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The film deserves 2 stars for its subject matter. The case is fascinating, and I would like to read a book by an investigative journalist on the topic or at least a comprehensive and well-researched article. Your satisfaction with the film depends on how satisfied you are with the story the film tells and how much attention you pay to the artistic form. Coninx's film wants to be a hybrid of a political thriller and a crime story, but both genres have their own needs, and unfortunately, the director does not meet them. I do not find any added value in his work as a filmmaker. As for aesthetics, film style, and storytelling, none of it has anything to offer me. Moreover, I did not like the casting either, and in some cases, it was downright irritating. Well, someone had to disturb all the one-sided praise. My overall impression is only 40%, and I would prefer to avoid Coninx's work in the future.

Honest filmmaking and a dignified tribute to the book it is based on. The film Valmont, directed by Miloš Forman, is very similar, with Frears being stronger in some aspects, while Forman emerges victorious in others. However, I slightly prefer Valmont because, in my opinion, Glenn Close did not fit well into the role of the scheming Marquise. I simply didn't believe in her as the fateful femme fatale who can bewitch men. On the other hand, Annette Bening perfectly embodied that role. Overall impression: 80%. Frears also succeeded in casting John Malkovich. Since then, I can't imagine him playing anything other than a cunning seducer, even if he were to portray an honorable priest.

The movie, contrary to many enthusiastic reviews, didn't have as strong of an impact on me as I expected. As a detective story, it was somewhat straightforward, and the different cultural backgrounds also disturbed me. However, from the perspective of portraying cultural differences, especially collective perception, High and Low, along with Kurosawa's classic advantages - excellent camera work and editing, is a decent above-average film. Compared to Kurosawa's medieval films, I was pleasantly surprised by the civil acting of his actors. Overall impression: 65%.

A poster-like Paris, photogenic destinies, color print film... This is a typical festival film that tries to sell the atmosphere of Paris, movie stars, and calculated emotions. But Paris should evoke a dreamy and captivating mood, not a sense of noble boredom. The film just barely earns 3 stars, solely due to the presence of sympathetic Juliette Binoche and Fabrice Luchini and a few successful scenes. Otherwise, it reminded me of cheap ice cream with lots of artificial coloring and inferior sweeteners. Overall impression: 50%.

In the film, there is a scene where the main character sleeps with a seduced woman, and after a passionate night, they get up and continue with their distant behavior and address each other formally. Similarly cold and distant is the entire film, which could have been much more engaging and passionate. Of course, the theme of losing a child and seeking revenge for the committed act works, but it didn't captivate me, and I can imagine seeing a completely different version of the story. These characters are too forcefully polarized. The culprit is too much of a textbook monster, and a somewhat different psychology and more complicated decision-making would only benefit this film. Overall impression: 60%.

Claude Lelouch's film Long Live Life reminds me in many ways of David Lynch's best films and his famous games with the audience and with film genres. Lelouch provocatively mixes elements of disaster films, exploits the psychosis of fear of nuclear weapons, plays with the motif of an alien civilization influencing our lives, quickly transitioning from sci-fi to an espionage drama, and throughout it all, actually tells a love story of two married couples, where reality mixes with the imaginations of everyone involved and the confused viewer is left doubting the true identities of the characters. At the beginning of the film, Lelouch says through one of the characters: "There are filmmakers who tell stories, like Spielberg, there are filmmakers like Fellini who have completely abandoned the story, and there are those who experiment with ways of telling stories." That is exactly what Lelouch aims to do in his work. It's not about who his characters really are. What's important is that through them and their emotions, he can entertain and provoke the viewer. Overall impression: 90%.

An utterly botched film that should be rated as not suitable for children in an effort to cultivate their tastes. It has a terrible script and execution. A complete degeneration of the original idea of the literary "The NeverEnding Story." If Michael Ende, as the author, had serious reservations about the above-average first film, then this impressive mess most likely brought him to his grave, as he died a few months after its premiere. Overall impression: 5%.

I either haven't seen Deray's film or I have completely blocked it out after a few decades, so I don't have the ability to compare the approaches of both directors and decide which one is more effective. Guadagnino's film seems somewhat dull, muted, and unremarkable to me. A Bigger Splash was supposed to be a combination of thriller and psychological drama, but the director would have had to work much more with the characters, play a sophisticated game full of hints, dose information, and veiled conflicts, which gradually and inevitably bubble to the surface only to explosively erupt in an emotional outburst, instead of using lengthy shots of the sunny Italian nature. Only the character of the not inherently evil, but self-centered, possessive, and hedonistic producer works as it should (I'm afraid mostly thanks to the performance of the acting chameleon Ralph Fiennes rather than the director's guidance). Dakota Johnson's Lolita only gets enough space to show off her naked body and send provocative looks, which is questionable considering the immodest duration. Tilda Swinton is a casting mistake. I consider her an interesting actress destined for special categories of roles such as androgynous or asexual beings and broken women whirled through life, but with the knowledge that a) she won't read this and b) I am at a sufficient distance away. I have to say that I cannot imagine Tilda as a sexual object arousing desire and jealousy. Matthias Schoenaerts fails to act as a counterpart to Ralph Fiennes on the same level, and this lack significantly sinks the dramatic conflict. It also wouldn't hurt to cut out about 12 minutes of runtime. A Bigger Splash is watchable, but apart from Fiennes and the soundtrack, it quickly evaporates from the mind. Overall impression: 55%.

