BUTTERFLY KISSES
Watchable. Shot in black and white which reflects the dreariness of council estate teens' lives pretty well. Quite predictable. You know where one guy's craving for sex combined with bitter disillusionment will lead. Stereotypical portrayal of girls as well. Annoyingly it's not clear what he actually did. Reasonably true to life in the depiction of such an environment though.
Thursday 27 April 2017
Wednesday 26 April 2017
KIKI, EL AMOR SE HACE (KIKI, LOVE TO LOVE)
Watchable. Oh my gosh! What were they thinking remaking "The Little Death" where even the original was stupid and boring! Well, the Spanish version has at least two better looking actors and one actress sexier than in the American one and absolutely fantastic music at the very end (the final scene and the credits).
Watchable. Oh my gosh! What were they thinking remaking "The Little Death" where even the original was stupid and boring! Well, the Spanish version has at least two better looking actors and one actress sexier than in the American one and absolutely fantastic music at the very end (the final scene and the credits).
Tuesday 25 April 2017
Monday 24 April 2017
SZATAN KAZAL TANCZYC (SATAN SAID DANCE)
Watchable. It's like an orgiastic party: pretty girls (Magdalena Berus, Hanna Koczewska, Marta Nieradkiewicz), cool guys, lots of nudity with or without sex, plenty of alcohol and drugs. I guess the director must be bisexual. A number of times the film appears to be a commercial of the no-longer-existent Nowa Jerozolima club in Warsaw but there's little techno in the film and in fact a great techno tune - energetic "Year Of The Dragon" by DJ Akme - features only in one, final scene. The story and the music start in the 80s. Oops, did I say 'final scene'? In the cinematic version it is. But the fun thing is it's composed of 54 two-minute pieces which can be arranged at random to create the same story. There are references to the director, Katarzyna Roslaniec's previous "Bejbi Blues" (the commentary that nowadays having a baby is in fashion is to the point) and to "Il racconto dei racconti" ("Tale of Tales") - no more depth. It also ridicules contemporary mothers who want to have a baby and maintain their earlier lifestyle at the same time. I wonder if the movie will ever get an interactive release enabling viewers to mix and match the 54 pieces.
BIKINI BLUE
Watchable. Amazing cinematography. Each frame looks like a painting. Lianne Harvey has something Scarlett Johanssonish about her look. Tomasz Kot imitates a British accent pretty well. The story's secondary to the picutres. I learnt the Martians, whose invasion scared people in the 50s, symbolised Soviets - the Red Planet was communism. But that's just on the margin of the film.
FLASKEPOST FRA P (DEPARTMENT Q: A CONSPIRACY OF FAITH)
Watchable. A very good thriller, with the right dose of tension, likeable police and a perfect balance between action and quiet moments. Just a couple of scenes don't make sense, e.g. a police office running with a gun in his hand and, even worse, dropping it. Luckily unique Danish landscapes play a large part in the story and compensate for those movie-intended inadequacies.
WEGIERSKA WIOSNA FILMOW 2017 (HUNGARIAN FILM SPRING 2017)
EGYMASRA NEZVE (ANOTHER WAY)
Watchable. Early on you hear that the shot woman wanted to murder the one in hospital so you expect a crime story. Then it gets political, in addition historical - Hungary in communist times, finally the two women, including the married one, have an affair. So that got me intrigued enough to continue watching. However, both the script and the acting are so toned down nothing reflects the supposedly violent emotions.
NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE NIGHT OF HORROR
JOHNNY FRANK GARRETT'S LAST WORD
Watchable. Based on a documentary so, indirectly, on facts. Provides no scares. The court case is the highlight. Mike Doyle plays the best-looking guy on the jury, Andrew Redman so doesn't get killed too early. Intriguing, makes you wonder how they really died. It's just not scary enough for a horror and with too many scaring attempts for a fact-based drama.
DANS LA FORET (INTO THE FOREST)
Watchable. Psychological rather than a horror and very mysterious. A father takes his sons to a forest where he plays a weird game with them. The horror part works out the worst, they should have limited the story to the mystery which is truly gripping.
BODOM (LAKE BODOM)
Watchable. A slasher movie about teenagers in the woods? Yes, but with good twists and turns. It plays with the genre bringing a puzzle, tension and surprises. A few motifs are still worn out, though, and the ending, while not bad, is not as meticulously enacted as the preceding story.
