gudaulin

Many people expected that Oliver Stone and George Bush would settle things without scruples and that a political pamphlet would emerge rather than a biographical drama. For the American left, Bush's victory was a slap in the face. After all, let's admit seriously that it was on the edge of legitimacy and tested American institutions and society to the utmost. Strangely enough, Stone approached the material with the utmost seriousness and wanted to make a dignified drama. But, alas, screenwriter Stanley Weiser unfortunately didn't excel and the result was also marked by the fact that Bush Jr. simply wasn't a charismatic personality. Instead, he was in the right place at the right time, with his advisors from public relations doing the work for him. The only thing that stands out in the film is Josh Brolin's great performance in the lead role. That is clearly a five-star affair. Everything else is forgettable and, within Stone's filmography, this piece belongs to the least remarkable films. Overall impression: 45%.

When Paterson premiered in movie theaters, I was experiencing a small biographical withdrawal and desperately looked around to satisfy my "craving" for a movie theater. Although the reviews, comments, and professional reviews were great, based on my own experience, Jarmusch belongs to a group of creators where this way of gathering information and forming an image of the film doesn't work because the director's cult distorts qualified debate. Personally, I divide Jarmusch's work into two groups. The first includes Dead Man or Night on Earth, and the second Only Lovers Left Alive. The second group openly bores me and evokes indifference; I would rather place Coffee and Cigarettes in the second group. The first two stories set my expectations at a freezing point. I wanted to give up, but fortunately, I knew that there would be better stories, like the dialogue of the sisters in the charming double role of Cate Blanchett. This dialogue is often used as an acting exercise in art schools. However, there are fewer of the more interesting stories and they cannot lift the whole to an average level. Jarmusch often works with banality and stereotype, but not in any innovative way. It's rather tiresome, and shallow, sometimes based solely on the presence of a celebrity, other times on a single joke that is stretched to several minutes and cannot fill the space. Several of the stories that have a point have essentially banal messages. That Jarmusch's numerous fan club probably considers it a discovery of America and so on, and is also fascinated by the static form based on repetition, is a different matter. Jarmusch often works with minimalism but here it sometimes borders on insulting the viewer. The only interesting thing about his movie for me is that he filmed a tobacco-infused film at the same time when tobacco was being rapidly pushed out of public spaces in the USA. Regardless of whether Jarmusch intended the film as a nostalgic reflection of past times or an artistic protest against the loss of a certain freedom and experience, I do not share his stance. Overall impression: 45%.

This is how I imagine the fulfillment of the phrase "digital plague." Peter Jackson is diligently stealing from himself and showing that in the name of financial gain, he is capable of sinking low. The first Hobbit film already showed all his weaknesses by padding the plot with filler, and the inability to lead the storyline meaningfully, and the third film just tops it all off. Those who like attractions will enjoy the films but towards the end, I only felt resignation and disgust. Overall impression: 40%. I don't know how Tolkien would react to The Lord of the Rings films, but this piece of crap would surely hurt him...

This could have been a great neorealist drama supported by the presence of great film stars, led by Alain Delon. It could have brought the audience closer to the difference between the lifestyle in the Italian countryside and in the industrial metropolis, as well as the contrast between the value system of the conservative Italian south and the liberal view of the world by the northerners. It could have if Visconti hadn't drowned it in sentiment, overacting, and disgustingly melodramatic sentimentality. I wonder what the truth is behind Italian temperament. I have seen a number of Italian movies where the characters behaved civilly and contrary to the common stereotypes we have about hot-blooded Italians. Here, I find the behavior of the characters strangely affected and exaggerated, and I have a similar problem with historical films by Akira Kurosawa. Where the film was supposed to emotionally climax, i.e., the confrontation between Simon and Nada, the overacting by the actors bothered me so much that the whole impression was ruined. I cannot forgive the traditional criticism of Visconti's repeated flaw, that is, the three-hour runtime. There is a lot that could have been edited out. I also disagree with Visconti's idealization and worship of the "unspoiled" countryside based on tradition and family ties, which he contrasts with the urban lifestyle. The defense of a peculiarly conceived honor, morality, and family cohesion is, in fact, the reason why the mafia and its regional mutations, clientelism, and corruption still thrive in Italy today. Overall impression: 45%. Once again, Luchino, you have not pleased me. I'm not going to please you either... But don't worry, this really is the last time.

The series falls into a genre that I like, and the name of the original author should have been a guarantee, or at least a prerequisite, for solid entertainment. I should have been excited, but I approached the project with skepticism associated with the name Susanne Bier. I ironically nicknamed her the Rosamunde Pilcher of the festival scenes and consider her to be overrated on the global scale. I can imagine The Night Manager as a spy crime drama with adventurous elements about a mole deployed in an illegal organization. I can also imagine it working great under Kathryn Bigelow or decently directed by Agnieszka Holland, but with Susanne Bier, it's a disaster. The series is neither gripping nor impressive, and it's certainly not convincing. I criticize it for the lack of action and the chattiness of the series. However, I also have a problem with the style, expressive means, and emotions it relies on. Bier directs not a crime story, but a romantic miniseries made by a woman for women, where the main hero seems more like a sexual object than a secret agent. The driving forces behind his actions are love affairs and emotions in general. Seemingly incomprehensible comparisons with James Bond have their justification, even though you would look in vain for action elements in the series. The difference is that the Bond series is sexist, and filmed from the perspective of a dominant alpha male, while The Night Manager is gender-swapped. The focal point is not sex and action, but relationships. Not only the hero's love affairs but also his relationship with the main villain's son, for example. I feel no need to change anything about my rejecting attitude towards Susanne Bier's work, her handling of characters, or her storytelling. Overall impression: 45%.

