Good Drama

For this role Jodie received bunch of nominations and six awards, including her first Oscar. In my opinion, her role of Nell deserves an Oscar much more than this one or her role in "Silence of the Lambs" and this is far from being her best movie, but it has really strong story and it's worth watching.

7/10

"It ain't never too hot or never too cold for fuckin'!"

On the hottest day of the year, in some street in Brooklyn, people are becoming more and more nervous, until prejudice and hatred accumulated in them start to emerge to the surface and culminate in violence.

The film is written and directed by Spike Lee, and the scenario is deservedly nominated for an Oscar. It tells the story of quite ordinary people and how easily ordinary everyday life turns into an extreme situation. There is not a lot of action here, the film is low budget, and the only thing that stands out is the excellent characterization and the good actors able to convincingly present it. If you do not have too high expectations, this humorous drama will entertain you, but also give you a reason for reflection.

Fun fact - the word "fu-ck" is mentioned about 250 times, which, given the duration of the film, is an average of two times every minute.

7/10

"Abnormal pleasures kill the taste for normal ones"

Henry & June is a biographical erotic drama about Henry Miller, writer of the cult "Tropic of Cancer", and his wife, June, from the pen of his mistress Anaïs Nin. "Tropic of Cancer" is gathering dust on my bookshelf for decades, but after watching this movie I had to read it. Frankly, halfway through the book, I was on the verge of giving up reading, but the movie is good. Especially the performances of Fred Ward, Uma Thurman and Maria de Medeiros. And to spice things up, there is also brilliant Kevin Spacey.

7/10

Refreshing change

He finally gave up on four times repeated pattern and made a completely different story. This is not the story of a boxer who has to fight a bigger and bigger opponent in every sequel anymore, this is an emotional drama of a man who started from nothing, reached the stars and hit the bottom once again. A movie about being able to distinguish true values in life from current goals that blur the mind. The movie is not excellent in any aspect, but the story is the most interesting so far. Rocky's son is portrayed by Stallone’s son, which gives this father-son relationship more credibility. Music is not bad, but it cannot be compared with prequels, except for fantastic "The Measure of a Man" by Alan Menken, performed by Elton John. Definitely worth watching.

7,5/10

There is a pandemic of an extremely infectious and fast-acting virus with a hundred percent fatal outcome. While virologists are trying to curb the spread and save the sick, the army is preparing to bomb the affected area to prevent anyone from finding out it was a biological weapon they lost control of. Pretty tense and very well done with a fantastic cast - Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Donald Sutherland, Patrick Dempsey.

8/10

"The kingdom of God is within you and all around you. It is not within buildings of wood or stone. Split a piece of wood and you will find me. Look beneath a stone and I am there."

"Stigmata" deals with religious themes of stigmata and the "Gospel of Thomas," the oldest known gospel, which is considered to be the closest to the teachings of the historical Jesus. It is not included in the "New Testament", and the church considers it to be heretical. Although the film makes some historical and factual mistakes, it is not a documentary but fiction, so we can regard them as artistic freedoms, which, even if they do not contribute to the quality of the film, certainly do not diminish its strength. Patricia Arquette excellently portrays the role of a young atheist whose life is headed upside down by the inexplicable appearance of wounds similar to crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ, and Gabriel Byrne plays a priest sent from the Vatican to investigate her case. The chemistry between them is good and is the backbone of the film, and the powerful explicit scenes of stigmata appearance spice it up with horror atmosphere, although I would describe this movie as a drama rather than a horror.

7,5/10

Role of her life I was amazed by this movie when it was released. Two decades later I run into it and decided to watch it again. I must admit I have no idea why was I so thrilled back when I was 20. It is undeniably good, but it does not break into "required reading". The cast is excellent. Angelina Jolie inviolably dominates the movie and, although she is in supporting role, I think this was the role of her life. She deservedly took Academy Award and a dozen more first places on various film festivals. Winona is Winona, I was never able to form a coherent opinion about her. There are also Jared Leto, Whoopi Goldberg, Brittany Murphy, Elisabeth Moss, Vanessa Redgrave... Surely this movie is worth watching, if for no other reason than for really good acting. 7/10

Not as good as Pan's Labyrinth, but definitely worth watching.

"I made you the priest's whore"

"The Crime of Father Amaro" tells a story about a young Mexican priest who is lost in a world of romance and politics, a world that is completely new for him. With this theme and justified R classification, there were numerous controversies and attempts to ban it, but instead it became a big hit, earned more than any other Mexican film before it, and was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Personally, I think it is overrated and I do not see the quality that deserves an Oscar nomination, but I quite liked it and warmly recommend it.

7/10

"If you want something very badly, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, it was never yours to begin with."

