gudaulin

I like positive sci-fi and because the genre has received a nice beating from fantasy in the last two decades, and pure sci-fi films are currently quite rare. I should thus appreciate any film not teeming with wizards, elves, dragons, or mythical powers. Unfortunately, a lot more is needed for a quality experience and one of the fundamental things I insist on is for the fantastic world to be logical and fully functional within its system. Unfortunately, Surrogates completely fails in this regard. Practically the whole film submits to the superficial spectacle with slick visuals, top-notch special effects, a star-studded cast, and an overall bombastic production. However, the screenplay is full of holes and I would have to completely turn off my brain for this spectacle to become bearable for me. Some films only take a part of their source material and forfeit deeper meaning, but if they function within their invented world, I have no major objections to a popcorn spectacle. But Mostow's world is built on nonsense. It is simply subservient to us watching flashy chases ending with a helicopter crash or robot surrogates jumping from one car to another. It is even more disappointing considering the involvement of several excellent actors and the wasted budget. Overall impression: 25%.

This film could have become the ultimate mocking satire and at the same time a great comedy. The subject itself called for an ironic treatment, because the legend of Woodstock as one of the catalysts of the hippie movement was born as an unintended enchantment. Practically all the organizers and local residents saw the concert as a unique opportunity to get wasted the American way and any ideals were completely foreign to them. Thanks to incredible incompetence and underestimation of the situation, one of the biggest logistical failures in human history occurred. It was only by sheer luck and also because a significant portion of the participants were still recovering from previous partying and marijuana smoking, that a tragedy similar to Altamont, which happened three months later, did not occur. Although Ang Lee started off well, he soon deviated toward such a harmless celebration of the Woodstock legend and flower ideals that humor, let alone satire, soon disappears and the director simply strokes the hippie legend on the head, failing to live up to my initially high expectations. If there is something the film truly portrays well, it is the loosening of sexual prudery in the second half of the 60s. Many hippie ideals were lost, but this generation was much more open-minded and brought greater freedom to women, homosexuals, and basically everyone. It barely earns three stars, because the subject could have been used much more effectively. Overall impression: 50%.

The stories in Tales of the Black Freighter are extremely expressive and full of anger, hatred, blood, and darkness. They are about the desperate plight of a man whose friends and loved ones have been murdered, and on his journey of revenge, only dead companions and his own thoughts accompany him, thoughts that have gone beyond reason in the desire for revenge. I see it as a separate film, not connected to the comic. Still, it is highly interesting, albeit also morbid. Overall impression: 80%.

I did not rush to watch this movie, even though the series is among my favorites. However, the first reactions from fans and reviews warned me that this would not be my cup of tea, and my expectations were completely fulfilled. Not that Salvation doesn't have anything to offer, as it has a very decent budget, the special effects are good, and it also has a decent pace and action. In principle, the reviews are right, which mention the resemblance to Transformers or Mad Max. But that is precisely the kind of movie that doesn't appeal to me. The original Terminator managed to create a myth alongside action, realistic violence, and adventure elements thanks to a quality screenplay that strictly adhered to logic within its sci-fi construct, and that is simply something that the fourth installment lacks. The screenplay is stitched with a needle that is too hot, the plot contains a number of inconsistencies, and the overall concept is somewhat fantastical. It reminds me of sci-fi for older children. Just the appearance of the giant robots, as if they escaped from a construction set... Overall impression: 45%.

I can say for myself that I really enjoyed The Box, and if the director and screenwriter in-one had waited a little longer with the point and the tension had increased, my satisfaction would have been maximum. I realize that even many famous films often don't work at their core. Here, the mysterious atmosphere and omnipresent tension work very well. Actually, the only significant criticism I would have is towards Cameron Diaz's casting. Sweet Cameron, may she not be mad at me, has always been and remains just a typecast actress with limited range. In a film like The Box, the viewer's impression primarily depends on the performances, and it requires someone from among the best character actresses. I don't know, maybe Cameron Diaz was involved in the film as a co-producer, or the production demanded a famous face, but in any case, it was a mistake. Overall impression: 75%.

Hašek's Shweik is undoubtedly, in both its book and film form, a Czech national classic. An unpleasant characteristic of such a classic is the fact that everyone has a precise idea of how the film should be, which lines must be included in which scene, which actor is indispensable, and which scenes are crucial. The trouble is that the novel belongs to a handful of works that have crossed national borders and gained worldwide recognition. And therefore, it has caught the attention of foreign producers and directors. There is nothing more unjust than shooting down a film with a vague justification that it lacks an understanding of Czech mentality and realities. I quite enjoyed this Ukrainian-British animated version and consider it a pleasant variation of the world of the Good Soldier Schweik. Overall impression: 70%.

Animated films offer great opportunities for sci-fi stories because visions of alternate worlds do not require a bombastic budget. The Incident at Tower 37 does not attempt to create a cohesive world and does not present a long story about its characters. In scope, it resembles short published sci-fi stories. Somewhere, there is a device that for some reason drains water from the local landscape and turns it into a hostile desert. The locals don't like this and take subversive action, which is met with a response from the device's operators. However, this response is not devoid of emotions like sympathy, and everything leads to catharsis. It's not groundbreaking, it's not top-notch, but is is a likable piece of work. Overall impression: 70%.

Sometimes, when reading comments and discussions about movies, I think about how the endless offer of TV programs and the digital era, which allows for downloading and thus flooding viewers, has spoiled us movie fans and led to a feeling of saturation. New movies and TV shows that can't rely on a sense of nostalgia thus lose the advantage of shows seen in childhood, and often they only receive average reviews, even though they are very well made. The International is not one of those groundbreaking films that will be discussed and quoted in professional journalism, and leading critics will not write lengthy essays about it. However, it is a well-executed genre film, which, from my point of view, is catapulted into the four-star category by Owen's charisma and his top-notch passionate acting. True, the screenplay is not groundbreaking, but it also does not contain any logical inconsistencies or plot holes. It has quality dialogues, decent character psychology and convincing motivations, and a thrilling shootout in a museum that even a top action movie would not be ashamed of. In short, I have no reason to give it less than an overall impression of 75%.

The Joneses would like to be a smart satire that targets the consumerist lifestyle and the American dream, but the film lacks balls and loses points by operating within the well-established safe framework of mainstream American films produced by calculating managers of big studios. The film doesn't work as comedy or drama because, at crucial moments, it lacks the courage to truly bite, be cynical, and be merciless. However, it is a professionally made film that is unquestionably above-average, and for about 3/4 of it, I thought I was watching a movie that I would give 4 stars to, even though they would be weaker, they would still be achieved. But then came Steve's confession to lies and manipulation, after which the film basically became a cheap morality tale, and the final happy ending topped it off. But then I reflected and realized that the film fails in what it wants to be (among other things because it's absurd for top-paid stars, who are famous for their consumerist lifestyle, to shoot an anti-consumerist satire), but on the other hand, it works very well as a romantic love story with an original plot. It's solidly cast and acted (I would like to note that I don't particularly like Demi Moore, but here she matched the type and acting required of her). Overall impression: 70%.

Even with the best intentions, one can sometimes encounter an ungrateful reaction, and so the diligent doctor, along with the entire team, passionately fights for the life of an old lady who desires nothing more than to pass on to the other world, just to receive a proper punch from her afterward. The dark humor, which seems to have come from the TV series Dead Like Me, and only the pace and craziness correspond to the style of animated American slapstick. Wit, perspective, and dynamism. Overall impression: 80%.