Cinema City has re-opened. It's comfy and friendly as ever and safer than most other venues due to higher seats (at least in the locations which have retained the soft, plush ones). I can see that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a superb repertoire too.
ONWARD
Recommended. No wonder it's such a hit in the current Polish box office. It's delightfully imaginative. The Realm is completely worked out - toungue-in-cheek - and painstakingly created. A family of elves keeps a little pet dragon - which behaves like a dog and even kinda barks. A genial centaur cop, cyclops, hooligan pixies and plenty of other magical creatures inhabit a world looking like our contemporary reality. Two brothers embark on a quest filled with adventures. Their journey through the Realm is rich in detail, e.g. a plane can be seen on the sky when the heroes traverse the plain. Quip lines, Harry Potter way worded spells and a nod to "Back to the Future" provide extra fun. The messages the picture conveys are: authenticity pays off in business, a family together will conquer anything - that line of the story leads to a touching ending, I had tears in my eyes. It also tells about confronting your fears and anxieties. It caters to teenagers but will be appreciated by younger and older audiences too. "Sound created in Atmos" so it may be better listened to in that system, in a regular screening room you only hear one line coming undoubtedly from the side at some point. In Poland, the production's dubbed in Polish.
VIC LE VIKING (VIC THE VIKING AND THE MAGIC SWORD)
Recommended. I want such a squirrel! The smart, feisty, independent and cute animal aside, it's a visual fest: making use of a wide range of colours, catchy shading, like in the squirrel's fur, and textures, e.g. red hairs on a Viking's chest and legs. The whole thing is light in tone and witty, with masterful dialogues, in Polish - only a dubbed version available - translated by truly expert Bartek Fukiet. The sound surrounds you all the time. The tale is lovable, with music trappings, including " Ride of the Valkyries" which, in the cartoon, gives a comical effect. The picture has a reference to movies for slightly older audiences, since the action takes place in the realm of the Vikings and Asgard.
THE HIGH NOTE
Recommended. Have you ever felt like a PA to a superstar? Shoved around and put down at every step? Dakota Johnson sheds her erotic image, dons a T-shirt and jeans and excels in the role. Her character is someone who grew up among musicians which reminds of herself coming from an acting family. But it's not just her, there are fine performances all round. Kelvin Harrison Jr. shines as the budding star. And the self-absorbed, narcissistic celebrity Grace Davis is wonderfully scripted, also Tracie Ellis Ross is superb as the chuffed heroine of the stage. As for a flick about fictitious singers, the music sounds admirably professional. The deeper message is that it's those downtrodden people that make each star's success possible. But also how patronising men can be when offering career opportunities to women. As corny as the storyline and women power may sound, the film does not dumb the subject down and makes plenty tart observations.
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