2020.
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- DirectorJohn HarrisonStarsJonas ArmstrongSophie WardClive RussellA paranormal expert discovers a house that is at the intersection of so-called "highways" transporting souls in the afterlife."Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red."
01.01.2020.
My great love for Barker began with reading "Books of Blood," a collection of horror stories in 6 volumes. This movie is a pretty good adaptation of the title story. Don't expect it to blow you off your chair, there is no deep or complex story here, no breathtaking effects, and it's not particularly scary. The story is a variation on the haunted house theme, it's a bit confusing, and the pace is too slow for my taste. The acting and directing are decent, the sound effects are really good, but what really elevates this movie from mediocrity is the atmosphere exquisitely evocative of Barker's original, and for that very atmosphere, I recommend it.
6/10
"The dead have highways, running through the wasteland behind our lives, bearing an endless traffic of departed souls. They can be heard in the broken places of our world, through cracks made out of cruelty, violence, and depravity. They have signposts, these highways, and crossroads and intersections. And it is at these intersections where the dead mingle, and sometimes spill over into our world." - DirectorJacques TourneurStarsSimone SimonTom ConwayKent SmithAn American man marries a Serbian immigrant who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland's fables if they are intimate together."A cat just walked over my grave."
02.01.2020.
For this movie, the studio set aside a ridiculous $ 150,000, but the producer in less than three weeks and under budget made the film that many consider one of the best films of its time, and it was even nominated for the American Film Institute's Top 100 Greatest American Movies. At first glance, this was achieved despite a small budget, but I think that the small budget is responsible for the success of this film, because it has forced the authors to be creative. In the absence of money for special effects, they were forced to emphasize the dramatic development of the story, characterization, and the construction of a tense atmosphere, with the horror elements merely hinting and letting the audience's imagination run wild, which is far more effective than explicit special effects that, with the then (and in most cases today's) technology, are too unconvincing to cause anything but ridicule. This time, the small budget did the movie a huge favor.
7,5/10 - DirectorPenelope SpheerisStarsMike MyersDana CarveyRob LoweTwo slacker friends try to promote their public-access cable show."We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"
04.01.2020.
Feature film debut by irritating Mike Myers is a comedy/parody full of wasted pop culture references and spoofs. From moment to moment I was recognizing piles of them whose potential to be hilarious was destroyed by an unbelievable lack of wittiness and charisma. The movie is too stupid for a quality humor comedy, and not retarded enough for an "it's so bad it's good" movie. And for a comedy, it's incredibly boring. It seems to me like they tried to cling to the success of "Bill and Ted." The only good thing about this movie is the music, and the only scene I laughed at was the one with Alice Cooper.
4/10 - DirectorStephen SurjikStarsMike MyersDana CarveyChristopher WalkenThe inseparable duo try to organize a rock concert while Wayne must fend off a record producer who has an eye for his girlfriend.Slight improvement
05.01.2020.
The sequel is in the same fashion as the original, but is slightly better. This time the story makes sense, the references are more interesting, the spoofs better measured and sometimes really funny, and the whole movie is much more entertaining. It's still light years away from a good movie, but unlike the first one, this at least isn't a waste of time. If for no other reason, it's worth a look for big names such as Christopher Walken (in one of the lead roles), full Aerosmith, James Hong, Heather Locklear, Heather Locklear, and Charlton Heston.
6/10 - DirectorJalmari HelanderStarsJorma TommilaOnni TommilaPeeter JakobiIn the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 meters deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up. This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus."Looks like we've been naughty"
05.01.2020.
Nice Christmas movie. Like most Christmas movies, this one is not a masterpiece of cinema, but at least the Finns tried to break the monotony of merry Christmas stories with the one a little darker. I wouldn't classify it as a horror, though there are some elements. It's more of a dark fantasy adventure, also suitable for slightly older children. Kind of like "Gremlins" (1984), for example. The script is simple but effective, based on: "The real Santa was totally different. The Coca-Cola Santa is just a hoax." The acting and directing follow an example of a scenario - simple and effective. A very interesting idea, not a particularly tense but compelling atmosphere and a healthy dose of black humor, with a very witty plot twist at the end. I'm not thrilled, but I'm quite pleased.
