Another night marathon so the movies are a tad old:
SEX AND THE CITY 2
Recommended. While Carrie and Big are working on regaining their sparkle (2 days weekly off work or marriage), the movie sparkles in all possible ways: slick haute couture outfits and luxurious decor provide the usual Sex And The City glamour and shine, sparkling humour held me in stitches (e.g. about Liza Minelli singing at a gay wedding: "Why has Liza Minelli signed up for this?!" "It's pure physics. Where there's so much gay energy, she just materialises.") and infallible Samantha sends off enough sparkles to start a fire.
THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
Recommended. Full of marvellous special effects, fast action, fantastic humour (e.g. "I'm a sorcerer." "And I thought my last boyfriend was different because he wore a scarf.") I seriously considered seeing it again straight after the screening ended.
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME
Watchable. I liked the going back in time idea (didn't have enough of that) but the trailer promised more special effects - these were far and few between and of poor quality and there were too many brawls and dagger fights, it also completely lacked humour or even irony.
I have to say that Warsaw Multikino with freshly squeezed juice to buy is so much better than London Cineworld that only sold the worst of fast food.
Saturday 11 December 2010
Sunday 28 November 2010
SAW VII 3D
Watchable. You, producers of "Saw" have ruthlessly milked the classic up to the point of marketing the latest as-gorey-as-usual instalment as 3D while in fact it's flat. Now, Hollywood bloodsuckers, I want to play a game with you.
and some movies seen at a night film marathon a few weeks ago:
GET LOW
Watchable. The funeral preparations turn out to be surprisingly amusing and involving. The self-imposed prison deepens the story but the film seems to keep a distance. Too reserved to get my accolades.
CRAZY HEART
Watchable. Very realistic and human but you have to feel the blues to enjoy it properly.
A SINGLE MAN
Walked out. Actually, sleepwalked out.
When out on the concourse, I heard a fascinating true story from a girl whose manager at a games salon tried to rape her. His superior then threatened to kill her if she testifies against the manager. He caught her by the throat while the police were there. She had begged them not to leave. Luckily, as corrupt as they were, they didn't want her blood on their hands so they stayed and she got to live to tell the story to a random girl. Life is stranger than fiction.
WHATEVER WORKS
Recommended. Deserves an Oscar. Genius Woody Allen winks to the audience saying the viewers shouldn't be interested in strangers' lives and that the tickets are going to fund another Hollywood swimming pool. A masterpiece from the very beginning to the very end.
and a really old film (yes, got lazy) I haven't mentioned yet:
STEP UP 3D
Watchable. While the visual effects are impressive and the music rocks, the movie fails to show the blood, sweat and tears of dance training that was a strong point of the previous two instalments.
Gosh, do I miss London! In the UK I used to dance 2-4 times a week. Here the smoking ban has only been issued recently and no implementing orders are in force. Still scared of suffocating if I go out.
Watchable. You, producers of "Saw" have ruthlessly milked the classic up to the point of marketing the latest as-gorey-as-usual instalment as 3D while in fact it's flat. Now, Hollywood bloodsuckers, I want to play a game with you.
and some movies seen at a night film marathon a few weeks ago:
GET LOW
Watchable. The funeral preparations turn out to be surprisingly amusing and involving. The self-imposed prison deepens the story but the film seems to keep a distance. Too reserved to get my accolades.
CRAZY HEART
Watchable. Very realistic and human but you have to feel the blues to enjoy it properly.
A SINGLE MAN
Walked out. Actually, sleepwalked out.
When out on the concourse, I heard a fascinating true story from a girl whose manager at a games salon tried to rape her. His superior then threatened to kill her if she testifies against the manager. He caught her by the throat while the police were there. She had begged them not to leave. Luckily, as corrupt as they were, they didn't want her blood on their hands so they stayed and she got to live to tell the story to a random girl. Life is stranger than fiction.
WHATEVER WORKS
Recommended. Deserves an Oscar. Genius Woody Allen winks to the audience saying the viewers shouldn't be interested in strangers' lives and that the tickets are going to fund another Hollywood swimming pool. A masterpiece from the very beginning to the very end.
and a really old film (yes, got lazy) I haven't mentioned yet:
STEP UP 3D
Watchable. While the visual effects are impressive and the music rocks, the movie fails to show the blood, sweat and tears of dance training that was a strong point of the previous two instalments.
