A portion of past year's fare: 

THE PIPER

Watchable. The plot being set in an orchestra, with a folk tale inspiring the action is original in the genre. Mediocre music (Debussy and Bach). Not scary. The career plot is engaging.

NYAD

Recommended. Doctors thought it humanly impossible. She was a woman, over 60. And she proved them wrong. Battling herself, an ocean current, sea creatures, salt water, heat. She's cut out for achievement and for marathon swimming itself. It's a doozy story of a spunking woman and a gripping sports documentary. The actors are made look like the original crew. John Burtlett died in 2013.

KICIA KOCIA NA PIKNIKU (KITTY KOTTY ON A PICNIC)

The set comprises of:

KICIA KOCIA NA PIKNIKU (KITTY KOTTY ON A PICNIC), KICIA KOCIA GRA W PILKE (KITTY KOTTY PLAYS FOOTBALL), KICIA KOCIA: TO MOJE! (KITTY KOTTY. IT'S MINE!), KICIA KOCIA JEST CHORA (KITTY KOTTY IS ILL), KICIA KOCIA NA PLAZY (KITTY KOTTY AT THE BEACH), KICIA KOCIA NA TRAKTORZE (KITTY KOTTY ON A TRACTOR), KICIA KOCIA NA BASENIE (KITTY KOTTY AT THE POOL) 

Watchable. This set contains some bizarre ideas like setting up a tent which is meant to prevent flower petals from falling into food but I doubt this kind of tent would work for real, or to change into a dry swimsuit after swimming - what for?! On the other hand, it shows how a kid can play with a disabled one in a respectful and egalitarian way and it's very natural, or how a kid can enjoy a pool even without swimming. It's all warm-hearted and colourful with kitten-like Kicia Kocia cute as ever. 

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

KAJTEK CZARODZIEJ (KAYTEK THE WIZARD)

Switched off. I'm not sure if it's director Magdalena Łazarkiewicz's fault or if the tale by Janusz Korczak has aged so badly. In spite of the title it's not a fantasy flick for children. It's a sepia-toned gloomy drama about a bullied kid whose mother passed away and about racial segregation before the war. The movie looks and sounds like in the Polish 90s: screaming for more funding, with disastrously fake special effects, wooden acting and a totally implausible fantasy plot on top of all the heavy drama which I couldn't stand even as an adult. Outdated in all respects. 

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

KLANGOR EP. 1

Watchable. Maciej Musiał, Wojciech Mecwaldowski - miscast in a dramatic role, superb Konrad Eleryk, professional cinematography don't save this story. It's not completely comprehensible, partly due to poor recording of dialogue, and lacks suspense, even at the end of the episode. 

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

Past year's:

THE KILLER

Watchable. A tedious drama about a hitman, full of genre cliches. In fact, in the beginning, the protagonist says: "If you can't handle boredom, you're not good for the job" so it makes me a viewer not good for this movie. The killer muses on life, his profession and repeats the mantra of his rules, which he rarely follows anyway. But if you are to see the film, a big screen will compensate for the sketchy plot, where characters are just nominal: the hit people (Tilda Swinton stands out, surprisingly, as a cold-blooded killer), the client, the attorney (ordering the kills), with wonderful cinematography, where a plane is reflected in the glass of a skyscraper, colourful lights of a city or a wet road mesmerise, a lit landmark shines through the windows of a penthouse at night. The plot takes you from charming Paris, through verdant Santo Domingo or the Dominican Republic, to the heat of Florida or New Orleans or the cold of Chicago. 

Past year's:: 

PRZEGLAD NOWEGO KINA NIDERLANDZKIEGO (NEW DUTCH CINEMA SCREENING)

NR. 10

Watchable. I got to the screening probably 3 minutes late so for me it started with a theatre rehearsal - boring. But inexplicable behaviours of the protagonist's family and colleagues ensue. The situation in the theatre is part of that. Then it turns out some men interfere in the man's life. So the drama becomes a mystery, then turns into science-fiction and finally grotesque. Bizarre.

Some more past year films:

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

WJFF SHORTS: "POLIN G9"

RODZINNE ZDJECIE (FAMILY PHOTO)

Walked out. The kids were disgusting. 

SERNIK (CHEESECAKE)

Watchable. Memorable for "I asked my mother what word "Großmutter" meant. Jewish children just didn't have grandparents." Apart from the story, it consists also of portraits (of adults) but in colour - contemporary, lots of kids - I averted my sight. At least the dog portrait at the very end is so cute.  

WARSAW CALLING

Watchable. Lots of emigration in the family history. Meeting the extended family online constitutes this very basic video.. 

JANKEL'S SHTETL

Watchable. The opening landscape and workshop look fine. The middle part is dull. He dances in the finale so it ends joyfully.

SARITA

Watchable. The Brazilian and Polish story of looking for a bride starts intriguing but is another boring family tale as it's being told. 

All the short films were merely family videos, not interesting for outsiders. The quality of screening in the Legacy Gallery of Polin Museum was also poor, mostly because the screen is built of visible squares. 

WSZYSTKO TO, CO MAMY (ALL THAT WE HAVE)

Watchable. A budget, black and white, documentary, with poor cinematography, sometimes shaky, mostly a bit blurry, and sound so substandard I had to read subtitles. The film's main vice is exactly that: many dialogues are unintelligible so, strangely, its reception will be easier for non-Polish viewers. But the content makes the viewing pleasant. The two guys forming the band touring penitentiaries are so positive, with a sense of humour, e.g. when the older one says some people come to their gigs year after year only to see if he's still alive. Both musicians, educated by the university of life, have a very healthy attitude to their criminal past and to social issues in general. With such protagonists a film can't fail. Even if it's marred by technical incompetence. 

FIN DEL MUNDO?

Watchable. The miraculous kind of music and suspense techniques kept me watching this ludicrousness till the end. While the story is clear, the enigmas of it never get explained and the presented world doesn't make much sense. You never learn who is who. The army and president characters are just nominal: Captain, General, Our President, The Other President. Worst of all, its pace, acting and filming style look like from the 20th century in Poland, Teatr Telewizji (Television Theatre) in particular. And it's disgustingly sexist - also like in the 20th century. Ah, it's no comedy at all. The theatre of the absurd rather. 

Further past year movies: 

PRZEGLAD NOWEGO KINA NIDERLANDZKIEGO (NEW DUTCH CINEMA SCREENING)

 

ALONG THE WAY

Recommended. This true story of two teenage Afghan girls trying to get to Europe starts in Iran, focuses on the period when they are working in Turkey to earn for their passage to the Netherlands to join their mother and sister, covers Lesbos and ends with a note about them waiting for papers in Athens. It's not easy because of their illegal status - they've been on the road for 5 years, but they're fine so, while this refugee movie doesn't show any horrors, the awareness of the dangers: running from the police, the uncertainty who to trust, awaiting the risky sea passage make for a gripping movie.  

The director used to be a political activist but quit because they wanted to expel her from university. She also volunteered on Lesbos which proved useful for the movie. Born in 1959, Mijke de Jong belongs to the middle generation, just like director of "Nr. 10" Alex van Warmerdam. 

DE PINPAS (THE DEBIT CARD)

Recommended. A short, intense drama about one day in the life of a Polish nanny in the Netherlands. Again, nothing bad happens to anyone but the tale is intense and keeps you in suspense as a debit card situation shows how under the layer of familiarity she remains an outsider. But there are no accusations or suspicion, nothing you might expect from such a plot, the lack of predictability is this short film's saving grace. In fact, it's all warm. 

Directed by Thijs Bouman, very young, has made only shorts.

SAW X

Watchable. This instalment of the "Saw" franchise takes you back to the time when John Kramer was alive but it builds on previous parts so you see Amanda working with him. The set-up with cons luring disbelievers in the big pharma is brilliant. Kramer's professional background in architecture and civil engineering is spot on. The traps and detainees part of the movie is gripping. The twist where one character turns out to be a 100% psychopath is brilliant. But how many remakes of the traps can you watch? And Cecilia lives so part XI is a serious threat. This instalment offers a mid-credit tying up lose ends.

CAT PERSON

Watchable. An analysis of looking for a partner nowadays, dating, having sex with a new person for the first time, becoming a stalker. Slow but compelling in its realism, as it dwells on awkwardness of certain situations and anxieties on both sides. It's often smart in observations but the whole thing drags.