FEBRUARY
Recommended. Mystery without scares. But the mystery stands out and the story is like nothing before.
WEGIERSKA WIOSNA FILMOW 2017 (HUNGARIAN FILM SPRING 2017)
A MARTFUI REM (STRANGLED)
Watchable. A very involving crime movie, about a serial killer, where the story of the investigation unfortunately gets diluted by the communist political background.
Watchable. It's like an orgiastic party: pretty girls (Magdalena Berus, Hanna Koczewska, Marta Nieradkiewicz), cool guys, lots of nudity with or without sex, plenty of alcohol and drugs. I guess the director must be bisexual. A number of times the film appears to be a commercial of the no-longer-existent Nowa Jerozolima club in Warsaw but there's little techno in the film and in fact a great techno tune - energetic "Year Of The Dragon" by DJ Akme - features only in one, final scene. The story and the music start in the 80s. Oops, did I say 'final scene'? In the cinematic version it is. But the fun thing is it's composed of 54 two-minute pieces which can be arranged at random to create the same story. There are references to the director, Katarzyna Roslaniec's previous "Bejbi Blues" (the commentary that nowadays having a baby is in fashion is to the point) and to "Il racconto dei racconti" ("Tale of Tales") - no more depth. It also ridicules contemporary mothers who want to have a baby and maintain their earlier lifestyle at the same time. I wonder if the movie will ever get an interactive release enabling viewers to mix and match the 54 pieces.
BIKINI BLUE
Watchable. Amazing cinematography. Each frame looks like a painting. Lianne Harvey has something Scarlett Johanssonish about her look. Tomasz Kot imitates a British accent pretty well. The story's secondary to the picutres. I learnt the Martians, whose invasion scared people in the 50s, symbolised Soviets - the Red Planet was communism. But that's just on the margin of the film.
FLASKEPOST FRA P (DEPARTMENT Q: A CONSPIRACY OF FAITH)
Watchable. A very good thriller, with the right dose of tension, likeable police and a perfect balance between action and quiet moments. Just a couple of scenes don't make sense, e.g. a police office running with a gun in his hand and, even worse, dropping it. Luckily unique Danish landscapes play a large part in the story and compensate for those movie-intended inadequacies.
WEGIERSKA WIOSNA FILMOW 2017 (HUNGARIAN FILM SPRING 2017)
EGYMASRA NEZVE (ANOTHER WAY)
Watchable. Early on you hear that the shot woman wanted to murder the one in hospital so you expect a crime story. Then it gets political, in addition historical - Hungary in communist times, finally the two women, including the married one, have an affair. So that got me intrigued enough to continue watching. However, both the script and the acting are so toned down nothing reflects the supposedly violent emotions.
NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE NIGHT OF HORROR
JOHNNY FRANK GARRETT'S LAST WORD
Watchable. Based on a documentary so, indirectly, on facts. Provides no scares. The court case is the highlight. Mike Doyle plays the best-looking guy on the jury, Andrew Redman so doesn't get killed too early. Intriguing, makes you wonder how they really died. It's just not scary enough for a horror and with too many scaring attempts for a fact-based drama.
DANS LA FORET (INTO THE FOREST)
Watchable. Psychological rather than a horror and very mysterious. A father takes his sons to a forest where he plays a weird game with them. The horror part works out the worst, they should have limited the story to the mystery which is truly gripping.
BODOM (LAKE BODOM)
Watchable. A slasher movie about teenagers in the woods? Yes, but with good twists and turns. It plays with the genre bringing a puzzle, tension and surprises. A few motifs are still worn out, though, and the ending, while not bad, is not as meticulously enacted as the preceding story.
FEBRUARY
Recommended. Mystery without scares. But the mystery stands out and the story is like nothing before.
WEGIERSKA WIOSNA FILMOW 2017 (HUNGARIAN FILM SPRING 2017)
A MARTFUI REM (STRANGLED)
Watchable. A very involving crime movie, about a serial killer, where the story of the investigation unfortunately gets diluted by the communist political background.
Friday 21 April 2017
THE BOSS BABY 3D
Watchable. Worse than the trailer. The first 42 minutes look like created by someone childless by choice. The knackered father answering a slice of pizza when the phone rings is funny, the rest shows how nasty and disgusting babies are and how parents coo over them no matter what, it also makes fun of the mania of taking children's pictures. Later, however, you are made believe that babies are cute and little brothers and sisters adorable. The 3D is very good, with the rides looking realistic. One scene after the main credits and one more after the whole long payroll. Both scenes are fun but not a must.
