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The actual capture of the only remaining bridge over the Rhine was infinitely simpler and more straightforward. The German soldiers simply fled. The Bridge at Remagen uses this event to unfold a powerful story about military honor, courage, and how the powerful sometimes reward it. For its time, it's a decent genre piece, interesting for its perspective from the opposing side. Overall impression: 80%.

For its time, a professionally and modernly made comedy with an interesting cast, which stands out especially in comparison to the productions that the Barrandov studio produced after 1948. A playful comedy about how a woman can achieve almost anything, at the very least, chasing down the devil. Overall impression: 70%.

It is the most acclaimed film by Maurizio Nichetti, in a certain sense his showcase, a film that made an impression at several festivals, and I have a feeling it was successful at the Karlovy Vary festival as well. It is the director's homage to the era of classic Italian neorealism of the 1940s and 1950s. At the same time, it confronts the old, poor Italy of that time with the consumer-oriented Italian society of the late 1980s by sending a charming photo model from an advertising campaign into the past. The title of the film is reminiscent of Vittorio De Sica's famous film Bicycle Thieves. As usual for him, the director also played the main role here. It is an original, witty piece where humor intertwines with social themes. Overall impression: 80%.

A must-watch for horror fans and a pleasant opportunity for others to get acquainted with the essence of the genre, typically presented in an above-average manner. With numerous episodes, there are inevitably some lackluster ones, but the majority feature imaginative stories, often with surprising twists and the appropriate atmosphere. The half-hour runtime prevents the "fluffy padding" common in feature-length films. A significant advantage is the chosen light-hearted approach, where the creators play with genre clichés and audience expectations in a slightly parodic spirit. Overall impression: 80%.

Russian and Soviet history has been one of my hobbies since high school, so I have quite decent knowledge about the Stalinist Soviet Union, the case of the Jewish doctors, and Stalin's death. I felt that Alexej German's film would be an interesting confrontation of the director's artistic ideas about that time period with mine. Honestly, after the first viewing, I felt like a beetle that had lost its way in an anthill because, even after an hour of desperate effort, I couldn't recognize anything in the film, the sequence of images, and the characters presented by the director. I couldn't finish the film, and originally, I considered giving it a Boo! rating. After a second viewing, properly prepared and informed about what awaited me, I managed to make it to the end credits, and I can change my review to a fair two stars. German did not consider the viewer at all and subordinated the film's structure to his artistic intention, which, I'm afraid, will be indigestible for the majority of viewers. His film is strong in its details, in individual scenes where he can perceive and capture the absurdity of life in late Stalinist Russia, but it fails as a cohesive story that should captivate the viewer and provide an overall picture of the era and the country. From this perspective, it is much better to watch titles such as Burnt by the Sun and The Feasts of Valtasar, or The Night with Stalin. Overall impression: 40%. It is a typical festival, or rather club, film with no chance of succeeding with a wider audience. However, there exists a minority of viewers who approach a film as a puzzle that needs to be deciphered, and they will probably derive genuine joy from German's film because understanding the chaos and bringing order to it will take a long time...

With time, Flash Gordon feels like a rather sympathetic parody - the problem remains that it is an unwelcome kind of magic. The intention of the creators was clearly to pay homage to old science fiction stories with a film adaptation of the famous classic comic book. Tacky and overdecorated sets and bad special effects only highlight the outdatedness and worn-out nature of the subject matter. The superficial and from beginning to end calculated project, which was meant to ride the wave of Star Wars' popularity, was not saved even by the excellent music of Queen, the charismatic Max von Sydow, and the charming Ornella Muti, for whom the film's failure meant a return to Europe and the end of dreams of a successful career in Hollywood. Overall impression 35%.

One of the best classic Russian fairy tales produced in Soviet studios, which, although it doesn't reach the fame or quality of Jack Frost, still ranks above average. My rating is naturally influenced by a bit of nostalgia, but the wizard Chudo Yudo is one of my standout film memories. Despite the artificial sets and the knowledge that today's fantasy stories offer much more spectacular visuals, I give it a strong 70% overall impression.

The direction is acceptable, and the fresh-faced Dagmar Veškrnová, in her debut, brims with energy, but the screenplay is as weak as concentration camp soup. It's a typical stylistic piece without atmosphere, unable to evoke strong emotions in the viewer. Overall impression: 40%.

If there is a reason for Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos to roast in hell for their film endeavors from the 1950s (and there are a few reasons), then this film more than redeems their transgressions. An excellent, chilling drama from the wartime period that shows how dictatorship and dark times can distort human characters. By the way, when we compare Hřebejk's acclaimed film Divided We Fall with The Shop on Main Street, we understand the difference between a very good film and an excellent one, and the difference between playing it safe and filmmaking bravery. Overall impression: 100%. One of the best films ever produced by the Czechoslovak film school.

The first installment of a loose trilogy of crime thrillers associated with Jean Reno as an investigator of brutal crimes is still a relatively decent film, though the weaknesses that sank the following two sequels are already apparent. The screenplay is underdeveloped and clearly prioritizes flashy visuals and shocking revelations over logical consistency, taking evident inspiration from successful American thrillers, notably Se7en. The attempt to emulate Fincher's directorial style is evident in several specific scenes. The result is an uneven film with an awkward ending, but it still has several audience-appealing moments and a dark, though inconsistent, atmosphere. Overall impression: 55%.