure, like HSM. They're not realistic movies, but they're fun and enjoyable. Anyways. So I did have a few issues with the movie. There were things that were left out that made me sad. The movie definitely needed more Alice and Jasper, and I wouldn't have minded more scenes with Bella and her human friends. Although I guess if leaving that stuff made more time for Edward, than I'm ok with that. There were also some things that were unintentionally hilarious. But overall I thought it was better than the book. I wasn't sure about Kristen Stewart, but I thought she was great as Bella. She made me like Bella a lot more than I like her in the books (where I basically think she's an idiot most of the time. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with these books, ok? I recognize that they're awful and some of the characters are ridiculously annoying, but they're still so much fun to read). I was unsure of Robert Pattinson before (mostly because I've just always pictured Gaspard Ulliel as Edward, and anyone who wasn't him was going to be a disappointment), but I thought he was really good, too. Mostly, the film worked because they had amazing chemistry. It would have failed without that. I really like that even though the secondary characters got less time in the book, they seemed slightly more fleshed out in the movie. I could never really distinguish between Eric/Mike in the book, but they seemed like very different characters in the movie. I thought Jessica was pretty fun in the movie (well, what little we saw of her). I was sad that Ben apparently didn't exist in the movie, though; there needed to be Angela/Ben! I thought the vampire baseball scene was kind of ridiculously cool, and I also liked seeing Edward beat up James. Actually, James, Victoria, and Laurent were all incredibly awesome as well, I thought. Just, yeah. Overall, it was fun. 8/10 (Mostly just for how enjoyable it was to watch. I mean, objectively, this isn't that brilliant of the movie, but I rate based on how much I enjoy movies, not how technically brilliant I think they are.)
83. Les Chansons d'amour (2007) - I really enjoyed this. It wasn't totally what I expected, but it was good. Very sad, for the most part. The songs were all really nice, too. 9/10
84. Milk (2008) - I thought this was really great for the most part. Sean Penn was excellent, and I also really loved James Franco. The performance I was most surprised by, though, was Emile Hirsch. I've never seen him in anything, and I wasn't expecting much for some reason, but I thought he was really amazing. It was a little slow in the beginning and I didn't like the constant voiceover/flashforward to him narrating into the tape recorder, but that lessened as the movie went on. It picked up a lot when Dan White was introduced and when Milk got elected. I kind of wished they spent more time on that period than on the earlier stuff. And I felt the beginning was... I don't know, not personal enough? I don't really know how to describe it. I did really love it, though, and I was in tears by the end. 9/10
85. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) - I actually liked this way more than I thought I would. It was pretty predictable, but I don't know, it was cute and sweet and pretty funny. 8/10
86. Casino Royale (2006) - First off, the opening credits of this were totally brilliant and awesome. I really enjoyed this, although I think it was a little too long. I didn't really get into it until Vesper was introduced. Overall I really liked, it though. Daniel Craig was excellent, and I really liked Eva Green as well. 8/10
87. Quantum of Solace (2008) - This was good, but not as good as Casino Royale. Daniel Craig is still awesome, though. 7/10
88. The Edge of Love (2008) - Oh god, this was one of the most boring movies I've ever watched. I saw the description of this movie months ago and for some reason decided I wanted to see it, and now I can't remember why, because... ugh. It was probably because Matthew Rhys was in it, and I love Matthew Rhys. But god, I didn't like any of the characters, and so I didn't really care when basically anything happened to them. It was just completely uninteresting and overly dramatic and blah. 4/10
89. Role Models (2008) - This was actually a lot funnier than I thought it would be. I love Paul Rudd infinitely, and Sean William Scott was actually pretty funny and not terribly annoying. The kids were excellent, too. It was predictable, but cute and fun. 8/10
90. Mannen som elsket Yngve (2008) - Oh god, this was good but so depressing! He basically loses everything at the end: his girlfriend, his best friend, the guy friend he likes but doesn't want to admit it. His mother has money problems and he hates his father. geez. Oh, and the guy he likes turns out to have a mental disorder, too, that he kind of helped worsen, making everything even better! And, ok, so a lot of it is his fault, but still! I mean, I enjoyed the film, but I guess I was expecting things to turn out a little better for him. 9/10
91. Let the Right One In (2008) - I liked this. It was kind of weird, but I don't know. The end was interesting and not really what I expected. I feel like it can't work out between Eli and Oskar, but at the same time, it's nice that there's a little bit of hope at the end. 9/10
92. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Oh my god I loved this. I've heard such amazing things about it but for some reason I wasn't really expecting much from it. But oh god, so good! Who knew Dev Patel could act? I hated Anwar so much on Skins, which wasn't really the actor's fault at all, but as a result, I never really thought much of him. But he was great in this. And the film was so much prettier than I was expecting! I don't really know what to say. I just thought it was really well-done. I mean, there were a few things I'm not kind of sure of, like how he got onto the show so quickly, and why he thought being on the show would affect anything (sure, he thought that Latika might be watching, but so what? That wouldn't change anything), but I kind of don't care and am just accepting everything because I really loved it. 10/10
93. Revolutionary Road (2008) - This was sad, although somehow not as sad as I was expecting? I don't know. Leonardo DiCaprio in that scene in the hospital at the end totally killed me. Also, I probably enjoyed seeing Leo and Kate Winslet together again far more than is reasonable. I thought this movie was really good, but unfortunately I didn't love it as much as I was expecting or hoping to. 9/10
