Memento (2000)

Memento is one of those films you need to watch a second time because of how confusing it can be. The plot of the film is told in reverse-chronological order, opening with Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) looking at a Polaroid of a dead man, who went by the name of Teddy (Joe Pantoliano). As he shakes the Polaroid, the picture seems to fade, and you begin to realize the scene is in reverse. Flashback a few minutes, and we wee how the event all unfolded.

 

Director Christopher Nolan does something remarkably interesting by telling the story in reverse. Instead of asking "what's going to happen next?" I found myself wondering "How did this all happen?" The whole experience added more depth to the story because it all tied back to Shelby's anterograde amnesia, creating the effect of not remembering what happened mere minutes ago.

This method of storytelling can be pretty confusing for a lot of people, and you may find fault in that, but for the most part, it creates a truly unique film that has become one of my personal favorites, and will no doubt create a lasting impression on anyone's mind.

Now, where was I?

Alan Delgado

Collateral (2004)

No movie boasts a cooler vibe than Michael Mann's dazzling Collateral. The movie is badass personified, but at the same time has a great story with well-developed characters, making his crime thriller the total package.

 

Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a cool, calculating hitman at the top of his game. Max (Jamie Foxx), is a cabbie with big aspirations and nothing to show for it. Now Max must drive Vincent on his next job -- five hits and a getaway. Let me start off by first praising the two Oscar-worthy performances of Cruise and Foxx. Cruise really takes his game to the next level as one of the coolest villains in years, which Foxx's powerful performance really puts you in his character's shoes.

Collateral proves to be a pure adrenaline rush from start to finish with breathtaking action, breathtaking cinematography of downtown LA, and a mind-numbing score. Even though the action is top notch, I find the slower paced scenes involving Max and Vincent to be the highlights of the film. The characters and dialogue are so well-written that it makes you really connect to the characters. The only problem I had was that Vincent is too likable as a character, and I found myself rooting for him over protagonist Max.

I lose myself in this movie, and everytime I watch it, my problems go away for 2 hours. This movie brings back so many good memories. This is, hands-down, my favorite movie of all-time. A groundbreaking crime thriller.

Estefan Guerrero

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey...really don't need to say much more than that, but alas...I shall proceed.

 

It was an iconic film round the world, born in the latter part of the sixties. This film is today regarded as one of the great motion pictures of all-time, and probably the greatest sci-fi film of all-time. This is to be expected from one of the greatest filmmakers, Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick directed many other films regarded as greats, such as, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, and many, many more. Kubrick's style very much makes you feel that you're there. The astronauts don't say wacky, out-of-this-world things that make you question the film's credibility.

With one of the world's most famous villains, HAL-9000, this movie gets us questioning how far our fear of technology has progressed compared to how much we ourselves have. HAL is the antagonist, while Dave is the protagonist. The shortlived duel between these two leaves HAL-9000 being dismembered at his core by non other than our man, Dave.

The visuals of the film were very nicely done for that time. The colors of the stargate were especially nice. They seem to put the viewer is a sort of trance which personally gave me time to ponder upon what I had been watching (which I was still confused about).

It's easy to see why this sci-fi flick has gone down in history as one of the greatest films of all-time.

Blake Homan

V for Vendetta (2005)

The movie, V for Vendetta is an action-packed thriller about political conspiracies, dictatorship, and making things right, even if you're doing it the wrong way.

 

The main character is V (Hugo Weaving), who is fighting for his country's freedom and for the world to change back like how it was. V meets a girl named Evey (Natalie Portman), who has been personally affected by their corrupt government, and soon becomes V's partner-in-crime. I like how the movie is set up as if it is in the future, yet has all of history's mistakes repeating.

 

I really enjoyed this movie because it shows how our world is impacted by the media, and that we shouldn't take our freedoms for granted.

 

The coloring really set the mood of the whole movie because everything was dark or red, and it was very gloomy, which make the situation feel sad. The only bright colors were when explosions went off, which I thought symbolized freedom, hope, and a new beginning.

 

If you're into politics, action, or Natalie Portman, this is definitely the movie for you!

 

Sarah Shahatto

The Campaign (2012)

The Campaign is a political comedy that seems to have no boundaries. It's a film that will get you laughing really good three or four times with its very dirty, yet funny sense of humor. Nothing is funnier than hearing Will Ferrell say the 'F' word...nothing!

Although I enjoyed the film, I couldn't help but get the feeling of being bored from time to time. It's definitely not a movie that keeps you laughing the whole way through. I still, however, must give credit to the writers for throwing very clever and hilarious lines throughout the film.

Overall, I did enjoy the film and feel like I got my money's worth. Ferrell and Galifianakis worked very well together in The Campaign, and I hope to see them together again someday. If you are a Will Ferrell fan as much as I am, I think it's easy to say this is not his best film. However, I'm sure this will be a movie to add to your collection.

Daniel Fritts

The King's Speech (2010)

The King's Speech is an inspirational drama about a king who has speaking disabilities, and needs to find his voice. I thought this was an amazing movie, and would probably see it a second time.

The movie's main character, King George VI, also called Bertie (Colin Firth), has a stammer which is a big problem when you are the voice of a people. Bertie seeks help from an nontraditional speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Despite Bertie's stubbornness, Logue kept pushing him because he knew he had potential. Logue never gave up on Bertie.

They often say a woman is behind every successful man, and that was exactly how Bertie's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) was. She always encouraged Bertie, and never left his side.

The King's Speech was very inspiring to me because it sends the audience a message that no matter the circumstance, perseverance and determination can accomplish any goal. I liked this movie because the message was so hopeful and touching to me.

This film is for anyone who likes history, happy endings, and inspirational stories.

This drama shows you some of the difficulties of people with speech problems, and how to find your voice because you deserve to be heard.

Sarah Shahatto

The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers did not turn out, for me at least, the way I expected it would. I, by no means, dislike superhero movies, but they're also not my absolute favorite type of movie. In addition, the only origin movies I had seen of the characters in The Avengers were Iron Man 1 and 2. So, when I went into the movie theater to see The Avengers, I expected it to just be a fun way to pass the time with my friends, seeing an entertaining, but not amazing movie.

I was wrong; I loved The Avengers. Even without the backstory that some people had that I didn't, I thought it was an extraordinary movie, and had a great time watching it.

There were tons of great things about The Avengers, and I can't list them all. The action scenes were great, and the fast pace of a lot of the fighting made it even better. I think the special effects in the movie were also very good. Practically every actor or actress did their job very well, and because of all these factors combined, I quickly became lost in the movie and ended up enjoying it much more than I thought I would.

Despite all the great things about The Avengers, I feel this wouldn't be a fair review if I didn't mention the one thing that bothered me throughout the movie: the lack of distribution of power amongst the team. It seemed to me that all the power in the team rested with Thor, the Hulk, and Iron Man, while Captain America, Black Widow, and, of course, Hawkeye, were left lagging behind.

Even with this one flaw, The Avengers was still a great film. There aren't many things I could say to make it better. I think The Avengers is a movie anyone should see, because you never know -- you might go in expecting one thing, and leave with a completely different experience.

Tyler Dewhirst