7/10 - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRichard DreyfussFrançois TruffautTeri GarrRoy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches."You can come and play now"
Spielberg's classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is not so much SF dealing with aliens as it is a drama that predicts humanity's reaction to an event like this. While, on the one hand, it depicts ordinary people and the ways in which UFO encounters change their lives, as well as how they respond to these encounters, on the other, it is a critique of how the authorities intervene in these situations. The story is simple, down-to-earth, human, and acting convincing. The visual effects are fascinating for the seventies, and for the sound effects it won the Special Achievement Award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. There are also eight Academy Awards nominations, of which it won the Best Cinematography. But aside from the spectacular visual and sound effects and overall atmosphere, the movie is nothing special. The story itself is not especially interesting and I do not believe it would hold my attention without visual spectacle, nor does the film have a particular strength that would make a deeper impression. I think its greatest value lies in the influence it has had on the genre and our view of aliens.
7,5/10 - DirectorAnthony DiBlasiStarsJackson RathboneHanne SteenLaura DonnellyThree college students set out to document what other people dread the most. However, one of the three turns out to secretly be a sadistic psychopath who uses this knowledge to gruesomely torture the subjects."I suppose that is the worst part of it all. You live with the notion that the thing that causes you the most terror could come back at any time."
Perhaps this film does not deserve such a high rating, but as the adaptations of my favorite horror stories are too often tragicomic, one that really deserves to be associated with Barker's name had to acknowledge with a higher mark.
Three young people decide to do a thorough study of human fears, but interviewing volunteers with traumas from the past is not enough for their "leader", so he decides to take the research to the next level, experimentally facing his subjects with their greatest fears.
The movie is R-rated for "strong bloody violence, disturbing sadistic content, graphic sexuality, nudity, and language", but it doesn't come down to these elements like most classic slashers, but they are there to spice up and amplify a pretty good psychological horror-thriller, which is based on a strong story, good characterization, and a tense atmosphere. Another big plus is that it starts slowly and casually, in the style of "Kinsey" (2004), gives us half the movie time to get to know the characters and bond with them, and only then does the drama gradually grow into a thriller and then into a horror, so once we get attached to the characters, the horror elements are really effective.
8/10 - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsGene HackmanJohn CazaleAllen GarfieldA paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered."He'd kill us if he got the chance."
Technically, the movie is well-made, but nothing really stands out. As a mystery and a thriller, it fails terribly, because the story is totally uninteresting, it never held my attention for a moment, and there is not even "t" from the tense atmosphere. The only bright spots are the performance of Gene Hackman and the characterization of his character, whose moral dilemma classifies this Coppola's achievement into mediocre psychological dramas, as well as sound and music in the film. The finale is slightly stronger, but not enough to improve the overall impression.
6/10 - DirectorGeorge MillerWarren ColemanJudy MorrisStarsElijah WoodBrittany MurphyHugh JackmanInto the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!"I do not want to live in a world without Penguins!"
During the mating season, male and female Emperor penguins seduce each other with song. Until one day a penguin came into the world completely unable to sing, but an incredible talent for tap-dancing.
The script is somewhat original, but it essentially delivers the good old story of growing up, of sticking out, of seeking your true self and the need to be accepted and loved. A story of genuine friendship, courage, and true love. Nothing new, but it doesn't make it any less wonderful. The powerful emotion this movie conveys from the start is complemented by good animation, a strong cast that gives voices to cartoon characters (Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, ...) and a superb soundtrack (John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Lionel Richie, ZZ Top, Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury,...).
The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year and brought Prince the only Golden Globe of his career. But even if all this means nothing to you, can you really resist a movie about Penguins?!
8/10 - DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform."What we've got here is failure to communicate"
24.01.2020.
Paul Newman is Cool Hand Luke, a man who has been sentenced to two years in prison for drunkenly damaging public property and who uses that time to openly but subtly irritate guards and warden, while slowly gaining cult status with prisoners. Unfortunately, his stubbornness and unbreakable spite eventually destroy him.
Technically, the movie is brilliantly done. Everything from acting, through the camera and directing, to music is at a really high level. But the story, although well developed, with excellent characterization and a healthy dose of humor, just does not work for me. I understand that this is a character study of a non-conformist and rebel and I get a message that the film conveys, but no one would be driven to death this absurdly and unnecessary. If our main character was a mental patient, sentenced to life, or if this was some surreal movie, it would be something else, but in a realistic drama, a capable, intelligent, charismatic man, sentenced to just two years... It just doesn't make any sense. This movie has the potential for a maximum rating, but for that, it needs a much more serious and compelling story and a more powerful emotion. It appealed to me, but it did not leave an essentially strong impression.
