Monday, 28 December 2015

AKTORKA

Recommended. A documentary featuring celebrities like Meryl Streep as well as lesser known persons from Elzbieta Czyzewska's life. A story full of controversy: Did she get married to an American out of love or for an American passport? Was she overlooked for roles because she was Polish? Why did she fail in the US?

IL RACCONTO DEI RACCONTI (THE TALE OF TALES)

Watchable when seen for the second time. Didn't evoke emotions this time. But it's remarkably well-acted and there are details to the stories I forgot after the first viewing. Truly original.

LA MONTAGNE MAGIQUE (THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN)

Walked out. Prolonged sequences of animation in an unnerving jerky style with infrequent, slowly spoken commentary.

Thursday, 17 December 2015

SZABADESES (FREE FALL)

Watchable. Great music: both vocal and instrumental. A few stories, all of which are interesting, some are fascinating, one superb (the reversed childbirth).

MA MA

Watchable. The film's very Spanish - it's a declaration of enjoying your life regardless of circumstances. About living. Here everyone has fun. Watching this I was also full of awe of how good Spanish healthcare must be - everyone is so nice, caring and you get all appointments and treatments in no time. Unfortunately it's one of those mainstream movies which praise radio- and chemotherapy. And the subject dies all the same.

BELLE ET SEBASTIEN: L'AVENTURE CONTINUE (BELLE & SEBASTIAN: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES)

Watchable. Not as beautiful as the first part. It's very pleasing to watch, ends well, offers some Alpine landscapes. But the story lacks depth and even the mountain views are quite monotonous.

ROOM

Recommended. An Irish film set in the US and spoken in American accent. I can't make out why. Nevertheless it's an amazing thriller which seems to be based on the Cleveland case. Half the film is about living as a captive and the escape plot. The second half is trying to rebuild your life after the unimaginable horror you lived for a number of years. In-depth, up close. Brilliant.

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

BRIDGE OF SPIES

Recommended. An excellent thriller: based on facts, superbly scripted and acted, with lots of tension from the beginning to the end, with a pinch of humour (e.g. after the counsel got mugged and had his coat stolen the other side's spy says: "What would you expect when it was 5th Avenue's Burberry?"), courtroom drama and moral dilemmas. Also an excellent scene repetition where jumping over a fence means something different in cold war Berlin and in the US.