MASTERCLASS IN DIRECTING

Quentin Tarantino is one of the five greatest American movie directors alive. Period. His raw talent was never too easy too hide and it simply bursts with the accumulated self confidence in his greatest hommage to kung-fu and Hong Kong movie creators, the „Kill Bill” saga.

The thing about Quentin that is so seductive is the fact he makes quality movie directing easily understandable to the average viewer. His use of camera lens, mix of short and long cuts, lighting and flashy colors will overwhelm even those who despise the fight genre he adores so much.

The story will be just one step away from parody, casting the trademark twisted dark humor and gore, as well as some great fighting scenes. The one in the japanese restaurant will just represent the masterclass in action directing.

Everything else, the great „B” list casting, acting and quality suundtrack will go along the path well lit by the man behind the camera.

„Kill Bill vol.1” is the best directed movie Tarantino made and one of the best directed movies on the turn of the centuries.

KILL BILL VOL.1 – 8/10

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CONFUSING

Bacall and Bogart are always a welcomed pairing when it comes to big screen, so „The big sleep” must've represented a huge box office hit in its time.

However, the very script tends to confuse the viewer with an overelaborated murder scheme inside a love triangle that draws the private investigator into its charms. The outcome will be just too schematic and without any surprises, following the era's standards.

„The big sleep” is an average achievement in every one of its major elements.

THE BIG SLEEP – 4/10

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SLIGHTLY OVERRATED

Bogart made his name as a private detective in this one, so the expectations were pretty much high prior to watching. Humprey's being classical Humphrey, cool, old school macho trying to wiggle his way out an elaborate scheme revolving around the ancient artifact, but that's pretty much it.

Rest of the cast, as the script itself will blend into a classical conspiracy/crime story of that era, with all the right moves and turns, but lacking any kind of innovation at all.

„Maltese Falcon” is just a solid piece of movie history and a classical Bogart's role that made him what he is.

THE MALTESE FALCON – 5/10

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BOGART’S BEST

Bogart’s career has been overrated from its very beginnings, promoting him into an acclaimed actor much faster than he deserved with some serious role on the silver screen. Such a role finally came with John Huston’s „The treasure of Sierra Madre”, a rough script about the effects of the „golden rush” on three typical American thugs. True grit as it is, the story drew the best from the actors, resulting in some memorable scenes and everlasting messages at the very end.

„The treasure of Sierra Madre” is a serious movie and the most serious role of the entire Bogart’s career.

THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE – 7/10

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GOOD, BUT NOT THAT GOOD

Few movies had a greater impact on popular and cinematic culture than the immortal love story of „Casablanca”. Hence, the expectations from it were huge and, alas, only semi fullfilled.

The story is just plain straightforward, revolving around the American expatriate (Bogart) squirming his ways around Morrocco during the Second world war. When the old love steps in (Bergmann), the cliche won't stop until the very end that is just too expected and pathetic.

However, Humphrey will set the standards for the male cool behavior on silver screen and some of the most memorable lines in the history of cinema will be delivered during the course of this spy and love story.

„Casablanca” is a good movie, but not an excellent one as the majority of ratings and reviews claim to.

CASABLANCA – 6/10

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DECENT COVER

Hitchcock's version of the classic oldie brings us few new things, but also doesn't fall far behind from the original. Story about a family that's being dragged into an assassination plot in Mexico that goes terribly wrong is always up-to-date, especially when mixed with a mysterious dash of Orient. Stewart and Day do their work in a correct manner, and so does the great Alfred behind the cameras. Ending will go on to be a little bit tacky, but that is expected since this is after all a movie for the entire family.

„The man who knew too much” is an average oldie which means it is a decent movie overall.

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH – 5/10

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CLASSIC HITCHCOCK

Oldies were all about the script and the lines the actors say. No special effects, minimal gore, just plain old suspense, intellectual conversations and the details. This especially refers to the crime stories of the 1950s and 1960s and among them, the ones that made Alfred Hitchcock into one of the greatest film directors of all times.

„Rope” is one of the best situation thrillers placed inside a single room during its entire course. Two murderers who are inviting friends to a party just to serve them on a improvised casket just so they can endulge their urge to rejoice their successful endeavour is just a great concept as a standalone feature, but when joined by some meticulous dialogues and great acting (Stewart), the viewer gets a memorable movie experience that will echo in the cinematographic eternity.

