Blitz, 2011

Blitz, 2011
Director: Elliot Lester
Cast: Jason Statham, Luke Evans, Aidan Gillen


Stage: home theatre :)


Blitz in short: Detective Sergeant Tom Brant who is dispatched to take down a serial killer hell bent on killing off the police force one by one. "The Blitz" manages to slip through the grasp of Tom every time, and with the precious lives of his colleagues diminishing one by one, Tom is led to the question: if we can't protect our own, then what good are we?


Preps: Ahm, nothing in perticular. I am not aware of the content, nor cast. One of those waiting on the to do list.


Reality: Well, it's one of those movies that tries to be intelligent, yet witty at the same time. Because of Statham, it would be the least I would expect. I admire Statham a great deal and I am anxious to see the piece.
The more I watch it, the more dissappointed I get. The crew seems disorientated, they don't seem to cling together, not singing the same tune or something. I am not sure. But the piece doesn't get to my heart and I am more and more inclined not to watch it anymore. I cannot believe my luck, because it's not the only movie in my mind this evening that has the same effect on me. The story isn't convincing, I feel it's been abused and that this piece doesn't make a contribution to the genre. If I look from the perspective of scenarist, I even get angry. Not clear dialogues, words put in just for the sake that someone says something. Bljak. I don't hesitate. Not my kind of music. Delete.





My personal rate: 1,0 (I didn't find nothing exceptional inside, nor the reason to watch it after a half).


Blitz on IMDB

Mars Attacks, 1996

Mars Attacks, 1996
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker


Stage: Home theatre, TV selection for a Friday night


Mars in short: It is a normal day for everyone, until the President of the United States announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. The Martians land and a meeting is arranged, but not everything goes to plan, and the Martians seem to have other plans for Earth. Are they just misunderstood beings or do they really want to destroy all of humanity?


Preps: Hm. never seen this piece, although I am aware of its notoriousness a while ago. And the people who's opinion I respect, told me it was a nice piece to see.



Reality:Well, another dissappointment. Genuinely, I despise parodies on a certain type of movies and I seldom find them funny anyway. So I am neither fan of more stupid ones like Austin Powers, nor am I a fan of more sophisticated ones (are there any at all?). Anyhow, this is a fine example of making a remake of more than five movies on the topic of aliens, chasing extraordinary images, fighting with weird weapons - and aside, using top notch actors, like Nicholson, Brosnan, Parker and hoping the crowds are going to come because of that cast.
Now, life isn't a bunch of marshmallows all the time. Put it differently, I have seen disastrous pieces put together with the finest crew. One of more dissappointing ones includes Will Smith, Wild Wild West. And this is just one example from the top of my head.
This piece dissappoints me too. No real act. Nicholson acts like the leader of bunch of clowns, which is, ironically, exactly what the movie is all about. Parker is there for the sake of representing the beautiful feminine side (yet limited). All the others just float through scenes instead of acting.
I give up. Not worhty of my time, not worthy of yours. If you are a fan of Austin Powers, you might enjoy it. In all other cases, don't. Really don't :)


My personal rate: 1,0 (and only because I adore the most of the cast. I thought the movie is shitty!)

Mars Attacks on IMDB

28 Days, 2000

28 Days, 2000
Director: Betty Thomas
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Elisabeth Perkins


Stage: Home TV selection on a rainy Sunday evening

28 days in short: A big-city newspaper columnist is forced to enter a drug and alcohol rehab center after ruining her sister's wedding and crashing a stolen limousine


Preps: nothing in perticular. Remember seeing this ages ago. And I adore Sandra Bullock, nothing more I could want from a Sunday evening.


Reality: Now let me think. How hard is it to accept to be an alcoholic and how hard it is to decide to go back. To think about your life, your decisions and your way of living and making it right. Are you entitled to make it right? Who will believe you are for real? Who will make your path easier and who will support you when being down? The movie is supposed to be somehow a romantic comedy (the relationship between the "alcoholic" Sandra and her spouse. The problem is he doesn't see her as and alcoholic and furthermore, doesn't really support her. No problem here, but she really wants to get better after spending some time in an institution.

