gudaulin

This is a television drama about how a promising dancer, through bad friends and emotional confusion during adolescence, became addicted to heroin. The film does not deny that it was commissioned as a warning against the temptation of chemically enhancing one's life. It is characteristic of it that it tries to adapt to the thinking of teenagers and speak their language. Other than that, there are much more significant films with better scripts, direction, and cast that have been made on this topic. Overall impression: 40%.

The personality of Charlie Chaplin does not represent an indisputable symbol of artistic mastery for me, as only a few of his films have appealed to me in the past, and even fewer interest me today. The ones that I think are worth watching again could easily be counted on one hand, but Modern Times is one of them. Along with The Gold Rush, it is the only film in which I accept his character as a tramp. In Modern Times, he tries to make his way through life and repeatedly tries to integrate himself into the life of a respectable citizen, but fails as a factory worker or a waiter. The girl with whom he eventually forms a relationship is similarly unconventional, so in the end, they both recognize that they do not fit into the modern era with its rules, orders, and obligations. They retreat and walk together toward their fate. Above all, the factory part of the tramp's story seems funny and cleverly filmed to me; the desire to maximize productivity leads to the absurd motif of a machine for feeding employees. The second highlight of the film is the scene in the bar where Chaplin's voice is heard for the first time in the form of a musical number accompanied by pantomimic clowning. Modern Times can be criticized, like other Chaplin films, for the outdated aesthetics of silent films from the first half of the 1920s. But in this case, I don't mind. I perceive his film as a social critique of the system during the economic crisis and at the same time a criticism of Fordist mass society based on the suppression of individuality. It is typical that the screening of Modern Times was immediately banned in Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy. Overall impression: 80%.

A film about fear, uncertainty, and demons that lurk more or less deeply within each of us. I have considered Villeneuve to be one of the most talented directors of today for some time now, and even though he is capable of creating a better atmosphere, all you need is to watch the scene of the frantic car ride with a blinded driver across the city to realize whose film you are about to see. Similarly, the screenplay presents very decent work in its genre, which is capable of surprising and being original. The creators patiently build tension, anxiety, and a sense of threat, letting their detective stumble and convincingly fulfill the requirements of the thriller genre. For parents, there is no nightmare worse than the disappearance of a child, and the filmmakers spare none of their characters. Without drowning in sentiment, they manage to intensify emotions to the maximum. Another motif strongly resonating throughout the film is the temptation to take investigation and justice into one's own hands. The father of the lost child succumbs to this desire, and the screenwriter finds some justification for torture in the name of higher goals. By my standards, that takes away a star. Of the actors, the most notable is Jake Gyllenhaal, who delivers an outstanding performance and is another reason to devote more than 150 minutes of your time to this crime story. Overall impression: 85%.

If we talk about the noir genre, The Big Sleep is one of the titles that comes to mind first for a film fan, and you could even say that it is a showcase of the genre. However, it is not a typical representative of the black series because noir includes bitter endings and partnerships going awry, and The Big Sleep has a too optimistic outcome for noir. The film is also weakened by two shortcomings. The final form was influenced by censorship, which did not consider the homosexual relationship between two negative characters and also discreetly concealed the nature of illegal activities in Geiger's bookstore - namely the production and distribution of pornographic materials. This, however, leads to the loss of motivations and connections important for understanding the story. The script also has its shortcomings, as, for example, it does not provide any explanation for the chauffeur's murder. However, The Big Sleep did not gain its iconic status by mistake or for free. The chemistry between Bogart and Lauren Bacall works great and could be presented as an example of an ideal film partnership. Bogart's role as Marlowe suited him perfectly, both in appearance and intonation, and he had a sense of irony and was able to lightly dismiss his detective at the right moment. The director had a sense of atmosphere and mastered the craft of filmmaking excellently. He may not have been a seeker of new paths, but he understood what works in the genre, how to properly dose it, and use it. The complexity of the story and the presence of stars helped to cover up the shortcomings of the script. Overall impression: 85%.

I cannot criticize anything significant about the film, and, in fact, I found it appealing from beginning to end and the writer and director managed to extract the maximum from the material offered. Let's face it, solving ciphers can be the basis for an exciting novel, but a gripping film needs more than just a view of a group of scientists pondering at a desk and solving complex equations. Benedict Cumberbatch handled the role of a quirky genius with homosexual tendencies very well, as expected. The film also doesn't shy away from the moral dilemmas associated with deciding what price is still worth paying to maintain a crucial secret for victory in the war. Overall impression: 85%.