8/10 - DirectorPete DocterBob PetersonStarsEdward AsnerJordan NagaiJohn Ratzenberger78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway."I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most."
25.01.2020.
The first animated film to have the honor of opening the Cannes Festival. Ranked 120th on IMDb Top 250, Metascore 88, won two out of five Oscar nominations... It's good, but is it truly that good?
The story of an elderly widower who, after the death of his wife, embarks on an adventure to pursue their shared childhood dream, and learns something about himself and the true values of life. The story is well-written, emotional and laced with humorous moments, but it did not leave a particularly strong impression on me. The animation is good, with an interesting use of color, but nothing breathtaking. Everything in this movie is very good, but not great. Other than two completely unnecessarily cruel scenes (miscarriage and death of the main villain), I have nothing specific to complain about. But the movie just didn't move me. It amused me and is a handy choice if you want to watch something with younger children, but I believe soon I won't remember it at all.
7/10 - DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer."Walking like a skeleton"
On the Day of the Dead, Mexicans make home altars to which they place pictures of their ancestors so that their souls can cross into the world of the living and visit families and friends. Once completely forgotten in the world of the living, the dead also disappear from the other side. Miguel is a boy who dreams of becoming a famous mariachi, but his family has banned music for generations. It is up to Miguel to change this unfortunate tradition with the help of the late great grandfather.
Beautiful animation, which does not skimp on colors, a story that is both fun and emotional and, although twist is somewhat cliche, essentially powerful and edifying. A movie that will entertain the youngest, teach them a little about life, and at the same time, elicit a few tears even from those whose emotions are long since numb. Alongside with "WALL-E" (2008), perhaps the best collaboration between Pixar and Disney.
8,5/10 - DirectorAndrew MorahanStarsChristopher LambertMario Van PeeblesDeborah Kara UngerDeceived that he had won the Prize, Connor MacLeod awakens from a peaceful life when an entombed immortal magician comes seeking the Highlander.There can be only one
They should have applied this legendary motto to the franchise itself. Even the original film is not a masterpiece of cinema and, except for the fact that it has acquired a cult status, nothing elevates it above average. The second is even weaker than the first, but at least it's fun. The third is so disgraceful that I can't believe that Christopher Lambert has agreed to star in it. Even if he was bound by a continuation contract, I think any court would grant him a unilateral termination after reading this scenario. And I wish it was just a screenplay that was bad. Aside from acting, which for the most part is decent, the film is pathetic in almost every aspect, technical and essential. I was most bothered by the tempo that leaves the impression of watching a movie trailer or a music video, as well as music that, while not bad in itself, is totally inadequate. Although, this is not a surprise if you know that this was the director's movie debut and that he directed only music videos before it. And the final clash is almost copied from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991).
4/10 - DirectorTerrence MalickStarsRichard GereBrooke AdamsSam ShepardA hot-tempered farm laborer convinces the woman he loves to marry their rich but dying boss so that they can have a claim to his fortune."Nobody's perfect. There was never a perfect person around. You just have half-angel and half-devil in you."
Richard Gere and Brooke Adams are a couple of manual workers, who in the early twentieth century survive as day laborers in the grain fields. They are posing as siblings, and when a wealthy farmer dying of an incurable disease falls in love with Brooke, the "brother" persuades her to marry him in order to inherit the estate. Of course, such conspiracies usually do not go as planned ...
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and that aspect of the film is really brought to perfection. Ennio Morricone was deservedly nominated for the music and that would pretty much be all I enjoyed. The whole plot can be recounted in detail in a few sentences and, when you stretch it to ninety minutes, the story gets so indescribably slow and boring that I was on the verge of quitting a few times. Also, Richard Gere is somehow always Richard Gere to me. I can not seem to see him as a character he plays. Whatever movie of his I watched, he always bounces off, like a color detail in a black and white movie, as if he had wandered into the wrong set. I can't say his acting is unconvincing, he just sticks out of the movie and keeps me from delving into the story.
