14. LGBT+ FILM FESTIVAL

SPLENDID ISOLATION

Watchable. By Urszula Antoniak so it's artsy: from songs composed by Górecki, Purcell, حليم الضبع (Halim El-Dabh), through images of vast grassy dunes or sea bottom at ebb tide, to superimposed shots of two women. Unfortunately the set decor looks fake which renders the idea behind it contrived. There's also little story as such: just two women's inexplicable relationship behaviour. When the third one arrives, it becomes clear the deserted Dutch island where they survive eating crabs is splendid to one of them as she has complete power over the other. The rest is highly ambiguous which leaves a field for imagination as vast as the island. The thing is, it drags.

FRAMING AGNES

Watchable. As informative as it is confusing. Reenactments mix with comments of the actors - are they all trans themselves? And the directors - are they both trans? Not sure who has transitioned. Also, is the Agnes interview original footage or a reenactment like all other? 

The form is just too confounding. And most of all overtalked - an American documentary where, as usual, the freedom of speech matters more than whether people have got much to say so they go round in circles. The most interesting is the mention of a 1950s Hollywood star who transitioned - that interviewee never revealed the person's identity but Christine Jorgensen is to be assumed. 

BEAU IS AFRAID

Recommended. The opening is a birth from the point of view of the human being born: flashing colours, lots of red, ear-splitting noise surrounding the person (and the viewer). What he hears is probably the mother's anxiety but it creates that feeling in him years on. Beau's life accumulates Americans' all fears which is quite understandable, it all happens in real life but not to one man in a few days: drug addicts plundering your apartment, being shot at, run over by a car, controlled by your mother or powerful corporations, letting down your loved ones, dying of various accidental causes, a war veteran running amok, your card declined, name it - all is there. Plenty of the stuff and each represents things that actually happen to people. Overwhelming, isn't it? Top-notch acting of Joaquin Phoenix in multiple roles, accompanied by fine performances of literally all other cast, cinematography by Paweł Pogorzelski rendering the plot frighteningly real and, last but not least, Ari Aster's masterful juggling of the form and the content make the 3 hours totally engaging, scary and thought-provoking.  

CREED III

Recommended. Based on characters created by and produced by Sylvester Stallone but directed by Michael B. Jordan, who stars in it, it's a thoroughly black movie. A number of boxing referees and TV presenters make cameos as themselves. It's got a story. The fights are shot superbly. Not only do camera angles and editing attract even the most dispassionate viewer, visual images enhance the impression of being inside the boxers' heads. Atmos sound at some point, early on, puts you in the middle of a car with the protagonists put in the front and the radio playing from the back and the music surrounding you. Even the pictures at early end credits look fabulous.

14. LGBT+ FILM FESTIVAL

PETER VON KANT

Watchable. Awfully theatrical: limited locations, staged dialogue, exalted acting. Only the movie careers bits were to the point. The drama's skippable nonetheless. 

KURAK GUNLER (BURNING DAYS)

Recommended. A captivating crime thriller where a new prosecutor gradually discovers secrets of two crimes, one of which he's involved in. An underlying environmental message and shady politics create a memorable background. Two hot actors: Selahattin Paşalı as Emre and Ekin Koç as Murat are the icing on the cake. No sex or nudity - not clear at least, that layer is shown through innuendoes and verbal hints. Wonderful cinematography makes the best of a menacing crowd, a long, sequestered road through a desert plain or human silhouettes behind a glass door or in the dark. Music's gripping till the end of the final credits. 

EZRAH MUDAG (CONCERNED CITIZEN)

Watchable. About what's right and unforeseen consequences of our actions. The plot is simple but as the protagonist lies to mislead in this easy case, his concerns and dilemma prove gripping. A wonderful dance scene and top-notch music pieces break the silence. Clear shots and unpredictability of his actions engage completely. 

 

KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL

FEDRELANDET (SONGS OF EARTH)

Recommended. Much more than the mesmerising shots of Oldedalen in Norwegian Nordfjord. It's on heritage, values passed on from one generation to another, everyone having to deal with the death of close ones at some point, how minuscule and fleeting we are on eternal Earth. Top-notch cinematography. All seasons and times of day and night. Landscapes and animals. Pure awe at our planet. 

14. LGBT+ FILM FESTIVAL

LESBIAN VOICE (SHORTS)

The 5 short films were:

EGUNGUN (MASQUERADE)

Watchable. Bland.

I was 5 minutes late so missed 1/3. 

ELO & FLO

Watchable. Just a talk, not much of a film. 

INERTIA

Recommended. Tear-jerking but poses a vital question if life cares about our plans and about hints from the fate. What sense shall we make of our loved ones dying and of what killed them? Thought-provoking. 

LA BEAUTE DU GESTE (QUEEN OF PAIN) 

Watchable. On death too, sad, but convoluted. 

SAFAR (JOURNEY)

Watchable. Just because it's 6 minutes short. It's some cheap philosophising on Indian society being curious of lesbian couples.

14. LGBT+ FILM FESTIVAL

The festival intro spot was moving. Incredible how oppressive some laws are.

LESBIAN LOVE AFFAIRS (SHORTS)

The 5 short films, all quiet and subtle,  were:

BLUE HOUR

Watchable. For cinematography. No idea where it's heading.

KEEP/DELETE

Recommended. Wonderful visual effects enhance this original sci-fi story. Fabulous acting delights in its own right. 

OKAY. NEVERMIND. 

Watchable. A lesbian at a party feels awkward. Pleasant but hard to tell where it's heading. It must have resonated with the lesbian audience though, since it was voted the best short of the festival. 

