Davide Carpagnano

This film is a cinematic masterpiece from David Cronenberg. With exceptional performances from Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, Ashton Holmes and the rest of the cast. Near perfect cinematography and a sublime and emotional score for Howard Shore... This story of redemption and family, and past life of crime, is such an emotion rollercoaster that keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat... It's a film with heart, showing a man's genuine attempt to leave his violent past life behind him, only to have it resurface and the affect it has on his wife, son and daughter. For me it's a story of hope, that the sins of a man's life can be reconciled, and a coshinary lesson is the dangers of keeping most secrets from the family.... One of the great films of our time and we'll deserving of multiple viewing.... I just wish I get the chance to see it on the big screen one day....

What a waste of time this film was... Visually its interesting, with a science fiction dystopian world that reminded me a little of Marvel's, Guardians of the Galaxy films... And with an intriguing cast including Cate Blanchett and Jack Black, I went into it thinking it might be funny and interesting... and its neither. Cate Blanchett, Jack Black and the rest of the cast try their best with a very bad, childish and heartless script. For me, there was not much heart in this story, the film did not do justice for the characters and I felt nothing enduring... I wanted to be interested and care for the characters but the film seemed to go out of its way to do the opposite... The way it was written had no dynamism, the antagonist, did not give any sense of threat or forbidding... I have not played the game, so I do not speak for fans of the game series... but as a filmmaker and film viewer and lover, I was amazed that this film made it to the big screen... It sorely lacked heart, ideas, emotion, intrigue and soul... And it wasn't very entertaining either! The two stars is credit to great visuals and CGI, camera work and sound and good attempt from cast... but everything was a waist of time... If you love cinema, don't see this film...

A Rome of the Future, today! A film like I've never seen before, seemingly breaking westernised conventions and norms within cinema, and showing us all how a new form can emerge out of an established (and often repeated and mechanisized) cinematic art. This fable seems a head of its time, and most of the audiences are not ready for it. This is Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious, and most poetic and artist work to date, and one of the feelings I get, watching the film, is a sense of unfiltered poetic and artist expression, exploring the state of society and culture, in the past and how it manifests today and how it may shape our future. It explores the floored nature of humanity and the corruption of power but also the need and beauty that comes with love and family. Visually, I have never seen a film like it, and it feels almost beyond what my mind can comprehend (this is a compliment). I feel that many will not understand it now, but giving it 'more time', this film will go down as a landmark achievement in cinema. If you seek a cinematic experience, the likes of which you have never experienced... you will be utterly thrilled. This is the kind of film that respectfully demands multiple viewings on the biggest screen there is! I'm seeing it again at the BFI IMAX in London Waterloo! And I'll probably see it a third and forth time...

Lars von Trier is a rare and brilliant talent and makes film, the likes of which I've never seen. This film is an intimate and poetic portrayal of the devastating illness of depression, relationships between family and friends that comes with their baggage and complexities, and how a person reveals who they really are in moments of danger or disaster. As far as a 'Lars von Trier' films go, this film is his least shocking but still, brutally honest and emotional, in its masterful depiction of depression as wonderfully and powerfully preformed by Kirsten Dunst. The rest of the cast are superb also, with Charlotte Gainsbourg giving a great counteract performance against Kirsten Dunst. Visually it's a masterpiece is filmmaking, with highly stylized moving images that is in par to the great paintings of old, combined with with handheld camera work and jump cuts that keeps the viewer intensely and emotionally engaged with the unfolding story, capturing every ounce of raw emotions of the characters in the film. As the second installment of Lars von Trier's depression trilogy, for me this film is his most righteous and moral of the three... as my main criticism of Antichrist and Nymphomaniac Part One & Two being the use of real sex scenes that degraded the films and lessened their moral integrity, which I find is none excusable. Though still intriguing works of art and cinema, masterfully told and minus the scenes mentioned above, pretty amazing and brutal films. For me, Meloncholia is the best of the three and well worth watching on the biggest screen there is.

