1:54
Watchable. It's funny to watch a French Canadian movie. It's so clear it's not French: a teacher says "Go, go, go!" and the rest in French and the francophone students have English names. Very good music by Cult Nation which consists of French names. Well, the story of school bullying, youth suicides and discovering being gay is pretty standard but very well enacted, keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Wednesday 30 August 2017
Tuesday 29 August 2017
RENEGADES
Watchable. Filmed on rarely seen locations in Croatia, Belgium and Malta all pretending Bosnia and Herzegovina. Good, uplifting music by Eric Serra. At times, mostly in the first half, it feels like made for half-wits, at other times, mostly in the second part, the commandant (fantastic J. K. Simmons) comes to the fore with sharp, hilarious lines and exchanges with his subordinates. I was laughing out loud like hardly ever. The plot is standard action fare about a heist. At the end of the movie $152 million remain unaccounted for.
Watchable. Filmed on rarely seen locations in Croatia, Belgium and Malta all pretending Bosnia and Herzegovina. Good, uplifting music by Eric Serra. At times, mostly in the first half, it feels like made for half-wits, at other times, mostly in the second part, the commandant (fantastic J. K. Simmons) comes to the fore with sharp, hilarious lines and exchanges with his subordinates. I was laughing out loud like hardly ever. The plot is standard action fare about a heist. At the end of the movie $152 million remain unaccounted for.
Sunday 27 August 2017
TOIVON TUOLLA PUOLEN (THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE)
Recommended. Atmospheric and scintillating, with irony permeating the whole film. "Foodie's Mecca" was just hilarious. Retro scenography and costumes are combined with high-tech elements of our contemporary world creating a town lost in time.
TANNA
Watchable. Fantastic cinematography shows beautiful landscapes of Vanuatu at all times of day and night as well as muscles on nearly naked bodies of people living traditionally off manual work and running long-distances on a daily basis. Everything appears to be happening according to the laws of nature. The thing is - it isn't. The tradition of arranged marriages ruins the paradise. The love story is shown quite unemotionally.
Recommended. Atmospheric and scintillating, with irony permeating the whole film. "Foodie's Mecca" was just hilarious. Retro scenography and costumes are combined with high-tech elements of our contemporary world creating a town lost in time.
TANNA
Watchable. Fantastic cinematography shows beautiful landscapes of Vanuatu at all times of day and night as well as muscles on nearly naked bodies of people living traditionally off manual work and running long-distances on a daily basis. Everything appears to be happening according to the laws of nature. The thing is - it isn't. The tradition of arranged marriages ruins the paradise. The love story is shown quite unemotionally.
Thursday 24 August 2017
THE DARK TOWER
Watchable. A standard dark fantasy about evil forces trying to destroy the world. I liked the fake skins and the monsters adjusting them like clothes, also the portals between the worlds were fun to watch. But when you add the boy having to block his Shine so he can't be tracked or Seers, you realise the story's compiled of stolen motifs. Idris Elba is perfect for his Gunslinger role, Matthew McConaughey as a dark lord less so. The boy (Tom Taylor) is cute and a future hottie, his mum (Katheryn Winnick) lovely.
VICTORIA AND ABDUL
I've seen it already but, due to a publication ban, will be able to post a review no earlier than on 5th Sept.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE
Watchable. Not as stupid as the title implies. Superheroes look like they're wearing underpants so it only makes sense to create one like Captain Underpants. Primary school gets a make-over when two brats change the principal into a childish superhero. No more boring for children Invention Conventions at 8 a.m. on Saturday. "Weird Al" Yankovic performs the theme song. There's a good mid-credit. For viewers of the same age as the pranksters in the film.
LICHOZROUTI (THE ODDSOCKEATERS)
Watchable. The sock-like creatures evoke many warm feelings even if they are all mafia. The movie feels like one for nursery/early primary school children but contains foreign language bits: Italian "padre" and several more in Russian, Einstein's theory of relativity is mentioned and Munch's "Scream" gets mocked in one scene. The pace is a bit too slow for me.
HAMPSTEAD
Watchable. I expected a sad love story for elderly people. Luckily it's much more optimistic and versatile. The age of the protagonists has the effect that this love story is not as tacky as it would be with a younger couple in. It'a a surprisingly pleasant tale. In one of early scenes there's a kid on a leash wreaking havoc in a clothes shop, when the shop assistant ties the brat to a desk, the mum gets upset calling it barbaric. An even funnier scene is when the lead lady says: "What could I be possibly hiding?" and that guy comes out of the bathroom humming a tune.
