Goldbeater

You have to give this film one thing, it managed to evoke something in me that no other film had before: I found Peter Cushing annoying. The experienced genre actor had already played so many roles of scientists and inventors that he probably thought how to spice things up this time with first-class goofing off. I would never have believed what a comfort would be the on-screen presence of Doug McClure, whose greatest acting asset otherwise is that he manages not to stare at Caroline Munro's cleavage. Otherwise, At the Earth's Core is classic sci-fi, with characters travelling to a colourful world where the inhabitants are suffering under the oppression of tyranny, only to be helped out of their fate. It’s something we’ve seen countless times, and here unfortunately, it’s not delivered in any interesting way. The money went to the sets and not to the script.

Like a small yet loud triangle somewhere on the edge of an orchestral ensemble, this film resonates with me more and more over time among all the more familiar and award-winning films. Every once in a while it's great to see a film that delves into contemporary issues, but without tackling them in black and white, for effect, or at first glance; instead, it tackles them in a smart, complex, and ambiguous way. Todd Field manages to do all of this, and he also puts it all into the realms of fictional biography, suspenseful drama, and almost ghost story, so that he has a very varied ride in store for the patient viewer, one that from a distance may seem boring, but it’s most certainly not.

At the moment I can think of several theatrical dramas about the search for guilt, resolution and eventual punishment, based on dialogue and taking place mostly in one room, which I would easily rank among the best films I have ever seen. Women Talking, however, is not on one of them, even in the slightest. Its weighty subject matter is one thing, but any discussion based on it is delivered in a completely haphazard, literal, inconsistent, and, to put it in the vernacular, also tiresome and uninteresting manner. You can do an over-the-top acting exhibition in a barn the moment you have a really prolific script in your hands, which, despite the Oscar for Best Adaptation, it’s not the case here. And now let me talk at length and repeatedly about my two horses... No, I'll spare you that, unlike this film.

Shazam! Wrath of the Gods is a thoroughly conventional comic book movie that won't impress anyone, but it won't offend them either. At least this time we have bad guys with human faces and not some computer-generated creature without a hint of facial expressions or a touch of charisma. In terms of the recently failed DC universe, it's one of the better (read "at least average") films, but I'm missing the main target audience by at least 15 years or so.

Perhaps no horror franchise has made it to a sixth installment without material fatigue, but here the fatigue is so minimal and hardly noticeable that it still feels fresh, fun and exciting. The horror sequences are a treat, the whole is laughable, but intentionally so. No Scream has ever really disappointed, not even this one.

Unfortunately, the meaty premise and the very committed Adam Driver are not enough to save the incredibly bland direction and unimaginative script, which only meets the bare dramaturgical minimum to call it a survival thriller. It's a relatively short film and some scenes from the trailer are even missing, but it still feels padded and a few comedic scenes accompanied by Looney Tunes music are really eyebrow-raising. This plot would have benefited from a more B-movie, gritty, R-rated execution, with fewer dinosaurs and more night scenes to hide the imperfect effects, but unfortunately the creative ambition to show as much as possible was combined with the ability to tell as little and as interestingly as possible, and I'm not sure what and whom it's supposed to impress in the end.

A recipe for Marvel’s whatever phase: Assemble a core cast of characters who withhold cruel information from each other for no reason and act like idiots just so the central plot of the film can take place. Add annoying new characters who are instantly the best at everything and on whom you can build future movies. Sprinkle in a ton of digital effects, a handful of awful dialogue and a dash of lame humour. Stir the whole mix with the fact that although each of the characters should have their ring-fenced characteristic abilities, conveniently they are constantly either forgetting them or only using them when it suits the screenwriter. Or to be sure, do not specify this abilities at all, so that anything can happen. And don’t forget to spice it with a pointless cameo role. What you get out of it is a nasty concoction that consumers will still eat up with gusto, because you are a brand: Marvel Studios.

No, it was really lemonade. Very well made, honest work, but it hurts your teeth from all that sugar.

After the dramatically successful first part and the easy-going second part comes the third (and, according to the title, probably the last) part, which is just an old-world naive and sweet fairy tale. Perhaps it’s good that it's something a bit different in terms of genre for the third time, but this time the shift didn't really suit me. Soderbergh has swapped the likeable, pompous characters from the previous installments for universally annoying new characters who fulfill the most played-out film clichés (the misunderstood impulsive housewife, the over-smart multi-talented teenager, the aloof wise butler). And speaking of clichés, cameo appearances via Zoom have become a very dated cinematic tool in recent months. The cinematography is again nice, the choreography of the dance numbers is very good, it has some funny Soderbergh "wtf" moments, but I can't help it, plot-wise it fits just right on the Hallmark Channel at 14:30.

All that's left of the social drama is a highly stylized attraction that, while it has a few deaf spots in the middle, entertains quite well with engaging characters and many amusing moments. Visually, it's not as interesting and polished as the first one – Steven Soderbergh probably doesn't try as hard behind the camera and in the editing room when he's not directing himself – but as a popcorn movie it's OK. Thumbs up for the fact that the filmmakers went to the trouble of portraying the supporting characters better, which at times is considerably deeper than in a regular consumer comedy.