Monday 27 August 2018

BEAST

Watchable. It's a craftily constructed thriller but at the end it just doesn't add up. And it's all perverse sado-maso way. Convincingly acted so you sense their longing and feel sympathy to the protagonists. Atmospheric. Yet a pile of well-arranged rubbish.

JULIET, NAKED

Watchable. Not much of a comedy. The musician's fan makes a funny face realizing who he's been talking to and when he asks his idol what he got wrong about the rockman's life he responds: "I wouldn't know where to get started." Other than that it's a mawkish drama about planning a family versus having one by accident. Ethan Hawke sings and plays music. There's an early mid-credit.

DC SUPERHERO GIRLS

Watchable. A short film preceding "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies". The superhero girls are like any other teenage girls but additionally fight baddies. Nice but forgettable.

TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES

Watchable. Colourful but cheaply drawn, schematic animation. A silly storyline. Jokes of two varieties: either scatological or related to the wide scope of the superhero universe, e.g. "Welcome to Jump City - safer than Gotham". A nice touch is a cameo of animated Stan Lee appearing twice: first using an "Excelsio" spell to summon all the superheroes the way Harry Potter used to summon objects with "Accio" and next: realizing he's made a cameo in a wrong production as he's got a competition ban. Plenty of poor songs. In the original language version - unavailable in Polish cinemas! - Nicolas Cage is Superman and Stan Lee is himself. There's no Atmos sound version. Themes from "Batman", "Superman" or Alan Silvestri's from "Back to the Future" are used but hardly noticeable among all the lame scores and songs. There's a mid-credit and a post-credit. Dreadful dubbing in Polish, even the songs.

HURRICANE (SQUADRON 303)

Recommended. Based on facts and truly moving. With enough suspense and a dash of British sarcasm. Shows the differences as well as the similarities, especially the fondness of a drink, between the two nations. The ending stresses the injustice the Polish pilots suffered when the war ended.

LA CH'TITE FAMILLE (FAMILY IS FAMILY)

Recommended. Hilarious, especially the furniture designs so impractical all users need chiropractors. The comedy ridicules also regionalisms and discrimination against people speaking with accents, posh manners as well as simpletons. The faces the lover makes explaining her sexual past to her partner are brilliant.

L'APPARITION (THE APPARITION)

Recommended. The mystery spans the whole 2 hours 17 minutes of the movie. The investigation keeps you in suspense regardless of your religious affiliation or the lack of thereof. I still don't fully understand the case with Mériem but the gradual unfolding of the secrets kept me glued to the screen.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

Watchable. Well-made but terribly sorrowful. It's like one long farewell. Mostly to childhood. I was sobbing all the time. The animal protagonists look like toys apart from the rabbit with fur (but not face) looking real-life-like. The story's about childhood imaginary monsters being replaced by horrible teachers and bosses as we grow older. Acted convincingly, with Ewan McGregor as grown-up Chris. The cinematography is on the dark side and music nostalgic, making you even more despondent. The film will suit only young children, who even laughed at one scene, or adults missing the lost frivolity of their young age. There's a mid-credit.

No comments: