The Tourist | Tangled | Chain Letter

Film reviews for Jan. 27

Jason Pirodsky

Written by Jason Pirodsky Published on 27.01.2011 01:14:51 (updated on 27.01.2011) Reading time: 22 minutes

The Tourist
Rating:
Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Starring Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff, Rufus Sewell, Christian De Sica, Alessio Boni, Daniele Pecci, Giovanni Guidelli, Raoul Bova, Bruno Wolkowitch. Written by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Christopher McQuarrie and Julian Fellowes, from the 2005 film Anthony Zimmer written and directed by Jérôme Salle.
Showtimes
IMDb link
   

The Tourist was ravaged by US critics when it opened stateside in December; Rolling Stone´s Peter Travers called it “the worst of the year, by a mile” when handing it the #1 slot in his worst of 2010 countdown. So, 90 minutes in, I was almost shocked to find myself thoroughly enjoying this refined but lighthearted, Hitchcock-influenced thriller, which explicitly recalls North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief, among others.

But just before making a graceful exit, The Tourist collapses upon itself while delivering one of the most disappointing endings in recent memory. I´ll get to the finale later; it doesn´t completely kill the film, but it´s damn close.

The film opens with Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie) meeting a contact in a Parisian café, under the watchful eye of Interpol and particularly Inspector John Acheson (Paul Bettany). You see, she´s the lover of Alexander Pearce, a notorious criminal who has gone into hiding (and purportedly gone under the knife to change his appearance) after stealing millions from a Russian gangster.

Elsie gets a note from Pearce telling her to board a train to Venice, find a man who might resemble Pearce, and dupe him into becoming a target of authorities and the mafia. On the train, she finds Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp), a Wisconsin schoolteacher travelling Europe while mourning the death of his wife. He´s reading a paperback mystery. Perfect.

This is a reasonably engrossing premise, and the immediate results don´t disappoint, as Frank finds himself running across tiled Venetian rooftops and swimming in the canals. The supporting cast, including Steven Berkoff as the mobster and Timothy Dalton as an Interpol superior, play things loud and broad, but the stars shine at the center.

Jolie is glamorous, sophisticated, ravishing; she knows exactly what kind of material this is, and plays off it perfectly, though an English accent is only distracting. She has great chemistry with a weak-kneed Depp, who is dour and stone-faced in a performance that recalls his in The Ninth Gate. He´s received plenty of criticism here, but they´re all wrong – he´s perfect, too. Subtle and quiet to the point of being accused of sleepwalking through the film, his character, a real wrong man to Jolie´s larger-than-life, glittering femme fatale, is the heart of the movie, and Depp drives all the silliness along in a way a knowing wink-wink performance couldn´t have. At least until the end.

That ending, without getting into specifics: it´s so dumb and obvious we´ve already dismissed it before it unfolds onscreen, and it satisfies neither logically (it´s just so stupid) nor emotionally (all of the character work through rest of film is thrown right in the garbage). It´s a sleazy, tacky Joe Eszterhas ending on the back of a classy Hitchcockian script. It sucks.

The Tourist was directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose previous film, The Lives of Others, was a masterpiece. This is not. It´s certainly handsomely mounted (the gorgeous Venice cinematography by John Seale helps), and mildly engrossing most of the way, but by the end it´s clear that the director has lost control of his material.

Like most contemporary idea-challenged Hollywood product, this is a remake; the original was the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer, which starred Sophie Marceau and Yvan Attal and was written and directed by Jérôme Salle. Unseen by me, Variety´s Lisa Nesselson called it a “stylish, strictly-for-fun, lightweight thriller;” that description could also be applied here, though I´m wondering if the original shared that awful ending.

Why remake a little-seen 5-year-old picture that was not a critical, audience, or box office success? Beats me; “because it can be remade” is likely sufficient enough in today´s marketplace, but why three extraordinary talents at the top of their game felt the need to participate is truly puzzling. I note that a remake of The Lives of Others is also in the cards. Well played.

***

 

Tangled
Rating:
Directed by Nathan Greno, Byron Howard. With the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett, Paul F. Tompkins, Richard Kiel, Delaney Rose Stein. Written by Dan Fogelman, from the original fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm.
Showtimes
IMDb link

Tangled, Disney´s 50th animated feature, returns the company (like The Princess and the Frog did a year ago) to a more comfortable traditional fairy tale setting after years of, ahem, more ambitious storytelling. The source here is the Brothers Grimm tale of Rapunzel, the story of the long-haired girl in the tower (“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.”)

It´s a simple-enough tale, jazzed up with anthropomorphic animal characters, broad humor, and modern dialogue to accommodate contemporary audiences. It´s Disney´s best film in years, I think, but this modern mindset prevents it from approaching classic status (I had to check; recent Disney films have almost all reached a certain level of quality, but the last one that could truly be called great is probably 1994´s The Lion King).

Backstory for Tangled´s version of Rapunzel: a magic flower has given witch Gothel (voiced by Donna Murphy) eternal beauty, but it´s harvested to save a dying, and pregnant, queen. The witch is out for revenge, but when she discovers the hair of the queen´s daughter contains the same healing properties as the flower, she kidnaps the child, stores her in a tower in the forest, and raises her as her own daughter, forbidding her to venture to the outside world.

But into Rapunzel´s (Mandy Moore) world comes Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), a dashing thief who has just made off with a crown jewel and decided to lie low in the isolated tower. Rapunzel hides his loot and offers him a deal: he´ll get it back if he takes her out into the real world to get a good look at the Chinese lanterns that the kingdom sends out every year on her birthday.

Now, there´s plenty that doesn´t quite work here: the human characters, particularly Flynn, are flat (two non-speaking animals – a horse named Maximus and a chameleon named Pascal – easily steal the show), the plot is light, the frequent songs unmemorable (but short enough not to distract), some of the more broad jokes groan-inducing. And the modern sensibilities, including a you-go-girl ‘tude, are frequently at odds with the story basics.

