Shutter Island | The Hurt Locker

Cinema reviews for Feb. 25

Jason Pirodsky

Written by Jason Pirodsky Published on 24.02.2010 16:44:01 (updated on 24.02.2010) Reading time: 20 minutes

Shutter Island
Rating:
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, Elias Koteas, Robin Bartlett, Christopher Denham, Nellie Sciutto, Joseph Sikora, Curtiss Cook, Raymond Anthony Thomas, Joseph McKenna, Ruby Jerins. Written by Laeta Kalogridis, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane.
Showtimes
IMDb link
   


Shutter Island is a maddening film, an exquisitely made but frustratingly generic thriller that only eventually rises above its source material (a novel by Dennis Lehane) after a two-hour slog. It´s directed by Martin Scorsese, who hasn´t made a habit of making bad films; what´s his worst – New York, New York? Cape Fear? Shutter Island falls into this company. And yet, most seem to be giving it a pass. Or more than a pass: comparisons to Kubrick and The Shining have been floating around. That´s nonsense, but I´m giving it a pass, too; as much as I disliked a good portion of the movie, I can heartily recommend giving it a watch and drawing your own conclusions. (Spoiler warning: this movie is so predictable that any plot discussion will lead to unwanted revelations. If you want to go in fresh – and you should – don´t read any reviews, or press material – even the tagline gives too much away, in a cutesy wink-wink way – and whatever you do, don´t watch the trailer.) Yeah, don´t watch the trailer. I´d probably seen it 20 times over the past year, as Shutter Island was originally scheduled for a Fall ´09 release, and the trailer has been a major part of the rotation in cinemas since last Spring. But one viewing is enough. It gives away the basics of the ending to the movie (to astute viewers, anyway) and leads to a frustrating experience while watching the feature; you´re praying this well-made film doesn´t lead to the generic finale you know is coming. The year is 1954. Shutter Island is an island off the coast of Massachusetts that houses a mental institution. Think Alcatraz, for the insane. One of their patients is missing: Rachel Solano, a mother who drowned her children. Federal Marshalls Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are called in to investigate. Make that Feduhral Mahshulls, as DiCaprio doesn´t hesitate to underline the regional dialect to no affect other than to distract. Something doesn´t seem right about this place, Teddy thinks: about Dr. Cawley (Ben Kinsgley), who is hesitant to cooperate with the investigation, about Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow), a possible former Nazi who seems to enjoy provoking Teddy. About the creepy, frightened inmates he encounters along the way, played by familiar faces like Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, and Elias Koteas. But something doesn´t seem right about Teddy, we think: he has sea sickness, headaches, and two sets of flashbacks, one involving a WWII concentration camp, the other involving his dead wife. Yes, he´s our traditional unreliable narrator/protagonist, and Scorsese doesn´t hesitate to underline the obvious three times over. Aside from the story, Shutter Island is quite wonderfully cinematic; it isn´t a horror film, not really, but works in a similar manner, dripping with atmosphere and an overbearing sense of dread. There´s no release, either, just a slow-burn tension that builds throughout. The music, arranged in part by Robbie Robertson, aids a great deal – particularly a haunting final tune over the credits. So does the trenchant cinematography by Robert Richardson, which makes wonderful use of long corridors and dark corners. Production detail is flawless, capturing a 50s look that´s enriched by Scorsese´s noir-ish 50s feel for the material. The acting also helps: Ruffalo and Kingsley are especially good, particularly late in the film, and Ted Levine has a great scene discussing the ‘killer instinct´. But that story, it´s a real deal-breaker. Shutter Island could have worked wonderfully. If it were played as straight drama, if it were left ambiguous; if it did anything but fall into the generic thriller trap. I mean, it´s only a very small step above Gothika or straight-to-DVD material, and no matter how good a filmmaker Scorsese is, this is one thing he cannot overcome. I see the potential in there because after the big reveal, where most any other thriller would have ended, Shutter Island continues for another 20 minutes. And now, with all the cards out on the table, the film finally pays off, and the drama in the material – latent for the previous two hours – finally comes to life. These twenty minutes save the film; the rest of it could go either way. Here´s two entertaining reviews, an all-out rave from Variety´s Todd McCarthy and a vicious pan from The New York Times´ A.O. Scott. The truth lies somewhere in-between, but either way the film is worth seeing and judging for yourself.

