23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)

24 WOCHEN (24 WEEKS)

Recommended. It tackles the difficult question of giving birth to a handicapped baby. German law in such cases allows abortion till the end of the pregnancy. The film shows the would-be mother's hesitation realistically. You see her testing different solutions and making the decision. She's a public person so the pressure's high. Gripping.

AQUARIUS

Watchable. What I liked the most was watching the Brazilian lifestyle: spending lots of time with the family, sleeping in a hammock, swimming in a shark-infested sea. Once you realize what the main intrigue is, you appreciate the woman's strength and defiance. But it takes time to get to the intrigue and the movie contains a few disgusting baby scenes, including one of changing a diaper.

TEESKLEJAD (PRETENDERS)

Recommended. The sea, a posh house, beautiful people. Seductive pictures, seductive music, a seductive couple, especially Anna, played by Mirtel Pohla. On top of that a psychologic game. Sensory and intellectual pleasure.

VOR DER MORGENROTE - STEFAN ZWEIG IN AMERIKA (STEFAN ZWEIG: FAREWELL TO EUROPE)

Watchable. The beginning of the movie puts you into posh refugees' circles 3 years before the Second World War which to me resonated with the current political situation. This part also implied some anti-Nazi action. However, I quickly realized that was not going to happen and I ended up admiring Brazilian nature as the plot became a series of disconnected events.

NAWET NIE WIESZ, JAK BARDZO CIE KOCHAM (YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU)

Watchable. Fake mother and daughter, real psychotherapy. The story behind the production is more interesting than the film. Basically, people with similar experiences can relate to each other, e.g. every divorced person can relate to any other divorced person as is the case here. The two women took five sessions in which they worked on their family issues with a renowned therapist. To me it sounded quite abstract. I just got intrigued what the women's experiences were that destroyed the family. Human relationships are the main attraction here, the psychotherapy itself bored me.

COMO NOSSOS PAIS (JUST LIKE OUR PARENTS)

Watchable. I couldn't possibly relate to Rosa in any way. She's married, taking care of her school-age kids, cooking for the whole family, seeing her extended family often, including her brother, her smoking, straightforward mother, her poor artist father, writes commercials for a living, supports financially her environmental activist husband. She clearly has no pleasure in life. It's only when she suspects or hears of certain betrayals all around her that things start getting spicy. Still, it's nothing new under the sun.

EN MAN SOM HETER OVE (A MAN CALLED OVE), to my delight, has won the Festival Audience Award.



PORTO

Walked out. I didn't find Anton Yelchin attractive even in "Star Trek". In "Porto" he walks and speaks as if he were 62, not 26. His character, in spite of good upbringing, lacks education or ambition. She (Lucie Lucas) is strikingly beautiful, with a degree and ambition. And I'm supposed to believe she got attracted to him?! As if his elderly-sounding voice wasn't repulsive enough.

DIE HÖLLE - INFERNO

Watchable. Class B thrillers are often easy to follow plot-wise and raise your adrenaline level so that you're glued to the screen waiting for further developments. It's one of them. Set in the society outskirts, stereotypically and odiously anti-racist, feminist and condemning: sex violence, paedophilia, Islamic fanatism. At the same time the lead female obligatorily appears topless in an asexual scene. She also has voluntary sex with a total sexist. Worst of all, she gets severely injured now and again and despite that kicks everyone's ass. Ah, when she says she's shattered, it's not convincing.

23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)

EN MAN SOM HETER OVE (A MAN CALLED OVE)

Recommended. A beautiful, funny and touching, tale about an annoying man who did what was right all his life. He's rational and acts logically, unlike ordinary people, which upsets others since humans are not rational. Should have won the Oscar instead of "The Salesman".

USTAV REPUBLIKE HRVATSKE (THE CONSTITUTION)

Watchable. A transvestite, his bed-bound legless father and a policeman struggling to memorise the Constitution of Croatia form an unlikely combination for one movie. But it deals with a number of issues with insight and with humour. I didn't really get the Balkan historical and political bits though.


MINDENKI (SING) - to be shown at the upcoming WEGIERSKA WIOSNA FILMOW 2017 (HUNGARIAN FILM SPRING 2017)

Walked out. About primary school children, their choir, obviously singing in child voices, and a teacher bullying the main protagonist.


23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)

UNE VIE (A WOMAN'S LIFE)

Walked out. A story about a ruined life of a woman whose first husband and later son get out of hand should be more dynamic. There's hardly any background music and when people talk, it's invariably monotonous. Feels unbearably drowsy.

BITTER HARVEST

Watchable. Weird cinematography - showing Ukraine as picturesque whether during prosperity or famine together with lousy acting make it all look artificial. Shame as it's probably the first feature about the Holodomor - the Soviet-made famine of 1932-1933.

ANA, MON AMOUR

Walked out. A drama about a family so dysfunctional the characters drone on about it over and over again in different configurations.

TESTROL ES LELEKROL (ON BODY AND SOUL)

Recommended. Slow but enchanting. Shown with tact, subtlety and attention to detail. Alexandra Borbely has a rare type of beauty and an equally rare delicate sense of movement. You get bewildered by the suddenly emerged love simultaneously with the couple.

23. WIOSNA FILMOW (23RD FILM SPRING FESTIVAL)

CHEVALIER (2015)

Watchable. Adult men playing childish games are pathetic. But from time to time you get rewarded with holiday views of the sea, a yacht, a quay and occasional conversations about sophisticated food.

그물 (THE NET)

Watchable. Predictable for anyone even vaguely aware of the situation in both Koreas. But at the same time a very good thriller and political film highlighting the differences in the systems. Well worth seeing. Other than that, the South Koreans look hot.

WILDE MAUS (WILD MOUSE)

Watchable. This Austrian drama about a middle-aged guy whose life takes a downturn and goes from bad to worse is so well acted, with Josef Hader in a triple role of the director, the scriptwriter and the leading actor, and so beautifully shot it's pure pleasure to watch. A few other people from the fired guy's circle have issues too and as they are struggling to resolve them the news keep reporting on the refugee crisis. Each person and the whole country are at a loss. Still, the whole thing lacks a clear point.

SIERANEVADA

Walked out. It would be tiring even for standard 2 hours, let alone 3. About things so silly and ordinary that I left to deal with my own daily stuff.

LIFE

Recommended. A hell of a space thriller. You actually expect a slaughter when one of the astronauts jokes about "Re-Animator" in the context of their alien specimen, similarly as elderly weirdos tend to warn teenagers in the beginning of a horror. A spaceship is a perfect setting to convey a sense of isolation as shown in the original "Alien" or in "Gravity" so it works equally well for the cross between the two. Made to keep you on the edge of your seat rather than to be food for thought, it  dabbles in the questions of aggression: is it a response to violent manhandling, or is it a predatory  instinct? The cast is multinational and multiracial. The music by Jon Ekstrand is excellent both as the movie soundtrack and in its own right. The tongue-in-cheek joyful song after the last scene (part two looks inevitable) slightly eases the strong tension you're in throughout the film. If you don't leave then, you hear fantastic music extending over the credits which puts you back in the mood. I had a feeling something creepy might be lurking between the cinema seats.

CARRIE PILBY
Watchable. I took to the film as soon as I realized how much the main protagonist resembles me years ago: a bookworm, with incredible knowledge, socially inept, with family issues, seeing a psychologist, resisting manipulation by guys who are just after sex, at professional crossroads right after the best uni in the country, making friends by chance, not exactly into fashion, with strong integrity and totally geeky. OK, her IQ of 185 beats mine and I've never had photograhic memory. But in all it's quite realistic, very well acted, with a few brilliant lines and easy to follow. Of course you want a fairy-tale ending and you get just that. Too geeky to blow me away though.

