ETERNALS IMAX 3D 

Watchable. The protagonists have names referring to Greek, Roman, Babylonian myths, Sumerian or Celtic history and European folk tales. The actors speak English in a variety of accents. There's even a Bollywood dance scene and Indian actor Harish Patel embodies a Bollywood director. Still, few actors are as annoying as Kumail Nanjiani - who barely makes a few moves, clearly not knowing how to dance, or as wooden and mumbling as Barry Keoghan in this film. Angelina Jolie is as stiff as if she suffered from a chronic backache. And the whole thing is cut so randomly you don't know the actual order of events. The music's bombastic. Still, if you need to see it, Imax is your best bet. The Imax-worthy bits include: London Natural History Museum in 3D - you feel as if you were really there, London's Camden Lock area, Eternals' celestial adobe and spacecraft, Babylonia, Sumer - both wonderfully enacted, with the Ishtar Gate or the Hanging Gardens, just like we learn from ancient artifacts and history books. 3D is not necessary, only some scenes have it and it's generally mediocre. Sadly, all the awe-inspiring visuals are put into the first half. You can take a nap during the second half which sees interchangeably: inflated arguments, fights against the monsters or each other, arguments, fights etc. Unbearably epic. The mid- and post-credit scenes are both quite promising sequel-wise.

BEFORE YOU MARVEL AT ETERNALS

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have long been accustomed to characters derived from Norse mythology, like Thor, Odin or Loki. The latest Marvel’s release, however, expands the superhero universe incorporating protagonists heavily inspired by myths and legends from other regions of the world.The below characteristic of Eternals, Deviants and Celestials traces their cultural origins only and is therefore spoiler-free even if you aren’t familiar with the comic books:

Thena is derived from Athena, Ikaris from Icarus, Sersi from Circe, Ajak from Ajax, Kro from Cronus, Phastos from Hephaestus - all of those, just like Eros, appear in classical Greek myths.

• Athena possessed boundless knowledge and was a fierce combatant as the goddess of wisdom and warfare.

• Icarus was the man who flew too close to the sun hence melting his wax-coated wings.

• Sorceress Circe could change others into animals.

• Ajax was a human renowned for strength and bravery, an intrepid and swift warrior.

• Cronus personified time and belonged to immortals – obviously.

• Hephaestus mastered iron hence would forge weapons and shields.

• Eros was the god of love and fertility.

Makkari stands for Mercury from Roman mythology. Mercury was the god of tradesmen, intermediaries, but also of thieves. He often showed his cheeky face playing pranks on others. On the other hand, he bridged the world of gods and humans and often served as a mediator. In arts he’s traditionally presented with wings attached to his shoes. The guy definitely thought on his feet.

Kingo can be decoded as Kingu and Tiamut as Tiamat. Both come from Babylonian mythology.

• Kingu wore the Tablet of Destinies which gave him immense power. When he was killed, his blood was used to create humans.

• Tiamat embodied primordial nothingness but also gave birth to the first generation of deities.

Druig can be deciphered as Druid. Druids were actual Celtic priests and were closely connected to nature and familiar with healing properties of various plants.

Sprite hails from European folk tradition where sprites were elves or fairies and often acted childishly.

Gilgamesh is simply Gilgamesh and harks back to Sumerian history. Most likely he was a king who was posthumously deified. Ancient poem “The Epic of Gilgamesh” depicts him as part mortal part divine. He quests for immortality but fails to obtain it. Remarkably, after his friend’s death, he questions the meaning of life and the value of human accomplihment in the face of ultimate extinction. Yet he becomes immortalised in the poem.

Bearing in mind who was who helps you guess the attributes and superpowers of Marvel’s new cinematic protagonists. Are they what you expected them to be?

HER DOCS FILM FESTIVAL

TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Watchable. Masterfully acted, with a number of sharp lines about toxic masculinity. Also, all the actresses are made to look beautiful, whether young or old and regardless of race. Impressively shot: both the Peace Room and the black and white insertions. The plot comes with a few smart twists of action. The discussion is thought-provoking, multi-angle. Sadly no solution to the issues is offered. But that, again, necessitates a question: are we doomed?

LOVEMOBIL

Recommended. Prostitution inside out. If you've ever wondered what a hooker's life looks like, this is their daily reality. The documentary tells about their clients, the job - so hard, often unpleasant and dangerous it's unbelievable anyone wants to do it. What you hear scares you off men. The story of the three women shows their past, present and likely future. Or a lack of thereof. 

ADDAMS FAMILY 2

Recommended. The storyline is partly similar to the previous cartoon where the Addams' world and the ordinary life collide, partly different - like in superhero flicks there is a mad super rich scientist, Wednesday has school science competition aspirations and an experiment goes horribly wrong. But it's the same delightful family with their odd habits. And some rational ones: Thing uses a hand sanitizer and Wednesday "has been keeping social distance since she was born". The story takes you on a tour through the south of the US, with peculiar Addams' attractions and certain stranger's hunchmen in their wake. The finale ties up any loose ends. And you enjoy Bartek Fukiet's translation into Polish dubbing again. The theme music, even though a bit scarce in this instalment, still kept playing in my head long after leaving the cinema. 

WEGIERSKA JESIEN FILMOWA ON MOJEEKINO.PL

SZEP CSENDBEN (ON THE QUIET)

Watchable. Sometimes there's a thin line between sexual harassment and caring attention. This writer's debut movie deals with such a case, showing it from a few people's perspectives but, as we only see what the characters do, observing the developments from the outside, their motives remain unclear. 