But there´s a lot of heart here, and the film wears it on its sleeve. The setup, with the stolen child and the isolated girl (who is, nevertheless, a tad better adjusted than Kaspar Hausar), has a lot of emotional pull, and the filmmakers know how to mine it for all it´s worth. A strong climax threatens to become a real weepie, but the film expectedly pulls back into more familiar territory.

Best of all, however, is the animation, which combines traditional hand-drawn techniques with a CGI environment; it´s fluid and frequently beautiful, and Disney´s biggest leap since Tarzan. The box office failure of The Princess and the Frog has likely sealed the fate of hand-drawn films from Disney, but it´s great to see them experimenting like this in the CGI realm; it´s as good (dare I say better?) that what we´ve come to expect from Pixar.

Note:Tangled is screening (in 3D and 2D) only in a Czech-dubbed version in most Prague cinemas, but you can catch it in English at CineStar Anděl (in 2D). The above review refers to the 2D version.

***

 

Chain Letter
Rating:
Directed by Deon Taylor. Starring Nikki Reed, Keith David, Brad Dourif, Betsy Russell, Ling Bai, Clifton Powell, Cherilyn Wilson, Cody Kasch, Noah Segan, Brian Tee, Michael Bailey Smith, Matt Cohen, Michael J. Pagan, Patrick St. Esprit. Written by Diana Erwin, Michael J. Pagan, Deon Taylor.
Showtimes
IMDb link
   
 

Bad movie lovers rejoice! Chain Letter is an out-and-out joke of a film, a risible piece of garbage so incompetent on every level of conception and execution that it just about turns into a riotous The Room-like laughfest if you´re in the right frame of mind. It´s a movie about (per IMDb) “a maniac [who] murders teens when they refuse to forward chain mail.” I can´t say I expected anything else.

So yeah, a group of highschoolers (lead by a dangerously over-tanned Nikki Reed) gets some chain e-mail telling them to forward it to 5 friends within 24 hoursor die! They delete the chain mail, of course, and are subsequently stalked and brutally murdered by the Chain Man. Yes, the Chain Man, who wraps himself in chains to cover the chain tattoos on his body, sends out the chain mail and very possibly chain smokes while listening to Alice in Chains. He kills them with chains.

Don´t worry, Detective Crenshaw (Keith David) is on the case (sample dialogue: “I´m looking for the man who made this link.”) This sounds like a joke, and it is, but the film is dead serious and entirely clueless.

Highlights:

– Contemporary teens who speak like early-90s stereotypes (“my pops, yo”).

– Technology that dates the film, oh, about five years.

– Impossibly inept editing that frequently splices together sentences from different takes (and very possibly different lines!)

– Troma-level gore scenes, including a showstopper that splices in a H. G. Lewis-level mannequin head. We get: chain through the face, chain through the chest, blunt object (some kind of chain?) to the head, a boy strung up (by chains) and set on fire, a body sliced in two by a car engine, and a body dragged behind a car and pulled in two lengthwise.

– An AOL-like incoming email notification that “menacingly” repeats, ad naseum, “you´ve got chain mail!” Yes, really.

– The worst voice acting you´ll ever hear during a climatic phone call between Crenshaw and headquarters.

– After the deaths of multiple students, a teacher (Brad Dourif) tells his pupils “I know you´ve been through a lot, but remember – midterms are due on Monday.”

– A scene between Crenshaw and bug-eyed FBI profiler Wiggens (played by Roger Rabbit himself, Charles Fleischer) where they discuss the potential, and hilarious, motivations of the killer. Throughout the scene, Crenshaw´s PC features an empty Word document filled with 32-point gobbledygook.

Chain Letter is one of the very worst films I´ve ever seen, the ineptitude of the production only exceeded by the level of contempt the filmmakers hold for the audience. As the circle completes, however, the level of contempt the audience holds for the film can turn this into uproarious fun.

The movie grossed a cool $143,000 on 400+ screens in the US back in October, which seems to have justified a wide release in the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, Oscar nominees like Winter´s Bone and Rabbit Hole sit without a release date. Huzzah!

***

Also opening: Dark Country, which is screening in a 3D version in a few scattered cities around the Czech Republic. It’s listed as dubbed in most venues, but subtitled in Kopřivnice, Louny, Strakonice, and in Prague at Multikino Ládví. I’ve seen the 2D version (which was released on DVD stateside back in 2009) – it’s an interesting little Twilight Zone/Outer Limits noir riff, not always successful and stylistically questionable, but a fun ride if you can go along with it. Two-and-a-half stars.

And: catch Nevvinost, the latest from director Jan Hřebejk, with English subtitles at Kino Světozor.

