Lima

A film in which formally everything works as it should, yet it didn't get close to my heart. Douglas's deliciously played stoner professor Tripp is a thoroughly likeable character, as is the setting; even the cloudy weather aptly corresponds with Tripp's feelings, and some situations are hilariously absurd, but plot-wise it is just average. In the same way that editor Crabtree "improvises" at the end of the film, it seems to me that the screenwriter improvises at times to make his child at least a little more interesting.

Neil Marshall (watch out for that name in the future!) has undergone some mysterious reinvention and after the lackluster, if not bad Dog Soldiers. He has made a little genre treat, for the enjoyment of horror fans and for the sweating of claustrophobics. In the first half he builds up the tension with precision, with the help of great likeable and unknown actresses, thanks mostly to unpleasant claustrophobic feelings and the suspicion of something bad, and the second half turns into an uncompromising bloody carnage. Already in some scenes in Dog Soldiers, Marshall showed that he knows how to do jump scares, but here he developed this ability into complete perfection – there were a couple of times where I really had a heart attack. Yet the final impression is not perfect. There are a few fatal logical lapses, such as the fact that the blind cave creatures don't react to heat at all, even when they pass within inches of a burning torch. Also, the transformation of one of the heroines into some kind of terminator with a specialty in axe fighting is not very believable, and the trampling of the viewer catharsis in the final few seconds is almost a slap in the face. Still, I recommend it to horror fans and be warned, it is an absolute must to see this film in total darkness or you will get nothing out of it.

Exactly one star better than the fist one. There is more and better action, better cinematography and effects, less pompous and empty bullshit (but of course there is no lack of it either), only Wiseman's vampire-lykan mythology remains uninteresting and dull. PS: Scott, I can't tell you how much I can relate regarding the erection...

I'm not going to ride the wave of the now so popular and notorious swearing at Uwe when the guy is really doing his best to do so as well. The script and the dialogues are as if from the pen of a seven-year-old Special School pupil. The production design is so poor that one wonders what Uwe did with the 25 million dollar budget. As a result Boll compensates the poor visuals with frequent use of kitschy aerial shots of riders on horseback, but on the other hand the only positive thing is that he is not afraid to show blood, though the choreography of the fights is appalling. Michael Madsen and Ben Kingsley certainly knew what they had signed up for, so they don't even try to act. The former in particular looks as if he's about to take a nap at any moment, and Ben certainly won’t place his vampire Kagan alongside Gandhi and Itzhak Stern, his delivery is downright sedentary. Fortunately, there’s Kristanna Loken. She can act only slightly better than a porn actress, but I've had a soft spot for this hottie since Terminator 3, and in fact the only thing that helped me get through the hour and a half was a glimpse of her cleavage. The eloquent conclusion shows that a sequel was planned, which is certainly not imminent after a worldwide gross of about $3 million (ugh!).

I was a bit flirtatious with betting many years ago, in the post-revolutionary era of the emerging seductive siren named Fortuna, and soon gave it up, but if I’d had an advisor as suggestive as McConaughey in the scene when he first introduces himself to the TV audience (the best moment of the film, by the way), I might have bet the last of my savings. Quite a nice conversational drama about the fact that happiness isn't there for everyone forever and that there’s great alchemy in determining the right pick. Al Pacino is traditionally great (has anyone seen this guy acting bad?), Rene Russo has beautiful hair, but her character is quite unnecessary and the insight into the personality and feelings of the main three protagonists is unconvincing. If it had just stayed with gambling and the things around it, like in the first brisk hour, I would have gone higher with the rating. Otherwise, a perfect average to kill a boring evening.

Forster plays Lynch and with a gradually escalating plot, interesting visuals (occasionally delicious cuts between locations) and hand in hand with the growing confusion in the viewer's head, he moves towards the climax, the big reveal that clarifies nothing at all and forces many interpretations, namely: a) the twist is so trivial it hurts, b) it's so sophisticated that nobody gets it, c) Forster is just taking the piss. For me it's a), and while Lynch’s movies are exciting in their bizarreness even after repeated viewings, Stay is a one-shot mess. And by the way, Gosling was excellent, Mc Gregor did his standard and Watts is just there for decoration.

Kieslowski proves that he is not only a perceptive and sensitive individual, but also a creator with a strong visual sense. Many scenes that could easily be retold in an "ordinary" way without losing their meaning become an artistic experience under his hands. Even a sugar cube dissolving in coffee can be beautiful. But in truth, the main driver here is not Kieslowski, but the divine performance of Juliette Binoche, her economical acting, which, although devoid of expressive gestures (one wants to say thankfully), nevertheless radiates emotion and inner strength. I believed everything. I’m keeping the fifth star for the rest of the “colours” (I still haven’t watched them). Maybe the best is yet to come. :)

Screenwriters shouldn’t do drugs...

A somewhat shallow insight into a world where the ordinary citizen cannot get to and a normal thinking person perhaps does not even want to get to. I am simply not impressed by the issues surrounding football rowdies. I don't understand their caste into clans, their identification with a club that they are willing to defend even at the cost of violence, I don't understand why they are so willing to beat the shit out of each other, why they directly arrange fights with other clans, and this film certainly didn't clarify it for me, even though in the words of one of the main protagonists, Pete, it tried to bring me closer to the mindset of these guys with an excess of testosterone. It's artfully and realistically shot with an impressive atmosphere, it has superb performances (Charlie Hunnam rocks), but it's shallow. And Wood's confession and thank you towards his bully mentor at the very end is tear-jerking (and I don't mean touching).

It’s not far from a fourth star. The first hour Craven carries it off with absolute clarity. The whole action on the plane, supported by the claustrophobic atmosphere and the seemingly hopeless situation of the main character (a very charming McAdams) is impressive and suspenseful, but unfortunately once the action moves to Lisa's house for the last 10 minutes or so, the tension is lost, with predictability and a bit of that genre cliché coming in. Another shame is the short runtime (73 minutes without credits). But beware, when God was handing out villainous charisma to future actors, Cillian Murphy went for five, he's the main reason this thriller is worth watching. I've been more and more interested in this guy since Batman Begins.