Reviews

Love Lies Bleeding is the second movie by the director Rose Glass, starring Kristen Stewart.

The 1980s. A young girl, Lou (Stewart), works as a manager at a gym and desperately tries to quit smoking. One day, a muscular beauty Jackie who dreams of winning a bodybuilding competition enters the gym. The girls start an affair. But Lou's family story is a complicated one. Her father is an arms dealer, and her sister regular gets beaten by her husband. Things aren't easy for Jackie either. To increase her chances in competitions, she starts using steroids, and those have unpleasant side effects, which will kick off this bleeding story...

I think many of you have already got used to the idea that Stewart has long migrated from being a blockbuster actress to an independent film actress, and this movie is no exception.

Rose Glass is obviously talented, but as it often happens with aspiring ones, they inadvertently begin to copy the style of the directors who've already said their word in cinematography. And in this case, I found myself watching a skillful imitation of Nicolas Winding Refn. But even though Refn's films are also full of sex and blood, he handles these vivid plot elements with incredible aesthetics, weaving them logically into the fabric of the plot.

This cannot be said about Rose's work, although stylistically it is a twin to The Neon Demon or Too Old to Die Young.

In general, LLB could have a good chance of becoming something truly memorable: Great cast. The title girls are organic and natural. Stewart, as usual, looks convincing and impressive even with the most idiotic haircut and greasy hair. Katy O'Brien, who plays her bodybuilder girlfriend, is strikingly beautiful and athletic. Jena Malone (Refn's favorite, by the way), Ed Harris, Dave Franco. Everything's great, but no magic. Why?

Because the director decided to address a huge number of themes at once: female bodybuilding, steroids, domestic violence, love, and the problem of fathers and children, but none of them was thoroughly developed. At the same time, she found time to include scenes that don't contribute to the narrative and seem to be added just to shock the viewer. Like in the intro, where Stewart's character digs into a clogged gym toilet and pulls out excrement.

According to my observations, female directors tend to have a more nuanced and refined view of their characters. They look deep into characters' minds and souls and reveal the full range of their emotions to the audience. In movies like this, the plot supports the emotion instead of leading it. Rose Glass, however, lost on both sides. In pursuit of shock content, she gave up on, probably, the most important ingredient. The heart. And without a heart, love is impossible.

After watching Villeneuve's first Dune (which didn't impress me at all), I felt an urge to re-read the novel and relive all the twists and turns of the book's plot in my memory. Interestingly, I found the part that is dedicated to the life and rise of Paul Atreides as a prophet and new messiah among the Fremen the most boring. Everything is dark, the plot develops slowly, and the Fremen's philosophy as well as their cultural and hygienic traits don't seem appealing at all. The intrigues of the cunning fox Vladimir Harkonnen, the genetic program of the Bene Gesserit, the telepathic abilities of Guild Navigators, and the flawless logic of the Mentats were much more fascinating.

However, Villeneuve decided that it was the Fremen part that deserved more disclosure in the movie while all those Guild Navigators and Mentats were totally insignificant, which is why the entire world of Dune became flat and monotonous, and the characters lost all their depth. Wise Stilgar who was unusually thoughtful for a Freman and therefore led all the tribes of the planet, turned into a fanatical follower of the myth of the One and was a spitting image of Morpheus from The Matrix. The Emperor became a cowardly old man. Chani is a hysterical and possessive girlfriend. Lady Jessica is a simple plotter. But Vlad Harkonnen suffered the most. All his intelligence, cunning, ability to calculate the development of events several dozen steps ahead, wit and even love for boys disappeared. All that remained is his desire to eat and kill. He doesn't fit the role of the main villain so much that even dull Rabban seems like a brilliant strategist compared to him.

And although Villeneuve's visuals are certainly very beautiful, he was unable to create something new and continued to copy the ideas of Lynch and the Wachowskis. Even the costumes were something out of BDSM, the theme that was once commenced in The Matrix, continued in The Chronicles of Riddick, and ended here in Dune. But if the costumes in the first two movies had a clear idea and contrasted with the costumes in other parts of the films, the obvious BDSM motifs in the clothes of the Imperial house in Dune provoke nothing but surprise. Why the beautiful princess Irulan, at the most crucial moment of her life, is dressed like Gimp (that guy in a leather suit from Pulp Fiction)? I can't explain it any other way than maybe the fact that Villeneuve has some difficulties with women, that's why all his female characters are weak-willed drama queens.

