JUPITER ASCENDING 3D
Watchable. The storyline is really silly, for kids only. At the same time though the visual effects, costumes and cinematography are spectacular and worth seeing in 3D.
INTO THE WOODS
Walked out. It's a musical and it's really full of typical ear-tearing musical songs with hardly any word spoken in between. Couldn't stand it, even for Chris Pine, a glimpse of whom I caught only once before leaving.
KINGSMAN
Watchable. Great fun. My only objection is that it's too anti-class-system PC. But other than that it's light entertainment in the style of old Bond movies minus chauvinism.
PRIDE
Watchable. Hard to believe gays used to be discriminated in Britain in the 80s. I'm neither gay nor a miner yet I enjoyed this cheerful comedy about predjudice. It's also an interesting fragment of the modern history of the UK. You can learn how certain rights were gained. Also, it features lots of great music of the 80s (Bronski Beat, Culture Club, Dead or Alive).
Thursday 26 February 2015
Sunday 22 February 2015
ACADEMY AWARDS CEREMONY 2015
I set my alarm for 1:45 (Polish time) expecting a reliable Pro7 Live Stream as in previous years. It didn't work. Resorted to the Filmweb forum under the Oscars nominees list. Finally http://www.brettygood.com/ seems to be working and it's 2:58 am already.
Costumes and Make-up Awards for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - not surprised.
Foreign Language Film - I'm on the edge of my seat already. Pawlikowski's speech is nice, especially the bit about being "in the epicentre of world attention".
Lousy jokes so far. Snacks forbidden but seat fillers presented instead.
Finally a stream where even commercials are in English (ABC).
Now a winner's advertising his local donut bakery.
As I said before, "Joanna" didn't deserve an Oscar. It didn't get one. Neither did "Our Curse" which I haven't seen and most likely won't.
The stream's breaking up a bit.
Jokes still lousy.
Several actors in the audience look as if they were wearing masks, specially John Travolta. Surgery plus make-up? They somehow all resemble Putin.
The "Birdman" mock sketch is good!
"American Sniper" for Sound Editing. Happy to hear that.
Patricia Arquette's feminist manifesto speech was astonishing. Why is she talking about it?
Visual Effects - my fave category. Deservedly "Interstellar" this year.
Cinematography unfortunately not for "Ida".
Can't wait to hear Lady Gaga perform.
Oh, so Giger died last year? I didn't even know. Marquez In Memoriam too - what did he have to do with films?
Cumberbatch's speech about film editing was interesting. Apparently editors: help find a needle in a haystack, "save actors' asses" and remind directors why they made the movie in the first place.
I've just realised how bad the Polish translation of "The Imitation Game" title was - completely neglecting the protagonist's trying to blend in with the straight crowd.
"Citizenfour" winning the Best Documentary - "the subject of the film, Edward Snowden, couldn't be here for some reason" - finally a good joke!
Polish commentators expected references to Ukraine. So far I've heard only one possible about the celebrities' oscar goodie bag containing "an armoured ride to safety if a revolution comes". Instead it's all about a bigger number of blacks incarcerated in the US nowadays than in slavery times.
Best Score for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" whose music I didn't like.
One of "Birdman" scriptwriters thanked his family and dog - loved it!
Ah, so "The Theory Of Everything" was based on Hawking's wife's book. That explains why the film's more about her than him.
What a moving speech by The Imitation Game" scriptwriter Graham Moore who admitted he had attempted suicide at 16 because he "didn't fit in".
Best Director - Alejandro G. Inarritu for "Birdman" - who else? The only film which was different.
Very good speech by Cate Blanchet about great acting being when you're afraid to blink an eye lest you miss an important moment. Not the case of Eddie Redmayne but his performance was remarkable. Must be terribly hard to act mobility impaired.
Actress In A Leading Role - Rosamund Pike is my hope and the Oscar goes to...Julianne Moore. Haven't seen that film. Her husband's younger than her. At last a woman admitting it.
The PWC guy really looks like aged Matt Damon.
"Oscar predictions" were brilliant!
Is Sean Penn the only one looking actually his age?
"Birdman" the Best Picture? I disagree. Preferred "American Sniper".
