gudaulin

Contemporary comedy pulsating in the style of communal satire of the then widely spread decadence, so that the viewer laughs and the film avoids the essence of problems. Thanks to the decent cast, it is a bearable matter, with the performances of Petr Kostka and Jorga Kotrbová standing out in memory. Overall impression 45%.

During the premiere, I had the urge to visit the movie theater and alleviate the withdrawal symptoms of my addiction to good films. Paterson seemed like a solid opportunity, given the enthusiastic reviews of others. However, my previous encounter with Jarmusch's vampire lovers ended in significant disappointment, and those who sing odes to Paterson were similarly enthralled by Only Lovers Left Alive. I enjoyed Jarmusch in the 90s when titles like Dead Man or Night on Earth represented a small film festival for me, and I didn't hesitate to visit the movie theater because of them. Since Coffee and Cigarettes, his melancholic poetry, minimalism, and fascination with stereotype and banality began to gnaw at me a bit, and step by step, I began to lose interest. Paterson confirmed to me that our breakup was final. What others find charming, I find tiresome. I honestly can't appreciate the film's mood and Jarmusch no longer has any surprises for me. The only thing left is to see how his 90s works, which I loved so much, will affect me upon repeated viewing. Overall impression: 40%.

An atypical western distinguished by a nostalgic mood, enhanced by excellent music and color filters tuned to sandy hues. While the film breaks certain myths and genre conventions, it creates others in turn. Primarily, it constructs the romantic myth of outlaws as followers and protectors of freedom. They were, pardon the expression, rather ordinary thugs and thieves, who, as the film rightly points out, often, under the pressure of civilization and pragmatism, became guardians of justice, sheriffs, and their deputies. Former comrades from criminal gangs often found themselves pitted against each other. Essentially, Sam Peckinpah idealizes the old Wild West and sees the advancing civilization as the decay of old positive values. However, that civilization brought with it the rule of law and social certainties. Beyond that, those old gunslingers didn't have as good aim as Peckinpah's films might suggest. Overall impression: 75%. It's nonetheless a decently acted and directed western where style is elevated above substance.

Rough fantasy fairy tale that partially reminded me of Barbara Conan. It has about as much in common with the historical reality of the Vikings as I do as an atheist with the function of a Roman Catholic cardinal. Within the genre, it is clearly below average in terms of both screenplay and direction. The costumes are perhaps worth mentioning... Overall impression 25%.

Even many decades later, Paths of Glory still ranks among the most impressive (anti)war films, and very little can be criticized about it. In this film, all important emotions are concentrated and all possible character traits clash. Heroism meets cowardice, idealism meets cynicism, self-sacrifice meets selfishness, and faith meets despair. Kubrick managed to perfectly immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of trenches being bombarded by artillery shells and a desolate no-man's land torn apart by the scars of explosions and covered in the wreckage of war madness. Paths of Glory represents the pinnacle of education, especially for cinematographers. Every shot is a visual delight. The absurd scene of a military trial of alleged cowards, intended to disguise the senselessness of an attack by a weakened unit against a military fortress, is an indictment of all military and political systems that consider their citizens to be mere cannon fodder for their interests. Overall impression: 95%.

When it premiered, I gave Payback 4 stars and I must admit with a certain blush that it charmed me in its own way - and I am not a fan of the genre or even Mel Gibson. It is a film made with ease and it is straightforward, simple, genre-pure, and a cool ride where the pace never slackens and the usual clichés are presented tastefully and with a pervasive sense of irony. On the other hand, as the years went by and I read the book, it impressed me much more with its darkness, complexity, and ambiguity. Besides, it is impossible not to notice how the film approaches the character of the violent, murderous, and thieving protagonist, presenting him to the viewer as a likable rascal. This story is hard to believe, and I left behind my teenage years when I would have identified with this portrayal a long time ago. Overall impression: 60%.

