POOR PORTRAYAL

Jackson Pollock was one of the most fascinating modern US painters and Ed Harris took on himself the task of protraying his life on big screen, both behind and in front of the camera. And that portrayal was just too blunt, too flat-lined and empty. Harris remarakably looks like the late artist and  that fact represents the single largest quality of this biopic. Development of the trademark pointillistic style of painting will also be done in a too plain way, as weel as the outcome of the entire movie.

„Pollock”  is one dissappointignly forgetable movie experience.

POLLOCK – 3/10

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ARTISTIC BRAINWASH

Artistic flicks are one of the most dangerous movie categories because the directors and screenwriters can really, really easily step into the vast sea of banality, stupidity and pretentiousness. And this is exactly what happened to „The Lobster”, easily the most annoying flick of the entire movie season.

There isn't a story here, nor acting, nor much sense. Just random scenes, absurd dialogues and overall sense of the movie maker's arrogance.

Taking everything said and done into consideration, „The Lobster” is just one of those flicks you should NEVER watch. Never. Ever.

LOBESTER - 1/10

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BEAUTIFUL, BUT ONLY HALF FULL

Korean film directors are PhDs in violent masterpieces and „Bittersweet life” is no exception.

The story is in the back plan of the entire of the flick, concentrating on a pretty thin mix already seen elements of revenge and betrayal inside the mafia circles. Major asset of Kim Jee-Woon's movie is the blazing production, camera and light of action sequences at its core. The director is very well aware of that, so he exploits them to the very extreme, leaving the viewer feeling awed, but pretty much empty at the end.

„A bittersweet life” is the feast for the eye, but sadly not for the ear and brain as well.

A BITTERSWEET LIFE - 5/10

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TOO ARTSY

Everything we already saw in „Sympathy for Mr.Vengeance” is there in the second part of „The Vengeance trilogy” by Park Chan-Wook, but enhanced to the very limit. This particularly goes for the artistic approach to camera, lighting and choreography which are both mesmerizing, but also a bit tiresome.

Plot uses the two trademarks of Korean scriptwriters: overlapping of stories and course of time and it uses it with some variable success. First part of the movie tends to stall everything, while things get a bit more interesting towards the end, with some true life dramatical questions opened up in the waiting room.

„Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” is a beautiful picture, but with no matching sound to complement it.

SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE - 5/10

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A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE

Korean new wave cinema reinvented the trash slash action thriller genre, combining it along the way with some drama and artistic elements. The backbone of that new mutated line of movies tends to be motive of vengeance.

„Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” is the first part of the much acclaimed „Revenge” trilogy by the gifted director Park Chan-Wook, climaxing in the worldwide known „Oldboy”.

First part of the saga brings us the story of the deaf and dumb young man that kidnaps his boss's daughter so he can pay the kidney transplantation for his sister. As it often does, everything in his plan goes wrong and a lot of side characters get drawn into the plot, complicating and overlapping the story to the very end.

Directing is superb, with strong symbolism and beautifully shot violent scenes throughout the entire course of the movie. Acting is just mesmerizing, led by Kang-ho Song, as well as the action choreography.

„Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” is a true masterpiece of New wave Korean violent thriller drama.

SYMPATHY FOR MR.VENGEANCE - 8/10


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UNBEARABLY PRETENTIOUS

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Artistic cinema always tends to walk on the very edge of acceptance blade.

The forced symbolism, extremely long empty cuts and almost silent atmosphere of one of the most acclaimed Hungarian movies of this century, „Werckmeister harmonies” sadly falls from that blade into the vast dark sea of pretentiousness and mind raping even for the above average viewer.

„Werckmeister harmonies” is just one of those unbearable flicks that you wish you have never watched.

WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES - 1/10

LONG LIVE KOREAN SCREENWRITERS!

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Americans used to know how to make a quality thriller and sell it to the world in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but they lost it. Koreans found that craftsmanship at the turn of centuries and revived the genre in the most beautiful way.

”Montage” has a superbly original script, built around the ageing case that has haunted the victim’s mother and the detective in charge of the case for a decade, but refuses to die off. Suspense is really high throughout, even though the action sequences tend to repeat themselves. The twists are powerful and unexpected. Even the ending isn’t your typical one, defeating the boring American ”safe” concept. When you add some superb cinematography and original angles to it, you get one really prominent movie.

”Montage” represents an absolute recommendation for the genre lovers, as well for everyone else.

MONTAGE - 8/10

SLOW, BUT ARTISTIC

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Aki Kaurismaki is one of the visually most astonishing directors of the past couple of decades. Finnish movie maker blurs the line between the theatre and the cinema, as well as the one between comic books and movies. ”The man with no past” is no exception when it comes to color gamma and lighting.

The thing that represents the major issue with Kaurismaki’s flick is the script. It is too blunt and too shallow for a movie. Characters are pretty much flat from beginning to the end and their actions can be considered naïve by present standards. Same thing applies for the plot itself.

”The man without a past” is the feast for the eye, but sadly, not for the brain as well.

MAN WITHOUT A PAST – 3/10