Thunderbirds Are Go (4 Stars)

This is a 1966 puppet film based on the Thunderbirds TV series. "Thunderbirds" was an important part of my life when I was growing up. It was my second favourite TV series after "Doctor Who". I never missed a single episode. The film was significant to me, because it was the first time I ever went to the cinema without being accompanied by my parents. I saw it at the Imperial cinema in Walsall with my best friend (at the time), Richard Lee. A few days later I went to see it a second time by myself.

I enjoyed the film, but to me the only thing special about it was the cinema experience. The film was just like a television episode, except it was twice as long. It fitted into the series' continuity. No attempt was made to introduce the characters, because it was assumed that everyone in the cinema already knew the series. Normally I would call that the mark of a bad film, but "Thunderbirds Are Go" was never intended to be a standalone film.

The story itself is untypical. The Thunderbirds are vehicles that work for an agency called International Rescue. In the television series they operate solely when needed for major accidents or tragedies. In the film they're requested to offer security for the launch of Zero-X, the first manned spacecraft to Mars. Jeff Tracy, the head of International Rescue, admits that it's an unusual role, but he says that rules are made to be broken. 

The series creator Gerry Anderson admits that the dream sequence of Cliff Richard and the Shadows performing in a space station has no relevance to the rest of the film, but ironically this is the most famous scene in the film. At the time Gerry and Cliff were neighbours and often met each other. When talking about the upcoming film they decided on a cooperation. Cliff wrote and recorded a song ("Shooting Star"), Gerry arranged for the puppets to be built.

I've watched the TV series sporadically over the years, but today is the first time I've watched the film since 1966. I admit that it looks dated, but I still enjoy it. 

Lady Penelope is the most beautiful puppet ever made. Her appearance is based on Gerry's wife Sylvia, who also provided the voice for the character in the series.

Sylvia Anderson, 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016
Lady Penelope, 1965 – Forever

Insomnia [American Version] (4½ Stars)

The original Norwegian "Insomnia" and the American remake tell essentially the same story: a police detective investigating a murder in a town where the sun never sets accidentally kills his partner and then becomes psychologically entangled with the murderer. However, the films differ significantly in tone, themes, characters and even in what they ultimately say about guilt and morality.

The setting

Original (1997)

The Norwegian film, directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg, takes place in northern Norway. The setting feels cold, isolated and alien. Even though the midnight sun provides constant daylight, the world seems emotionally frozen.

Remake (2002)

The remake, directed by Christopher Nolan, moves the action to a small town in Alaska. The landscape is grander and more picturesque. Nolan uses mist, forests and mountains to create atmosphere, whereas the Norwegian film often feels stark and oppressive.

The detective

This is the biggest difference between the two films.

Original: Jonas Engström

In the Norwegian film, detective Jonas Engström is already morally compromised before the story begins.

He arrives in the north under investigation by Internal Affairs. There are strong suggestions that he has previously falsified evidence and may have convicted innocent people. When he accidentally shoots his partner during a foggy pursuit, he deliberately covers up the truth.

The film gradually reveals that Engström's sleeplessness isn't simply caused by the endless daylight. It is caused by his guilt and by the collapse of the dishonest life he has built.

He is not a sympathetic hero. He is arrogant, dishonest and increasingly desperate.

Remake: Will Dormer

In Nolan's version, detective Will Dormer, played by Al Pacino, is much more sympathetic.

Dormer is also under investigation, but the circumstances are softened. His previous misconduct appears motivated by a desire to convict criminals rather than personal corruption. When he accidentally shoots his partner, he covers it up, but the film presents this as a tragic mistake rather than the action of a fundamentally corrupt man.

The audience is encouraged to feel sorry for him.

This changes the entire moral balance of the story.

The murderer

Original

The killer, Jon Holt, is intelligent, manipulative and disturbingly calm. He gradually becomes almost a mirror image of Engström.

The relationship between the two men is the heart of the film. Both have committed crimes. Both justify their actions. The detective and murderer become morally indistinguishable.

Remake

The killer is Walter Finch, played by Robin Williams.

Williams gives one of the most restrained performances of his career. Rather than playing the role as a monster, he portrays Finch as an ordinary, lonely man who committed a terrible act.

The remake spends more time humanising the killer. The cat-and-mouse relationship remains important, but it is less existential and philosophical than in the original.

The female detective

Original

The young detective investigating Engström is a relatively minor character. The focus remains squarely on the duel between the detective and the murderer.

Remake

The character is more important. She's played by Hilary Swank.

She represents the moral centre of the film. Dormer increasingly sees in her the idealism he has lost. This gives the remake a stronger redemption narrative.

The use of insomnia

Original

The insomnia feels almost physical.

The endless daylight becomes torture. Engström blocks his windows with blankets, tapes and cardboard, yet the light still penetrates. The film often feels like a nightmare in which reality is gradually disintegrating.

The audience experiences his exhaustion.

Remake

Nolan retains the concept, but uses it somewhat differently.

The sleeplessness becomes a manifestation of guilt and psychological pressure. It is important, but the remake is more interested in character relationships and moral choices than in making the viewer feel physically exhausted.

The Norwegian film is more oppressive.

The endings

This is perhaps the most important difference.

Original

The ending is bleak.

Engström survives but is exposed. There is no sense of redemption. The film suggests that guilt cannot be escaped and that moral corruption eventually destroys a person.

The conclusion is deeply pessimistic.

Remake

The remake moves toward redemption.

Dormer ultimately confesses the truth and encourages the young detective not to repeat his mistakes. After he is shot, he dies having finally accepted responsibility.

His final words, "Don't lose your way", transform the story into a cautionary tale about integrity.

The ending is tragic but hopeful.

Style and atmosphere

Original

• Minimalist
• Cold and clinical
• Psychological
• Ambiguous
• Art-house sensibility

The film often feels closer to a European character study than a conventional thriller.

Remake

• More polished
• More emotional
• Stronger focus on suspense
• Larger scale cinematography
• More conventional crime-thriller structure

Despite this, it remains one of Nolan's most restrained films. Viewers expecting the complexity of Memento or Inception may be surprised by how straightforward it is.

Which is better?

That largely depends on what you're looking for.

The Norwegian original is generally regarded as the more psychologically rigorous film. It presents a detective whose corruption is inseparable from the crime he is investigating. The moral ambiguity is unsettling and never fully resolved.

The remake is more accessible and arguably more emotionally engaging. The performances by Pacino, Williams and Swank are excellent, and Nolan adds a stronger sense of redemption and tragedy.

A useful way to think about them is this:

The original asks: "What happens when a corrupt man is forced to confront himself?"

The remake asks: "Can a good man who has done something terrible redeem himself?"

They start from the same premise, but they arrive at very different conclusions about human nature. The Norwegian film is darker, colder and more cynical. Nolan's remake is warmer, more compassionate and ultimately more hopeful.

Success Rate:  + 0.5

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Insomnia [Norwegian Version] (5 Stars)

Few crime thrillers have achieved the reputation enjoyed by "Insomnia", the 1997 Norwegian film directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg. Long before the Hollywood remake starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, the original established itself as one of the defining Scandinavian thrillers of the modern era. Nearly three decades later, it remains a benchmark for Nordic crime cinema and a deserved cult classic.

The film follows Swedish homicide detective Jonas Engström, played by Stellan Skarsgard, who travels to Tromso in northern Norway to investigate the murder of a young woman. The endless daylight of the Arctic summer soon becomes an enemy in itself. Unable to sleep, increasingly paranoid and burdened by guilt after a tragic shooting incident, Engström finds himself trapped in a psychological battle with the killer he is pursuing.

What makes "Insomnia" so extraordinary is its atmosphere. Unlike many thrillers that rely on darkness and shadows, the film creates tension through relentless sunlight. The bright Norwegian landscapes become oppressive, almost surreal. The perpetual daylight reflects Engström's deteriorating mental state, turning the investigation into a study of guilt, exhaustion and moral compromise. Skarsgard delivers one of the finest performances of his career, portraying a man whose confidence slowly collapses under pressure.

The film's cult status comes from its unusual approach to the crime genre. Rather than focusing on the mystery of "who did it", the audience learns the killer's identity relatively early. The suspense instead comes from watching the psychological relationship that develops between hunter and hunted. This emphasis on character, morality and atmosphere helped pave the way for later Scandinavian crime dramas and the wider Nordic noir movement. Many of the themes that would later become associated with Nordic crime fiction are already present here: flawed investigators, bleak moral ambiguity and a landscape that becomes an active participant in the story.

The influence of "Insomnia" can still be felt today. Its combination of psychological depth, visual originality and moral complexity remains remarkably fresh. While many Scandinavian thrillers have followed in its footsteps, few have matched its hypnotic power. As both a gripping crime story and a haunting character study, "Insomnia" stands among the greatest Scandinavian crime thrillers ever made and remains essential viewing for anyone interested in the evolution of Nordic noir.

TV-Series: Spider-Noir

I don't often watch television series. Even when I do, I don't write about them in my blog. I've made a few notable exceptions, such as "Smallville" and "The Sopranos", but even with those two series I didn't have the energy or the patience to continue until the end. The reason is that I have so many films I want to watch, and let's face it, may passion is films, not TV series.

However, when "Spider-Noir" was announced, I knew straight away that I had to watch it. The main reason was that Nicolas Cage was playing the title character. That guarantees quality, in my eyes.

I'll just tell you what the series' premise is. Ben Reilly was an American soldier who gained super-powers in Germany at the end of World War One. He acted as a super-hero called the Spider in New York for ten years. Then he retired after his girlfriend died, and he became a private detective. The series takes place in 1933. While investigating a case he's reluctantly tempted to use his super-powers again. He's out of practise. He's neither as strong nor as skilful as he used to be.

The series was filmed in black and white, but an alternate version has been made in full colour. As I understand it, the producers want the series to be watched in black and white; the colour version is only intended for younger viewers who need colour. I started watching in black and white, then switched to colour for comparison. Black and white is better. Believe me. Here are some comparison shots.

I deliberately picked this scene as something where the colour version might look better. But check the night-time scene below.

The BW version is far superior. But it's not just about the picture quality, it's about the atmosphere. The series is based on the film noir films of the 1940's and 1950's, even though it takes place earlier. Nicolas Cage may be a reluctant super-hero, but he plays a detective in the style of Humphrey Bogart. To get the full impression of the series, it has to be watched in black and white.

I watched all eight episodes in three days. It's worth a binge.

The Supercop (4 Stars)

"Supercop" (1980) is a delightful piece of Italian-American cinematic absurdity that works far better than it has any right to, largely thanks to the electric chemistry between its two leads. The film itself is a silly, low-budget superhero comedy about a Miami police officer who gains superpowers after being exposed to radioactivity, but it's the dynamic between Terence Hill and Ernest Borgnine that elevates it from forgettable fluff to a genuinely entertaining odd-couple romp.

Hill, as the title character David Speed, brings his trademark charm and physical comedy to the role. His character is goofy, good-hearted, and utterly bewildered by his newfound abilities, which include super speed, telekinesis, and the power to deflect bullets. Hill's performance is all about wide-eyed innocence and comedic timing, whether he's accidentally stopping a bank robbery or trying to hide his powers from his superiors.

Borgnine, as Sergeant Willy Dunlop, is the perfect foil to Hill's manic energy. He plays the gruff, no-nonsense police sergeant who's both exasperated by and secretly fond of his partner. Borgnine brings a gravitas and warmth to the role that grounds the film's more ridiculous elements. His deadpan reactions to Hill's antics are comedy gold, and you can tell he's having a blast playing the straight man to Hill's zaniness.

What makes their chemistry so special is the contrast between their styles. Hill is all about physical comedy and boyish charm, while Borgnine is a master of subtle facial expressions and world-weary grumbling. Together, they create a dynamic that feels both familiar and fresh. There's a genuine affection between their characters that comes through in every scene, whether they're bickering about donuts or teaming up to take down the bad guys.

"Supercop" isn't a masterpiece by any stretch – it's dated, cheesy, and often nonsensical – but the chemistry between Hill and Borgnine makes it worth watching. They're the heart and soul of the film, and their partnership elevates the material beyond its B-movie origins. It's a testament to the power of good casting and the magic that can happen when two actors click, even in the silliest of circumstances.

The Phantom Gunslinger (3 Stars)

This is a film I would never usually have watched. I only have it on my shelf because it was released on the same Blu-ray as "Fanny Hill". If I have it I might as well watch it. It might be a hidden treasure, waiting for me to discover it and say Wow!

Not quite. It's a notoriously silly slapstick comedy that's at least funnier than "Fanny Hill". The story takes place in the small town Tucca Flats, which has a population of 52, including dogs, cats and Indians. A gang called the Terrible Seven rides in and takes over the town. The sheriff flees after nominating the young theological student Phil Phillips as his successor. The trouble is that Phil has never touched a gun in his life. Even when someone in town gives him a gun, he's not very good with it.

Phil is called a phantom gunslinger, because he's killed in gunfights more than once, but every time he goes to Heaven he begs God to let him return to Earth to save Tucca Flats from the Terrible Seven.

The film made me chuckle a few times, but I won't watch it again.

Fanny Hill (2 Stars)

For years I've known that Russ Meyer made a film called "Fanny Hill" that was supposedly nothing like his other films. I assumed that it was lost, but now it's been released on Blu-ray. My curiosity took over; I had to have it.

The film is based on an 18th Century novel that was initially banned because it was too sexual. It's strange that the film is so unsexual, especially since it was directed by a man like Russ Meyer. Sexually, it's even tamer than the British Carry On films.

The story follows the title character, Fanny Hill, as a young woman who moves from the country to London to find work. She's hired by Mrs. Brown, a woman who runs an elite brothel for the richest men in London. She tells Fanny that the other girls are all her nieces. Throughout the film, Fanny never realises that it's a brothel. This is the whole foundation of the film's humour. It's funny for the first 15 minutes, but after 90 minutes it's tiresome. There's nothing to laugh about.

Summing up the film, it's an erotic comedy that's neither erotic nor funny.

Daughters of Darkness (4 Stars)

Harry Kümel's "Daughters of Darkness" (1971) remains one of the most distinctive vampire films ever made. Loosely inspired by the legend of Countess Bathory, the film follows newlyweds Stefan and Valerie as they arrive at a nearly deserted Belgian seaside hotel and fall under the spell of the enigmatic Countess Elizabeth Bathory and her companion Ilona. What begins as a gothic horror story gradually transforms into something stranger; a dreamlike exploration of sexuality, power, manipulation and identity.

