JeBjBo

This film series is simply one giant middle finger to the audience. And people actually celebrate it. The "Now You See Me" franchise is anti-cinema and the worst trilogy I have ever seen in my entire life.

A boring adventure movie is like an unfunny comedy: a waste of time. Mark Wahlberg has zero interest in the film and absolutely no chemistry with the rest of the cast. They, in turn, struggle with an abysmal script, resulting in trivial, cringe-worthy dialogue. At times, it seems as though the actors weren't even on set at the same time. While the set pieces themselves aren't bad, they were better in the games, and the VFX are barely tolerable. Ramin Djawadi’s score doesn't save the day either, and the two post-credits scenes aren't worth the trouble. "Uncharted" might be okay for kids, but why not just show them good movies like the Indiana Jones trilogy instead?

Mole against mole, high tension, forays into the melodramatic – powerful stuff!

Fascinating effects, a slightly exploitative plot, good actors and a pretty good score by Jerry Goldsmith make “Hollow Man” an exciting sci-fi thriller. However, you shouldn't expect three-dimensional characters and logic. Paul Verhoeven was right, this film actually feels like it could have been made by any director; it seems too flat, too generic. "Hollow Man" is still great entertainment cinema, but it's quickly forgotten after the credits roll.

I could have listened to Jackson reading Baldwin for much longer. *I Am Not Your Negro* was recommended to me back when I attended a seminar on the media representation of lynchings in the former Southern states, and I have finally watched it. I particularly appreciated the editing and the essayistic style. However, I would have liked more concrete details about Baldwin’s life, given that he is—at least in my view—unfortunately only truly appreciated within academic circles. Including such details might have made it easier for a broader audience to connect with the film, which, while occasionally laying it on a bit thick, is nonetheless well worth watching.

A B-movie with a $180,000,000 budget, state-of-the-art special effects, a running time of under two hours and a dangerous tropical island as the setting? Count me in!It would be pointless to write anything about the script, character development or the miscast Samuel Jackson - "Kong: Skull Island" is designed as a nice way to pass the time and works quite well as such.

Hahaha, the people in *Idiocracy* are so dumb; they live in a democracy where they’re free to determine their own lives and futures, yet what do they do? They don't give a **** about politics; instead, they bombard their brains with stupid videos 24/7, trash the planet, and eat like crap. Luckily, such idiotic scenarios only exist in Hollywood comedies from the **** for the movie itself: it has a great premise for a comedy, but unfortunately, it starts to drag after just half an hour because the plot is completely unengaging. Why should I care about these moronic future-dwellers or the ultimate "Wonder Bread" average Joe (aka Luke Wilson)? That dynamic worked much better in *WALL-E*. Still, Terry Crews as the President and the countless visual gags in the background make *Idiocracy* worth watching. You just shouldn't expect a smart movie.

Good grief, nothing here works at all—it’s absolutely absurd that *Wild Wild West* came out the same year as *The Matrix* and cost nearly three times as much... you don't see any of that big budget on screen; the dialogue is lame, the action is poorly staged, and Will Smith and Kevin Kline have zero chemistry—the only bright spot is Kenneth Branagh, who just doesn't give a damn and is having a blast. Unfortunately, I was thoroughly bored.

Audrey Hepburn! The Givenchy wardrobe! The cat! Holly’s absurdly long cigarette holder! Her perpetually perfect hair! Moon River! And, of course, the unforgettable ending… *swoon** You can tell in every scene that the original novel was written by a gay man.** They really could have just cast an elderly Victorian lady—someone completely at odds with Holly’s lifestyle—in the role of Mickey Rooney’s—um—character(?) instead. Those 'comic' interludes are truly cringeworthy and a blemish on an otherwise perfect film.

I’d love to see many more Benoit Blanc adventures—it’s simply the perfect blend of *Midsomer Murders* and Agatha Christie-style themes. The cast is outstanding and clearly had a great time, though I found the direction a bit scattered this time around; it drew on many visual influences without establishing a distinctive style of its own.

"Not a Pretty Picture" is the kind of film you’re expected to watch—and appreciate—during your studies. Is the subject matter important? Yes. Is the concept executed in a way that keeps you from dozing off? No.

If you should see a musical, this is it! A film that can be played on a loop; full of esprit, charm and good humor. Legendary choreographies, songs and sets are something for the eyes and ears; the script is clever, funny and still relevant today - instead of sound film, it's now about generative LLM/AI.

