3DD!3

An excellent short from Pixar, One Man Band, appeared in movie theaters as a supporting feature with Cars. With just 4 minutes of running time, it manages to make you laugh, it entertains and contributes to a positive mood. This time it depicts the struggle between two street musicians for a little girl’s coin.

Simply wonderful. A biographical drama as I like them best. No over the top going into unnecessary details, but the coherence of the central branch of the movie means watching Ali with bated breath. The moments in the ring are an unforgettable masterclass of cinema and the emotive moments are handled with similar bravado. Will Smith gives the performance of his lifetime and his depiction of Muhammad Ali is more than convincing - on occasions he simply IS Muhammad Ali. Michael Mann again filmed an excellent movie and this is his first movie using today much-discussed digital camera. But the important thing is what he does with that camera. And what he does is absolutely captivating. Here again we have that central thought that shows itself in each of Mann’s movies. This time it was the struggle of a man against the system. Muhammad Ali’s fight against everybody who didn’t understand one simple thing: That he was the best.

Shark Tale is one of those animated movies that doesn’t dazzle, but still serves its purpose and entertains. But still, when you compare it with Nemo (in view of the circumstances, that is probably the best movie for comparison), it just isn’t quite as good. Although there are some bits that work really well (the Godfather and the shark mafia thing is really good) but voices of the famous and the catchphrase “from the creators of Shrek" simply isn’t enough to produce a quality movie. The animation itself is pretty poor when compared with the competition and although this weird fish world has something to it, it can never match the atmosphere of Nemo. DreamWorks should rethink their approach and try to implant their soul into the story, like they do at Pixar. Until they learn to do that, they will never be more than just “the other lot".

Probably the best movie about trafficking ever to see the light of day. Lord of War is very true to life and made with the precision of a documentary, covering the whole era of illegal weapon trafficking since the 80s. Our guide is none other than one of the very best “Lords of War", Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage). When we see him for the first time in Little Odessa he is a regular guy like anybody else, someone with dreams who finds out one day that he has a talent for making his dreams come true. So he starts dealing in weapons. On a small scale at first, but because he is good at it and also lucky, he works his way up to the very top. Isn’t time to start living your dreams now? Yuri thinks it is and starts. His first and most precious trophy is a woman of his dreams, Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan), the type of beautiful model that he has dreamed of for years the part with the “accidental" encounter belongs to my favorite scenes in the movie, genius ;-). The cold war is over and business is running smoothly, life can’t be better than it is right now. But nothing lasts forever. Interpol is keen to get their hands on Mr. Orlov (by the way that isn’t his real name) mainly secret agent Jack Valentine who is one of the best in his field. But there is one thing worse than Interpol or military dictators. A conscience. Would they be capable of living knowing that they are responsible for the deaths of millions of people? Andrew Niccol made sure that the perfectly thought through story, based on true events, had all it needed to strike home in the viewer and make him think. Right from the start, the credits sequence “about a life span of a bullet" shows how hugely talented the director is, demonstrating similar qualities as in his previous movie Gattaca. On top of it all, great camerawork and superb acting performances enhance the quality of the whole experience of a movie about a man who made it so far that he lost everybody that ever cared for him, including himself.

Blow Out is an incredible acting recital by John Travolta who perfectly mastered the role of a sound engineer, Jack Terry. Sound plays a huge role in this movie and De Palma is well aware of it and lets us hear things which can’t usually be heard in an ordinary movie. And what is more, he does some incredible things with the camera (the lead-in scene of the film or the 720° circular dolly shot). The movie also has a very strong conspiracy atmosphere and the ending is completely superb. And they even managed to get the scream that they were searching for so long.

Collateral was the first movie I ever saw by Michael Mann and I have to admit, it has me nailed to the seat just like the first time. You see, Michael Mann has an incredible talent to draw the viewer into the plot in an amazing way and Collateral is, without a doubt, one of those movies capable of doing this. Here it’s not just about the fates of two completely different people meeting, but it’s also about a strange game of coincidence that is portrayed in this movie with amazing precision and forces you to notice it, even if you didn’t want to. The acting performances (both main roles and supporting actors) are excellent as they tend to be with Mann. Tom Cruise actually started to interest me properly as an actor just after watching Collateral, where he gave a perfect portrayal of a killer with sort of a twisted sense of right and wrong (I doubt anyone expected Cruise in this role). Jamie Foxx isn’t bad either, but I had a feeling that he couldn’t get into his role the way Tom Cruise managed to. Plus, this picture is special for being one of the first time that a digital camera was used to such an extent. It was strange at first, but I got used to it quite quickly, because some of the breathtaking shots (mainly those in the dark building at the end of the movie, when the only light in the scene comes from the skyscrapers around and the street lighting several floors below) wouldn’t be possible to film any other way. I mustn’t forget to praise the excellent music that paints the final touches to the movie’s amazing atmosphere, and that goes for the instrumental background music by Newton Howard, and the music of the other interpreters. And what get stuck in my mind the most? Probably the last shot of the departing subway train, portraying the transience and futility of mankind.