MALY JAKUB (LITTLE JACOB)
Watchable. An adult man meets his child alter ego which makes him face his childhood nightmares. It's painfully slow, disturbing at times, partly clear, partly ambiguous. It shows why the guy takes decisions instead of communicating. That clearly comes from his disturbed childhood. Of course you feel sorry for the kid, at least when you know why, because I completely didn't get the orphanage part.
Watchable. Worse than the trailer. The first 42 minutes look like created by someone childless by choice. The knackered father answering a slice of pizza when the phone rings is funny, the rest shows how nasty and disgusting babies are and how parents coo over them no matter what, it also makes fun of the mania of taking children's pictures. Later, however, you are made believe that babies are cute and little brothers and sisters adorable. The 3D is very good, with the rides looking realistic. One scene after the main credits and one more after the whole long payroll. Both scenes are fun but not a must.
MALY JAKUB (LITTLE JACOB)
Watchable. An adult man meets his child alter ego which makes him face his childhood nightmares. It's painfully slow, disturbing at times, partly clear, partly ambiguous. It shows why the guy takes decisions instead of communicating. That clearly comes from his disturbed childhood. Of course you feel sorry for the kid, at least when you know why, because I completely didn't get the orphanage part.
Saturday 15 April 2017
FAST & FURIOUS 8 IN 4DX
Watchable. I should have buckled up for the ride. If you're going to see the movie, 4D is your best bet. The plot is pretty regular, with an ingenious addition of zombie cars. I wonder if that is going to be possible in real life. Scary to think somebody could remotely take over the control of your car. Some lines are funny, like: "They're supporting their kids." "The thing is there are more mums than kids." The ending is family-oriented and religious! No scene during or after the credits.
DEMAIN TOUT COMMENCE (TWO IS A FAMILY)
Watchable. Omar Sy is brilliant and a pure pleasure to watch. The beginning is smart - if I got knocked up, I'd also drop the baby off at the father's. The baby here is bearable and grows up quickly. I wish I had lived in a flat that equipped - a giant elephant cuddle, a slide beside the stairs - in my own childhood! The father has a good sense of humour and e.g. invents a Chinese dictator named... Wong Kar-wai. However, later the mother reappears and wants custody all of a sudden and the girl is terminally ill and dies. The makers' creativity didn't last long enough.
GUERRILLA - EP. 1
Watchable. Slow paced, about hardcore civil rights fight with people being battered to death or imprisoned. While the 70s are a fascinating period in British history, with a strong relevance to the present, the production execution ruins the topic. It's kind of a serial you can watch over dinner, during cleaning etc. It doesn't require your full attention and my guess is it'll be even easier to follow this way.
THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE
Watchable. The early part is half-sad, e.g. when an elephant gets shot, half-cute, or even amusing, e.g. when a wallaby jumps along a street. Later it's more sombre and about humans more than animals. The story itself guarantees tension and suspense. Unfortunately Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, who doesn't even look remotely German, are not very convincing in their roles.
DRAEBERNE FRA NIBE (SMALL TOWN KILLERS)
Watchable. Marcin Dorociński makes a perfect Russian, Gwen Taylor is a charming psychopathic old lady and the script is one of a dark comedy. But something doesn't stick. Must be the Danish acting style. I enjoyed it but didn't laugh.
Watchable. I should have buckled up for the ride. If you're going to see the movie, 4D is your best bet. The plot is pretty regular, with an ingenious addition of zombie cars. I wonder if that is going to be possible in real life. Scary to think somebody could remotely take over the control of your car. Some lines are funny, like: "They're supporting their kids." "The thing is there are more mums than kids." The ending is family-oriented and religious! No scene during or after the credits.
DEMAIN TOUT COMMENCE (TWO IS A FAMILY)
Watchable. Omar Sy is brilliant and a pure pleasure to watch. The beginning is smart - if I got knocked up, I'd also drop the baby off at the father's. The baby here is bearable and grows up quickly. I wish I had lived in a flat that equipped - a giant elephant cuddle, a slide beside the stairs - in my own childhood! The father has a good sense of humour and e.g. invents a Chinese dictator named... Wong Kar-wai. However, later the mother reappears and wants custody all of a sudden and the girl is terminally ill and dies. The makers' creativity didn't last long enough.