What makes "Daughters of Darkness" a cult film is the way it refuses to behave like a conventional horror movie. Rather than relying on shocks or explicit violence, Kümel creates an atmosphere of elegance and unease. The film combines art-house sensibilities with erotic horror, wrapping its vampire mythology in stylish cinematography, surreal imagery and an unforgettable score. Over the decades, its reputation has steadily grown from obscure Euro-horror curiosity to acknowledged genre classic.

The film's greatest asset is the mesmerising performance of Delphine Seyrig as the immortal Countess. Seyrig dominates every scene, projecting glamour, intelligence and menace in equal measure. Her Countess is less a monster than a force of seduction, making the film feel closer to a decadent European fairy tale than a traditional vampire story.

Andrea Rau from Münchingen

The importance of Andrea Rau cannot be overstated. At the time, Rau was a young German actress and model who'd appeared in a number of light European productions but hadn't yet found the role that would define her screen image. As Ilona, the Countess's beautiful and increasingly jealous companion, she became one of the film's most memorable visual presences. Director Harry Kümel deliberately styled Rau after silent-screen icon Louise Brooks, giving her a distinctive look that contributed enormously to the film's dreamlike atmosphere. Although Rau continued acting afterwards, "Daughters of Darkness" remains the performance for which she's best remembered and is generally regarded as the high point of her international career.

More than fifty years later, "Daughters of Darkness" still feels unique. It's sensual without being exploitative, intelligent without becoming inaccessible and beautiful without sacrificing its dark heart. Few vampire films have matched its combination of sophistication and erotic menace, which is why it continues to attract new admirers and remains a cornerstone of cult cinema.

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The Furious (5 Stars)

Today I saw the German premiere of "The Furious". My short spoiler-free review can hardly do it justice. The film is amazing. In trailers it's been compared with "The Raid" (I assume they really mean "The Raid 2"). To me that sounded like typical promotional hype, but within a few minutes I had to admit that the comparison is valid.

The film follows two men who join forces to fight a people trafficking gang. One is Wang Wei, a man whose daughter has been kidnapped. The other is Navin, the husband of a reporter who disappeared while investigating the gang.

That's all I'm telling you. Now sit back and enjoy the action.

Passenger (2 Stars)

This is a stylish but confusing film. At least, it's confusing if you try to explain it.

A young couple give up their apartment in Brooklyn and drive westwards in their mobile home. They refer to their journey as a road trip, but I don't think that this description applies. When you go on a road trip you intend to return home, don't you? Tyler and Maddie have dropped out. They haven't just given up their permanent place of residence, they've also given up their jobs, if they ever had jobs. Do they have a sizable inheritance they can rely on?

The couple attract the attention of a supernatural creature that stalks them. He's called a Passenger. He's always with them, but he's only active at night. He doesn't kill them, he just travels with them so he can kill people around them.

What's the Passenger's motivation? That's the smallest question. There are infeasible elements that are more difficult to understand. The Passenger's weakness is St. Christopher's amulets. They burn him. That's sort of logical in the context of the film; St. Christopher is the patron saint of travellers. Does that mean that the Passenger is someone who adheres to the old religious myths and superstitions? That's confusing, and it makes no sense.

Borderlands (3 Stars)

I missed this film in the cinema. I was interested in seeing it, but I had personal commitments that kept me away. It happens.

It was obvious from the beginning that the film is trash. Doesn't the film poster that I've included above scream trash at you? But who cares? If it's a good story I can accept any amount of trash. Besides, it's directed by Eli Roth, whose films are always worth watching, trash or not.

The film follows a bounty hunter called Lilith (played by Cate Blanchett) who's sent to the planet Pandora to find the daughter of a wealthy businessman. This planet also contains the Vault of an extinct race. There are different opinions what the Vault contains, from powerful weapons to enormous gems, but everyone wants it. Lilith has no interest in the Vault until she hears of an ancient prophecy that one day a young girl will come who's destined to open the Vault. Tina, the businessman's daughter, is convinced that she's the girl.

The film is beautiful in its chaotic scenery. The characters all clash with one another. I personally found the tiny robot Claptrap annoying. I quite enjoyed the film, but I can't imagine myself wanting to watch it again.

Success Rate:  - 3.3

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Heroes Two (5 Stars)

"Heroes Two" is one of the key films in director Chang Cheh's Shaolin cycle for the Shaw Brothers studio. On the surface it's a straightforward kung fu adventure, but it's built around Chinese folk legends connected to the fall of the Ming Dynasty and resistance against the Qing rulers.

The film opens after the destruction of the Shaolin Temple. Qing government forces, often referred to in the film as Manchus, have burned the temple and massacred most of its defenders. One of the few survivors is the famous martial artist Hung Hsi Kuan, who escapes and becomes part of an underground resistance movement.

The Qing authorities desperately want to capture Hung because he's become a symbol of resistance. General Che Kang, a ruthless Qing commander and skilled fighter, organises a manhunt.

