TIGER ZINDA HAI (TIGER IS ALIVE)
Recommended. Salman Khan's latest movie has attracted crowds. Indian mostly yet nearly the whole screening room was full. In Warsaw, Poland. Was it worth it? Damn, yeah! Based on true events - Indian and Pakistani intelligence agents getting Indian, Pakistani and Western hostages out of ISIS-occupied Ikrit in North-Eastern Syria. As if the story wasn't exciting enough, it's souped-up by Bollywood. Fantastic music provides accompaniment to adrenaline-pumping action. It has some brilliant lines like about Tiger having accomplished what the governments of India and Pakistan couldn't, i.e. both countries working together to a common goal. You also get radicalization in a nuthshell: a Middle Easterner educated in poetry, a former teacher in the US, rounded up to Guantanamo after 9/11 purely for his skin colour, is bound to turn into a terrorist. OK, the film doesn't mention ISIS or its leaders, but ISC and people's names and appearances are straight in your face. You'll easily put the fictitious pictures and names to real faces. The characters are drawn superbly. My favourite is the Indian who "for profit would sell his parents" and his economically grounded pleading with the caliphate leader to stop a beheading. Katrina Kaif plays Tiger's wife/special agent from Pakistan. The movie doesn't shy away from serious topics but does so in truly Bollywood entertaining way.
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
Thursday 28 December 2017
Wednesday 27 December 2017
DADDY'S HOME TWO
Watchable. Dubbing sounded strange: firstly - famous American actors in Polish?! secondly - American children talk in Polish while watching telly in English and one of adults speaks to a child in Polish and then sings to it in English, thirdly - Brad sounds like 'brat'. Once you come to terms with having to listen to the dubbing, the film's pretty good. Hardly as gross as I expected: the father and son kissing on the mouth in the trailer are as bad as it gets. The whole thing, shot in picturesque wintry Massachusetts, has lots of Christmas family comedy charm. It is genuinely amusing, with a number of gags, e.g. a voice-activated shower, and some good lines, e.g. a retired astronaut diminishing inconveniences of the journey: "I've been to space with a chimp." Some serious undertones are included too, e.g. on how to bring up children so they become tough. With a mid- and a post-credit.
The movie upholds the Wild West hunting ethos. As I expected, Polish "Pokot" ("Spoor") had no chance for an Oscar. No fertile ground for hunters' opposition in America.
Seen at my fave Cinema City.
Watchable. Dubbing sounded strange: firstly - famous American actors in Polish?! secondly - American children talk in Polish while watching telly in English and one of adults speaks to a child in Polish and then sings to it in English, thirdly - Brad sounds like 'brat'. Once you come to terms with having to listen to the dubbing, the film's pretty good. Hardly as gross as I expected: the father and son kissing on the mouth in the trailer are as bad as it gets. The whole thing, shot in picturesque wintry Massachusetts, has lots of Christmas family comedy charm. It is genuinely amusing, with a number of gags, e.g. a voice-activated shower, and some good lines, e.g. a retired astronaut diminishing inconveniences of the journey: "I've been to space with a chimp." Some serious undertones are included too, e.g. on how to bring up children so they become tough. With a mid- and a post-credit.
The movie upholds the Wild West hunting ethos. As I expected, Polish "Pokot" ("Spoor") had no chance for an Oscar. No fertile ground for hunters' opposition in America.
Seen at my fave Cinema City.
Thursday 21 December 2017
WONDER WHEEL
Watchable. Juno Temple has grown up to become a flirtatious curvy young lady in the 50s period drama. A clear-cut plot and lots of old charm moderate the story permeating with disillusionment and jealousy. Ginny is the nervous character typical for the director but Woody Allen's usual humour is missing. The woman in love with her much younger lover is the most tragic character but I didn't shed a tear.
24 HOURS TO LIVE
Watchable. An action flick about a mercenary/hitman/special agent with 24 hours left to live. Sounds familiar? Here he's even got a screen implanted in his underarm displaying the remaining time. But Ethan Hawke has decent acting skills and pulls it off. Superficial yet plausible psychology and great acting on all parts with good pictures make it much better than the synopsis would imply. The final scene suggests a sequel coming.
COCO
Watchable. Hispanic architecture, cenotes, mariachis and Dia de Muertos with a complete afterlife world including photograph control on the border and details like a Huesos Boutique signboard. The flimsy premise of a boy who wants to play the guitar - used in films over and over again as if teens had no other dreams - makes a base for quite a solid story. Cultural consultants were hired to help create a colourful family tale based in Mexico. It's just too sappy at times. Lovely animation employs varying techniques resulting in some faces looking smooth and other wrinkly, rocks differing from the pavement or the effect of translucent water.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Watchable. Nothing in this hollow adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous novel rings true. Malta, where it was shot, doesn't resemble Istanbul in the slightest. Swiss and French Alps, including Gorge de Verdun concealed beyond recognition, fail to impress as they normally should. The wintry backdrop they form doesn't match the foreground actors. You can see they don't walk on real snow and aren't out in the cold. Kenneth Branagh's, as Hercule Poirot, Belgian French accent sounds phoney. His and Ratchett's moustaches look glued onto their faces. All the celebrities act with theatrical exaggeration. Sentimental music deprives the production of any potential even tension. I just stayed watching out of my respect and admiration for Agatha Christie. It was a great disappointment to see such a parody of her work. The ending implies "Death on the Nile" is going to be next. I hope not.
ON WINGS OF EAGLES
Watchable. So slow I considered walking out. In the brief moments of better music it transpired it was the morose western-style classical soundtrack that ruined the movie. The sad story of an American Olympic runner turned primary school teacher in China who dies in a POW camp during the WW2 Japanese invasion could have been livelier. Based on true events so I watched to get to know how it was at wartime.
Seen from the comfort of a Cinema City seat. In the run-up to Christmas an increased number of commercials are screened before movies but at least mostly new ones and the moronic Mirinda spot is gone.
Watchable. Juno Temple has grown up to become a flirtatious curvy young lady in the 50s period drama. A clear-cut plot and lots of old charm moderate the story permeating with disillusionment and jealousy. Ginny is the nervous character typical for the director but Woody Allen's usual humour is missing. The woman in love with her much younger lover is the most tragic character but I didn't shed a tear.
24 HOURS TO LIVE
Watchable. An action flick about a mercenary/hitman/special agent with 24 hours left to live. Sounds familiar? Here he's even got a screen implanted in his underarm displaying the remaining time. But Ethan Hawke has decent acting skills and pulls it off. Superficial yet plausible psychology and great acting on all parts with good pictures make it much better than the synopsis would imply. The final scene suggests a sequel coming.
COCO
Watchable. Hispanic architecture, cenotes, mariachis and Dia de Muertos with a complete afterlife world including photograph control on the border and details like a Huesos Boutique signboard. The flimsy premise of a boy who wants to play the guitar - used in films over and over again as if teens had no other dreams - makes a base for quite a solid story. Cultural consultants were hired to help create a colourful family tale based in Mexico. It's just too sappy at times. Lovely animation employs varying techniques resulting in some faces looking smooth and other wrinkly, rocks differing from the pavement or the effect of translucent water.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Watchable. Nothing in this hollow adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous novel rings true. Malta, where it was shot, doesn't resemble Istanbul in the slightest. Swiss and French Alps, including Gorge de Verdun concealed beyond recognition, fail to impress as they normally should. The wintry backdrop they form doesn't match the foreground actors. You can see they don't walk on real snow and aren't out in the cold. Kenneth Branagh's, as Hercule Poirot, Belgian French accent sounds phoney. His and Ratchett's moustaches look glued onto their faces. All the celebrities act with theatrical exaggeration. Sentimental music deprives the production of any potential even tension. I just stayed watching out of my respect and admiration for Agatha Christie. It was a great disappointment to see such a parody of her work. The ending implies "Death on the Nile" is going to be next. I hope not.
