Movie reviews

JUJUTSU KAISEN 0: THE MOVIE AT IMAX

Watchable. For the first half I seriously considered walking out. Not much effort was put into the theatrical animation (blurred backgrounds may work on a small screen). Suspended movement means images look more like manga pages displayed on the screen rather than a movie, fluidity is missing. The plot also consists of separate events loosely assembled together. The second half, where suspended motion pictures are displayed rapidly, colours are nicer to the eye and sudden drawing styles don't annoy that much, makes up for the first, though the serial looks better. There's also a twist of action so it's more of one consistent movie. Still, the whole thing is shoddily constructed, with accidental music. The characters are clearly modelled after "Guardians of the Galaxy", especially Groot and Rocket Raccoon, e.g. one protagonist communicates uttering food ingredients only and another one is a panda. The movie's too loud half the time, fine for the other half only to go deafening at the end credits. Imax is not essential, a regular size screen will be just fine. The post-credit, set in Kenya, is promising.

WODA W KOSMOSIE - PLANETARIUM CNK

Recommended. This amazing show takes you on a space trip across the universe - all on the inside of the planetarium dome. State-or-art visuals which feel like Imax but closer, wonderful music. Entertaining and scientific. The seats reclining to an almost lying position are a delight.

BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2

Watchable. This horror comedy is no sequel to the 2007 Bollywood hit. It's a standalone movie with a similar setting of a manor with a phantom locked on the third floor but an independent, brand new story and protagonists, although one lesser character has been kept together with the actor. The film opens with a horror sequence and next transports you 18 years later. The leads are Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani as a young, rich and beautiful would-be couple. The horror part is truly spooky, but most of the movie is a comedy of errors. The movie's subtitled both in Polish and English, I followed the English version. Some of the humour is based on Hindi language and its local variations but the top-notch English translation catches the numerous puns. The dialogues abound in funny lines, written by Aakash Kaushik, e.g. "We, the Thakurs, never run form trouble". "We, the Randhawas, run at the first sign of trouble." The film is well-paced, though, if you don't speak Hindi, that means it's hard to read the subtitles quickly enough. The plot, altering between horror and comedy, nails you to the screen. And a great twist of action comes in the finale. While I'm not sure if horror and comedy are a good combination in the first place, both genres are professionally enacted in the production. There's also decent music, fantastic dancing and the catchy title song is played as the end credits start and stays in your head long after leaving the cinema. The whole thing is fun. As horror comedies go, anyway.

DETEKTYW BRUNO (DETECTIVE BRUNO)

Watchable. Hard to believe it won Script Wars. The main protagonist is an orphaned boy - do all Polish movies have to be sad, especially the ones for kids? Instead of an adventure flick, you get a regular depressing drama. The story mixes the mundane and annoying with the far-fetched. The adult supporting roles are redundant. On the other hand, I stayed till the end so it's not the script that's the worst. It's poorly directed by Magdalena Nieć, e.g. close-ups in action scenes only obscure the action - or were those scenes so bad they needed to be concealed? They're poorly lit, shot from unfavourable angles and whatever parts of the script must have been fun, they're ridiculous in the outcome. The whole thing looks awfully amateurish. Costumes, by Dzvinka Kukul, are totally unnatural for who the characters are and what they do. Inadequate music and the look as if there was no colour correction are the straw that breaks the camel's back.

علي صوتك (CASABLANCA BEATS)

Watchable. The music is fine, even if you aren't into rap, my favourite is "Drahem" - a song about money with brilliant lyrics and tune. Arabic influences in the melodies and dance make this layer pleasant. The characters aren't very rebellious either. I guess the actors play themselves - the characters' first names are the same. But the tale about youth in a deprived district of Casablanca is so run of the mill, it's just worth watching for the superficial pleasure of the sounds and some pictures.

A CHIARA

Watchable. It's acted mostly by a few families. The film opens and closes with a big clan celebration. The long first act, with Chiara's relatives, features a lot of great music. The middle act, when the 15 year old discovers what her father does, is not as exciting as it sounds, the movie regains the tempo only once she takes her life into her hands and glues you to the screen when social services decide the girl's fate. She's strong physically and mentally. The finale tells you when Chiara decided about her future. The realisation is quite powerful.

