Shutter Island

This isn't a masterpiece, and this will not blow you away like The Departed. That being said, this is still clearly the work of someone who knew what he was doing. The movie keeps a continuous aura of "What the hell is going on?" going with surprising finesse, and eventually poses twists and a conclusion that are not only satisfying but redefining. In other words, this is the sort of movie that you could watch a second time and see tons of things you did not not notice before you'd seen the ending. Story-wise, this is a mind bender that ranks among the best.

DiCaprio, while not as good as in The Departed, displays his full talents here. The movie would not have been as good or as powerful with a less capable actor, that is for sure. The cinematography is beautiful, with many memorable shots and artistic composition. The editing is sometimes a bit strange, as Scorsese cuts back and forth between shots of characters in different positions, which is either because of the whole insanity theme, or because he wanted the very best performances. At any rate, this is top-notch technical work.

All in all, while not the best movie we'll see this year, it's nonetheless a really excellent and really crazy movie that will mess with your mind and won't let go even after the credits roll.

In a sentence:

An incredibly mind-bending thriller held up by top-notch cinematography and acting.

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Goodfellas

A lot of people consider this to be one of the greatest movies ever made, and I can kind of understand why they'd think that. Unfortunately, I only thought this movie was above average. The main interest here would be that it's an incredibly in-depth and complete (and super-long) look at the gangster lifestyle, coupled with great acting (I thought Ray Liotta was incredibly annoying, though) and great writing. If that sounds amazing to you, then you will love this movie. I, on the other hand, have never really found gangster movies to be particularly interesting. They're unique and show a facet of humanity that we rarely see, sure... but they don't resonate with me in any way as I can't associate myself with any of it. Basically, I can't get emotionally invested in a movie like this, which turns down my enjoyment level.

Still, it's somewhat fascinating to see how everything evolves over three decades (50s, 60s and 70s, no less) and think that this is heavily influenced by a true story. And I couldn't disagree that this is definitely a great addition to your movie culture.

In a sentence:

Extremely complete, well-acted and well-written, but emotionally non-resonant.

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The Departed

As you've likely heard, this is a fantastic movie. Its complex, constantly changing, interweaving storylines are not only incredibly fascinating to watch, but expertly written and superbly acted. This is intelligent storytelling, one that doesn't give all the answers to you, instead telling you just enough to let you figure it out for yourself. Basically, it's an incredibly cool movie. I could go on about the astounding cinematic talent on display here, the career-defining acting and so on, but I think you get the idea that this is the work of a master just by knowing it's a Scorsese piece.

Only one thing that bugged me: a few times in the first half of the movie, the sound editor toys with the music, sometimes reducing its volume suddenly and sometimes just cutting it off without warning as a character speaks. While I've seen both effects used effectively before, in this case it felt really off to me. That's pretty much it, though.

If films mean anything to you, then you have to watch this classic.

In a sentence:

The storytelling, writing and acting are prodigal, which makes this film's Best Picture Academy Award well deserved.

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Thank You For Smoking

What's really original about this movie is that it's a lighthearted and happy take on lobbying and the tobacco industry. Both sides are represented very fairly with surprisingly sharp arguments, and watching the main character talk and spin the facts is remarkably intriguing. The story keeps up the pace and never loses steam thanks to the fantastic writing and the generally great acting, but it leads to what some may consider a somewhat disappointing conclusion (though a great final act).

I highly suggest watching this for the perspective on argumentation and "spin", if nothing else.

In a sentence:

A fantastic take on lobbying and argumentation supported by great writing and pacing, and a surprisingly lighthearted and happy tone.

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Lost In Translation

Wow, I think this... well... it's... this is basically a perfect movie. I don't mean that in the sense that everyone will like it, or that it's necessarily better than any other movie; rather, I mean that for what it sets out to do, there is nothing that could conceivably have been improved. And that's a lot of italics.

First off and most noticeable is the stunning cinematography of modern Tokyo. Every shot is a work of art, somehow getting the framing, focus, depth of field, colour, lighting and panning absolutely perfect every time. Coupled with that is the sound that manages to flawlessly toy with silence and foley in order to support the calm, relaxed feel of the movie.

Then, the acting. Frankly, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannsen should have each won an Oscar for their respective roles. Every note is touched with perfect finesse, somehow keeping you completely entranced and fascinated by their every move, expression, facial twitch and meaningful gaze; their performances are the very definition of believable. I found it absolutely breathtaking, which is something I rarely say about acting.

