Prague-based movie reviews, news and other trash
Dutch composer, musician and lute player extraordinaire Jozef van Wissem (Only Lovers Left Alive) was recently in Prague and Brno to play a couple of concerts as a part of the accompanying programme of Czech Republic’s Future Gate sci-fi film festival.
Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the very famous and very old novel (just kidding) by Louisa May Alcott differs at many instances from its source. Meaning, if you’ve seen any of the previous adaptations or read the novel, you’re still in for something different this time round.
The Czech Republic’s sci-fi film festival Future Gate will kick off this Wednesday in Prague and in its competition section this year, will screen new psychedelic sci-fi horror Color Out of Space, based on the short story by the legendary H.P. Lovecraft.
The Iranian Film Festival is upon us once again and has fast become one of the Czech Republic’s best new film festivals. From recent award-winning features like Bani Khoshnoudi’s immigrant tale Fireflies to classics like Asghar Farhadi’s Fireworks Wednesday, the festival boasts a diverse programme able to cater the likes of anyone.
This month, to celebrate Film Europe’s Scandi Film Festival, we’ll be screening four Nordic titles with both Czech AND English subtitles at my weekly film night Movie Barf Monday in Edison Filmhub! From erotic drama and laugh-out-loud comedy to toxic relationships and a powerful documentary on body shaming – we’ve got your January sorted! Get your tickets!
Taika Waititi’s new film is a creative take on WWII misery and is absolutely hilarious at times, as it is upsetting, and unfortunately that does mean it’s a little tonally off, but its strength is in its children – they drive this film. And the debut performance of Roman Griffin Davis as the lovable Nazi-obsessed ‘Jojo’ is one of the most memorable of the year.
Ladj Ly’s debut feature film Les Misérables is less musical than its name suggests… It’s a tense little gang thriller set in the modern-day Montfermeil district of Paris, where Victor Hugo’s classic novel ‘Les Misérables’ was written, whose explosive third act feels wholly original and timely.
This year, the Prague French Film Festival boasts a number of titles with both Czech AND English subtitles. From competition films like Cannes hit comedy On a Magical Night to Ladj Ly’s visceral Parisian gang thriller Les Misérables, and a retrospective on French auteur Henri-Georges Clouzot. Prague based cinemas Kino Lucerna, Kino Svetozor, Kino 35 and Edison Filmhub will host the festival from November 20th – 27th.
Doctor Sleep is probably the most perplexing Hollywood remake/reboot/sequel of the year. Although Stephen King’s source material is strong, engaging and even creepy at times, along with Mike Flanagan’s visual flair for the gothic and grim, it buckles under the heavy half-assed attempts to bring back characters (and certain locations) from The Shining.
Terminator: Dark Fate is probably the first Terminator film since Terminator 2 to (sort of) do the originals justice. Compared to James Cameron’s iconic films, it’s not that great, but compared to all the other sequels and reboots, including 2015’s disastrous Terminator: Genisys, it’s a pretty decent blockbuster and boasts the return of one of the franchise’s most lovable characters…
