gudaulin

Švankmajer has made a lot of outstanding short films, but his Jídlo (Food) is my favorite among all those wonderful plays. I have a very special relationship with food, consuming it is my second favorite activity. This film is not only a fountain of imagination and delightful scenes, but it is also a venomous satire on consumerist lifestyle. There is not a single unnecessary scene or shot, it is an original concept with artistic execution and animation. Švankmajer has made a masterful film that belongs in the top ranks of animated creations. Overall impression: 100%.

Life of Brian is the culmination of Monty Python's work and one of the best comedies ever created. After finishing Holy Grail, the group members decided that they could now take some risks and touch on sensitive areas of religious faith and politics. The script was developed at the end of 1977 in Barbados, where all the group members gathered, and then they tried to offer it to EMI, which produced Holy Grail. According to the studio management, it was a blasphemous film and Monty Python had a difficult time finding money for their project, although the budget was a laughable 4 million dollars by today's standards. It was filmed in Tunisia and, after long negotiations, Graham Chapman, who was a heavy alcoholic at the time, was cast in the main role. The plot is a parody paraphrase of the birth of a legend on which Christianity spread, and at the same time a parody of modern politics from colonialism to national liberation struggle and terrorism. The film caused very angry reactions from church circles and was banned in many places. These reactions meant that the film was eventually shown with greater success than the Monty Python crew expected. Monty Python states that some cities banned the film from being shown, even though they did not have movie theaters. It is one of the timeless legends of the comedy genre, where fans laugh again and again at the madness of the characters and scenes and enjoy the final song on the cross. Overall impression: 100%.

In its time, this film was something like a revelation to me. Thanks to it, I became, when it already seemed that I would finally grow up, a dreamy child again, much to the displeasure of everyone around me... I discovered the works of Jan Švankmajer thanks to it and became a big fan of his. In this film, Švankmajer capitalized on the previous two decades of his artistic work and experiences from his early short films. It is surrealism in its purest form, where it is not so much about the story, but rather about the barrage of artistic installations, artifacts, and ideas, as well as avant-garde animation that pushed the boundaries of what was previously known and possible. The elevator ride impressed me the most with its passing floors filled with a variety of strange creatures and plants created by Švankmajer. He devised an entire alternative world and used old illustrations from Brehm's "Life of Animals" and 19th-century encyclopedias as a starting point for creating creatures that seem to come from a fantasy world. Švankmajer's wife, Eva, also contributed to the film's artistic aspects. Overall impression: 100%. I have seen four more versions of Alice to this day, but none came close to Švankmajer's...

Come and See was a film once shown as part of the month of Czechoslovak-Soviet friendship, which was a diplomatic label for a bag of ideological crap and indigestible nonsense that had to be endured during obligatory visits to the movie theater, where high school students were herded by their teachers. It was my first encounter with Soviet perestroika, a war film that denied all previous notions of Soviet film-making. From the first panoramic shot and the somber sound of the airplane engine, I felt that this was simply in a different league. It is an extraordinarily emotional war film filmed from the perspective of the main protagonist, a young teenager who wants to join a partisan unit and survives the massacre of the inhabitants of two Belarusian villages. In the scene where he survives the bombing and temporarily loses his hearing, the viewer also does not hear the surrounding gunfire and the noise of explosions. The horror is unfiltered and the violence is strongly naturalistic. It is simply a war film filmed from the perspective of the victims, not from the perspective of the filmmaker or military historian. By the way, it is based on real events that took place during the clearance operations of German units and Latvian raiding detachments in northern Belarus. In total, two million people died in this genocide. The scenes of the extermination of the village residents driven into a large barn then circled the entire film world, and director Elem Klimov became a globally respected filmmaker. He worked excellently with the film as a whole, the semi-whole, and with the details, so even years later, I still perfectly remember several scenes, especially Florya's night next to a dying cow hit by a burst of machine gun fire. I consider the shot of the dying animal's eye to be one of the highlights of my film experiences so far. The final scene, where the main character shoots at a picture of Hitler thrown on a muddy road, and the look in his eyes, is one of the most emotional and touching experiences that watching a film has ever brought me. Overall impression: 100%.

Some movies can be enjoyed like a hamburger, and some are enjoyed only by experienced gourmets. Marketa Lazarová is not a sandwich in a bun that can be chewed between writing text messages and gaming on the computer. It is a long film, but completely different from the long films from Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. To enjoy Marketa Lazarová means to be relaxed, receptive, and appropriately tuned in. It is truly a demanding film that requires concentration because it has minimal dialogue and speaks through visuals and music. The film will likely be appreciated by those who do not hesitate to spend time visiting galleries or reading poetry collections. Such individuals will embrace František Vláčil's symbolism and poetic scenes, the play of light and shadows, or the panoramic long shots of the foggy marshy landscape, where the putrid smell can literally be felt from the image...The actors are good, but Marketa Lazarová is a film that is watched for its direction, camera work, and music. At the same time, it is a film that benefits from a big movie theater screen. Overall impression: 100%.