私たちの (OURS)

Recommended. A quiet, steady film. The end note is powerful and tear-jerking.

YELLOW POLKA DOT

Recommended. Set in 1962, it boasts wonderful dialogue and recreation of the period. Fabulously acted too.

SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT

Watchable. The only thing this full-length movie says is that androgynous people can live in ordinary, quite happy families. Too little for 95 minutes. Much like "Aftersun", a family holiday where nothing much happens, everyone is wasting their time away. On the other had, it shows one thing effectively: the real problems are dropping out of college or losing your job, not what your sex is. It shifts your perspective.

THIS IS NOT ME

Watchable. An observational documentary, a bit overtalked. A journey through f to m sex change in Iran. A con-artist posing as a lawyer cheated 60 people, they never got their money back. The police humiliate them. The procedure is long. Luckily their cases leave no doubts and families support them. You see why many commit suicides. At least this documentary ends in a triumphant transition. 

WILDE (1997)

Recommended. An accurate biopic depicting the part of Oscar Wilde's life from his tour of the US. His famous quotes abound. As they're uttered by Stephen Fry, you immediately grasp his genius. It charts his life and work letting you put whatever you've read to the picture. His one-liners are so smart nearly each twists the plot. The final act, while still showing his brilliance, is tear-inducing. On the whole though, as you follow his dilemmas and concerns about how much of his work will survive, you realise a genius mind matters more in history than any corporal cravings. It pays to be earnest. 

MISSING

Recommended. Twists of action, the puzzle, an engaging investigation. The undertone is how much can be found online and whether we actually should protect our data - what if a close family member goes missing?

З УКРАЇНИ ДО ГОЛЛІВУДУ (FROM UKRAINE TO HOLLYWOOD)

Recommended. This Ukrainian documentary charts the intertwined histories of Hollywood and Ukrainian cinema highlighting their achievements coming from joint efforts. They're all from rags to riches stories and range form producers, through actors, their teachers and technical specialists, one of who developed transparency to show Predator visible and invisible simultaneously. Others co-created e.g. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Mayer was Ukrainian. Also many actors are mistakenly thought to be Russian, e.g. Olga Kurylenko. Mila Kunis is Ukrainian as well. The whole picture, touching at times, is a Hollywood dream come true for immigrants. Anything is possible in the movie business. 

LASSEMAJAS DETEKTIVBYRA - SKORPIONENS GATA (JERRYMAYA'S DETECTIVE AGENCY - THE RIDDLE OF THE SCORPION)

Recommended. Engaging since you can't tell who the perpetrator is, with red herrings and twists of action. Also a humorous look at the policeman in love - both he and his crush are in their 50s which is just sweet. Altogether a feelgood children's crime tale. 

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

COCAINE BEAR

Watchable. It's expectedly crazy but quite gory - the trailer didn't indicate that. I did laugh out loud a handful of types, e.g. when the bear high on cocaine passed out squashing a guy underneath. But even the hilarious bits constitute quite black humour. Bodies are ripped apart, a ranger on a stretcher falls out of the ambulance as the bear gets in, a guy's intestines are munched by bear cubs while he's alive - picture that. Exuberant 80s pop songs and fashion mix with our contemporary brutality. The end credits are intertwined with scenes ending the movie. 

20TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL

The 20th edition of the festival took place in 8 cities between 12-21 May and between 23 May-4 June online. Industry representatives abroad tend to disbelieve it's possible to hold the event in so many places. For the 18th time Millennium Bank co-operated with the festival, Visa and Canal + Online co-financed it, the City of Warsaw increased their funding and has ensured it for the next 3 years. As organizers said, the Main Competition featured 12 documentaries by renowned directors and by debutants. The films included: "Ми не згаснемо" ("We Will Not Fade Away") by a Ukrainian woman who fought in the war, "Pianoforte" about 5 teenagers taking part in the Chopin competition where 12 out of 160 get to the final round, "Innocence" about the pro-war narration in Israel and compulsory army service, French "Les Gardiennes de la planète" ("Whale Nation") about whales' social traditions - the French title means "The Guardians of Our Planet", "Savvusanna sõsarad" "Smoke Sauna Sisterhood") by a director awarded in Sundance, "Theatre of Violence" on a former child soldier now accused at the Hague Tribunal, where Ugandan attitudes were confronted with us-whites/post-colonialists judging him, "Under the Sky of Damascus" on 4 Syrian women putting on a performance about violence against women in the Syrian society. The films were directed by 8 men and 8 women, 3 were Polish. Other Polish films included "Fantastyczny Matt Parey" ("Fantastic Matt Parey") by Bartosz Paduch who earlier made "Skandal. Ewenement Molesty" ("Scandal") and "Solaris Mon Amour" by Kuba Mikurda. A large-scale VR section, with 4 360-degree films and some where we would become a protagonist, offered e.g. Norman Leto's "Pilot 9/11" which put you into the planes that crashed on 9/11. There were 8 new festival sections. The 20th anniversary was commemorated by 20 documentaries from earlier editions: 10 at the cinemas and 10 online. Also masters returned with new films, e.g. Erik Gandini with "After Work" about a world where we don't work any more. The industry section included 3 pitchings. Festival guests were e.g. the directors of ""Savvusanna sõsarad" ("Smoke Sauna Sisterhood") and of "Under the Sky of Damascus". Additionally there was an event on how to talk to the people of views contrary to ours. 