Representatives of American studios will probably find my well-intentioned advice unconvincing, but just in case, here you go: When you next want to rehabilitate a fairy tale archvillain, don't skimp and hire a capable screenwriter alongside the cast and crew. I have nothing against alternative stories and different perspectives - I can even accept a gingerbread house being portrayed as a raid by ill-behaved imps destroying an old witch's dwelling, who in a sudden burst of emotion decides to deal with her lack of protein. Just write and film it in a way that makes sense within the context of the fairy tale world and its rules. Unfortunately, Maleficent fails in this aspect. The king, who faces a curse from his only daughter, the queen of the magical world, doesn't have her guarded like his most precious possession by an army of servants, but instead entrusts her upbringing to three clearly inept and quarrelsome fairies - representatives of the world with which he is at war. Nobody watches over the girl, and she regularly meets with the queen of the magical realm without any problems. Except for Maleficent, the other characters are underdeveloped, and in the end, the film relies on traditional Hollywood weapons - set design and special effects. Angelina handles her part with ease, while the other actors don't bring much to the table. I'm somewhat bothered by the visual style that caters to kids and the biggest kitsch enthusiasts. But then again, what can I expect from a family spectacle? Overall impression: 45%.

Rob Marshall relies on superficial attractiveness, extravagance, and exoticism. His film is not intended for the Japanese audience, as it would probably be inappropriate to cast an actress of Chinese origin in a key role. The film has great visuals, at least in the first half, with the camera gliding along the winding streets of the historic district full of undulating roofs, the graceful curves of young beauties, their meticulous make-up, and elegant kimonos. While the form is polished, the content represents a banal fairytale about how a poor girl eventually found happiness through countless hardships and obstacles, fulfilling her desires. It is shallow and, considering the excessively long runtime, quite empty. The beginning is promising, but the rawness lasts only about 15 minutes, and then it just plays along without providing any statement about the time, society, or specific characters. Though Memoirs of a Geisha looks nearly perfect, it lacks spirit and without it, it is only halfway there. It resembles Christmas decorations - beautiful at first sight, shiny, but hollow and with a short lifespan. Overall impression: 45%.

I understand that film journalism and artistic criticism considered Cikán's Battalion a showcase of Czech cinema during that era, but after 80 years I find few merits that would still speak to me today. The film is primarily an attempt at a social drama, for which it receives one star, and the second star is for the cast, for example, for Eduard Kohout, who brilliantly played the tragicomic character of a deluded fool convinced that he is a noble. Eman Fiala, in the tragic role of pianist Lojzík, appeared significantly old for 27, and František Smolík proves why he was considered one of the greatest actors of his time. However, it lacks raw realism, and it is rather sentimental, polished, and idealized in a bourgeois way for my taste. Additionally, some of the actors could not avoid theatrical exaggeration. In short, the flaws of Czech cinema of the 1930s cannot be denied even in this case. Overall impression: 45%.

We already saw this long ago. Tobias Weber revived the old idea of the Czechoslovak kinoautomat from the 60s. Once upon a time in the 80s, people from all over the country sat down in front of their TVs to decide what would happen on the screen by collectively connecting electrical appliances. Of course, Late Shift is much more hi-tech, and the film reflects the tastes of the young generation in the age of social media and ubiquitous applications. I have no problem with Tobias Weber's direction and the cast, and they receive two stars for it. Unfortunately, the film suffers from a bad screenplay, as too much energy was devoted by the creative team to the gaming essence, instead of working on the characters and the meaningfulness of their actions. Everything here is too straightforward, and the events on the screen do not stem from the characters' motivations and the logic of the plot, but rather from the screenwriter's desire to take it where he needs it to go. Sometimes it's just slightly naive and toothless, and in other places, it reeks of stupidity. Of course, if you turn off your brain, and indulge in the view of luxury fast cars, a sexy girl, adventure, tension, and, above all, pressing buttons on a smartphone, then you may not find it bad. However, I belong to those who followed the advice that if I don't like playing, I should focus on the film and enjoy it. Unfortunately, for me, it did not pass the test for those filmmaking reasons. By the way, although Late Shift is technically far more advanced, it suffers from certain flaws. Often, the viewer decides not in crucial situations, but in trivial ones, and it even kills the form. Late Shift is a stupid thriller. But filming something cool and smart, like the first Ritchie films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch would be a treat. Overall impression: 45%. It may not have anything to do with the quality of the film, but I have to praise the marketing idea because those seven alternative endings practically call for the enthusiastic fan to spend money repeatedly at the movie theater.

I saw Tron: Legacy on TV in a classic 2D version, but I can vividly imagine how impressive it would be in a large movie theater with 3D. However, the second star is actually for my imagination because what I criticize about Tron wouldn't even be saved by a 5D version. Tron is a one-dimensional action spectacle with visually attractive visuals but completely devoid of emotion, it's sterile, and moreover, aimed at a completely different target audience. The world of computer games has never fascinated me, so this film doesn't have any charm for me. It doesn't work as a thriller or as sci-fi. I would really love to see a dark adventurous cyberpunk film, but Tron: Legacy has nothing to do with that. Overall impression: 40%.