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That was good. The introduction is very bland and all the characters (except perhaps the sexy Bethany) are rendered unimaginatively and boringly, but the game is a lot of fun and almost constantly entertains by contrasting the newly created avatars with their real-life counterparts. And so it happened that I didn't mind The Rock, who is even more over the top than ever, or Kevin Hart, who was really funny most of the time, and of course not even Jack Black, who has never bothered me and also has perhaps his funniest role ever. The pacing is right on and I loved the overall concept of the narrative, which perfectly evokes the video game world and feels fresh and imaginative; the characters robotically saying their in-game lines, the gradual loss of lives and the system of several levels with new obstacles that didn't feel repetitive at all, which was something I was worried about. Sure, it's ridiculously digital and poorly edited at times, and there could have been even more humour, but I still had a great time, and I have to appreciate that Kasdan keeps an eye on the development of the story and characters and doesn't just relegate it to a mindless adrenaline rush across the digital environment (which is partly what killed Valerian). One of the nicest surprises of this year.

A feel-good star-studded romance in an indie package that ends up going in a slightly different direction than the viewer expects. Don't expect a festival of directorial ingenuity or a sophisticated denouement, just an honest dose of quality acting, believable emotions and routine philosophising about one's own life. Bridges steals the show as an actor, but otherwise, of course, it's dominated by the hot Kate Beckinsale, who for the first time in a long time got the role exactly right, plus the young Kiersey Clemons, who reminded me a lot of Rihanna at times, I'd love to see her in bigger romantic roles in the future... 60%

Webb does a great job of portraying the relationship between the two central characters, the dialogue is witty and clever, and overall it's very beautiful to watch (and I'm not gay, but looking at Chris Evans doesn't turn me off); but only until the main plot and its unoriginal and stale story kick in. Although I was happy to sit through the whole thing with the likeable characters, I really felt sorry that the script went down this particular path of courtroom shenanigans and more or less abandoned adapting the brilliant Mary to a normal setting and developing the relationships with the supporting characters, which I found by far the most interesting and original part of the film. There are a few very nice and emotional moments, but unfortunately the expected ending fizzles out like bubbles from a badly chilled beer – and it's a pity, because Webb really knows how to evoke the heady feeling of a well served beer.

Valerian is beautiful proof that Besson is a top craftsman who can work with visual effects as well as James Cameron, but unfortunately only a mediocre storyteller; or rather, a filmmaker who wants to please everyone and is too wrapped up in his own creation. How else to explain that such a simple plot is stretched to 130 minutes and instead of working on the supporting characters and creating a coherent structure, the script repeatedly flounders in dead ends and lets us get to know only the two title characters. Fortunately, it all looks breathtaking, the sophistication of the various settings is perhaps richer than in any SW, some scenes are truly epic, and the whole thing is surprisingly dominated by the mesmerizing Cara Delevingne, who oozes charisma and I don't have to explain how difficult it would be to play alongside her in a tight jumpsuit or, heaven forbid, just a pair of shorts (in this respect, one must also admire the otherwise traditionally bland DeHaan). I'd love to see this made by Cameron, who would add drama, more epicness and maybe even Arnold... Rihanna's cameo is great, though completely irrelevant to the story (as are many other elements). 65%

It may be an eclectic pariah of all manner of stylistic tropes and clichés, but it's also so irresistibly quirky, fun and creative that I ended up quite liking it. A few scenes are downright stupid, and the pursuit of style sometimes makes it a parody even in moments when we should be at least a little scared, but some of the formal games are amusing (the intertitles), and the script in the second "slasher-exploitation-home invasion" half makes good use of the motifs outlined in the introduction (while being funny by reversing the roles, when the bad guys are gradually murdered). If it were more verbally humorous and more creative in generating tension or in the murders, I'd actually be very satisfied, this way most of my memories of the film will move to the third male hemisphere between my legs and involve Samara Weaving, who, if I had her as a babysitter, I'd quickly change my mind about whether it's really best to spend my evenings at the pub.

A very nicely constructed romantic conversational drama with a delightful final scene and a thematic update in the form of Muslim traditions in the midst of Western society. But my impressions are mixed, on the one hand, there are several times in the first half when the film goes against conventional expectations, moving from traditional romantic formulas to more serious and expansive themes, but then it uses quite unbelievable characters with exaggerated reactions for its social expression, and only the otherwise routine romantic storyline fully works in the end. At times it can be emotional, and in the second half the story surprises again by stubbornly delaying the happy ending, but the cathartic effect is weakened by the fact that easygoing humour is constantly injected into a hugely complex life situation, and the narrative somewhat unthinkingly gives so much space to the parents of the sick Emily, whose life views and attitudes go well beyond intellectual conventions. In any case, it's a very smart film that, unlike most of its contemporaries, has something to say globally and intergenerationally. Very strong 3*.

