gudaulin

I have never really liked films by Mel Brooks because my sense of humor is simply set differently. On the other hand, the film received a few awards, including an Oscar for the screenplay, and the reviews and comments were very decent, so I eventually invested in The Producers. Although I acknowledge that it is Brooks' best film, I certainly didn't go crazy about it. Honestly speaking, it is the only film where I didn't roll my eyes at the humor used in moments when I felt it was slipping into awkwardness. The most valuable thing is the idea itself, but its execution tends to get lost in it. I miss that refined word humor of someone like Francis Veber and truly clever gags. With the exception of Gene Wilder, the actors in the lead roles didn't sit well with me either. However, I think there was potential here and it would have been interesting if a specialist in comedies had filmed a remake based on a quality screenplay. I haven't seen the new version of this film yet, but according to reviews, it is weaker. Overall impression: 55%.

This is one of those early Woody Allen comedies that is bursting with energy and a huge supply of various catchphrases and gags. In terms of the compactness of all the film's components, it may not be his best work, but for the torrent of humor, irony, and exaggeration, I can't go below an overall impression of 90%. Woody Allen may not understand sci-fi, but that's not important at all because the backdrop of the future world for him is only a starting point for situational and verbal humor. It is one of those films where I still carry a number of scenes and phrases in my memory, and when I need to get in the right mood, I think about them.

In the film, it is evident that Ray Liotta tailored it to himself after his career took a downward trend and agents offered him only repetitive and uninteresting roles. He doesn't act poorly, but his best performance is still the released prisoner character in the film Control. In this crime film, the manually shot digital camera and editing are worth noting, but the script boils down to ingredients that are notoriously well-known and have been seen many times. I simply don't get an overall impression of more than 60%, even despite the relatively impressive ending and plenty of stylish characters from the underworld and police officers.

It wasn't great when it was made because Stanley Donen just casually switched from romantic comedies and musicals to sci-fi - his field is simply elsewhere and he doesn't understand the genre's principles. Not that it's a downright bad movie, it's just unengaging and simply boring. I'd rather watch entertaining trash than a dedicated effort that leads nowhere. It could get two stars, but the film's sets have also become outdated, which is typical for films without any impact, so nowadays it's only worth one star and an overall impression of 25%. The only positive aspect is perhaps the charming Fawcett, but she seems more like a decoration.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days is exactly the type of film that collects stars for its theme and main character. That character is a true resistance fighter executed for anti-Nazi activities. Although I liked the film as a whole, I had and still have a feeling of a certain schematic approach and view of Sophie Scholl. I have no problem with Julia Jentsch's performance, rather with what the script prescribes her. For the overwhelming majority of the film's runtime, her character is simply brave, never stepping out of character, and except for two moments, does not show her emotions, even though she is in a hopeless situation and is facing the worst. She almost always smiles and reacts very quickly to the interrogator's verbal attacks. I read several real stories of resistance fighters and their trials in Nazi prisons, at the Gestapo, in German courts, and later in concentration camps. The Gestapo and the state court in Berlin represented very well-functioning machinery that aimed to break and destroy those being judged. Of course, it was not always necessary to physically torture the interrogated, sometimes they confessed voluntarily. The methods were similar throughout the Reich and physical punishments, threats, and various forms of torture were never far away. For Scholl to dare to give an educational lecture to her interrogator on the advantages of democracy and the sins of Nazi Germany, and later to do the same, albeit on a smaller scale, to the notorious Roland Freisler as the head of the state court, seems highly unlikely to me, although I am not familiar with the details of the trial of The White Rose. However, the People's Court in Berlin was able to break even very tough opponents, among other things, experienced war commanders collapsed under Freisler's roar during the trial of Hitler's assassins or communist resistance fighters accustomed to long years of illegality and hard conspiracy. In short, the film seems a bit too cliché and predictable to me. Overall impression: 65%.

Vantage Point has such dynamic direction that I momentarily forgot about my prejudices toward action movies and even considered giving it five stars. But as the minutes went by, the simplicity of the film started to surface, with the script piling up one cliché after another and logical holes appearing in the plot. The moment when the kidnapped American president bravely started fighting with terrorists ultimately led me to give it a mere three stars. Nevertheless, it's not below average, as the film has a fast pace and offers a number of thrilling scenes. Overall impression: 65%.

If I had to choose a small inconspicuous movie that should be a typical representative of independent film and be in sharp contrast to big-budget blockbusters, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment and would mention The Station Agent. This slow film is characterized by the captivating atmosphere of a remote area where foxes say goodnight and countless inhabitants are not in a hurry to go anywhere. Three lonely, quite different people gather at an old abandoned station, and we get to see the emergence of their friendships. A positively tuned film that doesn't try to solve anything significant, but reliably lifts one's mood. So far, this is Peter Dinklage's most prominent role as the solitary dwarf with an interest in trains. Overall impression: 85%.

A typical Woody Allen film, perhaps a little less neurotic this time, with the excellent Helena Bonham Carter in the role of a nagging wife, and above all the charming Mira Sorvino as a prostitute whom Woody tries to lead onto the right path. Together, it makes an attractive and pleasant film that I can always come back to. There is also the original use of the ancient chorus, which communicates with the director. Overall impression: 80%.

Certainly not Allen's best film, but still a decent and above-average comedy, which unlike the director's older comedies stuffed with one-liners, manages to get by with capturing the glamorous and warped world of celebrity society. I didn't miss Woody not being in the film, as Kenneth Branagh was able to perfectly substitute him. Overall impression: 75%.

So far, this is the best adaptation of the famous novel by Mary Shelley about the creation of an artificial being. This impressive drama can boast not only excellent performances and high-quality casting but also great camera work that showcases all the locations where the story takes place. It is not only a horror, but also a magnificent drama. Overall impression: 85%.