I'm still a great fan of my local Cinema City, where I saw all the movies reviewed above, but at more popular movies I realised the row and seat numbering was a bit unclear. A number of people, me included, has problems identifying the right row or finding the seat number. A map at each entrance would help.
Watchable. A standard dark fantasy about evil forces trying to destroy the world. I liked the fake skins and the monsters adjusting them like clothes, also the portals between the worlds were fun to watch. But when you add the boy having to block his Shine so he can't be tracked or Seers, you realise the story's compiled of stolen motifs. Idris Elba is perfect for his Gunslinger role, Matthew McConaughey as a dark lord less so. The boy (Tom Taylor) is cute and a future hottie, his mum (Katheryn Winnick) lovely.
VICTORIA AND ABDUL
I've seen it already but, due to a publication ban, will be able to post a review no earlier than on 5th Sept.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE
Watchable. Not as stupid as the title implies. Superheroes look like they're wearing underpants so it only makes sense to create one like Captain Underpants. Primary school gets a make-over when two brats change the principal into a childish superhero. No more boring for children Invention Conventions at 8 a.m. on Saturday. "Weird Al" Yankovic performs the theme song. There's a good mid-credit. For viewers of the same age as the pranksters in the film.
LICHOZROUTI (THE ODDSOCKEATERS)
Watchable. The sock-like creatures evoke many warm feelings even if they are all mafia. The movie feels like one for nursery/early primary school children but contains foreign language bits: Italian "padre" and several more in Russian, Einstein's theory of relativity is mentioned and Munch's "Scream" gets mocked in one scene. The pace is a bit too slow for me.
HAMPSTEAD
Watchable. I expected a sad love story for elderly people. Luckily it's much more optimistic and versatile. The age of the protagonists has the effect that this love story is not as tacky as it would be with a younger couple in. It'a a surprisingly pleasant tale. In one of early scenes there's a kid on a leash wreaking havoc in a clothes shop, when the shop assistant ties the brat to a desk, the mum gets upset calling it barbaric. An even funnier scene is when the lead lady says: "What could I be possibly hiding?" and that guy comes out of the bathroom humming a tune.
I'm still a great fan of my local Cinema City, where I saw all the movies reviewed above, but at more popular movies I realised the row and seat numbering was a bit unclear. A number of people, me included, has problems identifying the right row or finding the seat number. A map at each entrance would help.
Tuesday 22 August 2017
THE HOUSE
Watchable. A movie by and with Will Ferrell. It goes from silly to ridiculous and then to silly back again and it's disastrously unfunny. It's just involving because the losers are so likeable you just want them to succeed in gathering the money for their daughter's college. And it's fast-paced so you don't get bored.
Seen at my ever-friendly local Cinema City.
Watchable. A movie by and with Will Ferrell. It goes from silly to ridiculous and then to silly back again and it's disastrously unfunny. It's just involving because the losers are so likeable you just want them to succeed in gathering the money for their daughter's college. And it's fast-paced so you don't get bored.
Seen at my ever-friendly local Cinema City.
THE BEGUILED
Watchable. Civil War movies aren't my thing so when a girl found a wounded Yankee soldier I feared... boredom. But it was nothing like it. The historic setting was just a set-up allowing enclosing 7 women and 1 man to create a psychologic trap. Clear structure, tension and psychologic truthfulness. Bitter, with a sad ending.
Watchable. Civil War movies aren't my thing so when a girl found a wounded Yankee soldier I feared... boredom. But it was nothing like it. The historic setting was just a set-up allowing enclosing 7 women and 1 man to create a psychologic trap. Clear structure, tension and psychologic truthfulness. Bitter, with a sad ending.
Monday 21 August 2017
THE SQUARE
Watchable. Long, with a human acting like an ape, issues of power, instrumental sex, a person acting inappropriately in a public space - much like "Toni Erdmann" but less weird. Additionally it tackles the issues of financing art, social trust, alienation, impact we have on others, miscommunications, boundaries of art, advertising and freedom of speech. The square can be interpreted in a number of geometic and linguistic contexts.
Watchable. Long, with a human acting like an ape, issues of power, instrumental sex, a person acting inappropriately in a public space - much like "Toni Erdmann" but less weird. Additionally it tackles the issues of financing art, social trust, alienation, impact we have on others, miscommunications, boundaries of art, advertising and freedom of speech. The square can be interpreted in a number of geometic and linguistic contexts.
