POMO

At the moment when a “normal” film would start to pick up its pace after 20 minutes, we’re already 80 minutes into Show Me Love and then it ends. Director Lukas Moodysson relies on the simplicity, sincerity and believability of the emotional situations, as well as on both of the actresses, who deliver excellent performances. If I had watched this when I was seventeen, I would have identified with the sensitively depicted teen problems and the movie would have gotten to me. Now, however, it left me mostly unmoved. The only thing I truly enjoyed was the spontaneity of the kiss in the car (with the cleverly turned up soundtrack).

I would have expected Akiva Goldsman to choose deeper material for his screenplay. On the other hand, he’s also the executive producer, who knows very well that to get a successful blockbuster, it is enough to develop a good premise into a superficial story, provide it with cool set designs and put Will Smith’s face on the posters. I Am Legend is the perfect commercial product. But if you want to see its premise reach its full potential, watch instead the tense and chilling 30 Days of Night, followed by the intelligent and technically advanced Children of Men.

I watched an episode called Transylvania. A group of filmmakers and alleged ghost experts wanders through the dark corridors of a castle in the Romanian town of Râșnov. Everyone claims to hear scary noises and they communicate with the ghosts in the manner of “knock twice if you’re a woman, once if you’re a man”. Sometimes you get to see a graphic model of the castle showing where the group (supposedly) is at the given moment. Most Haunted is chatty, ridiculous theater without any filmmaking ideas.

Despite its simple plot, this impressive, small-scale intimate drama left a stronger impression on me than the spectacular American Gangster. Eastern Promises is a sophisticated film affair for the non-popcorn viewer, in which everything fits together like the cogs in Viggo Mortensen’s ten-thousand-dollar wristwatch. Supported by fantastic actors, David Cronenberg confirms his mastery in terms of creating characters. Mortensen’s best performance so far. Also, the portrayal of the Russian mafia setting is incredibly powerful and authentic for the peace-loving Canadian Cronenberg. And as a bonus, there’s the excellent sauna scene that bears the director’s traditional signature. This is the best of Cronenberg’s last five films.

Beowulf is visually stunning in all respects, with great music by Alan Silvestri, whether spectacular or dark, in Angelina Jolie’s cave. Also, the atmosphere of the film is so thick that it could be cut with a knife and the violence, sex and the overall maturity of the film are major pluses. These aspects make Beowulf an original and much livelier animated movie than the childish Polar Express. But there is one big but... these digital pictures just don’t have heart, no matter how hard they try. And at the moments when there is no Anthony Hopkins, Angelina or some monster, there’s nothing to watch. If Robert Zemeckis mastered the heart of digital animation, he might make better movies than Pixar. But he still has a lot to learn.

I recommend taking a week-long break between the individual instalments of the Lone Wolf and Cub movie series and absorb them one at a time. When watching the third part, I grew rather fond of the central duo. The final fight with the army is amazing. I say more about the series in my review of the second part.

The scene of a night-time visit to Chinese smugglers, with the musical background in the form of “Champ” by Massive Attack, is excellent, but the rest of the movie has nothing to rouse one’s interest. In films with a dozen characters, the most important thing is the cast and the interactions between the characters. The protagonists of this opus are unfortunately bland, have even less charisma than they have drinking water and the relationship nuances between them correspond to the abilities of the director behind the dumb shoot-’em-up Behind Enemy Lines. Moreover, John Moore wouldn’t hesitate to include a flashy music-video-style sequence even in a drama about the Holocaust. That is why I wonder who the hell put him in charge of this remake of a 1960s dramatic classic. Instead of a believable drama, this guy delivers only ridiculous pathos. Go watch Frank Marshall’s Alive instead.

The most fascinating thing about this series is that despite the cultural differences, it is able to speak to the Western audience thanks to its values. The screenplays of the “exploitation road movie” series Lone Wolf and Cub are not as sophisticated as those of top-tier films like Lady Snowblood. Even the technical aspect is one step behind, which is apparent in the lower-quality visuals and frequent absence of sound. However, this film amazes with its atmosphere and the sensibility of the individual scenes, which are a match for Lady, if not better. Some scenes are a bit long, but others will take your breath away. My favorites are the one where the cub takes care of the wounded father and the “We’ll get warmer when there’s three of us instead of just two” scene. Baby Cart at the River Styx is a simply shot and edited episode, but one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in recent years.

At the moment when the film really pulls you into the story and starts to be fun, it is over and you have to go watch its sequel. The first instalment, Sword of Vengeance, cannot really stand alone; it is just an introduction to the movie series. I’ll say more in my review of the sequel, Baby Cart at the River Styx.

Made without a trace of talent, this boring and static flick tells a clichéd story about a man living at a remote castle who kidnaps women and uses them to cure his beloved (this time it’s his daughter). Unfortunately, there is no violence, sex, depravities, gore or hallucinations, which we would expect from this director. It is one of the most conventional horror movies by Jesse Franco, whose creative signature is almost entirely absent here. Everything is immersed in black and white, which is a vain attempt to create the atmosphere of classic horror movies. An extremely bland film.