Malarkey

Out of sheer despair, I played this movie since there was nothing else on TV that I haven’t seen. And now I know that I never want to see Alvin again, ever. It was only because of him that I got up from the couch I’d been chilling on and started doing things such as washing the dishes, putting the washed dishes away, mopping the floor, dusting the place… and I had come home from work looking forward to the TV lulling me to unconsciousness. It did not and on top of that I went to bed pissed because I got over being tired and I couldn’t fall asleep. Damn you Alvin!

A great example of a comedy that will be appreciated more by men than by women. The thing is that Robert De Niro’s character can somehow be understood if you are a man, but if you are a woman and on top of that a hard-core feminist, any allusion to anything will to you seem quite racist and very personal. And that may be why there are several Boo! ratings here, which is something I don’t understand. I laughed from the heart a couple of times. Does that make me a bad person?

I don’t know what I was thinking, watching a horror movie over lunch. I was quite lucky that this film isn’t scary at all. And the only reason to watch it is Michael Shannon. He really isn’t a bad actor and it’s a pity that he keeps pigeon-holing himself in nonsense movies like this one.

Existentialism in pure avian form. At the beginning, we witness a series of ordinary human lives that involve mainly ever-present destruction, which they don’t want to admit in front of others. Then a cleaning lady is reincarnated as a bird and she gets to watch how these people behave when they are alone. It’s clear what they meant by that, but I wouldn’t need to watch a movie like this again. Nevertheless, the shots are interesting and I will be happy to appreciate Anaïs Demoustier in another movie.

Long before the Yanks turned the story of Titanic into a movie, the story of Britannic arrived on the screen. The story isn’t as brutal, but it certainly doesn’t lack suspense. At the same time, this is probably a movie that is most popular with bomb disposal experts, who will be happy to enjoy the suspense this movie provides. I would rather not.

If it weren’t for the botoxed Brad Pitt and several scenes that reeked of Hollywood, where for instance a couple makes love in the midst of a sandstorm in Morroco and Marion Cotillard then gives birth during an air raid of London, I would be literally excited about the movie. I haven’t seen such great war atmosphere for a long time, which actually is no wonder. Robert Zemeckis is a great director and he’s truly great at creating high-quality atmospheres. The ending of the movie was also literally aced, but I guess Angelina Jolie probably wouldn’t share my excitement…

I’ve always had a problem with the American Horror Story series, but since each season is built on a different premise, after every season, I endlessly keep giving the show another chance to impress me. One season has already managed to do that, so why couldn’t another one achieve that as well? However, my problem with this season was that the TV show Carnivale by HBO a couple of years ago was a lot more intense. This was a mere second brew that once again reduced the best that the world of freaky circus folks has to offer. But Jessica Lange sure had a blast with this one and at least she showed us all what a good singer she is. But that’s the only positive thing about this season.

Mark Ruffalo sure is the man. He portrays a complicated human story with such lightness that I have to laugh with him, but at the same time I have to follow him to the very bottom of depression. Things can’t be any other way with a person who is suffering from bipolar disorder after all. However, how nice he is will get under your skin so much that you won’t be able to get rid of that after a week, or maybe even for the rest of your life.

The reviews of this movie here clearly hint at the qualities of this film. Well, you can be the judge of that. Who would like to watch a guy who ends up owning a shoe factory and who gets help saving the factory from a black transvestite, who by the way is portrayed excellently by Chiwetel Ejiofor. The English sometimes have the gift for absurdity in stories and you get a story like that here. If you do devide to give this movie a chance, I think you will end up like Nick Frost, who was the reason I watched this movie in the first place. If you want to see how, do watch this film. I don’t think it will be a waste of your time and on top of that you will experience a story that is definitely based on fact.

The first big surprise took place in the Lucerna cinema, where I met a lot more Bulgarians than Czechs. The other surprise came with the course of the film, which at first sight looks like the Bulgarian version of Holiday Makers, but in reality it is a more compact Torrente, the Stupid Arm of the Law from the sunny beaches of Bulgaria. Holiday Makers are simply the bomb and I had a lot of great laughs while watching it. My colleague Enšpígl did not assume at first sight that this comedy would be politically incorrect, but he had to admit the Bulgarians were right. Holiday Makers sure came out really well. They managed to offend half of Europe including the Germans and the Russians and they even poked fun at the committee that monitors and selects tangible and intangible monuments for the UNESCO Heritage List. Yes, I am talking about the old ladies, whom I couldn’t understand the entire movie until I finally got the point. In other words, you enjoyed April Fools’ Day in April, May, June, July and August. This one really came out well for the Bulgarians and if I get the opportunity to see this movie again, I will gladly do that!