Meanwhile, another Shaolin fighter, Fong Sai Yuk, wanders through the countryside. Fong is immensely talented but impulsive and naïve. Che Kang quickly realises that Fong doesn't know the full political situation and tricks him into believing that Hung is merely a dangerous criminal.

The deception works. Fong tracks down Hung and, after a fierce fight, helps the Qing forces capture him. Word soon spreads through the resistance movement that Fong has betrayed a Shaolin hero. The rebels confront him and reveal the truth: Hung is actually fighting against Qing oppression and the people Fong has been helping are the real villains.

Horrified by what he's done, Fong decides to rescue Hung. His first attempts fail because General Che Kang is an accomplished martial artist himself. Eventually Fong joins forces with the resistance fighters, who devise a plan to tunnel into the prison where Hung is being held.

The film is based on a famous body of Chinese folklore surrounding the alleged destruction of a southern Shaolin Temple during the early Qing Dynasty. According to legend, the Manchu rulers feared that Shaolin monks and Ming loyalists were plotting rebellion. The temple was supposedly attacked and burned, with only a handful of masters escaping. These survivors then spread martial arts throughout southern China and founded many famous kung fu styles.

Fong Sai Yuk and Hung Hsi Kuan are both major figures in southern Chinese martial arts mythology and appear in countless novels, operas and films. Later audiences may know Fong Sai-yuk best from "Fong Sai Yuk", in which he was played by Jet Li.

Martyrs (1 Star)

Recently two of my friends have called "Martyrs" one of the best films they've ever seen. That made me sit up and pay attention. I had to see it.

Two girls, Lucie and Anna, escape from an orphanage where they're being tortured. 15 years later they find two of the people who tortured them, and Lucie slaughters the whole family. Lucie then kills herself. Anna searches the house and finds another women in the cellar who's being tortured. The woman kills herself. Anna is captured and is tortured even more than before.

There's an explanation for the torture which is given late in the film. It didn't satisfy me. The only memory I have after watching the film is women being tortured. It's ugly. How can anyone possibly like a film like this? It's horrible.

The film does seem to have something of a cult following. It was even remade in English. I honestly don't understand why.

Success Rate:  - 2.5

Deus Irae (3 Stars)

I have an aversion to films about demon possession. For a film in this genre to win me over, it has to offer something special. That isn't the case with "Deus Irae". It has a slightly unique take on possession. The film claims that demons are born into human vessels. The film follows two priests and a sister (a nun?) who work together to find and exorcise demons. They're fighting a losing battle. There are always more demons.

The film's imagery is overwhelming. The problem is that it's difficult to follow the plot. I could never be sure what was happening, and the film seemed incomplete.

The film's director Pedro Cristiani and the producer Marcela Cardenas-Alvarez came all the way from Argentina to present the film. They spoke about the financing difficulties that led to the film needing seven years for completion. They spoke about opposition to the film because it's blasphemous. They've done a good job, but I'm sorry, it's just not my sort of film.

Accion Mutante (3 Stars)

This is Alex de la Iglesia's first film, made in 1993. "Accion Mutante" remains one of the wildest debuts in modern Spanish cinema; a savage, anarchic mix of science fiction, black comedy and comic-book grotesquerie. Set in a future ruled by beauty and consumerism, the film follows a terrorist gang made up of physically disabled and socially rejected outsiders. The satire is broad, violent and deliberately ugly, but beneath the chaos lies a genuine anger at superficial society and media culture.

What separates "Accion Mutante" from De la Iglesia's later films is its rawness. Later works such as "The Day of the Beast" or "The Ferpect Crime" are still frantic and darkly comic, but they're far more polished and audience-friendly. "Accion Mutante" feels almost punk in comparison; dirtier, harsher and less interested in emotional warmth or commercial accessibility. The director's later films balance cynicism with affection for their characters, while this debut attacks nearly everyone with equal cruelty.

The influence of producer Pedro Almodovar can occasionally be felt in the exaggerated colours and grotesque humour, yet the film already contains the obsessions that would define De la Iglesia's career: social outsiders, collapsing morality, media hysteria and human beings reduced to caricatures by modern society. Even today, "Accion Mutante" still feels more dangerous than his later films.

Success Rate:  - 3.0

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The Last Circus (5 Stars)

Epic.

That's the only word that does this film justice,

Rather than tell a single story it meanders from one topic to another.

Does it have a message? Maybe, maybe not. It's entertainment. A snapshot of Spanish history from 1937 to 1973.

Let the images wash over you. You won't be disappointed.

Success Rate:  + 1.1

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Mother Mary (4 Stars)

I went to see this film in the cinema knowing nothing about it. I hadn't seen any trailers in the cinema prior to it being shown.

