P.S. I Love You, No Country For Old Men, Juno, Cloverfield, Sweeney Todd, The Invasion, Knocked Up, Donnie Darko, Mysterious Skin

P.S. I Love You

Three out of five stars, I'd say. I'm by no means an enthusiast of chick-flicks - in fact I do my best to avoid them at all costs. But this one, I did like more than most. It was witty, funny, terribly sad, and ALMOST unstereotypical. The plot of "woman loses perfect man, finds herself through his letters" was really creative. I felt that Hilary Swank did a really good job at her character, and I really felt for her. Unfortunately, the ending ruined all my previous thoughts. Not because it was a bad ending, but that it was too good, and it had a perfect, bittersweet ending waiting right there for it. The music, however, was amazing. I promptly went home and downloaded the soundtrack. I think most women will enjoy it for the unique sweetness of the plot, but for me it still fit the mold too much to be considered a good movie.

No Country For Old Men

I'm going to give this one four out of five stars. Again, not really my cup of tea. The movie is set in the south, where an escaped convict is going around mercilessly killing people with a cattle brander. One man witnesses this and in turn has to run from him, all across the country. I'm not the type to watch a bunch of old guys run around and shoot at each other, but I felt this movie was very unique. First off, there was absolutely no music, which really added to the suspense. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Also, the killer was so insanely emotionless that he puts Hannibal Lector to shame. And his weapon? Ho shit. It's silent, shoots faster and harder than a gun, and looks like a huge fire extinguisher. The ending was something to be desired, as it just felt...abandoned, but I'm willing to overlook it. A very good thriller.

Juno

For me, this movie was a let-down. I'd say three out of five stars. I had high hopes going into this movie on account of the hype it had gathered, and the fact that I adore Michael Cera and anything he does. Unfortunately, he really wasn't in the movie that often. The story of Juno has so much potential - girl gets accidentally pregnant, tries to find perfect parents for the baby, yadda yadda. But really I just found myself annoyed. The "modern" lingo got forced and old really quickly, Juno's character lacked so much depth, and the music got pretty annoying as well. It was like everything was aiming to be trendy and become an instant classic, and completely overshot it. Juno herself became unbearable as she lacked any human emotion completely so that she could get away with a ton of one-liners. In the end, there were some very cute scenes, but overall I felt the movie didn't even almost live up to the hype.

Cloverfield

Now here is a movie I will rave about until the end of time. Four and a half out of five stars on this one. For most people it's either a movie you'll love or hate, and I personally loved it. The plot is full of spoilers, but overall it's a monster movie made in the form of a video camera being held by the characters. Some people were very bothered by the shaking camera, but I thought it added so much to the effect, and luckily I didn't get dizzy at all. Though some of the plotline was very cheesy, I'm willing to forget it in honour of the complete brilliance of the way the movie was made. Everything was entirely realistic, from the city of New York to the creatures to the camera movement. What made the movie so thrilling and scary wasn't the monster itself, but the feeling of being right there. I've never seen a movie so impressive on that level. It was almost like riding a rollercoaster. And, to point out another thing, there was hardly any blood, which really sets it apart from other movies in the genre. It relied on other elements to scare you, which I found brilliant.

Starting: January 1st, 2008
Ending: September 28th, 2010

Name: Melanie
Age (start to finish): 17-20
Location: Springdale, Arkansas (Though this will change in the timespan.)