EMA (MOTHER)

Recommended. Seemingly about a mother taking care of her son in a coma due to a gunshot. In such an intimate setting cinematography plays a role and here it's a good one. So is the acting which appears naturally casual, just like the make-up and costumes. This gives the impression of ordinariness. However, each character has a foible and you quickly realise it's a crime drama. The story develops at a good pace up to a shocking finale. In fact the ending is like nothing I have seen at the cinema or even heard of in real life before.



3RD "CZECH DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!" 

ZAKON HELENA (HELENA'S LAW) 

Watchable. An interesting documentary showing the psychological side of comitting a crime and fighting it. Funny how none of the offenders, including the gang leader, will acknowledge their hideous acts. They all, with no exception, justify their actions and play them down. You have to find it between the lines though as the film lacks a point.

Polish Cinema for Beginners is a cycle of screenings Polish movies with English subtitles also at Muranow in Warsaw. To be honest, I'm not happy with the April selection of films but they are so terribly Polish foreigners might find them exotic.

3RD "CZECH DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!"

ZKAZA KRASOU (DOOMED BEAUTY)

Watchable. I didn't find the fattish actress beautiful so I felt odd following the story of her life whose focal point were men who would always fall in love with her. While she lived in the fascinating times of the Nazis, the film unfortunately brings nothing new in this matter.

MA LOUTE (SLACK BAY)

Watchable. Quite similar to "P'tit Quinquin" - set in the North of France, with a cannibal family - but decades earlier. Satire on: obesity, exaltation of the upper class, eating habits, dressing styles, spirituality, pompous army music, inbreeding. Again, in this film by Bruno Dumont, what revolts you at first is the same bizzarre world of the director which swiftly engulfs you in the further part.

A four-day screening of Czech documentaries is starting in Warsaw Muranow cinema tonight and I'm rushing out to the first film shortly.

GHOST IN THE SHELL 3D AT IMAX

Watchable. Very good, especially the graphics, but plot-wise made about 20 years and technology-wise made about 10 years too late. Basically, while the original comic books were created in 1989-1990, all their elements have been thoroughly exploited by the movie industry already. Also, the amount of action quells much of the potential for the psychology of Major's identity. On the plus side it's realistically futuristic: holograms and solidgrams, multi-level elevated roads and flyovers (shot on location in Shanghai) instead of flying cars (like in earlier SF) and replacable mechanic body parts. Scarlett Johansson looks good as a Japanese and moves like a cyborg but is a bit on the fat side. All in all good fun, with decent 3D, to be watched on a big screen, clever even, but game-like. The last scene is before the credits.

GUZAARISH (2010)

Watchable. The title petition is for euthanasia - Bollywood way, although quite westernized. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not my favourite director - the film is relatively short (for Bollywood) but feels lengthy. The court case is good, with a brilliant "magic trick" the petitioner plays on the prosecutor. The rest is well made but the movie's just too slow for my taste.

LA GRANDE BELLEZZA (THE GREAT BEAUTY) (2013)

Recommended. It's more of a series of loosely connected pictures which are all beauty to behold - by Luca Bigazzi, also responsible for the cinematography of later "La Giovinezza" ("Youth") - accompanied by sublime music of two different yet fitting genres: classical and disco/techno interchangeably. A swimming pool scene, an animal scene and a few nudity scenes resemble the later movie too. While the main protagonist claims to have failed to find great beauty, we see it every minute of the movie: the beauty of architecture, clothing, body, nature, mind, emotions and life itself. There's no void in the lives of the upper class - there's beauty in its pure form.

MIRRORS

Watchable. A 3-minute doll-like animation accompanying "California". It says that once we stop looking at ourselves we start seeing everything else which is shown straight in your face. Simple and obvious, luckily the 3 minutes are filled with events.

CALIFORNIA

Watchable. Just like I remember being a teenage girl. Very realistic. But also with nothing special to say. It just takes you back to that period of your life.

POWER RANGERS

Watchable. The film's a bit chaotic, mostly due to specific editing, and I have the impression my review may reflect that. The music's quite good, much better than the rap in the trailer. Elizabeth Banks looks so much better blonde she just shouldn't have been cast as pitch-black-haired Rita Repulsa. The editing is so sharp it's just: shot-cut-shot-cut, unlike in the series where the camera would show a bigger perspective and provide a transition between the shots. Here the whole film looks like chopped with an axe. The movie lacks Japanese-style graphic elements which are present in the series both in the old episodes and in the new ones. Visually the movie consists of a horror-like monster among Transformers-like creatures. More advanced CGIs haven't helped the production. The last scene is during the credits, meaning after the initial ones, later the payroll goes on and on and on with nothing afterwards.

AMOK

Watchable. I don't think it was as famous abroad, including the UK, as the movie implies, as I only heard about it now in Poland. As I didn't know the case, I stayed till the end of this nonsense just to find out whether he was actually a murderer or not. For a crime story it completely lacks suspense. It's also pure chaos, I guess it was meant to be as nonlinear as the title novel but watching a film you cannot mix and match the pieces, you're just left with this mess.

FRANTZ

Watchable. Black and white for the present, brownish hues for the past and full colour for... hopes. A subtle tale about illusions we prefer to live. Well acted, with both languages spoken clearly. You just sit and get engulfed. The ending is very in line with the whole but also feels fake since that unwavering optimism isn't properly justified.

DIE HASCHENSCHULE - JAGD NACH DEM GOLDENEN EI (RABBIT SCHOOL - GUARDIANS OF THE GOLDEN EGG)

Recommended. You thought Easter preparations were hard? All the spring cleaning and Easter baking is nothing in comparison to what Easter bunnies have to endure: tough training on an obstacle course from dawn to after dusk, cold baths and fighting sly, treacherous, ravenous foxes to whom the rabbits smell just too enticing. The rabbitesque dialogues are fun, the animation is delightful and the bunnies cute. I'd love to jump into the Rabbit School myself.

LA MECANIQUE DE L'OMBRE (THE EAVESDROPPER)

Watchable. The original title is very apt: "The Mechanics of the Shadow". Excellent cinematography and ambient music draw you into a convoluted story and create its framework. The plot is far-fetched but charming.

WSZYSTKO ALBO NIC (ALL OR NOTHING)

Walked out. The jokes are not funny and are sometimes vulgar, the acting's exaggerated and the script so run-of-the-mill the whole thing feels forced. I didn't force myself to stay till the end.

SAFARI

Watchable. A documentary about Austrians hunting in Namibia which shows the process of making the shopping list i.e. which animals to shoot, actual shooting, taking pictures with the trophies, skinning them and cleaning after the dirty job - by paid Namibians. The title - safari - meaning journey in Swahili appears to emphasize the class division but fails to do so to anyone familiar with the business or world economics. General public found the film horrifying. I wonder if they are vegetarian because much more horrible things take place in slaughterhouses but that stays hidden. While the film is true to what foreign hunting looks like, it fails to show a bigger picture or to give any insight apart from that that hunters are ones who have come to terms with the inevitability of death while most people are scared of the very thought.


T2 TRAINSPOTTING

Recommended. Mind-blowing cinematography - the movie deserves a large screen to do it justice, riveting music, the same world's most likeable junkies, Scottish accent, Edinburgh setting and lots of snippets from part one masterfully inserted into a contemporary story which strongly draws from the past but involves several original scenes as ingenious as in the predecessor. Irvine Welsh supervised the production and you can see his style retained. The same actors who have slipped into their roles after 20 years as smoothly as if they hd never left them. Fans of "Trainspotting" are in for a treat.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Watchable. Meticulous CGIs have created a fairy-tale castle and populated it with fabulous living furniture.  The teapot speaks with delightful posh British accent (by Emma Thompson). The plot is well-known. What the modern version stresses is that sexism is out. Only, in this musical, music is so run-of-the-mill it detracts from the otherwise beautiful tale.

