Remedy

When someone can take all the important Spider-Man props, plus they're very well versed in pop culture, plus the whole thing is framed by really original and breathtaking animation, there's just nothing to discuss (as the cat in the Moneta commercial would say). The writers of this animated Spider-Man really put a lot of thought into the creative process, because such a cleverly written comic book story is almost a rarity in this overexposed age of comic book adaptations.

The chauffeur profession as portrayed by Patrick Wilson is really no mean feat. At times it did feel like a bit of a "what else can go wrong and what seeming absurdity will happen this time" game with the viewer, but the fun of it cannot be denied. And I don't mind emotional endings in films this simple, quite the contrary.

An appealing struggle against racial prejudice on the grounds of the American NASA, which is really more a struggle for emancipation than for the control of space. Of course, the United States at the time was all about being first in space and staying ahead of the Soviets in everything, but this film focuses much more on the (from today's perspective) wooden age when "coloreds" had their own toilets and coffee pots. I was going to give it a strong 3 stars, however, given how briskly and with what ease it's filmed, I'll happily and happily resort to a more average 4 stars.

Joel Edgerton certainly isn't a bad director at all, as he managed to make his feature debut almost an A plus. The problem is the denouement of the story, which is a dusty copy of several other films, as others have mentioned here. But I applaud the atmosphere, the performances, and the occasionally solid suspense. Overall, it's kind of an average 3 stars.

I'm not naive or overly burdened with nostalgia (maybe a little), so I wasn't even hoping for a second Casino or Goodfellas. I just wanted a good movie that would be a tribute to living film legends and as such become the iconic swan song of one specific subgenre and one incredible cinematic generation. Unfortunately, The Irishman is a kind of polished turd in an aged and at times quite fragile package. All credit to Joe Pesci (imho he looks the most digitally touched up of the lot) and Al Pacino, without whom all of The Irishman would be pretty hollow even in terms of acting. I say this with a heavy heart, but perhaps my all-time favorite actor here plays a poor caricature of himself. I'll overlook now the fact that in some of the "touched up" scenes, Robert De Niro has dead eyes (because the digital rejuvenation is totally cool overall, so I won't pick this minor imperfection out of an otherwise functional whole). But the problem arises when he has to perform a rougher scene (it's most evident when he goes to defend his daughter's honor at the greengrocer's), because he really comes across as a wizened old man. Unfortunately, the disproportion between the digital facial rejuvenation and the worn-out body is most apparent in this scene. It just looks ridiculous and it's clear that de Niro just doesn't have it anymore. Sadly, I'll continue the hate, because even in terms of the direction (I really didn't expect I’d ever say that) this isn't much of a work. The film has no juice, lacks entertaining qualities with only complete exceptions, and is miles away from the lightness and predatory nature of Scorsese's previous mafia opuses. If I’m totally merciless, it's Silence drawn out by an hour, in which the theme of religion is swapped for that of old gangsters. Plus, when Robert De Niro shoots someone in The Irishman, it's always such a bland and flavorless mess. Thank God that there is still something of de Niro's charisma left and that in some passages the viewer can experience his typical grimaces, voice intonation, and nostalgic throwbacks to the old days. As a farewell to a fantastic generation of actors, it is unfortunately undignified, because at the end there is only the aftertaste of wasted potential and the immediate desire to fix one's appetite with those dense 90s opuses. Scorsese simply didn't make it past the mafia sub-genre, and he probably won't get a second chance. I'm slowly starting to dread what he'll come up with next after Silence and The Irishman.

Episode III ingeniously develops the conflict with the dark side of the Force and presents Anakin's entire transformation in a supremely realistic and believable way. Definitely the best installment of the new trilogy, and thankfully very close to the qualities of the original Star Wars.

One of the best mafia movies ever made. Maybe now (fresh from a sixth viewing) the best one ever. Scorsese's Goodfellas is in every way a masterpiece without compromise, where you literally devour every shot and every line. I really don't like to get too nostalgic about the fact that "they don't make movies like this anymore" and that "this just could never get made today". But I'll make an exception in the case of Goodfellas, because quite frankly I can't imagine anyone coming close to Martin Scorsese's mastery. Apart from the excellent casting (the phenomenal Joe Pesci at 163 cm and the incredibly stylish Robert De Niro, who has precious little space here), Goodfellas stands out for its storytelling style and overall almost inimitable directorial style. Can you honestly think of any other gangster film that is incredibly entertaining despite its chilling subject matter? The opening alone, with a voiceover by "young Ray Liotta", lets you know that you're really in the top league here. It's admirable that Martin Scorsese really doesn't lose his breath for a moment and manages to keep the viewer glued to the screen for the entire running time. Every time I watch Goodfellas, I am overwhelmed with sheer joy that something like this could have been made and that it hasn't aged a bit, even after all these 30 years. The elegance, the style, the charm, the lightness, and at the same time the unabashed fun within a very edgy story is intoxicating and inimitable. "That was it. No more letters from truant officers. No letters from school. In fact, no more letters from anybody. Finally after a few weeks, my mother went to the post office to complain."

Doctor Sleep is a difficult film for the mainstream viewer to digest. Unlike The Shining, whose strength was in the demonic Nicholson and Kubrick's heavy-handed direction (despite the bitter dissatisfaction of King himself, Kubrick's adaptation is one of the best psychological horror films I've seen), its sequel is perhaps a little too dense in terms of psychology, and at times lacks the necessary punch or uncompromising intensity of some scenes – which was so typical of the original The Shining. On the other hand, I have to honestly admit that I actually quite like Mike Flanagan's approach. The overall psychological depth and the strong focus on Sleep's character kind of goes against the current horror trend and moves the whole thing more into the category of intense drama with thriller/horror elements. It may have been doomed to commercial failure from the beginning (be it because of the slow pace, the very daring length, or the unprecedentedly strong psychology of the characters), but I still quite enjoyed it in the cinema. Mike Flanagan is becoming an increasingly interesting filmmaker, but I'd be very skeptical of any major mainstream success in the future. This specific style of storytelling (I wouldn't be afraid of comparisons to James Gray, who in my opinion is also an excellent and underrated filmmaker) just isn't going to happen much in 2019, and it certainly won't be a box office smash.

A hardcore Robin Hood for the 21st century, who manages to use his deep knowledge of the hobby market to the hilt in his battle with the biggest scumbag. It's not that The Equalizer isn't entertaining or bloody enough, it's more that at times it oozes with overblown and primitively cheesy action "for effect". The level of emotional heroism here is really over the top, and much more than an action thriller it feels at times like a slightly failed comic book adaptation. A weaker 3 stars.

A horror film cooked up from batter similar to Hereditary, but not nearly as visually sharp and intense. It has a lot of good exposition, where I felt pleasantly hooked and was almost childishly impatient to see what would happen next. The first hour is magnificent in terms of atmospherics and the portrayal of the main character as a bigger and bigger idiot was great; I have no major complaints. In terms of the script, the last act is unnecessarily spastic and rushed in its attempt to deliver at least some hardcore gore. It could have easily been half an hour longer with more development of the central theme, which quite openly draws on the work of H.P. Lovecraft. However, Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari is definitely one to watch; perhaps in time he'll turn out to be another Ari Aster.