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The Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean is not a film for everyone due to its somewhat sleepy pace and lack of exciting twists. The main role in Giuseppe Tornatore's film is played by the camera, music, and performances, which together create a special atmosphere surrounding the life fate of a brilliant pianist, whose world is now only known through the legend told by his only friend. A man who emerged as an abandoned baby on a giant ocean liner to discover his exceptional musical gift and spent his whole life as a member of the ship's orchestra, never setting foot on dry land. Fear of the endless unknown world, which brings countless risks, prevents him from doing so. It is a film about the power of friendship, music, and the human loneliness that comes from a unique position. The film has two peak scenes, one being a poetic ride on a released piano through the ship's spaces, and the other a duel between two top pianists on the "edge of keys." An emotional and poetic work. Overall impression: 90%.

In the reviews for The Last Legion, it is very clear what film fans consider most essential in the fantasy genre - the visual spectacle. The Last Legion is a cheaper affair, but that personally doesn't bother me. The problem lies with the script, which recycles motifs that have been seen many times before and dully uses some typical genre clichés. This is a case of so-called historical fantasy, which tries to place its story in a specific historical era and uses specific historical characters, unfortunately in a very superficial way. The only bright spot is the A-list actors, who may have ended up in this film more by mistake, but who deliver a decent standard and, truth be told, easily outshine many well-known fantasy characters from the past (such as Conan). However, when a slim, beautiful Indian warrior appears, effortlessly taking down twelve heavily armed brutes who are experienced warriors, while also suggesting she has had time to knit a sweater, I can only shrug and say that this kind of fairy tale simply is not for me. Overall impression: 35%.

The Last Metro is commercially the most successful Truffaut film popular with audiences, where a strong cast led by the mature and highly charming Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu, who was then full of energy, charismatic, and still new to the scene. Despite the undeniable directorial mastery and interesting occupation theme, I cannot give it a full rating because some motifs in the film simply didn't resonate with me. The functional part is the one that shows the world of the Paris theater, actors, and other theater personnel, while also depicting a love triangle between the main characters, where the husband, hiding from repression, helplessly watches the developing love affair between his wife and her acting partner. On the other hand, the broader depiction of the historical era of occupied France is not very functional, when two hundred policemen are searching for the main character and fail to realize that he is hiding in the basement of his theater. After getting leads of Steiner's presence in Paris, the Gestapo falls for the most banal trick at a time when executions and deportations were running rampant, and a wide network of informants and the Gestapo apparatus were doing efficient work. This trivialization and simplification of such a difficult period could be excused in a comedy, but not in a film of this genre. The most interesting moments are when the theater performances on the stage blend with the real lives of the film characters. A playful and professionally well-shot film. Overall impression: 85%.

While film critics may prioritize other pieces of Woody Allen's work, for me, Love and Death holds the top spot. It's a matter of the heart because Allen parodies literature and films that I intimately know and grew up with. This film will be appreciated by those who have read "War and Peace" because poor old Leo Tolstoy gets the most flak, but in general, anyone who has read classic and thick romantic novels by 19th-century authors and seen historical epics from the 1960s will enjoy it. Allen is at the peak of his game here, literally brimming with humor in the style of college pranks and biting intellectual sarcasm. The film also has a pleasantly short duration. Overall impression: 95%.

The Last Picture Show is a movie about the difficult period of adolescence, the creation of one's value system, the loss of innocence, the first sexual experiences (which may not be the same thing), the loss of illusions, and the transformations of a small Texas town during the economic and technological boom of the early 1950s. The post-war prosperity, further compounded by oil fever, along with the arrival of television as the main source of entertainment, led to greater individualization of society and a lifestyle change, symbolized by the decline of the local movie theater and entertainment club. In The Last Picture Show, the story is not important (on the contrary, it is deliberately suppressed), but rather more important is the overall atmosphere supported by maximum meticulousness, with which the filmmakers captured the smallest details, the consistency with which they dedicated themselves to the dialogue or the complexity of the natures of the individual characters. In the movie, not much actually happens, but you can feel the dramas that take place outside the camera's view and the conflicts that collide in the minds of the characters. I consider this film to be an exceptionally successful black-and-white retro with excellent performances and a sense of authenticity rarely seen in the film industry. In the case of such films, I am often irritated by lofty phrases, unhistorical thinking, artificial plot twists, or catering to the taste of the mass audience. Here, I simply have nothing to criticize. The character's actions are sometimes impulsive and often go against what I believe in, but they correspond to the complexity of the time and the characters, which were not crafted by a routine screenwriter. The character portrayed by Cybill Shepherd is worth mentioning, where the young actress demonstrated not only her charms but also refined character acting and managed to transform from a naive romantic girl into a dangerous and manipulative vixen. Overall impression: 95%.

Julio Medem has incredible luck. Usually, his films catch me in an exceptionally positive mood, which makes me give them a greater number of stars than they deserve. Chaotic Ana, according to the standards I commonly apply to cinema, deserves to be discarded, and I, an embarrassing softie, gave it one star, probably out of inappropriate conformism. Lovers of the Arctic Circle is much better off, and I really like Medem's film language and choice of actors, but the way he handles his characters, and all those unbelievable coincidences, missed encounters, all those constructs that accumulated in the screenplay, sometimes slip into self-parody. This film was not supposed to be a comedy and yet titles like The Poacher's Foster Daughter or Noble Millionaire or Lemonade Joe often come to mind when watching it. It simply cannot be taken seriously and my three stars are rather for what the film could be if Medem wasn't so self-centered. Overall impression: 50%.