ON WINGS OF EAGLES
Watchable. So slow I considered walking out. In the brief moments of better music it transpired it was the morose western-style classical soundtrack that ruined the movie. The sad story of an American Olympic runner turned primary school teacher in China who dies in a POW camp during the WW2 Japanese invasion could have been livelier. Based on true events so I watched to get to know how it was at wartime.
Seen from the comfort of a Cinema City seat. In the run-up to Christmas an increased number of commercials are screened before movies but at least mostly new ones and the moronic Mirinda spot is gone.
THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
Recommended. P. T. Barnum's credo was to make the audience happy and smiling. So I'm not sure if my being moved to tears (and smiling at the same time) counts. It commences with a sample of a great show. With Hugh Jackman dancing and singing. Looking younger than in "Logan" too. Then the story becomes, as the theatre critic in the musical put it, "a celebration of humanity". Phinneas Barnum aassembles a team of extraordinary people: a woman with a beard and a voice of an angel, "the fattest man in the world", a giant, a chap tattooed from head to toe, acrobats to stage a riveting performance. In a truly American way the business owner goes from rags to riches and is a devoted family man at once. Zac Efron joins in an adult musical this time. Zendaya looks like a fairy-tale princess. The character of the theatre critic who doesn't find joy in entertainment pokes fun at people like... me. A class struggle mixes with fighting predjudice squeezing tears. The show enthralls. The theme song is a masterpiece and all tunes are catchy. The movie's magical, perfect for the festive season.
Recommended. P. T. Barnum's credo was to make the audience happy and smiling. So I'm not sure if my being moved to tears (and smiling at the same time) counts. It commences with a sample of a great show. With Hugh Jackman dancing and singing. Looking younger than in "Logan" too. Then the story becomes, as the theatre critic in the musical put it, "a celebration of humanity". Phinneas Barnum aassembles a team of extraordinary people: a woman with a beard and a voice of an angel, "the fattest man in the world", a giant, a chap tattooed from head to toe, acrobats to stage a riveting performance. In a truly American way the business owner goes from rags to riches and is a devoted family man at once. Zac Efron joins in an adult musical this time. Zendaya looks like a fairy-tale princess. The character of the theatre critic who doesn't find joy in entertainment pokes fun at people like... me. A class struggle mixes with fighting predjudice squeezing tears. The show enthralls. The theme song is a masterpiece and all tunes are catchy. The movie's magical, perfect for the festive season.
Tuesday 19 December 2017
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
MOBUTU, ROI DU ZAIRE (MOBUTU, KING OF ZAIRE)
Watchable. A documentary by Thierry Michel, a Belgian director who's dedicated a significant portion of his work to the former Belgian colony. This one covers the full history of Mobutu Sese Seko. The one who wore leopard skin which gave him the air of a traditional African chief. Beneath he was ruthless and sly. Slept with women to humiliate their husbands. The husbands who belonged to his closest circles. Perfidious, wasn't it? Politically he sided with the likes of Ceaușescu. And just like him the riches he accrued came from looting his subjects. The documentary shows how his corrupt rule led to the reign of bloody Laurent Kabila. Documentary-wise it's not clear who the talking heads in the film are.
EUROTRUMP
Watchable. The Netherlands are such a peaceful and orderly country that prison cells are rented out to other nations. In such a country Geert Wilders gained popularity scare mongering about a Muslim invasion. At the same time he's living under constant protection as a result of actual death threats from those he warns against. The director has attempted to balance right and left wing views on both sides of Wilders but the bias to the left in the number of commentators is visible. Obviously it reflects the director's own opinion.
While Dutch people take sides on the issue, they are not as polarised as in Poland, as I heard from a Dutch viewer.
THE WORK
Recommended. Perfect catharsis and a much comforting, even if very emotional, documentary with crying covicts. Honey on my wounds. The criminals feel relieved they don't have to act tough for 4 days. The group psychotherapy is 100% successful. None of them end up behind bars again.
JUNGLE
Recommended. I rememeber the story from a B2 level English coursebook so several teachers and students of the language will recognise it too. Shot in Bolivia and Columbia. With Dolby Atmos sound - I wonder if the only Dolby Atmos screen in Warsaw will play it. The jungle would sound marvellous. A must for every backpacker. Based on a true story. Gripping and totally realistic.
STORM: LETTERS VAN VUUR (STORM - LETTER OF FIRE)
Walked out. Drab and grey, sad and about Protestantism. Quite a peculiar movie for children.
OSCARS 2018
My first comment:
The Foreign Language Oscar Shortlist got announced. In my view the Chilean and Hungarian candidates are outstanding, the South African one is an audacious "Brokeback Mountain" copycat. I haven't seen the rest. I'm happy the Polish trash "Spoor" got eliminated - no surprise here, there's no reason for Americans to like it.
THE PARTY
Watchable. 71 minutes only. Apart from the very first shot, the beginning is lousy, the middle mediocre and the ending terrific. Starts with lots of sentimental jazz, high contrast black and white matching the hostess' professional position as a Shadow Minister and theatrically acted upper class conversations. Then, gradually, the people reveal their shenanigans as well as relationships: both official and secret. The final line shoots you.
MOBUTU, ROI DU ZAIRE (MOBUTU, KING OF ZAIRE)
Watchable. A documentary by Thierry Michel, a Belgian director who's dedicated a significant portion of his work to the former Belgian colony. This one covers the full history of Mobutu Sese Seko. The one who wore leopard skin which gave him the air of a traditional African chief. Beneath he was ruthless and sly. Slept with women to humiliate their husbands. The husbands who belonged to his closest circles. Perfidious, wasn't it? Politically he sided with the likes of Ceaușescu. And just like him the riches he accrued came from looting his subjects. The documentary shows how his corrupt rule led to the reign of bloody Laurent Kabila. Documentary-wise it's not clear who the talking heads in the film are.
EUROTRUMP
Watchable. The Netherlands are such a peaceful and orderly country that prison cells are rented out to other nations. In such a country Geert Wilders gained popularity scare mongering about a Muslim invasion. At the same time he's living under constant protection as a result of actual death threats from those he warns against. The director has attempted to balance right and left wing views on both sides of Wilders but the bias to the left in the number of commentators is visible. Obviously it reflects the director's own opinion.
While Dutch people take sides on the issue, they are not as polarised as in Poland, as I heard from a Dutch viewer.
THE WORK
Recommended. Perfect catharsis and a much comforting, even if very emotional, documentary with crying covicts. Honey on my wounds. The criminals feel relieved they don't have to act tough for 4 days. The group psychotherapy is 100% successful. None of them end up behind bars again.
JUNGLE
Recommended. I rememeber the story from a B2 level English coursebook so several teachers and students of the language will recognise it too. Shot in Bolivia and Columbia. With Dolby Atmos sound - I wonder if the only Dolby Atmos screen in Warsaw will play it. The jungle would sound marvellous. A must for every backpacker. Based on a true story. Gripping and totally realistic.
STORM: LETTERS VAN VUUR (STORM - LETTER OF FIRE)
Walked out. Drab and grey, sad and about Protestantism. Quite a peculiar movie for children.
OSCARS 2018
My first comment:
The Foreign Language Oscar Shortlist got announced. In my view the Chilean and Hungarian candidates are outstanding, the South African one is an audacious "Brokeback Mountain" copycat. I haven't seen the rest. I'm happy the Polish trash "Spoor" got eliminated - no surprise here, there's no reason for Americans to like it.
