gudaulin

The basic problem of this documentary is revealed to the viewer right from the beginning - if two people tell the same story, their accounts can differ significantly, and even if they are not intentionally lying, both can be very far from reality. This film is a personal confession of Robert Evans, who was a significant figure in American cinema (and tabloids) in the past half-century. The role of a producer is immensely important, even more important than the role of a director, because without production, there is no film, and the producer influences the production and final form of the film. Evans enabled the creation of a number of interesting films and could provide many interesting testimonies. Unfortunately, like many others who have decided to make it big, he suffers from considerable self-centeredness, and this is noticeable in the documentary. The film simply lacks opposition. For example, Evans describes the breakdown of his family caused by his wife's infidelity, but he doesn't mention how many women passed through his bedroom at the same time. After all, Evans was known as one of the biggest womanizers in Hollywood. In the second half of the film, where he describes, for example, how he had to sell his luxurious mansion for millions of dollars after a cocaine scandal, and temporarily lost the roof over his head, his self-pity becomes rather embarrassing. The most amusing part of the film is the final scene, where Evans imitates the acting style of the temperamental intellectual Woody Allen. Overall rating: 60%.

I hadn't played the video game, but I had high expectations before the movie, followed by somewhat conflicting reactions, so I was appropriately excited. The result was pleasantly surprising. In horror movies, the atmosphere is extremely important and Silent Hill is an example of a film that stands or falls with a well-established atmosphere. The depressive environment of a destroyed city, where ash constantly falls to the ground and black smoke rolls, accompanied by the wailing sound of a siren, dark shadows appearing, and people's faces covered with gas masks all serve to evoke a feeling of claustrophobia, and dark premonition. As it is well known, people are most afraid of the unknown, and the film is logically strongest in its first third when evil still has an abstract form. If the director didn't try to explain anything, my final impression could be 100%. The twist itself didn't impress me, but fortunately, it was not decisive for the result. In its category, Silent Hill has had no competition in the past two years. Overall impression: 75%.

I have always liked East Slavic fairy tales influenced by Byzantine and Tatar-Mongol influences, and it's a shame that so few good movies have been made based on their motifs. During the Soviet Union era, there were mostly building films, today there is a lack of money, enlightened producers, and a social demand for their production. In its time, this film was something like a revelation among the Soviet non-consumable film productions. Many quotes from the fairy tale have become popular, and I still consider it to be more than acceptable and a funny cinematic spectacle. Overall impression: 80% - considering a bit of nostalgia.

A slightly below-average thriller where a traditional psychopath seeks revenge for (perceived) past wrongs on unsuspecting victims. A similar plot, with minor variations, has been used in dozens, if not hundreds, of films, and They Shoot Divas, Don't They? does not stand out in any way. The only allure and merit of the film is the mature charm of Jennifer Beals in the lead role of a singer going through a midlife crisis and confronted with the realization that her career has peaked. While the acting performances and direction are not exceptional, they maintain a certain standard, but the film truly suffers from being composed of recycled material. Overall impression: 45%.

I really like independent films, and comics as a medium that combines visual art with literature are definitely familiar to me; after all, there are several dozen titles in my library. So, ostensibly, I should quite like this film. However, the result is unfortunately awkward, and my overall rating barely climbs to 50% and a meager three stars. The main culprit is the uneven and unbelievable screenplay. While the behavior of the movie heroes is sometimes "over-the-top" in a comic book manner, the story itself is far-fetched, and the film oscillates between genres, lacking style and atmosphere. If this is what independent film production is going to look like, the bosses of major studios can remain absolutely calm - there won't be any pressure from competition here.

In terms of content and execution, this television series is nothing exceptional. However, the combination of a classic detective story with a wartime atmosphere works well, resulting in a solid retro feel supported by reliable performances from the cast. Among them, besides Michael Kitchen in the lead role, the young and talented Honeysuckle Weeks stands out as his driver and assistant. Given the small number of episodes, both series maintain a consistently high level of quality, meaning the writer didn't have to squeeze out ideas at all costs. Overall impression: 60% for a standard British show. The entire series exudes the typical old-world atmosphere of the British monarchy and the life of the middle class of its era.

It's definitely above-average for a Czech television production, driven by the strength of its subject matter, casting, and acting performances. The character of the concentration camp commander, superbly portrayed by Boris Rösner, is particularly intriguing. Overall impression: 65%.

Darwin's Nightmare is a typical example of a film where strong themes overshadow the obviously imperfect form. It is disproportionately long; if the documentary were 20 minutes shorter, the audience would not be deprived of any content and the message of the film would be much more impactful. Regardless of its length, it is poorly edited and there is a certain creative helplessness evident in the material used – such as the repetitive and drawn-out shots of planes taking off and landing, extended close-ups of people's faces, and footage of Russian pilots' home videos. A talented creator could have extracted more from the subject. To put it bluntly, if I were to judge it solely based on the quality of execution, the overall rating would be around 45%. Fortunately, there is still the theme – strong, unsettling, and provocative. The theme of poverty, backwardness, pervasive corruption, and environmental devastation in Central Africa. Some scenes truly send a shiver down your spine, like the confession of a retired government mercenary who now works as a night watchman and wishes for a new war, or the passages featuring a European Union official praising modern fish processing facilities with top-notch hygiene, only for the viewer to see moments later how local people survive on decaying remnants from this factory. Such content deserves four stars, thus leaving an overall impression of 70%.

The number of film ideas and humor has decreased, while the amount of action has increased. It's a typical sequel to a successful original, where the producer wanted to make some more money. The film's strength, as in the original, lies in the casting of the main characters. Overall impression: 50%.

A typical American story that can evoke a lot of positive emotions, but for me, as a sober-minded, skeptical, and pragmatic Czech, it's an unrealistic moral tale that not even a star-studded cast can save. It's simply a romantic fairy tale for adults. Overall impression: 45%.