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The Writer (2023)
An awesome dialogue-heavy drama.
I waited many years for this film, and it did not disappoint me after finally seeing it. Romas Zabarauskas has once again proved that he is an excellent and severely underappreciated, often misunderstood director. While a few tiny bits of the dialogue feel forced or use artificial vocabulary, those are very few and far between as overall the film has a very tight script. The film has a true mature portrayal of a relationship, that most films only wish to have. An ending, to such a heavy film, having a light comedic touch is rather an odd choice, yet unsurprising knowing who this comes from, but I respect it.
The Secret of Karma (2020)
This is super odd.
A lot of the characters were dubbed. The whole idea is sort of like a Cloud Atlas wanna-be, but with an opposite moral. The title of the film is quite misleading I would say, and so is the cover. They put the most famous actors on the front of the cover, but they are merely the side characters. I kind of disagree with the message the film is trying to convey, and the whole narrative and progression are done in a rather convoluted manner, but I found most of it fascinating. The score is pompous and from the visual sense, everything looks awful and quite good simultaneously. The film clearly had a low budget and it feels like most of it was filmed in front of a green screen, and it all looks so fake and cheap, but a lot of it looks surprisingly good, especially in comparison to other sci-fi films with low budget.
Rango (2011)
Who is the target audience for this?
The art style of it is so dry and boring. Environments mostly consist of dull colouring. Almost all of the characters are revoltingly ugly. The whole film is just disgusting to look at in the visual sense. It uses very realistic animation to such a degree that it is closer to real life than a standard animated film, and the characters are so hideous. It arouses revulsion while watching it, I can't imagine kids loving it for how this film looks visually. Certainly, I was not too fond of it as a kid. And I get it, in many Westerns, characters are filthy and disgusting and this film is like a parody of your average Western, but it comes to my 2nd point.
Who is this film made for? The kids certainly will not recognise most if not any of the references to the classic Western films. And except for one scene, this film is too lacklustre for adults watching this for references and nostalgia alone. When it comes to jokes this film is too inappropriate for kids, the adult jokes are not even subtle in the slightest and I can see plenty of kids being disgusted or scared by the film. But simultaneously the film is way too silly and primitive for adults.
The protagonist is not only unlikeable but severely creepy as well.
But despite all the underwhelming aspects of the film, I can praise its beginning, the first 20 minutes or so are quite original and interesting. And I like that "Western spirit" encounter, even though it's a shame that it was not Clint Eastwood who voiced the character. And I can definitely praise the action scenes, due to the super realistic animation and art style they look quite real and awesome. So overall the film is a mixed bag.
Daniel der Zauberer (2004)
It is not a good film in an objective sense but...
I sure can see how most people would consider this one of the worst films ever made. Production is super cheap in half the scenes. And a few scenes have some random nonsensical moments which are even weirder than the bizarre main events that surround them. The plot is very odd and the film gives very eccentric vibes for better or for worse.
But I found the film to be overwhelmingly heartwarming and uplifting. It is also such a personal project - semi-fictional and semi-biographical as it involves some events from the singer's life that actually happened in real life but also features tons of fantasy elements as well. It is such a passion project and I was so cheered by it that it would be impossible for me to dislike it.
I personally really loved the songs and Daniel is beyond cute. He's so adorable, beautiful and charming, but I have a thing for skinny guys with long hair so maybe it's just me.
Besides everything, the film also somewhat foreshadows the disturbing events that followed years later in real life. So, now it is an important film to exist as a historical artefact in retrospect to the singer's death.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Way deeper and complex than most comedies.
I used to dislike this film when I was a kid, the whole premise of a man pretending to be a woman was quite lame. But now I realise that this film is about way more than that. The relationship dynamics are extremely complex and subtle. Pierce Brosnan and Sally Field both give spectacular performances, and then there's also Mara Wilson and Robin Williams too, they performed okay, but were chosen perfect for this film. You'd think that the film would be all about silly jokes, but there is a lot of exploration of the relationships, some of the best ideas are that the wife can't talk it out with her husband as he is always silly and whimsical, yet she can talk herself out with Mrs. Doubtfire who is a great listener. It isn't as much about the husband trying to deceitfully get the information out of his wife as it is about him realising how much of an awful husband he is. Most movies like this would most definitely make the mom character a really unlikeable antagonist, but here, if you look closely, it is the protagonist who is the villain. He is truly a despicable person in many ways, he is an extremely manipulative liar, a creepy stalker and unfairly malicious to Stu, who also is a special character in this film. In most movies Stu would be portrayed as a seemingly nice guy at front, but a complete jerk with evil plans in reality, but here he is actually a very nice and caring person for the most part, except that he is rich and spoiled and scornful towards Daniel when no one of Daniel's family is around, and it is part of his character, but he does not mean it in a malicious way which makes him a flawed but great person as we can see, he not only cares for his crush, but he really loves her children too. Getting back to the Daniel character, who even though is a horrible husband, he is also an amazing father as the majority of the malicious things he does are for the sake of his children, it really makes one wonder that when one loves, one can do miraculous deeds, but with the vices of pride or envy, one can simultaneously perform pernicious actions. And I don't think that these characters even have self-awareness of their actions whenever they perpetrate them, yet if they knew they'd drown in deep remorse as actually can be seen in the scene where Daniel puts pepper on the dish. What a brilliant film!
