gudaulin

When watching Fifty Dead Men Walking, I remembered a similar Spanish production called Wolf, where the main character infiltrated the ranks of the Basque separatist organization ETA. That comparison did not go well for Fifty Dead Men Walking because Wolf seemed much more cinematic and better developed. In the case of the British film, the screenplay seemed somehow unfinished, and the important motives for the protagonist's actions and decisions were either concealed or untrustworthy. Additionally, the real Martin McGartland was driven by much less altruism in his activities than the film tries to convince the viewer of, and his motivations were more down-to-earth. The whole process of breaking and recruiting a collaborator for the British security services is very rushed and in practice, Martin's decision based on such an offer would be pure foolishness. Of course, the film heavily relies on the environment in which it takes place, namely a war-torn and terrorized country, and it is based on true events, although, as is quite common and logical, it partly interprets them according to its own interpretation. Even though I would like to give it four stars, it seems too much like a TV film to me and I am disappointed by the wasted potential. Overall impression: 65%.

A slower and artistically crafted look at the vanishing samurai community during the reforms and modernization in the second half of the 19th century in the Japanese empire. Yamada avoids the usual mythology surrounding samurais and their art of wielding a sword. Thus, viewers expecting fierce battles and dozens of villains slain by the hero's weapon will be disappointed, as the director instead offers a tragically resonant duel, portrayed realistically. It is more of an ideological conflict between characters that characterize Japanese society of their time. Firearms are clearly infiltrating the weaponry of Japanese units, and despite the conservative resistance of feudal elites, it is clear that the era of samurais is coming to an end. I was slightly bothered by the nature of the main protagonist, who, with his naivety and honesty, somewhat resembled Lemonade Joe. His conversation with the province administrator revealed the boundary where principles turn into impractical foolishness. Overall impression: 65%. With a faster pace and "more European" acting, it would have gotten a stronger 4 stars.

I am often drawn to contemporary Japanese films and I can give them the highest rating without any problems. However, historical themes, and especially samurai films completely miss the mark for me. I usually can't empathize with the mentality of the characters, and emotionally, the film kind of slips through my fingers, including the most famous names like Kurosawa. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi is Kitano's contribution to the genre so popular in Japan, and he uses traditional exaggeration, when the protagonist easily defeats dozens of opponents, blood splatters everywhere, and the outcome of the battle is usually decided by a single chosen warrior. It is full of rituals derived from another culture, sometimes pathetic, sometimes naive, and practically always very exaggerated. The rational part of me views such productions with strong disdain, but fortunately, Kitano's ironic detachment helps, with jokes that undermine and wink at the story, as well as the viewer and genre fan. In addition, the film is adorned with examples of local culture, so we experience the end of the film in the spirit of a folk celebration. It also reminded me of my teenage years when I devoured similar films such as The Hunchback of Paris and The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi can be described as a romanticizing film of similar quality, aimed at a similar consumer. I thus give it 3 stars and an overall impression of 55%.

A crime-thriller set in the near future that relies on sophisticated and fairly original visuals. In Europe, sci-fi films do not have it easy, because producers usually cannot find a suitable budget and also because American filmmakers have a longer tradition and have been dominating the sci-fi genre in American literary production for a long time. The screenplay could have developed the promising concept of manipulating human personality more interestingly because despite the action elements copied from American production and solid performances by unfamiliar actors, the whole plot is predictable and the entire storyline is shallow from my point of view. Overall impression: 55%.

All of Alfred Hitchcock's films, including his most famous ones, naturally need to be judged in the context of the era in which they were made, because the ravages of time have logically left their mark on them. Nevertheless, in my opinion, many of them are a cinematic treat and contemporary filmmakers rarely come close to matching their quality. His films are usually a safe bet for me. Therefore, I was even more disappointed with this particular one because, in my eyes, it just didn't work at all and I had a hard time even finishing it. The incredibly naive and predictable script is to blame, and it is as if it had been written 20 years earlier. The direction is still reliable and the cast is stellar, but that doesn't change the fact that in the scenes that were supposed to be suspenseful, I could barely hold back laughter. Hitchcock certainly didn't intend to write a parody, just a slightly lighter thriller. He ended up making more of those later on. Overall impression: 40%.

The novel of the same name by the Strugatsky brothers, in my opinion, is not their best work and at that time, science fiction did not have an easy time under the leadership of Soviet cinema. There was no tradition, suitable special effects, and a budget were not available, and neither the screenplay nor the direction were able to accurately convey the atmosphere of the literary work into a film. Today, this film is valuable mainly for collectors and genre fans as a kind of curiosity. Just the fact that it was filmed by a state studio, where there is a vast plain, even though the story takes place in the middle of high mountains. The current rating, I think, is slightly influenced by users' nostalgia. Overall impression: 40%.

The overall functional sitcom humor is unfortunately spoiled by the characters. Such a unique collection of small-town folk in the peak of their age is something one rarely comes across and one can only speculate considering the well-known fact that people usually change for the worse, to what extent they have reached in their snobbery and bourgeois posing in their old age. After watching three episodes, I felt the urge to join the punks somewhere on a channel, but due to my age and parental position, I could not afford to do it. Therefore, I am done with this series. :-) Overall impression: 40%.

Even my third encounter with Darren Aronofsky's work did not end well, although this time it's not so much the director's fault as it is the subject matter, whose setting and characters simply repel me. I consider wrestling to be a degrading form of entertainment, although it is primarily a problem of audience demand for new gladiatorial matches. Moreover, I have no particular love for Mickey Rourke, and with the honorable exception of Angel Heart, none of his films have thrilled me. To top it all off, his protagonist did not seem sympathetic to me in the slightest, and he had only himself to blame for his fate. He chose it and paid the price. His casting, however, fits - given his boxing antics and personality, he is cast perfectly type-wise. The film certainly does not delve into any great depth, it is predictable, and the characters, whether the protagonist or the stripper who, of all people, is also a caring mother and yearns to escape from this rotten environment, have a bit of a kitschy feel. Overall impression: 45%.

With his two previous feature films, George Clooney set the bar so high that he created great expectations which Leatherheads didn't quite fulfill. It's definitely not a bad movie, but this romantic comedy set in the world of sports certainly did not have the ambition to try for an Oscar or change the perspective on cinema. There are a few sports that I don't particularly enjoy, such as boxing or American football, but fortunately, the American football setting serves as a background for the conversational shootouts between George Clooney and Renée Zellweger, which significantly contribute to the film. It's a good relaxation film with a solid cast and some decent jokes. Overall impression: 60%.

The script for Salt probably lay somewhere in a dusty drawer of a Hollywood studio for a few decades because not only its theme but also its spirit belongs to the times of the hardest Cold War and is more paranoid than most famous propaganda films of that time. According to its author, NATO and the USA are crawling with super-secret Russian agents in high positions, including the position of the American president. The main protagonist is a product of women's emancipation and the gender movement to such an extent that she not only equals but also easily outperforms James Bond, so it is no problem for her to eliminate the security of both the Russian and American presidents, storm the heavily guarded bunker where the American president is supposed to take shelter in case of a nuclear conflict, and, above all, she takes down dozens of agents of various kinds. The action is not bad, and I consider it considerably of a higher quality and more entertaining than, for example, The Expendables. But in order for me to actually like this film, it would have to stop pretending to be so serious and stylize itself more into the form of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But everything is taken deadly seriously and for real, which sounds incredibly foolish with such absurd exaggeration. Average action films are more realistic than this, and on top of that, while Angelina Jolie fits perfectly with her appearance to portray glamorous ladies, I would rather tend to believe in Craig as a super assassin. Overall impression: 25%.