3DD!3

If I had seen this movie ten years ago, I would have probably peed myself for sheer joy. I like great sports cars, slinky girls and mainly Arnold! I gained a couple more wrinkles on my face (but fewer than the Austrian oak, it must be said) and I want a few more. But it’s still more than just good fun and in some places it holds some very pleasant surprises. One definite asset is Jee-woon Kim, who squeezes the maximum out of it, with half an eye on old westerns, he is properly bloodthirsty and tries not to take the beaten track, but when he has to, he shows off about it. In terms of acting, this is the inoffensive standard playing supporting roles for old man Arnold who is exactly the way we like him best. Luckily, Knoxville doesn’t bother us much. There are a couple of really effective scenes that pull The Last Stand up to above average, the best of which is the ingenious chase through the corn field. Mainly, Arnold is back with all the trimmings, it’s a shame that more people aren’t visiting the theaters to greet him.

I had to force myself a little to look at Lincoln at all and I must say that it was worth watching. A myriad of great actors who have something to say... And Spielberg doesn’t make thoroughly bad movies at all and, although long-winded and boring, he makes the process of pushing through the 13th Amendment interesting. Abe (Daniel Day-Lewis is great and the Oscar nomination is more than justified) uses delay, corruption and twisting the truth to get his way. His kind and wonderfully pointed stories make him look like a nice guy, but because of this, the people have to suffer an extra month of war. A stellar moment in history they say... there’s nothing stellar about trying to get your own way and to succeed by scheming and half-truths. I should point out that during the final vote I had my fingers crossed that it would be passed and found myself with a wider and wider smile at each “Yay". Spielberg was successful in not presenting this period in history as being something ultra significant in creating history. He takes it raw, without emotion. And if it works, fine. And if not, at least they tried. Well it is a bit of a disadvantage that we know how it turns out. So it’s hard for the viewer to be fully satisfied. Excursions away from interiors (there are only a couple) where we see the war and what it involved (severed limbs in the wheelbarrow) take up just a couple of minutes of this lengthy movie. This is precisely the style (apart from the fact that the arguments have a head and tail to them) used when the Czech parliament sits (apart from the fact that in the movie someone is really sitting there and nobody is reading the newspaper or sleeping, in fact they actually speak and express their opinion) and I just can’t watch that for more than a few seconds. At least that Williams did the music, otherwise nothing special.

People are masochists, but we all know that. We like to watch other people suffer. But never before have I encountered this kind of watching the problems and mistakes (I think I’ll buy my brother some shorts and a jacket for myself instead of paying the electricity bill) of four selected moms and dads (in some cases just moms) in a purely documentary style. Personally, I think that this is more likely to put off any girls and boys who were planning a kid, than give them any practical advice. Is this series a good idea right now, when we need to increase the birth rate? But it was certainly filmed well. But the main protagonists bother me.

Old school. Three old boys on the brink of death come together for their final job. Pacino’s first role that suits him in a long time. And he really enjoys himself, too, but the king of the picture is Christopher Walken. The inner stress emerging through his face, the uncertainty and the subsequent determination that crystalizes out in the last quarter of an hour. I take this to be a premature, stylish farewell of icons of the silver screen. They say we die twice. Once when the breath leaves our body, and once when the last person we know says our name.

An original reflection of the time? An insight into the profound depths of a stoned brain? Gilliam is bristling with ideas in this peculiar road movie. Depp’s first attempt at creating Jack Sparrow, Del Toro excellent as always and Tobey Maguire in the role he was born for. No need to take any drugs, and in fact after watching this picture you won’t be wanting to take any. This has it all. And a great soundtrack.

A novel approach to a superheroes movie. Trank’s experiment with found footage, this time not from one but from several cameras, worked out just great. The rotating shots are effective, especially thanks to Andy’s well-practiced telekinesis. The evolution of the three main protagonists is like out of a textbook (and a good job of acting). Basically, none of the characters behaves black and white and they have logical reasons for their actions. Setting the movie in Seattle gives a welcome touch of reality. For just a few bucks extra we are treated to more tasty visual morsels than any regular fan would expect.

Money. Power. Power and money. And politics is a means of getting both of them. Fincher spot on as always, Spacey again enjoys his role marvelously. So far I see this very optimistically. Season one: Naively I thought that this would be more encapsulated, but that would be wanting too much. Fincher set the tone, Schumacher moves on in a similar vein, but all those involved in the direction are doing an excellent job. In this beautiful to exemplary insight into the game of high-level politics. You are on Spacey’s side, Kate Mara at last shows her true colors of a little careerist bitch. What is missing when you compare it with The Boss is urgency and greater sympathy with the characters, as if the high-level politics was too perfect and cleansed. This isn’t downright bad, I just want to explain why I prefer the other series (even though it was certainly lower budget and less bombastic). This doesn’t mean that we won’t meet up with Frank Underwood again next season. Quite the opposite, I look forward to him tapping me on the shoulder again and taking me through that rotten place that goes by the name of the Whitehouse. Season two: A much better-knit game than the last, slowly-dosed season. But Frank is aiming high and he needs a larger screen for his masterpiece. The details undermining his mastery slightly bother me, but the last episode assuages my fears. America is in the right hands. Good things happen to good people. Season three: Political intrigue trampled by the relationship storyline. It is the dynamics of the first couple and mainly of Claire, played perfectly by Robin Wright, that drives this year’s campaign forward. Thanks to the Russians, foreign policy is heavy-duty and, along with probing the Underwood’s marriage, it exceeds all expectations. The ending is brutally open-ended. Season four draws on the very best historical events and decisions by the United States. Things aren’t easy for Frank and Claire, but they manage to pull an ace out of their sleeve when they are waist-deep in quick sand. The finale is brilliant, even though I’m sure that lots of nitpickers will be talking about a departure from reality, but they should brush up on some not so distant history. Barack is no longer a fan. And Donald is becoming one.

It hit me very hard. Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age. Perfectly played characters, neither Naomi Watts nor Ewan McGregor are trying to be falsely nice, the kids (like in reality) are sometimes begging for a spanking, but things rarely get out of hand. You can’t tell that when the wave washes everything away that it’s special effects. I don’t understand how they could film this so well without demolishing a hotel and defiling a bit of Thailand coastline. The introductory mayhem is replaced by emotionally draining search for the family split up by the catastrophe. And you know how everybody lies, saying they didn’t cry at the end of Titanic? That applies here for a whole half of the movie. The Impossible is a sincere tear-jerker with a powerful ending. Bayona is a director I will have to look out for in the future. His style turned a regular disaster movie into a breath-taking event where chills run up and down your spine, you feel nauseous and at the end you’re be so relieved that later you will cuddle up tight to your better half, female or male. I’m scared too.

I didn’t like this much. Unlike Hitchcock movies, this semi-biography has no soul. Some of the gags work, the actors seem to be enjoying themselves and the directing is high class. The period design is delightful. But we don’t get anything more than that. There isn’t one single thing that remains in one’s memory. Too bad.

An atmospheric slaughter movie that I found surprising thanks to some of the twists. Great ideas put into practice well. Wan certainly knows his stuff. It was pleasant to see many well-known and quality actors alongside some unknown ones. But it isn’t so brutal and doesn’t make you jump, so don’t be afraid. ;)