Remedy

An interesting Korean genre mix where it pays to follow all the themes closely. Everything may not fit 100% as it should in the end (more accurately – as I imagined it would), but the overall impression of a fairly original crime drama with a distinct mystery atmosphere remains strong nonetheless. If its main investigator had a more in-depth (or more seriously) fleshed out character, it might even have made the cut. Indeed, at times I felt that some of the characters were caricatures of themselves, which I can't quite connect with. 3.5 stars

CONTAINS SPOILERS. Jordan Peele is a god-forsaken racist. How else can you explain how a black family resists their raiders valiantly and a white family ends up being dismembered in a matter of seconds. Moreover, notice how the white girls (daughters) are depicted – scantily clad and notable for supporting the "white challenger girl" stereotype, while the black girl (daughter) was not depicted in even remotely this way (the only thing she had exposed for even a moment were her shoulders). Just as Jordan Peele managed to put a humorous spin on all the stereotypes in Get Out and put the theme of racism in a brilliantly satirical context, he desperately overstepped with Us. Sorry, but this movie is really, really racist. Only the black family can manage to handle everything, and compared to the decadent white people (who only drink, get plastic surgery, and have an indifferent attitude towards life), only the black family stays focused and disciplined enough to eventually murder all their opponents. I haven't been this pissed off watching a movie in a long time. Two measly stars for the solid technical aspects.

In its day, this was a relatively entertaining piece of trash that is rather laughable from today's perspective. Whether with some of the CGI segments or the at times fairly poor editing. But what works here are the fundamentals, which should work in any killer movie, i.e. I enjoyed wondering in what order the main characters would exit the screen. And Michelle Rodriguez has one of her coolest roles here.

M. Night Shyamalan is back in top form. Split is a clever thriller (a bit more complicated in terms of believability, but that's up to the viewer) that exploits depressingly cramped locations to the last inch and most importantly (and perhaps for the first time ever) makes full use of James McAvoy's acting potential. What's more, Shyamalan proves that he's still very much an original filmmaker in the fields of writing and directing. This can't even be described as "dark in atmosphere", because it has a very specific atmosphere typical of Shyamalan and hard to describe in an exact way. What I mean is that the phrase "dark, dense, depressing thriller" is used quite often, but this is completely inappropriate for Split. My impression is that it's all just playful, absorbing, nerve-wracking, and just terribly suspenseful right up to the end.

Compared to the first one, there are stronger social themes (whether it's the complicated relationship with the father or the overall complicated "personal rehabilitation" after returning from prison) and the main character is not as easy to read as in the first one. Because of these differences, Refn broaches a much more powerful social drama, with mafia activities playing second fiddle. In fact, it is not the desire for mammon itself that is at the forefront, but rather a deep personal need for recognition from immediate family.

Refn's debut is interesting in its depiction of how screwed the central character is and how he gradually gets into deeper and deeper shit. The stylization is mostly raw, simple, unremarkable, and feels almost documentary-like. The strong focus on the main character adds a fitting realism to the entire film. A pure counterpoint to the top Hollywood masterpieces from the mob setting, yet in its own way an original and profound insight into the Danish underworld.

A very worthy remake of a great literary and cinematic classic. Kenneth Branagh as the "new" Hercule Poirot definitely holds his own, plus he has a really wicked moustache. It's beautifully colored, photographed, voiced, and has (even!) two rather modest action sequences. Despite the overall pomposity and beautifully polished format, Branagh is at his strongest at the very end, when he has to grapple with a moral dilemma. At that moment, even this modern take on Agatha Christie's work is emotionally gripping. Overall, a slightly weaker 4 stars (mostly for the unnecessarily drawn-out opening).

Dirty Dancing meets Trainspotting in ultra-hardcore mode. I'm convinced that Gaspar Noé is not entirely normal; that said, in the vast majority of cases, it's rather to the benefit of the cause, because films this intense simply aren’t made every day. Actually, Climax starts quite unobtrusively and for a long time gives the impression of a visually appealing "party movie", of course with the exception of the last approx. 40 minutes. From a certain point on it becomes such a mess that I couldn't help but shake my head and allow my strong negative emotions to flow towards all the characters. It's definitely not a date movie or an otherwise similarly oriented romantic evening, but the experience is intense and evocative. And the predatory, neurotic, and slightly epileptic directorial style still amuses me a lot.

Martin McDonagh can transfer emotion from the screen to the viewer like few others. He immediately puts me in mind of P.T. Anderson, whose Punch-Drunk Love or Boogie Nights gave me a similarly powerful and intense emotional experience. McDonagh, of course, has the backing of the best of the best, as Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell deliver absolutely overwhelming performances. Prior to my first viewing, I imagined Three Billboards as a black-humor drama set in a segregated community where idiosyncratic rules predominate (because the American South and because time often stands still there). I was then pretty surprised to get what was actually a very sad and sensitive story of one bereaved mother for whom the tough, out of reach image is a mere shell. A shell, and at the same time protection against being able in her mental state to get the relevant authorities to take any action at all. All that brutally black (sometimes even absurd) humor is great here, of course, but often instead of lightening things up, it has exactly the opposite effect of deepening the depression and despair of the given situations.

A one-man survival flick with the great (but for my tastes, too nice) Mikkelsen. I highly recommend seeing it in the cinema, as the chilly atmosphere is truly evocative and unrivalled on the big screen. I don't think I would have watched it on my own at home. What struck me was the considerable degree of detachment caused by the absence of any flashbacks (unlike, for example, Boyle's 127 Hours). So you don't really learn anything about the main character and you have to experience the whole tough Arctic struggle directly with Mads. Quite a decent contribution to the survival genre.