Kaka

In the trailer, the All Quite on the Western Front teases us with visual exhibitionism, and you can't help but expect a proper war spectacle. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. For the entire 150 minutes or so, the filmmakers draw primarily on the formal identity of Saving Private Ryan, but miss the best moments entirely. Anyone who has seen Spielberg's opus remembers the names of the main characters: good guy Captain Miller, tough guy Captain Caparza, Ryan of course, not to mention iconic scenes like Normandy or the battle in the city; plus, with a hard-to-beat level of shocking authenticity and Kaminski's mastery of cinematography. Here, 10 minutes after the screening, you don't remember a single name and perhaps only one memorable scene – the one with the general in the puddle. Iconic, innovative and precisely crafted cult-classic vs. generic German filmmakers' wartime turmoil that is more akin to Hacksaw Ridge or We Were Soldiers. I deliberately mention Gibson’s films, because the level and depiction of violence is quite similar here. It might grab you by the balls for a second, but you’ll easily forget about it in a couple of minutes. It's still a solid film for Germans standards, with some spectacular and polished visuals in places, but it's not going to become a classic by any stretch of the imagination. For that, the story is blandly executed, the actors are lackluster and the action is too monotonous.

The crowning, appropriately pompous, lavish and elaborate. At the same time, however, the creators gave us a glimpse behind the scenes of the preparations for the "sacred" ceremony and, of course, the issues associated with it, not only logistical, but also in terms of opinion and philosophy. The Crown has a broader scope than it might initially appear.

A brilliant re-creation of one of London's historic judgement days. A dramatic episode that does not lack some rather significant losses from the ranks of the supporting characters.

Another very well portrayed behind the scenes of the royal family and this time the high level politics that go on around it. There aren’t any big events, but there’s still something going on.

A very balanced episode all round, just like the first one. It also outlines a trip abroad, which shows, in addition to the beautiful nature of Africa, the breadth that the series is likely to cover thematically.

A superbly filmed introduction to a universally acclaimed and highly regarded series. Lavish sets and costumes, a quality cast and a meaningful plot, plus an emotional tug at the viewer. So far, a very good mix of depictions of traditional English gentility, whose decadence and grittiness is wrapped in a great craft of modern filmmaking that even fans of Netflix pop can handle.

Awful overacting, a messy plot and a lot of chatter. The action is only in the last ten minutes, and here and there during the film, and it’s far from entertaining. Considering that it’s almost an identical copy of the first one, it doesn’t offer anything new or groundbreaking. A bit weaker than the first one, which had similar flaws, but at least it was original.

Two and a half hours of visual debauchery where the editor, the cinematographer and the director's specific signature reign supreme. However, when it comes to the emotional level, with the exception of a few moments, the film only touches the surface. Luhrmann doesn't know how to work well with characters and their personal motivations and emotions, which, among others, was also problem in The Great Gatsby and other films of his. As an homage to Elvis, it is alright, as a proper viewer experience, not so. In this, Elvis is beaten by the romantic A Star Is Born.

A dark retro downer with a bold artistic signature, a specific formal aesthetic and a riveting performance by Ana de Armas, who plays her most ambitious and challenging role to date. In terms of expressive means, Andrew Dominik sometimes wants to resemble Terrence Malick, especially with his efforts at long, heartfelt expositions and voice-overs, but he only succeeds halfway. Malick is an expert at this and chooses stories better suited to his style where he can afford to do that. It is better to watch long shots of "sounds of nature" than to watch a 3-minute shot of a crying, lost girl, however brilliantly acted. At times formal refinement, but at other times sheer suffering for the viewer.

John Woo's first big film, where he tried to combine depth of characters with strong values and traditionally exaggerated and theatrical emotions, hand in hand with bloody ballet. It's not a total dud, but sometimes it unintentionally oscillates between a parody of family relationships and theatre, combined with almost splatter-like action full of whizzing bullets and litres of blood. With time, he managed to smooth and balance both. So far, the only film of this master that I don’t need to watch again.