Sunday 20 August 2017
AMERICAN MADE
Recommended. It joins the league of "Lord of War" and "War Dogs": based on true events, about big-time international gun and drug smuggling and a hell of a ride for the viewer. This one is not only great fun but also a presentation of the less known backstage to the rise of the Medellín Cartel, the Iran-Contras and dealings of US government agencies. Authorities of Medellín supported the production. While Tom Cruise plays the leading part, Domhnall Gleeson in the supporting role looks hot and acts disarmingly tongue-in-cheek. Some lines are brilliant e.g."Thank you for coming to see me" when a guy has been kind-of-kidnapped. Very well shot. Barry Seal's demise is accompanied by rapidly fading video footage.
VALERIAN ET LA CITE DES MILLE PLANETES (VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS) AT IMAX 3D
Recommended again. Necessarilly at Imax. Absolutely amazing. I was sitting quite low - in the 5th row and it let me immerse in the universe even better. How on Earth is Luc Besson ever going to beat that? I don't share the director's view that you notice more details every time you see the movie. I did pay better attention to Rutger Hauer, appearing only in one of the initial scenes, and Herbie Hancock, once I learnt it was him. I keep wondering what music genres like bio or nano would be like. I was right expecting the visual layer to gain on a larger screen. Luckily the action kept me on the edge of my seat for quite a while too.
Recommended. It joins the league of "Lord of War" and "War Dogs": based on true events, about big-time international gun and drug smuggling and a hell of a ride for the viewer. This one is not only great fun but also a presentation of the less known backstage to the rise of the Medellín Cartel, the Iran-Contras and dealings of US government agencies. Authorities of Medellín supported the production. While Tom Cruise plays the leading part, Domhnall Gleeson in the supporting role looks hot and acts disarmingly tongue-in-cheek. Some lines are brilliant e.g."Thank you for coming to see me" when a guy has been kind-of-kidnapped. Very well shot. Barry Seal's demise is accompanied by rapidly fading video footage.
VALERIAN ET LA CITE DES MILLE PLANETES (VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS) AT IMAX 3D
Recommended again. Necessarilly at Imax. Absolutely amazing. I was sitting quite low - in the 5th row and it let me immerse in the universe even better. How on Earth is Luc Besson ever going to beat that? I don't share the director's view that you notice more details every time you see the movie. I did pay better attention to Rutger Hauer, appearing only in one of the initial scenes, and Herbie Hancock, once I learnt it was him. I keep wondering what music genres like bio or nano would be like. I was right expecting the visual layer to gain on a larger screen. Luckily the action kept me on the edge of my seat for quite a while too.
Saturday 19 August 2017
밀정 (THE AGE OF SHADOWS)
Watchable. One to watch carefully from the beginning in order to get a full grasp of the story which may be additionally difficult for Westerners to who all Asian faces tend to look alike and some appear in disguises too. It's also not clearly indicated which language is spoken when and in practical terms when I focused on distingusihing Japanese from Korean I would lose the contents of the exchange. The music, with truly spatial sounds, forms a gripping background to the otherwise dull-coloured movie. Acted in style - watching the relationships develop is as involving as the historical double agents storyline. The last hour contains two heavily brutal scenes. I loved the music over the credits. Best to wait for a DVD - technically it'll be still excellent and additionally will let you fast reverse to recatch details.
SPARK: A SPACE TALE
Watchable. Dubbed by stars in the original, in Polish by nobodies. Heavily drawing on "Star Wars", "The Lion King", "Robin Hood", "King Arthur", "Kung Fu Panda" and Chinese mythology it lacks originality. Can be enjoyed for cute bugs. One human character speaks with a brilliant Russian accent (at least in the Polish dubbing).
THE NUT JOB 2: NUTTY BY NATURE
Recommended. The best cartoon since "Sing" - for children and adults alike. This time I enjoyed the Polish dubbing like hardly ever as the excellent dialogues got a brilliant translation, probably even better than the original, e.g. Mr. Feng becomes Myszu. Lots of cuteness and gags as well as hilarious lines, e.g.: "Use your female charm!" "I've used it up already." or "But they stock eco whew!" (I'm translating from Polish.) With adult undertones such as corruption, child obesity, cruelty to animals and, last but not least, developers threatening urban green areas. It ends with a mid-credit with Jackie Chan dubbing Mr. Feng in the original.
