gudaulin

I have long dreamed of someone making an animated film for adults that would play intelligently with a genre, and when I saw Rango in that form, I was quite disappointed. When I saw Outbreak back in the day, I thought this was typical Hollywood stuff, and how nice it would be if someone tried to make it more realistic, like a cruel psychological drama. So I waited and got Blindness, and I was duly punished for my dreams because while I approve of the direction of Blindness, its final form is unfortunately awkward. The film is scattered in terms of the screenplay, essentially wanting to be something like Children of Men, but it lacks Cuaron's brilliant direction above all. While Meirelles does make an effort to depict a city struck by an apocalypse, the atmosphere is still somehow missing, and the film can be considered a unique example of how not to work with characters. I considered giving it three stars, but in this case, it would only be for the effort and subject matter. Overall impression: 45%. It's a shame that when someone actually makes a film like this, it turns out so uninteresting and uninspiring.

Despite being a relatively famous film and at the same time a German perspective on the Eastern Front of World War II, it has a number of shortcomings. Among other things, you can see its limited budget, as there are no grand and generously shot battle scenes. Even the tank battle is small with a group of actors leading it. Although the film does not have Soviet pathos and is not full of ideology, it is evident that the German side is trying to smooth over its past and retouch it in several details. It is amusing when a German officer tells his subordinates that he is not a Nazi, right in the middle of his staff, or when a German soldier expresses surprise in front of a group of officers about the mistreatment of Soviet prisoners of war. Of course, many soldiers disagreed with that, but it was a common practice and was as chronically known as the solution to the Jewish question. The film has a peculiar structure, where it is difficult to imagine, based on the events on the screen, how the battle actually took place and map out all its phases. The clash in the film takes the form of a series of episodic conflicts, where the individual is mostly lost. Some scenes seem rather crazy, like that officer's storeroom stuffed with provisions amid soldiers starving to death, which the characters of the film find abandoned, it is truly unbelievable. Just like that strange final escape from relative safety into no man's land. Overall impression: 55%.

I have to admit that the atmosphere of the movie, as well as the solid cast and performances, impressed me. The visual aspects of the film, the dirt, uniformity, and archaic industrial technology of an era when totalitarian states experienced their golden years, earned the most points with me. However, I have to say that even the book, considered the best novel of the 20th century, did not make as much of an impression on me as I had expected, and the film adaptation did not even come close to the quality of the book. This is because Orwell wrote his seminal work at a time when a similar vision of the triumph of totalitarian regimes, which he knew from his own experience, was immediately looming, terrifying him, and considering it as a truly possible success. But I was born into a time when the era of industrial totalitarian regimes, based on a mass concept of society, was overcome, and those regimes either long since disappeared or represented a mockery of the ideas of their founders. The inhabitants had already emptied and adapted them to their own image long ago. Orwell described systems that function and to which their supporters and enemies believe. The image that I remember from the 80s represented a long-rotted system that had long since denied the ideas of those who had invented them. Of those old dystopias of a similar nature, the intimate novel "Kallocain" by the Swedish author Karin Boye made a much greater impression on me. Even greater depression was caused by other novels about the decay of society consumed by consumerism. Orwell fights with old demons, and in reality, the threat of totalitarianism comes from elsewhere today. Modern technology already allows for greater control over human psychology and behavior than Orwell could imagine, and sometime in the middle of the century, the possibility of control will be absolute. Ideology is not necessary when you have cutting-edge technology and media power. Overall impression: 60%.

The Dead Zone is a film whose review is influenced by knowledge of the book and Cronenberg's previous works. The potential was much greater in both cases, so I feel that The Dead Zone is a film that lacks balls. Early Cronenberg managed to go against the current and shoot provocative, crazy, and depressing films, which not everyone could handle, but which pushed the genre forward. This is simply too conventional, and even Christopher Walken can be much more creative and more useful for the genre of mystery film than he showed here. The foundation remained, but the film did not show all the depths, pains, uncertainties, desperation, torturous feelings of responsibility, and fear of the future. Maybe the producers clipped Cronenberg's wings, or maybe he had too respectful of a relationship with King's novel, but this could have been shot more creatively. Overall impression: 60%.

It is my bitter fate to stay grounded and describe soberly what is wrong with the film, while others indulge in a flood of stars and use only superlatives in their reviews. However, I will start with some praise – visually, it is well-crafted, with excellent animation, and fans of the western genre will especially appreciate the game played with the viewer, as the script pays homage to all the important films and genre clichés of classic westerns and their modern variations. Some scenes are really great, like the battle over the water tank, which speeds up the pace by several notches, and the characters face an aerial attack by a squadron of bats armed with machine guns – a treat for action genre enthusiasts. However, I had a big problem with the uneven pace of this film, at certain moments it became quite tedious, which is related to the second problem: due to the numerous references to classic films and emotionally charged scenes, it lacks a cohesive storyline to a considerable extent. It is simply the kind of film where I appreciate many individual aspects, but overall it feels unfinished considering the expectations. Giving it less than 3 stars would be unfair considering its excellent ingredients, but my overall feeling is ambivalence, and I give it an overall impression of 60%. It is truly an animated film that older viewers will appreciate. My two children were bored at times. The more familiar you are with the references, the higher the chances that the film will resonate with you. Otherwise, I can understand the five-star ratings, although I do not share the same enthusiasm, as I feel that it all falls apart.

Of the Romanian New Wave films that I have had the honor of seeing so far, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu impressed me the most and it is a film that I would like to revisit. It is a highly unsettling drama that gives the impression of a documentary, simply human dying in real-time caused by human indifference, bureaucracy, cowardice, and professional self-absorption. It strongly reminds me of the techniques used by Italian neorealists in the 1950s. Mr. Lazarescu, with his rapidly deteriorating health condition, travels from one doctor to another and they, shielded by regulations and objective obstacles, toss him around like a potato. However, it is not quite perfect due to the uncomfortable feeling that the film evokes. Overall impression: 85%.

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%.