Stanislaus

I was curious to see Yorgos Lanthimos' next film after the brilliant Poor Things, but I was also I was a little worried because of the running time and the relatively short gap between both films. The short story structure can lend a layered and complex feel to films, and it's a shame that Kinds of Kindnesses didn't rely more on the interweaving of the stories, and rather focused on shocking the viewer in an blatant way. Each of the stories had an engaging premise, but due to the overlong running time, I struggled to properly enjoy the film as a whole. This menu of three bizarre courses sat with my average impression, which is a shame given the initial ingredients.

Tim Burton returns to his creative roots and, after thirty-six long years, reintroduces us to the world of Beetlejuice and his malicious plans and schemes. The old Burtonian atmosphere, mixing both visual and practical effects, breathed on people during the screening. I enjoyed the return of the old characters, but also the arrival of the new ones (though the untapped potential of the macabre femme fatale played by Monica Bellucci is a shame). Burton still has good ideas and can translate them engagingly to the screen in his own grimly colourful way. Aside from the goofy Catherine O'Hara, I enjoyed Willem Dafoe's theatrical performances as the demon-faced "detective". Last but not least, I loved that the trailers didn't reveal one of the important plot lines. All in all, a weak four stars. P.S. Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetl...

As a film version of an episode of Black Mirror, M3GAN certainly looked very promising on paper, yet I wasn't too thrilled with the final product. Not even excited! Not even scared! And that's quite a shame in something that's supposed to be a horror movie. The character deaths are almost out of focus, which also took away from some of the tension – not that I needed hectoliters of blood, but in this case, it's almost like no one even died. What stuck in my head the most was the doll's dance and the forest run, otherwise it was boring to the point of misery.

A sort of "female version" of The Smiles of Sad Men, which was made into a film by the same director, Her Drunken Diary has a dense subject, but its power is somewhat lost in the sometimes fragmented narrative. Tereza Ramba gives a convincing performance, and the film stands largely on her portrayal of a woman who has sunk to the bottom of the liquor bottle. I liked the dream/mood sequences, they made an aesthetic impression on me. But in the second half I felt that they cut some scenes short at the expense of a flowing narrative. Still, this is a clear pointed finger at alcohol addiction that has the potential to appeal to a wide audience.

At this year's KVIFF, I tried twice – and in vain – to get into one of the most talked about films of the year, so I had to wait for Waves to “crash” into the theater. Jiří Mádl's film excellently combines the lesser-known story of Czechoslovak Radio journalists with an execution that can satisfy a wide audience. The inserted period songs give Waves a touching period feel, while the play with images, archival footage and filters elevates the film to a high technical level. However, Waves wouldn't have resonated as much as it did if it weren't for the excellent casting. The story itself, about trying to resist and fight against a lying and oppressive regime, is timeless and very relevant at the moment – in this regard, these Waves arrive at the most opportune time and definitely deserve both thumbs up.

It Ends Us has a very tricky and intrinsically dense subject matter, but it fails to translate it to the screen in such a way that the film "made my mouth drop". In the beginning I had quite a problem with the direction of the actors and the dialogue in general, while the film as a whole is also harmed by the considerably overlong running time, which had the effect of diluting the intense subject matter. Alongside this, it's also a shame that the film and its subject matter has been overshadowed by some controversy surrounding its promotion. That being said, I was intrigued by the way domestic violence was depicted, where from the perspective of the love-struck main character it seemed like a series of unfortunate incidents. I also have to praise the soundtrack, especially the songs by Lana Del Rey and Cigarettes After Sex, which fitted the film perfectly.

The latest contribution to the Alien universe has stirred up a variety of opinions here, and I can understand any assessment. I was impressed with Alien: Romulus in the cinema, and I'm probably glad that it wasn't as scary a horror film as it was presented before its release. The storyline is quite simple, the characters are not very well drawn out, and there are a few holes in the logic, but I liked the film as a whole and it managed to make me tense while watching it whether it was the acidic weightlessness or the final confrontation with the unexpected spawn. We even got one return from the "grave", for which I give it a thumbs up. As I wrote at the beginning, not everyone will like this return to the world of the xenomorphs, but for me it worked very well.

The Suck Me Shakespeer trilogy (especially the first film) was a fresh and humorous breeze in the field of German comedies, and I'm glad that they decided to make a sequel, albeit in a slightly different direction. Jella Haase with her Chantal was one of the funniest elements within those films. so why not use her as fodder for a fairy tale adventure? The fact that the film was made in the homeland of the Brothers Grimm makes it all the more hilarious and ironic. Chantal in Fairyland combines quite successfully a wacky comedy with a fantastical tale of female emancipation and the importance of friendship. These are admittedly common (and thus overused) themes these days, but in this case it is spiced up with just that unconventional genre concept. From a technical standpoint, it was a satisfying piece with a solid soundtrack, and I won't be at all opposed to a repeat screening in the future. I'd just be sure to watch it in the original version.

Borderlands looks like a hybrid of Guardians of the Galaxy and Mad Max: Fury Road, but due to its lacklustre execution, it is far from both films in terms of quality - both in terms of humour and imaginative action - which is a shame, given the cast. Eli Roth's film is proof that even Oscar-winning actresses like Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis can try their best but can't do anything against a weak script. If I were to go to Pandora again, I would definitely and only go to the one with the Na’vi.

Depicable Me 4 was probably made based on a working brand rather to push the Grue-Minion universe in any direction. The fourth, or sixth (if we count the Minion films) adventure of Gru and co. made a mediocre impression on me overall. It’s not boring due to the amount of action, but the impression of untapped potential is noticeable. The line with the enhanced Minions – a wink in the direction of the Fantastic Four (or Five) – seemed completely unnecessary, while the first Men in Black immediately came to mind when looking at the villain. The cameos of the villains past were fine and it was such a short addition to end on. Considering the popularity of the Minions, we can expect another sequel in a couple of years, but it would be nice to work on being more imaginative and not just relying on a proven brand.