gudaulin

It is interesting to observe how music journalists and critics essentially avoid discussing the work of the most popular Czech band. They do not find anything worth deeper analysis there, and from the footnotes of a few music reviews, there is a sense of disdain, mainly toward the quality of the lyrics. The straightforward pub rock that the band Kabát performs never appealed to me, but I feel that in this short, one can find the best of their work, namely energy, irony, and black humor. I get the feeling that, in combination with the music video, this is their best song that can also appeal to an audience beyond their target listener group. It's a shame about the wild editing, which is completely unnecessary, but it fits the style of Kabát's music videos they work with. This should have been played and performed more. The machine-gun-like editing disrupts the atmosphere and does not allow you to enjoy the setting and production, which were worth it thanks to the budget. But the final scene does a lot to save it. Overall impression: 75%.

Political circles resemble the British series The Office in their format, the genre is Yes, Minister, along with the content and micro signs. The political satire on the situation in high politics (not only in Great Britain) is as sharp as a razor and merciless. Compared to the much more well-known series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, this one is significantly dirtier, uglier, and more aggressive. Here, the benevolent Sir Humphrey no longer reigns, he who did not deny the nobility of the "better" people from the higher social class. His elegant intrigues and cunning manipulations have been replaced by blackmail, insults, ruthlessness, and straightforward pressure from those who do not have to care about the presence of television cameras. Given the above-average occurrence of vulgarisms, this is not a work that would please and appeal to everyone, but those who prefer punchy shortcuts and cynical grins over empty flowery diplomatic speech will appreciate the qualities of In the Loop and also find out what actually happened with the launch of the invasion in Iraq. Overall impression: 90%.

Probably the most expensive film by Akira Kurosawa, thanks to some American financial injection, which allowed Kurosawa to depict magnificent war scenes and create a grand epic drama from the 16th century of Japanese history, when, similarly to Europe, the old age of noble clans and their fighting methods based on medieval tactics was slowly coming to an end. Kurosawa tried, as in his other films, to create a strong Shakespearean psychological drama, where an insignificant person is thrown by circumstances into the whirl of power intrigues and brutal battles. A little thief is supposed to play the role of a powerful feudal lord, the leader of the clan, who strives for a dominant position in Japan. But this is not a funny comedy like the Czech film The Emperor's Baker - The Baker's Emperor, but a fateful dark matter, where we witness in live transmission not only the destruction of one clan with its whole army but also the end of an era. Another significant turning point in Japan came in the 19th century with the Meiji reform movement. If there is something valuable here, it is, of course, the set design and the confrontation of different cultures, because late medieval Japan represents exoticism for a Central European. One could point out a certain theatricality - Takeda's double wears so much makeup to depict his despair, more than what is used up in an average theater performance. In addition, emotions are presented, as is customary in Kurosawa's historical dramas, in an immoderate amount; it is simply different from the more sober European approach. If this was filmed in the Euro-American area, I would be more critical and would recommend the director to do more editing and have more civilian acting, but I willingly forgive Kurosawa for his cinematic vision. Overall impression: 80%.

I have never really understood the enthusiasm that film critics and reviewers have for Věra Chytilová. I could never relate to her work and to some extent, her social views, activism, and feminism annoy me. I did a little recap of her and I would only be willing to give four stars to two of her films, with The Jester and the Queen being basically just a film adaptation of a play where Chytilová's personal contribution is not significant. Calamity is one of those films that leaves me indifferent. The screenplay is oddly fragmented, and the characters are mostly just figurines that Chytilová uses for some lines or pseudo-joke. The dialogues are downright forced. Thinking about it, even two stars are quite generous for the emotions that Chytilová prepared for me. Perhaps the biggest contribution is simply the presence of some prominent faces from Czechoslovak cinema of the 70s. Bolek Polívka is undoubtedly a very talented actor and comedian, but it is generally true that he needs stronger direction, and Chytilová couldn't quite handle him here. Overall impression: 40%.

Reviews of movies and series are usually derived from comparison, and unfortunately, I watched Caliphate only after finishing the excellent Israeli series Our Boys. It is among the rare titles that can be labeled as perfect, and precise, without any flaws or missteps. Caliphate is, let's say, fresh and made on a current topic, but it is far from a perfect experience. The acting performances are average in some cases, and the thought processes and actions of some of the characters evoke the feeling of the screenwriter's effort to go in a specified direction rather than a credible reality. I read somewhere a comparison to the American series Homeland, and I don't consider that a compliment. At times, there is clearly an attempt to make the story more attractive no matter what. Nevertheless, it is an interesting and recommendable series. Overall impression: 75%.

A very sparingly made film that relies on the impactful reconstruction of a real, brutal crime. The black and white camera dispassionately captures the perpetrators' narrative, the director uses mere hints where others would exploit the offered possibilities and realistically depict violence to increase attractiveness. It's exactly the kind of film that lingers with the audience for a long time and forces them to contemplate on the subjects of morality, guilt, and punishment. Well cast and acted. Overall impression: 90%.

The plot is, as usual, quite funny, but this time the visuals and the animation don't impress me. Both are too simple and you can't always blame it on when it was made. Overall impression: 40%.

"What about the glass?", asks the frontman of the Tango band in the main musical motif of the film, while Kachyňa, on the other hand, asks what to do with a life that has been diluted with so many compromises and concessions that it no longer brings joy. Kachyňa, for the second time shortly after A Good Light, presents a protagonist who is struggling with a mid-life crisis, combined this time with a clash with the world of pragmatic pragmatism, which his superior embraces, and an author's desire for honest work without compromises. It is true that I have seen better from Kachyňa, but after watching it several times I'm giving it an additional star. The second half of the 80s is reminiscent not only in the soundtrack but also in the overall mood of the film. The anger, helplessness, and aimlessness correspond to the feelings of many from that time. Moreover, Karel Heřmánek was experiencing the best period of his acting career at that time. Overall impression: 70%.

My review is influenced by nostalgia - I saw the movie and series on television a long time ago. It is a naive and cheap imitation of Star Wars, a B-movie spectacle that nowadays has meaning only as a springboard for the successful remake. Compared to today, the original movie and series are equally, and perhaps even more, naive than the original Star Trek compared to its current form. Overall impression: 35%.

No Man's Land is a fusion of three genres - a spy thriller, a romance set in exotic landscapes of the Middle East, and a war drama. A naive young man from secular Europe travels to Syria to search for his sister after not believing the news of her death. He becomes involved in a brutal conflict between the supporters of the Islamic State and Kurdish militias, with other significant players entering the scene. Against the backdrop of a civil war and the clash of ideologies, a personal conflict unfolds for several characters on both sides of the barricade, dealing with the conflict between love and friendship on one hand and ideals and duties on the other, often facing painful moral compromises. The script leads its protagonists through complicated and unpredictable paths, which I consider to be a strong aspect of the film. However, the cast also scores points with plenty of unfamiliar faces, especially Mélanie Thierry, who I need to keep an eye on. The contemporary world of TV series and films rides the wave of poster-manifesting feminism, which is opportunistic and unreliable, often even ridiculous. And yet I believe in this girl's strength and moral fortitude. The characters, including those who only get little space, are portrayed convincingly and without superficiality. Those for whom the series may not resonate are popcorn movie fans. No Man's Land doesn't cater to them. It is not a simplified film and it requires certain knowledge of the realities and your concentration. My overall impression is 90%, and I am looking forward to the second season, which the ending of the first directly encourages.