Lima

The enjoyment of this film is directly proportional to the viewer's interest (or lack thereof) in the real story of a group of CBS reporters who in the early 1950s systematically stepped on the balls of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose campaign against the "Red Plague" infamously went down in history for its disregard of human dignity and human rights guaranteed by the Constitution (Charles Chaplin could tell you about it). The inability to adequately defend oneself against false accusations of collaboration with the Communists and the resulting professional problems, such as loss of employment or even, in extreme cases, imprisonment, were all pointed out by CBS, headed by journalistic legend Edward Murrow. A viewer unfamiliar with the name McCarthy is unlikely to be hooked, not only because of the first twenty minutes, full of overlapping dialogue and a barrage of names, but also because Clooney does not show the problem of McCarthyism in its entirety (only a brief illuminating text outlines the historical context), but plunges the viewer straight into the television studio amongst Murrow and his associates as they prepare for a much-watched evening show at the time, in which they point out false accusations against American citizens (there are two cases in particular in the film). The highlight is Murrow's televised duel with McCarthy himself, whose demagogic speech about Murrow is one of the most powerful experiences of the film. The film’s main asset is its authenticity, thanks to the black-and-white cinematography, the period music and the detailed production design, the atmosphere of the 1950s is palpable, and the inserts of period footage don’t feel like a punch in the eye. And perhaps some of you, with the flood of shallowness currently pouring out of commercial TV stations, will smile bitterly at Murrow's final confession of his desire for "explanatory, educational and inspiring television". Unfortunately Ed, that’s a fight you didn’t win…

It’s clear to me now why a Shakespeare filmmaker like Kenneth Branagh went for this. All the scenes from Asgard seem like great theatre, with interesting characters, great fatality, betrayal, envy and jealousy. Asgard, with its megalomaniacal architecture and all its pomposity, was the most entertaining part, and the episode from Earth, thanks to the good actors, was also enjoyable, although I can't shake the impression that more unintentional humour could have been extracted from "Thor wondering among men like a bull in a china shop". Chris Hemsworth is likeable in every way, Hopkins finally after a long time in a role that suits him best; these classy characters, that's his thing. Overall an enjoyable 2 hours and I wouldn't mind a sequel.

Hands down, the best episode of the series. Unfortunately, the overwrought pivotal action scene at the end, with a half demolished Rio and a massive vault behind two bulldozers, was too far beyond the edge of acceptability for my taste. And when they open their mouths in the non-action passages and the characters spout life's truths and wisdoms, even Mrs. Cliché and Stupidity run to hide behind the camera in terror, it was really hard to listen to. Thanks at least for Dwayne's character of Agent Hobbs, because you can never have enough of The Rock and his fist fight with Diesel, when the surrounding walls were collapsing like styrofoam backdrops, brought me out of my lethargy.

At times it’s not very viewer-friendly, it lacks a narrative structure, but I still enjoyed it. If I had to liken Haynes's film to something, two words come to mind: emotional puzzle. It’s main asset is the almost permanent music of Dylan in the background, the recreation of the atmosphere of the beatnik generation and the incredible Cate Blanchett, who perfectly nailed Dylan's tics, movements and even the cigarette holding. On the other hand, the unnecessary Richard Gere (although I understand "what the poet meant to say") and the overly long runtime bring this film down a peg. PS: I really liked Ben Whishaw with his insecure, embarrassed, boyish expression, so typical of young Dylan :o)

Good job. Watching this film brought back my own memories of that time, when as a young rocker I demonstrated my naive little personal defiance against the establishment with my denim jacket covered with patches of Metallica, Accept, Iron Maiden and Helloween. I also could talk for hours about the secret police spying on our family. It was not a nice era, but it did have one good thing: the solid, pleasant community of people "on the other shore", rockers, metalheads and similar types, who didn't ride the official wave allowed by the state and met secretly at unauthorized exchanges, where they traded records of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etc., and swapped anti-regime swearing in pubs and at bonfires. Music back then was a symbol of defiance that brought people together, something you don't see today.

I am overrating a bit, but I don’t hide the fact that I am an admirer of Kaplický's work and a fan of his original, bold and progressive "Octopus". That is why this documentary is in line with my feelings and I regret very much that the construction itself did not take place in the end, if only to see Václav Klaus chained to the building (as he promised) – I believe that some nice place would have been found for that douchebag, and he could have chained Bem and Jakl to him, killing at least three annoying flies with one blow.

The last twenty minutes improved the final impression. Rudd's final declaration of love to Reese was very nice and the chemistry between them worked to perfection, but otherwise it was very underwhelming overall. Particularly in the first half, it plays with the viewer's patience, the screenwriting is more empty straw than it should be and the comedic timing of the scenes is completely off. The only thing I really enjoyed was the performances of the four stars. The only really good things were Paul Rudd, who killed in his role, and Whiterspoon and Wilson, who were very likeable. It's clear that such a strangely written story has a lot to live up to, but even so, Brooks's effort is clearly a disappointment.

Snyder is fantastic with visuals and music (anyone who has seen the brilliant but sadly underrated Watchmen knows this), but for God's sake, never, ever let him write his own scripts! If I were to rate only the composition of shots, the imaginative details, the spectacular slow motion (which, I don't know how Snyder does it, I don't mind it in his case) and the the soundtrack (“Army of Me” by Bjork made me foolishly believe I would love the film), it would be worth a full score. But the decadent pop-cultural, cringeworthy, scripted ballast, which also pretends to convey some higher message, was impossible to digest even with a full brain shutdown. Snyder is a great craftsman, but he needs a permanent whip over him and a humility within himself, which, on the other hand, was not lacking in his almost reverential adaptation of Moore's “Watchmen”.

Don't be swayed by the negative critical response from individuals who didn't understand it, this is a great film. Eastwood deals with the autumn of his life, when one must unwillingly be confronted with the inevitability of death, and he does it the way he does it best: very sensitively and empathetically. It outlines Moody's view on death and life after life, but in a non-violent way, he does not impose his opinion and through the fate of three people marked by the loss of a loved one, or the life experience of clinical death, he sensitively tells his story. And I have to say, I've never been so pleased with Matt Damon's acting, his subdued performance as a mature man surprised and delighted me.

This is not so much a film about boxing and the hardships this sport brings (that's why comparisons with Rocky, Raging Bull, etc. are unwarranted), but mainly a social drama about a crazy family, a domineering mother-manager and two brothers who are completely different in character, all with riveting performances by almost everyone involved. While Wahlberg, with his unchanging poker player expression, hits his acting limits here, the anorexic Bale clearly reigns supreme and whenever he's on screen you can't take your eyes off him. There is such a believable and intimate atmosphere permeating the whole film, that you have no problem empathising with the action and watching it all in one breath. The only thing separating this film from a maximum rating is the fact that the plot meanders through predictable twists and turns, but otherwise it’s undoubtedly one of the films of the year and the Oscar nominations are well deserved.