Category: comedy

What legacy? “Mimi” (2021)

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directed by Laxman Utekar
© 2021 JioCinema. All Rights Reserved.

Since Hollywood has recently started noticing Bollywood a bit more, then I should Bollywood the week a little bit as well. I’m actually glad their productions are being appreciated in other countries, because I truly like watching them. Yes, they are overacted. Yes, they are often naive. Yes, lots of scenes are unrealistic. But that’s the charm of Bollywood and if you accept their rules, you’re gonna open the door to numerous very entertaining stories. However, except seeing impressive choreography and bouncing to cheerful music, each Bollywood film comes with a certain message/lesson, so you always end up a bit inspired. Today, I’m recommending you a comedy/drama, which let me relax after a long day, but which also covers an important social topic. Mimi (Kriti Sanon) is a beautiful young woman who’s dreaming of making a career in Bollywood. Unfortunately, except an astonishing body and dancing experience, she also needs money to cover all the necessary expenses. Here comes Bhanu (Pankaj Tripathi), a taxi driver, who has met an American couple trying to find a surrogate in India. The lady cannot have children, so they decided to ask another woman to help them. When they mention their plans and how much money they’re ready to pay for this whole process, Bhanu immediately introduces them to Mimi. The couple are very picky when it comes to choosing their surrogate, but Mimi seems to be a perfect candidate. The woman is a bit shocked, but knowing how much she’d earn on helping the Americans, she agrees. Unfortunately, when Mimi gets pregnant, it turns out that the child will be born with Down syndrome, which terrifies both the surrogate and the couple. In order not to spoil what happens next, I’m warning you that SPOILERS are coming. It’s impossible for me to address the problem presented in the film without telling you what happened, so I hope you’re reading this part after watching. So, to me this production presents how irresponsible people are when it comes to having children. It’s wonderful when people have healthy sons and daughters, when they share adorable family photos and look so satisfied with their parenthood. However, being a parent is a huge responsibility before even having a child. That is why, before making this huge life step discuss with your partner whether you’d be ready to bring up a child no matter what they’d be like. It’s not about having some dark thoughts – it’s about being realistic. Just like you cannot choose their character, you cannot choose their health problems. This film reminds viewers to have children if they are ready to have “imperfect” ones. I’m putting the word imperfect in inverted commas because this is just how the society sees children with any kind of disability. Still, despite such heavy lesson, this production may really make you laugh, so Bollywood yourself and discover more of Indian cinema.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Unlike you, I actually know how to work. “Saltburn” (2023)

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directed by Emerald Fennell
© 2023 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s start this year with cinematographic fireworks, shall we? Yeah! So, fasten your seat belts, because I’m going to recommend you a film I rated 9/10. If you know me, you’re probably shocked right now because it’s not that often I give a film more than 7/10. What can I say, I’m a picky creature. But this one made the beginning of the year a lovely surprise. So, my dear, I’m taking you to England, where we get to meet Oliver (Barry Keoghan). He’s a scholarship student at the University of Oxford and is struggling with getting on with others. Since it’s a prestigious and, let’s face it, incredibly expensive university, most students come from disgustingly wealthy families. But not Oliver. One day, he spots Felix (Jacob Elordi), a popular guy, and accidentally manages to help him. This act of kindness isn’t forgotten and Felix starts treating Oliver like one of his closest buddies. They get on with each other so well that Oliver gets invited to spend the summer at Felix’s parents’ mansion in Saltburn. At that point of the film I was worried it’s another “Call Me by Your Name”, which, in my personal opinion, was horribly overrated. And I do admit that at the beginning I was expecting another “difficult love between two young men” kind of story. But that was just a trick to distract and lull us all… I really feel like whatever I say about the plot, it’ll ruin your experience. I simply played the film after being recommended to see it. And all I got from the recommending person was “it’s on Amazon Prime, go watch it”. Honestly speaking, couldn’t imagine a better text. I swear, the magic of this production is the surprise you will have in the second half of the film. So please, no matter how much the beginning might disappoint you (not my case, but I’m aware it might), the ending is absolutely worth it. Without any cloth… I mean doubt, without any doubt. But to somehow motivate you to see the film, I can say that it presents a rather classic scenario from a different perspective with the roles turned upside down. Also, the camerawork is fascinating and is a crucial reason why this film idea is so consistent with the form. Another element worth appreciating is music. They managed to remind me so many great songs and they used them in such unexpected moments that I was vibing long after finishing the film. Last, but not least – Barry. Oh Barry. We got to see you in “The Banshees of Inisherin”, where you played a magnificent role for which you haven’t been praised enough. This time, you had to become Oliver and I can just sit in disbelief… I simply cannot believe one can be so talented. What I love about his acting is the fact he can expose the authenticity of his character. And that’s something only few can achieve, even those much older than Barry. So chapeau bas, I’m crossing my fingers for all possible statuettes this year. Anyway, to me this film is an absolute diamond and I couldn’t imagine a better start of the film year. So chop-chop, go see it!

