Ediebalboa

Honestly, I didn't really expect it to be this great, and I certainly didn't expect to spend half the film laughing at the various flawless innuendos, gags and banter between the characters. But it is definitely not just a comedy. The film also exudes a strong atmosphere and several scenes will become uncompromisingly etched in the viewer's memory. I was amazed at how much it was rather sci-fi from the far-future at some stages. Three cheers for director Whedon, who proved to be a hit and will surely speak many more times in the world of cinema in the future.

The series could easily have turned into an ordinary crime drama set in 1929 Berlin, but it wouldn't have featured the famous Tykwer-Klimek duo. I do not mean to question the merits of other creators, but few could have so gracefully presented the political situation of the Weimar Republic, guided the nightlife of Berlin's bohemians with spectacular musical numbers, and solved over a dozen conspiracies from monarchists to communists. And with a period soundtrack that proves that even music in the spirit of the 1920s can be "cool", it's really easy. If it weren't for the somewhat rushed finale, it would have been flawless, as the main story is wrapped up with several excellent twists and turns, but the subplots of the secondary characters are a bit too contrived for that. Otherwise, great.

With the thirties comes the best of what Babylon Berlin has brought us so far. Several scenes are truly memorable thanks to excellent editing. The creators weren't afraid to stretch the plot again, so it gets to the Nazis, gangsters, Jews, Jewish gangsters, journalists, communists, and malnourished kids from the Zoo station, and everything more or less builds to a conclusion where no threads remain unresolved. Tykwer and co. made a great job of this script during covid.

You can only call Batman v Superman mediocre once you take into account its huge potential, which was more or less buried by unnecessary mistakes. Starting with Snyder's routine direction and ending with a rudimentary script without proper emotions, characters and twists, the film is a bore that naively understands darkness as more black on the screen. But rudimentary thinking is also connected with the two main characters. Instead of the chosen guardians of order, we get two little brats fighting over a toy in the sandbox. The only consolation is that Affleck's battered Batman at least looks far more natural during the dull beatings than if Bale was running around in the same costume. DC is floundering and it's only a matter of time before it puts itself out of the game for good.

Yorgos Lanthimos for the masses? They'll be showing it in theaters next month, and for my part, I'd love to see it. This Greek weirdo grows with each film he makes, proving that you can easily keep your distinctive signature while opening the gates of the mainstream. Art-wise, his latest release looks like an absolutely polished gem, helmed by Emma Stone, who here outdoes all her previous roles with her transformation from Bella as a toddler into a socially conscious woman. Whether it's her walk, her thoughts, her facial expressions or her physical quirks, she never leaves you in any doubt as to what mental stage she's in, and with only a wannabe adult Mark Ruffalo to back her up, there's no shortage of bizarre moments. At times the slapstick was traditionally too much for me from Yorgos, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't royally entertained for most of the running time.

The financial crisis, a few years old event, unpopular, either because of its impact or because no one can explain it properly to this day. But that’s no problem for Adam McKay. He brings us the collapse of 2008 not only in a comprehensible but also entertaining form, where you don't have to be an economy genius to understand how things went wrong. Accompanied by the perpetually pissed Carell and a select few others, the story follows the events from multiple sides. Thanks to that, the plot never stands still and it's interesting to watch several characters of different personalities deal with the situation. Of course, with all this I stick to the basic skeleton of the plot. For a deeper understanding, the film is a tough nut to crack and it takes several viewings to understand everything. But it would have been impossible to present it in a simpler way. At least it doesn't get more attractive than Margot Robbie explaining the mortgage system to you in a bathtub.

Despite its groundbreaking nature, Blade Runner has always been for me a film whose main point eluded me and I was rather carried away by its polished audiovisual, but Villeneuve has managed to do both. Together with visual wizard Deakins, he delivers a fascinating spectacle with a lucid narrative while answering everything left unspoken from the past, which is not surprising given the runtime. Villeneuve takes his time with almost everything and it wouldn't be a problem if the reward was catharsis like in Sicario. Here, however, Harrison Ford's scenes are the only highlights, and the rest is kind of left neglected. For a sequel, though, outstanding quality.

Brian and Roger wanted a big family affair and they got it, but if you want Freddie crawling dejectedly on the floor, go somewhere else. Bohemian Rhapsody is the epitome of pure entertainment, delivering a Queen’s Best of the Best with four individuals that would be right at home with the members of the famous band. But where this quartet personally overwhelms me is the almost complete and over-hyped Live Aid, which in atmosphere is nothing like the 1985 original. It's only there that you really realise how much you wish the concert, the film and especially Mercury's life had never come to such an untimely end.

The defining tennis match of the 20th century yes, Borg and McEnroe in the lead roles no. It ends up somewhere halfway between a Borg biopic combined with Rush, and the result grinds. The American troublemaker is woefully underused off the courts, and his few room scenes or interviews are not enough to portray character. Shia can curse all he wants, but it's no use. The whole film is relies on Sverrir Gudnason, who is the Ice Borg as he should be. The legendary match itself has its limitations in terms of tennis, but the tension could be cut. It's a shame that the finale simply isn't preceded by more balanced character exposition, which is doubly disappointing when even McEnroe himself admitted after the premiere that he would have been able to pull off better stories than the ones that appeared in the film.

“Worse than starving is having food just for daily fuel without knowing properly what you're eating.” Dodin's friends produce a lot of morsels of wisdom while feasting, and this could easily be another. You won't find any pressurized Boiling Point in late 19th century France, and the masterfully shot first 20 minutes are proof of that. The steam evaporating, the sizzle of the fat oozing out, the pots slowly bubbling and inside them dozens of organic ingredients you could only dream of when shopping in a supermarket. To make all that whirring or rustling stand out, the film also lacks any music. On the cooking and gourmet side, it’s pure masturbation. What is surprising, however, is that even the romantic line in the background of this gastro-paradise does not lag behind the cooking. The central couple in the autumn of their lives manage to sell emotions in the kitchen as well as in the bedroom. In short, Anh Hung Tran has sent out into the world the most French film "from the good old France" in years, and one where you really should have your mind made up about where you're going to eat after the credits roll.