gudaulin

Within the genre, this film is definitely above average, combining both the often-used motif best developed in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, the motif of a hatred reaching beyond the grave, as well as the motif of a hero consumed by the world of darkness, leading what seems to be an equal battle, as seen in Angel Heart. Dead Silence has, above all, an excellent atmosphere created by the music, the artistic execution of the puppets, and decent directing, slightly spoiled by the clumsier performance of the main actor and certain worn-out genre clichés. Overall impression: 70%.

A mysteriously tuned comedy, which can be loosely described as a combination of Anglo-Saxon black humor and an American family comedy about the search for one's own identity and their place in life. The main character desires a career as a painter but hasn't succeeded yet and his life is determined by his parents, who have directed him toward a career as a lawyer, following in his father's footsteps. However, one day a mysterious stranger appears, who can grant his wish, and while others have little imagination or are too consumer-oriented, Neil Oliver wishes to find the right life path. Thus follows a journey along mysterious highway No. 60 and visits to cities that are not known on current maps and which caricature some negative traits of contemporary American society. The protagonist passes through a city where synthetic drugs are legalized and freely distributed to everyone who wants them, only to later exploit the cheap labor of the addicts. In another city, lawyers reign, fabricating obscure accusations against visitors, to drain them in long-drawn Kafkaesque processes, which has a parallel in the complex American legal system and the effort to extract the maximum profit from various absurd accusations. It is occasionally truly funny, but the potential is far from being fully utilized because it treads on daring ideas within mainstream tracks and the protagonist seems to have stepped out of a teenage comedy, where he plays the handsome kid at the top of the class. Overall impression: 65%.

Even with a solid percentage rating on FilmBooster, The 'Burbs did not feel convincing to me. On the contrary, one could say that the film disappointed me with raised hopes for solid entertainment. I would completely exclude "horror" from the three genre boxes when it comes to this film because it is exclusively a family comedy with parodic features, which aims to appeal to the widest audience and therefore uses fairly undemanding and predictable "sitcom" humor, which is not exactly my cup of tea. It definitely doesn't go below the level of teenage and toilet humor comedies. Considering its "family" genre label, it didn't offend me, but at the same time, it didn't make me laugh or engage me. It makes fun of genre clichés of movies about strange houses and strange neighbors, but those situations, just like the whole story, are horribly predictable, the characters are exaggerated to the point of cringe, so even though under different circumstances I could give similar work 4 stars because the potential was unquestionably there, this time I will remain sober in my rating, despite the likable cast in the form of Tom Hanks and the well-known Carrie Fisher, who benefited from her role in the cult series Star Wars. The casting of this film can be considered star-studded, as many of the acting legends of the late 80s appeared in it. Overall impression: 45%.

Ballad of Narayama should be watched by every enthusiastic admirer of a natural lifestyle. These people are often urban intellectuals, who dream of living in the countryside and despise technology and advanced civilization, which they believe prevents them from merging with the natural course of life, even though they wouldn't survive more than a few hours in the wilderness, have never worked manually, gone hungry or made any sacrifices. That is because this film is truly about people who had to do without modern technologies, who lived amid wild nature and in harmony with its laws. Ballad of Narayama does not moralize and does not have the kitschy European view of natives, like May Day celebrations or romantic or environmentally oriented literature. It simply captures the cycle of life, which revolves around reproduction, providing food and warmth, and eventually around death. The director portrays his characters essentially as one animal species, doing the same things as the surrounding animals, which he captures in beautiful images, performing sexual games, devouring each other, and succumbing to merciless competition. For example, the villagers' attitude toward children may be incomprehensible and unacceptable to the current European mentality; throwing a dead child in a neighbor's field may seem like the epitome of cynicism. However, when we think about the enormous famines in East Asia, the average life expectancy, and the high child mortality rate, death was simply a common part of life and was often observed live, and children, just like aging family members, were viewed with pragmatism, based on how useful they could be for the survival of others. The film has beautiful camera work, excellent editing, and a great atmosphere, all while showcasing the most beautiful aspects of Japanese nature. It is also quite unique because it maps the lives of those that cinema usually overlooks in the overwhelming majority. Films from ancient history are usually about members of the social elite, famous warriors, statesmen, or possibly scholars. The film has a balladic form, and a longer duration is not a detriment in this case, because where a typical genre film needs a few dynamic effects to capture the viewer's attention, here, the director instead aims to capture a different way of life, a different hierarchy of values, and a different form of civilization. Overall impression: 95%.