My rating: 9/10
S.

Free Frosty! Free Frosty! “Christmas with the Kranks” (2004)

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directed by Joe Roth
© 2004 Sony Pictures Releasing. All Rights Reserved.

Can you feel it’s Christmas time? I have to say that despite my positive energy this month, following a tea advent calendar, decorating my place with way too many gnomes – I can’t feel this Christmassy spirit. Maybe I’m getting old and Scroogey, or maybe it’s because there’s no snow outside. No idea. So since I’m in such not-sure-what-is-going-on mood, I believe recommending you this comedy will be the best choice for today. Perhaps you’ve seen it or you even watch it every year (like me), because it’s an adorable comfort film for Christmas. And for those who haven’t had a chance to see it, let me introduce you to the story. We get to meet a couple, Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen & Jamie Lee Curtis), whose adult daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) is not about to be home for the upcoming Christmas. She joins Peace Corps and decides to go to Peru for a year. For the Kranks it’s the first time they won’t be together and both parents are a little bit lost. As Nora is rather feeling blue, Luther tries to look at the bright side of the situation and he comes up with an idea – instead of celebrating Christmas, the couple should spend ten days on a Caribbean cruise. At first, Nora is definitely against because she simply cannot imagine skipping Christmas, but the more they talk, the more they feel like it’s actually an interesting alternative. Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones involved in the decision process… Their whole neighbourhood consider Christmas celebration an incredibly important community tradition and when they find out that the Kranks have other plans, they simply cannot accept it. Everyone shows their disapproval and tries to make the couple change their mind, very often in a hilarious way. When I think of this film, I always remember Christmas dinners at my Grandma’s, because it’s always on TV around this time, so I basically know it by heart, even if I don’t always watch it carefully. It’s one of those films that are great for a family gathering, a lunch with friends, or as a comforting background for cooking. And even though it’s just a silly comedy to make us laugh, I also see a good lesson hidden there. No matter if you celebrate Christmas or not, no matter if you stay at home, go visit your distant family or you’re currently sunbathing in the Maldives – I hope you do it in accordance to your own will and you’re accompanied by someone important to you. It can be your partner, your family member, your friend, beloved pet or even yourself. Spend this time the way you want and then it’ll be truly jolly and bright. And don’t forget good food, because food is happiness in all circumstances! Cheers!

My rating: 6/10
S.

I am not your token. “Clashing Differences” (2023)

