kaylin

Kung-fu and comedy go quite well together. Bruce Lee already had it, but the main star who is famous for comedies and kung-fu is Jackie Chan. I have finally become familiar with the work of another significant actor and creator of Hong Kong origin, Stephen Chow. His "Kung-fu Hustle" is a beautiful example of how crazy a film can be, but at the same time it maintains a sufficient level. Chow received enough money for the film and it shows. The effects are good, if you accept the kung-fu flying, but the creator also played with the visual aspect and eventually with the story as well. It's a bit of "Oliver Twist", a bit of "Superman" and "Matrix", and a bit of "Kung Fu Panda". It's all together and much more, and it works together. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/jumper-babel-kung-fu-divocina-miami.html

Alejandro González Iñárritu is a director who is not responsible for so much, definitely not one of those who make at least one film annually. However, his films are still etched into the memories of viewers - they are strong, emotional, and dramatic. No, there is really not much humor in his films, he rather focuses on the more depressing aspects of human life. What he excels at is connecting storylines. He proved this with "Amores Perros" and he succeeded again here. One shot changes everything. It seems like it only changes one life, but in reality, everything changes. Lives that were once led, fall apart. Everyone lives in some world, in a different world, and suddenly it no longer makes sense. How do we deal with it? There is nothing we can do but accept the change. Because then... then it's just damnation. Well, these really aren't films for pleasant evenings with the family. But at least you will take something away from "Babel". And if you're wondering why "Babel", try to think about how many languages are actually spoken here. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/jumper-babel-kung-fu-divocina-miami.html

"Jumper" is a movie whose title caught my attention when I first heard it. In 2003, I wrote a short story called "Skokan" ("Jumper" in English). When I was thinking about what it would be called in English, it would be exactly "Jumper." When I finally watched the movie, I found out that it was based on a slightly different source, which was written by Steven Gould in 1992. Hayden Christensen played a young man who can jump in space and move from place to place through teleportation. The idea is nice, but the execution is a bit worse. The film tries to be cool, so it is action-packed, Samuel L. Jackson has a great look, but that's where it ends. Once a stupid connection with faith is introduced, the film lacks any real meaning and it becomes just a fight between the powerful against the oppressed. The allegory, in this case, doesn't bring much. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/jumper-babel-kung-fu-divocina-miami.html

I don't want to exaggerate, but I'm not so afraid of it. "Gran Torino" is the best film Clint Eastwood has ever made. Well, maybe the second best, right after "Million Dollar Baby". What you get here, along with the great acting performance by Eastwood himself, is absolutely phenomenal. Social criticism wrapped in an incredibly moving and human story that shows how racial hatred works, how it can be overcome through prejudices, and how even an old grump can become a friendly neighbor. Eastwood delivers an excellent performance, mastering every pose, both tragic and comedic, his sour face is simply perfect. In addition, he is wonderfully supported by actors who you probably won't recognize, but they will impress you even more. Compared to something like "Zbouchnutá," this is a film that left something in me, and it has been some time since I saw it. The film really overwhelmed me, and that is reflected in my rating. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html

Luc Besson... No, actually, I don't know what happened to that guy. He used to make great movies. "Leon," "The Fifth Element," "The Big Blue," but lately something broke in him and he started making fantastical films that don't have much potential, even though it may seem different at first glance. "Arthur and the Invisibles" were somewhat okay, but the next two parts were worse than the previous ones. The ratings were around 20%, maybe even lower. "The Secret of the Mummy" is not such a disaster, but I'm definitely not saying it's a great film. The truly terrible thing about it are the visual effects. They are simply in a weaker category, which can often be better replaced by puppets and other classic technology. In this case, it wouldn't be so simple because this film simply needs special effects. However, the story is also so Europeanly insane. Maybe it looks good on the pages of a comic book, but it's not such a miracle when it comes to the film. A little bit of an attempt at "Amelie," a little bit of "The Mummy," but in the end, it's just absurd fantasy that dares to go beyond the limits of a children's film. No, this really isn't for kids. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html