How the simple-looking Florence Pugh got the role of the princess who was the product of thousands of years of Bene Gesserit genetic program, a tall aristocrat with classical beauty and a sharp mind, remains a mystery to me, as well as the tattooed letters on Lady Jessica's face that appeared there without any explanation, as if they were a natural symptom of pregnancy, like morning sickness.

In general, the second film is more lively than the first one, but it's still boring, insipid and somehow aimless, because the moral of the story remains unknown.

Judging by the last scene, it's "bad to hurt women."

Action movies starring Jason Statham are consistently successful. An elite operative retires and becomes a farmer, mechanic, cook, or even a hobo. But when bad people disturb his peaceful and well-deserved rest, he reverts to his old habits and takes revenge on the villains with all the might of his operative fists. No-brainers, but easy on the eye.

Film director David Ayer, who already boasts the Golden Raspberry Worst Screenplay nomination for Suicide Squad, had a simple task - to find Statham a new profession. And he coped with this task quite well. The bald teethbreaker became a beekeeper. Now Statham's character was supposed to get a proper love interest to rescue, and success would have been inevitable.

But it seems that Ayer was haunted by John Wick's laurels, he also wanted to show off his originality. So, the beekeeper became not only a menace who made even the director of the CIA tremble in fear (however, if Wick was feared for his ability to kill with a pencil, here we are left in the dark. The beekeeper is scary. Period.), but also a philosopher. The sullen monologues about how it is wrong to offend the old and weak seemed ridiculously superficial and out-of-place, and Statham looked really pitiful at these moments. While the love interest, a.k.a. "dead puppy," was replaced by an old lady who is a big fan of honey, and whose relationship with the main character was limited to a 10-second dialogue at the very beginning of the movie.

They say that to be successful, a movie should include several ingredients: a coherent script, good acting (or at least chemistry between the actors) and smart direction. Some of these factors may be stronger, some - weaker. But if the direction is lame, nothing can save the film. Even A-listers in the cast. And The Beekeeper is lucky to have them: Jeremy Irons, Josh Hutcherson, even Minnie Driver rose from oblivion. But overlong scenes, meaningless dialogues and genre-mixing leave no chance for the movie.

When a woman wearing a mohawk and a fluorescent pink coat, as if straight out of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, appeared in the middle of what had previously looked like a mediocre but still realistic action movie, my eye began to twitch. The ending, in principle, is so bad and empty that it would rather fit a B-movie, than a multimillion project.

I can't explain this flop because even smart editing could seriously improve the shortcomings. But either the time was running out, or the budget was, and we got what we got...

Lost in Translation is an amazing movie that has won an incredible number of awards, including the 2004 Oscar for Best Screenplay.

This is a film about a flare of true friendship. Just like passion flares up, so does friendship sometimes. And if in passion, the leading motive is physical desire, then in friendship, it's most likely the consonance of mental waves. These people simply feel good to be around each other, they have a similar sense of humor, similar values, and a similar world around them. They don't even have to talk, they can just sit together and look at the city. And they know that their thoughts match at this moment.

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a middle-aged, accomplished actor who came to Japan on an advertising contract. Charlotte, played by 17-year-old Scarlett Johansson, is the young wife of a famous photographer. You can't say that they are lonely. They're just waiting for something. And when they see each other, they understand that they have found.

This type of a relationship fills you in, it doesn't break you and it is easy to let go. It doesn't drag you to the bottom like a dead weight, but it lifts you up, showing you the sky above your head. Alas, like many good things in this world, it is short-lived. After returning home, each of them will plunge into their everyday life: family, work, friends. There will be no place in it for such friendship. But they will keep the memory of it for the rest of their lives, and it will warm them on cold winter evenings.

Could Bob and Charlotte stay together? Unlikely. Physical intimacy is harmful to a relationship like this. It doesn't add anything to it, rather makes it worse. And even if they ever dream of each other, then only as a family, a person you feel good and peaceful being around.

And the alien environment, like Japan, only gives them the opportunity to reveal character traits that have been hidden before.

This movie is a great way to make your soul feel at ease. It shows that anything has its place and time in life. It does not give you guidance for the future, but it helps to realize that a human being is something more than physical desires or desires of the mind. They are something elusive - a smile, a glance, warmth, purity.