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directed by Merle Grimme
© 2023 Sperl Film und Fernsehproduktion. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity. Inclusion. Feminism. Tolerance. Equity. Equality. All those words are very beautiful and they’re definitely significant nowadays. However, I’m afraid that each person may understand them a bit differently, which may lead to numerous conflicts and misunderstandings. The film I’d like to recommend you today may present you the ugly side of social activism, which, unconsciously, you might also be a part of. The film starts with a group of white feminists, who are responsible for organising a conference, discussing their current issue: not enough diversity. To promote their conference as an event that includes very different people, they’re deciding to invite such unique individuals. The new guests gather in one place to talk about the conference and prepare their group manifest as they are against such “inclusiveness” presented by the organising team. We get to learn new points of view and the whole meeting is full of topics like gender neutrality, toxic feminism, colourism, exclusion of minorities etc. Each member of this little group has their own story and their own very strong opinions on the society, so their discussions are incredibly intensive, but also hilarious at some points. The director of the film came up with an idea to overact certain parts, which might seem like a parody since we’re trying to understand quite difficult issues here. But in my opinion, using a quality humour to transmit controversial and heavy information is probably one of the best ways to do it. Personally, I wasn’t sure about this production watching the first half of it. I’m a person who really believes that everyone should be respected and should have the right to be who they want to be as long as they don’t hurt others. But as I said earlier, each character of the film has strong opinions about their identity, so to me it seemed slightly too aggressive. As I was watching, I realised that the actresses were just overacting, which I think also gives us some food for thought. I don’t want to tell you what happens next in the story, but I’d like to say what I take from it. Firstly, each of us is different and can be whoever they feel they are, bless you dear anyone, but tolerance goes both ways. So, in my opinion, if a group of somehow excluded people start sharing hate speech towards some majority, it’s equally wrong. I mean, I understand that it could be frustrating, because I’m a member of several minorities, but if someone excludes me because of that, I don’t see the point of doing the same the other way round. Because then we divide society even more, feed this general hate that’s going around and end up even more lonely than before. Secondly, this film reminds us about tokenism, so, shortly speaking, fake inclusion. I could talk about it for hours (or write hundreds of pages), but when it comes to cinema, reflect on the decisions of The Academy, for example. I’ll be honest and harsh now – according to me, The Academy is popularising tokenism. Boom, I said it. To me their way of including people of different minorities is not genuine at all. Maybe now we just look at the list of nominees with a little “huh?” written on our faces, but in the future those decisions may have bigger consequences. And to sum up, this film reminds us that we are all humans, we are one crew and we should just respect. Not because, not despite. Just like that.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Love doesn’t interest you at all? “I’m Your Man” (“Ich bin dein Mensch”, 2021)

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directed by Maria Schrader
© 2021 Majestic Filmverleih. All Rights Reserved.

Love can be complicated, right? No, wait… Love IS complicated. That’s a fact, period. Some people keep on searching for the perfect partner slowly losing their mind in the process, or there are those who’ve given up and let it be, either they stay single forever or not. But what if we could get ourselves a perfect partner? Someone, who’s our type, who knows what we like, who shares our values and satisfies all our needs. Alma (Maren Eggert) is an archeologist, a very ambitious woman with a specific professional goal. However, she’s also single so she wishes to finally meet someone valuable. One evening she meets Tom (Dan Stevens) at a dance club. The man is incredibly charming, easy to talk to and, as Alma quickly discovers, brilliant. Too good to be true? Sort of. Tom is actually a humanoid, so no surprise he seems perfect. Alma is asked to run a short project, which includes taking Tom home and evaluating him as a partner. The woman is definitely against any deeper relations with a robot, so she considers it a task that has to be done. Besides, she’s also very curious how close Tom can get to the figure of her ideal partner. The robot is already equipped with some data about Alma, but the more time they spend together, the more he adapts to her needs. Personally, I like films which make me question our humanity and show the relations between us and artificial intelligence. I’m guessing that while you were reading the beginning of my post, you were thinking “oh, that would be awesome to meet someone so perfect”. However, we’re humans and we’re far from being perfect, so even if we crave this perfection in others, we may quickly realise that it’s the imperfection we’re missing in the other person. It’s funny that in some sci-fi productions they present AI as our enemy, as something that may destroy us all, but in fact, we, humans, love to destroy ourselves and each other. We love to argue, we love to fight, we love this passive aggression and tensions all around us. Even if generally we’re not bad-tempered or argumentative, we need some drama in our lives. So having a partner who brings us breakfast to bed is great, but we also need them to leave dirty socks on the floor so we had a reason to scream a little bit. Right? And that’s our human love, I guess. So this film is full of such food for thought when it comes to genuine relations and you may reflect on human needs when it comes to building partnerships. Besides, despite being a robot, Tom is a pretty funny guy so you’ll have a chance to have a laugh as well.

My rating: 7/10
S.

