gudaulin

This is a typical example of a film where the screenwriter thinks that just writing a script with lots of twists and crazy situations will naturally lead to success. However, it is evident that something is wrong and the whole thing needed more polishing. The essence of success lies in the details, which are not taken care of at all. Despite many crazy escapades, viewers will find reasons to laugh only rarely. Not to mention the overall feeling of the film, which only looks at successful classics of Gallic criminal comedies from a great distance. Despite a solid cast and obvious effort, it is tasteless and unimpressive, and although I could give it 3 stars, this time, due to the wasted potential, I lean toward a lower rating. Overall impression: 45%.

Generally, I tend more toward an intellectually oriented and poetic style of humor, which is the exact opposite of what this film offers. It has humor in the style of classic popular farce, quite coarse and occasionally clearly balancing on the edge of general good taste. Paradoxically, however, this is for a number of reasons, whether it is the interesting and functional cast led by Jean Reno, who, by the way, suits his role of a medieval knight more than the stereotypical characters of impervious killers and uncompromising tough cops, through his lowly primitive servant to a bunch of supporting characters or a funny plot with a lot of functional comedic elements. At the time of its release, I was satisfied and gave it four strong stars, but today, my excitement has waned. However, I am still giving it four stars for being the peak of a certain comedic style that, in its more average form, eludes me and sometimes even repels me. Overall impression: 75%.

I have already mentioned several times in my reviews that I have a problem with East Asian cinema, as I have difficulty accepting its world of thoughts, ethical standards, and general cultural dimension. In some cases, I don't understand those films, in others, I can't identify with their ethical starting points, and in others, I simply dislike the director's style and unnatural movement and speech. South Korean cinema is a typical example of this. It has never happened that I gave more than 3 stars to any South Korean film, including those by the most acclaimed directors. Ironically, it did happen with this film, although it is a film in which I can point out many specific shortcomings, which would bother me disproportionately more with well-known American or European filmmakers. Whether it's the whole series of absurd elements in the investigation - which I would accept in countries in central Africa and maybe even in central America, but for technologically and culturally advanced South Korea, they seem unbelievable - naive twists in the script (the crucial discovery that changes investigators' point of view is clear from the beginning, even to a very average intelligent viewer without knowledge of forensic criminalistic methods), the strange genre classification when the film contains a number of comedic elements that, in my opinion, arose more as unintentional magic rather than a creative intention and end up being disruptive in the result. Nevertheless, this is a film that is not excellent, but interesting, and the culturally different perspective on society from the opposite end of the planet ultimately adds value to it, hence the fourth star I'm giving it. Additionally, despite my reservations about the script, I must acknowledge the film's quality in terms of the excellent music, editing, and camera work. Overall impression: 75%.

The original is almost unknown according to a handful of current ratings on FilmBooster, while the very average American remake, which can only be credited for having an attractive devil seductress, is very well-known and quite popular. However, in my opinion, Donen's film surpasses the American one. Its advantages include typically British sarcastic humor, clever dialogues, and a witty script, which says quite a lot about the eternal conflict between the romantic ideal and the very down-to-earth reality. Overall impression: 75%.

During its release in movie theaters, the film was met with conflicting reactions, ranging from enthusiastic ovations to significant doubts. I must admit that I didn't have much faith in Mašín's debut film, so I avoided it at the time. However, the time has come to catch up, and it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. 3 Seasons in Hell is primarily a carefully and honestly crafted film - such professionalism combined with a solid budget is not common in the Czech Republic. It may indeed be a bit too polished, and I would have preferred the film to be more surreal and provocative, but Mašín simply and correctly decided to make a film for a broader audience, who are not necessarily as interested in the fates and work of this enfant terrible of Czech culture. I agree with the opinion that this is a quality film that may not deserve a perfect 5-star rating but should be up there, and in this case, I happily round it up. Especially for the presence of the charismatic Karolina Gruszka, who perfectly fulfills my idea of a fateful Bond woman, capable of driving her surroundings and especially men to the brink of madness. Yes, one could die for a woman like her, but it's better to run far away from her... Overall impression: 90%.