I’m hoping that the cheap look and understated direction were intentional, meant to evoke the adventure classics of the 40s and 50s (films like *Island of Desire*). Otherwise, *Send Help* would just be a low-budget Raimi-esque flick that only occasionally breaks out of its routine thanks to a few energetic moments. That aspect worked for me, though. The screenplay, on the other hand, is just as poor in quality as everything else the two gentlemen have written (which isn't much). However, Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien really elevate the material with their performances, making the island adventure an enjoyable one in the end—even if it was a bit too tame and slightly too long.

Definitely the worst *Scream* movie, though not quite as bad as people make it out to be. The intro is decent, as are some of the kills, but the rest is just generic slasher fare. The killer reveal, however, is so campy that it would fit better in a *Chucky* movie than in the *Scream* franchise. Meanwhile, the meta-meta commentary is starting to get annoying; it only just barely worked in the third installment.

Wow… I’ve never seen Scarlett Johansson give such a bad performance as she does in *Lucy*. Named after the famous hominid fossil, the film sees Luc Besson attempting to blend philosophy, action, and visual spectacle—and failing so spectacularly that it’s a sheer delight. It starts with the editing choices, moves on to a truly moronic script, and culminates in what is arguably the **** car chase I’ve ever seen. Hats off!That all sounds very negative, but with the right dose of CPH4 (or other substances that let you use 100% of your brain), you can actually have fun with this piece of junk. Plus, it only runs for 89 minutes. The only embarrassing part for everyone involved is having *Lucy* on their résumé. Cheers!

Far more mindless and cheap than the original; the obvious AIDS allegory is interesting in places, and the creepy kids are at least a little unsettling. Natasha Henstridge looks good, as does Justin Lazard, and Michael Madsen gets to say very stupid things with great seriousness... it’s watchable enough.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

It doesn't reinvent the slasher genre, but it adds enough of its own touches to be entertaining. The kills are decent, the cast works, and the script isn't glaringly stupid. If you look past the fact that Eli Craig gave us *Tucker and Dale vs. Evil*—and that *Clown in a Cornfield* could have been so much more as a result—it’s definitely worth a watch.

Conan would have been perfect for the role of Gladys. Otherwise, a very good balancing act between mystery and comedy, spiced with a bit of horror.

Wilder and Diamond’s script is brought to life by Marilyn, Curtis, and Lemmon with such verve, sincerity, and wit that it is a sheer delight. Despite all its absurdities, the premise feels entirely believable; the film is peppered with memorable supporting characters and visual gags—and did I mention that Marilyn lights up the screen? *Some Like It Hot* is simply Sen-sa-tio-nal—and with its legendary ending, it unleashes a crescendo that must surely have blown the hats right off the audience’s heads back in the day.

Gregg Araki’s experimental video diary of **** young Angelenos in the 90s is, above all, one thing: boring. Much like in Larry Clark’s work, the kids bore their way through their more or less privileged lives, navigating all the typical adolescent woes. Watching it, I felt as though I were looking at a pretentious video installation. Don’t get me wrong—I like Araki; I like him a lot, actually. It’s just that *Totally F***ed Up*, unfortunately, wasn’t for me.

It’s always those Albanians...Liam Neeson channels Bronson, and the result is a pretty entertaining 90 minutes of film. The only bummer is that the editing and camerawork completely ruin the action. Still, I had plenty of fun.

Twelve men in a stuffy room, and each one performs with such intensity that it feels as if their very survival were at stake. It is immensely gripping from the first minute to the last. I hadn't realized that *12 Angry Men* was Sidney Lumet’s feature film debut. This is truly impressive, considering the *mise-en-scène*, the direction of the actors, and the dramaturgy—particularly because the film features so many very long takes involving camera movement, which—much like in Hitchcock’s *Rope* ten years earlier—must have required a monumental effort.

Hundreds of toads, snakes, and spiders—along with a scorpion and a few crocodiles (or alligators?)—exact their revenge on the inhabitants of a Southern mansion deep in the Florida swamps. The whole affair is staged at a rather leisurely pace; while things do get a bit creepy every now and then, the monotonous croaking proves somewhat sleep-inducing. I barely recognized Sam Elliott without his mustache—though he retains his charisma nonetheless. It’s worth a watch.