FPS: First Person Shooter (2023)
Great, but far from "definitive".
Me having a huge knowledge and interest in FPS games made me the target audience for this film. In fact, this was one of my most anticipated film releases of all time. I backed this project and waited eagerly for its release. Was it disappointing? No. But I certainly expected it to be better in some aspects, but to compensate the film surprised me that it shines in other aspects I did not expect it to shine.
For one, the film is massive. It runs for 4h35min, and it is the 3rd longest film (that is in a single part) that I have seen in my life. And the longest film that I watched in a single sitting. But I'm happy to say that even with some parts overstaying their welcome a bit, I don't think it should be cut. In fact, I wouldn't have minded it being even longer and covering even more games, or expanding on some of the covered ones that were only talked about briefly.
The film featured a lot of video games and of all the games mentioned or shown in the film I only haven't heard of two of them. And both of them are almost twice as old as me, so I wasn't surprised that I did not know them.
It would have been really great if the film talked about some obscure games I haven't heard of, but considering it is about the whole history of the FPS genre, there were already tons of important major stuff to cover. And this is where the film shines and fails a bit. It shines, cause it somehow covers a few, while not completely obscure, but for sure not as well-known games such as Prey (2006) or SiN Episodes: Emergence (2006) and some others which was unexpected and so awesome to see being covered. On the other hand, the documentary somehow does not cover some very important games like Bioshock, Far Cry, Far Cry 3, Crysis, DOOM 3 and maybe Killzone. Yes, you do get 3-second clips showing Far Cry, Killzone and Bioshock, but they are so important to FPS history that they really deserved full coverage. I'm sure there are many important ones that I didn't mention that they missed.
What is quite odd is the pacing. The first half of the film, is almost chronological history, then it jumps to focus on multiplayer games and from that one it jumps back and forth to random directions. It's a real mess of an order. They should have either gone fully chronological or made their sections less scattered. That is also the reason why some parts began to drag. They covered all 3 Halo games in a row, it took so long and I was a bit tired of it. This wouldn't have been a problem if they talked about other games in between Halo games.
What is the biggest shock of all is that there is absolutely no coverage for VR games. None. They covered many categories of lesser importance which I really appreciate, but no word on VR games is almost a sin. Also, only one on-rails shooter was mentioned.
I also have some serious complaints about the subtitles too. These are the official subtitles of the film that came together with the film. While great for the most part, I noticed a few grammar mistakes and spelling mistakes, but there was one which is just awful. In one moment "COD" is mentioned which stands for 'Call of Duty' and it wasn't even the first time the acronym was said in the film. But the subtitler misheard the word and wrote "Kai" instead... I suspect that the subtitles were done either by someone who doesn't play video games or barely plays them or just didn't care enough about this at all. Cause under the context it was clear that it should have been "COD", even people who never played games could've figured this out as the term was mentioned before already and when it was said there, the footage of one Call of Duty game was shown... Epic fail.
I also realised how much important information this film doesn't tell like when did regenerating health trend began, which game invented the weapon position being on the right instead of the middle, the history of NPC A. I. evolution as well as technical settings customization, many important visual graphical and technical innovations showcase and plenty of other important things were all either not discussed at all or barely touched.
Still, all the flaws aside, this is a great work. It has a huge pile of information in it. While I knew a lot of what it showed already, I also heard a lot that I didn't know before, so I'm glad I watched it. This documentary serves quite well to people who barely know anything and would want to learn the history of FPS and it probably isn't useless to most of the huge nerds and experts either.
Fireproof (2008)
If you don't mind Christian themes and pretty low production values, definitely give this one a try.
