lamps

One of the most beautiful and touching declarations of love ever depicted in live-action and animated film, but also with a ton of purposeful pathos, which cannot be completely ignored given that it attacks the viewer from virtually every beautifully animated shot and musical motif. My hat is off to the director for the breathtaking visuals and I applaud the captivating poetic concept, but that doesn't change the fact that the sugar made my teeth hurt a lot this time. 85%

It hasn't been true for a long time that a movie with Nic Cage equals a good movie, and the days when similar, honestly made action flicks were far more popular than a romantic couple of vampires are almost gone. 60 Seconds, however, has the advantage that it still belongs to the golden era of Cage's filmography, while also boasting a really honest, straightforward and no less entertaining execution, which basically lives up to its racing name, thanks to which everybody can gladly forgive the film for making national heroes out of expensive car thieves and for the flimsy script that is completely devoid of emotion and, unfortunately, without much flair. And on top of that, there's Angelina Jolie, who, even with her unconventional Nordic hairstyle, is so sexy that there's no better fuel for a ride of this quality. For me, better than the over-stylish first Fast and Furious. 75%

This is no second In Bruges, but the rest is something I didn’t expect. McDonagh has swapped a smart black-humour tale of human nature and honour for a postcultural uncensored romp a bit in the vein of Pulp Fiction, expanded it with a few racy story detours, and included some memorable characters who can really ruin your life if you mess with them. But Seven Psychopaths has a couple of things in common with In Bruges. First of all, it's the absolutely great cast, including the traditionally unstable Farrell, the peculiar Sam Rockwell, who was probably unintentionally the biggest star of the film, the psychopathic gangster Woody Harrelson, who’s capable of anything for his little dog, and my favourite, Christopher Walken, who once again shows that he doesn't belong to the old guard yet. And then, of course, is McDonagh's brilliant direction, which gives each shot a fresh touch and somehow mysteriously manages to bring a certain amount of humanity to a purely absurd narrative, and to make the viewer feel invested in the fate of the heroes. The last star escaped because of the ending, where the actions of some of the characters were too cinematic and incomprehensible (this was also true In Bruges, but presented in an unforgettable and cinematically imaginative way). Though it's true that the moment Rockwell recounted the dream final shootout by the fire, I had no doubt about the full rating. In any case, McDonagh scores strongly again and given that he is still relatively young, we certainly have more to look forward to from him in the future. 4.5*

It's terrible bollocks, but some of the jokes work surprisingly well, and especially the parody of The Happiness Insurance and The Lord of the Rings wasn't bad.

Everything bad is good for something. Joel Schumacher knew this well when, after the colossal failure of his big-budget Batman films, he turned his attention to more modest, psychologically solid projects in the late 90s, crowned by this famous depressing thriller. The plot, however simple, powerfully draws the viewer into the sordid world of perverted pornography, underpinned primarily by the perspective of the shocked main character, portrayed more than convincingly by Nicolas Cage still in his golden era. The pacing is perhaps a little too brisk given the seriousness of the premise and the psychological ambitions, the production design could occasionally push the envelope in terms of darkness and violence, and there are a few cheesy motifs (Cage finds immediately a diary that the police have been searching for in vain for God knows how long), but the atmosphere is nonetheless suffocating from the opening moments to the last shot, and the terrific actors (especially Phoenix and Stormare) raise the authenticity and sense of revulsion to highly satisfying heights. The ending admittedly dissolves that authenticity in favour of action satisfaction (this is the most significant difference from Se7en, also by Andrew Kevin Walker), but fortunately it doesn’t feel overstuffed and the filmmakers surprise with ideas that you simply won't see anywhere else (Cage's phone call and request for permission)... Definitely one of the most interesting and ultimately best thrillers of the nineties; where are those golden times…

A formal bow to an era where adolescence still was defined by teenage parties, skateboards and music culture, and when the authentic, though today hardly watchable video format was the rule. A story with a shabby concept and predictable twists, but made with humour and with the heart of a boy that in that era wandered the streets with a video camera and dreamt about a future where he would no longer have to crouch under the weight of a depressive environment of poverty. Perfect casting, awesome soundtrack and Fuckshit – with deserved (not only) underground cult status.

While some famous directors have built their films on the invisibility of their own style, Godard does the opposite in his debut. His editing and framing changes are disproportionately expressive in relation to the somewhat austere story, which is much more like a panorama of the entire tradition of the imaginary subgenre of crime-comedy than a modernist intellectual celebration, and it’s the director's striking style that anchors it in its own originality. Leaping cuts as the main manipulator of the temporal plane, characters speaking directly to the camera as if in urgent need of confidentiality, and sudden series of quick cuts to expressive details; all this, not to mention the innovative incorporation of ambient noises into the soundtrack and titillating sexual dialogues, creates a fictional world that we simply enjoy watching and discovering its laws. And on top of that, the perfect character of Belmondo, a dude whose charisma and wit must have inspired most of the James Bond stories. He also has a great deal to do with the film's appeal to today's audiences.

A more than solid B-movie that, among other things, surprises with the fact it was not so much about the escape after all. Martin Campbell was born a good craftsman and Ray Liotta has enough charisma to make his character likeable. Naturally, it could have been a more depressive and distinctive spectacle (the conditions on the island, with which they creators could have played a lot, are pretty generic, just like the villains), but probably nobody thought of that. Quite alright, including the well though-out ending. 65%

One of those cases where a single actor can pull off an entire film all by himself. Ace Ventura is an insane, unbridled and not particularly funny comedy, but Jim Carrey's rubbery face and maybe also Bohdan Tůma's great czech dubbing will make you enjoy it like no other. I probably won’t watch it again, but I have too many memories from the first time... 70%

The incredible Jim Carrey – it's up to you how you take it, because this is exactly the kind of film where his acting and associated sick humour will forever divide fans into two hostile camps. I don’t mind this madman, on the contrary I bow to his tireless creativity, but unfortunately everything around him bothered me a bit. Even a full-feature one man show needs a proper and meaningful story, it’s a fact... 55%