Movie reviews

LES PREMIERS LES DERNIERS (THE FIRST, THE LAST)

Watchable. Two of the characters carry biblical names: Jezus and Esther for no obvious reason. The crime plot is intriguing enough to follow the story, with information revealed gradually and slowly, but the two homeless people, one of them mentally ill, aren't pleasing to watch and there's too much sidetracking.

A STREET CAT NAMED BOB

Recommended. I'm not a cat person but Bob the Cat just stole my heart. Together with Luke Treadaway utterly convincing as his recovering junkie owner. The film's based on a true story, quite recent and from London. Still, it's the first time I've actually heard of them so I can only relate to what I saw. Put a junkie on the screen and it's watchable. Add a purring cat and it's a winner. Their story is totally involving. It's just so touching to see the two strays bonding and getting a second life.

SZTUKA KOCHANIA. HISTORIA MICHALINY WISLOCKIEJ (THE ART OF LOVING: THE STORY OF MICHALINA WISLOCKA)

Watchable. Action jumping to and fro in time confusingly and the lack of dates of events are what detracts from this tremendously entertaining film about trying to get a sex manual published in communist times. The scene of Michalina meeting her future husband naked in a lake: "Moja twarz jest nieco wyzej." ("My face is a bit higher up.") is hilarious as are some other situations, e.g. the sacks of mail. Her life was unusual: living in a triangle, having an affair with a married man; her work important and exceeding her times: introducing cytohormonal testing, treating women after home-induced abortions, educating about contraception and, last but not least, advocating for women's orgasms. The film was shot before the Black Protest, being released now it conveys a sinister message: women's rights are not won once for all but have to be fought for every few decades anew.

Magdalena Boczarska in the leading role apparently mastered Michalina Wislocka's manner of speaking as the sexologist's daughter told her: "Przestan, mowisz dokladnie jak moja mama!" ("Stop it, you're talking just like my mum!"). Piotr Adamczyk confessed he was thanking the day he had decided to become an actor when two beautiful women would replace each other in his bed on the same day during shooting the sex scenes.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Watchable. A slowly unfolding story about a rough guy who, after his brother's premature death, becomes a reluctant guardian of his nephew. Sounds familiar? Add a memory of an earlier tragedy in the family and you get the picture. Run-of-the-mill but very human. Good cinematography.

RAK TI KHON KAEN (CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR)

Watchable. In this film Thai life is filled with folk beliefs and imagination, making it similar to Jan Jakub Kolski's movies in which miracles are discussed in conversations instead of being shown with visual effects. Quite interesting from the cultural point of view. It's also very slow and quiet, all people speak softly and are nice to each other so it helps you unwind. Unfortunately the slow pace means it's easy for the audience to doze off. One guy was even snoring, others would leave in the middle or flash their phones.

MR. GAGA

Recommended again. I was mesmerised. While the documentary tells you a lot about his career and life, the biggest attraction is the dance itself. The movements the dancers are capable of defy belief.

부산행 (TRAIN TO BUSAN)

Recommended. Normally I'm not a zombie fan. Such movies tend to get unbearably boring and vexing after the first attacks. From that moment I typically just wait to see who's going to survive or I lose patience and walk out. This one has a real plot which kept me glued to the screen and made my heart skip a beat on a few occasions. The first zombie appears about a quarter into the movie but the bloodthirsty monsters are just a pretext for action with a good number of twists and turns. Remarkably good make-up ensures the transformations look realistic. Many ingenious solutions applied by the entrapped make for a zombie epidemic survival guide. Psychologically complete characters. Tongue-in-cheek scenes like the one with a mobile phone used to divert zombies' attention or a guy calling a fund manager a "bloodsucker" are the icing on the cake.