DaViD´82

In 2008, the Nolan brothers in their role of screenwriters destroyed the machine than “sees and hears everything" in Gotham. Three years later, one of them decided to see what it would be like if that machine hadn’t been destroyed after all... It starts like a dry Martini. First time you almost certainly won’t like it. The question is whether you stop at this first, unsuccessful attempt or if you gain a taste for it in time. And it’s in your own best interests to gain a taste for it because you would be hard-pushed to find a more playful, more self-lampooning and more self-confident feet-up serial. This type of serious (if it isn’t being non-serious) and, despite its sci-fi premise (even if this is more a question of playing with post-9/11 paranoia; as Nolan declared aptly: It doesn’t take place in the future, but in the world as it could be “in five minutes’ time") surprisingly, due to atmosphere and action, thrilleroid, dry action series that doesn’t treat the viewer as an idiot was sorely missing. Unfortunately, it begins like so many other run-of-the-mill series. The promising concept is developed very little, the central duo is disastrously flat and we’ve seen similar plots so many times before... But the creators very soon go back to the drawing board and come up with something very unusual. Seemingly simple plots begin to have unexpected twists or at least courses and they play ingeniously not only with the concept of murderer/victim, but also with the format, genre etc. While each episode is devoted to a (seemingly) separate closed case, about half of each episode is also devoted to the main storyline. Beginning with the ending of episode ten, the proportion of episodes with polished screenplays, sometimes bordering on genius, increases considerably. The characters receive sufficient space not to remain in their beginning state of “silent substitute for Liam Neeson and the limping double of Ben from Lost". Caviezel settles down in it and his whisper certainly commands respect. It like Emerson was born for roles portraying charismatic, mysterious guys and Chapman simply steals the show. Not just the screenwriters, but also the outstanding and charismatic villains have potential; especially Root is a character with infinite potential which despite being based heavily on Nolan’s Joker (and why not, really, seeing as he wrote it himself) and Moriarty from the modern-day Sherlock, but that makes him no less fascinating; quite the opposite. And so only (non)actor Henson is completely out of his acting league, which is annoying twofold because his character isn’t interesting one bit. Even the original, annoying connecting storyline becomes increasingly dramatic and becomes the clear powerhouse of the series, unrivaled among the “relax" series currently being aired. And there is a constant build-up (of both adrenaline and quality), which applies for the entire second season, which isn’t better, but more variegated. The way in which every episode circles around a band of villains, creating a mythology is so incredibly playful (e.g. the episodes paying tribute to classic movies) that if you look back to the very beginning, it’s impossible to believe that the same team is responsible. And also, since the days of the X-Files, there hasn’t been a series more aware of its own mistakes and clichés and less afraid of making frequent, tongue in cheek, self-ironic fun of itself. And this is all the more surprising since the current climax didn’t come “until" season three, when in the first half the creators solve the “police corruption" storyline from the preceding seasons in style and uncompromisingly, moving over to the “hacker espionage" storyline in the second half, giving excellent treatment to the currently topical theme of democracy and freedom in the modern age. And it is the grace with which it chops and changes genres and styles (mafia games, technology/conspiracy thriller, action - and since the later X-Files seasons there has not been a series so aware of its mistakes and clichés and so unafraid of self-ironic criticism) from one episode to the next without seemingly wobbly, that makes this series so surprising and fascinating. S1: 4/5 S2: 4/5 S3: 5/5 S4: 3/5

A Disney, American Arabela, driven primarily by Carlyle’s Rumbur... Um, Rumplestiltskin and the Evil Mayor on the evil side and... and... And nobody at all on the good side. It has a lot of nits (production design that looks perhaps even worse that our domestic Czech pasteboard studio plays and cheap effects for effect’s sake) and slips (uneven episode quality, where the first really good one is episode seven, and the aforementioned lack of interesting main characters), but it all stands or falls (and it seems to be falling so far) on utter waste and lack of exploitation of the sturdy theme (it’s been proven to work in Bill Williams’ Fables, similar in many ways) and fairytale atmosphere, which is in short supply in this movie; which is criminal in view of the theme. Here and there it shines through, but mostly disappears soon after. Character names and magic alone is simply not enough. On the other hand, when it isn’t one of the dull, filler episodes to make up the numbers (and there are a lot of those), then as a family relax series it works; this applies to the first season, but season two completely gives up on any fairytales and becomes an attempt at a regular fantasy following the template of successful sagas of the past few years. And it doesn’t work at all and merely gets you asking questions like “What were the creators smoking when they wrote this?". Arabela is still much more original, playful and more fairytale-like, and simply better on all fronts. And isn’t nearly so slow-moving.

A Jew, Hitler and Stalin all go into a bar... Or in this case, they come out of a show and show how it is with that German (non)sense of humor. And it fits nicely into the wave of German cinema through which the Germans have uncompromisingly dealt with its skeletons in the closet in recent years.

