By Ryan Keating-Lambert Although things are looking a bit dire in the film industry lately, there’s still hope! Many Prague-based film festivals are adapting and moving online this season and the Mezipatra Queer Film Festival, now in its 21st year, is no exception. The festival will retain its youthful, colourful and carefree spirit despite the circumstances, and will kick off on November 5th with a live broadcast on streaming service Moje Kino, where you can watch a number of award-winning LGBTQ films until November 12th. Starting at 19:00 sharp, the English friendly opening ceremony will in ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert Denis Villenueve’s Dune is one of the most anticipated science fiction blockbusters of the decade, and the first trailer has finally dropped. Based on the iconic best-selling novel by Frank Herbert, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a co ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert The much-anticipated teaser trailer for Matt Reeves’s The Batman is here and it looks to be an even angstier take on the character than past adaptations (if that’s even possible). It looks incredible and Robert Pattinson appears to be a natural. Premiering at the recent DC FanDome event, the teaser shows Bruce Wayne / Batman as a much younger man, and gives a wonderful detective noir take on the titular character. It also appears that the Riddler, played by Paul Dano, is the main villain in question. At this point, the plot is said to be based on the popular Batman grap ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert New historic drama Charlatan directed by Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa, The Burning Bush) is turning heads everywhere for its tender portrayal of historic Czech healer Jan Mikolášek who cured hundreds with plant-based remedies during occupied Czechoslovakia. The film is a joint Czech-Irish-Polish-Slovak production which premiered at this year’s Berlinale International Film Festival and stars Ivan Trojan as Mikolášek, Trojan’s real-life son Josef as the younger Mikolášek, and Juraj Loj as his assistant and lover František. It’s also one of the few Czech-language films ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert ★★★★☆ Palm Springs is a fun and colourful take on the time-loop sub-genre which has been poked and prodded in every which way for decades since Groundhog Day, but this one is particularly memorable. If you’re looking for a summer flick with some light laughs, this one is for you. In saying that though, there’s also something wonderfully cynical and bittersweet about it – like a rainbow cupcake with a pinch of salt. After a freak accident, wedding guest Nyles (Andy Samberg) becomes trapped in a time loop where he is forced to live through a wedding celebration over and o ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert The Guardian recently released a free-for-watch documentary short and Q&A with Iranian filmmakers Sara Khaki and Mohammad Reza Eyni, who filmed the early days of lockdown in Iran from within their Tehran apartment. Despite there already being multiple documentaries, short films and Zoom calls on YouTube, Netflix and more, Our Iranian Lockdown is a genuinely eye-opening and particularly intimate look at the couple’s quarantine life, the tragic death of a family member and preparations for Persian New Year celebrations. At just 11 minutes long, the short packs q ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert The very first biopic on Czech president and playwright Václav Havel hits Czech cinemas today. Written and directed by Slávek Horák (Home Care), Havel covers the early years of the Czech icon’s dissident life up to the Velvet Revolution. The relatively unknown Viktor Dvořák stars as the revolutionary and it’s really quite remarkable just how much the actor looks like the real Havel. “I watched various documentaries. I also realised that Havel became president when I was 10 or 11 years old and I grew up on him. I realise now, looking back, that I’ve got him under my ski ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert I’m extremely grateful for my friends at armarolla literary journal who recently published an abridged version of my short horror screenplay Sirens featuring the stunning photography of Prague-based photographer Richard Hodonicky and Slovak dancer and performance artist Martin Talaga, who has believed in this project from day one – thank you. The new issue of the journal is dedicated to musings of love and features the work of talented writers from all over the world. The published screenplay is just a snippet of what I’ve been working on for the last year and is based ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert After a lengthy pause due to the covid-19 pandemic, The second season of The Witcher has finally been given the go-ahead to start shooting again. This time in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Britain. The popular fantasy series starring British superman Henry Cavill was originally slated to continue shooting after summer, but was moved forward after the recent lift of quarantine restrictions. The series will now resume shooting on August 3 but a precise schedule is yet to be confirmed. The first season of the Netflix series, mainly shot in Hungary, has been viewed by mo ..read more

By Ryan Keating-Lambert The much anticipated Bill and Ted threequel now has a trailer and it’s EXACTLY what you need to watch today to get through these covid blues. Directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), Bill and Ted Face the Music sees the iconic duo, played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, and their time-travelling telephone box travelling into the future to find the song that unites the world, which their future selves will write. Cue: awesome soundtrack. Bill and Ted Face the Music also stars Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine and is scheduled for release August 21, but don’t hold ..read more