lamps

This is like a sweet caress. At a time when cinema is pure business and the lead actress is supposed to have big boobs rather than acting talent (I'm not complaining), along comes one brilliant head with a film that so beautifully yet unambitiously promotes and, most importantly, celebrates the purpose of the film industry as a whole. A lovely story full of movement, dynamic twists and turns and wacky characters, each of whom captivates with their stylized appearance. If Anderson had worked in the early 1920s, he would be an immortal icon and perhaps a living legend, but it's much harder this way, because trends are fundamentally different and spoken dialogue doesn't fully always work in his films. Still, a great show and another excellent role for Ralph Fiennes. 85%

A detective flick that lacks the atmosphere of Harsh Times and the action of Street Kings. It’s not a dud (thanks to the actors), but if there’s any ambitious film with an A-list cast that has left me completely but utterly cold in the genre, other Mann's Miami Vice, it's the clichéd Pride and Glory. 60%

The way it throws you into the plot and the preparatory manoeuvres it uses to unpack, even considering the high ambitions of the original story, are considerably lacking, but as a whole Who Wants to Kill Jessie? is an incredibly successful whirlwind of now iconic scenes and crazy twists, whose strong anti-communist subtext is better not talk about at all and just enjoy the heap of creatively filmed and ethereally acted entertainment. The actors are another gem, and apart from the imaginative direction and script, they are the best part of the film. Although the role of Jessie was played by the beautiful and sensibly dressed Olga Schoberová, the main attention is drawn to the golden duo of Sovák-Menšík, in whose performance even the most mediocre jokes sound absolutely unforgettable, not to mention the above-average ones, of which there are many. One of the highlights of Czech comedy, the level of which could not be reached in a different time and especially with a different crew. 85%

A slightly different perspective on the horrors of the Vietnam War. A view through the eyes of a man filled with humour, enthusiasm and love for others, something he applies first and foremost in all conditions. The view is all the more impressive and authentic because even in the soul of such a person, war eventually makes its one-way path. Masterfully acted, expertly shot and written so that even Vietnamese people can watch it with a bit of benevolence, with an emphasis on friendship that should not be hindered by language barriers or cultural and racial differences. But I can't give it a full score, because without Robin Williams a good half of the humorous situations would go to waste... 85%

As a reconstruction of one brief phase of Czech history, The Assassination works well. The atmosphere of occupied Prague is excellent, the German actors are truly evil and, from the point of view and the dramatic flow, the film is up to its serious, blood-stained premise. In addition, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is flawlessly incorporated into the opening credits, which are chilling in themselves. However, at closer inspection, the structure creaks noticeably. Everything is dealt with very quickly, especially in the first half, the assassination itself comes almost out of nowhere, and the good guys in particular are desperately monotonous – none of them gets much space and it's very hard to like any of them enough that we don't really wish them dead. That said, the riveting pace is not always a bad thing, especially in the action-packed ending, where form finally triumphs slightly over content and where the hopelessness and the vision of impending death permeating the entire story finally turns into the film's main asset. The generous 4 stars are for the excellent ending.

This is where Hitchcock was better than anyone. With a minimum of technical means, a simple premise and a handful of excellent actors, he managed to produce a masterful psychological thriller that maintains its powerful pace, stemming from the opening conversation, without any directorial or screenwriting stumbles. And even though there is only one way the film can end, Hitch manages to do the impossible: engrossing the viewer to such an extent that they don't even think about the upcoming finale until it arrives. Who would ever want such beauty to end? :)) 95%

Very good. When Matthew Vaughn's exuberant imagination is not enough, either Michelle Pfeiffer's ever more attractive witch or the amazingly funny Robert De Niro on a truly unique role step in with great gusto. The fantastic story and, above all, the world it creates are less appealing and holistic than, say, The Neverending Story or the still unique The Princess Bride, but I can't recall an American fairy tale where the director managed to combine a purely childish portion of entertainment with a purely adult one so brilliantly and seamlessly. Anyway, I am convinced that if Václav Vorlíček had had the same budget and technical possibilities in his time, he would have handled such an interesting subject a little more magically (though certainly not more entertainingly). 4* and a bit.

Godzilla is a B-movie brainchild to such an extent that the measure of its success is no longer the age-old sympathy directed towards the fascination with something monstrously powerful and seemingly invincible, but only Emmerich's traditional faith in a wide audience with a tolerance for a film that's silly and also disrespectful to its predecessors that looks so cool regardless that we'll go see it anyway, and the German demolition man knows how to do that like few others. His vision of a clash between a heroic (but surprisingly stupid) American army and a gloriously overgrown lizard, however endearingly illogical and ridiculously megalomaniacal, really does seem like a dream come true for most little boys, who at the word Godzilla imagine just as much destruction and trampled-down goons in uniform as Mr. Emmerich "sacrificed" for the film. Moreover, it's all terribly suited to the targeted humour and Jean Reno in particular, whose character eventually becomes a very iconic figure. Anyone who didn’t have fun with the superbly edited and choreographed car-Godzilla chase is not normal. In the past, enthusiasm, today, and taking into account Edwards’s epic remake, just a little harmless joy... 3 and 1/2*

A few really polished jokes and the overall originality and liveliness of the setting can't quite make up for the quality level of the story, which is at times childish and sentimental to the point of shame, and in the end tries to dazzle with an idea that I wouldn't have bought into even as a father after three beers. Next time I'll opt for the dubbed version, which I'm sure will allow me to concentrate better on the elaborate visual details. For the time being, however, 65%.

Formally, it’s admirably coherent and its episodic structure is relatively easy to digest, as is usual with Kurosawa. The sprawling story with its many digressions and classic motifs holds together, and it's surprising how much new juice Kurosawa squeezes out of familiar movie tropes with the help of excellent actors and authentic sets. Toshiro Mifune is once again unforgettable, and his bearded Akahige embodies both the dignity and wisdom of Japan's noble nature, as well as just about everything else audiences around the world demand from the silver screen. That may also be why I perceived it as a distinct distraction when the script retrospectively veered off into a sentimental love story, rather than continuing to carefully flesh out the hopefully escalating events surrounding Blackbeard and young Yasumoto. But there's no point complaining about that – this biopic is still too well made, not boring at all and ultimately original, and the weaker ending can’t change that much. 85%