angel74

To my surprise, I quite liked this horror take on a well-known fairy tale. The movie could have been a bit more suspenseful, but it has a decent atmosphere, good acting and visually it is virtually impossible to fault. I just thought the ending was a little lame. (60%)

If I stick to the primitive level of this masterpiece, I must write that it is a awful nonsense. The only thing that amused me was the scene in which Lavi hung up his soccer boots. The filmmakers certainly cannot be denied a good knowledge of the soccer world, but I have a persistent feeling that the overabundance of obscenities, vulgarities and strong, boorish humor just kills everything. (35%)

A very well-conceived documentary that not only warns of the negative consequences of an ageing world population, but also shows concrete ways to prevent them. It looks at the issue from several perspectives and gives guidance on what governments, companies or individuals can do to help humanity better face the serious challenges of ageing. The creators continuously lighten the heavy existential theme with funny animations. (85%)

In director Ivala Frank's slow-moving documentary, you'll find a mishmash of different people and ideas which, surprisingly, works quite well. All this is interspersed with engaging and imaginative shots showing the rugged Nordic nature. (80%)

"My hope is to build a bridge to my ambitions, but not a wall between my family and me." - This biopic has its flaws, I could easily have done without the musical scenes. However, overall it has a nice positive energy and the soundtrack is also quite good. +++ "Son, this Bruce Springsteen, are you sure he's American?" - "Yes. And not Jewish." - "I read his songs. He says work hard, don't give up, honor your parents. This man must be Pakistani." (70%)

It's probably not my place to judge the tastes of the majority of people, but for God’s sake, just look at the monstrosities that made it to the finals. Anyway, I would like to express my opinion on the quality of the show itself. It was very dubious, sometimes even intimidating, mainly because of the incredibly whiny and affected speech of the blonde giantess, who with her size and loudness pushed herself into the role of the main (= hard to miss) presenter. After all I've seen and heard here, I’m not even sure if I should be happy that the Czech group Vesna has advanced to Saturday's final. (20%)

We also have a rescue dog at home (our second). The first one was called Ben. He was an Irish setter who delighted us with his lovely presence for eleven years, and a few times a year he ran off into the woods to chase some deer. The other one is named Rex. He’s a cross between a German Shepherd and a Beagle. He loves getting into mischief, he's simply irresistible. I spend almost all my free time with him, we're always wandering around the neighborhood... If you or your loved ones are dog lovers, I am absolutely sure that this family movie will move and charm you at the same time. Working with animals is not an easy thing to do, which is why I admire the filmmakers. They handled it very well. In short, I've probably never seen a better Czech movie about dogs. It says a lot not only about the guileless animal spirits, but also about people who are not so guileless anymore. Apart from the great camera and beautiful nature shots, I was also impressed by Bolek Polívka’s toned down acting performance. And Gump speaking with his inner voice (unmistakably Ivan Trojan) is guaranteed to delight any child viewer. (80%)

French director Emmanuelle Nobécourt brings viewers a truly fascinating documentary that raises awareness of the importance of trees for humans and other organisms. Although this is a very alarming picture, it does give some hope that if humanity quickly finds its lost respect and humility for nature and starts to behave accordingly, its days on the blue planet are not yet numbered. (90%)

At first, I was a bit doubtful whether I would like this refined walk through good old Hollywood. But in the end, I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. How could it not, since I still enjoy Tarantino's specific style of storytelling and I like both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, both of whom are a real joy to watch here. Moreover, I'm quite fond of late sixties / early seventies music, which wonderfully completes the retro atmosphere of the film. Among the biggest positives I also count the massacrous ending, which clearly indicates that even with advancing age Quentin Tarantino has no intention of softening up. (85%)

"Even if you think you know someone well, even if you love that person deeply, you can never see right into their heart. It would only hurt you. But if you try hard enough, you should be able to see inside your own. So in the end, we should try to act on our convictions and make peace with ourselves. If you really want to get to know someone, your only option is to look deep inside yourself." - Based on Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name, acclaimed director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi has made an unusually visceral movie about love and loss, guilt and emptiness, but also about the strong will not to give up, and to move on. It's really hard to get through the killer footage, but I think it's worth the time. (75%)