Kaka

Skyfall was already a precise reflection of our times and an homage to the current intelligent high-budget blockbuster. It didn't have the pull, emotion and inner strength of Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace, but it's clear why; there was something going on there. But the Vesper references are very much evident in this fourth mashing of the plot, which was fully capitalized on in Daniel Craig's very first Bond, and it became a complex and full-bodied film that took the story of Agent 007 a level further in the film industry. It became a mass appeal, not a fan thing, thanks to its means of expression. Logically, there are not many ways they can go without taking it in a completely different direction, which Spectre fails to do, and it even wasn't intended to, unfortunately. Fans will try to "find it there" for the entire 150 minutes, but they won't. The few iconic scenes that warm the heart or dazzle with their sophistication are just carbon copies of previous episodes (most of the train scenes, the base in the desert). It's clear that filming the same thing twice in a row the result will not be the same. After a second viewing, the rating has to go up. Essential and visually incredibly lavish and sophisticated filmmaking. Emotionally, it's not the ride that Casino Royale was, and Léa Seydoux is no Eva Green, but Spectre assaults the other senses and does so excellently as well.

This is exactly what a Woody Allen film looks like without his wit, sophisticated insight and creativity. A bunch of stilted dialogue, not even Scarlett Johansson in a swimsuit can save the wtf story and the feeling that this film was actually pointless and about nothing. The ending is like a copy of Match Point, which was still a much better film as a whole

A not very engaging story full of good actors and an attractive Mexican touch. What at the beginning looks like a decent desert survival chase turns into a scripted crime drama with a number of characters that are well sketched and solidly acted. Surprisingly, this makes for a well-balanced rest where all the basic film components are of a decent standard, but it has nothing to stand out from the average except perhaps the great music, which sounds like from a big pirate movie.

It's not the film of the year, but it's still the best combat or military thing since Miami Vice, which, by the way, also had a mafia bosses, drugs, money and fights for territory, but thanks to the masterfully crafted and incorporated love story it said something more; it was closer to the viewer, more tangible, more fateful. Sicario, in contrast is cold, almost emotionless – at times its nature is more like a documentary. Fantastically filmed, of course, but it won't be a legend.

Testament of Youth is, as the posters suggest, a typically romantic (big) film that assaults all the viewer's senses. It is not as sophisticated and emotional as Atonement, nor as classically old-school raw as Cold Mountain. But cinematographer Rob Hardy does some pretty decent magic (truly impressive shots of nature, lighting, editing, details, etc.), and Alicia Vikander is a very talented actress. It's not going to pick up Oscars or make millions, it's ironically more of an intimate film that doesn't have a single war scene. It is, however, interesting in its portrayal of the characters and especially in the key and rather devastating role war plays in this melodramatic story. Subliminal, emotional, without a direct display of expressive violence. Definitely a major surprise that is worth watching.

Serious themes of an interesting era in the chronicle of humanity, the beauty of Victorian England (exteriors/interiors, aesthetics), and a lead cast of two. These are the three main assets in this formally meticulously done film, which lacks pull and a good dose of emotion. The sparkle is not enough. If Tom Hooper wasn't just a good craftsman, but a progressive innovator who could put his own distinctive spin on things (and there was a ton of room for that here), this would be downright great. Academics have lost their minds over something that isn’t nearly that great.

The rawest western in years. Slowly flowing, focusing mainly on character development and the careful and detailed building of the psychological minutiae of each twisted character. Tommy Lee Jones has this incredibly well in hand. This is also why I don't understand the lapses in editing and the unnecessary skipping of individual scenes, which were often clunky and distracting – though probably intentional. Similarly, the overly plodding pace is a shame. Watching two hours of sunsets is fine, but it's not enough, and it can have all the innovative depth and power with the typical western atmosphere of the uncompromising wild west it wants and it still is not enough. Hilary Swank, as always, rocks with her immediacy, and the twist towards the end of the film is quite shocking in a good way.

Michael Douglas as we like him best, a smarmy, self-centered millionaire financier. Only that, instead of Gwyneth Paltrow, this time he has a no less charming big-ass Mercedes, but otherwise this attempt at genre survival is rather a train wreck. Jeremy Irvine's character is often odd – or rather, his actions are severely illogical, and there are more scenes that occasionally fail to make sense than the classic viewer expecting an entertaining game of cat and mouse would be willing to forgive.

Too bad about the idiotic script and zero character motivation. The reason to watch the Wachowskis' films, besides the many clever ideas and often interesting innovations in various aspects, is the visuals, and unfortunately that's also the only thing that really works reliably here. But what to do when all those aesthetically intoxicating, almost bizarrely Victorian sets and worlds look so stunning and yet the film is such crap? Surprisingly, the Tatum & Kunis chemistry works above average but it’s cheesy.

An aesthetically bland gangster flick with boring characters and a generic script, where you basically don't care about anything, not even the order of who's going to kill who. And just when you're looking forward to at least some action, you find out that despite the digital effects like from the first half of the 90s, there's not even any proper action to be seen. It's a shame, because it’s not too long and it could have been a relatively clean, well-paced affair. But that would have required the cast to be put together a little differently. And the Irish machismo of the protagonist doesn't really work.