What I said earlier about the legibility of subtitles or sound volume on mojeekino.pl remains true.

ANTLERS

Watchable. Quiet, yet perpetually cloudy and gloomy Oregon. The tale is psychologically true and becomes more and more gripping as the action develops. Dark pictures build a climate and one scene sees the teacher's black silhouette in a doorway, lit blue and red from the back by a police car as she enters the monster's den - almost like a female James Bond in a horror  realm. Another time an insect buzzing sound surrounds you. Skillfully made. But horror-wise it's not only not really scary but even quite rubbish - people turn gradually into legendary bloodthirsty monsters - how many times have you seen that? Or school bullying and adults' horrible childhood reminiscences - also trite. Predictable and skippable. 

The ladies' in KinoGram is amazing: the restroom mirror tells you you're beautiful and it's sealed with Marilyn Monroe's kiss.

WEGIERSKA JESIEN FILMOWA ON MOJEEKINO.PL

TREZOR (VAULT)

Watchable. Up to a point it's a decent crime comedy: ironic, with good twists of action. But it's also brimming with communist politics down to mentioning breaking hands and fingers. It mars the entertaining part even though it ensures the consistency of the plot and offers a set design to match the historical period. We all know communists turned out to be bad people, no need to remind us over and over again, that period is happily long gone. Still, the plot's engaging and keeps you glued to the screen till the satisfactory finale.

Convenient big Polish subtitles on transparent black backgrounds facilitated reading the dialogues. Excellent sound volume will satisfy those speaking Hungarian and Russian (the dialogues are in both these languages).

ETERNALS IMAX 3D

I've seen it already but will be allowed to post my review no sooner than on Sunday night. 

APENSTREKEN MET AAP NOOT MIES (MONKEY BUSINESS FROM A TO Z)

Recommended. The Netherlands make the best out of their centuries-old architecture. The tale is set in 1889 and the mostly grim reality is depicted convincingly. While bad experiences befall Wim, the whole thing is kept at children's level. The story's engaging, adventurous, yet clear and consistent, even though never predictable. It's well acted, especially by Tygo Bussemakers as little Wim, but also all adults, no matter how big or small the role, put in memorable performances.

SMIERC ZYGIELBOJMA (DEATH OF ZYGIELBOJM)

Watchable. Writer/director Ryszard Brylski misfires badly with this Holocaust-time drama that focuses on a Jewish man's last months in England. Just like neither Karski nor Zygielbojm was heard by British wartime authorities or media, I doubt the Brits will appreciate a movie which directly accuses them of negligence. What's worse, the film drags awfully. OK, it'll do as a film noir but it's overtalked and everyone seems to be constantly deep in thoughts. Wojciech Mecwaldowski, a marvellous comedian, here in a dramatic role, excels as Szmul Zygielbojm, his despondent eyes do the acting. Most of the cast, even some 'Brits' are Polish which explains the often poor English but it does distract you from the content. The images are not as harsh as those we've always seen from the Holocaust, few words reflect the horror either. It's too mild to move. Only intellectually do you register the film is about helplessness. It's just too slow and flat to evoke emotions. A monument, not a movie. 

My second thought is that the film mentions "The Times" which published just a note and "Manchester Guardian" which devoted an article to Zygielbojm's revelations. When you look at the tiny little role of "The Times" now and how well regarded "Guardian" is you feel some satisfaction. 

Some trivia from the Q&A:

Wojciech Mecwaldowski hasn't seen the film, he doesn't like watching himself so doesn't see his own movies. He had no audio or video material on Zygielbojm so he built the character from photographs - the actor is a photographer's grandson. He "wouldn't sacrifice his life for any idea but wouldn't sacrifice his family for anyone". His opinion is that nowadays our voice is listened to even less than then. He had the guts to tell his maths teacher at school he wouldn't learn some of the stuff because it was useless in life and he concludes now that he was right. His acting teachers would tell the students they could surpass the teachers, while some of his counterparts had to listen to the 'greats'. He's teaching acting himself these days. 

The film-makers treat Zygielbojm's suicide as heroic. It's typical for Polish mentality but I'm not going to dwell on it. Let me just conclude this explains Poles' adoration for the film. 

In reality Szmul Zygielbojm also spent a year among American Jews who didn't believe when he was telling them about the Holocaust either. 

It took 7 years to make the movie from A to Z. The director decided to shoot it as a film noir because the genre had been popular back then. He used detailed storyboarding which facilitated shooting. The music was composed in Poland and recorded in a studio in Czech Prague. 

NOTTURNO

Watchable. However much I'm interested in the issues of the region, the film drags. It's an assembly of random scenes with no rhyme or reason to the selection. Did the director mean to juxtapose ordinary life with that under the brutal rule of ISIS? Well, nothing I wouldn't have heard of before. Only the amount of rainfall astonished me, the region is known to be dry. Lovely, if morose, Arabic music over the end credits completes the documentary. 