MADELEINE COLLINS

Recommended. An intriguing opening, next Virginie Efira (still maintaining her hottie image) in the leading role, the title Madeleine appears only in the finale. Who is she? Why is she living this way? Gripping. The mystery unfolds gradually.

MARE 1. FESTIWAL KINA KRAJOW PROTUGALSKOJEZYCZNYCH 

CHUVA E CANTORIA NA ALDEIA DOS MORTOS (THE DEAD AND THE OTHERS)

Watchable. Idyllic life in a Brazilian jungle. The protagonists play themselves, at their own names. A serene picture, where the problems are only in the head. The lead actor is handsome. So it watches with pleasure. I'm not sure of the meaning of some scenes though. The indigenous culture isn't perfectly comprehensible.

KINO W TRAMPKACH (CINEMA IN SNEAKERS)

APSTJARNAN (THE APE STAR)

Recommended. A tale so warm and with the Ape Star's such astonishing ideas I wished it would last longer. The adult undertones about good parenting, greedy authorities and justice mean adults are going to love it too.

19TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FILM FESTIVAL

REMAKE REMIX RIPOFF

Recommended. Apart from it being the history of Turkish cinema, it's a fascinating look at script-writing, claiming there are 30+ storylines to mix and match. And staggering numbers, sometimes even more than 1000, of movies one person made. 

KINO W TRAMPKACH (CINEMA IN SNEAKERS)

JUUNT PASTAZA ENTSARI (WATERS OF PASTAZA)

Watchable. On the Pastaza river, children's lives are just like any other in the countryside: they fish, learn how to kill the fish, walk through the forest, help their parents, play. The difference is nature: the fish is different, so are insects, snakes are a regular sight and they sometimes play footie in torrential rain. The opening quote, referring to preserving child qualities in adult life, doesn't seem to bear much relevance to the wordless film which follows children's activities. The image of their thatched-roof hamlet in violent torrents of a rain is breath-taking. The rest of the picture is interesting enough. The exotics and the differences of the nature are the main attraction.

NAJNUDNIEJSZA BABCIA NA CALYM SWIECIE I INNE HISTORIE

The set comprised of 7 short films:

DIA ALLERLANGWEILIGSTE OMA AUF DER GANZEN WELT (THE MOST BORING GRANNY IN THE WHOLE WORLD)

Watchable. a bizarre game where the grandma is dead and stuffed animals are at her funeral.

CINEMA REX

Watchable. An overly simple but warm tale.

MEU NOME E MAALUM (MY NAME IS MAALUM)

Recommended. Teaches children how to react to being sniggered at. And the vision of Africa is so uplifting and heart-warming.

LUCE ET LE ROCHER (LUCE AND THE ROCK)

Watchable. The rock is intriguing, the exhausted faces dropping down constitute a visually creative idea. The rest is rudimentary drawing.

LE PRINCE AU BOIS DORMANT

Recommended. A humorous and creative tale, quite feminist.

SI VIENE DE LA TIERRA (WHEN IT COMES FROM EARTH)

Watchable. Wonderfully colourful. A simple film with no story as such.

桃源

Watchable. A childhood memory. Slow-paced. A lovely Chinese song completes the film.

And here comes a full-length movie from the same festival:

ISLAND OF LOST GIRLS

Recommended. Shot on location in Baja California and Alta California, it features the wildlife of the region. The action has a few cliffhangers, literally, and they're nothing like I've seen before, especially the one with a starfish. Most of the action takes place in the sea and lets you see plenty of nature up close. And quite simply it's a gripping story

FIRESTARTER

Watchable. An entertaining revenge flick. Based on Stephen King's novel, it's an obvious remake of the 1984 movie, even the poster is mimicked, yet just the basic outline of the story is kept. Accents are placed differently within the plot. Little background to the characters is given. The film, about half an hour shorter than the original, is a superficial actioner. Engaging, often unpredictable even if you know the content of the first picture, it's kind of re-cut, the events are on a shorter timeline than before. Fantastic 80s-style electronic music, though with a better tempo than the Tangerine Dream tunes of 1984. Fun, in spite of the plot being quite simple.

KINO W TRAMPKACH (CINEMA IN SNEAKERS)

RAINBOW

Recommended. On what people have become 19 years after college: professionally, attitudes to life and their own lifestyle, including having children or not. Refreshing to see most people don't want to have kids. Original, touching.