lamps

A solid summer diversion, but nobody wanted to see SW like that. It has fine action sequences, fine chemistry between Han and Chewbacca (whose friendship is surprisingly well thought out), and the occasional funny line or wink to past episodes, but the generic, strangely uncontained script just doesn't pull it off, and after a promising first hour, it gradually runs out of steam until it eventually flounders in uninteresting buddy conspiracy waters. It's no a dud, but the most famous space bad boy deserved a considerably more wholesome and fateful story, so in retrospect we have no choice but to bow again to Gareth Edwards, whose Rogue One is in a completely different league (which was fairly reflected in the box office)... 65%

Great, as expected. In some of the motives, it’s more predictable than the first two seasons, but it grabbed me again (symbolically, I didn't have much hair left at 23) and by the middle I was so excited for the ending that I could watch it in one go naked in a shared cell in a Turkish prison. The character work is flawless (fresh characters again, though it follows the tried-and-true pattern of the previous seasons and the original film, so we get a feisty female cop, an underdog loser, a good guy, the wrong place at the wrong time, and a cold-blooded nutter), the fates of the players are mercilessly intertwined and then there’s the occasional bizarre black humour and fantastical philosophy or symbolic scenes that beautifully underline the fatefulness and subversiveness of the narrative. The direction is excellent in every episode and cleverly times the communicativeness, so that even the expected twists come unexpectedly, or at least spiced up with a non-violent comedic interlude or the aforementioned subversive absurdity (the scene in the bowling alley is a bash and tunes the viewer into exactly the position where the series wants them to be). Some of the scenes are so superbly staged and voiced that they outshine most big budget film productions (the scene where they hand over the money in the warehouse, when I didn't even want to breathe, speaks for all), and finally, of course, there are the actors. McGregor is first and foremost entertaining and manages to make the two brothers sufficiently different and interesting, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a delightful bitch, I didn't mind Carrie Coon at all and Sea Whigham was fun every time he showed up, but the biggest superlatives go to David Thewlis, I've liked him for a long time, but here he just steals the show with a villain whom I rate as one of the best in TV history; the character himself is brilliantly written, but Thewlis's disgustingly distinctive attitude and perfect voice intonation makes him perhaps an even bigger demon than the delicious Thornton was in the first season – this is simply masterful acting that will knock you down. The last scene and its punchline is absolutely fantastic and reflects exactly why I love so much the poetics of Fargo. I want more…

It's true that the relationship/romance angle doesn't work very convincingly for long, but what the hell. Who else but Hitchcock could escalate a spy love story to such dramatic heights without needing a single direct flash of violence or sex? The simple story of one fragile infiltration steps on the gas pedal and never lets down because Hitch brilliantly leads actors who don't overact, while working magic with the camera in the interiors, and above all, once again, stunningly stretches in seemingly mundane motifs that become key in communicating to the viewer (the keys, the cellar and its contents). An excellent Ingrid Bergman and amazing direction of the greatest classic of black and white cinema – nothing more is needed to recommend it. 85%

On the one hand, a number of promising ideas that enrich the film as a slasher (the ugly setting and the whole community of skinhead freaks, the murderous slaughterhouse as a means of getting rid of witnesses, the isolation of the titular room), on the other hand, a completely sloppy approach to most of the characters, whom we don't care about, not very interesting direction and not much of a script to speak of – I liked the initial psychological pressure and unpredictability, too bad it turned into a mechanically repetitive parade in a closed building where at times logic gets lost. But I still had a good time, the violence was impressive, the pace remained at a decent level and of course Patrick Stewart in an unconventional villain role was a delight. Inoffensively watchable, nothing more, nothing less.

The admirable intentions are unfortunately overshadowed by the routine of the execution and the script (especially in relation to the expectations). The story offers enough action in the space of two hours, confronts its protagonists in an interesting way, and ends in a Hollywoodesque and daring fashion, but I still wasn’t satisfied. The characters remain woefully underdeveloped and superficial, and the plot doesn't escalate as a self-contained complex work, but rather as an introductory episode of something much larger – something I'm still willing to forgive in the future, if a third part is made that will close and complete everything. What I’m not forgiving, however, is the lacklustre staging and the clumsy development of the story, which consists of a series of stacked plans and missions whose (non-)fulfilment only creates the backdrop for an interesting and dramatic, but unsatisfyingly ramified conflict between morality and pragmatism in a world without rules. Once again Brolin and Benicio's acting is top-notch and it’s their characters that make me look forward to the likely conclusion, but I'm hoping for a much more personal and thoughtful approach, this deep-faced yet emotionally cold action flick won't leave a great impression... 60%