As usual, I will deviate from the norm and be considered a heretic when I award two stars to the 14th best TV series (according to FilmBooster). However, in this case, a single episode with a feature-length runtime was enough for me to realize that this project was not my cup of tea. I have no love for the cult book series by Arthur Conan Doyle, and the same can be said for his detective hero because these classic detective stories always seemed contrived and tinged with typical British class and social snobbery to me. I accept modern adaptations if they delve into the realm of parody or general humor, as was successfully achieved in Guy Ritchie's pop culture-themed version. However, this interpretation aims more toward teenagers, and I am simply older. Generally speaking, when classic works are packaged for teenagers, they usually get a spanking from me. These two stars are not so much for the professional execution, but rather for the emotions evoked by the bored, self-centered young genius and his equally matched negative counterpart. Overall impression: 45%.

The movie received an Oscar and is supposed to be one of the most commercially successful Soviet films, although this is a relative concept because true commercialism could not be discussed in the Soviet distribution system, where it was always more about educational and propaganda functions. The awarding of Oscars was always to a considerable extent subject to not only commercial but also political interests, so the awarded prizes are usually the result of certain fashion trends or social calculations, as in this case. It was the end of a wave of political détente between the two superpowers, which roughly falls within the functional period of Jimmy Carter, and so the American Academy decided to reward the wave of mutual cultural exchanges and increased interest in Soviet culture with an award for the best foreign film. Truth be told, I think this choice speaks more about the incapacity of Soviet cinema because if this is the best it can do, then God help us. It is a typical Soviet melodrama with nonsensically drawn-out runtime, unremarkable characters, and outdated conception, which testifies both to the fact that Soviet cinema was isolated from its Western counterpart, where big things were happening at that time, such as in the field of independent film, and to the fact that the creators really didn't have to cater to the audience, as attendance was not a measure that determined film production. I will be harsh and say that if the runtime was shortened by an hour, if the script worked on the dialogues and the actors, who, in fact, quite often resembled startled fish, it would still be a mildly average film on a global scale and in the respective genre. Not to mention that the attitudes of Soviet heroines and their behavior would make American and Western European feminists blink. On the positive side, ideological stances, so typical for Soviet production, are significantly downplayed in this case, but with closer observation, they can still be unmistakably identified. Overall impression: 35%.

Large studios have never been characterized by meticulousness when it comes to historical realities, and this can also be applied to The Last Valley. Many details, but also more fundamental aspects of the thinking and actions of the characters suffer from a lack of historical accuracy, and it is simply the screenwriter's construct in the style of "these things will sell well in the second half of the 20th century and evoke the appropriate emotions, so we'll put them in there." Just to give an example, an officer would not publicly admit to his factual position as an atheist during a time of religious wars and boundaries with heretics - if only because he would lose the respect of his subordinates and give his opponents a powerful weapon to gain control over the village. Nevertheless, this is one of the significantly better films that were created at that time on a historical theme. The anti-war ethos is evident, there are interesting characters in the film, and the dramatic conflict functions. The clash between faith and political power on one hand, as well as the conflict between idealism and cynical pragmatism, provide film fans with many interesting scenes and catharsis. Moreover, the film has a star-studded cast in the form of Michael Caine and Omar Sharif. However, I cannot shake the impression that Czech director Karel Zeman managed to depict the chaos of war in his The Jester's Tale more creatively, with a sense of humor and irony, all at a fraction of the cost. On the other hand, James Clavell catered to fans of adventure spectacles and incorporated not only many mercenary skirmishes in his film but also a bloody battle for a large city. Overall impression: 75%.

A tragicomedy about life in a country divided by a war line where, although there has not been shooting, at least not in the typical way, for several decades, life is still desperately far from normal due to occupation and political conditions. The line divides not only military units but also members of local families who have to shout at each other through megaphones to be able to see each other from a distance in exceptional circumstances. Widespread military patrols, combat equipment, and police, but also uncompromising surveillance by local elders who try to adhere to traditions and religious and national rituals. It reminds me a bit of the conflict in Northern Ireland, but the reality of the Golan Heights is even more complex, with more parties, religious denominations, and more interests of neighboring countries. Amid this cauldron of conflicts, a Druze family wedding is supposed to take place when the bride, understandably, has to cross the ceasefire line herself after undergoing a 5-month ordeal to obtain the necessary permits. However, she, of course, has to encounter official red tape and hostility between Israeli and Syrian authorities along the way. In addition to all this, the screenwriter has involved a lot of motifs regarding women's emancipation, a patriarchal system in which the head of the family not only manages, but also controls the family, the Arab attitude toward immigrants, and Arab men toward European women, who evidently do not understand the local value hierarchy, and so on. The unknown actors are excellent, and the film features an absurd atmosphere full of tension and has a decent runtime. Of course, the Israeli creators did not go after their side, so the Israeli soldiers show understanding, and officials are eventually accommodating despite all the bureaucratic obstacles, while the Syrian side is made to look like a group of clowns. The occupation could have been depicted with darker colors, but it is, nevertheless, a bold undertaking and a powerful emotional film that will be enjoyed more by those who are at least roughly familiar with the local reality. Those who know the local conditions in more detail may notice several interesting moments and details, making the film even more interesting for them. Overall impression: 95%.

