2,077 words
The film Joker: Folie à Deux naturally follows the aftermath of its predecessor, the Joker movie of 2019. Then, a mentally disturbed lumpenproletarian repeatedly got kicked when he was down, and quite literally at that. Of course, the cheese decisively slid off of his cracker, and the unemployed clown snapped epically. The new film’s action begins with him in the infamous Arkham Asylum. (more…)
1.511 slov
English original here
Ben Novak
Hitler and Abductive Logic: The Strategy of a Tyrant
Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2014
„Nahlédni do své duše a uvidíš, že je to pravda.“
Kniha Hitler a abduktivní logika Bena Novaka je dost možná tím nejvíce strhujícím akademickým titulem, na jaký jsem kdy narazil. Přináší smělou a nápaditou syntézu filozofie, historie, životopisu i literárního umu. (more…)
1,668 words
Introduction to The Batman
The new Gotham city, presented by director Matt Reeves and inhabited/stalked by Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, is gothic and atmospheric. On the first of two viewings, I found myself so enamored by the backgrounds and music that I was less focused on the dialogue. Gotham is not merely a backdrop to the events taking place but is brought to life and is almost a character in its own right. Bruce Wayne’s “Batcave” is an abandoned subway station beneath Wayne Tower, which also houses his gothic-styled manor. (more…)
1,690 words
Brad Bird is the director of three classic animated films: The Iron Giant (1999), The Incredibles (2004), and Ratatouille (2007), as well as the blockbuster sequel The Incredibles 2 (2018). The Incredibles is a superhero film that also pays affectionate homage to the spy movies of the 1960s, especially classic Bond. (more…)
4,239 slov
English original here
Strážci (Watchmen) patří k těm nejpravicovějším – dokonce s fašismem flirtujícím – dílům popkultury posledních let, a to vše i navzdory řádně a plně v souladu s duchem doby levicovému smýšlení tvůrců původního komiksu: autora příběhu Alana Moorea, ilustrátora Davea Gibbonse i Zacka Snydera, autora filmové adaptace, již osobně považuji za ten vůbec nejlepší snímek o superhrdinech, který své předloze nejen že dělá čest, ale dokonce ji v mnoha důležitých ohledech vylepšuje. (more…)
1,665 words
Czech version here
Ben Novak
Hitler and Abductive Logic: The Strategy of a Tyrant
Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2014
“Search your feelings. You know it to be true.”
Ben Novak’s Hitler and Abductive Logic is one of the most exciting academic books I have ever read, a daring and imaginative synthesis of philosophy, history, biography, and literature. (more…)
2,018 words
The final installment of the massively profitable Avengers movie franchise, Endgame, offers three hours of superhero soap opera within a coherent, twisting, and surprisingly entertaining plot. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely remain focused on leading us to a grand climax throughout the story while keeping the edge between wondering what will happen next and knowing what will happen next reasonably sharp. (more…)
809 words
M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass is a sequel to two of his films, Unbreakable (2000), which is my favorite of his works, and Split (2016), which I found to be quite unpleasant, although I must concede that it is brilliantly acted in the lead role(s) by James McEvoy.
Unbreakable is a deeply moving film about how David Dunn (Bruce Willis)—once a brilliant college athlete who has been emasculated by his wife, an overprotective physical therapist—discovers that he is not an ordinary man. (more…)
2,167 words
Appreciating Pixar’s The Incredibles 2 really is all about perspective, and that perspective comes only after experiencing the giddy nirvana of watching the first Incredibles movie. Going into the sequel, I was prepared to forgive it for not quite living up to the original, but would not forgive if it did not remain true to the spirit of the original. I’m fairly easy to please in this regard given that the spirit of the original was such a unique and wonderful thing. (more…)
1,903 words
Unbreakable (2000) is many people’s least favorite M. Night Shyamalan film, but I think it is his best: brilliantly conceived and scripted, beautifully acted and filmed, and quite moving. Since the film is almost two decades old, I trust nobody will complain about spoilers.
Unbreakable is a superhero film, but it does not contain any computer animation, strobe-fast editing, or deafening crashes and booms. (more…)
1,188 words
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is an animated movie adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. Released in two 76-minute parts in 2012 and 2013, then combined into a 148-minute edition DVD and Blu-ray, this is lame, sclerotic, constipated, Z-grade animation drawn out to paralyzing lengths, completely lacking the visual style and dynamism of the original graphic novel, which is more animated on the printed page than in this adaptation. (more…)
