gudaulin

I saw Little From The Fish Shop at the Třeboň animation festival and I witnessed a typical misunderstanding when parents of young children stubbornly assumed that animated films are primarily intended for children, so they showed up in large numbers with their little ones. Then I saw deep disgust when they realized that the story takes place in a brothel. Little From The Fish Shop can deter viewers for two reasons. Firstly, it is an attempt to update The Little Mermaid set in the backdrop of a dirty contemporary port, which not everyone can digest. Secondly, the visual aspect is anything but pleasing. Those who associate The Little Mermaid with fragility, romance, and beauty will be sadly disappointed. On the other hand, it is precisely the artistic approach that works best in Balej's film. If you like an interesting artistic style that deviates from the mainstream, you will appreciate this film. The amazing smoky industrial style and darkly grotesque elements are magical. From a dramaturgical point of view, the film lags a bit and it is not a film for children or exclusively for adults in terms of the script. However, the final scene of the fairy leaving the stage is brilliant. Overall impression: 60%.

At the Třeboň Anifilm festival, Adama was screened in the category of films for children and youth, which is quite bold, because even many war films for adult audiences contain more optimism and less depression than this animated film. In the second half, when the plot transitions to the war zone, it becomes a truly bleak and dark affair. Adama lacks the ability to captivate - it is a typical arthouse film that requires more attention, but it is very well executed in terms of visuals and has a strong anti-war message. The film can be considered as animation school and a showcase of brilliant artistic style. Sand animation is rarely seen. Overall impression: 75%.

I objectively give April and the Twisted World five stars. I really enjoyed it and even though it is intended for a younger audience, it worked almost perfectly for me and allowed me to go back to my childhood for a while. It is the essence of the French comic book school with perfect artistic interpretation, with a touch of Miyazaki, Jules Verne, and a lot of steampunk, and artistically it reminds me of the style of the Tintin comic book adventures. It is a funny and stylish affair with a pleasantly reasonable duration. You don't often see a similar game on what would happen "if". Overall impression: 90%.

Court dramas have a long tradition and privileged position in the American entertainment industry. In Philadelphia, it is evident that the studio considered it a showcase and approached its production with the expectation of festival accolades. Tom Hanks was already considered a big star at that point and the ideal representative of sympathetic characters driven by fate. The theme of AIDS in the 90s moved the public, and the deaths of charismatic figures in show business, such as Freddie Mercury, were still fresh in the memory. The public's attitudes reflected unease in a sexually open society, fear of a pandemic was pervasive, and concerns about infection were common and manifested in various prejudices. Directed by Jonathan Demme, an activist film was created to persuade, educate, nurture, and cultivate, but excessive noble intentions ultimately give rise to noble boredom. In the first half of the film, it still works more or less as it should, but in the second half, it occasionally slips into emotional manipulation and goes downhill, so to speak. Those who want to see an excellent drama that does not shy away from controversial moments should instead watch Dallas Buyers Club. I'm only giving it three stars because I sympathize with the creators' goals. Overall impression: 55%.

Recently I wrote a comment about the movie Taxi Driver and admired how the film remains relevant and impressive even after several decades. Marathon Man was made around the same time, but it gives the opposite impression, as its staleness can be felt from a distance. However, there is something worth mentioning. The strong cast led by the famous Laurence Olivier and the young Dustin Hoffman, who are usually associated with artistically ambitious projects, prevents us from seeing the real state of things. Even the few who express reservations in their comments do so with self-criticism worthy of a sect member confessing due to a lack of faith. In reality, Marathon Man was part of the usual commercial goods made for immediate consumption. German war criminals played the same role that Islamic terrorists play nowadays. John Schlesinger cannot consider Marathon Man the highlight of his career, but it is still a solid work. However, the fundamental weakness lies in the screenplay, which at times drags the film to the edge of parody, for example, when the mortally wounded brother crawls through the city to die in the hero's arms. The motivations of the characters and their mental processes often made me shrug my shoulders and shake my head. In my opinion, this deserved a 3-star rating in the 70s. Today, I inevitably have to go lower. Overall impression: 40%.

I realized how misleading prejudices are after watching several episodes of Major Case Squad. For many years, based on my experience, I had the impression that the creation of a quality crime series in the Czech Republic was as likely as filming a high-budget sci-fi in Vietnam. And behold, they succeeded. The key is the quality screenwriting, which is based on real criminal cases, and also the fact that an experienced criminal investigator contributed to the script and shared his experiences. Thanks to this, it is credible without losing tension and attractiveness. What I appreciate the most is that it goes its own way and does not seek inspiration from abroad. Czech television has produced many series that are obviously inspired by Scandinavian detective series or American action series, with very mixed results. To some extent, I would perhaps adjust the boundless enthusiasm that the series has aroused. It is very solid, but exceptional perhaps only within the very average Czech drama productions, which have been struggling for a second decade, not knowing what to do next and lagging behind modern television trends. The series has a quality cast, and even Bolek Polívka remembered that he could act and stopped just playing himself. Only Sabina Remundová confirmed that she really did not inherit her mother's acting talent. Overall impression: 85%

