Filmmaniak

I consider the previous parts of the series to be interchangeable, slightly above-average adaptations of much more complex books, whose criminal plot usually suffered from the fact that the viewer was always one step ahead of the investigator duo in the main roles, with the exception of the standard search for the offenders of an old case, never tried to achieve anything deeper. In short, these were decent genre entries. This changes with the fourth episode, by far the best in the series. It begins with the obligatory finding of three old corpses and the search for their killer, but then grows enormously to unsuspected proportions in which conspiracies covered by real events play a role, parallels to the MeToo campaign, the theme of equality in a multicultural world and criticism of the institutionalized treatment of "fallen women". The characters finally undergo some development, fundamental enough that the eternally gloomy Carl is not constantly the same antisocial grouch. The story has unsuspected depth and well-thought-out situations with a good point, and the exciting storytelling has a constantly escalating gradient. The only thing that can be criticized is that sometimes it is somewhat routine, but otherwise it has absolutely masterful directing.

A brilliantly thought-out crime story set in Barcelona in the 1920s, where half the city is on strike, police investigators are behaving like gangsters and anarchist riots are raging in the streets. Regarding the main protagonist, a police officer from Madrid who comes to the city to help search for the perpetrators of a train robbery, it is unclear almost until the end whether he is a crooked rat or a cunning good guy who wants to outsmart everyone and bring them to justice. These two views of the officer alternate often, as a result of which the film is an emotional roller coaster in which each of the many characters have their own dramatic arc, numerous storylines intersect and react to each other, and the complex story undergoes complicated developments and a series of surprising twists. The investigation goes in unpredictable directions, and a feminist level, criticism of the state regime and police forces, as well as multiple motives for revenge, have also been added. From the point of view of filmmaking, this is clean work (including action shootouts and fights), perhaps with the exception of the film’s sporadic technical limits (a car chase in which both cars are going about 40 km/h), but even those are usually largely superseded by a great, and probably quite expensive retro film set.

A purebred, rough western with an engaging and well-written plot, fantastic directing and brilliant actors - rumors about Christian Bale's best performance of his life did not lie, although it is debatable whether it is in fact his best performance (but it is definitely in the top 3 and it is amazing to see how great Bale acts using his eyes, eyebrows, the wrinkles on his forehead and mustache). However, there is no doubt about this being the best performance of Rosamund Pike’s career. Her tragic character combines female fragility with strength and determination, while Bale's protagonist is no less of a tragic warrior, who gradually runs out of comrades-in-arms in the ruthless environment. This is a film brimming with strong and serious themes, from controversy about violence, human nature, and morality and the burden of conscience, to the differences between murder ordered by someone, and murder in general. A majestic atmosphere, emotions, brilliantly written characters and perfect work with motifs. The last four minutes may be too sweet, but they are actually logical. The Indians may not be what they seem. Amazing film.

An intoxicating masterpiece depicting the world as a cruel and unjust place through the poetically intertwined stories of four characters whose lives are shaken by a series of fateful events. All of the protagonists (a seventeen-year-old girl experiencing bitter moments with her mother, her classmate who accidentally throws another classmate down the stairs, coincidentally the brother of a billiard owner who witnesses the suicide of his best friend, and an old man who is a burden on his family) share the same passive indifference and resignation. They actively express themselves only in critical moments of danger. Even so, their activities usually have (self) destructive consequences. The film, which accompanies the aura of this film, whose debuting director killed himself after it was completed, can also be perceived in this respect as the key to understanding a person who is considering suicide, which does not mean that motifs such as hope or redemption do not have a place in it. In any case, Hu Bo was a great talent, shooting his film in a series of long and incredibly thoughtfully composed shots with complex dialogues and sophisticated continuity. The excellently-cast civilian actors have absolutely precise and perfectly believable performances. The four-hour length is a bit of an obstacle at first glance. Nevertheless, the consistently-flowing and slowly told work attracts interest from the first to the last minute, and over time it becomes more interesting and constantly reveals new information and new twists, gradually escalating to a perfectly constructed finale full of empathy and mutual understanding.

A masterfully directed, filmed, narrated and written, badass film, in which the escalation, tension, atmosphere and characters are carefully built. The film also includes homeopathic doses of black humor, which is always followed by a shocking cold shower and an honest shot to the solar plexus. An original, inventive and dense civil drama that gradually turns into several types of thrillers, and in which inner sensitivity perfectly combines with raw brutality. This is also Vince Vaughn’s best performance, who has transformed from the playing the lead role in romantic comedies into a human hammer. This is an uncompromising Dante's Inferno in a prison, a must see for all those who can handle open fractures and trampled skulls.

I didn't believe it would be possible to make a feature-length documentary revolving around a single scene from another film, even though it was one of the most fundamental scenes in world cinema. And lo and behold, it works! It’s also very brisk, amusing and real. The film is an excellent, detailed analysis, practically overwhelming the viewer with information, and for cinephiles, it also fulfils the role of content-bloated material suitable for studying Hitchcock's genius and sophistication, which one cannot help but marvel at. If director Philippe really wanted to shoot more documentaries of a similar type, I would love it. Bring ‘em on!

In the first half hour, Zelenka gets this not-very-successful bitter comedy about a media bubble around a talking parrot going, in order to later have the upper hand against the audience by implying that the films lack quality had been intentional the entire time, and for good reason. Lost in Munich is a perfectly balanced (very funny and at the same time sad and painfully true) parable about backstage of film productions, about the Czech nation, and about the fact that appearances sometimes deceive, of course with a certain amount of exaggeration. The film is directed with a firm hand and is a thoughtful and conscious project with natural actors, the ambitiously and intelligently-grasped theme of the Munich Agreement, and with a functional story full of surprising twists. In terms of Czech films, this story is also told in a rather unusual and attractive way.

The perfect popcorn film that offers the best you can expect from a $ 250 million Hollywood mega-blockbuster. The action is clear and well filmed, the humor is intelligent, and in some places also pleasantly sophisticated, the villain is charismatic and there is a brilliantly-functioning chemistry between the characters. It's not perfect, but the entertainment is first class. I laughed more and louder than when watching any other comedy and enjoyed the excellent action and hundreds of amazing details. In short and simply: an excellent, entertaining film.

A pseudo-documentary about vampires that humorously targets vampire stereotypes and successfully makes you laugh while cleverly parodying their lifestyle and daily routine. It doesn't often happen to me that I laugh out loud at a movie for so long that my laughter smoothly transitions into the next laugh caused by the next joke. And when it happens, I consider it a rarity. It happened to me during this film all the time, because there are dozens, if not hundreds, of good (and often pretty sophisticated) jokes.

I wasn’t expecting that much of a surprise. This is an absolute hit that is well filmed, well-acted and excellently written. The dialogues are realistic, the characters fully believable and the story, the main motif of which is the clash of materialistic and spiritual thinking, almost shocks with its thoughtfulness and intelligence. The charming and touching plot is actually simple, but it is done with surgical precision. It is a pity that the trailer reveals three-quarters of the film, as the plot is not very predictable and the film manages to keep its focus up to the halfway point (a similar theme was looked at perfectly, for example, in The Cloud Atlas). Definitely wait for the full ending after the closing credits; otherwise, you will miss the cute point.