SAVVUSANNA SOSARAD (SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD)

Watchable. The opening and closing sound surrounds you. Visually, it opens with a revolting breastfeeding scene. Next, 5 naked women discuss all sorts of women's life experiences for 1,5 hours. The first half is trite - probably every woman in the world has been through that. Next the discussed issues become more emotionally charged, like giving stillbirth and, finally, an account of a rape followed by sexual harassment by "rescuers" and the mother's incredulity. Harrowing. 

65

Watchable. The set up and the core idea is fine but an ill child, an orphan and constant fighting off dinosaurs, in one scene a dino looking through a window into the vessel the protagonists are in like in the cult scene from "Jurassic Park", are vexingly trite. Quality music partly makes up for these shortcomings. I don't know which is weirder: that nowadays it's easier to get real-looking dinosaurs than an interesting plot, or that the movie about prehistoric dinosaur chases ends in a disclaimer stating that any similarity to persons living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

SCRIPT FIESTA

The awards gala was protracted, mostly by the piano pieces - all sounding the same - accompanying excerpts from old movies. They awarded Brodka's video clip and the full-length movie script of "Piosenki o miłości" ("Songs About Love") - I barely tolerated either as a viewer. A hired actor was reading the script of the gala as if it was to be fun. At least the final movie - an entry to the Cracow Film Festival - was short.

MOJE STARE (MY OLD GALS)

Watchable. A drama, though engaging, on elderly women reliving their youth. Fine, like I care.

MARTA GRALL

Walked out. Overtalked and with contrived dialogue. Poor translation into English and cinematography - I've seen better pictures shot with a mobile and I found a grammar mistake in the English subtitles more exciting than the movie. 

JADZIA

Watchable. A typical Polish drama. They barely shoot anything else in this country. This time about a small village community filled with hypocrisy. Again, poor cinematography and translation into English. Worst of all, the housekeeper looks too old (the actress was 46 at the time) to be able to get pregnant so the whole plot loses credibility.

PANEL: TRUDNY TEMAT: MIEDZY BOGIEM A PRAWDA

Mariusz Kuczewski, Łukasz Ronduda, Magdalena Łazarkiewicz, Maks Michorczyk, Tomasz Sekielski took part in the panel on shooting movies about the Church. 

"Jadzia" is directed by Maks Michorczyk. To be able to shoot in the church he told the vicar the film was going to be about a priest's housekeeper and how important the Church is in village life. He's writing a full-length movie on connection with the Church. "Jadzia" ?will be showed at the Venice Film Festival this year. The script took 2 weeks before the shooting, 2 weeks of the set-up, 3 days of the shooting. That was his yearly school film. 

Mariusz Kuczewski, the director of "Nie cudzołóż i nie kradnij" said that for viewers a bigger sacrilege were his references to "Pulp Fiction". He's the one who writes the whole series of movies "Listy do M." ("Letters to Santa") - I walked out  from some of the movies, just like from "Nie cudzołóż i nie kradnij". For the confession scene he put a confessional in a staircase. He's a philosopher by education. The question of his movie was: is there an absolute? The example of Smarzowski's success helps to convince producers to the topic. "Nie cudzołóż i nie kradnij" had 115 K viewers at the cinema, on Amazon Prime it was 3rd for 2 months, earned a lot. 

Sekielski talked about small town hypocrisy: They attend a holy mass and in a local shop or at Sunday lunch, over broth and a pork chop - which he likes having too, he later hears rumours on the priest's lovers. In "Zabawa w chowanego" ("Playing Hide And Seek") a victim is an organ player - no priest let the filming crew in, he used a Protestant church instead. Historic churches are maintained from the state budget. Sekielski praised "The Young Pope" - profound on the absolute and the condition of the Church 

Magdalena Łazarkiewicz's 2019 "Powrót" ("Back Home") was released at the same time as "Kler" ("Clergy"), more success abroad among Polonia at festivals in Chicago and Toronto, 2 audience awards.

Łukasz Ronduda, known for "Wszystkie nasze strachy" ("All Our Fears"), didn't bring up anything interesting in the panel. 

JANVARIS (JANUARY) 

Switched off. A budding cinematographer falls in love with a girl. In Latvia of January 1991. The wall of his room sees a poster of "Powiększenie" which is the Polish title for Antonioni's "Blow-up" - what is a Polish poster doing in a Latvian teenager's room? Anyway, it's all awfully slow-paced and ordinary. The drama mixes with mockumentary footage annoyingly. There's some political turmoil in the background but the mundane life takes so much space and time the plot seems never to get to the point. If there is one. Nothing kept me intrigued enough to wait and find out. One wonderfully composed shot of the couple in white swimming gear walking on the frozen see doesn't make up for the whole film..

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

BRATY (BROYS)

Walked out. It's cheap to the point of being black and white but that's not the problem. The problem is it's a typical Polish drama about a dysfunctional family and youngsters who spend time skateboarding, smoking, drinking, having sex, having some small verbal exchanges in foul language. How long can you watch that?

IO SONO L'ABISSO (I AM THE ABYSS)

Watchable. A crime drama by Donato Carrisi. Opens with a shocking scene and then the tension starts growing. While the action moves between protagonists and times in their lives, it remains sufficiently clear to follow the story. However gripping it is, resembling "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" as well as plenty of those movies in which an outcast finds the culprit, it's flawed: you can't stand naked next to acid, protecting your airways is not enough, the acid vapours would burn your skin, also walking on crutches is not immediate, it takes weeks of practise, especially walking up the stairs. But the drama tackles also: cyberbullying, the cold in affluent families and their impunity, the class division. The bar music surrounds you in an early scene. The movie's smart and engaging, even if a bit disturbing and underinformed factually. It's best to sit close to the screen to catch all details in dimly lit scenes.

