gudaulin

Disturbia is a combination of the thriller classic Rear Window and the independent film Cherish, presented in teenage packaging. This is a case where lively and high-quality direction surpasses the average script containing inconsistencies and unfinished elements. It is precisely because of the direction and casting that I ultimately lean toward giving it four stars, even though scenes such as when the protagonist fearlessly enters a house, knowing that he will inevitably confront a brutal serial killer who is significantly bigger, stronger, and experienced in the field, evoke a indulgent smile from me. I believe that you would do the same as him, but I would prefer to provoke the neighbors and the police. Overall impression: 70%.

A television film that depicts a case of a real coup plan in a West African country, which was thwarted due to a series of coincidences and underestimations in the logistics of the operation. Africa experienced the classic era of coups in the 60s-80s of the last century when it was comprised of colonies that had just gained independence and lacked an established societal foundation. During that time, world powers played their geopolitical games in their territories, leaving a negative mark in the eyes of Africans. Therefore, when black leaders took over power in South Africa, this regional powerhouse did everything to prevent similar activities. However, this attempt came about 20 years later. The film adheres to generally known facts, and for example, the son of Margaret Thatcher was indeed involved in the case. Where the film delves into details not known to the public, it adopts a position of slightly ironic exaggeration, which, while not reaching the stylization of Lord of War, vaguely resembles it. It is not a popcorn action movie, and the only brief action scenes are the dream visions of the main antihero. Thus, anyone expecting drama and thrilling action will be disappointed, just like anyone expecting another Syriana. However, I enjoyed this journey among conspirators in black Africa. Overall impression: 70%.

I consider the Coen brothers remake of The Ladykillers to be an artistic defeat and the only Coen film that I outright disliked. After watching the original classic, I have to say that the English version is truly better, of course, except for the star-studded cast because the old version understandably doesn't have renowned actor Tom Hanks. Many of the participants did become stars, but back then it was still their beginnings and they were relatively unknown faces. The 55-year gap is naturally noticeable, and I just didn't have the feeling of a comprehensive genre film like The Lavender Hill Mob with The Ladykillers. Moreover, it is a film where the viewer feels on some occasions how the jokes are unfinished and one wonders how it could have been done better. Nevertheless, The Ladykillers effortlessly surpasses the majority of today's comedy productions. Contrary to the original scriptwriter's intention, which undoubtedly assumed that sympathies would be on the old lady's side, I was a fan of any of those five poor crooks subjected to her nagging and annoyance. Overall impression: 75%.

As a teenager, I would enthusiastically have given it 4 stars because anarchism, rebellion, criticality, and uncompromising humor can be felt in every shot. The film is a satire on Italy in the 70s, which was struggling with an economic crisis, strike chaos, political violence, and an overall crisis. Even Paolo Villaggio's humor was not yet as noticeably cheap and straightforward as in his later variations on Fantozzi Against the Wind. Nevertheless, over time, I have to say that even then Villaggio was orienting himself toward the "common viewer" and that intellectually oriented humor, which goes deeper and forces contemplation, is simply absent in him. Moreover, it is rushed with a single pace and lacks a more thought-out ending. Some gags and motifs, such as the rebellious radio station that constantly broadcasts greetings to the looters and gives valuable advice on how to strike this society mercifully, make me give it a third star, even though it is weaker. Overall impression: 50%.

I wisely avoided Borat during its premiere because, based on the initial reactions, I clearly identified that this style of humor would not be my cup of tea. However, when it was served to me on a silver platter on TV, I couldn't resist confronting my feelings with the enthusiastic reviews of some viewers. My intuition did not let me down, so even though I sympathize with Cohen's goals, his humor is overall indigestible to me. It's fine that he takes shots at political correctness, hypocrisy, sanctimoniousness, uncritical religious faith, various forms of dogmatism, and human stupidity in general. However, he lacks (and at times desperately so) a sense of moderation, elegance, and nobility. Cohen is exactly the type of comedian who won't hesitate to stick his head in a bucket of feces for the sake of audience response, and he somehow reminds me of the clown Krusty from the popular TV show The Simpsons. I suspect that political correctness means absolutely nothing to Cohen, as he doesn't want to criticize anything or fight for anything, and he simply wants to sell his one-man show as best as possible. At times, he succeeds in doing just that; I definitely can't deny his sense of irony and ability to escalate a certain joke. I also definitely laughed more than is customary for contemporary comedies. However, there were certainly more moments where I cringed at the concentrated awkwardness. I'll skip the exaggerated exclamations like "Best comedy of the year!" because everyone, myself included, has the right to their own indulgences. Overall impression: 40%.

