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A car drives along an abandoned road when it suddenly brakes and the driver inconsiderately throws a girl onto the roadside, who angrily screams: "Don't treat me like a whore!" Then she helplessly walks toward the city. Due to the early morning hour, no cars are passing through the deserted landscape when suddenly a bicycle with a strange being on it emerges at the top of the hill. A huge bright yellow chicken clumsily walks and slowly approaches the girl. She stops the cyclist and a conversation unfolds between the young man, whose clothing was stolen at a masquerade, and his charming passenger. Mutual affection may turn into something stronger and at the end, the viewer will find out about the girl's profession. This is a charming short I saw at a festival of French films. There is a good deal of entertainment here with a good point, made with a small budget. Overall impression: 80%. Starring the charming star of the French music scene Julie Budet.

I don't know what Igor Kovaljov's relationship with his wife was like before making this film, but I assume that it probably significantly worsened afterward, or she must have had an incredible sense of humor. To Kovaljov's credit, or rather as an apology, he doesn't spare himself either, and his character is not only depicted disgustingly but also behaves disgustingly. It is a thirteen-minute satire on the theme of marital stereotypes and relationships, where a devoted wife taking care of a comfortable man degenerates into a plump hen. Naturally, the husband doesn't like it, so he arrogantly kicks her out of the house, only to painfully realize later that a caring hen is better than trash in the living room and a disgusting parasite in the kitchen. Overall impression: 80%. The visual aspect may elicit feelings of disgust in some, but that was the intention.

This short horror animated film features solid art and animation. The unfortunate fate of the protagonist, who dared to show sympathy and friendship, is mercilessly punished, as it goes in the real world. What a cruel world and bitter position, where the greatest punishment is to continue living the same existence... Overall impression: 80%.

Tomek Baginski evidently does not like the army and in his animated short film, he mocks militarism with morbidly cruel, but all the more effective sarcastic humor. Somewhere on an island in the middle of the ocean, an art-loving general creates conditions for staging a peculiar theater play, where fanatical soldiers willingly sacrifice their lives to gratify their commander's artistic tastes. In this miniature, there is room for parodied love for brave soldiers and for the artistic inclinations of psychopathic individuals who have been given rank. Overall impression: 70%.

When I saw this during its premiere, it made a big impression on me emotionally. I liked the mutual dialogues and encounters, as well as both characters constantly passing each other by. I liked them so much that I gave the film 5 stars, but when I saw the theatrical version years later, it wasn't great anymore, and the same can be said about the film, to which I returned many years later. What remains good for me is Billy Crystal's decent acting, for whom the character of Harry is probably the best film performance ever, just like Meg Ryan, who can also add her undeniably attractive smile and overall captivating appearance. Unlike many of his genre siblings, Rob Reiner doesn't strive for humor at any cost or cheap genre twists. It's almost like real life. It is a likable, but not great film. It's peculiar that the popular Meg Ryan, who is not a bad actress at all, hasn't been able to create more significant roles throughout her professional career. She's a typical victim of genre pigeonholing, where an actor is forced to repeat the same template. Overall impression: 65%.

If it weren't ridiculous regarding such a minority genre as experimental animation, I would say that Satiemania is a cult short film. A cult film for a small group of animators and directors of animated films, and for avid fans of alternative animation. At one time, this film embarked on a successful journey through specialized film festivals and club screenings. It doesn't have a coherent story or a central character and is rather a sequence of moving pictures depicting life in today's metropolis, and it is interesting for its visual aspects, especially from the perspective of animation effects. It made a big impression on Gasparovich's colleagues in the industry at the time. Together with a lyrical piano accompaniment, the images convey a sensory experience and speak to their viewers similarly to the works of top painters. Overall impression: 65%. However, it is not for everyone.