Is "Trap" 'good'? If beautiful visuals, eccentric and spirited performances, a story that is as twist-filled as it is simple, and a consistently high level of entertainment are enough—yes. However, if you question even the slightest aspect of "Trap," it unfortunately falls apart completely. It is a shame about the wasted potential.

"France" is mind-numbingly boring and banal. If the film has one redeeming quality, it is that its flat visual aesthetic perfectly matches its substance. Léa Seydoux looks stunning in her Louis Vuitton outfits, but otherwise spends the film looking—alternately—as if she is suffering from either constipation or diarrhea. If all of this is intended as a meta-commentary on the media industry in general, and the film (and awards) circuit in particular, then… congratulations? Ultimately, "France" amounts to nothing more than a waste of time.A drinking game might make this film more bearable: Take a shot every time Seydoux changes costumes (which is practically every **** film's highlight: After 105 minutes that feel like an eternity, one of the most absurd car accidents I’ve seen in a long time occurs completely out of the blue.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

"Smile 2" is a bit too long and the visual effects are terrible. Nevertheless, Parker Finn's second film starts off with plenty of confidence, offering interesting visual flourishes, a great performance from Naomi Scott, creative practical effects, a few genuinely creepy scenes, and overall an entertaining movie night.

A bit of rom-com, a few cool kills – "Heart Eyes" is the perfect slasher for the weekend, nothing new, but entertaining and, for me, on roughly the same level as "Thanksgiving".

My first Bergman film is also his last (in theaters). I'm so ashamed that I haven't seen any of his films before. What more can be said about this film? You lose yourself in the visuals, in Alexander's world of emotions and imagination, in the family dynamics and stories, often told through the smallest details. Pure, indulgent cinema. The TV version seems to be better because some deleted scenes complete this masterpiece by further deepening this epic family portrait and childhood **** Christmas is only eight months away, so perhaps I'll manage to see the TV version in good quality then. Because Sven Nykvist's cinematography deserves nothing less.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

"Lee Cronin's Conjuring 5: The Mummy" tells the 134-minute story **** who is kidnapped, forced to spend eight years in an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, and is now possessed by something, leading to all sorts of horrors.Unfortunately, the script is weak and riddled with clichés, the scare scenes seem like leftovers from "Evil Dead: Rise," and towards the end, it devolves into a James Wan/Jason Blum haunted house. Don't expect a mummy in this film, by the way. Cronin (as with his other two films) has also managed to more or less squander an interesting premise. Jack Reynor looks sad one minute, wide-eyed the next; the three other female characters (mother, policewoman, Mexican grandmother) are so generic that I don't even remember their names. Only the children are consistently excellent – ​​Cronin seems to have a real knack for them. The score and sound design/Foley are so over the top that they got on my nerves. The practical and visual effects, on the other hand, I enjoyed and found them a welcome change from the monotonous family trauma plot, in which, of course, everything has to be spelled out multiple times because the audience is glued to their phones anyway. The final scene is a studio touch of the kind I haven't seen so blatantly in a long **** the way: Anyone who manages to bore me, an ancient Egyptian/mummy horror fan, with the research and backstory of the curse should seriously revise their script. "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" is okay for a one-time viewing, but not in the cinema (when will these things finally die out?), but rather on HBO Max. The best part of the film was the funeral rites; I even had fun with the toenails.Nevertheless: Disappointing, average at best, Cronin's weakest film.

Finally, a slasher film with a female gaze again! Beyond that, "I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025" is as solid as it is unnecessary, but it does have some decent kills. Surprisingly, the main characters don't get on my nerves as much as most of the ones in the original. It only gets pretty absurd when it heads towards the finale and the identity of this time's hook-hand killer is revealed. And after two days, I've already forgotten most of the film. I still remember who the killer was, but why – well, that wasn't really **** least IKWYDLS'25 is worlds better than that terrible Prime Video series.

At first glance macabre, but beneath the surface profoundly life-affirming, human, funny, and sad. Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort give their all, Hal Ashby directs with restraint (with some truly excellent shots), and Cat Stevens' music completes the picture. A beautiful film, perfect for the start of spring.

