POMO

A Biblical epic about Moses, in which there is no need to analyze the characters and their relationships, because we all know them well. We should be satisfied with the beautiful epic concept with breathtaking exteriors and nice costumes, and the spectacular depiction of legendary disasters and crossing the ocean should be enough to turn the film into a blockbuster hit. Except that we’re not satisfied and it’s not enough. I am an atheist and biblical events alone are not enough for me. These were supposed to work as the bases for a thorough depiction of the motivation of the characters and the difficulties of the fundamental historical stage of humanity and its political and ethnic problems. Exodus either lacks all of that or gets it over with as quickly as possible. It is a super serious work that is less entertaining than the silly Dracula Untold.

Excellent minimalist work with suspense, which is conveyed at a crawling pace and in reasonable doses. Believable characters played in a relatable way, no overly pretty TV faces. Without illogical or unlikely moments.

Horrible Bosses 2 has a great cast (including the supporting roles), is less predictable than you’d expect and surprisingly vulgar. A non-stop joyride that doesn’t give you any breaks to catch your breath.

Conscience and love entrapped by insurance corruption extending to the highest government bodies. Argentina is wild. Carancho is engaging due to its shocking topic rather than to the filmmaking aspect, which is mundane and unremarkable. It is not until the final scene that the emotions escalate enough to really get to the audience. The chemistry between the central duo, which is an important pillar of the film, works well.

Fury is an action-packed blockbuster about an American tank crew slaying SS men in Germany in the Second World War. Brad Pitt is the only one of the crew who washes himself in a private moment, shows off the muscles acquired at LA Fitness and, even after a year of masturbating in an iron cockpit, does not f*ck the German girl (who wouldn’t be against it) because that would be unethical. The point of the film: Not all SS men were bad. The third Expendables should have taken place here, with a less straight face.

The secret of Nolan’s success lies in his ability to disguise his inability to maintain the logical and emotional continuity of the narrative in parallel storylines in a disarming and, at the same time, overly dramatic manner. This weakness drags down the entire second half of Interstellar, which will drill such a hole in your head that you are forced to switch to the passive mode of “a great blockbuster experience” – without being bothered by the fact that the editor doesn't know what he’s doing. The movie is full of self-serving dramatic scenes that are of little relevance to the story as a whole, by which I mean the epic docking with the damaged rotating station and the burning cornfield with an angry Casey Affleck (WTF?) on the opposite side of the galaxy. And by dysfunctional logical and emotional continuity, I mean cutting from space to Earth (where we don’t know what’s going on and to which everyone is running), which unnecessarily draws attention away from the key twists of the cosmic plot. It looks so terribly EPIC and uses such magnificent music that Nolan surely knows what he’s doing here...right? No, in my opinion, he does not. ___ But let’s talk about the first half of Interstellar, which seems to be a different film entirely – it is smooth, deliberate and sensitively edited, outlining beautiful thoughts about TIME (which, along with health, is the most valuable thing we have). Because of that, this half of the film is the most elaborate and magical sci-fi revelation in many years. I fell in love with Interstellar in the scene involving greetings after returning from the watery planet, which is something I don’t think I have ever written about any film before. And there it should have ended, and Nolan and his people should have made a completely rewritten sequel a decade later, after they’ve grown up and learned to perceive things in context, together with proper editing. Then, ideally by dividing it into two sensitively linked films, one of which would take place in space and the other on Earth, they could have made Interstellar into a milestone in the history of the science fiction genre, a dignified successor to Kubrick.

An incomprehensible abomination, the theme of which could have turned out to be more than intriguing in the hands of other filmmakers (Sam Mendes, David O. Russell). I used to have Cronenberg in my top ten directors and I still love most of his work (including films with mixed reviews like Crash). He’s unique in how comprehensibly and acceptably he manages to portray pathological deviations from “normal” and make them part of a riveting story. With Maps to the Stars, however, he falters, as the film is an indigestible dead weight, a show of characters allegorically so far removed from reality that their definition and the escalation of their interactions dissolve into nothing. I’m giving one star for Julianne Moore, who’d excel even in the role of a cucumber.

Don’t expect a typical thriller. The German Doctor uses Argentinian film optics, i.e. silent and “empty”, without suspense or twists. Rather than a thriller, it’s a drama without a single tragedy that satisfies itself with mere suggestions. It’s not chilling and Mengele’s character is not scary: he looks like a more mysterious and attractive version of Franco Nero. Viewers will feel unsettled and experience some mild anger (caused by powerlessness and unfairness), but only after the film ends and they process it. Anyway, I’m glad that this unique subject has finally been made into a film and I am curious about the (very likely) American remake. I know I keep repeating myself, but once again, I’d like to see David Fincher making this, in a nice old school-way à la Se7en.

If all Czech TV series looked like this and all the Czech film productions at least came close to it, even the French would bow down before us. And I’d buy my first TV. Dating, loneliness, needs, complexes and situations both happy and sad, presented with unprecedented grace in terms of both acting and direction. Colorful characters and feelings and uniquely beautiful Prague locations. And the best lesbian massage in the history of cinema! Is Jan Hřebejk really this good? I’d like to give this five stars, but only after watching the other ten episodes.

The courtroom and the incident handled there serve only as a cover for the family drama in which city boy Robert Downey Jr. re-establishes his relationship with his small-town family, led by Robert Duvall. As such, it can’t be compared to courtroom dramas like A Time to Kill or The Rainmaker. The Judge is halfway between them and the sentimental Marvin's Room. Both Roberts play great. Downey’s character seems to be written just for him, and Duvall excels in his role. However, some supporting characters (the sexy daughter played by Vera Farmiga and Dax Shepard’s inexperienced lawyer) slow the film down unnecessarily. They are not relevant enough for the story and merely disrupt the development of the complicated father/son relationship, which is of key importance for the film. On the other hand, the interesting lawyer played by Billy Bob Thornton could have been given more space. The once innovative and majestic music by Thomas Newman (used in Frank Darabont’s and Sam Mendes’s movies) has become a synonym for straightforward sentimental “music for the soul” of the consumer viewer, which is unfortunately what The Judge turns out to be. It’s not a bad movie, but its creators could have aspired to more.