Remedy

My fifth Kubrick. While I obviously don't remember the era and couldn't absorb the tense political atmosphere of the time from credible liberal sources, I did suffer through some of that education. And so you can’t help but notice with this work Kubrick is reflecting on the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was indeed the closest we came in the entire Cold War era to the outbreak of another global conflict. To make the whole film in a satirical and parodying spirit is probably the best thing Kubrick could have done, because it was the satirical approach that perfectly allowed him to point out the senselessness and lameness of the whole long conflict between East and West. The only thing that perhaps disappointed me a little was that the entire time the viewer only witnesses political events in the West. Some insight into the Kremlin and an "Eastern perspective" on the whole affair might have added to the overall experience. The question is how the East would have taken it at the time if someone parodied their high command. ;)

A silly and terribly impersonal film that rivals that master audiovisual megalomania Michael Bay. Formally, it's a clean and professional affair, but in terms of content, story... I'm afraid it's going to be hard to do better in the future with films like this. The digital production, camera filters, and the impact of slow motion or sped up shots will probably always be improved. Long gone are the days of action movies that had heart and where you deeply sympathized with the main character and experienced his every emotion with him.

Steven Soderbergh and his superb ability to reflect human feelings without being overwrought or theatrical. It takes wit, lightness and, of course, some life experience to make a drama about relationships in such a way that it feels natural and the viewers don’t have to shake their heads at the illogical and often inexplicable behavior of the characters. Considering that Steven Soderbergh wrote the script himself at the age of 26 (probably a little earlier), I have no choice but to give him a deep bow. A psychological study like crazy, topped off with excellent performances and absolutely perfect dialogue.

Comparisons with the masterful Eyes Wide Shut may not be entirely appropriate, but somehow I just can't resist. Kubrick took on human sexuality back then and handled it in his last film with bravura, incredible sensitivity, and experience. What's more, the whole film had a superb psycho-erotic atmosphere and held the viewer's attention permanently. Sleeping Beauty beckons with its poster, it beckons with the casting of Emily Browning, it beckons with its unusual and eccentric subject matter. The absence of any moment of suspense, the inexplicable specific motivations of the protagonist and of the entire film overall, in which all the characters seem too mechanical and "disciplined" (in relation to their roles) – all this kills the possible message and makes Sleeping Beauty a pseudo-artistic flop with a completely random and extremely awkward conclusion. There was potential, and I dare say a lot of it. But it remained drowned somewhere. How would Lars von Trier, Roman Polanski, or Gaspar Noé have handled it? Emily Browning may have gorgeous peepers and a lovely body (if you’re not into boobs), but in the passages of the film where she’s not naked or half-naked, her acting is absolutely mediocre and without a shred of charisma, which certainly wouldn't matter maybe in a romantic comedy. This was supposed to be a drama. Unfortunately, it ends up a tragicomedy.

I’m rating this within a very narrow group – i.e. an American independent film of the drama genre. The Vicious Kind is an extraordinary experience for me, if only because I've seen it twice in a very short space of time, which I don't do with any film (with the most glaring exceptions, of which there are exactly 3) – at most I’ll watch them at least two years apart. After the second viewing of this work, I feel that I became much closer to all the characters with their feelings and seemingly incomprehensible emotional processes, that I really experienced their fates with them and that I could understand the way they act and behave (though at first with difficulty from a rational perspective) at least a little bit. It's not often I get to pour my heart out like that in reviews), but I know that even years later, this film will still have appeal for me and I'll want to watch it again. Not because of how gorgeous Brittany Snow is in it (though maybe a little bit, too) or because Adam Scott's acting is near perfect in some moments. The main reason, for me, remains that The Vicious Kind tells a maximally human story about human failings, about situations where no one can handle being "master" of the situation and will completely succumb to his or her emotional nature, which at certain moments completely consumes them. A different film from other relationship dramas. Maybe not so much "devastating" and instructional as it is valuable in the substance of its message in relation to human emotions.

Fabulous. Making a solid horror movie where the negative characters aren't mostly laughable doesn't happen very often these days. In producer Sam Raimi and director David Slade's film, not only are the negative characters (vampires) not laughable, but what's more, they're incredibly charismatic and believable. I absolutely loved Slade's approach – working with the environment, using every possible space (even on a psychological level), and "evening out" the two groups in terms of their involvement in the story. I can't say that I was rooting for the murderous group, but David Slade managed to make them very interesting and charismatic characters (which is highly admirable given the minimal dialogue in the strange language). 30 Days of Night is a modernly conceived horror film that manages to live up to its potential.

Alice in Wonderland is undoubtedly one of the weaker efforts from the workshop of the master of imagination Tim Burton. On the one hand, it actually seems quite paradoxical: a work like this, when rewritten as a film, certainly offers considerable avenues for portrayal, plenty of room for self-expression, and is directly built for directorial exhibition. Unfortunately, the whole film leaves a rather faint impression in terms of directing and inevitably gives the impression that Burton had the whole process of filming very precisely mapped out in advance and thus left his authorial imprint only to a very limited extent (though hints of Burtonian poetry and humor thankfully do appear here and there). The bright side of the whole project for me remains the fabulous performance of Helena Bonham Carter and a few funny moments. Even Danny Elfman's music is not as impressive as usual this time around. Burton's most divisive film in the last ten years of his career.

In the context of Ridley Scott's entire oeuvre, this film can be considered one of Ridley's best, if not the best. Amazing elaboration of exteriors, imaginative futuristic styling, remarkable attention to detail, and a "femme fatale" storyline that makes the whole story more "human" and fated at the same time. In the way Blade Runner is produced recalls Cameronian perfectionism and Spielbergian precision and bombast, while Ridley Scott's own directorial trademark still remains very strong, even breathtaking in some moments (e.g. the disposal of the first replicant as she leaps through the shop windows to the tune of perfect Vangelis). Despite the fact that the whole story takes place in the 21st century, the overall atmosphere is pleasantly "old-school" and gave me a nice nostalgic impression. It should be noted that despite the aforementioned nostalgia and lovable old school, Blade Runner is a film that still feels very inventive and modern even today. It’s Hollywood, but at the same time very high quality popcorn at the highest possible level – similar to some of Steven Spielberg's films.

Top of the line among twisted and bizarre films. Even if this early De Palma thriller is far from being full of all the formal trappings that characterize his later work, you can already notice some hints that he will perfect in his later films. I am hardly familiar with Hitchcock's work so far, so I have nothing to compare to or criticize. It reminded me a bit of Cronenberg in terms of observing human nature and various unnatural aspects, though of course De Palma doesn't go to such extremes as that Canadian pervert. A decently plotted, acted, formally original thriller bordering on horror (though really only in some passages), which will probably please De Palma's fans and viewers who adore unusual and slightly offbeat work. I liked it, and if you please, I'm not a weirdo. :)

Such a humble yet worthwhile film. Completely human, beautifully written characters, a railway setting combined with beautiful scenery, and a great example of a lifestyle the like of which I can't imagine exists anywhere today (unfortunately). I really love films that, both in their story, the setting in which they take place and, ultimately, the characters, who create a civil and pleasant impression, manage at the same time to remind us of many "human" aspects and rather gently call us (not all of us, of course) to greater sensitivity and consideration and less indifference among people. The main character's handicap is actually "just" seasoning for the entire film, as the behavior of the individual characters are influenced by a great number of other circumstances.