gudaulin

I saw Pleasantville during its premiere in the movie theater, and I was captivated by both its visual aspect and the excellent screenplay, which, together with Gary Ross's directorial skill, created an amazing retro atmosphere. It's a clever, subtle comedy about the good old days and the difficulty of returning to them and idealizing them. From today's perspective, it boasts a stellar cast, but back then, Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon weren't yet stars; they were still working on it, and this piece served as a nice stepping stone for them. Their pleasant, understated acting was a joy to watch. Overall impression: 90%.

When I saw the film last, about 20 years ago, I remembered it was a nice comedy on medieval sets. This time, I was confronted with reality and I must say that time has really left its mark on the film. The positive aspect is definitely Kopecký's presence in the role of King John. Kopecký gave that character the boastfulness worthy of a great figure of a legendary warrior, knight, and adventurer of his era. It is also a positive aspect that the duo of Hanzlík+Kolářová has finally come together here, creating an excellently functioning relationship chemistry. In the 70s and 80s, they repeated their mutual collaboration in many other films and TV productions. Beyond that, there are only a few good jokes left to praise but unfortunately, there really are only a few of them. Among them, however, there is also plenty of rubbish. Diplomatically speaking, Šteklý's direction is weak and he really was no great director, having a lot of average period films to his credit. The film has a slow pace, the songs are clearly just filler, and some of the supporting roles are cast luckily and acted with little effort. In many scenes, you can notice the limited budget that the film crew had to work with. In no case does it stand up to the top of the genre - try comparing it, for example, with The Scoundrel and you will notice a huge qualitative difference. It also does not stand up to similar Czech productions like A Night at Karlstein. That film is much more entertaining and there are reruns on television much more frequently. Finally, within the so-called historical comedies genre, I do not address historical authenticity, but some of the film protagonists' lines really bothered me and I must say that Procházka chose a weaker moment in his work. Overall impression: 45%.

In the opening dynamically shot scene, enraged demonstrators clash uncompromisingly with the police unit. From the filmmakers' perspective, stone-throwing protesters equipped with Molotov cocktails represent the legitimate indignation of the proletariat and the working intelligentsia, while the police are seen as a brutal force meant to suppress the masses and ensure the domination of imperialists and multinational capital. From the first moments, the film leaves no one in doubt that it is a product of its time, when - mainly in Italy and France - the majority of the cultural front stood in radical left positions. Communist parties were still in fashion and had a large membership base. True, the reputation of the Soviet Union suffered greatly during the invasion of Czechoslovakia, but the fallen idol was replaced by the worship of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which evidently did not disturb Western European intellectuals despite the millions of dead. The turn of the 60s and 70s marked the peak of Maoism's influence in the environment of Western European universities. Political considerations rarely play a decisive role for me when evaluating films, but I must include them when considering this film. It is pointless to hide that, within the framework of the Cold War, the frustration of political elites over the collapse of their empires, as well as the effort to maintain positions in former colonies, sometimes led to the use of the dirty practices depicted in the film. However, the political reality of Eastern Bloc countries was significantly worse, with practices that were no less dirty and foreign policy that was no less cynical. The Assassination perfectly fit into the propaganda that the Communist Party was feeding to its followers, and it would be interesting to count how many times this film was aired on television each year. In any case, it was one of the most frequently appearing foreign titles in Czech broadcasts. Particularly disgusting is the portrayal of Western journalists, who are practically without exception depicted as corrupt lackeys of secret services and powerful capitalist groups. In reality, there was no independent press or other media in the Eastern Bloc, and serving the political power was obvious and actually the only option. The film's strengths undoubtedly lie in the performances of the actors and the presence of great cinema stars, whether it was Trintignant, Seberg, or Volonté, but this time I am unable to appreciate their efforts. Overall impression: 40%.

Eddie Murphy was considered a significant talent in the American comedy scene in the early 80s. He had the gift of spontaneity, improvisation, and quick wit. He acted as an untamed force and seemed to have the potential for a long and successful career in the film industry. However, alas, after several successful movies, he took part in films that instead caused confusion and eventually elicited painful sneers. Eddie did not show good judgment and eagerly embarked on projects that seemed to spell trouble from a distance, and his self-confidence bordered on arrogance. Pluto Nash is a perfect example of what buried his ambitions. It's an unfunny comedy where extravagance meets tackiness and there is nothing to hold onto. A desperately dysfunctional, boring film. Overall impression: 10%.

Get ready for a rollicking farce, where the focus is not on character acting, but rather on clowning around, deliberately exaggerating and mocking to the point of chaos. Don't expect an intellectual experience, but rather an undemanding (not dumb) comedy with a strong cast - and you most likely won't be disappointed. I haven't seen a recording from the early 90s, so I have nothing to compare it to. I don't regret the time spent in the presence of Mr. Burke, his eccentric housewife, and her somewhat unattractive daughter, and I'm not ashamed of my laughter. Overall impression: 75%.

The recording of the performance from the early 90s has a significantly better rating on FilmBooster than the one from 2015, but in my eyes, they are practically the same What also plays a role is that I saw the later version first, so the original one doesn't have anything to surprise me with. It is definitely necessary to praise the excellent Jiří Hálek, and Bronislav Poloczek did a nice job with his redneck, but the performance itself is hindered by a poor sound recording. Moreover, the spontaneity in the original version is perhaps excessive, and Polívka is a force of nature that needs to be tamed. Overall impression: 80%.

Karel Zeman started as a commercial creator and was not ashamed of it. This was a state-commissioned film meant to promote the collection of recyclable materials. Zeman made this propaganda film with his characteristic professionalism. The short black-and-white film was so well-received that the Zlín studio produced six more sequels featuring Mr. Prokouk as the main character. Today, it stands as evidence of the high quality of Czech animation in the mid-1940s and is a part of our cinematic history. The cheerful, construction-era music can be a bit provocative, but the other elements of the film balance it out. Overall impression: 50%.

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%.

Surfing, skydiving, sunbathing on the beach, or improving one's body at the gym is somehow lost on me, and if Kathryn Bigelow portrays attractive muscle men and their carefree lifestyle, I understand that not only can many female viewers, but also male viewers, be enthralled by their approach to life and enjoying themselves. However, I simply don't find it appealing. I didn't like the characters and their value system, and the story itself didn't captivate me either. Overall impression: 40%.

This is one of the examples that the controversial director Zdeněk Troška was able to make films of a completely different nature in the past, and his direction towards crystal kitsch was far from clear in the mid-80s. It is a Jirásek story about the clash of dogmatism and conservative thinking with a modern view of the world, set in a noble estate at the end of the 18th century. It has a reasonably short duration and a likable cast. Overall impression: 60%.