THE PARTY
Watchable. 71 minutes only. Apart from the very first shot, the beginning is lousy, the middle mediocre and the ending terrific. Starts with lots of sentimental jazz, high contrast black and white matching the hostess' professional position as a Shadow Minister and theatrically acted upper class conversations. Then, gradually, the people reveal their shenanigans as well as relationships: both official and secret. The final line shoots you.
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI AT IMAX 3D
Recommended. Ravishing. Dubrovnik is Canto Bight. The red iron soil covered in salt pretenting Crait is Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Skellig Michael in Ireland makes for Luke's island. Irish Donegal and the outlandish-landscape-stalwart Iceland feature too. Fantastic new animals, especially on Luke's island: land ones, flying ones and one in the ocean. Chewbacca becomes vegetarian. Non-white and female heroes. As for the plot, it's good to remind yourself the previous part first. It reworks all the tried and tested motifs: John Williams's music, an attractive young hot-headed rebel, everyone's beloved old Luke, Leia and Master Yoda, in-jokes, heroes sneaking into the occupants' spacecraft, a thief working for whoever he finds fit, X-wings and a lot of the Force. Domhnall Gleeson is again so hot he'd easily lure you to the Dark Side. You never know who is and will be on which side. I cried about 3 times. The movie gets better and better to a spectacular finale. The last scene is the sweeper. No mid- or post-credit. Decent Imax 3D but I think that the plot makes such an impression that 2D on a regular size screen will suffice as well. May be worth hearing in Dolby Atmos if available.
EPIC DRAMA
On 14th December Viasat World introduced its Epic Drama TV Channel to Poland. It's going to consist of lavish costume serials only. I hope it has the original language version since the episode presented to us at the official opening had an annoying Polish voiceover and the English original was muted down completely. At least it's available online to watch at any time, with new episodes released weekly.
HARLOTS EPISODE 1
Watchable. Apparently 1 out of 5 women in 18th century London was a prostitute so the serial about competing two brothels grabs men's attention easily. You get some naked scenes, though short ones, in the initial part. The intrigue in the first episode is densely woven and engaging even for a woman. It ends so abruptly you crave for part two.
Recommended. Ravishing. Dubrovnik is Canto Bight. The red iron soil covered in salt pretenting Crait is Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Skellig Michael in Ireland makes for Luke's island. Irish Donegal and the outlandish-landscape-stalwart Iceland feature too. Fantastic new animals, especially on Luke's island: land ones, flying ones and one in the ocean. Chewbacca becomes vegetarian. Non-white and female heroes. As for the plot, it's good to remind yourself the previous part first. It reworks all the tried and tested motifs: John Williams's music, an attractive young hot-headed rebel, everyone's beloved old Luke, Leia and Master Yoda, in-jokes, heroes sneaking into the occupants' spacecraft, a thief working for whoever he finds fit, X-wings and a lot of the Force. Domhnall Gleeson is again so hot he'd easily lure you to the Dark Side. You never know who is and will be on which side. I cried about 3 times. The movie gets better and better to a spectacular finale. The last scene is the sweeper. No mid- or post-credit. Decent Imax 3D but I think that the plot makes such an impression that 2D on a regular size screen will suffice as well. May be worth hearing in Dolby Atmos if available.
EPIC DRAMA
On 14th December Viasat World introduced its Epic Drama TV Channel to Poland. It's going to consist of lavish costume serials only. I hope it has the original language version since the episode presented to us at the official opening had an annoying Polish voiceover and the English original was muted down completely. At least it's available online to watch at any time, with new episodes released weekly.
HARLOTS EPISODE 1
Watchable. Apparently 1 out of 5 women in 18th century London was a prostitute so the serial about competing two brothels grabs men's attention easily. You get some naked scenes, though short ones, in the initial part. The intrigue in the first episode is densely woven and engaging even for a woman. It ends so abruptly you crave for part two.
Sunday 17 December 2017
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
CONGO RIVER, AU-DELA DES TENEBRES (CONGO RIVER, BEYOND DARKNESS)
Recommended. Areas of law and of lawlessness. A vast country connected only by the river since once contructed roads have disappeared in the jungle. The travel documentary renders the regional differences resoundingly and builds a picture of Africa just as I learnt at uni: with magic rituals and Christian masses, Mai-Mai warriors, unspeakable violence, corruption, vegetation covering former splendour and ordinary people making river transport their home (one scene showed them showering on the deck in their underwear - full domestication).
THE REAGAN SHOW
Watchable. Reagan told how certain woman insisted on asking Gorbatchev a question. He agreed so she asked: "Who invented communism? A politician or a scientist?". Gorbatchev answered that a politician. "That explains everything. A scientist would have tested it on mice first." The anecdote pretty much reflects the light tone of the found footage film. Ending the arms race didn't come easy. Reagan clearly felt superior to his Soviet counterpart, both were loved by the media and competing for their attention. Their charm let relax the tension surrounding the negotiations. A pleasant film about ending the Cold War with few hard historical facts. On the fun side there are brief fragments of footage showing Reagan hosting music celebrities, including Michael Jackson.
CONGO RIVER, AU-DELA DES TENEBRES (CONGO RIVER, BEYOND DARKNESS)
Recommended. Areas of law and of lawlessness. A vast country connected only by the river since once contructed roads have disappeared in the jungle. The travel documentary renders the regional differences resoundingly and builds a picture of Africa just as I learnt at uni: with magic rituals and Christian masses, Mai-Mai warriors, unspeakable violence, corruption, vegetation covering former splendour and ordinary people making river transport their home (one scene showed them showering on the deck in their underwear - full domestication).
THE REAGAN SHOW
Watchable. Reagan told how certain woman insisted on asking Gorbatchev a question. He agreed so she asked: "Who invented communism? A politician or a scientist?". Gorbatchev answered that a politician. "That explains everything. A scientist would have tested it on mice first." The anecdote pretty much reflects the light tone of the found footage film. Ending the arms race didn't come easy. Reagan clearly felt superior to his Soviet counterpart, both were loved by the media and competing for their attention. Their charm let relax the tension surrounding the negotiations. A pleasant film about ending the Cold War with few hard historical facts. On the fun side there are brief fragments of footage showing Reagan hosting music celebrities, including Michael Jackson.
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
TRUTH DETECTIVES
Recommended. Incredible how precisely technology can identify what and where. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International crime solving methods look like "CSI" but cleaner: panoramic photographs, compiling a story from thousands of photographs taken in different parts of the city at different times, drones, satellite imaging, ground probes, specially developed algorithms, electric current X-raying soil. For me it was also quite revelatory how many actions constitute war crimes. The film shows human rights violations 100% detected. The future looks bright and science fiction has come real.
ASK THE SEXPERT
Watchable. A cheerful film about a celebrity sexologist in India, where ignorance in these matters is striking at times and calls for education. Sharp-witted, much beloved by his readers and fought against by a lady promoting chastity among hormone-fuelled youngsters. Even his most ardent opponent is presented light-heartedly. Without the gravitas that most human rights films carry but refreshingly light.
STRONGER THAN A BULLET
Recommended. The film takes the propaganda out of the images of the Iran-Iraq war replacing smiling young soldiers with realistic shots of torn limbs and stories of an ocean of blood. Former soldiers describe how, amid the reek of gunpowder, corpses were fragrant to them so they even slept under dead bodies for warmth and bullet protection. Powerful stuff.
In the Q&A with the director she said the Iranian revolution was what they called "a stolen revolution" since first, after 2500 years of monarchy leftists and women fought for democracy. But the religious regime took over the rebellion manipulating people and destroying intelligence.
