500 Days of Summer (2009)

MIMDB score: 7.5
Current IMDB score: 7.8
Director: Marc Webb
Main Actors you care about: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Chloe Grace Moretz

Why I liked it: It made me pissed.  It's one of the few movies I hate but still think is good.

I am upset with this quote:  "Just because she likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate."  I wrote a whole paragraph about it but I ended up deleting because technically the quote is correct.  That doesn't mean she's your soul mate.  I don't like it because the quote misleads your mind.  Liking the same bizzaro crap can lead to her being your soul mate.  It's not a negative to like the same bizzaro crap!  It's a positive!  In fact I would go to say that you should be looking for people that like the same bizzaro crap that you do because I personally believe that's what leads to long term happiness.  And if one those people that does like the same bizzaro crap happens to be someone you fall in love with then shit, it's awesome.  Every time I read or hear the quote I get upset because it barely makes sense.

What stands out:  The story hits home with a lot of people.  It upsets a lot of people.  It looks at what happens more often than not in a relationship.  Most relationships do not work out.  Only "one" kind of does work out.  By one relationship I mean the current relationship you are in (if you are in one).  If the one you are currently in fails then I'm talking about the next relationship then.  For most people, all the people that it didn't work out with is a higher number than the current number of people it's working out with right now.

It's not fun when one person wants the relationship and the other doesn't.  This is especially true when the one side can't for of the life of them can't figure out why the other doesn't want to keep going.  Media and society I feel like pushes you toward believing that one love at a time is how it should work.  The problem with this way of dating/being in relationships doesn't work as well as just dating as many people as you can and pick the person that you most like that also wants to date you back.  This works well if your main goal is to be with someone (even it's not one of your top choice(s)).  Most people can handle the one or two people that don't want to date you.  It's just an awful when consistently the people you want to date don't want to date you.  You kind of give up after awhile.  This movie makes you feel that feeling at least once which is why I hate this movie but also will say it's good.  It's good to feel like feeling if you haven't felt it in your life (which is like 1% of people).

Thing(s) I would change:  Zooey is well casted as this is the type of girl I believe she is in real life.  She might even be too well casted to the point where I hate Zooey in everything else she's been in now.  All I see is Summer hurting Tom.

The worst thing is Summer hurt Tom and Summer just benefited from it.  Summer figured out that love existed and got to feel it because she knew with Tom what love was not like.  Tom as the hopeless romantic didn't seem to learn anything.  It's just a big kick in the pants to hopeless romantics which are the people that this movie is targeting.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:
Expectation vs Reality scene (of course).  This scene sums up most people's thought process before going to an event.  It's fantastically done.

Similar Movies/TV Shows:  Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Comet

"Side" note: Since this movie is not really about the happiness of relationships or love the color red is not used very often.  Instead the color blue is used to represent love. That is a pretty wonderful touch.

Comet (2014)

MIMDB score: 7.8
Current IMDB score: 6.7
Director: Sam Esmail
Main Actors you care about: Justin Long, Emmy Rossum

Why I liked it: It made me want to watch it again.  A movie hasn't done that to me in awhile.  It's just straight insane dialogue and it's hard to keep up.  It's really woven well I think.  Things are brought up that relate to other things but only after thinking about it.  I'm sure the lighting choices matter as well but I haven't figured it all out yet.  I don't know why IMDB has it so low at 6.7.  This is an interesting movie to think through at least once I feel like.  Maybe it's really niche because of how weird it kind of is.  It has two really big stars I feel like so people should have gotten over that like in Eternal Sunshine but oh well. I guess the theme Eternal Sunshine has was more appealing than this movie.  I'm guessing it just hasn't been seen by enough people.  It only has about 9k votes at the time of writing this.

I like to think that you can interpret the movie as all the same relationship or different relationships.

What stands out:  The speed.  It reminds me of like an action movie that starts going and never stops.  Just one thing after another but in a romantic way so you know, worth understanding what is happening as opposed to actions movies where crap happens and you get an adrenaline rush for a bit without much thought.  I had an adrenaline rush that was coupled with a lot of thought which I consider rare in a movie.

Thing(s) I would change:  At first I was going to say the ending but after more thought I think it's good.  I was kind of feeling they should not be together because that's more a final resolution but I think they do get back together after I realized the pregnancy was originally suppose to be her lie at the start of their relationship.  It makes very clever sense (which the movie goes along with the feel I got from the movie) that she was lying about being pregnant at the end as well.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:
The whole movie really. The way they wove the story line was how I want movies to be at lot of the time.

I do want to call out the scene where the girl just starts yelling at him when they are in the hotel before the wedding (and his proposal) and he just drowns her out and listens to music.  I do that pretty often and I loved seeing it happen to some one else.

Similar Movies/TV Shows: Cellular (action movie), Gilmore Girls because they are talking so freaking fast. The all movies I like: Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Vanilla Sky, The Fountain, Mr. Nobody, Once, 500 Days of Summer, Cloud Atlas.

"Side" note: Genesis and Catastrophe: A True Story It's kind of interesting story to think about especially how it might relate to the relationship in the story.

Room (2015)

MIMDB score: 7.2
Current IMDB score: 8.3
Director: Lenny Abrahamson, William H. Macy
Main Actors you care about: Brie Larson

Why I liked it: It originally stuck out to me when I watched the trailer that it would be like Plato's "The Cave" allegory.  It did explore this thought a bit and I liked that it sort of went there.  Unfortunately I wanted more thoughts from the movie.  Maybe if I didn't take philosophy class where I already went through that type of thought it would have been better.  So I feel like for most people it will be rather interesting thought process but not a super popular movie.  Although without knowing or thinking about the cave allegory I don't think the movie can hold up on it's own to be higher than a 7.  Like if you didn't understand the story that O'Brother Where Art Thou was based on you could still enjoy the movie to a great extent.  I don't think that's the case with this movie as much so I only have it at 7.2.

It's considered depressing but people think movies are depressing when they are not really.  Yea this girl gets kidnapped and is being held against her will but it really about a struggle to be better in her mind. People think The Road is too depressing as well.  The ending of that movie (and I dare say theme of that movie) is saying to trust people.  How is that depressing?  Just because bad things are happening doesn't mean it's depressing.  If that was the case, how would anyone get through a year on this earth?  Bad things are happening all the time and it's depressing if you want it to be.  If you learn something from all the bad things that happen then it's not really depressing . . . . it's uplifting.

What stands out:  The kid who played Jack did fantastic.  I didn't think for a second that he hadn't been through what Jack had been through.  Well done Jacob Tremblay (which is the actor who played Jack).

Brie Larson does well of course.  Nothing outstanding I don't think but still pretty good.  I think she is doing fantastic though with her career.  Especially in movies she chooses to be involved with like this and Short Term 12.  Hopefully she keeps doing movies like this so I can keep liking her a lot.

Thing(s) I would change:  William H. Macy character's just gives up after he can't look at Jack. We don't see him anymore after that scene.  Could he not get over it?  Jack didn't ask to be born.  He could at least be really nice around Jack.  Good thing the step-dad was a freaking champion.  He was calm and understanding and just plain perfect.  I feel like Ma's dad would or should have been more understanding.

I think it's odd that the reporter asked Ma about why she didn't try and get Jack out sooner.  I don't think anyone would have asked her that.  Who would think that she really had any control over what was happening during those seven years?  Old Nick had most all of the control.  I think it was just put in so that the suicide seemed more believable.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:
Most of the lines Jack says about what is real or not real are interesting.  Most of the lines he narrates while a scene is playing are pretty interesting.

Similar Movies/TV Shows: Short Term 12 and I Am Sam

"Side" note: Allegory of the Cave is interesting philosophically thought.  The thought is about what the reality would be for a person that was stuck in a cave his or her whole life (at least since memories formed in childhood).  They were only shown shadows on a wall of objects.  To the person in the cave only the shadows would be what was real to them.  It goes to show you that only things you can see and are used to would be your reality.  The extent of this thought could be applicable to so many parts of your life.  It should really open your mind to a lot more possibilities than what you were used to before thinking through this.

It's so very great to see a movie that has this thinking on display.  If you read through the Wikipedia link I think you'll see that the main points are used as inspiration for this film.

Star Wars Episode 1-6 (1977-2005)

MIMDB score: 7, 7, 7, 7.8, 7.8, 7.4
Current IMDB score: 6.5, 6.7, 7.7, 8.7, 8.8, 8.4
Director: Mostly George Lucas
Main Actors you care about: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher

Why I liked it: Nostalgia.  The number one reason I think I like the Star Wars movies/world so much is nostalgia.  It was good back when it came out but if I were to watch it now for the first time I don't think it would have the same affect.  A ton of movies are like this.  Christmas Story is the biggest one that sticks out to me.  I personally could watch it for 24 hours straight but if you didn't watch it as a part of some traditional or nostalgic moment in the past then you won't enjoy it very much.  I think the Godfathers are like that as well. I did not have that nostalgic feeling for Godfather so I never thought they were that good.  I hope that is why I don't like the Godfather movies anyway.