Fireproof is an excellent film. Acting sometimes may not be good, and I do not agree with some ideas, but for the most part is it spectacular. Even though on the technical level the film feels cheaply made at times, a few scenes are breathtaking. For one the car accident scene was marvellously done, also the moment when a man falls on another man which was just a few seconds bit looked like authentic footage, like some real-life cop-filmed footage. The film's concept is very unique too, a man who clearly screwed his marriage begins a 40-day experiment to save his marriage. What is interesting about it all is that it keeps not working for them and you can't blame either side for it, the film makes you to empathy with both sides. This film has some of the best romance I've ever seen, sure not every scene is jaw-dropping, but there are many. If a good plot premise wasn't enough, the film drops a few massive plot twists as well somehow manages to avoid some huge flaws I was fearing while watching it, it could have taken a few paths which many films have done, yet it avoided them all. For example, I loved all the characters, many films with similar stories try to make some characters unlikable/do some misdeeds to make way for a plot to proceed, but this film avoids it, it lets characters decide for themselves between multiple choices instead of coercing their choice with an overwhelming push towards a single direction. And besides everything, the film is very deep, it motivates me to improve upon myself and inspires me to be a better person.
Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)
Somehow not as bad as I anticipated, yet still terrible. Still, it's for sure better than the awful 3rd film.
Okay as for the negatives, this film sure has some heavy ones:
The vast majority of the film is clearly filmed with a green screen and with some added filters and it all looks abysmal. It looks worse than youtube videos with filters, it reminds me a lot of Youtube Rewind style. Sometimes it's so poorly done that characters' head outlines are heavily blurred... Possibly the worst green screen usage I have ever seen in a film.
The first 10 minutes are a remake of the first film, though later it is revealed why it is that way, it's just such an odd choice.
And as expected, plotwise the film follows the generic route of a horror film, but almost all horror films do, so I can't complain too much about it.
As for the good stuff:
Action scenes are actually competent, both fighting choreography and editing. I'm really impressed considering the awful green screen. Some kills are cool.
The usage of some kind of techno music during some of the intense scenes is a strange choice. But I guess I'll take creativity over tradition.
Jeeper itself looks worse than in the previous films, but once I got used, it's actually pretty cool looking.
The film's title is actually a bit deeper than the usual crap "resurrection; revenge; the return of; etc" this film's title actually foreshadows something which is cool.
I like the idea of the ending as well. The credits were cool too.
Overall, it's a really cheaply made generic horror film, but I liked some parts of it to the point that I wouldn't call it a complete failure, though it's still a pretty poor film.
Stargate (1994)
Stargate is one of those good old blockbusters.
It reminds me heavily of The Mummy (1999), which even shares one actor at the very least, but many of the aesthetics and events are very similar too. It also heavily reminds me of Serious Sam: The First Encounter (2001), both have a desert, teleportation, aliens, Egypt culture and Kurt Russell's character looks quite similar to how Sam Stone looked in the first game and of course he's like an action hero in this film which adds more to the similarities. Of course, Stargate came first before them both, so I wonder if this was the inspiration for them.
Anyway, Stargate is a family-friendly blockbuster, the language isn't much profane, doesn't feature any nudity or sex and the violence is the bare minimum, mostly bloodless though there is one moment when it goes in comparison to everything else in the film a bit extreme which may bother some parents/kids. But I still think that this film is suitable for most kids.
Stargate starts with a well-done mystery which kept me engaged for the first quarter of the film as it then gets solved. The characters are very awesome, I liked the film's political messages as well as the other themes it provides. It is a very heartwarming and cute film, with most stuff being quite simple, but there is some more advanced, more serious stuff going on here too which is a very welcome addition.
What sucks though is the villain, he is so pathetic and awful. His whole personality is just being evil and nothing else, he looks like and talks like a spoiled brat and his powers are pathetic, he often needs to rely on his minions anyway... It may be the biggest loser of a villain I have ever seen.
Anyway, Stargate is a film which I miss nowadays, it is full of heart and soul, unlike modern blockbusters. Dune (2021) was also set in a desert yet was as empty as they come.
Unforgiven (1992)
It's insane how intimidating this film is.
I was so shaken after watching it I couldn't stop thinking about it for 10 minutes straight. It's very dark and honest. It's about how little it takes to bring the worst out of us men. It is so superbly made, the music has such perfect timing, it gives me shivers, also, the camera always points in the right direction, often the faces of the characters to show how they feel, but it gives many pretty wide shots of horizons and environments too.
The performances are so incredible, I don't think Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman ever reached such frightening performances ever again. The film is actually horrifying, I could even call this horror. The contents of it are very disturbing and the film isn't even gory or very much violent. The violence is pretty rare and far in between, the film takes murder very seriously and condemns it. It's the thought that counts.