THE SON

Recommended. Hugh Jackman proves his versatility in this quiet, unhasty, psychological  family drama shot in NYC, the UK, France (Massif des Calanques). Star cast - Anthony Hopkins appears as his father. The movie tackles the role of the father in a child's upbringing, mental health issues among teenagers, how adults' choices affect children. It's tear-inducing at times but never mawkish, very matter-of-fact.

SCRIPT FIESTA 

The opening gala was quick and to the point.

PRAWDZIWE ZYCIE ANIOLOW (THE TRUE LIFE OF ANGELS)

Walked out. It drags awfully. Other than some statistical data in the conversation with the doctor, there's nothing meaningful, rather wasting time while being with or away from a seriously ill family member.

KIM KRIZAN Q&A

The screenwriter told us about her work on "Before Sunrise" with Richard Linklater. Before that she had acted in "Slacker" - his first movie - and "Dazed and Confused". Then he suggested they write a movie together. "About what?" "I don't know" First they both talked, were brainstorming for 6 days, realized they had collected enough conversations so arranged them in order, pinned to a board, one or the other would type while the other walked around the house. It took 16 days in total. She hadn't gone to film school, he hadn't gone to college. So they came up with something organic. A lot of the story was based on their real life conversations, they had their girlfriend/boyfriend at the time but had been friends for 4 years before. They didn't know if they'd get funding so the conversations came first, locations later. They thought it would be the US but it was funded in Vienna hence the location, "it's late night, they would have found romance anywhere". It's dialogue-heavy - unusual for America. The "Before Sunrise" script 90 was pages or so. In the past, Hollywood scripts wouldn't have a word changed but the method acting changed that - now actors' input. Now a screenwriter is outnumbered. The first movie was hers and Rick's, in the second the actors' involvement grew after the success of the first. The third is Ethan and Julie's for a large part. People liked the first so Rick asked her to write a sequel. She wasn't involved in the third - the actors had the power not to be in it so eventually, as hers and their idea for the story diverged, she withdrew from it. 

She finds cultural differences fascinating. She's from LA but lived in Austin, Texas for a while. History, the number of languages, personal distance fascinated her in Europe. Julie Delpy is  European so she contributed. When people in the US heard that she'd come to Poland, they'd react: "How glamorous!" She finds Polish people very alive, though not smiling a lot. In her eyes Poland is modern. She had travelled Europe before. 

In her view, when your eyes light up, this is the topic you should write about. The inner critic is to prevent us from doing stupid things in life but when it comes to creativity, it hinders and the most personal and vulnerable is often the best. 

SCENARIUSZ Z NUT 

The panel on scriptwriting music videos was staffed by: Brodka, Anna Maliszewska whose movie "Tata" I had walked out from and a hip-hop clip director. How to write for music? You can ask the artist what the piece is about to them. No rules or barrier in the form. You put together pictures, colours, rhythms. The producer should give the date and the budget, it's often 2 weeks only - less than a commercial. You must have production knowledge to know what is feasible. Rap sells so gets bigger budgets. If there's a sponsor, there's a bigger budget but also product placement so you work with the artist and the client. Avoid fashionable stuff - that'll expire the soonest. You must have references to everything: light, costumes, the treatment must have a few dozens moving images. Now AI's in, e.g. "I want sour cherries in the shape of a bottle" so the AI creates it for the storyboard. E.g. a treatment will have 70 pages. All are writers/directors. You need to write out everything, the timeline to the music, e.g. a 1-second or a 15-second scene. Intro, the chorus is the culmination point, a plan what enters where - editors love it. Here fast, here slow, here blue, this instrument is water. Draw it in pencil, e.g. a face, eyes and flashes. A storyboard is a must so that the producer knows how many locations. You need a lot of material shot. You need to depict what you want to do hence references - show someone's earlier work. For commercials best do this 1 to 1 because we imagine different things so in the pre-producton visual references are a must. YT imposes rules, e.g. a smoking ban for clips. Watch time = 30 s to count as watched on YT.

NOC TELEDYSKOW

Walked out. I saw less than 8 music videos out of 37. Better than at Cinemaforum but all songs sound the same and zombies abound. Brodka's 2 were the worst, the hip-hop one looked   cheap too. The metal one was about the best of the bad. All looked cheap - mostly cinematography but also locations. 

WINNIE-THE-POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY

Watchable. Better than the trailer implied, though the prosthetic costumes look amateurish and Winnie looks like another Piglet. But the atmospheric cinematography - both the woods and underwater pictures - and well-paced music - mostly by Inas - create a blood-rushing gory horror. The set-up is ridiculous and logical at the same time: the animals befriended by Chris in childhood go feral and pledge vengeance on humans for having been abandoned. The house in the woods trope and blood-thirsty monsters, five scream queens - one of which is shown topless for no reason before being minced, even a positive character presented as a villain are well-known and much overused. The plot's trite and several scenes protracted. With blood rushing through my veins I kept watching but with little focus - it was all too familiar. Why make a slasher with no new idea whatsoever?! The scariest bit is the final note: Winnie-the-Pooh will return. 

