Pethushka

This seals my love for Star Wars once and for all. Thank goodness for J.J. Abrams for showing how much he loves Star Wars and not letting the next episode just be a way to get bucks out of viewers. I almost don't understand how he did it, but the atmosphere is there with everything, from beginning to end. How could I live without that?

The sequel to this incredibly raunchy and at times quite disgusting comedy is surprisingly even better than the first. I attribute it mostly to the fact that Karoline Herfurth, who I didn't enjoy in the first one, didn't get as much space here. I could have done without her character. Thailand is perfect for all possible and impossible shenanigans and the Germans have done it their way. Okay, some of the scenes were way past the point of bullying, but I still laughed more than I have in the last month combined. And even though I really hate excessive profanity in movies, I just kind of love it here. 4.5 stars.

When it comes to fantasy, it’s all terribly simple. You just have to create a magical world for the viewer to fall in love with, pick characters that are quirky enough but not too quirky for the viewer to fall in love with, don't mess up the effects, compose masterful music that awakens the little kid in the viewer who longs for adventure every time he hears it, and then just come up with a really, really engaging story. If you can pull this off, even the girl who knew for sure that The Hobbit wasn't going to be for her will still be happy in the end. 4.5 stars.

I'm pretty confused about this one. He could easily have made a great movie, but they'd have to cut the minutes a bit and somehow get more suspense in there. The emotions aren't evenly distributed here at all. One minute you're bored and the next you can't wipe away the tears. On top of that, the feelings are fleeting and don't stick around long. If they had concentrated more on the film itself and not built it on dialogue that forces the viewer a bit too much into how to perceive the whole thing, it would definitely have added to the value of this piece. A weaker 4 stars.

I put Focus on at a very emotional time in my life, when I was feeling everything much more intensely and perhaps quite uncritically. Anyway, it's a perfectly ordinary movie, of which hundreds have been made in America, but I still have my heart in my eyes and I'll argue that this one is much more powerful and profound. In fact, things spark like thunder between the truly divinely beautiful Margot and Will, and I felt that even Romeo and Juliet's love couldn't match theirs.

I watched Salut D'Amour on a plane on the way to Seoul, and only put it on because almost all the Koreans there were watching it. It's a good thing I'm so curious, because I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get to it in the Czech Republic for at least the next few years. And that would be a shame. The filmmakers have managed to create a beautiful story about love in old age. The introductions are accompanied by funny moments and touching moments, during which I wasn’t far from tears. This film is simply a hidden treasure... 4.5 stars.

The Gendarme of Saint Tropez is a timeless comedy that doesn't have me rolling with laughter, but always positively charges me up and puts at least a tiny smile on my face. For me, this is the pinnacle of French cinema. And I don't need to tell you that Louis de Funès is the man...

Looking at the male cast, I thought my high rating was a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, I was wrong. While Eric and Seo-jin gave amazing performances, there was a lot of creaking when it came to the script. The barely believable things that were happening were interspersed with boring passages where I had to hold my hand back to keep from fast-forwarding. I don't think I've ever seen so many random encounters, easily several times a day, and overheard conversations that no one was supposed to hear. And it started out so nicely. Things were sparking like thunder between the main couple in the early episodes, Eun-joo was so cute. When Eric came in and did his amazing seduction techniques, I was in stitches. But then the characters got more and more desperate and I felt like I was watching a failed South American soap opera. The protagonist was constantly grumpy and always hesitating about something. And on top of that, the worst part of any series – the hysterical screamer. I don't remember ever feeling so much dislike for a character. I couldn't stand her, I hated her, and her voice still makes my hair stand on end. The episodes where she was often on screen were really an ordeal for me. I didn't get into the story until the end. I think the last few episodes have softened me quite a bit, as I was originally considering a lower rating. But when I remember the pitying look of the main character, the dancing Eric, and the wonderful musical score, I have to admit that I also have fond memories of Phoenix.

It's not enough to read about this, this you must see. The way I Origins is shot, and the way the twists and turns occur here, is in a word, breathtaking. The ideas on which the film is based are presented to the viewer in such a simple yet compelling way that they begin to make sense to you and you don't doubt their reality. The cast is no less exceptional. For a film like this, it's great to have some new faces, as it makes the viewer focus more on the plot. My thoughts on this settled a bit during the night and I am raising my rating to full stars.

A strange and complex film that, if it weren't for Hyeok Jang and Min-jeong Lee, would have been a real ordeal for me. And a very long ordeal at that. But the long running time isn't the only thing I didn't get about this film. I don't think I've ever seen a more hectic story. First we're here, then there, then here again. And if after the first 20 minutes you start to console yourself that you'll figure it out in a bit, don't believe it. Because in no time you'll be even more confused. And another hour later completely. This one's bonkers, that one's hallucinating, that other one's dreaming, and I'm just blind in the headlights. If you don't know the actors beforehand, you're almost guaranteed to get lost. Plus, I'm convinced there was one big mistake that made me get one character wrong. Maybe it was there on purpose, for all I know. I'm not going to watch it again, so I'll probably never find out. One star for Hyeok Jang and another for Min-jeong and the rest of the cast. That's it. 2 stars