gudaulin

Over the years, I gradually watched all three of Zelenka's mystifying films, and even though none of them was a flop, the first one - Mňága - Happy End, left the best impression on me. It's not only because it was the first and therefore original. For such mystification to work on you, you have to have a relationship with the director's object of interest - the stronger, the better. I grew up with the band Mňága, whereas I never listened to Visací zámek and their work was completely beyond me. Only the most knowledgeable fan will appreciate the game with identity and absurdity. At the same time, it is true that for similar projects, only a slight exaggeration is most effective - a position where only an insider can tell if it is ironic. That's why the once-appreciated Year of the Devil did not impress me as much as I expected - it was too over-stylized. Here, I find a few really good ideas, but as a whole, it's only worth three stars. Overall impression: 60%.

I'm paradoxically reviewing the first part of the loose trilogy last. I saw it at the premiere and now I saved it for the end to confirm or refute my former impressions. Along with it, I actually account for the whole series and I give three stars for the overall image of the Copenhagen art gallery. Pusher does not lack energy and courage nor the effort to be authentic. The story is simple. After one botched delivery, the money and drugs are gone, and there's only an unpleasant debt with the customer, who has more than enough hands for dirty enforcement work. What brings Pusher down are typically Tarantino-like flaws, especially careless dramaturgy. The director is more focused on style and atmosphere than on storytelling. The pair of crooks drive through the streets for too long and spews out macho nonsense - I know that it's part of their character, but to this extent, it strongly smacks of self-indulgence. The behavior of the characters doesn't make sense in some cases. What in the world was the purpose of Frank's robbery with his girlfriend - at that moment, the director got him where he needed to, but it goes against the character and logic of the situation. I'm giving it three stars, but I'm not enthusiastic about it. Refn wanted to entertain and used music video elements so typical for the work of young filmmakers from the 90s. As a serious drama, it's too shallow and if I want to be entertained, Guy Ritchie doesn't play at having any deep exploration, but he entertains more effectively. I add a third star for the duo of big names in Scandinavian cinema - Kim Bodnia and Mads Mikkelsen. Coincidentally, I am currently watching the former in the series The Bridge from a few years ago, and it's an interesting comparison. Overall impression: 55%.

Perhaps no other TV series has concentrated all the strong and weak points of American production like Bates Motel. From every frame, you can feel a high level of professionalism and an effort to make a hit, the selection of actors is careful and successful, the plot is attractive, and it is also a safe bet due to the popularity of Hitchcock's Psycho. However, in the end, it uncomfortably drags on. Close to our home, we have a pond that the owner uses for commercial fishing. He serves everything to the customers right under their noses, and in the densely stocked pond, everyone effortlessly finds their fish in the end. Bates Motel works similarly. In the desire for commercial success, the series has widely spread out, developing three storylines that deserve their own shows. One of them focuses on young Norman and his developing mental illness, the second focuses on the lives of local teenagers, and the third, for me the most enticing one, follows the rivalry between two local gangs over control of the marijuana cultivation industry, which supports the local economy. In the midst of all this, Norman's family makes twists and turns. These mentioned storylines sometimes intertwine successfully, but much more often they clash with each other. From an acting perspective, the excellent Vera Farmiga succumbed to the temptation and, as a co-producer of the series, steered her character from an unsympathetic dominant, and manipulative bitch, to an unfortunate and self-sacrificing loving mother, somehow forgetting that the former position is more appealing to viewers. The series comes up with a lot of attractive characters and motifs, but it doesn't know how to work with them. In the first season, there are indeed polished scenes - the episode The Man in Number 9 is more Hitchcockian than anything from the master's workshop - but with the increasing number of episodes, the screenwriter's helplessness becomes increasingly apparent. In a provincial American town, the number of murders is greater than in Detroit. The show is strangely scattered in terms of time and space, mixing anachronistic fashion and objects from different eras, and the outdated Bates Motel from Hitchcock's film looks somehow inappropriate in the era of digital technologies and the turbulent American teenagers of the present. I devoured the first season, the second started to bother me, and I only managed to watch the last three episodes with gritted teeth. I never mustered the courage to watch the third season. In hindsight, I realize that Bates Motel is freeloading on Hitchcock's legacy rather than developing it. Overall impression of both seasons: 55%.

With all due respect to Jafar Panahi and his work, his film Jafar Panahi's Taxi did not receive a prestigious award from a major festival for exceptional artistic quality, not even for extraordinary social commentary. What he describes in the micro-stories of his clients is well-known to the majority of his audience. The festival jury simply wanted to draw attention to the difficult situation of an author whom the regime is determined to silence. Jafar Panahi's Taxi is a small film and given Panahi's current position and the circumstances of its filming, things cannot be any different. I do not blame him for this, but I became aware of the passage of time while watching it, and it is precisely this lack of absorption that I consider the dividing line between a decent and an excellent film. When I compare Jafar Panahi's Taxi to an emotional gem such as A Separation, I cannot give it more than 3 stars. Among other things, it is because the director does not differ from his surroundings in terms of pace and unwillingness to edit. On the other hand, his ability to subtly capture unpleasant realities and regime hypocrisy can be appreciated. Despite its inconspicuousness and apparent restraint, the film is highly political and provocative. Overall impression: 60%.