Review Archive
  
14.11.16: Hacksaw Ridge ★★★
10.11.16: Arrival ★★★½ | Snowden ★★½ 
02.11.16: The Accountant ★★★
26.10.16: Doctor Strange ★★★½
20.10.16: Jack Reacher : Never Go Back ★★½
13.10.16: Inferno ★★
06.10.16: The Girl on the Train ★½
04.10.16: Deepwater Horizon ★★★Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children ★★½
28.09.16: Anthropoid ★★★½ | The Magnificent Seven ★★★
21.09.16: Café Society ★★½
14.09.16: Mechanic: Resurrection ★★★ | Blood Father ★★
07.09.16: Sully ★★★★ | Don’t Breathe ★★★ | Nerve ★★
30.08.16: Star Trek Beyond ★★★ | Sausage Party ★★½
25.08.16: Ben-Hur ★★
18.08.16: War Dogs ★★★½
11.08.16: The Shallows ★★½
04.08.16: Suicide Squad ★★
30.07.16: Jason Bourne ★★★ | Ghostbusters ★★
23.07.16: Captain Fantastic ★★★ | Lights Out ★★½
07.07.16: The Legend of Tarzan ★★
23.06.16: Independence Day: Resurgence ★★½
16.06.16: Central Intelligence ★★½
09.06.16: Warcraft ★½ | The Conjuring 2 ★★★
02.06.16: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows ★★½ | The Nice Guys ★★★½
31.05.16: Maggie’s Plan ★★★
26.05.16: Alice Through the Looking Glass ★★ | Mother’s Day ★½
23.05.16: How to Be Single ★★ | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising ★½
19.05.16: X-Men: Apocalypse ★★★
12.05.16: The Angry Birds Movie ★★★ 
05.05.16: Captain America: Civil War ★★★
21.04.16: The Huntsman: Winter’s War ★★ | Hardcore Henry ★★★½
18.04.16: Colonia ★★Before I Wake ★★
14.04.16: The Witch ★★★½ | 10 Cloverfield Lane ★★★ | The 5th Wave ★½
07.04.16: Spotlight ★★★½London Has Fallen ★½ | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 ★
31.03.16: Daddy’s Home ★★½ | The Divergent Series: Allegiant ★½
24.03.16: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ★★½
10.03.16: The Brothers Grimsby ★★★ | Brooklyn ★★★½
03.03.16: Hail, Caesar! ★★★½ 
25.02.16: Gods of Egypt ★★
18.02.16: Zoolander 2 ★★½ | The Boy ★★½
11.02.15: Deadpool ★★★
04.02.15: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi ★★★½ | The Danish Girl ★★★
28.01.16: The Finest Hours ★★★ | Ride Along 2 ★★ | Fifty Shades of Black ★
24.01.16; The Big Short ★★★½ | Joy ★★★ | Creed ★★★
21.01.16: Secret in Their Eyes ★★
14.01.16: The Revenant ★★★½
07.01.16: The Hateful Eight ★★★★ | Point Break ★½
01.01.16: A Perfect Day ★★½ | Miss You Already ★★
17.12.15: Star Wars: The Force Awakens ★★★½ 
10.12.15: Room ★★★★ | Krampus ★★★ | Love the Coopers ★
03.12.15: Bridge of Spies ★★★½In the Heart of the Sea ★★★
26.11.15: Victor Frankenstein ★★
19.11.15: By the Sea ★★★½The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 ★★½ | Black Mass ★★½
12.11.15: Steve Jobs ★★★½ | Visions ★½
05.11.15: Spectre ★★½ | Macbeth ★★★½ 
29.10.15: Sicario ★★★
22.10.15: Burnt ★★ | The Last Witch Hunter ★½ | Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension ★
15.10.15: Crimson Peak ★★★ | Legend ★★★ | The Program ★★½
08.10.15: The Walk ★★★ | Youth ★★★½ | Pan ★½
01.10.15: The Martian ★★★½
24.09.15: Everest ★★★½
17.09.15: Love ★★★½ | Straight Outta Compton ★★★ | Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials ★★½
10.09.15: American Ultra ★★ | Sinister 2 ★★
03.06.15: Ricki and the Flash ★★★½ | We Are Your Friends ★★½ | The Transporter Refueled ★½
27.08.15: Vacation ★½ | Hitman: Agent 47 ★★
20.08.15: The Gift ★★★½ | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ★★½
13.08.15: Fantastic Four ★½ | Self/Less ★★★
06.08.15: Amy ★★★½ | Trainwreck ★★★ | The Age of Adaline ★★½
30.07.15: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation ★★★½ | Irrational Man ★★
23.07.15: Southpaw ★★½ | Paper Towns ★★★ | Inside Out ★★★½
16.07.15: Ant-Man ★★★½ | Magic Mike XXL ★★★
09.07.15: Terminator Genisys ★★★ | Far from the Madding Crowd ★★★ | Slow West ★★
02.07.15: Ted 2 ★★★
25.06.15: Minions ★★★ | Woman in Gold ★★★ | Dark Places ★★½
18.06.15: Entourage ★★½ | Unfriended ★★½ | Big Game ★★ | Insidious: Chapter 3 ★★★
11.06.15: Jurassic World ★★½
04.06.15: Danny Collins ★★★ | Spy ★★★
28.05.15: San Andreas ★★ | Child 44 ★½
21.05.15: Poltergeist ★★
14.05.15: Mad Max: Fury Road ★★★½ | Pitch Perfect 2 ★★
07.05.15: Jimmy’s Hall ★★★
30.04.15: Avengers: Age of Ultron ★★½ | Ex Machina ★★★★ | She’s Funny That Way ★★★
23.04.15: The Face of an Angel ★ | Shaun the Sheep Movie ★★★½
16.04.15: The Duke of Burgundy ★★★★ | A Little Chaos ★★★ | Run All Night ★★★ | It Follows ★★½ | Still Alice ★★½
02.04.15: Furious 7 ★★½ | The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ★★ | Into the Woods ★★
26.03.15: The Water Diviner ★★★ | Home ★★★
19.03.15: Song of the Sea ★★★★
19.03.15: The Gunman ★★★ | Cinderella ★★★ | Insurgent ★½
12.03.15: Chappie ★★★ | The Lazarus Effect ★★
05.03.15: American Sniper ★★★ | Wild ★★½
26.02.15: Ghoul ★★ | Focus ★★½ | The Theory of Everything ★★½
19.02.15: Kingsman: The Secret Service ★★★
12.02.15: Fifty Shades of Grey ★★½
05.02.15: Jupiter Ascending ★★½ | Unbroken ★★★ | Big Eyes ★★½
29.01.15: Nightcrawler ★★★★ | Whiplash ★★★★ | The Imitation Game ★★½
22.02.15: Birdman ★★★½ | Stonehearst Asylum ★★★
15.01.15: Blackhat ★★★★ | Taken 3 ★★ | Love, Rosie ★★
08.01.15: Seventh Son ★½ | St. Vincent ★★★
25.12.14: Exodus: Gods and Kings ★★
18.12.14: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb ★★½
11.12.14: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ★★★