If you simply accept the absurd aspects of the plot, "F/X" delivers a straightforward, handcrafted, and genuinely likeable conspiracy thriller with action elements. The decision by those in charge to take the "wrong man gets caught up in a conspiracy and uses special skills to bring down the masterminds" story seriously proves to be the right one. As a result, the film is not only entertaining but also genuinely thrilling. Bryan Brown as the Australian fish out of water and Brian Dennehy (️) as the New York cop deliver excellent performances, and Bill Conti's music enhances the production, as do Miroslav Ondriček's cinematography. The end credits sequence comes a bit out of nowhere, but I'm happy for the two of them, and "Just an Illusion" by Imagination is a real banger – ooh ooh ooh ooh aaAAaah In short: "F/X" gets way too little attention, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

An average slasher film and essentially a "Prom Night" remake with creative (albeit CGI-ridden) kills, a good 80s pop playlist as a soundtrack, and a pleasing 80s Instagram filter. The highlight is the Newton Brothers' score; I've already forgotten the plot, but the finale was quite entertaining. Anyone between 12 and 17 years old looking for a sleepover movie will definitely enjoy "Fear Street: Prom Queen" more than I did.

Even in the tragic moments, Marjane Satrapi is full of wit and creative ideas, making "Persepolis" an enjoyable yet thought-provoking and heartbreaking film. Today, as Islam and headscarves become increasingly popular among German youth of the TikTok generation, it's helpful to remember how many people have been tortured and murdered in the name of (not only) this religion, simply because they wanted to live self-determined and true to themselves. Religion is a Pied Piper, not an answer. It serves only to oppress, to enable a minority to rule. We need more grandmothers like Marjane's...

It was fun, I'll probably watch it again sometime as a double feature with "****". Peter Weller and Daniel Craig look remarkably alike. There was a bit too much mumbling for my taste, and the first half of the film drags a little.

Carpenter impressively demonstrates how he can realize even ambitious science fiction stories with limited resources. "Escape from New York" looks fantastic, is brilliantly acted, and has a great score—everything you'd expect from a Carpenter film. However, I would have liked a deeper exploration of the isolated Manhattan. Ultimately, the film feels a little too superficial to me.

An exquisite relationship-psychological drama (threesome), technically on par with **** creations, superbly acted, and never pretentious. Anderson has delivered once again, I'd say.

Why are there five "Dirty Harry" flicks but only one Philip Marlowe, created by Gould/Altman? Anyone with that kind of athletic stamina, despite being a chain smoker, can take on anything! Even the pickiest cat in the world.

Nice idea, poorly executed. The intended funny moments elicit eye rolls, and there are far too few unintentionally comical ones. None of the characters are memorable, and the set design creates visual monotony. Harold Faltermeyer's score and the end-credits song are truly excellent; at least you could rely on those in the '80s.

Depressing, but funny and heartwarming? And how beautiful is Ireland, really? It's just a shame that there are all those creepy old women running around everywhere prophesying deaths.

Oh well, I was expecting worse. Actually, "EuroTrip" offers a nice way to pass the time when your brain needs a break.

Elijah Wood is fun, and so are a few of the monkey's antics. Otherwise, nothing in "The Monkey" quite fits together, which led to frustration and boredom for me after half an hour. The story would be perfect for a "Tales from the Crypt" episode, but what Perkins made of it is unsuitable and irritating as a horror comedy. Theo James and his younger self, however, played their dual roles quite well.

The technological advancements are impressive (shadows, reflections, and refractions can now be depicted more realistically), and I'm looking forward to the fur effects in "Monsters, Inc." (The dog's fur in "Toy Story 2" is simply a pattern on otherwise smooth skin). The story and characters are fun and heartwarming, and many of the gags still land perfectly. What bothers me is that Woody holds the group together, stands up for everyone, etc.—only to then suddenly have himself shipped off to Japan?! This central conflict of the film felt completely unmotivated to me. However, "Toy Story 2" is so good that it hardly matters.

I loved it as a child, and while "Groundhog Day" doesn't feel quite as polished today, it's still fun. Ned and the stunt groundhog during the chase scene are still great. Besides "Ghostbusters," is it Bill Murray's best role?

This attempt at a rock/metal(?) opera is a complete and utter disaster. Everyone involved is clearly trying hard, and Terrance Zdunich, in particular, seems to think he's created something truly special. And that makes for a highly entertaining 90 minutes, the kind where you think: Surely someone MUST have noticed this...!This futuristic dystopia uses transparent(!) paper – that's the level of idiocy we're talking about with "Repo! The Genetic Opera".

I'd wanted to see it for ages, finally got around to it, and I'm (almost) completely thrilled. And I even like Anna Paquin here, who used to drive me absolutely crazy in "X-Men" and "True Blood." A really great film!