gudaulin

I still remember the war between Israel and Lebanon, even though I was far from being an adult. The Israeli army wanted to destroy the main headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Beirut and force the Palestinians to leave Lebanon. Despite their overwhelming military superiority, this campaign turned into a nightmare because the Israeli army was not trained to fight against an enemy using guerrilla tactics and operating in urban areas. Up until then, the Israelis had been successful in battles against the large armies of their Arab neighbors in major military confrontations. An animated film can capture and depict the atmosphere of a crazy war even better than a live-action film, or at the very least, with significantly lower costs. It is a very interesting spectacle from an artistic perspective, as the color scheme of the shots that take place in the memories of the characters creates a tight yet very impressive atmosphere. It is a strongly anti-war movie, incredibly emotional, and early on in the year, it is already my main favorite for my ranking of the best films of this year. I'm just surprised that this film didn't receive an Oscar, and I really want to see the film that surpassed it, so that I can make a comparison. Overall impression: 100%.

Jiří Barta has in the past dealt almost exclusively with works for adults and in the case of his latest project, he turned to the genre of fairy tale out of necessity, as it is not possible to obtain finances for purely artistic animated creations for adult audiences. Nevertheless, he incorporated his original ideas about animated film into his work, resulting in something that closely resembles Švankmajer's film Alice. It is a poetic spectacle that is far from the ordinary family films currently churned out by global companies like Pixar or Walt Disney. The plot is not essential and can be summarized in a few lines. The important thing is the atmosphere of the film and especially its visual design. The space is filled with a vast amount of objects that can be found in long-abandoned attics, and thanks to the director and animators, these objects come to life and create a bizarre world that is ultimately more appealing to adult viewers than to young children. Labeling the film as a fairy tale is misleading. In the movie theater, I noticed that parents were truly savoring the film, rather than their children, even though the main protagonist is a child's doll. During the first viewing, I couldn't even fully appreciate all the visual details and filmmaking ideas. It is the type of film that is most enjoyed by connoisseurs of animated art, a film that belongs at the forefront of contemporary creation and has the chance to make a mark at a festival. It's just a shame that enough funding couldn't be found to complete the remaining 20 minutes of the film according to Barta's original plan. Additionally, Barta incorporated a storyline of political satire into his film, with his ruler of the Evil Empire being a forgotten bust of a totalitarian statesman who uses practices typical of authoritarian states to control his subjects. The ruler's radio speeches and the vocabulary he uses are delightful. Overall impression: 95%.

I openly admit that the works of the Disney studio repel me due to its orientation towards non-conflict family films, films so to speak "for everyone," and its negative influence on the form of animated films, and I am somewhat biased toward them. That's why I was even more surprised that this new full-length animation is not only watchable but is also equal to the best animated films of the year. If I compare it to WALL-E, the Pixar film is better in terms of animation technique, but emotionally, I like Bolt better. The first half of the film deserves a clear five stars, but in the second half, where ironic exaggeration was replaced by sentiment and heroic pathos in the style of Lassie Come Home, I had to lower it to 4 stars. However, the first part reigns with lightness and craftsmanship virtuosity. Thanks to the moderate irony, these scenes can be appreciated by both fans of similar action spectacles and their critics who perceive these scenes as parodies. Well-drawn characters, with Bolt appearing as Don Quixote and his companion, a black cat with her practical, somewhat cynical approach to the surrounding world, like Sancho Panza. Nice, dynamic, and well-constructed scenes, simply a quality film for children, one that is even easily digestible for their adult supervisors. Overall impression: 85%.

Three Colors: Red is the most sympathetic and probably the best part of Kieslowski's color trilogy. Compared to the contrived White and the depressive Blue, it is filmed somewhat more lightly and functionally. The screenplay may lack the lightness and straightforwardness of Kieslowski's works from the 80s, so the viewer reaches the point, or rather the meaning of the whole story, more laboriously, but the actors manage to save the film quite a bit, especially Jean-Louis Trintignant, who gives his character, the judge, several dimensions, and it is a joy to watch his mature acting in every scene he appears in. It is a film about tolerance and the clash of different perspectives on life and the world around us. The director deliberately confronts the attitudes of an old embittered man, who as a judge has experienced much, with the optimism of a young, charming, and idealistic girl... Overall impression: 80%.