The film is about a pop singer returning to stage after a three year break caused by an accident on stage. In the film Anne Hathaway reminds me of Lady Gaga in her early years, but I've read that the director based Mother Mary primarily on Taylor Swift. Maybe; I hardly know Taylor Swift. Three days before the concert Mary arrives dishevelled and hardly recognisable at the house of her former costume designer and lover, Samantha, and asks her to design a dress for the concert. That's very short notice, but Samantha agrees.

The film is a talkie. For the first hour of the film the two women discuss their past, with flashbacks to concerts over the last 18 years. The film doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Then the women discover in their conversations that they've both been haunted by the same ghost. Yes, the film needs a whole hour to reach the supernatural part. This is strange, from the pacing, but the story is well told.

One small word of praise. All the songs in the film are sung by Anne Hathaway herself.

Messi (4 Stars)

"Messi" is a sports documentary that often feels as if it would rather be a feverish piece of mythmaking than a factual account of a footballer's life. That is what makes it interesting. Instead of the polished, corporate style that dominates modern sports documentaries, Alex de la Iglesia approaches the material with the same exaggerated energy and restless movement that run through his fiction films.

The film is built around conversations in restaurants and cafés, with journalists, coaches, childhood friends and football figures discussing Lionel Messi almost as if they're trying to reconstruct a legend. De la Iglesia shoots these scenes with dramatic lighting and constantly shifting camera angles, giving even ordinary anecdotes a strange intensity. The documentary rarely settles into the calm observational rhythm associated with serious sports filmmaking. Instead, it rushes forward, fuelled by rapid editing, pounding music and a visual style closer to tabloid spectacle than sober biography.

At times, the approach feels deliberately excessive. Archive footage is cut together with such speed and excitement that Messi begins to seem less like a real person than an abstract force of movement. The film is less interested in analysis than in sensation. De la Iglesia treats football highlights almost like action sequences, lingering on impossible changes of direction and sudden bursts of acceleration with the awe of someone filming a supernatural event.

What's most distinctive is the tension between documentary realism and cinematic exaggeration. The interviews are real, the stories are real, yet the atmosphere often feels heightened to the edge of fantasy. That mixture suits De la Iglesia's sensibility perfectly. Even when the structure becomes repetitive, the film never looks anonymous. In an era where many football documentaries resemble extended television specials, "Messi" has the personality of an auteur film.

The Ferpect Crime (4 Stars)

Sometimes I don't understand myself. Alex de la Iglesia is one of my three favourite directors, alongside Sion Sono and Zhang Yimou. In the case of the last two directors it's difficult for me to buy all their films, because some have never been released with English subtitles. But at the moment my collection of Alex de la Iglesia's films is almost complete. "Dying of Laughter" (1999) has recently been released for the first time with English subtitles. I thought it was impossible to buy "The Baby's Room" (2006), but this week I discovered that it's available dubbed into German. That's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. I've ordered it, and when it arrives I'll have all 18 of his films.

Some time in the near future I'll do a marathon of his films, watching them all in chronological order, but I'll watch a few now, especially the ones I'm currently buying. While looking through my collection I saw "Crimen Ferpecto" ("The Ferpect Crime") and realised I couldn't remember what it's about. So I checked my alphabetical list of posts to see when I last watched it. Huh? It's not listed. So when did I buy it? According to Amazon, I bought it in 2008, two years before I started writing my blog. So I haven't watched it for almost 18 years? That's crazy!

"The Ferpect Crime" looks like a black comedy about murder and ambition, but beneath the farce it's really a vicious attack on the cult of appearance. Rafael believes that women only have value if they fit the glamorous image sold by department stores, fashion adverts and television. He's obsessed with beauty, charm and social status; so obsessed that he completely overlooks the humanity of the women around him.

The film's masterstroke is the character of Lourdes. Rafael dismisses her because she doesn't match the conventional standards of attractiveness pushed by consumer culture, yet she's the only person in the story who genuinely sees through him. De la Iglesia exposes the shallowness of judging women purely by appearance; the supposedly "perfect" world Rafael chases is hollow, artificial and morally rotten. Beauty in the film becomes another product on display, no different from the expensive goods in the department store.

What makes the satire work so well is that the film never turns into a lecture. It's fast, cruel and very funny, but underneath the dark humour there's a real sadness about how easily people absorb these superficial standards. By the end, Rafael's obsession with appearances has trapped him in a life that's far uglier than the woman he mocked.

Dying of Laughter (4 Stars)

"Muertos de Risa" (engl. "Dying of laughter") is one of Alex de la Iglesia's sharpest and most uncomfortable black comedies; it takes the format of a Spanish TV comedy double act and slowly poisons it from the inside.

The film follows Nino and Bruno, two comedians whose career is built on mutual humiliation, timing and a very public sense of cruelty that the audience keeps rewarding. What starts as satire about celebrity culture and the mechanics of laughter gradually turns into something darker and more claustrophobic, as success hardens into obsession and dependency.

What makes it work is the tonal control. "Muertos de Risa" never fully lets you relax into either comedy or tragedy; it keeps slipping between the two, often in the same scene. The humour is real but it always feels a bit contaminated, like you’re laughing at something that’s already turning sour.

