angel74

The animated Tale of the Golden Mouse is a surprisingly humorous story full of funny lines and cutting puns. Miroslav Vladyka's juicy narrative style gives the otherwise banal story some oomph, and Miroslava Pleštilová echoes him in the same spirit. And the very unkempt animation style also gives it the right feel. (80%)

Years ago If someone had told me that I would be impressed by James Bond at some point in the future, I wouldn't have believed them. But, lo and behold, it actually happened. If all Bond films were made in a similar style and had a decent script like No Time to Die, I wouldn't be angry at all, quite the opposite. Especially when I take into account the absolutely brilliant soundtrack. I'm not one of those who would seek out movies about 007, but I’ve seen a few, but Daniel Craig’s Bond will probably always remain closest to my heart. (85%)

The two brothers running the bird hospital have my great admiration and respect for the patience and perseverance with which they try to treat kites stuck in our world, which is probably beyond help. (75%)

A Tale of Love and Desire, or alternatively: "when men are more sexually restrained than women." Such behavior is far from usual, especially when it comes to the Arab world, which is why I find this movie so intriguing. (80%)

When I started watching this drama, I had no idea what I was getting into. Probably because of that, it took me a while to tune in to the right emotional string to enjoy the story at least a little bit. However, I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix's sympathetically down to earth performance from the very beginning. I often feel that his acting register is simply inexhaustible. Here he is quite well and very naturally seconded by the young Woody Norman. It's definitely not a movie for everyone, but you should give it a chance. If only, perhaps, for the unusual conversations conducted by the introverted radio journalist Johnny, which can be considered a little probe into the dismal state of mind of the next generation. These conversations indicate quite clearly where we are making unforgivable mistakes. (70%)

Stop-Zemlia offers a frank, honest and delicately poetic insight into the lives of Ukrainian teenagers who don't quite know what to do with themselves yet. They are confused about their feelings and unclear about what they would like to do in the future, but they do not lack the desire to explore the unknown and delve into the deeper nature of their own existence. (75%)

This artsy drama The Play by Chilean director Alejandro Fernández Almendras tells a classic story of a love triangle, made rather unusual by the fact that it takes place in a theatrical setting. Although in places the continuity of the plot is a bit scratchy, and sometimes the pace too, there are no big problems here. The minor flaws are balanced by the overall very solid performances, with Elizaveta Maximova clearly playing the lead. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Jiří Mádl, whom I found quite convincing in his fairly serious role of the overworked father. (60%)

Giving a movie a low rating just because someone has made something similar in the past seems to me totally unfair nowadays. After all, there's not much new to invent and where on earth can you find themes that haven't yet been made into films. The most powerful stories are usually written by life itself. Talented Hungarian director Hajni Kis found inspiration in her own childhood. Her debut feature film, Wild Roots, is very well directed, shot and narrated, and is dominated by the excellent performances of the central figures of Gusztáv Dietz and Zorka Horváth. And the soundtrack, which almost perfectly captures the atmosphere of the environment in which the story takes place, must not be overlooked. (80%)

Bohdan Karásek is for me a wonderful discovery in the field of Czech cinema. I already found his medium-length pictures Love Songs and Lucie very intriguing, so I was really looking forward to this conversational relationship movie. High expectations often lead to disappointment, but I am happy to say that this is not the case. It’s not often that you get to see a movie so real and at the same time so clever. Moreover, it has the wonderful charm of an authentic message. Some of the dialogue exchanges could be set in stone. Even from the acting point of view, it's a great show. (85%)

As for the story itself, it's pretty boring. The announced comedy element doesn't exactly work either. However, at least opera lovers might enjoy it, because some of the arias here are really brilliantly performed. (45%)