Remedy

I honestly like the work of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost a lot. It's a slightly different kind of humor that, when done well and tastefully (and that's really true in this case), usually works brilliantly. Another very ill-matched (or well-matched?) pair of protagonists who live in their own worlds, yearn for an alien encounter, and their collisions with the real world usually end in disaster. The cadence of jokes and gags may not be as killer this time around as in, say, Hot Fuzz, but it's richly balanced by the laid-back atmosphere that oozes from the entire film, and I actually liked the slight pathos at the end quite a bit.

Robert De Niro as director plus actor in a minor role in a film based on true events that describes the creation of the CIA. Matt Damon as a spy in one of his better roles, who in this case is forced to make a strict choice between love and loyalty to the US government. There’s a certain patriotism present, of course; the characters are certainly boilerplate and very easy to identify as archetypes. On the other hand, de Niro's style reminded me in some ways of Clint Eastwood (which I consider a plus); the slow narrative has something to it (although I must admit that at about two points it felt a bit assembled). Nothing new under the sun, nothing groundbreaking, but still a piece of honest filmmaking topped off by the excellent Damon.

Surprisingly little action, more of a conversational and psychologically quite intricate hero film that presents "heroism" as a huge personal desire for freedom, an unrelenting drive to outdo oneself to the point where others would give up or give in. You expect a Vietnam War-themed action film and instead you get a human story (really almost devoid of action) with a huge heart. I have to say that from my purely subjective point of view I would have gone one star lower with the rating, but here I really appreciate Herzog's originality and ultimately the very moving ending. I probably wouldn't watch it a second time though.

I actually don't have any major problem with this film. Attentively respected genre conventions, a more than solid Keanu Reeves, and occasionally some hint of that unpredictability. Yet the whole thing really works well, the craftsmanship is of high quality, and how I wasn’t overly irritated by how politically correct it is with regard to the American’s own police. It's just an above average genre film that has no ambition to become a cult, which is what makes it so noble. A chill-out film with a decent level of quality. :)

One of a category of films that tell the story of the clash of two characters from de facto different worlds or backgrounds, and that follow the gradual "awakening" of the more conservative half to a kind of social revolt and liberation of spirit. There are, of course, many similar works on the subject of whether to sacrifice education and a bourgeois orientation for the sake of animalistic love and passion. Britain's An Education doesn't come up with anything new in this regard, and the viewer is able to observe the main character's slight doubts, her need to justify to the authorities the way of life she has chosen, and why she can no longer be part of "the right thing". I won't say too much about the ending, I just think that the filmmakers wanted to surprise (and maybe even slightly shock), whereas they unfortunately did not refrain from a few logical inaccuracies. But the overall impression is good (hence the three stars), the visuals are very good, and Carey Mulligan is adorable. :)) It's actually such a seemingly deep story with a hell of a shallow payoff.

An undistorted, ultimately very realistic, and therefore rather unpleasant look at the segregationist politics of the American South in the 1960s. I don't appreciate Parker's "stark" realism, but the other levels of the story, where we can follow the professional and indeed moral transformation of Dafoe's character, and the brilliantly rendered atmosphere of a highly segregated and inaccessible community, for some time beyond the reach even of the federal agents themselves. The great soundtrack and acting performances need no further comment.

Here we confirm the old familiar truth that a good director can get a great performance out of a bland and not really special actress, and Anne Hathaway really just shines in her role. Of course, Tom Hardy's performance is now completely different and incomparable to Heath Ledger's performance in the last installment, given the differences between Nolan’s two characters, but it is a remarkable performance and once again on this occasion it is impossible not to notice that the casting of the main villain was exceedingly successful. Christopher Nolan has an amazing ability – for he has an inimitable way of making a grand, pompous, and above all complex film that you want to watch again and again. It’s more than just visual ecstasy, for the viewer it's a fated and urgent film in a hugely satisfying way, one that manages to awaken ideals into sheer heroism, and one that is so unique in its treatment and delivery that an unspecified number of scenes sometimes send chills down the spine, leave jaws agape, break sweat out on the brow, or work the stomach enzymes more than is healthy. It's fascinating material for an extensive and detailed study or review, but I prefer to leave that to the more informed dissectors and examiners. It's Hollywood, it's mass entertainment, it's giga-mainstream, but it's so damn impressive that it easily overcomes any potential conjecture about how it’s "commercial", "superficial", "calculating", or "reliably capable of degenerating today's intellectually based youth" (among which I could theoretically count myself, but only the real ones, given my previous ironic words). Chris, I'm giving you full marks yet again, and I can't wait for your next film.

A Czech/German variation on Hannibal wrapped in pleasing visuals not unlike the styles of Tim Burton or Alex Proyas. From a formal point of view, a film of European, and if you don’t look too closely, perhaps even global proportions. It’s also a very respectable production in terms of the acting, with Milan Kňažko perfectly cast in his role. Typical shortcomings of contemporary Czech films tend to be underdeveloped characters, insufficient (or insufficiently convincing) motivations of the main characters, or an overly blatant attempt to generalize an event, a group of people, or a certain character into one big and encompassing message. Normal the Düsseldorf Ripper dissects the individual characters quite adequately given its running time, so by the end you certainly don't feel like you haven’t learned enough about the central trio. I couldn't decide for a long time whether the length itself was an advantage or a disadvantage. In the end, I guess I'd sum it up by saying that this is a bold co-production project that in many ways easily outclasses other domestic productions. On the other hand, there still seems to be a lack of "that something" that would take Normal up a notch and place it (from an international point of view) among widely watched and appreciated productions.

Apart from about two scenes that were already teetering heavily on the edge of awkwardness, this was two very enjoyable hours in the company of brilliant actors, wacky humor, and a rather unconventional soundtrack by Danny Elfman. Of course, Dark Shadows can't measure up to Burton's masterpieces, but it seems to satisfy Burton's (slightly tolerant) fan base as it combines tried and tested techniques from his previous films and the director's signature is still discernible here (on the other hand, something like Sweeney Todd is still a class higher). It's a different Tim Burton than the one we as fans (I include myself among that number) are accustomed to – he's getting more and more wacky, less poetic and imaginative, but still original in his own way. But it in no way deters me from watching his other work closely.

If you take a break from pondering how much it does/doesn't feel real and take your time enjoying the admittedly monotonous but still very much hyped soundtrack + the grime and despair of London's streets, you can be quite satisfied in the end. Surprisingly, it doesn't get bogged down anywhere, the pleasant running time passes by in one delight and there is no shortage of extremely brutal scenes either. It would probably be slightly ridiculous to mention the excellent Fish Tank in connection with this film, but let's just say that Sket captures at least a quarter of the atmosphere of the London suburbs and also presents this area in a very unpleasant and strident way. But it's still a class below the more genre-compatible Kidulthood or Adulthood – somewhere around the level of the also British sci-fi flick Shank.