DaViD´82

I still remember that fateful day when my and Indy’s paths first crossed. It took place when I was less than seven years old at summer camp. It was a rainy afternoon and there were no outdoor activities. So that the teachers could have some peace, they put on a video for the horde of children. But unfortunately they had nothing animated at hand (causing a wave of tangible disappointment among us little kids) and thus we had no choice but to watch something from a well-worn cassette. At first, some movie started, but they soon stopped it (the biggest mystery of my life to this day; what movie was that?). They fast-forwarded the cassette to half way. Then some strange movie with a gentleman in a cowboy hat started. To make it stranger, it was dubbed by a single adult who was difficult to understand. At first I was terribly disappointed, but then the ball boulder rolled out, the main theme tune sounded, and... And nothing was ever the same again. I met the love of my life (I’m sure my wife will forgive me). This cinematic experience has been surpassed in my eyes just by one movie; and no, it wasn’t Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The day after the screening, the weather was beautiful, but while we were whistling the main melody, we forced the teachers to show us the second movie. The reactions to the soup scene were... But that's another story.

A look at a terrorist cell in the territory of the USA through the eyes of undercover agents. A big plus of this series is the topicality of the subject matter and mainly the “controversy" around the characterization of the characters. This is no black and white situation - everybody has his/her own reasons for doing what he/she does. On the other hand, the series is interesting particularly thanks to the topic whose potential they don’t manage to exploit to the full. And if it weren’t for the topic and characters, Sleeper Cell has very little to offer, since in reality it is fairly mediocre and run-of-the-mill in all other respects.

A thoroughly stylish film with an excellent cast, whose credits are taken away only by the bland script. On the other hand, Josh Hartnett's performance can certainly be counted among the pleasant surprises. Perfect for one viewing, but on a second viewing the film has nothing to offer.

Is it a bird? Is it a plan? It’s routine! Singer fulfilled his lifelong dream, let's wish for him and for ourselves that he returns to something where he won't waste his talents. ♫ OST Rating: 3/5

Yup, the ice age is the ice age... But this time it is so frozen that it is nothing more than condensed boredom. The entire “prehistoric road movie" has turned into a moralizing vehicle for kids, full of wannabe humorous escapades leaping from one iceberg or boulder to the next. And not even the characters are at all intriguing. Even Scrat has problems trying to save the day and he manages only thanks to the final scene in heaven. Perfect for young kids, but pure torture for adults. Let’s hope that this time too that the DVD has a better bonus movie in store for us.

... alternative title: How I Became an Epileptic and Had a Great Time into the Bargain. Tony Scott decided to make a two-hour-long music video. And he did a splendid job. Stylized to the brink of tolerability, but luckily not over it. If it were sensitively cut (in length, not in terms of editing as such), the result could have been even better.

A great, albeit extremely low-key version of the Beowulf saga. Unfortunately it is spoiled a little at the beginning by the storylines being rather inconsistent and somehow confused - and it isn’t helped by the rather slow pace. But if you can get used to these strange aspects (it helps being familiar with the original), there is nothing to reproach. The actors a well-suited to their roles, the production design is more than decent, the music isn’t the worst I have ever heard and the rugged Scandinavian landscape makes wonderful locations. Primarily it maintains the “European" poetry of the original saga in a way that Hollywood might well not be capable of.

In the wake of the more than solid part one, Jack Sparrow, excuse me, Captain Jack Sparrow doesn’t spoil his reputation, but nor does he improve it much. And in places this looks almost too much like a mundane feet-up blockbuster. Luckily the picture is stopped from sinking under the waters of the Caribbean (again) by Depp. Although the movie is tripped up significantly by the creators who try to include Jack in all possible situations. We get two really successful scenes (cannibal island and the sword-fight over the key to the treasure chest) filled with watchable stuffing, impressive production design and entertainment for the whole family, so the Buena Vista financial department will certainly be pleased. P.S. after watching again several years later: I liked it a lot better second time round. So much that most of my original objections no longer seemed to matter.

Seven stars for seven samurais. Oh, I can’t give that many, can I... So at least five of them. The still unsurpassed original which, unlike its more famous remake, loses only in not having a “star" amongst the baddies. Like Calvera in The Magnificent Seven. The western version also wins in terms of pace. In all other aspects, the Kurosawa version is better and since everybody is aware of the qualities of the American remake, I don’t have to sing the Samurais’ praises any further. Along with Red Beard and High and Low, this is Kurosawa’s best piece.

3.141592... Our school teacher claimed that math is fun - but, as Aronofsky proves here in this stylized rollercoaster ride, she was lying, because math can make you go completely psycho. A very Lynch-style movie and, whether or not it corresponds to your taste in movies, it will certainly leave a deep impression in you. Primarily thanks to the extraordinarily portrayed atmosphere of paranoia (or whatever that feeling is called). While the viewer experience isn’t so intense throughout the movie, you will be haunted by Pi for a long time after. Probably for as long as it takes you to say the entire value of π.