Terribly underrated movie. Although the basic premise is somewhat unrealistic, consequences are something many couples, if not the majority of them, can relate to. Almost everyone at least once had essentially similar situation, regardless of the fact that specific circumstances were different. If nothing else, Woody, Demi, and Robert are enough reason to see this film.

8/10

You're not a man of God

Magdalene Asylum were institutions funded by the Catholic Church in Ireland in which young girls served a "prison sentence" for moral dangers for themselves and others. Moral offenses in the form of pregnancy outside of marriage, flirting with boys, and even being a victim of rape, brought these young girls to these laundries, with the legal consent of their fathers or family. The girls were brought without trial and were sentenced to forced labor for the rest of their lives. They suffered a barbaric treatment from the nuns and priests who led these institutions, justified by a conservative hysteria about sex. Magdalene Laundries destroyed about 30,000 women, and the last of these perverse institutions was closed only in 1996.

7/10

Sex, drugs and rock and roll in the 17th-century style

This is the story of John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, playwright and poet of the 17th century, the man who led a bohemian life to the extreme and drove himself to an early grave at 33. This role brought Johnny Depp award for the most offensive male role (Women Film Critics Circle Awards), and there are also fantastic John Malkovich, funny Richard Coyle, and beautiful Rosamund Pike. Sex, drugs and rock and roll in the 17th-century style.

8/10

Rounds up the Rocky story

There are so many Rocky movies one gets a feeling he's watching TV series. And when series is good we tend to emotionally tie to characters and now I'm sorry it's over. I thought, after 16 years since the last Rocky movie, this will be just another cheap attempt to squeeze more money out of the ancient franchise, but I was wrong. "Rocky Balboa" very nicely rounds up and closes this dear franchise. The story is emotional, has depth and it's very convincing, more than its prequels. I enjoyed every moment of this movie.

7,5/10

I saw Elvis, and he blew a kiss just for me!

I think this is a great drama, but I'm not really sure because I was crying most of the time...

8,5/10

"If you have a normal 21st century attention span, you won't get it."

8/10

P.S. Hannibal Lecter as Superman's butler :D

Religious fanaticism at its worst

9/11, but century and a half before the recent one. Back in 1857, in Utah, a group of settlers was killed by local Mormons. This movie tells a story about more than a hundred men, women, and children who lost their lives in the horrifying massacre. It's not a masterpiece of cinema, but it is definitely worth your time.

7/10

Brutal drama

The story is similar to "I Spit on Your Grave", but instead of a brutal horror manner, it's done as a mainstream drama. Jodie Foster is expectedly excellent. The movie blurs the line between good and evil in a way that will appeal both to mainstream audience and fans of brutal horrors.

8/10

I prefer the remake

Finally, I watched the Swedish version and I have to say that I prefer the American remake. This one is maybe a bit more realistic and more complete in some aspects, but I could not connect with characters on a deeper level, while remake blew me away emotionally. The movie is pretty good but I definitely wouldn't watch it again, while remake entered my list of favorite movies of all time after first watching. However, I recommend both, because although it is basically the same story, movies are very different.

7/10

Overall impression + spoilers + my ideas to improve the story

Warning: Spoilers

Great idea but a weak realization. The story has strength and depth and, if it was made by the book, the book probably kicks ass, but the movie left me indifferent. I cannot say what is the issue, if it is acting or directing or music or what... but until just a few minutes before the end I had absolutely no emotions towards what I was watching and I was bored. For the idea and the very end of the movie... 9/10, but the overall impression is about 5/10.

!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!

Christian girl gets involved with a Muslim refugee and gets pregnant. Christian police kill the Muslim and her child is taken away at birth and sent to an orphanage. Many years later she gets revenge for the tragedy of her youth by killing the leader of Christian police. She ends up in prison where she is raped by the cruelest guard. She gets pregnant again and gives birth to twins. After she is released from prison, she takes her children to Canada.

After she died her testament sends her children in a quest to find their father and brother and deliver letters from her. The daughter goes to search for the father and the son searches for the brother and they both find the same person.

The orphanage was destroyed in the war and the child was adopted by attackers and trained to be a killing machine. He ends up as a prison guard where he rapes a female prisoner, not knowing it was his mother.

Twins first get to know that their father is not killed in the war, as they were told. They find out that they are a result of their mother being raped in prison while she was serving sentence for murder. Then as icing on the cake, they find out that she was raped by the long lost son. So, in adult age, you find out that your whole life was a lie. Your mother is a murderer, you are a rape child, the rapist is your older brother, and you are just a side effect of sadistic, incestuous rape, and now you are expected to continue with your life as a mentally stable person... yea, right, like it is possible...