I’m a fucking piece! “Freaky” (2020)

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directed by Christopher Landon
© 2020 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Happy Halloween everyone! If you’re the kind of person who’s too afraid to watch hardcore horrors, I’ve got something to cheer you up, but also put you in this spooky mood. Today, I’d like to recommend you a comedy/horror, a lovely slasher and a film filled with lots of brilliant jokes. At first, we get to meet Millie (Kathryn Newton), a typical teenager having a rather typical teenager life. Until… she meets Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn), a serial killer who decides that Millie would be his next victim. In order to stab the girl, he uses an ancient dagger called La Dola, which leaves a wound on Millie. Before the police arrive, the man is already gone. However, next morning, both the killer and the victim realise that they’ve switched bodies with each other. From now on the real murderer is bouncing around in a body of an innocent teenage girl, while Mille has to hide because the police are already looking for the Butcher and they know his identity. So shortly speaking, it’s an adorable mix of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Freaky Friday”. Generally, the film is not anyhow scary, unless you’re afraid of fake blood and such. In fact, it’s a cool comedy that mocks typical slashers. Not sure how you feel about that, but personally, I’m tired of those “serious” slashers. What do they expect from us? That we stay excited about seeing another silly adult entering a house they shouldn’t enter? And we get terrified by the fact everyone dies except the main character? Oh wow, no way! So I guess that filmmakers should either make an actually scary horror, after which you won’t be able to go to the toilet at night, or they should make it hilarious and focus on special effects to make the film entertaining. That’s my humble opinion. This comedy isn’t perhaps a masterpiece when it comes to effects, but it’s really enjoyable. Perhaps I’m not being objective because I adore Vince Vaughn in comedies, so seeing him acting like a teenage girl was like getting free candies. I believe this film is a great compromise between horror fans and those more sensitive souls, because horror fans may catch several allusions and jokes, and their emotional friends may end up not having a heart attack. To me, that’s a win-win situation. So if you’re still deciding what to see tonight, check out this title. Enjoy, my pumpkins!

My rating: 6/10
S.

Embrace the light while it burns because it won’t always last forever. “Elemental” (2023)

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directed by Peter Sohn
© 2023 Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

I haven’t been much satisfied with Disney’s recent animations and I know that this one isn’t a perfection either, but it put a smile on my face, which is enough for me to recommend it. If it’ll make you feel better, that’s already a reason to watch. At first I thought it’s some kind of alternative to “Inside Out”, but I’m assuring you the story is totally different. We end up in Element City where various elements coexist, although not without conflicts. A couple of fire elements move to the city and aren’t much welcome because other elements see them as walking troubles. After all, they are literally fire. The couple finally settle down, have a daughter and open their own little store. When their child, Ember (Leah Lewis), gets older, the father wants her to run the family business so he could retire in peace. Unfortunately, Ember has difficulties with her temper and finds it difficult to deal with annoying clients. I mean, I feel you, girl. Anyway, soon and by accident she gets a chance to meet Wade (Mamoudou Athie), who is a water element. Even though those two elements completely differ from each other, they will realise how much opposites attract. And if you haven’t guessed that yet – yes, this is actually a love story. It’s still a lovely animation for children, but the main idea is showing a romantic relation between two different elements. But not to focus on the romantic part only, I have to point out that this film is also a great tolerance lesson. Different elements represent different races/cultures. It is presented how each element group stick together and feel best surrounded by other elements like them, but also how elements might be discriminated and excluded from different activities. I actually loved the idea for this film and the way they covered the topic of racism and xenophobia so well. I believe that not only children will learn the lesson, but I’m pretty sure their parents/guardians might also reflect a bit. The thing that I definitely didn’t like was the main adventure – or rather lack of it. I mean, if I was bored, then I guess a little human would have left the room before I yawned for the first time. So yeah, no fun adventure in this one, at least in my opinion. But the characters of Ember and Wade caught my attention and I was actually cheering for them. *SMALL SPOILER* Honestly speaking, I was more excited about their first hand touch than when I had my own first kiss as a teen. In the end, I wanted a relaxing animation, I got a relaxing animation with a cute romantic cherry on top, so I’m happy and hope you’ll be too.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Life is like golgappas. “Laal Singh Chaddha” (2022)

