Neue Kritiken - Alle Nutzer*innen

Godzilla -1.0 is a film about the tragedy of inaction and fear and the motivation that drives individuals to action and the ultimate sacrifice. The opposite of the cheerful American fooling around, made for relaxing entertainment I saw a few days ago. The Japanese open old wounds here, using a metaphor derived from the two nuclear bombs that Oppenheimer served up to the US military for quick use. Broken people slowly getting back on their feet after a lost war, only to be trampled by another disaster. Stunning destruction, backed by a roaring musical score, vivid characters where you care who survives and who doesn't. Surprisingly, the main character, a coward, lives.

During the Storm plays with the motif of the butterfly effect, mixing elements of crime drama and science fiction about playing with time, and manages to hold the viewer's attention for almost the entire running time. The final third was perhaps a little wilder script-wise, yet I rate the film as a whole very positively, with the detective plot and the gradual uncovering of the truth, trapped in the turbulent snares of time, playing a large part. I could complain about the main character Vera, who was a bit too (typically Spanish) hysterical at times – they could have toned down the talking, as it detracted a bit from the believability.

If you watch the trailer of Abigail before the screening, you'll be revealed on one major plot twist, but the film still has a few more surprising aces up their sleeve, especially in the final third. The central motif of an ambiguous cat-and-mouse game bears a strong resemblance to previous pieces by the creative duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, but this time the bloody murder mystery is given a supernatural twist. I haven't seen Ready or Not, but I really enjoyed the last two Scream films, especially for breaking the boundaries of the genre, flirting with them and playing with audience expectations. Abigail rides a similar wave, featuring more than one good allusion to the genre or pop culture, yet the film as a whole failed to engage and entertain me as much as the fifth and sixth Scream did. The big stumbling block for me was some of the largely unlikeable characters and their theatrical badass acting. Alisha Weir, on the other hand, was bloody charming and I'm curious to see what direction her career will take.

Ballerina had the potential to shine much brighter, but the Korean creators seemed to get lost in meaningless scenes instead of injecting more wild action, a livelier pace, and better camera work. While the story didn't break new ground – revenge journeys are a dime a dozen – I found the main heroine likable in her laconic demeanor, and the decent kill count kept things interesting, despite the often sluggish pace. Still, these elements weren't enough to earn a rating higher than three stars. However, I was pleased by the absence of unnecessary melodrama. In that regard, the creators made a wise choice, making it all the more disappointing that they faltered in other areas. / Lesson learned: Don't go running down corridors with a chainsaw revving.

Sand Land feels like the anime version of Mad Max, infused with a dash of fantasy and sci-fi from the mind of the late, great author of the Dragon Ball series, Akira Toriyama. Toriyama's signature humor style and overall atmosphere are unmistakable, reminiscent of the original Dragon Ball. Despite its simplicity, the series never loses its charm, keeping viewers engaged with straightforward yet intriguing storytelling. The characters, particularly the seasoned fighter and current sheriff Rao, are compelling and likable. However, the animation, especially the CG character animation, leaves much to be desired, like a sort of 2.5D. While it occasionally shines, it often feels heavy-handed and unnatural (such as Ann's hair), detracting from the overall experience. Additionally, the world's potential feels underutilized, failing to captivate enough to warrant further exploration or rewatches. Overall, Sand Land is a pleasant watch, earning a 6/10 from me. For fans of Akira Toriyama, it's likely a must-watch, but I suspect they will appreciate the series much more than I did.

Sadly, this thriller lacked tension, which is a crucial element for the genre. It was actually the romantic subplot that held the most weight for me, especially with Alexandra Masangkay's compelling portrayal as an incredibly charming Filipino character. Despite some captivating moments, the overall tension was lacking, and while the action sequences were visually appealing, they didn't quite hit the mark. However, delving into the workings of secret services added an intriguing layer, shedding light on how various secret organizations can make life miserable for people who are deemed inconvenient. Overall, the film failed to meet my expectations, delivering a lukewarm and somewhat dull experience. / Lesson learned: Having a webcam at home might just save the day.

