Stanislaus

After watching the whole Robert Zemeckis trilogy, I can say that I found all parts comparable in quality and each one managed to win me over in some way. After the ground-breaking first and the time-layered second came the third part, which, although almost entirely set in the Wild West of 1885, still managed to entertain and thrill me just as much as its two predecessors, which played with the time planes a bit more. Again, I commend the late 19th century visual stylisation and more than one humorous allusion (Clint Eastwood, Frisbee). The final race for time with the train was truly thrilling and incredibly well shot for its time. Even though I only recently got into the trilogy, and its cult status slightly passed me by, I was slightly nostalgic during the closing credits, knowing that this was the last adventure of Marty and the Doc.

Judging by the reviews here, on Imdb and RT, I was expecting worse from Voyagers. This is not to say that Neil Burger's film impressed me in any significant way, though. The premise alone certainly had potential, but that was lost in the execution, which could have done more with the characters, the setting of a spaceship with no escape, and the overall building of atmosphere. Voyagers highlights how people can be moved by (un)wanted emotions, and how easily they can be manipulated when a disturbed (wannabe) "alpha-male" who can exploit fear and ignorance takes power. While it lacks that coveted "cosmic confinement and despair" (see Alien, Gravity, or Life) and a rawer handling, toned down to target a younger audience, it is still a solid three-star one-off. PS: The comparison with Lord of the Flies, which I have neither read nor seen (yet), is spot on!

Keenen Ivory Wayans is definitely not Billy Wilder and White Chicks is certainly not Some Like it Hot. Wayans's humor pendulates between the mediocrely physical to the cheesy and purely fecal, which brings down the film incredibly. Admittedly, the very premise, two scruffy African-American cops as two pampered white rich women, is very bizarre, but it surprisingly worked in places. The brightest (meaning without racist overtones) spot was Terry Crews and his utterly insane character, and then the decent dance-battle in the club.

The film exudes the atmosphere and inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean (the curse, the treasure, the locations) and The Mummy (the single-minded female scientist in the lead role), but that's not a bad thing, as Jungle Cruise takes the better aspects from its predecessors while not wanting to be just a copy, but trying to have some added value, albeit perhaps a minor one. The central duo Emily Blunt-Dwayne Johnson had a strange chemistry inherent in the opposites of frailty and exuberance. Jack Whitehall was a bit annoying at first but ultimately quite likeable, and Jesse Plemons handled the role of the Emperor's grandson brilliantly, with a subtly sociopathic calm. The trio of cursed conquerors was rather outnumbered and perhaps a little too artificial, but on the other hand I welcomed the character of Proxima. Even though you know how the whole thing will turn out, the writers prepared some decent twist and at the same time added more than one frankly funny scene or allusion to the script. A brisk, reasonably suspenseful and acceptably humorous adventure. PS: Plus point for the instrumental version of “Nothing Else Matters”!

Patrik Hartl's film tells, in a rather artful way, the story of four friends who arrive in their lives at the Midlife Crisis station, trying to come to terms with this unwanted but almost necessary stop. Each member of the central quartet had a major problem in their life story, and their actors really inhabited their characters well – Hynek Čermák definitely impressed me the most, with Martin Pechlát close behind. Although the film has a comedy genre in its profile, it offers a lot of dramatic scenes in which the four protagonists try to grapple with "adult" problems using childish challenges and "heckling matches". The first challenge didn't quite work for me, but I was happy with the dramatic-comedic construction of the rest of the film. By Czech standards, an eminently believable film with solid performances and a a plot that is not shallow.

In the second adventure of the erratic bodyguard, the straightforward assassin and his even more straightforward wife, the storyline has shifted from bromance to a kind of relationshi(p/t) romance, and as a result it has lost some of the attractiveness and freshness of the first one. Nevertheless, this sequel still managed to entertain me enough and quite thrill me through verbal and physical shootouts, all sorts of innuendos and decently dosed action. Personally, I would have shortened the film by about fifteen minutes and cut out the babbling about family. The character of the bad guy was rather irrelevant, which is perhaps a bit of a pity, but on the other hand it was nice to see Morgan Freeman in a smaller role.

Back to the Future II is in many ways similar to its predecessor, and even equal to it in quality. The time travel has been expanded by one plane, but they have managed to handle all three timelines in an artful way, and everything makes sense, and in the end, the viewer gets a teaser of the plot from the last part of the trilogy. Once again, I must praise the imaginative production design – especially in the "future" – and all those technical conveniences (which we can still dream about today, even though the film is partly set in 2015). While the second film is not as playful in terms of allusions to various historical figures and events, it is more action-packed and brisk. The makeup work was again a bit comical, but understandable given the year the film was made. Had I seen the film at the time of release, I'’d certainly give it a full score.

There have already been quite a few films about seriously ill young people dying and coping with more or less sudden upheavals in life (The Fault in Our Stars, Love and Other Drugs, This Crazy Heart, etc.), so in this respect God, You're Such a Prick doesn't bring anything new to the table, and therefore it has to rely on the cast and building atmosphere, which didn't always work. The film works with both a serious and humorous note, and the transitions between the two succeed for the most part, but not always – for instance, the character of the mother and her inconsistent behaviour. However, I found the leading couple extremely likeable and was very impressed by the sequence with Jasmin Gerat. Last but not least, I must mention the lovely soundtrack. Better three stars!

After the earth-shattering Endgame, I was pretty much looking forward to being reunited with Natasha, so I warmly welcomed the feature-length Black Widow solo outing. In terms of the cast, it is very decent, with each of the four main actors in the right place, with satisfying supporting characters. Visually, the film showcases itself especially in the second half, which was full of brisk and nicely paced action, though there were a few over-the-top moments, which the viewer must take with a grain of salt in films like this. Screenwriting-wise, Black Widow is a slightly less layered piece compared to the MCU team-ups, but it still sets up some pretty surprising moments. I also praise the post-credit scene and am curious about the follow-up film. A weaker four stars!

Bridge to Terabithia meets Ghosts of the Dormers! Martin and the Magical Forest on the one hand offers well done puppetry and a non-intrusive environmental message, while on the other hand it’s dominated by mostly lacklustre child and adult performances and, at times, largely untapped potential. In the end, a mediocre fairy tale film about the battle between good and evil with nice locations in the Czech forests.