04.12.14: Dumb and Dumber To ★★ | Jimmy P. ★★★ | Finding Vivian Maier ★★★
27.11.14: Horrible Bosses 2 ★★★ | Ouija ★½
20.11.14: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 ★★★
13.11.14: Fury ★★★½ | Get on Up ★★½ | Jessabelle ★½
06.11.14: Interstellar ★★★½
30.10.14: A Walk Among the Tombstones ★★★ | Maps to the Stars ★★★
23.10.14: John Wick ★★★ | The Judge ★★★
16.10.14: Dracula Untold ★½ | The Best of Me ★½
09.10.14: Annabelle ★★ | 20,000 Days on Earth ★★½ | The Tribe ★★★★
02.10.14:Gone Girl ★★★★
25.09.14: The Equalizer ★★★ | I Origins ★★★½
18.09.14: The Maze Runner ★★★ | Before I Go to Sleep ★ | If I Stay ★★ | Wrong Cops ★★★
11.09.14: The Giver ★★½ | And So It Goes ★★
05.09.14: A Most Wanted Man ★★★½ | As Above, So Below ★½
03.09.14: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For ★★ | The Hundred-Foot Journey ★★½
21.08.14: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ★★½ | Sex Tape ★½
14.08.14:Boyhood ★★★★ | The Expendables 3 ★★
07.08.14: Lucy ★★★ | Magic in the Moonlight ★★ | Into the Storm ★★
31.07.14: Guardians of the Galaxy ★★★★ | Purge: Anarchy ★★ | Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? ★★★½
24.07.14: Hercules ★
17.07.14: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ★★★½
10.07.13:Joe ★★★★ | 22 Jump Street ★★½ | Begin Again ★★★
03.07.14:Deliver Us from Evil ★★
26.06.14: Transformers: Age of Extinction ★★★
12.06.14: A Million Ways to Die in the West ★★½ | Grace of Monaco ★
05.06.14: Edge of Tomorrow ★★★½ | The Fault in Our Stars ★★
29.05.14: Neighbors ★★ | Maleficent ★★★
22.05.14:X-Men: Days of Future Past ★★★
15.05.14:Godzilla ★★★
08.05.14:The Physician ★★½
01.05.14: The Other Woman ★★ | Divergent ★★½ | Brick Mansions ★★
24.04.14: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ★★½ | Endless Love ★
17.04.14: Transcendence ★★½ | The Double ★★★ | 3 Days to Kill ★½
10.04.14: A Long Way Down ★ | The Invisible Woman ★★½
03.04.14: Captain America: The Winter Soldier ★★★
27.03.14: Noah ★★★½ | Only Lovers Left Alive ★★★ | Her ★★★★
20.03.14:Pompeii ★★
13.03.14: The Grand Budapest Hotel ★★★★ | Need for Speed ★★½ | The Railway Man ★★★
06.03.14: 300: Rise of an Empire ★★★ | Philomena ★★★½
27.02.14: The Monuments Men ★★★ | Non-Stop ★★★
20.02.14: Inside Llewyn Davis ★★★★ | Saving Mr. Banks ★★★
13.02.14: Winter’s Tale ★½ | One Chance ★★
06.02.14:RoboCop ★★½Labor Day ★★★
30.01.14: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ★★★ | August: Osage County ★★★ | I, Frankenstein ★½
23.01.14: 12 Years a Slave ★★★★ | American Hustle ★★★ | Dallas Buyers Club ★★★½ | Legend of Hercules ★½
20.01.14: Nymphomaniac: Volume I ★★★½ | Nymphomaniac: Volume II ★★★
16.01.14: The Wolf of Wall Street ★★★★ | The Book Thief ★★
09.01.14: Lone Survivor ★★★½ | Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones ★
02.01.14: 47 Ronin ★★ | Grudge Match ★★½
26.12.13:The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ★★★
12.12.13: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ★★★½ | All Is Lost ★★★★
05.12.13: Filth ★★★ | Oldboy ★★½
28.11.13: The Counselor ★★★★ | Delivery Man ★★★ | The Factory ★½
21.11.13: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ★★★½ | Captain Phillips ★★★★
14.11.13: Byzantium ★★★ | Family ★★ | Insidious 2 ★★½ | Redemption ★★ | Pervert’s Guide to Ideology ★★★½
07.11.13: Thor: The Dark World ★★½ | About Time ★★½ | The Butler ★★★
31.10.13: Ender’s Game ★★★ | This is the End ★★★½
24.10.13: The World’s End ★★★½ | Machete Kills ★★
17.10.13: Escape Plan ★★½ | Don Jon ★★★ | Broken ★★★
10.10.13: Prisoners ★★★ | 2 Guns ★★★
03.10.13: Gravity ★★★★ | Rush ★★★½ | Metallica: Through the Never ★★★½
26.09.13: Runner Runner ★★ | Bernie ★★★½
19.09.13:Diana ★★½ | Springsteen & I ★★★½
12.09.13: The Best Offer ★★★½ | Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones ★
05.09.13: Riddick ★★★ | One Direction: This Is Us ★½
29.08.13: Elysium ★★★½ | We’re the Millers ★★★
22.08.13: Kick-Ass 2 ★★½
15.08.13: Jobs ★★½ | The Purge ★ | Grown Ups 2 ★
08.08.13: The Congress ★★★½ | Pain & Gain ★★½ | Lovelace ★★
01.08.13: Blue Jasmine ★★★★ | Red 2 ★★ | The Heat ★★½
25.07.13: The Wolverine ★★★ | The Conjuring ★★★½ | Violet & Daisy ★★
18.07.13: R.I.P.D. ★★½ | White House Down ★★½ | Behind the Candelabra ★★★½
11.07.13: Pacific Rim ★★★ | Before Midnight ★★★★ | The Internship ★★½
04.07.13: The Lone Ranger ★★★
27.06.13:World War Z ★★★
20.06.13: Man of Steel ★★ | The Bling Ring ★★½
13.06.13: Now You See Me ★★★ | Trance ★★½ | After Earth ★½
06.06.13: Only God Forgives ★★★★ | Star Trek Into Darkness ★★★
30.05.13:The Hangover Part III ★★
23.05.13:Fast & Furious 6 ★★½
16.05.13:The Great Gatsby ★★½
09.05.13: The Big Wedding ★½ | The Call ★★½
02.05.13:Iron Man 3 ★★★½ | Identity Thief ★★ | Scary MoVie ★
25.04.13:The Dyatlov Pass Incident ★½Broken City ★★½ | Safe Haven ★½
18.04.13: Oblivion ★★★ | The Company You Keep ★★½ | Dark Skies ★½ | I Give it a Year ★★½
11.04.13: Olympus Has Fallen ★★Snitch ★★½ | Jack the Giant Slayer ★★★
04.04.13:Evil Dead ★★★½ | Side Effects ★★★½ | Arbitrage ★★★½ | Stand Up Guys ★★
28.03.13: G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation ★★½ | The Host ★ | A Haunted House ★
21.03.13:The Croods ★★★Spring Breakers ★★★½ | Mama ★★★ | Gambit ★½