The dialogues can sometimes feel very preachy, but that is present in many of Clint Eastwood's films, but here once you get used to it fits perfectly well, I think the character is supposed to be very preachy. The film constantly tries to look for the better qualities in men, but ultimately reveals how much full of sin, temptation and evil are within us. Hell, sometimes the characters look directly at the camera and they're not talking only to the other characters of the film but in a way directly to us viewers as well. Just like Winter Light (1963) it clearly is like a personal attack on the viewer forcing us to reflect on our own misdeeds, lack of self-control and will to become better, but unlike that film it isn't about religious faith and mannerisms, it's about general values and behaviour.
Can the characters in the film be forgiven for what they have done? But even more importantly, can we be forgiven ourselves? The world is a dark place and this film sure does an amazing job of reminding us of that and it is we who make it dark. Masterpiece.
Mâdadayo (1993)
What a wholesome and heartwarming picture. The current generations should watch and learn from this.
Where do I even begin to talk about such a masterful work of art? The framing and editing are perfect, the camera is always pointing at what you need to see and encapsulates all what's essential while being neither too close nor too far away. Most are just simple static shots, but the simplicity of them is what makes them masterful. It's on the technical level awe-inspiring accomplishment.
Then there's the story, which is so versatile, it keeps changing its destination and mood all the time. What starts off as a sentimental celebration, somehow wanders to war, discussions about the history of the house where the professor lives, to the conflicts within the neighborhood and even to a huge mystery which isn't even solved and ends with shocking revelations. It's actually one of the best mysteries I have seen in films. Lastly, it ends with a celebration again which comes
to a full circle. There's so much variety in the film between the plot points that you will never guess where it's going.
Then there is the humour. Surprisingly, while dealing with serious topics the film is still hilarious. It constantly throws jokes at you one after another and they're so great. Some of the smartest jokes I have ever seen, mostly the professor constantly mocking himself and his alumni with irony, for every scene and situation they give you a joke look at it.
Then there are the complex themes. What started off as a silly gesture turned into a beautiful yearly tradition. Each year the alumni gather together to celebrate the birthday of the professor whom they really loved and pay him respects. Just like the centipede dance it unites people from multiple different generations, young and old, rich and poor to come together and engage in this beautiful sweet ceremony. The professor constantly sprays his morals and insight every opportunity he can. So many people from many different places come each year to check if the professor is still alive and to hear some of his wisdom on life one more time. And in such way, even after the school has ended many years ago he is still teaching his students new things, making them realise what they hadn't before and get a better understanding of life and themselves. Pretty much makes the saying 'Life is learning and learning is living' literal.
This film had me in tears in laughs the entire time. It often reminded me a lot of my own times when I come visit my teachers who thought me at school. I think there's a lot to learn from this for the current generations that lack respect for their teachers and even the unity with peers.
Ahlat Agaci (2018)
Exhausting, but worth it.
While it isn't anywhere near as hilarious as Winter Sleep (2014), it still has many laughs that add a bit of emotion to the otherwise completely cold and dry style of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's films.
The Wild Pear Tree is an exhausting experience to witness, but undoubtedly a rewarding one. In its runtime of over 3 hours, it made my brain run for its money considering how dialogue-heavy the film is, it required constant full attention and for such a long runtime it is a serious exercise.
The film is so difficult that its rather simple message which can be defined by a single word - irony, becomes enlightening by the end of this spectacle.
Many of the dialogues discuss some seemingly unimportant ideas that are a lot more interesting than I could've ever imagined with topics such as literature.
I do believe that the film could really use some music during the sad scenes, I don't want some sad piano crap, that would be awful, but some single continuous sound of ambient music would fit perfectly.
In any way, the film succeeds to make me wonder for 3 hours what will all of this lead to, and the last 5 minutes are a subtle kick that makes it all worth it and has the viewer rethinking the whole 3 hours all over again with now completely reapplied perspective.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
One of the best road trip films I've ever seen.
It touches an incredible amount of themes and topics. Firstly what is quite unexpected is that friends themselves hold grudges against each other from the past. Their relationship is sometimes intense and on the line. All of them have strong and detailed backgrounds, so you get to know them each personally and know well of their problems, their needs and their goals. The film is full of philosophy about life and also features tons of poetry as well. The film never tries to be heartbreaking and tearjerking in sad ways, yet it succeeds to bring out tears at how beautiful it sometimes can be, many of the events that happen are very heartwarming and artistic as well. The adventures are unforgettable for all the characters, they experience life-changing situations that happen only because other friends get them into all sorts of trouble and stuff.