Popular actor Steve Buscemi deliberately focuses on the lives of outsiders in his directorial work, claiming that he had dangerously close encounters with them before his acting success. This time, he is not moving among pubs and pub regulars like in his debut film Trees Lounge but rather describes the feelings of a young man who aimlessly drifts through life at the age of 27, earning a living by dog walking. This is not exactly a good foundation for healthy self-confidence, especially with the knowledge that his parents established a successful company in their twenties and have been able to work on their American dream without stumbling their whole lives. His brother is in the same situation, and after a failed marriage and loss of employment, he must settle for working in his parents' business for minimum wage. The factory, due to Asian competition, has long left the prosperous times behind. His only anchor point is coaching a school basketball team of total losers who haven't scored a single basket in 14 games. This is the starting point of an unobtrusive independent film that intentionally resigns on any attempts to shock or entertain cheaply. However, it effectively focuses on the emotional portrayal of its characters and can rely on reliable acting performances. Of course, Liv Tyler is an exception, as she has never been, is not, and will not be a character actress; she is simply a model who utilizes the pretty face of the charming girl next door, and fortunately, the screenwriter and director do not expect any acting miracles from her. Overall impression: 75%.

The main character is a burnt-out aging man who has only been surviving since the death of his wife and his job as a university professor allows him to pretend to be busy at work to hide his emptiness, bitterness, and loneliness from others. A chance encounter with a pair of immigrants enables him to attach himself to something new and find a new meaning in his existence by helping a man who is facing deportation back to his homeland. The problem is that it all feels artificially arranged. It didn't draw me into the story or evoke the emotions that the authors undoubtedly expected. I didn't experience the dramas of these characters and didn't sympathize with them as one would expect. The film only shows one side of the matter, and even that is done through emotionally manipulative means. It isn't an analyzing and truly provocative film. The issue with a large army of illegal immigrants is, of course, much more complex. The whole of America was built on the work of underprivileged immigrants, and usually only the second generation could benefit from the system and become fully-fledged members of society. It is obviously advantageous for the system that there is a group of people who unquestioningly take on inferior jobs and accept minimum wages. The repressive apparatus is also adapted to this, and its goal is not to annihilate illegal immigration but to keep it within reasonable limits. There is plenty of room for criticism here. On the other hand, let's not kid ourselves, the idea that anyone has the right to enter a foreign country, work there, and live there is obviously naive and unacceptable. No social and economic system could withstand that. The immigration police and relevant authorities, understandably, carry out dirty work on a political and, ultimately, public order. In this aspect, the film is insincere because asylum or permanent residence permits are not given simply because one is decent... Overall impression: 45%. I was also bothered by the slow pace and stuffy appearance of the main character.

James Dean was a promising actor with decent charisma, which would have probably destined him for a similar path as tough guys like Steve McQueen - if he had survived his car accident. Natalie Wood was beautiful and talented, and both of them logically became idols of the youth of that time. Dean's early death caused him to become a legend of the film industry and each of his films gained cult status in a way. Beyond that, from today's perspective, Rebel Without a Cause is just an average drama, which is watchable, but his rebellion now seems completely toothless and rather testifies to the middle-class environment of America at that time. It has simply felt the ravages of time, and many elements, such as music trying to build tension, seem like a period mannerism and are therefore disturbing. Overall impression: 55%.

I have resolved the dilemma of whether A Fistful of Dollars or For a Few Dollars is better because I consider the second film to be more mature. Leone had already found his style by that point and he had refined his collaboration with Ennio Morricone to the point that there isn't much to criticize about the direction and overall filmmaking craftsmanship of the film. Sergio Leone's merit is in revitalizing the dying western genre by tarnishing it, lightening it with comedic elements, creatively working with genre stereotypes, and imprinting characters on previously interchangeable supporting roles. In short, he made it more entertaining. On the other hand, his early westerns have issues in their screenplays. When you look at the motivation of his heroes and their thought processes, you have a collection of unique idiots in front of you. If the main villain Callaway possessed ideas such as releasing his prisoners to eliminate members of his gang, he probably wouldn't have survived puberty. Leone simply made undemanding B-grade movies for the mass audience and, unfortunately for him, he had ambitions to move toward more serious filmmaking statements and more serious genres, which happened with his legendary film Once Upon a Time in America. That says something about the film industry and its viewers, not about Sergio Leone. Overall impression: 65%.