KRÓLEWICZ OLCH (THE ERLPRINCE)
Watchable. I didn't take to it at first but I shortly realised it was more of an art project than a movie and stopped analysing. I just revelled in the pictures and sounds and these are quite special. Towards the end there's a special effect of a video breaking up which was like nothing I had seen before. Annoyingly, in spite of language consultants listed in the credits, English was incorrect at times and mostly unnatural and even Polish contained one mistake. All the more, it's best not to analyse.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
GIFTED
Watchable. A simple moral tale saying that mathematically gifted people need love too. Good courtroom parts and the aftermath.
HAPPY OLO
Watchable. A crowdfunded documentary looking amateurish. Lame beginning and ending from a child's viewpoint and awful folk/disco polo-like songs. But Aleksander Doba is so funny and genuine it's worth seeing for him. He tells about practicalities like the toilet when you're kayaking for more than 3 months across the Atlantic or ocean salt (5 times as much as in the Baltic Sea) giving him all-body rash, but also how he couldn't send a text message and his position signals got mistaken for a rescue call and how he got repeatedly hit by fish flying at 90 kph. You get to see the specially constructed kayak too.
TULIP FEVER
Watchable. Very involving although quite far-fetched. Lots of famous actors: Dane DeHaan - looking like young DiCaprio in the role of a painter just like Leo in "Titanic", Cara Delevingne, Christoph Waltz, Zach Galifianiakis, Judi Dench, Alicia Vikander - getting naked again, seems her type of roles.
NIGHT FILM MARATHON
As I had seen "Annabelle", "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 2" before, this time I saw only:
ANNABELLE: CREATION
Recommended. Scary as hell. In many tried and tested Hollywood ways. Fits neatly into the whole series. The post-credit implies the next movie will explain the demonic nun from a Romanian Abbey.
Just as one of the characters uttered: "We shouldn't be in here", one viewer quickly ran out. A hilarious experience only a cinema can provide.
THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD
Watchable. Really entertaining. Of course the plot is totally implausible and the dialogues full of vulgar language but when you've got two characters grudging each other and having to work together you're bound to enjoy the banter. Great airviews of London, Manchester, Amsterdam, The Hague and Dutch landscape. Bulgaria appears to stockpile baddies for co-productions. The black guy is to go to prison but has planned his walking free already. The white guy has hooked up with his sweetheart and is getting his AAA status back. A sequel seems likely. A deleted scene makes a post-credit.
RAID DINGUE (R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT)
Watchable. A comedy about a clumsy cop who wants to join elite special forces makes for plenty of gags some of which made me burst into laughter. The plot's predictable but entertaining.
SNATCHED
Watchable. An adventure comedy with Amy Schumer so it's occasionally funny, e.g.: "They want young beautiful females. So you two are safe." or when they want to jump off a truck top and it drives away, but mostly silly and sometimes gross. Predictable. The music's fine. The movie's full of action. Oahu imitates Ecuador and Columbia.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Watchable. For the first hour or so it's a regular war picture with apes and humans fighting one another to martial music. It develops into a cliche of an orphaned child. It's only when they reach the labour camp that the story becomes moving, gripping and a new science fiction idea is introduced when the sadistic commander explains his motives. The idyllic ending looks like from a Bible movie. As Caesar leaves a son and there's a little girl with a name bestowed on her by an ape I'm expecting yet another sequel.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
FUN MOM DINNER
Watchable. Not funny. A "Bad Moms" copycat without the flair. With significant contents of kids and their physiology. Makes you totally happy you're single and childless. You just get to see how both parenting and relationships suck. The music's quite good.
Watchable. One to watch carefully from the beginning in order to get a full grasp of the story which may be additionally difficult for Westerners to who all Asian faces tend to look alike and some appear in disguises too. It's also not clearly indicated which language is spoken when and in practical terms when I focused on distingusihing Japanese from Korean I would lose the contents of the exchange. The music, with truly spatial sounds, forms a gripping background to the otherwise dull-coloured movie. Acted in style - watching the relationships develop is as involving as the historical double agents storyline. The last hour contains two heavily brutal scenes. I loved the music over the credits. Best to wait for a DVD - technically it'll be still excellent and additionally will let you fast reverse to recatch details.
SPARK: A SPACE TALE
Watchable. Dubbed by stars in the original, in Polish by nobodies. Heavily drawing on "Star Wars", "The Lion King", "Robin Hood", "King Arthur", "Kung Fu Panda" and Chinese mythology it lacks originality. Can be enjoyed for cute bugs. One human character speaks with a brilliant Russian accent (at least in the Polish dubbing).
