Past year's:

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES AT IMAX

Recommended. This part of the franchise was shot in Berlin and Wrocław, Poland. The Capital and the 12 districts are seen first at war, then at the 10th Hunger Games. Tom Blyth dyed blonde appears as Corio aka Coriolanus Snow. Book author Suzanne Collins wrote or checked all the songs. The music's James Newton Howard's. Smoking hot Tom Blyth as Corio and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird (whose surname carries a meaning too) are so gentle, loving and, Snow at least, innocent and naive, they win you over in no time. Viola Davis is creepy as a callous psychopathic mastermind. The story, perfectly consistent with subsequent events from the earlier movies, explains everyone's motivations plausibly and is true in how life works. The costumes, while far from the splendour we're used to in the other movies, represent post-war poverty and the elite school uniforms make it obvious no gender is excluded. Even though the Games Arena is austere as yet, traps and plots keep you glued to the screen. Brutality outside the arena makes for a compelling viewing for the remaining part. That and the obvious curiosity of how the young gentle Snow crosses to the dark side. The legends of the realm find their grounding too. "The Hanging Tree" kept playing in my head after leaving the cinema. Once again a complete world you believe in. Definitely a worthy edition to the cracking franchise.

From 2023:

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

КОНКУРС КОРОТКОМЕТРАЖНИХ ФІЛЬМІВ БЛОК 4 (SHORT FILM COMPETITION SET 4)

ЗРОСТАННЯ У ВИСОТУ (RAISING BY HEIGHT)

Recommended. A man abseils from a block of flats hindered by a football supporter, a cat and a kid boasting off with what he's learned from his dad. A hilarious action comedy with great music.

ЦЕ ПОБАЧЕННЯ (IT'S A DATE)

Seen and reviewed before at Her Docs Forum.

PTITSA 

Watchable. This pandemic documentary about lockdown puts into perspective our lives in general: how we neglect both our places and relationships with our close ones when we're out and about, and Ukraine from the perspective of the current war, seeing how the women are worried about their building crumbling when it was just wear and tear. It also deals with how we have to abandon our plans and dreams after a relative's death. On the other hand, it's full of waffling. 

 

МАРІУПОЛЬ. СТО НОЧЕЙ (MARIUPOL. A HUNDRED NIGHTS)

Watchable. This short is a Ukrainian Oscar candidate. But neither the basic animation, nor the foul language in the song appeal to me. Though the idea of never being able to go back home is thought-provoking. Only the final notes and shots are truly moving.

КОРДОН (FRONTIER)

Watchable. A black and white documentary about revisiting Luhansk, partly abandoned since 2015, after 8 years. Impressions from the place. Not much informative value.  

ВИ ЇЇ БАЧИЛИ (YOU'VE SEEN THIS ONE)

Switched off. Thought congestion rather than the girl's depression. Tiring and pointless.

КОНКУРС КОРОТКОМЕТРАЖНИХ ФІЛЬМІВ БЛОК 4 (SHORT FILM COMPETITION SET 4)

ЮРА (YURA)

Watchable. A drama about being split between a love for a girl and the love for your homeland. A look into what's it like to be unable to leave Ukraine (as a young man) and some crazy idea in the plot. The first part, before getting banned, is a little protracted. 

КРИМЦІ (IDENTITY ON THE LINE: CRIMEANS)

Watchable. An informative, even if overtalked, documentary on the difficult history of Crimean Tatars' forced migrations, their artisanship and culture.

КИЇВ - УЖГОРОД (KYIV - - UZHHOROD)

Watchable. Artistic, animated impressions from being a refugee. Lucid but nothing new on the subject.

ДЕНЬ ВЧИТЕЛЯ (TEACHER'S DAY)

Recommended. A gripping crime drama where two former victims face a pedophile. Smart, with astonishing, shocking even, twists of action within a 19-minute film.

ЗГАСАЮЧЕ СВІТЛО (DYING LIGHT)

Recommended. Dying is not easy. Or simple. Nor is grief obvious. Graphic at some point.  