So, I would like to improve this already sick movie by adding some epilogue to it:

a) Father/brother receives both letters and, when his brain finally realizes shocking truth, he drops letters on the floor and jumps through the window (shoot himself in the head), while twins end up in a closed section of a sanitarium.

or, for those who root for a happy ending...

b) Twins cry in embranchment, which ends up "horizontally", and father/brother accepts his newfound family and joyfully awaits the birth of his grandchild/nephew and they lived happily ever after.

P.S. Yup, I know, I'm sick.

7/10

Overrated

Natalie did deserve her Oscar, but the movie overall is extremely boring. The first hour is agonizing, and then, after some 65 minutes, something finally begins to happen and the finale is great. But I was at the edge of giving up ten times and missing that good ending, because it takes real effort to go through the first hour.

Natalie: 9/10 Overall: 6/10

Chloë saved it

"Hick" is a drama about a white trash teenage girl who abandons her alcoholic parents and the violent redneck environment she grows up in and, with determination and a gun, she leaves for Las Vegas. The story of an unhappy childhood, the struggle for survival and the desire for adventure from the perspective of a teenage girl, mediocrely written but brilliantly presented by then-thirteen-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz, followed by a supporting cast that does not lag behind. At times humorous but overwhelmingly heavy and painful, this film is, in my opinion, unfairly underrated.

7/10

Alain: Do you want to fuck? Stephanie: Huh? Alain: You want to know if it still works? So, let's fuck! Stephanie: Just like that? Alain: Yeah! Stephanie: I don't know if I can do it just like that. Alain: When you feel like it, tell me.

Alain and his son move from Belgium to the French Riviera, where he meets Stephanie, a girl who trains killer whales. After she experiences an accident and remains disabled, their relationship begins to deepen. "Rust and Bone" is a bit morbid but realistic and essentially beautiful love drama, which will tie you to its protagonists and keep you focused from the beginning to the end. The movie is nothing spectacular, but it is quite a refreshment within the genre and I warmly recommend it.

7/10

"We have each other. Everything else is background noise."

The idea is great and well developed. At first glance, it seems predictable, but in fact, it is not. It has unexpected... not exactly twists or turnovers, let's say unexpected situation development. Unfortunately, in a manner of many movies these days, a fantastic 90 minutes story was stretched and raped to 150 minutes and the final blow to the quality of this movie inflicts Ben Affleck who is lousy by default. I never saw a movie where Affleck gives a stunning performance and even my favorite "Chasing Amy" is partially ruined by his sleaziness. All in all, replace Affleck and cut it under 2 hours and you'll get strong 9/10. But this way... 7, maybe

7,5/10

After 15 minutes I was at the edge of giving up on it... It's good that I didn't. Movie starts a bit slower and it takes some time for viewer to connect with main character and understand what is that all about... and then this movie blows you away. It is not for action fans that seek adrenaline fun, but drama fans will love it.

8/10

Excellent, but somehow, not powerful enough

Excellent story, excellent choice of actors, excellent acting, excellent directing, excellent everything. However, the story this powerful should have blown me away, so that I cannot come to my senses for quite some time after seeing it. But it did not. I don't know why. I cannot find any flaws in this movie, yet, it did not leave an impression strong enough for 10/10. I am aware that I just saw a great movie, but I'm not thrilled. Therefore, here's one completely unsubstantiated

8/10

Lovely

This movie was on my watch-list only because Johnny Depp was in it. It turned out that his character, although the whole story rotates about him, shows up for just a few minutes, but instead I was pleasantly surprised with the excellent cast. I never saw Toni Collette before, but she was awesome carrying her role and basically the whole movie. And if I knew that Ryan Eggold is one of the main actors this movie would be on my watch-list even if there was no Johnny Depp.

This is slow and easy emotional drama about rock reporter whose career withers away and who gets the assignment to write an article about the popular musician who went missing decade ago, leaving behind his career and her, his long-term girlfriend. While it was generally accepted that he committed suicide, his body was never found and she has several reasons to believe he is still somewhere out there. Accompanied by another ex-boyfriend, who wants to shot a documentary about the whole thing, she begins the quest to find him. While searching for answers for her article, in the process she explores her own past, her emotions and meaning of own life. At the end she finds not exactly what she was searching for, but what she needed to take back control over her own life and future. This is not a cinematographic masterpiece, but it is a warm human story in which we can all find parts of ourselves, cause every one of us, at least once in our lives, had some part of our past dragged along for too long.