Still, even though I was pretty bored and planned to bury it with the grade, it ended leaving me with surprisingly strong impressions and I don't believe I'll easily forget it. Maybe my rating is not adequate to what I wrote above, but I subjectively feel it as an eight and no objective reasons can change this rating either upwards or downwards.
8/10 - DirectorDouglas AarniokoskiStarsChristopher LambertAdrian PaulBruce PayneImmortals Connor and Duncan MacLeod must join forces against Kell, an evil immortal who has become too strong for anyone to face alone."Men, for the most part, can mend their ways only after they have made a mistake."
04 February 2020
Somewhat better than the previous one, but still far from a well-shot movie. The special effects are lousy for its time, especially considering that it came out just one year before "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." The story is confusing and rushed, as in the previous movie, but it's worth a look, not so much as a sequel to the franchise, but because it deepens Highlander's "origins story" and fills in the holes from the original movie.
5/10 - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsWalter HustonRuth ChattertonPaul LukasA retired auto manufacturer and his wife take a long-planned European vacation only to find that they want very different things from life."I suppose people travel to get away from themselves."
"Love has got to stop someplace short of suicide."
These are two sentences that have left an impression on me. The rest of the movie has not. The story about the rich middle-aged couple who, after twenty years of marriage, embarks on a journey across Europe and, while traveling, their marriage is falling apart. While the somewhat older husband, a retired car factory owner, wants to settle down and devote himself to family and grandchildren, the younger wife is in midlife crisis and, in fear of aging, is desperate for the attention of the men she meets on the journey, which after many turmoils ultimately destroys their marriage. This romantic drama, with six nominations and one Academy Award, is fairly realistically portrayed and well-acted, and the technical aspects of the film do not fall behind. Perhaps, from the perspective of time that originated this movie, it is remarkable and compelling, but it aged badly and, from my perspective, it is just a mediocre drama that I will soon forget. Although I have nothing specific to criticize, it was quite boring and left me completely indifferent.
6/10 - CreatorDavid BenioffD.B. WeissStarsEmilia ClarkePeter DinklageKit HaringtonNine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.LOTR of the TV world
4 October 2016
TV shows I rated 10 are rare, I could count them on one hand. And this is one of them. The excellent crew did this based on the fantastic book and in cooperation with the original writer. I do not want to compare this show with anything else because it is beyond any comparison, but speaking only about its quality, this is for the TV world what "Lord of the Rings" is for movies. I doubt anyone will top this any time soon.
New books are not out yet, and producers decided not to wait for them, so series are ahead of the books now. I did not watch the latest season yet, and I see many bad impressions and comments on the web, but even if they really did a lousy job on this last season, the previous five seasons are so good that last one cannot spoil average grade below ten out of ten. Unfortunately, I did not see the famous "Breaking Bad" yet, so I cannot be 100% sure, but for me, this is the very best TV show ever made. For the first time in my life I will give money for the series and, when the series is completed, buy the original box-set edition. It pains me to admit, but Tolkien is overthrown - I prefer "GOT" over "LOTR", both in a written and screened version.
I am not writing about its contents, there is more than enough spoilers all around the web, so no need for me to add some more. Thou, I do not understand all that noise and complaining about spoilers, especially if the movie/series is based on a famous book. In my opinion, you should always read the book before you watch it on TV, and if you did it then you already know most of what you'll see, so complaining about spoilers is ridiculous. And believe me, even if it is not always the case, in this case, you really SHOULD READ THE BOOKS FIRST. It is impossible to put all those thousands of pages in a TV show, and reading the books will allow you a much better understanding of what you see and you will enjoy the show much much more. I'm not saying that books are better. Not this time. Both are great in their own way. But the show will hypnotize you even deeper if you read the books first.
10/10
And what am I supposed to watch now that won't seem totally lame after seeing "GOT"…
11 February 2020
The eighth season is over and with it the already cult "Game of Thrones". The flood of spoilers and complaining over the last season receded, the dust settled, and it's time for me to finally see it in its entirety. I decided not to continue where I left off, but to start from the beginning and watch it without gigantic breaks between episodes and seasons.
Even before it starts, the series leaves you breathless with its phenomenal opening credits. Although a bit too long for my taste, it is certainly one of the most impressive introduction clips I have ever seen, mostly because of beautiful music by Ramin Djawadi.