THE SHACK

Watchable. Octavia Spencer is truly heavenly in her role. Avraham Aviv Alush as Jesus and Sumire Matsubara as Sarayu are also a match for such roles made in heaven. The longest, middle part comes right after a tedious, mundane beginning and creates a bewitching contrast through its rainbowish plentitude of colour and a calm yet strong religious message which lets you come to terms with evil around. The dull beginning and ending can be tiring though.

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

Recommended. A really smart movie about what knowledge you need in life. Is it a cultural concept? Or is there a repository of basic resources needed for everyone which should be taught in young age?

SIV SOVER VILSE (SIV SLEEPS ASTRAY)

Watchable. A poor version of "Karsten og Petras", with a similar living toys world but with worse actors or story, only defends itself with a little magic in Siv's dreamscape. And why is it being released now? December, with its festivities, was three months ago.

PERSONAL SHOPPER

Watchable. Sometimes-topless Kristen Stewart amidst a pile of rubbish and nonsense. At some point a mystery appears but ends so absurdly it's just better not to start watching. Acted lousily as well and even for those eager to see Kristen Steward half-naked there isn't much to see. Good cinematography and a modern setting ease the guaranteed frustration with the plot.

DALIDA

Recommended. The film starts with mesmerizing music and immediately the star of a past era shines bright anew. Top-notch music fills the movie and the lyrics create the background for a story of loneliness. At the very first scene you realize a tragedy underscores the celebrity's life. The story's familiar to all singletons nowadays when it's also easier for many women to identify with her: extraordinarily talented, hard-working and unable to hold on to a relationship. A perfect moment in social history for the release. The beautiful actress and enchanting music do the rest.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND 3D

Watchable. At first I had an impression they went into old style King Kong effects like the ape crashing planes in its giant paws instead of more modern environmentally friendly approach. Well, it's neither. It's more like old-fashioned fight between the good ones and the evil ones and not every monster being one just like not every human is humane. Different decades are differentiated by their music styles. But what I loved most was the number and variety of giant creatures. Very good 3D - a piece of an octopus flew straight in my face. The after-the-credits scene is a must - tongue-in-cheek and setting ground for sequels.

Are we back to the 1980s with space opera and supermonsters being hip again?

MUNE, LE GARDIEN DE LA LUNE (MUNE: GUARDIAN OF THE MOON)

Watchable. Lovely animation style. I needed time to grasp the story but the one thing I got unmistakably was how it ridiculed sexism. Also on the note, it's the caring Mune that gets the girl's heart at the end. Even fiery characters end up green and floral and the chauvinist discovers his softer side.

GOLD

Recommended. True to the original real-life events and people minus some simplifications like making two original characters into one for the sake of the movie, just like in "War Dogs" a few months ago. Aptly cast with Matthew McConaughey, recognizable from "The Wolf of Wall Street" and even more expressive. The story tells about a fascinating gold bubble and people's hopes taking over caution. Fascinating intrigues are acoompanied by spot on social observations. Who will trick who? Skillfully built suspense and twists of action make for a great night out.

WSCIEKLOSC

Watchable. Great cinematography and music. A bit far-fetched, yet involving plot. Weird location - why is he running, for health apparently, along the busiest roads? Funny editing: he gots beaten up and is bleeding and his jacket is covered with dirt ever since, apart from one bit of a road where he's clean again, after the next turn the blood and dirt return. Even the IMDb information is in bad English. Totally amateurish.

LOGAN

Watchable. OMG, what have they done to Charles Xavier, Wolverine and all of X-Men? Is the cross turned to X all there is left?! Too disturbing for a fan. And Alzheimer's?! Hardly heroic. Dafne Keen is superb as Laura and there's a promise for a future series but not of X-Men! A shocking ending of the series. And the storyline, the characters and scenography are annoyingly run-of-the-mill, mostly imitating "Children of Men", where the original movie was poor enough, and totally unlike X-Men. Elements of the world of the future (2029) are few and far between: self-driving trucks appear in one scene. James Mangold should stay away from science-fiction. It's very well acted and the idea behing the story is a huge surprise but it's definitely the worst of the whole saga. No after-the-credits scene - don't waste your time waiting like many of us did.

