NA BANK SIE UDA 

Walked out. Not funny at all. What's worse, this "comedy" is dull, poorly acted, especially the characters of the gang members or the female IT expert, and a bit chaotic. I'd even say it's a typical Polish "comedy".

SAAHO

Watchable. It looks as if the producer got half the crew professional and half awfully amateurish. Superb cinematography is ruined by shoddy editing which means once you get to believe in the presented reality, visible, sharp cuts, videoclip-style but less skilled, remind you it's all made up. Nice music, western rather than Indian, is wrapped in Bollywood-quality choreographies but, especially in the first one, several dancers are plain fat. The plot is intriguing at first. Just think of 30 people hired to do a thing each so that none of them realizes they play part in a robbery. The mid-movie twist is quite predictable, the final one less so. Still, the movie's chaotic, the second part bores you with overlong chases and explosions and the savage hordes are over the top even for a Bollywood blockbuster. My highlight was the "Fast and Furious Delivery Service". But that appears early on and from then it goes downhill. No hit song either.

기생충 (PARASITE)

Watchable. I found it engaging mostly because I expected an actual parasite to be discovered, possibly in someone's body. But there's no science fiction here. The title is metaphoric since director 봉준호 (Bong Joon Ho) returns to his usual topic: the class struggle. In a tongue-in-cheek scene a poor housekeeper's speech sounds like North Korean TV - you know from the tone it's fake. However, the twists of action are mostly unpredictable. And, though it's Korean-way brutal and exaggerated, some details are impressive, like a coffee cup in the car while driving or indications that the businessman's wife is a parasite. The plot is quite derivative though: Korean "아가씨" ("The Handmaiden") "万引き家族" ("Shoplifters") and "オーディション" ("Audition"), American "Us" and "The Inside Man" spring to mind. Also, the movie seems to carry references to earlier roles of the actors, especially 송강호 (Song Kang-Ho) as a chauffeur - earlier an equally shrewed taxi driver in "택시운전사" ("A Taxi Driver"). As for recent years' Korean hits, I preferred "버닝" ("Burning") in terms of originality and "택시운전사" ("A Taxi Driver") in the magnitude of shock.

WEIT. DIE GESCHICHTE VON EINEM WEG UM DIE WELT (WEIT. THE STORY OF A JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD)

Recommended. A totally engaging and technically fully professional vlog of a 4-year-long RTW. Even the travelling couple is fascinating since they crave silence more than any comforts. The documentary does its best to display the variety of the world. Some bits are hilarious e.g. the guy speaking Chinese to the German bloke who acts as if he understood or a Tajik driver who shorted wires to ignite his car. But the whole thing is so uplifting it just makes you want to become a better person for the sake of others.

GRACE A DIEU (BY THE GRACE OF GOD)

Watchable. Disappointing. The whole thing tackles the psychology of pedophile victims. If, taken the title which might attract Catholics, it's going to teach people why victims need decades to tell about their suffering, it'll do a great job. It also shows how the Church officials protect their own criminals. But, for already knowledgeable viewers, it will be just a drama. It's long which is understandable since it reflects the slow clogs of the justice system but the ending's frustrating as none of the perpatrators has been punished so far. 

LETNIE POPOLUDNIE (ONE SUMMER AFTERNOON)

Watchable. The 81-minute mastershot (which needed rehearsals and two re-takes on the same day to become the movie) makes the film appear very natural. The actors had only guidelines of where each scene was going to lead and ad-libbed the dialogue so you get the impression you're listening to and following a real-life family. Even with its short duration it feels overlong at times. Till the surprising finale. The director claims the answer to the two questions every viewer asks: "what happened to Laura?" and "who did it to Aniela?" is in the film. The ending is so intriguing I'm going to see the film again. 

LA BELLE EPOQUE

Watchable. The beginning implied a film about movie makers which rarely works in actual movies. But once the "1974" begins, the comedy drama becomes more and more engaging. It's partly a psychological drama and partly a satire on the 1970s when you "felt like inside an ashtray and rapists weren't prosecuted". The best scene though is the mid-credit (the wedding).

