DaViD´82

Although this isn’t completely up to Kachyňa’s normal standard, it is still much better than most other Czech productions. The TV-standard production design doesn’t matter, nor does the fact that Lubor Tokoš finds no support in the other actors. What matters a real lot is the screenplay which is simply collage of random scenes. An attempt to make an untraditional road movie which, despite not working completely, is definitely a respectable farewell from Mister Director to his career and life.

Dave McKean is a genius and a phenomenal artist with a very idiosyncratic style. Unfortunately this doesn’t apply to when his job is director. Visually, Mirrormask is unarguably an original work, but the limited budget is all too obvious and prevented McKean from letting loose his creative spirit. It’s not that he hasn’t got ideas, but without being able to rely either on the actors or the screenplay, written together with the big man Neil Gaiman, he hasn’t got many options open to him. The result is therefore a glut of more or less good scenes which occasionally lack atmosphere, but together do not form a consistent whole that is interesting, let alone something that would suck you into this fantasy movie.

On the trail of more than eighty-year-old photos of the Prague quarter of Smíchov. If you don’t know this part of the city, around the main road to Plzen, then this fascinating documentary won’t mean much to you. But if you do happen to know this area as it is today, then this makes excellent watching for (amateur) historians. However, there simply isn’t enough material here to fill the running time and so, especially toward the end, it begins prattling on about nothing.

A solid B-movie thriller with a committed Joshua Jackson, a predictable plot and good pacing. It’s not great, but it’s a pleasant watch.

Production design like out of a Czech TV play, horrendous actors, zero entertainment and absolute bottom of the barrel from the formerly funny David Zucker. The beginning doesn’t look all that bad. Until about five minutes in, when the “screenwriters" think up a supposedly hilarious way of getting rid of Charlie Sheen. That is the moment when it becomes crystal clear what wavelength Scary Movie 4 is on. If only that dumb toilet humor worked, but here we don’t even get one single gag that is at least slightly funny. Where are those good old parodies where the makers understood that simply re-filming a scene from a famous movie with somebody falling on their ass just isn’t enough to make a good one. And they’re even making a part five...

This movie does contain a couple (literally) of dumb jokes that work and, thanks to the shortish running time, this is surprisingly bearable. In places. And this is the only reason for me giving it so many stars, because despite clearly being well-versed in this genre, the creators just don’t have a sense of humor. And it’s up to you whether or not you think this is important with a parody.

An excellent topic that was crying out for a good dose of cynicism and black humor. Unfortunately the screenplay leaves the potential to be just potential. A couple of good moments are to be seen here, Steve Coogan tries with all his might, but in the end this is just another humdrum double-crossing comedy cut nicely with romance. Simply uninspired use of a good idea.

Emotional immersion without cheap blackmail through visual games à la Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Perhaps only the director's persistent attempt to shoot through reflections (in a mirror, glass or glasses) becomes tired and annoying towards the end.

A pleasant and heartwarmingly cute documentary about the indisputably talented and fascinating Radůza. But the problem with it is that it’s just too heartwarming and cute. A little excursion into slightly darker or more conflictual waters would have done some good, because this way we just have a documentary that was made rather prematurely. A little more objectivity wouldn’t hurt. After all, Radůza will still be “doing art" for a long time to come.

Where Robert Rodriguez loses out to Quentin in terms of filmmaking, inventiveness, polished style, and form in general, he paradoxically gains in fun precisely because, unlike his colleague, he does not attempt to squeeze “that little bit more" from this genre than it has to offer. This is just a dumb D-movie, and it’s well aware of that, and thanks to exaggeration and reasonable duration it manages to entertain the entire time.