lamps

At times it grinds a lot in its blend of crazy buddy comedy with serious ideas and elements (Gary Oldman's villain is too one-dimensionally psychopathic for such a lightweight film), and the pacing is uneven depending on the attractiveness of each character, but the two title characters are so entertainingly sketched and their confrontations so well motivationally set, transformative, and embellished, with a supporting character (Hayek’s) that so perfectly embodies my idea of a badass femme fatale, and the action scenes so accurately combine adrenaline with hyperbole that I can't help but hum contentedly and recommend this action flick with an A-list cast; for Samuel's sake alone, who drops one firecracker after another and delivers his third best role after Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight. 70%

For me it was disappointing. Nichols shoots beautifully and the actors give their all to their roles, but the script shows almost no attempt at a deeply dramatic epic or plot loop. The characters swim in an ocean of titillating sexual fantasy, but the average viewer sort of stands on the shore and hopes to at least drool over a naked Queen Padmé or Pretty Woman, but we never get that, unfortunately, even though Natalie has a lot of talent as a stripper.

Through and through a mediocre story about how a fat bum came to happiness, based solely on yet another sweaty and enthusiastic creation of master Matthew, which flounders along in a muddled two-hour film with no significant emotional moments, surprising twists or truly original directorial ideas. And not even the the well thought-out structure of the script or the decent retro jacket can completely save it.

A film that should be called a classic. In terms of the plot, it’s not revolutionary, but stylistically it’s an absolutely stunning and flawless fantasy that takes only the best of Terry Gilliam and manages to present it in an original and delectable way. A film about the importance of a child's view of the world, supported by loads of exceptional directorial ideas and the acting skills of Perlman the monkey or Pinon the chameleon. Harder to appreciate for its psychological austerity and seemingly ungraspable for its fidelity to classical narrative, but otherwise 100% appealing and intoxicating; the work of a master.

A proper old-school thriller that for the first hour introduces the main characters in their tormented world with no prospect of a better tomorrow, and the rest of the footage shows where the hopelessness of the environment and the desperate actions of ordinary people can drive them. The cast is without exception fantastic (especially the incredibly sleazy Harrelson and, for a few minutes, the minimalist Saldana) and the length of each shot and dialogue exactly matches the precisely constructed system of the whole work, which does not play on the effect or the complexity of the plot. I regret the lack of space for Whitaker and the unfinished ending, but otherwise this is a rather luxurious and raw affair.

Deliverance with a bear. The script is fairly tame, but just enough to maintain credibility, and at the right moments, to stretch to the limit the negative feelings about the suffering of the two main characters. The bear attack scene is one of the most shocking and intense I've ever seen in film; after seeing it, nobody can convince me to go hiking in the countryside.

The first half is a supreme example of classic noir, where the narrative on two levels is completely immersive and the characters act unpredictably, yet logically and inevitably. In the second half, when the plot moves purely into the present, the script runs out of steam and the direction gets a bit stale, but for the dramatic and again logical climax, the plus points go back to the filmmakers. Definitely a must-have textbook for enthusiasts.

Sandberg is amazing. While the story itself brings nothing new to the table, the talented filmmaker wrings from each scene the most honest dose of dread we've ever seen in the James Wan genre, playing with restless camera angles, flawlessly blending sudden cuts with unnerving sound, and delivering interesting ideas that don't allow Annabelle to be shoved into the shadow of its more famous cousin The Conjuring. On the contrary, thanks to the more harrowing pace, the sometimes surprising brutality and the character of the evil, which does not cease to frighten even for a moment and appears only minimally physically, I consider this horror film to be the best part of the emerging ghost universe so far. P.S.: Unfortunately, the second time around the effect weakened a lot and the narrative emptiness of the stylistically dominating work became apparent, which can only entertain with individual attractions at the expense of maintaining coherent curiosity and suspense. The next time, please, without compromise and without kids.

An excellent affair, consistently and effectively alternating the perspectives of the three central characters to successfully conceal the true shape of the plot until the very end, while keeping curiosity and anticipation at 100%. At the beginning, we may be struck by the cynical layout of the conflict between love and rationality, but the way the film gradually treats this issue without forcibly drawing attention to it or distracting from the characters' interactions regarding the detective case makes it, in my eyes, one of the finest films of 2008; exactly the kind Hollywood is missing for its moral humility and authorial freshness. 90%

An example of a very basic detective story, which benefits only from its impressive atmosphere, evoked primarily by the choice of setting and the minimalist stylization of the mise-en-scène. Although it’s impossible to predict the development in advance, there is no moment of significant surprise or a scene that would grab a slightly more experienced viewer by the balls and give them a good wiggle. The ending is very good, but the violent connection with the dark period of the post-Franco regime (again serving only to evoke atmosphere) has far from the desired effect and is basically superfluous. Still a solid and confident genre film, though. 65%