Movies

Changeling

I deliberately avoided going to the cinema to see “Changeling“. Why? Because, I probably knew too much about it and whatever I didn’t know, I assumed. What I knew was that this film was a drama about missing children, directed by one of the most dramatic directors ever – Clint Eastwood, and starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. While I do appreciate drama, it’s had for me sometimes to take all the sadness in the film, especially when there is a beautiful woman who is sad.

With missing children somewhere in the story, I thought, it was almost guaranteed that Angelina Jolie would be sad for a significant chunk of the screen time. That’s hard to watch on its own. Multiply that by Clint Eastwood’s directing, and add to that John Malkovich, who is a sort of actor that can multiply anything happening on the screen ten-folds, and the result would be something so sad that it would border with depressing. That’s why I was trying to avoid this film a bit. But I knew that I’d watch it anyway. And so I did.

This film is a beautiful piece of art. It is an interesting, slowly unfolding, story. It’s an authentic look back at Los Angeles during 1920-1930’s. It’s an excellent cast, with some really talented actors. And its an excellent directorship.

It is a sad movie, yes. But not as sad as I thought it would be. It is in sad in a very sensible way. Plus, it gives a lot to think about. The film brings topics of family, humanity, social responsibility and bureaucracy.

Overall, highly recommended. My rating: 5 stars.

Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Just came back from the cinema, where Maxim and I watched “Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinasours” – the third film of the series.

While we had good time and enjoyed it, there is nothing much I can say about this part – same good animation, some new characters and some old ones, A light story, a few good morales about family and friendship values. It’s a work of good quality, but without much of a spark to it. Recommended for family selection and kids.

Overall rating – 4 stars, good.

Eagle Eye

I watched “Eagle Eye” recently. I haven’t seen the trailer and the rough plot descriptions that I have seen around were way too vague, so I didn’t really know what to expect of it. Once I saw it, I realized that the plot is indeed difficult to describe without spoiling it for those who haven’t seen it. On the other hand, the covers are open pretty early in the film, so I wouldn’t felt robbed if someone told the truth.

If you don’t want to get any spoilers, stop reading here. Maybe fast-forward to the last paragraph or so. For the rest of you – the film is a bit too far fetched conspiracy of the computer going crazy. It has all the attributes of any other conspiracy film – innocent victims, dictator’s plot for the greater good, lots of secrecy, lots of car chases and shooting, and a few federal agents. The only difference here is that it’s not a human or an organization, but a supercomputer going nuts.

I think we’ve all seen films with computers going crazy. These films had their time and place, except maybe for last one, which can still make it through. I’m talking about the Terminator, of course. Everything else should die off as an IT legacy. Three year old kids these days know how to use a computer. You can find one in absolutely every non-government office which has electricity. Millions of people are connected to the Internet, have very sophisticated mobile phones, and have seen films about insane computers. It’s just not working any more.

And I think that’s about the only thing that was bad in this film – the story. Other than that, it was pretty good. There are quite a few well-known people. There are plenty of special effects. There is enough suspense and drama. And even something to listen to while everything moves, shoots, thinks, and explodes.

My overall rating is 4 stars.

Crank : High Voltage

I got my hands on “Crank : High Voltage” last Saturday. I’ve heard a few good reviews of this movie, so I decided to watch it, even though I haven’t seen the first part “Crank”.

I wasn’t disappointed at all. The film is pure action from start to end, with somewhat bizarre story, which I didn’t mind at all. It contains lots of chasing, fighting, swearing, and even some sex. Excellent cast and directorship were spiced up with plenty of visual effects and good soundtrack.

This is not a serious movie by any measure, but a very enjoyable one if you are into fast cuts, action, and crime on the big screen. My rating: 5 stars.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I just came back from the premier of the “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen“. After seeing the trailers for this film, my expectations were so high, that I was actually worried if the movie is going to be any close to what I wanted it to be. I happy to report that all my expectations were bitten down and torn apart. The real thing was so much better.

Now, I don’t want to spoil it too much for those of you who haven’t seen it, but let me give you this. There is non-stop action from start to end. Everything flies, swims, shoots, explodes, collides, and transforms. There were quite a few things on the scale that I haven’t seen before. Epic!

If I had a hat, it would be off, with all respects to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg. And, of course, everyone else who worked on this film. It was so much worth it!

My rating: 5 stars. Highly recommended, must see.

P.S.: I don’t know why everyone is so turned on about Megan Fox. She’s not bad, but I don’t think she’s worth all the hype. Isabel Lucas (another hot girl in this film) is at least as good. Sometimes even better.