Gosh, do I miss London! In the UK I used to dance 2-4 times a week. Here the smoking ban has only been issued recently and no implementing orders are in force. Still scared of suffocating if I go out.
Thursday 5 August 2010
Friday 23 July 2010
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE
Watchable. The beginning is startling and brilliant. The action fast-paced. The biggest surprise were some changes in casting: Victoria played by a different actress and in the look of characters with Bella and Jasper looking significantly better and Alice looking surprisingly worse, Rosalie looks different - I had to doublecheck the cast listings, the actress is the same. The werevolves are cute, so cuddly, shame the special effects are lame. Altogether predictably good with no surprised. Very true to the book, retaining even some jokes e.g.: "I kissed Bella and she broke her hand punching me in the face."
Watchable. The beginning is startling and brilliant. The action fast-paced. The biggest surprise were some changes in casting: Victoria played by a different actress and in the look of characters with Bella and Jasper looking significantly better and Alice looking surprisingly worse, Rosalie looks different - I had to doublecheck the cast listings, the actress is the same. The werevolves are cute, so cuddly, shame the special effects are lame. Altogether predictably good with no surprised. Very true to the book, retaining even some jokes e.g.: "I kissed Bella and she broke her hand punching me in the face."
Thursday 22 July 2010
Tuesday 8 June 2010
SHUTTER ISLAND
Recommended. Perfect. Leonardo di Caprio at his peak. The story is properly mysterious and with a brilliant twist. The basic question is how do you prove your sanity? And how do you know you are sane?
I saw a poster advertising "The Fourth Kind" at the cinema. Funny that in Poland it hasn't been released yet.
Recommended. Perfect. Leonardo di Caprio at his peak. The story is properly mysterious and with a brilliant twist. The basic question is how do you prove your sanity? And how do you know you are sane?
I saw a poster advertising "The Fourth Kind" at the cinema. Funny that in Poland it hasn't been released yet.
Sunday 2 May 2010
ALICE IN WONDERLAND 3D AT IMAX
Recommended. IMAX is about the only cinema type offering a real 3D experience. And the latest version of "Alice In Wonderland" is the only watchable one, and even better than just watchable. Alice is my girl: head-strong, imaginative, kind to animals and fighting monsters. The Mad Hatter character has finally got a chance to be enacted by Johnny Depp - just made for the role. Anne Hathaway is a delightful White Queen. The music's great and the make-up and visual effects deserve oscars (just watch the Mad Hatter dance!). I hope part 2 is coming - it should, taken that Alice has promissed the Hatter to return.
Recommended. IMAX is about the only cinema type offering a real 3D experience. And the latest version of "Alice In Wonderland" is the only watchable one, and even better than just watchable. Alice is my girl: head-strong, imaginative, kind to animals and fighting monsters. The Mad Hatter character has finally got a chance to be enacted by Johnny Depp - just made for the role. Anne Hathaway is a delightful White Queen. The music's great and the make-up and visual effects deserve oscars (just watch the Mad Hatter dance!). I hope part 2 is coming - it should, taken that Alice has promissed the Hatter to return.
Saturday 1 May 2010
AVATAR 3D
Seen again. Second time round the film felt lengthy and the visual effects were less awe-inspiring. But at least I could focus on some really good lines. But the most important observation was that it's far less impressive at a normal cinema than at IMAX. Strangely, the movie was practicly flat. Why was that?
Seen again. Second time round the film felt lengthy and the visual effects were less awe-inspiring. But at least I could focus on some really good lines. But the most important observation was that it's far less impressive at a normal cinema than at IMAX. Strangely, the movie was practicly flat. Why was that?
Monday 5 April 2010
Sunday 7 March 2010
ACADEMY AWARDS 2010
By the time I found a live coverage online, I had missed 35 minutes (how do I recapture that?) I loved the "damned Mirren" - "she's dame Mirren" joke and Ben Stiller as a Na'vi. The Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects Awards for "Avatar" most deserved. It's nice the tribute to the diseased included Michael Jackson ("Thriller" was quite a movie experience, wasn't it). The "most creative special effects since Avatar" joke was brilliant as was the one about what the hosts were doing backstage. I also liked the one about Meryl Streep: "I'm spearheading a movement in the Academy to cut the number of nominations for one person at 16". What sounded like a sick joke were the wins in the Best Director and Best Motion Picture categories - I had walked out from "The Hurt Locker". The Best Director win first sounded to me like extreme PC but the best movie?!