THE NUT JOB 2: NUTTY BY NATURE
Recommended. The best cartoon since "Sing" - for children and adults alike. This time I enjoyed the Polish dubbing like hardly ever as the excellent dialogues got a brilliant translation, probably even better than the original, e.g. Mr. Feng becomes Myszu. Lots of cuteness and gags as well as hilarious lines, e.g.: "Use your female charm!" "I've used it up already." or "But they stock eco whew!" (I'm translating from Polish.) With adult undertones such as corruption, child obesity, cruelty to animals and, last but not least, developers threatening urban green areas. It ends with a mid-credit with Jackie Chan dubbing Mr. Feng in the original.
KRÓLEWICZ OLCH (THE ERLPRINCE)
Watchable. I didn't take to it at first but I shortly realised it was more of an art project than a movie and stopped analysing. I just revelled in the pictures and sounds and these are quite special. Towards the end there's a special effect of a video breaking up which was like nothing I had seen before. Annoyingly, in spite of language consultants listed in the credits, English was incorrect at times and mostly unnatural and even Polish contained one mistake. All the more, it's best not to analyse.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
GIFTED
Watchable. A simple moral tale saying that mathematically gifted people need love too. Good courtroom parts and the aftermath.
HAPPY OLO
Watchable. A crowdfunded documentary looking amateurish. Lame beginning and ending from a child's viewpoint and awful folk/disco polo-like songs. But Aleksander Doba is so funny and genuine it's worth seeing for him. He tells about practicalities like the toilet when you're kayaking for more than 3 months across the Atlantic or ocean salt (5 times as much as in the Baltic Sea) giving him all-body rash, but also how he couldn't send a text message and his position signals got mistaken for a rescue call and how he got repeatedly hit by fish flying at 90 kph. You get to see the specially constructed kayak too.
TULIP FEVER
Watchable. Very involving although quite far-fetched. Lots of famous actors: Dane DeHaan - looking like young DiCaprio in the role of a painter just like Leo in "Titanic", Cara Delevingne, Christoph Waltz, Zach Galifianiakis, Judi Dench, Alicia Vikander - getting naked again, seems her type of roles.
NIGHT FILM MARATHON
As I had seen "Annabelle", "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 2" before, this time I saw only:
ANNABELLE: CREATION
Recommended. Scary as hell. In many tried and tested Hollywood ways. Fits neatly into the whole series. The post-credit implies the next movie will explain the demonic nun from a Romanian Abbey.
Just as one of the characters uttered: "We shouldn't be in here", one viewer quickly ran out. A hilarious experience only a cinema can provide.
THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD
Watchable. Really entertaining. Of course the plot is totally implausible and the dialogues full of vulgar language but when you've got two characters grudging each other and having to work together you're bound to enjoy the banter. Great airviews of London, Manchester, Amsterdam, The Hague and Dutch landscape. Bulgaria appears to stockpile baddies for co-productions. The black guy is to go to prison but has planned his walking free already. The white guy has hooked up with his sweetheart and is getting his AAA status back. A sequel seems likely. A deleted scene makes a post-credit.
RAID DINGUE (R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT)
Watchable. A comedy about a clumsy cop who wants to join elite special forces makes for plenty of gags some of which made me burst into laughter. The plot's predictable but entertaining.
SNATCHED
Watchable. An adventure comedy with Amy Schumer so it's occasionally funny, e.g.: "They want young beautiful females. So you two are safe." or when they want to jump off a truck top and it drives away, but mostly silly and sometimes gross. Predictable. The music's fine. The movie's full of action. Oahu imitates Ecuador and Columbia.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Watchable. For the first hour or so it's a regular war picture with apes and humans fighting one another to martial music. It develops into a cliche of an orphaned child. It's only when they reach the labour camp that the story becomes moving, gripping and a new science fiction idea is introduced when the sadistic commander explains his motives. The idyllic ending looks like from a Bible movie. As Caesar leaves a son and there's a little girl with a name bestowed on her by an ape I'm expecting yet another sequel.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
FUN MOM DINNER
Watchable. Not funny. A "Bad Moms" copycat without the flair. With significant contents of kids and their physiology. Makes you totally happy you're single and childless. You just get to see how both parenting and relationships suck. The music's quite good.