And full-length:

ЛЮКСЕМБУРГ, ЛЮКСЕМБУРГ (LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG)

Watchable. Inspired by true events. It's hard to say what the subject of the film truly is or what genre it is. 

COUP DE CHANCE

Watchable. Different from other Woody Allen movies, there's no humour in dialogue, only the finale is tongue-in-cheek. Yet the story is lucid, stylish and engaging. Hunting in reality looks different than depicted. But it facilitates the praise of pure chance in the ending. Jazz accompanies the end credits - a possible reference to the book the novelist was writing.

AN CAILIN CIUIN (THE QUIET GIRL)

Recommended. The 2023 Oscar nominee from Ireland is superb  mostly owing to Catherine Clinch who acts remarkably well as the girl. The story is very gently and quietly told yet touching.

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

Past year's: 

THE MARVELS AT IMAX 3D

Recommended. The plot is a bit experimental but from the initial chaos gradually emerges sense. Refugee relocation is tackled: "I'll find you a new safe place. Is that OK?" "We don't have a choice." There's humour with certain Indian family: "They don't look related." "What do you know? Families are complicated." Women rule. Cat lovers will adore the Flerkens. But most importantly the Imax 3D looks like never before - the new glasses for the digital screen may be part of the success because, whether in social scenes, on the spaceship, in the outer space or on fantastical planets, you're always as close to the characters and locations as if you were there. 박서준 (Seo-jun Park) plays an episode as Prince Yan of Aladna - the association with "Aladdin" is understandable. The Atmos sound, surrounding when needed, is fine too. Music varies from Beastie Boys to the score from "X-Men: Days of Future Past". There's an X-Men mid-credit indicating this cross-over in the next Marvels movie. The post-credit is just the sound of the Flerkens spitting out their passengers.

I saw a few minutes of the film in an ordinary size screen to doublecheck the 3D effects. And while they don't compare to Imax, the 3D is still irresistable.

HOW TO HAVE SEX

Directed by Molly Manning Walker who was responsible for the cinematography of "Scrapper". She's recently turned 30 and celebrated her birthday right in Malia in Crete, Greece, where the action takes place

Recommended. British chavs on holidays in a Greek resort? Up to a point. We all have been there, done that when young. It's so relatable. Wonderful cinematography throughout, at times plays with light and colours. Lots of truly good techno. It makes you want to have sex. And dance. Best on holidays in a warm country.

WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

어디로 가고 싶으신가요 (WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?)

Walked out. It drags so badly I couldn't make out its point, something to do with mourning. The director studied in Łódź and seems to be resident in Poland so I guess that's how she's picked up this Polish penchant for the topic.

HER DOCS FORUM

YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE ABOUT WAR

Recommended. This 34'19"-long documentary doesn't shock you. It's just an in-depth look at wartime Ukraine from the position of young people: what they do or don't and why, how they feel. It explains the volunteer burnout, survivor syndrome or indifference to air raid alerts. A bit unsettling how easy it is to get used to living war. Demolished blocks of flats and music concerts, clubbing, dining and sirens or losing one's uninsured car. The young people are very self-conscious and down-to-earth in their expectations. 

JINA

Recommended. A short film on a war waged on women by the authorities of Iran. Funny Persian is one of few languages that don't have gender. Because tortures, rapes - both executed as punishments have gender. Women ask bold questions: what sort of creature is God if it's going to hang you by your hair sticking out of your hijab? Their courage and determination bring some hope and are admirable in the face of the persecution they're likely to fall victim of. Still, the most shocking is the authorities' willingness to "discipline" them. They're out of touch with the reality of the revolution. The last 43 years were constant.

Past year's:

ZATOKA SZPIEGOW (THE BAY OF SPIES) EP. 1 & 2

The colours and light were inspired by "Indiana Jones". The lead actor, Bartosz Gelner, said: "the serial is about a transformation, our country is also undergoing transformations about which I'm hopeful".