The characters went through all this and took this experience with them inside their hearts, becoming a little better.

It hurts so much when our loved ones leave us. And it doesn't matter if a loved one is a person or just a pet, the pain is so strong that you are ready to literally do anything just to save the beloved creature. And sometimes it happens that our best intentions and efforts become almost an obsession, bringing not relief to those who are about to die, but even greater torment. And all because we confuse such things as saving someone and our own emotional discomfort from losing them. We also do not know how to let go and accept death as a natural stage of the life cycle.

The main character of the movie Womb, Rebecca, met the boy Tommy as a child, and they both immediately realized that they were meant for each other. Life separated them for 12 years, but they carried feelings for each other through the years. And when Rebecca graduated and was finally able to return, their passion flared up with renewed vigor. But their happiness did not last long. Tommy gets hit by a car, and Rebecca, crushed by grief, decides to take an unprecedented step. She gets Tommy cloned, carries him in her womb, and then raises him as her own son.

The movie stars the gorgeous Eva Green and the charismatic British actor Matt Smith. And although people with traditional values might find some scenes unpleasant to watch, the movie fascinates with its atmosphere literally right after the opening credits. A very curious picture. Highly recommended.

I bet many of you would answer, "The ability to read other people's minds" to this question.

But the ability to read the mind of another person means the ability to fully immerse in their consciousness. What if this person is schizophrenic? What would be the consequences?

The 2000 movie The Cell explores this question from a very unusual and dramatic angle.

Child psychologist Catherine works in an experimental project that merges the minds of a doctor and a patient with the use of special technology. Thanks to the doctor's efforts, a patient can not only completely recover from their mental illness, but also come out of a coma.

Meanwhile, a maniac operates in the area kidnapping fair-haired girls and killing them in a perverted manner. The FBI group goes on the trail of the criminal, but at the last moment, when he is almost in their hands, the man has a seizure and falls into a coma. But his last victim is still alive. How to find her if the maniac is out of verbal reach?

The FBI decide to turn to Catherine for help...

The Cell is an incredible sci-fi movie with elements of psychology and horror. The film director is not afraid to not only peek inside the mind of another person, but also to visually show how nightmarish and at the same time beautiful it can be.

Fascinating images that can blow your mind are not just the product of the director's imagination though. They were inspired by some of the most mysterious artists of our time: Odd Nerdrum, H. R. Giger and Damien Hirst.

By the way, movie director Tarsem Singh has a musical background. He used to direct music videos and became famous for R. E. M music video Losing My Religion. And The Cell, probably, became his most noticeable and powerful project. Later, he also directed Mirror Mirror and Immortals, which couldn't reach the level of sophistication and imagination of The Cell. But all of them have a great visual, which has become Singh's trademark.

It's also worth mentioning that the movie is probably the best acting work of Jennifer Lopez. Although even here, working as a "psychologist," she was unable to let herself look at least slightly unpretty. Which somewhat reduces the credibility of the story, and yet doesn't make it worse or less spectacular.

This movie probably marked the comeback of Ben Affleck as an actor after his shameful early 2000s and flops like Jersey Girl, Daredevil and Paycheck.

Also, this film became Mr. Affleck's second directorial project.

The city of Boston, the capital of Massachusetts located on the east coast of the United States, is infamous for the fact that its territory has always been under the influence of Irish mafiosi. And the crime situation in some city areas still leaves much to be desired.

According to the movie, which is based on the book Prince of Thieves, the city has the neighborhood of Charlestown - a home to the highest number of bank robbers who attack Boston banks on a regular basis.

Doug (Affleck) is one of these robbers. During a bank robbery, he and his accomplices take Claire (Rebecca Hall), the bank employee, hostage after blindfolding her. When the gang escapes danger, they let the girl go. But Doug is not sure whether Claire has seen nothing, so he begins to keep an eye on her to be the first one to know if she has. Soon, the couple start a relationship, but Doug's lifestyle, connections and friends don't let him go, so everyone who is dear to him is in danger.

Despite the romantic component, The Town is a hardcore crime drama with shootouts, robberies and fights. Two actors deserve special attention here: Jeremy Renner, who played Doug's thuggish childhood friend and received an Oscar nomination for this role, and Blake Lively, who, perhaps for the first time in her career, portrayed not a glamorous beauty but an unsophisticated simpleton.

