POMO

Philosophical bullshitting with an irresistible style and some funny moments.

Near Death Experience twenty years ago and Scandinavian. Out of Nature is equally open and honest, but not as poetic or mature and written with delicious lyricism. As if reflecting the age of the main character, the film is unclear and fumbling. It feels colder and rawer, while visually it is not as interesting or creative. And to me personally, it’s not as relatable or likable. The main character and his inner turmoil actually didn’t interest me very much.

Xavier Dolan is growing up. He’s capable of depicting in detail the evolution of the complicated relationships of three characters. Although the highlights of the film are scenes that are emotionally boosted by pop hits, which might be considered a cheap trick to milk the viewer’s emotions, the imaginative games with image format dispel all doubts and impress every movie connoisseur. So simple and functional! I wonder what kind of films he will make in his forties.

The TV look degrades the original and remarkable script. When the film begins to become absurd and even inadvertently ridiculous, it is saved from falling below average by a cool point that is worthy of thought and discussion. Had it been made by Cronenberg in the 1980s, Boxing Helena could have been something else.

L.A. at night, full of the flashing lights of ambulances, a career built on climbing over people, the hyena-like behavior of the tabloid press and a super cool Dodge Challenger. Nightcrawler gets off to a slow start, but finishes strong. The centerpiece of the film is the excellent Jake Gyllenhaal, an actor who keeps getting better with age, just like a fine wine.

Enemy put me in a mental trance that only Shutter Island, Femme Fatale and the best David Lynch movies have ever given me. This captivating and chilling vision from another world hit me right in the heart. Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve.

Horns is a great creative trip that combine hardly combinable genre positions with ease, while even managing to make fun of their sacred clichés (the priest’s advice, gay cops). Alexandre Aja is not just a great horror director, but also a lover of dramatic stories with a romantic dimension who can skillfully juggle our favorite pulp genres. And this is his freshly original and hard to imitate wet dream, in which, by the way, Stephen King will also find something to make him happy.

A two-hour wait for one spellbinding military assault. It is a wait in which nothing interesting happens, but a few actors shine in supporting roles (Mark Strong, James Gandolfini) and sometimes a bomb explodes somewhere.

This routine action flick is big and noisy, but with a completely forgettable script and direction. The Emirates will cover part of the budget, so let’s throw in some skyscraper-climbing in Abu Dhabi, so as not to feel inferior next to the Burj Khalifa in M:I. Then a tragic event interrupts the filming and we have to invest in a digital Paul Walker, so we’ll finish up at home in LA to save a few bucks. The best character (played by The Rock) gets too little screen time and you’ve already seen the best action scenes in the trailer. The final farewell to Paul was nice.

Into the Grizzly Maze is a no-brainer B-movie with an A-list cast. But it is rather entertaining. The atmospheric misty forests and picturesque panoramas (supposedly Alaska) are nice. There’s always some action, as barely ten minutes pass without the titular grizzly bear making an appearance. A strong two stars.