What's really good is that all the friends are flawed, they don't seem to be very heroic and inspiring, they can be immature and make awful decisions in some situations which makes them human.
Then there's music and songs. They are amazing, they give such positive vibes and great joy.
The film explores tons of problems, each of the characters deals with something difficult and only up to them what decision will they take. Not all problems are solved in the film, it leaves many for open interpretation.
Actual the ending of the film is plain brilliant, it ends in such an open manner ambiguous way, you can take it either as an extremely happy or as an extremely sad and depressing ending. There is some subtle symbolism present in the film as well, and it really makes you think about what the film is really trying to tell you.
August Underground (2001)
Not without its values. Very well made even if you hate it.
I mean, this one's tough. I've no idea how they even made this film. It's so realistic, it's scary. It's so brutal and even with very long cuts they still managed the violence look real. The hits feel strong and there's even blood coming right after the hit, it's very impressive how they managed to film it. Environments look so cool, very messy, crappy, filthy, disgusting places. As terrible as I may sound but the humour was funny, I actually laughed at some jokes.
The actors were so amazing, as I mentioned this film is made of very long cuts yet the actors always keep it crazy. I admit there are a few bits that felt fake, like the woman's reaction at the very end of the film, or that sawed-off hand looked clearly like a prop, but the vast majority of stuff does look suspiciously even too realistic.
The soundtrack was so awesome, a very great choice of music. I also love that this is filmed like a homemade video, so it feels like a legit tape of someone. I really love the style of this film, even the very beginning, it starts off innocently and very soon gets unexpectedly dark, it was so cool. I'm happy that this isn't just a mindless torture film, it actually has a story of some sort. You get to follow the villains all around and see what they do in their free time, you get to see their hobbies and social life. There are times when it is so risky yet they kill someone in public places when there are times when someone is hostile to them and they're alone yet they don't even harm the person. It's just a completely unpredictable and fascinating look, as that is pretty much how psychopaths work.
This film's best scene is also the most disappointing one that once they get chased by cops the film just cuts to another scene, it was a very cheap choice, I wish they at least pretended that there was a chase and they escaped or something. I also think that the ending cuts too short, we got such a long sex scene or something build-up and then it gets to the climax the film ends after 20 seconds. Anyways, the violence, pranks and crimes are very original and creative, I couldn't have even imagined some of the disturbing things they have done in this film, it's just so absurd. I do admit that some scenes start to drag a bit, but overall I was very engaged. This film gives us a very sinister and realistic look at the life of insane serial killers in the crudest most hideous way.
Hachigatsu no rapusodî (1991)
Most underappreciated Akira Kurosawa film.
It's really hard to definite such heart-wrenching films like this. It's filled with sincerity and purity. It's filled with dark themes, yet seemingly heartwarming most of the time. Each happy moment is killed by something unfortunate happening and each sadness is healed with something happy. But the film doesn't try to make it shocking in the slightest so it all feels so natural and realistic.
I love all the characters here, some are too innocent and look silly sometimes but they try to learn and get more knowledged. Other characters may be flawed, but once they realise their imperfections and mistakes they try to make up for them and try to become better people. And then there's Richard Gere who gives such an overtried out-of-place performance it's just plain charming, I really love him in this film, he added that needed spice. When the multiple cultures collide, we witness this extremely beautiful phenomenon of good-willingness and understanding, it's all so touching and made me overjoyed.
All of the film's dialogues are brilliant, the children often speak and show pure genuine curiosity, meanwhile, the adults are full of wisdom and experience which they share and teach the children. Everything's just so perfect with this film, It's a huge dose of overlapping sadness and happiness all in one simultaneously. And then there are all the historical aspects of the film that are not only factually correct and real but very educative and endearing. This whole world and past's exploration journey if I shall call it is not only thought-provoking but also makes us reflect on our own society to see that maybe we're not so different after all. A truly extraordinary film, I'm sad that it isn't as praised, acknowledged and as known as other Akira Kurosawa films.
Bis ans Ende der Welt (1991)
I've watched the long extended director's cut. How do I even begin talking about a 5-hour long masterpiece?
