Lima

Weitz brothers, the hopeless American Pie is definitely forgiven. Actually, that was after their previous effort, About a Boy, and now they've proven once again that perhaps they have a patent on smart, witty entertainment that comes so handy in today's comedic deluge of toilet humour and teen stupidity. This film has a lot in common with the excellent About a Boy, a smart script devoid of any clichés, a nice decent soundtrack and great performances by all involved (the little known Topher Grace was a pleasant surprise). And on top of that, an unusual conclusion by Hollywood standards. Very nice entertainment.

A bit like a shabby first Rambo. The rawness and Friedkin's adept coaching of the action scenes is brought down by a clichéd story, a bunch of implausibilities (the whole opening scene from "Bosnia") and a load of outright plot bullshit. Or would you choose to quietly sheathe your knife as you fled, chased by hundreds of pursuers?

There is none of the rawness and camera games typical of Greengrass, on the contrary, this is a surprisingly intimate work where it’s hard to find his signature. An enjoyable story, but surprisingly bland direction and, for me at least, an unconvincing performance by Bonham Carter.

Yeah, it’s awful bollocks. But can I honestly be mad at a film that openly admits its awfulness in every scene, doesn't take itself seriously at all, and is filmed at a killer pace that doesn't let you get bored? Sometimes, with a certain amount of detachment, you can actually enjoy this kind of bullshit. Which is not to say that I seek out this type of entertainment.

Colin Farrell, I have a soft spot for this Irish lad. Overacting is an unfamiliar concept for him, he’s completely natural and believable, as if moving in front of the camera was a piece of cake. His performance raised the quality of Schumacher's film a lot, but the film itself has other merits. Above all, it's a quality story about a misfit rebel who doesn't need the fucking army and the fucking war, and who knows all sorts of loopholes in the regulations and the law that, when used properly, allow you to fuck with the war. I would have liked it if the screenwriter hadn't turned Farrell into a full-blown Mirek Dušín at one crucial moment in the end, which would have made him an even more vital character, but otherwise no objections. The whole film is mainly conversational with well-written dialogues, those who expect combat scenes will be disappointed. The raw, sometimes documentary-like concept, supported by an interestingly shaky camera, is also a merit, and hand in hand with the visual austerity is the well-known fact that low budgets suit Schumacher very well. By the way, just for the record, Tigerland ran in only five theaters in the U.S. and grossed $139,000 in three months.

An emotional and edifying story about how a strong will is one of the greatest attributes a person can have, and that fighting to the last of your strength sometimes pays off. Show me another film in the last five years that communicates this idea with even more intensity and I'll pay you a trip to the Peruvian Andes :)

Oh, that was painful! Sahara is the type of movie to watch on TV when you come home, tired after a day's work, your mind is working at about one-fifth capacity and you desperately need something to fall asleep to. But if you don't want to sleep and, on the contrary, want to enjoy a pleasant two hours of no-brainer fun, you're in for a disappointment. Even if you can get over the fact that a massive armoured ship colossus from the American civil war is in the middle of the African desert, that one toxic factory can cause a total global ecological apocalypse and a bunch of other bullshit, you haven't won yet. You’ll still have to digest the pile of clichés in the script, which reminded me of my childhood creations around the age of ten when I attempted to write an adventure novel. But that's still not all. Then you have to deal with Penelope Cruz and her monotonous acting (even visually this lady never captivated me) and Steve Zahn's dumbass jokes in his usual position as a jerk. Thankfully, McConaughey's charisma makes this schlock at least somewhat watchable, and William H. Macy delights with an artful performance that is so far removed from his typical wimpy underdogs. But that’s a weak compensation.

A classic, quality, but no longer surprising Jet-Li action flick, poorly masked by a higher message in the form of unquestionable ideas about the need for friendship, love and the fact that the right family is always a support. Had it stayed with just that message, led by the always great Freeman, it would have been a great film. But combined with the breaking of all possible limbs, it's another Made by Besson single-use piece of crap.

A subpar whiff of the 1980s. I like The Rock more and more since The Rundown as the prototype action hero, but he should weigh roles carefully or change his agent. With a film of this type, you have to wonder what you're actually looking at in the cinema, and it's not just the ridiculously short runtime (an hour and a few minutes on top), but mainly the absolutely rudimentary, simple, clichéd story that seems to have fallen out of all those C-action movies on late-night TV.

A standard Hollywood prefab with a weak script and awkward, clichéd humour. There are a few funny gags (about two), but they get completely lost in a flood of mediocrity. Even the action scenes, which should have been Liman's greatest domain, are not anything special, except perhaps for one car chase. I'd write more, but this movie completely fizzled out of my head an hour after watching it. In short, it was one of the box-office hits that attracted audiences only thanks to the big names, and strangely enough, it was able to make 200 million dollars. But it wasn’t for me.