14.03.13: A Good Day to Die Hard ★½ | Searching for Sugar Man ★★★★ | 21 & Over ★★
07.03.13: Oz: The Great and Powerful ★★★
28.02.13:Silver Linings Playbook ★★★★ | Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters ★½
21.02.13: Zero Dark Thirty ★★★½ | Flight ★★★½ | Hyde Park on Hudson ★★
14.02.13:Beautiful Creatures ★
07.02.13: Hitchcock ★★½ | The Last Stand ★★ | Maniac ★★★½
31.01.13:The Impossible ★★★½ | Gangster Squad ★½ | Upside Down ★½
24.01.13:Lincoln ★★★½ | Movie 43 ★★ | Great Expectations ★★
17.01.13:Django Unchained ★★★★ 
10.01.13:The Master ★★★★ | Alex Cross ★
03.01.13: Les Misérables ★★½ | Frankenweenie ★★★½
27.12.12:Jack Reacher ★★★
20.12.12:Life of Pi ★★★ | Pitch Perfect ★★
13.12.12: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ★★★½ 
05.12.12:Anna Karenina ★★★
29.11.12:Argo ★★★★ | Seven Psychopaths ★★★★
22.11.12: Cloud Atlas ★★★★ | Chasing Mavericks ★★★ | Silent Hill: Revelation 3D ★½
15.11.12: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 ★★½Wreck-It Ralph ★★★
8.11.12: End of Watch ★★★½ 
1.11.12: Sinister ★★★½ 
25.10.12: Skyfall ★★★½ | Samsara ★★★★ | George Harrison: Living in the Material World ★★★½
18.10.12: Paranormal Activity 4 ★★ | Bachelorette ★★
11.10.12:Looper ★★★★
4.10.12:Taken 2 ★½ | The Possession ★★½
27.9.12:Savages ★★★ | Hit and Run ★★★ | The Watch ★★½
20.9.12:Lawless ★★★ | The Words ★★ | Paranorman ★★★½
16.9.12:Brave ★★★ | 7 Days in Havana ★★★
13.9.12:Hope Springs ★★★ | Resident Evil: Retribution ★★
6.9.12:The Expendables 2 ★★★
30.8.12:Step Up Revolution ★★
16.8.12:Total Recall ★½
9.8.12:The Bourne Legacy ★★★ | Beasts of the Southern Wild ★★★★ | Cosmopolis ★★★
2.8.12:Ted ★★★
26.7.12:The Dark Knight Rises ★★★½ | The Angel’s Share ★★★
19.7.12:Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ★★ | To Rome with Love
12.7.12:The Amazing Spider-Man ★★½ | Moonrise Kingdom ★★★★ | Magic Mike ★★★ | Iron Sky
28.6.12:Ice Age: Continental Drift ★★★
21.6.12:What to Expect When You’re Expecting ★½ | Piranha 3DD ★½
14.6.12:Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted ★★½ | A Few Best Men ★★
7.6.12:Prometheus ★★★★
31.5.12:Men in Black 3 ★★½Snow White and the Huntsman ★★ | 2 Days in New York ★★★
27.5.12:The Pirates! Band of Misfits ★★★½
24.5.12:Get the Gringo ★★★ | Lockout ★★½ | Urbanized ★★★
17.5.12:The Dictator ★★★
10.5.12:Dark Shadows ★★★ | StreetDance 2 ★½
3.5.12:The Avengers ★★★½ | Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ★★★
26.4.12:The Raven ★★½
19.4.12:Battleship ★★½ | The Lucky One ★★½ | This Must Be the Place ★★★ | The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ★★½ | Hysteria ★★½
12.4.12:We Bought a Zoo ★★★ | The Cold Light of Day ★½ | One for the Money ★
5.4.12:American Reunion ★★★
29.3.12:Wrath of the Titans ★★ | The Vow
22.3.12:The Hunger Games ★★★ | Bel Ami ★★★ | We Need to Talk About Kevin ★★★½
15.3.12:The Lorax ★★½
8.3.12:John Carter ★★★ | Haywire ★★★ | The Grey ★★★
5.3.12:The Chemical Brothers: Don’t Think ★★★★
1.3.12:Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance ★★ | The Iron Lady ★½ | The Devil Inside ★
23.2.12:War Horse ★★★½ | The Woman in Black ★★★ | My Week with Marilyn ★★½ | This Means War ★½
16.2.12:The Artist ★★★★ | Shame ★★★★ | Safe House ★★½
9.2.12:The Phantom Menace 3D ★★★ | Man on a Ledge ★★½ | The Ides of March ★★★½ | Jack and Jill ★
2.2.12:Hugo ★★★★ | Chronicle ★★★ | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ★★½ | Perfect Sense ★★½
26.1.12:Contraband ★★½ | A Dangerous Method ★★★ | Carnage ★★★ | The Help ★★★
19.1.12:The Descendants ★★★½ | Underworld: Awakening ★★
12.1.12:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ★★★½ | Machine Gun Preacher ★★½
8.1.12:A Separation ★★★★
5.1.12:Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ★★★½
29.12.11:The Darkest Hour ★★
22.12.11:The Inbetweeners Movie ★★ | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked ★½
15.12.11:Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol ★★★
8.12.11:New Year’s Eve ★½ | The Rum Diary ★★★½ | The Thing ★★½
1.12.11:Moneyball ★★★★ | Puss in Boots ★★★
24.11.11:Immortals ★★★
17.11.11:The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 ★★★½ | I Don’t Know How She Does It ★
10.11.11:Real Steel ★★★ | Tower Heist ★★½ | Anonymous ★★½
3.11.11: In Time ★★½
27.10.11:Adventures of Tintin ★★★★ | The Debt ★★½ | Larry Crowne ★★½ | Cave of Forgotten Dreams ★★★½
20.10.11:Paranormal Activity 3 ★★★ | The Three Musketeers ★ | Contagion ★★★½
13.10.11:Johnny English Reborn ★★½
6.10.11:Killer Elite ★★★ | One Day ★★ | Dream House ★½
29.9.11:Friends with Benefits ★★½ | Abduction ★
27.9.11:The Skin I Live In ★★★½
22.9.11:Midnight in Paris ★★★½ | Colombiana ★★½ | Shark Night 3D ★½
15.9.11:Drive ★★★★ | Pina ★★★½ | Crazy, Stupid, Love. ★★½ | Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark ★★½
8.9.11:Super 8 ★★★½ | Final Destination 5 ★★★
25.8.11:Cowboys & Aliens ★★
18.8.11:Conan the Barbarian ★★ | Green Lantern ★★½ | Win Win ★★★½ | Womb ★½
11.8.11:Rise of the Planet of the Apes ★★★ | The Lincoln Lawyer ★★★
4.8.11:Captain America: The First Avenger ★★★ | Horrible Bosses ★★★
28.7.11:Cars 2 ★★½ | Jane Eyre ★★★½ | Bad Teacher ★½ | The Resident ★★
21.7.11:The Tree of Life ★★★★ | The Mechanic ★★
14.7.11:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ★★★½ | Submarine ★★★½
