Necrotongue

I'll admit that the series really hooked me, and I quickly became fond of it. Instead of wild action with all kinds of chases and shootouts (which would have turned out terribly anyway), the creators went for the mundane, everyday work of detectives, which, apart from fieldwork, includes tons of bureaucracy, and this approach works for me. The sixth episode fits perfectly in with the first season so far. It continued in the established course; the case was interesting enough for me, the progress of the investigation was entertaining and didn't disappoint, the atmosphere was great again, and the detectives diligently fulfilled their tasks (almost all of them). The only one who spoiled the overall impression was young Plíšková, who pushed too hard during the interrogation. However, she delivered a chilling performance in the final conversation with the psychologist. / Lesson learned: This episode proves that love is truly blind.

What a bizarre episode. Despite the result of the detectives' work, the fifth episode was an excellent opportunity to follow the individual stages of the investigation and the (almost) endless meticulous work that goes into catching the perpetrator (or not). I enjoyed it again because Lieutenant Sršeň was diligent as always, Captain Pražák had no time to think before he leaped, and Major Korejs continued to work on his reputation. However, this episode was also deeply unsettling, as it made me realize that nowadays, you can't afford the services of a professional worker to apply medieval measures to desired body parts without risking a lifelong trauma associated with erectile dysfunction. This was such a peculiar episode that I couldn't go below five stars.

I'm giving this episode five stars because the series keeps getting better with each episode. This case has been the most enjoyable so far. The only thing that slightly ruined my overall impression was that I quickly found out who the culprit was and then had to wait a long time for the rest of the team to catch up. But I didn't mind the wait because I could observe the systematic work, where evidence takes precedence over intuition and hard work over deduction. True, romantic fans of great detectives may have missed the confident superiority of the detective over the rest of the fauna and flora. However, even though I don't condemn Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, I still find this more realistic. This series seems to be a worthy successor to Adventure of Criminalistics. The only weak point is the plotline involving the leaking of information, which didn't interest me, and I could have done without it, but never mind. / Lesson learned: If you use a firearm for self-defense, always use a silencer. If attacked between 10 PM and 6 AM, you won't disturb anyone's sleep.

A hard way for senior citizens to learn not to trust everyone who rings their doorbell. There was also some advice for men facing the dilemma of a wife who is an excellent cook but is too often in the mood, which was a nice comic relief after the depressing finale. The third episode was far from disappointing. In fact, the show seems to be improving with each new episode. Major Case Squad stands out among current Czech crime shows. It portrays normal police practice. No one is running on rooftops, not a single shot is fired, and not a single police car burns down. How refreshing. 4*+.

I found the second episode better. The detectives didn't consort with untrustworthy civilians so much, and the investigation seemed more credible. The creators even showed empathy towards rape victims, which is a sensitive issue because two worlds collide here: the world of a woman whose privacy and life were violated in the worst possible way and the world of a detective who hopefully understands her situation but is also pressed for time because the trail often cools quickly (If there is any. If not, the pressure is even greater). Quite a heavy subject. By the way, Captain Pražák's ringtone was hilarious :-) / Lesson learned: Yes, vanity can get you in trouble. So much trouble that you can drown in it.

Right from the start, a puzzle was being solved, which seemed like a calculating move on the creators' part to attract a broad audience because people are perversely attracted by such things. We can all pretend to be empathetic and moral beings, but a violent murder or juicy tabloid article still attracts our attention. I bet that public executions would still draw large crowds today. But that's an aside. The opening episode was not bad. Unlike many thrillers, it introduced the real work of criminal investigators; there was atmosphere and tension, and most of the cast was superb, but... Occasionally, someone in the orchestra played a false note, which spoiled my overall impression and didn't allow me to give a higher rating. Especially Captain Anděl sometimes behaved like a naive rookie, which seemed very strange even to me as a layman. The captain's question perfectly sums it up: "Hey, do you have anything to do with this murder?" / Lesson learned: A good criminal investigator divides people involved in murders into two groups: dead victims and living suspects.

Oriol Paulo appears in two of my Top Ten lists, so I expect nothing but the best from him. When it doesn't happen, like in this case, I tend to get frustrated, affecting my evaluation just like the domino effect. Paulo usually amuses me with a cleverly intricate story, in which I am not sure at the end if I am watching a movie or if the movie is watching me and I am just playing the role of the viewer. The director and screenwriter in one often uses the script to trick his audience, just like an experienced football player uses body feints. These intricacies were lacking this time, which was a problem for me. The topic of psychiatric institutions has already been explored in such great depth that I can't imagine how the filmmakers could possibly surprise me. Holding my full attention for such a long time (the running time was quite lengthy) was practically impossible. However, even though I didn't enjoy it thoroughly this time, it wasn't a complete disaster. / Lesson learned: Everyone is sane until they talk to a psychiatrist.

I understand that shooting a big-budget film about the Hussite Wars would be extremely expensive (almost insanely so). Still, I consider it a cop-out that Petr Jákl placed Yan Sheeshka, Sigismund "The Red Fox," and Henry Rosenberg in a period from which we know nothing about Žižka. Instead of a historical film based on Jan Žižka's true story, it is a pure fabrication, which couldn't go wrong because there is no solid foundation. Anyway, the original title of this film is Medieval, and in this regard, Petr Jákl succeeded. Although historical fencing experts may disagree, I liked the action scenes. What I consider a mistake is that the film was heavily promoted under the title Jan Žižka. With the original title and without historical characters, it could have been an average medieval action flick. To sum it up, the action scenes were the only thing I liked about this film about the beginnings of a future military leader and promoter of jigsaw puzzles made of hay wagons. The story fell flat on me and didn't stir any emotions. Despite the creators' undeniable effort, it left me somewhat indifferent. / Lesson learned: If you plan to shoot a historical or "historical" film, find out the difference between a bow and a crossbow.

This is what fairytales would have been like if they hadn't been modified so that children wouldn't have lifelong trauma from them. This film brought stories that resonated with my present self simply because there was very little singing but a lot of medieval influence instead. If you are considering what to show your children, you'd better avoid this film unless you want to explain many unpleasant matters to them and, at worst, hire a therapist. For an experienced and emotionally worn-out viewer like me, it was an enjoyable experience full of the Italian perspective, very interesting costumes, and stories that amused me more than I had originally expected. / Lesson learned: When children are told fairytales with a happy ending, does it distort their view of reality? 4*+

I found it somehow dull. For die-hard believers, it must have been a nerve-wracking experience. I see it as a rather unexceptional film full of religious lunatics capable of penetrating an infant (in this case, with a dagger) because of an eight-century-old literary vomit of another fanatic while maintaining very atypical eating habits. I would probably rate it higher if the plot weren't so painfully obvious. I could tell who the bad guy was right off the bat, and then it was a bit boring to watch the creators trudging to the expected result. I didn't particularly enjoy myself, and my rating reflects that. / Lesson learned: Do you want to take a trip back to the Middle Ages? Become religious.