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I do not share the enthusiastic reception of the film, which is influenced both by the undeniable charm of Liya Kebede and by the sentimental story of how a poor girl from distant Somalia found happiness. In my opinion, the film lacks depth and an attempt to comprehensively examine the problems of third-world poverty and female genital mutilation. It allows the viewer to be shocked by the contrast between life in the drought-affected area of Africa and the consumerist gluttony of London, as well as the suffering of a girl forced to undergo female genital mutilation at a young age. However, it is all diluted by the fact that the rise of the heroine is made possible by the advertising and fashion industry, which are symbols of consumerism themselves. Of course, such a rise is only possible for a few chosen ones, and while the viewer is comforted by the happy ending, it does not change the fate of millions of other girls who do not have the necessary appearance. And I'm not even talking about the problem of female genital mutilation, because the film has no chance of influencing public opinion in countries where it is practiced. It lacks a deeper look into the problem, and it does not address any major drama or dilemmas. It only sponges on the mentioned problems and I consider it to be a certain kind of kitsch. Overall impression: 35%.

ABBA's music was a big part of my childhood, and I associated this film with their best songs. However, to be honest, the film offers nothing beyond those songs. The script is weak, and the story is almost non-existent, serving only as a flimsy bridge between musical numbers. For a documentary, it is too staged. Overall impression: 40%.

I either haven't seen Deray's film or I have completely blocked it out after a few decades, so I don't have the ability to compare the approaches of both directors and decide which one is more effective. Guadagnino's film seems somewhat dull, muted, and unremarkable to me. A Bigger Splash was supposed to be a combination of thriller and psychological drama, but the director would have had to work much more with the characters, play a sophisticated game full of hints, dose information, and veiled conflicts, which gradually and inevitably bubble to the surface only to explosively erupt in an emotional outburst, instead of using lengthy shots of the sunny Italian nature. Only the character of the not inherently evil, but self-centered, possessive, and hedonistic producer works as it should (I'm afraid mostly thanks to the performance of the acting chameleon Ralph Fiennes rather than the director's guidance). Dakota Johnson's Lolita only gets enough space to show off her naked body and send provocative looks, which is questionable considering the immodest duration. Tilda Swinton is a casting mistake. I consider her an interesting actress destined for special categories of roles such as androgynous or asexual beings and broken women whirled through life, but with the knowledge that a) she won't read this and b) I am at a sufficient distance away. I have to say that I cannot imagine Tilda as a sexual object arousing desire and jealousy. Matthias Schoenaerts fails to act as a counterpart to Ralph Fiennes on the same level, and this lack significantly sinks the dramatic conflict. It also wouldn't hurt to cut out about 12 minutes of runtime. A Bigger Splash is watchable, but apart from Fiennes and the soundtrack, it quickly evaporates from the mind. Overall impression: 55%.

The renaissance of the crime genre in France has been mainly associated in recent years with the name of Olivier Marchal, but in my eyes, my latest discovery Fred Cavayé surpasses him. I have already seen his film Anything for Her and I said to myself that this director has talent and is worth paying attention to. With his film Point Blank, not only did he not disappoint me, but he even very much surprised me. It is not a great work of art, but rather a perfectly executed work in the action crime genre. I have said many times before that action movies usually disappoint me because they rely solely on the action and do not care about the acting performances and especially the screenplay. That is not the case here. You don't have to hit your head with a hammer to accept any sort of nonsensical motivations, silly behavior, and stupid plot. It is a reasonably short adrenaline-filled film, where an ordinary guy and a family man are suddenly thrown into the world of crime and desperately struggle not only to preserve their reputation but also their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Not that I haven't found some minor logical errors here, but within the genre, they are completely forgettable details. Point Blank is simply better than the majority of much more famous action titles. Well-cast unknown actors, a screenplay that can surprise and, above all, not let you breathe, and dynamic direction make Point Blank an experience that only happens once in a while with an unknown title. Overall impression: 90%.

Let's face it, we watch movies mainly for the spectacle and entertainment. When Alexander Payne made his film About Schmidt, it was a film about a midlife crisis and therefore much more digestible to the average viewer than an intimate drama about old age, illness, dying, and loneliness, albeit with carefully measured subtle humor. This is simply too unpleasant a subject that we want to push out of our consciousness and not be reminded of it by a film drama. About Schmidt is a realistic film without cheap effects and shocking twists, with a slow narrative based on high-quality dialogue and Jack Nicholson's excellent performance. The screenwriter cleverly chose the main character's commentary in the form of letters addressed to a little boy in Central Africa, whom he sponsors. The way the events unfold after the protagonist's retirement is also how it happens in real life. The creators indeed chose a protagonist who is a member of the well-off managerial class in a significant insurance company, with decent financial security for old age, so average American retirees are certainly different and face many more problems. But it would be really difficult to make this kind of film in the American mainstream studio system, even though it was made possible solely because a star like Nicholson was involved. Movie fans will surely remember him from a series of epic films and various villains, where his expressive acting stood out, but in About Schmidt, he was able to display a vast range of emotions, and his performance might even be considered one of his best. Overall impression: 90%.

