Remedy

As a whole, I found Martyrs to be considerably uneven. The first 45 minutes is an absolutely brutal, naturalistic, bloody, intense, and thus excellent ride that if it had continued to the end (and been cut down a bit) might have earned 4 stars. But at the moment it starts to talk too much, explain, and perhaps even outline to the viewer the possible message or meaning of what they are witnessing, it's actually quite boring and the "serious" angle just doesn't fit. Conceiving of it purely as an exploitation film and leaving a lot of the context open and rather just hinting at it gradually would have been a much better choice. After all, such an extreme conception cannot be seen as something thoughtful or philosophical.

An excellent political-psychological thriller with an extraordinarily strong atmosphere, which Mr. Polanski can evoke like no one else. Too much sprawl in the first half drags it short of the maximum for me; on the other hand the gradual (if only relatively gradual) gradation towards an excellent conclusion is handled really well. Moreover, it's remarkable to see that even in today's rushed and ultra-modern times, when monumental projects are being created filled with action and visual effects (the Bourne trilogy, Mission Impossible), a film with a minimum of action and the absence of fast "cool" editing can look equally impressive in the end. Virtually no distinct protagonist, completely civil and realistic characters, in a story whose greatest weapon is unpredictability and a sense of permanent uncertainty. A perfect Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor.

It is perhaps clear to everyone that The Social Network cannot give a completely fair and trustworthy account of the whole event, and consequently of Mark Zuckerberg's character and conduct. It would be inappropriate to condemn his personality as it is portrayed in the film – as a selfish, arrogant, conceited, and anti-social nerd who actually stole the Winklevoss twins' idea. Moreover, the film was based on the book The Accidental Billionaires, which charts the whole phenomenon through the eyes of Eduardo Saverin (Saverin himself approached the writer Ben Mezrich with an offer to write a novel about the origins of Facebook), which cannot be considered an objective and impartial source – I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that it has to do with the way Saverin figures in the whole affair. On the other hand, if I had to say who I sympathize with, either from my own point of view or from the final impression of the film, I found the Winklevoss brothers, for example, extremely unlikable, because they embodied a typical example of iron-faced, hypocritical ("We won't do anything because we're gentlemen... however would that look?") slimy, wannabe friendly, patronizing scumbags and individuals who must always get away with everything at all costs. How it actually was, how much of a concrete form (and thus the subsequent contribution to the creation of the future largest social network) their "start-up" idea had, we will never fully know anyway. As for the film itself – David Fincher, with all his early directorial trademarks, remains in the background for virtually the entire film, devoting the space to focused performances from Eisenberg and Timberlake, who truly live their roles. Nevertheless, the film doesn't lack a fast pace (the opening scene in particular is very intense and energetic) and a dramatic momentum that keeps the viewer's attention permanently engaged. I simply can't decide if I like my Fincher more exhibitionist (Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room) or more mature and restrained (Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network). The main weapon of Fincher's latest film so far is the fact that it works perfectly as a whole, proving what a complex and brilliant filmmaker David Fincher is.

My second Cronenberg after Videodrome. Overall, the idea is a blast, I just wonder if the grossness was necessary, because I could have imagined, for example, that introduction of the port in some more human and eye-pleasing way rather than disgusting like this. But not to criticize, the craftsmanship is really good and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law were perfect. 4.5 stars

Zodiac is definitely not a "typical Fincher film", but instead a masterfully constructed whodunit, in which David Fincher dispensed with his exhibitionist ways (which I love otherwise, of course) and kept the whole thing (by his standards) quite civil. The story itself sees to the tension and the stiffening of the blood in the veins, which is also excellently developed by the storyline of his own obsession and the gradually consuming and self-destructive desire to discover the truth.

I've seen this film many times (and probably will many more times :)), however I'm only writing this review now. The reason is the same as with The Dark Knight (I understand that this "comparison" may seem a bit bizarre at first glance.)) – I consider American Beauty to be a perfect film that I love because of one rather significant thing, and that is that those less than two hours of storytelling by Sam Mendes and Alan Ball absolutely got me and got to me. Mendes' directorial skill is evident from the very first minutes as he gradually introduces the viewer to that advertisement for a happy marriage, and also to the fact that many things in human life are one big absurdity that will one day come to an equally absurd end... I really don't know what to single out first – Kevin Spacey's acting, Alan Ball's brilliant screenplay and Sam Mendes' equally brilliant direction, Thomas Newman's beautiful score, or the performances of the other actors involved. American Beauty is a wonderful film, even if it is actually a rather scathing critique of America itself. :)

Christina Ricci already showed in her younger days that she would grow up to be a great actress one day (or through Wednesday in The Addams Family, the sexually adventurous girl in The Ice Storm :)), Depp's coolly beautiful companion in Sleepy Hollow, to the lead and rather difficult role in Prozac Nation). The film certainly doesn't rest on Christina alone – the script is certainly interesting and there are some strong directorial moments that are used to achieve a deeper and more evocative portrayal of the main character's psyche. Definitely a film worth watching.

Since I have a rather superficial knowledge of Hitchcock's work so far, and haven't seen most of his best films, I can't objectively judge how much De Palma is copying him or to what extent this is a sympathetic homage or a distinctive variation. For me, what's important is that Dressed to Kill managed to captivate me with its narrative style, its beautiful musical theme, and now I finally know and see from whom Tarantino learned those split-screens and that kind of twisted filmmaking style as such (which I personally find very likable, though.))

It's admirable how simple Polanski's means are to create a perfectly mysterious and at times truly horrific atmosphere. Moreover, he plays a nice trick on the viewer, because it is through that atmosphere and his directorial approach that he constantly makes us believe what is happening to the main character. It's quite clear that it's paranoia, but you still get that uncomfortable inner feeling.))) An insightful, psychologically well-executed thriller, in which Polanski, in addition to directing, also played the lead role (both very well).

Although Oscar's narrative is the main frame of the entire film, the implications of his relationship with Mimi naturally translate to the present and gradually influence Hugh Grant's character in his actions and endeavors :)) The depiction of Oscar and Mimi's relationship is at times lyrical, charming, idyllic (there is a beautiful juxtaposition of her youthful innocence and naivety with Oscar's "awakening"), at times bizarre (but also funny), and ultimately, of course, escalated (both physically and psychologically). Equally compelling is the setting in which Bitter Moon takes place. All in all, this is a masterpiece, detailing (sometimes perhaps too much:)) the course of a somewhat perverse but all the more interesting relationship, while tying in another (contemporary) storyline, which it fantastically intersects with at the end.