How about making friends in an institution? A hard way to follow. Hard talking, hard problems.. but.. they can get to the core of your soul and in the end make it allright. The problem is that most re-habs don't want to change and even the best institution won't make them feel better or change the way they live their lives. In a sense, makes them go back to drinking instantly when leaving the institution.

I believe there is a lesson to be learned here for anyone. We are all walking from time to time on the verge of insanity, that is connected with alcohol. And some of us go through this. The others are so brave that they ended up the better path and didn't need an institution to cure them. Nevertheless, a good piece to think about how you solve your problems in past and how do you do it now. Is it connected with alcohol? Is this a backyard, where you drown your problems, or just an escape for a few hours that you can control? The piece implies you better not turn into a pool where you sink your problems. Because it is a long and painful way to come back.


My personal rating: 6,0 (a decent fun for Sunday. Plus: will make you think about the drinking nights and the sense they make. Or not any sense they make. And the problem you have when starting to get cured)


28 days on IMDB

Panique au Village, 2009

Panique au Village, 2009
Director: Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar
Cast: Jeanne Balibar, Stephane Aubier


Stage: home theatre

Panique in short: Animated plastic toys like Cowboy, Indian and Horse have problems, too. Cowboy and Indian's plan to surprise Horse with a homemade birthday gift backfires when they destroy his house instead. Surreal adventures take over as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe where pointy-headed (and dishonest!) creatures live. With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier mâché town, will Horse and his girlfriend ever be alone?

Preps: none in perticular, just a few hints that this is a good movie and worth seeing


Reality: As I am a huge fan of animated movies, especially in old techniques, the expectation for this movie was set really high. Unfortunately, it failed me in every possible aspect. The voices are really dreadful. The flow.. well, the story has some pointers and some comical scenes. Ordering 5 mio bricks instead of 50 leads to really ironical and funny scenes. Nevertheless, I don't like the animation at all, although ancient, it just doesn't fit - in my honest opinion, this puzzle remains unsolved. I don't even try the second attempt of the movie.
I am fully aware that it has gained several important awards. And that it represents a muse to some people. But to me, it simply failed its job - conquering my adventurous mind or soul in any aspect possible. I definitely don't recommend it and don't wish to see it again. I was supposed to see it under the stars (the theatre in August) in Ljubljana, but something came up so I didn't. Now after seeing this at home, I am actually happy that I didn't. It dissappointed me in the same way as Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp.



My personal rate: 2,0 (I really tried!.. nevertheless, I erased this after one hour. No sense seen in this..)

The IMDB's site on Panique

My dad's six wives

My dad's six wives - the six wives of Henry Lefay, 2009


Director: Howard Michael Gould



Cast: Tim Allen, Lindsay Sloane, Elisha Cuthbert

















Stage: Home theatre

Six wives in short; A grieving daughter tries to arrange her father's funeral, while putting up with all of his ex-wives.


Preps: Again, one in a row. I got a recommendation that this one is amusing, so let's check it out. I don't know anything about the story, but at the first glance seems like a comedy.

Reality: It's amusing and black - humoured, just the way I feel today, and I love some scenes that can drive some people mad. The guy runs off with anyone that wears a skirt and gets married in a week or even less, if she says yes. And even gets a faster divorce. THe viewer is faced with some really funny scenes when getting to know the guy, and also, when he's supposed to be dead, meeting all his previous wives, his past and revealed secrets. Everything, from pedofily (his newest wife is as old as his daughter), to obscene scenes - being married, he gets engaged and sleeps with the third girl.

Nothing really deep about this movie, however, a true decent entertainment, when you have nothing to do and you aren't very catholic so you can suck the scenes down and even respect the humour they truly posess.

In my opinion, one of the best scenes is with all of the wives at the gas station, fighting to get the ashes of the guy, spreading them all around and then staring at the broken tin, like puppies that don't have their bones to chew anymore.

