Film critic Pronchenko: Nolan's 'Odyssey' made eternal text impossibly relevant

Film critic Zinaida Pronchenko shared her summer movie picks and thoughts on the current film landscape during the program 'Summer Horizon'. According to her, this summer's box office is split between Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' and 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', which has already broken several records and become the second most successful release in history. On such occasions, she suggests also turning to retro classics. She named 'The Fabulous Baker Boys' from 1989, featuring a young Jeff Bridges and a wonderful Michelle Pfeiffer. The film was an Oscar nominee, and Pfeiffer won a Golden Globe for her role. It is a story about the torments of two musician brothers competing for Pfeiffer's heart, as well as the torments of love.

Asked whether films used to be better, Pronchenko noted that nostalgia is common to everyone, especially those no longer young, and she said she belongs to that group herself. The current period is difficult, making the past seem better, even though life was quite complicated then too. Hollywood, like the whole world, is going through unclear times, but last year there was 'Battle for Battle' (in Russian, 'Битва за битвой'), which she called a nearly perfect film. Therefore, she would not rush to catastrophic conclusions.

In her view, Nolan's 'Odyssey' is a nearly perfect adaptation because it made an eternal text impossibly relevant and managed to make the souls of people separated from the events of the Odyssey by millennia vibrate. It is a story about the desire to return home and to a time when things were good. She suggested that this is the main emotion of the present day.

On August 18, Tallinn will host a meeting with critics Zinaida Pronchenko and Anton Dolin. The topic is 'The Best Films of All Time. And Who Decided That?' Pronchenko said their tastes are completely different and they will debate based on a chart. Her list will not include 'The Big Lebowski', although it is definitely worth watching; perhaps it will appear on Dolin's list. They are keeping their lists secret from each other. As a spoiler, she revealed that her list will include 'Jackie Brown' — one of Quentin Tarantino's most underrated films, which she considers absolutely great.