A MONUMENT TO CROSS-EXAMINATION

James Stewart was one of those everlasting good guys of classic Hollywood, portraying honest and slightly naive characters fighting the system. His role as a inexperienced young lawyer that has to crack a murder case that doesn’t seem to look as easy and straightforward as it did when the trail began.

Director Otto Premminger isn’t letting anything slip by unnoticed, dissecting the trail process to the very smallest details with discreet, but fanatical persistency. Stewart and Remmick are dancing their dance of hunter and the hunted with ease, while the cross examinations flawlessly manage to raise the temperature of the plot until the very climax and the not so anticipated ending.

”Anatomy of a murder” laid down the foundation for many courthouse movies while simultaneously enthroning the cross examination as a foundation of the Anglo-Saxon law system.

ANATOMY OF A MURDER – 8/10

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„JUST” A GOOD DRAMA

Not seldom great actors are remembered not by their best roles, but the ones that went out into theaters at just the right time for a certain generation, like did ”On the Waterfront”.

Mid fifties were the time of change in the Hollywood and some fresh, new faces were hitting the big screen, bringing the spirit of rebellion with them. Brando fitted like a glove in that surroundings with his raw union muscleman Terry Malloy, earning his first nom, and so did the movie, winning a total of 8 ”oscars”, including all the major ones.

However, the movie itself brought ”just” an ok story, some good grim atmosphere and trademark Brando acting. Taking that into consideration, the praise it earned was somewhat overacted, since both Kazan, Brando and Malden had better movies.

”On the waterfront” was maybe an important movie in its time, but now  represents just a solid social drama.

ON THE WATERFRONT – 5/10

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A MASTERPIECE OF DRAMA

Marlon Brando was THE actor of the golden age of Hollywood, but often misleading the public with his looks and not his acting. Story about a possessive love and hate relationship between him and Vivien Leigh was precisely one of those scripts that grew more ripe over the decades, still being able to shock and move the viewer even long after its protagonists were gone.

Tennessee Williams was one of the most successful writers to be adapted into movie scripts in that era and Elia Kazan was one of the best directors to do such a task, which resulted into 12 nominations for ”oscars”, including all the major categories. Acting earned 4 of those noms giving the ”golden boys” to Malden, Hunter and Leigh, leading to some impeccable one-on-one scenes of pure intensity, unparalleled deep into the 21st century.

If you want to watch one of the Top 10 American movie dramas of all times, you should definitely watch ”A streetcar named desire”. 

A STREETCAR CALLED DESIRE – 9/10

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OL’ SCHOOL COOL

Crime and love story intertwined were a trademark in classic Hollywood thriller and Billy Wilder’s script about an insurance agent (MacMurray) falling for a seductive dame (Stanwyck) is no excuse.

All the usual elements of such a story are there, a basic simple, yet smart plot, some sharp turns in the script and a macho sweet and sour finale as well. When you combine all that together, you get a good, yet not unforgettable box office crowd pleaser.

”Double indemnity” is a classic within a classic era, a strong mainstream contender without any highs or lows.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY – 5/10

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NOT LIVIN’ UP TO THE EXPECTATIONS

Cary Grant, James Stewart and Katherine Hepburn together on the big screen was something you could see quite often even in the era of classic Hollywood. Pretty thin script, average movie and some flat lined acting from the famous threesome was even more exotic movie happening.

Yet, the creators of ”Philadelphia story” managed to do just that, filming a forgettable flick with megastar casting and that’s just a shame.

”Philadelphia story” is one of the more overrated oldies in the history of Hollywood.

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY – 4/10

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SLIGHTLY NAIVE, BUT STILL UP TO DATE

Americans are the nation of pathetic patriotism, but not rarely mixed up with some more or less strong criticism of their own system and the greed it is based on. When you combine all those elements together, you get a story about a small man’s struggle against the system and money called ”Mr Smith goes to Washington”.

James Stewart is one of those actors who can carry this kind of role with ease, creating the sympathy of an average viewer, while the story remains everlasting, despite some rather naive and pathetic outcomes and subplots.

”Mr Smith goes to Washington” was a classic movie for the entire family and still pretty much is just that.

MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON – 6/10


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INTELLIGENT AND SUSPENSEFUL

Just because there were no blood and explicit sexual scenes doesn’t mean that the oldies couldn’t have produced a suspenseful and meaningful thriller about a blind girl caught up in a scheme by two scoundrels trying to take the advantage of her handicap.

We usually haven’t seen Audrey Hepburn in this kind of roles, but she managed to portray an innocent, yet capable blind girl pretty persuasive, as did once young Alan Arkin as her nemesis. As for the script, there will be some really great scenes towards the end and the overall sense of adequate approach to the plot will be present.

