Malarkey

I understand where the director was going with all of this. Unfortunately, I don’t really get how he filmed it. While  Unbreakable is a fundamental movie of American cinema in my eyes, and Split set out to be the same, Glass connected the stories of all participants in a way that was not only unnecessary but it also spoiled my impression of the two previous films, which ended perfectly… and should have remained that way. But M. Night Shyamalan turned his superheroes into such strange figures that even though I still liked James McAvoy’s unrestrained acting, the movie as a whole made me really unhappy. It felt like a complete mess. But it’s still Shyamalan, so if you can endure the boring madhouse-like middle of the move, the finale can be quite intriguing from a screenwriting perspective. You certainly have to give him that.

A total crazy trip with an absurd kind of humor, which, however, perfectly targets widespread stereotypes of both Danes and Chinese. In addition, the curious humor isn’t based on classic ha-ha scenes but on scenes full of embarrassment and misunderstanding, which you won’t really like for the first 15 minutes, but if you power through, you will definitely enjoy the rest of the film.

Once again, HBO gave us their absolute best and introduced the viewers to an elaborate adaptation of the most significant nuclear catastrophe to ever happen on Earth. And even though they didn’t cover everything they could have in 5 episodes, they covered everything they needed so they could sell the idea and pass something on at the same time – the repulsiveness of the Soviet regime but also the proof that humanity and heroism exist everywhere. The first two episodes were probably the most important for me, the creators shocked me with the exteriors, which gave me the impression that the crew actually left for Pripyat and filmed theseries about the catastrophe there. The finale is very crucial as well; it shows what the Soviet regime was capable of doing to not only ordinary people but also intellectuals. After all of that, I am not at all surprised that Gorbachev said in the 1990s that Chernobyl was the fatal consequence of the fall of the Soviet Union. What they did there only underscores the whole effect of communism in Russia of the period, where the local “elite” thought they could do whatever they wanted and God in turn showed them that it wasn’t entirely true. Thankfully this didn’t mean the demise of all of us, it was “only” a warning concerning what we are doing wrong in the world. The fact that we are unable to learn our lessonis another matter. However, this is one of the reasons why the series is so important, which is why it is good to see, perceive, and experience it until the very end. The absolute best of this year’s series and in terms of the HBO production, it is the best that could have been created. Precise, accurate, and apt.

Do you want to know how the nations on the other side of the hemisphere live and suffer? Watch this very realistic drama, which has great power, mainly because of the sincerity of individual characters but also thanks to the locations, which feel just as exotic as the characters. Unlike us, they still haven’t completely lost faith in the supernatural and can therefore blend in with nature better… just like it was thousands of years ago, at a time when everyone was mentally somehow… different.

Finally, Jean-Claude got it. The Bouncer is actually a pretty solid French drama, which has a great screenplay and stars the excellent Van Damme. Sometimes there’s no need to kick the hell out of everybody and try to turn every scene into an action ride. All you need is a good script, a few action moments, and a twist... and the quality is taken care of. I haven’t enjoyed Van Damme as much as I did in this flick for a long time. I wish it would last. I’d rather watch an authentic European drama than another B rated action movie.

A decent crime drama, which approached the story differently than I would expect. However, it did not bother me at all, sometimes there is no harm in seeing a classic theme from a slightly different perspective. As the film does not explain anything at all, it creates a series of questions and that way adds more emphasis on the actors, who in an interplay between Diane Kruger and Vincent Lindon create some nice twists. An interesting film, a little small-scale but it makes it all the more suspenseful.

The story is a bit stupid, but it serves as proof that Noomi Rapace is the goddess of action movies of the present.

Hardcore Henry, or how to use a shaky camera to create a stylish piece from the first person point of view, which draws you in and most importantly, and I feel obliged to say this, you see everything clearly, transparently and without any difficulties. Add in the fact that they did not bother at all with any age restrictions, which makes it a clear R rated film. The only thing that is missing to make this film perfect are some cool lines, as Henry during the whole film does not speak at all. Luckily, the acting is saved by Sharlto Copley, who has multiple roles here and moves between them in the blink of an eye.

Nice and honest confession of two people, who talk while they feed pigeons, which is unaffected and nice to look at. Gérard Depardieu portrays his typical simpleton with his heart at the right place and Gisèle Casadesus in the autumn of her life evaluates what she has lived through and experienced. This encounter of two nice people features a volume of enjoyable conversations, so I have enjoyed this visit into the world of these two souls with pleasure.

Somehow I think that this comedy could have opened the gates to the world of American comedies for Rebel Wilson, if only it was funny. It seemed that the authors completely forgotten about humor and offered nothing but soulless scenes.