a_aleksan Reviews

Inception (2010)

Good movie but not great

[10/10 · 18 July 2010]

Every once in a while, a movie comes out that you feel will be completely original and great but come out with a stale feeling that it did not live out to its potential.

Inception is a good movie, a large part of it felt like a roller-coaster and the story moved so fast that you had to focus a lot on the what was going on to not get lost. This is something that is usually not bad but mostly because you feel that the ending will answer a lot of questions or may at least leave you with a final thought that will keep you all giddy inside. Unfortunately, Inception does not leave you with that thought, even though the ending presents an unanswered question, its not a question that really needs an answer.

Watching Leonardo DiCaprio act is always a pleasure, he is a great actor and slowly becoming one of my all time favourites. The other main actors are also always great, Gordon-Levitt, Watanabe, Ellen Page, all capable of being lead actors, and have shown they can be before, not to forget Michael Caine who can so easily do a supporting role that I don't even think he needs to read scripts anymore. However, none of their characters are given any room for development, they are all one-dimensional and you don't care about them one bit when the movie ends. The only character who could have died in the movie and would have disturbed me would have been Ellen Page, and that's only because she looks so innocent. Cotillard was good and had more room for development, but, still, not enough. I don't even remember their names in the movie, its to that point.

The plot of the movie presents such a great premise, but, is so poorly developed that it just yields a high-budget heist / redemption movie. With a 5-10 minute introduction to the world and 30 minutes of character development rather than gun-fighting, this movie could have easily been an 8. Yet, to make it a real masterpiece, we would have needed that special ending. That ending that left you with, "OH yes, you got me, you got me good", remember "The Usual Suspects" and the unraveling of the genius, well, we don't get that here.

Now, I still gave it a 7, because the movie kept me interested enough throughout and even as I was noticing the flaws, the next scene would make me forget. Also, the originality of the concept of dreams is pretty fresh and similar ambitions to the matrix, without physics defying stunts, just imaginative architecture. It was indeed very similar to Shutter Island and thus, it was bizarre watching a character further develop in a complete separate movie. So, I was tempted to give it a 6, but, compared to the other disappointments of late, I felt more generous.

Overall, its worth the watch, for the special effects and ambition, but not worth all the praise. Nolan is a good director, but he has lost the ability to wrap up stories well and is incapable of developing more that one character in a film. In the dark knight, only the joker was well developed or given room to grow, in memento, guy pierce was the key focus and in this one, we only feel for Leonardo's character, the others, as good performances as they provided, are not at all given the room to blossom. So, plot 6, performances 6, effects 8, ambition 8 = average of 7

The Dark Knight (2008)

Disappointing, overrated and too long...

[4/10 · 11 August 2008]

First of all, I am very disappointed that this movie currently stands as no.1 of all time on IMDb listing. People, just remember the first time you watched the Matrix, Godfather, Braveheart, any Stanley Kubrick movie, and the list goes on.

I think IMDb should take this matter seriously and reconsider its rating system, because I have been using this website for god knows how long as a reliable way to select movies to watch and compare my taste.

Let me tell you that I actually went to see this movie a second time to really make up my mind.

Now, why such a low rating, why soo serious?? Well, first of all, I am a big fan of Batman and a big fan of Christian Bale, but, unfortunately, I have to say this was his worst acting role. I think the direction or production forgot about the Batman for this movie, there is no darkness in his character, no depth, no inner struggle, I mean Christian Bale himself looks bored. The comments of Alfred on the other hand, as his "adviser" are just useless, a poor performance from another great actor. I don't want to continue criticizing the actors, but it doesn't get any better as I think of the other actors. Heath Ledger may have pulled off a very good performance though, he was very good, but I mean we saw him maybe 30 minutes in the movie, and some parts were too predictable.

OK, so, what makes this movie so disappointing? It is no longer a comic movie and we have to many "real" elements. A vigilante wearing a mask and using his wealth to have amazing gadgets, fighting against a psycho, who's motives we don't even really find out, what made him the way he is: a self proclaimed "agent of chaos". We also have a harvey dent, who has the highest morals and who is incorruptible, or maybe not. The story is too long, the innovative schemes that Batman comes up with to stop the Joker are over the top and simply too unrealistic. In order to achieve making the Joker look super intelligent and a mastermind, all the direction does is make sure the rest of the characters are very stupid. I mean, leaving him uncuffed??? Come on? OK, so, do the action scenes and special effects save the day? NOPE! Remember the chase scene in Ronin? Remember the robbery scene in Heat? Not comparable.