Clearly the whole ceremony was about equality.
I set my alarm for 1:45 (Polish time) expecting a reliable Pro7 Live Stream as in previous years. It didn't work. Resorted to the Filmweb forum under the Oscars nominees list. Finally http://www.brettygood.com/ seems to be working and it's 2:58 am already.
Costumes and Make-up Awards for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - not surprised.
Foreign Language Film - I'm on the edge of my seat already. Pawlikowski's speech is nice, especially the bit about being "in the epicentre of world attention".
Lousy jokes so far. Snacks forbidden but seat fillers presented instead.
Finally a stream where even commercials are in English (ABC).
Now a winner's advertising his local donut bakery.
As I said before, "Joanna" didn't deserve an Oscar. It didn't get one. Neither did "Our Curse" which I haven't seen and most likely won't.
The stream's breaking up a bit.
Jokes still lousy.
Several actors in the audience look as if they were wearing masks, specially John Travolta. Surgery plus make-up? They somehow all resemble Putin.
The "Birdman" mock sketch is good!
"American Sniper" for Sound Editing. Happy to hear that.
Patricia Arquette's feminist manifesto speech was astonishing. Why is she talking about it?
Visual Effects - my fave category. Deservedly "Interstellar" this year.
Cinematography unfortunately not for "Ida".
Can't wait to hear Lady Gaga perform.
Oh, so Giger died last year? I didn't even know. Marquez In Memoriam too - what did he have to do with films?
Cumberbatch's speech about film editing was interesting. Apparently editors: help find a needle in a haystack, "save actors' asses" and remind directors why they made the movie in the first place.
I've just realised how bad the Polish translation of "The Imitation Game" title was - completely neglecting the protagonist's trying to blend in with the straight crowd.
"Citizenfour" winning the Best Documentary - "the subject of the film, Edward Snowden, couldn't be here for some reason" - finally a good joke!
Polish commentators expected references to Ukraine. So far I've heard only one possible about the celebrities' oscar goodie bag containing "an armoured ride to safety if a revolution comes". Instead it's all about a bigger number of blacks incarcerated in the US nowadays than in slavery times.
Best Score for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" whose music I didn't like.
One of "Birdman" scriptwriters thanked his family and dog - loved it!
Ah, so "The Theory Of Everything" was based on Hawking's wife's book. That explains why the film's more about her than him.
What a moving speech by The Imitation Game" scriptwriter Graham Moore who admitted he had attempted suicide at 16 because he "didn't fit in".
Best Director - Alejandro G. Inarritu for "Birdman" - who else? The only film which was different.
Very good speech by Cate Blanchet about great acting being when you're afraid to blink an eye lest you miss an important moment. Not the case of Eddie Redmayne but his performance was remarkable. Must be terribly hard to act mobility impaired.
Actress In A Leading Role - Rosamund Pike is my hope and the Oscar goes to...Julianne Moore. Haven't seen that film. Her husband's younger than her. At last a woman admitting it.
The PWC guy really looks like aged Matt Damon.
"Oscar predictions" were brilliant!
Is Sean Penn the only one looking actually his age?
"Birdman" the Best Picture? I disagree. Preferred "American Sniper".
Clearly the whole ceremony was about equality.
NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE OSCAR NIGHT
As I had seen "Birdman", "The Imitation Game" and "Joanna" before and none of them delighted me, this time I saw 2 out of the 5 marathon movies only.
AMERICAN SNIPER
Watchable. Begins like an ordinary war movie but later throws you in the middle of it, showing how merciless it is. Chris Kyle is cheesily pure here but the long-term rivalry between him and Mustafa keeps you on the edge of your seat. I wouldn't mind it if it won an Oscar.
IDA
Recommended. Shot in modern quality black with stylish acting it has a lot of character and the forest views resemble artistic woodcuts. Storywise, well, I admit I didn't expect a nun's story to move me but it's more of a life journey here.
As I had seen "Birdman", "The Imitation Game" and "Joanna" before and none of them delighted me, this time I saw 2 out of the 5 marathon movies only.
AMERICAN SNIPER
Watchable. Begins like an ordinary war movie but later throws you in the middle of it, showing how merciless it is. Chris Kyle is cheesily pure here but the long-term rivalry between him and Mustafa keeps you on the edge of your seat. I wouldn't mind it if it won an Oscar.
