gudaulin

This miniseries can be viewed in two ways. The first can be presented as a memory of my first love when I saw her at a party five years later and she was truly beautiful, incredibly sexy, and the star of the evening. However, I was looking around in disappointment and futilely searching for the fifteen-year-old girl with braids in her hair. In other words, you can't step into the same river twice. Those who seek the same as the original series must realize the number of years that separates the actors and writers from the original Red Dwarf, and if the viewers watched in the 90s, also themselves. People simply keep evolving. Back to Earth is rather a nostalgic look back by the crew at the original project and a gift to the numerous group of fans. It is therefore wiser to look at it from a different perspective - like when old friends meet after years, reminisce about old times, joke, are happy to have had a chat, and move on. Humor is present in the miniseries in a decent dose, but it's more of a slightly sentimental humor meant to evoke the times of former glory. The passage of time has probably had the least effect on the portrayal of Rimmer, to whom the writer prescribed behavior and a posture very similar to the original character. On the other hand, I might believe in Craig Charles' detoxification that he mentioned in one joke. Chloë Annett is still charming, but naturally different than years ago. In this context, it's only good that the producer didn't attempt to resurrect the project in full, but it's also regrettable that there was no big film ever made, which had been planned for a long time. Overall impression: 75%.

I was deciding between two and three stars because, from my subjective point of view, it's more like 2 and a half. In its time, it would definitely be three strong stars, but the quality of special effects, as expected, became outdated from the first half of the 80s, and this type of film partly relies on them. The first Terminator was made practically at the same time, but unlike it, The Keep is just a weak B-movie. Genre-wise, this film can be described as dark fantasy with some horror elements, but to today's horror fans, it will probably seem too bloodless, and for fantasy lovers, not spectacular enough. The atmosphere in some moments cannot be denied because Michael Mann is simply too talented of a director. However, the screenplay dilutes in the second half of the film, and the finale is too digital and fades into nothing. Throughout most of the runtime, I had the feeling that much more could have been achieved from this idea with a little goodwill from the producer and crew. I also prefer when stories like this are set within a functional historical framework. Film viewers are usually not experts in history, but in the late summer of 1941, Romanian Jews were certainly not being sent to concentration camps; Romania was a respected ally of Germany with several units on the Eastern Front, and while the Romanian government was conservative and monarchist, it was certainly not fascist, and if not for the conflict over today's Moldavia, Romania would definitely not go to war against the Soviet Union. Therefore, German soldiers had no reason to patrol a Romanian pass thousands of kilometers away from the front... Overall impression: 40%.

After the calculated and overrated Slumdog Millionaire, Sita Sings the Blues brought me great joy and rehabilitated the world of Indian culture in my eyes. We are used to high-quality animation using various techniques, but besides several animation styles, Sita Sings the Blues features five artistic techniques, precision in execution, a humorous perspective, and an imaginative confrontation with the Western world. On one hand, Sita sings jazz songs from the 1920s in one storyline, and on the other hand, through a parallel story of an American married couple in the present, the director shows us that women have not had it easy with men in the past and do not have it easy today. It may be a small satisfaction for them that it works perfectly the other way around as well. The film itself tells the story of Sita's wife and her husband Rama simply, based on the classic Indian literature "Ramayana." One can also appreciate the exotic visual concept based on Indian cultural traditions. Sita Sings the Blues is imaginative, colorful, and simply has a swing. Overall impression: 95%.

Fans of action movies can of course give it any number of stars, but I don't have the time or nerves for this. It's not a B-movie, as this spectacle belongs somewhere at the end of the alphabet....Overall impression: 5% for the pyrotechnics.

