Green Book

It’s been a long time since I saw a dramatic comedy by American authors that would involve such great acting performances (Viggo is fantastic and Mahershala delivers a decent above-par performance), a great to amazing atmosphere, real friendship between men and moments in which I simply admired both gentlemen’s acting, watching the slightest movements of their faces. Even those alone could tell you a lot about the situation and help you form a well-rounded opinion on what was going on in the USA in the 1960s. The American people are truly absurd and this year’s Oscar ceremony provided a proof of that in form of two movies – this one and the BlackKklansman. An A+ from me for sure. Just keep it up! Self-criticism is important and it is really good that it’s being opened up in the world beyond the Big Pond. On top of that, I’m really glad that Peter Farrelly’s work was rewarded as well because when do you get the chance to win an Oscar if under other circumstances you are making wacky comedies with your brother that are commercially successful and every now and then you pull a prank on somebody and pull your wiener out at a casting interview: Naturally to ease up the situation. In the overall context this is great and congrats on that. Finally, after a really long time a movie was given the Oscar that I was rooting for with my entire heart. (25/02/2019)

If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that the best film would be a road movie drama with Oscar ambitions, I would have laughed them off, but hats off to them, this is a cinematic gem next to which Forrest Gump and The Shawshank Redemption look like B-movies. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali deliver superhuman performances and their chemistry is flawless. The film pulls up a lot with tasteful and apt humour, the mafia undertones and the strong racism of the time. There are tense scenes and, most importantly, emotions, where I found myself crying for maybe two whole hours at a stretch and that never happened in my life. After watching it, I immediately got the feeling that I had to see the film again with everyone close to me and that doesn't happen often. The event of the year and for me possibly the best drama ever. 100%. (07/02/2019)

An overly calculated and sure-footed Oscar-winning film that ticks off the likely situations to come, and they do come, including the pathetic ending. But the dialogues between Tony and Shirley are hilariously written, there's a great spark between them and I laughed my heart out at times. Viggo plays my peer, always eating like me, getting a pot belly like me, just cute. I'd like him to win an Oscar, more than Rami "look-at-my-brutal-attempt" Malek, and more than Ali, who to me is an actor of one expression. (02/08/2019)

If American Beauty offered a sophisticated, often subtle and graceful critique of the American middle class, Green Book, in a similarly bittersweet vein, presents the issues of racism in 1960s America, unassumingly, without relying on pathos, witty and with just enough insight. Viggo Mortensen dominates with his De Niro accent and redneck diction, Ali got the Oscar because he's black. For a film that is mostly about the interaction of two characters, it is brisk, fresh and entertaining. (03/03/2019)

Miss Daisy's driver upside down. A nice, sadly funny and non-conflicting humanly warm film on a serious topic. Just saying nothing that other similarly nice, sadly funny and non-conflicting humanly warm images wouldn't have said already with an equally nice, sadly funny and non-conflicting humanly warm taste. It's not an average movie just because of the working dynamics of the central duo; even if one has to get used to Mortensen in “a true Italian almost parody mode". (27/01/2019)