Marek Taclik Movies

A man looking for a new life thinks one may have just come to him in this offbeat comedy from director David Ondricek. Fleischman (Marek Taclik) works as a repairman at the Jested Grand Hotel, a once-glamorous hotel in Liberec; he doesn't much care for his job, and while he was born and raised in the Czech Republic, he dreams of starting over somewhere else. Fleischman has also grown tired of his co-workers, including Zuzana (Dita Zabranska), the chambermaid who has a crush on him; horny desk clerk Jegr (Jaromir Dulava); and Franz (Ladislav Mrkvicka), en elderly man with a seemingly endless supply of stories about World War II. Fleischman starts thinking there might be a reason to stick around in Liberec after all when Ilja (Klara Issova, a beautiful woman with an unfortunate habit of stealing things, moves into the hotel. Fleischman falls head over heels for Ilja, and she's clearly attracted to him; she wants a child and Fleischman may be just the man to give her one, but there's a catch. Ilja already has a boyfriend, an obnoxious con man named Patka (Jaroslav Plesl) who sells worthless patent medicine to folks who don't know any better. A winner of two Czech Lion awards, Grandhotel was screened as part of the 2007 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A little girl growing up in a house full of drama lets her imagination get the better of her in this comedy-drama written and directed by Maria Prochazkova. Terezka (Dorotka Dedkova) is a six-year-old girl who loves the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood." Terezka insists that her mother (Jitka Cvancarova) read it to her every night, even though it gives her nightmares that reveal new layers of meaning in the story. Things are already a bit scary in Terezka's household; Mother is a tense woman resentful that she gave up a budding career as a singer to become a housewife, Father (Pavel Reznicek) is loving but more interested in his work than his home, and Grandmother (Jana Krausova) is convinced Mother would be best off leaving her husband and getting back together with her former beau Patrik (Martin Hofmann), who has become a star in classical music. In Kindergarten, Terezka is best friends with Simon (Matous Kratina), and they've both become fascinated with aliens and what they're doing on Earth. As Terezka and Simon compare notes, he becomes convinced that one of her parents is actually from another world; the real story is not as curious but almost as surprising. Kdopak By Se Vlka Bal (aka Who's Afraid Of The Wolf) was an official selection at the 2009 BFI London Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi