Saturday 20 April 2019

SCRIPT FIESTA 2019

Each presentation was preceded by one of students' etudes:


SLOWIK (NIGHTINGALE)


Watchable. An interesting idea with nuns on a coach but what is the film about?


ROZMOWA (CONVERSATION)


Watchable. Intriguing but without an ending, just an excerpt from somebody's relationship deterioration. 


KONTROLA (CONTROL)

Watchable. Very well acted and with a plot. Still, stereotypical but convincing. Apparently the gay short film has got 5 million entries online.

EROTYK 

Recommended. Plenty of events and emotions in just 2 minutes, varied shots with particularly beautiful ones on a window pane with water being wiped off.


As for lectures and masterclasses: 


Agnieszka Kruk talked about twists of action. While I agree with her that structure matters more than the protagonist, she said the first twist should appear in 1/4th, according to the 1/4, 1/2, 1/4 rule which, as she admits, is no longer much adhered to - well, as I see it, several movies ignore the rule completely.

Jonathan Lynn was amazing in the way he dissected comedy. He's thinking of making "Macbeth" twice, with the same lines, in two genres: one would be a comedy and the other a tragedy. Apparently the drama meets the comedy criteria but has always been treated seriously.


Helen Jacey blabbered about female characters. No useful tips whatsoever. A waste of time.


Barbara Pawłowska had a down-to-earth presentation about writing and pitching a documentary script - one day after I pitched mine. She mentioned that Hanna Polak was working on a film about jihad in Iraq. I'm looking forward to that one.

Milenia Fiedler had a scriptwriter-oriented talk on how editing improves a film. 


Kira-Anne Pelican gave a psychology-grounded presentation of personality types with useful hints on how to use them in character writing, including dialogues.


Apart from Helen Jacey, all the lectures and masterclasses were very useful both for writers and for regular viewers.


There was also a pitch fiesta at which I pitched my documentary idea to 6 producers - all of them were interested. However, due to my current professional obligations, I still haven't found time to get back to them with the treatment.



CAPTAIN MARVEL 3D


Recommended. Incomparably better immersion in the film than in ScreenX. Plenty of tropes mimic other SF movies: a 
holographic communicator like in "Star Wars", aliens roaring like Chewbacca, refugees like in "Valerian", Minn-Erva from "Guardians of the Galaxy". But the best bits are: how Fury got his eye-patch, punching the old lady - hilarious even when watched for the 3rd time and the apt recreation of the 90s.

THE QUEEN'S CORGI AT HELIOS DREAM


Recommended. Excellent animation where backgrounds often appear real while dogs look like cuddly toys with big eyes with sparkles. Prince Philip wears slippers with the British flag on them. The story in turns makes you laugh at the dogs' exploits and cry over their fate. The cartoon is great fun for adults too. The Dream room is marvellous. I just couldn't force myself to get up from that fabulous seat. Top-notch picture and sound matched the sitting quality.


万引き家族 (SHOPLIFTERS)


Watchable. Far from impressive. Slow and unemotional for the most part. I was curious what would happen with the abused girl so I watched on. About dysfunctional people so the movie's a bit odd.

Wednesday 17 April 2019

DER HAUPTMANN (THE CAPTAIN)

Watchable. My first impression of poor acting and make-up where blood is visibly fake quickly gave way to the shock at the brutality which in turn altered into incomprehension of the idea behind the bizarre story - incredible but based on facts! Black and white cinematography doesn't make the plot black and white at all. 
I wondered how easily he became a more callous oppressor than the ones he was first running from - in the movie only, since in real life, as far as I'm aware, Willi Herold never had to run, he just separated from his unit and embarked on a killing spree. The fact of having been or not having been a victim himself makes a world of difference here. 

Amondo cinema is tiny but has excellent picture quality and impressively surround sound in both screening rooms. 

Sunday 14 April 2019

EGY NAP (ONE DAY)

Walked out. An average family with little children so it's pretty disgusting, especially when you hear the kids have lice. You'd think the woman's discovering her husband's infidelity would enliven things. It doesn't. In this sexist world she's taking care of children all the time, is shouted at and called names by another man, her son's disobedient. I was fed up following a life I'd never want for myself. You have to love children to sit through it.

Saturday 13 April 2019

THE WHITE CROW

Recommended. It's best to skip the spoiler in the very beginning and not to know how it ends so that it keeps you on the edge of your seat almost like a political thriller. Rudolph Nureyev appears to have had a rich personality which is perfectly rendered in the picture. His narcissism and arrogance mix with his genuine love for dance and art. His visiting museums - which he perceived as essential to develop artistically, work and the political side of the trip to Paris are presented. The original dancer was better - he's shown along with early end credits. Ralph Fiennes in turn sounds like a true Russian. But the political intrigue combined with the affirmation of the value of arts as well as the faults of Rudolph's character make for a top-notch movie anyway.