This film simply got to me with its camera work and atmosphere that resonated with me for a long time. It's a very slow film with minimal dialogue, where the story speaks through images of a landscape scorched by the sun, details capturing sweat on human faces, or emotions emanating from the characters' eyes. This is my second encounter with Walter Salles after his famous Central Station. This guy really knows how to craft a film. Overall impression: 95%. A tragic film about the inability to break free from senseless traditions and blind obedience to the patriarch of one's family.

I consider Trainspotting to be one of the best British films of all time, but I admit that if Boyle presented Renton and his gang of ultimate outcasts, slackers, and drug addicts as conscious freedom fighters, opponents of the establishment, consumerism, and the iron lady, I would seriously consider abandoning it and taking a trip to the islands, where I would kick Boyle in the balls. Unfortunately, Nikolaev went precisely in this direction (regardless of the mechanical comparison of directorial qualities, where Boyle acts as a modern jet compared to Nikolaev, who stuck a few chicken feathers on his shirt, jumped around the yard eagerly, and clucked). It is a mixture of unwanted amateurism, naivety, pathos, and screenwriter helplessness. It's Gonna Get Worse sells a romantic view of the underground that deserves a much more sober look. Those pigeons actually wanted to slack off, drink, party, and fornicate a little - actually, quite a lot - and the state power was too stupid to leave them alone. There is nothing uplifting about what they did, and my empathy is frozen in this case. By the way, I remember an article where the editor went on about the case of the hijacking of a Czechoslovak plane to West Germany, and to his unpleasant surprise - actually, quite a big shock - he stated that the Secret Service, which conducted parallel investigations alongside the West German police, acted more correctly than the German investigator who considered the defendants to be a bunch of disgusting hippies. On both the German and Czech sides, there were bourgeoisie who understood each other quite well across the Iron Curtain. Maybe we should stop creating a mythology that is similar to the one created by the communists when they defended their regime, constantly going back to all those proletarians and the heroic struggle of workers on the barricades. Those real histories often correspond to the stale joke when a Soviet soldier, instead of shouting "For Stalin and for the people" heroically fell with a bundle of grenades under the tanks and yelled "That damn ice..." Overall impression: 25%.

I didn't see the film during its release in movie theaters and I only watched it now as part of filling gaps in the world of cinema. Therefore, I cannot be influenced by any nostalgia and I can easily compare Cameron's famous film with the current offerings in the respective genre. The main advantage of The Abyss was undoubtedly its cutting-edge special effects, which, understandably, lose their shine with the passing years, exposing the triviality of the plot and the hopelessness of the screenplay. Moreover, the concept of the cute aliens who wave at you in a friendly manner and are so kind that you would immediately move them into your living room really bothers me, and I am only open to it in the case of E.T. The remaining aspect is Cameron's precise direction, which earns The Abyss a three-star rating, although just barely due to its overlong duration. In the last third, the film dragged on so much that I longed for Cameron's finances to run out and for him to quickly stop the film... Overall impression: 50%. I can't help but also point out the absence of any deeper thoughts in the film. This really isn't 2001: A Space Odyssey.

From the long series of Christmas films in recent years, A Christmas Carol stands out like the Eiffel Tower. While Charles Dickens as the author of the literary original deserves credit for the final impression, it is a fact that Clive Donner skillfully and without hesitation transformed his story into a film. It is pleasantly emotional and reasonably moralistic. Even I felt the urge to improve, but unfortunately, that feeling passed after about an hour. Still, it was the most promising attempt in the last five years. The film does not feature top stars, but this only contributes to its authenticity; otherwise, the performances are convincing, as is the atmosphere of London in the first half of the 19th century. Overall impression: 85%. I have not yet seen the new version with Jim Carrey, but I strongly doubt it could offer more, except for visual effects. As for the story, Donner extracted the maximum from Dickens.

At the Třeboň Anifilm festival, Adama was screened in the category of films for children and youth, which is quite bold, because even many war films for adult audiences contain more optimism and less depression than this animated film. In the second half, when the plot transitions to the war zone, it becomes a truly bleak and dark affair. Adama lacks the ability to captivate - it is a typical arthouse film that requires more attention, but it is very well executed in terms of visuals and has a strong anti-war message. The film can be considered as animation school and a showcase of brilliant artistic style. Sand animation is rarely seen. Overall impression: 75%.