GUERRILLA - EP. 1
Watchable. Slow paced, about hardcore civil rights fight with people being battered to death or imprisoned. While the 70s are a fascinating period in British history, with a strong relevance to the present, the production execution ruins the topic. It's kind of a serial you can watch over dinner, during cleaning etc. It doesn't require your full attention and my guess is it'll be even easier to follow this way.
THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE
Watchable. The early part is half-sad, e.g. when an elephant gets shot, half-cute, or even amusing, e.g. when a wallaby jumps along a street. Later it's more sombre and about humans more than animals. The story itself guarantees tension and suspense. Unfortunately Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, who doesn't even look remotely German, are not very convincing in their roles.
DRAEBERNE FRA NIBE (SMALL TOWN KILLERS)
Watchable. Marcin Dorociński makes a perfect Russian, Gwen Taylor is a charming psychopathic old lady and the script is one of a dark comedy. But something doesn't stick. Must be the Danish acting style. I enjoyed it but didn't laugh.
Friday 14 April 2017
TELLE MERE, TELLE FILLE (BABY BUMP(S))
Watchable. Not laugh-out-loud funny but a good family movie with a few truly amusing scenes and the rest still entertaining. It makes fun of several aspects of pregnancy, e.g. the "bionic" sense of smell. There's also a tongue-in-cheek scene of a beagle browsing dog pictures online. An early credits scene is disgusting, yet for the whole film you see no babies at all. As for when it ends, there are two scenes during early credits plus one at the very end.
Watchable. Not laugh-out-loud funny but a good family movie with a few truly amusing scenes and the rest still entertaining. It makes fun of several aspects of pregnancy, e.g. the "bionic" sense of smell. There's also a tongue-in-cheek scene of a beagle browsing dog pictures online. An early credits scene is disgusting, yet for the whole film you see no babies at all. As for when it ends, there are two scenes during early credits plus one at the very end.
Wednesday 12 April 2017
23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)
24 WOCHEN (24 WEEKS)
Recommended. It tackles the difficult question of giving birth to a handicapped baby. German law in such cases allows abortion till the end of the pregnancy. The film shows the would-be mother's hesitation realistically. You see her testing different solutions and making the decision. She's a public person so the pressure's high. Gripping.
AQUARIUS
Watchable. What I liked the most was watching the Brazilian lifestyle: spending lots of time with the family, sleeping in a hammock, swimming in a shark-infested sea. Once you realize what the main intrigue is, you appreciate the woman's strength and defiance. But it takes time to get to the intrigue and the movie contains a few disgusting baby scenes, including one of changing a diaper.
TEESKLEJAD (PRETENDERS)
Recommended. The sea, a posh house, beautiful people. Seductive pictures, seductive music, a seductive couple, especially Anna, played by Mirtel Pohla. On top of that a psychologic game. Sensory and intellectual pleasure.
VOR DER MORGENROTE - STEFAN ZWEIG IN AMERIKA (STEFAN ZWEIG: FAREWELL TO EUROPE)
Watchable. The beginning of the movie puts you into posh refugees' circles 3 years before the Second World War which to me resonated with the current political situation. This part also implied some anti-Nazi action. However, I quickly realized that was not going to happen and I ended up admiring Brazilian nature as the plot became a series of disconnected events.
NAWET NIE WIESZ, JAK BARDZO CIE KOCHAM (YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU)
Watchable. Fake mother and daughter, real psychotherapy. The story behind the production is more interesting than the film. Basically, people with similar experiences can relate to each other, e.g. every divorced person can relate to any other divorced person as is the case here. The two women took five sessions in which they worked on their family issues with a renowned therapist. To me it sounded quite abstract. I just got intrigued what the women's experiences were that destroyed the family. Human relationships are the main attraction here, the psychotherapy itself bored me.
COMO NOSSOS PAIS (JUST LIKE OUR PARENTS)
Watchable. I couldn't possibly relate to Rosa in any way. She's married, taking care of her school-age kids, cooking for the whole family, seeing her extended family often, including her brother, her smoking, straightforward mother, her poor artist father, writes commercials for a living, supports financially her environmental activist husband. She clearly has no pleasure in life. It's only when she suspects or hears of certain betrayals all around her that things start getting spicy. Still, it's nothing new under the sun.
