Movie reviews

MULAN

Recommended. A beautifully enacted legend set in exotic China of the Tang dynasty and imbued with Confucian values. Lavish decor, costumes and make-up rich in saturated colours, breath-taking landscapes, natural-looking mythical birds, top-notch martial art choreographies - a visual delight. Add humour, suspense, emotions and it's easy to immerse yourself in Niki Caro's splendid vision. Jet Li is cast as the Emperor and new Zealandese heartthrob Yoson An as Honghui. Hua Mulan and Honghui have a crush on each other so I'm looking forward to a sequel. The end credits are accompanied by probably the same song in 3 languages: first local (Polish here), then English and finally Chinese.

PETLA 

Recommended. Patryk Vega's back on top form so expect sex and violence but also well-paced, involving action and distinct characters. The opening is weird for Patryk Vega's movies. It astonished me with its semblance to the opening of utterly religious biopic "Miłość i miłosierdzie" ("Love and Mercy"). At first you see the titular loop but rather on a cosmic scale, then you hear voices and can't see anything, and then comes a naturalistic picture of birth. Next, you fast forward through the protagonist's life till he reaches adulthood. The difference between "Miłość i miłosierdzie" ("Love and Mercy") and "Pętla" is he's no saint. He's a gangster. Or... police officer. Whatever. Well, his prenatal journey through life seems to serve a double purpose. Firstly, it shows an innocent at first baby can become anyone. Secondly, towards the end, you understand the religious tone of the opening since the story's one of a prodigal son. Yes, a religious story in a gangster form. This time Vega presents his version of the Podkarpacie sex exploits story persuading us Russian intelligence is behind the whole thing. He does it compellingly and I've taken his point. The club in the movie is called Imperium (meaning: empire) which mocks the grandiose names of the original clubs e.g. Olimp (meaning: Olympus) or Prince. The dumb policeman is a recurring character-type in Vega's productions. This time you also get a mockery of "The Ring" and "Grudge" - both in one scene. Parallel to the end credits Patryk Vega poses with the original twin brothers and other photos of the people involved in the scandal are screened - as usual, Mr. Vega is bragging of his successful research. 

JAK NAJDALEJ STAD (I NEVER CRY)

Watchable. A drama about a rough teenager bereaved of her estranged father. Well-paced and clear-cut. With an interesting music piece when the girl gets drunk in Dublin - the song doesn't sound European so no direct relevance to the plot but I loved the sounds. But the core story, however engaging, is bereft of emotions. Typical for Piotr Domalewski's movies. He's finally got the grip of the movie pace and organization but the film feels as empty as his earlier ones, e.g.: "Cicha noc" ("Silent Night"), "Historia Roja" ("The Story of Swarm (roj) Or You Hear Better Underground"), "Demon".