BEST HOLOCAUST MOVIE EVER!

Little is known worldwide about one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century, The Second Sino-Chinese war, that began in 1937 spanning all the way to 1945. During that war many fierce atrocities have been made by Japanese, amongst which the so called Nanking massacre ranks as one of the goriest.

Nanking was the capital of China and fell in to Japanese arms in 1937, resulting in thousands dead soldiers and civilians, as well as some 300.000 women raped. That’s right, 300 THOUSAND.

Young Chuan Lu directs his epic war drama masterpiece around those historical facts bringing us some of the creepiest, most brutal and heart stabbing individual stories behind the numbers of casualties. Camera is simply flawless, climaxing the massive scenes and wide angles as well as the effervescent focus exchange. Screenplay is the world for itself, bringing some of the most striking characters into the genre of war drama, a short but mighty Chinese soldier Lu (Buster Keaton like Ye Liu), unbelievably potent Sino-civilians Mr. Tang (Wei Fan) and Mrs. Jiang (Yuanyuan Gao), as well as the immortal male lead, Japanese soldier Kadokawa (Hideo Nakaizumi). Performances will be extraordinary, as well as the timeless lines overflowing from every major scene and twist in the story. The patriotism will be omnipresent, but so discreet and reduced to a symbolic level that you won’t even sense it. There will even be a place for some seed of hope. Tiny one, but undoubted.

Forget about „Schindler's list”, „Pianist” or even the „Son of Saul”.  Chinese „Nanjing! Nanjing!” (original title) is the ultimate war movie, war drama and holocaust drama!

„City of life and death” is one of those movies that you will be able to watch only once, but also one the flicks that you’ll remember for life. I’ll guarantee that.

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH - 10/10

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ULTRA NAIVE

At the beginning, I want to be clear. „Sunny” isn't just a teenage movie. It can't be, because it tackles some more serious subjects through the lens of the girl's gang reunion after 25 years. And it does it in a naive, corny and non-convincing way.

When you add the traditional Asian overacting all the way, not even a down-to –earth humor fails to elevate the movie above the low level it follows from the beginning to the very end.

„Sunny” is just a bad movie in every major aspect and deserves a far lower rating that it currently bears.

SUNNY - 1/10

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DEJA VU

Horror movies are in a huge crisis. Huge. Especially those revolving around exorcism.

When it hit theatres , „The Conjuring” was something of a refreshment, going back to the roots of the genre and subgenre. However, even then it was obvious that won't be the last one of documentary-like stories about the religious exorcist married couple (Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson).

The second part of the franchise brought us nothing new, plainly switching the location to London and repeating all the frames, cuts and scary sounds of the first one. The only major difference being the very end, blunt even by the subgenre's standards.

„The Conjuring 2” is just a repeating of the same concept without any significant novelties.

THE CONJURING - 3/10

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MODERN DAY KOREAN WESTERN

Koreans wouldn't be what they are in the world of cinema if they hadn't included some of the most stunning ideas into the modern screenwriting.

This especially goes for the motif of revenge and resurrection that is one of the basic ones in this great Asian cinematography. When those basics are incorporated into a love story, there are places for some great concepts and twists that stand out from the rigid form of the genre on other continents.

A reformed ex-convict, Taesik (Jeong-suHan), will have its vendetta and a traditionally overacted ending to his story, but that won't hurt the overall impression of this movie.

„Sunflower” is a classical western story about honor and revenge done the modern Korean way.

SUNFLOWER - 6/10

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ANOTHER SLUMP

Oilnado. Sandnado. Nukenado.

Think of the bizzare combination, Ian Ziering will deliver it in its fourth part of a hugely amusing f-production saga about the sharks trapped up in a tornado.

However, phraseology will be the best thing in „Sharknado: The Fourth awakens”, lacking trademark lines and scenes that made us laugh our hearts out.

„Sharknado 4: The Fourth awakens” is one of the weaker parts of a otherwise great franchise.

