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I'll be honest with you: I have never really understood Ingmar Bergman, though with a few exceptions, and his critically acclaimed dramas usually simply bore me. The Seventh Seal is one of the few titles I come back to - perhaps because as an atheist, the spiritual aspect of the film passes me by, and unlike the interpreters of Bergman's work, I couldn't care less about the existential discussions of the 1950s conducted in the shadow of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear apocalypse. For me, the film remains a simple game about the fact that you can't outsmart death, or rather, that we all have to face it. Bergman had a lucky hand in choosing the actors, and perhaps even more than Max von Sydow in the main role, I find Gunnar Björnstrand's performance as the knight's squire, Jöns, likable. Perhaps the only thing I would criticize about the film is its overly stylized theatrical expression influenced by the fact that it was practically entirely created in the studio. Overall impression: 75%.

Ray Donovan is not a private eye from classic film noirs and doesn't own a detective agency. Together with his colleagues, he runs a cleaning company that cleans up the mess left by successful celebrities and the wealthy elite of Los Angeles. Given the choice, he chooses the path of law, but it doesn't give him the slightest problem with using a wide range of illegal activities, including extortion, intimidation, manipulation, and sometimes even brutal violence. He is one of the best in his field, and therefore, he enters an environment that is inaccessible to the vast majority of mortals. The series is brilliantly cast, with Liev Schreiber as a seasoned Hollywood project master and perfectly suited for the role of an unscrupulous tough guy who also manages to be a sensitive father and brother. There is not much to criticize about the script either; it rightfully belongs amongst the highest quality that television production currently offers. The environment of the Hollywood elites and the music and sports stars is attractive to the viewer, and the series perfectly captures the decadent notions of their extravagant lives. Corrupt scoundrels and starlets immersed in cocaine and promiscuity everywhere you look. It's true, it's hard to find someone in this environment who you can identify with without reservations. Overall impression: 85%.

Films from the world of organized crime (I intentionally don't use the term mafia films or gangster films because Munzi definitely didn't make an attempt at this genre; he was essentially focused on a family drama set in the environment of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta) are usually made in three ways. The first involves gunfire and explosions, the second involves a lot of talking and scheming, and the third is dominated by gloomy silent faces and long meaningful glances. Black Souls falls into the third category, which in and of itself wouldn't be a serious problem. I know of a number of films filled with several-minute shots of men walking down the street or performing mundane tasks, and yet while watching them, you're on the edge of your seat, holding your breath with excitement. It's because these films have atmosphere and know how to work with tension. However, Munzi doesn't know how to draw the viewer into his world, nor make the setting more appealing or create interest in the characters. He avoids any elements that would bring him closer to popular culture and directs his offer toward the festival environment and club scene. His film is slow, which, I repeat, is not a problem in and of itself. The problem is that it falls into the category of boring or not entertaining. What he unfolds can now be seen in any episode of HBO or Netflix series productions, and they know how to sell it in a much more attractive package full of ideas and interesting scenes, without giving up on artistic ambitions. Overall impression: 45%.

On YouTube, I often search for cover versions of popular songs and discover surprising arrangements and musical genres in which the original melodies and lyrics are placed. I am no longer interested in film remakes, mostly because Americans refuse to dub, so foreign hits are adjusted to their needs, just so that the American producer can earn a few more bucks. However, I gave Honey Night a chance because, after all, I was curious to see how the remake of one of the most fundamental films about the nature of the communist regime turned out. I was convinced that I would condemn the film, but its relocation to the Balkans basically works, and most likely it is Trajkov's best film. Indeed, based on such a strong literary source, it would be difficult to completely discard the film. Of course, Trajko is not Kachyňa and he cannot create such an atmosphere. The Macedonian regime resembled at most the Mečiar regime of the 90s, so it is not about slashed throats and torture chambers, and much of the chilling original material disappears or is not transferable. The cruel allegory of the nature of power has turned into a study of the cowardice of a careerist who once gained some power. However, if you don't compare it to The Ear, you can enjoy the film. I feel sorry for Verica Nedeska, she has so few opportunities in the Czech Republic, even though she is a top-notch actress. Overall impression: 70%. I can imagine a great adaptation of The Ear in authoritarian regimes like Iran or Russia, and it would be spicy to watch a version where Salman's favorite princeling in Riyadh gets on the nerves of his relatives during Saudi Arabian family purges...

I have never considered myself a Trekkie, but in the 90s, I diligently watched everything that the Star Trek universe offered me, including The Next Generation, the first season of Deep Space Nine, and even the old original series from 1966. However, it is all laughably bizarre from today's perspective. I have also gradually watched most of the feature films. I can thus now make comparisons and evaluate with a certain knowledge of the phenomenon. The problem with Discovery is that it stayed somewhere halfway. Most of those who have a problem with Discovery will likely criticize it from the opposite side and find it too sacrilegious compared to the earlier series. On the other hand, I believe that it should have gone much further. Maybe to the extent that Abrams aimed with his pop-inspired Star Trek from 2009 (which by no means do I claim is the only possible way to cope with the passage of time). In order for me to take Discovery seriously, it would have to have much dirtier characters, a darker atmosphere, a less sterile environment, a more charismatic actress in the lead role, less annoying characters in supporting roles (Rapp, Wiseman), and a better screenplay. After just a few episodes, it was clear to me that my interest was rapidly dropping dangerously low. Actually, my reaction doesn't surprise me, just like the surprise cannot be expected from a team that is bound by Star Trek canon and traditions. Overall impression: 40%.

Tom Horn is a film that is important for two reasons. It marks the end of the film career of the legend of American cinema, Steve McQueen, and at the same time, it is a film that symbolically finishes one era of the western genre. After its realization, American studios avoided westerns for the entire decade and only returned to the genre with the famous Dances with Wolves. From both perspectives, it is a somewhat tired film. McQueen, as a great professional, acts fine, but he is missing his famous spark. You can simply feel that he must be battling hard with himself and his illness. As for the script and implementation, it is a standard average film that will not stay in my head for long, and the only fundamental question that came to my mind while watching was astonishment at the complicated and potentially risky path chosen by his employers to remove Horn. It would have been much easier to offer financial "compensation" or a bullet to the head. Overall impression: 55%.

Costa-Gavras is a prominent representative of political drama, and he applied this characteristic in Missing. I have no reason to criticize the form he used; the film is precisely cast, with Jack Lemmon confirming his role as a movie star who knows how to carry an entire film. Sissy Spacek is pleasantly civilian, and the other actors do not embarrass themselves either. In the first half, the film manages to sell the increasing paranoia and uncertainty of people who find themselves in the midst of a situation where the old laws no longer apply and the game of life begins. What I have reservations about is the content. As a left-wing intellectual, Costa-Gavras is clear about what happened in Chile in 1973. His sympathies are clearly on the side of the overthrown government and its supporters. The coup in Chile was one of those pivotal events where the political attitudes of the public were clearly broken, and identities were defined. Today, we know what the fate of a country where the coup failed and the leftist government implemented its consequences looked like. Venezuela went from being a rich, oil-drenched country to a state with a collapsed economy, insane inflation, and an impoverished middle class that is fleeing the country en masse, making it very difficult to even find basic food. Chile experienced a similar atmosphere in the early 70s when the political center was collapsing rapidly and political positions were polarizing. Nevertheless, when you see your provisions in the pantry dwindling and inflation quickly consuming your savings, you have a reason to be bitter and angry. Pinochet's coup had the support of a significant portion of the public, and to this day, it is true that the coup divides perceptions of history and splits political preferences. By the way, it wasn't as bloody as it is rumored. The total time of General Pinochet's rule claimed just over 1300 deaths. Compare that to the number of persecuted and murdered in Venezuela, and you will find that the supporters of the coup have a claim to their share of the truth. What also bothers me is the American narcissism, which is understandable on one hand, because Gavras was making the film for the American market and American audience, but the films that perceive the coup from the Chilean perspective are much more interesting. Their sad heroes could not count on the exclusive position of being holders of a passport from the world's superpower. Overall impression: 75%.

This film is rightfully a forgotten escapade of its time, in which only the performances of the participants, especially Macháček with his ambiguously conceived provocateur and tough guy Josef Somr, work well in hindsight. Milan Sandhaus is also remarkable in a small role with little screen time. Vladimir Sís was a below-average director who failed to evoke any semblance of atmosphere and authenticity throughout the film. The soldiers do not behave like an elite group of professionals on an extreme mission but rather like a bunch of reserves on a training exercise. The dialogues sound unnatural at times, clearly written by someone with minimal understanding of battles in the South Pacific. Even the two stars I'm giving it are a generous reward for what the film can offer to today's audience. Overall impression: 30%.

American studios don't pay screenwriters such small money that they can't create somewhat more believable characters and more credible stories. The November Man is watchable, but I had no enthusiasm for it. Similar stories are brought to us by American action movies 12 times a year. Brosnan got to play a confident seasoned action hero in his old age, good for him. Overall impression: 40%.

In the 1980s, Hollywood practically gave up on the western genre and didn't return to it until the famous title Dances with Wolves. The Oscar success attracted the interest of studios, so in the first half of the 1990s, there were a number of attempts to revive the genre. Around the same time as Tombstone, Wyatt Earp was also created, which was sunk by Kasdan's megalomania, but the more realistic portrayal of Wyatt appealed to me more. Cosmatos' film is an attempt to revive the myth of the Wild West with all the classic clichés of gunfights and the most seductive romance. There's always a bit more pathos than necessary, there are countless grand words and heroic gazes, more bullets are fired than in many battles of the Civil War, and the villains are devilishly corrupt and of course, there are overwhelming numbers of them. It is miles away from real life in the American West and I have never enjoyed this kind of fairy tale. Fans of the genre may of course add one or even two stars, but for me, it was a waste of time. Overall impression: 40%.