gudaulin

An uncomplicated hero steadfastly walking toward fulfilling his American dream with an appropriate dose of genre clichés, sweat, blood, and an easily predictable ending. Given that when it comes to Sylvester Stallone's acting talent - how can I put it diplomatically - I am, let's say, reserved, and I really don't like boxing as a sport and entertainment (if I had to choose between having dinner with Mike Tyson or Hannibal Lecter, I would invite the latter without hesitation), I struggle to find a reason to give more than 2 stars. Overall impression: 45%.

The protagonist of the film is a musician and also a homosexual. He has no problem with his identity and thanks to his family's position, which is one of those who are not so wealthy, but rather very wealthy, he has no existential worries and enjoys life to the fullest. His family should have no problem with his homosexuality, except that his uncle has the idea that it would be appropriate to pass on family genes and procreate a new generation of little Jews. Otherwise, the money supply will cease and our protagonist doesn't really enjoy struggling through life without his allowance. So, it is necessary to find a young, healthy, sufficiently naive Jewish girl and convince her that the interest in her is genuine. The unfortunate one is the charming Elsa Zylberstein and the story unfolds in the spirit of a tragicomedy, which cannot end with a happy ending due to the different sexual orientation... Overall impression: 70%.

What the series Rome represents for the adult viewer, the series Roman Mysteries represents for a child audience. Of course, the budget is smaller, which is reflected in the modest set design, cast, and special effects. The extras in the background are sometimes visibly static and the historical accuracy is not strictly observed. Overall impression: 70%.

Subordination of women and sexuality to religious sentiments and rituals is usually associated with Islam nowadays, but truth be told, world religions are somewhat similar in this regard, and if taken seriously, they suffocate any of them reliably. The heroine of the film is unlucky to be born and raised in a family of Orthodox Jews, where faith is taken deadly seriously and women are expected to serve their husbands and their faith. However, Sonia is not interested in sex during which her partner is constantly thinking more about Jehovah and not sinning, and she is also not interested in completely giving up other joys of life and personal goals, so conflict is imminent. During the course of it, she manages to earn the hatred of the parents, the contempt of the community she comes from, and the loss of property and child, but she gains freedom, dignity, and hope. And that is certainly not insignificant. The screenplay is quite mild and tends to smooth out the tense situations, but it is still a film worth watching. Renée Zellweger filmed it before she became a star with Nurse Betty and especially Bridget Jones's Diary, but here she proves that she is a promising actress. Perhaps only the star status of these celebrity actors makes it difficult for the viewer to see them as other, more ordinary characters than the ones that brought them to the top. Overall impression: 70%.

There are romantic comedies that offer illusions of harmony and happiness, there are cynical comedies that offer disillusionment, and there are slightly bitter comedies that offer a realistic view of life. Among the latter is Late Marriage, which depicts the fate of a love being tested by its surroundings. The main character's extended family does not want to acknowledge his relationship with a divorced woman and tries to arrange his life according to their expectations. Asserting his right to his relationship requires a small thing, which is the courage to cut ties with his parents' material support and risk conflict with his loved ones. This story does not offer hilarious gags, but rather lightly humorous situations well observed from life. Perhaps in addition to this, Israeli society is multicultural and consists of immigrants from all corners of the world. Arranged marriages and similar strict supervision over family members are not typical for everyone and are more related to the fact that the depicted family comes from the Caucasus. Overall impression: 80%.

A very average comedy that suffers from a scattered screenplay. The screenwriter resembles a dog chasing a group of rabbits and always changing direction after a few meters. None of the motifs are satisfactorily fulfilled and the presence of some actors, like Harry Dean Stanton, downright sabotages their talent and potential. The whole thing is ultimately carried by the central acting duo, where Jack Nicholson naturally dominates. Without him, user ratings would be much more reserved. Overall impression: 45%.