V For Vendetta stands or falls by the comic book original which I assume is far more complex and, let's say, smoother than the movie adaptation. However, the idea is brilliant, as are the acting performances - Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving are excellent, even though one of them has a mask on his face the whole time. Unfortunately, the poorly adapted screenplay and the unbalanced directing took something away from it. I don't know how much the movie would have changed if the Wachowski brothers had put everything they could into this project and didn't settle for mere, albeit extensive, cooperation. Could they have portrayed the environment of a dictatorship better? Could they have given more energy to the first half of the movie? Couldn’t they have maintained the standard of filming Vendetta deserves throughout? Let me put it this way, I will remember Mr. V well, and November 5th will never again go unnoticed on my calendar, but you will not hear me applauding the screenplay.

Pixar has a knack for making movies for all people of any nationality, age, and gender. Finding Nemo is just such a movie. It will awaken in you the love of fish small and large. It can make you laugh, but it can also make you cry. The story of a clownfish named Marlin looking for his young son, Nemo, hides an incredible string of surprises, jokes, and emotions. The journey from the coral reef to Sydney leads through a lot of breathtaking obstacles and even more sea creatures, each of which is unique. Whether they’re sharks, turtles, or gulls, they all have an irreplaceable place in the story. Thomas Newman's excellent music adds depth to all this and fits beautifully into the blue world beneath the surface. And the animation is the proverbial icing on the cake that makes you watch and marvel at the precision of every detail. All we have to do is put this DVD/VHS in the player and go on a long pilgrimage, getting carried away by a stream of good fun, together with Marlin, Dory, Nemo, Bruce, Gill, Star, Nigel, Crasher and many others. "Fish are friends, not food."

Emmerich is a megalomaniac and I must admit that I rather enjoy watching his destruction of our Mother Earth. Because this usually concerns the USA (very satisfying), and this time round more precisely it was New York where he let that famous lizard reap havoc. But what is the point of all that destruction and breathtaking special effects if the picture doesn’t come out with anything new? Nick Tatopoulos is the spitting image of Daniel Jackson from Emmerich’s previous work, Stargate, and we even come across O'Neill here, now demoted to sergeant, but I think you know what I’m getting at. And it’s the same with the entire story which, despite being nice to look at, continues in the same old rut that we have seen a million times before. So, thanks to the excellent special effects and Jean Reno, Godzilla is a relaxing movie where you can see another of Emmerich’s many ways of “How to Destroy America". Nothing more, nothing less. And what about the end? I’m sincerely intrigued to see if anybody lets themselves be talked into filming Godzilla 2. They should jump at the opportunity. Or rather not? ;)

Great - a combination of humor, action and great ideas that places MiB far above the average. Will Smith in the role of agent Jay at last has found his place amongst the Hollywood elite and of course Tommy Lee Jones in the role of agent Kay has reinforced his position. The best part of the story is probably the first half hour when Edwards (Smith) is subjected to a series of “simple" tests. I must mention the excellent villain, Vincent D'Onofrio, who really seems like he’s trapped inside an Edgar suit under layers of make-up and latex. When I was younger, MiB (also thanks to the wonderful dubbing) immediately became my favorite movie. I can recite lines from the movie to this day. So therefore 5*. Jeebs: Hiya, Kay. How are you? Kay: Show him the imports right now! Jeebs: Yeah... I got out of that business a long time ago. Kay: Why do you lie to me Jeebs? I hate it when you lie. Jeebs: Now, just hold on a second... Kay: I'm gonna count to three. Edwards: He'll do it, Jeebs. Kay: One. Edwards: I'm telling you, that man does not look stable. Kay: Two. Edwards You know what? Talk to me; he... he’s just crazy when he's like this. Jeebs: He's always crazy. Why don't you get a massage? Take a cruise. Kay: Three.