martini_pl Reviews

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Excellently done and directed by Ron Howard

[9/10 · 5 August 2022]

Movie focuses totally about rescue mission of 13 Thai boys. We know what happened and how it ended. Howard avoids cheap tricks and onion and serves pure spectrum of how mission was assambled and how it went from divers perspective. I can say: if this wasn't based on real events, people would say that its overdone and mission itself would appear as somenthing could never happen. But stakes were high, and director shows it in great way. From technical point, movie is perfectly directed: sound, lighting, underwater footage is top notch. Locations looks like taken from real life events. I am happy this movie was made, even more that this story had happy ending, for the most part (2 of rescuers died, as we know...)

I rate it 9/10.

1883 (2021–2022)

Great story but not always handled well.

[8/10 · 3 March 2022]

At first, story about wagon ride during times "how America was made" seemed not intruiging as I knew it was created for prequel of "Yellowstone". I gave it a shot, because I love westerns.

As I watched episode 1 I was sure that Sheridan brought his best: focus on characters, details, being a man (which leads this serie to a Woman being a man). And I enjoyed it totally. To the point, where Elsa voice over was mod setter and I lived each part of her narration.

Show grow intense each episode. I was glued to characters then something broke up. Lack of skill from directors to level story of all immigrants. In Episode 4 (Crossing) I felt it all gone mad, without any sense of whats should be showed or telled. Immigrants - which are great part of the story - were threated so badly, that at the end of season, I was kinda sad not because of their faith, just because script threaded them as pesky flies.

Also, in the series E8 was cut from another world (I really disliked it). Yet, story of Elsa was enhanced and her look at surrounding world was so immerse, I loved her character along with this story.

Much cudos for Faith Hill for her performance. She is MOTHER by any means and her portrait of WWW is astonishing.

Isabel May delivered her role superb - and I just pity in some episodes problem was on "chair" where she couldn't spread her wings.

I rate this show 8/10 - There were slow paced episodes and emotions packed ones. Too bad it ended that "1883" is closed history. I would really like to know how James and Margaret established their home.

Greatest Events of WWII in Colour: Blitzkrieg (2019) Season 1, Episode 1

What a load of brahmin s***

[1/10 · 1 March 2021]

Instead of show II WW in colour, producers insist on creating NEW KNOWLEDGE. So called "facts" that series are presenting are merely idiotic statements framed to match pictures shown. In first episode we can "learn" that Nazis were scared and unprepared to war, German paratropers were keypoint in invasion on Holland and Belgium and some other "facts" tell us that Allied forces were stronger then German Army in 1940.

As a historicist, I find this type of video disturbing - serves FALSE facts and unrealistic approach to history. Shame it went this way - its rather conspiracy theory theme then real history.

Mulan (2020)

Lost story - great show!

[7/10 · 13 September 2020]

Mulan is a beautifully shot story, where overcoming own weakness and adapting to known order was replaced with inner power. New Mulan is a great warrior from the beginning and thus this move her character (and plot) loses it's power and greatness. You can clearly see this in final battle - where Han doesn't stand a match to Mulan and writers create very stupid solution to force viewers that Mulan MUST uses her Wit to overcome Han and achieve victory.

Despite losing plot and origin of story showed in animation years ago, this new creation has its own strength - it is beautiful show, with great fight sequences, superb acting and camera work, along with great music and epic battles. It's darker than animation. And it has Witch - which is at one side great character, and leading all existing events to render them pointless. But, Witch itself is extraordinary character - well played, greatly exposed and way to powerful!

It could be piece of art - an extraordinary achievement, but writers overcomplicated it, made one but very important change to the origin and busted it.

Compared to original Mulan I would give it 2/10 As a stand alone, new movie, I give it 7/10

Jack Strong (2014)

Very good political thriller

[8/10 · 2 March 2014]

I don't like polish movies, despite being Pole. Nearly every movie made here is cheap love story or badly illustrated history. Jack Strong is about piece of our own history, but instead teaching "how things were" it delivers great plot, acting, and cinematography in well created political thriller, in which audience will find everything, that such gender should contain. Jack Strong is history as it would came from Tom Clancy, but fact is, it's based on true story and Kuklinski is actual person. I am not saying, that Jack Strong is best movie ever, but in terms of polish cinematography, it's diamond worth of time to watch.

I rate this movie 8 out of 10