STRAYS
Watchable. It's a crazy story in which animal rights are treated with a large dose of levity but still all the issues ring painfully true. It's gross, gets many dog behaviours completely wrong but is touching and true about humans - that's what it gets right. Big shots like Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher voice the dogs. Dennis Quaid makes a cameo as himself. There are some hilarious gags, e.g.: "Checking on the clipboard, ah... we also couldn't retouch your penis." They ridicule dogs crossing the front paws unnaturally for pictures - something I remember also seeing in the recent flicks like "O psie, który jeździł koleją" ("Lampo. The Travelling Dog") or "Lassie - ein neues Abenteuer" ("Lassie - a new Adventure"). Some music's great. Still, it's often a tear jerker due to the sad issues tackled. Surprisingly this unsophisticated flick is the best dog movie in cinemas these days. There's a great mid-credit.
GRAN TURISMO
Recommended. Based on a true story, where the original protagonist Jann Mardenborough is a stunt double for himself. Orlando Bloom is superb as the British marketing specialist, so are Geri Halliwell Horner and Djimon Hounsou as the boy's parents. Most of all, though, top-notch script by Zach Baylin and Jason Hall, direction by Neill Blomkamp and editing by Austyn Daines render the film mass viewer friendly. I've never been into gaming or car racing but this movie proved not only totally engaging for me but also perfectly comprehensible.
BELFER (THE TEACHER) SEASON 1 EP. 5
UKRYTA SIEC
Watchable. Inspired by real life events from Poland and some other countries - yes, similar criminal circles were discovered at the same time in at least 3 different countries - it's likely to reverberate across the globe. Some stilted pace in the beginning, like in an average Polish drama, precedes a story where a tabloid journalist is brought up short and then treated unfairly at work when her private sex video is released online. Then you follow her travails as she's trying to discover more secrets than one - social and family hypocrisy make for a gripping story. What you hear forces you to face the horror of such crimes - those are hard-hitting moments - and ponder on the ambivalence of human beings. Still, with a few twists of action but also some predictability the thriller doesn't quite cut it. Characters' motivations remain vastly unclear. Poor cinematography mars top acting.
REALITY
Recommended. From the beginning you're assured of the authenticity of material, plenty of real life footage and photos are inserted throughout. Two locations, a handful of people, where Reality Leigh (in the report misspelt Lee) Winner and two FBI agents, acted superbly by Sydney Sweeney and by Josh Hamilton and Marchánt Davis respectively, engage in an ambiguous conversation. Top-notch direction by Tina Satter, cinematography by Paul Yee, editing by Jennifer Vecchiarello and Ron Dulin skillfully reflect how she's getting trapped. The action subtly gets denser and denser, as she's gently being cornered by perfectly qualified agents, the frisking towards the end also impresses with professionalism. At the same time it's disturbing how the NSA and FBI treat whistleblowing as a vice. Yet the fact she leaked documents about how Russians tampered with the US elections (Trump's win) stays on the margin of this intense drama about interrogation techniques.
RIGET EXODUS (THE KINGDOM: EXODUS) EP. 1,2
Originally Lars von Trier shot the "Riget" serial in order to obtain funding for a bigger project. Yet this attempt has achieved a cult status. Inspired by Lynch's "Twin Peaks" comeback, now he's returned with his own serial sequel.
Ep. 1 watchable, ep. 2 recommended. Basically it takes getting used to those Danes v. Swedes jokes - to a non-Nordic person they're not that funny, even if you know what they allude to. On the other hand, it's not the supernatural layer that's interesting but the nationalist sallies that get you hooked. Lars von Trier is self-conscious and therefore less present from episode 2. Still, his die-hard fans will get an Easter egg or two. Both the production and the action take place 25 years on so it's all up-to-date in terms of technology and social norms. I'm looking forward to seeing the remaining episodes.
OPPENHEIMER
Watchable. Old boring Nolan returns. Even though since "Tenet" he's grasped how to make a movie dynamic, it's still overlong, even the two trials are lacklustre and plain pointless in the plot, overly complicated - the editing by Jennifer Lame doesn't do it favours - 1 hour could be easily cut out. You basically get a needlessly complex storyline that is cluttered with too many incidents and characters. It may be factually accurate but watching an encyclopedia at the cinema is far from exciting. Also Cillian Murphy has neither the looks nor the seductiveness essential to convincingly portray a womanizer. At least Rami Malek stands out even in his episodic role. Kenneth Branagh and Florence Pugh are harder to recognize having been cast, especially Florence, in the opposition to their earlier cinematic images. Music and sound effects enliven the action and are wonderful in their own right.
LES SECRETS DE MON PERE (MY FATHER'S SECRETS)
Watchable. Set in 1961-1970, it tells of an obscure period in history, when the Nazi crimes of WW2 weren't discussed. It reveals how the Jewish victims were ashamed of what humiliation they had been subjected to. This animation is a serious drama of how it damaged families, how ignorant European societies were and how the Holocaust survivors carried the burden with them many years later. When you think you know it all...
Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.
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