Pignon is the name that screenwriter and director Francis Veber bestows upon his film protagonists on a whim, or perhaps for another reason with remarkable regularity. It is not a case of the same character, nor is it portrayed by a specific actor. What they have in common is perhaps a certain plebeian nature and humanity; they are not people at the top of the food chain. Pignon from the film The Dinner Game is one of those characters that one must be wary of. He is not a bad person and, in terms of intelligence quotient, he is not stupid either. However, he lacks what is known as social intelligence, social tact, and sensitivity. It cannot be said that he thinks slowly; rather, it is more accurate to say that he speaks too quickly and words precede thoughts with an iron regularity, going their own separate ways. When Pignon encounters a confident businessman played by Thierry Lhermitte, he quickly realizes that he has found an ideal victim who is capable of embarrassingly and entertainingly amusing the guests invited to the party. However, intentions change and circumstances unfold… Watching The Dinner Game, albeit after many years, has made me take away one star, but it still has its charm, and the entertainment value remains reliable. Overall impression: 75%.

I understand completely the reason for the phenomenal success of Casablanca during its premiere. Ingrid Bergman was a beautiful and respected star and Humphrey Bogart, who broke through just two years earlier, became desirable as a representative of tough charismatic men at the time of Casablanca's release due to the war. Casablanca combined exoticism, love, adventure, and wartime commitment, i.e., all ingredients appreciated by the audience of that time. It was part of the genre of popular melodrama, and the premiere was cleverly timed for February 1943, shortly after Churchill's and Roosevelt's Allied conference, when the city was in general awareness due to media interest. I no longer know what enchantment Casablanca holds today and I am simply immune to it. I see in it only an average period melodrama, where Hollywood screenwriters demonstrate their usual ignorance towards reality. The love triangle does not work because the relationship chemistry between Bergman alias Ilse Lund and both lovers is negligible, and one could say that it is the complete opposite of the couple Bogart and Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep, where the relationship chemistry worked perfectly. The only thing that can be appreciated with the benefit of hindsight is the relationship between Bogart's cynical bar owner Rick Blaine and the crafty police chief, played by Claude Rains. Their sparkling dialogues full of hidden meanings are a lively and decorative element of the film. Perhaps worth mentioning is also the rogue played by Peter Lorre. Everything else deserves to gather dust. Overall impression: 40%.

A Kafka theme in the Czech style and also a title that can be considered a symbol of the Czech New Wave. It is a medium-length film about a cat rental, the futile search for a man named Kilián, and life in a country full of absurdity, uncertainty, and fear. Last but not least, it is also a film about loneliness and a sense of alienation. Josef K. faced a trial, while Herold, the protagonist of the film story, only faced a fine of 30 crowns for not returning a borrowed cat. It's seemingly banal, but tension and nervousness can be felt in the events of the film. After all, in a country where people and institutions disappear and bureaucracy has power over people, losing a cat can have unforeseen consequences. There are also hints of criticism towards the cult of personality and Stalinism. You can perceive the character that needs support as an allegory and as a peculiar comedy (the sign in the cat rental says: "Misuse of borrowed cats is punishable. The consumer acknowledges that they are entitled to use the borrowed cats only for their own needs."). Some parts of the film could have been edited out, but overall, it is an interesting film reflection of the 1950s. Overall impression: 75%.

I have a mix of emotions regarding Petr Zelenka's distinctive films. Some of them have impressed me, while others have left me with an average impression. However, I have no problem admitting that Zelenka is one of the most interesting filmmakers that the lackluster Czech film scene currently possesses. I have never associated his name with any significant disappointment. Actually, I cannot speak of disappointment even now. Based on paradoxically enthusiastic responses, I didn't believe in the film, and my instinct did not let me down. Zelenka served me two films in one, but I don't get either of them and I conclude that they don't harmonize together at all. Although the author is inspired by the ideas of historian Jan Tesař, he interprets them in his own way. This time, Zelenka's mystification didn't entertain me; I felt a similar self-centeredness in it as I have perceived in the surrealistic performances of a certain Prague theater in the last two decades. Those people are also content with entertaining themselves and their fan club. Overall impression: 35%.

A film romance that relies on the names of two big actors in the lead roles. Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino deliver their decent (above average) standard, but they cannot elevate the project to sky-high heights on their own. In the first half, where the Greek restaurant setting and the vibrant characters of the employees and guests come to life, the film maintains a level of weaker 4 stars. In the second half, where the film shifts to a more intimate tone and the central duo starts to deal with their feelings, instead of escalating, the film starts to lose its momentum. The screenplay simply lacks the strength that it needs. Overall impression: 60%.