Goldbeater

A giallo whose appeal resides solely in its poster with a tarantula, and which is as empty as a drum. And I hate to say this, but Ennio Morricone left me equally cold this time.

Three lost souls from West Germany set out to America hoping for a better life, being clueless about the impossibility to break free from the vicious circle of bitterness. The film is infused with a strong atmosphere of human alienation, underlined by Bruno S.’s presence in the title role (in spite of being a non-actor, his naturalness speaks for itself). In the second half of the movie, depression reaches bizarre extremes with every passing minute. We may think, at first sight, that Stroszek is a relatively conventional drama, but its crazy conclusion proves us wrong. The chicken will keep dancing in my head for a very long time after the viewing!

A must see for all fans of Roger Corman and cute horror comedies akin to The Little Shop of Horrors. Dick Miller performs brilliantly in one of his few main roles (or is this the only one? I’m not sure…), and the general B-style atmosphere combined with jazz music makes for a pleasant result. A fun B series comedy which is worth it and is quite underrated here.

No more Mr. Nice Guy. A bombastic neo-noir where the cast is unforgettable and on point. Brilliant one-liners and a perfectly constructed ending (one of the few cases where the studio’s intervention improved the movie, which I can say after watching Helgeland’s director cut Payback: Straight Up – that one simply seemed weaker…) I will always enjoy revisiting this one! This is one of the films you always want to come back to. Five stars!

The fourth in a row (or fifth, for that matter) and it’s always the same recipe, over and over. And always to be continued… Amazing. I’m afraid this action series has never been close to my heart.

If that clever cheat happened at the end rather than at the opening of the film, it would be a win. Instead, the screenwriters laid their cards too soon, and Focus then slowly dies out as the creators drown in a vain quest to surpass the beginning.

Aguirre, Wrath of God and the madness of one man. Just a perfect creation, which immediately made me appreciate the collaboration between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. They both did their job flawlessly, and those who disagree will be cut into 198 pieces and stepped over until they become paint for the walls!

Inconsistent, weirdly written, sometimes very embarrassing and, unfortunately, plainly unfunny. Čtvrtníček entertains, but there’s not much of him. No, I will not watch it over and over again!

Quentin Tarantino called this film the best post-apocalyptic film since the original Mad Max. And I say congratulations to David Michôd for being able to produce such a hundred-percent concentrate of first-class boredom! The Rover is a kind of self-infatuated blob in which you will wait in vain for some twist and regretfully think about Mad Max and its epic moments. At least, the final scene makes sense and prevents a total fail. But, you, Quentin, please watch your mouth! [KVIFF 2014]

Seriously? How is it even possible that Filip Renč dared to release this? A question for him to ponder. The audience might, in turn, wonder if supporting such dreck by visiting the cinema even makes sense. The scene with the faces in flames perfectly highlights the direction in which Czech cinema is heading. Terrible.