IviDvo

Louis and Alice are brother and sister, they haven't seen each other for many years, but can't avoid meeting when their parents are on their deathbeds. The emotionally charged, tense beginning lures the viewer in, making them want to get deep inside the two characters to find out what happened to them, what they did to each other that Alice hates her brother so much that she can't be in the same room with him, and the entire film stands on this mystery. Both are artists, both have strong egos, both are emotional, a little hysterical, their characters and the story itself directly invite escalated conflict, heated dialogue and cathartic explanations. Unfortunately, this does not happen and it is a great shame. In the end, the behaviour of the protagonists seems a bit illogical and unbelievable. Paradoxically, I myself wonder if we as viewers are too spoiled. We have high expectations, we demand explanations, but sometimes, as it happens in life, we don't get the explanations we want.

This nice conversational drama offers a lot to think about and is full of the contrasts the main protagonists embody: young, confident, relaxed, spontaneous Leo Grande tries to fulfill the sexual desires of the older, uptight, stubborn and not very confident teacher Nancy, who is mostly very nice, but at the same time very unlikeable and intrusive for my taste. Emma Thompson plays her brilliantly as expected, and I must say she has my great admiration, she revealed herself with refinement. I guess one of the main ideas would be that it's never too late to change and try new things. Most of the scenes and dialogues felt very real to me, except for the last one with the former student in the hotel restaurant, but never mind, I forgive this little thing because I enjoyed the film overall.

Another proof that the best stories are written by life itself, and this one is downright fascinating – if it wasn't based on true events, I'd consider it science fiction. Though I had heard about the rescue of the football team from a cave, I didn't know the details, which is why I found the film incredibly suspenseful from start to finish. I don't want to give too much away, I think it's better not to know too much before seeing the film. Hundreds of people were involved in saving those boys and I think this film pays tribute to all of them. What I appreciate most is that the film doesn't slip into heartbreaking pathos. Those divers are heroes, and Howard manages to portray that in a very humble, civil and natural way.

Triangle of Sadness is definitely one of the most notable films of 2022. It can be divided into three parts, which are very different, but seamlessly linked and form a complex and harmonious whole. We first meet the model Carl and his influencer girlfriend Yaya at dinner, or rather at the end of a dinner, when the bill is due. Thanks to this scene, we can get an initial picture of the dynamics of this couple (who has the upper hand and who is manipulating whom), but it also opens up the topic of communication, which is of course absolutely crucial to the functioning of a relationship. The second part takes place on a luxury cruise ship. Here, too, we gradually get to know the supporting characters, be it the deck or cabin crew, and some of the passengers. This part is probably the most memorable, not only because of the terrific Captain's Dinner, which unleashes both an external natural oceanic and internal human digestive storm, but also because of the incredibly interesting characters; here's where the social satire is most marked. In the third part, on the island, the story takes on a completely different dynamic as the clearly defined roles in life are reversed, with money and social status losing all meaning once survival is at stake. The first two parts had much more momentum and were perhaps more entertaining, but the last one is the most thought-provoking and can offer much more than just an interesting and for many contradictory or unclear finale. This film will definitely entertain you, probably even disgust you a little, the interesting dialogues will keep your attention and also make you think. So for me, Triangle of Sadness has everything a quality film should have.

It's been a long time since a film managed to evoke so much sadness, regret and compassion in me, and it's all the more surprising that it was Darren Aronofsky who did it. I know he's a highly respected director, but his films are not among my favorites, and I don't feel the need to revisit them (except for Requiem for a Dream). This film probably won't be an exception, but it definitely appealed to me more than his previous works. Apart from the very captivating music, the film stands mainly on Brendan Fraser's performance, which is incredible; considering how he pulls everything together with his voice, his face, his facial expressions, his eyes – the performance was incredible. Sadie Sink is undoubtedly a talented young actress, but unfortunately I didn't like her character. Of course, I understand where her anger, resentment, bitterness, maybe even hatred stems from, but I couldn't find my way to her. She was evil from start to finish, and the hint of reconciliation in the last second of the film wasn't enough to mollify me. Nevertheless, this is an interesting and novel piece of work, and one that emotionally swayed me quite a bit.