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

DZIEN, W KTORYM ZNALAZLEM W SMIECIACH DZIEWCZYNE (THE DAY I FOUND A GIRL IN THE TRASH)

Watchable. The futuristic set-up is not bad. The best point is how natural the science fiction post-2026 Polish reality appears. But when I read the opening notes on 'vaxine' whose injection equalled forced subjugation to the state rule I wondered whether the scriptwriters were anti-vaxxers or only had become inspired by such fantastical conspiracy theories. The male lead's motivation is off. He's going to sacrifice his life fighting for the dignity of the worst of criminals, yet when he encounters one, he keeps her naked for the first few hours. I'm also not sure of the time set-up: it's around New Year in Poland just a few years ahead of our time and all you see is summer weather, what's more, protagonists swim in the sea without the risk of freezing to death. 'The new Polish anthem' is much intriguing but played with totally indistinguishable words and no subtitles. Still, the most woeful bit is that Blue resembles Pris from "Bladerunner" - in a clumsy version, not ultra fit. In addition she acts dimwitted rather than possessing only automatic reactions. The result is a sort of lame "Bladerunner" rip-off. All characters, major or minor, have psychological issues - typical for Polish cinema, I've watched too much of the stuff. The movie could have been a decent actioner but, I guess, not in Poland. The lead, Szymon Hertz, instead of  feeling trepidation at his imminent death, reflects on the events which led to him becoming an activist. The convict, Blue, is so fresh-faced and naive any possibility she could be a serious criminal is implausible. The action frequently falls flat. Every other scene is protracted, the ending is cornball as if the writers ran out of ideas. On the other hand, admirable performances of all 'automatons' and sci-fi-appropriate cinematography drag the movie towards respectability. 

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

According to the organizers, opening movies typically hit you hard and next  become hits. Joaquin Phoenix hates giving interviews so his role in one of the opening films is surprising. Among documentaries there'll be one on the last abortion clinic. A retrospective of Jim Jarmusch's early 7 movies will be presented - the director influenced Jakub Gutek, the festival director and distributor. Waters' retrospective will include "Hairspray" and "Serial Mom", his masterclass and his stand-up "This Filthy World" - the performance is modified every time. Ida Lupino's films retrospective will feature too. The online program will be revealed only after the cinema version is over. Out of 9 short films 3 will be attached to full-length ones, the other 6, selected together with Błażej Hrapkowicz from Cinemaforum festival in Warsaw, cover social issues in America. 

One of the festival movies is going to be:

LANGUAGE LESSONS

Recommended. Scripted and self-directed by the actors but acted perfectly plausibly. The story offers emotional highs and lows, is sometimes funny, e.g. when he says he's "embarazado" and is then taught what it actually means, sometimes sorrowful andengaging all the time due to a number of little cliffhangers and wonderful acting. As I was starting to think the plot had succumbed to the sappiness of the grave disease of a protagonist, the feeling quickly dissolved owing to further plot complications. The teacher (Natalie Morales) comes across as a real one - as I recall my own online studying. Mark Duplass as Adam masterfully performs the emotional gamut. 

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

The festival organizers are of the opinion the film can't have been created before the pandemic. I dare to disagree. I knew of distant teachers working internationally a few years before Covid-19.

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

НОСОРІГ (RHINO)

Watchable. Well, "Носоріг" ("Rhino") is not too special. From the "Номери" ("Numbers") director I expected better. Set in 1990s and inspired by facts it talks about private and 'professional' life of a brutal gangster. We've seen this plot rehashed so many times it would really need to be a special story to stand out. What you get, however, is a class B movie hoping to attract the audience with violence and sex. It's acted by non-professionals and it shows. Excessive use of close-ups doesn't help. The plot is a bit all over the shop. The "Sated Pig" song pretty much sums up the protagonist's attitude to life. 

The movie was screened with big English subtitles while Polish ones were small and very low, below the screen.

It's Олег Сенцов's (Oleh Sentsov's) first movie after his freeing from 5 years' imprisonment in a Russian penal colony, he had started making it before and finished after. The Ukrainian writer/director says he was released following international public pressure. As for the plot, director Олег Сенцов (Oleh Sentsov) is unrepentant. To him it's a human life story - can a bad man return to doing good? The country was hurt by the USSR and by the 90s after the collapse of the USSR. The type of people he depicts took over the positions of power, ex-president Янукович (Yanukovych) came from such circles. As for actors, 700 candidates took part in the casting, most non-professionals - Олег Сенцов (Oleh Sentsov) in general hires non-pros, many of them had been embroiled in similar events, including the one who acted as Носоріг (Rhino) - he had been a football hooligan, also in a far-right group since that would let youngsters blow off steam and achieve life success, later he was in the war which changed him, now he's become an activist. Nowadays Ukrainian young people have more options to choose from. Олег Сенцов (Oleh Sentsov) stresses he spent 5 years in jail, not in director's school so in those 5 years he learnt a different type of art. He got to understand criminals. He also read a lot and wrote 3 scripts which will become future movies. 

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE

Watchable. Tom Hardy co-wrote and produced and Andy Serkis directed this frenetic Marvel Comics adaptation devoid of fresh ideas. Just like in the title, expect carnage. Too much is happening to let you feel any tension. The garrulous monster sounds moronic. There's too much of Eddie and Venom's squabbling anyway. References to works of high culture: the quote from Shakespeare and Ray Bradbury: "Something wicked this way comes", a hint at "Natural Born Killers" by Woody Harrelson, Venom pictured as a gargoyle, "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's "Requiem" accompanying a wedding are feeble attempts at elevating the content. The movie boasts Atmos sound. I saw it in ordinary 5.1. It was not excessively loud but the vrooming shook my seat a couple of times so no need for 4DX. The film ends in rough and tumble. The sequel is a bold statement of intent never backed up by a film that, despite numerous attempts, is just not smart enough to be memorable. For hardcore fans only. An astonishing cross-over is announced in the mid-credit. There's no end-credit.

BIGFOOT FAMILY

Recommended. An engaging tale, with fascinating human, half-human and animal characters. Bartek Fukiet has translated it for the Polish dubbing. Some audio effects are perfectly surrounding. 