There can never be enough good comedies, and to not criticize Katherine Heigl too much, she did quite well in this role. But mainly because she had a great partner. Seth Rogen is one of those actors who are vulgar, their comedies are not kind, but rather rough, they are obscene and unfiltered. The movie "Zbouchnutá" is exactly like that, where a bit - actually a big dose - of alcohol leads to two people getting together, not using protection, and voila, they are expecting a baby. What is the sobering realization when she finds out that the father of her future child is a bit of a dirty pig, about whom she wouldn't even lean on with an umbrella when sober. But in the end, they somehow make it work, they prepare for the baby, they argue with each other properly, but then everything turns out fine. I know, the ending is a bit cliché, but what can you do. The jokes in the movie are good, maybe it's a bit long, but otherwise it's one of the better comedies we've seen in a while. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html

This comedy/drama will take your breath away. If you don't know any of Martin McDonagh's plays, you will be quite surprised. I was lucky to see the play "The Lonesome West" performed by the South Bohemian Theatre and it was an unforgettable experience. Classic modern London school, quite gritty but still funny. Clearly, the humor is as black as the cat Mikeš. You will laugh, I promise you. The jokes are not watered down, and if you don't mind a bit of violence, you will be knocked out in a good way. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson spew profanity with incredible cadence. Oh, and by the way, they are hired assassins. They end up in Bruges because their last mission went quite wrong, and they have to wait for further orders. I won't spoil anything because it's a shame to say anything, but I can at least hint that the ending got me because it is in the spirit of the whole film. Simply an excellent film. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html

So I was wondering how this first collaboration between David Schwimmer and Simon Pegg turned out, and I must say that I am quite disappointed. Not because of how these two, who are excellent comedic actors, did, but because of the screenplay. Jean-Babtiste Andrea (co-writer and director) obviously took inspiration from the Coen brothers and decided to make a film similar to "Fargo". It didn't work, damn it, of course it didn't work, because he simply lacks the gift for the right dialogue, but especially for the story. It's actually a mess that piles up without any order, the director wants to shock us with sudden twists to take our breath away. But the Coens are different in the sense that they build the story on solid foundations, on great characters. "Zero from Zero Goes" pulls out completely senseless variations from its sleeve just to make it interesting. No justification, no real involvement in the plot. What a pity, this could have been so much better. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html

After a long time, I looked at something on TV again and managed to come across the movie "Assassins". I must say that the word "come across" is quite fitting. It's that kind of action comedy that tries to be incredibly action-packed, then it wants to be funny, but after a mediocre start, it's just a stupid mess about how a naughty boy wanted to improve himself, and they started messing with him. But in the end, he could still improve because he has a wife who loves him and whom he loves, plus a father-in-law who doesn't end up killing him. Katherine Heigl showed here that she can't act, and we've known that about Ashton for a long time. She presents her exhibitionist body here, which I, as a heterosexual man, don't appreciate much. Katherine Heigl doesn't show almost anything again, which we have already gotten used to. This girl, who is pretty, needs a good partner for the movie to be worth something. She had one in Gerard Butler (the film "The Ugly Truth" with the same director), but Ashton Kutcher is definitely not a good choice. The movie is dying because it wants to be very complicated, suspenseful, but in the end, it's just silly. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html

David Schwimmer (Ross from "Friends") proved himself as a director in his home series and then also helped Matt LeBlanc with his spin-off "Joey", where he also directed a few episodes. "Run, Fatboy, Run" became his first feature film and it certainly is not a flop. But it's also not a film that would be considered genius. Honestly, it is well directed. Some jokes are delivered so well that I actually laughed out loud. Excellent British humor is combined here with American humor, where the British one is naturally superior. Simon Pegg cannot avoid scenes that are not that funny. There are some moments of silence in certain scenes, but it still has a pretty good direction. However, then the second half of the film and the race itself come into play. Here the film hits a snag, because it gets lost in waves of romantic craziness so typical for German films, which Czech TV stations inundate us with. It's a shame about the ending, but Simon Pegg and Dylan Moran do their job well. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/bruce-clint-simon-david-zbouchnuta-v.html