Es ist zwar dank der starken Hauptfigur und der überwiegend charmanter männlicher Charaktere definitiv ein Anime, der sich mehr auf das weibliche Publikum konzentriert, aber auch ich habe mich nicht gelangweilt. Wie ich bereits erwähnte, ist der große Anziehungspunkt hier eine sehr nette Hauptheldin, die normalerweise die treibende Kraft hinter der ganzen Geschichte und gleichzeitig die Lösung für die meisten Probleme ist. Es ist selten ein Glück, dass eine Anime-Heldin umgeben von so vielen charmanten und fähigen Meistern (gut, hier Ayakashi) selbst ihre Hand so intensiv und freundlich an die Arbeit legt (allzu oft lassen sich die Heldinnen in solchen Werken einfach nur retten). Darüber hinaus die Art und Weise, wie sie es tut (mittels Essen und Freundlichkeit), kann für das männliche Publikum sehr attraktiv sein. Dank der Art und Weise, wie Aoi Probleme angeht, in Kombination mit der interessanten und magischen Umgebung der hiesigen Welt, bekommen wir auch eine sehr angenehme, wärmende Atmosphäre. Es ist jedoch nicht nur ein Spaziergang durch einen Rosengarten, die Autoren können manchmal Spannungen erzeugen, eine dramatische Situation zeichnen, die unsere Heldin selbst oder mit Hilfe ihrer Gefährten überwinden muss. Die Handlung ist recht interessant, auch wenn sie den Eindruck erwecken mag, dass jemand nur zweimal dasselbe macht (SPOILER Aoi wird gegen ihren Willen irgendwohin gebracht, um nach und nach alle zu gewinnen und alles zu retten SPOILER ENDE). Wie auch immer, wenn ich die schöne Animation und passend ausgewählter Musik dazu zähle, komme ich auf angenehmes 8/10 Ergebnis, was für jemanden, für den dieser Anime eigentlich nicht gedacht ist, im Grunde eine hervorragende Leistung ist.

A pretty nice movie with Mark Wahlberg going on an adventure race in the jungle where he meets a dog and becomes a full-fledged member of the team. I'm a bit disappointed that the race itself lacks any sort of typical survival parameters, there was no significant thrilling obstacle apart from the cable car, and the whole thing is mostly about the doggie's relationship with Marky, which can stir up some minor emotions at the end, but I won't scratch for a higher rating. Nice but ordinary. 6/10.

Teenage silliness with a fresh idea involving two dead guys who are detectives solving supernatural cases and various ghosts, witches and other monsters. I was quite looking forward to it, I'm just disappointed that it's conceived in a teenage style. It's kind of a combination of Wednesday, Ghostbusters and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, leaning only lightly on the horror theme, but more darkness and and R-rating would have done it a lot more good. It also deals with a lot of relationship and LGBT stuff, which I'm not a big fan of, and it lacks stronger characters and a better developed script. The best episode was #3 with the time loop with a father murdering his family for several years. From episode 5 onwards I watched it purely out of obligation and wasn't really enjoying it. I'm not the target audience. 5/10.

Shogun is definitely a revelation in the series field this year and should be seen by everyone. Until the 5th episode I was sure of a 5 star rating, but then my great enthusiasm started to wane as my faith in some epic battle started to fade away, and it ended up being very intimate. The series has spectacular sets, great performances – Hirojuki Sanada is awesome, Mariko is perhaps the most beautiful Asian ever, and Aijin is also great. It has meticulous dialogues, great atmosphere, strong emotions (episode 9 is probably the strongest) and it's also quite suspenseful. The series is actually flawless in all respects except for the lack of action sequences, and I can't forgive that because the samurai didn't just conduct political intrigues, they also cut each other and there was obviously a budget here, so they could have easily crammed a 15 minute battle into those 10 hours. Considering the whole 4th episode was dedicated to cannons (there was even the best gore scene of the series), it's a shame that they didn’t use them once more during the series and the ending just disappointed me because nothing was resolved properly. I'm sorry because there won't be a samurai movie or series this expansive for quite a while. I still enjoyed it, but there was no ejaculation. 8/10.

Eine legendäre Darstellung einer schwulen Hochzeit in einer Sitcom. Die Episode wurde am 12. 12. 1995 ausgestrahlt und ging dadurch der Episode Friends – Die lesbische Hochzeit voraus, die am 18. 1. 1996 ausgestrahlt wurde.

Auf diesen Film habe ich mich lange gefreut und ich bin begeistert, keine Enttäuschung kam zum Glück auf. Als Fan von kurzen Laufzeiten habe ich mich dabei keinen Moment langweilt, der Film ist schlagkräftig, gibt das Tempo vor, genauso wie die hervorragende, größtenteils pulsierende Begleitmusik. Zendaya liefert neben Euphoria meiner Meinung nach ihre beste schauspielerische Leistung ab. Tasha in ihrer Interpretation ist scharf, eisig, dominant und verdammt sexy. Sie dominiert den ganzen Film mit ihrer Leistung, aber auch die Herren sind nicht schlecht. Vor allem der genauso dominante Josh O'Connor hat meine Sympathie gewonnen. Das Ende krönt das ganze Werk, schon dank Call Me By Your Name wissen wir, dass der Regisseur wirklich etwas von Abschlüssen versteht. In diesem Fall war es ein wunderschöner künstlerischer Schlusspunkt für den bisher interessantesten Film dieses Jahres.