Miyazaki's films usually present an original world and an original story, it is not the usual squeezing of classic fairy tale motifs that everyone knows by heart. Howl's Moving Castle is a geyser of visual fantasy, a peculiar kind of fairy tale fantasy with a distinctly anti-war message. Excellent drawings, obviously inspired by classical Japanese manga, careful animation, and above all a colorful plot where the world of magic, demons, and wizards comes to life. The first half is reliably worth five stars, but in the last third, the script becomes unnecessarily overcomplicated, and the adventurous story turns into a romance that dangerously plays with kitsch at the end with the arrival of the rescued prince, happy smiles, and kisses. The wizard's castle, as a strange combination of a hut on chicken legs and an industrial complex, which seems to have come out of Terry Gilliam's creative workshop, remains most vividly in my memory. Overall impression: 80%.

An expertly shot thriller in the style of Hitchcock, starring the famous Audrey Hepburn in the lead role. Blind Susie is one of her most famous characters and one that the actress was very proud of. A classic film from the 60s with a dark atmosphere. Overall impression: 90%.

A large community of film fans is currently discussing whether the film event of this year will be Slumdog Millionaire or Gran Torino, or which other film could shake up their position. As of yesterday, I have a different candidate for the best film of the year, and it is The Baader Meinhof Complex. This fateful drama was not written by a screenwriter with a great dose of imagination and it was not directed by a filmmaker trying to achieve commercial success. This story was written by history, and the filmmakers simply transferred it to the screen with the highest level of erudition possible. The Baader Meinhof Complex has top-notch craftsmanship with its camera work, editing, music, and performances. I can't find any reason to criticize it. The film tries to look at the issue of leftist terrorism objectively from a distance and attempts to map out its roots. Among the actors, Moritz Bleibtreu stands out, who, despite his age, is an experienced acting veteran, and among the female roles, Johanna Wokalek shines in the role of the terrorist Ensslin. She managed to create a perfect study of the transformation of a character from an idealistic young activist to a cold-blooded, cynical fanatic capable of destroying anyone she considers an obstacle to her plans, overshadowing even the character of Meinhof, who was an icon of the radically leftist movement at the time. I think we will hear more about this talented German actress. Despite its long duration, I was not bored for even a moment and the film flew by incredibly quickly. This is not a popcorn action film, but an exceedingly realistic action drama, and one of the essential films of our time. Overall impression: 100%.

Thanks to Night on Earth, Jarmusch became a recognized icon of the American independent scene and gained recognition from film fans around the world. Each of the five film stories provides an interesting humorous tale, where it's not about major dramas, but about small fragments of the life of the city inhabitants thousands of kilometers apart. The story from Rome is the most likely to entice audiences, in which Roberto Benigni particularly despicably eliminates a poor priest, but my favorite is the French story, where a black taxi driver struggles with an eccentric blind girl. The most sympathetic character of all is probably portrayed by Armin Mueller-Stahl, who plays a fresh immigrant in New York, trying to make a living as a taxi driver despite his limited language and driving knowledge. Overall impression: 90%.

The film may lack Balkan vitality and energy, but Kusturica replaces it with poetics and irony with which he captures the American consumer dream. It's a film about maturing, about searching for love and a place in life. This time, Kusturica works with an exceptional cast; alongside the biggest stars, I was impressed by Lili Taylor in the role of neurotic Grace. This film contains a tremendous amount of emotions, passion, hatred, depression, and optimism. Death is symbolized by an ambulance, soaring into the sky, flying fish appear unexpectedly, and none of the characters behave according to established norms. An excellent film that will be appreciated by connoisseurs with a great dose of imagination. Overall impression: 95%.

The Loner has a high rating, which is surprising because Jacques Deray and Jean-Paul Belmondo can do better and this film is just a routine crime film, the type that appeared a lot in France in the 80s. This genre had its peak in France in the 70s. The script is shallow and relies on proven schemes, and perhaps only the cop is notably more brutal than his predecessors. Roughly in the style of the Dirty Harry character, maybe even worse. But I didn't like this position, as it's not so much about fighting crime anymore, but rather about the beginning of a fascist value hierarchy. Overall impression: 50%.