gudaulin

An animated slapstick combining 3 motifs - 1) The classic Hitchcock motif of a man wrongly accused of a crime, when he is also confronted and attacked by the real villain, who has hidden his loot with him, 2) coexistence with two domestic pets endowed with a peculiar character, and 3) a combination of two worlds - flat paper and multidimensional, where it is possible to penetrate from one dimension to another thanks to a mysterious phenomenon and experience an infinite number of entertaining and thrilling moments. There is a huge amount of ideas packed into a 30-minute spectacle. Overall impression: 75%.

This drama is greatly supported by the theme of political will, which even leads to judicial crimes. No system is immune to it, including that of a developed democracy with a long tradition. Where there is a political order to find the culprit at any cost, lawyers and police officers will twist the truth to satisfy the higher authorities. It was quite unnecessary to make the main character a bigger hero and more likable than he actually was. In this film, he has the nature of almost an intellectual and exceptional personality, while in reality, he was just a small thief whose family and acquaintances were crushed by history and institutions. Even the perpetrator can sometimes be a victim, and in the case of the main character, this is entirely true. The case of the Guildford Four, where a group of innocent people was imprisoned for 15 years, even though the real perpetrators of the crime were known for a long time, is reminiscent of the French Dreyfus affair and many other judicial crimes from recent history. Beyond that, the film suffers from being too long - I can imagine about 25 minutes being cut out - resulting in a slow pace. Overall impression: 75%.

Private Parts reminded me of a classic British joke about a countryman who travels to London and sees the monument of Admiral Nelson. "Who is that, good sir?" - "That's the man who made Great Britain what it is today." - "I feel it's terribly unfair to blame the decline of the monarchy on just one person." So, I finally discovered Howard Stern as the culprit who was responsible for the decline of quality public journalism, which had a great reputation and support in the 70s thanks to the uncovering of a series of corrupt and political scandals. Since the 80s, it has gradually been replaced by a more superficial, entertaining style, with tabloid sensations and cheap jokes taking center stage. The film itself is made with ease, it is appropriately entertaining, and the main character is undeniably likable - after all, he invested in it himself and wrote the story. As for his true nature and to what extent he actually corresponds to his image as an exemplary partner and father in reality, only he knows. Overall impression: 80%.

Kubín's peculiar fairy tales with difficult-to-absorb dialect were never loved by me as a reader, but in this film and with the performance of the excellent narrator Filipovský, it turned out very well and a humorous folk farce full of sexual innuendos and earthy wit was created. Overall impression: 95%.

The Bank Job only proves that Jason Statham being cast in stupid action flicks like The Transporter is unfortunate because he has more acting potential. I certainly wouldn't believe in him as Hamlet, but he has the ability to bring conviction to his action hero roles and act quite dynamically. The Bank Job can be considered an above-average modern crime story, and I actually thought about giving it five stars for quite a long time, because it has pace, style, tension, and an unpredictable plot right up until the end, and I didn't find any obvious mistakes in it either. I dare not estimate to what extent the plot corresponds to real events from British history, but it would be rational to assume that it is only loosely inspired by a period scandal because historians do not reveal details of such operations. It's nothing more than good entertainment, but you can never have enough of that. Overall impression: 80%.

In its time, it was definitely a remarkable and above-average film, although it has certainly aged and if I give it 3 stars today, it's mainly for the cast and corresponding performances. Otherwise, the script is unfinished and based on a dysfunctional idea. If it were really like this, it would be excessively convoluted and mainly foolish from the tenant's side because an African dictator would inevitably see a similar course of action as a violation of the painstakingly negotiated agreement. It would be much simpler to inform the African party about the kidnapping and attack on the base during negotiations and use it as a bonus in negotiating the price. The result would be a trap, where the commando would be eliminated during parachute drop or possibly during an attempt to attack the barracks. Why would the regime waste its elite soldiers and risk a long pursuit and search operations? Moreover, the investor would save money on the plane and complications. The action scenes are filmed pathetically and somewhat naively, but Burton and Harris can be forgiven for a lot of things due to their charisma and displayed machismo. Besides, the film doesn't just strive for action, but also for a certain intellectual superstructure. Overall impression: 55%.

A poster-like Paris, photogenic destinies, color print film... This is a typical festival film that tries to sell the atmosphere of Paris, movie stars, and calculated emotions. But Paris should evoke a dreamy and captivating mood, not a sense of noble boredom. The film just barely earns 3 stars, solely due to the presence of sympathetic Juliette Binoche and Fabrice Luchini and a few successful scenes. Otherwise, it reminded me of cheap ice cream with lots of artificial coloring and inferior sweeteners. Overall impression: 50%.

A film like this could have been filmed by Ed Wood if he had at least a dose of the talent and charisma that Tim Burton gave him, and if he had the appropriate support from the studio and the resulting budget. It's stupid, with ridiculous dialogues and scenes that don't work, terrible special effects, and crazy characters, but it's stupid in an entertaining way, so it can be a good choice for fans of campy productions. For a normal film fan, it is despair personified. In the age of video production, which has made filmmaking so affordable that today several enthusiasts can make their own film for pocket money and upload it online, I dare not estimate where the true bottom of filmmaking is, so I won't throw S.S. Doomtrooper into the rankings of the worst films in history. Overall impression: 5%.

An interesting film, in many ways similar to American History X, mainly because it can easily serve as a film intended to be shown in schools and can be contemplated and discussed during civics lessons. Unfortunately, just like its American sibling, it suffers from simplification and schematism, which detracts from its persuasiveness and authenticity. I do not diminish the impact of The Wave and what it wants to convey, as it does so clearly and effectively. But in reality, it wouldn't work like this. The point is that a similar pathological process could occur somewhere in a closed community without access to the media and disruptive influences of relatives, friends, and state power. The present time does not favor totalitarian ideologies based on mass participation at all, because it is highly atomized due to the information explosion and the ubiquitous influence of the media. These students are of different nationalities, religions, and cultures, and the cohesive element is harder to find than in the 1930s. Moreover, the film directed by Dennis Gansel suffers from the overblown ending with the smell of gunpowder and iron on the hands. It is probably because the message to teenagers had to be as powerful as possible, but in this case, less would have been more. Overall impression: 65%.

I can't say that I was bored by Black Book, but Paul Verhoeven's film vision simply went completely beyond me. I expect realism, credibility, rawness, and authenticity from this sort of film. Verhoeven offers the exact opposite - pure Hollywood style that is far from reality, for which no studio from the so-called Majors would have to be ashamed. Verhoeven, as is his custom, offers great visuals, attractive women who are not afraid to show more of their curves, and at the same time offers passion, intrigue, conspiracies, and quasi-war scenes, as is customary in such stylized Hollywood productions of war melodramas. It is artificial, contrived, and in some moments truly silly in both imagery and dialogue. But if someone wants a spectacle, they will get it here. For me, Black Book represents a perfect contrast to, for example, the excellent Czech war film Death Is Called Engelchen. That film earned 5 stars from me, while Verhoeven's film only gets two. Overall impression: 45%.