My personal rating: 6,0 (not extremely wealthy in content or scenery, photography, but I think you will be rewarded with a pile of irony :)



My dad and the wifes on IMDB

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 2009

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 2009, animated
Directors: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Cast (voices): Bill Hader, Anna Farris, James Caan



Meatballs in short:The most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain.

Stage: Home theatre, sunday morning entertainment


Preps: This piece of action is currently running in our local cinema, with a lot of success with the kids. I was curious what the fuss was all about and I am generally a fan of cartoons or animated movies.


Reality: Meatballs plays with child's fantasies - in sense that everyone would love to see their favourite food raining from the sky. However, the adult version is that the food must come on a plate, in its predicted shape, otherwise it's no good.

The animated action kindly reminds us of the importance of being good to your parents and the unrevealed truth that they mock us just to inspire us and that you are supposed to know they love you no matter what the shape of that love (read: things they say to you) is. I don't really buy that, however, for this animation it's good enough. As good as the idea of having a cheesburger running into your hands, falling from the sky - untouched (and we know how solid a hamburger is if you throw it somewhere). I was a bit surprised that all the food that is coming from the sky, is typical american junk food. We are in times when healthy food is marketed and you see reminders of "home grown veggies", "cerealed bread with dark wheat", "yogurt-like sweet stuff", "fruit instead of desert", anyhow, in this cartoon I get a feeling that we all long for marshmallows, hot dogs, cakes and candies, ice cream..

Typically american, I claim again. However, your kids will enjoy it, I am pretty sure, just be prepared to take them into the nearest McDonald's afterwards (maybe they sponsored the movie anyway, so it seems). And what's wrong with sardines? I don't get this part. The cartoon is an anti-sardine campaign. Still, much healthier than cheeseburger. But I don't suppose that was the point of the directors. Living up your dream, even if the dream might kill people or lead to the disaster and then repaying in a Bruce Willis (Armageddon) style, that was the idea, I guess.

My personal rate: 6,0 (as said, Armageddon of donuts and cheesburgers, tornado of spaghetti (the meatballs derive from the spaghetti), and a romance between a weird local scientist and a weather girl.. well, it might amuse you.)

Meatballs on IMDB
Check out the cool official site - truly a storm of food. Also, a food selector, to make it rain the food of your choice (I believe in my case it would be cheese and olives)

A serious man, 2009

A serious man, 2009
Directors: The Cohen brothers (Ethan, Joel Cohen)
Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Lennick




Serious man in short: A black comedy drama centered on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel through multiple sudden incidents. Though seeking for meaning and answers he seems to stay stalled.


Stage: home theatre
Preps: none in perticular, just came on its row one day. And I knew it was a Cohen thing, plus I was in the ironic mood. I figured it might be a good thing to see.


Reality: At least half of the movie is brilliant. The scenery, impossible scenes (like in some russian hard novels), especially in some dialogues, when the vanity comes out like pouring rain.
The professor Larry is somehow a puppet in his own life, watching it happen while he cannot do anything about it. A poor character, yet brilliant act from Michael Stuhlbarg. Cohen brothers really put the best performance for him on stage and the stage is really his own life. It reminds me in some way on The Truman show (in a sense that you firstly seem gullible, then it turns out that things are happening without your real influence on them).

You will love the first scene, if you like black comedies. Old german (barely recognizable in understandable way) and just the scene, that you cannot put anywhere else in the movie (you don't realize why even bother with the first scene up to the end of the movie).

One of the best scenes in my opinion (arguing about a bribe Larry got to give a student a better grade):

Larry Gopnik: We had, I think, a good talk, the other day, but you left something that...
Clive Park: I didn't leave it.
Larry Gopnik: Well - you don't even know what I was going to say.
Clive Park: I didn't leave anything. I'm not missing anything. I know where everything is.
Larry Gopnik: Well... then, Clive, where did this come from? This is here, isn't it?
Clive Park: Yes, sir. That is there.
Larry Gopnik: This is not nothing, this is something.
Clive Park: Yes sir. That is something.



My personal rating: 7,0 (a good black comedy, however, be in the mood for black humour, otherwise you might find it depressing)

Serious man on IMDB
Official site