Good. I expected the worst and I had a decent time. If it weren't for a few retarded screenwriting gems and the fact that I'm generally annoyed that Hollywood in the 21st century is unable or unwilling (or both) produce serious and dark sequels to 80s classics, I'd be pretty satisfied. It's obvious that it's been rewritten in places, and the editing feels clunky, but fortunately Black is an interesting enough filmmaker to hide stylistic flaws under relentless pace and precise storytelling (and, in the first half, a decent number of funny lines). Shame about the moronic ending and the attempt to turn such a complex and straightforward survival adventure into family friendly entertainment. It's great as a bloody B-movie, when it gets to that position... 60%

Exactly the kind of lightweight bloody bollocks that you need once in a while (if you are a jaded matador of A-list Hollywood like me). A virus that strips people of all moral scruples must have looked fantastic on paper, but ironically, it's a shame that the idea was so ambitious in terms of story – I liked the simple informational intro, the setting of the action in a large building full of bureaucrats, and the well-crafted gore, but the film spends most of its runtime on some stupidly explained legal screw-up that threatens the protagonist with the loss of his job, and the virus itself mostly lurks on the sidelines. In the second half, the deaths pile up quite solidly and with the right amount of bizarre exaggeration, but there is still the aftertaste of an unrealized entertaining theme. And that's a shame, because Joe Lynch isn't at all uninspired and isn't afraid to go stylistically crazy (the opening montage of several months of work in one long take could be given as an example of effective manipulation of plot time), and the supporting characters are quite good (Samara Weaving, as in Babysitter, is great and confirms that she's the Margot Robbie of B-movies). Sometimes you simply need to get unleashed, here too much was spared at the expense of a routine story. But it was still OK. 65%

Black Panther surprised me. I was worried it would be a scruffy hybrid of the Avenger's colourfulness and mandatory ethnic lecturing to a wider (two billion-strong) audience, but it ended up being one of the MCU's most accomplished entries. The story has a brisk pace, the viewer is thoughtfully introduced to the new world and its possibilities, the balance between serious approach and momentary lightness works perfectly, and above all there is a great and reasonably motivated villain, whose gradual involvement in the game, when he gets to speak at the expense of the previous numero ono villain, is flawless and unparalleled in the Marvel universe. Two hours flowed like water and if there's anything I didn't like (and I did), it's rather small things – namely a few plot holes (the heavy simplification of the capture of Ulysses, who had been on the run for about 30 years; the implausible psychological transformation of W'Kabi; the transparency of the plot despite a narrative based on explanatory flashbacks). Otherwise, though, high blockbuster quality with a couple of witty James Bond references, good actors (especially Serkis, Jordan and, again, the entertaining Freeman), clear action often in long takes and a likeable script that presents Wakanda not as a sexy bimbo introduced for a brief appearance in Infinity War, but as an immersive backdrop to a self-contained plot whose rules the viewer willingly accepts and is swept along by (the duel for the throne is the most emotionally powerful in a long time). Bring in the sequel. 80%

Where are the days when versatile directors dared to make something so incredibly outlandish. What I love about Army of Darkness is how Raimi subversively embellishes every filmmaking choice with the ultimate bizarre fantasy fable. The whole thing is based on hackneyed chivalric tales about the chosen hero, which the inventive director turns into a pure parody with a protagonist who repeatedly worsens the situation and behaves like the complete opposite of the ideal hero (he is rude to women and mean to his subjects, constantly harms himself, and unleashes the army of the dead due to his own sloppiness). The script is bursting with original ideas, and the work with style and environment is funny, too, highlighting the various parodied scenes (fire and silhouettes of characters in the love scene, close-ups in the heroic moments, quick-motion in the scene with the two Ashes). The effects may look outdated, but that’s very fitting. And yet the focus is entirely on the awesome Bruce Campbell, who gives one of the funniest performances I've ever seen (I'd give him an Oscar for the mill and cemetery sequences alone). It's definitely very guilty pleasure and sometimes out of control, but that makes me love it all the more and throw in that subjective fifth star.

The roughly half-hour exposition is awesome and perfectly reflects Carpenter's directorial genius. You can feel the Halloween atmosphere and you are excited for the expected plot twist. But that twist comes quite suddenly and the rest of the film turns into an action B-movie in the rather routine setting of an abandoned police station. It's still very wholesome carnage, though, it can surprise at the right moment and replace the narrative inevitability with an entertaining script or stylistic interlude. The cryptic opening, with its gradual interweaving of actors and nervous point-of-view shots, just baited me too intensely, and the ice cream truck scene is a premature highlight of the film. Anyway, I'm enjoying early Carpenter more and more. 80%