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The film relies on the presence of two great names in American cinema. Granted, Nicholson can still exude charisma and Diane Keaton shows that one can age gracefully, without excessive plastic surgery, and still have spark and charm. The problem is they cannot carry the film on their own, and it needed a script prescribing quality dialogue and clever well-targeted humor. There are very few genuinely funny scenes, and they exhaust their potential quite quickly, at the latest halfway through the film. To top it all off, the film has the most banal happy ending in the spirit of classic Hollywood. Overall impression: 45%.

Ron Woodroof is a worker and a rodeo fan, but above all, a lover of life who knows how to enjoy it and doesn't deny himself anything. Drugs are easily available, the alcohol flows freely, and the girls who hover around the rodeo riders are usually willing to spend a pleasant moment in a trailer, entertaining their admirers and dispelling boredom. It's the early 80s, the time of the oil shocks, the bitterness of the Vietnam defeat, and civil activism are gone. The era of Reaganomics, yuppies, and newfound confidence has arrived. Nothing is impossible, and the motto of the day is fun. Like a bolt out of the blue, the news of Ron's AIDS diagnosis hits him after an injury. According to the doctors' experience, he has only 30 days left to live. His previous lifestyle and all the values he held dear are suddenly gone. But instead of passively waiting for death, he decides to fight it. Not only with the disease but also with the system that dislikes those who stand out and seek alternative paths. Ron becomes an advocate for unapproved treatment methods and unauthorized drugs. The initial 30 days turn into hundreds and then many years. The approach to AIDS changes, society changes, and the hero of the story changes too. From a southern roughneck and homophobic man, he becomes someone who understands the necessity of tolerance and can navigate among members of sexual minorities. Dallas Buyers Club is a drama based on a powerful story and a controversial, unforgettable main character. I would say that by choosing the unpleasant theme of human suffering and death, an unattractive storytelling style (sentimentality could have been used more prominently or cynical black humor), and above all, the performances of Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in the main and supporting male roles, Dallas Buyers Club ranks among the most significant films of the season. I have heard it said about American actors that they are willing to undergo practically anything for the sake of a role and reputation, and McConaughey proves that this is true. From a pretty boy who recently charmed in romantic comedies, he has transformed into a walking advertisement for a crematorium, where you could count every rib on his chest on the spot, and whose determined eyes still blaze from his gaunt face marked by stress. This is, without exaggeration, an outstanding acting performance worthy of an Oscar. Overall impression: 90%.

Here and there, rather rarely, I come across a genre film where I find unexpected qualities, even though it missed its target audience and has a relatively sad rating. Unfortunately, this is not one of those rare cases. The problem does not lie in the fact that from the very first shot, it is clear that we are in deep B-movie waters. That we are dealing with second-rate actors, including the main character who is crucial for the atmosphere and overall impression, already makes things quite disappointing. However, that does not explain the one star I'm giving it. The main issue lies with the director himself. Mason is certainly not a B-movie director, as he clearly has the foundations of the profession in his blood, but he does not show us anything that would indicate any talent, filmmaking cleverness, and sophistication. He tries to achieve an effect with quick editing, handheld cameras, and above all, bloody splatters wherever you look. However, the idea presented is far from original and there are plenty of titles that do the same or almost the same in a much better and more impressive way. Overall impression: 25%.

One star goes to Gilliam for his boundless imagination and one for Jodelle Ferland's acting performance. If she maintains the same playfulness, immediacy, and ability to transform herself, she will become the new Kirsten Dunst. I would like to continue with the positives, but I have to admit that I no longer have anything to add. The problem is that Gilliam's story this time did not seem compelling enough to me, and I openly found myself bored for most of the film. His created world simply did not captivate me, and I neither feared for nor rooted for his protagonist. It just passed me by. Overall impression: 40%. Some consider Tideland morbid, some consider it insane, I consider it stereotypical and tiresome...

Diplomatically speaking, the hesitant reception of the experimental 9th season prompted the creators of the show to rearm and, for a change, rely on certainty. They carefully considered what worked, and the 10th season is therefore the essence of what made the show attractive in its early seasons. Witty humor, playful banter, and pervasive irony. The trouble is that, despite all the efforts, it simply isn't and cannot be the same as when the same characters were played by actors 25 years younger. Not that the makeup artists didn't give it their best and the actors didn't try, but some things simply cannot be disguised. When young Lister dreams of his future, of Kochanski and children in the early series, the audience roots for him, but here you can see a man who, no matter how you look at it, has spent the greater part of his life on a wreck somewhere deep in space, and it becomes increasingly clear that he has no real purpose. And that leads to more of a sense of anxiety if not something worse... Overall impression: 85%.