BENDING THE ARC
Recommended. "Rich people must have no sex lives because they are always trying to screw the poor" as one of the doctors jokes. Luckily not always. One of the protagonists after several years of volunteer work in Haiti, Peru and Romania got appointed, by President Obama, President of the World Bank. Another one became the Minister of Health in Rwanda. The 20 year struggle for treating the poor was emotionally charged and involved overcoming financial and bureaucratic obstacles week by week but has led to such an efficient health system in Rwanda that Ebola can be contained immediately. Leaves you deeply moved and optimistic like them. There are a few mid-credits.
12 JOURS (12 DAYS)
Watchable. Unnecessarilly prolonged beginning. The meetings with the judge checking whether the psychiatrists' opinion allowed to release the patients from involuntary hospitalization are much engaging. However a bit disturbing as well since most of those people appear to be perfectly sane. It also raises a difficult question of whether an individual can take their own life. In Poland a sane person can commit a suicide, it appears in France even healthy people can't. It was also dispiriting to see how the patients got those issues. Many were homeless, raped or bullied at work. What's missing in the film are the psychiatrists whose opinions the patients frequently contest.
SYRIE: LA GUERRE SILENCIEUSE (SILENT WAR)
Watchable. Assad's regime spares no one. Women are frequently imprisoned when the state forces can't find their husbands. And it's impossible to survive the detention unscathed. All victims talk about the same: beatings during the day, rapes at night. A Syrian Army defector says male soldiers have something put in their food after which they stay awake for 72 hours full of energy. I didn't like the way some of the violated women spoke - as if only Muslim women found rapes traumatic. Also, even survivors are never free again. What society is it that the victims' families kill the women instead of surrounding them with care and exacting revenge on the perpetrators?! No solution is given. You just leave feeling injustly blamed and helpless, though with the knowledge that Assad's regime is even more brutal than ISIS.
TRUTH DETECTIVES
Recommended. Incredible how precisely technology can identify what and where. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International crime solving methods look like "CSI" but cleaner: panoramic photographs, compiling a story from thousands of photographs taken in different parts of the city at different times, drones, satellite imaging, ground probes, specially developed algorithms, electric current X-raying soil. For me it was also quite revelatory how many actions constitute war crimes. The film shows human rights violations 100% detected. The future looks bright and science fiction has come real.
ASK THE SEXPERT
Watchable. A cheerful film about a celebrity sexologist in India, where ignorance in these matters is striking at times and calls for education. Sharp-witted, much beloved by his readers and fought against by a lady promoting chastity among hormone-fuelled youngsters. Even his most ardent opponent is presented light-heartedly. Without the gravitas that most human rights films carry but refreshingly light.
STRONGER THAN A BULLET
Recommended. The film takes the propaganda out of the images of the Iran-Iraq war replacing smiling young soldiers with realistic shots of torn limbs and stories of an ocean of blood. Former soldiers describe how, amid the reek of gunpowder, corpses were fragrant to them so they even slept under dead bodies for warmth and bullet protection. Powerful stuff.
In the Q&A with the director she said the Iranian revolution was what they called "a stolen revolution" since first, after 2500 years of monarchy leftists and women fought for democracy. But the religious regime took over the rebellion manipulating people and destroying intelligence.
BENDING THE ARC
Recommended. "Rich people must have no sex lives because they are always trying to screw the poor" as one of the doctors jokes. Luckily not always. One of the protagonists after several years of volunteer work in Haiti, Peru and Romania got appointed, by President Obama, President of the World Bank. Another one became the Minister of Health in Rwanda. The 20 year struggle for treating the poor was emotionally charged and involved overcoming financial and bureaucratic obstacles week by week but has led to such an efficient health system in Rwanda that Ebola can be contained immediately. Leaves you deeply moved and optimistic like them. There are a few mid-credits.
12 JOURS (12 DAYS)
Watchable. Unnecessarilly prolonged beginning. The meetings with the judge checking whether the psychiatrists' opinion allowed to release the patients from involuntary hospitalization are much engaging. However a bit disturbing as well since most of those people appear to be perfectly sane. It also raises a difficult question of whether an individual can take their own life. In Poland a sane person can commit a suicide, it appears in France even healthy people can't. It was also dispiriting to see how the patients got those issues. Many were homeless, raped or bullied at work. What's missing in the film are the psychiatrists whose opinions the patients frequently contest.
SYRIE: LA GUERRE SILENCIEUSE (SILENT WAR)
Watchable. Assad's regime spares no one. Women are frequently imprisoned when the state forces can't find their husbands. And it's impossible to survive the detention unscathed. All victims talk about the same: beatings during the day, rapes at night. A Syrian Army defector says male soldiers have something put in their food after which they stay awake for 72 hours full of energy. I didn't like the way some of the violated women spoke - as if only Muslim women found rapes traumatic. Also, even survivors are never free again. What society is it that the victims' families kill the women instead of surrounding them with care and exacting revenge on the perpetrators?! No solution is given. You just leave feeling injustly blamed and helpless, though with the knowledge that Assad's regime is even more brutal than ISIS.
Sunday 10 December 2017
THE SHAPE OF WATER
SYRIA'S DISAPPEARED: THE CASE AGAINST ASSAD
Recommended. Soooo stylish. A modern SF story set in or after 1949, judging by Marilyn Monroe's song "How Wrong Can I Be" on a black and white telly in the movie recreating all details of the time meticulously, with all the Cold War classics and with overt sex and race discrimination treated naturally. With a subtext of the US destroying the environment overseas and disdaining what's sacred for other nations. Masterfully acted, including my favourite Octavia Spencer. Due to the plot you may develop a taste for eggs. I felt like having one immediately afterwards.
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
SYRIA'S DISAPPEARED: THE CASE AGAINST ASSAD
Recommended. Absolutely harrowing. ISIS crimes fade in comparison. Pictures like from concentration camps and torture descriptions like from Guantanamo.
Sadly Polish TV stations prey on internal political animosities in result of which I only heard about the current Syrian peace talks in Geneva from the British film director.
PLAYING GOD
Sadly Polish TV stations prey on internal political animosities in result of which I only heard about the current Syrian peace talks in Geneva from the British film director.
PLAYING GOD
Recommended. About probably the world's most powerful lawyer. Earning 500$ an hour and settling mass scale compensation cases. The film was more engaging than I expected. The portrayed man is incredible. Brings back faith in justice and lawyers' integrity.
EL PACTO DE ADRANA (ADRIANA'S PACT)
Watchable. Quite long, with some irrelevant scenes but shows how psychological repression works and how manipulative the torturer was. Should be more scientific in my opinion. For a long time I thought the truth would never transpire in the film.
EL PACTO DE ADRANA (ADRIANA'S PACT)
Watchable. Quite long, with some irrelevant scenes but shows how psychological repression works and how manipulative the torturer was. Should be more scientific in my opinion. For a long time I thought the truth would never transpire in the film.
Thursday 7 December 2017
POMIEDZY SLOWAMI (BEYOND WORDS)
Recommended. Mesmerizing. Audiovisually outstanding. The black and white cinematography captivates, varied music and sound effects match the pictures and the story perfectly. The title can be read on many levels: made up translations of the conversations between the protagonist's father and his boss, the father's nationalist remarks, "Germans" born in Poland, a poor African poet who turns out to matter, the immigrants' circle Michal once can't get out of or at other times doesn't fit in and the German society which in turns either accepts him without batting an eyelid or points out his sticking out like a sore thumb, his loosening the tie or passing the Siegessäule listening to Turkish music. About acculturation, national identity and the right to choose how and where to live. Lifestyle emigration.
The Atlantic cinema in Warsaw is disastrous when you enter the screening hall after dark: only every other step is lit so it's all too easy to stumble and get hurt.