”Wait until dark” is one of those movies that will persuade you that all the great ideas were already used in classic Hollywood and that everything that followed represents merely a deja vu.

WAIT UNTIL DARK – 6/10


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CLOSE TO THE POINT, BUT ALAS...

Wartime stories are kind a worn out genre, even in Europe, which tried to give them some more humane touch (”A very longengagement”, ”Atonement”, ”Enemy at the gates”).

”Frantz” is one of those humane dramas about the gallantry and knighthood between the enemies and a discreet love triangle that emerges among the hatred and fresh wounds after the ending of First World War.

Slow tempo and gradual building of tension will seduce the viewer in the first part of the movie, but will leave the story open and pretty much without the required climax and outcome.

”Frantz” is a solid piece of war/love drama, but not a special one as well.

FRANTZ – 5/10

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TOTAL ART

Nick Cave officially has no brakes.

One of the greatest songwriters and artists from the past couple of decades has elevated himself to a whole new level by filming a documentary about his last studio album ”The Skeleton Tree”, that simultaneously tells a story about his personal family tragedy, the one that no parent should endure in his/her lifetime, a loss of a child.

While the other artist only talk about total art with no boundaries between them and the viewer, Cave enforces it, without any hesitation or remorse. Literally falling apart in front of the camera, he tells the world about his feelings, trying to cope with them, transform them into music and lyrics, thus making one of the most personal albums of all times. And he does that in a profoundly sincere way, just like any other human being on this planet that is not a musical superstar.

”The Skeleton Tree” will move each and every human being, not just the fans of Nick Cave.

ONE MORE TIME WITH FEELING – 8/10

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CRAWLING UP YOUR HEART

Russian candidate for this year’s foreign ”Oscar” is a typical European hard to watch and almost empty European kind of dramas, directed by the best director of the largest country in the world at this moment, Andrey Zvyagintsev.

Naively praised in the West as a portrayalist of a stark and bleak life in Russia at the beginning of the 21st century, Andrey managed to film yet another universal movie story that everybody can relate to, painting the emptiness and absence of any kind of emotion for our youngest.

Fanatically persistent in his empty shots, Zvyagintsev used two brilliant movie rookies and told a frightening script about selfishness and vanity that consequently lead to tragedy.

If you are into real life stories and have no problem with slow pace movie scripts, you should definitely watch ”Loveless”.

LOVELESS – 7/10

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DISTASTEFULLY BIASED

Documentaries are always a dangerous weapon in the hands of a skillful director and this fact hadn’t missed the Canadian attempt to make a story behind the rise and fall of the last Soviet hockey team before the collapse of the Union.

Fetisov, Karpov, Kasatonov, Krutov. The mighty Four that terrorized the world on ice for almost a decade isn’t just a classic sport story and the makers of ”Red Army” wanted us to show the dark secret behind their success, the back side of communism and the controversy that followed with the departure of the Mighty Four in NHL. This was done in a poor, maniristic and propaganda kind of way, often highlighted by the persistently strict responses by Slava Fetisov himself.

Instead of educating ourselves, ”Red Army” tried to remind us how we were lucky not living in communism and it miserably failed to do so, making it a poor documentary.

RED ARMY – 3/10

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TYPICAL SPORT FLICK

Sport movies are pathetic and there is no way around that fact.

This can especially be said for the modern Russian sport movies, which tend to confront the Western culture by glorifying the past achievements in the sport arenas.

Hockey was the best Russian collective sport and it still is, mimicking the power and awe of USSR times. Among many stories that had been written on the ice pack, the one of Valeri Kharlamov is one the most dynamic, although not depicting the tragic ending.

All the elements of  a classic sport story will be there, the painful, but stellar uprising, the moral dilemmas and challenges that follow the glory and a triumphant resurrection in the legendary revial matches between USSR and Canada.

On the other side, little will be given on the depth of characters and the acting will be just mediocre, with an exception of ever versatile Oleg Menshikov, here portraying the legendary coach and the father of modern Soviet hockey armada and collective sport itself, Tarasov.

If you are into sport movies, ”Legend N.17” will please you in a really decent way.

LEGEND N.17 – 5/10

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RUSSIAN ”APOCALYPSE NOW” ON STEROIDS

Classic Russian cinema is THE ARTSIEST one in the world. It is built on basic graphic elements and a powerful symbolic of the simple and direct script.

On the other side, the Russian war movies of the past were quite often drowned in pathetic and overemphasized patriotism, which lead to a significant diminishing of their art qualities.

All of this can not be said for the one of the most powerful and most painful to watch war stories ever, ”Come and see”.

