Othello

An enjoyable one-off, but still lacking something to the perfection of Paycheck or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. High praise for the casting. Oh, and the distributor's translation is utterly demented.

A total blast... I spent an hour getting my bearings and another hour barely keeping up. A Balkan romp with some really great jokes (a pig eating the trabant) and incredible vivacity.

With the adaptation of Sagan's novel, Zemeckis took a bite that I think he's still chewing on now. Contact has such huge thematic sweep that it can't be carried on its shoulders by the big-budget American film model, however much credit it deserves for at least trying. Its attempt to reconcile esoterica and science doesn't completely fall apart in the end (thanks in part to the perfect Foster), however much it fights its way to it through terrible story constructs, but given that the scientific aspect of the film so far has been portrayed by a team of hardy professionals and the religious aspect by the important-looking figurehead McConaughey in the background, the film obviously doesn't quite manage to be so impartial by its very nature. The resulting compromise of "truth is what you yourself believe to be true" rings true in these post-factual times. If you're one of those types who digs into the logic of the scenes in science fiction, and you get queasy at the thought of a religious zealot strapped with explosives getting through all the security to the center of a gazillion-dollar mechanism years in the making, or that no one in the world notices that the same structure has been getting built in Japan this whole time, then tread lightly here. Still, I wonder how incredibly hideous an alien organism must look that has learned that after dragging a human through three wormhole transitions, it had better modify its form into that of the DEAD FATHER OF THE PROTAGONIST to better handle the whole situation. Lol.

Less Gere, more Hoskins. Less Lane, more Fishburne. Fewer women, more tough gangsters. Less singing, more violence.

A terrible bullshit film that's all about nothing, and aside from a lot of absurdities culminating in a Thai prison and a bunch of awkwardness, it also has some good jokes, the brilliant Hugh Grant, and a likeable Bridget. btw I really don't get the odes to Colin Firth, wherever the guy appears he has the same dry aristocratic expression and as far as I counted, only twice in this film does he manage to scrunch his face into a fake smile and that in itself is calling to heaven. Definitely a good candidate for the next installment of The Terminator.

After a second screening, it's clear. The new Indy benefits from virtually nothing but references, has virtually no memorable moments, and the whole thing feels like it was made by a high school fan who won a hundred grand from a script by his younger great-nephew who's in seventh grade in elementary school. Nothing in the film makes sense and it needlessly rolls out one complicated special effect after another, burying the charm of its predecessors. The studio-ness is so obvious in some scenes that it almost seems intentional. You can tell that the filmmakers had a great time watching it, but that's not enough for me. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is an overfunded B-movie.

A nice fight movie that's fun to watch, entertaining, and with really great fights. Badass choreography, long takes, and the editing doesn't lag. The cinematography alone was a pretty pleasant surprise for me. But it's just a fairy tale. A very naive fairy tale that no one can take seriously. As entertainment, however, it succeeds.

An hour and a half long video clip reflecting the current stage of human society, to whose dogmas, unfortunately, the director himself is subject in some places. But otherwise brilliant...

A lesser rating is out of the question if only for the ability of the director, cinematographer, costume designer, and editor to put it all together in a way that doesn't make Steven's navel stand out. Plus, if you remove Seagal from the equation, it's a pretty cool Vinnie Jones action flick that's not too bad to watch, even if it is understandably terrible crap. The whole thing feels like a fine computer game (the introduction of the characters).

I can really dig this. For an American family comedy, there are a lot of good jokes, most of them as black as Anjelica Huston's hair. Christina Ricci's best role ("are those cookies made from real Girl Scouts?"). Some of the scenes are just gems (the party, the children's pageant, The Thing, the Nicknack security guard or whatever). And throughout, one is never once overwhelmed by the sense of awkwardness that is so prevalent in contemporary comedies. Barry Sonnenfeld succeeds as a debutant. The direction is brisk and clever. If I wanted to piss anyone off, I'd say this film has nothing to be ashamed of next to Burton's masterpieces.