7,5/10

Mandatory for every real fan of 7th art

The first episode of "The Wire" was really boring to me. I was at the edge of giving it up after 20 minutes, and I was almost sure that I won't continue to watch it further than the pilot. Then, I decided to give it a chance because of its reputation and I was hooked. Unlike other crime series where every episode has own, more or less independent plot, while all are connected by common background or group of main characters, here the whole season is one story, like an extremely long movie. Just imagine one episode of some crime show stretched to 13 hours. Of course, it will seem boring at the start, but at the other hand, this approach gives authors a chance to develop every aspect of the story to the smallest details and to do a deep characterization of every character and their mutual relationships and backgrounds. Combine this with excellent cast capable to carry this kind of story and with extreme level of realism, without good guys and bad guys, just regular people with all their virtues and flaws, whose lives took various paths and took them to opposite sides of drug war, and you'll get strong and deep human drama. This is not a crime show, this is a heavy drama that tries to show the reality of people in the specific surrounding. I will restrain from rating, at least until I'm done with the first season, but it seems it will justify its reputation. Give it a chance. It takes just a little patience to get through the introduction and once you are pulled in you'll see it was worth it.

* * * *

Last night I finished the first season. You know that feeling when it hurts that there's no more. I mean, yes, there are four more seasons, but if I understood right, they are independent stories without connection to previous seasons. I don't have a feeling that I just finished the show, but more like I spent whole life with those people. It’s like I personally know and love every single one of them and now they are all gone at the same time and I miss them badly. I'm not sure I can go that far to say it's the best TV show ever made, especially before I go through all five seasons, but it surely is pure 10/10. And nonetheless movie 10/10. Cause in every aspect, except for its length, this is more one big movie than a regular TV show. Anyway, this is something everyone should see, regardless of personal taste and interest, in the same way as everyone should read Dostoevsky. This is, or surely will become, classic for all times.

10/10

Accidentally similar or copied

The movie is pretty much emotional and, I admit, it made me cry at the end, but besides that, really nothing special. If you watch it you won't regret it, but if you skip it you won't miss much. Technically speaking, the movie is OK, it does not fail anywhere, but it does not impress either, and the acting is good. The plot is ordinary occupation story, with the fact that in Europe we are used to seeing German occupation of European countries while here we have Japanese occupation of Korea. But besides location and different race of actors, this is basically nothing new. I believe that younger generations of Japanese and Korean people should see it, but for the rest of the world, I doubt it is too interesting. Honestly, I was a bit bored. Not enough to give up on it, but if, for example, I was forced to stop watching for some reason, I believe I would not continue later. I would probably completely forget about it. Leading actress is real sweetheart thou, and she was great in her role, but besides that overall impression of the movie is

6,5/10

Eight months later, when I was watching "The Last Emperor", I had the impression that some parts of it were very familiar, as if I had already watched it, and I was sure I didn't. It was only in the last scene that I realized why, because the loan was so large that it could not go unnoticed. "The Last Princess" was apparently created after the model of "The Last Emperor". The titles of the films are almost identical, the story has a lot of similarities, and the end of "The Last Princess" is almost copied from "The Last Emperor". The fact is that the stories of the last Korean princess and the last Chinese emperor by their very nature must have some similarities, but the similarity of these two films is too large to be attributed to coincidence. All other similarities could be accidental, although I do not believe they are, but the end is definitely ripped off.

Authors of "Me Before You"should watch this and then go to corner to be ashamed of themselves. Yes, I cried, so what?! :P

8,5/10

Ending song is really performed by Bec. Beside singing it, Emmy Rossum also wrote it. She instantly became one of my favorite actresses.

P.S. The Intouchables still holds the throne on this topic.

Many claim this to be the best adaptation of Stephen King. I will refrain from such claims until I saw them all (so far I have seen 14 out of around 80), but it sure is great. Story is not typical King, but, even if I didn't know what I'm watching, I would recognize King by overall atmosphere. This adventure is placed at the end of '50s, also one of King's signatures, and followed by excellent choice of music from that period. Fans of horror, fantasy and suspense adventure may be disappointed by the lack of all, cause this movie almost has no plot and it's based on characterization and human relationships. For just hour and a half, that summarize two days of boys adventure, we get to know those four twelve years old boys so good that we get impression we grew up together with them. Besides King's writing and Reiner's directing, great merits for such an impression go to four boys that will soon grow up into famous actors - star of Star Trek Wil Wheaton, prematurely deceased River Phoenix (who, strangely, dies prematurely in movie too), less famous but very productive Corey Feldman (Gremlins, Goonies, voice of Donatello in TMNT), Kiefer Sutherland and lots more of more or less known faces. All in all, if you don't expect typical King and know how to enjoy good family drama, this movie would be shame to miss.

8/10

Soundtrack for this movie is one of the first CDs I got and one of the most worn out ones. But it took me more than two decades to finally see the movie too. I suppose I was dodging it because of pretty much bad reviews and, once again, I missed the good movie. Ok, it's not masterpiece, but for an action drama it is above average. And music kicks ass!

7/10