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

Some more movies from the past year:

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Recommended. Another long but totally engaging crime drama by Martin Scorsese. Based on a book based on facts, it tells the story of about 30 murders on native Americans. Who hired the hitmen is shocking. The scale of manipulation astonishes and frightens The 206 minutes are necessary to recount the facts clearly, the pace of the movie is just right. While the sound or soundtrack don't stand out, the music and storm effects at the end credits are worth staying till the end, at least in an Atmos system screening room. 

DOGMAN

Recommended. Full of love for dogs. Gripping, enigmatic, unusual. Caleb Landry Jones is unsettling yet convincing as Douglas. The images haunt you afterwards.

Again from the past year:

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER

Watchable. None of the original characters or even spin-off ones, a whole new set of protagonists. Leslie Odom Jr. as the girl's father is superb. The action starts in Haiti - shot in the Dominican Republic - with a real life reference to an earthquake which makes sense. 13 years later the protagonists are in the US and already speak with clear American accent. Catherine masturbates in the church which is a direct reference and a slightly new take on the trope from "The Exorcist " from 1973. The exorcism itself is trite and boring. A few jump scares. The realistic parts are very plausible, even in the way the two girls' school conversation is shot. The main message is: blacks should believe too, priests are indispensable for such rituals and it's girls that get possessed. Although here, in the plot, the church superiors want no interference, the subcontext is as above. 

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT - THE PROGRAM INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING 6 FILMS:

מזל טוב (MAZAL TOV)

Watchable. Very colourful but it's not known what dramatic event it alludes to. Does burning the food mean anything?

מכתב לחזיר (LETTER TO A PIG)

Recommended. Black and white animation with bits of reddish. On people's attitude to animals, Jewish being non-cruel. While pigs are looked at with contempt also in their culture, these animals turn out to be loving, protective, greatly surpassing humans. The film's original both in the memory part and in the phantasmagoria. The whole thing is tear-jerking and shocking.  

MOISHE

Watchable. This British short is based on facts. The Russian Orthodox Church forced conversions to Christianity too, where the main problem for Judaists was they couldn't eat non-kosher. Interesting to find it out but not much happens story-wise. 

CUT

Watchable. This Australian gay drama is quite complex but also beautiful and smart in how religions and worldviews coexist in a sign with a crescent and a cross on a rainbow flag. On the other hand, it tells of shocking religious practices including sacrificing a cock to atone for human sins. 

PORTRET RODZINY (FAMILY PORTRAIT)

Watchable. This Polish short starts with weird questions on the phone, then a weird job and, finally, the situation at work which is even weirder. 

CASTLES IN THE SKY

Watchable. NYC in the 70s, cruel and demanding rules of the religion and dull poetry slams the religious sex educator takes part in. Annoying Jewish music, at the finale suddenly Britney Spears, as it seems. 

SWIETO OGNIA (FIRE FESTIVAL)

Switched off. The physiology of pregnancy, birthgiving and a disability is quite revolting. As is the father seeing a prostitute. The constant narration is annoying. Tomasz Sapryk with his hair dyed black looks weirder, not younger. And there's nothing unusual or engaging in the plot. Just a typical Polish drama about a disabled person.

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

HORROR STORY

Watchable. After Adrian Apanel's earlier fantastic short film "Stancja" ("The Last Room on the Left") I expected better. While the set-up, where a young man is looking for a room to rent and the landlady and the housemates are all weird, and the lead actor are the same and Jakub Zając, Konrad Eleryk, Michalina Olszańska excel in their roles and the comedy is funny, e.g. when Tomasz is eavesdropping and his neighbour sneaks on him from the back, many gags are old chestnuts. We all know the standard of self-presentation trainings or job interviews. And there's no horror, just a dash of magic in the story this time. Deflecting stupid interview questions is superb though. 

Some more past year stuff:

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

PETTSON OCH FINDUS (PETTSON AND FINDUS) - FILM SET:

UBERRASCHUNG FUR PETTERSON (A SUPRISE FOR PETTSON)

FINDUS UND DER FAHRRADFUHRERSCHEIN (FINDUS GETS HIS BIKE LICENCE)

EINE STACHELIGE FREUNDSCHAFT (A SPINY FRIENDSHIP)

DER VERSCHMIERTE BRIEF (THE PUZZLING LETTER)

Watchable. British-accent English version. 12-minute cartoon episodes. Owner Pettson, cat Findus, hens, hedgehogs, little fantastical creatures, a neighbour with his hunting dog, a postman, a neighbour with her cow, a fox in the background are there. More hens than neighbours appear in the cartoons (the actors' films had a different character balance). The stories tell about being honest, considerate to others, nice and about dreaming. Mediocre. 