7.7.11:Hanna ★★★½ | Bridesmaids ★★★½
30.6.11:Transformers: Dark of the Moon ★½
16.6.11:Your Highness ★½
9.6.11:The Hangover Part 2 ★★★ | Paul ★★½ | Skyline ★½
2.6.11:X-Men: First Class ★★★½
26.5.11:Melancholia ★★★★
19.5.11:Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ★★½
12.5.11:Priest 3D ★★ | Water for Elephants ★★★ | Something Borrowed ★★ | Tetro ★★★½
5.5.11: Fast Five
28.4.11: Thor
21.4.11: Source Code | The Eagle | Mr. Nice
14.4.11: Scream 4 | Just Go with It | Unknown | Somewhere
7.4.11: The Way Back | Love and Other Drugs | Jack Goes Boating | I Am Number Four
31.3.11: Sucker Punch | No Strings Attached | My Soul to Take
24.3.11: Limitless
17.3.11: The Dilemma | The Rite | Sanctum
10.3.11: Rango | The King’s Speech
3.3.11: The Adjustment Bureau | Drive Angry 3D
24.2.11: The Fighter | Morning Glory
17.2.11: True Grit | Burlesque
10.2.11: Black Swan | London Boulevard
3.2.11: 127 Hours
27.1.11: The Tourist | Tangled | Chain Letter
20.1.11: The Next Three Days | Gulliver’s Travels
13.1.11: The Green Hornet | Season of the Witch | Another Year
6.1.11: The Kids Are All Right | The Good Heart
16.12.10: TRON: Legacy | Paranormal Activity 2
9.12.10: Megamind
2.12.10: Due Date | The American
25.11.10: The Other Guys | The Switch
18.11.10: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
11.11.10: Howl | Devil
4.11.10: The Social Network | You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger | Saw 3D
28.10.10: Red | Animal Kingdom
21.10.10: Four Lions
14.10.10: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Eat Pray Love | Machete
7.10.10: DVD Review: Exit Through the Gift Shop
30.9.10: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
23.9.10: Resident Evil: Afterlife
16.9.10: The Karate Kid | Going the Distance
9.9.10: Největší z Čechů
2.9.10: Step Up 3D | Ondine
26.8.10: Grown Ups
19.8.10: The Expendables | The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | A Serious Man | When You’re Strange
12.8.10: Salt
5.8.10: Get Him to the Greek
29.7.10: Knight and Day | Bunny and the Bull
22.7.10: Inception | Agora
15.7.10: Shrek Forever After | A Single Man | The Rebound | Mr. Nobody
8.7.10: Predators | Letters to Juliet
1.7.10: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
24.6.10: Killers | Solomon Kane
17.6.10: Toy Story 3 | The A-Team | From Paris with Love | The Back-up Plan
10.6.10: The Ghost Writer
3.6.10: Sex and the City 2 | Green Zone
27.5.10: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Brooklyn’s Finest | Precious
20.5.10: Hot Tub Time Machine
13.5.10: Robin Hood | Whatever Works
6.5.10: Kick-Ass
29.4.10: Iron Man 2 | The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | The Road
22.4.10: The Bounty Hunter | The Crazies
15.4.10: Clash of the Titans | An Education
1.4.10: Moon | The Men Who Stare at Goats | Everybody’s Fine
25.3.10: Remember Me | Leap Year | Babylon A.D.
18.3.10: The Lovely Bones | Legion
11.3.10: Daybreakers | Dear John | Mammoth
4.3.10: Alice in Wonderland | Nine
25.2.10: Shutter Island | The Hurt Locker
18.2.10: The Wolfman | Valentine’s Day | Edge of Darkness
11.2.10: The Book of Eli | In Search of a Midnight Kiss
4.2.10: Capitalism: A Love Story | Brothers | The Box | Did You Hear About the Morgans?
28.1.10: Up in the Air | The Fourth Kind | New York, I Love You
21.1.10: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | It’s Complicated | Black Dynamite
14.1.10: Sherlock Holmes
7.1.10: Fame
17.12.09: Avatar | Whip It
10.12.09: Spread
3.12.09: Zombieland | A Perfect Getaway
26.11.09: The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Antichrist
19.11.09: Paranormal Activity | Law Abiding Citizen | The Time Traveller’s Wife
12.11.09: 2012
5.11.09: My Life in Ruins
29.10.09: This Is It, Love Happens, Halloween II
22.10.09: Fifty Dead Men Walking, Saw VI
15.10.09: The Brothers Bloom, The Ugly Truth, The Final Destination
8.10.09: Surrogates
1.10.09: Julie & Julia, Hunger
24.9.09: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Gamer, Night of the Living Dead 3D
17.9.09: District 9
3.9.09: The Taking of Pelham 123, Man on Wire
27.8.09: Inglourious Basterds, Taking Woodstock, The Proposal
20.8.09: Up, Two Lovers
13.8.09: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra
6.8.09: Brüno
30.7.09: The Boat That Rocked, Away We Go, Knowing
23.7.09: Crank: High Voltage, Bronson, The Accidental Husband
16.7.09: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Limits of Control
9.7.09: Public Enemies, The Wrestler
2.7.09: Fighting
25.6.09: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
18.6.09: The Hangover, Drag Me to Hell, Zack and Miri Make a Porno
11.6.09: Coraline, The Secret of Moonacre
4.6.09: Terminator Salvation, I Love You, Man
28.5.09: State of Play, Bottle Shock, New in Town
21.5.09: The Last House on the Left
14.5.09: Angels & Demons
7.5.09: Star Trek, Duplicity, 17 Again
30.4.09: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, My Bloody Valentine
23.4.09: Synecdoche, New York, The Reader, Friday the 13th
16.4.09: Gran Torino, Defiance, Hotel for Dogs, Confessions of a Shopaholic
9.4.09: The Visitor, Happy-Go-Lucky
2.4.09: Fast & Furious, Bride Wars