My first encounter with Peaky Blinders was charming. I am a big fan of 19th-century industrial architecture, those old railway station buildings, and classic factories with their unmistakable appearance. In this series, I had the opportunity to see it come alive and fully functional. Flames were bursting, smoke was billowing, and workers were running around, and I had just been transported back in time a hundred years. The second plus was the luxurious cast led by the charismatic Cillian Murphy. My two stars are specifically for the above-mentioned. The rest of it started to get on my nerves in a short period of time, despite my high expectations based on the high ratings and praises on FilmBooster. I will start with the highly acclaimed musical aspect of the project. Let me make it clear, I consider the soundtrack great and I would gladly listen to it. Unfortunately, it fits the series about as well as a medieval Cathedral surrounded by a group of 20th-century functionalist buildings. It does not fit the stylish retro at all, the ideal would be a combination with a modern dynamic thriller. The musical component does not fit not only in terms of expression but also in terms of tempo. Secondly, in the comments, the exceptional nature of the work is often emphasized from a content perspective. Personally, I feel that the screenwriters followed instructions that were once written by Umberto Eco in his collection of essays on skeptics about how a well-selling pop culture piece made for maximizing profit should look. It is simply composed of ingredients that are easily understandable to the widest range of viewers and, moreover, made in such a cool style, like slow-motion shots, detailed shots of grim faces full of emotions, i.e., those proven and somewhat cheap tools, which the recently watched parody series Darkplace superbly and rightfully makes fun of. I don't blame Peaky Blinders for being cool. Both seasons of the American series Fargo are cool too, and the British series Luther is spot-on, and I loved them. However, what I cannot forgive Peaky Blinders for is the romanticized treatment, sentimentality, and moral relativization. It is often compared to the American series Boardwalk Empire. However, that series acts as the complete opposite of Peaky Blinders. It is analytical and, in my opinion, precisely captures the history of organized crime in the USA. It portrays its characters as charismatic and capable individuals in their own way, but it does not allow the viewer to form an emotional bond with them. On the contrary, it depicts them as incapable of building a family foundation, as megalomaniacs and human monsters. It removes any veneer from them. Peaky Blinders, on the other hand, purposefully creates a bond between the viewer and its protagonists, forcing you to root for them and sympathize with them. The American series Boardwalk Empire may not portray the guardians of order and political elites in a flattering light, but in Peaky Blinders, the members of the criminal underworld appear morally superior and more sympathetic side of the conflict. And finally, if Peaky Blinders is described as a cruel, uncompromising, and bloody spectacle, then I have the exact opposite impression of the first season. The motive of the relationship between the main character and the undercover policewoman feels like it came from a Mexican telenovela, and the character of the amoral police commissioner had to have been dug up from Victor Hugo's literary legacy. Of course, I cannot rule out that everything will turn for the better in the second season, but the final episode of the first season left me with a truly depressing impression. I have never seen a more theatrical scene of two criminal gangs clashing. Overall impression: 45% mainly for the truly successful atmosphere of the dirty working-class district of industrial England in the first half of the 20th century.

Hrabal can be felt a mile away in his individual stories, and raw poeticism is truly typical of him in the Czech environment. In the '60s, young New Wave filmmakers made it their duty and honor to adapt at least a part of his work into film. The influence of the New Wave's filmmaking techniques is also strongly noticeable in this episodic film, meaning the use of non-professional actors, minimal interference in their dialogues, and an effort for maximum authenticity of the setting. Unfortunately, my overall impression is dampened by the use of low-quality film material, which has been affected by the passage of time. In some cases, I simply could not understand the non-actors' lines and the actions of Menzel and Chytilová sometimes felt like filmmaking mannerisms. Nevertheless, the film does have several strong and deeply human moments, and the final romance between a Roma girl and a factory apprentice is both comical and sentimental. Overall impression: 55%. In the individual stories, it is clearly evident that the later famous filmmakers were still learning as they went along and that they were rather self-absorbed, with the viewer as a consumer of their work not being of great concern. The use of musical motifs is problematic, some of which I considered to be truly disharmonious attacks on my eardrums, and in consideration of my neighbors, I constantly had to adjust the volume. Either I couldn't hear the dialogues or I was overwhelmed by organ or other musical outputs.

Originally, I had no reason to waste time with this series, as there are many shows and significantly less free time. The flood of categorically formulated waste and terrifyingly negative comments sparked my curiosity as to whether it is really as bad as the legends claim. After the roughly 20 minutes that I spent with the snowman, I must confirm that from time to time public opinion aligns with reality. Attempts at situational gags can be divided into two categories - roughly half and half: the first completely miss the mark in terms of not only my concept of humor, but I fear also anyone's concept of humor because it is desperately awkward and unfunny. The second half has potential, but it is killed by bad acting, and incompleteness, and it's rushed; I can imagine that it would work if there were different actors. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Coincidentally, I am currently watching the British series The League of Gentlemen, where the truly inappropriate humor is often on the edge, but what the Czech group is doing is far away from this not just by one, but several galaxies. It reminds me of the stories from the members of the Monty Python group about how their sketches were created. They spent hours working on them, refining, transforming, adjusting, crossing out, and rejecting. Here, I am afraid that the Czech sketches were created on the fly by public television. Overall impression: 5%.

Moland's film is essentially an inconspicuous and gentle satire on the fate of the Western European radical left, which had its golden era in the turbulent 60s. It is not a film for everyone, and the sober rating reflects that, but those interested in the subject will be rewarded with a well-thought-out script, decent acting, and above all, an excellent analysis of the relevant social phenomenon. The film may not abound in top-notch gags and does not aim to make viewers laugh, but rather deliberately ironizes the futile radicalism, ideologism, and detachment from reality of those who assumed the right to speak on behalf of the masses and improve the world. The story of a university teacher and his love affair is as unsuccessful as the attempts of the radical left to build communism. The film does not make it easy for the viewer; casting Kristofer Hivju in the role of a lover and intellectual is quite daring and goes against his typical casting, which usually places him in darker horror or thriller roles. Additionally, the story has its tragic side, which becomes apparent in the end. I do have a slight criticism of the film in that its formal aspect slightly lags behind its intellectual content. Overall impression: 90%.