Wednesday 9 August 2017
I was one of interviewees for a Korean documentary on Poland today which was a fascinating experience but long and, which I didn't feel at first, ultimately exhausting. Re-thinking all of it just deprived me of all my energy. Well, of course my concerns are about my own performance while the crew seemed to care more about our reception of Korea than theirs of Poland. Still, they were totally nice and I'm happy I took part in it, whatever the outcome may be.
RED DOG: TRUE BLUE
Watchable. A typical family movie about a dog. The beginning is sad - the situation is like mine: dogless and only watching them at the cinema. The middle is more cheerful, with some hilarious bits, like the fragment when the boy tries to train the dog - I've just chuckled again remembering it. The ending is sad again. I wish movies about pets had more optimistic endings.
RED DOG: TRUE BLUE
Watchable. A typical family movie about a dog. The beginning is sad - the situation is like mine: dogless and only watching them at the cinema. The middle is more cheerful, with some hilarious bits, like the fragment when the boy tries to train the dog - I've just chuckled again remembering it. The ending is sad again. I wish movies about pets had more optimistic endings.
Tuesday 8 August 2017
PARIS PIEDS NUS (LOST IN PARIS)
Watchable. A charming, old-style slapstick comedy. Contemporary, brand new but resembling the best of Charlie Chaplin and the like. A few hilarious scenes, like a foreign visitor to the city being led by a blind man, falling into water or off the Eiffel Tower. The rest is just cute. Extremely well acted. Simple, yet smart plot. I only don't understand the French obsession with the homeless. Can't they make a comedy without any?
Watchable. A charming, old-style slapstick comedy. Contemporary, brand new but resembling the best of Charlie Chaplin and the like. A few hilarious scenes, like a foreign visitor to the city being led by a blind man, falling into water or off the Eiffel Tower. The rest is just cute. Extremely well acted. Simple, yet smart plot. I only don't understand the French obsession with the homeless. Can't they make a comedy without any?
Saturday 5 August 2017
SIERPNIOWE NIEBO. 63 DNI CHWAŁY (AUGUST SKY. 63 DAYS OF GLORY) (2013)
Walked out. 75 minutes of rubbish. The action develops in a few different times parallelly, with music ranging from something like moaning, through rap to war-time songs. Dialogues are either spoken with theatrical exaggeration or muttured incomprehensibly. Genre? Junk movie.
Walked out. 75 minutes of rubbish. The action develops in a few different times parallelly, with music ranging from something like moaning, through rap to war-time songs. Dialogues are either spoken with theatrical exaggeration or muttured incomprehensibly. Genre? Junk movie.
Friday 4 August 2017
PUNKT KRYTYCZNY. ENERGIA ODNOWA (THE TIPPING POINT. ENERGY ANEW)
Watchable. One of several now movies on climate change. So it is important and interesting but the only new thing it brings is the Polish perspective: we've got the technology, with brand new solutions being developed, it's feasible economically, only the political will is missing because "coal is our tradition".
The debate afterwards was even better than the film. Director Łukasz Bluszcz couldn't make it but Aleksandra Kardaś, Marcin Popkiewicz and Tobiasz Adamczewski were great talkers with immense knowledge. The documentary is available on WWF's channel on youtube.
Watchable. One of several now movies on climate change. So it is important and interesting but the only new thing it brings is the Polish perspective: we've got the technology, with brand new solutions being developed, it's feasible economically, only the political will is missing because "coal is our tradition".
The debate afterwards was even better than the film. Director Łukasz Bluszcz couldn't make it but Aleksandra Kardaś, Marcin Popkiewicz and Tobiasz Adamczewski were great talkers with immense knowledge. The documentary is available on WWF's channel on youtube.