EN MAN SOM HETER OVE (A MAN CALLED OVE), to my delight, has won the Festival Audience Award.
PORTO
Walked out. I didn't find Anton Yelchin attractive even in "Star Trek". In "Porto" he walks and speaks as if he were 62, not 26. His character, in spite of good upbringing, lacks education or ambition. She (Lucie Lucas) is strikingly beautiful, with a degree and ambition. And I'm supposed to believe she got attracted to him?! As if his elderly-sounding voice wasn't repulsive enough.
24 WOCHEN (24 WEEKS)
Recommended. It tackles the difficult question of giving birth to a handicapped baby. German law in such cases allows abortion till the end of the pregnancy. The film shows the would-be mother's hesitation realistically. You see her testing different solutions and making the decision. She's a public person so the pressure's high. Gripping.
AQUARIUS
Watchable. What I liked the most was watching the Brazilian lifestyle: spending lots of time with the family, sleeping in a hammock, swimming in a shark-infested sea. Once you realize what the main intrigue is, you appreciate the woman's strength and defiance. But it takes time to get to the intrigue and the movie contains a few disgusting baby scenes, including one of changing a diaper.
TEESKLEJAD (PRETENDERS)
Recommended. The sea, a posh house, beautiful people. Seductive pictures, seductive music, a seductive couple, especially Anna, played by Mirtel Pohla. On top of that a psychologic game. Sensory and intellectual pleasure.
VOR DER MORGENROTE - STEFAN ZWEIG IN AMERIKA (STEFAN ZWEIG: FAREWELL TO EUROPE)
Watchable. The beginning of the movie puts you into posh refugees' circles 3 years before the Second World War which to me resonated with the current political situation. This part also implied some anti-Nazi action. However, I quickly realized that was not going to happen and I ended up admiring Brazilian nature as the plot became a series of disconnected events.
NAWET NIE WIESZ, JAK BARDZO CIE KOCHAM (YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU)
Watchable. Fake mother and daughter, real psychotherapy. The story behind the production is more interesting than the film. Basically, people with similar experiences can relate to each other, e.g. every divorced person can relate to any other divorced person as is the case here. The two women took five sessions in which they worked on their family issues with a renowned therapist. To me it sounded quite abstract. I just got intrigued what the women's experiences were that destroyed the family. Human relationships are the main attraction here, the psychotherapy itself bored me.
COMO NOSSOS PAIS (JUST LIKE OUR PARENTS)
Watchable. I couldn't possibly relate to Rosa in any way. She's married, taking care of her school-age kids, cooking for the whole family, seeing her extended family often, including her brother, her smoking, straightforward mother, her poor artist father, writes commercials for a living, supports financially her environmental activist husband. She clearly has no pleasure in life. It's only when she suspects or hears of certain betrayals all around her that things start getting spicy. Still, it's nothing new under the sun.
EN MAN SOM HETER OVE (A MAN CALLED OVE), to my delight, has won the Festival Audience Award.
PORTO
Walked out. I didn't find Anton Yelchin attractive even in "Star Trek". In "Porto" he walks and speaks as if he were 62, not 26. His character, in spite of good upbringing, lacks education or ambition. She (Lucie Lucas) is strikingly beautiful, with a degree and ambition. And I'm supposed to believe she got attracted to him?! As if his elderly-sounding voice wasn't repulsive enough.
Monday 10 April 2017
DIE HÖLLE - INFERNO
Watchable. Class B thrillers are often easy to follow plot-wise and raise your adrenaline level so that you're glued to the screen waiting for further developments. It's one of them. Set in the society outskirts, stereotypically and odiously anti-racist, feminist and condemning: sex violence, paedophilia, Islamic fanatism. At the same time the lead female obligatorily appears topless in an asexual scene. She also has voluntary sex with a total sexist. Worst of all, she gets severely injured now and again and despite that kicks everyone's ass. Ah, when she says she's shattered, it's not convincing.
23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)
EN MAN SOM HETER OVE (A MAN CALLED OVE)
Recommended. A beautiful, funny and touching, tale about an annoying man who did what was right all his life. He's rational and acts logically, unlike ordinary people, which upsets others since humans are not rational. Should have won the Oscar instead of "The Salesman".