ON THE MILKY ROAD
Recommended. Apparently it's based on 3 real stories and countless fantasies. Geese bathing in blood, a viper fed on milk, a man with a peregrine falcon and a donkey, a hen jumping in front of a mirror, various styles of local folk music, debauchery and runaway lovers in the middle of the Balkan war form a colourful mosaic. A unique, bizarre world by Emir Kusturica who I had never appreciated before.
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
OPENING OF DIGITAL STORIES LAB
Walked out. Announced as interactive films but were neither interactive nor films, just some amateurish presentations of stuff you normally find online. A waste of time.
Recommended. Mesmerizing. Audiovisually outstanding. The black and white cinematography captivates, varied music and sound effects match the pictures and the story perfectly. The title can be read on many levels: made up translations of the conversations between the protagonist's father and his boss, the father's nationalist remarks, "Germans" born in Poland, a poor African poet who turns out to matter, the immigrants' circle Michal once can't get out of or at other times doesn't fit in and the German society which in turns either accepts him without batting an eyelid or points out his sticking out like a sore thumb, his loosening the tie or passing the Siegessäule listening to Turkish music. About acculturation, national identity and the right to choose how and where to live. Lifestyle emigration.
The Atlantic cinema in Warsaw is disastrous when you enter the screening hall after dark: only every other step is lit so it's all too easy to stumble and get hurt.
ON THE MILKY ROAD
Recommended. Apparently it's based on 3 real stories and countless fantasies. Geese bathing in blood, a viper fed on milk, a man with a peregrine falcon and a donkey, a hen jumping in front of a mirror, various styles of local folk music, debauchery and runaway lovers in the middle of the Balkan war form a colourful mosaic. A unique, bizarre world by Emir Kusturica who I had never appreciated before.
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
OPENING OF DIGITAL STORIES LAB
Walked out. Announced as interactive films but were neither interactive nor films, just some amateurish presentations of stuff you normally find online. A waste of time.
Wednesday 6 December 2017
JUSTICE LEAGUE IN DOLBY ATMOS
Watchable again. Dolby Atmos significantly improves the sound. The music is more spacious though still lame due to the composition. You can hear all sound effects much better so it's easier to distinguish voices or hear buzzing insects. With wooden dialogues like: "I think an attack is coming." "Not coming, Bruce. It's already here." or "We need you, Victor. And maybe you need us." and the fact the movie's quite monochromatic, Dolby Atmos is your best bet. Forget 3D, Imax. Ezra Miller still looks hot in ordinary size 2D. The movie itself is skippable but if you are to see it, make sure you hear it well. And wait for the post-credit!
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
Watchable again. Dolby Atmos significantly improves the sound. The music is more spacious though still lame due to the composition. You can hear all sound effects much better so it's easier to distinguish voices or hear buzzing insects. With wooden dialogues like: "I think an attack is coming." "Not coming, Bruce. It's already here." or "We need you, Victor. And maybe you need us." and the fact the movie's quite monochromatic, Dolby Atmos is your best bet. Forget 3D, Imax. Ezra Miller still looks hot in ordinary size 2D. The movie itself is skippable but if you are to see it, make sure you hear it well. And wait for the post-credit!
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
MUUMIEN JOULU (MOOMINS AND THE WINTER WONDERLAND)
Watchable. Most suitable for nursery-age children: there's lots of talking but the storyline is very simple. Looks like the animation is made of muppets on a painted background. The Polish narrator, Piotr Fronczewski, speaks in a fairy-tale-telling manner which is a bit distracting but adds Christmas charm to the cute story. Aimed at those who know the characters already but if you don't remember them it's still OK. Perfect for December as it's about all sorts of creatures making preserves for winter, cleaning, hosting friends and learning what winter is and how to celebrate Christmas Eve. Northern Lights provide extra magic in the lovely, peaceful tale.
Seen in the comfort of my local Cinema City.
Watchable. Most suitable for nursery-age children: there's lots of talking but the storyline is very simple. Looks like the animation is made of muppets on a painted background. The Polish narrator, Piotr Fronczewski, speaks in a fairy-tale-telling manner which is a bit distracting but adds Christmas charm to the cute story. Aimed at those who know the characters already but if you don't remember them it's still OK. Perfect for December as it's about all sorts of creatures making preserves for winter, cleaning, hosting friends and learning what winter is and how to celebrate Christmas Eve. Northern Lights provide extra magic in the lovely, peaceful tale.
Seen in the comfort of my local Cinema City.
Tuesday 5 December 2017
KNIGHTFALL EPISODES 1 & 2
Watchable. They know how to end each episode. Each leaves you longing for more. And that ominous title. Rich, poweful and righteous rarely go hand in hand. Are they going to fall in episode 10? The serial treats history loosely successfully keeping the mystery of the Knights Templar alive. Though set in the Middle Ages, when modesty was a virtue, the production is quite opulent. It's not for history buffs, but I'm not one, it's rather revenge, betrayal and romance for everyone.
Watchable. They know how to end each episode. Each leaves you longing for more. And that ominous title. Rich, poweful and righteous rarely go hand in hand. Are they going to fall in episode 10? The serial treats history loosely successfully keeping the mystery of the Knights Templar alive. Though set in the Middle Ages, when modesty was a virtue, the production is quite opulent. It's not for history buffs, but I'm not one, it's rather revenge, betrayal and romance for everyone.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES
Recommended. More gripping than Borg vs McEnroe. The stake's higher: a male chauvinist swine vs a feminist. He's male so he's got nothing to lose. She has to prove her equality, win it. Kept me on the edge of my seat from the sexist beginning to the very ending. Their banter and mockery are fun to watch too.
DZIKIE ROZE (WILD ROSES)
Watchable. Boring family and church life in a village. Lots of childcare and a baby so disgusting I had to divert my sight. Nearly an hour or so in you discover the mother has an affair with a schoolboy so things get kinky. Then the kid (the disgusting one) disappears and the combing of the woods is so touching even I cried. The title implies the illicit affair is the core but that takes only a few brief moments in the movie. There is more about her family falling apart. Her husband earns a decent living away from home and demands from her unconditional devotion to the family. She's just sick and tired of being without him. The situation takes its toll on the children.
ZNAKI
Watchable. A year of life of Miss Deaf International and her participation in "Dancing with the Stars": beautiful views of Poland, the US, Thailand, lots of eye-catching outfits, make-ups and hairdos, few dialogues, a lot of perky... music. Very pleasant. No clear point in it. A lovely post-credit.
Recommended. More gripping than Borg vs McEnroe. The stake's higher: a male chauvinist swine vs a feminist. He's male so he's got nothing to lose. She has to prove her equality, win it. Kept me on the edge of my seat from the sexist beginning to the very ending. Their banter and mockery are fun to watch too.
DZIKIE ROZE (WILD ROSES)
Watchable. Boring family and church life in a village. Lots of childcare and a baby so disgusting I had to divert my sight. Nearly an hour or so in you discover the mother has an affair with a schoolboy so things get kinky. Then the kid (the disgusting one) disappears and the combing of the woods is so touching even I cried. The title implies the illicit affair is the core but that takes only a few brief moments in the movie. There is more about her family falling apart. Her husband earns a decent living away from home and demands from her unconditional devotion to the family. She's just sick and tired of being without him. The situation takes its toll on the children.
ZNAKI
Watchable. A year of life of Miss Deaf International and her participation in "Dancing with the Stars": beautiful views of Poland, the US, Thailand, lots of eye-catching outfits, make-ups and hairdos, few dialogues, a lot of perky... music. Very pleasant. No clear point in it. A lovely post-credit.
