monsieurfairfax

'Command Performance' is not a very demanding movie, although saving the Russian President is a commanding act itself. No one expects some meaningful and profound movie when they sit down to watch a Dolph Lungren action movie. This movie is alright for a low budget straight to DVD action piece to spend an hour and a half with. Dolph is at his best, but the film itself is just not very original. Or anything special either. Only this time the savior of the day is a drummer with the combat skills of special ops soldier. The film is nicely paced and Dolph does a good job as a director. Some of the supporting actors seemed wooden, but that doesn't take away any attention from the main attraction - and that is Dolph Lundgren rocking and loading.

A ludicrous, but passable action flick that is quite enjoyable.

And the second season ends with the bang. Sort off. 'The Gateau from the Chateau' was the high point of the second season (that itself was already better than the first one) and what a perfect way to end the season. The writers had turned the absurdity and slapstick level up a notch. And many jokes were much bolder and bushing the boundaries. My favorite moments were the interplay between Goren Kaye and Sam Kelly (pill from the till), and Herr Flick's reaction when he 'ate the fish'.

The second season also introduced to us some wonderful new characters that later become series regular. My favorite is that stupid Englishman who thinks he can speak French. Hilarious performance by Arthur Bostrom. We also got to know Engelbert von Smallhausen, another hilarious sidekick. General von Klinekrhoffen and Monsieur Alfonse made their comebacks.

'Panfilov's 28' is based on Soviet propaganda legend about a small group of soldiers who stopped German tanks headed to Moscow. Let's put the historical inaccuracies aside and concentrate on the artistic values of this movie. Legends are legends, and they have always been good source material for cinema. With 'Panfilov's 28' Russians are making Hollywood, but still the Russian soul is shining through. The film is well put together. It takes a while for a battle, but with colorful characters and great acting, the first half-hour doesn't drag. Lighthearted banter between the fighters is quite amusing, but then the film shifts the tone a little bit. When Russians are preparing for the battle, and they wait in the trenches for the enemy attack, you can almost cut the tension with the knife. That there is good filmmaking - if you have a small budget, then create the atmosphere. But the battle scenes are not less remarkable. Depends on how much attention you put on the screen, you might not even notice that the tanks were 1:16 scale models. The authenticity is helped by keeping CGI effects to the minimum. Fantastic old-school craftsmanship. It is clear that the filmmakers put their hearts into the project and the result is a captivating war epic that gives the big-budgeted Hollywood movies the run for their money.

The movie barely raises above the usual war action drivel, but clever and stylish directing makes 'Panfilov's 28' worth the two hours.