I'm going to elaborate on the nostalgia.  The reason the episode 4, 5, and 6 are consider so amazing is the adventure you got to go on with your brother, sister, father, mother, friends, cousins, or whoever you watched it with on repeat.  I don't fully know why but after watching them you would just want to watch them again.  We had them on taped on VHS out of order.  We would watch 4, fast forward through 6, watch 5, rewind to the start of 6, watch 6, then because we were lazy just watch 5 again.  That was perfectly fine for my brother and I.  If you don't have that memory though then these will only be 7's for you at best.  Adults that have never seen Star Wars and watch them later in their life I don't think will have the same attachment to them as watching them as a kid.  Even kids today will watch them on repeat with the same enjoyment that kids watched them when they came out.

What stands out:  The adventure story.  I normally don't like the adventure genre movies but I can't think of a better journey to go on than through Star Wars.  The special effects at the time I'm sure were mind blowingly real.

Thing(s) I would change:  I won't complain too much about Episode 1, 2, and 3 because it's been done many times and I wouldn't do it justice.  I will agree that they could have been better.  They are not that bad though.  Notice the 3rd one does have a 7.7 on IMDB so at least that one isn't terrible.  The first one unfortunately should be that low.   As I said they should at least be watched once which is a 7 on MIMDB.

This is an order that the internet will tell you to watch them for first time viewers which Episode 1 has been left out (for probably good reason).  When you watch it you kind of sigh a lot during a lot of the lines.  Same things happens in Episode 2.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:
I don't think I have a favorite scene.  I think the John Williams music is my favorite part though.  The music gives you the feeling in most of the scenes.  Well done John Williams.  Without the music I don't think it would be as good.

Similar Movies/TV Shows: Star Trek probably but not as good or popular I don't think.  Indiania Jones series,

"Side" note:  George Lucas thought the first movie would be a flop.  It went on to be the first film to gross over 300,000,000 dollars.  With inflation it is the second highest grossing film of all time.  2nd to Gone with the Wind.

Who shot first?  This is considered a big ordeal because originally when Star Wars (A New Hope) was in theaters Han Solo shoot Greedo first.  When Lucas remastered it he had to keep a PG rating by having Greedo shoot first and then later in an even more remastered version have Greedo and Solo shooting at about the same time.  Although George says that is the way he intended it originally.  When you ask a Star Wars enthusiast who hates the CGI remastered additions they will scream Solo shot first and get really mad.  Mostly because it makes more sense character and character building-wise to have Solo shoot first.

Meet Joe Black (1998)

MIMDB score: 7.5
Current IMDB score: 7.1
Director: Martin Brest
Main Actors you care about: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Clarie Forlani

Why I liked it: It just seems meaningful. Thing kind of work out how they are suppose to.  There is a few great thoughts to have in this movie as well.  The ending is marvelous really.  I see how it could be cheesy but I still think it's really good.  "If this movie was 20 minutes shorter it would really be great."   I've heard someone say that about this movie.  I think that's the bias from making it have a higher IMDB score.  It is long but is also good.

What stands out:  Anthony Hopkins speeches are pretty great.  It just makes you feel good to hear him say those things even though they are somewhat obvious.  If it's your first time hearing that stuff it could really help you probably.

Thing(s) I would change:  Yea, a few things could be cut out.  It is longer than most movies and it's not like an epic movie.  It's probably only a few months long in movie time so it's hard to maintain attention I feel like in a short movie time movie like this.  They needed to add some comedy I think if you are going to make a movie this long.  Too much drama leads to boredom without some comedy.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:
Most of the deeper conversations focus around Anthony Hopkins character.

William Parrish: Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. I say, fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back. How do you find him? Well, you forget your head, and you listen to your heart. And I'm not hearing any heart. Cause the truth is, honey, there's no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all. But you have to try, cause if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.

Next conversation:
William Parrish: It's not what you say about Drew, it's what you don't say.
Susan Parrish: Maybe you're not listening.
William Parrish: Oh yes, I am. There's not an ounce of excitement. Not a whisper of a thrill. This relationship has all the passion of a pair of tit mice. I want you to get swept away out there. I want you to levitate. I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a Dervish.
Susan Parrish: Oh, that's all?
William Parrish: Yeah. Be deliriously happy or at least leave yourself open to be.
Susan Parrish: Okay. Be deliriously happy. I shall... uhh... I shall do my utmost.
William Parrish: I know it's a cornball thing, but love is passion. Obsession. Someone you can't live without. I say fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy, and who'll love you the same way back. How do you you find 'em? Well, you forget your head and you listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Because the truth is, honey, there's no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all. But you have to try, because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.

