gudaulin

When watching this film, I gradually fell into melancholy and eventually genuine despair with each passing minute because it was such a stale, horribly conservative film with a dysfunctional screenplay, lousy editing, ear-tearing dialogues, and rarely any decent camera work. I managed to finish it with all my might. I partially perceive the positive reviews as the desperate desire of Czech cinema fans for a genre film. Overall impression: 25%.

This is a contradictory film. It is evident that it was created at a time when there was a Czechoslovak film industry, that it was worked on by a professional film crew, and it had a decent budget and also the support of local authorities. Let's admit that in the post-revolution era, a similar film wouldn't have a chance to be made or at the very least wouldn't look so grand. The exoticness of the setting also plays a role, and for its time, it was an exceptional co-production project from Barrandov productions. Thirdly, exceptional political events play a role, which the film portrays. The four-year rule of the Khmer Rouge is truly shocking in a way that it is probably the most genocidal regime in modern history. On the other hand, Muchna is just an average filmmaker and it cannot be said that his script stands out in any way. The result is a film illustration supported by the participation of several quality Czech actors. Overall impression: 55%.

I understand Luis Buñuel and he regularly receives good reviews from me. This time won't be as good, even though I think that The Milky Way is among his very best films, and it is a joy to watch his surrealistic games while two tramps travel across France and Spain to the pilgrimage site in Santiago de Compostela. Paradoxically, I will not give the highest rating because Buñuel is floating at intellectual heights this time and I do not always understand his theological games. This film will probably be enjoyed by someone who has theology at their fingertips, but they might consider some of Buñuel's provocative thoughts heretical. This is what The Name of the Rose would have been if the director had not gone down the path of a medieval detective story, but followed the venerable William of Baskerville in his theological debates and reflections. Monty Python took on what is universally known in Life of Brian and therefore had a much easier task. Buñuel embarked on a more difficult path, which is far from suitable for everyone. But that applies to his filmmaking in general. Overall impression: 85%.

Music as opinion, as revolt, anarchy, as an element, as a geyser of erupting emotions that mercilessly sweep away the wall of conventions and civilization habits. Sometimes I feel that everything has already been made and nothing new can be invented even in cinema, only changing perspectives and retouching what others have done before. But then films like this crazy Swedish comedy appear and shatter my expectations. Sound of Noise is an original film that is difficult to compare to anything else. The screenplay is somewhat unfinished, one can somehow feel that the point should be treated more thoroughly. But still, the film is worth seeing. Especially for those who appreciate experimentation and madness of all kinds. I really enjoyed this bombastic provocative music show played illegally. Overall impression: 80%.

An impressive mix of British social drama and crime comedy that is superbly cast, acted, and directed. It's a bit of a fairytale, but far from the escapist style in which similar films are made by American studios. Ken Loach looks at his losers with understanding, but he is not so naive that he does not know how things are and what chance these robbers of all virtues have to leave the world of the galley and break free from the lifestyle they lead. It is at times touching, at times suspenseful. Personally, I can say that this style suits me perfectly and the film just narrowly missed out on a fifth star. Overall impression: 85%.

Jacques Audiard is responsible for one of the most interesting genre films of recent years in France. I'm referring to A Prophet, so perhaps I had too high of expectations when it came to his previous film. The Beat That My Heart Skipped is far from being as complex and impressive, and if anything sticks in the viewer's memory, it is mainly Romain Duris' animalistic performance in the lead role. He is more convincing as a criminal who terrorizes tenants and irritates homeowners, but as a person who stands between two worlds and dreams of leaving behind his profession and dedicating himself to art, he represents an interesting figure. Unfortunately, I find the script a bit unfinished and the piano interludes somewhat boring. Overall impression: 60%.

This film is just an elegant lyrical nothing. That is, assuming you're not a poetic soul who doesn't understand the story and can enjoy the whispering of the wind, snowy sights, and slow camera. I wonder who could find joy in The Vertical Ray of the Sun? If you're not familiar with foreign cultures, you won't learn much about Vietnam, and what the film tells you will still be far from reality if you happen to visit the country as a tourist and compare the film experience with the lives and hustle and bustle of ordinary Vietnamese and urban life. Overall impression: 35%.

I didn't really appreciate the acclaimed Danish series The Killing, specifically its first two seasons, because I clearly felt their contrivance and considered them an artificial construct. The same can be said of The Bridge, and yet this series eventually captured my attention, despite my initial doubts, and with each episode, I enjoyed it more and more. I appreciated its social and psychological dimension, as well as its attractive characters. It is dark, uncompromising, consistently surprising, and overall an excellent work about how one embittered person can destroy their surroundings with their hatred. This is one of the peaks of contemporary television series production that can do without an excessively large budget. All it takes is quality screenwriting, clever directing, and excellent casting. Overall impression: 90%. /// I have just finished the second season and I must admit that it is as high-quality as the first one, maintaining its unique style and cleverly building on the previous narrative. I can therefore apply the same criticism to it, that it is an artificial construct, but very well executed, written, and directed. Simply a Nordic treat. After the second season, I feel like giving it 100%.

I'll admit, I rarely watch romantic movies anymore because, in that stereotypical whirlpool, there are only very few titles worth watching. The vast majority of those genre pieces are made as if following a template and differ only slightly in doses of naivety and, when it comes to teenage matters, even in the level of tastelessness. (500) Days of Summer really stands out from this flood because it has honest craftsmanship and a few decent ideas as well as pleasant casting. But from my perspective, it's by no means a cult film. It was allegedly a huge hit at the Sundance Festival, but any major studio could have easily financed this Webb film. In fact, it is purely a mainstream affair. If stars were given for the best mainstream romance of the year, (500) Days of Summer would probably win hands down, but that's not how it works for me. It differs from the usual productions mainly by the fact that the screenwriter admitted that not every romantic love ends in marriage, but if they want to sell me these discoveries, they should turn to someone else with such banalities. After two days, I can only remember very little from the film. It's pleasant enough for one viewing, but nothing more. Overall impression: 60%.

I can, of course, understand Chuan Lu's film being criticized for various things, especially the typical East Asian preference for pathos and melodrama, as there are indeed scenes that suffer from these flaws. I could also criticize the unwillingness to edit where a few scenes deserve it, but overall, it is one of the most impressive Asian war films of all time and a damn well-made piece of work that corresponds to what really happened in China at the end of the 1930s. It features excellently executed crowd scenes, and excellently shot images of violence, despair, and fear. The fact that the screenwriter and director in one does not burden himself with explaining and depicting the context of the events described is not a mistake of the creator, because he primarily made it for the domestic audience and anyone who wants can find everything necessary about the massacres in Nanking. For me, it deserves 5 stars and a thumbs up. Moreover, I couldn't possibly give less to a film that has such a great form and yet a lower rating than a stupid Hong Kong action B-movie like Hard Boiled. Of course, there is always the question of the propagandistic use of similar works in playing on the Chinese nationalist sentiment, but this film is certainly not superficial. After all, one of the sad heroes is a Japanese soldier who watches in horror how far war rage can actually go... Overall impression: 95%.