The Last Picture Show is a movie about the difficult period of adolescence, the creation of one's value system, the loss of innocence, the first sexual experiences (which may not be the same thing), the loss of illusions, and the transformations of a small Texas town during the economic and technological boom of the early 1950s. The post-war prosperity, further compounded by oil fever, along with the arrival of television as the main source of entertainment, led to greater individualization of society and a lifestyle change, symbolized by the decline of the local movie theater and entertainment club. In The Last Picture Show, the story is not important (on the contrary, it is deliberately suppressed), but rather more important is the overall atmosphere supported by maximum meticulousness, with which the filmmakers captured the smallest details, the consistency with which they dedicated themselves to the dialogue or the complexity of the natures of the individual characters. In the movie, not much actually happens, but you can feel the dramas that take place outside the camera's view and the conflicts that collide in the minds of the characters. I consider this film to be an exceptionally successful black-and-white retro with excellent performances and a sense of authenticity rarely seen in the film industry. In the case of such films, I am often irritated by lofty phrases, unhistorical thinking, artificial plot twists, or catering to the taste of the mass audience. Here, I simply have nothing to criticize. The character's actions are sometimes impulsive and often go against what I believe in, but they correspond to the complexity of the time and the characters, which were not crafted by a routine screenwriter. The character portrayed by Cybill Shepherd is worth mentioning, where the young actress demonstrated not only her charms but also refined character acting and managed to transform from a naive romantic girl into a dangerous and manipulative vixen. Overall impression: 95%.

Once in the 80s, during a high school literature class, I grounded my teacher with the statement that the cursed poets were a bunch of terribly ill-mannered people who drank, snorted cocaine, were promiscuous, and if they didn't dedicate themselves to worldly pleasures, they could accomplish much more. Not to mention that if I allowed myself just a percentage of what representatives of a graduation question did, I would be expelled from school without hesitation. As a teenager, I simply leaned toward bourgeois life, which prioritized hard work over drinking and drug excesses. No one could convince me later that any artistic work could not be created without artificial stimulants. Alcohol and drug influences are a big obstacle during the process of artistic creation. Jim Morrison was undoubtedly a talented poet, lyricist, and musician, but also - and perhaps above all - an emotionally and ideologically unstable poser who never managed to grow up, a weakling, an alcoholic, and a junkie. I definitely would not want to share a household with him, and there is spiritual harmony to be spoken of. His premature death is not the fault of the FBI or misfortune but exclusively his nature and uncontrolled behavior. Therefore, I cannot identify in any way with the main character, who I find unsympathetic, and I also do not support the music of The Doors. However, that's the problem with a music film...Additionally, in its second half, the film focuses too much - although quite understandably, because it's the basis of this band's legend - on scandalous performances and Morrison's decadent lifestyle. However, dozens of minutes of parties and excesses on stage become a boring stereotype during the long runtime...Morrison is simply an icon of pop culture that, even after so many years, evokes illusions of absolute freedom during a certain age of adolescence, and in small-minded people, feelings of envy towards a man who, unlike them, was not afraid to overcome the barriers of social conventions and did not burden himself with hypocritical pretenses of false emotions and gestures. If there is something worth attention in Stone's film besides the traditionally high-quality direction, this time in "psychedelic" style, it is the performance of Val Kilmer in the lead role. Although I don't particularly like him, this time I take my hat off to him, as he practically transformed into the character. Overall impression: 55%.

