Remedy

A razor-sharp satire that's both wonderfully funny and, for most of its running time, riveting in a way you wouldn't expect. The balance between unashamed sociological probing into the upper echelons of society and cynical mockery of the privileged classes is simply navigated here with absolute bravura. Polished dialogue with divine punchlines and unbelievable "comedic" timing in the moments when everything goes to shit. The highlight of this year's Karlovy Vary Film Festival. [95%] [KVIFF 2022]

An impressively innovative embodiment of the film's characters and procedures into its own ecosystem, where strict order operates and is harshly enforced as well. I think what I enjoyed most was exploring this world, which is in many ways unorthodox and original. It's cute, funny, in some ways even slightly interactive, and beautifully moving at the end. [85%] [KVIFF 2022]

This is about as far from folk horror as Michal David is from a Grammy. A wonderfully grotesque sequence of scenes where limbs are ripped off during sex for no reason and where the witch looks like an effigy of Hellraiser. I suffered, but I had fun at the same time. Noomi Rapace found her new low, while I found my biggest tragicomic bizarro of the festival so far, and that's no small feat. I had to write some of the lines down though, there was just no other way! "When you are with women in the room, your mouth, it should never stop opening. When you are with women... you are a looking-glass. To the man, you are water." #muck [5%] [KVIFF 2022], P.S.: My first hashtag when writing a review on FilmBooster :)

For the fact that it's actually quite "Cronenbergian", except for the beautiful soundtrack and a very respectable Léa Seydoux, this late Cronenberg actually fails to impress with anything. Kristen Stewart is almost a parody and Viggo Mortensen gives a completely routine and uninteresting performance. The premise is very good, but as a whole it fails miserably. [50%] [KVIFF 2022]

A superficial and tragicomically explosive tale about an addict singer, and an independent production at that! The biggest problem is that it doesn't properly develop a single motif, and the viewer is thus forced to watch an hour and a half of a high, drunk, and puking Machine Gun Kelly, whose music I actually quite like (or certainly did until now). It's the kind of completely useless film that teenage fanatical fans will have no problem with, but which has absolutely nothing to offer in terms of filmmaking (except for the unintentional humor). [40%] [KVIFF 2022]

Great footage of The Band's farewell concert that is "just" a top-notch capture of the musical experience rather than a documentary in the true sense of the word. Scorsese's off-stage interviews don't go into any extra depth, you learn a few moderately funny facts and anecdotes from the 60s that peaceably fill in the moments between musical performances. Anyway, seeing it on the big screen in Karlovy Vary was a treat. [80%]

Supernatural abilities and emotionally frustrated individuals don't exactly go together, which Chronicle shows in a very interesting way. It's got absolutely great gradation and for 12 million it managed to produce a lot of music. A non-mainstream variation on superhero (or super-villain) movies that works very well with the characters on a very frugal screen and creates a pleasantly fresh impression within the genre. [70%]

Despite a rather tepid pace in the first half, the creative skill of the filmmakers makes this an extremely atmospheric affair that cleverly references the greatest horror classics. Horror is of course what it is, yet it's not just superficially scary, and impresses more with its powerful visuals (the alligator chase shot is simply divine and the split-screen guitar sequence is an absolute treat), including the simple yet perfectly effective and believable motivations of the two main bad guys. A strong (non-)mainstream piece of work that feels old-fashioned and innovative at the same time. [80%]

Definitely one of the most distinctive and auteur-driven films in the MCU. The central motif is slightly sixth-rate (as in, I'm just a caring mother and I care about my kids), but Elizabeth Olsen manages to pull it off remarkably well as an actor. Sam Raimi recycles himself here (the kitchen scene is very much a copy of Drag Me to Hell), but still manages to imbue the second Strange with at least some semblance of personality. The script is weaker and not very bold, but the whole thing somehow goes well and there are some (un)expected cameos and the introductions of the old (un)familiar. I was expecting more, but all things considered it was still great.[75%]

One of the more successful cartoons that, apart from the original story and cool catchphrases, has "that something extra". Everything is presented in such a way that even children can understand it perfectly, while at the same time it manages to have universal appeal. The themes of social exclusion and the need to make or walk back difficult decisions are really nicely and tastefully presented. [80%]