Both the screenwriter and director try to deceive the viewer and present them with false clues to understand the motivation of the main character. In principle, it is one of the forms of the disease called the mid-life crisis. The awareness that life is slipping through your fingers, gnawing at you from a wrong life choice, bitterness, and the inability to get out of the programmed ride can gradually lead to hatred and becoming short-circuited. Mikael may not have achieved what Michael Douglas did in Falling Down within a few hours, but his gradual descent into damnation is possibly even more chilling. Kristian Levring plays with changing moods and heads toward increasingly oppressive positions, and Ulrich Thomsen excels in one of his typical roles, and he undoubtedly has a talent for similar dark and destructive characters. Overall impression: 75%.

Generally, I tend to avoid American blockbusters knowing that they target a different age category of audience and usually work with genres that I couldn't care less about. If they ever catch my attention, they are mostly light comedy affairs. Serious-minded blockbusters usually reek of pathos and ostentatious arrogance. The novel "Planet of the Apes" operated on a simple principle and set a simple goal: to warn about a nuclear war that would bring humanity to ruin and have the void occupied by an animal species. The original film from the 60s was impressive and effective - mainly because it faithfully stuck to the source material. At the time, it was actually a blockbuster too, but its choice of topic, simplicity, precision, and broad communication made it exceptionally strong. Its younger sibling sells something else and uses different tools. It can be argued that the original Planet of the Apes influenced a generation of viewers, sparked a social discussion, and changed the view on the Cold War. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a predictable morality tale about the arrogance of humans in contrast to the nobility of the silent face. Many scenes are played solely for the effect, the characters are black and white, and the film is clichéd and literal, blatantly playing on emotions. From the first minutes, I didn't find it likable, but I would give it two stars for its craftsmanship without hesitation. However, that wouldn't take into account the last action-packed third, where there is a revolution and heroic clever monkeys demolish a helicopter in flight or a moving car with an armed crew. It got dark in front of my eyes and my mood dropped at the speed of a skydiver lacking a parachute. The film has enough enthusiastic admirers, so I don't need to exert myself and will limit myself to an overall impression of 10% for the technical execution.

British social drama is a concept in cinema, and in terms of the genre, Fish Tank is, from my perspective, at the absolute top. Katie Jarvis' performance literally grounded me, and I immediately asked myself how it was possible that I hadn't seen this amazing girl in anything else before. Afterward, it occurred to me that the incredible authenticity of her performance stems from the fact that she actually represents herself. But even this fact doesn't diminish her natural talent. It's a shame that no one else was found to continue to work with her, cultivate her expression, and turn her into a real actress. In any case, I can truly recommend Fish Tank as an intimate drama about a teenage girl from the British lower class and her romantic infatuation and subsequent sobering up. Overall impression: 95%.

When something looks and functions like a B-movie, then it is a B-movie. The concept could have been handled more seriously and could have resulted in a significant sociopolitical drama in the style of Paul Greengrass' works, but Gary McKendry chose the path of pure entertainment. Killer Elite is one of the few cases where I not only don't mind the genre definition of a B-action film, but I also actually quite enjoy it. The solid cast also plays a part in that, with Jason Statham capable of delivering a performance and Clive Owen being at the top of his game. The title represents essentially the same thing to me as, say, Commando does to someone else (which would be unbearably dull for me). I enjoyed the battle between mercenaries and members of the elite British SAS, and for that, I will reward it with a 75% overall impression.

Ex Machina is not a film for everyone. This genre is usually associated with the expectation of a grand spectacle with action elements, whereas this film is an intimate conversation piece, an emotionally charged love triangle, and a clever cat-and-mouse game. Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence is touching, 2001: A Space Odyssey is monumental, I, Robot is action-packed, and Her is melancholic, but Ex Machina is primarily clever. True, the resolution lacks originality and cleverness, but let's face it - if it had those, the film would probably lose its connection with a significant portion of its audience. A film should not be smarter than its viewer, as otherwise, it risks commercial failure. Ex Machina may not be as expensive and epic as American sci-fi films usually are, but for a less affluent European production, it certainly was a big treat. While the sentiment of the acclaimed film Her completely missed the mark for me, I was completely captivated by Ex Machina. It is heading in the right direction, asking exactly the questions that I consider important, and it works on an emotional level as well. Playing god is not worth it, and Ex Machina strongly warns that artificial intelligence is not just a challenge with enormous possibilities, but also (and perhaps especially) an ethical problem and a great risk. Overall impression: 95%.

The film may have received only 3 stars, but that doesn't mean that it is an ordinary film. A Song About the Gray Pigeon became a typical victim of its time and distorted political circumstances. In the early 60s, cultural relaxation was still out of reach, and cinema had to serve the party and its foreign patron. Unfortunately, the film's propagandistic and educational dimension cannot be hidden. Kachyňa was able to avoid the same thing in his raw dramas several years later, and you won't find any flattery of the Soviet Union and the party in them. It is precisely when comparing Kachyňa's films Coach to Vienna or Long Live the Republic! and this film that you will see the difference between an excellent and slightly above-average film. On the other hand, Barabáš managed to make a solid war film with several excellent moments, such as the encounter between a German soldier and a partisan in the middle of a burnt-out farm. It is a shame that Barabáš prematurely ended his career in Czechoslovak cinema due to emigration. He was a talent that had a decent chance of adding a few more great films to his credit. Overall impression: 65%.