D.Moore

I remembered the original version of The Big Red One, which I had seen on TV several times, as a rather good, but at times rather boring and somehow overdone given the immortality of the five main characters. How can a forty-minute longer cut be better? Unexpectedly easily. Maybe it was the TV cropping of the image and my age at the time, but it was certainly more than that. There was so much missing in The Big Red One! On DVD, the film is suddenly much more human, emotional and impressive... A number of the scenes added are literally unforgettable, showing the hell of war as a thoroughly absurd but certainly not a light-hearted experience in places, and seeing those mostly nameless soldiers constantly falling to the ground suddenly makes the central characters seem less bulletproof. Especially the final hour is one of the best things ever made in (anti-)war films. The only flaw is that the Germans speak English. But still, four and a half.

Black and white excellence accompanied by my favorite song “I Put A Spell On You". The ending with the hat and the airport is perfect and it is hard to imagine that this strangely ordinary, but at the same time so original story could or even should have ended differently. No more words are needed (in Jarmusch's film or in my commentary).

Journalism with not a drop, but rather a hefty bucket of everything I dislike about current Hollywood production. Reporters who get in everywhere, incompetent cops, a stupid shootout during which a complete amateur escapes a professional, a soulless script culminating in a very expected ending, pervasive naivety... There’s nothing enthralling or at least entertaining and truth be told, an hour and a quarter into the film I was ready to turn it off. Misery, misery, misery.

Dull drivel, and you better forget quickly about this being a tribute to the original film or, God forbid, a comedy. The special effects are worth seeing, especially the pool scene, but otherwise it's a story about a good woman who is wished the worst by all those evil men and has to be helped by feminist aliens. Unbelievable. A hint of a joke occasionally appears, but before you really notice it, it's gone. However, the words "I saw something...", which Daryl Hannah utters ten times in the opening forty minutes, are extremely annoying even on the second repetition.

A truly beautiful film, and that's no exaggeration - perhaps one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Everything in it happens so naturally and believably, jokes balance the emotion, the direction is stunningly imaginative in many scenes... And Woody Allen together with Diane Keaton - a match made in heaven! Films like (500) Days of Summer and others that try to emulate Annie Hall look inferior and weak compared to this film. I'm a thousand percent enchanted.

"New York Times, 1990: The Pope's Wife Gave Birth to Twins" or Allen's satirical sci-fi parody of anything. I was especially charmed by the action scenes filmed in the style of classic slapstick, which were really excellent, and I also liked Allen's silent comedy in the part when he pretended to be a robot servant. There were plenty of downright boring spots, but what the heck, it was there. Still, I give it four pure stars.

A well-written story of a tragic hero played brilliantly by Forest Whitaker, which was unfortunately not enough. The rest of the plot lines were too clichéd, predictable and almost emotionless for my taste. Perhaps only Guy Pearce and Jackie Earle Haley had something to offer. As always, I liked Zarvos' music and I must praise the gradual revelation of what actually happened in the diner, which the director did a great job with.

I'm rounding up the three and a half stars because this film is definitely not average. Maybe it could have been a little shorter or could have moved along faster, but maybe the slow pace was intentional. Glenn Close acts very well, but the biggest surprise is still the painter Hubert. The period atmosphere was appropriately grimy and somehow bleak, and I was pleased with Brendan Gleeson as the doctor and displeased with the again unsympathetic (though again deliberately so) Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

An accomplished caress for the slightly gloomy soul (successfully tested today). What I particularly liked about the film was the nice humor and the fact that there is no downright negative character in the story (I was expecting some type of greedy winemaker who would try to fool the main character). Nice. As for the female characters, I liked the sympathetic Archie Panjabi as much as Marion Cotillard, or maybe even a little more. Wonderful soundtrack (especially the songs).

Asterix and Obelix without ideas, without humor... Actually, pretty much everything is lacking. When even the slightest glimmer of a joke appears, the filmmakers carefully stomp it into the ground (just like the poor rugby player), and the viewer, who was expecting a joke, just stares in despair, looking for any moment that will at least make him smile. Of all the Asterix movies I've seen, I think the second one is the best, and compared to this boredom, that's been confirmed once again. There's a lack of ridiculousness, a lack of parody ("I'm your father" is a really silly line, the reminder of A Clockwork Orange is not funny at all, and the final quote from 300 is incredibly unused)... You almost get the impression that the film was written and directed by those hideously uptight Brits who the French make fun of. Or rather "fun". However, I give two stars for the beautiful set, the gorgeous costumes, the very pretty Charlotte Le Bon and Badelt's music - none of which this Gallic misery deserves. Alas.