gudaulin

I'm struggling to find a fitting adjective for this incredibly childish yet soulless mishmash. Overall impression: 0% (if only I could go into negative numbers...).

The success of some movies is a bit of a mystery to me. Broken Flowers received praise from film critics, and enjoyed success at film festivals and among viewers. That's why I was surprised at how inconspicuous and unexceptional this film is, considering the abundance of other films from the American independent scene. It's not a bad film, definitely not - it's just that in the careers of everyone involved, from the director to the last actor, there are better films. Broken Flowers is neither avant-garde nor provocative nor attractive nor exceptional. The main character, Don Johnston, is also not well-written. I didn't believe in his numerous love affairs and his resourcefulness, and he didn't exude any leftover charisma or mischief in his behavior. This is the resigned, dull man who was recently left by his lover for stagnant adolescence? On the other hand, Broken Flowers does have a great cast and performances, a nostalgic mood, and mild, unintrusive humor. Overall impression: 60%.

An intimate psychological drama for four people plays a game between them on two levels. On one hand, it is the arrival of an unexpected and unwanted guest. The meeting reminds us of old family conflicts and animosity and this storyline addressing the problem of how to get rid of the incoming person as quickly as possible is almost a comedy. The second level of the story begins to unfold after the husband leaves on a business trip. The wife, who feels unused in the household, is going through a midlife crisis and carries bitterness from her abandoned career as a talented pianist and a pubescent young man, who is searching for an anchor point after his father's suicide and longing for love - well, that can be a dangerous combination... The film could have used some script polishing and trimming of a few scenes, but even so, it is an above-average film with quality dialogues and well-developed believable characters. Overall impression 70%. A cheap yet emotional film where everything essential takes place on the journey between the swimming pool, ping-pong table, piano, and a double bed.

A decent TV detective story with strong support from a quality literary source. The author duo of Per Wahlöö and Maj Sjöwall are valued creators of detective novels on an international scale, and such a good story is a solid starting point for a television dramatization. The casting is strong as well, so the only, but significant, criticism remains the distorted portrayal of the country where the detective story takes place. Sweden, which at the time of the film's creation was one of the wealthiest countries in the world with a high standard of living, is depicted as a place where retirees eat pet food, there's dirt everywhere, and obvious signs of scarcity. The investigator's office looks like the small office of a warehouse manager in a 1970s Czech factory, and the exterior scenes were filmed somewhere in a sprawling freight yard. Overall impression: 60%.

This film seems to have been made from a forgotten script abandoned in the early 50s... A typical product of the emerging normalization, a distasteful glorification of the secret police (STB), and the period of collectivization. One of the weakest films of its time... Overall impression 5%.

A very silly series to fill the broadcasting time of commercial television in the early afternoon hours. Poor scripts and performances that are not even worth a mention. Perhaps only die-hard opponents of motor vehicles will enjoy it because there are hardly any other series or movies with as many crash scenes... Overall impression is 15%.

The death of Crown Prince Rudolf meant the same thing in its time as the death of Princess Diana a century later. Based on his fate and tragic end, a historical costume film was created, which is not nearly as kitschy as the films about Empress Sissi from the 1950s, but it also did not avoid having a romanticizing and unhistorical approach to the subject. The creators of the film try to build on the legend of the talented prince, who would have been a modern and capable leader of the state after ascending to the throne, but instead became a victim of his position and the pressure from his surroundings. To put it soberly, he was primarily a victim of his health, and today's medicine should be able to provide a specific diagnosis for his mental state. He would have struggled with his high state position, and there is not much mystery surrounding his suicide. The Crown Prince, whether in terms of script quality or acting performances, is easily forgettable. Overall impression: 35%. The film can only please with shots of elegant costumes and historical buildings of its era.

A strong and fully functional film even after more than half a century, and a classic of the noir genre. A carefully planned and executed heist, which after initial success starts to slip away from its masterminds. The key to its success was its precise script that follows, step by step, the formation of the gang, and the plan, preparation, and execution of the crime. There are long shots with minimal dialogues, and an important role is played by the exteriors of old streets in poor and bourgeois districts of Paris in the first half of the 50s, which only then began to change due to the economic miracle, and the black and white image suitable for the genre and above all carefully chosen film music. It is a masterpiece that has made its mark on film history. The film is not overly complicated and yet it is extremely strong in its story and execution. Overall impression 95%.

A subtle, intimately crafted story about a gambling passion that led one bureaucrat astray. While the film lacks the atmosphere of Croupier or the compelling story of Casino, it has two significant strengths that reliably elevate it above average. The first is the presence of the excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead role, and the second is John Hurt in the role of his opponent. Excellent character psychology and decent direction. A small film about one big deception. Overall impression: 75%.

I definitely don't reject comics as a medium, and I have a decent collection of comic books in my library. On the other hand, I never felt comfortable with the mainstream superhero line, of which Batman stories are an integral part. When the character Fantomas was created at the beginning of the 20th century, he was devoid of any ironic exaggeration. When André Hunebelle made a film series about Fantomas in the 1960s, he correctly understood that this pulp literature could only be taken with an extraordinary amount of ironic exaggeration, and thus a timeless entertaining spectacle was created, which, unlike many other films, has not aged. The character of Batman can be approached from my perspective either with a parodic exaggeration or as a highly stylized fairy tale spectacle. This is exactly how Tim Burton portrayed him in his films, which is why I like his adaptations the most. He offered me a visually elaborate alternative world of the fictional gloomy Gotham City and several great bizarre comic characters, which made it easy to consume this ancient comic story. Nolan approaches it completely differently and situates his heroes in a completely realistic environment of a modern American metropolis, voluntarily abandoning comic book poetics. He even goes further, several characters - and it is especially typical for the prosecutor and the fateful woman for both positive heroes brilliantly portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal - are not traditional comic book characters, but people made of flesh and blood. The prosecutor is obviously not an alluring comic book hottie, as comic book fans imagine her. It would have been great if Nolan didn't only go halfway and dared to completely break the genre limitations. His main characters remain superheroes representing the positive and negative sides of human nature. They possess comic book exaggeration and extravagance, affectation, and exceptional abilities. The comic book myth must be preserved, even though the actions of comic book heroes go against the logic of the real world. The Joker never for a moment gives up his war paint, even though he has to appear as inconspicuous in the mundane human world as a teacher using a rocket launcher instead of a pointer. At one point, the Joker is arrested and imprisoned in a cell. The police never think of taking his fingerprints or, most importantly, wiping off the mask of the poorly painted clown, as revealing his human face would disrupt his essence and humanize him, destroying the myth of the supervillain. Technically, The Dark Knight is a precise high-budget spectacle, a typical blockbuster for popcorn-loving viewers. It contains many excellent scenes and effective performances. Even the opening bank heist is a spectacular introduction and the film manages to maintain a high pace for the majority of the time. On the other hand, I can recall a decent number of incomparably "ordinary" films that resonated with me more deeply, even without a gigantic budget and top-notch special effects. Overall impression: 60%.