Movie reviews

14. PRZEGLAD NOWEGO KINA FRANCUSKIEGO (14TH SCREENING OF NEW FRENCH CINEMA)

FALCON LAKE

Recommended. A coming-of-age drama for a bigger part, with charming Joseph Engel as Bastien, the movie changes its genre. Surrounding music becomes horror-like when the family car departs through the forest - the finale's chilling and turns the whole story around. This is subject to interpretation though, I've come up with three so far. 

KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL

THE HOSTAGE TAKERS

Recommended. A unique chance to 'talk to' ISIS fighters who held hostages, beat them, executed, demanded ransom. They try to minimize their own involvement, blame the one who had got killed in a drone attack a few years earlier but strongly stand by their cause, treating their actions as a revenge against bombing Arab targets. Parallel accounts are given by an ex-hostage, the negotiator and the two ISIS members. The documentary is gripping as you want to hear more and more. The perpetrators' innocent faces, friendly demeanour, crying after their "wives and children in a camp" are shockingly deceiving. That haunts you afterwards. 

Reviewed from the organizers' screener, cinematic reception might differ.

DWA LATA BEZ DYREKTYWY WS. PRAWA AUTORSKIEGO. CO DALEJ Z TANTIEMAMI Z INTERNETU DLA FILMOWCOW? (TWO YEARS WITHOUT THE COPYRIGHT DIRECTIVE. WHAT'S NEXT WITH ROYALTIES FROM THE INTERNET FOR FILM MAKERS?)

Representatives of Polish film makers are clearly frustrated and begruntled. Apparently former Netflix CEO Reed Hastings met with President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, never bothering to meet any Polish film makers' associations, after which Polish authorities have been finding ridiculous excuses not to implement the EU directive. 7 June 2023 marks the 2 years since the deadline and Poland risks penalties. Netflix pays their Netflix Originals creators higher rates than the rest of the industry offers. But it doesn't pay royalties even to them, let alone others whose work they profit from. Nor do other platforms but it's Netflix that constitutes 50% of the market. They may manipulate the public opinion and authorities with promises of investments but the scale of those would be about 100 people employed. At the same time platforms make 2.5 billion zlotys per year, of which just 1.5% should be paid out to the artists. 

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE

Watchable. Anna Taylor Joy superbly voices Princess Peaches. There's lots of 80s music, some of the best of the time, e.g. Beastie Boys, A-ha, Bonnie Tyler, Electric Light Orchestra. But the imagery is a cross of the Maledives and "Avatar" at times. Most, of course, resembles a computer game. The movie's eventful, the story ridicules machismo, with a dorky evil turtle and a smart and feisty princess. The translation into Polish is off sometimes, at some point the translator clearly didn't understand English enough. There are mid- and end-credit scenes. 

TORI ET LOKITA (TORI AND LOKITA)

Recommended. Belgian crime drama by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, the brothers known for social dramas covering employment or immigrant issues. Frighteningly realistic. With superb Pablo Schils as Tori. It's a captivating crime drama which just shows what segregating people leads to. The best of their movies I've seen.

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

BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER

Recommended. No need to remember part one, it's perfectly fine as a stand-alone picture. Or as a long commercial of Italy as a tourist destination. For rich, well-dressed Americans especially. But it's so much fun, some scenes are hilarious, e.g. "OK, run! No, actually let's walk fast" or when the senior ladies go to see naked men... in a museum. Star-studded cast. The movie's pure, frivolous fun. Catchy songs e.g.: "Felicità", "Gloria", "Mambo Italiano" add to the enjoyment. The end credits first show drawings, next pictures of the film crew having fun in Italy.

LOVE AGAIN

Watchable. My long-time-favourite Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra Jonas has finally landed a leading role in Hollywood. Her husband Nick Jonas makes a cameo as Joel, her app date in the movie. Céline Dion will delight anyone else. She's one of the executive producers so you get plenty of her music, of course. Surprisingly it's recorded in ordinary Dolby, no surround quality. Sadly the script of this romantic comedy is trite and sappy. There are some funny bits, including a hilarious date invite starting with: "Do you eat?" but for a large part it's so sorrowful, I cried most of the time. An obnoxious shoe product placement vexed me further. There's a mid-credit.