The Tale of Despereaux, Bedtime Stories

Cinema reviews for 5.2.09: a big-eared mouse and Adam Sandler in two family-friendly films

Jason Pirodsky

Written by Jason Pirodsky Published on 05.02.2009 14:48:50 (updated on 05.02.2009) Reading time: 20 minutes

The Tale of Despereaux
Rating:
Directed by Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen. With the voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Ciarán Hinds, Robbie Coltrane, Tony Hale, Frances Conroy, Frank Langella, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Shaughnessy, Sigourney Weaver. Written by Gary Ross, screen story by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, from the book by Kate DiCamillo.
Showtimes
IMDb link
   


Beautifully drawn, imaginatively composed, I like a whole lot of The Tale of Despereaux but left wanting a whole lot more. Faithful in design – if entirely unfaithful in character, theme, and effect – to the children´s book The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo, the film tries to tell four separate stories that don´t really intertwine till the end in a 90-minute timeframe, with limited success. I wish they would have just stuck with mouse Despereaux, an adorable little creature who should be at the center of his own Tale but has to share far too much screentime with a plethora of secondary characters. Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen´s film begins with the story of Roscuro the Rat (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), a seafaring rogue who visits the human Kingdom of Dor in time for their annual soup festival. Rats and soup, and we´re instantly reminded of Pixar and Brad Bird´s excellent Ratatouille, though the connection is soon forgotten. Anyway, Roscuro, led by his nose to the castle´s soup kitchen, makes an auspicious debut to the human world when he lands in the Queen´s soup bowl after she takes a sip. The Queen has a heart attack and dies on the spot, Roscuro slips into Ratworld, in the castle´s dungeon, the King goes into morning and bans all soup and rats from the kingdom, and the land plunges into darkness (as narrator Sigourney Weaver awkwardly informs us: “and the clouds stayed, and stayed, and stayed.” That´s a lot of staying.) Fifteen minutes into the movie and we´re first introduced to the titular character, as mouse Despereaux is born in Mouseworld, the small world of mice that live inside the castle walls. He quickly grows up to be a rather problematic mouse: he doesn´t cower, defies mousetraps and snatches their cheese, and sketches cats on his notebook. “Are you a man, or a mouse?” the community leaders ask him. Well, he wants to be a courageous knight, like in the story he reads in the castle´s library, and save Princess Pea from the gloom that has fallen over the kingdom. So he´s banished to Ratworld in some of the film´s best sequences, including one where he must face a hungry cat in a gladiatorial-like arena. Then there´s the story of Miggery Sow (Tracey Ullman), a poor servant girl who clearly should have been excised from this film; despite having much significance in the novel, her story of adoption, labor, and dreaming of becoming a princess is glossed over in 5-10 minutes here and she has the weakest of connections to the rest of the plotlines. And then there are the rest of the human characters in the castle: the Princess who we never get to know, the mourning King, the castle´s chef (voiced by Kevin Kline) and his assistant, an anthropomorphic talking collage of vegetables voiced by Stanley Tucci. There´s simply too much going on in too short a time frame to do justice to everything, and Despereaux´s tale suffers in that attempt. The movie is sufficiently different from the book in most other ways, so I really wonder why they didn´t axe a couple of the extraneous plotlines and characters. So I didn´t really care for the way the story is handled here, but man, this movie is beautiful to look at. It feels like the Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit sketches come to life, and while I love the cartoonish style and pseudo-realism of Pixar´s recent films, this is the first time I´ve seen fully-CGI animation reach the artistically imaginative heights of something like The Nightmare Before Christmas. Although it´s clearly not the most technically proficient animation out there – movement is often too stiff, there´s frequently dead space, and the characters sometimes aren´t as fully matched to their voices as they should be – the film almost deserves a recommendation for the artwork alone. Likewise, the voice cast is excellent: Broderick is perfectly cast as Despereaux, Hoffman has a lot of fun as Roscuro, and even the smallest roles are performed with gusto, like Frank Langella as the mayor of Ratworld, or Richard Jenkins as Despereaux´s school principal. I could have done without Weaver´s narration, however. Warning: this is about as intense as a G-Rated children´s film can get, with characters frequently in peril, rats cruising down dungeon rivers in human skulls, and a rather matter-of-fact treatment of death and mourning. It´s been edited down for MPAA approval – there´s a scene early on of a knight taking a mace to the foot that´s clearly missing the expected reaction shot – and not really suitable for the youngest. Note:The Tale of Despereaux is screening in a Czech-dubbed version at most cinemas, but you can catch it in English (with Czech subtitles) at Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům.