I am sympathetic to Aki Kaurismäki's intimate social melodramas and I have given some of them a 4 out of 5 rating. In the case of this film, he did not change his creative method and style, but he took one of his typical creative traits to the extreme, i.e., his interest in various kinds of outsiders. World cinema is full of nobodies, desperate people, and failures, but they usually have some sympathetic qualities that make you root for them simply because you feel sorry for them. Koistinen is by no means the biggest outsider you could come across in today's cinema; someone like Max Horowitz from the film Mary and Max by Adam Elliot is much worse off, whether it's his loneliness or his overall miserable existence, and yet you feel much closer to that character and root for him. With this film, the problem is that the main protagonist is simply a self-centered idiot. He has been one in the past, he is one now, and within a few minutes, it becomes clear that he will remain one in the distant future as well. And for all his bumbling, inability to communicate, and lack of self-reflection, he has only himself to blame. Identifying with such a character is a matter for masochists. If you find yourself saying vengefully, "Hit him one more time and finally finish him off, so he can be done with it," then something is not right. It could still be seen as an analysis of a certain type of human being, if the plot's development corresponded to the logic of the characters. But it's all just a directorial construct because there was no need to send Koistinen to prison and there was no need to deprive him of another job. The director simply wanted it that way and didn't feel like coming up with a plot that would move the story forward. Overall impression: 25%.

I usually have a problem with East Asian films due to the difference in culture, so I tend to be reserved in my reviews. However, Departures had an impact on me with its message, and I had no problem accepting it. The only reservation I have is the pace of the storytelling, which doesn't rush, and the runtime, which could be daringly shortened by about 15 or maybe 20 minutes. The main protagonist Daigo faces the problem of losing his job and the collapse of his life's dream, and in distress, he settles for the first job he finds in an advertisement. It turns out to be a truly peculiar profession of a guide for the deceased, who prepares them for their farewell with the bereaved and funeral rites. From this, it follows that Departures is actually a film about coping with death and the loss of loved ones. It skillfully balances on the edge of sentimentality and evokes truly deep emotions without any cheap gestures. Beautifully written, directed, and acted. Overall impression: 85%.

I don't have much experience with Thai cinema, and as of today, I have only seen two horror films and Citizen Dog, which, however, convinced me that Thailand is experiencing economic growth and that there is a sufficiently educated and large audience for non-commercial productions. Citizen Dog resists the classic templates of commercially successful genre procedures and resembles the experimental flights of European filmmakers. Combine the fragmentary nature and ironic detachment of Tati's films, Terry Gilliam's visuals and poetry, plus the surrealism of Jeunet, add Buddhism and local cultural traditions, and you get Citizen Dog. It is a playful film that is not about the plot, but about the feelings it evokes in the viewer. It is a humorous story of a villager who leaves for the city in search of happiness and, after a series of adventures, finds by falling in love with a charming girl. There are numerous functional and original gags, such as when the protagonist's grandmother, faithful to Buddhist tradition, transforms into...well, you can guess. Although this combination appealed to me and I don't hesitate to give it an overall impression of 80% it is not really a film for everyone and will most likely satisfy fans of the aforementioned filmmakers.

Wings of Fame was filmed at a time when Polygram began expanding into the field of feature film production and had ambitions to become a counterpart to the American Majors and the largest European production company capable of regularly producing commercial hits and festival successes. One of these was supposed to be Wings of Fame, an intellectual play on fleeting popularity and human vanity. This was also reflected in the star-studded cast - although Colin Firth still had his biggest hits ahead of him, Peter O'Toole was at his peak at the time and his colleagues were generally predicted to have a very decent future. The plot depicts a journalist and writer played by Colin Firth, who writes a book about the first-rate actor Peter O'Toole and, after desperately trying to contact him, accidentally kills him in a fit of rage. He also loses his life and both of them go to a place where the living are forbidden to enter. However, that world is far from the pictures painted by the major religions, and the status of the deceased is determined by their earthly fame. The plot is truly interesting, but I feel the whole execution is driven by festival ambitions and it somehow feels cold to me. Overall impression: 65%.

A high-quality classic comedy based on witty dialogues, well-written characters, and excellent casting, where there is a real spark between the individual actors and all the wordplay is well-executed. Compared to this tried-and-true classic, the overwhelming majority of today's comedic productions seem desperately unfunny, tasteless, and poorly acted. I guessed that Ingrid Bergman's character was about forty, and embarrassingly, I couldn't identify Goldie Hawn at all, even though I kept thinking that I must know her well. The film barely missed out on a fifth star, and a few extra jokes would have been enough, but what's already there truly works. Although the individual characters in their actions are foolish and twenty-one-year-old Toni behaves like a sixteen-year-old teenager, the exaggeration never crosses the boundaries of the possible, and the whole story is entertaining and believable. Overall impression: 85%.