POMO

Tom Hardy turns in a great acting performance. It’s unbelievable how he manages not to overact for even a moment in such an eccentric portrayal of such a wacky character. And he portrays that character in dozens of mental states with absolutely unpredictable reactions. In the screenplay, however, Refn did not sustain the gradual, precise psychological analysis of his character throughout the film’s runtime (interactions with new characters in new settings), and instead of a meaningful build-up, his creative vision is crushed under the weight of repetitive artsy abstraction. And that’s a shame, because with its unique stylisation, Bronson could have been the successor to Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

Antlers is technically outstanding and benefits from having a cast of high-quality actors, but the screenplay is average, without a single idea that would make the film memorable. And it’s also dumb in places. A similar theme received a significantly better rendering in The Ritual, not only in terms of genre techniques, but also in the psychology of the character. A weak three stars.

Though Watcher is a clichéd film, it does have a pleasant lead actress (I have a particular weakness for a blonde bob cut), solid production, a feel for its cold setting and the ability to raise goosebumps. The film’s best target audience is young American women who are planning to visit or move to Eastern Europe, ideally Romania. In addition to English, Romanian is spoken in the film and the main character is the only foreigner in the country. The film would have earned four stars with a more imaginative and clever climax. As it stands, however, the climax is embarrassing, though for a moment it looked like an ending that you wouldn’t expect and that I personally would have been very pleased with (and which would have pissed off mainstream viewers).

Borders of Love is banality that’s precise in dialogue and authentic in acting, with one casting surprise. From the first moment, you figure out where it will go and that’s exactly where it goes and ends up.

“The only place socialism works is hell – and they don't need it there.” Triangle of Sadness is a satirical ode to the inevitable inequality in society. Balance is utopia. In terms of entertainment value, this dinner tasting from The Square colossally developed into a concert of absurdity on a luxury yacht trumps anything we have seen in the comedy genre in recent years. And it’s not even a comedy genre film. I also enjoyed the hard shocks of the panning camera. When you have something to say, you can repeatedly remind yourself that form is only a means of saying it. Just as all of the whimsical glamour propriety of the passengers on this grand voyage is unnecessary... I’m not giving the film a fifth star because the last, “island” third of the film falls short of the “boat” part in terms of both humor and the effectiveness of capping off the scenes. But the ending is excellent!

If Strickland had applied all of the feminine sensuality, feel for production design and mystical poetics to subject matter that is more accessible to viewers, we would have revelled in a cinema connosieur’s idea of heaven. But no, he enjoys messing around with obscure ideas torn from reality and evoking a dreamlike phantasmagoria in which it is impossible to find a connection with real fantasies and desires. And he needs to lubricate the lead actress in the theatrical act with shit from the gassy documentarian’s bowels. Why?? In Flux Gourment, you will find, if you want, parallels with Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, which was released the same year. Alternative forms of artistic acts. But Cronenberg's opus, though also very much outside of the mainstream, is a more complexly thoughtful reflection on the existing themes. [KVIFF]

Crimes of the Future is a bizarre, visually polished movie with an interesting dystopian vision of society compelling music from Howard Shore, a charismatic Mortensen in a black martyr’s cowl and a sexually and irresistibly unique Kristen Stewart. Every second with her was entrancing for me. It’s just a shame that the film didn’t culminate in her delightful, loud orgasm on the operating table while surgically connecting her open wounds with the tumor-ridden Mortensen. When I was a young boy, the message of Hellraiser that “pain is pleasure” was instrumental in helping me overcome getting stitches for my busted head and other injuries from doing what boys do. Crimes of the Future gave me the idea that having something unwelcome and malignant growing in your body is not only a natural genetic process of life, but also a unique work of art created by our bodies. This is a strange, fascinating film that is difficult to understand, and I will definitely watch it again. [KVIFF]

This meta-nonsense from the Finnish backwoods is funny at times and has good minimalist music. The inspiration taken from the humor of national classics is obvious; the first third of the film even comes across as a black comedy, like a Finnish take on Fargo. But by veering into sci-fi with extraterrestrial motifs and a screenplay that can’t even begin to make sense to absolutely anyone, Myllylahti totally went too far. [KVIFF]

The most boring characters, dialogue and, in general, story that you can see in a movie from the mountains. In a movie from the mountains emasculatingly shot in 4:3 format.

Superheroes is yet another clichéd relationship flick, but it’s carefully and sensitively told and acted, and it has a nice epilogue. It won’t receive any awards like The Worst Person in the World, as it is less sophisticated in terms of screenwriting and more sentimental, but it reliably touches the viewer’s heart. [KVIFF]