Still clearing some of last year's backlog:

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL

БАТЬКО (THE FATHER)

Watchable. "Левиафан" ("Leviathan")-like atmosphere, locations, scenes. The topic: conversations about the past and reminiscences which form a convoluted plot. It drags. 

SKAD DOKAD (IN THE REARVIEW) AND Q&A

Recommended. A 5-year-old girl asks: "Mom, when you were little, was there also a war?" Some abandon a cow and dogs, others travel with their cats. The elderly tend to stay in Ukraine, families with children travel en masse. A pregnant surrogate gives insight into her motivation. On the roadside, tanks are transported by rail, blocks of flats and bridges are often destroyed, cars wrecked. The people cry but often dream of travelling through Europe since life has thrown them into it. Death, tortures, fear, bombings are a given, everyday humiliation is a norm. Many people are charged exorbitant sums for transport. It's heart-wrenching when children are passing by the sea and make their mum promise to go there together after the war. 

There's no need to transport people now, just from a point to a point. At the beginning few knew where they were heading. What was mentioned in the film was marginal behaviour: Ukrainians were charged exorbitant prices to be taken from far away. Fuel was scarce therefore expensive. 

He'd first tell them by phone he'd film. After the journey they'd give consent so as not to "blackmail" them if they had been asked before. They were filming March-September, had 450 hours of material, which took 1 year of editing by 3 people May to May.  

The film opens the eyes of people in other countries, e.g. Switzerland. 

The crew slept in an army base. Maciek Hamela once fell to the ground hearing a shelling. Locals laughed out, smoking, because 50-100 m away was "far". At blockposts, Maciek would forget all the languages he knew and speak only Polish. But most soldiers had families in Poland. He also had a stamp with a cross from Baptists. Both methods helped him skip queues. There were often 30 blockposts daily so e.g. Kyiv would take half a day.

Men often weren't evacuated. Some blacks were pushed out of trains. A lot of people in Poland were reluctant to take in Roma people. Sifa, the Congolese woman, has undergone 16 operations. 

When 180 000 turned up on the Polish border, there was no way to control the influx. Many boys tried to leave but were turned away from the border. In March-April people would come even without documents because they were lost. The Ukrainian side turned them away. 

LEK

Watchable. Sofia skips an article in English grammar which doesn't make sense because all Swiss languages have articles so such a mistake is unlikely. But that's the smallest problem with this typical Polish drama about cancer, dying, vomiting, with needless nudity and pervert actions. It's only in the last half an hour that you learn where the women's journey and the plot itself is heading. Their unusual behaviours are rarely justified or timely. It's numerous lateral characters that are far more interesting. Both Magdalena Cielecka and Marta Nieradkiewicz act unnaturally. At least this whole thing is beautifully shot. The lake in Switzerland is breathtaking. Excellent cinematography and interesting lateral characters compensate for the wooden and derivative leading subject. 

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3

Watchable. It opens with Γιώργος Αλκαίος's (Giorgos Alkaios's) hit "Opa" so you want to go dancing right away. Other catchy tunes appear too, though not as danceable as the first one. It's sometimes funny, e.g.: "Greek aunties are better than dating apps", often gross, e.g. the boobs apron or shaving at the breakfast table, but the whole thing conveys camaraderie and the notion we survive as a community, extended families being essential. A Syrian joins the clan so, with all the Athens and Corfu vistas - shot on location, it changes the tone a bit - literally, into Syrian debka music. Cheerful but forgettable.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL

ЛЯ ПАЛІСІАДА (LA PALISIADA)

The movie won the main actors' film award and got a special mention for cinematography at the festival. But the jury's 2 votes came form Joanna Kos-Krauze - a very poor director, whose "Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali" ("Birds Are Singing In Kigali") I reviewed a few years ago and 1 vote from Jowita Budnik - a mediocre actress. 

Walked out. It's awfully staged and stilted. It looks like a series of theatrical scenes shot through a smudge on the camera lens. No conversation makes sense or is engaging. Total rubbish. Poorly acted too.