J*A*S*M

Olympic level in the discipline of "inducing a feeling of deep inner turmoil". I haven't seen something so often beautiful, yet repulsive and disturbing in a long time. And my apologies to A24 for wrongly suspecting it of producing a straightforward war blockbuster. It's, of course, another auteur film, just the way we like it.

Feel good, yet feel sad. Alexander Payne delivers one of the best films of the year, and he only needed relatively little to do so: a sensitively written script and some good actors. Ordinary, yet beautiful. I like big, unique and original concepts in movies, but sometimes "a little" is more than "a lot". This conniving little man ambushed me and managed to win me over.

“The best film of the year with a perfect and original idea and great acting by Nicolas Cage. The dictionary definition of an A24 film, a well-directed piece with impeccable comedic timing, but one that can also strike a darker chord," that’s what I would have written if they hadn't strangely switched gears in the final fifteen minutes – after the school play scene – and the film hadn't fizzled out. It's a shame and I can't quite explain it, the ending really feels like Borgli ran out of time and didn't manage to write and film the climax the rest of the film deserved. Still, I'll burn a five star rating, I've been rather stingy with them this year and Dream Scenario towers high above the usual surrounding stuff despite the stumble. PS: Kristoffer Borgli is the discovery of the year for me – I recommend his previous film Sick of Myself, which is also about a man who craves attention, and in a bizarre way gets it.

Avoid spoilers, you really don't want to know which way the initially relatively simple looking premise will go. Just the few reviews posted here now would have easily ruined the experience for me. Barbarian is a dream horror debut, the best and least predictable genre film in years, and Zach Cregger is the one Hollywood producers should be fighting over right now. Anyway, without spoilers, it's very hard to talk about this film, so I'll perhaps just give a very tentative indication that it's divided in three parts. The first one overflows with tension and culminates in a heart attack and fucking scary sequence. The second part lightens the tone, but the humour is not intrusive, rather it comes from the fact that the focus shifts to the funny character. The third part is a horror ride with a dash of gore. The overall plot is perhaps a bit wild in the end, you have to work a bit to "believe", but that is the only complaint I can have about this revelation. The sound is worth a special mention – I don't usually pay much attention to it, but Barbarian is really beautifully scored, it's almost ear-piercing.

For me, on level with Parasite, and hands down the best film of this year’s KVIFF and quite likely one of the best films of the year. Sound social criticism with a stimulating, original script and wrapped in a very audience-friendly and entertaining package. Bursts of laughter assured, as well as amused disgust in the brilliantly staged captain's dinner scene, and a nicely ambiguous ending. (56th KVIFF)

Mysterious corporate horror; just imagine what it would be like if a part of you was doomed to be at work for eternity. It has an original idea, style, great actors, and atmosphere to spare. I am going to enjoy this one and hope it doesn't go downhill in the space of ten episodes.

I remember Portrait of a Lady on Fire as tarted-up award bait that I gave three stars for the "craftsmanship" and never intended to return to, so I approached this one without any major expectations. But bugger me! I’m a moron. A beautiful, small and human film that doesn't want to be groundbreaking or engage with the big issues "that are burning us today", but evokes the purest of emotions in a simple fantasy romp. For some people, it won’t be anything special, but I got a thrill where I didn’t expect.

I’m thrilled, immediately after watching the last episode, I checked Rotten Tomatoes to see what critics and audiences were saying about this brand new horror masterpiece; and what a show of idiocy on all fronts. White assholes are bothered that it's another film/series about racism, black assholes are bothered that it exploits "black trauma" for genre entertainment (and that most of the hired directors dared not to be black), and professional critics are bothered that it's more a full-blown genre piece than thoughtful social commentary. The world has turned to shit. Shut up, for God's sake, and enjoy a beautifully made horror show, because that’s what THEM is: rough, fierce, sharp, unpleasant and terrifying. I have a few quibbles about the script (for example, Betts's plot line goes awkwardly awry at the end), but the abundance of directorial ideas and the amazing execution keep it safely afloat. One of the best genres pieces in recent years.

Two years after Years and Years, Russell T. Davies delivers another impressive limited series. This time, he’s not looking at the future, but at 1980s Britain, when the queer community was coping with the AIDS epidemic and the indifference of the majority of society. It has many happy moments alternating with massive downers. Episodes three and five are downright painful. Thatcher got what she deserved. A great group of characters. La!

For me, the best Nolan since Inception, i.e. in ten years, but with some “buts”. The most important of which is that the barrage is so relentless that it’s impossible to absorb. By this I don’t mean the big picture, which is pretty clear and sensible by the end, but the details during the journey. What was the role of several secondary characters in the story as a whole? What was the thought process that led the protagonists to choose the plans they choose in several parts of the story? How did they know where to go, etc. All the dialogues (and there are lots of them!) are simply reduced to the exchange of vital information, and there are so many that most people, myself included, are unable to remember them well enough, let alone connect them to all the other information that was given before and all the other information that is yet to be given, and I don’t think this is our mistake. If Tenet had the same amount of plot but was twice as long, I would have objectively enjoyed it more. As it is, I would have to watch it at least once more and hope to make sense of those smaller bits. Regardless, technically it’s awesome and the concept is brilliant. The scenes that mix events going forward and backward in time are unlike any other film and there where moments I thought my head would explode. This is exactly I want from Nolan, so I am very satisfied, though I understand people who aren’t or won’t be so, if only because Nolan doesn’t know how to work with female characters, that’s an objective fact. PS (Spoiler): If we consider the motivations of the “villains” (the invisible ones, not the Russian guy), shouldn’t we be actually rooting for them? :)