gudaulin

Yes, I know this isn't great art; some jokes are quite cheap, Hrušínský doesn't hold a candle to his grandfather, Iveta Bartošová has about as much to do with acting as I do with being a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the plot is blatantly stolen from Polanski. Nevertheless, I like this film and believe it has a decent entertainment potential. Petr Nárožný and especially Viktor Preiss, who is rarely cast in films, relish their roles, and Luděk Kopřiva is much more acceptable to me in this film than in Troška's rural comedies. Overall impression: 60%.

I've only seen the series, and in comparison to current television drama productions, it deserves at least one more star. However, Miloslav Luther's direction didn't entirely convince me. More could have been extracted from the material and such a strong cast. It felt too intimate, static, and overly talkative in a typical TV manner. Additionally, the script relies on a somewhat simplified, nationally uplifting approach with corresponding characters. Overall impression: 60%.

This brilliant animated film showcases the collaboration of two top creators. Jiří Trnka as the artist and director, and on the other hand, Jan Werich as an exceptional voice actor, who effortlessly voiced numerous characters and captured their personalities through changes in voice intonation, creating a timeless work. The poetic essence of the film draws directly from Jaroslav Hašek, making its statement much more powerful than all live-action film versions. Visually, the film is inspired by Josef Lada's illustrations of Hašek's novel. Overall impression: 100%.

I came across this by sheer chance when I accidentally recorded the second episode. I am here in the position of a passerby who catches a part of a conversation overheard by chance and based on that, guesses who the participants are. Such an "assessment" can of course be misleading and unfair, but we often apply it in life to avoid unnecessary disappointments and wasted time. I wonder if Ondřej Štindl's contribution to the script is dominant because otherwise, I get along very well with him, or rather with his journalism, and his film reviews appeal to me. But here I was more than puzzled. Actually, I have a fundamental problem with assigning a genre to the series. Above all, it seemed to me like a parody, not of life in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, but rather of distorted ideas that today's generation has about life in it and the functioning of its system. But the intention was clearly different. Simply put, it somehow got out of the creators' hands. The characters seemed like caricatures to me, and I didn't feel at all like I was in the realm of psychological drama, but rather some sort of sophisticated comedy. However, it was poorly acted, and, although I clearly identified the mystery genre, the mystery plotline seemed mismanaged. You see, the mystery genre is one of the most difficult and it requires balancing on pharmaceutical scales, subtracting and adding, so that it fits together and the result is worth it.

Swann In Love should be avoided by viewers who consider the storyline and tension important because both are not only lacking but literally completely missing. Schlöndorff aims to capture the atmosphere of the French upper class of the late 19th century. It is a world that is not in a hurry because its inhabitants do not really have to deal with material matters. They are not affected by the concerns of ordinary people or the political problems of the French Republic. In this world, the topic of conversation is a friend's love scandal or participation in a fashion party. And a black dress combined with red shoes is a pitiable scandal. Schlöndorff is not aiming for any social critique, but even so, this intimate view of the actions of the French nobility and the wealthy is not particularly charming. There is a sense of anti-Semitism and the Dreyfus affair in the air, and one somehow feels that while the attacks of French anarchists of that time may not be justified, after this excursion one at least understands them. In any case, one can admire the dresses of the ladies and the charm of the mature, but still very attractive, Ornella Muti. Overall impression: 60%.

One star is for the artistic execution, which shines the most at the very beginning in the opening credits and then plays a smaller and smaller role. It is necessary to realize that this is too little for Burton, who is capable of much more and can provide a much more intense experience than in this film. The second star is for the central acting duo, where surprisingly Helena Bonham Carter takes the lead as the cynical and pragmatic Mrs. Lovett. The problem is that this time, the traditional Burton-style game is subordinate to the director's effort to be part of both the musical and dark thriller genres, while Burton is traditionally stronger in the comedic and poetic aspects. As a musical, Sweeney Todd completely failed in my eyes, and in terms of music, it is a completely forgettable affair that only deserves 2 stars. There is not a single melody or text that would bring me joy. In terms of drama, this film didn't evoke any strong emotions in me. Neither sorrow nor fear. It just doesn't work. A completely small film with the same theme, which has a completely average rating on FilmBooster, specifically The Tale of Sweeney Todd, made a greater impression on me despite its modest production design. Overall impression: 45%.

