jablan Reviews

The Split (2018–2022)

Ally McBeal, minus comedy and special effects

[5/10 · 11 April 2021]

Would you want to know more about troubles of a rich privileged lawyer family when challenged with adultery? Me neither.

Countless unfinished story arches, characters appearing and going without explanation, side stories without resolution. Careless story telling, improvised acting (all these misplaced dramatic pauses when Hannah speaks). At one point I really stopped caring, forced myself watching the Season 1, which ends anticlimactically, during the episode 6, which feels suuper suuper looong!

Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan are fine actors, but this show doesn't give them any opportunity to show that.

The Island (2020–2024)

Reality has beaten it at the box office

[5/10 · 11 September 2020]

Very unlucky moment for pandemic themed series, for several reasons: 1) we spot the details got wrongly much easier, 2) in reality we are supposed to trust the government, and, frankly, 3) we are all fed up with the pandemic, it's around us, so why bother watching it on TV too?

The first few episodes got me hooked, due to well carved characters, their believable stories, and good acting. The disease was in the background, and the stories was in the focus. Intentionally or not, all goes to hell in the final 2-3 episodes, actually exactly at the moment when Bundeswehr jumps in. At that moment, nice psychological drama turns into (a bad) action/horror movie, with people dying coughing blood all around, teenagers killing other people, army shooting at civilians and so on. All the sympathy that we had for the characters is gone and we no longer care what happens to them (except whether they will plainly survive or not). All the built up credibility and charisma is destroyed. I know that's what probably happens in apocalyptic scenario, people are being stripped to surviving animals, but frankly that's not something that keeps me interested.

This series tries to be everything at the same time, and fails at all of it. Too bad, as there's obviously a great talent. The author, the girl, the cop dad, redemptive coach, the bully and the bullied, all great characters, yet all gone in the middle of the series. Such a shame.

Luther (2010–2019)

Gripping but completely unbelievable

[5/10 · 14 July 2019]

Yes, the first season kept me watching, but in retrospective it's wasn't worth watching. The plots are similar to each other, the main character has superpowers when it comes to deduction ("something is not right here... ah yes, the murderer is a taxi driver!"), and morally inconsistent (caring, protecting the weak and innocent, but has no problems being a buddy with a psychopathic murderer). The criminals are always psychopathic serial killers, none of them is depicted as an actual human being. The policemen are linear and cliched, CSI style.

The show has no redeeming qualities.

Clownwise (2013)

Entertaining and touching

[8/10 · 12 August 2014]

I bumped into this movie on one of our cable programs, I started watching cause I lived in Prague for a year and started learning the language there. But the movie proved to be universally good, regardless of the place and language.

In short, it is a story about getting old, about friendship, and about passion. You know, the things pertaining to any of us.

Actors are brilliant (I somewhat disliked the dubbing stuff with the French (?) actors), although I knew none of them before. Photography is on par with any Hollywood big-production material, and direction is pretty good. The script is convincing. The only complaint I have is that at moments I felt the story dragging along and meandering too much, dedicating much time to peripheral characters (Oskar's daughter singing etc). The movie could have been a bit shorter, in that matter.

However, the movie fulfills, the ending is satisfying and emotional. I'm glad Czech still makes great movies, it's a pity that they are rarely aired, compared to the usual Hollywood crap.

Otvorena vrata (1994–1995)

A different Serbian sitcom

[31 August 2010]

Since beginning of Yugoslav television, comedy programs about contemporary society mostly relied on depicting "ordinary man", and trying to make the audience identify with the main characters. Whole bunch of both movies and series have been reaching extreme popularity among Yugoslav audience, a new and optimistic middle class in Tito's self-managed society: titles such as "Lude godine", "Tesna koža", "Pozorište u kući", "Bolji život" etc. all revolved around "small man" and his adventures in everyday environment.

On the contrary, "Otvorena vrata" completely threw away this cliché, and built a story (in fact, many stories, as each episode is for itself) around completely made-up and exaggerated characters. Placed in highly urban and intellectual milieu, the show refused to indulge mass audiences, and it is not clear how it got financed and aired under such hard circumstances as Milosevic's dictatorship was.

Fast paced, intellectually challenging, but most of the times really hilarious, the show is gaining the deserved acclaim just recently, after several reruns and with a help of Youtube, which is full of funny clips with memorable quotes.

Also, apart from brilliant screen writing (mostly by prized playwright Biljana Srbljanovic), the cast is what really makes it timeless, with top-of-the-line leads, notably Vesna Trivalic and Bogdan Diklic. The only one spoiling the picture is Bojana Maljevic, but luckily not given any important role.