There is an interesting concept here - a gas that fundamentally changes human mood is an idea that could lead to a lot of tricky situations and offered many possibilities. Unfortunately, the screenwriter handled it in the most banal way, so a run-of-the-mill comedy was created, into which the creators put everything they thought could attract the audience. We have a crazy inventor, a group of gangsters who want to steal his invention, chases and fights in the style of old slapsticks, a Wild West town, a charming beauty who falls in love with the main character, etc. There is simply nothing here that would make this film outstanding, and because the humor is so barren and the story resigns on having any logic, the only reason to revisit the film today is Jean Lefebvre in the lead role. Overall impression: 40%.

I like Francis Veber's polished filmmaking style and this time he didn't disappoint, even though it's definitely not his best film from the perspective of all his works. Those who expect a comedy with a barrage of gags in the style of The Toy with Pierre Richard will be disappointed, as Veber lacks energy and ideas to some extent at his age. However, there is a sense of humor, sparkling dialogues, and a reasonable dose of situational humor in The Valet. Unlike over-sweetened American romantic comedies, Veber manages to maintain a certain level and does not stoop to sycophancy. His story about infidelity is basically a morality tale but portrayed kindly, with understanding and elegance. Perhaps only the finale could have been more inventive...Overall impression: 70%.

An author once described how he wrote a short story that he needed to quickly deliver to the publisher, but he didn't know how to end it. So he turned to his friends for advice and they told him to just cut it up and go to the pub with them. Because he really wanted to go to the pub, he allowed his characters to be cut up and hurried to the pub. I don't know where the Coen brothers were headed, but I get the feeling that this film was sewn with a needle that was too hot. The concept is attractive and they came up with several interesting characters, but they couldn't utilize their potential anywhere near as much as they deserved. It's unfinished and unbalanced, although it should be emphasized that it's not a bad film at its core. The film has charming moments, like when Frances McDormand bitterly says that she wouldn't be able to make a living as an actress with her body and face, and in Hollywood, they would make fun of her. Also, whenever George Clooney or Brad Pitt appear on screen, it's clear that they see their characters as parodies of their own acting styles and their usual protagonists who made them famous. But what good is all of that when many scenes end unremarkably and the film completely lacks the complexity and precision that made the Coen brothers famous? It's simply not a film in the style of The Man Who Wasn't There, Fargo, or, if we're talking about their comedies, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Overall impression: 60%.

A rather crazy film that could be characterized as a comedy with a crime plot, which uses violence as an entertaining element in the style of Tarantino. It has a sense of influence from the American independent scene and it could perhaps be compared to the film 11:14. A script plaything, where multiple plot lines are intertwined, the characters in the film come up with a series of both transparent and completely opaque dirty tricks, and the whole thing is not stylistically clean. However, the film's entertainment value cannot be denied. The biggest draw is Simon Pegg, but the rest are decent as well. The downside, as I mentioned earlier, is the inability to maintain a clean style, so the film sometimes plays on sentimentality through the character of the main protagonist, and some scenes are unnecessarily bloody for a film that presents itself as a family comedy for the majority of its runtime. Overall impression: 75%.

Genre fans are extremely conservative creatures, so for a good experience, they need the same ingredients mixed in a similar ratio and spiced up with a drop of innovation in the form of a modified label on the packaging. Only the faces of the main characters change, the essence remains the same. We Own the Night draws inspiration from the trend of crime films focusing on the drug trade and the influence of the Russian-speaking mafia in the USA. Otherwise, it is a run-of-the-mill film of its genre with a predictable plot, stereotypical characters, and worn-out schemes. Of course, the family motif is not missing, as the main character wavers between loyalty to his family working in the police force and his friends from his personal life. We also get Eva Mendes portraying a sensual beauty. Genre fans can add any number of stars to the review, but a film where I can predict every move of the screenwriter and director in advance tends not to satisfy me. Overall impression: 40%. It's simply not Eastern Promises...

A very dark animated grotesque about how an attempt to produce a weapon of mass destruction can turn out. It certainly has a great atmosphere and interesting visuals, but what really stands out and puts this film in the ranks of the best Czech animated productions is the theme with its clever point, which is taken from a well-known sci-fi story that I once read. Stanislaw Lem uses a similar theme in his excellent novel "Peace on Earth". Perhaps its only disadvantage is its small format. It is simply a typical abbreviation of short animated films. This short should have had a medium-length format. Overall impression: 95%.