"Game of Thrones", the first book of the cult saga "A Song of Ice and Fire," I first read in the summer of 2007. When I first sat down to watch the series in 2011, it seemed like the book was coming alive. Most of the scenes were shot exactly the way I imagined them while reading, and the cast is predominantly perfectly selected. I remember that only young Targaryens, and especially their hair, were torn in my eye. Emilia Clarke, in my opinion, is not beautiful/handsome enough or good enough actress for the role of Daenerys, and it took me more than a season to get used to her. Maisie Williams was initially very antipathic, but she quickly gained me with quality acting. The rest of the cast has been so impressive since the start that, when I continued reading the books, I began to imagine them exactly as they were shown in the series. What separates "Game of Thrones" the most from the majority of representatives of the genre is realistic characterization. There are no good guys and bad guys here, no black-and-white struggle between good and evil. All the characters are deeply layered and their good and bad sides take turns from situation to situation.
The first episode starts the series with force and ruthlessness, and although it is only a preliminary introduction to the story, it already manages to shock us on several occasions with its explicitness, vulgarity, and brutality. If you, while watching this episode, even for a moment felt discomfort, better stop here, because of what follows in the episodes and seasons that are in front of you your stomach will turn inside out.
Already in the second episode, Martin begins to kill innocent, ruthlessly introducing us into a world in which no one is safe, and in which the main characters are dropping like flies, alongside extras. Characters that die without any order, sense, and logic, whose stories remain incomplete because they are suddenly stricken by bad luck, are Martin's trademark. The series, as well as the source novel, constantly keeps you in a state of tension, because deaths, intrigues, and plot twists are totally unexpected and unpredictable, as is the real life.
Which brings us to the controversial last season. As far as I noticed, nagging about the last season is focused primarily on the script and the characters' illogical and unprovoked moves. I was bothered by the chaotic directing and editing. The episode depicting the battle against the army of the dead made my eyes literally hurt and, in my opinion, music was inadequate and irritating. But I have no major objections to the story itself. We are used to movies where the end logically follows from the introduction and plot, but it usually happens only in stories. Life is not logical, and I have already mentioned that Martin is quite realistic. People change, evolve, make plans, wage internal struggles, fight for a goal and, while the endings of most films show them failing or achieving those goals, life often stops those life paths with unexpected death and makes the whole journey meaningless. Death simply undoes us. Likewise, in the last season, Martin just canceled out a bunch of characters and their stories, while others acted impulsively, made fatal mistakes, or simply went mad. Many have completed their journeys in somewhat karmically acceptable ways, and the fates of some have surprised us. The season is a little hectic, but I don't think this story could have ended much differently, and I'm definitely not disappointed.
Last season, in my opinion, deserves no more than a week or eight, but the overall impression of the entire series remains
10/10 - CreatorJack ThorneStarsDafne KeenKit ConnorRuth WilsonA young girl is destined to liberate her world from the grip of the Magisterium which represses people's ties to magic and their animal spirits known as daemons.What's this all about?
When viewing an adaptation of something you read, especially if you are a fan of the source material and know it by heart, you subconsciously intertwine the book and the adaptation, and often do not notice the holes in the script because your foreknowledge fills them. I guess the high rating of this series comes right from Pullman's fans. To me, who have not read the book, the first season of "His Dark Materials" wasn't boring. I enjoyed the visual appeal of the series, though it doesn't come anywhere close to "Game of Thrones" I just finished a few days ago, the interesting characters and the action, but to ask me what it's about - honestly, I have no idea. The first season raises countless questions and gives little to no answers. Everything is vague, confusing and without much sense. If they wanted it to be a mystery that unfolds in the end, the end that is coming in a few seasons, they should have given us at least some hints and cliffhangers that would motivate us to wait for the next season. It may be just me, but even though the series is within my favorite genre, I'm not at all interested in waiting for the continuation. That may change if in the meantime I find the time and the will to read the book, but by itself, without foreknowledge of the story, the series left me completely indifferent.
6/10 - DirectorJonathan S. KuiStarsLori PyzochaJeremy YostAllison BlumIn this fan film crossover, Lucifer blackmails a young woman into solving the Lament Configuration, in hope of bringing the Cenobites into the Second Angelic War.An interesting addition to the franchise
Lucifer recruits a Theology student to solve the puzzle and summon Cenobites, to support him in the war against Gabriel and his angels. But while manipulating an innocent girl, he doesn't even suspect that he was being manipulated too.