SNEKKER ANDERSEN OG JULENISSEN
Watchable. A pleasant palette forms a truly warm family Christmas movie. Santa Claus's family lives in a large tree trunk and has a moss-padded sofa. Adults are all well-meaning. It's all heart-warming. Even the dubbing sounds nice. Too many beginnings and endings cause confusion in a child audience.
LES AS DE LA JUNGLE (THE JUNGLE BUNCH)
Watchable. I've seen it all before. A cartoon for older children/teenagers which applies all the gimmics of superhero movies, including the villain announcing a comeback and a mid- and a post-credit. You have to switch off your brain frequently. At least the animation has texture so the rhino's skin, hedgehog's needles, rocks and water look realistic. It's all in bright colours and the main protagonists, a patchwork family, are cute.
BARBIE: DOLPHIN MAGIC
Recommended. It transfers you right onto a tropical holiday on the sea. It's lovely, cheerful and just delightful. For girls of all ages. And for some boys. Cute ones because the cartoon features a lot of pink. The story's clear-cut and, gently, tackles exploitation of rare animals for profit. But the big blue and green eyes take away all the weight it could have had otherwise. When human girls have labrador puppies, mermaids have dolphins. I hardly noticed the dubbing, sounded so natural.
The above 3 films seen courtesy of Cinema City.
Watchable. A pleasant palette forms a truly warm family Christmas movie. Santa Claus's family lives in a large tree trunk and has a moss-padded sofa. Adults are all well-meaning. It's all heart-warming. Even the dubbing sounds nice. Too many beginnings and endings cause confusion in a child audience.
LES AS DE LA JUNGLE (THE JUNGLE BUNCH)
Watchable. I've seen it all before. A cartoon for older children/teenagers which applies all the gimmics of superhero movies, including the villain announcing a comeback and a mid- and a post-credit. You have to switch off your brain frequently. At least the animation has texture so the rhino's skin, hedgehog's needles, rocks and water look realistic. It's all in bright colours and the main protagonists, a patchwork family, are cute.
BARBIE: DOLPHIN MAGIC
Recommended. It transfers you right onto a tropical holiday on the sea. It's lovely, cheerful and just delightful. For girls of all ages. And for some boys. Cute ones because the cartoon features a lot of pink. The story's clear-cut and, gently, tackles exploitation of rare animals for profit. But the big blue and green eyes take away all the weight it could have had otherwise. When human girls have labrador puppies, mermaids have dolphins. I hardly noticed the dubbing, sounded so natural.
The above 3 films seen courtesy of Cinema City.
Sunday 3 December 2017
DIE VORLORENE EHRE DER KATHARINA BLUM (1975) (THE LOST HONOUR OF KATHARINA BLUM)
Walked out. Music archaic. Plenty of scenes disturbing: coerced undressing, sexist and intimate questions and remarks every few minutes in the first half an hour. The toilet covered in vomit truly sickening.Watchable. Starts with a healthy young man defending his handicapped brother from a therapy. The movie takes a different route you'd think it will and quickly turns out to be a criminal comedy with lots of dark humour to the rhythm of really good electro music. Robert Pattinson doesn't resemble a suave vampire in the tiniest bit. He's streetwise, able to talk to everyone. There's a tongue-in-cheek scene of him watching his own bank robbery on the news while wearing a security jacket. It's totally crazy, a bit like in "Trainspotting" but without a narrator, very American in the way the police are shown. At one point perspective shifts superficially: first a criminal tells a criminal alcoholic off for being a bum, then the latter talks about the first as of someone unhinged. Fun, though dark and none of the protagonists have a good time with the troubles they get into and the unhinged individuals they encounter.
Saturday 2 December 2017
ROMANS
ETHIOPIQUES - MUZYKA DUSZY (ETHIOPIQUES - THE REVOLT OF SOUL)
Apparently more Ethiopiques music can be found on Spotify and Deezer.
Watchable. I'm in two minds: 91% of sexual violence cases are crimes on women and this one is yet another film about a man. But maybe it brings the problem home to them? Besides, even though here the abuser is a priest, the movie doesn't attack the church. In fact it feels terribly religious. Slow and tedious till the hard-hitting finale.
WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
RISK
Watchable. What's the point in this documentary? Did director Laura Poitras have a purpose at all? OK, you can catch some random pieces of Julian Assange's personality. E.g. when he's preparing his defence against sexual violence allegations, you can hear how sexist he is deep inside. Also he claims to have no emotions because he's so preoccupied with politics. And that seems to be true when you watch him in action - always calm and steady. But nothing comes out of it all.
WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
MOOS
Watchable. Supposed to be a romantic comedy but not funny. The only amusing bit is when a mother says to a 12-year-old at his Bar Mitswa: "You touch this wine with your little fingers one more time and I'll circumcise you again with my own hands." The rest is a drama about trying to make it when you're young. Shown light-heartedly. So you can relive some of your past issues without an unnecessary burden.
Watchable. Supposed to be a romantic comedy but not funny. The only amusing bit is when a mother says to a 12-year-old at his Bar Mitswa: "You touch this wine with your little fingers one more time and I'll circumcise you again with my own hands." The rest is a drama about trying to make it when you're young. Shown light-heartedly. So you can relive some of your past issues without an unnecessary burden.
BEN-GURION, EPILOGUE
Watchable. The founder of the state of Israel is very down to earth. He mucked in all the manual work necessary in the commune, building settlements from scratch. And had a clear, realistic and reasonable view on the shape of the country. E.g. taking into account the question of re-gaining the territory versus maintaining peace with all neighbours he would have chosen peace but got outvoted. When the general public didn't want German reparations "covered in blood", he put his foot down for the sake of future generations. Able to see past their trauma he demanded the payments. The documentary is quite thorough but some parts are comprehensible only for those in the know. I'm quite ignorant in the history of Israel or its politics so some fragments weren't clear to me.
Watchable. The founder of the state of Israel is very down to earth. He mucked in all the manual work necessary in the commune, building settlements from scratch. And had a clear, realistic and reasonable view on the shape of the country. E.g. taking into account the question of re-gaining the territory versus maintaining peace with all neighbours he would have chosen peace but got outvoted. When the general public didn't want German reparations "covered in blood", he put his foot down for the sake of future generations. Able to see past their trauma he demanded the payments. The documentary is quite thorough but some parts are comprehensible only for those in the know. I'm quite ignorant in the history of Israel or its politics so some fragments weren't clear to me.
ETHIOPIQUES - MUZYKA DUSZY (ETHIOPIQUES - THE REVOLT OF SOUL)
Watchable. The only jazz I'm able to listen to is African, at least in its origins, anything westernized and its soul is lost. The director doesn't like a video clip as a documentary form so, in spite of 21 titles listed in the credits, little music made its way into the film. The maker is happy it leaves you craving more. I felt a little disappointed, my favourite music documentaries usually followed the music-talking-music-talking pattern. But the Polish documentalist, Maciej Bochniak, gave full voice to the Ethiopian band members and their producers which, complemented by African-art-like animation in bright colours with photos inserted in the place of faces, made it black to the core. While the film covers a span of a few decades, it's not very infomative, e.g. why did they stay in the US instead of returning from the tour? Also the process of recording music under Haile Selassie's regime is not fully explained and even the reason why it was banned is not given. The film claims the music style is pertinent to Ethiopia which I dare to disagree with, as it much resembles Nigerian music of the 60s and 70s and cultural motifs have always travelled across the continent in Africa. Why would that be any different? The director's focus was on life stories. Sadly the musicians never made it in the US where you need to be a hustler. It's mostly a tale of how hard it is to sell and to cross the cultural barrier. The little music that there is is fun. Listen to it loud!
Apparently more Ethiopiques music can be found on Spotify and Deezer.
