Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

3 1/2 /5 Lila (Viola Davis) a grief stricken mother who had just lost her son, teams up with Eve (Jennifer Lopez, who she had just met at the grief counselling session, and together they decide to take revenge of the ones who robbed them of their loved ones. LILA & EVE is a small film, trying to join the league of many other vigilante films, such us The Brave One and Death Sentence. It may luck the authenticity of the first and extensive gore of the second, but stands on its own, thanks to the great performance of Viola Davis, and, surprisingly, Jennifer Lopez, who looks both natural and enigmatic. The question of "whodunit" is irrelevant, it's all about making them pay. The behaviour of Lila and Eve is questionable all through the film, and the the makers do not shy away from taking sides. In a scene where a grieve counselling group is joined by the mother, whose sons Lila had just killed, she is being shamed for knowing what her sons were doing and Lila...

1/5 A family is exiled, after a scandal, into a small outback Australian town, just to face even more horrific ordeal - the disappearance of their two children. How to survive the uncertainty, when with every second passing by finding the kids becomes a more desperate task? Old wounds are open and lives shuttered, as time is gradually running out. STRANGERLAND have a few good things going for it - Nicole Kidman as desperate mother and Hugo Weaving as focused but sensitive cop have great dynamic, building up the characters well beyond what the script had to offer. The cinematography is great and the many areal shots enriched film with an atmosphere of mystery and even dread. Locations for the film were also carefully chosen and beautifully photographed - there’s a lot of eye candy without CGI on offer. Unfortunately, it is not enough to have great cast and access to a helicopter to make a good film. STRANGERLAND fails terribly to deliver the goods and the script is to...

3/5 Scott Lang, a petty criminal, steals a suit that can shrink him in size, but make him as powerful as a bullet. As it turns out, Scott is just a pawn in a game  - to set in motion the biggest heist of all and prevent a disaster. Will he be able to fill in the shoes of the world's smallest super  hero and find a redemption for the sins of the past? With the new MARVEL movie ANT-MAN we get some strong performances, great timing comedy and a few very original action scenes. When I say a few action scenes - it is exactly what I mean. ANT-MAN is not all action. In fact, it takes rather long time to take off. It would be fine to throw in some retro action opening scene involving Michael Douglas character - an Ant-Man of the previous generation. The script was asking for it, but ALAS! It takes a good half an hour for the things to get interesting, and as soon as we see the ant man suit in action the imagery gets mind blowing. But, once again, we get a very pr...

4 1/2 /5 I n 1952 Florida a freak show carnival moves into sleepy town of Jupitor. The owner of the freak show is Elza Mars (Jessica Lange), a strong willed and glamorous figure who dreams of a serious success as a singer. The supporting cast consists of her army of freaks, most of them not just carrying a burden of a tragic past, but also harbouring dangerous secrets.  It's no long before the show attracts the unwanted attention of the police - a killer clown is lurking near by, and freaks are under suspicion. The danger is also coming from psychotic Stanley (Dennnis O'Hara), a con artists who wants the freaks dead and in a different kind of show - in a museum, displayed in glass jars; and from an evil young man Dandy, whose only desire is to be a movie star takes a very dark turn.  The show also gets a slightly supernatural angle with Edward Mordrake - a ghost of a freak with a second face on the back of his head, who will drag to hell any freak who performs...

3 1/2 /5 It's year 1980 and we are in Buenos Aires. The wealthy gay man is murdered  and inspector Chaves is on the case. In order to find the culprit he has to plunge into the world of gay nightclubs, drugs and sex. But what is it with the young and handsome officer Gomes, who was the first on the crime scene, and seems to place himself with ease as a mole into a gay community? Is he trying to catch the killer? Or hiding something? As suspicions arise, Chaves is haunted by the feelings he does not understand. Will the fatal attraction to a younger man help him to solve the case, or be his undoing? First time director Natalie Meta is "spot on" on the upbeat atmosphere of the 80s without too much expense. She cleverly uses the pop tunes, over-the-top clothes and many other ingredients to recreate the time. The murder mystery is secondary, and the movie is focused on the relationship between the two men, full of innuendoes and mistrust. The very simple cinema...

4/5 In future human rebellion led by John Connor wins the war with SKYNET, but just before the fall a terminator is sent to 1984 to kill Sara Connor, John's mother.  Kyle Reese, John's right hand, travels back in time to save her, but finds the past ultimately altered. Sara Connor is not a damsel in distress, she can perfectly protect herself. Bonded with terminator T800, who had raised her and taught how to fight, she rules her own destiny, obsessed with the idea to stop Skynet from awakening. Teaming up with Kyle they give it their best, but then they had to face an enemy so unpredictable that their chances to win the battle are next to none. Director Alan Taylor, who had worked on many TV shows from Sopranos to West Wing, and who was at the helm of Thor: The Dark World movie, knows his business, but he is no James Cameron. Blissfully the script is well written, with just enough mixture of drama and humour to satisfy those who loved the original films. The acc...