Elem Klimov filmed a merciless and never ending torment for the average viewer, bombarding him from the very start with unbearably intense editing of every imaginable war horror from the deepest levels of hell. Although basically empty in the script line, ”Come and see” will first extinguish your soul and then blow you away with one of the most powerful endings in the history of war cinema.

”Come and see” is one those movies you will watch only once, but will never forget.

COME AND SEE – 8/10

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VERY CONTEMPORARY

Modern technologies upgraded our civilization, but also crated a whole series of emotional and humane disruptions, some of which could easily be the end of humans as the dominant species on this planet.

’’Disconnect’’ cuts itself deep into the psychological consequences of modern technologies and way of life, giving us four separate stories that interconnect at he very end of this highly contemporary movie. Script will also manage to avoid all the traps of pathetic, giving us a much needed bitter-sweet end.

’’Disconnect’’ is one of the movies for millennials and all the other desiring a meaningful and educative script.

DISCONNECT – 7/10

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WAY TOO MUCH ARTSY

The very last movie one actor films is always a sad occasion even if that actor lives to be over 90 as Harry Dean Stanton did.

This fact represent the main quality of ’’Lucky’’, a painfully slow story about the 91-year old atheist starting nowhere and leading us there. Long cuts, wide frames will mimic the spirit of ''Paris, Texas'' but in an empty way, as so will the vague and disdainful dialogues of the other characters irritate the mind of even a beyond average viewer.

’’Lucky’’ is the last movie of a really good actor and nothing more than that.

LUCKY – 3/10

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ALMOST PERFECT

There are still some great ideas left in Hollywood, followed by some great actors and great directors. And sometimes, all of those people get combined together in something called a great drama about a mourning mother of a murdered daughter that decides to rock the small community in Ebbing, Missouri to its foundations in an attempt to restart the police investigation that is tapping in one place for months by criticizing the local law enforcement by leasing three billboards just outside the city limits.

On that road, magnificent Frances McDormand will receive some fierce (best Sam Rockwell in years) and some moderate opposition (always reliable Woody Harrelson), while one of the most gifted writers and directors of the younger generation (McDonagh) discreetly follows the unraveling of this peculiar social experiment. Trademark humor that we saw in ’’In Bruges’’ will be there as well, and everything will go smoothly till the beginning of the bottom third of the movie.

There, the script will dissipate, as well as the motivation and actions of the main characters, leading to the disappointing ending of this great movie story.

’’Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri’’ is, beyond any doubt, the best US movie this year, although plagued by some serious flaws and it will represent no surprise if it sweeps the ’’Oscars’’.

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI – 8/10

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BEAUTIFUL AND PATHETIC HISTORICAL DISTORTION

Historical drama in modern day Hollywood is in a dead end that seems endless at this moment. There are just not some decent scripts left, even if they are depicting some of the most fascinating characters and events of our civilization.

Yes, not even the rise of Winston Churchill to power can give us a non-sweetened and real story without much distortion of historical facts. No, ’’Darkest hour’’ can’t even grant us with some decent acting, and if Gary Oldman receives the ’’Golden boy’’ for his somewhat parody-like portrayal of the greatest British politician of this century, it will represent a injustice, both to his impeccable career and his opponents in ’’Kodak Theater’’.

On the other hand, not everything will be dark in ’’Darkest hour’’, since Joe Wright will give us some really great focusing, light and overhead cuts, making it deservedly to all the major directing nominations.

’’Darkest hour’’ will represent the feast for the eye, but your brain will be pretty much annoyed during the entire course of the movie.

DARKEST HOUR – 4/10

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UNFORGETTABLE ROMANIAN DESTROYER

Modern day Romanian cinema specializes in gritty and dark presentations of contemporary Romanian society in social and economic transition.

Much acclaimed ’’4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days’’ deals with the very ending of Nicolae Chaushesku’s reign of tyranny, setting the story about two young college girls trying to perform an (then) illegal abortion in a small city in the Romanian countryside.

Graphic presentation of poverty, corruption and overall sense of filth and hopelessness will be just devastating, as the depiction medical procedure. That sense will be especially emphasized with fanatically consistent directing of Cristian Mungiu, terrorizing the viewer with his long cuts, silence between the actors and the claustrophobic inconvenience overpowering the female lead (fantastic Anamaria Marinca) and supporting character.

But Mungiu won’t stop there with the creation of ’’just’’ another brutal European drama. He will dissect the entire Romanian society and as any great socially active man of art, shed the light on every single aspect of the question of woman rights, abortion and sexual education of young people. Closure of the movie will be as brutal and sudden as the whole flick, leaving the viewer to digest what he/she just saw and try to get some lessons from the film.

’’4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days’’ is a must see movie for women, especially those who claim to be fighting for their rights, since it is a true, down to Earth film that deals with real problems and opens some of the most significant social themes of the modern society.


4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS – 8/10


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