The movie has had only two screenings in the world so far and has no English title as yet.

I can't find certain review on my blog so, out of anxiety I may have not saved it after writing, I'm writing about it now:

DER TRAFIKANT (THE TOBACCONIST)

Recommended. The pre-war adolescence story is engaging but what stays in mind the most is the harrowing depiction of increasing, inexplicable hatred towards Jews and the onset of the Nazi dictatorship. Filmed with sophisticated cinematography.

개를 훔치는 완벽한 방법 (HOW TO STEAL A DOG) (2014)

Watchable when seen for the second time. This time it felt poignant. Children in the audience were able to catch the humourous bits which I barely acknowledged this time round. Still, superb cinematography, natural acting by children and exaggerated when needed by adults and a profound story of what home is make it a higher class of a children film.

SOLAN OG LUDVIG: HERFRA TIL FLAKLYPA (LOUIS & LUCA - THE BIG CHEESE RACE)

Watchable. Puppet and model animation. Good music. But most of all, a very pleasant story filled with compassion, tolerance, friendship, tradition, cooperation. Will suit both young children and adults. What detracts from this uplifting tale, is that attempted jokes are on the vulgar side. 

TOY STORY 4 3D

Watchable. I considered walking out it's so tiring and unoriginal. For young children. Puppets on real life background. In Poland you hear dreadful songs in Polish. The story's sad and repeats throughout the film: toys miss their children and children miss their toys - boring. A series of mid-credits and one post-credit focused around the Pixar sign. The 3D is quite basic and it turns innovative only in the way the end credits are shown rather than the movie. 

MORVARID (THE PEARL) (2012)

Recommended. Beautiful pictures, including underwater ones and a story both touching and engrossing. A family movie. This Iranian feature shows sea turtle eggs and hatchlings in more detail than any documentary I've seen in my life. 

BLACK PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTH 

Watchable. Beautiful cinematography presents the nature and culture of the south of Iran, interesting local music, few words apart from some geographical facts read out by a schoolgirl. A bit too slow for my taste.

SLUGI WOJNY 

Watchable. Entertaining. While the crime plot is implausible, it's all very well acted, especially by Maria Kania. It's engaging, even though slower passages feel a bit too long at times. But most of all sharp, witty dialogues stand out, e.g. when the policeman is interrogating a suspect and his colleague, behind the Venetian glass, is predicting what he's going to say next. The scenes are well planned too, e.g. when three men pour alcohol into their teas/coffees together. It's close to a comedy.

EATING ANIMALS

Recommended. Shocking. Both the sadism towards animals and callousness to people. Some "experiments" of factory farms exceed cruelty. It's just pure sadism. I mean someone must take sick pleasure in it rather than thoughtlessly ignore animals' needs. And people working for such corporations meet with hostility among the farmers which is carefully managed by the corporate top management. Add very possible pandemics of diseases from tainted meat. Ah, and environmental damage on land, in water and gas emissions hastening the global warming. Capitalist greed is damaging the world and poisoning life on it. 

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE

Watchable. The documentary's about one social phenomenon: livestreaming on yy.com but you learn much more about China: staggering pay gaps between the rich and the poor and loneliness of everyone in the society. The profiteers and stock traders spend about a thousand times more than regular fans earn. And it's funny how it works: the poor fans provide admiration for the star and for the patrons who crave it so badly they spend big to be appreciated. And the fake online world fills the human void for all of them. What the documentary lacks is info what the streamers actually do, how often and how long it takes. The focus is on the online star-patrons-fans triangle and its financial workings.

WINNETOUS SOHN (WINNETOU'S SON) (2015)

Watchable. Very pleasant. The film shows how to solve all conflicts amicably, it's just filled with good and kindness. For older children/younger teenagers. While the story about childhood dreams and divorced parents is pretty simple, it uses some ingenuity, e.g. when the bouncer is looking for Max, the boy hides behind the Western town "Wanted" poster putting his head in the middle like for a photo. 

