Remedy

I'd easily give eight stars if I could, because you rarely see such a splendid array of excellent actors and tasteful humor any time or place. The cast is undoubtedly probably the strongest argument for seeing Richard Curtis' second film at all – personally, I have to say that I was charmed by the undying passion for the cause, the "struggle between good and evil", and especially by Curtis' craftsmanship, which makes the viewer fall in love with the whole group in a very short time. The ending is an emotional mess, which certainly cannot be blamed on its creator. On the contrary, it feels extremely human and natural in such "un-American packaging". One of the most powerful films, with characters that really grow on you.

The most jam-packed, action-packed, and actually the most groundbreaking "Craig" Bond in terms of content (perhaps more so in terms of message). Daniel Craig has bonded with Bond, and mows down the bad guys in Skyfall with his typical nonchalance in brilliant action scenes which Mendes conducts heavily. A heap of aesthetically beautifully composed shots, fundamental honoring of Bond traditions, and also a distinctive directorial signature that has once again elevated Sam Mendes to the absolute top of the directorial heap. In my very humble opinion, it's pointless to address the fact that "the magic of the old Bond films is irretrievably gone and 007 is not nearly what he used to be" (I put that in quotation marks deliberately, since I find some of the "reviews" and informed opinions about the irretrievability of the old school Connery days quite irritating). It's a different time (I wanted to write digital), we've moved on a couple of decades, and if this established brand is to maintain any level of commercial success beyond whatever its guaranteed in advance, it needs to comment on current affairs from time to time in the most up-to-date way. And if personal relationships start to enter into it more deeply, it's definitely only to the benefit of the matter. Now just push Nolan to direct, Zimmer to score, Elswit to direct... And here's to the next from "Blond Bond". :)

Though incomparable in terms of overall emotional depth and value altogether, but I feel that Two for the Money is in some ways a sort of Requiem for a Dream for gamblers. The first half of the film is a flawless example of the American Dream working, where everything is perfect and almost everyone is happy. As the film moves into the second half, however, D.J. Caruso gradually shows, as Aronofsky did (though certainly not in such an evocative way), the unfortunate consequences of a condition where you’re so dependent on something that you’re completely incapable of rational thought and at some point you become dangerous both to yourself and to those around you. Al Pacino's performance needs no comment and McConaughey is excellent.

A modest, sweet, and very sensitive work. Smart People fits quite neatly into the concept of a charming, independent film through which we can learn, above all, something about ourselves. No need to discuss the fact that the ending is a "typical American happy ending"; what's important here is the journey towards an imaginary goal, the journey towards transforming into someone different, someone who doesn't live for the knowledge that they are better at something than others (even though maybe they really are). Of course, that's not the only message of this film: the character of Chuck, for example, represents the type of seemingly easygoing and almost carefree guy whose biggest problem (it appears) is to find a place to sleep and have something to live on the next day. Three characters (Sarah Jessica Parker is certainly good, but I don't count her among my "holy trinity" from this film), three extremely interesting personalities, and three actors who, without exception, give human performances, yet very convincingly and without any hint of forcedness. It was really quite remarkable how the whole story is presented in such a gentle and human way and how smoothly it manages to keep that up without any difficulty throughout the entire running time. Very nice.

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. An American, at times funny family drama (I wouldn't quite describe it as a comedy) whose central theme is life with a cute little dog who becomes a rightful and inseparable member of the family, and the original label of "worst dog in the world" can take on a whole new meaning after a while. From my initial characterization (an American drama with a dog theme) it would seem that this story would be full of pathos and kitsch, yet it is quite the opposite. The proof lies in the fact that the scenes that classically lend themselves to "squeezing and wringing" (e.g. when Owen Wilson is driving Marley away, never to return), Frankel's film still maintains a very appealing position (not distance, just position), leaving it more up to the viewer to perceive or deal with the facts presented (okay, maybe they doubled down a bit, but it left me with a relatively gentle impression. :) Owen Wilson's closing monologue is a kind of bittersweet ending to this rather original and imaginative work.

Adam Sandler is de facto the lead role, producer, and co-writer – which means the whole "tale" is Sandlerian everywhere you look. A lot of the jokes go beyond good taste (but that's a rule with Sandler movies) and this time I probably enjoyed the mocking lines the most (like the scene of ripping Kevin James at the funeral was without flaw) and the relative ease of the story – I emphasize "relative" since the final pathos on the pier was laughable and the emotional wallowing in the scenes where little kids have their ideals stolen from them was at the very least embarrassing, if not obscene. Still, there are a few gags that are definitely worthwhile and as an absolutely (but really absolutely) unpretentious diversion, Grown Ups doesn't offend, but it doesn't impress in any significant way either. A perfectly average Sandler film with a good cast.

Although this first representative of the master Polanski's "Apartment Trilogy" is almost fifty years old (!!!), its age certainly doesn't detract from its intensity, quite the contrary. Comparing Repulsion to contemporary horror or psychological thrillers is probably not appropriate, so I'll leave it by saying that Roman Polanski, with his specific minimalist approach, has once again managed to get the near maximum out of the given material. Catherine Deneuve is perfect in her role of a paranoid schizophrenic and identifying with her character is a prerequisite for final "enjoyment" of the whole film. :)) It is also worth mentioning that instead of dissecting and searching for the causes of what is happening to the main character (of course, the separation from the sister and frigidity are the obvious causes, but this is not elaborated much further), Polanski focuses more on the "action" itself and, as is his habit, on building up a paranoid atmosphere, when you really start to question what is still paranoia and what is really happening. I can't say for sure which of the three films (The Tenant, Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion) is the most frightening or the most intense, but in all cases they are very good works that get the viewer where they want to go by carefully building a thick atmosphere. Suggestive, REPULSive, and compelling.

After a long time, I had a sense of satisfaction again from the very beginning, because this formal style is something that is really close to my heart. As it happens with these visual paintings, the story is not exactly Haneke-esque, but the dialogue is very decent and the final denouement is satisfying to say the least. This is now one of many additions to the category of teen dramas in the last couple of years that the British simply have a flair for and can make tastefully and at the same time very attractively. The excellent soundtrack is becoming a must and at this point I can't guess how long it will be before I stop enjoying films on similar themes :)) It simply has pacing and charm :))

The charm of small towns lies in that smallness itself – so if you don't want to be publicly pilloried, you should know what you can afford to get away with, most importantly, you should consider the consequences. Which, of course, is not in your power when puberty and sexual desires are running rampant within you like a Spartan hooligan with a Slavia fan, so you won't avoid public shaming anyway (even if you’re in the right). An appealing Norwegian addition to the teen genre, which sets itself apart from similar British productions, for example (which I like very much) by not driving its heroes into the biggest possible adversity or to the very depths of tolerability, but describes in a very imaginative and appealing way the life of a prematurely (though considering today's times...) sexually initiated girl, for whom even her own mother finds no sympathy.

It probably won't be up to 100% because it has a few weak spots, but everything else is extremely symphonic, refined, psychologically very interesting, and carefully thought out. It smacks slightly of Lynch at times, but when ride it around and around there's ultimately nothing inexplicable in this film. Apparently it consists of a clash (one possible interpretation, I guess) between an extremely successful enchantress (who has certain promiscuous tendencies) and a frigid old woman who experiences something like an enlightenment or spiritual awakening, which results in very interesting things starting to happen and the atmosphere thickening until it's not pretty... There's that European feel to it, and Francois Ozon appealed to me at first with his distinctively atmospheric approach. A great biting soundtrack.