DaViD´82

The concept of an old-school adventure film, the kind that is no longer in vogue today. This is Dumas to the core. Admittedly, in terms of style, it's dirtier and grittier than usual, with a few (not bad at all) subplots of its own, but otherwise it's exactly what you'd want from a modern adaptation of a classic. The production design, the locations, the costumes, the choreography of the single take action, the pacing, the characters, everything is so classic Three Musketeers that is almost surprising. I expected (or rather feared) a greater mincing of the source material in a (post)modern package. As soon as I left the cinema I immediately looked to see when the second part would come, and sadly, it isn’t until the end of the year.

A two-part in-depth (it's three and a half hours long) look at the rise, career, private life and fall of Boris Becker. From the position of world No.1, a phenomenon of his time, a breaker of several (often still valid) tennis records and the best, there is a hell a long fall. To say he hit rock bottom is a gross understatement. Boris's tennis career was and is fascinating material in its own right, with a private life plagued by addiction to pills, relationships and the media alike. The downfall in the form of trusting the wrong people, a tendency to sugarcoat "the story needs to be spiced up, I mustn't be boering, even if I'm deliberately lying to myself", bad investments, a career as a commentator, almost diplomat and coach, and of course the financial problems and jail. Gibney has a way with athletes, interviewing Becker during the budding debt scandal and days before he went to jail, and he is not afraid to bring up burning issues – he did it once with Amrstrong and he’s done it here. He managed to get everyone, from top players, coaches to loved ones, in front of the camera. That alone would have been strong enough, but it's not just about Becker in the end. Psychology and the proverbial "in tennis you play against yourself first and then against your opponent" are discussed at length from the point of view of several players. There are several additional themes, the careers of top athletes who have been multi-millionaires since they were teenagers, the use of slurs, etc. There really is a lot and often much more depth than one would expect. And as an added bonus, it's delivered gut-wrenchingly, with Morricone's music and the introduction of famous players with titles like Leone’s. And as with Armstrong and cycling, it's all accessible even to those untouched by tennis because it's all about a fascinating fate in the first place.

This year we are getting the Ballerina, from the wold of John Wick. I really don’t think you could ask for a better (un)admitted heroine-driven spin-off of "Wickverse". Somewhat overwrought in the opening, but it wouldn't be South Korea if it didn't gradually start to thicken. And before you know it, the comedy becomes an uncompromising fate drama with carefully constructed motivations; and emotions that work because of it. And although the action is very solid and imaginative and playful (at least two passages are a must for fans of choreography), it's the dramatic component that actually pulls it in the second half.

Guardians of the Fantasy. It has more drive and it’s more fun than all the comic book movies of recent years. But have to be aware this is not standard-issue fantasy, but a cheeky popcorn Marvel movie in a fantasy guise.

A gripping and smart thriller that relies on the battle of intellects and intuition of the excellent Spacey/Jackson duo, and specially on the great dialogues. Thrilling, unconventional, with characters that are not black and white. Excellent, even after several screenings.

A cool rip-off of Shogun Assassin with references to a couple dozen other films. One big stylistic exercise, which in the shadow of the brilliant Volume II completely loses its meaning and unnecessarily takes away from the credit of the whole. ♫ OST song rating: 4/5

Spectacularly served pathos, full of awkwardness, traditionally Emmerich overwrought running time and embodied mediocrity. The latex Gojira in the cardboard sets has much more charm than this nicely rendered sterility. ♫ Song OST rating: 2/5

Ace Ventura is back and not even the great Carrey can save him for the second time. This time he gets his feet kicked by the utterly boring direction and a dull script. Still, thanks to the main character (or rather, the actor) and a few good scenes, it's watchable without significant harm.

This is my cup of tea. The first full-feature romp of Monty Python. Perfection, originality and absurdity ooze from every scene.

A slew of awkward and brilliant scenes. Overall, almost the same as the first part, i.e., a solid easygoing comedy for teenagers that doesn’t pretend to be anything else.