Kaka

Laziness is far from the biggest problem of this bizarre Bond film with the breathtaking scenery of the Swiss Alps. The most noticeable is a new director who tries to take the persona of Bond in a completely different direction than before. The result is a mission of agent 007 with a story that is much more intertwined with personal adventures rather than serving the country. Unfortunately, the technical side of the film is highly questionable as well. The fights push the envelope a bit, but the editing is incredibly chaotic and there are no impressive visual effects. Essentially, Bond without juice, plus a very long running time.

The brand-new hero was the right choice for the action-packed 80s, and Timothy Dalton finally gave Bond a solid face of a tough and ruthless action hero of the modern era after a few obvious misses. The Living Daylights is a significant departure from the previous Bond films. Certainly, with its story concept (change of locations), it is very exotic and creative, with scenes from Afghanistan and Slovakia. Unfortunately, it is quite flat in terms of plot, starting with the boring villains and ending with the uneven pacing. The action is solid, Dalton as a tough guy is excellent, but the plot is uninteresting. Nevertheless, this Bond film is quite pioneering and definitely deserves recognition.

For my taste, too much time is spent on the early era, when Formula One was in its infancy, but everything was at the beginning and the appeal and trends were gradually developing. On the other hand, there’s not much of the golden era, or the modern era. Lauda vs Hunt is OK, there is very little Senna, and Prost is basically not there at all, yet the duel between these two drivers is perhaps even more epic and longer than the one between the knights of the 1970s. It's solidly done, though, with lots of valuable facts and interviews

We haven’t had such an atmospheric and lively portrayal of a class reunion after ten years on the big screen for a long time. Fine dialogues and a good sense of the unknown, where the people know each other, but 10 years takes them back a step in a way - and that's the best thing about the film. Unfortunately, it also feels bland with an unsatisfying ending, and the that the good characters that you want to know more about are given shockingly little space (Rosario Dawson, Oscar Isaac), while the reckless show-offs (Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt) are given way too much, even though their characters don’t have much to offer.

Several plot lines running independently of each other that intersect at fateful moments seemingly by chance. How many times have we seen that? It started with 21 Grams and it continues through all the other imitations and big city romance films. Here, instead of the USA, it's London; instead of alternative dreamers and philosophers, there's Idris Elba and Gemma Arterton playing typical high society, and although these two would seem to dominate, in the end their story is the least fleshed out, and that's a shame, because they are more or less among the acting first class, or at least the broader top. It doesn't have bad moments, it has emotions and a few touching or at least suspenseful scenes, but unfortunately it is poor and uninteresting script-wise.

Uncharismatic actors, empty plot, instead of epic grandiosity and monumentality we have a stark journey of a group of homeless people to a pseudo city with visually impressive digital pyramids, the changing of locations is downright awkward (three minutes of cold, three minutes of jungle, three minutes of desert). The special effects team did a fairly good job, but otherwise this mess is completely pointless. Camilla Belle is delightful eye-candy, but even with the heroic music, half of which is stolen from King Arthur, the poor thing can't save it.

In some shots, it is outrageously tedious, but overall it is too pared-down. 12 years go by and the viewer doesn't even realize it in the structure of the story – or rather, it is not rendered credibly enough. Hans Zimmer still uses meticulously crafted major chords, alternating with minor chords like in in Inception, only this time we have delicate strings or piano instead of robust synthesizers. There are a few incredibly powerful scenes and in terms of explicit violence, it is quite uncompromising. Michael Fassbender is devilish and there are some soulful monologues and dialogues as well, but I missed a more complex output or idea. As a story about one man, it may be passable, but as a complex Oscar-winning epic, it fails. Unfortunately, Steve McQueen sometimes doesn't know what he wants to make of it.

First and foremost, a thorough script guarantees a quality spectacle. And I dare to say that on the first watch, this film is difficult to understand, and penetrating all the nuances and intricacies of the script can only be achieved on a second or third viewing. It can be said that throughout the the film, we do not know where we stand. There are plenty of deceptive references and supporting characters. All of this is wrapped in Terry Gilliam’s typical visual style and unmistakable signature. I dare not claim that I fully understood this masterpiece, but I can confidently say that there are very few films of this kind, with such a large dose of originality and directorial invention. And when you add excellent performances by Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe, the result is nothing short of a masterpiece.

This time, Vinnetou and Old Shatterhand fight together against evil tribes far away in Afghanistan, supported by spectacular, visually elaborate Bruckheimer-like effects. At times a parody, at times a poorly made war film. If it's really based on a true story, then it deserves a much more raw, believable treatment.

Danny Boyle is a good director and this adrenaline bite is far more impactful than it might seem at first glance. He turns a a banal storyline into a psychedelic affair of the highest caliber. The desire to survive is beautifully displayed in full force. From minimal resources, he achieved the maximum outcome; this film is definitely worth seeing. It is a simple, yet highly watchable affair.