POMO

The Forbidden Kingdom is an outdated, unremarkable and unoriginal film. At the same time, however, it is harmless and without any specific mistakes, so there’s simply nothing to criticize. Despite that, I will probably only remember it because of the actors who appear in it. And I appreciate that the screenwriter treated them fairly, providing them with really nice roles that made use of their respective characters.

It’s hard to analyze this too deeply. On one hand, this film is colder than a witch’s tit, but on the other, it also manages to be powerful and painful. The director doesn’t portray the suffering of the protagonist in a natural fashion, as though he didn’t know that we can feel for her already because of what she’s like and what she’s going through. He doesn’t tell us what she’s like; he doesn’t care, so he keeps his distance and remains indifferent. He only depicts her suffering through camera tricks from her point of view, by turning down the sound when she faints, etc. We see all of this hellishness (including the prostitution scenes where penetration is shown in pornographic detail) from the point of view of a person we know nothing about. It’s a disgusting, sadistic and ruthless approach, but the fact remains that the filmmaking is more interesting and unique than in the case of the most similar feminist rape + revenge exploitation depravities (like I Spit on Your Grave) and it’s definitely not boring.

The American DVD cover looks like an action B-movie with Snipes or Seagal. However, the target audience of such flicks, unfamiliar with the name Werner Herzog and expecting some action, will be disappointed. With minimalist production, Rescue Dawn is a psychological film about the relationship of a group of people isolated in the middle of the jungle, about optimism and hope for rescue. Even though in places Herzog flirts with Terrence Malick’s poetics of man’s unity with nature, the film remains surprisingly cheerful and not afraid to replace darkness and gloom with subtle humor, playfulness and an adventurous spirit. The result is a psychologically perceptive and inquisitive, unconventional “feel good” adventure. And the acting is also excellent.

Unlike American Pie and similar comedies, this film is more of an excursion than comedy, focusing on the act itself, from the initial “let’s get it on, baby” to the post-orgasm cigarette. This approach takes away everything unnecessary, leaving only that which is essential, delivered in five different forms, among which each (sexually active) viewer can find something that speaks to them – whether in one particular episode or in the details of several of them (depending on how experienced you are). The film aptly portrays the individual situations and doesn’t pull any punches, but it’s not overly straightforward or primitive, and the guys are funny and the girls HOT. YPF is a nice chill-out movie that entices the audience to “get it on” themselves.

The 1980s and the golden era of Spielberg / Zemeckis collaboration... Back to the Future is entertaining, imaginative, intelligent and sophisticatedly funny, with sensitively expressed deep thoughts. It is a film for which the terms “popcorn” and “(ultra)happy ending” are not used as insults. Why do they no longer make such movies? Why do we live in such a depressing era? Had I been a movie virgin and rated this at the time of its release, I would have given it five stars.

What is apparent from its screenplay and its exposition of 007 is that this 22nd Bond movie was supposed to be a revenge-driven, ferocious and almost furious culmination of Casino Royale. And the producers entrusted it to the artsy director who amputated all of Casino Royale’s powerful limbs and arranged flowers in their place. All the great action, the Bond car and all the stylish opening credits and interesting locations are absent and the bad guys look like they stepped out of a Pasolini movie. The only thing that makes Quantum of Solace a Bond movie, what keeps it kicking and earns it a third star in my rating, is the still great Daniel Craig (Olga Kurylenko is nice, but she’s still just a female background character in Bond’s world). This is the first Bond movie after a very long time that didn’t make me feel that heroic excitement I used to feel after watching action movies as a little boy.

Voices from Beyond is not a typical Fulci horror movie. Instead, it is a mysterious soap opera with a crime plot. And the little boy being stabbed in the stomach with a large kitchen knife is there just to remind us who is behind this movie. Voices from Beyond works great as a mysterious soap opera, as the scenes portraying discussions of the ghost of a father and his beloved daughter on the lake shore are pleasantly poetic and the actors are well cast in their roles. Regarding the plot (within the soap opera genre) everything fits together, including the point, which I didn't expect and pleasantly surprised me. If I were a lady in her fifties, I would even shout out, “My gosh! That’s terrible!”

Matthew Perry is not that amazing an actor, but the role he plays in Numb is a perfect fit for him. And I think that if a truly amazing actor had been cast in this role, it would give the film another dimension. Still, Numb is a pleasant, clever movie whose greatest asset is the likability of Lynn Collins and (finally AMAZING) chemistry between her and Perry’s character. A better three stars.

Kevin Costner as the charismatic mentor sufficiently surpassing the newbie Ashton Kutcher. Eighty percent of the running time takes place in a training camp and serves up only routine scenes depicting the mentor getting closer to his pupil, the pupil with a chick and some friendly backslapping. When the heroes finally get outside, there comes a forced ending that seeks to give depth and meaning to the whole thing. That is a pity. Even so, thanks to the lead acting duo, The Guardian remains a nice leisure-time movie and a much less of a screw-up than Men of Honor.

The days of heroes in the Seagal mould are gone. Today’s tough guys are managers in ties played by character actors who avenge their families. Director James Wan knows how to work with actors, has talent for dynamics and creating a rough, almost furious atmosphere with a rock-n-roll music background and sometimes cleverly toys with spectacularly long shots (the parking lot). Because of all this, it is a pity that his visually impressive work is spoiled by occasional stupid and illogical moments. Not even all the hard work the director puts into the psychological and emotional moments (intimate conversations with the protagonist’s wife and son) can smooth it out. The result is “just” enjoyable and interesting, while keeping the audience curious about where the director will go next time. He can certainly do better, but he finds it difficult to find the right balance between his directing approach and the screenplay that worked out so well in Saw.