This week's premiere
photo: Tatrafilm
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith(Star Wars: Epizóda III - Pomsta Sithov) - Science Fiction by George Lucas. The famed movie franchise finally comes to a close (or at least that's the plan). Early reports on this one are quite positive, but that's always the case with Star Wars movies; they benefit from an obsessive cult following that seems blind to their faults. The first two prequels - The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones - were laughably bad, despite boasting impressive digital special effects. What they lacked, besides a decent script, was the character-based heart that made the original trilogy so immediately likeable (if overrated). Hopefully writer/director Lucas can deliver a prequel worthy of the Star Wars name. Hayden Christensen returns as Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Knight who will embrace the Dark Side to become Darth Vader. Jimmy Smits joins the cast, while Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel L Jackson, and Ian McDiarmid reprise their roles from Episodes I and II.
Other movies playing
XXX: The Next Level(XXX 2: Druhá dimenzia) - Action by Lee Tamahori. This mediocre sequel to the mediocre XXX feels like an episode of MTV's awful car-loving series Pimp My Ride. Well, at least it's got Ice Cube, who plays an angry former soldier who punches, kicks, and shoots everyone who gets in the way of his mission to save the US government from a violent overthrow.
photo: Continental Film
The Door in the Floor(Dvere v podlahe) - Drama by Tod Williams. Adapted from a portion of John Irving's novel A Widow for One Year, this film tells the story of a marriage left crumbling by a tragic auto accident and chronic infidelity. Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges), a successful writer, has engaged in a number of affairs since the death of his two sons left his wife Marion (Kim Basinger) detached and depressed. To help him edit his latest book, Ted hires Eddie (Jon Foster), a smart teenager who looks very similar to one of his deceased sons. Marion seduces the young boy, thus complicating the already strained situation in the Cole household. Elle Fanning plays Ted and Marion's neglected daughter and Mimi Rogers plays Ted's latest mistress.
Kingdom of Heaven(Kráľovstvo nebeské) - Historical epic by Ridley Scott. With today's western superpower (the US) foolishly getting further and further entangled in the Middle East - thus unfortunately convincing many Muslims that it is waging a war on Islam - it seems appropriate to revisit those glorious days when the great western superpower of the Catholic Church got foolishly entangled in the Middle East by actually waging a war on Muslims. Veteran filmmaker Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) directs an impressive cast that includes Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, and the absolutely luminous Eva Green (The Dreamers). The catch? It stars the pretty but perpetually boring Orlando Bloom as a blacksmith in Jerusalem who protects his people from the Muslim invaders.
Prepared by Jonathan Knapp
