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Another self-absorbed romantic statement about a mass murderer, and a film not unlike the farce called Bonnie & Clyde. Sure, we can call it neo-noir and pretend that Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek weren't too old for their roles. The backdrop of the North Dakota-Montana area is of course engaging, but as a celebration of Charles Starkweather (1938-1959) and Caril Ann Fugate (*1943), it is toxic. Fortunately, it is just one film from a series inspired by works responding to the pathological need to perceive murderers as cool people: The Sadist (1963), Badlands (1973), Stark Raving Mad (1981), Kalifornia (1993), Murder in the Heartland (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), The Frighteners (1996), and Starkweather (2004).

So far the last attempt by MGA to build a line of toys. Mermaze Mermaidz are fashion dolls supported by an animated series that features individual mermaids living in Mystic City. The underwater concept may seem interesting at first glance, and it is something different from Rainbow High or L.O.L. Surprise!, but apparently not different enough. The series only got one season and the dolls will be packing it up this year.

In comparison to the first film, L.O.L. Surprise!, Winter Fashion Show is a much more classical spectacle. Neonlicious takes the lead role, and the whole story revolves around a fashion show. Therefore, the result is a delightful children's version of similar romantic comedies for adults like The Devil Wears Prada, Fashion, and Lipstick Jungle, stripped of unnecessary adult diversions. The concurrently produced fashion dolls are, of course, pastel-perfect.

So what do we have here? Michael Douglas' first film since Wall Street, which we've been waiting 2 years for. Music by Hans Zimmer, Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Sound and Best Sound Editing. And yet it's such beautiful eighties trash. Clouds of genre stereotypes, everything is beautifully tough, black and white, and relaxed. Motorcycles purr, the women have perms... The narrative even returns to a Japanese revenge for Hiroshima. Today, however, it can't be taken seriously.

I indulge in New Zealand films only occasionally, but when I do, it's always worth it. Their mentality is different after all, and of course, their film industry is not only alive with export fantasy series and movies the way it used to be. This ghost story is an adaptation of a local author specializing in children's and teen books, Margaret Mahy. Years ago, she already celebrated success with the series Maddigan's Quest with Rose McIver. The film The Changeover is solidly thrilling and mysterious entertainment, and the adult roles feature the queens of New Zealand film, Melanie Lynskey and Lucy Lawless. So if you're in the mood for something else in the Kiwi style (set in the city of Christchurch on the South Island), go for it.

A classic revisionist anti-western. In its time, it was an important undertaking, being an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Thomas Berger. Fortunately, there is no longer any need to tolerate the shortcomings of the time: Unbelievable masks, the illogical connection of individual chapters, and some absolutely terrible acting performances. The exaggeration and lightness with which this contemporary Forrest Gump crossed with The Hundred Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared weaves through the American West are far from as charming, as it is only straightforward and self-serving. I am glad that the sequel "The Return of Little Big Man" (1999) was released only as a book.

Apt Pupil is one of the most attractive subjects that Stephen King has delved into. However, the study of children's fascination with Nazism and evil in individuals is truly on the edge. King focuses on credibility, using the backdrop of American suburbia as always, methodically following the story of a regular boy turning into a monster over the course of several years. The book takes place in the 70s when it was still possible to find a former Nazi incognito and in good health, any further advancement in the film towards the present is definitely not a plus. I would consider this the first problem of the adaptation. The second problem of the film is shortening the main plot from several years to less than a year because, in the book, the difference in fascination with Nazism before Todd's puberty and during it is understandably described. Primarily, what is missing in the film is the transformation of a bored boy into a boy interested in anything, unfortunately for him, his fascination with the details of the Holocaust becomes fatal. Certainly, it is possible to admire the acting performance of Ian McKellen, and the participation of Jan Tríska in a small role, but we should not be content with the fact that Todd was simply an evil boy at the beginning and remained an evil boy at the end of the film.

I've always wanted to see this feature version. During the Disney Pocahontas era, a lot of baggage was created, but this movie with Sandrine Holt relatively stood out. It followed a few live-action feature film traditions Pocahontas (1910), Pocahontas and John Smith (1924), and Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953). Later, The New World (2005) was made. The budget for Pocahontas: The Legend was rather modest, so the whole thing feels like a regular episode of that adventurous series at the time, but the script and performances are good and complement the contemporary Disney narrative very well. Of course, only the first period of the relationship with John Smith is covered.

The 60th feature-length Disney film. An experience identical to visiting the Colombian embassy. This time, a fully-fledged Disney movie did not emerge, but rather a platform for all those concurrent outputs. A rich soundtrack, attractions at Disneyland, books, media, dolls... But it is all so submerged in that specific culture that global comprehensibility has been forgotten.

A beautiful film based on a true story. Given that it was released just a few years after The Elephant Man,  one may get the impression that it is a moving, yet inspired fiction. However, the phenomenon of The Elephant Man could have at most released the atmosphere in society in this case, so that a similar story could be told from the present day without much surprise. Roy L. Dennis (1961-1978) suffered from craniofacial dysplasia and yet lived a relatively pleasant life. Characters like Beau in Murder House or Jake in Grey's Anatomy also have a similar diagnosis. In reality, he also had a homosexual brother, but that would be too much for an eighties film. So we were left with a beautifully tight drama, with Cher reigning as the mother, Eric Stoltz under the striking mask, and Laura Dern as a gentle blind girl. I postponed my viewing experience a bit, but I don't regret it, despite all the circumstances, as it is an experience that can charge you with positive energy.