The film is also about Spain's own transformation. The older entertainment culture, shaped in the late Franco and immediate post-Franco years of the 1970's, relied on shared references, collective humour and a sense of social constraint. By the 1990's, that world has been replaced by aggressive media visibility, celebrity obsession and a television landscape that rewards extremity over subtlety. Nino and Bruno feel like products of that shift; they start in a world where performance is communal and end in one where it’s entirely predatory.

Alex de la Iglesia captures that transition with typical excess and discomfort. The film suggests that Spain’s move from a more contained, post-dictatorship culture into a modern media society didn't just change what people watched; it changed what they were willing to do to each other in public for attention.

Meet Joe Black (5 Stars)

"Meet Joe Black" is a Hollywood film that seemed faintly ridiculous to many critics when it first appeared, then slowly gathered a devoted audience who responded to its sincerity. At more than three hours long, with Brad Pitt playing Death in human form, it could easily have collapsed into self-parody. Instead, it became something strangely hypnotic; a melancholy romantic fantasy about mortality, wealth, loneliness and the terror of time running out.

The premise sounds absurd. A media tycoon named William Parrish is approached by Death, who arrives in the body of a young man and calls himself Joe Black. Death wants to experience human life before taking Parrish away. What follows isn't really a fantasy story in the conventional sense; it's a meditation on ageing, regret, romance and the awareness that time is limited.

The film works because director Martin Brest refuses to rush anything. Conversations unfold slowly. Characters pause before speaking. Entire scenes exist purely for atmosphere. The famous hospital and coffee-shop opening stretches time almost to breaking point, establishing the dreamlike rhythm that defines the entire film.

Anthony Hopkins gives the film its emotional gravity. His William Parrish isn't simply frightened of death; he's exhausted by power, responsibility and the compromises of success. Hopkins plays him as a man already halfway detached from the world before Joe even arrives.

Brad Pitt gives one of the oddest performances of his career. His flat vocal rhythms and awkward body language were mocked in 1998, but viewed now they make sense. Joe Black isn't human. He's observing people the way an outsider studies behaviour he doesn't entirely understand. Pitt plays him with a childlike curiosity mixed with something ancient and unknowable.

The emotional structure of the film depends heavily on the contrast between the two daughters.

Susan Parrish, played by Claire Forlani, is introspective, romantic and emotionally restless. Despite her privileged life, she seems disconnected from the corporate world surrounding her family. She wants intimacy and authenticity rather than social success. That's why she's drawn to Joe. Even before she understands what he is, she senses that he exists outside the artificial systems that dominate her world.

Allison, played by Marcia Gay Harden, represents stability and ordinary human attachment. She's practical, maternal and socially grounded. Unlike Susan, she isn't searching for transcendence or mystery. Allison accepts life as something to organise and preserve; Susan searches for something emotionally absolute. William loves both daughters deeply, but the contrast between them reflects two different responses to mortality itself. Allison embraces life as routine continuity; Susan searches for meaning beyond routine.

Over time the film has developed something close to cult status, although not in the traditional midnight-movie sense. It was always a large studio production with major stars, but its reputation has transformed. Younger audiences have rediscovered it through streaming and online clips, especially the coffee-shop sequence and the unexpectedly funny peanut butter scene. What audiences once considered unbearably earnest now feels refreshing. The film's refusal to be cynical has become part of its appeal.

The question of length has followed the film ever since its release. The original theatrical cut runs just over three hours. There was later a shortened release for use on television and for video rentals. On paper, the shorter version seems sensible. The corporate takeover subplot is reduced, several extended dinner conversations are tightened and some atmospheric transitional scenes disappear entirely.

Narratively, very little is lost. The shortened version still tells the same story clearly. In fact, viewers who found the original ponderous often prefer it because the romantic and supernatural elements become more prominent once the business material is compressed.

Yet something important vanishes with those cuts. The full-length version creates a sensation of suspended time. The slow pacing allows Death to drift through the Parrish household like a visitor studying humanity in microscopic detail. Even scenes that appear unnecessary contribute to the mood of lingering impermanence. The shortened version preserves the plot, but weakens the hypnotic atmosphere.

That's why the theatrical cut continues to attract devoted admirers despite its excesses. Many individual scenes could be removed without damaging the mechanics of the story, but the emotional experience depends on accumulation. The film gradually surrounds the viewer with the awareness of mortality. Its power comes less from narrative momentum than from emotional duration.

In the end, "Meet Joe Black" endures because it attempts something modern Hollywood rarely risks anymore; it treats romance, death and longing with complete seriousness. Sometimes it stumbles under the weight of its ambitions. Sometimes it's undeniably self-indulgent. But even its flaws feel connected to what makes it memorable. The film moves at the pace of someone reluctantly saying goodbye to life itself.