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

EL HOYO EN LA CERCA (THE HOLE IN THE FENCE)

Watchable. Joaquín Del Paso's second movie is like "Lord of the Flies" with added racism, sexism and Catholic religious hypocrisy. The boys constantly hear they're the elite - mind that. It also shows how toxic masculinity is created at an early age. This community was so bizarre I was intrigued enough to keep watching, however tedious it was due to amateurish script, directing and acting. It was meant to hit you hard but the director shies away from showing any direct violence. It's just lots of school boys bullying one another. Overtalked too. 

The topic arose from the screenwriter/director's own memories. He went to both types of school. In the male-only religious school, based on discipline, he witnessed lots of aggression between the boys and from the teachers. Basically, just like in the film, aggression was allowed which results in the boys lacking empathy afterwards. What you see on the screen is management by fear, creating an enemy behind the fence. Child kidnapping and trafficking is a big issue in Mexico which explains some protagonists' reactions. The flag game has no grounds in any historical event but is a loose reference to Aztecs and invaders. The killing, luckily, does not reflect any real case either. The director debuted with "Maquinaria Panamericana" ("Panamerican Machinery") about workers who lock themselves in the factory where they've lost jobs. He appears to like shooting films in enclosed spaces, not much variety.

PENGUIN BLOOM

Recommended. The Blooms wrote and produced a movie based on an autobiographic book about their family. A disabled mum after a spinal cord injury and a sick magpie named Penguin, or Peng for short, are the main protagonists. Sounds sappy, doesn't it? Luckily it's not. Wonderful Australian scenery beautifully shot by Sam Chiplin makes it attractive and the family story is depicted realistically down to the mum's wound, a son's vomit and the bird's poo. But they and their acquaintances are so supportive of each other you can't help but love them all. Happiness is all about attitude, not circumstances. Naomi Watts is perfectly convincing in the difficult role. Peng was acted by 10 or 11 different magpies. The pictures of the authentic Blooms and Penguin accompany the end credits. 

MALIGNANT

Watchable. That James Wan has made a horror with a monster looking like Sloth from "The Goonies, like even the policewoman in the movie describes him, and speaking like Jigsaw from "Saw" is more troubling than whatever the freak is up to. Hot detective Kekoa Shaw (George Young) makes for some light touches. The finale is even feminist which puts a new angle on the story. Joseph Bishara's score and 4 songs are decent. The flick is not scary and the interhuman monster-free parts are better than the hackneyed horror tropes. James Wan would be better off shooting a family drama next. 

OBLOKI SMIERCI - BOLIMOW 1915

Recommended. This documentary with actors' battle scenes charts the history of creation and use of chemical weapon. Its origins are presented through a comprehensible historical background and with a much-helpful map. Everything is lucid even to an ignorant like me. The acted scenes are sepia-toned and grainy but the written and spoken testimonies are sufficient. Some facts are shocking.

Film editor, now director Ireneusz Skruczaj hails from Bolimów and the topic used to be discussed at his home. For the film he used international archives in Europe and the US. It took 5 years to make the documentary. The battles were enacted by non-professional actors, they were all historical reenactors who had done such scenes before and had their own historically accurate, down to every button, uniforms. It was -15 degrees Celsius in the trenches at the time of winter shooting - similarly as a century ago.

FATIMA

Watchable. The cinematography is remarkable - engrossing, you feel as if you were there. A handful of scenes are truly moving. But only the adamantly religious explanation of the events is offered. Also, the apparition told the children it was essential they learn to read but that thread isn't continued.

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

VIRGJERESHA SHQIPTARE (THE ALBANIAN VIRGIN)

Recommended. Right when I was beginning to think the festival level had subsided I got to see my first Albanian film ever. My first impression was it looked poor, the village setting didn't entice. Then it seemed to turn to folklore. The society was not religious but patriarchal. That resembled a famous Turkish film so I thought: oh, no, not another "Mustang". But midway through the movie comes the first major twist of action and the plot becomes gripping, with a sequence of events whose outcome is hard to foresee. 3/4 in come a few truly touching moments but without ever turning sappy. Only the finale is heartfelt on the verge of being mawkish. The story brings a novelty in the context of gender roles. Also the make-up aging two of the protagonists is superb: convincing yet not altering the actors. Cinematography makes the best out of the rolling hills and majestic mountains of Albania, sunrises and sunsets. I bet you've never seen a tale like this before.

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ. 

TO MUSI BYC MILOSC

Watchable. The new Polish Christmas comedy is lough-out-loud funny, very well directed, fantastically acted, especially by excellent Iza Sobala as Wiola, particularly entertaining when she trips over - more than once. Witty lines, e.g. "Kim jest Maria?" "O Jezus Maria!" ("Who is Mary?" "Oh Jezus Mary!"), abound. Poland is picture-perfect: a winding road amid a large swathe of forest, fairy-tale towns. Written by Agnieszka Pilaszewska, yet the script has one big downside. Why do two women forgive their partners' unfaithfullness? Just how could a woman script that? That's upkeeping pathology. 

THINK LIKE A DOG

Recommended. A wonderful family comedy with some awesome CGIs, adorable dogs, amiable people, hot Chinese actor Neo Hou and easier to recognize American faces, an engaging and enjoyable modern plot.

