Lima

I would liken this film to a colonoscopy. It's also a probe, you don't look forward to it at all, when it comes, it hurts a bit at times, after it's over you say to yourself that it wasn't that bad and in an hour you don't even remember it anymore...

Although the body count has increased about fivefold compared to the prequel, Harry himself has gone slightly backwards. Due of his attitude towards criminals (sort of along the lines of "the gun is the best judge"), the previous Dirty Harry was accused in critical circles of fascizoid tendencies, apologism, and a return to the primitive law of the fist. Here Harry makes up for his critics to some extent by refusing the offer of the police executioners and self-appointed judges to join them, and in a conversation with his superior Briggs he proves that he’s being unfairly accused of an "eye for an eye" attitude (“...where's it gonna end? Huh, Briggs? Pretty soon, you'll start executing people for jaywalking...). It didn't help much, I guess, because Magnum Force had equally devastating reviews, but despite them, it didn't lose the audience's favor brought in even more money to the box office than it did for the prequel. Even in terms of form, compared to Dirty Harry, Magnum Force comes out as a winner, it is more elaborate in plot (the script was written by John Millius, creator of Conan the Barbarian) and more action-packed. The 1970s in full force.

Nonsensical acting and screenwriting Oscar nominations shake hands with technical brilliance in 100 minutes of entertainment that flies by. The music is perfect, led by the catchy hit "All That Jazz" (I love jazz), and the choreography of the dance numbers is remarkable, the most striking of which were the journalist "puppets" on strings with a great performance by the pleasantly surprising Gere and Zellweger. The latter, like Zeta-Jones, sings very well, dances brilliantly, but unfortunately also shows off her limited acting range with position #1: "dumb Bridget". As a result, I felt like I was sitting in some fancy Chicago club, watching one jazz-dance act after another in a show about two murderesses and one greedy defense attorney, ignoring the fact that all that bombastic glitz is hiding a flimsy script and an unexciting plot. The main thing was that the eyes and ears were happy. And they were pouring great champagne too...

After a second screening, I’m giving a full rating to this great gangster flick, with De Palma in full force. While Montana was a perfectly relatable character in Scarface, you simply have to root for the old school Carlito Brigante, with his street morals, even though he was certainly no saint thanks to his drug past. De Palma's ability to tell a compelling story while captivating with his directorial ideas is evident in the first dramatic scene in the billiard room. The final fifteen minutes escalate incredibly, and the scene of the ambulance ride with the badly wounded Carlito and his gaze on the advertising poster of the "road to paradise", accompanied by a melancholic song, is beautifully sad and uplifting at the same time.

The famous Ray Bradbury in his short story "A Sound of Thunder" (I recommend it, great stuff) describes how a tourist from the future on one of the expeditions through prehistoric times organized by a travel agency steps out of a strictly defined zone, accidentally steps on a prehistoric butterfly and inadvertently causes a sequence of fatal changes in future events. While Bradbury respected even the slightest organism in the problem of the time paradox, so that his work had even the slightest touch of logic, the creators of Frequency do not bother with any logic at all. All it takes is one radio and the mixing of the present with the past can begin, assisted by suddenly materializing objects and signs on the table. There is even a reanimated corpse, in short, a lot of fun. Here, they simply ignored all those sci-fi lectures about time paradoxes and the consequent distortion. Just fun. It's an enjoyable two hours, but it will make you shake your head :)

Few films in 1971 managed to generate such a fierce critical response. Clint Eastwood, then still a star of very little luminosity (despite the success of Leone’s movies), introduced a new type of policeman: an uncompromising tough guy who solves the problem of crime with a gun instead of lengthy court delays, often with uncertain results. It was this attitude, to some extent a return to the system of the law of the fist, to the method of "an eye for an eye", that was a thorn in the side of the critical community (and some politicians), who were quick to use adjectives such as "fascist fantasy". But the viewing public was of a different opinion, and their enthusiastic reactions showed what they thought of the liberal laws and complex legal loopholes that often protect criminals. A forerunner of today's action badasses was born, an A-list movie star was born, and a film that now belongs to the classics of the 70s and the history books of cinema was born. And when Clint throws his cop badge into the river at the end, it's as if he's thrown away the idealistic 60s of cinema with it and welcomed the next, harsher and more abundant in body count era.

All in all, a pretty average horror flick that would be a good fit on the shelves of video stores, but would only be a poor relative in cinemas. It follows the clichéd routine of some 1950s monster horror films (smart scientist, extravagant millionaire, good-looking policeman), so there are no genre surprises. Only the scenes with the crocodile are really memorable (feeding the cow and the grizzly as a snack rulez!), and there are a couple fo nice, properly bloody deaths, the rest is plot wadding and hammy humour. But it’s alright to watch once.

Wonderfully paced and filmed with a relaxed ease, but I found myself bored at times from the sometimes shallow depiction of interpersonal relationships. In other words, it’s a bit like flipping through a special issue of Board magazine while reading a relationship advice column... 3 1/2*

Excellent psychological drama, well acted and suspenseful, I hope not only for those who don't need to have everything presented in a semi-pathological way. I wouldn't say it's a challenging film, the plot is told in a clear way, without any confusing moments or dead spots, with one brutally surprising scene that makes your jaw drop. Even the author's comments on the complex racial issues of today's France can be felt in the film (the scene with the black man on his bicycle, the problem of Algerian immigrants). And the surprisingly open ending, with a long take on Majid's son's discussion with Pierrot, invites several interpretations, and while some may feel they have been deprived of something, I can’t complain. That understatement can so sexy sometimes. PS: I shed a nostalgic tear at the several-minute appearance of French film legend Annie Girardot.

Incredible, but in its badness. A solidly entertaining piece of crap (from the director of Commando!!) that is clamouring for cult status among the fans of bad movies. Already the opening shot of a picturesque Czech village, which according to the filmmakers is supposed to be a kind of seedy Turkish backwater, with bored extras sitting in front of the Municipal Office, who are supposed to represent the squalid, dirty Turkish townspeople, and a poorly drawn volcano in the distance, properly stirs the viewer's diaphragm. The first appearance of the pterodactyls unleashes a whirlwind of ultra-low-budget C-rated entertainment, with tragically directed and decently bloody action, stupid dialogue and special effects from another era. Little Coolio is incredibly awkward with his tough guy pose, Petr Jákl proves in his five-minute cameo that he is definitely the worst living Czech actor (on this occasion one cannot help but recall an interview with him in Reflex, in which he confessed that his acting goal is to win an Oscar....yeah right). The whole thing is so bad in its unwanted (or wanted?) awfulness that it is beautiful and not boring!! Another film which would be a big mistake to judge seriously, with a comparative eye. That's why I overlook the fact that it's filmmaking rubbish and exceptionally give it an amused and very forced 1*!