Stanislaus

In many ways, Firebird reminded me of the earlier Burning Blue, which also depicted a "forbidden relationship (not only) in a military setting". The "artificial" English spoken by the actors was quite detrimental to the film, as it detracted from the authenticity of some of the scenes; besides, I would have cut the film by a quarter of an hour. On the other hand, it was a fairly solid romantic drama, albeit slightly predictable, with more than one nice shot and moment.

In his (so far) last film, Xavier Dolan addresses similar themes as in his previous films, and yet Matthias & Maxime does not feel like a mere rip-off and recycling of already used motifs. The first half of the film has a more leisurely pace, with Dolan "mercilessly" robbing the viewer of that kiss, only to then continue playing with us and trying to stretch our expectations. A lot of the characters in the film shout (too much), and I found the music used during some scenes a bit out of place, yet I enjoyed the screening. Whether it was through the tense scenes with the mother, in which Dolan's "court mother" Anne Dorval shines, or during the confrontations between Max and Matt, which ranged from angry ignorance to tender sensuality. Three and three-quarters stars!

With its intimate atmosphere and the subtle yet obvious sensual tension between the main characters, The Man with the Answers largely evoked Marco Berger's work. On the one hand, I commend the dynamic genre of the road-trip-movie, on the other hand, my overall impression of the film was a bit marred by the "Italian-ness" of the characters and a certain superficiality of the individual storylines (the feeling of uprootedness, family reunion after years, romance on the road). In the end, I enjoyed the film, but I'm sure more could have been extracted from the premise, be it on a dramatic, romantic or even comedic level.

100% Wolf doesn't really have much to surprise the (adult) viewer, as it is an incredibly predictable and technically quite weak film. The main character is a cliché to the core, which I wouldn't have minded so much, but I found Freddy terribly unlikeable. I also thought the villains lacked charisma and the annoyingly goofy ice cream man didn't help. Perhaps only the seasoned housekeeper Mrs. Mutton (I almost expected her to be a "weresheep") won me over. The film's message is clear, but too garishly and kitschily served up. A film aimed solely at a younger audience, with no attempt to appeal to older viewers.

Diary of a Modern Dad features a likeable cast, believable performances, and an all-around enjoyable execution that counteracts the pervasive predictability of the plot and character development. Tereza Ramba was great, Jiří Mádl on the other hand looked helpless way too frequently, and the parents and ex-boyfriend were fine. I was quite taken with the idea of stuffed animals and a tape recorder - a decent ad for a toy company. I believe parents will enjoy the film all the more because, unlike childless people (like myself), they have experienced or are currently experiencing this. Better three stars!

Watching The Green Knight, my mind often wandered to Robert Eggers's The Witch, which also tried to spice up typical genre expectations and was atmospherically close to David Lowery's film. The Green Knight is an artistic affair with all the pros and cons that come with it. It is an audiovisually captivating film, full of metaphors and symbolism, but one that is very challenging to watch, both in terms of narrative devices and the gradual build-up of the plot. Anyone who has ever read a heroic epic will recognise that Lowery's film is similarly constructed: a young (almost) knight embarks on a heroic quest to win honour (and, at the cost of his own life, even immortality), meeting various characters who, in a fashion, shape and test him along the way. I'm on the fence about rating between three and four stars. The film was very nice to watch, but it was also a challenge. Well, better three stars!

(Possible spoilers!) Armed with a generally likeable cast and a plethora of film references, Jaroslav Fuit tries - sometimes a little too hard – to serve up a Czech romantic comedy that wouldn't get lost in the genre clutter of similar films, but he doesn't always succeed. That said, Only for Tereza offers a nicely written and mostly well-acted story about the woes of love, the (dark) corners of misunderstandings and family reunions years later (it's a pity that the "I'm your Father" bit fizzled out). The central duo was charming, Emma Smetana was perfect for the role of the bitch, Lenka Vlasáková and David Matásek were rather irrelevant, and Matouš Ruml sometimes made too much noise, which, however, he balanced by short but humorous performances. More could have be mined from the promising premise, but I certainly don't regret my visit to the cinema. Plus point for the solid soundtrack. A better and more relaxed three stars!

The second adventure from the "mysterious life of (precocious) toddlers" seemed qualitatively comparable to the first one, which was in slightly above average waters. Old(er) acquaintances return to the Family Business, and alongside them there are plenty of more or less interesting characters – be it the villain, the new agent from Baby Corp or the creepy "cousin" from the Addams. Story-wise, it is basically a copy of the first part, the plot is predictable throughout, but at the same time it is funny thanks to the many gags, so I laughed more than once in the cinema. Plus point for the audiovisually appealing musical performance. Better three stars!

Coming In as a relationship romantic drama with humorous moments works more in the second half of its slightly excessive running time. Story-wise, it is a fairly predictable film, in which the relationship line is a little bit spiced up with uncertainty about sexual orientation. It's a shame that they stuck to genre clichés and didn't portray the characters and plot in a more brisk and/or humorous manner. Still, I smiled a few times and was even moved by the love story, which can sometimes be born really unexpectedly. Kostja Ullmann and Aylin Tezel were supremely likeable and I was glad to see Katja Riemann in a small role. Bonus points for the Berlin locations and the male version of “I Kissed a Girl”. A weaker three stars!

Shang-Chi mixes in a mostly artful way the audience-appealing elements typical of the MCU (spectacular battles, action laced with humour, the importance of team/family, etc.) and as an added value offers (in the context of Marvel movies) an unfamiliar Asian setting. The Hollywood-style action is interspersed with fight scenes that are more typical of Asian films, all wrapped up in almost "magical" clashes (like in Doctor Strange), which I really enjoyed. Visiting Ta Lo and seeing all those creatures made me feel like I was watching an Asian version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. My only major criticism would be the sometimes weaker visual effects (compared to other MCU-movies), like, for instance, the forest maze or the water scenes in general. Of the new characters, Ying Nan, Xu Wenwu and partly Katy won me over the most; the main character was rather bland. It was also nice to see a smaller role for Ben Kingsley (a.k.a. the Mandarin). I didn't even mind that a good part of the plot was a kind of family drama, as in this case the motivations and actions of the characters were understandable and this line didn't interfere with the film’s fantasy-action level.