Lima

This is no milestone in the history of cinema, for that Cuarón would have to be as good a screenwriter as he is a director, but it’s definitely a film that can only be recommended. At least 2 scenes – the carjacking and the wartime turmoil in the refugee zone – are worthy of inclusion in the proverbial "hall of fame" of memorable scenes; the only thing I missed while watching them was an involuntary "Holy shit!". Another thing worth praise is the interestingly portrayed atmosphere of the near future: bleak and troubled, free from exaggerated technological trappings, but with an emphasis on one of the expected future problems of Western civilization, which is already beginning to rear its ugly head (see this year's events in France), namely the problem of illegal immigrants and the related rise of xenophobia. Clive Owen is a very charismatic guy and a good actor, I'm rooting for his current status as a major leading man, just a shame that in his case it didn't come sooner.

I have Murderous Doubts about the screenwriter's ability to come up with a meaningful plot and Ivo Toman's ability to turn it into something at least a little bit conceivable. An incredibly bad attempt at a psychological film with a detective plot in the background, which fits perfectly among the grey mass of what was produced in 1978. The only way to keep watching until the end was thanks to my favourite, the great actor Mirek Machacek, who in his civilian life, consumed by mental anguish that was perfectly reflected in his expression, seemed to be perfect for a role like this.

In the cinema version, the editor's hand was all too evident, Balian's rise up the ladder of social prestige is too hasty. As if the change from an insignificant blacksmith's nobody to a man who becomes the king's favourite, and to whom all Jerusalem bows down in the end and listens to his word in its moments of need, could be so simple. Unfortunately, the almost one hour longer director's cut that I just got my hands on didn't do much to improve my impression in this regard. Even so, the added scenes make the film feel more whole and much more emotional, especially with the added storyline of the illness and death of Sibylla's son and heir to the throne, which is quite crucial to the development of the plot. Also very nice is the added scene with the burning bush, full of symbolism of the nature of warfare in the Middle East. But there are also some scenes that don’t make much sense for the development of the plot. Bottom line: Scott's magnum opus isn't a riveting film, but it is insightful and thoughtful, with an ambition to make a point, and that's appreciated. And the final peace deal between Balian and Saladin, Christian and Muslim, must be a literal caress for every peacenik on this earth :o)

A seemingly trivial and many times seen story about infiltration among criminal structures, a feeling that prevailed in me until the 40th minute or so. But starting with the impressive scene with the meeting with the mafia boss (an incredibly charismatic guy, the casting again, as is usual with Mann, was perfect) and the beginning of the development of an unlikely romantic relationship with Isabella (a very charming Gong-Li), the film won me over. What elevates it to the "cinematic elite" is the person of Michael Mann and his directorial inventiveness, the atmosphere, the attention to detail (some really interesting shots), the unconventional concept of action, where authenticity rules above all, the perfect music and score, and you will rarely see such beautifully composed intimate scenes. And the beautiful ending, partly sad and partly full of hope, with the evocative piano accompaniment, convinced me that this film deserves a thumbs up. PS: I don't understand the repeated criticism towards the digital camera, all I can say is "keep it up, Mann".

The instinctive desire to survive, the incredible power of motherhood and the cold aesthetics of ice temples; when these come together, hand in hand with a soundtrack that fits the mood of the film, nothing but an impressive documentary worth watching can be created. I would not condemn the commentary, it was nice, it aptly illuminated the behaviour of the protagonists, perhaps only occasionally slipping into pathos at the very limit of tolerability and the child's voice was mostly annoying, but that doesn't change the fact that in the context of other nature documentaries, this one is one of the best. It manages to captivate and move. I understand the favourable critical and box office response. And I must confess that I love penguins! :)

It’s against nature, but Marty is getting younger. This is the kind of fucking entertaining film that even a young kid in the director’s chair wouldn’t be ashamed of. Those almost two and a half hours passed by like water. In the case of the ensemble cast, it's pointless to comment on DiCaprio and Nicholson, they're chapters unto themselves, so I'll just single out the much-maligned Damon (that perfect smarmy crooked character, I can't imagine it could have been played any better) and especially Wahlberg (!!!), whose brilliantly written lines were a joy to listen to, and his banter with Baldwin made me laugh out loud. After the screening, I remembered Steven Spielberg's words that he "doesn't have to prove anything to anyone anymore and just wants to have fun with movies", I feel the same way about The Departed. I probably wouldn't give Scorcese an Oscar for it, in the context of his previous, albeit more notable work (if does get it, it will be mainly "for merit"), but it's gratifying that underneath the skin of the grey professor emeritus, there's still that old familiar rebel from the days of Mean Streets and Taxi Driver :)

A wonderfully positive film, so necessary in these crazy times. Bill Nighy is an incredible showman, but I wouldn’t buy his CD, he sings awful :)

If there's ever a poll for the most shameful remake of all time, LaBute's film will have a certain medal position. A truly dreadful slap in the face to all admirers of Hardy's iconic original. A film with no atmosphere, no suspense and stupidly chatty, with a few cheap scares and where the hell are the singing and dancing numbers, which were an essential element of Hardy’s original and gave it an unmistakable appeal??!! Moreover, the whole concept of La Bute's remake is bad and tramples on the essence of Hardy's work. La Bute turned the originally bigoted and fatherly constable into an action hero (played by Cage) with a gun in his hand and some kicks, plus a "Commando" parental motive. The original constable's fumbling, astonishment and faint suspicion is gone (Cage's policeman is a very determined man and has no doubt about the evil committed), as is the fundamental surprise of the twist (the burning is mentioned from the very beginning ??!!). The action bees and the same annoying flashback to the police officer's traumatic experience repeated several times (what a cliché!) are just icing on the cake. La Bute, I love your debut, but this is a piece of shit! PS: I almost fell out of my chair at Cage's kick to Leelee Sobieski's face, relieved laughter, comedy...

The first half is a series of more or less awkward and even more awkward jokes, where my rating oscillated around one star. Fortunately, the second half picked it up, the awkward humour disappeared and it became a quite pleasant, albeit a bit simple-minded moral on the theme "Family above all!" With the passage of time, the initially unlikeable Sandler has become a person who can believably play some deeper emotions. In the end, I would give it 3 stars, but I can't because of the first half. And in conclusion, I can only say with pleasure: "Hola hey, the cult lifeguard and general of shallow commerce, the reborn David Hasselhoff is here again!!!" :o) He clearly enjoyed his role as the boss after his film fast.

JESUS CHRIST!! Cameron what have you done! This film can be described with two words: unnatural and kitsch. Unnatural character behaviour, unnatural dialogues, unnatural situations. At times it was really unbearable and towards the end I was praying that this plastic kitsch would finish already. Orlando Bloom showed once again what a faceless actor he is, the whole time he looked like he wandered into the film purely by accident and if he doesn't enrich his acting register in the future with more than just the look of a shy guy, I'm afraid his acting career will soon go down the drain. On the other hand, there’s the charming Kirsten Dunst, whenever she appeared, she lit up the whole scene like the sun with her immediacy and charisma. It is only thanks to her and the fact that Crowe still has a great way with music (again, very pleasant, as is usual in his films) that Elizabethtown can be survived in one viewing, albeit in my case with a lot of persuasion. And I didn't expect it, but unfortunately I have to conclude: Elizabethtown is the first bad film from the creator of the wonderful Singles. We all stumble sometimes.