Wednesday 2 August 2017
VALERIAN ET LA CITE DES MILLE PLANETES (VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS)
Recommended. The times have come when, as Luc Besson says, "the only limitation to work on a movie is our own imagination." It's the most expensive European production in history. "Star Wars" were "Valerian et la Cite des Milles Planetes" ("Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets") on a small scale. Apparently George Lucas got his inspiration from the comic book series. Now his company Industrial Light & Magic, together with Weta Digital, Rodeo FX and Ubisoft's Hybride division (the 4 companies combined have won 21 Oscars) is responsible for the mind-blowing animation. While the visuals are amazing, the 3D is just OK, so it should be perfectly fine in 2D as well. Best to watch on as big a screen as possible. I'll try to check it out at Imax - an ordinary size cinema screen felt too small for the 100 alien species. As Luc Besson said, "Doghan Daguis are French. They look French." The rest of the cast is not alien but also international. Cara Delevingne looks very beautiful. Baby-faced Dane Dehaan resembles young Leonardo di Caprio. Musician Herbie Hancock is the Defence Minister. Rutger Hauer appears as the President of the World State Federation but he's so wrinkly I failed to recognize him! The movie's beautiful from the start: In 1975 Russian and American astronauts shook hands. And smiled. Then we see subsequent astronaut handshakes past and future and that's when the first alien contacts take place. To the director first comes a story, whether it's a play, a book, a movie or a painting, the rest is just a tool. Great music doesn't come to the forefront, remaining a perfect background. The movie features an alien performance, just like in "The Fifth Element", but what strikes the most when you compare the two is the technological progress. The same progress which made this production possible. According to Luc Besson the movie will resonate better with Asian and European audiences rather than American since in the US the superhero has to be American and be a leader. While the director is not going to continue any of his previous stories, this one is just a warm-up for upcoming ones - "some movies have sequels in the DNA" and 29 albums of the comic books have been created. Luc Besson assures he's "always working". The two leads both look so young I hope for many sequels without digital de-aging. What's rare in contemporary SF cinema there are no mid- or post-credits.
THE SON OF BIGFOOT
Watchable. The story of an evil corporation experimenting on a yeti is prolonged and stereotypical, the bullying plot is better but the cutest are the animals, especially the squirrel. Sadly they occupy relatively little of the movie time.
KEDI (CAT)
Watchable. A thought-provoking documentary about people's attitude to cats. In Istanbul (kedi is Turkish for a cat) they are allowed to roam freely and reproduce at will. The feline inhabitants of the city are taken care of, fed, caressed, taken to vets. They're free, not stray. Feels disturbing when you compare it to how they are treated in Western culture. Lots of traditional tunes: bellydance drum solo music as well as "Üsküdar'a Gider İken" accompany the slow-paced film portrait.
UNA MUJER FANTASTICA (A FANTASTIC WOMAN)
Recommended. Una pelicula fantastica. Very clear structure and a mystery at the same time. Quite disturbing at times but totally engulfing. The protagonist is not an average Jane but is so convincingly portrayed, it's easy to relate to her. Some shots are so thought through they stand out.
SONITA (2015)
Recommended. Luckily there's little rap and its Afghan version is quite mild. I felt touched by the stories of girls sold to future husbands, sometimes very old, without being asked. In Iran they could say no to the sale, in Afghanistan they have no voice. Literally, as I was also sad to learn that in neither of the countries can a woman sing. Seems such a little thing in the West.
ASK TESADUFLERI SEVER (LOVE LOVES COINCIDENCES) (2011)
Watchable. A naive love story made to all the rules of the genre. A bit too slow for my taste. The subplot of how to live with a terminal illness is more realistic: the opposition of going from a doctor to a doctor set against living to the full and dying young.
AMERICAN MADE
Removed due to a publication ban I wasn't aware of. Will repost it asap.
DUNKIRK AT IMAX
Watchable. Boring - typical Nolan, with dreadful, tiring, jarring music - surprisingly by Hans Zimmer. The initial note on the screen is just some bla bla bla instead of historical info. So you're thrown into the middle of something you don't understand. At the same time technically it's excellent, especially the sweeping views of the sea and the beach from the air giving the impression you're flying right above. War effects sound realistically close. Air-con chills the air similarly to the wind blowing on the stretch of sand. War technicalities include the incoming tide bringing in corpses. With time it dawned on me the stranded soldiers must have felt the same not knowing what's going on. Major actors got minor roles, with the bigger ones given to no-names, just like the movie is devoted to the thousands of no-name soldiers. Still, I was happy it was shorter than usual Nolan's films.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
There's a special screening of "Punkt krytyczny. Energia odNowa" ("The Tipping Point. Energy aNew") at Muranow cinema in Warsaw. Finally, having missed that at the Docs Against Gravity festival I'll see the film I have been curious of ever since I heard the director talking about the first documentary on renewable energy and the current state of energetics and environmental changes in Poland.