This is what a professional and attractive documentary should be. One should use essentially tabloid motifs to attract attention, but process them in a way that they serve only as a starting point for mapping the life of the Chinese community in Italy, their successes, integration problems, and their way of life thousands of kilometers away from their homeland. The documentary does not only describe, but also analyzes, and in doing so, conveys a lot through images, with the testimonies of individual Chinese people complementing the visuals. The rise of the Chinese community can be compared to the Vietnamese community in other parts of Europe and the reasons are similar: hard work and community cohesion. Europeans have long lost their drive and focus on maintaining the status quo. Overall impression: 90%.

Reviewing Identity Card consists of two important aspects for me. The first - the form - feels quite average to me, whether in terms of the acting performances or the fragmented screenplay and level of humor used. I don't share the enthusiasm of many regarding the performance of the group of boys in the main roles, as they lack charisma and acting talent. While Věra Plívová Šimková was not a star director, her films worked thanks to her talent for selecting child actors, whom she turned into stars one after another. The casting of the actors in adult roles is also good. I wouldn't label Geislerová a bad actress, but her stardom is more related to her appearance and media presence rather than top-notch character acting. Identity Card attempts to be a type of nostalgic tragicomedy, but that type of humor seems more forced and simplistic to me. So-called real socialism can be a target of humor at various levels; it was full of absurdity, hypocrisy, and stupidity, but not the kind where a high-ranking police officer is illiterate, as Ondřej Trojan tries to portray in his film. This and other aspects didn't work for me. The second content aspect of the film is more complex and deserves a deeper analysis. I classify Identity Card as one of those unpleasant pretentious films that pretend to be something they're not. With all due respect to the many reviews praising how well the film captures the lifestyle and atmosphere of the 70s, life simply wasn't like that. Czechoslovakia in the 70s was not a brutal dictatorship that relied on dances and Soviet soldiers. Soviet soldiers stayed in their barracks and for various reasons were prevented from interacting with locals and the local culture. It's about what kind of support the system actually had and whether there were really 15 million suffering victims, as the enthusiastic citizens claimed after November 1989. The system of normalized Czechoslovakia didn't rely on batons, as it may seem to the viewers of Identity Card, as they were rarely used. Instead, it relied on pragmatism, pretending, minor benefits, conformism, and spinelessness. Millions of people deeply despised the system, its highest representatives, and official ideology but willingly took advantage of all the benefits that the regime brought and provided. Whether it was the poor work ethic, various forms of "privatization of property in socialist ownership," the system of favors, acquaintances, clientelism, or the undeniable social benefits in the form of the so-called "goulash socialism," etc. There was a stench here, but also calmness. One had the certainty that they would still be where they were 20 years later and that their life would be stabilized. If Czechoslovakia had been open to the world, it would have had to deal with the decline of many industries, closing mines, and coping with oil crises, etc., several years earlier. At the same time, the system provided one huge advantage - the absence of personal responsibility. Which other country can say that its leaders and institutions were the target of the cruelest jokes and yet enjoyed such tranquility without strikes, demonstrations, various civic protests, etc.? Czechoslovakia represented one of the most stable soft dictatorships of its kind. But capturing the mediocrity, hypocrisy, pettiness, and spinelessness is a bit harder than showing beaten-up youth at a concert. In the 19th century, bearded intellectuals imagined that future generations would learn about their past through museums. In the 21st century, we know that museums are just nice monuments that few people care about, and the majority gain knowledge about history through films. Future generations will consider Identity Card to be a more or less truthful testimony of that time, even though there are only a few films that I would consider more misleading. This film, in particular, does not represent an attempt to come to terms with the past. It doesn't analyze the system, whose foundation, according to Trojan and Šabach, consists simply of police officers or creatures that are clearly identifiable and isolated. In reality, and paradoxically, the biggest victims of normalization were the holders of Communist Party membership cards who were crossed out and expelled from their positions and jobs during the purges. The overwhelming majority ended up in manual labor positions, while non-party members often benefited significantly from the system and took advantage of, for example, scarce goods to enrich themselves. My overall impression of this distorted view of Czech history is 40%.