A limited release platform for a film of this scale is usually a very promising sign toward quality, and Mystic River proved that theory well.

Though I’m one of the only people who haven’t raved Tim Robbins’ performance, Mystic River captivated me from the very beginning with the power brought on by the cinematography alone. And while there are a few shady areas throughout its duration, the film has a rather consistent intensity factor that lured me in, making me very curious, with its very effective tone almost having me convinced that it was another filmmaker.

With an ensemble cast, Mystic River delivers very strong performances across the board (but I did feel that Laura Linney was useless until the finale), but most notably with Sean Penn. His role in the film has greater probabilities of getting awards than for 21 Grams, despite that I did like him more in the latter film. I was also not entirely happy with the payoff in Mystic River, but the film ended on a gripping note, making it easy to somewhat dismiss that factor. Eastwood has openly admitted his doubts of ever making as good of a film as this in his remaining career, which is a shame, but at least we were here to witness it.

6. Lost in Translation

When I originally saw Lost in Translation, I felt that the story was a mix of The Graduate and Ghost World in a nutshell, and had considered that as a slight downside (in terms of originality). I liked Bill Murray’s half-comedic and half-dramatic performance, liked Scarlett Johansson’s performance, and really liked Sofia Coppola’s style of direction, but story wise the film didn’t come off as anything too original.

Almost a week before Christmas, I decided to see the film again with a few people who hadn’t seen it, and my perspective had improved over my initial viewing. While Lost in Translation is a blend of the two pictures mentioned above in some of its themes, the details within Coppola’s writing and direction is what makes the picture unique and different.

Originally, I questioned a few plot notes’ purpose in the film, as they had made a minimal effect on me. Observing scenes and the film’s mood in a closer perspective in my second viewing, I discovered the intention of Coppola's storytelling, which I hadn't quite realized partly due to my many film comparisons initially. The elements of the film that I was originally questioning were starting to shape into meaningful and realistic themes.

The cinematography also warped me into the characters’ state of minds, with the music also terrifically matching the film's atmosphere. Though Sofia Coppola’s debut film, The Virgin Suicides, is a little more memorable, Lost in Translation further proves that the filmmaker has a very bright future ahead.