POMO

The first two-thirds of the second Nymphomaniac retain the power of the first film and, with the sadistic “Mr. K”, increases the audience’s discomfort to risky heights. But the final, “criminal” third raises the suspicion that Lars von Trier either didn’t know how to appropriately and meaningfully finish his work or he was overruled by the producers, who aimed for the biggest box-office profits possible (the absence of Shia LaBeouf in the role of Jerome, while all the others actors reprised their roles, suggests that the last third was filmed as an afterthought, after his contract expired). Finally, the last scene of the film is a bad joke, a slap with a glove full of coins that Nymphomaniac earned also by being split into two parts. In said scene, Trier completely (and unnecessarily) destroyed Stellan Skarsgård’s Seligman, a very important character for the story.

A three-hour long joyride full of sex and cocaine, cool and base at the same time, trying to hide behind the proverb “sow the wind, reap the whirlwind”. I enjoyed myself immensely and I’ll definitely watch this again, but I don’t consider one dramatic scene (with the daughter in the car) to be enough for a three-hour film. The Wolf of Wall Street has perfect catchphrases and is never boring, but it made me realize that this type of Scorsese movie (starting with Casino) is great to watch but won’t leave you with lasting impression. Shutter Island, dark and mystical, perfectly escalated, with a surprising, sophisticatedly ambiguous ending, is much closer to my heart, and I consider it Scorcese’s masterpiece.

Lars von Trier deserves a lot of credit for daring to film such an uncomfortable topic that everyone’s interested in, but few would find the courage to tackle. Let’s be happy that it was done by a filmmaker with such screenwriting and filmmaking talent. Who else could have gotten Hollywood stars to perform in such an explicit movie, which features hard-core footage even in the edited version for release in cinemas? (maybe Michael Haneke, but that’s about it.) The dialogue, work with the actors, escalation of the scenes, atmosphere… everything works perfectly. Nymph()maniac is a film for adult viewers, but not because of its erotic content. The more you know about sex and the more experience you have, the more you will understand it. It is a psychologically contemplative, serious and sad film, but it is narrated with wit, through metaphorical comparisons. The definition of polyphony is at the heart of the film and the Rammstein déjà vu of Lynch’s Lost Highway gives it some extra flavor. I am curious about the second part and even more curious about the full version, which already has a place reserved on my shelf of essential films.

A movie that will captivate you just like Gravity without having to see it in 3D on a big screen (the only added value of the cinema is the spatial sound of rumbling water or a thunderstorm). Though it is not as sentimentally touching and contemplative as Gravity, it is more exciting and realistic, building on a similarly close look at the thinking process and behavior of its protagonist and finding the way out of situations using the things he has at hand. Even with the bold, more than a hundred-minute running time, the film works without a single boring moment or stumble in telling the story. Robert Redford excels with his believable facial expressions. But the ending shouldn’t have… you’ll see.

An elegantly cruel film in which the expensively dressed world of a treacherous lawyer obsessed with innocent women collides with Mexican cartel hell. Ridley Scott conveys this conflict not through action, but through dialogue. He doesn’t milk the audience’s emotions but uses an intellectual, even philosophical approach. The characters’ motivations are only suggested, and waiting for their (ambiguous) reactions and the escalation of tense situations are what drive the film forward. The philosophical musings are nothing special, but I enjoyed the acting performances and well-done visuals. If the plot had been more clearly constructed, I’d give it four stars. Cameron Diaz spreading her legs over the windshield of a Ferrari is unforgettable. The Counselor is a guilty pleasure in the form of an exercise in vanity.

The Way is a relaxing road (walking) movie about discovering and getting to know not only new people and places, but especially oneself. The characters are a well-portrayed bunch of four trekkers from different parts of the world, with whom you’ll laugh during the good times and root for them when they’re down. Emilio Estevez’s direction is laid-back but targeted and accurate. And most of all, it feels like he’s personally involved. A small, positive film with an atmosphere similar to Alexander Payne’s Sideways.

You mustn’t approach Wings of Christmas with your intellect. It is a melancholic, dreamlike fairy tale with likable characters suffering from all kinds of human weaknesses. The film’s characters are desperately searching for something they either don’t need or have right in front of their noses without even knowing it. And the theme song fits the film perfectly.

An innocent teasing of the audience with a theme that never gets old. François Ozon understands women, and likes them better than Lars von Trier. That’s why he could shoot this film, which is all about the feelings of a seventeen-year-old girl drunk on her first encounters with adult matters. A seventeen-year-old that was curious about the men who would order the services of her body, about what it would be like with them in the darkened hotel rooms or on the leather backseats of their cars. To use the words of Charlotte Rampling, any girl with enough courage would have tried it. Not lack of self-esteem, but enough courage… The only emotional scene of the film is the fight with the weeping mother: “You broke my heart!”

Oldboy is a brutal thriller with a great noir atmosphere and a secret that makes a point that will bring you to your knees, hidden until the last minute. Josh Brolin was a great choice, as he portrays the personal and physical qualities of the character much better than the Asian actor in the original version, which was interesting in terms of art and its exotic audiovisual aspects, but it didn’t work narratively. It left me cold. Spike Lee developed the story, focused primarily on it and the characters, without underestimating the importance of the key battle with the hammer, which is top-notch in this version as well. I won’t give Oldboy a fifth star due to the the overused “mandatory” casting of Samuel L. Jackson in the role of another iconic, eccentrically dressed character, and due to the overdone digital effects in the climax, which take out some (important) brutality out of the film.

A cute, zany curiosity.