I'm sorry, but everything in this movie is sub par! This is a mediocre high budget flick, with nothing genuine to offer. A cheap ripoff and attempt to reintroduce the story of Batman without any twists. How is it that the movie lasts almost 3 hours if not more, and there is no story development what so ever. Oh wait sorry, by the end of the movie, Batman becomes the bad guy, yeah okay...

I can go on and on but I am just starting to lose my calm. Hollywood, wake up, World wake up, if you think this was a good movie, then, I suggest you watch idiocracy, and maybe you will recognize it as a true vision of the future.

So disappointed.... 4/10 (or maybe I am still being generous)

Bound by Honor (1993)

A great story, from start to end

[9/10 · 20 July 2008]

When I first saw this movie, I was about 13 and with my friends, we used to imitate many lines from this movie, "Vatos locos forever", "Life is a risk carnale", etc. I am not of latino descent, but, I was touched by many parts of the story.

I think many people make the mistake of associating this movie with being latino or that its a stereotype. I find that the real depth of the story is far beyond just that. This is a movie about acceptance, the need to fit in, the struggles of belonging to a minority, prison gangs, pride, family and the way different people get shaped with time and circumstance. When you start this movie, you can not imagine how far it will go and how the different characters evolve and the acting is great, all the actors picked fit perfectly their roles.

There is so much in this movie that I wont go into details, but to briefly explain, the story revolves around three cousins who are all completely different but bound by blood. They all seem to be going on a certain path which becomes radically changed early in the movie when their paths diverge dramatically. Its along these paths that you get a glimpse of society at those times, of hardships, of unfair circumstances and of survival.

This is really a great movie, one of my all time favourites. I have watched it probably more than 10 times and will continue to watch it again and again. Enjoy! 9/10

Felon (2008)

A very accomplished movie

[8/10 · 16 July 2008]

It's really nice to stumble upon good movies when you don't expect it. Nowadays, we are becoming more and more guided by the marketing that goes behind the movies, to realize when we actually go see them that we are often left unsatisfied.

Felon is a movie about a man who is working hard to create a life for himself and his family, he has worked hard to establish his own business and feels as though he is finally ready to start reaping the fruits of his labour. Then, life brings a unexpected twist and he finds himself in prison. From this point on, we see transformations of a man who is forced into a new world where he has no control.

This movie is a great glimpse of the extreme conditions that the American correctional system can create. It also displays very well how people can get corrupted by power. All the actors in this movie shine and portray perfectly their characters. The story is very well told and by the end of the movie, you are left reflecting on how the correctional system has so many flaws and how it drives people to become their worst, both as inmates and as guards. However, the film also shows that even in these circumstances, there are great acts of humanity and compassion.

A very good movie, definitely worth the watch. 8/10.

Harsh Times (2005)

Gripping and thought provoking!

[8/10 · 24 December 2006]

To start off, I have to praise the performances in this movie! Christian Bale once again takes you into the world of his character until you can no longer escape from watching the screen! Every time I watch one of his movies, I first have the highest expectations, and at the beginning I find myself judging his performance and trying to figure out his character and suddenly realize that I am going through a journey of the complete development of a character. Rodriguez also does an excellent job as a person going through his own hardships and trying to figure out what he really wants and being reluctant to conform.

This movie takes you into the lives of two people living in L.A. in not so fortunate neighborhoods. Bale is army vet back from the middle east and with a troubled psyche, he can't sleep properly, he tries to escape from the effects of what he endured but at the same time feels that all he can do now is serve as an officer because he was so efficient in his job and is perhaps an attempt at rebelling to a society to which he can not conform. Meanwhile, Rodriguez, his best friend, is trying to please his girlfriend's expectations and become responsible.

The storyline of the movie is very good and the events depicted are shocking and give you a glimpse of the troubled lifestyle in L.A. slums. However, this is only a setting for the actual focus of the movie, which is the psychological turmoil that the two main characters go through and how amidst all the hardships they go through in their lives, their sanity becomes blurred.

Another key aspect of this movie was the friendship between the characters which both need each other in order to remain sane from their daily problems and become each other's outlets.

Amazing performances, great movie, not easy to swallow but if you wanna dive into someone else's world, this is for you!