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Right from the opening credits, it occurred to me that I had been unnecessarily worried about Fighter. And in the final credits, there was nothing ordinary or transparent about it at all. The cast surprises with their escalating performances (not surprisingly, the beautiful Amy Adams dominates), the TV-style fights in the ring draw you in yet at the same time provide the necessary viewer's perspective, and in the end, even the perpetually screaming, "semi-redneck" storyline with the successful family gains deeper meaning and stops being a distraction. This boxing story simply works from the first to the last minute. Some mistakes don't have to be repeated.

I am surprised that a movie that tries so hard to be unique is so unfriendly to the audience and unfriendly to the characters, only to start drowning in its own juice and light routine right from the start. If only some people or some things were negatively inclined, maybe I could have empathized with Ree, but when the entire environment is bleak and everyone is hostile, dirty, or a junkie, the intensity quickly fades away. Moreover, the main storyline is so thin that after an hour it repeats itself for the third time and it's clear that it can only end in two possible ways. The one that eventually happened suits me better, so thanks to that and a solid performance from John Hawkes, Winter's Bone is worth a stronger 50%. However, the Oscar nominations were an even bigger disappointment.

Toy Story has grown up along with its longtime childhood admirers. We were like Andy in the first installment, and even though we are now older than he is by the time the third installment came around, it still works. With extremely touching nostalgia, a perfect escape from prison, and the conclusion of Andy's saga, where everything falls into place. Pixar created a timeless trilogy that will never age, no matter where the next adventure takes place.

It might start subtly and escalate very gradually, but The King's Speech deeply moved me, and when it comes to admiration for acting performances, it literally surpassed them. And just as the main character is a timid speaker and a future famous ruler, the movie is on one hand a sweet little film and on the other a spectacle that almost everyone can love and celebrate.

The dark horse of this season emerged a surprisingly unremarkable film, whose biggest attraction lies precisely in how the critics have taken ownership of it like a mother. Lisa Cholodenko is assigned the traditional academic role of "a pleasant film with family values for this year's nominations," and though I experienced the characters' destinies with full enthusiasm, The Kids Are All Right doesn't bring anything I haven't seen elsewhere. Therefore, for example, the nominations for the screenplay, which seems to have been cut out of a typical Desperate Housewives plot and seasoned with appropriately timeless undertones, seem surprising. What the actors gain for the whole film (everyone is giving their all, but Mark Ruffalo shines in particular), is lost in the ending, which doesn't disappoint outright, but leaves a somewhat disappointed and disheartened feeling that nothing substantial and well-rounded was brought to the table.

True Perfection is not achieved, because instead of redefining a genre (see No Country for Old Men), Joel and Ethan Coen rely heavily on certainty, but during the final credits, the true western force truly hit me. The biggest acting merits undoubtedly belong to Jeff Bridges, whose casually loose and uncompromisingly tough Rooster dominates, while the occasionally slightly dull Hailee Steinfeld is a surprising disappointment. I had some minor issues with the unbalanced pace of the film for quite a while, but the final half-hour saves everything. Minute by minute, the main antagonist's arrival brings tension and emotion, without a shortage of tension for even a second, not to mention the flawless finish. In retrospect, it becomes clear that some plot twists were overly evident, but despite that, I can't be upset with the film thanks to its straightforwardness and sincerity.

And in a cold, dull Swedish small town, you can successfully drink blood. The new arrival attracts attention not only from Oskar but also from me, and when it comes down to it, Tomas Alfredson knows how to take hold of the atmosphere and surprise you. Nevertheless, I remain greatly disappointed in this cautious vampire romance. It can only captivate you in scenes with Oskar or Eli, and all the actions of the supporting characters happen inadvertently and consequently come across as meaningless filler, whether it's frightened talk about strange events or routine attempts to suggest the vampire plot. The Immediate positive impressions are thus saved, despite several embarrassingly mishandled moments (cat attack), only by the phenomenal ending, which is without exaggeration one of the most hypnotic scenes I've ever seen. Otherwise, however, this adaptation is just as cold as the omnipresent snow would suggest.

A contradiction, just like the central theme. Tragicomedy as a parallel to the alternating spasmodic positivism and natural negativism is a great idea and the actors can excel in perfectly fitting roles, but somewhat surprisingly, the initially appealing unpredictability gradually started to annoy me. After twenty minutes, I realized that practically anything can happen at any subsequent moment. You enjoy it twice, or three times, but soon every unexpected outburst of emotions seemed like unnecessary hysteria. 70%, rounded down precisely because the final catharsis suffers from these constant changes.

When it's funny, it's funny to the last gag; when it's romantic, it's romantic with every line of dialogue and tear from Shuichi. Gravitation has proved to be a touching relationship story, a band's journey to the top, or a dramedy about overcoming the deepest desires, and despite its clear exaggeration, it works in all directions. You can't help but love the main hero for his naivety, and tears of laughter often flowed from me because of all his disguises or attempts. The fifth star hung in the balance somewhere in New York, because after a quick look through the manga, it is clear to me that the more dramatic storylines could have received more thorough attention. Nevertheless, this is an incredibly entertaining and heartwarming anime for anyone with an optimistic mood and at least a little bit of an open heart.

I'm the only one who sees the whole picture. It took a while to get used to Larry David as the narrator, but the desired bliss eventually arrived to a sufficient extent. The script cautiously treads along a tragicomic path while scattering countless sexual innuendos and classic socially-aimed jabs in all directions. It's obvious that after the years that preceded it, when Woody Allen indulged in complex romance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona or dreamt of an almost thriller-like Cassandra's Dream, new ideas and "complaints" needed to be brought forth. Thank goodness for that.