POMO

Beowulf is visually stunning in all respects, with great music by Alan Silvestri, whether spectacular or dark, in Angelina Jolie’s cave. Also, the atmosphere of the film is so thick that it could be cut with a knife and the violence, sex and the overall maturity of the film are major pluses. These aspects make Beowulf an original and much livelier animated movie than the childish Polar Express. But there is one big but... these digital pictures just don’t have heart, no matter how hard they try. And at the moments when there is no Anthony Hopkins, Angelina or some monster, there’s nothing to watch. If Robert Zemeckis mastered the heart of digital animation, he might make better movies than Pixar. But he still has a lot to learn.

I recommend taking a week-long break between the individual instalments of the Lone Wolf and Cub movie series and absorb them one at a time. When watching the third part, I grew rather fond of the central duo. The final fight with the army is amazing. I say more about the series in my review of the second part.

The scene of a night-time visit to Chinese smugglers, with the musical background in the form of “Champ” by Massive Attack, is excellent, but the rest of the movie has nothing to rouse one’s interest. In films with a dozen characters, the most important thing is the cast and the interactions between the characters. The protagonists of this opus are unfortunately bland, have even less charisma than they have drinking water and the relationship nuances between them correspond to the abilities of the director behind the dumb shoot-’em-up Behind Enemy Lines. Moreover, John Moore wouldn’t hesitate to include a flashy music-video-style sequence even in a drama about the Holocaust. That is why I wonder who the hell put him in charge of this remake of a 1960s dramatic classic. Instead of a believable drama, this guy delivers only ridiculous pathos. Go watch Frank Marshall’s Alive instead.

The most fascinating thing about this series is that despite the cultural differences, it is able to speak to the Western audience thanks to its values. The screenplays of the “exploitation road movie” series Lone Wolf and Cub are not as sophisticated as those of top-tier films like Lady Snowblood. Even the technical aspect is one step behind, which is apparent in the lower-quality visuals and frequent absence of sound. However, this film amazes with its atmosphere and the sensibility of the individual scenes, which are a match for Lady, if not better. Some scenes are a bit long, but others will take your breath away. My favorites are the one where the cub takes care of the wounded father and the “We’ll get warmer when there’s three of us instead of just two” scene. Baby Cart at the River Styx is a simply shot and edited episode, but one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in recent years.

At the moment when the film really pulls you into the story and starts to be fun, it is over and you have to go watch its sequel. The first instalment, Sword of Vengeance, cannot really stand alone; it is just an introduction to the movie series. I’ll say more in my review of the sequel, Baby Cart at the River Styx.

Made without a trace of talent, this boring and static flick tells a clichéd story about a man living at a remote castle who kidnaps women and uses them to cure his beloved (this time it’s his daughter). Unfortunately, there is no violence, sex, depravities, gore or hallucinations, which we would expect from this director. It is one of the most conventional horror movies by Jesse Franco, whose creative signature is almost entirely absent here. Everything is immersed in black and white, which is a vain attempt to create the atmosphere of classic horror movies. An extremely bland film.

The script is great for this type of film, even though it lacks original ideas and the characters are not depicted in detail, but it’s action packed and without any boring moments. What the directors made from it, however, is sadly a different story. The hard to follow, badly edited action scenes, which make up about 80% of the movie, look like a direct-to-DVD C-movie with Michael Paré. Especially the shootouts with the army will make you shake your head in disbelief. That’s too bad, because the decent production values and cult status of Aliens and Predator put together could have amounted to a spectacular B-movie.

The Condemned is an embodiment of filmmaking stupidity. This film claims to criticize the same thing it tries to drown the audience in. Films like this harm the reputation of Hollywood cinematography. I thought Vinnie Jones was better than this. Only someone who is completely desperate would accept such a role.

Another contribution to the family of top-notch mafia flicks. The first half is a little protracted and boring, but the second half makes up for it. Denzel Washington steals the show, forcing Russell Crowe into the sidekick role. The new Scorsese (The Departed) was more superficial, but stronger in details and with sharper edges. Scott is slower and less flashy, but also more harmonic and easy to follow. The kings of the genres for me are still Coppola (The Godfather) De Palma (Scarface) and old Scorsese (Goodfellas).

Original, tasteful, funny, fresh and excellently cast and acted, P.S. I Love You is light but also intelligent. Hilary Swank doesn’t need any commentary while Gerard Butler was a pleasant surprise. The script is worthy of an Oscar nomination and I feel stupid for not knowing why I’m not giving this the full five stars.