Lies Inc.

I'm not used to give opinions here... But, as a certain Helen Marnie said on the director's message board, this is a highly intriguing film. I give a six for this particular reason. I am still wondering few things on how this film has been produced, what was the hidden message, what all this really meant... A very, very weird film. Some really negative points are coexisting with positive things, in a very special way, so that you never know if it's good or bad. Inventive, that's for sure. A male action science-fiction flick, surely not! I would say that this is a girl film. A psychotic-psychedelic-low-budget-female-science-fiction film! Does this genre exist? Mmmmh... I've been looking for info, nothing, not even a word of the director, Cesar Ducasse. Same thing with the Aphex Twin music video this director made: never heard of it before, intriguing, and extremely disturbing!! Well maybe it's better that way. Keep things blurred is probably the best thing to do with this kind of stuff. Maybe an explanation will come later. Summary: Not good. Not bad. WEIRD.

6/10

I was not expecting much from this small Scandinavian Sci-fi, but I have to say that I've been quiet surprised. Dealing with classical Sci-fi ideas, and mainly inspired by Philip K. Dick universe, the plot is clever and unpredictable, and the critic of today's politic is well made. Most of all, the universe of the film is strange and cold, as if "Blade Runner" met "Dark City". Of course it is obvious that this was a low budget film, but I would say that it actually helps. Having constantly this underground feeling, this freedom of telling: it is not very often that you will see that in today's blockbusters, sadly. More film like those should be released, it's fresh and unpretentious, and make you think in a certain way about things surrounding us. The end of the film remind me a lot about the way I felt after having seen "Ghost in the Shell" or "Lost Highway"... lost and thoughtful! It is a quiet controversial film, but if you're looking for something new with an open mind, you will surely like it.

Some words to describe the vision of this strange feature: dark, depressing, colorful, short but tensed, sometimes cheap but never boring, complicated but understandable, funny, cyberpunk, electronic, alternative, underground, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes impressive... A lot of contradictory feelings, but this is what makes it interesting. Some will hate it, some other will love it. One thing is certain though: if you want to be 100% entertained and you don't want to think for a second, see "National Treasure", but stay away from this film!!

But I must say, although the universe described in the film is very imaginative, what I really enjoyed is the universe of the DVD itself: an interactive soundtrack, an exclusive Aphex Twin music video and a hilarious short film ("Milkman" and "Cryo", both made by the same director as the film), which represent a perfect continuity of the feature. If I had to see "Lies inc" on theater without all these "add on", I would probably have given a 6... Check it out without expecting too much: it's fresh and cool-

In short, the only good thing about this movie was the semi-decent storyline. And that wasn't good enough to save the movie, as the realization just sucked monkeydoodles.

Why you shouldn't see this movie: 1. The cast OMFGLOL, where did they get these guys? Overacting, acting out-of-role, being altogether boring and untalented... Taking a couple of acting classes wouldn't do harm.

2. The stage/scene/setting design Having computers made in 1990 as "high-tech equipment" is not cool. The lighting was bad. Everything was bad. In retrospect, I wonder if they even had a qualified scene/set designer at all?

3. Direction & camera work Uninspiring, unoriginal and made me feel like I was watching a production that was made for class by a first year student in college.

4. Visual effects First of all, we need to have a short dictionary, "Advertizing" - "Real world languages": "Awesome effects!" translates to... "Awful effects." "Shocking effects!" translates to... "Shocking, in a bad way." "An ingenious scifi thriller!" translates to... "God kills a kitten every time someone lies to make a bad movie sound good... And there are a lot of dead kittens." The effects were just bad. Ugly. Low-quality. A pack of chimpanzees with sticks, stones and a computer would do better. 'Nuff said.

Why you should see this movie? 1. The storyline Well, it's okay... If a more talented team would have done better justice to it.

There's obviously two categories of people: Those who hate this film for they can't stand watching something not formated for their brain, and those who enjoyed it because they like to see something quiet new that doesn't necessary follow the rules of American blockbusters (and eventually spit on it). I would say this film is far from being flawless, but for many reason, I did appreciate it. OK the accent of the actors is quiet Nordic indeed, yet it does not deteriorate the originality of the whole project, far from it. And tell me, when was the last time you have seen a Norwegian Sci-fi that criticize so hardly American government?? Be open minded and give it a try, you will not regret it.

I heard here and there that the director was 24 when he made this... Well done, I'm 27 and I'm still a student!!!