OSCARS 2017

33 minutes late but http://freetvstream.in/de/tv/pro7.php seems to work. Without registration. Previous registrations failed. Needless effort.

O.J. wins Best Documentary - haven't seen it but picked it as the winner in an Oscar guesses competition so I'm happy anyway. The joke, however, is tasteless indeed.

Technical disruptions occur... What a year... Last time it went so smoothly.

Jackie Chan is dressed so Chinese!

I liked the bit about women being able to oppose without hatred. However, the Best Actress in an "Opposing" Role is Viola Davis, not my fave Naomi Harris or even Victoria Spencer. But I love her speech about artists being the only profession which "celebrates what it is to live a life".

Watching the commercials. American movies dubbed in German sound funny, especially "La La Land".

"Viola Davis has just got nominated for an Emmy for her Oscar speech" - good one. A tour bus is going to visit them unaware they'll see Oscar dresses on actual people - "does anyone know CPR?"

Charlize Theron always amazes me with how tall she is.

Over 80 different nations submitted films. I'm happy "Toni Erdmann" didn't win. I wasn't delighted with "The Salesman" either but at least it was a normal film, not that weirdness.

"Piper" was definitely the best short animation and rightfully won. "Zootopia" wins too! Wow! "the story of tolerance being more powerful than the fear of other". Hailee Steinfeld has got the evening's best dress imho.

Funny to see Dakota Johnson dressed up to her neck. Another interruption again (I'm going to murder my isp).

Now watching on http://www.streamlive.to/view/68969/ABC - poor quality and lots of pop-ups but works. Keeps breaking-up awfully.

OMG, Michael J. Fox on the stage. And looking good.

Jimmy Kimmel is tweeting to Donald Trump: "merylsayshi"

Explaning what film scientists and technologists do: "For example when you watch 'Star Trek' it looks like they're in space but in actuality they didn't shoot it in space".

Scarlett Johansson has always looked piggish and today, with her hair up and in her pink dress she just looks the piggiest ever.

The In Memoriam list includes Polish director Andrzej Wajda.

"Just that the script is adapted doesn't mean we love it any less."

Hally Berry with an afro hairstyle.

Like Leonardo di Caprio said, great acting is when you see the character they've become. Emma Stone has become her character more than Natalie Portman did as I kept comparing her to Jackie Kennedy. Dying to know who wins...hah! Emma Stone.

Just can't believe it! They read the wrong title?! Anyway, "Moonlight" was better than "La La Land". The musical was fun but not that ground-breaking. What's funny is that the Polish distributor of "Moonlight" couldn't get the movie into huge cinema chains, only indie theatres decided to screen it. A lot of mistakes around the picture.

APPRENTICE

Recommended. The clear structure and shots don't lead to a straightforward interpretation. Seeing how differently from me others perceive the movie only confirms its greatness. Everyone will find their own angle. Does the desctruction of the cupboard mean severing the ties with his sister? Or with his father? Or growing up? Coming to terms with what the absent father really was rather than a sailor? Does the apprentice's professional choice signify dealing with the trauma through internalizing the law hence asserting the inevitable  was righteous as well? Or is it a revenge on his father for his ruined life? Much better than the Oscar-nominated "Toni Erdmann" or "The Salesman". Disappointingly the Singaporean Oscar candidate got no nomination.


AKHER AYAM EL MADINA (IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE CITY)

Watchable. Very slow, with no beginning and no ending. Trying to present what lay beneath the once peaceful country, the dormant demons coming to light, however the message nearly gets lost in the daily grind and continously dusty air. An interesting bit is the radio broadcast mentioning Egypt as the No. 5 safest country for women in the world. The whole world knows what happened later in Tahrir Square. The first signs of violence can be seen in the movie, unfortunately are shown so indifferently it's easy to get bored.


