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emile-isopescu
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Indie Game: The Movie (2012)
Beyond The Pixels And Programming
I consider myself to be a pretty dedicated gamer and have always been fascinated in both the playing and the development of video games. This beautifully shot, fantastically produced documentary has taught me so much about what goes on beyond the pixels and programming.
What I thought was going to be a sort of development diary was actually a very emotionally charged journey through the lives of independent video game developers. The games featured (Super Meat Boy, Fez and Braid) are all games I've played and I feel that I've taken them for granted. I knew video game development was hard, but I never knew the extent to how emotionally attached the developers get to their game. There were times where you fully empathise with the developers and I'd be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear or two.
To complement the wonderful 'indie' style was a beautiful blend of cinematography. Everything was shot perfectly and it made it feel like more of an experience than a run-of-the-mill documentary.
Long story short, watch this documentary. It's inspiring, beautiful and truly shows the emotional impact that games have upon their developers.
Chronicle (2012)
A True Masterpiece
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see this film on the big screen, but after viewing the trailers I was quick to pre-order it on DVD. I cut myself out from the world of Chronicle so as to avoid any spoilers or opinions, leaving me going into this film with a fresh mind, a blank canvas.
If my mind was the canvas, and this film was the artist, then it has just painted a masterpiece. I have seen tons of films, yet this one seems to have left a massive, lasting impression on me. It's an interesting take on the 'found-footage' sub-genre and it's incredible. We first see these seemingly normal high-school boys, one of which is the classic quiet and disturbed teenager who has a bad family life. The way this film deals with his life is perfect and it's entirely believable.
The thing that drew me into this film the most is what they do with their new-found abilities. In reality, if we acquired super-human abilities our first thoughts wouldn't be to help people. We are only human, after all, and thus we would pursue money, fame or popularity. This is especially true for teenage boys who are naturally reckless. The film is soaked in originality and if you're obsessed with super-human films like myself, it will leave your heart racing and your mind so blown it will be splattered all over the floor.
The story isn't exactly unique but it somehow manages to tell that familiar super-human story in a new way. The reason that the main character acquires the camera is natural and it's something that you can imagine someone doing in his position.
To tie it all together in a wonderfully neat package is the visual effects. The effects are fantastic and it all adds to the realism. The flying effects and fight scenes are all fantastically well done and it's worth seeing just for that!
All in all, great film. Whether your into super-human movies or not, go and see it. You will not disappointed.