Rule number one: we are family. “The Ron Clark Story” (2006)

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directed by Randa Haines
© 2006 Granada America. All Rights Reserved.

We’ve all lost a friend. The actor who made us fall in love with the character of Chandler, Matthew Perry, left us with a huge grief, yet numerous jokes and moments to remember. It is inevitable to remember him as Chandler and he’ll always be that clumsy, sarcastic and cynical friend of ours. However, in order to dedicate a post to him, I’ve decided to share a recommendation of “The Ron Clark Story”, where you can see Matthew in the main role. He’s an elementary school teacher in a little town. Everybody loves him and appreciates his unique teaching methods, but Ron is a very ambitious person and he hopes to move out of his hometown. He ends up in New York, where finding a job is a true challenge, but as he finally gets one, that’s when all challenges come out. The principal wants him to teach younger students, but as Ron finds out that 6th graders have been abandoned by their teacher, he insists on taking responsibility for them instead. The man is quite confident about his teaching skills considering huge successes of his former students. But New York children are a totally different story… They do their best, but not to pass exams, but to get rid of their teacher. But Ron is a very stubborn and creative guy, who truly wants to see the students follow their dreams. If you watch a lot of films, I bet you’ve seen several films about a cool teacher who helps difficult students in their education. I’d lie if I said this one is the best or somehow unique, because you know exactly how it’ll end and who is who in the story. Still, this film is a good reminder that naughty children don’t exist. If a child is naughty, there’s something causing that and our task, as adults, is to find out what that something is. We give up on children way too easily, sticking labels to them and just letting them be. Ron is a teacher who doesn’t follow the rules, but he follows his intuition while respecting own values. And that’s a lesson we should keep on learning. Besides, it’s a production with Matthew Perry, so it’s always pleasant to see him again. I guess that if you’re his fan, you’re currently stuck in the marathon of rewatching “Friends”, but if you need a little break, perhaps this film would be a good choice. Despite everything we know about Matthew’s personal life, I try to focus on the best memories and all sarcastic comments he’s shared with us. I hope he’s making everyone laugh up there now. Thank you, Matthew.

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.

We’re all alone in life. “Plan 75” (2022)

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directed by Chie Hayakawa
© 2022 Urban Distribution International. All Rights Reserved.

I wouldn’t say that I’m an overly sensitive person, but there are certain things and topics that are difficult for me to handle emotionally. One of them are the elderly. The idea of getting old terrifies me, especially since I see how we treat our oldest members of society. That is why I needed some time to finally make myself watch today’s film, because the filmmakers decided to put a spotlight on the problem of ignoring the elderly in an unusual way. We’re invited to Japan, where the government (please, mind the fact it’s a fictional story) creates a program called “Plan 75”. As a response to the problem of the ageing society, each citizen over 75 may sign up for a facilitated euthanasia. This way, the elderly have a chance to finish their life at the chosen time, and the government doesn’t have to support them anymore. It sounds like a perfect plan and it actually works out pretty well until certain people start questioning the morality of this program. When I heard of this film for the first time, I knew I’d love to see it, because it’s an intriguing combination of drama and sci-fi, which is something I personally adore. However, if you’re also scared of getting old, that might be a challenge to watch. The filmmakers present how little people will mean (or they already do) to the world’s authorities and that even the act of dying becomes an idea to create some kind of business. On the one hand, I believe that people should have an option to be euthanised and leave by their own rules, so making this procedure more accessible seems promising. What’s the point of suffering and spending your last moments in pain if you can “finish the game” with dignity? On the other hand, seeing young people literally selling euthanasia to the elderly is incredibly disturbing. Especially, since most of those seniors don’t even want to die – they simply feel useless in this world. Nobody has enough patience to explain new things to them, nobody wants to listen to them or spend time together on any activity. So when everyone treats you like a problem, you don’t want to be one anymore, right? I also believe that this film is about loneliness and what a terrible killer it is to us all. Nothing is worse than being lonely, yet we all end up being alone and we let others suffer on their own. I’m sorry for such a gloomy post, but the film itself isn’t much better, which isn’t its flaw. I’m actually glad it was produced and I encourage you to see it, because perhaps we still have a chance to change something about our reality not to end up considering joining Plan 75 one day. Hopefully.

My rating: 7/10
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.

Do we want an animal or a friend? “Dogtooth” (“Kynodontas”, 2009)

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directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
© 2009 Feelgood Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

There are those filmmakers that you cannot mistaken for anyone else. I mean, all you need is up to 10 minutes of their film and bang – you know exactly who made it. I believe that Yorgos Lanthimos is one of such directors, and if you’ve seen some of his works, you probably agree with me right now. However, as much as his films are indeed fascinating, I’m not his biggest fan. Still, his creativity and some kind of oddness intrigue me enough to keep watching new productions. Today’s film is a bit older, yet worth checking out since it may introduce you to Lanthimos’ style. In this story we get to meet a couple that are bringing up their three children. Sounds like a lovely family? Not in a Lanthimos film, darling. All the children are in fact adults and have never left their house as their parents want to protect them. The son and two daughters will be ready to leave only if they lose a dogtooth. In the meantime, their parents teach them strange things, incorrect meanings of words, they lie about the outside world and don’t let the children feel or act like adults. It’s their father who decides what they do, what they get punished for and what is worth praising. The problem begins when the woman that was paid by the father to have sex with his son brings things and knowledge from the outside world. The siblings start wondering what’s really on the other side of the fence. If the description seems insane, then you’re getting the idea what you might expect from this production. It’s a psychological drama that doesn’t explain much, yet bombs you with millions of questions. There are numerous interpretations of the story and I might agree with some of them, yet I believe I have my own, which I’m sharing now so *SPOILERS ALERT*. To me, this is a story about parenthood and its consequences. Generally, parents want to raise their children to be safe, to be happy, but also to meet the parents’ expectations, respect their rules and values, or even follow an already chosen path. Lanthimos style might be very controversial, but I see the point he was trying to make (or I believe he was): some parents mistaken raising children for training dogs, as harsh as it sounds. Let me explain: a dog is about to be your companion for about 10-12 years, he/she will stay with you, follow your daily schedule, adapt to your lifestyle and never leave you. Children, however, are meant to be prepared for the outside world, no matter how much you want them to be like you. And no matter how strict or consistent you are as a parent, the child will break at some point, sooner or later. Just like with that dogtooth from the story – the father knew that adults don’t normally lose these teeth, so it’s rather sure that his children will stay with him forever. But what if the child decides to get rid of the metaphorical tooth themselves? This is exactly how I read this story, but you’re more than welcome to have another idea. The best part about Lanthimos films is that there’s for sure no one answer to anything.

My rating: 6/10
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.

I know a thing or two about a thing or two. “This Boy’s Life” (1993)

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directed by Michael Caton-Jones
© 1993 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

If you hear about Leonardo DiCaprio, I bet “Titanic” is the first film that comes to your mind. There are obviously many more, including “Shutter Island”, “Catch Me If You Can”, or “The Revenant” for which he got an Oscar. However, what if I’d like to recommend you a film with a teenage Leo, who even back then absolutely rocked his role? The story is actually based on the life of Tobias Wolff, an American writer, who had a rather difficult childhood, which for sure shaped him in a certain way. He was being raised by his mother Caroline (Ellen Barkin), who wasn’t really ready to take care of a boy like Toby (Leonardo DiCaprio). She decided to find herself a decent man with a good job and manners to provide for the family and make sure they have a brighter future. Then, she meets Dwight Hansen (Robert De Niro). Toby isn’t much thrilled about his mom dating that man, but he’s not the one to choose. Dwight indeed seems like a good partner, so the woman agrees to marry him. And yet before the marriage, Dwight begins to reveal who he really is. Turns out that Toby was right and his mom’s new husband may cause more troubles than they already have. Even though this film is based on a real story of Tobias Wolff, I believe numerous men may see themselves as little Toby. I’m glad that nowadays we try to put a spotlight on the problem of patriarchy and inequality from the perspective of women – we should definitely do more about that – but such films like this one are also incredibly important. The reason why some men act the way they do may be because they grew up surrounded by tons of toxic masculinity. Some of them might have managed their feelings and found a way to express themselves as for example artists, but there are also those who keep on acting the same way as their fathers/grandfathers/uncles because they simply don’t know any other way. I’m not saying that they should be excused for their behaviour, definitely not, but on the other hand, perhaps that makes it easier to understand their motivation to be the way they are. This production is disgusting and I can’t believe someone made me hate Robert De Niro’s character so much… How can you feel anything other than pure love towards this wonderful actor? But still, he created a true monster on the screen, which made me feel as if I was watching some dark documentary. And, as I said at the beginning, let’s not forget about Leo, who was truly born with some extra pinch of acting talent. Call me naive, but I believed that kiddo in everything he was presenting there. Even though that film duo was very toxic, I loved their cooperation and I can’t imagine anyone else doing such a great job in their place. This story reminds us that no matter how difficult our beginnings are, there’s always a chance to make everything better. I know, it sounds like some cheap motivational speech, but if you didn’t have it easy in your early years, then you know how true those words are. Besides, I hope this film reminds my male readers that there’s no such thing as a recipe to be man. You can do and be whoever you want and still call yourself a man. As long as you’re not hurting anyone and you stay happy with yourself – then you’re a man in my eyes. Slightly forgotten yet very good film, so make sure to watch it one day.

