Neue Kritiken - Progressive Nutzer*innen

An Italian comedy from the times of Seneca. Emperor Nero makes foolish decisions, while his mother Agrippina rules the empire. Overall, it could have been an interesting spectacle for viewers curious about Technicolor and CinemaScope, but in competition with many other films from the era of the early emperors, Nero's Weekend barely holds its ground.

If the first film was one without any meaningful conclusion, then you can amplify the second part as a viewer. The concept doesn’t sound bad on paper, but the execution... oh dear. The sequel aimed for some deeper reflections and moralizing, but unfortunately, it didn’t resonate with my taste. Elevating the film to the heavens just because of its unconventional idea and absolutely boundless brutality? I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. And what about that ending/non-ending? I personally consider it a mockery of any viewer with a decent IQ. What the hell was this!? :D You can skip this. You’ll save your precious time. I give it 3/10.

Zack Snyder has once again ventured into anime. I can say that he has created an interesting work that explores Norse mythology. There isn’t much cinema with this rather specific focus on the market, so I’m glad for it. Additionally, Twilight of the Gods isn't afraid of some truly intense brutality and nudity, so thumbs up for that. I enjoyed the unconventional portrayal of Thor, as well as the entire group of main characters. The story occasionally stumbles and drags in places (I could easily have done without 2-3 episodes). On the other hand, the adrenaline-pumping action makes up for it. Snyder has always excelled in that area (the slow-motion sequences also made their appearance). Yes, as an adult anime snack, it definitely serves well for an afternoon! I give it 6.5/10.

I have to occasionally catch up on Czechoslovak cinema from the past, and that’s how I came across Ikaros' Fall. To be honest, you won’t find many films where the main theme is alcohol and its ability to dismantle a human personality, as well as the surroundings of that person. Personally, I consider it extremely important to talk about this sensitive topic openly. Vladimír Menšík is perfect. He immersed himself fully into his role as an addict in such a way that I bought it hook, line, and sinker. But the others are also great (his wife Hlaváčová, son Hanzlík, brother-in-law Řanda). Perhaps it ultimately lacks that more cinematic look, as the TV production slightly degrades it. Nevertheless, it is still an above-average piece of Czechoslovak cinematic history. I give it 7/10.

It’s like stepping into a music box and closing the lid behind you: its sentimental melody evokes a forced melancholy, yet the melodic scent of a decaying flower of kitsch in every measure reminds us that the main character has closed the lid of a coffin behind her. The uncompromising nature of our hero's chosen path is also transferred to the film, as both manage to overdose into a blissful apathy that always signifies liberation from conventional life for cinema—while society rushes somewhere, a heroin trip is a paradoxical halt that runs in all directions (the camera capturing this lethargy does not chase the usual chain of events and lingers on faces, forgetting itself, while the music, with its anesthetic tempo, slows the pulse). Just as this ecstatic leap into love for everything and everyone (regardless of gender, age, etc., with homosexual tones set against the background of operatic music and camera work reminiscent of Werner Schroeter) inevitably leads to an undeniable and logical love for death, and it is well known that death never shares with anything: mors vincit omnia. In terms of form and content, it is so (Philippe) Garrel-esque that it is almost not beautiful, yet it is beautiful.

A perverse and brutally funny comedy from a primary school setting that parallels other teen comedies: it has the typical gang jocks, three outsiders and pretty girls - only they're all 12. The jokes fire off at mini-gun speed, the plot provides an incredible amount of terribly funny scenes (sex aids, buying drugs, an anti-bullying group at school, a cop at the gas station), I had an incredible time for 90 minutes. If you go into this movie expecting to laugh mindlessly and from the heart, you'll be very surprised, because I haven't had such fits of laughter in a long time, but judging by the reviews here, some people were probably expecting an Ad Astra type psychological drama, I don't understand.

A surprisingly unexpected hit that I only just stumbled upon and I don't understand how that's possible. Will Smith as a con man and Margot Robbie, who incidentally gives an absolutely amazing performance, find each other and start a business of fraud and theft. From the start the film moves at a solid pace and the chemistry between the two leads works brilliantly; in fact the film never stops suspenseful until the end. Twists and turns abound and by the end I thought I probably couldn't take any more; absolutely perfectly written script – the scene at the football games was definitely the best, most suspenseful and craziest in a long time, I almost couldn’t breathe. The finale could have been a bit better, but no doubt it's still a perfect film. A very strong five stars, something I will definitely come back to.

A laid-back French comedy, reminiscent of the good old Daddy Day Care. It will not impress or offend anyone, the story follows a simple path towards a clear ending from the beginning, but still I was unexpectedly well entertained. The humour was quite decent in places and some scenes will definitely stay in my head. The main characters and the kids were nicely different and complementary, it's just a shame they didn't push the humour a bit more and towards the end the film loses its breath and struggles just to "finish" the story, but it's still a cool way to kill an afternoon.

With the Fast and the Furious franchise, we've probably become used to a completely unbelievable story that defies all the laws of physics in the world and fucks with the rules of plausibility. Despite this, I had quite a bit of fun, Hobbs and Shaw and their banter with each other perfectly complemented the action, which was good, but we've seen better. The story follows the classic, boring template, the villain is pretty uninteresting and the concept of his "superpowers" is pretty unoriginal, overall didn't really work for me. It did have some stronger moments, like the final "family" battle, which got off to a great start. The finale was completely out of control and most of it was absolute nonsense, but I still had fun and the film turned out about as we all expected - it doesn't stand out, doesn't innovate and remains average.