When it comes to movies or series about first responders, pathos is sort of part of the territory; it simply comes naturally with the job for those who put their lives on the line every day. It becomes a problem, however, when the filmmakers are unable to judge the correct and bearable degree. If there is a little more of it than just right, it becomes inadvertently ridiculous very quickly. However, the creators of Chicago Fire have managed to find the right measure (so far). They don't need to celebrate the fire department with slow motion footage of a puppy being carried out of a fiery inferno - they simply let them get on with their job. Of course, it is adapted for the eye of the viewer; thus, the frequency of breathtaking and dramatic emergency call-outs is too frequent and somewhat over the top. However, all emergency response scenes work without exception; partially because there are no solo superhero stunts (which, on the contrary, would rather add work for colleagues); instead, there is a realistic interplay of many team members, where everyone has a precise role. Individual characters are also well depicted; everyone’s personal life is ruined (if they are lucky enough to have any at all) and they no longer expect any gratitude. The people they have rescued don’t tend to offer words of thanks but lawsuits. It's basically a big-budget, uncynical, American version of the British series Sirens about everyday heroes and, of course, an unacknowledged Third Watch spin-off. As far as the production is concerned, it’s pleasing that the creators are not afraid to take advantage of photogenic Chicago, and thanks to the budget, it looks and sounds good. And so far, only the Barbie-like duo of female paramedics is a nuisance; compared to the male ensemble (whom, in addition to male charisma also has acting talent), it is an eye sore.

Study material for political scientists among us. Machiavellianism as a real, unadorned face of (not only) overseas everyday politics à la season four of The Wire. Kelsey Grammer as the most charismatic (not to be confused with the nicest) character of contemporary TV broadcasting. A big city atmosphere like from Mann. On the outside cold, but under the surface overflowing with emotions - emotions from the dark side of the human soul, it should be said. The best, but also the least “viewer-friendly" drama series around, even despite the redundant (but good) storyline with the daughter, the full-frontal sex or the one-dimensional, supporting characters. And when David Novotný is at least another ten years older, I want to see a similarly uncompromising and truthful local version about Prague City Hall.

Although it took them thirteen years, in the end the Dwarf got a decent new season, that doesn’t just rely on it’s name to find it’s place in the spotlight (that’s right, I’m talking about you, you pesky season nine!). The creators achieved something here that you don’t see very often: a comeback in all its glory that made (and still makes) this legend a legend. For example, I would have no qualms at all about inducting episode two into the dwarf hall of fame. And if season eleven is going to be this high quality, I’ll gladly wait another thirteen years for it.

A Terminator wannabe and the stupidest science fiction movie among the intelligent ones. Longwinded; after the opening few minutes completely without ideas; set in the future only for effect; it is shamefully superficial, it has no rules (neither for time travel nor the simple laws of action/reaction; for instance, the reason behind getting rid of people in such a complex, costly and uncertain way, which it later completely denies), but it has the most annoying child around... It wouldn't matter with a dumb popcorn action movie, but with a movie supposedly based on its "smartness", it makes you want to slap the filmmakers in the face. So there are precisely two pros; the opening quarter of an hour before the well of ideas dries out, and Willis’ dialog-less scene at the first meeting. Just disappointing. And yet it's the best non-action science fiction since Source Code. Which is darn sad.

As for the son Honza, it shouldn’t jump his childhood and adolescence by summing up ten years in two sentences and begin to focus on him at the age of thirty. If it was meant to record the ups and downs of a regular family against the background of Czech(oslovak) history of the past forty years, it would have to go into much greater depth (impact of post-revolution changes etc.) and not to just cut in a couple of New Year’s Speeches and a little reading of diaries, when the family doesn’t have the chance to say anything more interesting than “such and such a year: our first car". But this way, this is only about our bard Karel Gott and his typical “little-Czechness", meaning he would have even sung Happy Birthday to Hitler, if the era demanded. So what was Třeštíková trying to prove? Hard to say, but the result is identical to a visit to see elderly in-laws, who without fail immediately reach for the family album as soon as you appear at the door.

Style-wise (not quality-wise) half way between Justified and Walker. An old-school crime series, resting heavily on the main protagonist and a little-seen corner of the USA, which unfortunately loses points for swaying too and fro. It can’t decide whether to be mainly a crime series with a storyline running throughout the series and with a case here and there or a classic with a separate case each episode, without any central connecting story. When it finds itself falling into the first situation, it suddenly pulls out, resulting in a weird kind of hybrid: neither dog or cat... For instance, Vic’s difficult marriage: here and there there is some important talk about it, but it never leads anywhere and in the end it all seems superfluous and like they ran out of ideas; the same with the situation concerning the elections, Longmire’s past in the reservation etc. Perhaps the creators will take a lead from Justified which learned surprisingly well from its (almost identical) first season errors.

The sincerity and naivety of youth. In many ways the same as today, and in many ways different. Particularly the part about traveling abroad provokes a gloomy smile. If only they knew... Well, in any case this is outstanding and still has something to say today. Too bad that it’s all jumbled up together; this half-hour documentary seems to have no concrete form or direction.