Lima

I really don’t know what to think about this. De Palma is still a playful director, but this time he attempted a screenplay, and I wonder if he wasn’t permanently high when he wrote it. The plot is very convoluted, but the whole film is nothing compared to the final ten minutes, when everything twists and turns while connecting in a bizarre plot twist. I feel that De Palma just took the piss out of the viewers. We can only shake our heads at the result and admit that such a farce is definitely worth watching. And in case you don’t agree with me, there’s also Rebecca and her legs longer than the week before payday and the director doesn’t spare her boobs.

It’s not as solid as Dead Man, but it’s more approachable for a wider audience. Jarmusch manages to cram a lot of ideas and interesting life insights into what is essentially a simple revenge story of a professional killer who follows the samurai code, thus elevating this film above the ordinary stuff. What I also appreciate is the choice of soundtrack. In Dead Man it was Neil Young's great mimimalism, here it was RZA's hip-hop sounds, which fits the mood of the film perfectly.

A very unsuccessful attempt at a black version of Cool Hand Luke. Two blokes accidentally get into trouble and are sentenced to life in prison. The script is very schizophrenic, at times it looks like a fateful drama, at times like a comedy. The two together don't work and the filmmakers deserve to be kicked for some sloppy passages. But if you want to see what Eddie Murphy will look like at 90, check it out, that make up is perfect.

The fates of several young people divided in three short stories. Thanks to the interconnectedness of the stories and their titles on a black background, Go felt like some sort of teenage Pulp Fiction. At times harsh, at times funny, and most importantly, briskly filmed, it has pace. Also worth mentioning is the great soundtrack, especially in the first story.

The only good thing about this film is its depressing ending. Otherwise, it’s cheap slog with terrible visual effects and shot without a shred of inventiveness. A lot more could have been squeezed out of a source material as interesting as Dick’s. Gary Sinise hasn't made anything good in years, and Impostor, which he even produced, is further proof of his decline. The only positive is that Madeleine Stowe is still beautiful. For her and for the satisfactory ending, I’m giving two stars.

Nice, yeah, but what is it really about? The whole film passes uneventfully, slowly, probably like the life of a lonely, withdrawn old man, which wouldn't have been a bad thing in principle, but I kept waiting in vain for the plot to move, for a twist or a memorable situation, some emotion. There was nothing nothing of the sort, except for a few good moments (but they were few!). About Schmidt is really about nothing. It only reassured me that Nicholson is a great actor and can play anything, but we all know that by now. If you want anything from Alexander Payne, I definitely recommend his brilliant Sideways, released two years later.

There are a couple of funny moments, but I was bored for most of the 100 minutes of the film. I didn't mind the hackneyed "the bad guys stole our plane and we, the US government, want it back" scheme, but rather that many scenes want to be terribly funny, but aren't, and many times miss the point. Eddie Murphy has once again squandered his rare comedic talent and I'm afraid this film will not be his return to the limelight.

Well, to be honest, it wasn't so bad that it could be compared to soap operas, which is not to say that it wasn't plot-wise so stupid and logically leaky. At the beginning it looked like a romantic flick, then there are some interesting twists and turns, and in the scene at the end I was cynically amused, its absurdity made me feel like I was watching a Monthy Python sketch, and the beautifully silly scene with the poison reminded me of Marysha and her coffee. I was cynically entertained and I can’t say I was disappointed.

After the brilliant Memento, Nolan reached for someone else’s script and once again he didn't go wrong. A great thriller that has more to offer than other similar genre films. The magical atmosphere of the Alaskan setting, the tired and circumstantially depressed Al Pacino, and Williams in an unconventional role (and he's good at it!), it's simply worth watching. The ambiguity of the behaviour of Detective Dormer, investigator and accomplice at the same time, adds a new, unusual dimension to the narrative. And if you happen to suffer from insomnia, add another star :)

A young rookie police officer is the victim of a mugging, then accidentally gets into trouble, triggering in a merry-go-round of violence from which there is no escape. An action B-movie with a promising beginning and some Tarantino-style wisecracks. The good introduction soon takes its toll and boredom sets in, the plot becomes completely stupid, but that wouldn't have mattered. What's worse is that the whole film takes itself terribly seriously, in places it looks like an existential drama, and yet there is no shortage of jokes in the action scenes to lighten it. The result is somewhat schizophrenic bollocks.