MOLLY'S
GAME
Recommended.
I know no poker rules so I didn't understand the tricks but Jessica
Chastain hypnotised me and persuaded the tactics were cunning. Ironic
that just 2 days after seeing a documentary about Freud being an influential fraudster I watched the one in which Molly Bloom's father
ridicules psychotherapy analysing her subconscious in 3 minutes and
commenting "how fast it goes when you don't charge by the hour".
He's spot on noticing her desire to control powerful men and that he
raised all his 3 kids to be world-class champions. Molly's wits and
diligence combined with her unwaveringly high self-esteem brought her recognition over and over again. It appears that plenty
of the rich and famous are gamblers. So is Molly. And just like them,
she only bets high.
WARSAW
JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
KILLING
THE FIDDLER
Watchable.
A short film about the choice of a wife. With family photographs
talking to the groom as if in "Harry Potter". They argue in
a funny, cute way. It ends with "The Fiddler on the Roof"
music. I guess the killing the fiddler (in "The Fiddler on the Roof" there's an exchange: "Do you love me?" "I'm your wife. You have me!") means getting married out of love instead
of for the functionality of a marriage. The maker doesn't make it
clear though.
MR.
BERNSTEIN
Recommended.
Incredible how many emotions such a short film can evoke. Deeply
moving and beautiful - about how a shared memory and common tradition
unite people whose worlds wouldn't meet otherwise.
KOSHER
LOVE
Recommended. You have to make a list of what you want in your life partner and
another one of what you can bring in and see if they match. Many people
nowadays get "married" to their jobs and hobbies and find
no place for another human being. At the same time, as the Hasidic
rabbi explains, love takes time so you need to find the person, have
your family check their background, get married and "hopefully
after 10 years" you'll find love. He's so convincing you wish
you were part of a Jewish community enabling that.
TERRA ITALIANA FILM FESTIVAL
No catalogue or even a separate leaflet was prepared for the festival but it quickly became apparent the movies were grouped thematically: each day showcased a different director or genre. Of those I was able to attend: Thursday was for Edoardo Winspeare's dramas dubbed "comedies" for some reason, Saturday night for animations for adults and all of Sunday was devoted to Gianni Amelio.
IL LADRO DI BAMBINI (THE STOLEN CHILDREN)
Recommended. Deeply moving, tear-jerking, heart-wrenching - name it. The director, Gianni Amelio, made a good job of presenting the children's predicament. The stigma of a prostitute sticks to the girl who's treated by others as a liar or as a ceaseless victim. The director also plays with connotations. After a careless trip to the beach at the police station the carabiniero is being reproached and sacked while in the corridor the boy is shaking sand out of his shoes. It's all so realistic you just can't imagine the story unfold differently. Antonio's a perfectly decent guy of which the viewer is reassured over and over again. And he's stuck with a conundrum. We know it from the title. Antonio's for a long time unaware that his attempt to better children's lives will come at a price. Worth watching for several reasons, one of them being Antonio himself - rarely do you get to see such a decent person whether in real life or in a movie.
WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
LE JEUNE KARL MARX (THE YOUNG KARL MARX)
Watchable. Just a biography. Nothing I wouldn't know from history lessons at school already. A limited period is covered. Apart from one Russian activist introduced to Marx and Engels in a minor scene nothing indicates their ideas will later instigate the October Revolution.
TERRA ITALIANA FILM FESTIVAL
LA TENEREZZA (HOLDING HANDS)
Recommended. Again something everyone can relate to. As the director put it: "it's about understanding the other". Several changes were made in the process of adaptation. In the book the daughter has an affair with someone her father's age, the son's homosexual, there's a cat lady ("gattara"), the man eavesdrops on his neighbours, an Eastern woman has a relationship with him only to rob him off. Gianni Amelio clearly left out all the junk. The story's quite plausible, the man helpful without being overly inquisitive. You just like him. Shown with great tenderness.
L'INTREPIDO (INTREPIDO: A LONELY HERO)
Watchable. The plot of the male protagonist having a younger female friend and her dying tragically resembles "La tenerezza" ("Holding Hands"). According to the director it was going to be about a father-son relationship again - it was but in both films these were just subplots. Here the lead character is quite peculiar as he does a different job every day which is fun. As is the amusing fragment when he realizes the shoe store he's employed in is a sham so he leaves it immediately locking the only customer in. He also has an inspiring way of asking questions giving a-b-c ready-made options as answers. Gianni Amelio put a lot of warmth into the film, just like he always does.
No catalogue or even a separate leaflet was prepared for the festival but it quickly became apparent the movies were grouped thematically: each day showcased a different director or genre. Of those I was able to attend: Thursday was for Edoardo Winspeare's dramas dubbed "comedies" for some reason, Saturday night for animations for adults and all of Sunday was devoted to Gianni Amelio.
IL LADRO DI BAMBINI (THE STOLEN CHILDREN)
Recommended. Deeply moving, tear-jerking, heart-wrenching - name it. The director, Gianni Amelio, made a good job of presenting the children's predicament. The stigma of a prostitute sticks to the girl who's treated by others as a liar or as a ceaseless victim. The director also plays with connotations. After a careless trip to the beach at the police station the carabiniero is being reproached and sacked while in the corridor the boy is shaking sand out of his shoes. It's all so realistic you just can't imagine the story unfold differently. Antonio's a perfectly decent guy of which the viewer is reassured over and over again. And he's stuck with a conundrum. We know it from the title. Antonio's for a long time unaware that his attempt to better children's lives will come at a price. Worth watching for several reasons, one of them being Antonio himself - rarely do you get to see such a decent person whether in real life or in a movie.
WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
LE JEUNE KARL MARX (THE YOUNG KARL MARX)
Watchable. Just a biography. Nothing I wouldn't know from history lessons at school already. A limited period is covered. Apart from one Russian activist introduced to Marx and Engels in a minor scene nothing indicates their ideas will later instigate the October Revolution.
TERRA ITALIANA FILM FESTIVAL
LA TENEREZZA (HOLDING HANDS)
Recommended. Again something everyone can relate to. As the director put it: "it's about understanding the other". Several changes were made in the process of adaptation. In the book the daughter has an affair with someone her father's age, the son's homosexual, there's a cat lady ("gattara"), the man eavesdrops on his neighbours, an Eastern woman has a relationship with him only to rob him off. Gianni Amelio clearly left out all the junk. The story's quite plausible, the man helpful without being overly inquisitive. You just like him. Shown with great tenderness.
L'INTREPIDO (INTREPIDO: A LONELY HERO)
Watchable. The plot of the male protagonist having a younger female friend and her dying tragically resembles "La tenerezza" ("Holding Hands"). According to the director it was going to be about a father-son relationship again - it was but in both films these were just subplots. Here the lead character is quite peculiar as he does a different job every day which is fun. As is the amusing fragment when he realizes the shoe store he's employed in is a sham so he leaves it immediately locking the only customer in. He also has an inspiring way of asking questions giving a-b-c ready-made options as answers. Gianni Amelio put a lot of warmth into the film, just like he always does.
Friday 1 December 2017
NAJLEPSZY (BREAKING THE LIMITS aka THE FASTEST)
Seen courtesy of Cinema City.
UNA ESPECIE DE FAMILIA (A SORT OF FAMILY)
Recommended. Set in Argentina. The harrowing process of a legally dubious adoption stays with you after leaving the cinema. Both the woman's determination to have a baby and the callousness of the agency extorting her money just shock.
