Stanislaus

Of the four Dahl adaptations by Wes Anderson, Poison interested me the least, and the central motif of "fear of the unseen (and even the absent)" was rather irritating in the end.

The Swan struck me as the most poetic of Wes Anderson's adaptations of Dahl, and from a narrative point of view I found it most directed at the viewer, who watches a boy's trauma staged by the narrator himself. I also liked the seamless transitions between scenes.

The Ratcatcher is probably the crudest piece of work in Wes Anderson's Dahl shorts, thanks to both Ralph Fiennes's make-up and the stop motion animation with the rat (which in the end appears in the film). Besides mice (The Witches), Roald Dahl apparently had a thing for their bigger relatives.

We Have Never Been Modern benefits from an unusual premise – by Czech, but I think also by international standards – and it combines several thematic or genre levels quite skillfully: from a relationship drama through a (pseudo)crime story to a certain social probe into the 1930s, but with timeless insight. Matěj Chlupáček's film could certainly be faulted for a few things, like Helena's period inauthentic speech (especially in the field of sarcasm) or Ladislav Hampl's prosthetics (there must be a more "plump" colleague among Czech actors), but for my part, the rather positive impressions prevail. Hermaphroditism (like aphasia in this year's Exhale) is not a common theme and certainly holds other possibilities. In We Have Never Been Modern, this theme is enlivened by an appealing period colour – here I would like to praise the production design in particular, but also the costumes – and several leading dichotomies (man x woman, factory employee x worker, "divine creature" x "unholy monster"). Of the cast, I would single out Eliška Křenková and Richard Langdon; I was also impressed by the smaller role of Ján Jackuliak, who provided one of the film's strongest moments. I am curious to see what project Chlupáček will come up with next.

Eurotrip should be taken with levity and exaggeration, because that's exactly how – I hope – the makers intended it. I saw the film for the first time during my high school years and now I came back to it after some years. Yes, there are some eye-rolling moments in all (European) directions, but if you see the film as a parody of the (a)typical attributes of a few select European countries, you will find this trip quite entertaining as well. On the other hand, it is not only a sort of mockery towards Europe, but also towards the limited intelligence of Americans, whose thinking rarely goes beyond the borders of their country. I can probably understand any rating for this film, but – with that in mind – it is unpretentious entertainment with ideal running time and more than one humorous cameo (Lucy Lawless or Miroslav Taborsky).

Restore Point is a bold and ambitious venture in Czech cinema, and I am glad that they embarked on it – even though the plot is a compilation of older foreign pieces. With its premise, Robert Hloz's film evoked projects like Black Mirror or Minority Report, while also having a strong cyberpunk feel. Despite these obvious influences, I enjoyed the film immensely in the cinema. Andrea Mohylová, unknown to me, played the main role perfectly, and Jan Vlasák and Milan Ondrík were the most appealing among the other characters. I wish Czechia made more films like this would be made regularly (once every few years), which could stand comparison with foreign productions.

I had no idea about the existence of the manga “One Piece” until the series was released on Netflix, and after watching the first season I was pleasantly surprised by this project. Visually, the series cannot be denied the animated source material – whether it was the locations, the appearance of some characters or the peculiar choice of costumes – but even in terms of the characters' behaviour, I felt at times as if I was (nostalgically) watching Pokémon. Monkey D. Luffy, for instance, is indeed a quirky character with an infectious optimism and a clear goal, and the actor succeeded in capturing his thought processes on the whole. Of his crew, I wasn't entirely sold on Usopp, which was as much a due to the actor as the characterization of the character itself. Of the villains, I liked Klahadore and Mihawk, while the scenes with the Fish-men, who were given quite a bit of space, made me feel like I was watching the victims of poorly done sculptures. I liked that you are given a glimpse into the past of the main characters alongside the current storyline, with the line with Sanji and Zeff being the most interesting to me. The first season was indeed brisk, full of adventure and action, and even though I found the execution a bit too frantic in places (which was certainly influenced by the source material), I really enjoyed it and am curious to see what the creators will offer in any future seasons.

Mr. Bean works best in short sketches - I wrote that about Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie as well - but while I found the American adventure quite entertaining, Mr. Bean's Holiday in Europe hardly appealed to me at all. At some points, Bean's bad luck and ineptitude even annoyed me, and I felt like they relied on a proven brand (Mr. Bean) and forgot to take care of the comedy. The screening of Willem Dafoe's self-absorbed film with Bean's interludes was hilarious, but by the final set-piece on the beach, the smile had passed and all that came out of my mouth was an incomprehensible "wtf?!".

The To All the Boys trilogy was sweet romantic entertainment, and it was no different for the series that focused on Kitty, a professional matchmaker with a somewhat wobbly smile. I watched the entire first season in one go, as the plot of the series, though not innovative, but nicely written and acted throughout, really drew me in. The two main storylines, the relationship peripeties between Kitty and Dae and the search for one's roots, on top of which there were other mini-stories around the other characters (Q-Florian, Alex-Lee) really kept me entertained and curious to see how it would all play out. I commend the creators for avoiding an expected conclusion and setting the stage for a possible next season (or seasons). If I could, I would give the series three and a half stars, and since I enjoyed the screening on the whole, I'll add more in this case.

This time Kenneth Branagh took a lesser-known detective story and went to post-war Venice during Halloween: a promising constellation at first sight. The setting of an old, "cursed" house and the ubiquitous voice of a child "from beyond the grave" added a slight horror touch to the film, helping to build the oppressive, perhaps even paranoid atmosphere of a story full of superstition, ghosts and personal trauma. Still, I had the feeling during the screening that there was something not quite right about the film: whether it was the casting of Tina Fey, the staging of some scenes purely for effect, or the rather hasty revelation of the perpetrator and their subsequent punishment. Given the premise and the reviews, I had overly high expectations for the film, which were not satisfactorily met. I would be lying, however, if I said I didn't have fun in the cinema. Maybe one day I will return to Venice and reconsider my opinion.