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

Recommended. Mostly for Leo who's absolutely fantastic in Rick Dalton's numerous roles and the accent he imitates. He deserves a second Oscar. The 60s are recreated meticulously, down to the make-up and moustache styles. In the beginning, you see a group of girls singing what sounds like religious songs. They turn out to be Manson's sect members but the way they're introduced wonderfully shows their devotion. Tarantino uses a world-famous real life case and turns it arround. The character exposition is long, allowing both Di Caprio and Pitt showcase their talent. Suspense begins actually only when Cliff Booth reaches the ranch and wants to see his old mate and it becomes palpable especially when you've heard that George Spahn watches TV shows but then you're told he's blind. The ending is triple-puckish. Firstly, the movie's meant to be a tribute to cinema and in the film a sect member says it's TV, in other words Hollywood, that taught them to kill. It's a plot trick since in reality the sect had no access to the media. Secondly, I thought Tarantino would show Sharon Tate die. Instead the sect members get their come-uppance which I find immensely satisfactory. Lastly, the mid-credit is a tribute to cigarettes. Tarantino's a smoker himself so it's possible he misses the times it was allowed. 

THE LION KING 3D

Recommended. Even better in 3D. Especially the opening stampede makes an impression. The 3D version in Poland is only dubbed. That includes the songs but my favourite, the one with "wimbo we, wimbo we" chorus has been kept in the original Swahili. The Polish dialogue containst references to current Polish politics. I have to say I had political associations watching the English version and the Polish lines only strengthen this connotation. Other than that, the lion cubs look just adorable. And I cried and occasionally laughed again.

LORO - DIRECTOR'S CUT

Watchable. New scenes, altered sequences and the order of some events, I think the soundtrack is different too. All of it combined tells a different story and carries a different meaning than the regular release version. This one is straight in your face, with everything explained and shown: "lui" is used interchangeably with "presidente" so you know straightaway who they're referring to, much more nudity and sex - all mystery is gone. And the emphasis is put not on constant fun, glamour and adoration of him but on what person he is and how he treats people round him. Berlusconi's dumb and sexist TV gets more coverage too. "Loro" carries a double meaning though: first Sergio uses it referring to decision-makers but the final scene, onto which the title is superimposed, shows the people left out homeless in result of Berlusconi's politics. Toni Servillo is outstanding in his double role of Silvio Berlusconi and Ennio Doris.

REPERTOIRE DES VILLES DISPARUES (GHOST TOWN ANTHOLOGY)

Watchable. One big mistake, including the Polish "translation" of the title. It's all cheap and amateurish. The picture's dark and grainy. And it drags. There are pauses between each sentence. First you get an hour of disconnected scenes and people talking such rubbish I would cut the conversation if they spoke to me in real life. Then finally the ghosts appear. I mean apart from the four wearing rags on their faces which do silly things through the whole film. But there's no music so the potential eerieness is lost. The open ending is frustrating after waiting so long for the climax. And the Polish title changes the original so badly you might misunderstand the movie.

LA PARANZA DEI BAMBINI (PIRANHAS)

Recommended. A superb movie about teenagers growing up in a city where the role models are mafiosi. Based on a novel whose writer co-wrote the script. An engaging story with wonderful actors, including hot Francesco di Napoli as Nicola, impeccable cinematography, great, mostly Italian, music. But most of all a captivating plot. You feel like you're a brave teenager about to conquer the world yourself.

DOLOR Y GLORIA (PAIN AND GLORY)

Recommended. Almodóvar's exquisite as usual. He's clearly discovered the golden formula for filling cinemas. Colourful patterns along with opening credits are intriguing already. What comes next, nails you to the seat. The story evokes mixed emotions continuously and feels like it's very personal to the director himself. Outstanding acting and cinematography. Fascinating decor of the director's flat: lots of bright, colourful patterns, different but never clashing.

IMAGINE WAKING UP TOMORROW AND ALL MUSIC HAS DISAPPEARED

Watchable. The documentary by Bill Drummond from KLF (once famous for "Doctorin' The Tardis") is frustrating while you watch but astonishing once you realize the tricky concept behind it. Explores our relationship with music where in primitive societies people would just sing and where mass media made us believe that only few of us are as exceptional as to deserve the right to sing and how iphone destroyed the whole idea of listening since you only click on what's next. Yet this exploration comes on the margin. The core is the ex-KLF guitare player's reluctance to the music business and fascination with sounds leading him to travel and record a capella voices. Requires patience and leniency. 

SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK 

Watchable. A cheap horror where corpses are acted by people in rags to save on CGIs.
Good-looking Michael Garza appears as Ramon Rodriguez. The movie plays a little with a trope from "The Shining" - a protagonist is scared of a "red room", then corridors turn red and multiply. The mysterious family in the film are called the Bellows, then you spot Gil Bellows in the credits - as Chief Turner.

WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE? 

Watchable. Starts similarly to "Big Little Lies" but the movie's for teenagers so the rest is quite naive. Luckily the story's unusual and engaging. Shot on locations in: Pittsburgh, Seattle, Greenland and Antarctica. 

AMANDA

Recommended. Inspired by terrorist attacks in Paris without being based on a particular one. Very morose but profound psychologically. One layer deals with grieving after the death of loved ones - plausibly since you see the bereaved burst into tears unexpectedly the way people do in real life. Another layer tackles taking over parental duties when you realise you've never truly had parents yourself. Finally there's one covering refugees from all angles. Still, each of the layers is very subtle, nothing's in your face. Even the death. No funeral is shown either. Strangely it makes it all the more powerful. I was crying for a bigger part of the film.

VISAGES VILLAGES (FACES PLACES)

Recommended. Awe-inspiring open-air photographic artworks and lots of human warmth. Creativity, in spite of one's severe illness (i.e. an eye problem for a photographer) and humanity in one. Uplifting.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2

Watchable. Decent, sometimes natural-looking animation, though the first shot of high-rise buildings with shiny windows is the best, the rest is just standard. The story's eventful, takes on speed as it develops and at some point goes bonkers. At least it ties up all lose ends. But it lacks gags, not counting some unsophisticated attempts at humour. The real life videos over the end credits are better than the whole film, I did laugh at one. Once they end, only the credits roll on and at the very end you hear that "the charm's gone", or however the line from the movie goes in the original - I only got a chance to see it dubbed in Polish, no subtitled release in this country.

SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

I've seen it already but am not allowed to review before Thursday night. So the post is coming then.

THE LION KING

Recommended. A linguist's delight since the movie's rich in languages, accents and the dialogues contain lots of English puns. It's funny at times, e.g. Simba's first attempt at a roar. All positive characters are cute. The story's harrowing at some point and reduced me to tears which reminded me that was why I never became a fan of the original. Having mentioned that, Rafiki's name never gets a mention in the new one. I loved the African music bits more than the western ones but it's the power of the Shakespearian story that makes the impact. The inspirations are clear in the plot and also can be heard in the language and in the posh pronunciation of the royal parents and uncle.

FRESH DRESSED

Recommended. A story of black fashion, especially in the 90s, so comprehensive it appeals even to me - not a hip-hop fan. I learnt that gangsta style = streatwear = urban fashion - in order not to be associated with gangsters. And rap started off as a verbal war replacing earlier shootouts. It's poignant that everyone aspires to be rich and white in a way. Black labels have passed away. Long-running white fashion empires are the ghetto's ultimate dream to the point the lads can have no furniture at home but buy or steal expensive clothes. At the same time those high fashion houses have incorporated elements of hip hop into their clothing. A number of stars are presented in videos and photos like Tupac, Kool Moe Dee or Run DMC or in life like Kanye West. With a mid-credit.

It was fun to spot hip hop elements in people's outfits in Warsaw on my way home.

FAST AND FURIOUS: HOBBS AND SHAW

Watchable. The spin-off is for fans only. Well made, with top-notch sequences with an outside lift plummeting on Shaw's request or helicopter simulations with Kaua'i mocking Samoa in the background but nothing as spectacular as in the main series. Lots of smack-talk between the two lead actors who also produced the high-octane flick. No car-racing as such. Rather a black "Terminator"/"Superman" - depending who's talking and a nice gender-balance of super-agents fighting the cyborg. Rap and hard rock music. With a mid- and a post-credit. The mid-credit indicates a sequel coming. Stop it!