HANS ZIMMER LIVE
Recommended. The show was mind-blowing. The more economic option of "attending" Hans Zimmer's Prague concert at the cinema (Muranow in Warsaw in my case) provided a riveting melomaniac experience in comfortable soft seats instead of plastic ones at the Prague venue. The gig started with close-ups of bows drawn across strings and the front row scantily clad violin players coming out together with the famous composer who looked so inconspicuous you'd easily overlook him on the street. Hans Zimmer turned out to be a social mixer at ease with his team and with speaking to the audience. His biggest problem with " The Dark Knight" was to juxtapose Batman with suave Bruce Wayne. He joked he had "a 9 to 5 job: from 9 pm to 5 am" and told a yarn of how Ridley Scott rang him at 9 am to ask if he'd write music for "Gladiator". Later, hearing of the topic, his wife remarked it was a men's film. Then he realized they needed a... muse - I wonder if he's still so sexist nowadays or if it was that 16 years ago a woman could be nothing more than a muse. He also played the guitar and the piano himself. Spotlights cast red, yellow or blue light on featured instrumentalists. No movie fragments were shown, the huge screen display highlighted the music instead. It showed a thin red line for the theme from the movie of the same title which turned into an all red screen. "The Lion King" was represented by the chorus in yellow. "The Dark Knight" by a pattern resembling pipe organs. All of that surpassed watching some of the movies for which he composed the score. Angelic voices, changing tempo and mood touched me deeply. I'm afraid to say it but... the concert proves cinema can't do without music while film music can exist in its own right.
WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
LON
Watchable. A synopsis of a life story terminated in a concentration camp. Depressing but its impact is weakened by animation.
MORE ALIVE THAN DEAD
Recommended. An entertaining documentary about Freud's legacy. It brings to light the fact that psychoanalysis is a scam but his ideas permeate the contemporary world. The notion of liberating oneself of social constraints brought upon: the sex revolution, feminism, anti-war demonstrations, all sorts of freedom movements, Gay Pride, consumerism, political and commercial manipulations of human groups, irreverent jokes, possibly selfies, since self-expression has led to narcissism, and even mems, e.g. two sumo wrestlers with a caption: "I need a hug." Defense mechanisms and the reptile brain belong to the few psychologic terms derived from Freud which last till this day.
TERRA ITALIANA FILM FESTIVAL
Organised according to the Italian attitude to time: each movie started late. But, on the other hand, Q&As lasted till the last question asked. To those not juggling two festivals at the same time it must have felt friendly.
L'ARTE DELLA FELICITA (THE ART OF HAPPINESS)
Walked out. Aren't Italians supposed to be vivacious? The philosphical animation in style noir wore me down completely.
Recommended. Łukasz Palkowski wins again. After „Bogowie” he's created another hit, also based on a true story. This time about Jerzy Górski, once a drug addict who quit and went on to win a Double Ironman triathlon. In the movie he makes a cameo as a sports juror. Such a life change translates to a multitude of changes in the appearance of the main protagonist: losing weight or gaining muscles, shaving his head and regrowing hair, cuts, bruises, abrasions - altogether 6 make ups, 4 wigs and a 6-month break in shooting to let the actor build muscles. You get to see all stages of the addiction and withdrawal, including cold turkey. Thanks do Piotr Sobocinski's cinematography vomiting is factual and not disgusting. The crack house is a masterpiece: dishevelled bums with cut hands injecting, a girl anaesthetised so badly she stubs out fags on her own hand. Jerzy's world is mismatched with reality to the point where he's talking to his friend's dead body, smoking simultaneously and brushing the ash off the shrouds with his fingers. His internal struggle is shown perfectly in the mirror plot. Great attention was put to the recreation of the 70s and 80s: bell-bottoms worn together with a sheepskin coat in 1978, calf's foot jelly and vodka on the table as well as naked pictures on the walls in the 80s, pervasive smoking, hairstyles and facial hair like in communist Poland of the time. Also getting a passport which required using connections and circumventing laws. Agatha Dominik, a Pole living in Los Angeles, americanized Maciej Karpinski's script to make the story more versatile. She also wrote the mirror plot invented by the director. Croatia stands in for Alabama in the movie. Famous Polish documentalist Andrzej Fidyk together with a great number of feature directors recommended the production for public funding.
UNA ESPECIE DE FAMILIA (A SORT OF FAMILY)
Recommended. Set in Argentina. The harrowing process of a legally dubious adoption stays with you after leaving the cinema. Both the woman's determination to have a baby and the callousness of the agency extorting her money just shock.
HANS ZIMMER LIVE
Recommended. The show was mind-blowing. The more economic option of "attending" Hans Zimmer's Prague concert at the cinema (Muranow in Warsaw in my case) provided a riveting melomaniac experience in comfortable soft seats instead of plastic ones at the Prague venue. The gig started with close-ups of bows drawn across strings and the front row scantily clad violin players coming out together with the famous composer who looked so inconspicuous you'd easily overlook him on the street. Hans Zimmer turned out to be a social mixer at ease with his team and with speaking to the audience. His biggest problem with " The Dark Knight" was to juxtapose Batman with suave Bruce Wayne. He joked he had "a 9 to 5 job: from 9 pm to 5 am" and told a yarn of how Ridley Scott rang him at 9 am to ask if he'd write music for "Gladiator". Later, hearing of the topic, his wife remarked it was a men's film. Then he realized they needed a... muse - I wonder if he's still so sexist nowadays or if it was that 16 years ago a woman could be nothing more than a muse. He also played the guitar and the piano himself. Spotlights cast red, yellow or blue light on featured instrumentalists. No movie fragments were shown, the huge screen display highlighted the music instead. It showed a thin red line for the theme from the movie of the same title which turned into an all red screen. "The Lion King" was represented by the chorus in yellow. "The Dark Knight" by a pattern resembling pipe organs. All of that surpassed watching some of the movies for which he composed the score. Angelic voices, changing tempo and mood touched me deeply. I'm afraid to say it but... the concert proves cinema can't do without music while film music can exist in its own right.
WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
LON
Watchable. A synopsis of a life story terminated in a concentration camp. Depressing but its impact is weakened by animation.
MORE ALIVE THAN DEAD
Recommended. An entertaining documentary about Freud's legacy. It brings to light the fact that psychoanalysis is a scam but his ideas permeate the contemporary world. The notion of liberating oneself of social constraints brought upon: the sex revolution, feminism, anti-war demonstrations, all sorts of freedom movements, Gay Pride, consumerism, political and commercial manipulations of human groups, irreverent jokes, possibly selfies, since self-expression has led to narcissism, and even mems, e.g. two sumo wrestlers with a caption: "I need a hug." Defense mechanisms and the reptile brain belong to the few psychologic terms derived from Freud which last till this day.
TERRA ITALIANA FILM FESTIVAL
Organised according to the Italian attitude to time: each movie started late. But, on the other hand, Q&As lasted till the last question asked. To those not juggling two festivals at the same time it must have felt friendly.
L'ARTE DELLA FELICITA (THE ART OF HAPPINESS)
Walked out. Aren't Italians supposed to be vivacious? The philosphical animation in style noir wore me down completely.
SERCE MILOSCI (A HEART OF LOVE)
Watchable. I didn't like the experimental music, the artists' shaved heads and the fact the main character has a chronic disease - such a cheap tactic - yet I felt hypnotised at times with the two protagonists' ability and penchant for turning everything into art. In their created world only feelings are real. Still, can't a Polish film do without vulgar language?! Hard to feel sympathy for such primitives.
Watchable. I didn't like the experimental music, the artists' shaved heads and the fact the main character has a chronic disease - such a cheap tactic - yet I felt hypnotised at times with the two protagonists' ability and penchant for turning everything into art. In their created world only feelings are real. Still, can't a Polish film do without vulgar language?! Hard to feel sympathy for such primitives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)