Success Rate:  - 0.4

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City of Angels (5 Stars)

"City of Angels" is a remake of a German film that's so well made that most people don't even realise it's a remake. It's a rare Hollywood remake that completely understands what it needs to change. Rather than trying to imitate "Wings of Desire" scene for scene, it transforms the original's philosophical melancholy into something more openly emotional and romantic. If Wim Wenders' film is about observation, loneliness and the burden of eternity, "City of Angels" is about feeling; immediate, painful, human feeling.

It can be summed up in one sentence: "Wings of Desire" is a film for the head, while "City of Angels" is a film for the heart.

Wenders fills Berlin with angels who listen silently to the thoughts of strangers. His film drifts through divided Germany like a poem about history, memory and alienation. The angels are fascinated by humanity but remain detached from it, and the black-and-white photography creates the sense that they're trapped outside life itself. It's a deeply intellectual film, one that asks what it means to exist rather than merely observe.

"City of Angels" strips away much of that philosophical weight and replaces it with romantic tragedy. Nicolas Cage plays Seth not as an abstract observer, but as someone already emotionally vulnerable before he falls in love. His relationship with Meg Ryan becomes the centre of the film in a way that the romance never entirely does in Wenders' version. The remake isn't concerned with the political or spiritual condition of a city; it's concerned with the intensity of human connection, and the pain that inevitably comes with it.

That's why Los Angeles matters so much as a replacement for Berlin. Wenders' Berlin is haunted by history and division. The Los Angeles of "City of Angels" feels weightless by comparison; full of sunlight, hospitals, beaches and empty freeways. The angels no longer wander through a wounded nation wrestling with memory. Instead, they float through a city obsessed with youth, beauty and mortality. The shift changes the entire emotional temperature of the story.

The remake also embraces sentimentality in a way Wenders carefully avoids. The soaring score, the soft golden light and the naked emotional sincerity all push the film towards melodrama. Yet that's exactly why it works for so many viewers. It isn't trying to provoke philosophical reflection as much as emotional catharsis. The famous tragedy near the end would feel manipulative in "Wings of Desire", but in "City of Angels" it feels completely consistent with the film's belief that love and loss are inseparable.

What makes the remake interesting is that it doesn't diminish the original by being simpler. It merely aims at something different. Wenders asks whether eternal beings would envy humanity. "City of Angels" answers immediately: of course they would. Human life hurts, but the pain is preferable to endless detachment.

Viewed that way, the two films complement each other surprisingly well. One contemplates existence; the other embraces it.

Success Rate:  + 1.6

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Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (3 Stars)

Despite its name, "Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist" isn't a sequel to the previous three films. Once more, Etsuko Shihomi is the leading actress, but she plays a different character.

It isn't a terrible martial arts film, but it constantly suffers from comparison with the original Sister Street Fighter trilogy. The earlier films thrived on raw energy, outrageous violence and the magnetic presence of Etsuko Shihomi, who brought real charisma and physical intensity to every fight scene. This spin-off feels thinner and more mechanical, as if it's copying the formula without understanding what made it exciting in the first place.

The biggest problem is that the film lacks the wild, slightly dangerous atmosphere that defined the trilogy. The action is competent, but rarely feels brutal or unpredictable. Instead of escalating into delirious exploitation excess, the film settles into routine genre beats. Even the villains feel anonymous compared with the grotesque monsters that populated the earlier entries.

There's also a sense that the series had already exhausted itself creatively. The original trilogy balanced martial arts spectacle with a strange comic-book insanity that made each film memorable, while "Fifth Level Fist" feels assembled from leftover ideas. It's watchable, occasionally entertaining and certainly energetic enough, but it never achieves the manic charm that made the trilogy stand out from the countless other 1970's martial arts knock-offs inspired by "Enter the Dragon". In one scene we even see an "Enter the Dragon" film poster on the wall, as if the director's yelling at the viewer "This is my inspiration". I'm sorry, it's just a weak imitation.

Return of the Sister Street Fighter (4 Stars)

Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, "Return of the Sister Street Fighter" is rougher, stranger and more entertaining than many of the better-known martial arts films of the 1970's. Etsuko Shihomi returns as Li Koryu with the same ferocious energy that made the earlier films memorable, but this sequel pushes the series further into comic-book absurdity. The villains are grotesque caricatures, the action scenes are gleefully excessive, and the film barely pauses to pretend that realism matters.

What makes the film work is Shihomi herself. Unlike many martial arts stars of the era, she projects both charm and genuine physical danger. She doesn't just pose between fight scenes; she moves with speed and conviction, making the chaotic choreography feel exciting rather than staged. The film also has a grimy exploitation atmosphere that separates it from the polished elegance of many "Enter the Dragon" imitators. It feels disreputable, loud and slightly unhinged, which is exactly its appeal.

The plot is nonsense, but that's beside the point. "Return of the Sister Street Fighter" succeeds because of its wild energy and Shihomi's magnetic screen presence. It's the kind of film that punches straight through good taste and becomes unforgettable because of it.