UN TRIOMPHE (THE BIG HIT)

Watchable. I never thought a movie about preparing a play could be that interesting, French in that. But it's based on facts - from Sweden, fast-paced, with some twists of action and perfectly acted - just watch them practise speech techniques. Kad Merad steals the show for the remaining part. Luckily the theatre takes relatively little time, prison-type conversations at least carry a meaning and the whole thing is rather crime with a drama of human yearning for freedom and of how freedom manifests itself. The comic potential is obvious but the gags failed to make me laugh. It applies the tried and tested structure: the further in the film the better it gets. 

CAPTAIN MORTEN AND THE SPIDER QUEEN

Watchable. Meticulous puppetry and decoration coupled with wonderfully surrounding sound - albeit with annoying brass music - awe you from the first minute. It's a magical world where a person can turn into a penguin when they feel freezing, consisting of 2 realms: micro and full-size. An overly complicated plot where some characters are downright stupid and the music mar the visual mastery.

THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS

Recommended. Subtle music, soothing forest vistas, dogs - wonderful from the beginning. Equally gently you're introduced to the truffle hunters, their dogs, a truffle broker, but also noses and other merchants. It's incredible how much the men love their dogs. It's also a praise of slow life and natural aromas. The documentary was shot in Alba, San Damiano (Regione Piemonte). Ah, long live Aurelio! (88 years old, still fit and impressively astute)

ALLSEASONS

Recommended. This Polish sports documentary offers awe-inspiring cinematography and matching music, as it presents all kitesurfing styles and an environmental issue down below the surface on which or over which the protagonists glide, jump and fly. Makes you want try it out yourself.

BAYALA - A MAGICAL ADVENTURE

Recommended. This German-Luxembourgish co-production dazzles you with a myriad of colours, all warm, mostly pastel, of elves' eyes, wings and attires, of flowers, dragons - a cute newborn and mosaic-like-scaled adults - as well as cute animals: a raccoon, a wolf, birds. Absolutely fabulous. I want all fairy-tales to look like this. 

MA FAMILLE ET LE LOUP (MY FAMILY AND THE WOLF)

Watchable. Carmen Maura is amiable as granny, though neither does she look 80 years old (she was 74 when the film was released in 2019) nor does it make sense in relation to the rest of the family - she'd have to have given birth at about 50 years old. The sun-drenched French coast and cicadas are irresistible. The plot is silly, with the exception of a touching passing away. The wolf is all fake. So it's not really worth watching but once you start, enjoy the summer. 

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

HELL OR CLEAN WATER

Recommended. Sometimes the protagonist makes the movie. This is the case. Diver Shawn Bath has committed himself to cleaning with his own hands the Atlantic off Newfoundland and Labrador coast. The opening images of the amount of trash he finds on the sea bottom are shocking and justly eye-opening. Next I felt tired just from watching his daily toil. Or tyred, should I say. It's not just plastic, turns out decades ago people would even sink old cars off-shore. Sadly, the trash is endless and he's still full-time occupied dragging old tyres from the water. He's so dedicated that he went on for a few years without external funding. In my opinion he should be the Minister of Environment for Canada, were he not so busy down there. Because the flip side of the coin is Shawn Bath stepped in where the governments, both provincial and federal, disgracefully failed through inaction. The man, struggling also because of his stage fright when speaking in public, is a proof perseverance pays off eventually. But as much as it defied belief when he was denied funding before, that much I'm anxious how long it's going to last. We need hundreds of people like him to remove all the trash, all on governmental payroll. Instead it's just him with a small bunch of helpers from Clean Harbours Initiative and some one-off donations. The documentary kept me awake at night as I was mulling over the issue.

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ. 

FESTIWAL PRZEMIANY (PRZEMIANY FESTIVAL) 

5 climate documentaries:

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CLIMATE

Recommended again. Seen right after hearing Professor Naomi Oreskes' lecture it felt almost as if a friend were telling me about the hypocrisy of spin doctors. It shocked me anew to hear how the 30 years when the system could have been transformed had been wasted because of denialists planting their seeds of doubt. How do they manage to distort the climate message? They speak fast, giving an overwhelming number of facts and make scientists refute those rubbish claims.

Now, 10 months after the first viewing, I also can't help thinking this is exactly how pandemic denialists and anti-vaxxers spin their nonsense.

THIN ICE: THE INSIDE STORY OF CLIMATE SCIENCE

Watchable. Too much hard science and showing the lives of scientists to make the facts you learn somewhere in between alarming. Most strikingly computer climate models underestimate the speed of the global warming. That's one alarming piece of news watered down with all the talk about ice. At least you get a rare chance to see what scientists' work in Antarctica looks like. 

PANDORA'S PROMISE

Recommended. To borrow part of the "Dr. Strangelove" title, this is how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb. Yes, really. Because, apart from filling you in on all aspects of nuclear energetics, the film tells you the US are buying warheads from Russia. And using them for fuel. The documentary provides you with the solution of all nuke problems. Wonderful.

WE ARE AS GODS

Watchable. The documentary on Stewart Brand, hippie-biologist, opens with a beautifully preserved mammoth. In fact, only the Pleistocene Park and the crazy idea of reviving the woolly mammoth so that the animals thump the permafrost into the soil which will cool down the climate by 2 degrees Celsius kept me occasionally interested. Well, also the bit about Ken Kesey, the author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", who was apparently very charismatic, always gathering a crowd around when he was speaking. He was also a hippie. I got intrigued by Brand's life principle to "try out new things early on when there are no rules against them yet". And the butterfly effect of the disappearance of just one species on the whole ecosystem is food for thought. The rest is a protracted biopic of a hippie. 

