Malarkey

After a long while, I have to say that I finally got to watch a truly interesting American movie from the 1960s and 1970s. And personally, I need to add that I was probably most intrigued by its brutality that could easily rival even the movie brutality in modern thrillers. Or even easily outdo some. And at the same time, I admit that I haven’t had the opportunity to find out how big of an actor Boris Karloff was in his time, but I feel that he couldn’t have gotten a better movie homage than the movie Targets. And especially after I found out from the trivia how the movie was actually made. And it turned out to be of such quality. Mr. Karloff commands great respect and the final 10 minutes were so strong that I couldn’t even function a couple dozen minutes after I finished it.

I give it four stars because this movie has been with me since my childhood until now. And since I still appreciate its qualities as an adult, I decided to write this review. I actually think that Enzo Barboni made fun of himself towards the end of his career. He kinda filmed a remake of They Call Me Trinity, into the main roles he cast 2 Americans nobody has ever heard of, but who were supposed to inconspicuously look like Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Furthermore, he had the composer create an opening melody that is rather a pop breakbeat, not what people are used to with Spaghetti Westerns. And on top of that, he gave Trinity and Bambino catchphrases I could not believe. The best thing is how Trinity predicts everything. He predicts what each of the bandits is going to say, what some random burglar is going to do. Well, and Bambino, he, for a change, eats double the amount of what Bud eats. There is more of everything, but it is also approached with respect and ironic detachment that cannot be overlooked. And the reason why I like this Western so much is precisely that it does not take itself too seriously. Personally, I would like to know what Bud and Terence think of Enzo Barboniʼs latest movie.

I really liked this unconventional meeting of Meryl Streep with her family. I liked it because this movie showed precisely what happens when a person in their life prioritizes dreams instead of family. But how should a person find out how to act so that their actions would be correct? Meryl Streep enjoyed herself in her role and just like her, I enjoyed this movie as well.

I would rename The Diary of a Teenage Girl to The Diary of a Nymphomaniac or a Prostitute. It would better capture the point of the movie, which is nothing more than a typical American drama with a few cartoonish ideas inserted into a live-action movie.

It isn’t always necessary, but in the case of this movie, I strongly recommend reading the entire summary and taking in every word of it first, so that you know what you are getting into. It will help a lot with the movie itself, which just puts the viewer into the middle of the action, and they don’t have time to find their feet. It puts you into the middle of the action so uncompromisingly that the only thing you can focus on is Daniel Brühl and Emma Watson. Well, and they showed how important members of European cinema they are, because I was completely blown away by their characters. But the whole movie isn’t only about their characters, it is mainly about the whole story, which you probably wouldn’t believe actually happened in the 1970s in Chile. But, as they say, anything is possible on our planet and so I watched with horror the lawlessness our world had to witness. What is funny is the fact that even though the world knew about it, nobody really fought against it. Again, the rule saying anything that happens in a particular state stays in the particular state applies. After a long time a very high-quality European movie that stretches out of the borders of Europe with its story and also actors. Even Michael Nyqvist had fun with his character… You still don’t find it strange that the Germans are behind a story like this, again?

I like Sean Penn a lot. He isn’t afraid to go all out with very serious roles. And usually, the problem doesn’t lie with him but with the movie as a whole. For example, this piece named I Am Sam isn’t a bad movie at all. It just doesn’t take the serious topic to the extreme, doesn’t explain anything. It just threw Sean Penn into the role of a mentally deficient person, and he goes all out, but that which is happening around him has to be more or less overlooked by the viewer. Well, and so that I don’t praise only Sean, I have to say that Dakota Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer were great in their roles as well. Only, there were too many court scenes during the 2 hours and 12 minutes and it also seemed to me that everything around the social services started happening way too late. After all, if Sam was capable of taking care of his child until she was 8 years old, why wouldn’t he be able to do it in the future?

After the trailer, I was hoping to be delighted by The Witch. In the end, it is only rather inconspicuously, mildly concerning because of the excess of religion and one established witchcraft cult in New England. The movie actually doesn’t contain anything innovative and so there is only one thing which can entice you. And that is the atmosphere. The atmosphere is definitely brutal, but it doesn’t make up the whole movie. Unfortunately.

When I was thinking about how I should review this movie, I looked at the reviews of the newish Clash of the Titans, to which I gave four stars back then. But then I realized that one star was given to Gemma Arterton, who showed off in any way possible. Here, there were not enough chicks for my eyeballs. There were some, but nothing that would dazzle you. On the other hand, it is exactly what you might imagine. Only with the difference that Alex Proyas is not low-grade, and so he turned Gods of Egypt not only into a fantasy, but at times into a sci-fi. And I have to say that I didn’t mind. A pleasant and pretty movie wind down that is story-wise crazier by the minute. And that’s good. Because you don’t know beforehand what you will get.

A documentary-like precise biopic drama from the world of HBO which always manages to tell an interesting story from another time with quality acting performances. I actually don’t remember it being different. But usually, the topics are rather American and they mean nothing to a European. So all that remains is to watch the historical accuracy and quality acting performances. And I have to say that Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange really relished their roles here. And they were also the main reason why I watched the movie.

It took me a while to understand that the creators jumped on the wave of Borats and Brunos. Only with the difference that the main character here is Adolf Hitler. Also thanks to this I respect the idea and the concept, which is flawless. During the movie, I felt sick because of how many Nazi-like qualities Germans still have. We all know about it, or at least suspect it, but until you see it, you can only guess. Well, and this finding was enough for me as a current testimony of one nation. It is also the only positive thing about the movie. The movie itself actually isn’t very funny, it is unnecessarily long, and the story is more of an accessory to the discovered findings. But you can be sure they will not do you any good. And you will even live to see an ironic comment about our country…