IDA
Recommended. Shot in modern quality black with stylish acting it has a lot of character and the forest views resemble artistic woodcuts. Storywise, well, I admit I didn't expect a nun's story to move me but it's more of a life journey here.
Friday 20 February 2015
ZIARNO PRAWDY
Recommended. Pure logic over superstitions. A cross between "The Da Vinci Code" and the "Genesis" series. A criminal intrigue involving you deeper and deeper.
JOANNA
Walked out. About bringing up children.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Watchable. It didn't make me laugh but it interestingly ridiculed both youth culture and all sorts of vampire movies.
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Watchable. At the second watching the sex almost disappears, it feels so mundane, you hardly notice it. It didn't make me laugh or cry this time either. I mostly admired the views of Seattle. The whole story felt also light-hearted and pleasing to watch.
Recommended. Pure logic over superstitions. A cross between "The Da Vinci Code" and the "Genesis" series. A criminal intrigue involving you deeper and deeper.
JOANNA
Walked out. About bringing up children.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Watchable. It didn't make me laugh but it interestingly ridiculed both youth culture and all sorts of vampire movies.
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Watchable. At the second watching the sex almost disappears, it feels so mundane, you hardly notice it. It didn't make me laugh or cry this time either. I mostly admired the views of Seattle. The whole story felt also light-hearted and pleasing to watch.
Wednesday 18 February 2015
Tuesday 17 February 2015
Thursday 12 February 2015
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Recommended. I haven't read the book but I know it was meant to be an adult version of "Twilight". With all this hype around the film I expected them to cock up this "Twilight" imitation, especially the scene with Christian saving Anastasia from being run over or the mind-reading thing and the like. I have to say the film proved to be incredibly good. I laughed, I cried, I was excited. While I have seen the first "Twilight" movie four times at the cinema alone, with "Grey" I guess once is enough. But I did have fun.
Recommended. I haven't read the book but I know it was meant to be an adult version of "Twilight". With all this hype around the film I expected them to cock up this "Twilight" imitation, especially the scene with Christian saving Anastasia from being run over or the mind-reading thing and the like. I have to say the film proved to be incredibly good. I laughed, I cried, I was excited. While I have seen the first "Twilight" movie four times at the cinema alone, with "Grey" I guess once is enough. But I did have fun.
Wednesday 11 February 2015
Tuesday 10 February 2015
THE LITTLE DEATH
Watchable. More of a psychological drama than a comedy about sex. Will be well received by single people as it's comforting to see how dreadful it is to be in a relationship. Other than that it's not very funny. Well, once in a while you'll hear a joke, e.g. "I want to tell you something important. I love you..." "How was that important?!" but mostly it's about people with weird sex preferences trying to save their relationships.
Watchable. More of a psychological drama than a comedy about sex. Will be well received by single people as it's comforting to see how dreadful it is to be in a relationship. Other than that it's not very funny. Well, once in a while you'll hear a joke, e.g. "I want to tell you something important. I love you..." "How was that important?!" but mostly it's about people with weird sex preferences trying to save their relationships.
Monday 9 February 2015
Thursday 5 February 2015
Wednesday 4 February 2015
Monday 2 February 2015
SHAUN THE SHEEP
Watchable. A film with very few words. Some funny bits, e.g. one of characters, dressed up as a surgeon in the operating room, looks at the patient's records and gets a vomiting reflex. But on the whole it's a sad story about how people treat animals.
WILD
Recommended. I was nearly half an hour late but the storyline was easy to get into. A backpacker's dream movie, showing the highs and lows of trekking. I found myself in many of Cheryl Strayed's travel experiences. Lucky me I've always had a padded rucksack which never gave me abrasions.
Watchable. A film with very few words. Some funny bits, e.g. one of characters, dressed up as a surgeon in the operating room, looks at the patient's records and gets a vomiting reflex. But on the whole it's a sad story about how people treat animals.
WILD
Recommended. I was nearly half an hour late but the storyline was easy to get into. A backpacker's dream movie, showing the highs and lows of trekking. I found myself in many of Cheryl Strayed's travel experiences. Lucky me I've always had a padded rucksack which never gave me abrasions.
