lamps

A playful romp, humorously edited to the rhythm of rock burners. The pacing is great and the characters are instantly endearing, the survival part is not that interesting, but there are still a lot of hilarious situational jokes and if nothing else, at least I sympathized with the heroes who ran to their favourite pub to hide from the zombie apocalypse. I like the fact that the film manages to stand on its own two feet and doesn't just reproduce the established tropes of zombie horror, even if it is paradoxically detrimental at times.

Sin City is a phenomenon. As a whole, it's perhaps a bit inconsistently segmented, so that the individual episodes don't really support or complement the development of the rest, but I still can't get most of the segments out of my head and I'm always happy to watch it again – Rodriguez has stylized the film in a fiercely sexy way, inoculated it with juicy comic violence, and pumped it up with a plethora of great actors who absolutely nail their already interesting roles (Rourke, Willis, and Owen in descending order are the best). The atmosphere works, and Sin City is such a dirty, bleak and unpredictable place that I could have stayed in it a bit longer. Emotions aside, this is a pure visual experience... 80%

Much more polished than the rather dull first instalment, mainly because the script relies more on lightness and instead of conforming to standard action tropes, it turns them into a big joke. Although most of the credit goes to the protagonists themselves, who embody their career alter egos with admirable verve and insight (Norris's crazy cameo reigns supreme), and the story is downright slapdash when it comes to some dialogue and personal levels, the action is so good and well-paced and the villains, led by the cold-blooded JCVD, are so hilarious that you simply won't be bored. This time, satisfaction.

An episode I have a very special relationship with. The story rather clumsily combines two basic storylines and overwhelms with characters who don't get the space they deserve, BUT there’s still something substantial going on. The diverse locations make your chin drop to the floor, the action sequences tear you apart, and all the characters are simply divine (except Anakin, unfortunately, because Christensen is the casting fiasco of the century). I love the feeling of adventure and the development that comes with exploring new corners of the galaxy, I love the lightsabres, I love Obi-Wan and Yoda. It’s perhaps guilty pleasure, but also perhaps the most pleasant entry in the entire franchise. 80%

Cinematic rosebud. Amazing play with mise-en-scène, lighting and revolutionary management of the audience's attention. A great Welles and the greatest MacGuffin in history.

The episode where George Lucas's imagination was perhaps at its best – unfortunately. My impressions are aptly characterized by the well-known story of David Lynch (yes, that David Lynch); he was Lucas's main candidate to direct episode IV, and the two met in person before production began. Lucas started talking excitedly about all the weird SW characters and worlds, and Lynch, who wasn't interested anyway and only met him as a courtesy, told him it would be best if he directed it himself. And so a total unknown Richard Marquand was brought in and the viewer got a bunch of funny elves at the end of the greatest space saga of all time, among whom Harrison Ford, Hollywood's biggest dude, looks a bit like Mr. Bean driving a Ferrari. On the other hand, the storyline around Luke works just fine, the aura of the dark side is very tangible (even if it contrasts with the goofing around with the Ewoks), and the special effects are clearly the best of the trilogy, so we do get an exciting experience. I really wonder what it would have been like with the master of depression Lynch at the helm, but actually, thank goodness for that enthusiasm – without him, Star Wars probably never would have been made, so how else would it have ended? The new millennium will give us an ironic answer. 75%

Several ball-busting Ideas for every 20 minutes of crazy and variably funny filler. It didn't impress me, even as a fan of 80s B-movies, although I'd take it as a feature film from a capable screenwriter.

The cornerstone of the slasher genre and its best representative to this day. At times I had trouble with the plodding pace, but otherwise this is a masterpiece; Carpenter revels in point-of-view shots, unpredictably placing the masked gorilla in a carefully staged and photographed environment, and impressively delaying the climax in favour of a moment of surprise and a crescendo at the end. And there is no need to add anything about the music, no one will ever compose a better horror main theme.

You are a playful kid who sees a giant monster from outer space around every corner and imagines how you can become bigger up and give it a good spanking. And then you grow up and you make Pacific Rim. It's silly, with mediocre performances, and full of militant clichés, but at the same time it's crafted to perfection, with spectacular villains and one breathtaking scene, fully reflecting del Toro's staging mastery (the little girl). In the 50s, they would have sold their nuclear arsenal to the Russians for a monster movie like this, nowadays is past it’s prime, but it’s still fun. Ron Perlman rules.

A quirky psychedelic cult film that may well capture the atmosphere of its time, but for me it's absolutely outdated. I don't think ninety minutes have ever felt so long, even waiting at the dentist. I appreciate the great music, the awesome Nicholson, and the challenging interpretive nature, but you can really tell at times that the entire crew was smoking like Petty and Selma throughout. Not for me.