New Reviews - Progressing Users

An excellent movie, the only flaw of which is that it is not a typical Tim Burton film full of nihilism and attractions. And none of his notorious actors are cast here - Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, or Eva Green. In the eyes of some, Burton filmed a heretical civilian film against his trademark (although he at least kept Danny Elfman). The masses did not forgive him for this - we can see it in the weak response. But bold viewers who do not like boxes get to see an interesting biography of Margaret Keane (1927-2022) and Walter Keane (1915-2000) and the acting performances of Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. It is a story of awakened emancipation in art from the late 50s and 60s, making it an incredible spectacle into the world of men, (un)fulfilled ambitions, kitsch, and hypocrisy in modern art. Neither of the spouses won over my heart because both had their flaws, but that also made it more audience-friendly.

Not as good as the first two films, but considering how barren comedy is these days, it's more than decent entertainment that won't offend fans. Moving Ted to a school is a fine idea, once again he's getting stoned, is foul-mouthed to everyone and dispenses wisecracks, and it's again properly incorrect in terms of racism, politics and LGBT. I found the character of the father very funny, he was a proper redneck and gave it all a nice twist. The finale, where Ted's best friend would like to lose his virginity, is just fucking hilarious. It reminds me a lot of comedies from 10-15 years ago, so I enjoyed it a lot, and it also has a bit of a sitcom feel to it. I don't think anyone will go wrong. 75%.

I caught up with this rather praised crime drama-thriller that surprised me with its shocking and unpredictable conclusion. It's an intimate film with a couple of characters, where a daughter commits a nasty crime and the parents try to cover it up from the police. The hopeless and heavy atmosphere is woven throughout the film and works well. Although it's nothing groundbreaking, it's stuff that can keep you entertained and those who like police investigations will definitely not be bored. I was sure of a strong three throughout, but the final twist had me sitting on my ass, it was shocking as fuck and earned an above average rating. 7/10

A family friendly adventure that surprisingly isn't as annoying as I suspected before watching it. Kumail Nanjiani gives a comedic undertone to the film and I found the whole freezing apocalypse thing fine, in fact even the orb villain looked very nice, kind of a mummy mix. Kids will like it a lot and parents at least won't be completely annoyed while watching it. As a teen fantasy ghost story, it's actually okay. 6/10

The now classic that introduced Asterix and Obelix to the television screen. It's not as elaborate and there's less subversive humour compared to the comics. It certainly doesn't have the quality of later sequels, but it's still solid entertainment where the simple antics of the Romans will keep the kids reliably amused.

A mediocre poliziotteschi from the year when the popularity of this once super popular subgenre in Italian cinemas of the 70's started to slowly fade away and so did the yappy career of the charismatic Luc Merenda, who looked good on camera, but in all his films acted exactly the same, with a limited acting register. And Dardano Sacchetti, to him be eternal glory for his scripts for Fulci's masterpieces, didn't do anything world-class here either. We've got stolen drugs from the mafia, a bank robbery (which itself, by the way, was often used in poliziotteschi, I've seen it myself in at least five films), some violence, one naked pretty Italian girl, two weak car chases, just... over and over again, nothing we haven't seen in previous films of the genre. I'm not surprised the Italians themselves started to get into it. There's some attempt at levity here, delivered by Merenda's hunchbacked sidekick (perhaps to make Merenda's tall figure stand out) who throws childish jabs, but it doesn't work either, I was bored. Umberto Lenzi's films with Maurizio Merli were a different brew, dumb as a bag of bricks, but high-octane from start to finish.

I'm going to say it, and I'm surprised myself. Even though I'm an old boomer who grew up on the first Planet of the Apes from the late 60s, and even though I'm not a fan of the CGI serendipity of today, the direction that Rupert Wyatt took 13 years ago, Matt Reeves continued, and now Wes Ball has followed up on, is very much to my liking. While the old Apes from the 70s was becoming a ridiculous parody of itself (and an ugly one at that) episode by episode (except for the legendary first one), and Tim Burton didn't take to it happily later on either, so the current tetralogy is beautifully paced, looks beautiful, makes logical sense in how the apes evolve and take over, and the current installment is such a natural evolution in the plot that the cards are already clearly dealt. It makes me happy that in this day and age we have a film franchise that has great references and works well, which is not the norm in contemporary Hollywood, where "rhyming" is done at the top of its lungs and it usually turns out badly.

Cloudburst is, story-wise, an amazingly moving and honest film that is both sad and incredibly warm and funny. The biggest portion of entertainment was provided by the foul-mouthed Olympia Dukakis, whose quips managed to blow me away. Overall, I found the main trio truly likeable and the acting convincing. In short, a film that both entertained and moved me, and perhaps the only thing I would fault it for was the "stripper's last dance" (those who have seen it know)

I'm going to repeat myself a lot, but Frankenweenie is just your typical Tim Burton. I didn't like this film as much as Corpse Bride, but it definitely impressed me more than Dark Shadows from the same year. The touching story of a boy and a dog-like pet that even death couldn't separate isn't complicated at all, but it's nice precisely because of its simplicity. The black-and-white visuals perfectly underscore the somber tone, which is what I love about Burton's films. The film is full of references to Burton's films and others, and if it weren't for the overly sentimental ending, it would be nearly perfect. In short, a film that has that typical Burtonian charm that I love to be swept up in.

