Marigold

How is Markéta Lazarová one of the best conversions of a literary work? In that it is not just a conversion, but a complete rebirth. Out of kindness for Vančura's book, only the narrator and the character of a wandering monk remained; otherwise Vláčil's opus becomes a rough medieval fresco, replacing the perfection of Vančura's language with no less perfect language of paintings and symbols. The bleak musical accompaniment completes the director's efforts to evoke the medieval atmosphere by all means. Markéta Lazarová is not only strong with her story of love born of humiliation (she stands out much more in Vančura's book), but precisely because of her cinematic craftsmanship qualities. It is rather more of a great film essay – robust, with an unmistakable aesthetic and, in my opinion, absolutely brilliant, though not easily digestible.

The return to expressionism is, more than a remake, the retelling of the story of the mysterious Count Orlock in color and sound. And oddly enough, the suggestiveness of the original did not suffer in any way, only it is more than in masks set in scenery, sounds and new moments (such as the plague Danse Macabre at the end). The end of the film, in which the vampire wins and not the woman, is also very different. Werner Herzog made a great horror film that, like Murnau's Nosferatu, far exceeds the standard of the genre both in its visuality and in perfect personification of evil and decline. A daring filmmaking experiment crowned with success.

Pupendo might have been a great film if it hadn't been so attached to the prospect of commercial success and didn't go hand in hand with audience expectations. The resulting shape is fun, pleasant, but in my opinion broken and wasting the power of the message. I spent two and a half hours in the movie theatre with pleasure, for the humor of Šabach-Jarchovský-Hřebejk is miles away from the stupidity of television shows, and it is damn good that millions go to see it. Pupendo will become a classic, but this does not change the fact that it does not achieve the qualities of Cosy Dens (I prefer not to talk about "We have to help each other"). Jan Hřebejk knows how to walk out of his shadow, but this time he unfortunately did not.

My guilty pleasure. As a director, I like Wolfgang Petersen. Whether its The NeverEnding Story, the raw atmosphere in Das Boot, or this action-packed "American" adventure. I just love Harrison Ford with his unconventional president and action hero in one. And I also love the attractive vicissitudes of the hijacked presidential plane. Nothing more than a classic American "we're the best and they're all at our throats", but it's filmed quite well and watchable. A representative of its genre with everything it should have. I like it!

Like The Two Towers, it was initially stumbling and torn by "forced" cuts, but over time it’s utterly immersive. While the Fellowship will keep a primate intrigued by its great complexity, The Return of the King triumphs with a massive epic and, of course, a wonderful ending that is rather cheesy, but instead of artificiality and fabrication, it breathes a directorial love of the story and, in particular, realism on the part of actors, who often make up for minor defects in the craftsmanship. In the end, The Return of the King confirmed to me what I had felt before. The effects are nice, but if it wasn't for the heroes, this film would just be an inaccessible piece of ice. But it fascinates and consumes hundreds of thousands of people. A wonderful story in a beautiful garment, Peter Jackson bought a ticket to film heaven... P.S.: after the second viewing, I'm putting The Return of the King at the head of the trilogy. If the film can impress me so powerfully a second time, it's a sign of high quality. Nirvana. P.S.S. The extended version is slowly deserving a sixth star, as even the slightly intermittent tempo and unnatural editing become a thing of the past, the characters get even more space, the plot a deeper motivation, and the traditionally perverted humor of the Gimli-Legolas duo is also there. See and die!

I love films from underwater backgrounds, and Sphere is like a rendition of a fascinating nightmare for me... Alone in the depths of the oceans. I get goosebumps from the film, although Crichton's great story is shot in an extremely chaotic, confused way and at the end it is heedlessly slapped together. Moreover, with the exception of the mysterious mathematician Adams (Samuel L. Jackson), the characters were not successful - it seems that some of the stars came to the square to see the catering and forgot to find out who they were actually playing... But I can't give less for the atmosphere than I give.

Hamlet + Kenneth Brannagh + tons of great actors. That couldn't have gone wrong. But at the same time, I think it could have gone better. The backdrop of the 19th century just doesn't work for me, and during some monologues I can't help feeling that what Branagh did so well – the obvious reshaping of Shakespeare's language into the language of the film – sounds herein kind of rigid, exhibitionist. But I still enjoyed the story. How else...

Branagh's best adaptation of Shakespeare, I'd almost bet my head on that! The story of Prince Henry, who became king and rejected the past in the name of England, is monumental, impressive, full of Shakespearean doubts about the royal destiny, full of sheer emotion. And, of course, precise and inventive direction, as well as Branagh's riveting portrayal of a young king who convinces Europe of his abilities. The scene of the King's speech before the seemingly lost battle with Dauphin is so unique that world cinema is hard pressed to surpass it – in its shadow, king Theoden and William Wallace are merely pathetic babblers. I don't think anyone's ever going to write it like this again... Branagh was born for Shakespeare, and Henry V just proves it...

Yes! If you forget Dick's original story, which is a long way off, Spielberg has made a completely riveting sci-fi with a rather possibly visionary view of the future, when our ideas will be under control and we are punished for crimes we will not be able to commit. The story is not based on action scenes (but the few sequences are worth it), but rather on a well-constructed story with a surprising point. Unfortunately, the point is over extended in a Spielbergian way, and the film loses steam at the end and kind of loses its head. At least it keeps part of its core. In the end, the film and Cruise (almost) are excellent!

No, I wasn't expecting miracles, which was good, because there weren't any. The emotions of the story of the "dream robot" are maintained mainly by the flawless Osment, but it is a pity that Spielberg has kind of forgotten how to make an ending. Like Minority Report, A.I. is stretched into an awkward happy ending. If the credits had surfaced a few minutes earlier, it would have been an excellent film, but the offered end is hellish nonsense. It’s too bad. Convincing visually and in terms of acting, this is a science fiction with a little more thoughtful subtext, but Spielberg can do better. Add a half to the three stars.