19.3.09: He’s Just Not That Into You, Battle in Seattle, Sex Drive, The Unborn
12.3.09: Seven Pounds, Marley & Me
5.3.09: Watchmen, Doubt
26.2.09: Slumdog Millionaire, The Duchess, The Pink Panther 2
19.2.09: Frost/Nixon, The Spirit, Transporter 3, City of Ember, Bolt
12.2.09: Valkyrie, Milk
5.2.09: The Tale of Despereaux, Bedtime Stories
29.1.09: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road
22.1.09: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Traitor
15.1.09: Burn After Reading, Yes Man, Che: Part One, My Best Friend’s Girl
8.1.09: Changeling
2.1.09: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
25.12.08: Australia
11.12.08: The Day the Earth Stood Still, Four Christmases, Paranoid Park, Make It Happen
4.12.08: Bangkok Dangerous, High School Musical 3: Senior Year
27.11.08: Twilight, Body of Lies
20.11.08: Death Race, Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Strangers
13.11.08: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
6.11.08: Quantum of Solace, The Women
30.10.08: Max Payne, Nights in Rodanthe, The Other Boleyn Girl
23.10.08: Vicki Christina Barcelona, The Forbidden Kingdom
16.10.08: Nightwatching, Taken, Juno
9.10.08: Elegy, Mirrors
2.10.08: Eagle Eye, Disaster Movie
25.9.08: 2 Days in Paris
18.9.08: Tropic Thunder, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
04.9.08: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Journey to the Center of the Earth
28.8.08: You Don’t Mess with the Zohan
21.8.08: Funny Games U.S.
14.8.08: WALL•E, Meet Dave, Then She Found Me, The Orphanage
7.8.08: The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia!
31.7.08: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
24.7.08: The X-Files: I Want to Believe
17.7.08: The Incredible Hulk, Shine a Light, Be Kind Rewind, Nim’s Island, Made of Honor
10.7.08: Get Smart
3.7.08: Kung Fu Panda, Hancock
26.6.08: Wanted
19.6.08: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
12.6.08: The Happening, My Blueberry Nights
5.6.08: Sex and the City, Penelope
29.5.08: 21, Untraceable
22.5.08: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
15.5.08: What Happens in Vegas
8.5.08: In Bruges, Speed Racer
1.5.08: Iron Man, Paris, je t’aime
24.4.08: Into the Wild, Fools Gold, Wedding Daze, Superhero Movie
17.4.08: Breath, Frontier(s)
10.4.08: Horton Hears a Who, Doomsday, Vantage Point, Sleuth
3.4.08: In the Valley of Elah, The Bucket List
27.3.08: There Will Be Blood, 27 Dresses
20.3.08: Resurrecting the Champ, Reservation Road
13.3.08: Control, 10,000 BC
6.3.08: 3:10 to Yuma, Jumper
28.2.08: No Country for Old Men, Step Up 2 the Streets
21.2.08: Before the Devil Knows Youre Dead, Rambo, The Eye
14.2.08: National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Charlie Wilsons War, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
7.2.08: Sweeney Todd, We Own the Night, The Kite Runner
31.1.08: Atonement
24.1.08: The Darjeeling Limited, Cloverfield
17.1.08: Michael Clayton, Lust, Caution, Love in the Time of Cholera
10.1.08: Eastern Promises, I Am Legend
3.1.08: American Gangster
20.12.07: P.S. I Love You
13.12.07: The Golden Compass, Hitman
29.11.07: Across the Universe, Beowolf, Balls of Fury, Halloween
22.11.07: Shoot Em Up, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
15.11.07: The Heartbreak Kid, Resident Evil: Extinction
8.11.07: Lions for Lambs, The Last Legion
1.11.07: 30 Days of Night, The Invasion, Sicko, The Good Shepherd
25.10.07: Once, Superbad, Feast of Love, The Seeker
18.10.07: The Brave One, A Mighty Heart
11.10.07: The Kingdom, 1408, Becoming Jane, Snow Cake
4.10.07: Knocked Up
27.9.07: Stardust, Grindhouse, Gympl
20.9.07: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Evening, Disturbia
13.9.07: Ratatouille, The Hoax, No Reservations
6.9.07: Rush Hour 3, Day Watch, Medvidek
30.8.07: The Bourne Ultimatum, Irina Palm
23.8.07: Hairspray, Planet Terror, Evan Almighty, Interview
16.8.07: Transformers
9.8.07: Mr. Brooks, Pans Labyrinth, Surfs Up
2.8.07: Fracture, Venus, Next
26.7.07: The Simpsons Movie, Angel
19.7.07: Harry Potter 5, The Good Night
12.7.07: Inland Empire, Factory Girl, The Messengers, Hostel 2
5.7.07: Death Proof, Oceans 13, Miss Potter, Fantastic Four 2
28.6.07: Live Free or Die Hard
21.6.07: Pathfinder, Curse of the Golden Flower
14.6.07: Shrek the Third
7.6.07: Hot Fuzz, Zodiac, Because I Said So
31.5.07: Premonition, Black Book
24.5.07: Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End
17.5.07: The Number 23
10.5.07: Renaissance, The Painted Veil, Wild Hogs, Epic Movie
3.5.07: Spider-Man 3, Copying Beethoven, Sherrybaby
26.4.07: Shooter, The Reaping
19.4.07: Sunshine, Alpha Dog, TMNT, Perfect Stranger
12.4.07: The Hill Have Eyes II, Norbit
5.4.07: Stranger Than Fiction, Notes on a Scandal, Meet the Robinsons, Red Road, Blood & Chocolate
29.3.07: Flags of our Fathers
22.3.07: 300, Sketches of Frank Gehry, Black Christmas
15.3.07: Ghost Rider, Music and Lyrics, Feast, Employee of the Month 
8.3.07: The Fountain
1.3.07: Rocky Balboa, School for Scoundrels
22.2.07: Little Children, Babel, Dreamgirls, Hannibal Rising, The Darwin Awards
15.2.07: Smokin Aces, The Queen
8.2.07: The Last King of Scotland, Pursuit of Happyness, and Crank

