Kaka

John Cusack's tears are probably just as unbelievable and implausible as this whole film. Thematically, it is quite interesting, but as I reflect on the supernatural films of recent years, 1408 doesn't come close in terms of plot. At the same time, I have to admit that dealing with such a screenplay is an incredibly difficult thing, and it definitely required a more experienced director than this unknown Norseman; they didn't manage to squeeze out much out of it. The beginning is simple with the characters being outlined, and things start to escalate as soon as Cusack enters that room, but mostly in an unoriginal way. Violent jump-scares, the tension, instead of coming from the camera work or directing, comes from loud music and some noisy sound, the plot is fairly flat and monotonous, with dreadfully cliché family background. In short, there are quite a few shortcomings. There are a few good things: excellent sound, quality visuals, and a relatively fast pace. I won't go deep on the insanely convoluted ending for safety's sake, that's a chapter in itself.

A spectacular and stunning film, visually precise, as is usual for Ridley Scott. A lavish production design, awesome cinematography, brutal action scenes, with blood splashing onto the camera. It's just a shame it didn't take home any Oscars, it definitely deserved one for the cinematography, production design, or music at least.

15 minutes doesn’t work very well. The concept looked very promising, but John Herzfeld ruined it with his hasty and convulsive direction, which had such a negative impact that even if Robert De Niro and Karel Roden were walking on the ceiling, it probably wouldn't have helped. Those amateur camera flourishes started to annoy me to no end after a while.

The two faces of good-old Richard Donner. On the one hand, he sticks to proven tracks and with this stylish crime thriller, he reminds us of action-packed hits from the 90s. On the other hand, this film has many things that are unusual for him. The most notable are the action scenes, where Donner, compared to the LW series for example, reduces explosiveness and dynamism and adds dryness and rawness. Simple and very effective, although not as cool as before. Bruce Willis is an old cat and it takes a decent few minutes for him to get into his usual shooting form, but he never forgets to drop a good wisecrack. The screenplay is decent and some scenes are truly clever. David Morse is excellent and elegant as the villain. A solid, intelligent action movie in an old-new package that will particularly please genre fans and lovers of the 90s.

A love letter to the American western. Taylor Sheridan does with cowboys and untamed nature something similar to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman: he gives it a third dimension – the human dimension – making him flesh and blood, vulnerable, mortal. Sheridan works in a similar way with the heroes here. It's not just about gunslingers in cool clothes and classic shootouts in saloons, or in the streets in front of them, as we know from most gunslinger flicks, save a few honourable exceptions. 1883 goes much deeper, and is much more visceral, and sensitive, than it first appears. Fans of Yellowstone will love this one, but all the attributes and directorial touches suggest that this miniseries will appeal to everyone in general. A uniquely blended collage of fragility, poetics (voice-overs), and uncompromising wilderness survival with a yet-to-be-formed society.

A gauntlet thrown down to all the cinematographers and one of the best films of all time. Similarly to James Cameron's Titanic, Sam Mendes works masterfully with set design and visual effects, which are not "for effect", but subtly create the story (or are an integral part of it) and help to enhance it in key scenes. Breathtaking work with sound and overall amazing cutting-edge filmmaking for lovers of impeccable craftsmanship, who don't necessarily need a very sophisticated story or screenwriting flourishes to satisfy their fantasies – you won’t find that here. But on the other hand, how many filmsshot in one take without editing are there?

Less monumental than I expected, much less than Independence Day, for example. The theme is partly to blame for that, after all, the end of the world is slightly less attractive than the arrival of Aliens. But the much worse and less remarkable musical component is also to blame. Unfortunately, even the actors in the main roles are not that great, either. Where did tough guy Vince Larkin go, that is a mystery to me, John Cusack is really not up to the task. The excellent Oliver Platt and a few Russian actors save it – excellent accent and lines. The visual effects are decent, some ideas are excellent, the volcano explosion is fantastic. But overall, it lacks drive and has too many directorial ideas. You are not afraid for the protagonists because you don't care about them. And I’d rather not speak about the overall and somewhat annoying family feeling that was present throughout the whole film. This is no Emmerich. This modern disaster film is pure average.

An utterly complex masterpiece, bursting with fantastically staged scenes and terrific acting performances. The raw, out-of-focus cinematography and spare visual aesthetic that multiplies the authenticity is a delight.

An enjoyable crime drama with very decent action, an excellent real-time chase of armed robbers and a devilishly decent role fr Taylor Kitsch, who should play only bad guys from now on and totally forget about being the hero. The ending it’s a bit too much, but Simmons is a good enough actor to keep it within acceptable limits. As a low-budget and dynamic alternative to Bourne, it’s fine.

It's pleasantly vulgar and controversial, but in terms of storyline, it's a boring and sterile affair. So, except for a few gags and several solid jokes, it's nothing but a blend of unusual situations and a few solid shots. Not really a comedy, nor a crime story. It's certainly unconventional, but it didn't really entertain me that much. The chemistry was slightly lacking.