Finally, an episode that's worth it. The birth of the new Negan was absolutely magnificent and I devoured the whole episode to the fullest. Hopefully it will continue in a similar vein, because it's slowly losing its breath...

Zombieland: Double Tap didn't have the best prospects and when comparing it to the first one a lot of people were dismissive and condemned it, but damn it, we laughed so hard in the cinema and didn't stop until the end credits! There is definitely a skeleton of a plot, in terms of logic and feasibility it has flaws and it's not completely polished, but what works brilliantly here is the best humour of the year! The jokes were sprinkled one after the other, the new characters were apt and excellent, and the pink Barbie clearly led the entire film and whenever she was on set, the you couldn’t stop laughing at her stupidity. The original line-up of the first film is still just as cool, we got Emma Stone getting older and Abigail Breslin turning from a cute little girl to a pretty ugly 23 year-old. It had a really great vibe and the humor was not spared, the action was cool, so I'll give it that fifth star. I wouldn't be opposed to a another sequel, I'd just be worried if it would have anything new to bring to the franchise.

The first episode was bland. In terms of logic, though, it would be a longer discussion, because blind people can't live like this for God's sake. Visually, however, it looks like it could be a nice story, so hopefully it will be better in the next episodes.

The storyline is the same, but the action is pumped up again and again and it goes from start to finish. There are fists, knives, explosives and forest traps and the finale on the building is very solid. The highlight is definitely the first scene with the killing drones, it sets the bar really high and you just don't see cool action like this. Gerard Butler does it the hard way and I could watch this franchise forever, because there are very few action B-movies this good.

A season that definitely shouldn't be part of American Horror Story because it's so stupid, forced and boring that I don't understand what the point was. Uninteresting, convoluted, tedious and by the end I didn't even care what happened next. The same story over and over in every episode, characters dying and coming back to life, and the ending couldn't have been more cliched. Crap to the core and a season without an idea.

I was a bit skeptical about this film because I wasn't completely blown away by The Shining. But after half an hour, when they start digging deeper into the story with unpredictable and sometimes unexpectedly brutal scenes (killing children), I was really engrossed and the thick atmosphere pulled me through to the end. Ewan McGregor chose this role well, it was a natural fit for him. The only thing I have a bit of a complaint about are the not very interesting or "scary" bad guys, who, although they feed off the enlightened, are otherwise not that much of a threat. A ton of flashbacks and references to the original The Shining are more than well used, and some of the scenes and characters feel like they were cut from The Shining and unexpectedly authentic. The finale in the Overlook hotel and the earlier chase in the woods were among the best, and if the ending had been a bit faster and a few minutes shorter, I might have given it a full score.

This Will Smith vs Will Smith thing was a pretty good idea after all, and it's certainly not the dud as I would have expected based on the reviews here. It's got a fast pace from the beginning, Will plays the part really well, and it goes like clockwork from the moment the double came into the scene. The trailer had me a bit worried that the action would be a digital mess and get on my nerves, but in the end it wasn't that bad (except for a few scenes). I still think normal action without digitally altered fights would have been better, more meaningful and just nicer to watch, but it still didn't turn out all that bad. There’s not that much action, but it's all the better for it and more or less just complements the main story structure, which was fine, and the interaction between the two Wills, their dialogue and the story was good, quite intelligent and certainly not slapdash. It won't make a dent in the world, but I'm more than satisfied, Gemini Man is a pretty good film overall.

A pretty solid house hunt about a snobby rich family who subject every new addition to a game, usually painless, but this time they pull out a little more murderous one. It's fast-paced from the start, there are quite a few situational jokes for a thriller, and the characters in the family are all different and complement each other well (the maniac aunt, the drugged-out sister, the phlegmatic fat guy...). What bothered me a little was that the film steps off the gas a bit after the halfway point and the family "gave up". I was expecting a bit more hunting and catching around the house, but I still wasn't bored. There is one little twist towards the end and a bloody finale. Similar themes are some of my favorites and at times it reminded me of a mix of Saw, The Purge and Would You Rather. I could have done with more gore, suspense and a more intense ending, but it's just enough for a good four stars.

After a long time, an interesting, action-packed and atmospheric war whirlwind that from the very beginning draws out a decent and engaging story and doesn't let the viewer go until the end. The soldiers in Vietnam are under fire for 70% of the film and the action is not lacking at all, but what I found far more interesting about was the story and the group of about 30 people that you form a bond with over the course of the film, something that doesn't happen often. With this cast and dialogues I could imagine it for a longer series. By the end the director wrings out the emotions and I almost wanted to cry. If there was more bloody action, more gore and some close knife fights I would have given it a full score, but these things were lacking to complete the excellent whole. An unexpectedly good affair that should be watched by every fan of the genre.

A surprisingly good sequel to the first part with even funnier characters, great visuals and unexpectedly great humour that succeeded 80% of the time. The cast was a delight, especially the supporting character played by Hound from Game of Thrones and then the classics Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, who did a great job of inhabiting the role of the senile old men, throwing in one joke after another, I had a huge amount of fun. What maybe bothered me was the sort of simplistic finale, but that just belongs to a teen adventure movie and a forced mandatory happy ending. I was expecting a tragedy, but this adventure ride pulled it off very adequately and scores points with its meticulously crafted story.

A good, depressing and strong theme with solid actors and a story told as it is, without unnecessary bullshit, embellishing moments and with a minimum of music. Good grim atmosphere, the trial and the gritty scenes of the dead boys out of the water, just a shame about the "open ending" with no explanation of the motives, and I also feel that a lot more could have been made of this cinematically. Anyway, it's a case that definitely deserves attention and to be in people's minds.