SHARKNADO 4: THE FOURTH AWAKENS - 3/10

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NICELY ACTED ROMANCE

Not being the film romance lover, I seldomly grant the genr some praise. However, this small Korean indie story about the disfigoured girl (Su-jeong Lim) and a boy (Rae-won Kim) that fall for her is a solid exception from that rule.

Although pathetic in its concept, the story resolves nicely, with some really decent scenes and subplots. The strong ending adds to the well acted roles and gives a wholehearted experience of the traditionally non-inventive genre.

„...ing” is a solid, pretty strong romantic story that has been nicely acted.

...ING - 5/10

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UNDERESTIMATED QUALITY SF

Some movies must be watched two times to get a clear image of their quality and some movies must be watched on a high quality print.

I underestimated Danny Boyle's „Sunshine” first time I saw it on a theatrical screener and I shouldn't have done that.

It has a decently convincing story about the spaceship en route to the dying Sun to reignite it with a nuclear bomb. Production is high end and the CGI is really, really great. International b-production cast is solid, lead by the young and aspiring Cillian Murphy. Subplots and the very ending are pretty much something we already saw and relies heavily on the Kubrick's „Odyssey”, but that fact doesn't represent a major issue due to trademark high quality work behind the camera by Danny Boyle.

„Sunshine” is pretty obscure and hugely underestimated piece of modern SF that can be compared to the genre's glorious predecessors.

SUNSHINE - 7/10

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YUCK!

They are young, beautiful, meant for each other, but also very different. Because this is a Korean romantic drama, the roles are switched: she is the one being rude, misfit and difficult to comprehend while he is being a cissy.

However, he and the entire script that finishes in one of the most tackiest places ever is just so corny that even the genre lovers will be having a hard time following the story.

„My sassy girl” doesn't deserve the credits and the buzz it has, being too tacky and blunt even by European and US standards.

MY SASSY GIRL - 2/10

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„JUST” A GOOD EFFORT

A whole movie shot in a single cut?

A masterful feat in directing (Sebastian Schipper) and a exhausting task for the actors. And where are the screenwriters in that?

The answer is, pretty much nowhere.

„Victoria” is a highly unconvincing story about a young Spanish girl Victoria and her night in Berlin spent in a company of four street lowlives that takes a dramatically wrong turn during a breaking and entering that would leave you wondering whether the entire flick could have been significantly shorter.

„Victoria” is a huge directing accomplishment and nothing more than that.

VICTORIA - 5/10

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TOO CORNY

Love traingle is one of the most frequent motifs in the romantic drama genre. There are all sorts of those traingles, but Koreans tend to sharpen their edges a bit. Especially when you mix a young artist, an Interpol agent and a professional hitman in a story about the unrequited love.

However, Korean wouldn't have earned their reputation without some tragical twists, but sadly, leaving the rest of the script to roll in a mud of deja vus, common places and really, really tacky outcomes.

„Daisy” can be watched even by a non-demanding European romantic drama lover.

DAISY - 3/10

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TRULY HUMANE

Argentinian dramas are slow. Like very slow. Like very, very slow. Sometimes, this can bother you („Secret in their eyes”, „The Aura”), but sometimes it just hits the spot perfectly.

Story about a terminally ill Julian (constantly persuasive Ricardo Darin) and his quest for a new home for his dog (Truman) is one of those latter cases. That journey will lead him and his faithful friend Tomas (Javier Camara) through a whirlwind of tears and laughs, tackling the most difficult movie subject of all (death) with a refreshing ease and elegance.

„Truman” is a huge refreshement to the genre and a solid and unpretentious little dark comedy-drama that restores your faith in life.

TRUMAN - 7/10

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NOTHING NEW

Love stories are all the same in their nutshells. The emotion is there, but so is the reason that disables that emotion to flourish. Korean love stories tend to have slightly sharper and more unexpected reason that keeps two people from living happily ever after.

„Always” has the physical disability of the girl (blindness) and the dark past for the boy (ex-boxer and criminal) to add to the plot, but that's it. Everything else, the revenge, the comeback and even the slightly different ending is sort of a deja vu.

„Always” may come as a little surprise for the fans of romantic drama, but not for everyone else as well.

