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Andor (2022)
The Unsung Heroes
This is probably the most mature and realistic that Star Wars has ever been. The bueraucracy and inner workings of the Empire, the philosophy and ideas behind the Rebel Alliance, the hardships and trials and tribulations of everyday citizens of the Galactic Empire, vibrant characters with intriguing motivations. This is the story about the people behind Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Leia Organa, the people who've fought for the sunrise that they'll never get to experience. The people like Luthen Rael, Cassian Andor, Kino and hundreds of others, who've fought until their last breath and who've sacrificed everything so that the children of the future could live in a better and more prosperous galaxy. Andor gives us an insight into their lives and sacrifices that they've had to make.
Andor is the best that Star Wars has been since the original trilogy. Simply nothing, not the prequels and definitely not the sequels, can compare to Andor's masterful writing, incredible and poignant dialogue, rich characters and spectacular story.
Andor is peak Star Wars.
The Empress (2022)
Unimaginative and Dull
Period dramas were always known for their well written dialogue, great acting and fabulous costume design, most notably Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey. These types of shows were bright and colorful, and yet they were able to come across as serious and realistic in their portrayals of certain historical periods.
However, everything changed with Game of Thrones. Many period dramas that came after the Game of Thrones have all suffered from same issues, and "The Empress" is no exception.
Gray and dull cinematography, excessive nudity, strange costume designs, lack of musical score, empty characters with virtually no positive traits, pointless intrigues. The Empress is suffering from all these issues.
You wanted to see the infamous Habsburg splendor? Well, you'll see none of that since the Palace shown in the series isn't even the Schönbrunn Palace of Vienna. It's just some dull German château.
You wanted to see fabulous period costumes and hairstyles? Well, you'll see none of that, since show has decided to completely ignore the time period that it's placed in, and so you'll see Sissi wearing 80s style fishnet tops and 50s style hats and dresses, you'll see Sissi's sister having modern day "Instagram" hairstyle, Alexander Von Bach looking like a 1920s banker, Franz Josef's mother Sophie looking like Cruella, Alexander II of Russia wearing some weird tribal hairstyle that includes braids (?!), etc.
The show is completely historically inaccurate and makes some weird creative liberties at times, like having actual nightclub dancers at Franz and Elizabeth's wedding, Alexander II looking nothing like he did in reality and acting completely out of character, Maximilian being in love with Sissi for whatever reason, Franz Josef being an illegitimate product of an affair (?!), etc.
The characters make absolutely no sense, for example in one scene Sissi and Franz are in love and all is good, while in the next scene Sissi is drunk at a party and is not on speaking terms with Franz, the revolutionaries who somehow manage to bypass all the security and infiltrate the court and kill the Emperor are unclear in their political goals, Sissi's relationship with her family is barely explored since they suddenly stop appearing after the third episode, Franz is unclear whether he loves Sissi or not since he continues to flirt with other women, same goes for Sissi.
It's completely unclear to me, why is it so hard to make a good period drama about Sissi? Why does everything always need to have such a low quality to it? Are the showrunners simply lazy or are they ignorant?
A Ghost Story (2017)
To Be A Ghost
If anything, A Ghost Story is a true state of the art film, it focuses mostly on visual storytelling and it does, indeed, tell a powerful story.
Many films have already touched on the curse of immortality and timelessness, but none have done it the way A Ghost Story does.
The story is told mostly from the Ghost's point of view, which allows the audences to feel and see whatever the Ghost feels and sees.
The film perfectly depicts what it feels to be a Ghost, a non-being, cursed to simply exist forever. Everything moves, changes, progresses, but the Ghost stays the same. He is glued to the house which he occupies and he is unable to leave it.
As the time goes by, the only thing that remains are his memories of what used to be. The time moves so quickly, sometimes so quickly that he can't catch up with it, and as the future progresses he starts to feel more and more lonely.
The house that was once occupied by lively people who used to love each other and laugh is eventually replaced with a half-empty office building that's occupied by cold and calculated executives.
However, even when the Ghost decides to leave this future, he just simply returns to the moment when his house was first built.
He is destined to exist forever. Or is he?
Obviously, the film was panned by the average moviegoers who've already gotten used to quick-paced action blockbusters made by Disney, and who have no patience for something more thoughtful.
However, regardless of that, a cinematic masterpiece that is A Ghost Story will continue to exist, even as the times and audiences around it change. It will always be there.
Specijalno vaspitanje (1977)
A bold social critique
The Special Education is a 1977 Yugoslav juvenile drama film directed by an acclaimed director Goran Markovic.
The story revolves around a group of problematic teenagers placed in a juvenile detention center, and their tough but sympathetic new teacher/guardian.
While the film offers quite a bit of fun and humour, with vibrant and interesting characters, it also serves as a social commentary. Markovic perfectly understands the way a juvenile brain works, and the nature of urban life.
However, behind this fun, humorous facade lies a serious critique of the social system in ex-Yugoslavia.
The characters are split into two groups: Senior professors, the principal and the students/inmates along with their new guardian Zabac.
Zabac serves as a defiant force, constantly rebellious and critical towards the senior teachers and the principal, who are completely unaware of the conditions in which the inmates are living, what kind of food do they eat as well as their very safety and psychological health. The teachers and the principal spend time drinking coffee, planting trees and pretending like the juvenile centre is doing well, while in reality the whole system is at the edge of collapse. The inmates are forced to eat dog food because the principal refuses to aquire better food, the professors are ready to institutionalise a perfectly healthy young man, the principal is planting palms while the inmates are having a bloody brawl just a few feet away from him.
The system is rotten, ignorant and completely careless of the inmates' needs.
Guardian Zabac comes as a rebellious figure, a younger man with new methods, a caring man who dares to put the inmates before himself (convinces the principal that a boy is not mentally ill, buys the inmates some better food out of his own pocket, breaks fights, teaches inmates to respect each other).
This immediately puts him into a conflict with the principal and other senior professors, who see him as an unneeded outliner and a dissident.
The story serves as an allegory to the times in which it was written. The Detention Centre is Yugoslavia, and the Principal and senior professors are the government.
The film offers a brave critique of the system that's becoming increasingly bureaucratic, elitistic, isolated and ignorant of the people's needs. This came in the time in which criticising the system could give you serious problems (from financial punishments and political harrasments to prison sentences or deportations).
Goran Markovic gives a bold, brave social commentary that reveals some long ignored social and political problems in Tito's one-party dictatorship while also serving as a deep but fun juvenile drama, and serves as one of the prime examples of the greatness of Yugoslav cinema.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020)
Nobody will really like this for what it is.
The real truth about the Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is that nobody will like it or hate it for what it is.
The people who like this movie will like it because it has ridiculed the politics that they don't support, and therefore they'll find it amusing.
On the other hand, the people who don't like this movie won't like it because it ridicules the politics that they support, and therefore they'll be offended.
However, this was not the case with the first film, which was universally liked by all sides of political spectrum because it has ridiculed every political idea there is. That is not the case with this film, but it's also the least of it's issues.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is a complete letdown (compared to the first one) on (almost) every single level. It's pacing is completely off, the humour feels faked and staged, acting is far worse than it's been in the last film, Cohen is lacking in charisma and the overall writing is sloppy. The film is an overall disappointment.
However, most people won't notice it (or will notice it but won't care), as they'll be too busy being amused or offended, but nobody will like this movie for what it is. The only reason to like this movie is not because of it's quality as a movie, but because of it's political message, and the only reason to hate this movie is not because of it's low quality as a movie, but because of it's political message.
Overall, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (quality wise) won't be liked by anyone (not in a real sense at least) and it will stay a cinematic disappointment compared to the first movie.