The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

In this spine tingling thriller directed by Juan Antonio Bayona you see a story involing the bond between a mother and a son, a son and his imaginary friends, and  woman and her forgotten past. Set in Mexico, a woman named Laura, played by Belen Rueda and her husband played by Fernando Cayon move back into the orphanage when Laura grew up. In it she had 5 very good friends and their keeper, Benigna. When Benignas deformed son thomas is killed on accident by the other orphans, she in return, murders them. Luckily Laura got adopted before her friends early demise. But that didnt stop her being reminded of what happened every single day she was back in the orphage. Her son Simon played by Roger Princep has a personal connection with the dead children that only he understands. Simon desires to share his connection with his mother but of course since she is an adult she pays it no mind. But when Simon vanishes one day and stays missing for over a year, Laura must uncover the message that was trying to be revealed to her the entire time. This is an excellent movie that I would recommend for mature audiences. It is one of those films that will leave you guessing and has surprising twists that will leave you with several different emotions after you are done viewing. On a scale of 1-10 I would easily give this film a 9 and tell everyone I know who enjoys a good thriller movie to watch this one.

Rating System (Acting) 1-10

1) Imitation of Life
2) Sin Nombre
2) Miracle at St. Anna
3) The Pianist
4) Schindlers List
5) The English Patient
6) The Blind Side
7) Valdez is Coming
8) Pulp Fiction
9)Psycho
10) The Dark Knight

The Usual Suspects

In The Usual Suspects directed by Bryan Singer, released in 1995, Kevin Spacey portrays a timid disabled man named Verbal Kint with a hidden agenda that will shock the viewer with immense disbelief. Filled with some of the most critically ecclaimed men in hollywood like Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro and Chazz Palminteri this 106 minute film neoir will attract the common "who dun it" lover, or even the person who enjoys a good action movie with a twist.

The acting done by the actors is superb in my opinion. If you examine any other Kevin Spacey movies you can tell that he does a very precise job at staying in charcter in such a way that each time he shows up in a film you wouldnt connect him to another role he played in a different movie. Kevin Spacey pulls the ultimate illusion of the victim in the movie that will leave the watcher guessing. My favorite quote from the movie would be by of course Kevin Spacey towards the end when he says "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that, poof. He's gone." The irony behind it gives the plot a kind of cynical but amusing spark to it.

On a scale of 1-10 I would give this movie a 9. My rating system is based on acting and how well i am convinced of a storyline. The acting is not only excellent in my opinion, but the storyline fits perfectly. Not one detail is left with you questioning the entire movie by the time it is long over. The Usual Suspects is by far my favorite movie that I have watched in my film literature class and for good reason. Although this movie is not for all audiences, I would recommend it to any mature action movie lover.