„Rope” is one of the best movies Alfred Hitchcock made and one of the most original murder mysteries ever.

ROPE – 8/10

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RATHER THIN

Every movie era had one of those actors or actresses that were simply overrated and the golden age of Hollywood wasn't much of an exception with Ingrid Bergmann. Her role as a spy for the Nazi friends in Latin America in „Notorious” is one of those interpretations that should have shown her entire potential as an actress, but failed to do so.

Everything else, the script, the supporting cast (especially Grant) and the finale of the entire movie will also follow that trail.

„Notorious” is by far, the weakest flick Alfred Hitchcock made in his fascinating career.

NOTORIOUS – 2/10

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GREAT CONCEPT

There are intellectual thrillers and then there are Alfred Hitchcock's intellectual thrillers! Being the guy that invented the entire genre, the famous director tries and produces one of his best works in a intertwined story about a perfect murder scheme created by the random meeting in a train. Basic plot so simple that it's genius will go on to produce some of the genre's best concepts and a dramatic finale that will justify the director's reputation for making immaculate crime stories for the big screen.

„Strangers on a train” is a great movie in any era, a perfect crime story that stood the test of time and a homework for the generations of movie creators that followed it.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN – 8/10

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MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Alfred Hitchcock tried to widen his perspective with this flick, making one of the more philosophical movies in his creer with „Rebecca”. The bride to be being tormented by the memories of her late husband combined the mystery and thriller sequences that made the famous director, by in a non conclusive and persuasive way.

Those attributes went to the cast (Fontaine, Olivier) and the final outcome as well, making „Rebecca” one of the weaker movies of that era.

REBECCA – 3/10


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OUTDATED BY TODAY’S STANDARDS

Hitchcock not only redefined horror and gave birth to thriller, but also managed to revamp the action genre and he did that by one of his most famous flicks, „North by Northwest”. Back in the day, some of the sequences and special effects must have been a revelation to the cinema audience, but they are now almost completely non persuasive.

The basic triangular story (love-conspiracy-adventure) is something we already saw in that era, as well as the trademark confused charm acting by Cary Grant.

„North by Northwest” was a great movie in its time, but had been since then overran by its successors.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST – 3/10

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SCREENWRITERS TRYING TOO HARD

There are Hitchcock flicks that stood the test of time and then there are the ones that didn't. „Dail M for murder” is one of the latter ones, being the huge innovation when it came to script writing in its era, but sadly succumbing to their vast ambition to create one of the most complicated murder stories in the entire history of cinema.

The basic plot would go on to suffocate the stellar Grace Kelly, so the final outcome would be below the very high standards made by the famous director himself.

„Dial M for murder” is one of the more overrated Hitchcock's movies.

DIAL M FOR MURDER - 4/10

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CRAFTY, BUT RETARDED

Filming the computer games is always a futile effort. However good, the script would inevitably succumb to the emptiness of the basic plot. I mean, a templar corporation seeks the descendants of the medieval hitman's guild so they can find the Apple of Eden for them by using the machine for regression to the momories of their ancestors... C'mon, people!

However, Justin Kurzel manages to make the „Assassin's creed” visually viable, despite the CGI overload that comes with it. Atmosphere in the present day will also be interesting, as is the overall „A” class casting (Fassbender, Cotillard, Irons, Rampling). On the other hand, the story is just blatantly stupid, while the ending is comparable in its abruptness only to second part of „Hobbit” franchise.

„Assassin's creed” is the movie for the gamers and box-office suckers and nobody else.

ASSASSIN'S CREED – 4/10

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ALL HAIL OVE!

„Oscars” 2017 were 100% political, and no movie, however good, couldn't take a sniff of a „golden boy” if it didn't deal with African-American human rights or if it wasn't anti-Trump. Ashgar Farhadi's „Salesman” took the statue for the best foreign language movie only due to the fact that it was made by a man from a country on the Trump's refugee-ban list. And by doing so, it inflicted a huge injustice to the best movie of 2016 made in a non-English language.

„A man called Ove” and Rolf Lassgard are everything that Casey Affleck and „Manchester by the sea” aren't. A great and heavy drama about a seriously damaged man that managed to defeat life and everything it tossed at him. And did it in a severely amusing manner, creating one of the most likeable characters on the big screen in the past couple of years. Ending will be heart-throbbing, but also very positive, making the entire flick even more everlasting.