My rating: 7/10
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.

Give me your definition of the term ‘in real life’. “Knit’s Island” (2023)

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directed by Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse & Quentin L’Helgouac’h
© 2023 Les Films Invisibles. All Rights Reserved.

I really wanted to finally write about this documentary today, but to be fair – I asked you on Instagram whether you prefer something more difficult or more relaxing. I love the fact that most of you want to be disturbed by my recommendation, so here you go. I saw this film some time ago, but each time I wanted to write a post about it, something was pulling me away from doing that. Today, I’m taking you into a game. The directors decided to join one online multiplayer game and spent 963 hours (no, I didn’t add an extra digit there) exploring it. The idea of the game is that you kind of live in a post-apocalyptic reality, where together with other players you can build communities and do everything people could do in such circumstances. Obviously, you create your own avatar and can become whoever you wish, and it’s up to you whether you decide to join the good ones, or the bad ones. Like everywhere, there are groups that try to build healthy and supportive communities, but there are also those that feel the need to express the evil inside them. The whole film is actually happening in the game, so you may feel like one of the players discovering that mystical world. I saw this documentary during one film festival and I have to say it was one of the best choices I’d made. We may think that playing online games is just a random way of spending your free time – in the end, we all need to relax from time to time. However, thanks to the directors, we get the picture of the modern society and how social interactions have evolved. Each of those people there is a totally different story, some of which you may hear directly from them. And despite their spectacular avatars and great atmosphere they try to keep in the game, I felt like each of the players is somehow lost and finds it difficult to manage in their real life. Whether it’s an anxious introvert, a person struggling with some mental or physical limitations, or a mother that’s simply tired of her reality – they all need someone to accept them and give them a pinch of affection. This documentary, despite its original form, is quite personally significant to me because, luckily for a short period of time, I used to be an online reality addict. There were days when I was just doing the necessary in real life and then spent hours, days or sleepless nights on playing in a virtual world. It was a long time ago and I was very young back then, but I can still remember what my life looked like. You see, I’m not judging these players because we all need acceptance and if we don’t get that from one place, we try another. Since each person playing there might have some complicated background, it’s actually easier for them to bond, because they either don’t share their personal stories and enjoy having fun, or they do share and meet people who also don’t live such a Disney-like life. On the one hand, it may seem incredibly disturbing that grown-ups need to escape the reality, but on the other hand – if it helps them, who are we to judge? Some people choose therapy, some people build an avatar and kill zombies in an abandoned city. Would I get back to such life? No, surely not. But I believe this documentary shows that, despite the technological development, humans still have those old basic needs. We need friends. We need to feel valuable. The thing is that if we don’t take care of ourselves in reality, we may not be strong enough to enjoy this virtual world, and, unfortunately, some players have been neglecting themselves or people in their surroundings for the sake of the game. This is a very wide topic and I’m sure we could discuss a lot about it, but first – make sure to watch the documentary. And then, if you feel, you can always reach me to have a chat and use the Internet in a slightly safer way.

My rating: 8/10
S.