By the time I found a live coverage online, I had missed 35 minutes (how do I recapture that?) I loved the "damned Mirren" - "she's dame Mirren" joke and Ben Stiller as a Na'vi. The Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects Awards for "Avatar" most deserved. It's nice the tribute to the diseased included Michael Jackson ("Thriller" was quite a movie experience, wasn't it). The "most creative special effects since Avatar" joke was brilliant as was the one about what the hosts were doing backstage. I also liked the one about Meryl Streep: "I'm spearheading a movement in the Academy to cut the number of nominations for one person at 16". What sounded like a sick joke were the wins in the Best Director and Best Motion Picture categories - I had walked out from "The Hurt Locker". The Best Director win first sounded to me like extreme PC but the best movie?!
Wednesday 27 January 2010
DAYBREAKERS
Recommended. The film starts where others end. It appears standard in Hollywood that when an epidemic decimates the human population the movie will end with the last few survivors doomed unless... and this is where "Daybreakers" takes over the story. 10 years after the outbreak vampires have dominated the world. They factory-bleed humans like milk cows. They can't imagine their daily coffee without blood. The future world is so meticulously portrayed that you see them driving cars in a daytime mode, you hear about infected animals causing forest fires when they come out in daylight. Both animals and humans are nearly extinct in result of the vampires' insatiable thirst. Just a few years earlier becoming a vampire meant survival, now they are days away from their own extinction. Desperation grows. And vampires are ruthless. The perfection of the film lies in details. Whoever says it's just gore and explosions, wasn't watching carefully enough.
In the meantime, I've returned to Poland and have failed to find any cinema offering an unlimited pass. I've decided to limit my movie-going to films in which special effects make a difference between the big screen and the small screen which in practice means science fiction. But I crave my daily cinema like a vampire a doze of blood. Help!
Recommended. The film starts where others end. It appears standard in Hollywood that when an epidemic decimates the human population the movie will end with the last few survivors doomed unless... and this is where "Daybreakers" takes over the story. 10 years after the outbreak vampires have dominated the world. They factory-bleed humans like milk cows. They can't imagine their daily coffee without blood. The future world is so meticulously portrayed that you see them driving cars in a daytime mode, you hear about infected animals causing forest fires when they come out in daylight. Both animals and humans are nearly extinct in result of the vampires' insatiable thirst. Just a few years earlier becoming a vampire meant survival, now they are days away from their own extinction. Desperation grows. And vampires are ruthless. The perfection of the film lies in details. Whoever says it's just gore and explosions, wasn't watching carefully enough.
In the meantime, I've returned to Poland and have failed to find any cinema offering an unlimited pass. I've decided to limit my movie-going to films in which special effects make a difference between the big screen and the small screen which in practice means science fiction. But I crave my daily cinema like a vampire a doze of blood. Help!
Wednesday 20 January 2010
AVATAR 3D at IMAX
Recommended. If the visual effects don't get an oscar, I'll eat my keyboard. It's not even about the 3D but about the spectacular creation of an alien world: the landscape with floating mountains, the vegetation with its night-time fluorescence, the quasi-prehistoric wildlife and the indigenous population clearly inspired by native American cultures. Also the secret agent story is more satisfactory than the trailer suggested. It complements the presented world, everything makes sense, bits of humour (e.g. "Try to make your mind go blank. It shouldn't be too difficult for you.") endear to the characters from the beginning, betrayals and disloyalties provide emotional upheavals. It was altogether just breathtaking. When the 156-minute long movie ended it felt all too soon.
Recommended. If the visual effects don't get an oscar, I'll eat my keyboard. It's not even about the 3D but about the spectacular creation of an alien world: the landscape with floating mountains, the vegetation with its night-time fluorescence, the quasi-prehistoric wildlife and the indigenous population clearly inspired by native American cultures. Also the secret agent story is more satisfactory than the trailer suggested. It complements the presented world, everything makes sense, bits of humour (e.g. "Try to make your mind go blank. It shouldn't be too difficult for you.") endear to the characters from the beginning, betrayals and disloyalties provide emotional upheavals. It was altogether just breathtaking. When the 156-minute long movie ended it felt all too soon.
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