NADZIEJA UMIERA OSTATNIA

Recommended. About young Polish climate activists. At first seemingly not much different from amateur Youtube podcasts, it quickly turns into a professional documentary. As you hear more and more absurd or disturbing stories of how the teenage activists were deemed either  immoral or environmental violators - for the use of loudspeakers - or even worse: about double-tongued politicians or the abuse, even sexual, protesters suffered, as denialists tried to intimidate them, it hits you hard. Another top-notch offering by Jonathan L. Ramsey, the documentalist behind "Można panikować" ("It's Okay to Panic"). 

The film's going to be available on the director's channel on Youtube from 23 October. 

RON'S GONE WRONG

Watchable. Alicja Roethel has ensured the Polish dialogues consist of smart, witty lines. Pleasant pop music, recorded in Atmos and eye-catching effects mean it's fun to watch, visually it's superb. The action, however, is overloaded: things are happening, people talking or fighting all the time. Several elements are derivative. E.g. the tech giant president always gives speeches on a circular stage like the one Steve Jobs used, the robots reshape themselves like Transformers, the server floor looks like in "Space Jam: A New Legacy". The main messages of friendship and about companies gathering data to use for online sales are true but trite. Technology-wise the story is far-fetched. The ending is predictable. No mid- or post-credit.

SMALL WORLD

Watchable. Jessica Sara Witeńko (12-year-old Ola) is incredible, certainly a rising star. It's also finally a Polish movie where the protagonists speak decent Russian and English - owing to Agata Deka's translation. The number of perversions is typical for Patryk Vega so you can bet on getting shocked a few times. The movie's gripping for the whole 117-minute duration. But elements taken out of horror flicks, e.g. he killed her and she got up again and the whole Satanic cult idea are a wrong turn. As is obnoxious Catholic propaganda where a victim of sex trafficking decides to have a baby of an unknown pedophile and on return to her home country goes to Church even before seeing her mother. All the subplots of the finale are far-fetched but meet your sense of justice - you'd love things to end this way for real. Cathartic.

JEKABS, MIMMI UN RUNAJOSIE SUNI (JACOB, MIMMI AND THE TALKING DOGS)

Watchable. The animation style gives off an artistic vibe, especially the way the backgrounds and the dogs are drawn. The evil developer plot is trite but with good Polish vocal work in the dubbing, the story kept simple and autumn-like palette it's pleasant to watch. The level's suitable for children. 

LUX AETERNA

Watchable. Gaspar Noé has created a feminist extravaganza ending in his favourite exuberant style. This 51-minute film has amassed cases of sexploitation of women of all ages. And across ages. It's shocking how the women put up with it, unable to cope, how they still crack on with their work, but also how men pit them against one another. But the form these issues are presented in, while original: split screen or stroboscopes, is a miss. Firstly, a film about shooting a film never works. Secondly, first it wears you down with talking heads, next with following 2 images simultaneously, finally with stroboscope lights. I felt relieved when it ended. 

AFTER WE FELL

Watchable. A silly, cheesy and forgettable tale with beautiful and stylish Josephine Langford and tattooed athletic type Hero Fiennes Tiffin, lovely shots, easy ambient music. Only the ending - the story is to be continued - complicates family issues for Hardin and is about the most interesting bit. When you see Hardin and Christian Vance sitting together in the bar the framing says it all, you know what to expect.

WESELE

Recommended. The structure of Wyspiański's "Wesele" ("The Wedding") - the play from 1901 it's based on has been kept: the action jumps between the present and the past, numerous characters create a social commentary. The number of issues dealt with is bewildering but the messages are loud and clear. The title wedding reception is just a pretext. Provincial Poland, disco polo rhythms, at first the family and guests appear perfectly ordinary. All the more shocking it becomes when you discover their dark secrets, one by one. The 380 phone directory in the threat message stands for Ukraine, if you wondered. Smarzowski sets the record straight with Polish pogroms on Jews, maltreatment of animals, corruption, attitude to migrants, gets at the Church - again. Horrifying scenes from the pogrom are the most harrowing. But the way the movie is cut makes your vision of Poles as sharp as never before. This time director Wojtek Smarzowski runs you over with a lorry, reverses and runs you over again.

FALLING

Watchable. A simple drama about a patriarchal family with an abusive father where childhood memories intertwine with latter-day caring for the parent with Alzheimer's. Well acted so engaging enough. Quality sound and colours merit viewing it at the cinema. The song over the end credits is perfectly surrounding. The whole thing is, surprisingly for the topic, soothing, mostly owing to the cinematography and set decoration.

MOJE WSPANIALE ZYCIE (MY WONDERFUL LIFE)

Watchable. Łukasz Grzegorzek, the writer/director of "Córka trenera" ("A Coach's Daughter") now has come up with both a teacher's daughter and a teacher's son for his new offering. Once you start, you want to know when it blows up so you keep watching yet another exhausting Polish drama about a dysfunctional family. I just felt frustrated with the number of little pathologies: A woman is burdened with taking care of all her family members who persistently exploit her but she puts up with her husband's put-downs and her son's and daughter-in-law's presumptuous requests running away into an affair with a man less attractive than her husband. The school where they both work fails to cope with unruly teens and she teaches them her imperfect English. As requisite in Polish dramas, a family member is terminally ill. It does blow up eventually but there's no value in seeing this film whatsoever. Better not to start. Or if you do, look for the school janitor - it's director Łukasz Grzegorzek himself. The soundtrack is a combination of quality dreamy instrumental pieces and a number of covers of hackneyed Polish songs from the 70s and 80s - unenticing. The whole thing is tenuous and utterly devoid of fresh ideas. Just a dreadful piece of work

撞死了一只羊 (JINPA)

Watchable. One to see ethnographically for Tibetan customs. The desert expanses traversed by Jinpa look dull and that's pretty much the first half of the film. The second half is awfully sexist, both waitresses cosy up to and attempt to endear themselves to male customers and the men, on top of being self-absorbed, are aggressive or are expected to be. 

