gudaulin

In a certain respect, The Code is similar to the successful and critically acclaimed crime film A Prophet in that it portrays French society where the Arab, black, and Muslim elements now prevail over the original French ethnicity. While A Prophet was a departure from classic gangster films and attempted to observe the rise of an ordinary criminal somewhat uninvolved and in a so-called artistic style, The Code aims not for almost scientific examination of a certain phenomenon, but rather for a classic adventure story of two gangs clashing and the main character struggling with his own past and family relationships, which divert him from the decision to burn bridges for his criminal career. The fact is that he has a wife who is expecting a child and does not want to repeat his stay in prison. However, his younger brother also desires to escape from the hopeless existence in the Paris suburb and a career as a drug dealer presents a unique opportunity... Overall impression: 60% for a decently acted affair, albeit one not deviating from the genre's rules.

I headed out to watch Despicable Me with my kids, and I have to admit that they enjoyed it much more than I did. The emotional part of me even wanted to give the film a Boo! review. Of course, it is nonsense to criticize a children's animation for being childish, but I must point out that Despicable Me simply lacks the dimension of a family spectacle that would appeal to every age group equally. The problem is not that jokes targeted at adult audiences are completely absent, but rather that this film is not sufficiently clever or well-developed, causing the attempts at more mature humor to get lost. Despicable Me shows signs of the ongoing economic crisis and animosity toward its instigators. The film's villains go to banks to borrow for their criminal plans, and the bankers compete to support particular villains and devilish plans. Super villain Gru enters a bank through a special entrance reserved for the chosen ones, bearing the name of a failed financial institution that contributed to the banking crisis. However, all of this gets lost in the conflict-free, sweet world full of pink colors, hearts, pretense, giggles, yellow creatures called Minions, and most importantly, inhabited by three candy-loving orphan girls who effectively pacify Gru's anger. They use similar methods as child movie stars from Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s used to reconcile quarreling parents. Despicable Me is a highly conventional and predictable film, unlike successful family animations of recent times, such as Shrek, which cleverly parodied the very conventions and style established by Disney, which Despicable Me represents. Overall impression: 40%, with the consideration that children can safely add 2 stars.

If this film was supposed to be primarily a drama about responsibility, guilt, and punishment, it failed to evoke the relevant emotions and catharsis in me. The film combines two problems: the relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a woman from an older generation, and the conflict arising from the young woman's involvement in war crimes. I am not familiar with the book, so I cannot assess to what extent the film's shortcomings stem from the literary material or the screenplay. However, some motifs and layers of the characters' relationship remained hidden or failed to captivate me. The stronger problem in general seemed to be the relationship between two unequal sexual partners. The genesis of this relationship is not particularly shocking, although it is certainly one of the few taboos that still exist today. Post-war Germany had to deal with the problem that millions of men had fallen on the front lines, so women found various ways to help themselves. The aspect of crime and punishment does not work for two reasons: firstly because the protagonist's involvement in the crimes is unquestionable, and secondly, because this line is overshadowed by the bizarreness of the whole plot and the main character. The characters seemed too flat to me, and the film felt dragged out. Overall impression: 55%.

The Bedroom Window reminds me of the famous Hitchcock film with its title, and the whole thing is also constructed, cast, and acted in a way that clearly pays tribute to the master's classic work. The search for a serial killer of women brings together a sympathetic protagonist who, as was customary for Hitchcock, faces suspicion of the crime, with no less sympathetic victim portrayed by Elizabeth McGovern. Terry Lambert is torn between two fateful women, and while I wouldn't want his worries, on the other hand, McGovern and Isabelle Huppert are beautiful and have charisma to spare, so his suffering also has a bright side. Overall impression: 75%.

The great star of world cinema, Audrey Hepburn, was always greatly helped in her career by her fragile appearance, delicate face, and amazing eyes, which she skillfully used to hide the fact that she wasn't such a great actress. Besides the aforementioned advantages, her success also relied on the fact that she was able to choose roles wisely so as not to overexert herself. However, in her filmography, there are much more demanding films than Breakfast at Tiffany's, such as My Fair Lady, or films where she had to demonstrate much more acting talent, such as Wait Until Dark. In the case of her probably most famous film, Breakfast at Tiffany's, I always felt that the film served the viewer not so much with a story, but with Audrey and her charms. It's simply a one-girl show; otherwise, Breakfast at Tiffany's can be considered a mostly average romantic conversation film, which didn't make me laugh once and only slightly touched me in two or three places with its sentimentality. I wanted to give it three stars, but when I revisited the film for the third time, I fell asleep during it, and that shouldn't happen with a three-star film. Overall impression: 45%.