When watching Babylon, I brought to mind two titles, namely Paycheck by John Woo, where I marveled at how an ingenious idea from an A-list sci-fi short story could be turned into an action brawler where the original idea somehow gets lost, and especially Children of Men, which Babylon reminds me of with its subject matter. While Children of Men had a perfect script and perfect direction, but from my perspective, a somewhat problematic theme that alienates itself from the sci-fi genre, Babylon has a great theme with an idea that has the potential of a hydrogen bomb, but terrible direction and above all, a desperately trashy script that gives up even the elementary logic that similar pieces have in B-movie spheres. The struggles of the characters are like a committed vegetarian trying to open a can of meat using a box of dynamite shells. What remains is the set design that truly evokes the impression of a chaotic world, which would be a great place for an adventure story to unfold. Several actors who can act and have probably taken this engagement under the pressure of a bank, which threatened to foreclose on their ranch, and several scenes that may not connect are entertaining on their own - if one turns off their brain and forgets that they have seen them somewhere else. By the way, the aforementioned Paycheck is a fascinating film experience compared to this, and it deserves a victory at a festival. Overall impression: 15%.

The world of comics doesn't just include the generally known characters and symbols of pop culture, such as superheroes like Batman, Spiderman, or Superman. Although similar titles clearly dominate in terms of volume, there has always been a stream of alternative comics that aimed to reflect the real world and its real problems, representing a non-commercial but nonetheless interesting part of the low-budget comic book production. One of the heroes and symbols of this independent creation is a guy named Harvey Pekar, who is everything but a ladies' idol and a superhero. Instead of fighting villains and monsters, he battles with his anxieties, comfort, bad luck, and unfortunately, also with cancer. The film takes place in a tragicomic setting and has autobiographical traits because the screenplay author actually describes his own life's destinies in it. Rarely can I say that I have such a sense of belonging to a film character because just entering his office gives me a sense of small victory, that there is at least one person on this planet who is a bigger mess than I am. American Splendor is a small film that doesn't offer shocking twists and bombastic effects, but it is deeply human and likable. Overall impression: 75%.

If this film works to such an extent that it receives a decent number of four-star ratings and sympathetic reviews, it is primarily thanks to the casting of the main characters, who are both excellently selected in terms of type and perform well. Maria Bello is not only charming but also likable, and William H. Macy is an ideal representative of similar unfortunates who resignedly face the adversity of fate. In fact, he only needs to display his usual tormented faces and timid smiles and not overact, as happened in several cases. However, what brings the film down to below average for me is the screenplay, which both relies on ridiculous motifs of gambling myths and brings forth a generally implausible story with peculiar characters. The casino boss played by Alec Baldwin is neither well-acted, nor well-written, and doesn't even come close to the charisma of the same role portrayed by Robert de Niro in Casino. I would rather watch a purely mysterious film like Intact than a similar mishmash ending with a scene that is completely beyond the usual standards in terms of probability. Overall impression: 45%. If you want to see a good film from this genre, watch the aforementioned Casino or Croupier.

I have three issues with this documentary, and two specific objections because the fact that I know a lot about the issue at hand and therefore the content of the film is not surprising or enriching for me is exclusively my problem. Firstly, the film is terribly drawn out. With some films giving you the feeling that they could be cut by 15-20 minutes, here I would be much more radical and after fighting sleep several times, I would cut it in half. The majority of shots are prolonged. Secondly, Tamadon's film is incredibly meek, as the director performs ritual dances and tiptoes where he should get straight to the point. It got to the point where one of the interviewees criticized him for this caution, saying that he expected more direct questions. This is connected to the fact that Tamadon primarily interviews the intellectually equipped and accommodating part of the community he is interested in, which flattens, or rather prevents, a more comprehensive view. Things are different when you talk to a religious scholar and when you encounter harassment from an uneducated militia member who bothers you on the street. For inhabitants of a small state in Central Europe, known for religious indifference and relativization of values, it is of course quite exotic to look at a society that not only has rules but also professes some values, even if they are problematic from our perspective. Overall impression: 40%.