D.Moore

Why was such a mundane story set in such an amazing world, why did I not care about the characters, and why was the ending so drawn out as to be almost annoying? Gareth Edwards couldn't build (and tear down) on the foundations of Godzilla or Star Wars Rogue One, and this time he came up with something of his own. Unfortunately, he didn't quite succeed. The story is about as dull as the Hans Zimmer music that accompanies it, and if it weren't for the technical flourishes that rival Avatar and that kept me entertained pretty much nonstop, The Creator would have been a mediocre attempt at sci-fi with an idea. I got the urge to watch Blomkamp's Elysium, which is similar in some ways, but it didn't play at anything.

This film is a lot smarter than it looks. Everything that puzzles you makes sense in the end, the absence of dialogue is not some kind of artistic mannerism, and the “normal” appearance of the aliens is certainly not unimaginative. No One Will Save You is a very similar experience to Nope, but doesn't copy it. Brian Duffield, like Jordan Peele, has his own ideas and his own vision, so original that he can afford to quote Close Encounters of the Third Kind and, at one point, even The Shining, without it having an undesirable comparative effect. I was rooting for Kaitlyn Dever from start to finish - she can say so much without words.

This is what I call material fatigue. Judging by the end credits, I could say that the fourth Expendables is probably the best Bulgarian action film I've seen, but even that wouldn't be grasping at straws. It's something that Stallone clearly didn't want to do, for which there was little money (the visual effects are really ugly) and ideas, and where perhaps even the crew didn’t have fun. There are a few good moments, but for all intents and purposes the excellent first part and the goofy comedy that followed, and even the bland third film, are several levels above. Unfortunately.

I told myself I wouldn't give Restore Point a thumbs up just because it's a Czech film, and so I'm giving it an average rating, but I also encourage everyone to go to the cinema and support a commendably different domestic film that we don't have to be ashamed of. The main problem with Restore Point, in my opinion, is the story, which piles one tired cliché on top of another, is either overwrought or, on the contrary, raises unnecessary questions... And it lasts almost two hours, which is really too much. Although I wouldn't go see it again, I certainly don't regret the money I spent on the ticket and I look forward to seeing what Robert Hloz makes next.

Unlike the first one, I had fun, unexpectedly a lot. And that's definitely a plus for a film whose premise nobody could possibly take seriously. Meg 2, thanks to its B-movie sincerity, from my point of view trumped, for example, the second and third Jurassic World, and most of all it reminded me of Emmerich's Godzilla. No matter what happens, you know it's going to turn out well, and if the director is smart, he can surprise you a few times; he can afford to make references to Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Indiana Jones, and offer some really cool moments, like the one with the camera inside the big shark's mouth.

Fantasy. A fairy tale. A dream. A truly wonderful film that is not about story but about atmosphere, a two-hour geyser of admirable imagination that is a joy to watch... Unless you don't feel like sleeping. On the other hand, if you do want to sleep, you can be lulled to sleep by it.

Of the films with Peter Morgan's screenwriting signature that I've seen so far, Frost/Nixon is unfortunately one of the weaker ones. On the one hand, there are perfect performances by Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, and Kevin Bacon, and a neat documentary atmosphere. On the other hand, the characters are pretty much useless, including (unfortunately) Rebecca Hall, whose purpose I didn't fully understand, and some off-camera scenes are barely believable, for example, the late-night phone call. I guess the original stage play is more concentrated, and thus probably better.

It's good, very good, but it could have been even better if they hadn't tried to bludgeon me with one surprising twist after another and hadn't focused so much on the adults in the end, especially at the expense of Nina and Robin. Otherwise, thumbs up for a film full of superbly acted young people (I just have to give a shout out to Alexandra Vostrejžová) that feels believable and whose characters are written so interestingly that you can still think about it after it's over.

Somehow I don't understand why Netflix tries so hard to compete with big blockbusters when they don’t have the budget and probably not even enough capable directors. Why? Why not keep a low profile and tell the story of a secret agent from a different perspective, make it more intimate, with a more interesting plot? This film has the makings of that, but unfortunately it doesn't get rid of the blockbuster aspirations, resulting in a (traditionally) overlong compromise that didn't offend me, but didn't particularly impress me either, and where Gal Gadot plays exactly like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Seriously, I had that feeling at some point, and couldn’t get rid of it until the closing credits.

It's hard to believe today that the makers of Star Trek were ever serious about Spock's death and his resurrection wasn't part of the plan, but if nothing else would convince me of that, this movie would. You can see that The Search for Spock was made quickly, it's all about that one thing and the plot isn't very interesting otherwise. It's not as well thought out as the first film, not as action-packed and entertaining as The Wrath of Khan. Moreover, Leonard Nimoy didn't really show off in the director's chair, Christopher Lloyd isn't really suited for the Klingon role, and James Horner seems to have only used music for the soundtrack that he had already composed from memory but found weak. Still, though, The Search for Spock isn't a bad movie. It is "only" slightly above average.