TEREDDUT (CLAIR-OBSCUR)

Watchable. Truly feminine cinema. Female director Yeşim Ustaoğlu has made a movie about one woman treating another and realising in the process that her own life is not all rosy. Still, the contrast between her freedom and her patient's enslavement is stark, the girl's age mixed-up in the script and the whole thing is sceondary to "Mustang" which makes the film partly moving and partly forced.


POLANDJA

Watchable. I left 40 minutes early to get to the next movie on time. While "PolandJa" is full of vulgarity and nonsense, I'm still curious what happened to the snake one of protagonists was trying to get rid of encountering ridiculous obstacles.


HIDDEN FIGURES

Recommended. A few years into the space opera revival comes a fact-based tale of NASA in the Cold War space race. A powerful film about two parallel struggles: one to get a man to the outer space and back and one to abolish racial segregation. And it shows beautifully how civilizational and social progress have to go hand in hand to happen at all and how social predjudices hold people back stronger than technical advancement. Very well acted: Taraji P. Henson's performance as Katherine G. Johnson  and Jim Parsons' as Paul Stafford stay in memory. The subplots of the three black women provide as much suspense as the rocket launch.


LA PAZZA GIOIA (LIKE CRAZY)

Watchable. Wonderfully overacted by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi but these 'Thelma' and 'Louise on the run from a mental institution fail to evoke any deeper emotions. The joyful phase of bipolar disorder may raise some psychiatric interest but the two women are just too crazy to bear.


As the Oscars ceremony is coming up, now, two hours before, I'm listing my humble hopes:
Best Picture - Hell or High Water
Actor in a Leading Role - Denzel Washington
Actress in a Leading Role - Natalie Portman
Actor in a Supporting Role - Mahershala Ali or Jeff Bridges
Actress in a Supporting Role - Naomie Harris
Animated Feature Film - Zootopia
Cinematography - La La Land
Costume Design - La La Land
Directing - Barry Jenkins
Foreign Language Film - anything but Toni Erdmann
Makeup and Styling - Suicide Squad
Original Score - Passengers, alternatively La La Land
Original Song - City of Stars
Production Design - Passengers, alternatively La La Land
Visual Effects - anything but Doctor Strange
Adapted Screenplay - in the order of preference: Hidden Figures, Lion, Moonlight, I haven't seen Fences so not sure about this one, just not for tacky Arrival
Original Screenplay - Hell or High Water because I love it, haven't seen The Lobster or 20th Century Women though

MARIA SKLODOWSKA-CURIE (MARIE CURIE)

Watchable. The movie's disturbing and uplifting at the same time. While there is still enormous resistance against acknowledging women's intelligence, we can see we've gone a long way since the times in which she managed to triumph against all odds. All the more it's unsettling to see her depiction limited to her work and private life. Numerous trivia about her extracurricular interests and activities have been published recently but they stay out of the picture. So, willingly or not, we have to focus on her work to life balance. For people who break the grounds of science on a daily basis it's relatively easy to break free of propriety After all, if no rule of physics or chemistry is guaranteed to stay valid forever and everything is relative (Einstein is one of protagonists here), why would the soft rules of the fabric of society be taken for granted? As we know from the real world, the lower the educational level the more rigidly the people adhere to traditional values and customs. She was far above that. And paid a price. Story apart, I disliked the dark shades in which the whole story was shot.

NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE NIGHT OF HORROR. ANTIVALENTINE'S

A CURE FOR WELLNESS

Recommended. Mountains in Baden-Württemberg are the actual location, my guess is Switzerland was too picturesque and not dramatic enough for a thriller. The spa in "Hostel" led to vile premises. Here the spa is the vile place. Like in horrors, it starts with ominous signs: aggressive village peope and a deer causing an accident. In the sanatorium nurses wear all white which makes male ones look like the "Funny Games" oppressors. The mystery deepens and deepens keeping you on the edge of the seat.

THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE

Recommended. Scary as hell and an unusual puzzle to solve.

