Stanislaus

Personally, I really like visually spectacular films that take place at sea (e.g. Titanic and Life of Pi), so I was really looking forward to In the Heart of the Sea and I am definitely not disappointed. The film effectively blends two timelines to form a nice and consistent whole. What was actually behind the birth of one of America's most famous novels? Where does truth end and fiction begin? The film doesn't lack both decent technical execution and a well-chosen cast, plus it all stands on a good premise. In short, a film that is definitely worth seeing in the cinema to properly enjoy all the aforementioned qualities.

I was really happy to see that a nice and quality documentary about animals, which Aldabra definitely is, can be produced in the Czech Republic. From a technical point of view the film is very well made, although it was obvious at first glance when the resulting visuals got some help from computers. Story-wise, Aldabra is primarily intended for children, hence the simply delivered commentary, which, while it may get on some people's nerves, didn't bother me at all. A nice and informative surprise in the form of a visually appealing excursion to exotic landscapes.

I decided to watch A Christmas Horror Story a few days after watching Krampus in the cinema, which intrigued me, so I wanted to see another film with this Christmas monster. It reminded me a lot of Trick 'r Treat in its structure, which also consisted of several short stories more or less loosely connected to each other. Of all the stories, I was most intrigued by "badass Santa vs zombie elves" and least intrigued by "African-American family vs shapeshifters". All in all, an uncharacteristically tuned Christmas movie that, while mediocre, still has its charm and to some extent a stamp of originality.

They should add drama to the genre for Grace and Frankie too, because even though this show is funny at first glance, it is also bitter and acerbic in the way it portrays reality. Unlike most of today's series, the focus of Grace and Frankie is mainly on characters who are older than 70, which is not that common (the great British series Vicious springs to mind). The cast is really stellar, no doubt about it – I was most impressed by the characters of Gracie and Brianna, who were the funniest in my opinion. Story-wise, it reeks of cliché from time to time, which is common nowadays, but it's important to use the cliché as a minor prop and not base a whole story on it, which doesn’t happen here. In short, a somewhat unconventional series that has optimal duration, a catchy theme and a likeable cast.

Once in a blue moon, I just want to watch some obvious stupid bollocks, and no company produces similar "gems" on such a large scale as Asylum. So I randomly picked up Sharknado, which features some familiar faces in the cast, and went for it. The good thing about films like this is that they surprise rather than disappoint, because you're counting on the fact that it's just not going to be some Oscar-winning big budget movie with a solid script and great actors. And that's exactly what Sharknado is, a stupid and ineptly made piece of crap with lousy effects, a terrible script and awful actors. But I don't want to give it a Boo! rating, because I laughed a few times, although it was more of an ironic laugh than a sincere one. I can understand any rating for Sharknado, it is a film for a wide spectrum of viewers who watch it for a variety of reasons, from boredom to satire to admiration.

I've never been a devoted fan of the Star Wars franchise, but the films are enjoyable, technically well-made and funny, so I couldn't pass up the latest installment in the saga from a galaxy far, far away. I left the theater satisfied, even though it was basically a remake of the fourth and sixth episodes. I still had a royal good time, watching the epic space and ground battles with tension in my eyes and being entertained by some of the hilarious characters (which BB8 wins by a landslide). Plus, I loved the return of the old characters (Han Solo, Leia and Chewbacca) who brought the right old-style touch to the new sequel.

Bridge of Spies is more or less a conversational drama in which the space is not limited to one room, but its pillars of are the dialogues and the performances of Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. From a technical point of view, it is also an average piece, with a successful recreation of (not only) 1950s Berlin and a brilliant scene of a plane being shot down. Afterwards, you can only watch with suspense how the different parties proceed to get their man back, and there is nothing to do but wait to see how it all turns out, whether the spies are exchanged or not. In short, a quality period drama that, apart from a decent story and actors, offered me a nostalgic return to the Glienicker Brücke, which I know all too well from my Erasmus days in Potsdam.

The Minions are good for short format and animated piece is proof of that. A funny five minutes about a slightly wilder routine of sorting mail, during which parcels are eaten in bulk and yellow alternates with purple as if on a treadmill – fun guaranteed.

This is probably the first time that a short accompanying a feature-length animated film was qualitatively somewhere else. The amazing Inside Out was preceded by this weird thing about a singing volcano professing its love to another volcano. As nice as the animation was, the story just killed it all, and besides, the theme song felt like a rip-off of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.

A cute animated short before The Good Dinosaur, mainly intended to teach (not only) the kids about the values in life, which include family, faith, fun, etc. In terms of animation, it was decent, but plot-wise it was rather average.