Stanislaus

At first glance, Onward offers a quite original theme in the form of an alternative fairy tale world, which offers a wealth of possibilities. After watching it, I have to say that they could have done a bit more in terms of imagination and ideas. This is not to say that I was disappointed with the film, I like that Pixar movies keep their "adult look" without too many infantile scenes and characters, which fortunately they kept in this case, too. While Onward doesn't offer as diverse a world as In Inside Out, nor does it have as strong plot twists as Coco, it still warms the heart with its straightforward but all the more heartfelt story about the importance of family and finding oneself. As a result, it's a weaker four stars for me.

The Invisible Man captures your attention thanks to the great atmosphere and, of course, Elisabeth Moss' evocative performance as Cecilia. Unlike most horror films (or thrillers), the film is not based directly on the fear of what we will see, but of what we will not actually see – to put it in a rather trite way – which it manages to do in a very artful way. Together with the protagonist, we look into empty doors or corridors and wait to see who or what will appear. Elisabeth Moss, thanks to her unmistakable looks, was a great choice for the role of a woman who is suddenly not at all sure of what is happening around her and doesn't know if she is slowly losing her mind. Towards the end, I felt that the plot started to lose its breath a bit, but I was more than satisfied with the overall denouement. Last but not least, I have to praise the unmistakable and captivating music, which perfectly completed the dense atmosphere of the film.

When you say S&M in film, more than one of us (unfortunately) thinks of the "shades trilogy", which is not exactly an example of quality filmmaking, so you are glad that there are thematically close films from the other end of the quality spectrum. Dogs Don't Wear Pants is a very raw romance that isn't afraid to show a lot of things on screen, while maintaining a certain level of tastefulness and not trying to be overtly shocking or outrageous. We follow the story of two lonely people who, despite their somewhat harsher specific needs, are portrayed in such a human and understanding way that you just have to root for them. The two lead actors played their roles in a supremely convincing manner, and I was also impressed by the minor role of Ester Geislerová. I welcomed the fact that besides the raw romance and a few scenes that were uncomfortable for the audience (the initiated will know what I am talking about), there was also room for a few purposefully humorous scenes. Last but not least, I must praise the unmistakable musical score, which perfectly underlined the atmosphere of the film.

Beast of Burden is at first glance an unremarkable animated Chinese-New Zealand co-production that probably won't make a dent in the world due to lack of viewers, which is quite a shame because after watching it I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it's primarily a children's film, it still deals with "adult stuff" and has an almost horror feel at times (the line with the hunter). Watching it, you can't help but notice the clear parallels to themes such as slavery or (more recently) species extinction. In terms of animation, Beast of Burden is rather intimate, but it doesn't offend, and I think the goats definitely deserve the viewer's attention.

Possibility of an Island is a prime example of the fact that not all books can be brought to the screen. Michel Houellebecq's book had its own charm, something that was completely lost in adaptation, and what makes it all the more puzzling is that the author of the novel himself sat in the director's chair, so he supervised the production, and yet the result is a poor and truncated version of the book. The film is a sequence of scenes that are basically unrelated to each other, and I think that if you haven’t read the novel, you have no chance to understand the meaning of the film. I give it one star for the production design and locations, otherwise it's one big, inconsistent mess.

Uncle Buck is an incredibly relaxed and endearing family comedy, whose enduring success is due to the great performance of John Candy, whose role as the (slightly) crazy uncle fits him like a glove. Also worth mentioning is little Macaulay Culkin, who managed to make me laugh even before he was Home Alone. Apart from the unforgettable cast, the film is charming thanks to its humorously written script with more than one scene that will put a smile on your face even after repeated viewings. The contrast between naively carefree childhood and confused and problematic adolescence can be seen in the Russell children. I liked that along with the comic line, the film finds room for more serious moments that are timeless and still relevant. P.S. "Ever hear of a ritual killing?"

Caught In the Net will surely go down in the history of Czech documentary filmmaking (if it hasn’t already), because it deals with (how else) a very hot topic that I hope will not leave many viewers cold. Watching this straightforward probe into the virtual world of sexual predators, you will say WTF?! The makers and actresses definitely deserve a big thank you for their courage to tackle such an issue and translate it to the screen in an appealing and instructive way. In the course of a hundred minutes, you encounters all sorts of individuals, from perfectly harmless people to utter moral scum without a shred of empathy or judgement. I hope that the message of this bold undertaking will not go to waste and will make many people think.

BPM (Beats Per Minute) presents in a quite credible way the events and conditions in France in the early 1990s, which were not easy times in the spirit of protests, governmental ignorance and the ever-present fear of a cruel disease. Firstly, I must mention that I was very impressed by the performances of Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Arnaud Valois, who played their roles in a really convincing manner – I would have even appreciated more space being given to their relationship. This brings me to the story, largely consisting of discussions and arguments, which sounds appealing on the one hand, but with such a long running time, it is a heavy piece that is hard to keep your attention throughout. Personally, I was also quite bothered by the (for my taste) rather bizarrely conceived ending, which kind of spoiled my overall impression of the film.

Once upon a time there was a sharp dog named Buck who was a sort of moral compass for his owners and pack members, trying to find his place in the natural order that would suit him best. The Call of the Wild draws the viewer in especially with its beautiful natural locations and the presence of Harrison Ford, who really suited the role of John. Story-wise, the film doesn't have much to surprise, even for someone who hasn't read the book (like me). The most disturbing element, however, was the animation of the animals, which at times seemed too artificial – after all, we are used to a certain degree of quality after films like Life of Pi and The Jungle Book. The film passes by in the cinema like a rapid, but at the same time it quickly evaporates from the subconscious after the screening, as it does not offer any strong and downright memorable scenes, which is a pity.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a brisk film with a very likable main character, a classically (sort of) overacting Jim Carrey and a few funny moments, mainly provided by Sonic and the verbose Natasha Rothwell. The film flows along nicely in the cinema, and even though you basically know from the beginning how it's all going to turn out, it still doesn't get boring thanks to its lively pace. There were two scenes where I couldn't help but think of Quicksilver from the X-Men, and that's meant in a good way. A dynamically shot one-off that doesn't surprise but doesn't offend either.