Kaka

A very balanced episode all round, just like the first one. It also outlines a trip abroad, which shows, in addition to the beautiful nature of Africa, the breadth that the series is likely to cover thematically.

A superbly filmed introduction to a universally acclaimed and highly regarded series. Lavish sets and costumes, a quality cast and a meaningful plot, plus an emotional tug at the viewer. So far, a very good mix of depictions of traditional English gentility, whose decadence and grittiness is wrapped in a great craft of modern filmmaking that even fans of Netflix pop can handle.

Awful overacting, a messy plot and a lot of chatter. The action is only in the last ten minutes, and here and there during the film, and it’s far from entertaining. Considering that it’s almost an identical copy of the first one, it doesn’t offer anything new or groundbreaking. A bit weaker than the first one, which had similar flaws, but at least it was original.

Two and a half hours of visual debauchery where the editor, the cinematographer and the director's specific signature reign supreme. However, when it comes to the emotional level, with the exception of a few moments, the film only touches the surface. Luhrmann doesn't know how to work well with characters and their personal motivations and emotions, which, among others, was also problem in The Great Gatsby and other films of his. As an homage to Elvis, it is alright, as a proper viewer experience, not so. In this, Elvis is beaten by the romantic A Star Is Born.

A dark retro downer with a bold artistic signature, a specific formal aesthetic and a riveting performance by Ana de Armas, who plays her most ambitious and challenging role to date. In terms of expressive means, Andrew Dominik sometimes wants to resemble Terrence Malick, especially with his efforts at long, heartfelt expositions and voice-overs, but he only succeeds halfway. Malick is an expert at this and chooses stories better suited to his style where he can afford to do that. It is better to watch long shots of "sounds of nature" than to watch a 3-minute shot of a crying, lost girl, however brilliantly acted. At times formal refinement, but at other times sheer suffering for the viewer.

John Woo's first big film, where he tried to combine depth of characters with strong values and traditionally exaggerated and theatrical emotions, hand in hand with bloody ballet. It's not a total dud, but sometimes it unintentionally oscillates between a parody of family relationships and theatre, combined with almost splatter-like action full of whizzing bullets and litres of blood. With time, he managed to smooth and balance both. So far, the only film of this master that I don’t need to watch again.

Overblown, epileptic postmodernism, or when the director of the most imaginative American action films of the last decade takes on a script that he wants to make into something more than action. The mix of Ritchie, Tarantino and Japanese culture can be seen at every turn, but it works at about half speed.

Great blending of fact and fiction, excellent visual effects and solid characters and motivations. Unfortunately, after the success of the first season, the second is more vivid in narrative structure and the emotional levels of the characters are more literal and longer. Apparently the creators thought that we, the audience, liked the characters so much that we wanted to see more of them at the expense of space. Unfortunately, the opposite is true, we, the viewers, have grown so fond of space that we miss it a lot, and the chatter and dissection of every fart is a bit irritating at times. It’s still watchable, I still want to see the third season, but I hope it will be back to basics.

Although the last episode of the second season has the typical ailments of the final hyped episodes, i.e. the whole loop has to be tightened in the last 50 minutes, but the fun is taken care of. At times the creators give us a popcorn ride like Armageddon, sometimes an intelligent rendition in the style of Gravity or The Martian. The work with the characters is good and at times surprisingly ruthless. I'm not sure if the strict "space" concept of the first season was fully adhered to, but at least the last two episodes in the second season have great pacing, tension and atmosphere.

A peculiar mix of life's moments that, to a greater or lesser extent, will be encountered by the vast majority of us. Giamatti in top form and probably in the best role of his career, Haden Church for a change in his only proper (big) role, if we don't count the bland villain from the big-budget Spiderman. Payne mixes just the right amount of comedy, a moderate amount of fucks, and the perfect amount of wine that will leave the viewer tipsy but not so drunk that they won't like it anymore. In places, the overlong running time bothers just a little, and the delivery of some of the actors, with the exception of Giamatti, isn’t quite perfect. Between 3 and 4 stars. A pretty successful tasting.