At first glance, this is an inconspicuous small, and TV film about the redemption of one loner and the search for the true meaning of the word friend. But it has two strong positives. The first is the strong cast, led by the outstanding and as usual very civil Daniel Auteuil (currently the best actor in France for me), ably supported by the likable and sympathetic Dany Boon. The second is the sophistication and civility of the story, which could of course be approached in a Hollywood way and could squeeze out artificial emotions in every other scene. I can vividly imagine an American version with Walter Matthau, who would appropriately overact the character into caricature and the whole thing would be heading toward an average comedy that wouldn't deviate from what the viewer has seen many times before. Like in the hugely successful Slumdog Millionaire, the well-known game Who Wants to be a Millionaire plays a significant role as well, but here I found its use more functional, and paradoxically I value this little film more than Danny Boyle's blockbuster. Overall impression: 75%

After watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I could without hesitation read the book version. After watching the Harry Potter film series, I wouldn't even think about trying to read the book. It's not really important whether the eighth and final film of the series is better than the previous or sixth one; in my case, I have long been tired of this film series and I only endured it for the sake of my children. The final installment is actually the only one I saw in the movie theater, all the others on a television screen. The previous films usually received three stars from me for their production and special effects, but in the final installment, the whole series concentrates on the misery that suffers from being drawn out, genre stereotypes, immaturity, and routine. Many problems come from Rowling's work itself, such as the poor handling of characters and emotions, which should bring conflict and the end of some (anti)heroes. As a viewer, I want to be there when the villain gets what he deserves and I want to enjoy his end, but here the characters disappear somehow casually and many crucial things for the story are just thrown in. If there are any catchphrases, they don't work, the dialogues are pathetic and sometimes turn into stiff phrases, the whole thing is emphasized by the sometimes arrogantly pathetic music, and this film couldn't captivate me in any way. I had to take a break during it to go to the toilet and I didn't care at all what was happening in the movie theater. Even the action, which is not lacking in the final installment, is filmed impersonally. If I compare it, for example, with the Battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers, where there was a bloody merciless fight that resembled the great battles of ancient and medieval times, and, in essence, it was nothing less than whether genocide would take place or not. Here, everything is artificial and very digital in every respect. Either you see a crowd of anonymous characters, or a black blur of struggling wizards flashes by. Those who are not familiar with the books will sometimes have quite a problem understanding the logic of what they see (in fact, the book has a number of logical inconsistencies). The film's current 167th place in the rankings of the best films and a very decent rating are simply the result of Pottermania and what this series means in contemporary pop culture, rather than the result of film artistry. Two stars may be harsh, because a huge budget, of course, provides a tempting spectacle in the form of grand production and a barrage of special effects, but if I compare it, for example, to Stardust, that film emotionally propelled me to the stars, while this one kept me sunken in my seat and I barely managed to stay awake. If this is supposed to be one of the most significant blockbusters of this summer, then this year has certainly not been very good. Overall impression: 45%.

I remember that during the premiere of The Matrix, a friend came with his eyes wide open and declared that he had seen the best film of his life. In the late 90s, The Matrix brought about a revival of the dying sci-fi genre, not so much in terms of content, but rather visually, in editing, and overall style that appealed to the young generation influenced by the phenomenon of computers and video games. It brought dynamism, action, and cyberpunk elements to the genre, which had long dominated the literary field of sci-fi. I would not classify The Matrix as a cyberpunk film, as it lacks the sophistication and depth of thought, which it replaces with flashy shootouts and martial arts fights, as well as bombastic special effects. However, I agree with the idea that it is a groundbreaking and style-defining film that has greatly influenced the genre, brought in many new fans, and led to many imitators. Unfortunately, the next two sequels did not confirm the creative ambitions, as they had a lazy script and terrible dialogues, and damaged the promisingly constructed alternative world. For me, The Matrix is a film that visually impressed me at first glance, but even then, I disliked the shallow elements of cheap action movies, and its image has faded over the years. Nevertheless, I will still give it a weak four-star rating. However, I must say that I would prefer if the Wachowskis took a less easy path and made a film based on a purely cyberpunk and biotechnological style, combining the views of H. R. Giger and William Gibson. There are a few scenes like that in the film, such as Neo's awakening in the power plant cell, but unfortunately, there are too few of them compared to the video game shootouts. Overall impression: 70%.