Sunday 1 February 2015
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Watchable. It's more about a woman who devoted her life to nurturing her disabled husband only to be betrayed by him with a nurse. It still shows Hawking's strong personality and will to survive. Altogether, in spite of superb acting, it's mediocre.
LA FORCE MAJEURE
Watchable. A quiet drama about how one little unsettling incident can grow into permanent fear. A plus is a wide array of different lifestyles portrayed, a minus its slow pace and making a mountain out of a mole hill, as I see it.
CARTE BLANCHE
Watchable. Not as good as the trailer implied, with some protracted sequences, nevertheless altogether interesting in the way the protagonist managed to hide his blindness taking advantage of others who often found it convenient to turn a blind eye.
P'TIT QUINQUIN
Watchable. Weird. The criminal intrigue is involving, crimes peculiar, characters even more so. It's a dark comedy which made me smile several times but not laugh out loud. It's too long for sure, those 197 minutes could have been shortened. At the same time I kind of miss the police chief with his ticks and the film's bizarre philosophical humour and would like to see part two, especially that the film lacks a clear-cut ending. The storyline and grotesque form are incomparable with any other film and while many people were laughing loud, many left too.
THE NIGHT OF CINEMA
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Walked out. A talking raccoon, a tea creature, a man listening to old rock and a green woman together with interesting scenography won't compensate for a downright stupid plot.
JESSABELLE
Watchable. I expected better. It was more annoying than scary. The local voodoo folklore and the birth mystery kept me till the end. Other than that it's skippable.
BOGOWIE
Watchable. Really good, almost a comedy, with brilliant dialogues and situational humour. Well-paced, it showed absurds of living under communism. Religa was an admirably strong personality. It ends all too suddenly.
JOHN WICK
Recommended. Music in film matters. I knew I was going to enjoy it already after watching a trailer. The movie doesn't disappoint either. But, while I imagined that it would be a mindless shootout, it far surpassed my expectations: the jargon, the cinematography, the plot, acting and the music of course were superb. Great idea with the hotel for hitmen. It was really fun.
Watchable. It's more about a woman who devoted her life to nurturing her disabled husband only to be betrayed by him with a nurse. It still shows Hawking's strong personality and will to survive. Altogether, in spite of superb acting, it's mediocre.
LA FORCE MAJEURE
Watchable. A quiet drama about how one little unsettling incident can grow into permanent fear. A plus is a wide array of different lifestyles portrayed, a minus its slow pace and making a mountain out of a mole hill, as I see it.
CARTE BLANCHE
Watchable. Not as good as the trailer implied, with some protracted sequences, nevertheless altogether interesting in the way the protagonist managed to hide his blindness taking advantage of others who often found it convenient to turn a blind eye.
P'TIT QUINQUIN
Watchable. Weird. The criminal intrigue is involving, crimes peculiar, characters even more so. It's a dark comedy which made me smile several times but not laugh out loud. It's too long for sure, those 197 minutes could have been shortened. At the same time I kind of miss the police chief with his ticks and the film's bizarre philosophical humour and would like to see part two, especially that the film lacks a clear-cut ending. The storyline and grotesque form are incomparable with any other film and while many people were laughing loud, many left too.
THE NIGHT OF CINEMA
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Walked out. A talking raccoon, a tea creature, a man listening to old rock and a green woman together with interesting scenography won't compensate for a downright stupid plot.
JESSABELLE
Watchable. I expected better. It was more annoying than scary. The local voodoo folklore and the birth mystery kept me till the end. Other than that it's skippable.
BOGOWIE
Watchable. Really good, almost a comedy, with brilliant dialogues and situational humour. Well-paced, it showed absurds of living under communism. Religa was an admirably strong personality. It ends all too suddenly.
JOHN WICK
Recommended. Music in film matters. I knew I was going to enjoy it already after watching a trailer. The movie doesn't disappoint either. But, while I imagined that it would be a mindless shootout, it far surpassed my expectations: the jargon, the cinematography, the plot, acting and the music of course were superb. Great idea with the hotel for hitmen. It was really fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)