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This Czech interpretation of true crime succeeded. The subject was easy to choose because the Stodola couple became legends of criminology years ago. Director Petr Hátle relied on a pair of actors who are fairly new. Jan Hájek has directed plenty of average things, and Lucie Žáčková is also a much more prominent theater actress than one might think from her film and television casting. Therefore, I hope that the film will help both of them, as it is mainly thanks to them that the Mr. and Mrs. Stodola is a significant film event.

The comparison between Candy and Love & Death is absolutely fantastic. Two miniseries based on the same true crime case filmed around the same time for different networks. Love & Death is a more charming, entertaining HBO drama with attractive actors and a grand courtroom atmosphere in the style of David E. Kelley. The flirtatious Candy gains sympathy because she is beautifully portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen. While Candy, backed by Hulu, presents a more authentic depiction of the period's realities, it's not as attractive but overall much more realistic. Surprisingly, the more sympathetic character here is the desperate Betty, played by Melanie Lynskey (the brilliant queen of New Zealand cinema). The bored Candy deals with her unsatisfactory life in the suburbs of a small town by reading letter porn and decides to start an affair with the first man she lays eyes on. Unfortunately, she chooses the husband of her neighbor, who is struggling with depression, postpartum weight, and an unsatisfactory career and role in the local community. The final courtroom scene isn't as convincing as in the competing series, but it's truly beneficial for the audience to see the story from a different perspective.

The development of the Batwoman series is truly intriguing. The first season emerged at a time when the Arrowverse was expanding into unprecedented dimensions. The solo "Batwoman" series had a great reputation among readers after 2011, but the fundamental problem was that its comic book depiction was geared towards adults, while CW series are pure teen entertainment. What they managed with this conflict in the first season was a clear compromise, whose effects we see primarily in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 2 crossover. Ruby Rose played a generic lesbian with a short haircut and in the larger DC team, she seemed out of place. That's why the first season was easily dominated by Rachel Skarsten as the villain Alice, stylized into a dark version of Lewis Carroll's world. In the second season, there was a recast after Ruby Rose's spinal injury, and thanks to Javicia Leslie's appearance, Batwoman became a BLM manifesto, which rubbed against the audience until halfway through the second season, but then it all fell into place. Alice was humanized, the Gotham gang in the new lineup got used to each other, and even with this complicated genesis, the final shortened third season ran like clockwork. The creators began to fully enjoy the world, where Batman may have disappeared, but his villains and their successors are still going strong. Of course, the main antagonist of the series was still Joker, policewoman Renee Montoya experienced another chapter of romance with Poison Ivy, and Ryan Wilder found her biological mother. The almost Oedipal drama always framed the omnipresent L drama, for which even the creators of The L Word would not be ashamed. In the end, Batwoman offered qualities that no one expected from the series, and I'm glad for that progress.

The fantastic Ghoul School and its students will confuse Scooby and Shaggy. Who could resist Sibella Dracula, Elsa Frankenstein, Winnie Werewolf, Phantasma the Phantom, or Tanis the Mummy? Hanna-Barbera was preparing for Gravedale High.

The predecessor of Monster High. In its time, Hanna-Barbera explored the possibilities of stories about teenage monsters alongside Scooby in specials like Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, but the standalone Gravedale High unfortunately only got one season. It all revolved around the character of a teacher at a spooky school, voiced by Rick Moranis, then known from Ghostbusters. From classic monsters, we have the pubescent vampire Vinnie Stoker (MH has Draculaura), the frat boy-like Frankentyke (MH has Frankie Stein), the werewolf Reggie Moonshroud (MH has Clawdeen Wolf), Gill Waterman who seems straight out of Gil Webber from MH, Cleofatra (MH has Cleo de Nile), zombie Blanche (MH has Ghoulia), and the medusa Duzer (MH has Deuce Gorgon). The stories are entertaining, funny, and typically Hanna-Barbera.

The world of Batwoman is great because it draws on classic Batman villains. So, there's always talk of the Joker, and every now and then, someone like Flamingo and Professor Pyg (characters appearing in comics since 2007) shows up.

This marks the third adaptation of a true-crime story from a small Texas town. While Wylie has since grown to a city with 57,526 residents, at the time of the case, it had only 3,152 inhabitants. The period atmosphere of the series reflects this fact, portraying a small community where everyone knows each other within the confines of local gossip. The characters are united by their lives in the Methodist church, and their relationships reflect this setting. People don't have time for each other, as they're too busy fulfilling societal expectations – men earning money and women raising children – all living their lives under mutual scrutiny. This alone would suffice for a study of unpleasant relationships filled with manipulation and lies, but David E. Kelley's team managed to weave a beautifully crafted romance into the early episodes, which could have been brilliant material for a romantic comedy on its own. And it's this genre blending that makes Love & Death an absolute delight. At the beginning, there's a charming and witty affair between Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons, halfway through, Lily Rabe is brutally murdered with an axe, and the conclusion is a typical grand courtroom drama precisely in line with the genre in which David E. Kelley reigns supreme. I'm not sure if the real Candy Montgomery (*1949) deserves so much attention, but over time, I'll indulge in the previous adaptations, especially Candy, because something like this is a true filmmaking challenge.

Peter Bebjak's second attempt at adapting Jozef Karika turned out much better than The Rift. Primarily because he bet on Aňa Geislerová, who has been among the exceptional talents and absolute professionals for many years and can effortlessly carry an entire film on her shoulders. Tomáš Maštalír has matured incredibly in those five years (alongside Geislerová), so together they form a pair that is a joy to watch, and experiencing all the partnership drama with them is no problem. The atmosphere is palpable, the setting of the Slovak retro sanatorium serves as an ideal backdrop, and there are several good jump scares. A side effect could be increased interest in stays in the town of Sliač.

A special reality show from Mattel. Ashley Graham hosts pairs who carry out reconstructions of various parts of a real house in Barbie style from different decades from the 60s to the 90s. Then, outdoor seating areas in retro or contemporary styles are featured. The finale focuses on the dressing room and workspace. Creatives represent fans and favorite dolltubers, including, for example, Azusa Barbie. The special guest is, of course, Margot Robbie and other actors from the Barbie movie.

Next up is a meeting with Mr. Freeze, another classic villain who has been lurking around Gotham since 1959. Check out the TV series Batman 66 and Gotham, the classic animated series Batman and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, and the feature film Batman & Robin.