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Kodachrome is pretty good, but it would look better in an indie jacket. The story of the late reconciliation of a grumpy famous photographer with his estranged son is strong and believable thanks to the performances and the characters (especially Harris’s bastard, a full-fledged reflection of the actors best period), but with a twist that we can see coming far in advance, and we just wait for it as the minutes go by. That wait is supposed to be shortened by the traditionally beautiful Elizabeth, but her character is actually a bit redundant – I would give twice as much time to her to at least improve the aesthetic aspect of the movie. I didn’t get bored and had a good time with the characters, though there were a couple of things that bothered me: the repetitive car rides accompanied by melancholic music, in what universe would such a beautiful woman take care of an annoying geezer, and what kind of moron would be as rude to her as Sudeikis? But those are just personal quibbles, the good impression left by this well-written road movie with the emotionally portrayed relationship of the lead characters still prevails. 70%

The guilty pleasure of the century, though actually only from the point of view of how that “realistic” catastrophe takes on enormous fantasy dimensions in Emmerich’s hands. In terms of narration and direction there’s not much to complain; the story is incredibly brisk, it exploits the potential of the epic premise in an entertaining way, putting ordinary and helpless people in the middle of a huge natural disaster, and holds itself together thanks to its traditionally wide communicativeness and the systematic work with deadlines that go from micro-events (escaping from the city, escaping on a plane from an erupting volcano) to the motivations of the main story (getting the necessary information, a map for rescue and means of transportation, boarding on time and fixing a defect that could kill everyone). It’s full of clichés and last-second escapes, but that serves to intensify the massive mark it leaves in the history of the genre, also making clear that we aren’t supposed to take it seriously. On the one hand, that’s a shame because the premise calls for an intense experience, but you can’t really complain when the result is so entertaining and original in the details. Notwithstanding its lapses in logic, I love watching 2012, such a formally mastered and self-aware over-the-top blockbuster is not something we get every year.

Universal life hack: If you are in a bad mood, watch 50 First Dates. The script perhaps is not tight enough to deserve cult status, but Hollywood would kill today for this load of great ideas, effective jokes and likeable characters. A film with not only Sandler but also Rob Schneider and the delicate Sean Astin at their comedic best – and every time I watch it is just as great fun as the first.

An ambitious jumble that is nice to look at, but also reflects why Aronofsky’s films get so many mixed responses; it’s packed with epic and fateful stuff, but lacks a strong author’s voice and a coherent motif. It’s held (literally) above water mostly by the actors and the rich narrative, but it’s so overstuffed that nothing else is memorable.

If you are into Lanthimos’s peculiar poetics and stylistic whims, The Favourite will very possibly be the most entertaining film of the year for you. Though the division into chapters and some of the visual deformations leave a dodgy impression, the absurdly escalating conflicts, the play with the setting and the lightning, the performances and the music are so good that the film flows as smoothly as if it had been directed by Kubrick himself. It is very nice that in the age of Hollywood feminism there are so many Oscar contenders where female characters are uneducated, indecisive or unbearably manipulative bitches. 85%

The relationship between an anal-retentive insensitive machine and a romantic honest soul could hardly be portrayed more convincingly. Anderson lets the story flow easily and puts Woodcock’s daily routine front-stage, gradually increasing the intensity of the conflicts that will so thoroughly turn upside down the world of the protagonist. The narrative structure is held without a single stumble and the superb music and great performances make this film something more than just a cold work of art – its coldness and focus are so remarkable that I almost forgave it for not keeping my full attention in all the scenes and that the end arrived at a moment when I still didn’t want it. I might forgive that with time, but now I can humbly admire the surgical precision of the direction and pray that films like this will not be only an exception. 85%

To come out as homosexual is not easy in today’s media-frenzied world, but the creators have chosen a barely believable and awkward way to portray this dilemma. It’s not that I couldn't relate to Simon at times, but the structure of the film drew my attention more towards his relationship with his well-drawn friends than to his predictable inner struggle. The core conflict with the douchebag Martin is contrived and the message “you can’t force anyone to fall in love with someone” is nice, but also shallow for the insufficiently developed secondary plot. I appreciate the positive feeling and the intentions, but some of the decisions are like from a stupid second-rate comedy (the insufferable deputy director, and several situations are toe-curling). 60%

An easygoing road-movie with strong characters (Mortensen steals the show), a convincing period atmosphere, and dialogues that don’t hurt, at least to watch once. But the “conflict” that the film offers is so unoriginal and fake that it buries the quality of the whole lot. The development of Tony’s racist views are almost invisible and the script is basically a series of stops at moral clichés and shoddy motifs (the cop on the road, the “white” restaurant). There was potential and I can praise Farrelly for the fact that I rooted for protagonists, but that’s not enough to make an above-par social drama. 60%

Despite the production values and its ambitions, Outlaw King is very sloppy. The final two-hour cut consists of mechanically connected scenes that by the most part lack any development or initiative of their own that would make them memorable or that would at least build an emotional base. The uninteresting direction relies solely on the period atmosphere, a fast pace and the charisma of Chris Pine, which, together with brutal action scenes should be enough to keep the viewers happy – the only exception is the opening scene on a single take, where you can at least see some author’s touch, but is also an unjustified and weird exception (and this is a stronger opinion) in an otherwise classically edited film. I’d love to watch the original uncut version, this is nothing but a weak copy of Braveheart and a weak 3*.

A generously produced fan’s homage to film adventures. It has so many quotes and visual ideas that a day later I’ve already forgotten what it is supposed to be about. I didn’t get bored, for sure, and I admired the boldness of the creators that, notwithstanding the poor quality of the special effects, send the heroes into a relentless series of huge set-pieces, but by the end I was missing a more solid director power and I could no longer bear Gwyneth Paltrow, who has forgotten how to act and whose annoying character destroys the godly Angelina in five minutes. That said, it’s likeable bullshit with a filmmaking soul. 70%