In the opening minutes, it feels like a very raw, unfiltered ride through the underground of a city, a road movie among alcohol-soaked human wrecks, impoverished homeless people, and desperate individuals who survive from day to day. I expected to see a strong realistic social study of people on the outskirts of the system or completely beyond its reach. However, the meager existence named Carax quickly veers toward the shining neon lights, which create a contrast with the filthy homeless people, and the viewer's gaze slides towards the rocket geysers fired during the generously conceived city celebrations. Among their reflections on the surface of the Seine, Carax's characters zigzag while water skiing. Good Lord, what does this have to do with the life reality of Parisian homeless people?! Even those at the bottom of the social ladder are entitled to love and undoubtedly experience it, but it is much harsher. In their world, there is no room for melodrama and beautifully shot poetic images. Carax envisions the love of his characters from a middle-class perspective, effectively lacking any significant features typical of kitschy melodramas. The loving couple is separated by a social abyss, the surroundings don't wish them well, and a serious incurable disease afflicts the girl, whom a miraculous treatment will save from the precipice at the last minute. If The Lovers on the Bridge is interesting in any way, then it is through the amazing transformation that Juliette Binoche undergoes. From a charming beauty, she becomes a burnt-out and embittered wreck, in whom no one would look for one of the most sympathetic actresses around. It is said that when Audrey Hepburn was dressed in an unattractive florist's costume in My Fair Lady, she cried from humiliation. Binoche clearly has no problem with that, and her goal is to sell herself as a great actress, not as a star. Carax offers another plus - impressive shots of Parisian streets, especially the Pont-Neuf bridge. The coldness of the stone blocks, and the images of majestic statues, will certainly leave their mark on the viewer. For these mentioned merits, Carax ultimately receives an overall impression of 55% of the from me, but at the same time, I take away the conviction that Carax is too manneristic a creator for my taste, and in the future, I will tend to avoid his work. By the way, one of his vices is also megalomania because those 130 million francs could have been much more effectively and sensibly invested. If I were a producer, Carax's image would terrify me in the most horrible dreams. The most expensive French film should belong to a different genre and look a little different...

One remote French settlement in an area where harsh winter rages for 5 months a year, and even when the snow melts, foxes bid a good night. One farming family whose younger generation longs to escape social poverty, numbing toil, and bleak prospects. And one naked female body, a crime that disrupts the peaceful lives of local residents and brings the police and members of the justice system to the scene. The Burned Barns is not a typical detective story or even a crime thriller; it is rather a psychological drama, a clash between two strong personalities, though extremely different in temperament and experiences, yet attracted to each other precisely because of the strength of their characters. Alain Delon in the role of the investigating judge and Simon Signoret as the mother who defends her children threatened by suspicion. A captivating acting concert and a surprising resolution. The atmosphere is enhanced by the music, which often uses organ motifs, and the camera, which circles around the expansive farm from overhead, only to suddenly shift to a close-up detail. Overall impression: 80%.

During the premiere, I considered The Man with the Iron Heart a waste of time, but when it appeared on TV years later, curiosity won me over to see if such harsh and venomous critiques from movie fans were truly deserved. Well, they were. I want to emphasize that I didn't care at all about the historical accuracy of the events portrayed; I simply saw it as a genre film from a Hollywood studio that aims to entertain and appeal to a global audience, where there is only a minimum number of knowledgeable viewers familiar with the historical events of World War II. However, the film fails because it doesn't know what it wants to be, or rather, Jimenez tries to cram everything into it. Superficial psychology, romance, adventure, war, political drama, etc. It doesn't come together as a whole, lacking any atmosphere or significant memorable performances. If the film manages to entertain in a few moments, then it's an unintended charm. For example, when the paratroopers conquer the Alpine peaks after jumping, or when surprised German soldiers are greeted with machine gun fire while attempting to infiltrate the paratroopers' hiding place. It is watchable, and I can understand giving it three stars, but a good film is something completely different. Overall impression: 35%. Valkyrie is a case of a Hollywood blockbuster that managed to use the resources of a major studio for something positive. The Man with the Iron Heart is the complete opposite.

The opening scene in the crypt of the ossuary and the subsequent assassination clearly entice, and the director sets the bar high and makes it known that the presence of the star Ventura will not be his only advantage. This is a film that respects the atmosphere and has style. However, its weakness lies in the script. The murders of high-ranking judicial officials are not investigated by a team of well-equipped specialists from the criminal investigative team, as one would expect in a politically exposed case, but rather by a lonely commissioner equipped with a pencil and a notebook. Until about halfway through, the drama represents a more or less classic narrative about a criminal case, which, despite detours and minor problems, leads to a specific culprit and the resolution of the case. However, then the director changes gears and we find ourselves in a world of conspiracy theories and hints of complex and extensive conspiracies, and the film increasingly falls into paranoia, which culminates in a bloody question mark. The truth is that Francesco Rosi worked with very specific feelings of concern from the Italian left about the development inspired by Pinochet's coup in Chile, which took place just two years before the filming preparations. In the mid-70s, Italian society was indeed going through a protracted crisis of the political system and the economy, and the country was exhausted from strikes, demonstrations, and political assassinations. So, in terms of "feeling," Rosi's piece works, but in terms of content, it contains logical somersaults. If the commissioner argues with journalists and opposition MPs about essential evidence, then the viewer sees nothing but helpless perplexity and a growing sense of threat and loss of trust in the institutions on the part of the protagonist. If you want to give the film a chance, do not expect a film based on action or a film that provides significant revelations. But as a dark experience, it can work. Overall impression: 75%.