Pi (1998)

Endless, pointless mystification

[2/10 · 28 July 2005]

"Hi, uncle, can you, mm, borrow me some money perhaps? I would like to make a movie."

"Oh, nice, Darren, what kind of movie would that be?"

"Well, still don't know, but it has to be full of mystery. Something with numbers, yes, numerology, and, how was that word... cabala, yeah! I will also have some conspiracy theory, money related, something that has to do with stock market... I will also have a mad mathematician and his huge mysterious computer. Some fanatic rabies are also a must. I will make everything in black and white, like these arty movies. I have also heard that wide-angle lenses make great impression on viewer!"

"Oh what a great movie would that be! How much do you think it would cost?"

etc etc.

I hate Hollywood movies, but this movie is a disgrace for independent production. The most overrated movie I have watched!

Lost in Translation (2003)

Where the Hollywood is going to?

[7/10 · 12 January 2005]

This is pretty fair movie, Sofia Coppola is young promising filmmaker, good acting, etc etc. But, this movie brings absolutely nothing new to cinematography. Everything it's saying has been already said many times. Take 3 Woody Allen's movies, cut them in pieces, glue together and you get Lost in Translation. A man in middle age crisis has already solved all his dilemmas regarding younger woman in "Manhattan". They have already been lost in strange country in "Everyone Says I Love You".

Besides, all other characters except the two leading ones are linear and totally made up. All Japanese characters are clichéd, I've never been there, but I really doubt that people there are really like that.

I mean, the movie is OK but Hollywood should stop and think for a minute where it has come to is when this is one of the best movies of 2003.

Bad Santa (2003)

Not so untypical Christmas movie, but undoubtedly a great one

[8/10 · 4 January 2005]

I had trouble talking my friend in watching this one, the title wasn't promising for him, as he's more of "arty" movies fan. But he wasn't mistaken for believing my word about Zwigoff. The weird thing was that the theater was full with young mothers with small kids (I'm talking about 5-10 yrs old here) and I thought "we must have been entered wrong one", but I was wrong. And no one left the show, although mothers seemed to enjoy it more than the kids.

The movie is really funny, all the time, the kid is great, and Billy Bob Thornton is great as well. Although I expected somewhat different end, I was perfectly satisfied with this one, all in all, it IS a Christmas movie and the ending should be this warm and humane.

If we were lucky this is how mainstream Hollywood movies should look like: funny but never indulging.

Fine mrtve djevojke (2002)

Both better and worse than I expected

[5/10 · 22 September 2004]

I haven't seen any Croatian film made since the beginning of war. It's funny to see actors we used to know ten or fifteen years older now.

In this film I liked the production - camera, photography and editing are really professional - you wouldn't say it was made on Balkans. Acting is mostly OK as well.

On the other side, the directing and the story are pretty weak. Everything seems like one dark documentary (yes we know the Balkan really looks like that, and people are really like that). No artistic moments, no metaphors, whole story is explicitly presented, and I dislike this way of movie making. That's why the movie was boring to me, both the story and the way it will be told is predictable.

Though, film-making technique is really good and I guess Croatia can make some really good movies, this one is on the right way.

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

An Unfortunate Masterpiece

[9/10 · 3 August 2004]

This movie has only one misfortune: it was made in early seventies. So that time's highlights (sexual emancipation) had taken over the rest in making it: Due to powerful and daring (for that time) scenes, the script is neglected. Young fiancé director's character, and the scenes with the girl and him are completely silly. Weak dialogs, slightly incoherent story, but very well compensated with great Brando's acting and powerful photography, and succeeds in communicating emotional message (the same message as the one in "Three Colors: Blue") to the viewer. Great ending. Great music. A must-see for any European movies fan. Makes you forgive for the script: 9/10

Jalla! Jalla! (2000)

Nothing new, but very positive and funny

[7/10 · 11 April 2003]

Notice that the similar movie as 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', with the almost same topics dealing with (trouble of young eastern immigrants with their elders and their newly made relationships) succeeded to become so much popular and profitable.

Both movies are positive, funny and relaxing, but the reason that I prefer Jalla Jalla is that I had no impression that this movie was made to be "holywoodish", as I had watching "the wedding". This one is much more natural and relaxed, and does not present the immigrants as bunch of conservative, raw and uncivilized people.

After a lot much more praised Holywood crap, this is a movie I watched without having a sense of wasted time after.