***

 

The Hurt Locker
Rating:
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly, Christian Camargo, Suhail Aldabbach, Christopher Sayegh, Nabil Koni, Sam Spruell, Sam Redford, Feisal Sadoun, Barrie Rice, Imad Dadudi, Erin Gann, Justin Campbell, Malcolm Barrett. Written by Mark Boal.
Showtimes
IMDb link

Eighteen months since it started touring the festival circuit, a year since a DVD screener was leaked on the internet, eight months removed from a wide release in the US and two since a local DVD release, Kathryn Bigelow´s The Hurt Locker finally hits Czech cinemas.

It´s about time. No beating around the bush: The Hurt Locker was the best film I saw in 2009, and one of the best of the decade (Roger Ebert ranks it #2 in his top ten of the 00s). Other bests? It´s the best modern war film I´ve seen, and one of the most clearly best-directed movies in recent memory. In ten days time, Bigelow will have an Oscar for direction, which will join numerous other awards for the film. 

A quote from author and former war correspondent Chris Hedges opens the film: “The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”

War is a drug, and William James (Jeremy Renner) is a junkie. He´s an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Staff Sergeant in Iraq who would rather manually diffuse a bomb than send in the robot. “How many bombs have you disarmed?” Colonel Reed (David Morse) asks him. “Eight-hundred and seventy-three.” “That´s hot shit.” Hot shit, indeed.

But his colleagues in the bomb disposal unit don´t care for his methods; Segeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) just want to get out of Iraq alive. On-screen text counts down the days left in Bravo Company´s rotation.

The screenplay by Mark Boal (In the Valley of Elah) forgoes a typical plot or narrative thrust in favor of days-in-the-life vignettes. Those vignettes are usually scenes of action or war or bomb disposal, with plenty of interest by themselves to keep us glued to our seats; only by the end of the film do we realize we have been watching a character-based drama. Beautiful writing.

The action scenes are handled absolutely perfectly: we´re always aware of time and place, where the characters are in relation to their surroundings, and the tension – unbearable at times – flows naturally from the information we´re given. No “which wire to cut?”, only one ticking clock. These are pros who know what they´re doing (the characters in the film, and the filmmakers behind the scenes), and we´re aware of and terrified by the inherent danger in the situation without being fed manufactured drama.

What was the last bomb disposal movie? Blown Away, with Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones? When was the last good one? This is a genre that hasn´t been properly exploited.

Renner, previously seen as Jeffrey Dahmer in Dahmer and in supporting roles in The Assassination of Jesse James… and 28 Weeks Later, is the big breakout star here, earning an Oscar nomination for his work. He´s excellent as the embodiment of that adrenaline drive inside of all of us. But equally good are Mackie and Geraghty as his level-headed colleagues.

Kathryn Bigelow has directed a number of cult-y favorites (Near Dark, Point Break, Strange Days) that never really garnered much critical acclaim; her most recent film was 2002´s big budget mediocrity K-19: The Widowmaker. She´s always been adept at handling action, but there is nothing in her résumé to suggest the kind of masterful filmmaking that is The Hurt Locker; yet here it is, staring us in the face. I’m in awe of this movie.

If it sounds like I have a hard-on for this movie, that´s because yeah, I do. The Hurt Locker has a surprisingly profound effect, reaching past the war movie setting into something far deeper: it digs into the male psyche, or at least a particular male psyche, more than any other movie I’ve seen. And it took a female director, go figure.

***

Also opening:Doktor od Jezera hrochů (showtimes), a comedy from director Zdeněk Troška (Kameňák) starring Jaroslav Šmíd, Eva Holubová, Jiří Langmajer, Tereza Bebarová, and Alžběta Stanková. Screening in Czech.

And:Katka (showtimes), a documentary from director Helena Třeštíková. Screening in Czech.

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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