I remember seeing this film when it first came out in 2008, 16 years ago... I remember what an impact the film had on me and how incredible the performances where, especially from the late Heath Ledger! The cinematography was close to perfect with a score that matched and changed the landscape of cinema. I have since seen the film on DVD several times, and loved every viewing experience, which is why I was thrilled that my local cinema was showing this iconic film on the big screen again... And surprisingly, my initial 5 star review has gone down slightly to 4.3 stars.... You may ask but why.... The performances are still legendary, the cinematography is great, the score is still iconic, but the pacing feels too abrupt and quick, with dialogue between each character, not having enough of a few seconds to breath a little... The chase scene incredible, but every other action sequence felt lacking, like Nolan and his team, not quite mastering the art of choreographed fight scenes.... And it slightly took me out of the story... ever so slightly.... Do I recommend watching this film on the biggest screen there is.... absolutely! And this film still remain one of the best Batman films ever made!

This film was a fun experience but did not reach the magic the beloved first achieved. Excellent performance from Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder and the rest of the cast and the use of practical effects and stop motion animation was a sheer thrill to watch and was a great example of how old school techniques can have a refreshing, visually stunning and feel relevant in modern cinema. The music was great and a nostalgic reminder of the first film, Danny Elfman creates music that adds to the fun and thrills to this film. I felt let down by the films two antagonists, I felt that their character arcs where not explored and examined enough to make me care or feel the impending doom. The villains felt under used. Not as crazy as the first film but still a fun and entertaining film that I definitely recommend watching... 3.9/5

This is a brutal film, a hard watch and yet intriguing and thought provoking... it successfully combines graphic and realistic horror, violence and gore, with a theological conversation about art and morality. We journey with Jack, a psychopath and serial killer, and his guardian angel, Verge, as we recounts a series of murders Jack committed over a period of 12 years. We see in realistic and graphic detail the horrific murders Jack committed and to which he calls his art or artist expression. All the while Verge is the moral compass that points out the evil of these actions... The whole film is compelling in how the conversation between these two characters unfolds that opens up a rich and fascinating discussion regarding, what is art, religion and morality has given from an atheistic perspective and a spiritual perspective... The graphic violence and gore is well executed and so realistic, but way to much for me, it is very brutal and almost impossible to watch. However, the writing, direction, cinematography, sound design and music, the performances, set designs and lighting are all exceptional, close to perfect... I find it interesting that Lars Von Trier is an aethist and yet all his films, and this film are world that has God within them...

A timeless (action packed, Science fiction thriller, with heart and soul) classic! Not only is it the very best Terminator in the series, but a brilliant film of it's own. What makes this film so enduring is the relationship building between John, the terminator and Sarah that grounds the whole thing... The cinematography is thrilling with sound and music to match! The stunt work was mesmerising and real, and with CGI that has ages remarkably well. The writing was brilliant and expertly executed by James Cameron and his team of filmmakers. Its probably one of the coolest films ever made, when the terminator walks out of the bar, and you hear the blues rock rocking, and he takes the shades and Harley... wow! The chase scene also, so thrilling and an epic and horrifying then heart felt ending was close to perfect. A near perfect science fiction action masterpiece, worthy of multiple viewings and when possible, to be viewed on the biggest screen there is!!

If you're looking for a pure, emotional, haunting, cinematic experience then this is the film to watch... Andrei Tarkovsky is a poet in cinema and keeps the camera fixed on the complex and flaud characters in this fable, that explores, or even meditates on art, science, philosophy, relationships and a desire for miracles and the hope they might bring! The craft in this film is close to perfection, with every camera movement and composition, the lighting, the dystopian world, the sounds and music, all creating a vivid and dream quality that is beyond compelling, captivating and a feast for eyes, ears, mind, heart and soul! The film is not afraid to ponder and take it's time (which I absolutely love) however, a more western audience may find the slow pace a gruelling exercise... But its pace, is the strength of this film, as viewers are given the opportunity to journey with Stalker and his two companions, as though you where with them, in a sense of unbroken time.... This kind of cinema is 'true cinema', pure cinema, an unfiltered, poetic, thought provoking cinema that has stood the test of time... Andrei Tarkovsky has created a cinematic masterpiece and this film is deserving of a big screen experience and multiple viewings....

"Got a light?" This is possibly the greatest film ever made... a pure cinematic experience.... David Lynch has shown once again that he is a master storyteller and has managed to capture an intricate world full of drama, comedy, horror, mystery and heart... full of lovable and fascinating characters! A true piece of cinematic art! That nothing has come close too... I have seen it now 10 times, and upon every viewing I have found something new and intriguing.... If you seek a rich story that will keep you glued to the screen then look no further and if you're a student of cinema, then look no further still... this is a masterpiece in cinema.... and though televised, should been seen on the biggest screen!