USTAV REPUBLIKE HRVATSKE (THE CONSTITUTION)
Watchable. A transvestite, his bed-bound legless father and a policeman struggling to memorise the Constitution of Croatia form an unlikely combination for one movie. But it deals with a number of issues with insight and with humour. I didn't really get the Balkan historical and political bits though.
MINDENKI (SING) - to be shown at the upcoming WEGIERSKA WIOSNA FILMOW 2017 (HUNGARIAN FILM SPRING 2017)
Walked out. About primary school children, their choir, obviously singing in child voices, and a teacher bullying the main protagonist.
23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)
UNE VIE (A WOMAN'S LIFE)
Walked out. A story about a ruined life of a woman whose first husband and later son get out of hand should be more dynamic. There's hardly any background music and when people talk, it's invariably monotonous. Feels unbearably drowsy.
BITTER HARVEST
Watchable. Weird cinematography - showing Ukraine as picturesque whether during prosperity or famine together with lousy acting make it all look artificial. Shame as it's probably the first feature about the Holodomor - the Soviet-made famine of 1932-1933.
ANA, MON AMOUR
Walked out. A drama about a family so dysfunctional the characters drone on about it over and over again in different configurations.
TESTROL ES LELEKROL (ON BODY AND SOUL)
Recommended. Slow but enchanting. Shown with tact, subtlety and attention to detail. Alexandra Borbely has a rare type of beauty and an equally rare delicate sense of movement. You get bewildered by the suddenly emerged love simultaneously with the couple.
Wednesday 5 April 2017
23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)
CHEVALIER (2015)
Watchable. Adult men playing childish games are pathetic. But from time to time you get rewarded with holiday views of the sea, a yacht, a quay and occasional conversations about sophisticated food.
그물 (THE NET)
Watchable. Predictable for anyone even vaguely aware of the situation in both Koreas. But at the same time a very good thriller and political film highlighting the differences in the systems. Well worth seeing. Other than that, the South Koreans look hot.
WILDE MAUS (WILD MOUSE)
Watchable. This Austrian drama about a middle-aged guy whose life takes a downturn and goes from bad to worse is so well acted, with Josef Hader in a triple role of the director, the scriptwriter and the leading actor, and so beautifully shot it's pure pleasure to watch. A few other people from the fired guy's circle have issues too and as they are struggling to resolve them the news keep reporting on the refugee crisis. Each person and the whole country are at a loss. Still, the whole thing lacks a clear point.
CHEVALIER (2015)
Watchable. Adult men playing childish games are pathetic. But from time to time you get rewarded with holiday views of the sea, a yacht, a quay and occasional conversations about sophisticated food.
그물 (THE NET)
Watchable. Predictable for anyone even vaguely aware of the situation in both Koreas. But at the same time a very good thriller and political film highlighting the differences in the systems. Well worth seeing. Other than that, the South Koreans look hot.
WILDE MAUS (WILD MOUSE)
Watchable. This Austrian drama about a middle-aged guy whose life takes a downturn and goes from bad to worse is so well acted, with Josef Hader in a triple role of the director, the scriptwriter and the leading actor, and so beautifully shot it's pure pleasure to watch. A few other people from the fired guy's circle have issues too and as they are struggling to resolve them the news keep reporting on the refugee crisis. Each person and the whole country are at a loss. Still, the whole thing lacks a clear point.
Tuesday 4 April 2017
LIFE
Recommended. A hell of a space thriller. You actually expect a slaughter when one of the astronauts jokes about "Re-Animator" in the context of their alien specimen, similarly as elderly weirdos tend to warn teenagers in the beginning of a horror. A spaceship is a perfect setting to convey a sense of isolation as shown in the original "Alien" or in "Gravity" so it works equally well for the cross between the two. Made to keep you on the edge of your seat rather than to be food for thought, it dabbles in the questions of aggression: is it a response to violent manhandling, or is it a predatory instinct? The cast is multinational and multiracial. The music by Jon Ekstrand is excellent both as the movie soundtrack and in its own right. The tongue-in-cheek joyful song after the last scene (part two looks inevitable) slightly eases the strong tension you're in throughout the film. If you don't leave then, you hear fantastic music extending over the credits which puts you back in the mood. I had a feeling something creepy might be lurking between the cinema seats.
