Reviews

Citizenfour

It’s been a long while (almost two years in fact), since I posted a movie review. It’s not that I haven’t seen any good movies in this period, but more of the fact that I tend to sound repetitive when I write these. Watch that, this one is awesome, etc.

Last night I’ve watched “Citizenfour“, and I have to say I’m shaken by that documentary. And I’m not a privacy or security freak, and I was somewhat familiar with Edward Snowden’s story. This film, while portraying his personality, is not so much about him, as it is about the state of affairs.

As a non-US citizen, I have very little interest in what the US government is doing. I don’t particularly care if someone is recording my Internet traffic, Google searches, or the phone calls I make. I’m not worried about ending up “on the list”, or anything like that.

But not everyone is like that. I do understand how government surveillance can be used, how data can be analyzed, and how pressure can be applied. And I do share the point of view that the balance of power between the government and the people is way off (and not only in the US), and that we are beyond the point of any meaningful individual resistance. It’s just that I don’t do anything about it, and Edward Snowden did.

For me personally, quite a few things were new in this film. It was interesting to learn about the variety of NSA and CIA programs, the depth of their rich, and the technology that is in place already. Some of it does sound like science fiction future, but is in fact very possible. The stuff about security access in the NSA, drone video feeds, data gathering, analysis and search, with real time notifications, etc – all that was insightful.

The other side to the movie that I found interesting was the whole process that was used to expose these documents. There is in fact no framework as to how such things can be done, what should and shouldn’t be published, how things can be verified, etc. The move to remove his own bias and pass on the responsibility onto the journalists was interesting.

Overall, I think that the more people see this movie, the better. The issues raised are very important and we should know about them. It doesn’t only affect criminals or terrorists or Americans. It affects everyone. In particular everyone who has a phone, or a computer with an Internet connection, or a credit card. After all, there are 1,200,000 people on the US watch lists, and from what I understand, this list is growing fast.

In the loop

It’s been a really long time since I saw a comedy which was funny in a smart way. Yesterday however I had excellent time watching “In the loop“. It’s political, satirical and smart. No toilet humor, no teenage sex humor. It’s modern, yet it stays away from references that won’t be understood ten years down the road. There are a few familiar faces in the cast, but not too much. And, there is plenty of awesome English swearing, which, though, can be understood.

Overall, 5 out of 5. Highly recommended, unless swearing upsets you.

Shooter

Being a big fan of anything that involves snipers – movies, video games, books, etc – I am surprised that I haven’t heard anything at all about “Shooter“. It is one of those niche things that is done for the fans only.

The story is not particularly thick or twisted. On the contrary, it’s quite straightforward and predictable. But that didn’t spoil the film too much. It was shot nicely, with some really nice photography. And the casting was excellent – Mark Wahlberg, Danny Glover, Rade Serbedzija, Rhona Mitra, and the rest did their job very well.

Overall, there is not much too say more. If you are a fan of snipers, this movie is a must see. If not, then I don’t know – it’s a nice action movie based on a rather weak story. 4 out of 5.

Beneath Hill 60

I don’t remember how I came across “Beneath Hill 60“, but it was in my watch queue for quite a while. Yesterday I finally decided to watch it, and now I’m glad I did. One of the first things that stands out is that it’s not an American movie (it’s Australian). Even though the main language is English, the story telling, camera angles, special effects, and intensity are all approached differently.

The film tells the story of the Battle of Hill 60 from the First World War. I haven’t heard anything about the battle before watching the film, and I’ve never thought of the role miners played at war. In fact, I wasn’t aware they were ever used for military operations, even though not that I think about it – it makes all the sense.

This movie is not a major blockbuster by any means. But it has a story to tell and it has a soul. It feels like it was important to people who were making it. And so, even if you aren’t that much into war movies, it will still be worth your time.

Overall ranking, a 4 out of 5. Well done.

Transformers : Dark of the Moon

Yesterday, I went to see “Transformers : Dark of the Moon“. I’m not a big fan of 3D, but my wife convinced me that that’s the only right way to watch this movie, so I agreed. And I’m glad I did so.

If you like 3D movies, or transforming robots, or action movies, or any of the previous Transformers’ films, or Michael Bay work in general, you absolutely must see this film. And do so in 3D – even for those who don’t like 3D, it is an excellent experience.

As for the film, Michael Bay broke the measuring ruler once again. He is off the scale. The film is bigger, larger, and more than any other film I can think off. It has everything previous Transformers had, and more. And of the things that previous Transformers had, it has more. More robots, more fights, more shooting and explosions. More space travel. More special effects. More 3D. More, more, more. It has so much of everything that I would walk away happy half time into the film. But when the whole thing was over I really was amazed as to how much went into it.

On top of that, both of the items that somewhat annoyed me in the previous Transformers movies were corrected in this part. First was Megan Fox. I don’t know why everybody is so fond of her. I don’t find her beautiful, or smart, or a particular good actress. She’s out and Rosie Huntington-Whitley is in. She wouldn’t be my first choice for the role, but she is definitely an improvement on Megan Fox. Secondly, in previous Transformers, robot transformations and robot fights were too fast. There are too many details to notice them all and they were often done and off the screen before my curiosity was satisfied. In this part, there are more details, more fights, and more transformations. Also, there are a few excellent slow-downs – important moments are slowed down to a crawl with a few humorous touches added.

Actually, I have to mention humor separately. This part is not as serious as the previous ones. There are plenty of funny scenes, situations, and jokes all over the film. I couple of times I was even laughing out loud, which is a rare occasion.

Overall, I think the film provides all the entertainment you could put into a movie and more. It pushes the boundaries of sci-fi cinematography and visual effects. And for that I will of course give it a 5 out of 5.