Movie reviews

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Recommended. It's hilarious. Starts at the very opening credits where the Statue of Liberty fends off zombies. Iconic for the US places feature heavily, including the White House and Graceland. So do pop culture references, including "Thor" and the "Terminator" series. And Bill Murray asserts: "I ain't afraid of no ghost". Columbus' two girlfriends provide serial laughs too. The action's even faster than in part one. While it's all consistent withing the film, the plot is so rich, the twists come as surprises anyway. The hook-hanger got my palms sweaty. Then you get an early long mid-credit. Kenny Loggins' "I'm Alright" runs and Woody Harrelson sings "Burning Love"- both over the end credits. And finally comes a short, less important post-credit. 

BOZE CIALO (CORPUS CHRISTI)

Watchable. Poor cinematography by Piotr Sobociński, annoyingly dark, common for Polish cinematography. At least the great number of close-ups results in intimacy bringing you closer to the morally controversial protagonist. The movie's in turns deeply moving and funny, e.g. the "dla ksiendza" ("for the preest" as I would translate it) card. It's predominantly about the small-mindedness of Polish village folk. The false priest is impressively down to earth and close to the people. Not clear why and how it ends. But mostly, the story's so typically Catholic, Polish and Polish-Catholic, I don't expect worldwide popularity. In my opinion much more versatile "Ikar. Legenda Mietka Kosza" ("Icarus. The Legend of Mietek Kosz") would stand a better Oscar chance. 

The film is based on several stories and many more still happen in real life. The idea of the mass accident came from the Smoleńsk case (the plane catastrophy which killed a huge number of Polish dignitaries) but the scriptwriter decided not to show the wreck in order not to provoke political associations. It's the director, Jan Komasa, who insisted on the last scene to be brutal. In the script, there was an epilogue in the town after the confrontation in the correctional facility.
27 years old Mateusz Pacewicz, who scripted it, is a non-believer. He didn't attend religion classes at school. He was thinking about the movie for 8 years, then spent 2 years writing it and 3 years later it's at the cinema. When he first sent the script to director Jan Komasa (38), he, imagining Mateusz Pacewicz was 50, responded the writer: "nie rozumie młodzieży" ("doesn't understand youngsters"). The writer travelled places of cult worldwide. Apparently there's an annual parade of San Judas Tadeo, the patron of murderers, in Mexico. Mateusz doesn't know why the PISF (Polish Film Institute) committee selected this film for the Oscar race, he hasn't checked the justification available online, yet he admits the producer was in the committee. Since he's been to several religious ceremonies round the world, he's aware the movie's very Polish.
His 10 years senior editor, Przemek Chruścielewski, is said to be responsible for the humour since it results mostly from cutting and its timing. He had initially had 70 hours of material. The challenge he found was making the suspense grow like a balloon but not burst. The editor is a cultural expert by education. 
All in all, it looks like the director and the director of photography ruined the writer and editor's brilliant ideas.