Marvelous;
Joe Black: I don't care Bill. I love her.
William Parrish: How perfect for you - to take whatever you want because it pleases you. That's not love.
Joe Black: Then what is it?
William Parrish: Some aimless infatuation which, for the moment, you feel like indulging - it's missing everything that matters.
Joe Black: Which is what?
William Parrish: Trust, responsibility, taking the weight for your choices and feelings, and spending the rest of your life living up to them. And above all, not hurting the object of your love.
Joe Black: So that's what love is according to William Parrish?
William Parrish: Multiply it by infinity, and take it to the depth of forever, and you will still have barely a glimpse of what I'm talking about.
Joe Black: Those were my words.
William Parrish: They're mine now.

The biggest thing I want to point out with these conversations is the deeper feeling of love. I want to explore whether or not love is a made up emotion used by biology to make us reproduce happily.  These aren't the thoughts this movie first led me to but it's what they led me to in viewing it recently.  I've always thought because of movies like this that there is regular love and a deeper level of love that not many people feel or know about.

It's like Hopkin's daughter is "in love" with Drew the douchebag.  She doesn't know it could be better than what she has with Drew.  There's like this level of love where you just kind of find someone that is good enough.  He or she seems well enough, seems to fit in the family, seems to be smart, and seems like a lot of other things.  How are you suppose to see there is a better person out there for you without having met that person?  I don't know.  Then there's a higher level I used to think where you actually realize this person is so amazing for you.  You smile even when you think of them and smile every time you see them because you can't control your happiness around them.  When you see them you know a conversation is occurring between you and him or her without even acknowledging it.

I don't know though.  That second kind of feeling or level I think could be said to be fleeting or not long lasting.  Maybe (as with most things or levels) is you need to have both.  Maybe though the second version is just really rare.  It only happens a few times and a quote from a movie called Loser where the main girl says there are lucky people where love is like that second level forever.  I like to believe that.  Maybe only certain people who find the other certain people get to experience the second kind of love most of their lives.  It kind of makes sense.  You see the couples that or marriages that still look like super fun and loving as they get older and you see the marriages that are just like "Phew, we made it through another day."  Maybe it's just about both people having a perspective on life which is to be happy instead of being annoyed or mad with life?

William Parrish: I thought I was going to sneak away tonight. What a glorious night. Every face I see is a memory. It may not be a perfectly perfect memory. Sometimes we had our ups and downs. But we're all together, and you're mine for a night. And I'm going to break precedent and tell you my one candle wish: that you would have a life as lucky as mine, where you can wake up one morning and say, "I don't want anything more." Sixty-five years. Don't they go by in a blink?

Just to clarify this very common saying, life doesn't go by in a blink.  It is very slow at times.  Near the end you don't want to die. With the limited time you have left when you realize you are going to die it will feel like life moves really fast.  Granted it does move too fast to fully understand it or enjoy the moments as they pass but that's only the really good parts.

Similar Movies/TV Shows: Legends of the Fall, What Dreams May Come?, Death takes a Holiday (although I've never seen it), City of Angels

"Side" note:  The director seemed to be a big stickler in his vision for the movie.  He was upset when a two hour version was made for TV in which a lot of the business side of movie was taken out.  He was so upset that when the TV version is played he demanded to not be listed as the director.  Also Hopkins got upset with the director for making Hopkins do so many takes on the same scene.

A River Runs Through It (1992)

MIMDB score: 7.9
Current IMDB score: 7.3
Director: Robert Redford
Main Actors you care about: Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, Robert Redford (narrator), Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Why I liked it: It's one of those life long movies which are fantastic to me.  It's an interesting perspective on life that has a lot of good thoughts worth thinking through.  It's wholesome.

What stands out:  The feeling you get at the end.  Like you just lived the life that was just shown to you.  Gives you experience without having to experience what the characters go through.  This movies plays with the idea that you can't help people.  They have to help themselves.  It's a hard thought to get to in living through own life and hopefully a movie like this would help get you there faster.

What I would change: I don't know if I would necessarily change it but I've never understood the physical fighting the kids did or that kids do.  I always felt so bad every time I did anything like that.  I never understood why physical dominance was a good thing.  I guess evolutionary it's a good thing but I think as a species we are past that.  Since I don't fully understand that part of life I guess I kind of wish there was less of it in the movie.  Fighting should still be thought about as it still happens in life though.

The main character's wife is pretty uninspiring.  They could have done more with her I think.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:
Jessie Burns: Why is it the people who need the most help... won't take it?
Norman Maclean: I don't know, Jess.

