Malarkey

I could probably complain a bit that the film’s overall positivity about everything reminded me of Kameňák or Babovřesky. But I felt so great while watching the movie that it would be a pity to bring it down to average with a single sentence like this. You see, Ondřej Vetchý once again puts in a great performance and Petra Hřebíčková’s character provides him with great company. And on top of that, the remaining actors create great caricatures and elevate the good-hearted atmosphere of the film even higher. So, I walked home from the cinema with a crazy-man’s smile on my face, which didn’t disappear even on the next day. That’s the kind of impact this movie had on me.

There used to be times when nobody would take German films seriously and there were endless lamentations about how bad those movies are. That is naturally no longer true today, but The Black Brothers reminded me why I used to think that the odds of coming across a good German movie were similar to looking for a needle in a haystack.

It’s as if nothing was happening at all in that hotel. The premise may be interesting, but the execution is as cheap, poor and uninteresting as the toilet paper that used to be available during the communist regime – it ripped rectums off and tore piles open.

While making this movie, the authors used the film budget to buy a house, remodel it and then sell it. And since the actors are amateurs from Hicktown, USA, who acted in the movie in exchange for a hot dog, we can officially say that this is the only movie in history that made the money it cost to make without it ever being sold anywhere.

If it weren’t for the beautiful Alaskan landscape, this movie would deserve a Boo! review. I simply can’t understand how they got so many interesting actors to play in such a bullshit movie. I mean who is it worth for to act in a movie that is pretending to be a horror movie where the main antagonist is a bear? That poor bear… those morons he had to deal with were definitely not something to be envious of.

I’m really glad that Guy Ritchie was given an espionage farce screenplay to turn into a movie. I said ‘farce’ on purpose because it really does come across like that. The term definitely fits better than the usual term ‘comedy’. At the same time, I’m a bit sad that I didn’t enjoy the movie as much as I’d hoped I would. I was quite unhappy when giving the movie a three-star review after watching it. You see, there are some great scenes in the movie – Guy Ritchie sure is good at those. The fact that Guy Ritchie’s movies are supposed to make a certain impression, but that he is not as good at story-telling is simply true, but on the other hand, he managed to create a great retro atmosphere and a whole number of great action scenes (the final action scene, or the scene at the base near the sea). You simply need to put up with the fact that in terms of the plot, this movie is dead and buried at the bottom of the lake. And Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer don’t really help things either. I really had to work my way towards their characters; nevertheless, I feel that the second time around, it would definitely be a lot better, which is not me saying that I won’t give the flick another chance in the future – I might even change my opinion. If nothing else, the absolutely fabulous Alicia Vikander had so much charisma that it helped heal some of the film’s wounds. So, if nothing else, she definitely was a pleasure to watch – more than anybody else in any other movie for a long time.

I must say I was quite surprised by the pretty negative reviews this movie has been getting here. I didn’t think The Fantastic Four was any worse than the last Avengers movie. The fact that the plot is as silly as a pair of trousers with holes in them does not surprise me at all. That is essentially true about every other Marvel movie (or DC Comics, they’re pretty much the same) that is being made these days. But I do have to say that I liked the way they depicted other dimensions and planets. You can clearly see that some grumpy digital effects specialist really had a great time playing with those in this film. I didn’t have any problem with the actors, either. For instance, I’ve really enjoyed Miles Teller’s performances lately. I don’t need to point out that this movie is useless. In my opinion, any contemporary comic book movie is useless – they keep recycling the same things over and over again. A three-star review is adequate. What I got was superheroes, a beautiful and colorful digital world and an average villain who has his better moments. So, I got pretty much everything these movies are able to offer. You see, these movies hardly ever manage to deliver more than that.

A great dramedy that is likeable not only because of the characters and the plot, but also because of the execution, which includes a whole number of ideas and tricks that turn the movie into an absolutely unique experience. While watching the movie, I was actually telling myself that I was watching something the likes of which I may not see ever again. It’s been a really long time since I saw so many ideas in a single movie. What’s also nice is that this movie pays respect to a whole number of other movies, so movie buffs will undoubtedly find a lot of hidden and inconspicuous jokes and allusions in this film. It’s a pity though that the main plot line of the movie is actually really sad and I must say that the ending totally killed me and that’s something that hadn’t happened to me in a long time. A story from real life that will make you laugh out loud as well as cry over the entire 105 minutes it takes.

A very interesting documentary that takes an objective look into the world of people whom each and every one of us could condemn without getting to know them a bit closer. I personally have to admit that doing such public education among the Gypsies is a very praiseworthy activity. I really loved the enthusiasm of the coach and of the goalkeeper, who were really crazy about establishing the FC AC Roma club and who tried, as they themselves stated, to lure kids to sport rather than to alcohol and drugs. I also liked how the documentary showed the various contrasts. For instance, when they had to talk other club officials into playing soccer against Gypsies. Then also the discussion between the Gypsy and the Gadjo (Roma word for ‘non-Roma’), where the Gadjo represents the ordinary Czech’s ingrained opinion on the Gypsies, and the Gypsy is being smart trying to understand where we as a nation got these ideas from. I also liked how the documentary isn’t afraid to call a spade a spade and it has no problem showing how the coach and the goalie have trouble trying to get young guys off weed…When that all comes together in this documentary, it actually dawned on me that I felt really sorry for the coach and the goalie. They really make the effort to do a good thing and change the public opinion of Gypsies. All that is treated really well in the documentary and it brings up a whole lot of interesting ideas. The only thing I felt really sorry about was that after watching the documentary I had to go online to google what had happened before the documentary was made and why those other teams refused to play against them. Nevertheless, I will remember the coach Pavel Horváth and the goalie Herák. They really are trying to do something nice and it’s not easy for them. That’s how things are sometimes when you go against the stereotypes imprinted in everybody’s minds. Anyways, keep it up… somebody will appreciate it someday.

A very nice, positive and likeable romantic movie that is bound to please not only ladies, but guys as well. And that’s in spite of the fact that at first I had a big problem with Emilia Clarke at the beginning because of the way she made faces into the camera. But gradually I came to understand that all her grimaces were intentional and I really grew to like her. I think I will actually call her Jim Carrey in a skirt from now on because the things she can do with her eyebrows have no match among other actresses. She was really terrific. Well and Sam Claffin does a pretty nice job as well even though his role confines him into a wheelchair. Surprisingly, all this is enough for the movie to imbue your psyche with a wave of positive, melancholic, even sad emotions. Simply put, exactly what you were expecting when you decided to go see this movie.