Lima

My favourite Jan Svěrák film. An original premise, a smart script by Svěrák Sr. and pretty good visual effects for the time. And for me, the twist remains current, sometimes, after sitting at the computer and watching the monitor all day, I feel I could use a healer like Fišárek :)

Clichés, clichés and then some more clichés. Add to that a hearty dose of patriotism and boredom, and the result is Armageddon. I don't want to be biased and so: the introduction with meteorites is decent, the training on the NASA base has flair and wit. The rest, on the other hand, is what I say above.

“I steal, you steal, we steal.” Or how Emmerich and Devlin got together, dumped their brain concoctions into a common cauldron, stirred it properly and prepared an inedible slop. I turned off my brain and just wanted to have fun, but even a lobotomy wouldn't have helped. The massive avalanche of clichés and stupidity swept me away in such a way that I wouldn't want to repeat it.

I have the same feelings as koCOUR. I also considered 5*, but that ending that ruined the atmosphere of the entire film. On the other hand, the positive message that sometimes everything turns out for the best doesn't hurt either. Anyway, it’s a miracle that a mainstream film like this paid itself without trouble in the US and had pretty decent reviews. One of the surprises of the year for me and Affleck and Jackson are great.

Few people know that Boorman was originally going to make a Lord of the Rings film, but changed his mind at the last minute and ended up using some of the costumes and armour for the Tolkien adaptation in Excalibur. For the viewers, that’s great. The Arthurian legend could not have been filmed better than Boorman did, and it is unlikely to be surpassed in the future. Also thanks to the music, starting with Wagner and ending with Orff, the perfect production design and the overall magical atmosphere.

Boorman masterfully ratchets up the tension and fear. Already during the dueling banjos at the beginning I had a strange feeling, without any rational justification, that something was wrong. That feeling grew over time and then suddenly it came, like a punch in the face. The rape scene is impressive and vile, and I've rarely wished death on someone like I did on those two loathsome hillbillies. It's the premature climax of the film, the rest doesn't have that much power.

When I was a kid during the communist era, when simultaneous dubbed VHS copies were circulating in secret, I thought this film was pretty crap. Now, as an old geezer, I enjoy it, this Arnold flick has aged like wine. Commando is rather dull masculine entertainment, with a great excess of violence (see the "clearing" of the island, the filmmakers went really over the top) ridiculously hidden behind a father's positive motivation to save his child. But taken as a very brisk action comedy and a perfect model example of "80s" action movies, Commando is definitely worth watching. And the logic? Pfff! Sod that this time! Also, it's undeniable that some of Arnold's one-liners, delivered in contrast to his typically stony-faced persona, are irresistible - "You are funny guy, Sully. I like you. That’s why I’m going to kill you last."

Das Boot is the pinnacle of the war genre. Taking German cinema by surprise, it made a successful tour around the world and received a warm reception by audiences and critics. The scenes where the submarine tries to avoid depth charges are riveting and I definitely don't recommend them to the claustrophobic. And while the submarine didn't sink, the charismatic Jurgen Prochnow drowned his promising career in B-movie waters, which is a shame.

Eastwood shows a sense of absurdist humour in places, he's very assured as a director and Costner and his beer belly as a sympathetic criminal certainly doesn't spoil it. The portrayal of Costner as essentially an over-sensitive psycho is very impressive, but mostly brilliantly acted. Let’s celebrate every original thiller like this one.

It doesn't take much to make a top drama: one room, twelve great actors and brilliantly written dialogue. And I guarantee you that this film will grab your attention very quickly and you won't take your eyes off it. There was a color remake in the 1980s, I haven't seen it, but I doubt it would top this old masterpiece.