novoten

It is difficult to define in words why Ondřej Hudeček is now licking cream from everyone. From spectators who experienced the year 1998 as adults and saw hockey results as more of a certain satisfaction than a sports sensation – to us, who shouted the names in elementary school, some of which we had heard for the first time in our lives. I have seen many documentaries that glorified Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek, or the whole Tournament of the Century, and over these twenty years, they have become somewhat profaned and outdated for some, like rewritten history, or tires that no longer spark. But for me, Robert Záruba's golden words are still just as electrifying, as well as his so atypical silence, which is probably the strongest moment of the whole match for him. It is precisely in the context of the known history, a decade of long frustration, a thousand times seen shots, goals, and penalties, in the form of an ode lasting more than an hour, that those feelings return in almost identical form. Interrupted (or completely disrupted) lessons, weekend alarms, hoarse vocal cords screamed at a sports event for the first time in my life, public transport drivers playing radio broadcasts for the whole bus, or the clear task of memorizing the entire lineup. This and much more returns to me with maximum force, and I really couldn't fail to remember those peak moments. Not only because my sister was born two days after the final, so February of that year will forever remain cemented in my life.

Before comparing it to the failed (and now, with a ten-year gap, properly funny) antics of Angelina Jolie, the new concept deserves the subtitle "Tomb Raiders of the Lost Lara". There are so many jumps, puzzles, edge-of-your-seat situations, and diverse gadgets that even the gradual introduction or abbreviated start of events on the island function as part of an archaeological adventure with a strongly emphasized number one. It is surprising how much weight rests on Miss Croft herself because Alicia Vikander has such power in her acting that she squeezes the maximum emotion out of the scenes, and the sadder ones almost brought tears to my eyes thanks to her. If it weren't for Walton Goggins, who, despite appearing promising and believable as Vogel, doesn't do anything extra and falls short in several places due to his acting ability, I might have reached the highest rating. The well-crafted screenplay finally dares not to come up with unnecessary special effects and simply adapts the game without unnecessary indulgence in inventing its own path, which always leads to disappointment either among fans, the critics, or box offices, often all three at once. Roar Uthaug's vision is on track, if not for a new trend, then at least for a gripping genre trilogy.

Perhaps only someone who has never lost someone dear to them can say that the flashbacks full of the strongest emotions and the most burning regrets did not perform their role perfectly, or even became boring. It is precisely in these flashbacks that Natalie Portman proves herself to be a treasure and the most correct choice for the main role. Her sincere tears or focused expression took me through the world that Alex Garland gives home to all his obvious or inconspicuous inspirations (Arrival, Aliens, Prometheus, or The Fountain), but never gets caught up in inspiration. Every time, she skates out of the situation originally and before you say lighthouse, she begins to create that new classic, which the reactions of strangers spoke of somewhat surprisingly, whether due to visuals, genre shots, or punchlines. The only thing that saddens me – and the creators are innocent in this – is the fact that we could only pick up Annihilation on Netflix. Rob Hardy's camera and the unending surprises from the new world were also made for the European silver screen.

I hoped for a dignified prequel, but from the moment the bizarre squad from Nazi Germany arrived, it was clear that I wasn't getting one with the overacting actors and lisping accents. The main heroine played by the extra cute Ellie Gall does her best, but with banal dialogue and a poorly disguised minuscule budget, she couldn't achieve anything. Especially when she is supported by an interchangeable group of supporting actors and is courted by the clumsy James. When SGO was announced, I seriously didn't expect a poorly-made fan project. A few childish jokes, however well-timed, are simply not enough for a better rating.

If it wasn't for an unfortunate script decision that sends a message of all things bat-like somewhere off into the sewer system at the very end (by which, among other things, it definitively deviates from the already quite different original), I would let myself be completely absorbed by the beloved Victorian atmosphere, even if it is not fully exploited here. However, the last twenty minutes swiftly wash away my previous impressions and cruelly extinguish the entire magic of gas lamps with an almost cruel swiftness.

Carefully, I expected a mysterious fairytale, into which Guillermo del Toro would pour in a smaller amount, in the best case scenario, and a larger amount, in the worst case scenario, of depression, the main character of his Pan's Labyrinth. However, everything is different, and instead, I am getting a retro version of Splash! for eighteen and older narrated by Richard Jenkins. Among the participating actors, Michael Shannon is the one who stands out the most, although he sells his traditionally wild and scruffy face as much as he can, his storyline as an ultra-negative agent falls somewhat deaf due to unsuccessful family/marital scenes. I perceive that the beauty and the beast are given the main focus, surprisingly at the expense of the development of other characters' storylines but still, this thoroughly captivating spectacle is very likable to me in terms of genre. It is narrated innocently and honestly, and does not try to be anything it is not even for a moment.

