POMO

An elegantly cruel film in which the expensively dressed world of a treacherous lawyer obsessed with innocent women collides with Mexican cartel hell. Ridley Scott conveys this conflict not through action, but through dialogue. He doesn’t milk the audience’s emotions but uses an intellectual, even philosophical approach. The characters’ motivations are only suggested, and waiting for their (ambiguous) reactions and the escalation of tense situations are what drive the film forward. The philosophical musings are nothing special, but I enjoyed the acting performances and well-done visuals. If the plot had been more clearly constructed, I’d give it four stars. Cameron Diaz spreading her legs over the windshield of a Ferrari is unforgettable. The Counselor is a guilty pleasure in the form of an exercise in vanity.

The Way is a relaxing road (walking) movie about discovering and getting to know not only new people and places, but especially oneself. The characters are a well-portrayed bunch of four trekkers from different parts of the world, with whom you’ll laugh during the good times and root for them when they’re down. Emilio Estevez’s direction is laid-back but targeted and accurate. And most of all, it feels like he’s personally involved. A small, positive film with an atmosphere similar to Alexander Payne’s Sideways.

You mustn’t approach Wings of Christmas with your intellect. It is a melancholic, dreamlike fairy tale with likable characters suffering from all kinds of human weaknesses. The film’s characters are desperately searching for something they either don’t need or have right in front of their noses without even knowing it. And the theme song fits the film perfectly.

An innocent teasing of the audience with a theme that never gets old. François Ozon understands women, and likes them better than Lars von Trier. That’s why he could shoot this film, which is all about the feelings of a seventeen-year-old girl drunk on her first encounters with adult matters. A seventeen-year-old that was curious about the men who would order the services of her body, about what it would be like with them in the darkened hotel rooms or on the leather backseats of their cars. To use the words of Charlotte Rampling, any girl with enough courage would have tried it. Not lack of self-esteem, but enough courage… The only emotional scene of the film is the fight with the weeping mother: “You broke my heart!”

Oldboy is a brutal thriller with a great noir atmosphere and a secret that makes a point that will bring you to your knees, hidden until the last minute. Josh Brolin was a great choice, as he portrays the personal and physical qualities of the character much better than the Asian actor in the original version, which was interesting in terms of art and its exotic audiovisual aspects, but it didn’t work narratively. It left me cold. Spike Lee developed the story, focused primarily on it and the characters, without underestimating the importance of the key battle with the hammer, which is top-notch in this version as well. I won’t give Oldboy a fifth star due to the the overused “mandatory” casting of Samuel L. Jackson in the role of another iconic, eccentrically dressed character, and due to the overdone digital effects in the climax, which take out some (important) brutality out of the film.

A cute, zany curiosity.

A woman with a child appears in front of the camera only so that Sandra Bullock can hear the child crying from the other end of the transmitter. And it was supposed to be a single shot. However, it’s a pleasant little film whose message is nicely connected to Gravity.

You won’t worry much about the life of Phillips, the hostage portrayed by Tom Hanks, because every character in the film knows that killing him would be of no benefit to anyone. This certainty, which diminishes the film’s level of suspense, weakens only in the final minutes. Apart from this, Captain Phillips is an interesting case of “how can he get out of this”. In this respect, United 93 allowed Paul Greengrass to make a stronger emotional impact on the viewer. Hiding the US NAVY propaganda behind the camouflage of stunning action filmmaking, which will satisfy even the more discerning viewer, however, is something no other contemporary director could do better. And Hanks rules.

Catching Fire is more mature and bearable than the first installment, which I had to suffer through. It’s too long and brings no satisfying conclusion (it only compels you to watch the next part), but it’s entertaining enough. It’s not a bad adventure fun for young audiences, and Francis Lawrence’s directorial craftsmanship shows no flaws. The best part of the movie is the epic scenes à la Cleopatra on the Capitol square.

About Time is a nice movie, but we’ve seen it all before. And if you’re satisfied with your life, realizing that every seemingly bad decision will eventually take you to some greater happiness, it doesn’t have much to say to you.