POMO

A spectacularly shot and edited concert film replete with the colorfulness of the wall of light complemented with 3D graphic interludes taken from it, supporting Bono’s lyrics and the character of the music. What’s amazing is that you get so close to them that the resulting impression is ten times more powerful than standing in an arena in a sweaty mass and seeing only their silhouettes. And it’s not just the filmmaking that makes U2 3D great, but also the truly great atmosphere of this Brazilian concert. The only thing I find slightly regrettable is that there’s no room in the cinema to give in to the euphoria with a cheering audience. A tear came to my eye when “Pride” started.

The idea and atmosphere are interesting, but The Quiet Earth is a half-baked sci-fi flick in terms of its story. And the characters behave very strangely in places. Geoff Murphy is an engaging post-apocalyptic director, but he’s a terrible psychologist. The popcorn flick I Am Legend isn’t much deeper or smarter, but it’s at least more entertaining and doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t.

Dario Argento is a filmmaker whose lapses in logic could – given the genre – always be forgiven. What happens in this film, however, boggles the mind. Add in the truly retarded dialogue, the drowsy, obviously bored Max von Sydow reciting silly monologues without understanding them, the occasional inappropriate humor and finally the tacky splatter murders using worse effects than in Italian B-movies from the 1980s. If it weren’t for the great opening scene in the train, a few effective long shots and two good jump scares, it would have merited one star.

An intimate theater play in a colorful setting, interspersed with mass combat scenes. The theater part doesn’t work because of the excessive distance from the characters and emotional emptiness, while the combat scenes too obviously look like they were shot in a studio. Despite the obvious ambition to be a grand dramatic epic in Kurosawa’s style, Curse of the Golden Flower is simply formulaic and dysfunctional.

Bug is not an audience-friendly or pleasant film. It is, however, remarkable and admirable in how believable and psychologically precise it is in portraying a weak individual’s descent into a highly paranoid hell. And also thanks to the interesting idea that when we enter into romantic relationships, we not only gain but also lose something. Bug is actually a different kind of romance about a fated encounter of two losers. A romance according to William Friedkin.

I want this film to last two more hours. I can easily imagine it as a great TV series. This time, George A. Romero admirably freshens up his old formulas. While in his previous Land of the Dead, he just comfortably stayed in the eighties, here he successfully adapted to current trends and took the concept further than the guys who made Cloverfield. The only fly in the ointment is the occasionally dumb dialogue (the character of the professor). Otherwise it’s a great horror flick based on unpredictability and intelligent editing. However, it is more enjoyable for dedicated film buffs than for fans of popcorn entertainment.

The plot of The Eiger Sanction is not that engaging. The most important thing here is the real Clint Eastwood in the challenging climbing scenes in Utah, USA, and on the actual Eiger. It’s a pity that the film only reaches this part after the protracted and uninteresting first half, which is reminiscent of an average old Bond movie without Sean Connery... But Utah and Switzerland are very nicely and captivatingly filmed. Simultaneously directing and being in front of the camera in such locations (and not using a stunt double!) deserves admiration.

Blood Work is and old-school and somewhat predictable mystery with a more or less satisfying point. The film is kept afloat by Clint Eastwood’s charisma, but it would have been a better fit for Jack Nicholson guided by Sean Penn as a director.

Jack Black’s comedic potential is completely unused here; his character could have been played by any unknown comedian and the film would not have suffered for it. Ben Stiller is funny only when he plays “the guy he played in another movie”. Robert Downey is cool only thanks to his black accent. For every one good joke in 20 minutes, there are ten forced or downright unfunny ones. The only thing that stands out and hits the bull’s eye here is Tom Cruise. I like crazy comedies, parodies, war movies and criticisms of Hollywood, but sorry, I like my steaks done right.

Hellboy II is the most fantastic and beautiful fantasy movie since The Return of the King. Guillermo del Toro loves these monsters and you can feel it from this movie’s every pore. The Forest Elemental made me fall on my knees. There is not one but two love motifs, a ton of cool humor and colorful visuals tastefully blended with the fantasy world without a single tacky shot. And the film is NOT overstuffed or chaotic as some accuse it of being. Del Toro is a true magician with a clear vision, who is able to execute it with perfectionism.