I realized how misleading prejudices can be after watching several episodes of this TV series. For years, based on my own experiences, I had the impression that the creation of a high-quality crime series in the Czech Republic was just as likely as the production of a big-budget sci-fi film in Vietnam. And behold, they actually succeeded! The basis lies in the quality screenwriting, which is based on real criminal cases, and also in the fact that an experienced criminal investigator contributed to the script by incorporating their experiences. Thanks to this, it is credible without losing tension and attractiveness. What I appreciate most is that it goes its own way and does not seek inspiration from abroad. Czech television stations have produced many shows that are obviously inspired by Scandinavian detective series or American action dramas, with very mixed results. To some extent, I would perhaps temper the boundless enthusiasm that the show has generated. It is very solid, but exceptional perhaps only among very average Czech dramatic productions, which have been floundering for the past decade, unsure of what to do next and, above all, struggling to keep up with modern television trends. The cast is of high quality, even Bolek Polívka remembered that he could act and stopped playing himself. Perhaps only Sabina Remundová confirmed that she has truly not inherited her mother's acting talent. Overall impression: 85%.

The minister, as a member of the political elite, has a simple life and enjoys without hesitation the privileges that his position provides for him - starting with a demanding mistress and ending with a government villa. However, a union demonstration shakes his position to such an extent that resignation seems like a reasonable solution. The minister returns back to his hometown, back to his roots, and to his friends and acquaintances. Paradoxically, he realizes that he feels much better here than in his prestigious position. If anyone thinks that I have just spoiled something, they are mistaken. In the case of Iosseliani's film, it is not about the plot at all, but rather about the style, mood, and poetry. The director uses absurd exaggeration, populates the image with bizarre characters, and employs peculiar humor that will not appeal to everyone. However, I get the feeling that Iosseliani sometimes gets lost in his poetry and loses the key to what he wants to communicate to his viewers. On the other hand, compared to Havel's Leaving, which is somewhat about the same thing, it is in my eyes the unequivocal winner, simply because it is at home in the world of cinema, while Havel couldn't free himself from theatrical thinking. Overall impression: 60%.

Those who approach Snowpiercer as a dissolute B-movie might eventually have a good time with it. Anyone looking for a seriously conceived dystopia will be burned badly. My only star is more related to the fact that the film betrayed one of the most important principles I demand from the world of cinema. I have already written in my profile that from the fictional film world, no matter how fantastic it may be, I require solid logical foundations and its protagonists must move meaningfully within it. The director and screenwriter in-one did not bother to build any logical foundations at all. Everything is subordinated to the momentary effect and the next action scene. The film is a pulp crap, but it has remarkably decent casting, and Joon-ho Bong is not to be discarded as a craftsman. Occasionally, a spark of interest flashed for me in scenes that were obviously inspired by Terry Gilliam's darkly grotesque world and his famous films Brazil and 12 Monkeys (typical of this is the speech of the minister in front of the crowd of wretches from the lowest class). But those were just timid flashes that had no continuity, so in the end, my overall impression is only 25%.

Wyatt Earp reminded me of one of the stories by my favorite Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock - "The Awful Fate of Melpomenus Jones". Poor Melpomenus was a well-mannered and likable young man who had the flaw of being influenced by his surroundings and being too truthful. He couldn't explain to his hosts that he had to leave, and unfortunately, he took their hypocritical pleas for him to stay too seriously, until he eventually collapsed and died during his endless stay with acquaintances. Lawrence Kasdan may have also been too influenced by his surroundings, and whenever he started thinking about ending the film, the actors and the entire crew persuaded him not to cut off the promising project when everyone was getting paid and having a good time. Unfortunately, the one who is not having a good time is the viewer who has to consume over 3 hours of runtime. The film's storytelling is lacking and, despite my best efforts, I can't find a reason why the film shouldn't be significantly shorter. Even worse, when I imagine the film having a reasonable runtime of 90-100 minutes, I still wouldn't feel the need to give it more than 3 stars, even though it would be a very solid 3 stars. In its current form, however, I have to rate it even lower. Most of all, the film can be described as tedious. Wyatt Earp is neither a classic adventure film full of predictable genre clichés nor a serious biopic. It is something in between and, honestly, in my opinion, it doesn't satisfy any part of the audience. The relatively solid rating it has is more due to the fact that Kasdan, no matter how we view his megalomania, maintained a solid level of craftsmanship - the film is simply not bad and tempts reviewers to overrate in that they don't want to bring it down. The mixed reviews of the film marked the beginning of the end of Kevin Costner's star period, which was propelled upwards primarily by the phenomenal success of Dances with Wolves. Overall impression: 45%.