Malarkey

A bit of a failure in my opinion. The fact that the film takes place in some sort of secret temple at the north of Australia doesn’t make it into a film with a good camera. This is not helped at all by the locals turning this temple into a pseudo-café when no one talks much, while the significant dramatic events in the lives of one improbable family also take place mostly in silence. The film is about music only on the surface, and it doesn’t work as a drama either. It consists of two hours of illogical shots from a place you previously had no idea that it could be found in Australia.

An exemplary French crime film with all it entails. Unlike other brilliant French films, however, here I sometimes had to struggle to understand what was going on the screen due to the frantic editing or illogical behavior of some of the characters. The cherry on the top is taken by a megalomaniac action scene where Alain Delon is engaged in a car chase throughout a city and he loses the car only to discover it again around the corner, refueling petrol at the gas station as if nothing special was going on. Such moments of the film took away the fifth star from my rating. Otherwise, however, it’s a great crime movie, with an ending that is typical for French cinematography.

A film concert of Helena Bonham Carter I don’t know what to think about. In this film based on a true story, the role was a perfect fit for this actress, and I think she was just playing herself. Given it’s a film about a court case, it was quite entertaining.

I have learned to be quite careful with Polish films based on real events. They often treat premises that boggle one’s mind. As though all the hardest life stories, but at the same time filled with hope, kept coming from Poland. Of course it’s obvious that it’s not the case; it’s just that the Poles are the best in Europe in working with such stories, and Carte Blanche is no exception. A beautiful, human film about an incredibly likeable character gradually losing his sight. I liked it. I would’ve skipped certain moments but it was nevertheless a very touching film, and Andrzej Chyra is indeed very likeable. Especially when we meet him at the moment when he is explaining to the Polish children, in a rather matter-of-fact manner, what happened during the Prague defenestration of 1618. Moreover, the creators introduced the Polish city of Lublin to me, so I know where I want to visit the next time I find myself in Poland.

I never want to see this again! Probably the most brutal documentary I've ever seen. And even though I knew about a lot of those things in advance, and I think that I have treated animals with respect all my life, this documentary literally destroyed me with some shots. It hit me so hard that even I, who’s normally able to take just about anything, had to look away. The author is probably a total lunatic, because to put together so many furtively taken shots and release them in as a single film takes either a lot of guts or a lot of pills. The film is located mainly in Australia, where the author comes from. Over time, the documentary moves around the world, because the “tradition” of killing animals for the benefit of humans exists everywhere, including unfortunately the Czech Republic with its Christmas markets full of carp. The author at least didn’t mention those, so I breathed out a sigh of relief of being spared in this respect. However, I have no illusions and it is clear to me that places such as breeding facilities or illegal slaughterhouses could be found in my country as well, as it makes TV news from time to time. On the other hand, the author sometimes goes too far, for example in the case of zoos, where I have some objections. But this documentary still works well as an awareness-raising tool making us realize where our meat comes from. You do not necessarily have to become a vegetarian, you just need to accept every piece meat on your plate with absolute humility. It used to be that way, so why should we take it for granted in today’s consumer world? Thanks Lima for the tip!

What comes to mind is of course a comparison with Interstellar, Gravity or, God forbid (the premise!) Apollo 11. In the first two instances, the similarities are visual while in the third case they relate to the plot. However, The First Man is still a unique film, by which Damien Chazelle managed to blow the minds of everyone who were looking forward to a typical action flick with everything it entails. Because The First Man is everything but an action flick, even though it is full of suspense. My only regret is that this film is too long. Certain dialogues could’ve used some cutting. I however liked looking at Neil Armstrong with his own eyes. Naturally the most visually compelling part of the film is its second half that beautifully shows Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. It almost makes you think that the director and cameraman actually landed on the Moon again to take these breathtaking shots. I can imagine that watching this in a cinema must be absolutely fantastic. Ryan Gosling is of course a great choice. I didn’t think he would come unprepared for his role of Neil Armstrong. Moreover, the political debates revolving around NASA were a welcome bonus.

The Poles just can’t leave well enough alone. Others kick the hornet nest and after a few stings they admit that the Germans have learned their lesson. But not the Poles. They keep beating a dead horse and blame the Germans for WWII, sometimes taking a jab at their own nation in the process. They’re a real piece of work. The basic idea behind Summer Solstice is that no nation is good or evil. There are just good and bad people. This film is a success; had it contained any particularly memorable moments, I might’ve given it the full rating.

For me, the fighting in Northern Ireland is hard to understand. It just confirms that every nation, and not just in Europe, suffers from its own stigmas that might affect it. The camera, however, is great, and the atmosphere literally explosive, despite the fact that most of the film takes place on the streets of Belfast. Given how small-scale this film is, it’s a very interesting introduction into the world of fighting for independence.

At the first glance it looks like someone copied from Saw and Cube. With the only difference being that at the time those movies were made, nobody knew what an “escape room” was. And I must say that I liked it. Not as a horror, but rather as a thriller. I was enjoying myself. Maybe because I’ve never been to any escape rooms. And after this movie I will think twice about going.

A return to The Dark Knight in full glory. I haven't seen such a brutally depressing film in a really long time. Gotham is a city where no one would want to live, with the possible exception ofsome extras someone would pay to do so. At the same time, however, it is perfectly emulating what is probably supposed to be the1970s and is based on the equally beautifully gloomy New York. It’s giving off an incredibly powerful old-school feel, which is why, together with the practically perfect performance of Joaquin Phoenix and no less great music, it creates an absolutely epic atmosphere that has not been seen in similar films for a really long time. I like the way the character Joker is portrayed so that he is neither good nor bad. He has his issues and bad traits but also positive traits and an effort to create a better world… until he loses his marbles. Joaquin Phoenix was given free rein here, and this time I liked his performance immensely. It’s true that he plays one weirdo after another, but Joker is a phenomenon who has both a light and a dark side. So even though I wasn’t exactly rooting for him the entire film, my eyes were glued to the screen in every scene. Some scenes expressing human madness, evil or anarchy belong among the best I’ve ever seen. I won’t hesitate to say that it’s the highest level of filmmaking craft and an experience I will be processing for a long time. Who are we as people? Hasn’t Joker been born out of all the grief and evil we keep inside and try to not let it out so we don’t go crazy?