Seen at piecsmakow.pl/wdomu, cinematic reception might differ. Small white subtitles, sometimes cursive, make reading difficult even sitting right in front of the computer. The volume is good but the dialogues Tibetan.

THE LAST DUEL IN 4K

Recommended. Based on a true story from France, spoken in English, scripted by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The first part, shot in dark blueish hues or sepia, looks like an ordinary medieval tale. The whole thing was shot in cloud-clad Ireland which explains the palette. The storyline, however, turns out to be similar to Korean "방자전" ("The Servant") in the way the same events are told as 3 separate tales, presenting the point of view of the 3 lead characters. It smartly depicts the varying point of view of men and of a woman. The last story brought tears to my eyes at the rape showed from the woman's perspective and at her husband's reaction. The rape aftermath appears not to differ much from contemporary experiences. About the only difference is that in the Middle Ages the woman was threatened with torture if the crime couldn't be proven which would effectively discourage any woman from accusing any man. The eponymous fight keeps you on the edge of your seat. That's when you appreciate watching it on a 4K screen. What happens to the body after the duel is quite naturalistic.

KinoGram, where I saw the movie, is a brand new cinema in Warsaw, Google quickly informs you its offer is upmarket. What's it like? Once you find where the cinema is, the design - all black with golden screen numbers - gives off the same impression. Disappointingly, only screens 2 and 3 boast Atmos sound. Luckily, due to the sound devices being brand new, the sound in room 5 was at least crystal clear, especially the clinking of metal. However, the building still undergoing construction resulted in us overhearing a hammer banging a few times during the screening. There's also no Oscar statuette as yet, it's going to be exhibited in room 7 shortly. But the cinema has cosy, comfy, soft seats and good air-con. I hope there'll be more toilets than just the modern yet little one I've been to. 

TYDZIEN WARSZAWSKICH KIN STUDYJNYCH 

The week of Warsaw art-houses, coming to a close today, apart form movies, offered a meeting with historian Anna Cymer who discussed the architecture of art-houses. It turns out Kino Moskwa's socrealist lions are displayed till now, even though the cinema was demolished years ago. Kino Kijów in Cracow has wall-high mosaics outside and inside. Generally, post-war, communist authorities gave priority to cultural venues. Cinemas, earlier housed in tenements, then became stand-alone buildings, displaying neon lights, turning them into special places, built also outside the city centre, even along the WZ route (a thoroughfare in Warsaw). 

BERGMAN ISLAND

Watchable. Gives you a sightseeing tour of Gotland island in Sweden thanks to which I know I'm not going to waste my time there in real life. But it tries to tell a story, and another one: a film within the film - which never works - so it keeps you watching without saying anything of value. You can doze off, wake up and lose nothing of the action - it's that trivial. And it drags. Skippable. Or if you do see, choose comfy, reclining seats.

ZEBY NIE BYLO SLADOW (LEAVE NO TRACES) LEAD ACTORS, DIRECTOR, PRODUCERS Q&A

Here's a handful of trivia about the movie and its reception by international audience: Shooting during the pandemic was difficult, e.g. there was a time when the cameraman was quarantined and was only available on Zoom. A lot of special effects were needed to show Warsaw of the period. As one of the producers remarked, "najlepsze są takie, których nie widać" ("the best ones are ones you can't see") so in my opinion they got them right. In the beating scene the focus is on Jurek Popiel, not Grzegorz Przemyk because the idea was to show Grzegorz Przemyk in the 15-minute introduction and next shift the narrative to manifest it's Jurek Popiel who's the lead. A lady from the audience observed that in 9 million Belarus every family has had such a situation so it touched her heart and she cried a few times. Jurek's hairstyle was based on the fact his mother was a hairdresser and his clothes showed counterculture elements. The makers hesitated how much the mother must have known so shifted the narrative here and there a couple of times before establishing the final version. Actors' own ideas weren't welcome, the director would sometimes tell them: "You can do that in your director's debut." The makers' knowledge of the events came from Czarek Łazarkiewicz's book and Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (Institute of National Remembrance) documents. They limited the number of characters from the book. Most of the protagonists are dead now. The prosecutor woman was buried with honours, having suffered no repercussions after the fall of communism. Some viewers, including myself, noticed references to the present political situation in Poland in the film. The director rubbished our impressions: "Tam nie było bezpośrednich komentarzy do teraz. To, że się razem zsunęło, to już trochę nie nasza wina." ("There were no direct comments on now. The fact they overlapped is kind of not our fault.") Instead, references to the director's earlier "Ostatnia rodzina" ("The Last Family") can be found, e.g. a security agent takes out a Yazoo record - Beksiński was a fan - and counsel Bednarkiewicz has his painting in his office.