Firstly, an important thing to mention is that I hated many of the main characters, especially the protagonist woman. But even with that, it was such a phenomenal journey these characters had experienced that it didn't matter much. The cast in this film is amazing, with so many well-known actors from many different regions. All of their performances were brilliant. About the characters themselves, each has such a distinguishable persona, they just became unforgettable and iconic in my eyes. And through their long journey, enemies turned into friends and friends became enemies, but it all happened gradually and naturally. They really did travel to tons of places so we got to see many different atmospheres and settings. The film for sure has quite a unique look to it, it may not reach the heights of 'Paris, Texas', but it sure looks different from most films. But what really makes this film so incredible is its screenplay, it's one of the most original screenplays I have ever seen. This film just avoids all cliches and is overfilled with poetry and sophisticated philosophy on life and its meaning.
And oh my, that soundtrack, the film is full of very fitting songs put everywhere. They're so stylish and old-school, they give me nostalgia for times I do not know and create great vibes. And did I mention how heartwarming this whole thing is? Yes, the film while often being dark, manages to feed on positivity and it's beyond adorable, I was really addicted to this film, I dare to say that I even wish it was longer, it touches the bottom of my heart and made me soft. The characters went through so much, I really grew up with them and it was nice seeing them reaching the end of the world, actually in multiple different meanings even both figurative and quite literal.
One of the best experiences I've gone through for sure.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Most unoriginal film ever made.
Dreadful. Absolutely tedious dull nonsense. Everything everywhere all at once sucks in this film (pun intended). Really, everything about it is awful. At first, it's way too fast-paced that it's difficult to follow the events, yet later it gets way too slow-paced that it just gets so boring. The acting is terrible, none of the performances looks realistic nor does any of the characters believable. Actually, I hated all the characters, they're so uninspired and bland. Most of the film it's just so stressful and messed up that it's just beyond annoying. The film is full of immature childish humour that is so lame.
But the worst of all is that this film doesn't have any kind of originality at all. We got so many multiverse and meta films at this point already and this seems to be the most generic of them all. None of the other universes plays an important role in the film and there are so few, to begin with. The structure of the film is just like any kind of generic blockbuster following the same 20 rules of the generic "The Hero's Journey" film. It's full of cliches and doesn't bring anything new to the table, possibly one of the weakest screenplays I have ever seen. It overexplains everything and is repetitive to its core in doing the same events over and over again. Mindless fights and brainless arcs. The messages are so basic and dated that we learned them all 50 years ago in much more complex and subtle ways already, how does this film even dare to be so bare-bones in its execution, I cannot even imagine. Completely empty dumb trainwreck.
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
One of the most heartwarming and charming films I have ever seen.
It revolves around our hero who is so passionate and optimistic, about everything really, that it's just impossible not to get positive vibes from him. Even when he's at his lowest he still tries to get onto that last final string to get back on. Through his hardships and struggles, Rudy manages to break through very well. Normally someone would get spoilt, self-centred, pretentious and rude after success, but Rudy always stayed cool and down-to-earth. He was always friendly and treated everyone with respect. I love how he tries to help the people in need and other unlucky fellows, he boosts everyone's morale and is a supreme leader. He's such an admirable person that I'm still astonishingly impressed by him. His whole journey is also very interesting, he always gets into new problems and his basic yet genius and practical solutions always seem to work. There was so much fun looking at how the film they there making in this film was being made, those behind-the-scenes are even better than what was in The Disaster Artist. Also, the cast is phenomenal, all did amazing performances. I especially loved Wesley Snipes and Eddie Murphy.
About the film itself, it's so funny and exceptionally well-edited. The songs were great and very fitting for its shown era. It's very vulgar and shameless in a way, but it's so natural and sincere that again, I'm plain mesmerized by it. And oh my, the messages this film tries to tell, even though obvious, they're so well told, I love how you get to see Rudy's reaction to criticism and how grateful the people who Rudy helped are, it's just so touching and cute. And oh my the ending, Rudy surprised me yet again with his honourable manners, selfless behaviour and plain epic, very commendable dedication to people. I'm so overjoyed having seen such a marvellous film.
The Batman (2022)
What has become of blockbusters nowadays?
