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jgziegler
Reviews
Roming (2007)
Very Funny
I won't go too into details about the story, but in a quick summary, this is a road trip film. That being said, there is a story within a story that adds a bit more to it.
This is a very funny film, for a few reasons. It plays very well off the streotypes of gypsies (also called Roma so you can see how the title plays off this) without being racist. But it is the comic genius of Bolek Polivka who really makes this film. He plays a character who really doesn't care about anything important. I was afraid I wouldn't understand this film without subtitles, but I managed largely because I am quite used to how people like Bolek's character speak. Believe it or not, but people like his character actually exist here in CZ. I have friends who act, speak and live like that.
My only problem with this film is that it was a bit too long, it could've been 10-20 minutes shorter. Like any road film, the characters move from one funny situation to another, which is fine, but by the end of the film, I was getting a bit impatient. All in all however, this is a funny film, well directed, very good music, an interesting story, and very much worth a look if you can.
Skrítek (2005)
Something different
Skritek, which means 'Gremlin' in English (dwarf is trpaslik) is worth watching, as it is something quite different. All of the other posts are right in their descriptions, although if you do know Czech you can tell exactly what they are saying, but that isn't important because you can figure it out anyway. Good film, especially if you want something different.
This is also a pretty funny film to watch under the influence of mind altering substances. Especially since it deals with this subject. I would recommend seeing it sober as well, but it always helps when you watch a film like this.
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
OK, nothing more
Moore attempts to discover why Americans shoot each other so much, and he does a rather good job in his attempt to find an answer. What ruined the whole documentary for me was at the end, when he could not find an answer, he quickly blames an unequal distribution of wealth and power and promptly ends the film. Edit this part, and the film is at least an 8.5 because it is rather well done, but since it becomes quite clear he is only pursuing his own agenda, one leaves disappointed that Moore could not admit his failure.
Why do Americans shoot each other so often? Perhaps Moore should have looked more closely at single parent homes and high school drop outs and the trafficking of illegal firearms.
Mars Attacks! (1996)
The best invasion film of all time?
Think about how realistic this film was for a moment. The Martian came, we assumed they'd be friendly. Even after a violent first contact we remained optimistic. If you think about us as humans, would this not be how we would respond? In ID4 their ships were stationed above every population center, meaning their intention was to attack. In Mars Attacks, they sent one ship to Earth, and played on man's gullibility. In a lot of ways, this film was rather realistic (outside the parody and the defeat of the Martians), and if you take that Martians, living up to their name, are all about war a devastation just for laughs. OK, maybe I'm getting carried away, but at least this film was funny, a good parody, good music, and still a lot more realistic in many ways than ID4 or the new War of the Worlds.
Nuda v Brne (2003)
Bored in Brno
I would say that the title fits the film but since most of the film wasn't even shot in Brno (Hradec Kralove I believe) it doesn't live up to the second half of its name. The first half does. The theme of interconnected stories is common in Czech films, and not a bad one since this is a rather small country and what might be 6 degrees of separation in the US is more like 2 here, but the story is simply boring. The lack of colour in the film, expresses boredom. The funniest scenes are in the beginning, but once they get to Brno, boring. In that sense, the film lives up to its title. By the end of the film, I didn't really care about the characters. Life in Brno might be slow, but not as slow as this film (which was shot in Hradec Kralove)
Post coitum (2004)
Almost good
I have heard of films that don't have a sense of what they are. I never really understood this until I saw Post Coitum. I liked this film for the same reasons I like many Czech films: a sense of realism and humor. I also like the experimental techniques used. Yet the film ventures off into attempted slap-stick which mildly succeeds, but mostly looks like a bad impersonation of 'an American' film. It's quite funny that many people here (CZ) complain about unrealism of USA films in light of this film. Regardless, if you want to do slap-stick then do it, and throw realism to the wind. This is especially true towards the end of the film where events become dubiously unbelievable. It's also a rather cynical film since the two most morally irreproachable characters have the worst endings while those who lie and shag and cheat end up OK. As far as the nudity in the previous post, grow up, its the human body. Post Coitum did have an interesting message about the meaning of sex and what happens after it, but in its attempts to be funnier, it loses the respect it could have commanded.
Osobennosti natsionalnoy rybalki (1998)
Horror Show
OK, I don't understand somethings written in these posts. First, although there definitely is national humour, let's face it, funny is funny; hence the international appeal of Charlie Chaplin, the Simpsons, etc. So this non-sense about it not being for Americans is simply bull. I'm an American, I understood it. Second, no where in the film or its predecessor is there a 'russian for Russians,' or whatever non-sense was posted. While they reflect on their country, I don't think this is something only Russians can understand. Also, humour about drunks, be it Russians on Vodka, Moravians on slivovice, Czechs on beer, Irish on whiskey, (insert your own nationality) on (insert your own national drink), is quite funny. If you don't get that, then either don't watch films about drinking, or try drinking often enough that all the things you try to accomplish simply don't happen (just as in the films). Like I said, funny is funny, and that is something that knows no boarders (sorry for the cheesy ending!).