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directed by Advait Chandan
© 2022 Viacom18 Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Whenever I hear the word “remake”, I instantly think of another American version of an already good production made in another country. There are some that I actually appreciated more in the American version, but most American remakes are, in my opinion, unnecessary. And it seems like my readers share this opinion, because you either think they are unnecessary or you just don’t mind them. Only 6% said they like American remakes. So today I’ve got a little surprise for you. I’m sure most of you have seen “Forrest Gump”, which is an absolute classic and also a great American production. But what would you say for an Indian version? I don’t accept “no” for an answer. I was actually shocked myself when I saw the description of this film. Adding the fact that the main role is played by my beloved Indian actor Aamir Khan and the main female role belongs to marvellous Kareena Kapoor Khan, I couldn’t skip this gem. Although, I was a bit sceptical because, come on, “Forrest Gump” is already a wonderful and complete piece, so making its remake is like playing with fire while being covered in petrol – only if you’re ready to sacrifice everything, shortly speaking. I guess there’s no point to tell you what the film is about, because it’s almost the exact story as it’s presented in the American original. And if you haven’t seen “Forrest Gump”, you have some important homework to do, my dear. So, despite my love to Bollywood and those two great actors, I decided to be very critical and as objective as I could. With huge honour I announce that the Indian remake is very very very good. Not only it’s well-made, with delightful camerawork and editing, not only it’s filled with high quality acting, but it really is an Indian production from the beginning till the end. The filmmakers took a successful story and set it in their country’s reality, which makes us enjoy the well-known story once again, but at the same time experience the Indian culture and understand it in a new way. I’ve seen many Bollywood productions and I do know a bit about India, but this film gave me a fresh perspective and answers to questions I haven’t even asked myself. Plus, can you imagine a Bollywood film without singing and dancing? Well, this film provides us with numerous tunes to bounce to and they really make the whole atmosphere. What I also like about this production is that it kind of reminds American producers that remaking can work both ways and that American cinema should not feel so sure about its position. Don’t get me wrong, I love American films, but at the same time I believe that there are many amazing productions that are almost invisible because of the country they’re coming from. That is why it’s important to me to share different films with you. And I’m always open to your recommendations, so feel free to share them as well. In the meantime, enjoy golgappas with Laal Singh Chaddha.

My rating: 8/10
S.

Humans only have one ending. Ideas live forever. “Barbie” (2023)

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directed by Greta Gerwig
© 2023 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Are you surprised to see this post? Well… so am I writing it right now. If you’ve been following me for some time, you probably already know I wasn’t much excited about seeing “Barbie”. It’s mostly because I’ve never really enjoyed any of Greta Gerwig’s films. Not saying you should avoid her productions, quite the opposite, give them a chance because perhaps it’s just my opinion. But I believe she was more aware of what she’d doing in front of the camera, as an actress. Still, how could I skip “Barbie” since many of you are hoping to hear my opinion. So here it is: “Barbie” is Greta’s best work. Yay! Clap, clap, clap! Celebration time. However (about to ruin the moment), the potential was wasted and I’m about to tell you why I think so. First things first, if you haven’t been infected by the Barbie virus and still haven’t seen it, I need to explain the main idea. We’re going to Barbieland where we can meet very different Barbies, such as Barbie the doctor, Barbie the mechanic, Barbie the astronaut, as well as stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie). There are also Kens, who, unlike in our real world, don’t do anything useful. They simply have fun and look handsome, while Barbies do all the important jobs. The stereotypical Barbie has a secret admirer – beach Ken (Ryan Gosling), who really wants to get closer to her, but she puts her female friends first no matter what. Everyone’s living a dream until one night when the stereotypical Barbie starts wondering about death and since then strange things begin to occur, such as lack of energy, anxiety, cellulite and… flat feet! Turns out she has to travel to the real world in order to stop the process of un-Barbing her, if that makes sense. I know that a lot of people were expecting a cheerful comedy mocking Barbie the doll, but I guess most of them didn’t know Greta. It was obvious she would make a feminist drama out of it – and she did. And to be honest, I really liked the general idea of showing this Barbie world where women are empowered, but at the same time I felt uncomfortable with presenting Kens as totally useless. Trust me, I get the point and I know it was necessary for the sake of what happens later in the film *SPOILERS COMING* when Barbies pretend to be absolute idiots to let Kens feel needed and admired. I’m aware of the fact that Greta was just presenting the ridiculousness of our world there, because, let’s face it, women do often pretend to be “less” in order to comfort their men, which should not occur, so I’m glad she’s pointing that out. However, instead of demonising men so much, even in a comedic way, I’d love to see some human empowerment and equality advertisement. Because even if Greta wanted to spread such message, it’s covered with a bit of, sorry for my honesty, toxic feminism. I know that women are often not treated seriously, I know that women struggle with being seen and appreciated for who they are and not what they look like – I know all that. But instead of mocking men, perhaps we could encourage women to be assertive and brave in their actions, while men to be more open-minded and not afraid of being on the same level as their female partners, friends, family members. “Barbie” is no silly comedy for sure, because as you can see, it’s about the never-ending dilemma how to facilitate female-male relations, which is still a big and unsolved deal. It has its wonderful moments, especially the beginning and the ending, but the middle is too messy, as if a totally different person/group of people were writing that part of the film. In the end, I say you should watch it, because it really pushes to thinking of those difficult topics, but please, try to reflect on what’s there and analyse it yourself. Not everything said in films is true, I hope you remember that. And I hope that one day we will be living in some Humanland where you are enough whoever you are, without games and pretending anything. One day, perhaps…