CARRIE PILBY
Watchable. I took to the film as soon as I realized how much the main protagonist resembles me years ago: a bookworm, with incredible knowledge, socially inept, with family issues, seeing a psychologist, resisting manipulation by guys who are just after sex, at professional crossroads right after the best uni in the country, making friends by chance, not exactly into fashion, with strong integrity and totally geeky. OK, her IQ of 185 beats mine and I've never had photograhic memory. But in all it's quite realistic, very well acted, with a few brilliant lines and easy to follow. Of course you want a fairy-tale ending and you get just that. Too geeky to blow me away though.
Recommended. A hell of a space thriller. You actually expect a slaughter when one of the astronauts jokes about "Re-Animator" in the context of their alien specimen, similarly as elderly weirdos tend to warn teenagers in the beginning of a horror. A spaceship is a perfect setting to convey a sense of isolation as shown in the original "Alien" or in "Gravity" so it works equally well for the cross between the two. Made to keep you on the edge of your seat rather than to be food for thought, it dabbles in the questions of aggression: is it a response to violent manhandling, or is it a predatory instinct? The cast is multinational and multiracial. The music by Jon Ekstrand is excellent both as the movie soundtrack and in its own right. The tongue-in-cheek joyful song after the last scene (part two looks inevitable) slightly eases the strong tension you're in throughout the film. If you don't leave then, you hear fantastic music extending over the credits which puts you back in the mood. I had a feeling something creepy might be lurking between the cinema seats.
CARRIE PILBY
Watchable. I took to the film as soon as I realized how much the main protagonist resembles me years ago: a bookworm, with incredible knowledge, socially inept, with family issues, seeing a psychologist, resisting manipulation by guys who are just after sex, at professional crossroads right after the best uni in the country, making friends by chance, not exactly into fashion, with strong integrity and totally geeky. OK, her IQ of 185 beats mine and I've never had photograhic memory. But in all it's quite realistic, very well acted, with a few brilliant lines and easy to follow. Of course you want a fairy-tale ending and you get just that. Too geeky to blow me away though.
Monday 3 April 2017
EMA (MOTHER)
Recommended. Seemingly about a mother taking care of her son in a coma due to a gunshot. In such an intimate setting cinematography plays a role and here it's a good one. So is the acting which appears naturally casual, just like the make-up and costumes. This gives the impression of ordinariness. However, each character has a foible and you quickly realise it's a crime drama. The story develops at a good pace up to a shocking finale. In fact the ending is like nothing I have seen at the cinema or even heard of in real life before.
3RD "CZECH DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!"
ZAKON HELENA (HELENA'S LAW)
Watchable. An interesting documentary showing the psychological side of comitting a crime and fighting it. Funny how none of the offenders, including the gang leader, will acknowledge their hideous acts. They all, with no exception, justify their actions and play them down. You have to find it between the lines though as the film lacks a point.
Recommended. Seemingly about a mother taking care of her son in a coma due to a gunshot. In such an intimate setting cinematography plays a role and here it's a good one. So is the acting which appears naturally casual, just like the make-up and costumes. This gives the impression of ordinariness. However, each character has a foible and you quickly realise it's a crime drama. The story develops at a good pace up to a shocking finale. In fact the ending is like nothing I have seen at the cinema or even heard of in real life before.
3RD "CZECH DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!"
ZAKON HELENA (HELENA'S LAW)
Watchable. An interesting documentary showing the psychological side of comitting a crime and fighting it. Funny how none of the offenders, including the gang leader, will acknowledge their hideous acts. They all, with no exception, justify their actions and play them down. You have to find it between the lines though as the film lacks a point.
Saturday 1 April 2017
Polish Cinema for Beginners is a cycle of screenings Polish movies with English subtitles also at Muranow in Warsaw. To be honest, I'm not happy with the April selection of films but they are so terribly Polish foreigners might find them exotic.
3RD "CZECH DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!"
ZKAZA KRASOU (DOOMED BEAUTY)
Watchable. I didn't find the fattish actress beautiful so I felt odd following the story of her life whose focal point were men who would always fall in love with her. While she lived in the fascinating times of the Nazis, the film unfortunately brings nothing new in this matter.
3RD "CZECH DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!"
ZKAZA KRASOU (DOOMED BEAUTY)
Watchable. I didn't find the fattish actress beautiful so I felt odd following the story of her life whose focal point were men who would always fall in love with her. While she lived in the fascinating times of the Nazis, the film unfortunately brings nothing new in this matter.
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