D.Moore

I love Kathryn Bigelow's films, but The Hurt Locker disappointed me. The main character bothered me terribly (I just don't like these pompous supermen very much), but otherwise I had almost no reservations. The cinematography, the direction, the constant tension in the air, the final idea... Basically, the unknown actors (to me) act well, but it still wouldn't have hurt to have familiar names (!!!Ralph Fiennes!!!) warm up on screen for more than five minutes. Best scenes: A “long-distance" shootout in the desert, a bomb in a child, a shower, the end. Three and a bit.

One of the best Czech war films. Of course, there's not much to choose from, but Oasis definitely deserves to be better known. It's not as gripping as The Assassination or Riders of the Sky, it's not as cinematically playful as Dark Blue World or Tobruk, and it's not as monumental as films from Otakar Vávra... BUT: It impressively (of course, thanks to the sensational actors, led by Radoslav Brzobohatý and Rudolf Hrušínský) shows what people are capable of in tense situations, it analyses the psychology of desperate thirsty soldiers to the last thread of their brains, and the results of all this are served to us quite mercilessly and somehow even indifferently in the style of "Viewer, deal with it." I'm truly satisfied. The only flaw is that the Germans speak Czech.

Michael Caine and Max von Sydow's dialogues are sensational (as is Sydow's scene at the end). The whole film is a sporting variation on the legendary The Great Escape, Stallone's character even resembles Steve McQueen in some ways, but I didn't mind that at all. I'm not a big football fan (and maybe that's why I liked the film so much, if I ignored the mistakes), but Victory is one of my favorite WWII escape-themed films. I round up three and a half stars for the best soundtrack Bill Conti ever composed.

On the whole an enjoyable and unpretentious rom-com with good actors, jokes and an idea that would like to be original but doesn't quite succeed. Uma Thurman is gorgeous, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a likeable boor, and Colin Firth is, well, Colin Firth. The film is pure average, which is no shame.

Damn, five stars is not enough! I wonder if I've ever seen a more original and idea-packed short! The Oscar is well deserved, I managed to watch the film four times in a row, which killed an hour of my free time, but that didn't matter at all. I've noticed lots and lots of new details each time, and I'm convinced there are plenty more to come. I recommend it to everyone.

Moore's first Bond deserves about 3.5 stars. It has a great beginning (I love the scene with the "black" funeral), but then it gets a bit long-winded. The McCartney song is really one of the best, but outside of that the film lacks proper music. Plus, I wasn't charmed by any of the dumb Bond girls. Why should you see Live and Let Die? Apart from the fact that Moore takes the reins from Connery quite professionally, this Bond film is mainly a long (but certainly not boring) scene that starts on a crocodile farm and continues with a chase on motor boats, then a practical demonstration that even a double-decker bus can be skidded, then a slightly unconventional flying lesson and a pretty decent ending, which is spoiled by an awkward "inflatable disposal of the main villain. P.S. I kind of missed Q, although I know that Live and Let Die isn't the only Bond film he hasn't appeared in. But the fact that he was talked about didn't make up for a visit to his crazy department this time.

I don't know the Italian original, but if it's better, I can't imagine how. Everybody's Fine is a film that must grab everyone's heart. Not just people who have parent/child issues. De Niro gives a great performance, his "old man" is exactly what you expect - smiling, suspicious, often disappointed and now and then dog-eyed, yet still searching for the meaning of everything that is happening around him. I give it four stars and a bit of a fifth because I was incredibly moved by the whole thing... And I don't just mean the "Why did you lie to me?" scene from the table talk. I would never have imagined what the sight of ordinary telephone wires can do to a person. Actually, sorry, I mean their PVC packaging. Are you looking for a drama that will make you laugh, think and move you, and after which you will leave the movie theater satisfied with a smile on your lips? Here you go.

This remake (Remake? It has only the name of the protagonist, gold and Mini Coopers in common with the original film) succeeded. It's a film full of likable characters, a fast and funny action spectacle with good music and cool (though not innovative, admittedly) staged scenes of robberies and preparations for them. Wahlberg, Statham, Theron, Def... They're all likeable. I've never liked Norton, so I quite enjoy him as the villain here. So I'm it giving three and a bit. About the scene with the Mini Cooper - the original is better, much more imaginative and somehow even funnier. But there's nothing you can do about it - there's only one original.

I'll say right now that if it weren't for the phone ending, Crank would get a Boo! Why so ruthless, you ask? The film has a great idea, it's based on a really original idea (which is to be damn appreciated), but why on earth is it filmed in such a... Hmm... Neutered way? I like Statham, I trust him in badass roles, but I had a huge problem with him here. He kept one expression throughout the film that annoyed me to no end... The way he tried to look pissed off at all costs was awkward. Normally, I have nothing against vulgarity and violence, but it has to be appropriate and there has to be a reason for it. But there was no reason for 90% of all the shooting, fucking in the street, erections and the like. Crank is a B-movie that can't be denied its momentum and swing - it gets going at the beginning and stops after an hour and a half - but it's terribly empty and can (and did) get severely boring after half an hour.

Get Carter could be a prime example of the differences between American and British films, or between films made 40 years ago and today. Compared to the great original, this remake is pretty weak. It lacks any thought and atmosphere, we just watch one pissed off guy beating on people all the time, and sometimes he learns something from one of them (or not, but what the hell). From my point of view, it's saved mainly by Stallone, who is exemplarily tough (although he doesn't show anything else on screen), Michael Caine and Mickey Rourke, who are only half trying to act, but they do act, and the music, which nicely revived the addictive theme from the original Carter... and that's it. Why the filmmakers chose a completely different (!) ending from the original remains a mystery to me. When I get to the book one day, I'm sure it will end in a "British" way, I know it... Carter's score: Two and a half stars.