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

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS

Watchable. Much better than part one. It's lively, aimed at teenagers - both the protagonists and the viewers are a bit older now. One of the script writers is different than in part one. What you get is convoluted plot, not even complicated but with haywire action where I kept asking myself why this or that, it certainly lacks back stories - reasons are given but just served: here's why, now action - plenty of it. Located in the middle of... pop culture. Destiny's Child,  "The Fast and the Furious", Batman, Hagrid mentions, books fly and a pen - called Steve - writes in the air and knows everything - it gives the movie a Harry Potteresque feel. On the other hand, there's Annabelle at the pediatrician's. Some jokes are fantastic, e.g.: "A patient recommended you" (at the pediatrician's) or "I'm sorry I didn't see you. I was dead at the time." Wonder Woman makes for the most beautiful finale. Waller is mentioned in the mid-credit. The franchise is bound to continue - as seen in the mid- and post-credit scenes.

LES CYCLADES (TWO TICKETS TO GREECE)

Watchable. They're like chalk and cheese but made to travel together. The plot's forgettable. Luckily the two French women listen to songs and often sing in English. And the movie has 

a holiday feel, even the end credits finish with the sound of sea waves

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

I LOVE MY DAD

Recommended. The story's incredible but plausible - apparently it happened for real which proves life writes the best movie scripts. The film's perfectly executed: excellent music choice, superb camerawork and editing, direction, all actors guarantee a captivating, sometimes funny, sometimes moving action. Top-notch entertainment with serious undertones.

ZADRA (SPLINTER)

Watchable. The movie regurgitates that plot formula in which a young cafe worker dreams of becoming a music star - rap in this case, when her dream comes true, she becomes disillusioned and loses everything, additionally she starts doing drugs. This whole story is told sketchily - rightly so, everyone knows the plot by heart, why keep us at the cinema longer than 88 minutes for some event-connecting details? It has a few heartfelt moments. Young actors give truly fine performances, adults less so, especially Magdalena Różczka looks and acts neither like a mother, nor like a cleaner. Costumes by Dzvinka Kukul and make-up and hair-styling by Magdalena Tarka look good. 

BE POLAR 3 FILM FESTIVAL

DOKUMENTY I FABULY W JEZYKU ENG KROTKI METRAZ (DOCUMENTARY AND ACTORS' SHORT FILMS IN ENGLISH) 

TO PLANT A FLAG (2018)

Watchable. A humorous Norwegian short film with American actors about testing the Lunar Roving Vehicle in Iceland 1966 where the culture clash and communication issues appear so alien you question the sense of the Moon mission.

GOVADAS (2019)

Watchable. Grainy aged black and white footage of 2018 is mixed with contemporary colour images - artistic impressions I couldn't remember an hour later.

NOTATKI Z ROGATEJ ZIEMI (1959)

Watchable. A very old black and white Polish documentary about life in Norwegian Lapland - interesting historically how quickly times change and how dogs were treated.

ULTIMA THULE - SIEDZIBA PIEKIEL (1961)

Watchable. This awarded black and white Polish documentary about Iceland depicts the country almost as if it were uninhabited. The forces of nature, here harnessed to generate wealth, make you ponder on the primeval forces and our place in the world. 

A problem was, even though the cinema provided live introduction, no one informed us not all films would be in English, even though it was supposed to be an English-language set. The first two were in English only, the next two in Polish, then I left disappointed. All those films were available online from the comfort of my home after all. And there was no info online either. 

BE POLAR 3 FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

OBRAZKI Z ISLANDII (1961)

Watchable. Another short Polish-only black and white documentary, again about Iceland - interesting for its historic value, to compare how the island has changed over time. Grieg's "Peer Gynt" music forms the background.

MALY REPORTAZ SPOD BIEGUNA (1959)

Watchable. Again, a black and white short film, Polish-only. Here the origins of the Polish research station in Hornsund in Svalbard are of lesser importance than the climate itself - battling the elements from the sea journey when both people and dogs would get seasick to the fog and harsh wind on the island. It also shows how, in spite of technological advances, one still depends on the forces of nature in the Arctic.

U BRZEGOW SKANDYNAWII (1965)

Watchable. Again, a black and white short film, Polish-only. Janusz Czecz and famous Włodzimierz Puchalski's documentary on Norwegian fish and coastal birds. A chance to see a pike's jaw, other than that not much you wouldn't have seen already. 

All the black and white documentaries inadvertently illustrate how much is lost when the film lacks colour.

BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER

Recommended. This documentary, in 2/3 produced by women, with 100% women executing it in high position roles, a majority of women in smaller production roles - well, we can forgive some men being gaffers and the like - is a true eye-opener. Apart from scholars, "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke or actress Rosanna Arquette speak up. The 50/50 men to women ratio in film schools only means plenty of American women yearly are ripped off being charged to acquire qualifications they won't be able to apply in their careers. Well, they won't have careers. Like Lara Dale, who was axed from a movie for refusing to do a sex scene which wasn't even in the script, as she was notified by a female agent. Or like numerous girls graduating from non-acting faculties, their films will be rejected and they simply won't be hired. The vicious triangle of the movie propaganda of "the male gaze", lack of employment and sex abuse is presented in no-nonsense terms. What young men were shouting at a university in the US doesn't bear thinking about. Amy Ziering, who wrote "The Hunting Ground", appears in this documentary. As for cinema, I'm happy others have noticed what I have found disturbing since childhood: objectifying female protagonists, sexualising actresses, movies made by lascivious, patriarchal men, who, as we find out, award those sexploitive movies at festivals which encourages directors even worse. The film makes you realise this objectification in cinema has been achieved mostly by fragmenting female bodies in pictures - we're all used to it but it even sounds dreadful when you think of it. Slow motion, fuzzy light, music - all glamourise sex violence. 94-96% of people working in the industry, depending on the position type, are men. Yet women are so brainwashed many shoot other women from a masculine, sexist point of view. Men get to be filmed fully-bodied, in action, only in "Mandingo" is one objectified - the way women are regularly. That does not change over time. The percentage of Hollywood women who have been harassed sexually is the flip side of the number of them working in the industry. 80% of world movie export is Hollywood. Heart-rending at times but stupendously smart. A must-see for all movie fans, regardless of gender. Nina Menkes really nailed the subject. 