Monday 8 April 2019

ZAHRADNICTVI: DEZERTER (GARDEN STORE: DESERTER)

Recommended. I was doubtful, having walked out from part one, but here the pace was livelier and the family so nice I just watched on. Soon it turned into a moving and multidimensional tale about dealing with the psychological traumas of the war on the one hand and coping with the Soviets and their pro-USSR careerist supporters on the other. Whatever even Soviet and concentration camps didn't destroy, was ruined by communists: businesses dismantled, properties taken over, families broken. A full scope of attitudes to the communist domination is demonstrated and the methods of silencing the obstinate ones are tackled. The tragedy of veterans having to fight a principles war mixes with humorous bits, e.g. two fighting men land in cacti. Later a maid asks: "How is our fakir doing?". The music and cinematography is as varied as people's fates. There's a post-credit trailer of part 3. 

Sunday 7 April 2019

MILOSC I MILOSIERDZIE (LOVE AND MERCY)

Recommended. Successfully made religious cinema. The film is full of love and mercy, especially in the portrayal of Father Soboćko. It charts more than the history of St. Faustyna's life. A fragment of "Miasto ruin" ("The City of Ruins") is used to show Warsaw during wartime and it does make an impression in its own right, apart from illustrating St. Faustyna's prophecy. The convent says "Jezu, ufam tobie" ("Jezus, I trust you") and apparently does so with magnificent results, near escapes in communist times testify to it. Altogether it's a history of coincidences so unusual you must feel God's hand in it. Disturbingly, Hoser, infamous for supporting Rwandan genocide, is one of interviewees and appears normal.

Saturday 6 April 2019

FREE SOLO

Recommended. The Oscar was well-deserved. It's phenomenal. Only 1% of climbers solo mountains without a line and most have died - typically in their 30s, sometimes 40s so the documentary about Alex Honnold is gripping like a thriller. He has soloed more than a thousand times. He earns about as much as a good dentist does. He's vegetarian mostly for environmental reasons - he introduced himself to vegetables one by one when he was 24. He donates 1/3 of his profits to his foundation which sets up solar panels in African places with no access to electric power. He's tall, slender, pure muscles without fat, long limbs. Perfectly agile too. He travels the world but, apart from giving talks, he climbs, treats his injuries and climbs again nevertheless. He's strongly focused: a girlfriend is good if she "doesn't take much space" in the van he dwells in. Occasional funny comments like this one take some weight off the life and death topic. His amygdala registered no emotions during an MRI scan which means he needs extra stimuli to feel something. That makes him the world's solo climber most likely to fall off a slope and crash. My palms got sweaty at the finale. 

KESARI

Recommended. I was told that at the first screening 500 people were present, some were even standing. The Punjabi blockbuster pulls all the right strings: national pride, romantic sentiments, laughter and tears. Without even a risk of harming an animal since the fighting roosters are digital. The tactical ploys are ingenious. You don't need to be Punjabi or even Indian to love the depicted story. "Killing destroys the enemy. Kindness destroys the enmity itself." After the movie I'm also in two minds about Britain meddling into India historically. Caste and gender equality is emphasised too. Obligatory songs and chants are there as well. You barely notice when the 2.5 hours pass. 

Wednesday 3 April 2019

YOMEDDINE

Recommended. A moving depiction of life on the lower end of the Egyptian society. Religious predjudice, crime out of control, lawlessness, payable healthcare - a country which doesn't seem to form a state but a gathering of separate individuals each trying to survive their own way. The film slowly reveals the second bottom to the family which abandoned their leprotic child. The revelation is far from obvious to the protagonist and to the western audience alike. A memorable dream scene. A beautiful story altogether. 

Monday 1 April 2019

MINDING THE GAP

Recommended. Touching. The skateboarding without protectors makes sense once you realise how much violence the youngsters suffered in their family homes. Sport lets them vent some anger. Though they
 smoke weed a bit too. Even the lovely girl is all tattooed, vulgar and aggressive. The town is a place where your race doesn't define you much. They all don't know how to act in order to have normal lives. Moving and thought-provoking. Caution: In Poland all the captions are in Polish. So is the info about the protagonists' further lives at the end. 

BREATH

Recommended. I held breath myself at least twice. Partly a psychologic drama, partly a surfing tale with waves to behold. About holding your breath metaphorically: awaiting danger/excitement and literally: skin-diving, being thrust under water by an enormous wave or choking as part of a sex game. Also about fear being common to everyone and individuals differing and being defined by how they go about it. Like "Le grand bleu" ("The Big Blue") but in the surfing world of the sparsely populated Australian south. The two teenagers (Samson Coulter as Pikelet and Ben Spence as Loonie) are amazing actors. Convincing make-up - the boys get purple from cold water. 
Directed by Simon Baker who also acts as Sando. Based on a novel by Tim Winton. 

WLADCY PRZYGOD. STAD DO OBLIVIO (ROCK'N'ROLL EDDIE)

Watchable. Most suitable for younger teenagers. Full of blasts, chases and other adventures, with some funny bits, e.g. a baby replaced with a doll without the carer's knowledge, and ingenious ideas like a keyhole testing saliva for DNA before opening the door. I didn't understand the gist of the plot but, with so many vivid characters, it was fun anyway.

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Recommended. Blew me away but you have to be a movie buff to comprehend. A sharp satire on capitalism. "Get Out" (special thanks to Jordan Peele in the credits). "Toni Erdmann", "The Yes Men" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" references in the plot and shots.