Some more from the past year:

WISH

Watchable. While Alicja Roethel ensures Polish dialogues are funny, dubbing means you won't hear Chris Pine as King Magnifico. What's worse, it's a musical and, at least in Polish, all songs sound the same. The movie contains a few Easter eggs, either direct, like the mention of Zootopia, or indirect, when a deer gawps at lights like in "Peter Rabbit". The plot consists of an original storyline but based on the follow-your-dream cliche. At least all the animals, dancing flowers, talking trees, yawning mushrooms are cute and just delightful. 

Luckily the finale and the post-credit music resembles the original Disney theme and the end credits are accompanied by magnificently glowing sketches of old and new Disney cartoon characters. The post-credit scene indicates who and how, at 100 years of age, "inspired future generations".

LA STRANEZZA (STRANGENESS)

Watchable. Italian way, even theatre (my pet peeve) is bearable. Top-notch acting, atmospheric lighting - darkness rather - compel. It makes use of the atmosphere of a poorly lit Italian small town. The plot is: funeral arrangements and a theatre play in the meantime so neither is enticing but it's the way it's acted and shot that save the movie until the finale reveals what this long sequence of the whole town visit and its vision was for in terms of the plot. Originality needs time to be recognised. 

HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA - CHAPTER 1

Watchable. Set during a pivotal era of American history - the settlers' time, this 3-hour movie maintains unhurried yet steady pace. Although it's a serial, it merits the big screen hence the decision of a cinematic release seems justified. It's so superbly acted and shot that you just sit and watch without batting an eyelid, waiting for the plot to reveal itself. The fact is it kept growing on me. Sam Worthington appears in a surprisingly ordinary role, amidst actors more associated with the western genre, like Luke Wilson or producer/writer/director/actor Kevin Costner himself. While fictitious, the film is based on facts of the period: Apache is spoken and in the background the story sees Chinese settlers or blacks equal to whites - we're rarely aware free people of all races came to inhabit the fledgling country. On the other hand, natives are sometimes perceived similarly to exotic animals: "We've never seen them from up close. He's magnificent." The pace and the prolonged introductions of each subplot confirm it's a saga. The story strands start to intersect at some point. The finale fast forwards to upcoming developments laying the groundwork for later instalments. "Amazing Grace" is sung and played on native American instruments along the end-credits. A movie with potential.

Past year's:

COUPEZ! (FINAL CUT)

Watchable. Trashy at first: gore, vomit, mistakes in French, craziness in this depiction of shooting a zombie movie, but some scenes are hilarious, e.g. when an alcoholic hears of a sake supply. Great music. The French director's daughter wears a T-shirt with 'directed by Tarantino' on it. Clear three acts: the first one and the second look stupid, the third explains what went wrong with them as it shows the broader picture. The post-credit scene is a mockery of mothers obsessed with their babies and feeling entitled because of having them: bringing in a "quiet baby", breastfeeding which one guy finds disgusting and another kinky.

DORA  AND THE FANTASTICAL CREATURES

Watchable. The short cartoon preceding "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie" is quite formulaic with the added novelty that Dora agitates the audience to shout to the villain dog. The dog looks like one from the PAW patrol as he wears a helmet.

PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE

Watchable. A run-of-the-mill plot in which superheroes foil a supervillain scientist's ploy. The heroes are space dogs with extra superpowers from crystals, as if ordinary superpowers weren't enough. Serena Williams makes a voice cameo as the yoga teacher.