D.Moore

So: A chilling atmosphere, constant tension, ever-present fear... None of that is in the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre. One star was earned by the music, the other by the bright exceptions (about two scenes that really had something to them). An unnecessary remake. What struck me, however, is that the film is set in 1973, but you can't really tell. Odd.

Today, it’s considered a classic slasher film, which, among other things, shows that even a proper maniac should be in good shape. What I certainly didn't expect was the swift and uncompromising elimination of all the protagonists. For the opening scene with the skeletons and the ending with the dinner and everything after (especially the dance with the saw), the film deserves five stars. But it's still missing "something". And there is quite a lot of "something".__P.S. Now I can watch the remake in peace, so I'm in the loop.

Where to begin? Thunderball has: Once again, a great Connery who is as funny as he is tough and charming, a great spy story, sensational action scenes (the opening brawl and the final diver battle), John Barry's excellent score as always (plus a song sung by Tom Jones and some of the most successful opening credits), beautiful girls, a great villain... What does Thunderball not have? Anything wrong with it! Five pure stars, no complaints.

I really didn't expect anything from this movie... Nor that I'm giving it three (well, it's more like three and a half) stars. If it didn't have such a slow start, I'd go even higher. It is practically only when three quarters of an hour of the film has passed that "something real" starts to happen. But then it doesn't stop happening until the end. The brother villains (one looks like Ozzy, the other like a supporting character from La Piovra) are good, helped most by Ottman's excellent music and sometimes routine, sometimes original, direction. All the "characters" are eliminated without unnecessary fuss, which is definitely a pleasure, and lovers of nice "meaty" shots will also enjoy it.... I liked the "dissolving" finale very much (the cameraman gets top marks), as well as the nicely freaked out Elisha Cuthbert, but I liked the final wink at the viewer less, along with Paris Hilton (who, of course, did what she was supposed to do, I'll give her that). But I'm satisfied.

Kung Fu Panda is beautifully made. Not pretty or nice, but really beautiful. And I don't just mean the animation. I was struck especially by the great color stylization of each scene and their design in general. Together with Zimmer's music, all of this made for an almost magical experience, if it weren't for... The story. It's just plain ordinary. Po is likely to become a hero, although no one around him, not even himself, expects it. So I was hoping for a lot of jokes, but Panda is not exactly full of them. Fortunately, though, there are likable characters (I liked the master dubbed by Dustin Hoffman much better than the main character) and briskly and humorously filmed fight scenes (the battle "for the dumpling" leads the way). Three and a half stars. And I just decided to round them up. Just because.

For me, Blood and Wine is clearly a four-star affair. I didn't find the film boring, banal or clichéd at all. At the beginning it seemed that I would be annoyed by the storyline with Jennifer Lopez and Nicholson's stepson, but in the end it turned out that it also had its justification. It's hard to fault the actors. Nicholson is exactly what you'd expect, and Caine's grunting, maniacal banger isn't the least bit flawed either. Put these two together in front of the camera, give them some biting dialogue in the script, and it all becomes clear. Yet I wonder what it would be like if their characters were played by someone else?

Oh, my God. Action/Thriller/Comedy - that's supposedly the genre of this film. There is action, the film has nothing to do with a thriller, and I laughed maybe once. I already consider the first film to be an unprecedented abomination, but this addition is almost impossible. It's basically a carbon copy of the first one, only there's more “fuck," more silicone boobs, more sex, and Statham's (the Terminator's half-brother) heart is pumping electricity instead of adrenaline. Like the telephone ending in the first film, the ending here feels "fiery" - I like it, it's funny and it has some flair, but the 90 minutes that precede it are wasted time.

Okay, folks, not this. The phrase "verbal diarrhea" hasn't been so appropriate in a long time. I hate Jiří Mádl permanently, just out of habit, but both Petr Zelenka and Martha Issová have sunk really low for me after making this "thing". It's awkward and pathetic - and as I look around me, it seems awkward and pathetic to right and left alike.

All words are of little value - except Diamonds Are Forever all of Connery's Bond films are worth the full amount of stars. What does this one have in particular? You Only Live Twice has the best Bond song of the 22 films, and this film is a bit special in that it's set entirely in Japan. It has a delicious villain (Pleasance's Blofeld is simply Satan - his gradual reveal is legendary), beautiful girls (even if you don't like Asian girls) and sensational action scenes like a mini helicopter, a brawl with one or more Japanese, and a final huge fight inside an extinct volcano... and the "swallowing" of spaceships is also worth it. Among other things, I was pleased with the restored version of this film - the image, especially in the opening space shots, is literally breathtaking. I wish I could have seen this in the movie theater!

Yes, I confess, I saw Run Lola Run for the first time today. And the film has made me completely out of it. As far as German films go, it is certainly the most original film in their history and (after Das Boot) the second best ever. An idea like this just comes along once every so many years.... And when it is supported by sensational direction and cinematography and a disarming performance by Franka Potente, all the useless talk goes away. Run Lola Run is perfect.