Movie reviews

TESCIOWIE 2 (THE IN-LAWS 2)

Watchable. Opens with a wonderful scene, just perfect in this comedy - yes, part 2 is finally comical, unlike dramatic part 1. Eryk Kulm jr joins the cast, with a great result - a perfect match for Maja Ostaszewska and superb on his own. It's a summer holiday flick and of course it ridicules lots of Polish vices and tourists' behaviours, with a number of hilarious scenes, e.g. when the hotel porter is waiting after he's brought the luggage and the couple are anxious: "Why isn't he leaving? Is he going to live with us?", and snappy lines in all the arguments. I genuinely had fun for a large part. Costumes are aptly selected and reflect the protagonists' personalities perfectly. While the sound is ordinary, at some point the use of the rear loudspeakers in the screening room added the spatial effect. Disco polo music was a bit annoying but may have reflected the Polish mass taste. The emotional outburst at the finale is a bit out of place, much exaggerated, overly dramatic and simply doesn't match the comedy. But a sequel is coming. Third time lucky?

WLASNYMI SLOWAMI - FESTIWAL FILMOWY (IN OUR OWN WORDS)

Y SWN

Watchable. The Welsh flick goes to great lengths to make this simple story, filled with red tape, dynamic and engaging. But does so adding fast-paced music during dialogue which sounds weird. Still, a piece of political history to be learnt and with a top re-enaction of 1979-80. The pictures are dark all the time and the music comes from the right front speaker only, not sure if it's the fault of the copy or of the cinema.

HAYTARMA (2013)

Recommended. First you get to feel the joy, exuberance, amicability of the Crimean Tatar community. Then comes a shock. The Tatars who fought in the Great Patriotic War, some of who were recognised as USSR heroes, are faced with Stalin-ordered deportation. They're given 15 minutes to pack "food for two days, 5 kg clothes maximum, nothing valuable". In result 46% of the nation died of hunger. A deeply moving story. Akhtem Seitablayev stands out among the cast which is superb all around.

ITU NINU

Watchable. I appreciate the movie tackling climate change, migrant control, air quality - all vital issues. I loved the dystopian joke: "corner of Orwell Street and Huxley Crescent". This science fiction drama shot in and around Edinburgh is an atmospheric, enchanting, poetic love story. But it gets the science fiction layer all wrong. It depicts 2084 as devoid of people which makes no sense: the world is already overpopulated now, the number of over 8 billion humans is constantly growing, additionally the film talks about mass migration so the background should be packed with people, instead only 3 persons appear with not even human noise out there. The protagonist is valued for bringing rare seeds, while in real life virtually all countries in the world have their own seed banks, both domestic and extraterritorial, there's also a world seed bank in Svalbard so no individual needs to preserve them in dubious conditions. In the film you're repeatedly informed of insufficient oxygen but in the final shot you see greenery just outside the city, where the couple get apparently with no vehicle so that doesn't sound plausible either.

That was the world premiere of the movie by

NII NU'U: SACRED SKIN

Watchable. I got to the screening 7 minutes late so can't comment on the opening. As for the rest of this documentary, you learn a bit about how to read the Mixtec codices and of traditions like weddings or the carnival. Interestingly it's women who painted the pictograms and created the codices in the past. Also nowadays mostly women learnt Mixtec and completed the language courses. The brass bands were unbearable to me and the cinema played the film awfully loud.

Mixtec is not taught at school. The director learnt it from his monolingual grandparents, he had to learn the language to be able to communicate with them.

AINU: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF JAPAN

Watchable. The documentary teaches you a bit about the Ainu's language and culture, mostly about their material culture and ceremonies. Still, it's not as informative as it could be. I'm still not sure of the language - it it oral only or does it have a script? Or if it uses Japanese script, which one? Also, why was the woman unable to go to hospital in childhood?

MINUTA CISZY (A MINUTE OF SILENCE) EP. 5

Recommended. Cinematography stands out, especially starting some walking sequences with showing the moving feet or the bit with the hems of the cassocks. This episode brings another big twist of action, surprising but plausible at the same time. And a menacing ending.

Seen courtesy of Canal +. 

A HAUNTING IN VENICE

Watchable. Based on Agatha Christie's "Hallowe'en Party" but with the action moved to Venice, Italy and events largely changed. Still it's a gripping whodunit. This vision is very dark, grim - unlike past Christie's adaptations. The sound recorded in Atmos means even in an ordinary screening room the girl's voice surrounds you. Wonderfully shot Venice opens and closes the movie. The largest, middle part is the crime intrigue. While it keeps you glued to the screen, philosophical comments to the situation are just vexing. As for such a fright-ridden night, the movie could be more dynamic. The last Poirot scene is delightfully amusing. 

LIMBO

Indigenous Australian Ivan Sen produced, wrote, directed, cut and basically made the movie. 

Watchable. Slow but steady pace, little sound other than the radio, the church or conversations. A crime is being reviewed after 20 years. But that's just a pretext to look at the interracial relations now and in the past. It's black and white which is apt, taken that matters of colour are an issue constantly. Also Australian outback looks outlandish in this high contrast black and white, especially the arid, Moon-like landscape shot from above.

ZMIJOWISKO S. 1 EP. 1

Watchable. The set-up is similar to the first season of "Belfer" ("The Teacher"): someone arrives into a small town to investigate a crime that took place a year earlier. Here it's the father (fantastic Paweł Domagała in the role) looking for his missing daughter, The locals are so hostile it's hilarious. But then mixing places and times, all in one episode, makes it hard to follow. Most protagonists, whether adult or teenage, swear a lot so it's hard to like them. But you get intrigued by what happened and who played what role in the girl's disappearance. Catchy it is. 

This episode is available free of charge on Canal+ online.

RIGET EXODUS (THE KINGDOM: EXODUS) EP. 3

Watchable. In the pre-credit opening the hospital cabling looks like blood arteries. The title, as always, drips with blood. The supernatural to rational ratio appears to be growing in this episode. The manipulative persecution of Swede Halfmer by the Danes becomes disturbing. The gags about nations extend to the Chinese. References to the original serial aren't always clear. The whole plot gets more absurd. 

 

RIGET EXODUS (THE KINGDOM: EXODUS) EP. 4

Watchable. Starts with a bloody open giant heart surgery. The rest is in a lighter tone, a welcome respite after heavy ep. 3. Some jokes refer to the hospital as the filming location. 

RIGET EXODUS (THE KINGDOM: EXODUS) EP. 5

Recommended. Great opening. Gripping and all finally makes sense, including the supernatural layer.

Mikael Persbrandt (truly Swedish) as Halfstrom is magnificent throughout the whole serial. The music theme is fantastic too.