Rev. Maclean: Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true, we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding.

It seems that you can not help people that need it.  You can try and work at it, do whatever you can using tailored ideas but changing another person (for universally understood as better) comes down to the person.  It has to make sense in their head and that only happens if they work it out. There's also a really good quote that synergizes with this thought: "Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have of trying to change others."

Also there is no such thing as universally better.  No two people think a like.  So what you think is better is not necessarily better for another person.  Whenever I think I should help someone see something or help fix something I think of "Let he [or she] without sin cast the first stone".  Instead of "fixing" other people I should really focus on myself first.  I'm not perfect so there's always something I could be focusing on about myself instead of someone else.  These thoughts usually lead me to not wanting to change anything about anyone else.

Similar Movies/TV Shows: Legends of the Fall and Last of the Mohicans

"Side" note: The movie is based on an auto-biographical story by the real life main character Norman Maclean.  A George Coonebergs is the master fly fisherman that taught all the actors how to fly fish.  The Maclean's and the Coonebergs have been friends for four generations.  That's kind of a really awesome thing.  A lot of people can't be friends for four years.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)

MIMDB score: 7.8
Current IMDB score: 8.4
Director: Michael Gondry
Main Actors you care about: Jim Carey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Dunst

Why I liked it: It sort of an amazing movie.  It's also sort of a super hyped movie.  It's kind of weird which is why I'm surprised its an 8.4.  I think the thing that appeals to people is the idea of removing someone from your thoughts.   I don't know about you but trying to get someone out of your head is not an easy task.  Most of the time it's not a doable task either.  Many things plague my mind.  If you've ever been in that situation then this movie is a wonderful idea.

The trouble is, and for some reason people miss this part, in the end the movie comes to the conclusion that you would just go back to the same person.  I think the movie is really saying that you have to go through those relationships that mess you up.  You have to have that experience to get past "it" in life.  I'm not just talking about dating a type of person.  "It" could be any number of underlying problems you have.  The only way you get past some things is by going through that experience in some cases.  It's why sometimes when you tell people not to do something they do it anyway because they have to learn for themselves.

I think that message is just a nice way of thinking though.  In reality it just really sucks to have to go through a failure.  I don't know why people have to go through more than others (or at all).  It could come down to cleverness, intuition, being smart?, or just plain luck.  I kind of think it is just luck.  Love in particular is too hard to figure out even though it should be easy.

What stands out:  It's kind of interesting to be in Jim Carey's mind.  It's kind of cool how they do it but it's kind of weird like I said.  I like it but not enough to consider it amazing.  It's only sort of amazing how they do it.  It's a good idea but I'm not overly impressed with exactly how they did it.  I think visualizing the mind could be done better.  It does stand out though because very few movies before it did it as well as this movie.

What I would change:  I don't like Kristen Dunst's character.  She is a floozy.  She wanted to cheat on her boyfriend with her boss, she got involved with someone who she knew was married, and she got so mad that she sends back every persons' memories to them.  That is kind of extreme in my opinion.  It does go along with the movie's idea that even if you could erase memories it wouldn't help all that much but she is so irrational.  I don't like that her character did all of those bad things in the movie.  Maybe she thinks the only way people won't repeat their mistake they are trying to forget is by sending it out but I doubt in every case it was like that.  Also she didn't have the right to do that.  I don't like her rashness in the decision.  She should have talked it over with her boss at least and came to a decision to do that instead of just doing it.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:  Anything in Montague.  That place is awesome.

"Sand is overrated.  It's just little rocks" Agreed.  Beaches are not that great despite what near ever girl in the world says.  "Oh what are beaches compared to rocks and mountains." should be the saying.

"Why do I fall in love with every girl I see. . . ?" Nature I guess.

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each prayer accepted, and each wish resign'd"  It's a beautiful phrase and part in the movie.  I really love "the world forgetting, by the world forgot."  I usually quote that to myself or under my breathe whenever someone (including myself) says or does something I find hypocritical (which is frequent, it's hard to be consistent in life).

Similar Movies/TV Shows: Manhattan but it's kind of boring, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, the TV show called The Affair, mostly because it's in Montague and you get different points of view of a mind (kind of?).  I think I just like the Affair a lot right now.

"Side" note: Alexander Pope's poem, Eloisa to Abelard is kind of long.  This is the poem the eternal sunshine quote is from.  I wanted to read and analyze it with my girlfriend at the time.  Unfortunately she had already studied it in a class of hers and knew what it was all about.  I never really took the time to figure it out after she told me she already knew what it was about.  That shouldn't stop you from reading it and figuring it out for yourself.