X-Men: First Class

While it was definitely a lot better than X3 and while it had its moments, I felt that ultimately this wasn't much more than a collection of cheesy and overly serious elements filtered through some excellent acting from McAvoy and Fassbender. It does an admirable job of putting all the pieces together to form the origin stories of the main characters, but it fails completely at coming up with any worthwhile secondary mutants. The revisionist history and setting are cool, but never feel real. And god, is it ever so cheesy.

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Super 8

As great as it was seeing a good old classic 80s-style monster movie, I still felt this movie ultimately went nowhere and did nothing particularly new. The entire movie builds up to the reveal of what was in that train, but nothing ever really happens, and there is basically no concluding act, it just ends. The "kids filming a movie" element is awesome, but it doesn't affect anything, and the action is well-made and loud, but you've seen it all before. I feel really bad criticizing this movie, because for once this wasn't a reboot or a remake, and because I love sci-fi and monster movies like this... but you're going to have to do more than mash up a bunch of clichés to revive the genre.

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The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Most games approach the concept of decision taking by giving you a clear choice of good and evil: either saving the planet or eating babies. The Witcher 2 is the only game that has ever presented me with a choice where I genuinely did not know what to do, and to do this continually throughout the entire game. Shades of grey in morality mean that you often have to weigh the pros and cons of every decision: do I join the murdering terrorists that fight for equality, or the civilized but racist task force that fight to stop the killings? But there is another element which is also found in no other games: your decisions trickle down. If I save the hostages instead of chasing the bad guy, maybe he'll show up 5 hours later and complicate my quest... but if I kill the bad guy, maybe my friends will stop helping me. Decisions have real, game-changing consequences - in fact, there are two completely separate locations and storylines for Act 2 which depend on a single decision you make in Act 1. I've had discussions with other people that finished the games, and realized that we literally did not play the same storyline.

Most of this was also present in The Witcher 1, however, albeit in a somewhat shallower and less detailed sense. What the second installment brings here is what makes the huge difference: playability. Graphics are now incredible and lush, the UI is beautiful and well designed, the fighting is varied and exciting, and the writing is excellent. None of these were present in The Witcher 1.

However, there is the nagging problem of the difficulty curve. The game starts out extremely hard, forcing you to lay traps, use bombs and spells, dodge attacks and position your sword swings correctly. But as you level up, this gets gradually easier and easier until you reach the level where using a few spells and being smart with your swordplay is usually enough. It makes you feel more and more powerful, but it doesn't match the constantly upping-of-the-scales in the storyline which should have made for more difficult battles. It's not a huge deal, but it's poor design.

Then comes the biggest problem with the game: the boss fights. There are two, and they are both completely and utter trash. They make sense in the story, but they are essentially just an enemy that is MASSIVELY harder to kill and to fight than anything else in the game - I tried all I could and used every technique in the book, but eventually I bumped down to easy, as I could not even get halfway across their health bar before dying. The game simply doesn't prepare you for this at all, and the incredible frustration hurt my enjoyment of the game.

An imperfect masterpiece, then, but a must-play.

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Gone With The Wind

Well I can see why this is the biggest-selling movie of all time (by a large margin): in 1939, this must have been a hell of an event - a phenomenon, even. I couldn't believe that even 72 years later, some of the images were so stunningly beautifully crafted that they actually took my breath away.

However, I can't really say the same for the story. While the first half (pre-intermission) stays quite interesting throughout by interweaving the romance through the Civil War storylines, the second half quickly descends into Soap Opera whining by putting the love rectangle (?) at the forefront. The film's inhumanely long 4-hour running time doesn't help, although it is successful in making the movie feel like a sprawling epic.

Even worse is how completely moronic and detestable the main character is. The whole movie's story somewhat maddeningly hinges on her emotional stupidity; her love for the weak, bland, married Ashley. The whole last hour is in fact devoted to a back-and-forth caused entirely by her sentimental incompetence. As a result, the second half quickly loses steam, only to be saved by the glorious "Frankly, my dear..." line at the very end. It very much feels like filler.

So then, while it is undeniably a cinematic classic when seen in context, it's only really worth it for the excellent first half - anything beyond that and you're only really in it to be able to say "I've seen Gone With The Wind!"

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The Godfather: Part I

I tried twice before to watch this movie, but always ended up stopping somewhere around 3/4 of the way through. This time I went in with the right mindset, and instead of expecting a fast modern action movie, I knew this would be a slow, nuanced, character-centric piece. Indeed, without the element of shock - once pioneering but now comparatively mellow - this movie loses a lot of the punch it originally had, resting instead on the strength of its script, cinematography and performances.

That being said, it's only once I'd seen the whole thing and given it time to sink in that it really became clear that this is a heck of an epic tale. It isn't quick entertainment, it's a trip through the life and the world of the Godfather. There's just something about the movie that feels extremely nostalgic after seeing it.

I could go on about how excellent the performances are or how well-crafted the whole thing is, but that all goes without saying. What makes this truly special is how it goes beyond that to create a story that just stays with you, if only you give it the patience it deserves.

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Casablanca

They just don't make em' like this anymore. I dare say that after seeing this, I don't think I'll ever be able to like a Romance this much ever again. The real strength here is the brilliant script, full of wit, surprises, humour and most of all intelligence. The acting is also top-notch, Humphrey Bogart pulling off the smooth 40's style perfectly (then again, he's probably the one that defined that style). The cinematography and lighting, while not as unique as the likes of Citizen Kane, are nonetheless extremely atmospheric and hard to improve upon. Of course, it has its fair share of somewhat cheesy moments, but for once I can honestly say that the movie is better because of it.

This is, as you can imagine, essential viewing. Especially you Twilight fans.

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Citizen Kane

With all the talk of this being the greatest movie ever made, I was expecting to be blown away by complex plots, brilliant acting, powerful symbolism and great cinematography. Turns out I mainly only got the last two, as the first two were only true in the context of the era the movie was made in.

By today's standards, the basic narrative is actually quite simple; the life of a man who grows out of his idealism and into his riches. The nonlinear storytelling, while ahead of its time back in 1941, feels completely standard today. The subject matter of politics, journalism, ideals and money are definitely welcome, however, as "intellectual" movies of this type aren't often seen these days. Acting-wise, Welles as Kane has moments of brilliance, but the rest of the cast fall fairly flat for a modern audience - it's always either over the top or under it.

Still, it's obvious why movie buffs love this movie so: one could spend years digging through the symbolism, the layers of mystery and the calculated cinematography. What were then genius technological innovations allow for shots that were completely unique, often making use of both foreground and background to great effect. Lighting also beautifully sets the tone of every scene, showing just how much of an art it can truly be.

So in essence, this is not a movie made to blow you away, but a movie that beckons to be understood, a movie that teases you to analyze every frame to find a meaning. Is there a point to all of this, an answer to the mystery? Maybe not. But then, does that even matter?

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Megamind

Surprisingly original and daring as far as story is concerned, as it features some superhero-based story elements that I'd never seen before. Action is also handled quite well with some imaginative large-scale set pieces, and the jokes very rarely fall flat. Definitely worth watching, especially if you like superheroes.

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X-Men: First Class

Super 8

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Gone With The Wind

The Godfather: Part I

Casablanca

Citizen Kane

Megamind

Eric's Reviews

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