Stanislaus

I was perhaps looking forward to Charlatan a little too much, given the strong subject matter and the people involved, and so I was a little disappointed in the outcome. From a technical standpoint, Charlatan is handled mostly well – the assured camera work and the unmistakable score are proof of that. The acting was, as expected, really convincing, without unnecessary theatricality. Besides the almost unquestionably excellent Ivan Trojan, I must not forget to mention the young Josef Trojan, who was a great second to his father, then the grounded performance of Jaroslava Pokorná, and last but not least the solid part of Juraj Loj, unknown to me so far. What bothered me about the film, however, was its narrative lack of coherence in several places, for example the kittens, which many have already mentioned, or especially the last minutes of the film. On the one hand, this is a bold and, by Czech standards, above-average film with some really evocative moments (the death of Zapotocky, the arrest by the Gestapo) that, alongside the "quackery", addresses same-sex relationships in the post-war era, but on the other hand, there were a few places where I just felt it was missing something and that it somewhat deprived me of the desired experience. A weaker four stars!

Palm Springs doesn't build on any innovative theme, time loops have been a quite popular theme across genres in recent years (Edge of Tomorrow or Happy Death Day), but it's shot in such a pleasantly lighthearted way that you can forgive the clear rip-off of previous films and let yourself be entertained for an hour and a half by Nyles and Sarah, who met under truly bizarre circumstances. I would have liked to see the origin of Nyles' loop a bit, but whatever, I was more focused on the relationship building between the two "loopers" anyway. Throughout the film, a question kept running through my mind: If I had the chance to live one day infinitely, what day would it be? Plus points for J.K. Simmons' wacky performance and a solid plot-twist regarding Sarah and her awakening. A weaker four stars!

"'Nuff people say, you know they can't believe, Jamaica, we have a bobsled team." Cool Runnings is an incredibly easygoing film that entertains and enlightens even on repeat viewings. The comedic element was mainly provided by the (as always funny and natural) John Candy and Doug E. Doug with his "Rastafarian stuff". Along with the comedy and sporting line, there are a few more serious moments that have a bit of kitsch in them, but still always get me, especially in the case of the final race. An enjoyable and heartfelt film about how it's not important to win, but to participate and go proudly after your dream regardless of the reactions of others.

Loners impresses at first glance with its (almost) short story plot structure that seems to evoke overseas filmmaking, helped by the choice of soundtrack and the play with imagery, but for most of the running time I felt the film was superficial and didn't really get down to the nitty gritty, at least on a dramatic level. The comic moments were mainly (and quite possibly only) provided by the permanently stoned Jiří Macháček, whose performance was rightly awarded the Czech Lion. Ivan Trojan didn't really fit the role of the crazed stalker and the line with the Japanese was completely out of place. Given its cult status and high ratings, I was expecting something more from Loners.

I've been putting off the cult classic The Inheritance for a very long time, and since it's one of the most quoted Czech comedies, the film didn't have much to surprise me anymore. The script by Věra Chytilová and Bolek Polívka is full of memorable gems, no doubt about it, but on the other hand there are some pretty futile parts with a supremely awkward touch, especially in the first third of the film. The Inheritance would certainly not be what it is if it wasn’t for Polívka in the lead role, who managed to portray the drunken and boorish Bohuš in a very convincing way – quite possibly he didn't even have to act much and was just being himself. Besides him, there the film features other memorable characters: the mini-aunt, Bohuš's mates, his two "femme fatales" Irenka and Vlastička. In the end, I found the film incredibly absurd – imaginative, yes – but somewhat bizarre and out of step with the overall concept. I can definitely understand any rating for The Inheritance. I liked the film as a humorous probe into the lives of the village hicks who are confronted with the seductions of the material world, but I was also tempted to turn the film off several times just because of these overly boorish characters.

Made in Italy is a really nicely made film that mixes comic and dramatic elements in appropriate doses. In addition to the beautiful Italian setting and the Southern European atmosphere, the film offers decent performances, which, although somewhat mechanical in a few moments, are grounded for most of the running time, which is certainly helped by the fact that the two main characters are father and son off-screen. I have to admit that at times there was a higher concentration of onion in the cinema, especially in the scenes involving the mother, as I always pictured the tragically deceased Natasha Richardson at that moment. Even though the plot is rather bland with not much to surprise within the genre, it was nice to watch and I have to say that James D'Arcy managed to make his feature debut quite tidy. Plus points for a well written character with Lindsay Duncan's face and the small episodes with the ferret and the workers. A weaker four stars!

In the case of The Quake, I could write practically the same as I did for The Wave. This time, the action moves from a small Fjord town straight to the Norwegian capital and the devastating catastrophe is more spectacular. When it comes to the genre and the plot, the film doesn't have much to surprise, but I still have to admit that the sequence from the collapsing skyscraper was really cool and managed to make me tense (it’s like a scene in Jurassic Park 2 and it never gets old). On the other hand, it is true that the film had a somewhat slower start and I think it could have easily been a quarter of an hour shorter. As for the characters, I found Kristian a little too annoying at times, and little Julia could learn to listen to adults in catastrophic situations. Despite all this, however, this is still a solidly made film within its genre that certainly won't get lost among its American "cousins". Plus, there has been enough destruction of New York and San Francisco.

The open ending of the first Alien vs. Predator called for a sequel, which we got a few years later, unfortunately with a qualitatively lower value. The sequel completely ignores the story, doesn't try to build a universe around the two dreaded monsters, and simply focuses on the action, which, while abundant, feels cheap and cluttered. The oppressive atmosphere is gone, and this time everyone gets murdered on sight, the motto must have been "The more holes in the head, the better!". The characters are flat, incredibly stupid and in fact it could be said they are just for number; the protagonists are mainly the two monsters (and the hybrid), but in this case they lack most of their "cult charm". As far as that ignored story goes, the film slaps several storylines (family, relationships, and misuse of technology) together, but they're only held together by force of will. As a mindless one-view action film, this movie can be survived, but that's really a shame because the material was solid.

The 1970s and 1980s saw two famous monsters – the Alien and the Predator – and it was only a matter of time before they would meet together on the big screen. Alien and Aliens and the first Predator are classics of their genre, but the same cannot be said for their first crossover. While Alien vs. Predator offers superior visual effects (considering the time it was made), it falls noticeably short on the story level and in building the oppressive atmosphere that was so impressive in the first two Alien installments in particular. It terms of screenwriting, this is a weaker film, which is why it prefers to rely on action scenes and the presence of scares, which it mostly succeeds in doing. Personally, I didn't mind the fact that the Aliens were portrayed as the villains, because while they are no worse than the Predators, they are still more sneaky, and therefore more suited to that position. If you turn off your brain for an hour and a half, Alien vs. Predator isn't all that bad a movie. P.S. A small ("insignificant") plus for the open ending!

I've seen a few animal horror films with bloodthirsty boars, but they were all from the 21st century, so I was curious about this slightly older piece. The biggest stumbling block in the case of Razorback is the absolutely appalling acting by (practically) everyone involved, and a pretty stupid script. We don’t get to see that much of the grunting beast, which can be forgiven given the time the film was made. But still, not to cast aspersions, I really liked the art design of the outdoor scenes, which in a raw magical way perfectly complemented the atmosphere of the arid and inhospitable environment of the Australian outback.