Her (2013) - ★★★★★

Director: Spike Jonze
Writer: Spike Jonze
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde

Her is such a unique, magnificent film. I can't even begin to describe how much I adored this movie. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it even made me flail my arms with sheer joy! I loved this movie so much, that it has already made it onto my Top 50 Favourite Movies of All Time list. Spike Jonze crafted 'Her' in such an exquisitely beautiful way. From the gorgeous cinematography, to the outstanding score, to the beautiful performances, to the touching relationship between man and computer. I haven't felt this elated, or enthusiastic about a newly released film since the magical Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) came out. 'Her' had everything I love in a movie, and so much more. By far the Best Picture of the year!

Don Jon (2013) - ★★½

Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Writer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Brie Larson, Glenne Headley, Rob Brown

Watching Don Jon is like watching a more enlightened episode of Jersey Shore. It goes as deep as to say what Jon likes to do, and show us what he does in his private life, but it never delves more than skin-deep. It isn’t boring, but it isn’t entertaining either. Let’s just say that Don is not my kind of person, and his story is about as interesting as an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s. It’s good in the way that it shows what many young-adults are like, through highlighting this generations ever growing obsession with clubs, one-night-stands, and perfect self-image. It’s bad in the way that it never breaks character, making it a repetitive story that shows little depth. I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but Don Jon is a movie that didn’t need to happen.

Ghost World (2001) - ★★★★

Director: Terry Zwigoff
Writers: Daniel Clowes (Comic Book), Terry Zwigoff
Stars: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas, Bob Balaban, Stacey Travis

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Ghost World. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, it boasts some pretty wicked dialogue and a distinct late-1990s flare. The performances are fantastic, the cinematography is effective, and the score by David Kitay accompanies the scenes beautifully. I found it so hard to like the protagonist, who at first is one of the snobbiest bitches I've ever seen on film. As the story and characters start developing, everything becomes so much more entertaining and interesting. An unorthodox friendship, and a gripping look at the human condition of two major characters, made me enjoy Ghost World immensely. It's a film with edge, a spark that you just don't see in cinema anymore. I can't put my finger on it, but the whole experience was just one big nostalgia trip. I loved it.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - ★½

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Chris Messina, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy

This movie really bugged me. There were so many things that frustrated me about Vicky Cristina Barcelona that I don't know where to start.

The Prestige (2006) - ★★★

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Jonathan and Christopher Nolan (Screenplay), Christopher Priest (Novel)
Stars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, David Bowie

Ah, what could've been. This is one of the highest rated movies of all time and I suspect it is because of the multiple twists. Unfortunately, I guessed the ending less than an hour into the movie. I knew what was going to happen before it happened, therefore nothing surprised me. I think this is an overrated movie, but I can understand why people would be amazed by it.

The Avengers (2012) - ★★★

Director: Joss Whedon
Writers: Zak Penn, Joss Whedon
Stars: Robert Downey Jr. Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner

The Avengers didn't live up to its hype. I expected to see a visually amazing, funny and thrilling action-packed movie, which is what I got. For me, the problem with the film was that it wasn't as fun or exciting as I had hoped it would be.

It was boring in parts, which I wasn't expecting whatsoever. However, much of the comic relief was given by Ironman Robert Downey Jr. He was pretty funny throughout the film and without him I wouldn't have been entertained much beyond the visual effects and action. Chris Evans was also pretty entertaining as Captain America. I was surprised at the how much I liked his character, considering he can't do much more than the other Avengers. Chris Hemsworth as Thor surprisingly became my favorite of all the Avengers, because he exuded the most power and always lit up the screen with his scenes. Mark Ruffalo was pretty awesome as The Hulk, but he didn't really get as much screen time as the others which was disappointing. In my opinion, his story is more interesting than Captain America's and Ironman's combined. Scarlett Johansson really shined as Black Widow, who surprisingly was just as thrilling and entertaining to watch as the others. She outclassed all the others with her screen presence, which is certainly not an easy feat to accomplish. Jeremy Renner played Hawkeye, who came across as relatively useless and weak. His character felt unnecessary, but I suppose his story coincides with Black Widow's and will perhaps become a separate movie one day. Tom Hiddlestone played Loki in what I consider to be one of the most fragile and pathetic excuses for a movie villain I've ever seen in a hero movie. Everything about him exuded weakness, which didn't add much to the film except that I wanted him to disappear. For the life of me, I will never understand why people think he plays a fantastic villain.

This movie achieves what it sets out to. It WOWS people and it stays true to the heroes origins. It just isn't that great of a movie. Its funny, but not that funny. Its action-packed, but not very original. There are great characters, and many not-so-great characters. The story is standard and nothing special. The Avengers is an entertaining film, but not a very effective or memorable one.

Lost In Translation (2003) - ★★★★★

Director: Sofia Coppola

Writer: Sofia Coppola
Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris

Lost In Translation, is a film centered around a middle aged man that has a sense of emptiness on the inside and a newlywed that is growing apart from her husband as a result of neglect. This is a great film because of the way it presents the characters as just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl. When they discover each other in Japan and start hanging out, they bring purpose to each others lives and make life seem not so bad. It's one of the most heart-warming, hilarious and realistic comedies I've ever seen.