Louis Garrel is undoubtedly a bearer of great talent. As a director, he managed to freshly combine a family drama with a heist romantic comedy. And as an actor, he is very unique, in that he is very low-key, but at the same time memorable and incredibly believable in expression and emotion. He plays the concern for his mother and best friend very sensitively, and is also very convincing in his distrust of his mother's new partner. These are qualities that can be observed in all his fellow actors. Above all, though, I'll single out Noémie Merlant, who is amazingly cute, likeable, and even though she's a goofball, she's believable. All of this coupled with an inventive script full of comic but also dramatic scenes combine to make a film worth seeing, and not just once.

An extraordinarily compelling documentary about two courageous people who were united not only by their love for each other, but also by their love for the scientific study of volcanic eruptions, which was their life and fateful mission – undoubtedly a beautiful and fascinating hobby, just a bit unpredictable and full of pitfalls. While the vast majority of people run from this destructive element, Katia and Maurice Krafft tried to get as close as possible, and thanks to them, we can witness some incredibly beautiful and breathtaking footage.

Normally, I don’t review Czech productions, but I promised this to a friend. I honestly haven't seen anything so terribly pathetic and embarrassing in a long time. It’s one disgusting cliché after another. It seems that it doesn't matter if women are capable, self-sufficient and successful at work, as soon as a man with a capital M appears in our lives, we fall in love after only 20 minutes spent together, and mysteriously become helpless and miserable cows. We don't take being dumped well, so we devise an ingenious revenge plan: we go to the hairdresser to look even better than before and let him know we can live without him, and what happens? He realises we're the one, we love each other so much after 3 dates? WTF? And I’d rather not say anything about the friends. I may sleep with my best friend's boyfriend, but she will basically forgives me after a slap and one drink and is still happy to go to my wedding. This film is neither romantic nor funny, I mean I laughed, or rather I chuckled at how utterly stupid and rubbish it is. The cast? I understand actors have to pay the bills, but my God! If it was at least some kind of satire, but it's meant to be serious, and that makes me really upset.

The musical is itself a genre that divides audiences, and I think this film will divide its fans into two camps: either you'll be excited by this rock opera or you'll be perplexed by it. Personally, I am in the latter category. Annette is a poetic story about love, professional jealousy, the flip side of popularity, and also about fatherhood and forgiveness. Already in the first minute, I got the impression that this was going to be a very weird film. The music by the Mael brothers, aka The Sparks, was catchy and I don't have a single complaint in that regard, but at times I found the lyrics a bit repetitive, and "We love each other so much" was still ringing in my head a few days after the film. I certainly appreciate that the story itself is quite simple, but it is presented in a very unpredictable way. Most of the time I had no idea where the film was heading, which meant I was in for a lot of surprises. For example, a newborn puppet child who clearly inherited Adam Driver's ears. I can understand this decision from a creative point of view, because metaphorically Annette does become a puppet of her parents who use her for their own purposes, but I found it very distracting, even comical. But maybe that's what made the final scene with "Pinocchio's transformation" all the more impressive and emotional. Marion Cotillard was a bit bland alongside her fellow actors this time. Adam Driver gives another riveting performance, and his friend Simon Helberg, the conductor, charmed me with his performance; I would have liked more space for him, because dramatic roles suit him, and I hope to see him more often in them. So what is the source of the perplexed feeling about this film? The singing of Marillon and Adam did not please my ears and their daughter Annette reminded me more of a Chucky doll. Finally, the fact that this film is such a dreamy mix of genres full of surprises that feels a bit cluttered, but at the same time paradoxically very ordinary, which can be just a bit confusing in the end.

I try to enrich myself with Asian cinema from time to time, so I decided to watch this film because I came across it often. It is a very slow, sensitive and thoughtful story. We have to wait longer to uncover the characters' troubled pasts, but you won't be disappointed, this is a story of escape, reconciliation, forgiveness and hope. The performances are very moving, and despite the very long running time, managed to keep my attention until the end.