Unfortunately, I do not share the positive views of this film, which was supposed to be a kind of transition for Jean-Claude Van Damme from B-movies to serious cinema. I have never been a fan of his, and even during his biggest period of fame, I only saw three or four of his biggest hits. Even less known to me is his filmography from the decline of his career. However, I am willing to believe that this is probably his best acting performance and I cannot overlook the effort he made to break out of his box. The problem is that there was too much of that effort, and as we know, it can easily turn awkward. This was supposed to be a stylish pure comedy, not a mash-up of styles where the attempt at a thriller dominates. The opening title sequence is excellent, and Van Damme clearly does not take himself seriously in it, nor does he take the genre seriously, in which he feels at home, and the exaggeration has quite the kick. But then it gets serious, at times relies on sentiment and dusts off his star status. Although the combination of genres sometimes works, it is generally much easier to make a pure genre film than a genre crossbreed. In my opinion, it didn't work here. There is a valuable idea in this film, but it is not properly developed. If Van Damme had followed the path of, for example, the French comedy For 200 Grand, You Get Nothing Now, it could have turned out great as honest comedic entertainment. Van Damme simply didn't handle the attempt at artistic transcendence. Perhaps it is also because he probably talked too much and yet did not have a top director who would stubbornly follow his own vision and discipline the star. Overall impression: 45%.

Once upon a time in the ancient era of the 80s, I quite liked the cycle of bachelor stories, which, in the then-poor offerings, were among the better things that appeared on television screens. The television returns of bachelor stories today indicate that only a few materials have stood the test of time with honor. This particular film is a delightful bachelor story and is no more inventive than that. Sadly, but this time, I saw a different film than others; it happens sometimes. From my perspective, it's a mediocre and unfunny TV movie, where perhaps nostalgia or the presence of the proven married couple Josef Abrhám and Libuše Šafránková play a role in the assessment for many. This casting used to be a safe bet, partly due to Šafránková's subtle charm and the working chemistry between the two members of the married couple. This is probably the first case where it didn't do anything for me at all. Overall impression: 25%. Maybe I'd lean towards a more merciful two stars, but in recent days, I've seen several extraordinary films that set the bar too high.

I do not deny the craftsmanship of Orphan, as it is a well-cast, acted, and directed horror thriller, but which unfortunately is also unbearably predictable, clichéd, and characterized by the behavior of the characters that indicates at least a complete loss of self-preservation instinct, but more so premature dementia. I don't like movies where I am constantly two steps ahead of the director. A thriller should create tension, while a horror should provoke fear. Neither of these happened, and this film simply did not work for me. Overall impression: 25%.

Zbyněk Brynych was the type of director who relied more on sheer willpower than on the weight of his talent, and for the greater part of his career, he could be considered more of a diligent routine worker than a creative artist (regardless of his involvement during the normalization period, when he took on more than necessary). Nevertheless, he left behind several films in the 60s that are undoubtedly worth watching, fitting into the 60s as the peak phase of Czechoslovak cinema. Not to say that the film about the Theresienstadt concentration camp doesn't have its weaker moments, suffering at times from unnecessary loss of pace or logical inconsistencies (would the camp commander really embark on a futile battle against resistance members with just one soldier?), but on the other hand, the atmosphere of the ghetto and the gloomy anticipation of transport to the Auschwitz hell are impressively portrayed. At a time when, according to online discussions, there is a growing desire to acquire some more refined concentration camp films again, it wouldn't hurt to remind ourselves of what it would actually mean in practice (including the dry daily report of 300 natural deaths per day). Personally, I consider Transport from Paradise to be Brynych's best piece of work. Some mixed comments and ratings are paradoxically a consequence of Brynych's attempt to avoid overly cheap and audience-friendly communication. This drama simply demands more from the viewer than superficial attention and a passive attitude. It tries (admittedly, not always with ideal results) to speak with a new film language and seek new perspectives, unlike what was customary in the 50s. Last but not least, this film is a showcase of young actors' faces, who in some cases we only know from stories and others only as considerably older gentlemen. Overall impression: 75%.

The setting in which the story takes place is intimately familiar to experienced cinephiles from the older thriller Death Wish starring Charles Bronson as an uncompromising avenger in the lead role, cleaning the streets of the city and saving taxpayers money on the judicial and prison system. Jodie Foster is a much more versatile character actress with a significantly broader range than Bronson. The Brave One also has a somewhat more complicated screenplay than the former, which soon became a tiresome monotonous series of street executions. On the other hand, the film's problematic moral dimension, where the main character, in the name of her pain, fear, and questionable right to satisfaction, embodies the powers of a prosecutor, judge, and executioner, is indeed present here, and it is only a pity that the screenwriter and director did not find the courage to lead their heroine to a bitter end. Overall impression: 60%.