Malarkey

The gloominess and destruction in a small Dutch town aren’t completely out of place here. In fact, I finished the movie thanks to that, which isn’t common for me. Usually, I struggle with finishing similar European dramas with a similar atmosphere. But I had a problem not only with the son but especially with the father. Whatever the father did, he always acted as if he had just finished a bottle of cyanide. Fortunately, the interesting locations made up for the nonsense and unrealistic nature. Who would have thought that there would ever be an area in the Netherlands where people aren’t as rich as the average Western European?

Maggie Smith played the role of a granny from a well-known British play. A granny who smells like a spoiled egg and swears like a sailor. A granny who pushes her way in front of the house of the most boring writer under the sun. And since Alex Jennings doesn’t hide it at all, the whole movie goes on is a similar fashion. If it weren’t for Maggie and the English locations, it would be even worse than it is.

Danny DeVito apparently has a very strange sense of humor, and even though he cast Robin Williams and Edward Norton, he didn’t satisfy me enough in order for me to see this movie as a comedy. However, the scene where Smoochy flies in front of the Nazis was fine. It’s a pity, though, that it was filmed in a not very funny way.

I would also need some of that shit Alex van Warmerdam was constantly smoking so that I could get on his level. But on the other hand, I would be lying if I said I expected something different from Alex. In all the time I have known him, I wouldn’t expect him to make a regular story about the regular life of regular people. It may be a shame that everyone here acts as if nothing serious was going on. If I were immune to dark humor, I wouldn’t even notice it here at first glance.

The Norwegians and the director Roar Uthaug in particular have a gift for megalomaniac movies. This one is no different from his signature style. The Wave actually pretty successfully copies the best American apocalyptic movies. Be it the characters, the logical and the illogical, the story or the special effects. And that’s actually pretty impressive when you realize the movie is actually from Norway. But with the label of an apocalyptic movie comes a whole plethora of afflictions that are simply a part of every similar movie. It definitely isn’t a bad thing, but it just will not get more than three stars from me. Nevertheless, I appreciate the idea, which was completely novel to me, and especially the shots of the fjords. These things made the film score some points with me.

A very solid Hungarian piece and at the same time a debut that plays with dark humor that actually sits very well with me here. At the same time, I really like how the movie plays with the mood. At times, the movie is pretty funny and apt only for it to consequently become depressing or even mournful. All of that makes sense, though, and the finale of the movie definitely convinces the viewer of this. I have to say that I keep coming across more and more original and imaginative movies with dark humor from Hungary and this one is no exception. The odds are unusually high for one country but good for them.

Oh God, this was some bullshit! The locations of India aren’t going to get too boring in a horror movie, but everything else is a blatant disaster. Mom lives with her husband in India. She is struck by a catastrophe and even though she saves one child, the second one dies in her arms. Consequently, some Indian woman appears, and she knows about a place where she can say goodbye to her son. It is a monastery in the middle of a jungle with a door to the land of the dead. If she scatters the ashes during the day, her child will appear during the night behind the door. The catch is that she cannot open the door so as not to let the corpses into the land of the living. And, of course, she opens the door. At that moment the spirit of her child follows her across half the globe like a stench and haunts her until fainting. Her fainting, or the viewer.

What to think of a movie that begins with a scene where some French nymphomaniac sleeps with some French dude in Škoda Octavia RS? She wasn’t bad looking but I also cannot say that she was that nice to look at. Meanwhile, a Muslim family got thrown in the mix and the creators started to make fun of Muslims so that they would show that Muslims are actually completely fine, progressive, and can laugh at an intelligent joke. At the same time, the movie tells the whole story with that typical French gradation which works really well in their comedies. The only difference is that all of that wannabe humor is so superficial that I actually felt sick. I felt as if the movie was trying to tell us how great Muslims actually are. That they aren’t really bad and that we can experience a lot of fun with them. Really?

A great French drama during which I was actually looking forward to the end because it was clear to me that some emotional bomb was gonna come. And that’s despite the fact that the whole story was one huge depression. Family, friends, drugs, kitten… Momentary dull scenes, in the end, overpowered the powerful ones, in which the slight smile on the lips of a young boy says everything in the moment. The finale of the movie once again confirmed the quality of French filmmakers.

I got exactly what I expected; a beautiful Czech fairytale filmed in the picturesque locations of Český Krumlov. And I didn’t even mind that the story kept happening in the same streets over and over. Cities used to be a never-ending web of little alleys where even the most experienced cartographer could get lost. Anyhow, it’s still a shame that a fairytale this gorgeous with an incredible storytelling and great lines for both kids and adults can be ruined by Lucie Bílá, who should have made this international, but I’d definitely manage without her. Along with her, the otherwise good festive atmosphere was ruined by the final shot of Heaven. Somehow, I just didn’t get why she paid a visit to this fairytale and I can’t see anybody appreciating it. But whatever, I’ll manage. The fairytale isn’t about Lucie Bílá, it’s about everything else happening throughout the movie. That’s why I’m giving it four stars and I’m happy that Czech fairytales can still be pleasant and original.