BE POLAR 3 FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

OM SKOGEN (ABOUT THE FOREST) (2021)

Watchable. This Swedish documentary is a bleak picture of greed depriving the country of its primeval forest. The trees that grew for centuries, lichen that started to overhang when the trees were 600 years old are insidiously felled. Unfortunately, while being comprehensive, the film loads you down with the minutiae of local regulations, where for a foreigner even the place or company names don't ring a bell. It's also overtalked which muddles the message. More value for the Swedes than outsiders certainly. Left me feeling despondent and helpless. 

Very small English subtitles hindered watching. 

KARAOKEPARATIISI (KARAOKE PARADISE) (2021)

Watchable. An observational Finnish documentary. What picture of the Finns and their country does it convey? Varying light of day and night, vast, forested spaces in between towns, people are well-off, have time but feel lonely in this vast land. I couldn't care much about some of the protagonists though. 

Very small English subtitles hindered watching. 

NA DALEKIEJ POLNOCNEJ WYSPIE (1960)

Recommended. A short black and white Polish documentary on the nature of the uninhabited island of Svalbard or Spitsbergen as it used to be called in Poland back then. Nesting birds and a curious, if apprehensive, polar fox star in it. All shot from hand up-close, cute. You get to feel how invasive this 'innocent' filming was.

No festival video introduced the films luckily so you could see more of the actual stuff than at other such screenings. The historical films proved to be more interesting than the two contemporary ones. But what astonished me the most was the fact this edition of the festival comprised of documentaries nearly exclusively. In this respect the selection felt poor. 

SKOLOWANI

Watchable. A remake of French ("Rolling to You"). The romantic comedy set-up, dialogues and especially the common "miracle" recognition are fun. Michał Czernecki is perfectly cast. While others are cast plausibly enough to look like two families, particularly the two women (as Anna and as Julia) are off. They and several protracted shots combined with slow, romantic music resemble a regular Polish drama about a disabled person. Other than that, it's sensibly directed. At least, unlike the original, it's not awkward - it's the people on wheelchairs who joke about their predicament, no blunders by fully-abled ones. Ah, I loved the terrace floor lowering to turn into a pool and the romantic scene with lanterns on the water. Also Poland looks certainly beautiful in the picture. It's well-produced. Just no more remakes, please.

UP ON THE ROOF

Watchable. A great opening gives you statistics: 8 billion people in the world, out of who we meet about 10,000 in our lifetime, we form about 400 friendships, of which only 33 last. Next a timelapse shot of London - ugly. In fact, it's the cinematography that ruins the movie - never has London looked that ugly, it's just cringe-worthy, it takes a special effort to make one of the world's most beautiful cities look so bad. The plot is trite, completely predictable, a copy-paste script, wooden dialogues, conversations empty. It's all politically correct: a black Scottish woman is married to a woman, people of various races share a house and call themselves 'family', everyone's kind to the Polish guy. Good translation into Polish, in spite of numerous idioms, by Aaron Welman is the movie's saving grace, as is Piotr Adamczyk who speaks English with fantastic British accent - truly impressed me. Sadly, the meagre script makes him blabber about nothing, just like everyone else. And the movie's seriously overtalked, not much happens otherwise. I watched out of my sentiment for London and British accents and culture and for spotting familiar places. The songs are OK, some quite good. Other than that, there's absolutely nothing in it. I seriously considered walking out. 

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Recommended. Lollywood meets a western love flick in this British movie. The beauty of Pakistani culture - both material: clothes, architecture, music, cuisine, perfumes and religious ideas about marriage are faced with Western scepticism and flippancy. The entertaining form conceals a deep, insightful comparison of being British versus British-born. They may be Shoreditch neighbours but "are continents apart". A film-maker being at the mercy of her own and others' outlook is another issue tackled. But most of all the movie makes you wanna dance - Pakistani/Indian style.

MOMIAS (MUMMIES)

Watchable. This Spanish animated flick is a run-of-the-mill tale of a girl - here: a mummy of an Egyptian princess - who wants to become a singer. Another character has a pet croc that acts like a dog. At least London looks quite fun, e.g. they do exclusive shopping at Parrots. In the Polish dubbing some songs are English, most Polish. The post-credit cover of "Walk Like an Egyptian" is fun.

WYRWA (THE BREACH)

Watchable. Mostly for the locations, cinematography and Tomasz Kot in the leading role and superb Konrad Eleryk as the drunken villain. The rest is a typical dull Polish drama with numerous flashbacks and dream sequences. After the sufficiently engaging investigation, some tongue-in-cheek conversations e.g. about acting in a serial and in real life, as well as a few tear-inducing moments, the finale is vague. Some text message, apparently vital, is displayed too briefly to read, no idea who the woman accompanying the widower (by Olga Bołądź) is or what drove the wife to death and, basically, the whole sense of the action goes astray. I appreciate the kids looking like a spitting image of the actress and the bar decor with a shark head. But lengthy passages and constant ambiguities, especially in the concluding part, fail the movie big time. Either director Bartosz Konopka or editor Andrzej Dąbrowski got it all wrong. The plot is so inconclusive that all we know it has something to do with metamorphoses as the "Metamorfozy" song implies. 