NO TIME TO DIE AT IMAX

Recommended. First you hear the Bond music theme together with the roaring lions in the producer's logo. Bond's iconic silhouette appears on white background. Next, as if through a sight scope, a snowy landscape emerges from the white circle. With a walking man silhouette seen from above. The opening sequence is strong and comes before the initial credits. The action takes you through Italy, Jamaica, Norway and a secret island between Japan and Russia (Faroe Island stands in). As usual, the franchise keeps up with the world events and, even with the script penned before the pandemic, this time the plot concerns a kind of virus, one targeting DNA. The story offers a few surprises, especially one concerning James Bond himself. For other developments, while it's good to remember "Spectre" to comprehend it easier, just like the famed Øresund Bridge, appearing in the film, it connects past and future James Bond productions: Judi Dench's M's portrait hangs in the MI6 hallway and James Bond is well familiar with cold war time machinery. The movie sticks to the spirit of old Bond flicks. The agent drives a vintage silver Aston Martin DB5. His arch villain is seen sitting in his representative room like a shogun and boasts a poison garden looking like a Japanese zen garden. Three hot actors: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Dali Benssalah, actress Léa Seydoux, resembling men's favourite Scarlett Johansson, grace the screen. The movie provides lots of adrenaline, some witty banter, but also a few heartfelt moments. Daniel Craig strikes iconic Bond poses every now and then. He certainly goes away in style. The one sentence in the post-credit, though, gives a hint of doubt. Imax makes a handful of images more alluring but most of the movie should be just as fine on a regular size screen.

PLEASURE

Recommended. Kind, gentle, fair men, no pressure to have sex in this or that form. Where's that? In the porn industry. This actors' film is similar to documentary "9to5: Days in Porn" with the main difference the documentary director was male, while this is an entirely female perspective. A lovely 19-year-old Swedish blonde is climbing the career ladder in the Los Angeles blue movie centre. Catchy colours make both the characters' outfits and set designs appealing. The film's shot on actual locations. Agent Mark Spiegler, woman director Aiden Starr, photographer Axel Braun act as themselves. The actors are porn ones. The movie boasts superb sound effects, not only ones heard from the side of the screening room but also ones tricking you into raunchy associations, e.g. gasping at night turns out to be dog's and the sound resembling male masturbation reveals itself as the movements of a ceiling fan. A blue movies job isn't all rosey though. Acted violence on set feels like real to the actress. And she's a porn professional, mind that. Another serious bit is about motivation at work. Altogether it's an exciting, saucy but sleek story for men and women alike. Adult ones, obviously.

Director Ninja Thyberg did Gender Studies in Paris a few years ago and next went to a number of porn sets. The story's compiled from what she witnessed there.

I AM GRETA

Recommended. The documentary is much like "On Her Shoulders" which was about a Yazidi rights campaigner touring the world but achieving nothing more from the Western superpowers than a celebrity status. Greta Thunberg's campaign is just as fruitless and disappointing to the girl. She appears influential, visiting people in power, be it Macron or the Pope, but those are just as superficial as she is persistent. And smart. Contrary to the popular notion, she does school - remotely - and she's the top of her grade. The documentary is also a rare occasion to learn how to pronounce her name correctly - it's Grye-ta Thun-bery. Polish cinemas show the film subtitled in Polish and English at the same time.

الرجل الذي باع ظهره (THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN)

Recommended. The 2020 Tunisian Oscar nominee is a multilayered and rich in context work of art. It adopts meticulous framing, e.g. the staircase where in the reflection she's standing next to him, not in front, constantly changing palettes where the clothing always writes into the background. Cinematographer Christopher Aoun, known for earlier "کفرناحوم" ("Capharnaum") is behind the pictures. It's also a tale about refugees, freedom of movement and the question of who owns your body. The view of art and humanity is original and ambiguous. But the film itself is a series of cinematographic paintings. References to animal fur - once painted for art, once natural, shift your perceptions both ways. As for the human, is it economic freedom or violence? His mother's body becomes altered too, which is in a way also forced by the political situation. On the other hand, who has sold their body more - he or his girlfriend? His anger erupts physically but only in the light of a surgery, yet when he scares people in the limelight, there's no explosion. That scene is also the most provocative in the film. The art-bearer's role? He's not hired to act, just to be there and represent his social status. He's to sit still, like a statue. His gown looks like luxurious packaging. The question of the price of work or of a bounty on your head is tackled - what comprises of one sentence in the movie, provides lots of food for thought. The twists of action in the finale are even transcendental, posthumanist. Modern art conveys meanings. Here it does so profusely. 

It's worth pausing to rethink the movie taking into account some real life contexts. Firstly, artist Santiago Sierra once tattooed a line across bodies of 6 deprived men and lined them up. Secondly, when I worked as a gallery assistant, I would wear uniforms of various colours, sometimes to the exhibition, and once I was taken for part of one by a perplexed visitor. Thirdly, in an art video called "Security Measures" my colleague undergoing uniform measuring by a tailor became an artwork. Fourthly, artists themselves commonly use their bodies to create art, Joanna Rajkowska once even displayed and sold substances obtained from hers. Fourthly, having your body marked is associated with a stigma and the Visa card number brings associations with concentration camp tattooed numbers. Fifthly, certain pervert obtained corpses of Chinese prisoners, skinned them, put them in formalin and toured the world with his "Bodies" exhibition. Sixthly, "The Square" featured a catering scene which resonates with two sequences in "الرجل الذي باع ظهره" (The Man Who Sold His Skin"). Seventhly, South Koreans beautify themselves even to the point of undergoing plastic operations for the sake of career. Eighthly, "کفرناحوم" ("Capharnaum") was filmed with protagonists whisked out from the city. The boy actor, زين الرافعي (Zain Al Raffeea) later appeared in Marvel's "The Eternals". So it's also a rags-to-riches-with-an-artist's-help case. Finally, Tim, who inspired the movie letting an artist use his body similarly, got petty money for it. These 9 contexts shed different lights on the film, don't they?