This is a twenty-minute fan-movie shot with practically no budget and all participants on both sides of the camera are complete amateurs with no film experience. Within that frame, this is quite solidly written and shot, and the costumes and effects are great. The rating on IMDb is 3.9 and, in my opinion, it is quite objective, but it deserves at least eight for the first attempt by complete amateurs.
6/10 - DirectorJonathan S. KuiStarsPete MizzoAvrill MacCuliashGina MontroneExplores the background of the character Winter, while intersecting events from three entries into the series."Fear is the place we go to learn"
Three years after "Hellraiser: Prophecy", Jonathan S. Kui returns with another fan-movie, which builds on the previous one and gives the "origins-story" to the main character from "Hellraiser: Deader" (2005). The budget, as with "Prophecy," is negligible, and so is the experience the creators have gained in the meantime. The movie is technically slightly better, but the story is confusing, uninteresting and redundant. While "Prophecy" is worth a look for a good idea and effort, this one is a waste of time.
5/10 - DirectorNicolas RoegStarsJulie ChristieDonald SutherlandHilary MasonA married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond."The one who's blind. She's the one that can see."
The '70s on film have a distinctive flavor that has always been repulsive to me. Here and there, some movies thrilled me, but for the most part, '70s were painfully boring to me. This one is no exception. At one point, I thought - I saw more than half the movie but still nothing happens - and then realized that I only watched it for thirty minutes out of a total of two hours. I can not recall half an hour that lasted longer. Stretched and chopped sex scene in this segment of the film is anything but sexy, it is totally unnecessary and in no way contributes to the film, except that it gives it another distinguished mark of that decade.
For some reason, many consider this movie one of the best films and most memorable horrors of all time. It's classified as a horror thriller, but it's neither scary nor tense. Well filmed and acted but somewhat boring drama, the story of which hardly makes sense. The characters' actions are quite pointless and unconvincing, and the whole thing looks to me like a misunderstanding between Argento and Lynch.
5/10 - CreatorDavid E. KelleyStarsReese WitherspoonNicole KidmanShailene WoodleyThe apparently-perfect lives of upper-class mothers of students at a prestigious elementary school unravel to the point of murder when a single mother moves to their quaint California beach town.Season 1
Slow start but an awesome finale
I came from work around eight, got some food and coffee, and sat to watch this seven hours long movie in a single run. I say movie because this is not a regular TV series, but more TV movie cut to pieces because of length. Fact that I saw seven hours show in less than eight tells you that it's a good one, but, in my opinion, they failed terribly at the beginning. It starts slow and after the first episode, that lasts nearly an hour and nothing happens at all, I almost gave up. Still, reviews are mostly good and many friends did recommend it, so I decided to give it a shot. I watched the second episode and started to question who's crazy, bored me or thrilled reviewers. After three episodes I was seriously annoyed. It reminded me of "Desperate Housewives". Although it's better written and done, but also less fun. A story about people who's life is too good so they invent problems where there are none and then exaggerate them to epic proportions, until they hit the ceiling. In everyday common issues, they react like crazy and if there are people like that in real life I do not know them and I'm glad about it. Both characters and the story were completely redundant to me. I rated it weak six and continued to watch only because I hate leaving things unfinished. But when the show was over and impressions were settled I completely changed my mind. It still reminds me of "Desperate Housewives", maybe even more, and some things are really retarded, but characters are phenomenally developed and acted, and every succeeding episode is better than previous. Finale nailed it. If the story wasn't so lengthy, but made as a movie two or three hours long, I would probably rate it even higher, but as the seven hours long mini-series it deserves
8/10
(there are some spoilers below)
P.S. Until the last episode, I had no idea who was dying, but as soon as I figured out who the victim will be, I knew immediately who will kill. Although it's totally unpredictable who the killer is, I knew. Maybe it was because I was expecting an unexpected end, so I bet on the most illogical person. That spoiled the ending a little, because the surprise effect is important here. Overthinker...
