Тайните служби на Дядо Коледа / Arthur Christmas - Ho ho ho, it's good that with the coming of the winter holidays comes the best animated movie of the year (Tintin not taken into account). Created by UK studio Aardman Animations, the makers of now modern classics Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit and Flushed Away, this story on the Santa Clause family will surprise many with its wit, sharp dialogue, memorable characters and irresistible charm. Although centred around the titular character, the younger son of Santa, the movie has a lot to offer with the ones in the background. The old Santa grandpa, his reindeer dog (yes, really) and the elf-packaging specialist rank among the best written supporting characters on celluloid lately. But what holds the film together is the attention paid to every detail of the story. The script, though telling a fairytale, feels believable and authentic. As if there really are elves and a giant sledge spaceship travelling around the globe each Christmas. Furthermore, the the numerous catchphrases and clever scenes mean that Arthur Christmas will be watched by kids and grown-ups not only this winter but in the future too. And this really defines a film as a true Christmas classic. (Alexandra) ****1/2
Кожата, в която живея / The Skin I Live In - Almodovar is among those directors who has rarely (almost never) taken a wrong step in their careers. Thus, his latest arrives with the hype of being his first ever attempt in the horror genre, which is neither entirely true nor false. You cannot expect a film like Saw or (thankfully) The Human Centipede from a man such as Pedro, who is, and has always been, interested foremost in the complex relationships between people. The Skin I Live In deals with themes such as love, loss, guilt, redemption and unlike his previous efforts, this time around the tone is deliberately tuned down. It's not that the film lacks any of the typical Almodovar humour, but the feeling of darkness reigns over it and may repel those keen to experience once again his light touches. At the same time it's a movie whose every single scene screams Almodovar - from the use of colours and music, to the clothes which the characters wear and the appearance of old muses Antonio Banderas and Marisa Paredes. The strongest weapon of the movie, however, is its script. You know that, unlike most of the fellow bloggers or Bulgarian critics, I reveal almost zero details of the films' plot, so this time around I'll not even attach the trailer. Go and watch it (it's on a very limited release as great films often are) with an empty mind! (ProFilms) ****
Корумпирани ченгета / The Son Of No One - This cop drama wanna-be suffers from one major flaw - it doesn't know in what genre to fall in. From there the movie fails at so many levels, that even its brief running time (around 90 minutes) feels like a three-hour epоs. And not in a good way. First, it could not be a cop thriller as the writers didn't put enough meat in the arcs of any of the characters, and especially in the supporting ones. We are supposed to not care why Al Pacino or Ray Liotta act as they act, or what drives Juliette Binoche's behaviour. On the other hand, The Son Of No One could not be a human drama as Channing Tatum, who is the protagonist of the story, doesn't have the acting chops to bear such. And at the end, the big reveal is so stupid, incoherent and lacking of any logic, that it's a shame that the Tatum-director Dito Montiel tandem has come up with such a misfire after two relatively solid films. (Tandem) *
Previews this weekend:
Jack and Jill
The ratings:
***** Perfect
**** Unmissable
*** Fine (just give it a try)
** So-so (for genre aficionados only)
* Stay away
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