Recommended. The times have come when, as Luc Besson says, "the only limitation to work on a movie is our own imagination." It's the most expensive European production in history. "Star Wars" were "Valerian et la Cite des Milles Planetes" ("Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets") on a small scale. Apparently George Lucas got his inspiration from the comic book series. Now his company Industrial Light & Magic, together with Weta Digital, Rodeo FX and Ubisoft's Hybride division (the 4 companies combined have won 21 Oscars) is responsible for the mind-blowing animation. While the visuals are amazing, the 3D is just OK, so it should be perfectly fine in 2D as well. Best to watch on as big a screen as possible. I'll try to check it out at Imax - an ordinary size cinema screen felt too small for the 100 alien species. As Luc Besson said, "Doghan Daguis are French. They look French." The rest of the cast is not alien but also international. Cara Delevingne looks very beautiful. Baby-faced Dane Dehaan resembles young Leonardo di Caprio. Musician Herbie Hancock is the Defence Minister. Rutger Hauer appears as the President of the World State Federation but he's so wrinkly I failed to recognize him! The movie's beautiful from the start: In 1975 Russian and American astronauts shook hands. And smiled. Then we see subsequent astronaut handshakes past and future and that's when the first alien contacts take place. To the director first comes a story, whether it's a play, a book, a movie or a painting, the rest is just a tool. Great music doesn't come to the forefront, remaining a perfect background. The movie features an alien performance, just like in "The Fifth Element", but what strikes the most when you compare the two is the technological progress. The same progress which made this production possible. According to Luc Besson the movie will resonate better with Asian and European audiences rather than American since in the US the superhero has to be American and be a leader. While the director is not going to continue any of his previous stories, this one is just a warm-up for upcoming ones - "some movies have sequels in the DNA" and 29 albums of the comic books have been created. Luc Besson assures he's "always working". The two leads both look so young I hope for many sequels without digital de-aging. What's rare in contemporary SF cinema there are no mid- or post-credits.
THE SON OF BIGFOOT
Watchable. The story of an evil corporation experimenting on a yeti is prolonged and stereotypical, the bullying plot is better but the cutest are the animals, especially the squirrel. Sadly they occupy relatively little of the movie time.
KEDI (CAT)
Watchable. A thought-provoking documentary about people's attitude to cats. In Istanbul (kedi is Turkish for a cat) they are allowed to roam freely and reproduce at will. The feline inhabitants of the city are taken care of, fed, caressed, taken to vets. They're free, not stray. Feels disturbing when you compare it to how they are treated in Western culture. Lots of traditional tunes: bellydance drum solo music as well as "Üsküdar'a Gider İken" accompany the slow-paced film portrait.
UNA MUJER FANTASTICA (A FANTASTIC WOMAN)
Recommended. Una pelicula fantastica. Very clear structure and a mystery at the same time. Quite disturbing at times but totally engulfing. The protagonist is not an average Jane but is so convincingly portrayed, it's easy to relate to her. Some shots are so thought through they stand out.
SONITA (2015)
Recommended. Luckily there's little rap and its Afghan version is quite mild. I felt touched by the stories of girls sold to future husbands, sometimes very old, without being asked. In Iran they could say no to the sale, in Afghanistan they have no voice. Literally, as I was also sad to learn that in neither of the countries can a woman sing. Seems such a little thing in the West.
ASK TESADUFLERI SEVER (LOVE LOVES COINCIDENCES) (2011)
Watchable. A naive love story made to all the rules of the genre. A bit too slow for my taste. The subplot of how to live with a terminal illness is more realistic: the opposition of going from a doctor to a doctor set against living to the full and dying young.
AMERICAN MADE
Removed due to a publication ban I wasn't aware of. Will repost it asap.
DUNKIRK AT IMAX
Watchable. Boring - typical Nolan, with dreadful, tiring, jarring music - surprisingly by Hans Zimmer. The initial note on the screen is just some bla bla bla instead of historical info. So you're thrown into the middle of something you don't understand. At the same time technically it's excellent, especially the sweeping views of the sea and the beach from the air giving the impression you're flying right above. War effects sound realistically close. Air-con chills the air similarly to the wind blowing on the stretch of sand. War technicalities include the incoming tide bringing in corpses. With time it dawned on me the stranded soldiers must have felt the same not knowing what's going on. Major actors got minor roles, with the bigger ones given to no-names, just like the movie is devoted to the thousands of no-name soldiers. Still, I was happy it was shorter than usual Nolan's films.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
There's a special screening of "Punkt krytyczny. Energia odNowa" ("The Tipping Point. Energy aNew") at Muranow cinema in Warsaw. Finally, having missed that at the Docs Against Gravity festival I'll see the film I have been curious of ever since I heard the director talking about the first documentary on renewable energy and the current state of energetics and environmental changes in Poland.
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