A feature-length episode of Black Mirror, which the wave of last year's Moonlight and related racial themes nonsensically elevated to the level of a battle for Oscars. Daniel Kaluuya authentically experiences all the sensitive and menacing moments in the role of the main protagonist, and I am very glad to see the underappreciated Allison Williams in a leading role, but it's not enough. An interesting concept is not sufficient for an entire film, and after all the reviews, I inevitably expected a foundation of a new direction or at least a surprisingly well-guided genre film. However, nothing lies beneath this slightly superficial portrayal with its one-sided point.

Season 1 – 50% – I would like to like the main duo, but I can't. They are so self-centered and consumed by their own negativity that they only destroy everything and hate, break, slander, or despise everyone. And if nothing else, they at least have to act offended. Sometime in the first act, their ridiculous masks fall and the scripts dive headfirst into unpredictability, but I didn't understand this branching (yet simple) narrative scheme until the end. A surprising number of positive points goes to Gemma Whelan in the role of believable Eunice. I'm only curious about the second season because of the unsolvable situation the creators got themselves into. No matter where the story continues, all the power to be found in it according to the satisfied viewers must inevitably be diluted, no matter where the script goes. Season 2 – 60% – There was silence around the continuation for so long and all involved parties answered questions about ongoing filming evasively that I almost thought it was a decent hoax and in reality, a prequel, reimagining, or some other cunning scheme was being planned. Fortunately, that's not the case, and despite the disappointment, I don't hold a grudge against the series this time. I find reconciliation mainly because the eternal pose of hatred, negation, or deliberate "lethality" definitively disappears, but the result definitely does not stand on strong story legs. Whereas interesting twists happened to uninteresting heroes in the first season, this time I surprisingly resonated with the characters' moods while something not necessarily bad, but predictable played out. The creators try to quote genre relatives and wrap the central plot in a sympathetically concise time frame, but again, it lacks a bit of life, not to mention that the amount of space for the newcomer Bonnie is disproportionately large and, I dare say, unnecessary. Again and again, I try to meet this cult halfway, but it stubbornly refuses to speak clearly to me.

The original profile of funny fillers (which were a class below at one point) were somewhat awkwardly combined both with episodes with the subtitle Kako-hen, which make up the shortened third season, and the final Shiawase ni Naru. I would prefer to see all three profiles, because emotionally all the actions could not be more different, but I can't have everything. Paradoxically, the complete four-part excursion into Tomoe's past, which boasts decent production, is the weakest of these continuations. It does tell a crucial chapter, whose pleasantly romantic reveal has been blinking at us for some time, but surprisingly often it deviates from the central syrupy character. When Tomoe, in his demonic version, fiercely attacks the defenseless Nanami and her only reaction is embarrassment that it doesn't suit her at that moment, I was shocked and wondered where the creators had gone in depicting love. Fortunately, it was only a momentary hesitation, but slight disappointment never left me. As for the OVA, which falls between the first and second series (and therefore is the least important story-wise), I could almost laugh myself silly the whole time and surprisedly place it among the funniest things that happened around an inconspicuous shrine. And finally, the final farewell, albeit in a brutally short duration, serves as a tender, sensitive, and not only because of that, a very touching waving goodbye to this crazy gang. The genre shooting in all directions may have had weaker moments, but I enjoyed the stronger ones even more.

After the initial buzz, promising an original comedy with a charismatic main character played by a talented rising star, I believed it would be a winner. However, The Mayor turned out to be a winner only for a short while after some initial missteps. The area of humor was handled with decent certainty, but the storyline, where most characters play the same comedic tune (T.K. the innocent fool, Jermaine the cunning opportunist, Dina sweeping all the Black sitcom clichés), turns the end of the series (which was also mercilessly yanked off the air by the ABC network) into a somewhat bitter experience. Not to mention the moments when Courtney starts becoming a spoiled brat. Nevertheless, I will remember this bite-sized treat with a smile and it can only be attributed to the ever-reliable Lea Michele. Her Val, with her nerdiness and strive for perfection, is quite similar to Rachel Berry from Glee, which brings me joy. Even though she only sings once in the whole series, and only for a few seconds, it is still more than enough to make her unequivocally my favorite character. And this is in a project primarily based on the chemistry of the central trio of guys, which doesn't bode well. Let alone permanently.