Marigold

A filmmaking failure of gargantuan proportions. A film in which categories of characters, time and space (so precisely built and well-functioning in the first film) fatally collapse, and only a shapeless and unconventional mix of shots that often lack any logic and rational intent remains. The work of destruction is completed by eerily monotonous music, a bad camera and editing of the battle sequences, the pitiful non-acting of Nikita's beloved Nadežda, and an absolutely desperate absence of opinion and any message. Michalkov can talk about what he wanted to accomplish with this film (good, god, the metaphysics of war), but the fact remains that he has only achieved the absolute negation of his once generalistic and disciplined style. The paradox can't be worse – the more shots a film has, the more its cluelessness and emptiness stand out. I guarantee that I waited for the longer version.

The most significant cliché wrapped in talk of space-time and causality, served in a Bollywood pompous three-pack. From my point of view, a bloated boring bubble which, after bursting, leaves nothing but a musty smell of sweet phrases and sly jokes about life and everything else. We can compare it to The Fountain, we can compare it to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, we can compare it to The Butterfly Effect... regarding the first one on the list, Mr. Nobody lacks visually and in terms of acting, for the second his ideas are not good enough, and for the third he does not have the tension. A film that declares that life is a playground, but instead of playing, it pretends to be something it can't be. Thank you, not interested.

The black-and-white surreal metaphor depicts in a ruthless light the contemporary world of managers and true Russian luxury in Estonia. It blasphemously intertwines a new version of the legend of the saint with uncompromising absurdity and an extremely demanding form for spectators. The result is a hard-to-access, but internally a very rich web of symbols and meanings. Ordinary viewers not allowed, highly recommended to movie perverts. [IFF KV 2010]

The award-winning film by Michael Noer and Tobias Lindholm finds itself in the environment of a Danish prison, which was also seen by the heroes of Vinterberg's Submarino. The film, rightly compared to A Prophet, surpasses the French film in my view with its rawness, grip and straightforwardness. The eerily authentic view of the fate of two young men destined to be torn apart by savage criminal animals stands out for its brilliant camera, heartfelt acting and minimalist sound track. A truly first-class genre film with a very bitter reverberation. [IFF KV 2010]

Thomas Vinterberg's film Submarino is a harsh social drama about two brothers who try to overcome childhood trauma on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Through its inner strength, this sophisticatedly shot and extremely emotional story reminds that the author is a co-creator of Dogma 95. However, he moves away from the austere manifesto with an intertwined general story, rich musical accompaniment and stylized visuals. The film is an emotionally devastating experience, which will fortunately find its way to Czech movie theatres and is the current peak of the Karlovy Vary Festival. [KVIFF 2010]

Greenlandic cinema is indeed in its infancy, as the film Nuummioq, which was successfully screened at this year's Sundance, is the first film made on the island. The pioneering wandering is clearly visible in the film, both in the technical component and in the somewhat unbalanced scenario. Carpenter Malik learns that he has an incurable disease, but due to the fact that he is a withdrawn individual, he is unable to share his grief with his loved ones other than through a journey through the rugged landscape of Greenland. The Old Testament strict exteriors and very good non-actors are even more humanized by the aforementioned imperfection, and the result is a quirky and pleasant film that reveals more than enough about the nature of the people of Greenland. [KVIFF 2010]

Dutch filmmaker John Appel personally dealt with the phenomenon of gambling, both his and his father’s. The subjectively colored testimony of The Player introduces the viewer in a very cultivated way to the preserve of people for whom risk is a drug and an unpredictable home. The author interweaves several specific stories of contemporary players with memories of his father, a gambler with almost Hrabal-like romantic inclinations toward palavering and folly. A pleasant and quality experience in terms of craft. [KVIFF 2010]

The drama from civil war-torn Chad is shot in a sophisticated French style, with a moving story, but it is also a model case of being touching. It’s all literally said and presented not for reflection, but for a kind of engaged sniffling. I simply do not like films like this. [KVIFF 2010]

The Killer Inside Me promised a lively crime show in a fitting retro stetson. The film, based on the novel by cult "pulper" Jim Thompson, stands out especially due to its sly appearance and the voice of Casey Affleck, who explicitly enjoys studying deadly perversion under the facade of a perfect good guy and carries the entire film, which sometimes bends a little under the weight of imposed erotic scenes and chattering dialogues. The excellent musical dramaturgy, strong cast, and tobacco-smelling Coen spirit of the harsh detective story really gets going at the end, in which, instead of stripping, Jessica Alba tries to act, and Winterbottom, who had been restrained up to this point, reaches for B-movie fiery properties. [KVIFF 2010]

Anahi Berneri's film follows a slice of middle-class life over one turbulent night, the turbulent journey of a mother with her children to a hospital, and the creeping suspicion of those around her that she hurt her younger son herself. The realistic drama outlines the crisis of the modern family and growing aggression in everyday life, but the closer the camera gets to the protagonist and the longer the details that capture her are, the worse the unsatisfactory feeling of emptiness, invincibility and emotional impotence. Although the author is hot-blooded Hispanic in her approach, she reveals far too little about her characters. And the radiant rubber interior of the Espace Dorleans movie theatre only fulfilled the impression of a brutal sauna without a cleansing ice bath. [KVIFF 2010]