Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

4/5 In 1980, Detectives Huan and Pedro are on the case of two missing girls in the Spanish Deep South. Huan is a hot-head young detective, banished from the big city for his insubordination. Pedro is an old regime cop, crumbling by the burden of old sins from the reign of Franco. Two men, who belong to different eras, have to work together to catch a serial killer before he strikes again. MARSHLAND cannot escape a comparison with an American show TRUE DETECTIVE. Just like the HBO TV hit, the characterisation and the atmosphere are put far above the actual murder mystery, which may be simplistic, but a very realistic one in the end.  The movie has a grainy look, a  few quirky aerial shots and some good acting. It uses all the tools of TWIN PEAKS and THE KILLING, but it is a comparison you'd want. Besides, it looks damn fresh in the marshland Spanish outback. The mystery may be secondary, but it does not stop you to enjoy watching it unravel.  The film us...

3 1/2 /5 Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) is a retired gangster down on luck. He had done terrible things in his past and now lives under the crushing burden of guilt that destroyed his family life, and taking him to the very bottom of life. When his son Michael, who has nothing to do with the criminal world, gets into trouble, Jimmy rushes to help. Only to realise that to save the innocent lives he has to become a killer once again. Jaume Collet-Serra chooses a thriller, borderline horror projects well. His horror efforts THE ORPHAN and HOUSE OF WAX, acquired a cult following over the years. His previous films with Liam Neeson, UNKNOWN and NON-STOP were carefully crafted, a sort of complicated mystery thrillers. Unlike them, RUN ALL NIGHT has a very simple premise, however it well delivers on drama as well as action. Liam Neeson does what you expect from him in an action film, but here he is at least given a character with some complicated issues and manages to squeeze in s...

4 /5 Caleb is a young programmer who works for an Internet Giant. To his astonishment he wins a competition to meet his boss, a reclusive Nathan, a legend, and spend a week with him, taking part in his top secret experiment. The experiment involves proving that Ava, an android and Nathan's invention, possesses artificial intelligence. What is the true nature of this test? With everyone having something to hide its all about mind games. But when the human feelings are on the way, scientific minds crumble.... EX MACHINA is a clever multi layered thriller that intrigues, delivers and does not disappoint. It's simple structure is misleading, allowing you to see the events through the eyes of Caleb. He is just your typical boy next door, underdog, no-girlfriend geek. But is he a good guy here? Over the years (post Mary Shelly, the Frankenstein creator) there's been many movies and books about playing God, but never before they hit so close to home. We are li...

4/5 The dinosaurs are not a wonder any more. The people lived with them for twenty two years and do not consider them a miracle. In a full functioning theme park Jurassic World a new type of a beast is being cocked up in a lab. This could save the company's reputation and breath some fresh air into the tired attractions. Or destroy it once and for all. Here is the good news - in JURASSIC WORLD we have a film with a pure sense of adventure and it is impossible not to be seduced by its spirit. If you forgot what it's like to be a kid you will remember it again. In the opening scenes we see the park through the eyes of two boys, it is a magical place of wonder, what makes it real is a sense of something familiar - all of us had been into a theme park at least once. The script is wisely paced, not revealing all its cards at once, taking time to introduce the characters, but also giving us some thrilling action pieces early on. The biggest trick of the film is the e...

3/5 A terrifying earthquake is about to consume San Francisco, while devoted divorced dad Ray Gaines is trying to save his wife and daughter and rebuild his family life. SAN ANDREAS does one thing right, instead of following multiple character storylines, like many other disaster films, it focuses on one family. The drama of disaster movies, however, is much more effective when it deals with an underdog, someone unlikely to face the odds and totally unprepared. Dwayne Johnson, THE ROCK, looks like a half god himself, so it is unlikely you are going to be worried too much about his fate in the film. Surprisingly his acting is much like in the early films with Arnold Schwarzenegger - simple, but promising. That I cannot say about Carla Gugino. Normally a fine actor, here she struggles with the role of a grieving mom and definitely failing at any complex emotions. When she is required to take part in the action, however, she does it with ease. I found baffling the cameo o...

4/5 Avengers, the worlds mightiest superheroes, have totally stuffed up the world. Iron Man had created an artificial intelligence called Ultron. Ultron was supposed to become the earth protector. Instead it turns into an abomination. Now The Avengers face a stronger enemy than they had ever imagined, the evil completely of their own making. Will they be able to defeat it? And more importantly, are they the heroes the world needs or are they just different kind of monsters? Complaining about the luck of depth in the new instalment of Avengers, the third grossing film of all times, will do you no good - a movie that has 10 main characters is doomed to scratch only a surface . But Joss Whedon gives each of them a story arc, a mission to fulfil and a reason to exist. He also does produce a snappy, dry humour dialogue that works well in every scene, also Iron Man, for some reason, has the best lines. It may be unfortunate, but some jokes are easy to miss because of the eye ...

4 1/2 /5 Simon is a low rank con artist who gets a big gig - to steal the 137 carat diamond just under the noses of high security guards. And the best way to do it is to pretend a security specialist himself, get undeniably great references and get access to the inside information. But there’s one complication - a beautiful Julia, a diamond expert. For her the sell of the diamond is a dedication to her recently deceased mother. As the heist takes shape, so are the reasons for the whole affair. Who are the real people behind it and what are the real villains of the play? When you finish THE LAST DIAMAND it leaves an impression of having read a good book. It is probably because not a second is wasted in this less than two hour run of a film, the characters are well developed, the action is nicely played, and surprises are timely revealed. Simon and Julia (Berenice Bejo from famous Oscar winning THE ARTIST) are perfect duo with some great chemistry between them. Surpris...