Ellen Page

It’s been a while since I wrote a movie review. This is mostly because with all the crappy films that came out recently, I lost my inspiration for a bit. I’m glad to report that my inspiration is back on track. How could it not be, with the film like “Inception“, which I went to see in the movies on Saturday night?

We, the non-14-years-old audience, were waiting for this or similar movie for a really long time now. It’s everything you want from a movie and more – it’s smart, it’s engaging, it’s entertaining, it’s thought-provoking, it’s pleasant to look at, and it gives you something to talk about for days after. I’ve heard plenty of positive reviews of this movie. And I’m sure I haven’t heard even a tiny bit of them – currently the film is #3 in IMDB’s Top 250 films of all times.

For me personally, the movie was quite a surprise. It is similar in different details to so many other movies, yet it is unique, standing on its own, and way better than most. While a lot of people, of course me included, enjoyed the twisted story, I was mostly taken away by the visuals. The combination of great visual effects and outstanding photography are break-taking. It is on par with the bullet-time photography of “The Matrix”, adjusted for a years that pasted. In particular – two scenes that were jaw-dropping: bending of the city, which is partially seen on the poster, and the fight in the hotel corridor. During these two scenes I almost totally forgot what the movie was about – it looked so great, that I had a huge “Wow!” sign occupying all space inside my head.

I’ll say even more. Do you remember when the “Avatar” movie came out? It was great, wasn’t it? But you had to use the 3D glasses which were annoying, and you sorta had to see the movie, because there was so much hype about it. These two things for me were a bit offsetting. I was expected it to be great. I had to force myself to wear the glasses. “Inception” on the other hand was totally unexpected, and it came in 2D (thank you whoever made that decision). I went to see a twisted story with Leonardo DiCaprio, and I what I got out of it was so much more.

Anyways, I can talk about this movie for hours. But I’d rather do it with people who saw it. So, don’t miss out your chance – movies of this superb quality don’t come out that often. Do yourself a favor and see it in the cinema. It pretty much requires the big screen. It’s so good that I’ll probably go see it again, and end up buying a DVD or something.

Absolutely a 5 out of 5. Highly recommended.

Just watched “An American Crime“. It is a very powerful drama about a famous case of child mistreat and murder in the US back in 1960’s. I haven’t heard about this film until I actually got my hands on it, and once I checked the plot summary on IMDB, I wasn’t in a hurry to watch it. Such films are usually either too detailed on the horror or too dramatic and emotional. Either way, that was promising to be hard. And for that I need a special mood.

I think it took me more than two weeks to prepare. And to run out of other options. So today I finally watched it. And I am now really glad that I did.

While the film is truly sad and dramatic, it does not speculate on the feelings. Instead, it tries to explain what happened from a few points of view. It does not excuse the horrible behavior, but it provides enough insight on why and how the horrible thing happened. And it does so without taking focus away from the victim of the crime.

Technically, the film is quite engaging as well. It creates an authentic feeling of the time and sets the whole atmosphere slowly, detail by detail. Also, children should be mentioned separately. They are what puts this film above many others. Most of the main characters in the film are children – from very young to teenagers. All of them have quite a serious part to play – no joking or kidding around. And all of them do it nicely. The serious attitude of these children towards the movie is passed on into the film and towards the audience. Very well done.

Overall rating – 4 stars. A must see.