Pirates of the Caribbean unexpectedly became the most successful pirate film in the last 25 years, after the genre was perfectly discredited by romantic B-movie crap by second-rate directors. Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed with ease, humor, and originality, without much interference from the producers, so the crew had freedom, and, for example, Johnny Depp could afford to have his peculiar acting, portraying the pirate captain as a hippie who just smoked a joint. However, in the sequels, it is visible how much the studio had expected from the film, and this desire to fulfill obligations had an unfavorable impact on this film. Despite the high budget, the same cast, and ubiquitous effort, it is more cumbersome and over-embellished, and in the end, it doesn't hold together. Especially when, unlike its predecessor, it doesn't have a story with a point and not only leaves room for further sequels but rather feels like an episode from a series that ends with an invitation for the next installment through a cut in a suspenseful scene. Some scenes, such as the duel in the ruins of an old mill and the subsequent swordfight between the blades of a broken mill wheel, however, are highlights that adorn any top-notch blockbuster. Overall impression: 60%.

Annaud can present tension and a reasonable dose of war adventure to the viewer, but I do not get the impression of authenticity from his war epic despite the obvious effort and the decent budget. It is a somewhat naive film made about a foreign country and historical events, which the film crew looks at from a great distance and without the ability or willingness to truly understand them. Jude Law, with all due respect, does not come across as a Slavic boy from Siberia, and the "Russian" characters somehow feel alien. Enemy at the Gates had greater potential, but it is still a decent war spectacle with plenty of star actors on the screen. Overall impression: 75%.

Centurion is definitely not a realistic historical drama from the ancient history of building the Roman Empire, but a historicizing fantasy, which takes from real history only what it deems suitable as a starting point for an adventure story. The whole film stays afloat with raw action, albeit being sometimes straightforward and cheaply bloody. There are definitely more blood spatters than would be possible in reality, and the director utilizes contemporary digital technology, so severed limbs fly in all directions and the viewer can also enjoy disgustingly bloody details. The story itself is not complicated, but in terms of action films, the cast is highly above standard, because everyone involved can act and, speaking about the male part of the ensemble, they also have charisma. The female participation in the war campaign somewhat resembles a caricatured Xena, because a barbarian warrior with half a kilogram of makeup, whose eyes drown under such a dose of eyeshadow that even Queen Cleopatra would surely envy her, does not exactly inspire trust in historical fantasy. Not to mention the fact that the participating girls, despite their diligent battle cries and fierce grimaces, come across more like they just stepped out of a fashion show. Overall impression: 55%.

I can't get rid of the impression that the film, in which the radical leftist and uncompromising troublemaker Sean Penn appears in the lead role according to American standards, was supposed to be primarily one of the reactions to September 11 and deal with the roots of terrorism, but above all, it was supposed to be a drama about the end of the American dream and criticism of the system. However, this clearly does not succeed because the main protagonist is as likable as diarrhea and the lion's share of his actions is driven by his self-centeredness, hastiness, and inability to empathize. It is not a story of individual rebellion against unjust conditions, but a story of fatal personal failure. This was supposed to be a tragicomedy about a non-conformist individual in a too-conformist environment, and the film does work in the first half where it directly touches on this aspect, as evidenced by the humiliating behavior of the arrogant boss or the desperate attempts of the protagonist to adapt to company rules. However, the story soon deviates and gets messy. Sean Penn delivers his standard performance, which means in his case a remarkable study of an individual on the edge. Overall impression: 65%.

This is a film where you can see the high budget in every shot, with a polished visual, and lots of digital effects, so it's nice to watch as things explode, fly around, and shocking technological inventions and cute robots appear. Many stars parade on the screen, mostly unused and only used as decorations, and when they do appear, they don't have much to do because the story itself is a broken mess. It's the type of film for the whole family, which my 8-year-old son could consume without any problems because the world and events it shows are either directly childish or desperately immature. When you want to cater to the market to maximize profits and attract as many viewers as possible, you inevitably have to lower the content demands. Because I've been eight years old a few times already, I lost interest in the plot quickly, and the fate of the heroes was as meaningless to me as a grain of sand in the Sahara. Overall impression: 40%.