gudaulin

Paul Greengrass tried out the style he applied in Green Zone in two parts of the Borneo series, thus creating a prototype of a modern action hero set in a realistic environment and using top combat techniques, but one that is far from the action superheroes of comic or game adaptations and routine thrillers. Moreover, he moved from pure entertainment to a deeper reflection on a specific political problem currently affecting America. His Green Zone is an excellent war action film that also perfectly functions as a mapping of the roots of war against Saddam and the subsequent civil war in Iraq. The film is a synthesis of all the motifs that played a role in creating today's complex situation, namely amateurism on the part of strategists, manipulated information from secret services and the American government, underestimation of the watchdog function of the press and media in general, unpreparedness for long-term occupation, and logistical failure. Of course, the film has its flaws and the five stars I'm giving it are not flawless, but in this case, I am happy to add them because the film stands very high above the genre average. The fictional hero of the story, Miller, has too much initiative and is too independent in his thinking for a lower-ranking army officer (possible members of the armed forces will forgive me), and above all, he does not hesitate to disobey orders and defy authority in a significant way. Also, the handheld camera, which plays a dominant role in Greengrass's films, is unnecessary in some cases, and the film contains some minor logical lapses. I doubt, for example, that a wanted war criminal, whose likeness is on every American soldier's playing card, would be driving around the streets of Baghdad in a car registered in his name several weeks after the occupation. But the action sequences, be it shootouts, wild chases, or fights, are filmed in the highest quality, and the entire story is set in a functional environment and corresponds to what actually happened in Iraq despite the fictionality of the main character. Matt Damon has already tried out a similar type of hero in the character of Jason Bourne, and his work with the director is top-notch. The entire film is incredibly dynamic and captivating. Overall impression: 90%.

No, this is not my cup of tea, even though the film does not take itself that seriously and it's not tear-inducing. Yet it's still a piece of filmmaking that wasn't modern even in the year of its creation, let alone today, and it's aimed at a completely different target audience. It's very naive and clichéd. Overall impression: 30%.

Yes, this is a cute short that is a variation of the horror genre legend named Frankenstein. At the same time, it is a film from the beginning of the career of the famous director and animator Tim Burton, who clearly indicated the direction of his work, i.e., comically tuned fantastic stories, where he can unleash his artistic talents and creatively utilize his animator's craft. However, when compared to his more mature works, such as Sleepy Hollow, it still has its flaws. It simply isn't as well-developed, despite a few clever ideas. Furthermore, if I compare this film to his Alice in Wonderland, which is frequently criticized for its excessive friendliness toward Disney Studios in every other review, the influence of the producer is even more pronounced here, and there is no trace of the darkness and fate of the horror source material. It is simply a cute little film treat for the whole family. Overall impression: 65%.

Running Scared is significantly influenced by music video aesthetics and if I wanted to be sarcastic, I would say that the title of the film captures the fact that it must frantically rush forward so that the viewer doesn't notice that the sequence of images and action-packed scenes is just a purposefully connected hybrid that doesn't hide anything deeper. It is true that, for example, the character of the sadistic villain seems to have escaped from the pages of Frank Miller's comics or even more so from Garth Ennis' "Preacher," and there are certainly more eccentric characters or entertaining situations, but it is exactly the type of film where I appreciate the details, but the whole thing doesn't hold together and ends with a crucial revelation that I consider too cheap and one that would be more suitable for a parody. I perceive it rather as a joke from the screenwriter at my expense. Overall impression: 45%.

Devil certainly isn't a catastrophe and can even be considered decently above-average within its genre. However, it is important to emphasize that horror has long been a genre of popular entertainment, which is largely composed of ultra-low quality video productions and semi-amateur attempts by various hopefuls, so the average is somewhere else in terms of filmmaking quality compared to other genres. The basic plot works reasonably well - if, of course, we generously overlook the crucial error in logic on which the story is built, as well as a few smaller logical leaps. But if we were so narrow-minded about every horror film, what would be left of the genre in the end? Thanks to the sounds and editing, the film occasionally achieves a decent atmosphere. However, it suffers from the fact that it takes a different direction than the viewer expects. It creates the idea of an intimate psycho-horror, where in the claustrophobic atmosphere of an elevator cabin with no escape, passengers gradually realize that one of them is not who they claim to be, leading to paranoid mutual accusations and increasingly ominous signs of an inevitable end. However, the film develops differently and sets up a different, less effective, game. If the devil came into the world because of this kind of event, then it is a disgraceful waste of his talent, because a similar effect could be achieved by a demon of the third category somewhere from the depths of hell's basement. Overall, it is a B-movie with average acting performances and unused potential. Nevertheless, I have no problem giving it three stars. Overall impression: 55%.