Absolutely abysmal garbage. Everything sucks in this film. The best aspect of the film is the action which is meh, and it's the only aspect which is meh, everything else is plain trash. It's so full of cliches to the point that it's probably the most uninspired Batman film ever made, there is absolutely no originality in this film at all. The blandest versions of the characters I've ever seen, none of them are any interesting. Same plotlines all over again just way worse than usual. Songs are not fitting here at all. All the detective stuff is lame as hell and predictable that I made a few jokes about what it could mean or lead to and they turned out to be true when I wasn't even intending to predict anything. Romance is so surface level and basic, there's no chemistry in it at all. Important characters are so plot-armoured, it's beyond lame and stupid with a bomb exploding just a few centimetres from the face and not even a scratch or a character surviving a huge bomb exploding just 1 metre away from him and he only got scratched a bit. The physics are beyond ridiculous with the car chase having some absurd crap happening you'd normally expect to see in Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing. The film runs for 3 hours and almost nothing remotely interesting ever happens, I only liked 2 scenes that run for 10 seconds - when Batman got out of the car after the car chase and the hallway fight in the dark, and those two 10 second moments are the best this film has to offer. It's beyond boring and so generic. In fact, it was so crappy that I literally laughed out through the entire film, I laughed at how bad a ridiculous most of the stuff was, it's so terrible. But even with all my laughing, it was still so boring that I could barely sit it through. There are no values in this film whatsoever.
Yume (1990)
If you're into dreams, this is a must watch.
What an extraordinary beautiful film.
It feels like an autobiography of oneself since it's based on real experiences that happened in dreams.
It's a collection of eight dreams and I think that they are not only shown in order by the Kurosawa's age (from a young kid to a full-grown adult), but in the actual real-time chronology as well as it starts in ancient times and ends with modern times. It's genius.
All the dreams are truly magical and unexplainable experiences. I can't believe Akira managed to portray them in film, but he sure succeeded.
I think it's best to talk about each dream individually:
1. 'Sunshine Through the Rain'
This one was very beautiful visually, it crafts a magical fantasy world dark and pretty at the same time. I love that it ends in such an ambiguous way, leaving the viewers to interpret.
2. 'The Peach Orchard'
This one was beyond beautiful. It's full of depth and so staggering, by the end of this story I was already all in, I was already emotionally drained. It was so sad, miserable, lovely and heartwarming all at the same time that I cried all my tears out.
3. 'The Blizzard'
This was one of the weakest stories. It wasn't bad, just meh. I wasn't much invested in it.
4. 'The Tunnel'
This one was so deep, all the dialogues are so thought-provoking. Wonderful stuff. Again it lets the viewer to interpret what some stuff represents and means.
5. 'Crows'
Another one full of deep conversations, it's also so visually creative and astonishing.
6. 'Mount Fuji in Red'
This was definitely the worst of them all. The message is very clear and pretty basic. It's also the shortest one as well. Still, wasn't bad, just meh.
7. 'The Weeping Demon'
This one was again magical, it was dark and twisted and like most stories it really provoked my mind.
8. 'Village of the Watermills'
The last dream also manages to be my favourite. It's so majestic and looks so gorgeous, the conversations again, I really dug into them, I loved all the ideologies and profound culture. It also ends in such a touching genuine way, just surreal how spectacular this whole thing was.
Overall, after watching this film, I'm completely emotionally exhausted. This film fully devastated me in a positive way. It's truly special and I'm very happy that such imaginary films like this exist.
Kolekcioniere (2008)
Most underrated film of all time?
High art. I cannot believe that none has heard of this masterpiece. It's some of the darkest and most terrifying stuff I have ever seen in films. Starts seemingly innocent soon slowly gets darker and darker until the intensity reaches its insane climax. A wonderful character study with characters so complex that even they have trouble understanding each other. The acting was fantastic, tons of famous Lithuanian actors giving their best here.
From technical aspects this is beautifully made, the camera work is very harsh, colour palette vivid and bland at the same time which creates its unsettling atmosphere. The music is so beautiful, often ironically used, but it all fits perfectly.
The film is extremely subtle, to the point that many seemingly unimportant details later play a huge role in the story, yet they are never mentioned or reminded to us in any way, so we have to decide by ourselves if anything's shown in the film holds any importance. There is a lot of foreshadowing everywhere both in verbal and visual storytelling senses. The film leaves dozens of unanswered questions and that's for the better. The ending was extremely ambiguous and I bet it holds a lot more than I was able to understand, there are so many different themes hidden layers upon layers below each other that the film's depth is simply unexplainable in words. I can clearly see each person making their own interpretations of the story and especially the ending. This is truly the biggest hidden gem I've discovered from films.
Doraibu mai kâ (2021)
Long and slow-burner.
Even though the middle section does feel uneventful and there are plenty of scenes that could use some cutting, it is still a great film. The attention to detail is very precise. There are so many little moments or sentences that do have a reference or a consequence much much later on and I'm very happy that it doesn't have any kinds of flashbacks or anything that Hollywood movies would do. The whole film is full of seemingly unimportant stuff happening which unexpectedly leads to something bigger. It does for sure take its time but does feel like a very clever and genuine film.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
What a disappointment.