SWIETY

Watchable. The political crime plot is engaging. But the movie's faulty. Jolanta appears a few times for no specific reason, most of the times she's wearing only underwear, once she's topless. Music doesn't match the action, nor do the lyrics. The finale doesn't clarify anything. 

MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE

Watchable. Salma Hayek as Maxandra Mendoza sounds raspy like a chain smoker. But when she cavorts with a new beau it's gently and perfectly decently erotic. Dance sequences are great, with a fabulous scene on the bus. It could have been a great dance flick. Poor choice of music and almost-mono sound detract from the fun. Still, the movie makes you wanna dance. and frolick. 

MY YEAR OF DICKS

Watchable. An animated Academy Award nominee. An ordinary, yet realistic story of how losing virginity happens in real life, in varied, all expressive, animation styles. Hardly interesting though.

Seen online, cinematic reception might differ.

STRANGER AT THE GATE

Watchable. Oscar-nominated documentary. Dull, just talking heads, moral preaching.

Seen online, cinematic reception might differ.

THE 2023 OSCARS GALA

I saw it on the very night from a live stream, took down notes, just editing them with a delay. Here come: my reactions to who won, the best jokes and the worst disruptions.

Brettygood.com worked from 1 a.m. CET. I missed the first few minutes since I tried YT which was taken down. 

"This year is all about diversity and inclusion: we have nominees from every corner of Ireland". Jimmy Kemmel said "everyone loved "Top Gun: Maverick". 3.5 hours, all 23 categories back. Before the ceremony Best Picture had gone to "All Quiet on the Western Front"

Best Animated Picture - "Pinocchio" which I haven't seen, Guillermo del Toro put me off, I guess it's as dark as always.

"James Cameron has directed 3 billion dollar movies"

Best Supporting Actor and Actress - Ke Huy Quan, for "Everything Everywhere All At Once", who said he had started his life on a refugee boat, next in a refugee camp. The music "Take Me Back to Hong Kong" muted out the ending of his speech - this year the only live stream I found came from an obnoxious racist. And Jamie Lee Curtis, whose career started with "Halloween", for "Everything Everywhere All At Once". I didn't like the movie.

Now Bollywood music is muting out the singer. I'm looking for another streaming. Refreshing helped after I had tried to find a Pro7 stream unsuccessfully.

Documentary Feature - I was rooting for "Fire of Love", "Navalny" won, I haven't seen it unfortunately. The protagonist remains in solitary confinement, his wife spoke. 

Live Action Short Film - I haven't seen any, "An Irish Goodbye" won.

What is that "The Little Mermaid" trailer for? What a mess. It has nothing to do with Oscars. 

Cinematography - I hoped for "Empire of Light" but "All Quiet on the Western Front" is fine too.

Makeup and Hairstyling - I hoped against "The Batman", "The Whale" won for the first time all-digital prosthetics.

My fave Margot Robbie on stage! 

Warner Brothers commercial. Sponsors of the ceremony, I'm guessing.

A donkey's on stage - my first association was with "Io" ("Eo") but she was from "The Banshees of Inisherin". 

Costume Design announced with jokes about actors taking their costumes home - "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" won.

Another disruption. And back to hear the first song from an Indian movie to be nominated. I loved the song and dance "Naatu".

The President of the Academy Jenny Galante advertised the world's largest movie museum: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (academymuseum.org). 

International Feature - I rooted for "Close" and "All Quiet on the Western Front" and the latter won. 

Documentary Short Film - "The Elephant Whispers" which I haven't seen, I loved the younger winner's dress. Some disturbance muted out her speech.

Animated Short - "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" which I haven't seen. The winner joked: "It's customary to say thank you. But I'm British so I'm more comfortable saying sorry."

Now Lady Gaga's song muted out by something else. 

Production Design - I hoped for "Avatar: The Way of Water", "All Quiet on the Western Front" won.

Original Score - also "All Quiet on the Western Front".

Visual Effects - "Avatar: The Way of Water" deservedly.

A viewer's question for Colin Farrell: "I loved your performance in "The Banshees of Inisherin" My question is: What were you saying in the movie?"

Original Screenplay - "Everything Everywhere All At Once".

Adapted Screenplay - "Women Talking" which I haven't seen.

Sound - "Top Gun: Maverick" deservedly.

Original Song - "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR", I'm elated!

In Memoriam - the first time I've seen what Wolfgang Petersen or Vangelis looked like, not faces you'd recognise.

Editing - "Everything Everywhere All At Once", it's Paul Rogers' second movie. Jimmy Kimmel: "he made the whole thing tripping on ayahuasca."

Originally the awards were separate for Comedy and Drama. Directing - "Everything Everywhere All At Once" as expected.

"We've come such a long way that two men can share one Oscar." 

Halle Berry mentioned actors can draw inspiration from their costumes. Best Actor in a Leading Role - Brendan Fraser in "The Whale". He's panting as if he were morbidly obese for real.

Actress in a Leading Role -  杨紫琼 (Michelle Yeoh) in "Everything Everywhere All At Once". She looks younger than her character or even her 60 self so I'm starting to understand the phenomenon.

Harrison Ford announced Best Picture - "Everything Everywhere All At Once" unfortunately.