My rating: 6/10
S.

Do you have any change? “Run, Waiter, Run!” (“Vrchní, prchni”, 1981)

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directed by Ladislav Smoljak
© 1981 Filmové studio Barrandov. All Rights Reserved.

Not that long time ago I recommended you a drama about a waiter, and today we’re kind of getting back to that topic, just in a different mood. I’m a big fan of Czech humour, although I know that it’s not that popular among everyone. However, I definitely recommend you to check out today’s film because it can be a great culture lesson for everyone outside Czechia or Slovakia. Back then, when the film was being made, those two countries were one – Czechoslovakia, and they still do share a lot with each other, including that specific sense of humour. In this story we get to meet Dalibor (Josef Abrhám), who’s a middle-aged guy that hasn’t been much successful in life. He owns a little bookstore, doesn’t have an impressive car and struggles with finances basically all the time. Additionally, he’s not very good at choosing right women and for sure not at keeping them satisfied, since he already has two ex-wives and a new one, who isn’t that thrilled to be married to Dalibor. And he has to find enough money to pay them all, so imagine how difficult it must be for a simple bookstore manager. But then, one day, an angel appears to save the man from his troubles… or rather a drunk guy who accidentally takes Dalibor for a waiter and gives him money for his service, which obviously wasn’t really his. Still, that was enough for our broke guy to come up with a smart idea – he decides to dress up as a waiter, go to restaurants, pretend to be working there and collect money from the guests. And then, well, run. If this description doesn’t sound Czech to you, I guess you don’t know much about their culture. Add cheerful Czech music and sexual jokes and voilà, we’ve got a perfect Czech comedy. Oh, I forgot to mention that Dalibor suffers from a very serious condition, which makes him visualise most women in dirty circumstances… You call it “every man”, I call it “that’s the joke”. But that is why I adore Czech humour because they actually don’t mind laughing at themselves, which is wonderful and I believe we don’t think any less of them because of that, quite the opposite. Fun fact – the idea for this film came to Zdeněk Svěrák, the screenwriter, when he once went to a pub dressed up in a more elegant way and suddenly lots of guests sitting there expected him to serve them. But hey, after watching this comedy I’ll be paying more attention to this matter because I’ve just realised – we don’t really care who serves us. Sometimes we do have one waiter assigned to our table, but sometimes they change and it wouldn’t be that difficult to trick us. All you need is a nice suit/shirt, a wallet and a bit of gel on your hair. Although, nowadays most people pay with cards… or phones… damn it, technology kills such wonderful ideas. Still, if you feel inspired to try Dalibor’s method, make sure to message me with the details before the police catch you. Thank you in advance!

My rating: 7/10
S.