Kaka

The most ambitious in content, the most magnificent in production design and the strongest in characters of the entire Dollar Trilogy. Unfortunately, it's also excruciatingly long, and as iconic as Morricone's music is, it's mostly about its central melody. Eli Wallach is the most interesting and best-acted character. But I would venture to say that Once Upon a Time in the West is qualitatively much higher.

Fallout is teetering between 3 and 4 stars. One might assume that for die-hard fans of the game it would be more like 4 and the opposite for the uninitiated. From the perspective of someone who has never seen or played the famous game, form clearly trumps content. I'll leave aside the fantastic visuals and special effects, which are a given in a project of high ambitions. What I liked more were the huge amount of wisecracks, cynical humour, the gadgets and gizmos, the imaginative creatures and the great scenery. The story is framed by a rather intense socio-political subtext that is topical at the moment. And the subtle allusions to current world events are all very good. Of the actors, Walton Goggins is good, and Ella Purnell has a pleasantly naive character, but Aaron Moten, who looks like Denzel Washington in 1998, is not much fun, and neither is his character. Still 4 stars for the original retro-futuristic visuals, but barely.

A more melancholic and weepy version of Me Before You in the lower middle class. Javier Bardem is excellent, there are some great ideas and some interesting dialogue, but it's primarily the strength of the premise and its existential overtones than how it's executed. The love triangle was like something cut out of a soap opera in places.

A more thoughtful, tense and overall more minimalist version of Civil War with a gradually escalating atmosphere in the style of Take Shelter. Technically outstanding. Great cinematography and editing. Superb acting, a shame some elements were left unexplained and perhaps the conclusion was too rushed given the carefully constructed build up to the finale.

A tribute to a difficult profession, which it's a shame doesn't have its own category at the Oscars. Fall Guy is certainly not popcorn for everyone, which is why it will have a difficult time with high box office and general acceptance. For the average viewer, it's far too loaded with references, innuendo and props that not everyone will register. But for film buffs, it's great fanservice. Ryan Gosling confirms that he's great at the role of likable muscular cool good guys, and it suits him much more than the roles of tough agents in crap like The Gray Man. The only thing I found downright annoying is the weird "just to make something happen" style storyline, which pretty much spoils the overall look and dynamic of the film. The heart, on the other hand, pulses as hard as it can and the central couple is cute.

The panoramas of a big city, like Blade Runner from Wish, and the same comparison can be used when looking at the robots, which are very reminiscent of those from Avatar, but in the end everyone will still see through the fact that this is nothing but a quick consumer product from Netflix product, which is qualitatively most similar to The Creator. That one was admittedly also a B-movie, only it was deadly serious and had darker-toned camerawork, with a specifically Asian setting, while Atlas is a playful scifi B-movie that has no major ambitions and goes straight to a brand new planet in the Andromeda galaxy. One can highlight the pace, the brisk action, the relatively good value-for-money visuals. Everything moves quickly and without thinking too much, and in this case it's rather a plus. Jennifer Lopez acting goes on economy mode, but perhaps no one expected much else. We all know that her assets lie elsewhere than in her acting; a pretty bold move in itself casting-wise, but it's easily watchable.

A film that offers some impressive moments, but as a whole it mostly skims the surface. It deals with a few key themes, but it is mostly too thesis-like and one-dimensional. A raging America where we get no introduction and a miserable, rushed conclusion. Jesse Plemons steals for himself what is undoubtedly the film's best scene, and the final wartime inferno, while beautifully fluid and robust in sound, lacks technical skill and sophistication. It's not bad, Alex Garland is a capable and distinctive director, but Civil War is perhaps too ambitious a theme that deserved more than a journalistic road-movie with a wartime finale.

A second serving of spaghetti. A retro throwback full of unique music and atmosphere, but unfortunately, unlike other classics from the era, it has aged a lot.

A white trash grindhouse version of Thelma & Louise for the modern degenerate viewer.

Out of sentiment for the material and respect for the legend of Sergio Leone, it's hardly three stars. In A Fistful of Dollars it is clear that the cult trilogy is still in its infancy. The budget is lacking and the technical side is all over the place, but the foundation stones have been successfully laid. Clint Eastwood with his growl, a unique Ennio Morricone and a surprisingly well-written story that at times feels like a spaghetti Bolognese commercial.