Czech Films

Green Horse Rustlers (18.09.16)
The Wolf of Royal Vineyard Street (14.09.16)
The Teacher (30.08.16)
We Are Never Alone (20.04.16)
Pat and Mat: The Movie (07.04.16)
Teorie tygra (05.04.16)
I, Olga Hepnarová (31.03.16)
Rudý kapitán (17.03.16)
Rodinný film (25.02.16)
Lída Baarová
(22.01.16)
Amerika (01.11.15)
Domácí péče (Home Care) (02.08.15)
Mallory (27.07.15)
Malý Pán (The Little Man) (08.05.15)
Fotograf
(20.03.15)
Kobry a užovky (The Snake Brothers) (10.03.15)
Pohádkář (Storyteller) (01.12.14)
Magický hlas rebelky (The Magic Voice of a Rebel) (05.08.14)
Parádně pokecal (Totally Talking) (05.08.14)
Díra u Hanušovic (Nowhere in Moravia) (25.07.14)
Všiváci (03.07.14)
Cesta ven (10.06.14)
Olga (22.05.14)
Hany (19.05.14)
Signál (20.11.12)
Spalovač mrtvol (16.10.12)
Lemonade Joe (17.9.12)
Svatá čtveřice (16.9.12) 
Poupata (23.8.12)
Lidice (27.6.12)
Tmář a jeho rod aneb Slzavé údolí pyramid (28.5.12)
Vendeta (26.5.12)
Alois Nebel
(2.5.12)
Rodina je základ státu
(3.4.12)
V peřině
(14.2.12)
Odcházení (Leaving)
(16.1.12)
Tajemství hradu v Karpatech
(26.10.11)
Katka (1.9.2011)
Rozmarné léto (Capricious Summer) (20.8.2011)
Kuky se vrací (25.7.2011)
Přežít svůj život (Surviving Life) (23.6.2011)
Občanský průkaz (23.5.2011)
Pouta (22.3.2011)
Kristián (07.02.11)
Kajínek (20.12.10)
Protektor (15.11.10)
Největší z Čechů (09.09.10)
Kinoautomat (22.06.09)
Na půdě aneb Kdo má dneska narozeniny? (07.04.09)
Bathory (12.07.08)
Domov (05.02.08)
Gympl (02.10.07)
Medvídek (10.09.07)
I Served the King of England (21.01.07)
Pravidla lži (19.12.06)
Grandhotel (05.12.06)
Hezké chvilky bez záruky (29.09.06)
Kráska v nesnázích (08.09.06)
Šílení (21.12.05)

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