Finally, the weight of the film lies in its story and script. I do not know how they did it; the relationship and the emotions it conjures are built up in the most natural and masterful way possible, somehow incorporating genuinely funny parts into the whole thing. The build up was so perfect and so unparalleled for me that I started worrying about how the movie would end. Answer: pure genius, and the best ending to a drama movie that I can remember seeing.

I'm still blown away by this film. Do not allow yourself to miss it, although be prepared for a calm and slow brand of masterpiece.

In a sentence:

Perfect acting, writing, cinematography... and everything, really. It won't work as well for everyone, but you cannot allow yourself to miss this on the off chance that it does.

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Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis

I don't see many French movies, but the ones I do end up seeing are usually critically acclaimed ones such as this one. In this case, I think it's well-deserved, as it's one of those comedies that couples cunning and intelligent humour with deep and heartfelt emotion. The humour itself never lets up, possibly even becoming better near the end of the movie (a rare feat), yet always staying relevant to the story and well-acted. It's most definitely worth watching and is a great little movie.

In a sentence:

Smart, funny, heartfelt and supported by solid acting and production values.

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The Men Who Stare At Goats

When a 90 minute movie bores you, you know you've got a problem. I really thought this would be one of those cunning movies with a clever ending and tongue-in-cheek humour. And that seems to be what the creators were going for, but it seems like they were on drugs the whole time. Nothing makes sense, nothing is explained in a way that works, everything is weird, the story goes nowhere.... but the acting is excellent and rather funny. Really, though, this film is a total waste of time.

In a sentence:

A confused mess of a film with some awesome acting.

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The Informant!

I didn't really get this movie. It's supposed to be a black comedy, so I expected something like Burn After Reading, World's Greatest dad or Death at a Funeral... boy, was I wrong. I never actually found anything to be funny (except maybe the strangely happy music during scenes that weren't technically happy at all), so I had to take this in as just a very strange drama. It's very complicated and moves along at a brisk pace, so I had to check Wikipedia afterwards to make sure I understood everything. White collar terminology is used without restraint, and nothing is spelled out clearly enough to understand without paying complete attention. It's the sort of movie where missing the wrong word will make the following few minutes appear completely devoid of sense.

However, Matt Damon 's acting is quite enjoyable, and the story this is based on is surprisingly interesting. So, even though the movie feels a bit long, it manages to keep your interest and display some interesting ethical conflicts and situations along the way. It just never really seems to know what it's doing.

In a sentence:

Unfunny, convoluted and difficult to understand, but displays some interesting acting, situations and morality conflicts.

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Mass Effect 2

The first Mass Effect was a bittersweet affair: coupled with the fantastic story, writing, action, graphics and world were terrible texture popup problems, tedious and repetitive side missions, tons of micro-management and some interface issues. That didn't stop it from being one of the best games ever created back when it came out, but it still kind of hurt my overall enjoyment of it.

Now we have this game, which by not only fixing these issues but also improving everything else has easily earned itself a slot in my top 5 games of all time list. Popup is completely gone and lighting is drastically improved, side missions are all unique and fun, micro-management is reduced to the essentials and the UI is streamlined very effectively. Combat is much improved and more visceral thanks in no small part to the superior control scheme, and also makes a more frequent appearance. Conversations now have new options to interrupt NPCs and are generally better written and more interesting to listen to. Voice acting is phenomenal. The story is captivating, perfectly structured and full of twists. Characters are each more interesting and fleshed out than the next. Need I go on?

There is one small flaw to the game: the resource mining mini-game. The problem lies in it being more like a slow and tedious mini-job than a mini-game. It's never as bad as the Mako missions from the first game, but it's something to be improved upon in ME3: make it fun, damn it!

When you consider that I spent a total of 38 hours (a personal record) playing this without ever getting bored, and that I've even started a second play-through within the same week, I guess there's no real trouble in saying that this is one of the top 5 games of all time. It is probably the single most incredible achievement in video game narratives that I've seen, and is without a doubt a must-play.

In a sentence:

An incredibly vast array of fantastically written and captivating story possibilities supported by a sturdy and fun combat system and jaw-dropping graphics. Without a doubt the most narratively fascinating and complete game ever created.

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Featured Review

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Shutter Island

Goodfellas

The Departed

Thank You For Smoking

Lost In Translation

Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis

The Men Who Stare At Goats

The Informant!

Mass Effect 2

Eric's Reviews

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