Suffering is love

A nunnery somewhere in the Italian countryside is not a haven of peace and quiet. American girl Cecilia soon discovers that the facility harbors some truly creepy things. This horror movie isn't bad at all, there are similar ones around every corner, but it's still quite fun to watch. Even pleasantly grotesque in places. 

Falling snow drowning in the flood

The year is 2021, people fleeing cruelty and war in their homelands and seeking refuge in Europe. Some of them get stuck in the forests on the border of Belarus and Poland because neither country wants them and treats them inhumanely. These poor people are being bounched from one side of the border to the other like in some cruel game. Polish director Agnieszka Holland's Green Border (2023) also humanizes border guards and activists who watch inconsolably as suffering and evil unfold. 

Fresh as a rose

For some important people - Akira Kurosawa, Sam Peckinpah, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Pope Francis - this is (or was) one of best movies of all time. There's not much to say about it. Not even if you don't like it that much. For some reason, classic films are often beyond criticism. 

Hunting at the graveyard

The first hour and testosterone was oozing from every corner. The main heist of the movie was quite exciting even though there was no logic to it. Plotholes everywhere else as well. And the movie was absolutely packed with crappy acting. 

Imaginary war

The topic couldn't be less interesting. The Pope has died and a successor is being sought. But somehow Edward Berger has turned the boring subject into something interesting, even thriller-like. Written, directed and acted so well that you feel like you were involved in the election of the Pope. 

Where all hope and sorrow reside

This has gotten absolutely horrible reviews. Partly for a good reason. Perhaps the hardest thing here is to understand that this is Ethan Coen's work. Because he has been, together with his brother Joel Coen, creating so many masterpieces. Drive-Away Dolls is far from a masterpiece and doesn't even qualify as a cult film. It has a lot of Coenesque themes, but a lot of worryingly cheap and artificial humor. A lot of good stuff too, not worthy of a crushing critique, but a miss nonetheless. The only great things about this is that it looks like a great movie, technically. 

A cosmic betrayal

When a couple of Sri Lankan immigrants come to a small Romanian village, xenophobia rears its head. In other narrative, a local lad Matthias returns to the village where he meets his mistress, his distant wife, and his emotionally withdrawn child. Transylvania is full of inner tension. The film is directed by Cristian Mungiu. 

Connect the old bones

This is one of those movies where you wish there was background laughter, so you could at least pretend to laugh at the right moment. Because there's nothing really funny about this. Maybe the only trick to Minor Leaguer is to bring in two former NHL players to "act" and laugh at themselves a little. Unfortunately there's only twinge of shame if you could only care. 

Shoveling coal

Medical students bully one of their own. And three years later, the mistreated person takes revenge in a cruel way. The students have a costume party on the train and, to everyone's horror, they're being stalked in this moving capsule with no escape route. Standard 80s horror slasher by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson and David Copperfield (his only action role in fictional movie).