Watchable. The actresses don't look as beautiful as in real life. Stunning shots of the sea are wonderful on a big screen. But characters that may have looked good on paper, run-of-the-mill action, the protagonist's constant smoking and deceptive tricks to pick up women, slow passages in between action and the Polish look of the Germans didn't convince me to continue watching it later on telly. Also all characters speak Polish only which hinders understanding who is who and what's going on. 

Past year's:

WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

비밀의 언덕 (THE HILL OF SECRETS)

Recommended. South Korean 1996 is colourful. The movie sees the world from a child's perspective as she manoeuvres her position within a group, it presents her perspective of her family members. This warm family movie is truly engaging and touching. 

공조2: 인터내셔날 (CONFIDENTIAL ASSIGNMENT 2: INTERNATIONAL)

Watchable. The first 25 minutes in NYC and Seoul are incomprehensible, especially if you haven't seen part 1. A South Korean, a North Korean and an American fight and cooperate, always followed by secret agents, in this action comedy full of stunts, but also cinephile jokes like a girl in love who "always sees him in slow mo" or political gags, e.g. the North Korean's flat "is owned by the party" and the South Korean's by the bank - "same here". Fun, alluding to other films music: "We No Speak Americano" from "Peter Rabbit" or the melody of "What a Life" from "Another Round" make it quite enjoyable.

SLOTHERHOUSE

Watchable. It's a black comedy about a college sorority rivalry and it's not what you expect because the sloth doesn't rip people with her claws, or at least rarely does. Instead she electrocutes, strangles, smothers with a pillow, throws from heights etc. And she uses the Internet. Or holds and opens a beer bottle with the claws. The sloth looks fake. But the whole thing is happy-go-lucky fun. There's a mid-credit and lots of sloth gifs along the end credits.

Past year's:

WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

킬링 로맨스 (KILLING ROMANCE)

Watchable. I entered at the opening but chances are I didn't miss any line. It's a musical,  unfortunately, very colourful, like in Wes Anderson's movies, fairy-tale like, where violence is exemplified by  throwing tangerines at somebody. Funny enough e.g. certain reaction to a guy who's started talking to animals after his 4th university entry exam failure.There's an end-credit. 

 

악마를 보았다 (I SAW THE DEVIL) (2010) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Recommended. Gentle music and the opening and closing are deceitfully peaceful. The perve up close is expectedly revolting and some scenes disturbing, but this revenge flick offers great twists and plot solutions and is cathartically brutal. 

The director has heard a suggestion the movie was too brutal for a theatrical release. In Warsaw, Poland, he found Łazienki vexingly beautiful. "If Korea had such a beautiful park maybe I'd be calm for longer and wouldn't have made such a brutal film". The director changed the final scene, the brutal script was by 박훈정 (Park Hoonj-jung), the guillotine was his idea and in whose hands he should die. His is also the dawn walk scene. In the 90s there was serial killer 유영철 (You Young-chul) - his TV interview inspired the director. Normally revenge movies see a long search and than a painful revenge. He wanted to make it differently so that the murderer feels the victims' agony and to show the emotions during exacting the revenge. Is a revenge possible in our moral code? It was inspired by Nietsche. He's made 10 full-length movies and the music has been chosen by him: 60-100 songs picked for the movie mood each time, down to 2-3, sometimes extra music created. His debut was in the early 2000s, at K-cinema renaissance, then the commercial versus art division came into being, also popular abroad - because it focused on genre cinema, that was the "cinephile" generation of directors. There is ear the pandemic may have finished K-cinema. 

HEADSPACE

Walked out. Trite plot where aliens steer people's brains so they move like zombies and a bullied kid with a bunch of friends he turns out to have is to save the planet is ludicrous even in a cartoon. Contrived pseudo-scientific jargon of the aliens and cool-talk of the teenagers are over the top. And one of the 'good' aliens makes a misogynistic comment about his ex-wife.