I think in this duel of the daughters of horror greats, Shyamalan vs Cronenberg, the winner is decided. The daughter didn't didn’t do a very good job and delivered a sort of talky drama that cuts to thriller at the end. I don't think daddy will give her any praise for this one because it was boring as fuck. It's got a pretty interesting theme that could have turned out well in more capable hands, but the acting is pretty bad, the pacing is very slow and there's definitely nothing satisfying at the end, where some gore could have come in handy. This was quite painful. 3.5/10.

Godzilla is enjoying a vacation in Europe and Kong is looking for more apes in the hollow earth and has a toothache. A modern version of the Verne films, which degenerates into unadulterated Kaiju-porn at the end. Swashbuckling battles, solid visual effects, 80's soundtrack backed by Holkenborg synths, tremendous destruction and people who don't get in the way but are props for the main fighters. It's rubbish and digital crap, of course, but it's fun and even in neon colours with a pink Godzilla who justifies the change by sucking out nuclear power plants in Europe to fulfil his part of the Green Deal. It's got a bunch of subliminal messages. The villain is OK, but the main asset is Adam Wingard's wacky ideas, which somehow manage to get implemented. The most entertaining entry in the franchise.

Right from the start, the opening music felt like a blow to the head, setting the tone for what would become a series of disappointments. Once again, Netflix stuck to its formula, introducing a gay character that made my eyes roll harder than a medieval cartwheel. The plot stumbled through logical gaps, Albion felt strangely condensed (or maybe someone was using teleportation?), and key characters seemed to vanish into thin air. The fourth and fifth seasons pale in comparison to the series' former glory, and this one feels like the final nail in the coffin. / Lesson learned: Don't expect miracles, brace yourself for disappointment.

Stuntman Ryan Gosling must find a lost movie star in order to save the film of his beloved Emily Blunt. And for her, he'll go through hell. David Leitch delivers an entertaining tribute to the stunt craft and all those who practice it. He combines great action with surprisingly even better romance, a nice bit of wit and humor, and the obvious joy of goofing around on set with the friends he's spent his entire career with. And it's great to watch.

The first season had the more attractive setting of Hawaii, not that Sicily isn't beautiful, but the Hawaiian exoticism had its charm. Yet I have to say that the second season has more interesting characters, better plot twists and overall I enjoyed it a lot more. Of the familiar faces, I liked Theo James, Aubrey Plaza and the return of Jennifer Coolidge. Simona Tabasco as the hooker was an instant crush, and for the biggest likable character there's Will Sharpe,  I felt quite sorry for him, that relationship was pretty toxic. You really care about the characters, their development and their relationships are very well written, you hate the opening theme song of the first season and then love it and the final twist is really very good. Very entertaining, gripping and addictive, I'm glad I gave it a chance. 8/10.

Damals, im Jahr 1996, war eine lesbische Hochzeit immer noch teilweise der Höhepunkt eines running jokes. In den nächsten Jahrzehnten konnten wir beobachten, wie sich die reale Welt um uns herum verändert. Und vielleicht auch dank eines solchen feinen Schleifens der Kanten wie in dieser Serie. Auf dem Gebiet der amerikanischen Sitcom gab es auch schon wenige Wochen zuvor eine schwule Hochzeit in Roseanne - Leons Hochzeit.

What's particularly disappointing is that the creators obviously had a bigger budget to work with, but oddly enough, this seemed to harm the quality of the writing. There were moments where I genuinely felt sorry for how clumsily certain plot twists were resolved. / Lesson learned: Money can't buy talent.

My Sweet Little Village without Menzel’s refined touch. Both when he is at home in his dingy studio apartment and when he is at work, the solitary truck driver played by Vlado Müller sticks to his routines, which long sections of the plot are dedicated to depicting. In her only film role, Pavla Kárníková portrays his unpunctual assistant, who conversely has no respect for order or authority. They can’t stand each other at first. They’re sure about that in advance. He sees her as a “whore” and a “bitch”, while for her, he is a grumpy “old man”. Through their dark past, however, they gradually find common ground and come to realise that it is possible to step out of the roles to which they have become accustomed or that society has assigned to them. In his case, it is the role of a curmudgeonly bachelor who holds others at arm’s length, whereas her role is that of a troubled “slut”. Unable to express their feelings in a healthy way, the two outsiders come together during Advent, and the undecorated tree and lonely Christmas dinner add a sense of melancholy to the raw, authentically gritty story. In the context of the collaborative works of Kachyňa and Procházka, Christmas with Elizabeth fits in with Hope, which took a similarly humane approach to depicting the relationship between a prostitute and an alcoholic, other social outcasts who in the 1950s were condemned to the roles of criminals unworthy of any understanding. 75%