Don't Look Up

Is this a brilliant satire that affects a sensitive point? Nope. Rather, it’s a very dry affair that fails in all disciplines. It strikes out in all directions indiscriminately and sometimes hits something rather unintentionally. That humanity is, at its core, a bunch of greedy assholes driven by the lust for riches and the desire to be better off than our neighbor is nothing new. Yet the film shouts it out to the world with the smiling naivety of young teenagers who want to save the world with a banner in one hand and a cobblestone in the other. Maybe these old-fashioned thought "overlaps" are enough for some people, but if I’ve got the laziest dramaturgy, I'm damn well taking the opportunity to be really clever and, above all, funny. This collection of caricatures without a single full-blooded character just travels around America, decrying concentrates of media outpourings, billionaire complexes, and political clownery, where it's fine to look for all the real-life foreshadowing, but absolutely no one is standing on their own two feet. It's like the jokes my fourth graders sometimes tell me at school: it has a confusing beginning, everything gets repeated about four times, and by the punchline, you have to help it or it's never going to end. This simply lacks effort and cuteness. The condescending smile is nowhere to be found. Middle finger up. (02/21/2022)

A well-fed DiCaprio strides in for another Oscar. A rather shaky, but occasionally unexpectedly realistic picture with a powerful message which shows where we have got to and how bad things are. We could just laugh, but McKay really wanted to terrify us. A modern horror wrapped in cynical humor and dispassion. Showing us prime examples of bad decisions that are constantly being made today on a regular basis. This is filmed for dumb people too. (12/25/2021)

Don't Look Up is a mirror reflecting the consumerism that surrounds us all today — original, unique, and likely to be a telling piece of commentary for years to come. It's also a classic Oscar contender, packed with a star-studded cast all vying for at least a nomination. Leo is probably the most tolerable, while the rest of the cast comes off as grating — except for Jonah Hill, who seems to effortlessly embody his role’s arrogance. I appreciate the clever concept and sharp, though not always funny, satire. The ending is arguably the funniest part, and if anyone deserves an award, it’s Mark Rylance. (12/30/2021)

I liked you, Adam. Your sarcasm, your snappy dialogue, your discomfort, your sense of deranged characters. This is like Roland Emmerich trying to be very clever and insightful. Everything is hollow, the timing is off, and the ironic jabs are very off indeed. I understand that it's part of the general annoyance at the state of the world, but it actually reflects much less of it than it seems. It's kind of a scented bubble. With a fart inside. (12/29/2021)

Adam Mckay and political comedy satire at it's best! The timing for this film couldn't be better. I'll admit I had low expectations, it's not exactly my cup of tea and I'm definitely shocked that it ended up being one of the best films with the most stellar cast this year. The film benefits the most with an attractive (read topical) plot where two low level astronomers discover an approaching comet that is hurtling straight towards our planet and it's funny that no one actually cares about it properly. DiCaprio is traditionally excellent (the scene where his nerves snap is a clear acting highlight), but for me the film was pulled mostly by Jennifer Lawrence, who stole most of the scenes to herself and made it clear that she is a strong rival to Sandra Bullock in the battle for the Oscars. The dramatic and tense moments worked well, giving me goosebumps several times. The film has so many amazing and memorable scenes where I said to myself many times “this is powerful!”, and I definitely don't say that often with conversational films. The humor wasn't the strongest point, but that didn't bother me that much. I also liked Ariana Grande's performance and the epic sci-fi finale of Emmerich proportions with a downright top notch post-credit scene. Stylish, apt, funny, disturbing, entertaining and very chilling. Netflix got their shit together and once again made one of the films of the year. A filmmaking and acting treat that I will happily repeat. Story 5/5, Action 2/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 0/5, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 4/5, Actors 5/5. 10/10. (12/28/2021)