POMO

As artistically conceived darkness, The Alphabet is a perfect bedtime story for your kids if you want them to have a lifelong fear of the alphabet and anything associated with it.

The Amputee is an extremely piercing, sadomasochistic experience. At least for those who manage to watch it until the end. It’s so simple – to the point of being primitive – and yet so impressive! Brrr!

Crash is an extraordinarily bizarre, psychologically complicated and sexually avant-garde ode to the seductive aspects of the voluntary and, at the same time, inevitable self-destruction of the physical shell of an aggrieved generation living in a cold, depersonalized world. Art in Cronenbergian garb that you won’t be able to tear your eyes away from for even a second and which will eventually lead you into a state of ecstatic depression and sorrow. Beautiful.

Rabbit Proof Fence is a slow and not very imaginative film in terms of directing – only the lively camerawork makes it visually distinctive – but it is very pleasant in terms of its subject and surprising in the context of Phillip Noyce’s filmography. Even though it may be political propaganda, it is also a story about the importance of family ties and the presence of a supportive domestic environment. And with an excellent performance by the young lead actress.

A very distinctive allegory of the psychological deformation and gradual destruction of a man affected by the sight of the greatest taboo. Videodrome could have been filmed in dozens of different ways. David Cronenberg chose the one that suits him best – bloody, repulsive, physically literal. Whether you accept his directorial language or not, there is one thing that you cannot deny – this film is stimulating, mysterious and maximally unpredictable, though it’s still not as captivating as his best works.

Either I just wasn’t in the right mood for it or or What Dreams May Come is the most visually kitschy and substantively pseudo-emotional “epic” film I have ever seen.

Killer’s Kiss is a decently written and directed drama, but the acting is mediocre. Don’t be put off by the slower first half with an overabundance of flashbacks, because the second half comes out swinging!

When Irishman Jim Sheridan arrived in New York with his wife and two daughters, the four of them had been severely shaken by the death of their fifth family member, a little boy who had fallen down the stairs. Based on a screenplay about the members of his family, Sheridan made an autobiographical film in which he exorcizes his old demons together with them. It is a very sad and personal account, dedicated to the memory of his son. If I were in Sheridan’s shoes, I would do the same thing, though such an effort would be more of a bandage on my wounds than a full-fledged viewing experience. Cinematically, there’s nothing for which to fault In America. The actors are decent and the psychological aspect is strong, but the content won’t tear you apart unless something similar has happened to you and you found the answers to your questions in the same places Sheridan found them.

Angela’s Ashes is a family drama that, in visual terms, perfectly captures the setting and period in which it takes place. However, it’s a shame that it was filmed with too much cold detachment from the characters, preventing it from truly touching the viewer’s soul. Beautiful music by John Williams.

Anaconda is run-of-the-mill popcorn trash with a slimy monster, but with no suspense, no emotion and no characters. Curiously, the biggest bastard in the film is not the aforementioned monster, but Jon Voight’s bad-guy character.