Movie reviews

ZELAZNY MOST (THE IRON BRIDGE)

Watchable. Only the pictures by Piotr Kukla are up-to-scratch. In spite of the case of a miner who's missing and his wife having an affair, there is little suspense. Tension arises only a quarter before the end. Too little Silesian dialect too. Last but not least, Poles don't know how to make use of music in the cinema.

엑시트 (EXIT)

Recommended. Top-notch action with hilarious comedy elements, e.g. when the granny tries to correct Yong-nam's hair. Excellent music, especially in one of climbing scenes and over the end credits. My palms got sweaty at the heights. Luckily it wasn't me who was scaling the buildings. 

THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON

Watchable. Uninviting at first: severely aged people and a young one with Down syndrome, in one scene there's a clear depiction on vomit as well - I nearly puked myself at sight. But it swiftly turns into a decent road movie. It's also about the American dream - for everyone, including the disabled ones. A heavy part of the film is how they are treated by the society. It's also a new take on the American family: a high-brow member, a redneck and one with Down syndrome all form one family-like unit. Dakota Johnson, famous for kinky sex scenes in "Fifty Shades of Grey", here in a caretaker's role, gets handcuffed by Tyler. The handcuffs are soft and pinkish.

THE LIGHTHOUSE

Watchable. Compelling in its weirdness. Robert Pattinson gives an Oscar-worthy performance but the tale is just sick: a dying man gutted by seagulls, feaces, a guy masturbating while dreaming of a mermaid with a tail resembling a vagina, lots of alcohol, cold sadism and violent behaviour. Black and white picture doesn't make it art. Though narrowed shots reflect the young worker's tunnel vision convincingly.

DOCTOR SLEEP

Watchable. Fantasy with horror elements. It's a whole new story loosely based on the tropes from "The Shining", like the corpse-woman in the bathroom or the face in the door. The scares appear too soon. And the parallel plots: a magical one and an alcoholic one don't match at first. But all the elements fall into place piecemeal. The flying witch somehow feels truly menacing, maybe through her semblance to folk tales, even though this one lacks a broom.The last half an hour is set in the Overlook Hotel. The showdown takes you on the tour of the hotel, the labyrinth and the mountain - you even witness the iconic blood flood like in the original. Ewan McGregor acts plausibly and his character is well-written into the hotel 'tour'. Set for a sequel.

PROCEDER

Recommended. Very well-written, directed and cut. I didn't expect a movie about: a rapper, a gangster, alcoholic and drug addict - all in one person, set in the Polish 90s, could be interesting. But the 90s are perfectly recreated and his life story full of twists and turns. The film has some humour too, e.g. when a prisoner playing scrabble puts together "rzuf" meaning "żółw" (turtle).  Excellent background music by RX Rafał Sielawa. And Tomasz Chada's rap is fine too, with life-written lyrics. The ending is moving.