94. Rope (1948) - So good! I love Hitchcock. I loved so much about this movie. The acting was great (Jimmy Stewart is always excellent, but I also liked the two main guys). I loved how everything took place in that apartment, and the long shots were totally amazing. It was just really great. 10/10
95. Saboteur (1942) - Not Hitchcock's best, but still really great. It was fun to watch. Also, I think Hitchcock has a thing for people climbing on and dangling from U.S. monuments. This movie was really reminiscent of North By Northwest (although not as good). 8/10
96. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - This is definitely my least favorite Hitchcock so far, sadly. Mostly because Charlie was really idiotic. I mean, she knows that her uncle is a murderer and is trying to kill her but she doesn't want to tell anyone because it might upset her mother! And sure, she calls the detective after she determines that he is definitely trying to kill her (whereas before she just suspected it, I guess), but he's the ONLY one she tries to call. What, there aren't police in the town? There aren't other detectives in the entire country who know about the case? And she just lets them believe that this other guy is the killer when she knows for sure that her uncle is. I don't know. It was just kind of stupid. And it wasn't enjoyable enough otherwise to make up for that. Also, the relationship between the detective and Charlie was kind of weird, too, because I thought he was like 40 something and I guess it does show that she graduated from somewhere so she's probably 18-22 or something, but still. (Oh and I did check the actors ages, and they were only like 5 years apart, so maybe it wasn't really weird, but it still seemed weird!) I mean, it wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't as good as I was expecting. 7/10
97. The Wrestler (2008) - Wow, this was really good. I was really expecting it to have a typical ending, with him getting together with Cassidy and his daughter forgiving him, so I was really surprised when it just ended where it did. I really like that it ended there, though. And Mickey Rourke was pretty amazing. Really great movie. 10/10
98. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - I was greatly amused that in that one scene in the movie theater, the movie playing was Shadow of a Doubt, considering I just saw it the night before. Anyways, I wasn't a huge fan of the beginning, and I'm kind of mixed about the end, but I liked the middle pretty well. I have a somewhat irrational dislike of Scarlett Johansson, but she didn't bother me too much in this movie (although I didn't really like her character, either). Javier Bardem is wonderful in everything, and I liked Vicky a fair amount. I wanted her and Juan Antonio to end up together, although I kind of liked that they didn't because that would be pretty unrealistic. On the other hand, the ending was kind of stupid in that both end up more miserable (particularly Vicky) than they were when they came to Barcelona. And I think Vicky is idiotic for marrying Doug. She wouldn't have to get together with Juan Antonio, but if she's that unsure and unhappy already, she shouldn't have gone through with it. But whatever! I actually did like it more than it seems like I did. Oh, but the narration was pretty unnecessary and kind of annoying, especially at the beginning. 8/10
99. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - I really enjoyed this, but I don't think it's going to be one of my absolute favorite films of all time like I was expecting. I absolutely love James Stewart, though, and he was excellent in this, as always. I was actually surprised that only the last 20 minutes or so were him finding out what life would be like if he hadn't been born and the rest was just going through his life, because I was under the impression that most of the movie was the former. 9/10
100. The Trouble with Harry (1955) - This was not quite what I was expecting, but it was really amusing and fun to watch. 9/10
And, if you're curious, this is how all the films that have come out this year that I've seen rank:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Wall-E
3. Slumdog Millionaire
4. The Wrestler
5. Milk
6. Iron Man
7. Let the Right One In
8. In Bruges
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10. Revolutionary Road
11. Mannen som elsket Yngve (The Man Who Loved Yngve)
12. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
13. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
14. Role Models
15. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
16. High School Musical 3
17. Quantum of Solace
18. Wanted
19. Burn After Reading
20. Twilight
21. Mamma Mia!
22. Tropic Thunder
23. Happy-Go-Lucky
24. Pineapple Express
25. Hancock
26. W.
27. 27 Dresses
28. The Edge of Love
I still really want to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Doubt, and The Reader, and probably a few more I'm forgetting, so I bet the top 10 or so will change once I've seen them.
Books in 2008
1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 5/5
2. I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert - 4/5
3. 9 Highland Road by Michael Winerip - 4/5
4. Hard Times by Charles Dickens - 4/5
5. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe - 3/5
6. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - 4/5
7. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad - 3/5
8. Quicksand by Nella Larsen - 3/5
9. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf - 5/5
10. Foe by J. M. Coetzee - 4/5
11. No Telephone to Heaven by Michelle Cliff - 3/5
12. Breaking Dawn by Stephene Meyer - 3/5
12. My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming - 4/5
13. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - 3/5
14. Hero by Perry Moore - 5/5
Last year I was attempting 150 movies, but that was clearly going to fail a few months into the year. I think I'll just go for 100 again, since it's still somewhat of a challenge. I think I'll try for 20 books. And I think I'm going to keep track of all the television episodes I watch in the year because I'm curious as to how many it'll actually be. I might get bored of that or forget about it after a little while, though.
Hope everyone had a happy New Year's Eve! Mine was pretty fun. Didn't get back home until 5 AM, so I just woke up like 30 minutes ago (around 1:15). That isn't really that late, but I'm pretty sure it's the latest I've ever slept in, which is kind of weird since I've totally stayed up later than that before. But whatever. It was kind of creepy driving home because it was ridiculously foggy and I've never driven in the fog at night before, and there was no one around. It was actually kind of pretty, though, too.
