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This film clearly shows Polanski’s talent at generating tension between characters merely through inventive staging and the composition of sound. Unfortunately, the exposition is very long and the moment shit should get real and the previous events are supposed to become a psychological inferno the expectations remain unmet. It would take Polanski a little time to make truly great movies. 65%

I don’t know why, but I had set astronomically high expectations for this film, which it probably could never reach, but it ended up delivering something completely different than what I had hoped. It’s a slow psychological anabasis extremely free from the truly oppressive atmosphere that calls to be set in a remote mountain monastery. The oft-mentioned cinematography of Jack Cardiff is beautiful, of course, and the shot by the bell is one of the best ever made, but that eye-candy didn’t let me get into the surprisingly tender and sad skeleton of a story – what bothered me the most was the static theatrical style and I didn’t feel the suppressed emotions that were supposed to be key. I would certainly love to see it on the big screen in a dark theatre, but for the time being, what prevails is lack of understanding and an ironic smirk at the menacing circus costume of the otherwise charismatic David Farrar. 70%

Just Mercy fulfils its purpose overall and defends with intensity its timeless ethical ideas. It’s very likely that after watching it you will be furious at the injustices suffered by Walter and perhaps you will feel admiration for the real human prototypes that inspired the story. That said, the film doesn’t stand out as a formal jigsaw puzzle full of important motifs and gives a very simplifying statement that explicitly refers to its famous predecessor of 1962, without ruining its message, but also without contributing any added value or storytelling originality. 65%

Maybe the reason Eurovision won me over was that we haven’t had a cute, self-aware comedy like this for a long time, or because during the boring moments I would dream about putting an engagement ring on the still beautiful and perfect Rachel McAdams and taking her to the altar. Even though there isn’t as much humour as I would expect from Ferrel, its sincere childish tone is very fitting and Dobkin knows his job so well that a cookie-cutter, generic story like this can still be effective. And the tunes are catchy enough… 70%

The best movie of its kind. Funny and concise in character (with the exception of the boring beefcake), very well made and with an excellent cast; these girls are a joy to watch. Maybe my weakness for Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lindsay Lohan (before her private life caught up with her) plays its part, but I always enjoy watching Mean Girls and once I’m in the mood, I find it hard to take my eyes away. A cult-movie that is criminally underrated here. 85%

The longest among the longest classic great movies fulfilled my expectations to the tee. Megalomaniac sets, hundreds of extras, breathtaking rear projections and top actors dressed in beautiful period costumes. But the inventiveness of the direction is not even close to William Wyler’s or David Lean’s and The Ten Commandments, though majestic and almost flawless narratively, formally speaking, is like a poor relative of the very best big movies of the period. What I mean mostly is the static staging of the scenes in interiors – the special effects and the climactic action sequences (in particular the parting of the Red Sea) are still superb. And Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner couldn't be cast better. 80%

This hurts. Capone sits and grumps, is incontinent and chomps a carrot instead of a cigar, and everything is so spectacularly uninteresting that it was hard to believe. Greyness and boredom only interrupted by a violent darkness and Tom Hardy, who once again manages to perfectly blend into the character and keep the viewer awake with his words. Trank is slowly moving towards TV and he can be grateful that the coronavirus spared him of another failure in the cinema. 40%

Cult. Technically without hesitation (as it’s typical with Fincher), staying always one step ahead of the viewer, and always fun, original and solid. Maybe you’ll guess the twist, but even knowing it doesn’t affect the amazement at the ingenious deconstruction of the film space and the interpretive ambiguity. An excellent Norton and an equally good and inimitably cool Pitt. It’s impossible not to break the first rule – you don’t speak about Fight Club. 95%

The first film of its kind (at least that is so popular and universally known), an entertaining and original in the details wink at pop-culture that is able to stand on its own two feet, both as an open parody of the rules of the genre and as classic horror that must abide to said rules. By the end it gets a little silly and tedious, but timeless and ageless nonetheless. Even after all these years, it still has one of the best opening scenes in horror. 80%

Artificial, that’s the first word that comes to mind when thinking about The Lodge. From the plot to the characters to the atmosphere – perhaps it’s well made and interestingly escalated, but it couldn’t be more artificial. Every good idea is followed by several dull shots that only serve to extend the runtime without moving anything forward – compared with The Shining (with which it has several similarities), it’s very weak. But Riley Keough was very good again. 60%