Gattaca is literally an embodiment of the genre essence of sci-fi and in every aspect it is a highly above-standard movie, where all the ingredients that make up a good artistic work are excellently harmonized and balanced. An imaginative screenplay utilizing the latest scientific discoveries and speculating where these findings and new technologies can lead society. Sensitive, highly professional direction that can evoke strong emotions without cheap effects, cast which has no visible weaknesses and brings a lot of great performances. Gattaca is actually already here, we just haven't fully realized it yet, but in about twenty years we will be fully facing what is depicted in Gattaca. Overall impression: 100%. It is astonishing how such an exceptional film could be created with such a small budget.

Masterpiece by Jiří Barta and one of the highlights of Czech animated creation filmed according to the novel of the same name by Viktor Dyk. Dark piece enhanced by excellent music. The foundation of its success was artistically remarkable puppets and simple animation, but most of all the screenplay, which takes advantage of the atmosphere of a medieval Hanseatic city. The feeling of decay of values is noticeable in every movement of the puppet, in every image of ubiquitous rats. Almost a perfect example of the horror genre within animated film. Overall impression: 100%.

It may be surprising in connection with the name of Miloš Forman, but his name always comes to mind whenever I think of political motifs in film-making, specifically left-wing political concepts. While his films don't feature revolutions or strike movements, nor are they simple and clear political manifestos, Forman works in a complex way with the basic ideals of intellectual leftism and depicts in his films the boundaries of human freedom, democracy, and equality. For example, in Ragtime, he explores the issue of racial emancipation, in Hair the anti-war movement, and in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, as an uninvolved observer, he follows the perennial conflict between authoritarianism, hiding behind competence and responsibility for the entrusted flock, represented by the "big" sister, and between free-thinking and anarchy represented by the volatile character portrayed by Jack Nicholson. On one hand, there is responsibility, but do we even know if those who decide are always selfless and just? On the other hand, are those who operate under the concept of absolute freedom capable of bearing the responsibility for the consequences of their actions, and would a society composed solely of McMurphys function? Wouldn't what we admire in his fight for his own rights soon be at our throats if it surrounded us? And above all, is democratic voting in a society composed of average individuals often with poor education, low intelligence, and minimal motivation the best way to govern society? Doesn't democratic choice when appointing a political position equate to voting by incapacitated patients in a psychiatric institution? From an acting, directing, and screenwriting perspective, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the peaks of world cinema, and Forman has rightfully become a legend of American cinema. Overall impression: 100%.

Everything that Avatar could not provide me, namely a strong story, well-developed characters, and real tension, Shutter Island was able to deliver in abundance. No director has played so well with me since Fight Club, and I haven't had such a comprehensive film experience in a long time, despite watching a number of good films in the recent past. A smart screenplay, excellent camera work, carefully chosen exteriors, an outstanding cast, and impressive performances. A combination of all the elements of filmmaking. Martin Scorsese is an experienced filmmaker and this is the culmination of his long career. Individual scenes and significant twists in the film, such as the confrontation in the fortress or the final confrontation at the lighthouse, will resonate with me for a long time. Shutter Island is a meticulously crafted drama with numerous elements of classical psycho-horror. An emotional affair with a variety of interesting characters. This film is a strong contender for my biggest cinematic experience this year. I have nothing substantial to criticize about Scorsese's film. Overall impression: 100%. This is what honest classic filmmaking should be.

I consider Fight Club to be the directorial peak of David Fincher's work. The film, based on a literary adaptation of the difficult-to-classify American writer Palahniuk, chose violence as its main theme. Some films have cult status, and some truly deserve it. These are the films that can be discussed for hours, that can provoke and that one can keep coming back to. The perfectly crafted screenplay of Fight Club and Fincher's directorial mastery helped create a film that can be seen for the second or third time, and it can even be argued that with knowledge of the twist and the film's plot, rewatching becomes more interesting. The film features some bizarre situations, quotes, and insane human types that would be a highlight of any psychiatric clinic. Helena Bonham Carter's character is a fateful woman with whom a significant part of the male audience would get involved even at the cost of entering the club. Fincher's film offers no solutions, and it is difficult, basically impossible, to evaluate from what political positions it arises. It can be embraced by an anarchist just as much as by an inherent authoritarian. An intellectual might consider it a cruel indictment of violence, just as much as its uncritical celebration. Those who want to can just have fun with the life story of a chronic insomniac and his comrades, while others can find inspiration for making explosives and saving the world. In any case, one's time spent with this film is not wasted. Overall impression: 95%. This film features excellent casting, with Edward Norton excelling, for whom the role had to be exceptionally mentally and physically demanding. It also had a decent budget, which allowed Fincher to play with a variety of scenes and enrich them with visual effects, so the viewer can see in a matter of seconds how an empty apartment fills with consumerist trivialities, an old abandoned house transforms into a terrorist base. Fight Club offers a whole range of similar shots. It is an interesting film from all angles, difficult to pigeonhole, which may or may not be liked by audiences, but it is difficult to remain indifferent to it...