LA NUIT DU 12 (THE NIGHT OF THE 12TH)

Recommended. The crime never gets resolved which you can expect from the beginning. Nevertheless it's a gripping investigation of a shocking murder - fictitious yet inspired by real cases. A rare case of a movie where the French penchant for philosophy works. Those musings on crime and gender create the atmosphere. It's also an unusual example where the crime remaining unsolved doesn't frustrate the viewer. Director Dominik Moll wrote the lyrics of the song "Angel in the Night". 

ГЕРОЙ МОГО ЧАСУ (HERO OF MY TIME) (2018) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Watchable again. The subtitles look as if the translator was poor at English which is disconcerting if you don't know the actual reason behind it, i.e. to preserve the original quality of the language. The background plays too, e.g. a "Ukraine's in Europe" poster falling down, let alone the rubbish heap art installation - "Shall I clean it?" I loved the end credits put on scraps of paper looking like little service ads people post in the street. 

The protagonists speak a mix of Ukrainian, Russian and Kyiv local dialect which is reflected in the English subtitles. They ordered 6 or 7 versions of the translation into English to pick the dialect best reflecting the Ukrainian with Russian insertions and some words only spoken in Kyiv. So "the importantest" is not a mistake. "It's a documentary", it depicts her experiences, both with the lift and waste problem in the block and ignorance at art galleries, including the mid-credit - "that was me!" The costumes come from second-hands aka "vintage" markets, it took a few months to gather them. The tiger shirt was found online - the DoP is wearing it now. All the art installations were real. In both her movies actors are non-professionals, casting is the most important. The DoP had to have a visual sense of humour. As for her directing methods, she sometimes offers them a bit of alcohol so they can relax on set. It's "controlled improvisation". Roy Anderson was her inspiration. The lead is not an actor, he's a director too.

She escaped from Ukraine in early March last year and stayed with her Georgian editor, working on her coming-of-age story, "not a comedy" but "not depressive" either, "Do You Love Me?" which premiered at Berlinale in late February. Now she's developing a new film in Poland, with all non-pros again - a tragicomedy on refugees trying to adapt to life in various countries - titled "Ukraine is the Capital of Everything!" 

SCREAM VI

Recommended. You hear screams even before the first scene at the opening titles, next, the first character you see is a professor teaching a class on slashers. The movie pays a tribute to the whole slasher genre. Courtney Cox (journalist Gale Weathers) is also one of the executive producers. Hottie Skeet Ulrich appears as a dad reflection. When you hear: "You're next" on somebody's TV or see: "Lavender Menace" on someone's top, some of the omens are red-herrings. Before the real end credits the movie pretends Sam's killer ex-boyfriend wrote the script.  And there's fun with the end credits. As for protagonists, in the end credits the words change to: "strong femme lead". There's a post-credit scene.

MASCARADE (MASQUERADE)

Watchable. Chaotic editing at the start confuses you as to the subject matter of the film. What kept me watching were the Cote d'Azur vistas and elaborate dresses. Since first you learn the region is "a sunny place for shady people", after a while it becomes a crime story, only to turn into a sombre drama towards the end. t's a bit of a moral tale on how easily we get fooled by youth, love and money. The cheerful vibe of easy sex, easy scheming, wealth within reach, French music facilitate watching this convoluted story. "People shoot themselves only in bad movies" - it is a bad one. 

TATA

Walked out. Opening credits appear on cargo containers and you can spot Przemysław Chruścielewski's name - both promising. But the film turns out to be a road movie about parenthood and about truck drivers and whores' relationships. 

A MAN CALLED OTTO

Watchable. A remake of Swedish "En Man Som Heter Ove" ("A Man Called Ove") about which I wrote 6 years ago it should have won an Oscar. I carries references to the original, e.g. the protagonist eats semla, but is americanised - Otto has a shotgun. Unlike Ove, unerring Otto is truly grumpy but has a huge heart - out of balance both ways, though it's acted quite plausibly by Tom Hanks. It's also a tragicomedy but awfully sad and overtalked. With morose music - Kate Bush and plenty of less known artists. It also has lots of the back story on the protagonist and feels lengthy - at 126 minutes which is a pretty normal length. It it touching but the number of topics thrown in, including a transgender student, is odd. Maudlin and heart-rending most of all. But very warm - you wish for such neighbours. The cat is a top actor here!

THE OFFERING

Watchable. Awfully derivative horror tropes and lame visual effects open this supernatural flick. A few original music pieces can be heard among very run-of-the-mill horror sounds. Abyzou looks like an overgrown goat with ram horns. Nick Blood in the leading role - nothing wrong about the actor but I keep wondering if he was cast for his surname. Jewish traditions for their exotics? Because both the realistic layer and the supernatural one are dull and predictable but the ending which is tricky and fun. Cheap stuff shot in Bulgaria.

JEZIORO SLONE (SALT LAKE)

Watchable. Starts like a typical Polish drama about a dysfunctional family - here a couple in their 60s - but it takes you in directions unseen in cinema before. Beautiful Katarzyna Butowtt acts as the 64-year-old woman at life, relationship and career crossroads. Contemporary music, by Witold Lutosławski, often rasps. The sound irks, just like the couple's behaviours. The silver modelling is a new concept. Still the role model (forgive me the pun) is a supermodel known for her neverending youth. Apparently Kate Moss said: "never complain, never explain" - a credo worth a second thought. 

CORSAGE

Watchable. The trailer implied something more dynamic. It's a slow-paced vision of unhappy Sissi trying to cope with her imperial life. Who, what about and what for was this movie made? At least the music theme is memorable.