With Kathryn Bigelow's films I usually appreciate a lot the quasi-documentary portrayals, but I also have a problem with the dramatic detachment and the not-quite-successful attempt at maximum plot complexity. Detroit is her first film where both aspects work almost 100% of the time. The visual naturalism and authentic atmosphere are established in a matter of seconds and don't let up until the end, and in the first 90 minutes we follow a precisely constructed story moving from an overarching racial conflict to a conflict between a group of more or less profiled characters. The actors are excellent and it’s perhaps a pity that we learn so little about some of them despite the long runtime, while others are artificially made-up types in order to classically dramatise the true story. The last 45 minutes do ease off the throttle, and the film eases the viewer out of the emotional cage thanks to a softening of the radical editing and shaky camerawork, but as a whole it’s a narrative without major flaws or hesitations, writing a dignified and urgent epitaph to the victims that emerged from the event. Even an old song about race still has its power when it gets a creative conductor like this. 80%

The deliberate retro package suits it, Williams does a fantastic job again, Han Solo is still the Indiana Jones of another galaxy, Rey is very likeable (or rather Daisy Ridley, though I’m sure her acting is going to take a beating) and all in all it's definitely a good film, BUT it's not a good Star Wars film by any stretch of the imagination. All the innovativeness in the presentation of the setting, in the relationships between characters, or in the representation of the hierarchy or order of the diverse galactic worlds and groupings with which Lucas and the others have approached each episode so far, and the breathtaking fictional world that has thus far been continually developed before the viewer's eyes, have been reduced here to a cowed copy of Episode IV, where the natural locations are largely bland and, one could almost say, not unlike those on Earth, and where there's too much boring blathering and feet shuffling in one place. And while the new good guys do get some sympathy (but only because they stand on the shoulders of old friends), the bad guys are reminiscent of Mr. Bean's vacations in a galaxy far, far away, led by an ugly cry-baby whose motivations are more than a little confused and whose respect is about as awe-inspiring as a kitten with a pink bow. Fortunately, Abrams is a good storyteller when it comes to action, and the climactic dramatic sequence is truly one of the best handled and paced scenes of the year. Anyway, after so many years of preparation and with such potential material, to reach for only a rough, competent rewrite and come up with almost no original plot ideas is a disappointment about the size of Stifler's mum's butt. 60%

It's not a bad film, Vaughn is unable make one, it’s a sequel that obviously manages to entertain, but it's passed through a filter with giant holes and with almost as much mindless quantity on top as The Fast and the Furious series. It's still excellently directed and acted, the action sequences undoubtedly have great timing and originality, and the setting in the American South and the associated national contrast are very fine, but the film offers surprisingly little in its 140 minutes, and some elements, led by the villain and, unfortunately, Firth, fall into the parody box much more violently than the tastefully mocked motifs in the first film. In hindsight, what sticks in my mind the most is Mark Strong standing on a landmine and singing John Denver's “Take Me Home” – exactly the stuff that the eventual third instalment (which I'm not at all opposed to) needs more of... 70%

An experience slightly short of expectations, but still very powerful and above all ..... unusual for SW! Johnson leads the characters much more assuredly than Abrams, and for perhaps the first time in the entire saga, I felt a sense of fatality not just in the crossing of the lightsabers of darkness and light, but also in the dialogue and the relationships between the various players (okay, probably for the first time since Empire). Related to this is the story, which this time is not lined with a thousand and one locations, hundreds of cutscenes and dozens of characters, but unfolds around three fixed lines that are motivationally interconnected and in the end beautifully escalate into an emotionally compelling finale. It's all the more disappointing that apart from Luke and to a certain extent Rey (for whom the effort of development is the most genuine and, also, I just have a soft spot for her) there is no really strong character and no really memorable moment that would cause goosebumps and would not have been anticipated. Still, satisfaction prevails over the expertly narrated piece (I didn't mind the runtime at all), which works well with deadlines, keeps the attention by constantly developing the relationship between the characters (Luke×Rey, Kylo×Rey, Finn×Rose, Luke×Kylo) and, of course, majestically stages the climactic action sequences, which had me drooling over my cup of Chewbacca. The last act is perhaps the sexiest of the SW universe, it's a pity they didn't go for a more substantial plot with a prominent MacGuffin, which would have catapulted Episode VIII to the position of the best episode ever. I’m really looking forward to the next instalment.