POMO

This film could have been even better if it had focused more on the causes of Lars’s condition and did more digging into his psyche (as in Awakenings). But even the simpler path that the creators have taken, i.e. a visit to a village, full of kindness in the style of Lasse Hallström, when the eccentric protagonist finds the support of his kind, understanding neighbors, has its charms. Their take is original, appealing to the more sensitive viewer and offering charming humor and a subtle balance between reality and a colorful idealist world. And for this, you’d need quite a lot of screenwriting and directing talent. I’m giving this four stars not only for the excellent Ryan Gosling, but for ALL of the actors. It wouldn’t have worked without them. And also for Paul Schneider’s wise definition of adulthood.

In Lucio Fulci’s filmography, spoiled by a few shitty horror flicks, which paradoxically made him “famous” (and branded him as a B-movie auteur), Door to Silence is an extraordinary example of his talent for creating the right atmosphere and doing good work with cinematography and set designs, particularly the exteriors in this case. It’s thus too bad that the point of the film is clear basically from the opening credits and it becomes too drawn-out in the last third. However, these shortcomings are significantly offset by the decent performance of John Savage, who is almost constantly in front of the camera.

This bewitching phantasmagoria simultaneously delights with Neil Jordan’s masterful, emotional direction and annoys with the virginal innocence of its story, which was unfortunately conceived as an irritating tangle of three intertwined storylines. It is an experience that is at once amazing and painful, and definitely a film the likes of which you rarely see these days. Beautiful set designs and a nice cameo by Terence Stamp.

The only thing undermining this film a bit is the unclear temporal setting. For the events not to look unrealistic and exaggerated from today’s point of view, it uses Bernard Herrmann-like music and is set approximately shortly after World War II. But the costumes, hairstyles and behavior of many of the characters, as well as the technical aspect of the film, correspond to the present in order to be attractive for today’s (more perceptive) teenage viewers, for whom it can become the film of their life... If we look past these inconsistencies, however, Evil becomes an emotionally powerful and perfectly filmed (beautiful camerawork), cast and acted drama, the formalistic aspect of which matches that of the best Hollywood productions.

Bloody Parcel is dumb in its content, with a point that just doesn’t work. But it overflows with the filmmakers’ love of grindhouse and Robert Rodriguez’s camerawork, and mainly their interest in honing every spectacular shot, even if it lasts only a few seconds, so it can’t leave you cold as an enthusiastic amateur tribute to Tarantino and Rodriguez. Praise is also due to the well-chosen narrator, and the appearance and “goofily comical” voices of the main characters. Jan Votýpka is a madman in the best sense of the word. My three-star rating is a compromise between two stars for the content and four stars for the concept.

“You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos, mother*ucker!” is the only line that made me laugh out loud. Even though it was produced by Judd Apatow, it’s extremely unfunny. And not because I don’t get stoner humor or that Seth Rogen and James Franco don’t look convincing enough with a joint, and the same goes for Danny McBride and a shotgun, but because the script is so forced, it is literally painful.

The Wrestler is an unobtrusive indie work. It is simple, clear and clean, and relies on only one thing – Mickey Rourke. Darren Aronofsky is aware that everything else is just Rourke’s surroundings, so he paves the way for him without much interferences or original screenwriting ideas (we’ve seen it all before), comfortably riding on his character’s shoulders. And the whole crew sleeps in Randy’s caravan because no one would give them a normal budget for this. A nice, modest film that could have been excellent as a featurette.

This horror flick offers a rich atmosphere and, in places, was filmed in a peculiar manner (it’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad – it’s simply different, unique), with a captivating voice-over from the protagonist, which opens and closes the film. But it’s completely spoiled by the dumb looks of the actors, lapses in logic and idiotic dialogue.

This film starts out as an original, engaging and perversely exciting thriller, but later it turns into a hallucinogenic trip into the mind of the main character. Finally, it becomes a not exactly original psychological drama about a Finnish Norman Bates. Though very well made and acted, however, it slipped away from me with exactly those twists it employed to surprise and shock me.

I found this audiovisual opera of movement about as exciting and intriguing as a subtitle-free dialogue of two Chinese sitting motionless at a kitchen table.