lamps

An average documentary that, naturally, doesn’t refrain from a bit of blatant agitprop. Other than that, it’s a well executed behind the scenes look that only tries to build some understanding. But the passionate responses it got are proof that this is just not possible in an age where everyone is an expert in international relations, the environment, and Greta. And they are making me root for this girl, otherwise, I wouldn’t care about her. 60%

Interesting case. A clearly wobbly and brutally uneven film that could have been very good, but the fear of bombing made them bet mostly on effect and the film still bombed at the box office. Poor Brolin, who was almost born for the role (and he hates the result himself), he stumbles around in a shallow and hollow story that can barely cover its runtime, and you can clearly see that many things were left out. Perhaps, nothing else could have been expected from the creators of Speed, but the potential was there, and I’m not even speaking about the star-studded cast, where only Brolin stands out (Malkovich is an awful caricature and Megan shows her pretty face very few times). Jonah Hex deserves a proper limited series and not this frantic monstrosity.

It reminded me a little of Fincher’s Zodiac, and I’m not speaking so much about the formal aspect, but about the feeling that watching both films evokes: the repeated frustration in the face of an inhuman enemy who doesn’t follow any rational pattern and leaves almost no clues that would allow to put a stop to their almost mystically terrifying actions. But whereas Zodiac casts doubts and deconstructs the procedural investigation, in this case, the killer was caught and the process results in oppressive satisfaction. The creators manage to tell a fairly intimate story about two police officers who almost never closed their eyes during the investigation and feared for the lives of their families, and, through the often brutal nature of the crimes and the amount of period material, the viewer is unknowingly forced to relive that atmosphere (on which Zodiac greatly relied) inside their own head. They also tell the events chronologically and we look at the murders according to when they were motivationally connected to key suspects, which works well to keep the curiosity about which of the trails will eventually lead the detectives to the tireless maniac. The range of motivations around the entire case is extremely complex and they not always manage to bring them to life – some of the testimonies are not very constructive, while others are hurt by tedious re-enactments (this format should provide a continuous flow of information connecting the hypotheses of the time with a retrospective reflection in various thematic circles), but the documentary is still very well structured and holds your attention from the first to the last minutes (which is also aided by the smart dosing of key twists and the questions at the end of each episode, in the style of a serial narrative). I didn’t even mind the high degree of subjective opinions or the occasional glorification of law enforcement officers that pushes aside the deeper emotions – but it’s not about psychology, it’s a description of exhausting procedures, and I quite liked it. 85%

The second worst movie I’ve ever seen, and I think I’ve seen enough (also from the negative side of things) to end my review on that note… But watch out! This is also cult material!!! (especially the first scene with Torg and the argument with all the wives of the mad cult leader).

It was great fun actually. Since I’m not a Batman fan, I can say with a clear conscience that I would welcome more of this stupid and childish big budget romps – it really looked like everyone in front of the camera was very aware of the funny stew Schumacher was cooking. It won’t let you catch your breath, from the second scene onwards we have Arnold dropping one gem after another, Thurman probably looking better than at any other time in her career, Clooney as a cool guy who somehow found himself here and can cope with it, and all those colours! They get you high. This film is preceded by an incredibly opulent reputation, but I still loved it in its own way, and now I fully understand why Christopher Nolan decided to embark on his rescue mission.

Two renowned filmmakers (though one of them already senile) meet on Zoom and decide that they will quickly put together a film about why they have to communicate online. Lockdown is a spectacle that seems to have been born in a rush and on its knees. It wants to be timely and satirical, but it’s weirdly contrived and boring; it wants to be romantic and appealing, but it’s cold, and instead of providing solace in these difficult times, promotes the idea of how to exploit them to one’s own benefit. There are a couple of good jokes (poor Edgar Allan Poe, though), and Hathaway is more beautiful every day, but mostly, it’s a tedious parade of pointless dialogues that no normal person would ever utter, and I believe this should be about normal people. I really don’t know why Liman got into this – Knight has been writing crap for a long time and not even the best director could have saved this. It’s about the coronavirus and it flies… 40%

It’s quite contrived, especially the ending, but the curiosity is pinned at a pretty decent level and the story even manages to pleasantly surprise with the fate of the main characters. Carey Mulligan is good (though I couldn’t shake the feeling that she looks old compared to her peers) and, if we consider how close the premise was to uncontrolled feminist bollocks, everything holds convincingly together and without slipping into the realm of cheap parody. A good #metoo snack that won’t gratuitously piss-off the boys. :) 75%

Pretty good. It’s more predictable than it should and the motivations of the villains never left the in-tray, but it’s enough fun to unwind. Alexandra Daddario even acts a little here (this time her acting is not a blemish on her looks) and Johnny Knoxville portrays a very interesting sleazebag, a role that I think is very fitting for him, even though it was undersized. But those two guys… really, hiding in a pantry from a much weaker and clearly not very well armed enemy, that wasn’t very believable (though, truth be told, I’ve also been known to do that when a woman attacks me with admirable perseverance). 60%

The last twenty minutes are very good, a perfect portrayal of the complex themes of mortality and true love from a child’s perspective (the sequence from the first kiss to the beehive is especially charming), but the rest didn’t move me at all. The actors are very nice and there is some effective humour, but most of the story keeps the viewer at arm’s length in terms of emotions and realism; everything happens too fast and without proper psychological foundations. But the premise is really beautiful and if Rob Reiner had directed it, we would have a much more magical and addictive classic. 70%

Yes, News of the World is certainly an interesting movie and no, it’s not a western in the strict sense of the word. Even Once Upon a Time in the West wasn’t a western proper, it was a movie that deconstructed the classic world of the tough cowboys of the wild west adding modernity at the thematic and formal levelS. Compared to it, Greengrass’s movie has an editing that gives the impression of a much faster pace than the story actually has. And although westerns mostly aim at a clear cliffhanger, while the secondary themes around the coexistence with the Indians or the railway are subordinated to the narrative, this one goes in circles that are only apparently separated by historical events (the Civil War, which may have abolished slavery, but without changing anything in the minds of the Southerners), from which the main characters try to escape – move forward. And in my opinion, this movie also pushes forward the possibility of thinking about the “Western”, which hasn’t been a strictly defined genre for a long time, as some sort of field of free expression for talented directors to add their own historical reflection and author’s formal concepts, which in this case is certainly refreshing and stimulating. It’s a film that doesn’t submit to it (like even Once Upon a Time in the West back then), but that conceptually rewrites it, and it has my full admiration. 90%