Nuremberg.

       

              The movie on Nuremberg trials could not be anything but formulaic. But the wonderful acting by Rami Malek and, especially, Russel Crowe, despite poorly believable German accent and his unusual facility with the tongue of the Bard. An obvious defect is the Woodall's character who, after five years in America, speaks perfect English without any accent. Kissinger, who was a military translator during the WWII, never got rid -- or wanted to -- get rid of this German accent. 

    Hollywood orthodoxy imposes the judgement in Nuremberg as the story of Shoah. This is wrong -- Nazi atrocities against the Jews had much less significance for the Anglo-Saxon judges, civil servants and politicians among whom there were many anti-Semites. Much more significance for them held "violation of the laws of war", as if any existed -- such murder and enslavement of the POWs, sinking of hospital and refugee ships and the "war of aggression". 

    Obviously, the thrust of the movie was directed against Trump (riding roughshod over the American laws and the Constitution) and Putin, in connection of "the war of aggression" -- no story could be made without him and if Russians did not exist they had to be invented. 

        But, all in all, the movie is better than can be expected given the straightjacket of the American public consciousness. 

      

Bugonia.

      

            A cool movie by Yorgos Lanthimos, probably helped by Ari Aster about an impending apocalypse. The ending is so logical that it is quite expected. Lying woman floating in the air is freely borrowed from Tarkovsky's "Sacrifice". Acting by the "evil witch" Emma Stone, Jesse Plemmons and the novice Aidan Delbis is impeccable. 

One battle after another.

     Inability of PT Anderson to create a normal length feature film probably is influenced by his love for his own cinematic proficiency and refusal to frugally cut his movies.

     This movie is advertised as a comedy-drama. There is nothing comedic in its turgid plot about impending civil war in America. It is positively depressing and after 2 hours 40 minutes of unrelenting angst -- though the latter half is more dynamic -- the viewer comes out as totally wasted. 

    Of course, what is considered a mediocre movie by PTA is unreachable heights for most of the current Hollywood directors. 

 

Ari Aster. Eddington.

 Weird and too long, it is still a wonderful movie. The movie shows an American dysfunction of the Trump era much better than the misguided (or decimated by censors) Alex Garland's "Civil War". The only defect is that Joaquin Phoenix playing asthmatic sheriff and would-be mayor imitates lisp so much that half of his monologues are barely heard.

Elio.

     

       Visually appealing and inventive, especially when alien lifeforms are concerned movie, which is pasted from already existent storylines (are not all storylines exhausted at this day and age?). For instance a conflict between a brutal, but loving father and a tender son was a centerpiece of "Shark Tale" where it was probably a coded language for gaiety. The pangs of adolescence were a part of great number of cartoons, for instance a brilliant "Inside Out". 

The Phoenician Scheme by Wes Anderson.

   

      The problem with Wes Anderson as is with his youth pal Noah Baumbach (and P. T. A. Anderson) is that they rarely leave their comfort zone with their subsequent movies turn into a replica of their previous masterpieces. 

    Great acting talents (Hanks, Johansson, Amalric, Cumberbatch) are wasted in the remaking of his well-beaten tropes. Cumberbatch is especially pathetic in his faux beard, obviously designed haphazardly for him not to look, well, like Benedict Cumberbatch. 

          

Accountant-2 and Fight or Flight

   

      Continuing my tradition of dual reviews I enter two decently rated thrillers: Accountant-2 and Fight or Flight. Accountant-2 -- bright characters, especially the brother of the protagonist, and believable villains. Also fair dose of ambivalence. Fight or Flight -- none of the above. 

Both movies deliberately end in the way to propose a sequel.