I believe there are many fans of the famous Turkish series, Magnificent Century, among us. The series is based on the life of one of the greatest sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman the Magnificent, and his beloved Hurrem Sultan. The events take place in the early-to-mid 16th century, and all these love, hatred, jealousy, intrigues and betrayal against the backdrop of a medieval harem seem incredibly romantic.

However, very few people actually realize that this medieval tradition of harems continued to exist in Turkey until the end of World War I when the Entente countries literally broke the once great Ottoman Empire into pieces, and Turkey said good-bye to its last sultan who had to flee to Europe. And with him, famous harems also sank into oblivion.

And yet, revolutionary moods had begun to spread in Turkey a few decades earlier. At that time, the Ottoman Empire was ruled by Abdul-Hamid II whose reign became famous thanks to 2 things: the first Turkish constitution which he adopted under great pressure, and terrible persecutions of Christians (mainly Armenian ones). This historical period became the backdrop to the story shown in the 1986 TV movie, Harem.

A young and free-spirited Lady Jessica (Nancy Travis) is soon to marry a worthy young man (Julian Sands). But he works in diplomacy, and in order not to part with her fiancé for a long time, Jessica travels with him to Damascus. There, revolutionary-minded rebels successfully kidnap her and sell her to the harem of the Sultan (Omar Sharif) in exchange for some prisoners. Jessica was brought up in a progressive but also somewhat puritanical way, so the sensual mores of harem women, who are ready to sell their souls for getting into the Sultan's bed, seem centuries-old antiquity to her. Her beauty, purity and intelligence, however, attract the Sultan's attention, and Jessica becomes his favorite, pushing his first wife (Ava Gardner) into the background. But for how long will Jessica be able to keep this title?

Surely, all the historical events are shown in a rather loose manner, including the Sultan himself. Abdul Hamid was far from being as handsome as Omar Sharif. However, the movie touches on a subject that was completely missed out in Magnificent Century. Sultans, their wives and mothers were traditionally served by black and white eunuchs. Black eunuchs were dark-skinned men brought from Africa, and they had great power, often dealing with diplomatic issues for Valide sultan (mother of the Sultan), who would rarely leave the harem and was not allowed to talk to men directly due to religious and cultural aspects.

Harem is a beautiful romantic story with elements of adventure. And if you are fond of Magnificent Century and have always wondered what harem life was like a few centuries after Hurrem, then you will have 3 enjoyable hours while watching this movie.

Lars von Trier is experimenter and provocateur. His every movie is a new word in this art, absolutely unique and inimitable.

Surely, everyone has their own opinion on his work. His movies leave no one indifferent. Some people love them, while others simply hate them. As for me, I am a fan. I can easily relate to his characters. And it feels like that the events on screen happen to you, not to someone else you don't know. Isn't this the real magic of movies we're all looking for?

So, let's remember one of Trier's most prominent works, Dogville. First, the movie is unique due to its complete lack of decorations. We can only see rectangular shapes painted white on the floor. This is all you need to know about the world where the story unfolds. And there's no room for falsehood in this barren place. Nothing distracts the actors from playing their parts. They have to live them to be convincing.

I remember when I only started watching this movie for the first time, I felt disappointed. I expected to see a film, but it seemed that I'd have to watch a cheap theater play. But just after a few minutes, I totally forgot why anyone would need walls or furniture at all. Close-ups, philosophical wisdoms, storyline, they all grasp your full attention.

In the 1930s, a young girl named Grace ran away from her gangster father to dedicate her life to people. What came out of this intention, you'll find out in this movie.

It's worth mentioning that when Grace made her ultimate choice sitting in the car with her father in the final scene, the whole movie hall started applauding. And it was still 10 minutes to the credits, but no one could hold back their emotions anymore. This is Trier's impact on our simple souls.

The curious fact is that Trier didn't let the cast relax even outside film set. He peeped, provoked, took photos of them furtively even if they were taking a shower. Simply put, he tried to push them as far and deep as possible. So by the end of the filming, the entire cast was on the verge of nervous breakdown.

Dogville is a must-see.

The 90s were the era of action movies. Countless bloodsports, commandos, hard targets, and American ninjas popped up like mushrooms in theaters and on TV screens. But from time to time, real jewels, which unique ideas could have won fame even now, appeared among these disposable flicks.