Tarantino's approach to his film The Hateful Eight can be compared to the intercourse of long-term partners. They know their pleasures, they know what to expect from each other, they have perfected their technique over the years, they no longer rush, and they no longer have anything to prove or fight for. At the same time, it never occurs to them to get rid of their controversial practices, nor do they feel any need to conform to general norms and demands of good manners. With the isolated environment and the limited number of characters who do not trust each other and search for a "weak link" among themselves, the film reminded me of Tarantino's debut. Here and there, the focus is mainly on exposing the characters in a borderline situation. For about 3/4 of the film, we follow eight characters trapped in a cabin in the middle of the mountains, cut off from civilization by a snowstorm. They all have evident and hidden reasons to be on guard, the three-hour duration is filled with dialogues, sometimes seemingly banal, other times punctuated with inappropriateness, vulgarities, and racist remarks. For many viewers, it may be tormenting boredom, but I have no problem with that when it comes to Tarantino. He is too experienced a filmmaker to fill the time with static shots and boredom. He is artistically inventive enough to skillfully dose tension and, from the minimum offered to him, extract the maximum. He can ultimately rely on a strong cast that plays with enthusiasm and considers it an honor to be a part of the film. The actors pay tribute to the cult director, they enjoy it, and lightly overact to highlight mostly the negative characters. The director presents the viewer with a sophisticated cat-and-mouse game but that is where the first stumbling block is hidden. It turns out that the game is somewhat purposeless, or rather does not make much sense, once the resolution is revealed. It is as if the villain tried to break into a house that nobody guards or locks in a convoluted way. The desired result could have been achieved in a much less complicated way, but then it would have been a different film for a different audience. The second problem, which, however, will not bother a large group of Tarantino fans, is the depiction of violence. Violence has always been Tarantino's trademark, and his typical screenwriting and directing feature is the use of violence as a source of humor. On the other hand, in The Hateful Eight, it is clearly evident that Tarantino has not matured. The gratuitousness of certain scenes is striking. A man who has several potential adversaries and should save every bullet that may come in handy for his survival joyfully turns a corpse's head into a bloody mess. Why? Simply because the bloodied floor and tissue remnants all around look impressive. You either deal with this or pick yourself up and move on. Despite the mentioned criticisms, I must say that it is the most likable and interesting Tarantino film since Jackie Brown. Tarantino still has something to offer, and his wild pulp aesthetics, together with the brilliant acting of the cast involved, are worth seeing. Jennifer Jason Leigh deserves a mention. She is already at an age when agents don't often contact Hollywood actresses anymore, and this was an opportunity she did not want to miss. Overall impression: 60%. I have something to add after watching Django Unchained, which I haven't fully digested yet: I have no reason to change my claim that The Hateful Eight is Tarantino's best film since Jackie Brown. However, even this insight does not change the fact that his films are burdened with mannerisms, self-centeredness, and an effort to cater to the presumed expectations of his fans. The long scene where Major Warren vividly describes the execution of a Southern officer's son simply does not deserve a fourth star for its degradation. Tarantino once again proves that he has no limits when it comes to lowering the bar of good taste.

In the 4th episode of the series, the (black) protagonist Molly complains about how annoying loud black people are, and you will likely agree with her. In Issa Rae's work, everything revolves not only around two inseparable friends, but above all around the racial identity of the African-American minority and their struggles, problems, and desires. African Americans logically form the target audience in the eyes of the creators. While with "white" television and film creators, I feel that their characters are defined as part of professional and social groups, bearers of certain political stances (I am a lawyer, a liberal, a Protestant, a parent, etc.), in Issa Rae's world, skin color becomes the link that plays a crucial role in communication, work, partner selection, and elsewhere. The series aims to be informal and politically incorrect, so both friends curse like there's no tomorrow, and it reeks of being a pose. Although Issa tries to write differently and initially wants to introduce new topics, gradually another series comes out of this promising concept, where both actors "deal with" the problem of finding the perfect partner in a world of limitless offers of global social networks and unlimited possibilities of modern communication technologies. The first season earns an honest three stars from me, and I probably wouldn't recommend following the fates of the two girls any further. Overall impression: 60%.