Dallas Buyers Club is a film whose main pillars are the subject based on a true story and very good performances of both leading actors, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. Both of them have taken their roles conscientiously and their performances are convincing, so I am not at all surprised that both of them got the Academy Award. I must also commend the work of the make-up artists, who did an excellent job. I was slightly bored at a few moments, but otherwise the plot was very tight and consistent

Never Dry Your Tears without Gloves is the loosely translated title of a very fine Swedish miniseries that tackles a rewarding subject for a TV show. It deals mainly with sexuality and interpersonal relationships, at a time when a completely new and unknown disease has begun to spread through the world and is killing mercilessly. I liked the layering of multiple space-time planes on top of each other, and I found it quite easy to transition between them, and I was able to keep my attention as a viewer and not get lost. The best part was the final part where everything started to come to an inevitable end, so it was also the most emotionally powerful part. In short, a very well made miniseries that impressed me both in its theme and in its execution

Hawaii is in many ways a very minimalist film, as it is confined to a small space in which (except for a few scenes) virtually only two characters are featured, and rather than dialogue, the camera's views of the protagonists are in the foreground. Some say it was boring, but I was impressed by the film's modesty, slowness and shyness. A nice Argentinian surprise in the form of a film whose plot flows slowly to a satisfying conclusion

The first Percy Jackson was a kind of a light-hearted American family fantasy flick that I liked and I was quite impressed with. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the second, as I found it too commercial and focused on a lot of wannabe funny scenes and moments that didn't entertain me as much as they probably originally intended. The rehashing of Greek myths, which was touched upon by a number of users here, also bothered me quite a bit in the end. In short, a film that will probably entertain younger audiences and undemanding fantasy fans the most.

Finally! Finally, the first concept of Superman in which the main character doesn't have his red briefs awkwardly pulled over his suit and wear something resembling a pig tail on his forehead. Overall, this movie is very different from previous adaptations of the comic, which I liked a lot as a result. Henry Cavill is a likeable representation of the Man of Steel, Amy Adams a charming and single-minded journalist, and Michael Shannon a properly sleazy embodiment of the main antagonist, by which I mean I was pleased with the cast. Technically I have nothing to fault, although they may have gone over the top a bit at the end in terms of destruction, but that was obviously the intention. In short, a cinematic take on Superman that certainly doesn't put its predecessors to shame, and even stands up to them

Absent impresses with its premise, which has been seen several times before, but here its setting in a school raises certain expectations (at least on my part). The main stumbling block, however, is the scenes that feel disjointed or are oddly constructed. The soundtrack may fit the thriller genre, but it was not at all appropriate for this film, as the music and the nature of the scenes were often very much at odds. As I said, the story wasn't that bad, they resorted to a sudden break towards the end, but the very end could have been better

The Railway Man is a film whose mainstays are the central trio of actors and a story inspired by true events. Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman are good actors, I've seen that many times before, and for me the unknown Jeremy Irvine was a pleasant surprise. The story is a powerfully evocative drama that, as they say, only life itself could have written. A man struggling to come to terms with the demons of his past, on a quest for peace of mind, accompanied on this journey by a woman who is his support. I liked the layering of the story, mixing passages from the 40s and 80s, and the transitions felt completely natural, so I didn't get lost as a viewer. In short, a modest film at first glance, supported by a strong story and ensemble cast

A very imaginative and interesting short film that playfully works with the theme of metamorphosis. I was a bit lost at first, but the ending was very surprising. In short, in a word - captivating

The declining sequel of the AHS saga once again confirmed that casting a non-actress in a movie/series is simply nonsense. While Emma Roberts elevates it with her talent (applause), Kim and her amateurism mercilessly drag it down into the depths of hell. This series has decided only to shock with rough and sometimes disgusting personal themes regarding fertility issues in today's world, twisting them into a modern interpretation of hellish feminism. One star for Emma and another for some of the doctors who did well. Otherwise, it's a waste of time.

Finally something original! Nice creepy twisted and surprisingly good!

Plan B is, as far as the story is concerned, a kind of a prequel to Hawaii by the same director and with the same actor in one of the main roles, but it is such a preparatory phase that I was not satisfied with the result as I was with the Hawaii. The premise is very similar, except there are more characters interfering with the story, but the beating around the bush is very apparent in this case. At times the behavior of the characters was kind of confused, which of course it’s how it should be, but it just felt more than understandable at times.