gudaulin

A bitter tragicomedy about a man who lacked greater adaptability to attain happiness, but also the energy and courage to confront the injustices of our world, and so his life attitude became escapism. During the communist period, he decides to seek asylum in a monastery, and when fate brings him back to the world outside the monastery walls years later, he finds that while the government has changed, the people who continue to remain morally on edge have not. Despite sincere efforts to reintegrate and rebuild broken bonds with his family, he ultimately chooses to escape again into the asylum of the microcosm of a religious sect. It's not a bad movie, but from the creator of the format, Jerzy Stuhr, I would have expected more developed characters and more intense conflicts. Perhaps even more black humor. In many cases, the characters are merely outlined and do not undergo any development. It needed more work on the screenplay and the quality of the dialogue. Overall impression: 65%.

For those seeking eccentricity, visual effects, and a departure from the mainstream in a film, The Cell might hit the mark. The dream sequences are visually provocative, sexually enticing, and appropriately imaginative. However, for those looking for a well-rounded, thoroughly developed movie with a quality script, The Cell will be a waste of time. It primarily lacks a gripping story and a strong protagonist. Jennifer Lopez cannot even be considered an average actress, so she works best in the film when she isn't trying too hard and simply exists - with striking makeup and extravagant costumes. This blend of film experiment and crime genre didn't work out very well. Overall impression: 40%.

Egon Bondy was a genius and a madman, an amazingly hardworking individual who was never employed (by the way - an interesting thought), a hero and a coward, a philosopher, poet, and prose writer. Above all, he was a nonconformist. Hearing not only his voice but also those of Machovec, Jirous, or Placák as unique witnesses to twisted Czech history, and listening to snippets of Bondy's poetry is too fascinating for this documentary to be given less than four stars. Overall impression: 75%.

I haven't read the book or seen the original 1970s film version, so I don't have to deal with the eternal problem of how the screenwriter and director have allegedly desecrated the sacred source material. Departing from the original genre to make a sci-fi comedy seems like a very sensible idea, as such a subject can't be taken seriously today. I openly admit that I enjoyed this more than most contemporary comedies, though that doesn't necessarily mean the film is full of original, sparkling humor. It's more a reflection of my positive relationship with sci-fi, as one tends to poke fun at what they love. Frank Oz's direction is decent within his capabilities, with the weaknesses lying more in the script. The casting is good, and in the case of Nicole Kidman, a perfect hit. Overall impression: 55%.

A harbinger of where the once successful Václav Vorlíček would end up in the 1990s. A film without spark and effective humor, riding the coat tails of the success of the fairy-tale series Arabela. Overall impression: 40%.

Fans of gory action, relentless gunfire, and mindless thrills will enjoy this, and they can add as many stars as they like. From a film quality perspective, Predator 2 suffers from all the typical sequel flaws: a lack of originality and creativity, and, without the exotic tropical jungle setting, it lacks atmosphere as well. By moving the setting to an urban environment, the film becomes similar to other crime-themed action movies of the time, which were being churned out rapidly. The only addition is the extraterrestrial creature - pardon, in true sequel logic, there's an entire pack of Predators. Danny Glover has significantly more acting talent, but he didn't quite fit the role of a warrior battling cosmic invaders. There's hardly any point in discussing the script's logic and the quality of the dialogues. I was particularly amused by the idea of a spaceship hidden in the heart of a city. Overall impression: 25%.

I'm probably damaging the series by giving only four stars because it features excellent craftsmanship and is one of the peaks of the genre. It is a realistically presented war drama, brilliantly cast with well-drawn characters, without cheap pathos, and at the same time with a sufficiently large budget to create a visually attractive series. I only mind the distorted American view of World War II, which only a good history expert fully realizes. Although Band of Brothers is essentially civil, it lacks the traditional infamous patriotism, and the viewer naturally does not find out while watching the series how low the combat morale of the American units was on the Western Front, and how low the support for the war was in Europe among the American public. The United States had long been drawn into isolationist policies, partly due to its bad experience in its involvement in World War I. The European war was not popular, and actually, only the drastic shots from concentration camps and the depiction of German atrocities at the end of the war subsequently justified entry into the war and wartime losses in the public eye. That's why the anti-Jewish pogroms also attracted such strong attention. The American command wanted to minimize losses and conducted the war campaign very cautiously with regard to public opinion at home. The usual tactic was to decimate the enemy through intensive bombing and artillery shelling to avoid any resistance if possible. Even in the last months of the war, when American units faced a demoralized enemy running out of fuel and supplies, they advanced only an average of 3-5 km per day, despite their overwhelming superiority. Viewers of the series simply won't learn about many of these things or at least won't learn about them to the full extent. Although there was dying and suffering on the Western Front too, it is incomparable to the dramas that took place on the Eastern Front or during partisan warfare. Overall impression: 90%.

Gothika is a highly polarizing film, with a subpar script full of illogical constructs on one side and solid casting and excellent direction on the other. It depends on whether you want to think about the how and why... or surrender to the atmosphere and enjoy the ride. If you choose the former, deduct 15-20% from my rating. I chose the latter and came out with a 70% overall impression. For Halle Berry, it's a rewarding role that she handled with honor - definitely above average for her - and Penélope Cruz performs her usual standard, which means she did well. There were several scenes that startled me or gave me a feeling of unease, and what more can you ask for in a horror film? Gothika will never belong to the top of the genre, but it's a film worth watching once.

The key to evaluating this film lies in the sentence "A theme so strong that anything less than a four-star rating is inappropriate." Yes, try saying you didn't like a film with such a serious theme as abuse and genocide... Doesn't that devalue the moral message of the work? Before Grbavica, I had already seen four feature films about the war in Bosnia, and I believe each of them is at least a class better. The reason is directorial helplessness - long minutes where nothing happens on screen, characters playing with cigarette butts or singing songs. Possibly the entire song, so I could learn the lyrics. I understood the plot and correctly guessed its outcome within 15 minutes, but let's say that's due to my boundless genius and not the creative incompetence of the crew... Overall impression: 50%.

There's a slight problem with reviewing this film... The last joint film by Monty Python was The Meaning of Life, after which the members split and worked on their own projects. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is an exclusive project by Terry Jones, who focused on children's literature and directing. Engaging other ex-Monty Python members, even in small roles, was the producer's idea and was motivated purely by commercial interests. Therefore, it is not a Monty Python work and should not be compared to the group's creations. Visually, it's original, lively, and unconventional with a few catchy songs, somewhat "quirky," as is typical for Jones and his pals. The target audience was children, though anyone with an unbridled imagination will enjoy it. Overall impression: 80%.