And Wedlock is a jewel like this, starring Rutger Hauer and Mimi Rogers who are supported by Joan Chen (Twin Peaks) and Danny Trejo in a bit part (at that time just an aspiring actor playing nameless criminals).

Even though the story is very simple and barely differs from the most action movies of that time, it has a prominent feature which transforms Wedlock from an ordinary shooter to something really smart.

The main hero commits a robbery and finds himself in the prison of a new format. There are no walls. But every prisoner has to wear an explosive collar around their neck. Every collar has a pair, and if this couple of people happen to be further than 100 meters from each other, these 2 collars go off decapitating the wearers. But prisoners don't know who their pair is, so they have to vigilantly watch each other to prevent anyone from trying to escape.

What happens next? It's best to see it with your own eyes.

By the way, the colorful costumes of the main characters deserve a special attention, and are the wonderful reflection of the fashion of those times. Brilliant!

Memento perhaps is one of the most unusual movies I've had a chance to watch.

Its events go backwards where each short episode reveals the story from the end till the beginning because the main character has anterograde amnesia. His memory works only for 15 minutes and then blank, erase and rewind..

Honestly, you can talk about this movie forever, so great it is. I would just like to mention a few curious facts: 1. Dynamic trio. The reason why I decided to watch this totally unknown movie in now distant 2000 were these 3 names: Carrie-Anne Moss (aka Trinity), Joe Pantoliano (aka Cypher) and Guy Pearce (didn't play in The Matrix). For me, as a big Matrix fan, it was huge.

2. It might probably sound funny now, but back in 2000, no one ever heard of film director Christopher Nolan. In fact, Memento was his first feature movie that was released in theaters. Who could have thought at that time, what a tremendous figure in the movie industry Nolan would soon become?

3. The movie has an absolutely stunning script which keeps you engaged every single second. And it has a totally unexpected ending. By the way, the script is based on Nolan's brother's short novel (what a talented family!).

And what is more important is that the movie conveys a deep philosophical wisdom. Life is like a boomerang; whatever you throw out there will always return. And sometimes the fate can be quite ironic.

The Wachowski brothers (now sisters) began to work on their famous Matrix back in the 80s. And when they managed to sell their first script for the Assassins movie starring Stallone and Banderas, they decided to show the Matrix script to the producers as well. Those loved the script but the then-brothers demanded something outstanding. They wanted to direct the movie themselves. And it's worth mentioning that they hadn't directed anything before that at all. So, the producers offered them a compromise solution. The Wachowskis would get a chance to direct a different movie, much simpler and for the budget, let's say, $4,5 million. And if the movie worked out well, then they would get a budget for the much more expensive Matrix.

The Wachowskis took the challenge and created a brand new movie script where the main characters were two lesbians and a gangster, and the entire story was literally taking place within one apartment. Eventually the movie was very well perceived by the audience and the critics, and the Wachowskis got the green light to start their iconic Matrix.

So, if you're curious to see how the career of these great movie directors started, or just want to enjoy a skillfully made movie about beautiful women, I highly recommend it.

I am not a big fan of horror movies, my imagination is too vivid for them. I can lose sleep, being scared of any weird sounds, creaking, or shadows appearing in the dark. After I watched The Grudge, for example, I couldn't sleep properly for a few years. Every time I closed my eyes, I could swear that this horrible hairy woman would crawl out from right under my bed and catch me.

According to the official description, Martyrs also belongs to the genre of horror. But in my opinion, it's not horror, but a psychological drama with elements of blood and gore (well, maybe with a lot of blood and gore).

I don't even know what really moved me to watch this film. Maybe I became really curious to find out why a few people passed out during the movie premiere at the Toronto festival.

And honestly speaking, I don't understand why so many reviewers sputter with anger describing Martyrs as horrible, disgusting, too scary, etc. I experienced nothing of that sort. The good thing is that the movie is really interesting and intriguing to watch. The story is very dynamic and tight without any lyrical digressions or weepy moments. Pascal Laugier's Martyrs (2008) is radically different from its Hollywood counterpart (2015) which mostly relies on suspense and intimidation. Here everything is precise and clear.

And I do recommend this movie if you are interested in smart and unusual stories that make you think rather than just try to entertain you.