Season 2
When I heard that there would be a second season, I wondered why, because the first is a well-rounded whole that needs no extension. On the one hand, I was right, the second season is not really necessary, but on the other, it is not superfluous and did not spoil the impressions the first one left. The season brings seven episodes that deal with the psychological and practical consequences of the heroine's decision to hide the murder. The fear of being discovered, paranoia and guilt slowly erode them, gradually destroying their mutual relations and their families. The script maintains a great characterization from the first season, and maybe even rise it to a slightly higher level. The season also introduces some new characters, most notably the Mary Louise character played by the fantastic Meryl Streep. In all the roles I've seen her so far, Meryl captivates with her incredible charisma and you just can't help but love her. But here she played the role of "villain" so convincingly that I hated her from the first episode. The series finale, though somewhat expected, spoiled my impressions a bit, because that decision, however morally right, leaves seven children without mothers, and some even without both parents. Overall, the rating remains the same.
8/10 - DirectorEdgar WrightStarsAmy BowlesGregory CurtisMartin CurtisThis home movie features a cop named Barry Stern who has to hunt down a serial killer. In the style of Dirty Harry meets Airplane."This film is certified 18, which means that, while it may be of an adult nature, it may also be extremely infantile. Viewers are warned of poor jokes, bad production values, and frequently painful acting."
A very honest and accurate description of Edgar Wright's film debut. "Dead Right" is a low-budget (or more precisely no-budget) forty-minute crime-horror-action comedy that suffers from all of the above. Filmed on weekends over the whole year on VHS, it was written, directed and edited by then-eighteen-year-old Edgar Wright, who entrusted the roles to his amateur friends. But despite all the objective flaws, this film already shows Wright's great talent for screenwriting and directing, a specific sense of humor and a subtle feel for details. There's also Wright's distinctive ability to successfully combine multiple genres, not just into the same film, but into the same scene, which will make him famous a decade later in the "Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End" trilogy. What's more, "Hot Fuzz" was in a way derived from this film, with which it shares many qualities, including some scenes. If you love Wright, don't miss this one.
7/10 - CreatorNeil GaimanStarsDavid TennantMichael SheenMiranda RichardsonThe End of the World is coming, which means a fussy Angel and a loose-living Demon who've become overly fond of life on Earth are forced to form an unlikely alliance to stop Armageddon."All tapes left in a car for more than about a fortnight metamorphose into Best of Queen albums."
Therefore, in all the scenes where the demon Crowley (a reference to Aleister) drives his Bentley oldtimer, you will listen to Queen hits.
In 1990, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman published "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch," one of my favorite books, which finally received a screen adaptation in 2019 as a six-episode mini-series. I'm not sure how much the story of the series is faithful to the source material, since I last read the book in 2003, but while I was swallowing it in one breath, I felt like I had watched it before (which is impossible), which means that it perfectly conveyed the spirit and atmosphere of the book, as well as that many of the scenes are filmed exactly as I imagined them while reading. I really liked most of the cast, and the phenomenal David Tennant and Michael Sheen nailed the leading roles.
The story is intelligent and witty but, unfortunately, Pratchett's storytelling style is simply impossible to transfer to a TV screen. As much as the plot and the dialogues are faithful, Pratchett's hilarious descriptions and comparisons cannot be filmed, so the series is not nearly as funny as the book. While this has somewhat disappointed me, I am aware that Gaiman and the BBC could hardly have done a better job.
Fans of "Easter egg" details will appreciate the references to the "Doctor Who" series, which shares a good part of the cast with "Good Omens," other works by Neil Gaiman and the like.
9/10 - DirectorGyörgy PálfiStarsIsabelle AdjaniAnouk AiméeWoody AllenA simple yet timeless love story between a man and a woman, told using scenes edited together from hundreds of other films."Umro je drug Tito"
One of the most original films I've ever seen is composed entirely of scenes stolen from other films. Hungarian director György Pálfi has made a universal romantic drama, skillfully and humorously combining clips from several hundred films, so black and white and color scenes, different genres and shooting techniques, actors, locations and epochs, rapidly alternate before our eyes, all followed by nicely blended music, also borrowed from other films and series. Clips were reportedly downloaded from torrent sites and, in order to avoid copyright lawsuits, the film was published as educational material by the Hungarian University of Film and Theater. It may seem confusing and even unwatchable at first, but do not let it deter you, because you will get used to it very quickly and after a few minutes you will no longer need extra concentration. The idea is ingenious, a realization hypnotizing, and I am afraid to even speculate how extensive his knowledge of world cinema is, as well as how much time and patience it took to assemble and edit this madness. Even if we disregard all the other qualities, the effort itself deserves a maximum rating. Bravo!
10/10