This is so cheap that they basically remade the first film yet made it also a sequel at the same time. The majority of the film has the same structure as the first film and most scenes are exactly the same just altered...
The good thing is that CGI is very high quality, but at the same time action scenes feel so generic and uninspired, way inferior to the original film, I admit a few moments were cool, but most action not only feel weak but poorly executed like fights feel like they were made by people who don't know how to fight so they just try to imitate what fighting supposed to look like from what they've seen somewhere else.
Music is trying real hard to imitate the soundtrack of original films yet feels weaker and more like rip-offs than remixes or remakes of old tracks.
What's up with all the references and literally showing footage from previous films? Do they think we have forgotten the films completely? But the insulting part is that film acknowledges that it references itself to the point that it literally tells that fact a few times - as a joke? I guess, sort of breaking the 4th wall but not really I guess. It's just so lame.
There are also so many embarrassing scenes, I laughed so hard at some of the stuff that if this film isn't meme material - I don't know what is then.
Also, many of the returning characters often feel completely out of character, and I despise how they treated most characters that do not return for this film. It feels like that Matrix parody by CollegeHumor.
Most importantly this feels very long (and it is), yet it shows almost nothing cool, most of it just replicates the first film also making it somehow longer yet worse in every way with the only exception being a much better CGI. It's such a shame that such uninspired sequels like this exist.
The Wizard (1989)
Surprisingly holds up rather well.
While it has a few very questionable and weird scenes, a bit of cringe and cheesiness, it also is one of the best films about video games ever made. It not only shows how fun (or addicting) can games be, but also takes a look at the competitive side of gaming. I loved seeing games that I myself have played as a child, though, of course, this is a one big product placement and a commercial for Nintendo but it's done very well that it feels earned, especially with the big reveal of the secret game it feels so iconic even. Some scenes aged extremely ironic like the infamous Power Glove scene. The film also tries to dig into deeper themes too, though, on a few of them it fails, I think it has a surprisingly realistic portrayal of a traumatized kid, but at the same time, it completely fails at father and son themes.
Also, this film is rather similar to Terminator 2 even, it has tons of action scenes, most of them being chase scenes and with its intense music and settings, they do remind me a lot of T-1000 and John Connor chase sequences. And this came before Terminator 2, but I'll take it as a coincidental similarity only.
Overall The Wizard may not be amazing, but it pretty much raises a high standard for movies about video games.
The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)
Lacking originality and creativity.
I have waited 4 years for this to get such a letdown? I mean, I had a bad feeling this could've been a disaster, so at least I'm happy that it wasn't terrible.
Starting with the good, I think that the animation is awesome for the most part, motion blur and depth of field really does look awesome and I don't think I have ever seen those things used before in animated films, though I don't watch many animated films, so I couldn't tell really. Though I really dislike Tina's design, her face is truly not looking well.
I love some of the music/song choices and a few of the action scenes are pretty good.
There is some nice depth about seeing people from another perspective, and it was truly interesting to see Tim getting to know his daughter better without her talking to "him".
Now for the bad:
Carol is a really underdeveloped character, there just isn't much of her, I wish she had a much bigger role in this. Also, why couldn't any of the characters from the series make a return, Danny was even in the promotion of the film yet I did not see him in the film itself, what a disappointment.
I really hate that the brothers somehow are now distant from each other again even after all they have gone through in the first film and all 4 seasons of the series. I like that Theodore doesn't remember anything as it creates the right continuity after the series, but then again not a single character from the series make an appearance here.
All the family values are being relearned here once again and it just seems very cheap as if they couldn't have taught us any other values besides family and love. We clearly knew that already from the first film and series and it was done way better in those.
Most of the film follows the generic plot, and the villain isn't very interesting, easily the least interesting villain of all Boss Baby universe villains.
Also, it seems that Tim has never grown up. His dad was the easy-going type, minimally cringe and charming and Tim looked like his younger version. But I'm supposed to believe that Tim has grown up not into his father, but really, he's grown into a really goofy and plain awkward obsessive dad.
Also, this film doesn't have any subtlety or hidden smart references the first film had. The first film and series were both full of depth, but here everything is just so plain and simple.
The ending is just so basic. They tried to make this a character reunion and a pass for the new generations, but they have done it in the most uninspiring way. Especially that I have seen Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy, which is just a pure heartwarming love letter to both characters and fans.
The Boss Baby 2: Family Business is not terrible, but very underwhelming of what it could've been. I'd go as far and call this a cash-grab.