„A man called Ove” is the best foreign language movie of 2016, and the second one overall, being left behind only by „Lion”.

A MAN CALLED OVE – 9/10

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AMUSING CARICATURE

Paul Verhoeven made his name with some commercial long features in the '90s, but since then struggled to achieve a more „serious” CV in the filming industry on both coasts of the Atlantic.

„Elle” will return him to his European roots, telling a slow pace story about a deeply deviated Michelle (very good Isabelle Huppert) who begins her search for the man who raped her in her home. On that road, she will show a thousand different faces, each worse than the previous one. Script will go on to make some heavy caricature of her character, but a solid ammount of good old fashioned Euro pervert fun will accompany it to the very end.

„Elle” will make an average USA viewer feel uncomfortable, but will also reward a Euro-movie lover with some strong laughs and sense of expectancy.

ELLE – 7/10

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CONSISTENTLY EMBARASSING

German contender for this year's „Oscar” for best foreign language movie was a sort of a peculiar mix of comedy and drama, telling the semi-serious story about a caring father that desires to bring some humor into his daughter's busy and harsh business life in Bucharest.

„Toni Erdmann” will be done in a genuine European manner, with slow tempo and long shots creating the needed atmosphere of nuisance and embarrassment for the main character. Humor will step in to wake the viewer up when down tempo takes over, but the show will definitely be stolen by the ruthless representation of the Romanian society in transition between utter poverty and the scavanger multinational companies.

However, the overall result will stop somewhere in between, not rewarding the viewer after 160 minutes of movie with something fruitful and finished.

„Toni Erdmann” is a solid European flick, but nothing more than that.

TONI ERDMANN – 6/10

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TASTEFULLY ENGAGED

African-American rights are THE subject when it comes to Hollywood in 2016. Several stories were running for the Academy's major award and the one that has been left out to hang dry was maybe the most interesting one.

„Hidden figures” will bring you the candid story about the contribution three African-American women made to the NASA space program during the height of apartheid in USA. Story will be heavily romantized and somewhat pathetic, but will stay on the main course, guiding the viewer to some easily understandable details of space travel. Acting will be solid, but not unforgetable, as well as the outcome of the movie.

„Hidden figures” is a solid „by the numbers” flick that deals with an interesting story.

HIDDEN FIGURES – 6/10

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INDIE „MOONLIGHT”

LGBT movies are something of a must-film for this cinematographic season, regardless of the level of production.

„Play the devil” is a micro indie flick, made, filmed and acted by the local group of Trinidadian cinematographers. It deals with a several hundred times already seen subject of a young man struggling with his sexuality. It doesn't offer anything new, it doesn't open new subjects nor does it make a strong finishing. It just basically loiters in the limbo during its entire course.

„Play the devil” isn't a fragment of the movie it could have been if done the proper way.

PLAY THE DEVIL – 2/10

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ULTRA CONSERVATIVE

Iranian cinematography tends to deal with its subjects in a unique way, due to ultraconservative society and some serious limitations when it comes to censorship. Those circumstances lead to a development of some fine and delicate artistic expression between Persian movie directors, like Ashgar Farhadi.

However, he didn't succeed to develop the story about the attack on a woman of a school teacher in a satisfyingly interesting and original way with his script for „Salesman”. Yes, there will be heavy exposure of local customs concerning women and their relationship with men, but the situations and dilemmas that they create just won’t reach the heights of his previous work, namely the much acclaimed „Separation”. The outcome will follow the overall tempo and the taste of the movie, not awing the viewer like it was meant to do.

„Salesman” is „just” a solid drama from a drama renown cinematography.

SALESMAN – 5/10

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DESPERATELY SEEKING SERIOUSNESS

„Underworld” saga never could be proud of its origins and plots, but the last part really overdid it with its quasi-complicated new characters and concepts in a somewhat stale franchise.

Kate Beckinsale is there, but nothing much has changed since her last appearance in the story about men, vampires and werewolves. There will be more physical action, some old school shooting, but also some retro tools. However, the outcome will be more or less the same, opening new doors for a prolonged box office hit that will continue to drench out the water from a really, really dry stone.

„Underworld: Blood wars” would hardly be interesting even for the fans of this serial.

UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS – 3/10

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