ALWAYS - 4/10

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FORCE OF EMPTINESS

Being slow is one of trademarks of indie production and there's nothing wrong with that. But being empty alongside being slow is a major crime in movie industry.

„Force Majeure” is on of those painstakingly slow and completely empty stories about forgiveness and redemption inside a four member family that survives a minor avalanche on a winter holiday in the Alps. It does have the beginning, but it lacks any development and resolution.

„Force Majeure” isn't just a bad indie flick, it is a bad movie overall.

FORCE MAJEURE - 1/10

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BEAUTIFUL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

Kim Ki-Duk is one of those „visually orgasmic” directors, and his trademark production and „empty” shots become clearer than ever in a philosophical and highly symbollic Korean folk tale „Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring”.

The script itself is painstakingly slow, but the message of forgiveness and purity in life is pretty straightforward. Set upon a floating raft temple on a lake, it wouldn't deviate much from its original location, as the story itself. Every shot will drag the best out of the magical scenery and changes through the seasons, trailing the evolution of the main character along that way. The ending will be highly symbollic, leaving the average viewer dazzled and somewhat saturated with hidden messages.

„Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring” is a PhD in production and camera for movie directors and a beautifully filmed tale for everyone else.

SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING – 7/10

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GOOD CONCEPT, SOLID MOVIE

Far Eastern movie creators tend to cover stories that are appaling and hardly imaginable for the Europeans and people from North America. Two high school girls that dream of going to Europe will work hard for their dream to come true. Jae-Young  is a soft hearted hooker, while Yeo-jin is distrustful pimp.

Their lives will take a U-turn when the hoooker dies, leaving a pimp girl on a road of repentance, while her father (a criminal inspector) picks up his daughter's trail of prostitution.

Tragedy is looming all the way, and it will happen towards the end of the movie, in a traditional Korean way, altough not nearly as brutal as in some of the better dramas coming from that country.

„Samaritan girl” has a great concept, but somewhat expected development and conclusion.

SAMARITAN GIRL - 6/10

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A MEANINGFUL TORTURE

There are several worldwide acknowleged movie directors that tend to molest their viewers. Most of them (Lars von Trier, Paul Thomas Anderson, late Terrence Mallick) do that without any serious intentions and purpose.

Kim Ki-Duk is one of those fanatically resilient movie directors that don't give up from their vision from start 'till the end of his flicks, but do that for a reason.

„Pieta” is one of those stories, revolving around the extortionist that mutilates people who can not repay their debts for insurance. When confronted with his long gone mother, the thug will be put to test of humanity. Kim Ki-Duk won't, staying forever faithful to the claustrophobic depicition of the Seoul's handicrafters lives on the verge of economical extinction and gory scenes of the mutilations themsleves. Along that path of brutality, all of the aspects and possible scenarios will be covered and explained thoroughly. The very end will be in the fashion of true Korean thriller masters, enthroning Kim Ki-Duk as one of the best modern movie directors in the world.

„Pieta” will make you sick, twist your heart inside out and play with your mind along its way.

PIETA - 8/10

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EXOTIC, BUT UNFINISHED

Although it nominally comes from Canadian film industry, „Atanrjuat: The Fast runner” is after all, a full-blooded Eskimo movie.

Now, that's some exotic cinematography!

The subject isn't that peculiar at all, based around one of the oldest motives for crime and murder: greed. On the other hand, the plot and especially the outcome of the script itself isn't something Caucasians are used to.

„Atanrjuat: The Fast runner” is a solid insight into the obscure culture and landscapes, and nothing more than that.

ATANRJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER - 4/10

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EFFECTIVE AND MOVING

There is no better documentary than real life, and the story about a little Nasal's family life in the Mongolian desert intertwined with local folk beleifs is just that.
Real life. Real emotions.

Real, living actors. With real, living problems.

Overall rhythm is painstakingly slow, but awards its viewer towards the very end, giving the meaning and strong symbolism to the entire script.

„The cave of the yellow dog” is an excellent documentary with drama elements for the entire family.

THE CAVE OF THE YELLOW DOG - 7/10

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