***

 

Bedtime Stories
Rating:
Directed by Adam Shankman. Starring Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Lucy Lawless, Courteney Cox, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Laura Ann Kesling, Jonathan Pryce, Nick Swardson, Kathryn Joosten, Allen Covert, Carmen Electra. Written by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy, story by Matt Lopez.
Showtimes
IMDb link

An entirely bland Adam Sandler comedy – his first family-friendly film – Adam Shankman´s Bedtime Stories has a game cast but a disappointingly weak script. The imaginative titular stories Sandler´s character tells his niece and nephew are relegated to brief five-minute sketches while the rest of the film focuses on such exciting topics as hotel management, city planning, and school closures.

Sandler stars as Skeeter Bronson, janitor and handyman at what was once his father´s hotel; Dad (Jonathan Pryce) made new owner Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) promise that Skeeter would one day be given the opportunity to manage the hotel when he was forced to sell, but when a new project is announced Skeeter is passed over in favor of brownnosing Kendall (Guy Pearce), who also happens to be dating Nottingham´s Paris Hilton-like daughter Violet (Teresa Palmer). Skeeter takes the night shift looking after his niece and nephew while his sister (Courtney Cox) is away, and he tells them some harshly realistic bedtime stories that reflect his current situation; the unimpressed kids add their own fantasy bits to liven up the proceedings, like insisting a peasant character be given a chance to become king, or having it magically rain gumballs. When the stories seem to start to affect reality, and Skeeter is given a chance to become the new hotel manager, he tries to manipulate the stories to better serve himself. Of course, he doesn´t quite count on the kids´ irreverence in storytelling.

Bedtime Stories has an unusually talented cast for this kind of material, starting with Pryce, Griffiths, and Pearce, and ending with talented comedians like Allen Covert and Nick Swardson in cameo roles. Russell Brand, hilarious in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, shows up as Skeeter´s buddy at the hotel. They´re all wasted. Especially Pearce, who could´ve made a terrific villain but instead portrays someone we don´t care enough about to hate. Sandler returns to his usual persona, but tones everything down for the family-friendly atmosphere to mixed results.

Mostly unfunny, the film tries to draw humor out of repeated sight gags like the kids´ CGI bug-eyed gerbil (an almost scary, mostly sad-looking creature), and their random diversions from Skeeter´s story, like a fat guy on a beach or a violent dwarf.

Still, Bedtime Stories is inoffensive and light-hearted, and kids may like the brief fantasy elements enough to ignore the film´s other faults. The rest of us should stay away.

Please Note: it seems that Bedtime Stories is only screening in a Czech-dubbed version throughout the Czech Republic. Highly unusual for a live-action wide release (even most major animated films open with a Czech-subtitled print or two in Prague), but there you go.

***

Also: Also opening: This week’s other big release is Cinka Panna (showtimes), a Slovak biopic about the famous Gypsy primadonna directed by Dušan Rapoš, which is screening in Slovak without subtitles.

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 ★★
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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 ★★★
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24.01.16; The Big Short ★★★½ | Joy ★★★ | Creed ★★★
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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 ★★
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03.12.15: Bridge of Spies ★★★½In the Heart of the Sea ★★★
26.11.15: Victor Frankenstein ★★
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12.11.15: Steve Jobs ★★★½ | Visions ★½
05.11.15: Spectre ★★½ | Macbeth ★★★½ 
29.10.15: Sicario ★★★
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15.10.15: Crimson Peak ★★★ | Legend ★★★ | The Program ★★½
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24.09.15: Everest ★★★½
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10.09.15: American Ultra ★★ | Sinister 2 ★★
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13.08.15: Fantastic Four ★½ | Self/Less ★★★
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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 ★★★
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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 ★★★
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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 ★★★
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23.04.15: The Face of an Angel ★ | Shaun the Sheep Movie ★★★½
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26.03.15: The Water Diviner ★★★ | Home ★★★
19.03.15: Song of the Sea ★★★★
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12.03.15: Chappie ★★★ | The Lazarus Effect ★★
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19.02.15: Kingsman: The Secret Service ★★★
12.02.15: Fifty Shades of Grey ★★½
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22.02.15: Birdman ★★★½ | Stonehearst Asylum ★★★
15.01.15: Blackhat ★★★★ | Taken 3 ★★ | Love, Rosie ★★
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18.12.14: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb ★★½
11.12.14: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ★★★
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06.11.14: Interstellar ★★★½
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02.10.14:Gone Girl ★★★★
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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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