Among film fans, it is not commonly known that Spielberg's famous Munich is a remake of an older television film from the 80s. Michael Anderson's film surprisingly keeps up with its more famous younger sibling, even though the director worked with a significantly lower budget, resulting in his film being far less extravagant. It should be noted that Sword of Gideon is not an artistic reconstruction of a real secret service operation, but rather artistic fiction intertwined with real historical events. The Mossad agent who served as the inspiration for the main protagonist later remarked that he felt no doubt or remorse while carrying out his mission, and even years after the events, he would not change anything about his actions. Naturally, certain motifs are adapted to suit the audience's needs for the spy thriller genre. Anderson's film falls short of Spielberg's in terms of dialogue quality, particularly toward the end where it becomes a bit too focused on paperwork and humanistic ideals. It also falls short in terms of length, as Spielberg did not skimp on the runtime, but Sword of Gideon did not reach its nearly three-hour duration. Regarding the screenplay, some motifs, such as the French mercenary organization, are portrayed more believably in Anderson's film, while others, such as the motive of the female assassin or the portrayal of the team's relationship with headquarters, are better written in the later version. From a technical perspective, such as the directing and acting performances, it is an above-average spectacle. Overall impression: 75%.

Symmetry represents a special and minority category of films within the prison subgenre, which do not focus on extreme characters, violence, and the psychosis of a disturbed prison world full of psychopaths, sadists, and deviants. Instead, the film aims to describe the psychological transformation of an individual unexpectedly torn from their safety and functioning world into an environment that values completely different things, where it is necessary to adapt to a different value hierarchy and blend in with one's surroundings. Symmetry is the exact opposite of the American film Felon I recently watched. It is a rather intimate film without flashy scenes, relying on the convincing acting of charismatic actors such as Andrzej Chyra and Borys Szyc. It is quite an unpleasant film without the usual American happy ending. No matter who you are, prison will grind you up, and when you come out, you are no longer the same as you were before. Overall impression: 80%.

This film is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I am leaning towards a higher rating because of the added value of the topic of immigration, which is very relevant today, saturated with hysteria and fear of the arrival of barbaric hordes. Ken Loach is well-versed in the field and his film has, I would say, a documentary dimension. It's a Free World... maps the issues of those who have no or only minimal rights and whose position allows them to do no more than take the dirtiest jobs that the inhabitants of wealthy Western Europe despise. Kierston Wareing didn't sit well with me, but ultimately her character is not meant to evoke sympathy, as her heroine is quite self-centered and inconsiderate in her pursuit of success. Overall impression: 70%.

It's only been a few days since I wrote about Just Another Love Story, the previous work by Ole Bornedal, that it shouldn't have an ending and I would be satisfied. The second encounter with his work brought me the same experience. For three-quarters of the runtime, I was floating in the clouds of a highly outstanding spectacle, enjoying the excellent camera work, sensing the rising tension and alarming signals of an approaching crisis, appreciating the scenes of emotional impact like a thunder strike - and then everything went down the drain within a few minutes because the director pushed too hard and didn't understand the psychology of the crowd or the individual. As a result, the typical film construct is exposed. Undoubtedly, it is superbly shot, but at the same time, unreliable. From such material, much more could have been extracted if Bornedal had tamed his imagination, not chased too many rabbits at once, and fixed the logical gaps. The film notably resembles Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, and I wouldn't directly speak of plagiarism, but certainly of strong inspiration. However, that film seems more believable to me and more impactful in its consequences. Additionally, it lacks the strangely reconciliatory ending. Nonetheless, I have no problem with giving this film three strong stars. Overall impression: 65%.