A short satire on the deformed life and work in corporations. A young specialist is hired by the company and temporarily placed in an uninhabited office, where he is practically forgotten and the young man realizes that he is invisible and unnecessary to his surroundings. He becomes a witness to the automatic operation of the entire machinery and the story plays out in a Kafkaesque spirit - unfortunately, at a too-sluggish pace and without a striking point. Overall impression: 50%

The Entity tempted me with its high percentage for a horror film, but then sobriety arrived. I think this is one of those cases where the reviews are influenced by nostalgia. The processing and performances are on the level of a television production and it is only average. Moreover, in my eyes, The Entity also harms itself by trying to sell the plot as a real-life story, and unfortunately, the lustful spirit does not evoke horror in me but rather annoys me. For me to take this film seriously, it would have to take itself much less seriously. Horror is a game with human imagination, and the moment someone tries to present parapsychology as a serious science, it's over for me. Overall impression: 25%.

I definitely don't claim that this is a bad movie, but the expectations were too high in this case, and during the final scene, I was thinking, is this really the end? Is there nothing else coming? Are you telling me this film won at a category A festival and is considered by film fans and critics alike as the European film event of the year? The thing is, this film somehow deceives in its substance and offers substitute emotions, or rather, in my opinion, it fails precisely in what it is most adored for, i.e., a statement about a certain country and political system. Many reviews enthusiastically admire its amazing authenticity, but how many of those viewers experienced communist Romania first-hand? I haven't been there, but from the testimonies of eyewitnesses, I know that even ten years after the revolution, some places in the countryside had no electricity, many remote areas are today economically worse off than during Ceausescu's regime, and the mountainous regions are depopulating. Comparing the former Romania to Czechoslovakia is misguided, as the situation there was disproportionately worse and, above all, systemically different. The abortion that is at the core of Mungiu's film, is presented as purely a technical problem. Those girls, just like the other film characters, are not victims of the system, but part of it. Polish films of moral unrest were able to address moral conflict issues in the behavior of their characters during the deep communism of the 70s and 80s, whereas here, a college student undergoes an abortion of a fetus that is merely an obstacle to her career. We learn very little about the system itself, and it is necessary to realize that abortions were also prohibited in a number of European countries in the recent past, and a similar film could be made in present-day Poland, in a democratic system. Since 1993, abortion there has been limited to the absolute minimum of possibilities. That pre-revolutionary Romania was an inhospitable and freedom-restricted place to live in is quite evident in some places, but that is just a secondary motive. If the main problem for Romanian college students in dormitories was obtaining a certain brand of Western cigarettes, then those girls really didn't have a bad life. In short, it is watchable but, from my perspective, also an overrated film with an unclear concept. Overall impression: 60%.

In life, everyone from time to time, and some quite regularly, puts on a mask and plays their roles. This film is about the encounter of two players, a journalist and a young actress, who try to play their roles and achieve the best outcome. Interview is a film that probably has a theatrical counterpart, as the whole plot is ideally set up for the stage. If Interview is worth seeing, it is thanks to the cast, because Sienna Miller and Steve Buscemi suit their roles both in terms of appearance and performance, lending the entire plot relative credibility, as the screenplay itself doesn't offer much of it. It is too contrived and the actions of both actors are affected and their strategies are overcomplicated. Even just the way the journalist gets into the unattainable star's apartment relies too much on the script's construct, as in real life, she wouldn't offer that opportunity. It is simply a game with elaborate dialogues, built for the visual and auditory effect on the audience, rather than a story from real life. Overall impression: 60%.

An attempt at a black comedy from the British film world that is peculiar in that it lacks positive characters and types with which the viewer can somehow identify. That is, unless they are mentally disturbed, because so many scoundrels and, dare I say, creatures really do come together in the film... Overall impression: 45%.