POMO

The key to Underworld is your level of tolerance for the screenplay that pretends to be serious but is actually naïve and unintentionally funny in places. Len Wiseman may have fulfilled a childhood dream, but he’s either forgotten about the more mature audience or he still has a pimply face himself. Even so, I can’t give this less than three stars, which is thanks to the spectacular production. The childishness is justified by the fury of the action scenes, the sets and mainly Kate Beckinsale’s sexy costume. If you’re not an admirer of Federico Fellini, the visual and aural aspects of this film will appeal to you more than its content will annoy you.

A murder thriller wrapped up in a melancholic mood. Jane Campion has a troubled soul and likes to exorcise her demons through cinematic images. But she shouldn’t get into things she is unfamiliar with. From the thriller perspective, the plot moves forward terribly slowly; the film is thus boring, predictable and, in its surprising ending, more naïve than shocking and suspenseful. And that controversial close-up of a blow job in the opening scene exists only so people will talk about it.

Whatever you might expect, you will get something else. Master & Commander is like a James Ivory film on the water. There’s no epic story, no action, no grand heroes. The film is rather a psychological excursion into the lives of the crew of an old warship, their interpersonal conflicts and the rules that they have to follow. The brightest scene in a war movie would be a successful final battle. In this film, it’s an insect collection belonging to a wounded doctor on a tropical island. The cinematography is beautiful, portraying the individual characters in dozens of detailed nuances. Russell Crowe appears on the screen and you immediately idolize him. And you form a relationship with the other main characters as if you have known them for years. Peter Weir is an extraordinary director.

Stage Fright gets off to a decent start, during which you are not bored for even a second, but the final point works at half throttle. Compared to Alfred Hitchcock’s best films, Stage Fright is directorially stilted, but it is nicely above average in the context of the genre and its time. Jane Wyman turns in an enjoyable performance, whereas Marlene Dietrich is overly affected.

In technical terms, this is as decently made as the first Jeepers Creepers, but with an inferior screenplay containing large holes in the logic, donkey bridges and bland characters and dialogue. The screenplay is just terribly self-indulgent! It’s a shame that Victor Salva didn’t decide to go the route of self-mocking B-movies like Deep Rising instead, for which similar themes are more fertile ground.

A Christmas movie gift in which everyone who has ever been in love at least once will find something for themselves, whether they’re 17 or 40, black or white, good looking or not so good looking. Four stars for the fact that I didn’t completely identify with absolutely all of the characters (which is natural) and a secret 20 stars for the one segment that left me petrified and speechless. And also for the overall good-heartedness and love that everyone involved put into making this film.

Hard Boiled is a perfectionistic work that overshadows all other action movies. It is perhaps impossible for a film that is so long and packed with shootouts not to come across as over-the-top and spasmodic and not become boring after some time. But this one does the exact opposite. The last half hour is proof that John Woo is not from this planet.

The Lady Vanishes is endearing, entertaining, suspenseful and intelligent. The characters are thoroughly developed, the plot is well thought out and the screenwriting techniques form the foundation on which thrillers are still built today. In other words, this is a classic crime film that can captivate you as much as any contemporary blockbuster can. After all, timelessness has always been one of the hallmarks of Alfred Hitchcock’s genius. I also recommend The 39 Steps, which is very similar with respect to its subject matter, but even more dramatic and cinematic.

Focusing more on episodic humor than on story development, Finding Nemo is the best of the Disney movies. It is visually beautiful and, thanks to Thomas Newman’s music, distinctly charming.

Thesis is less depressing and formalistically simpler than Joel Schumacher’s 8MM, but it has a more interesting screenplay.