부산행 (TRAIN TO BUSAN)

Recommended again. Great cinematography and a story composed of funny moments, tear-jerking ones and lots of twists of action, very realistic psychologically.

곡성 (THE WAILING)

Watchable again. Annoying zombie-like creatures. The film's too long and weird and totally class B. Likeable policemen characters attract you for the first part but later the movie loses its light tone.

FORUSHANDE (THE SALESMAN)

Watchable. About how little pieces of new information change our perception and hence our actions. The theatre subplot is pointless. The whole thing plays on cheap sentiments but is very human at the same time. Not enough for an Oscar in my humble opinion.

BIG LITTLE LIES - EPISODES 1 AND 2

Watchable. Mostly for parents of children of all ages. But, after the second episode, even I feel involved. It's set in an uphill neighbourhood so the interiors look nice and Madeleine (Reese Witherspoon) wears wonderfully matching floral clothes. It's structured a bit strangely: you know from the beginning that someone's been murdered and excerpts from witness interrogations render as ad hoc commentaries to the plot developments - clever but annoying. But most importantly: where are the "big little" lies?

WYKLETY

Recommended. I've finally understood why. It's a feature film made by a historian and in 90% based on facts (some scenes were inspired by lives of other cursed soldiers than the portrayed ones, some got simplified, some were made less brutal than the reality), shot on the locations of the original tortures and showing all sides to the multifaceted history. It moved me deeply towards the end. Good acting. Great cinematography, especially the panoramic take of a line of soldiers on a hill ridge.

MOLLY MONSTER

Watchable. Beautiful colours, a simple tale in which the worst things that happen are missing family members with whom everyone gets reunited. Perfect for nursery-age children. There are a few songs - something I didn't like in films as a child and still don't like.

MR. GAGA

Recommended for the 3rd time. Ohad Naharin and mind over matter. You just sense the movie with your whole self. And those incredible stories of his recovery and of curing his father when he told him to start moving in a youthful way. Visual, auditory and intellectual delight. The dancer and choreographer has just an innate talent to behold.

PLANETARIUM

Watchable. Very slow, contemplative, with several overlong scenes. A number of viewers walked out, which doesn't surprise me. I stayed mostly for the few clever observations. E.g. people imagine that the ghosts who come are the people they loved while in reality (so to say) they're those who cared about us unrequitedly, those who haven't finished with us. Or that someone is dying not because of a gift but rather they have the gift because they're dying. Or how, in uncertain times, it's foreigners who are trusted the least. Or how lots of people chase ghosts this way or another, instead of just living real lives.

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE AT IMAX 3D

Watchable. The first scenes, as well as childish (Polish at least) dubbing,  imply it's for children but several references to old and new "Batman" movies as well as pop culture will entertain adults as well. The main question is: can you domesticate Batman? The "hard on crime, easy on the eye" superhero is a narcissistic chauvinist who first becomes infatuated with a woman in power, then, when scorned by her, interrupts her speech for the TV. Batmacho, I would say. Apart from that, the film's about being an enthusiastic genius eager even to weld underwater but feeling alienated and about how adults never stop being children. With some jokes, e.g.: "You're needed like a sock for sandals." "Guys often wear them so, I'm guessing, a lot." (I'm translating from the Polish translation so please forgive me any inaccuracies). Good 3D at IMAX.  The music's a mixture of pop songs for children and hits from the 80s, e.g. "I just died in your arms tonight" by Cutting Crew. After Batman switches off the recording, there are no further scenes, just a song.

UCITELKA (THE TEACHER)

Watchable.You don't need to be a parent to follow the well-connected manipulant's intrigues. Clear structure, persuasive acting, good communist-era scenography. Involving once you start watching but so realistic you may have been in a similar situation yourself so know it all already.

BALLERINA

Recommended. A delightful tale about fulfilling your dreams and about a true talent, enforced by passion, conquering all hearts. Set in Paris but featuring music by Tchaikovsky - from the "Swan Lake" and "Nutcracker" - as well as pop songs in English. Touching and pleasing to the ear.

A DOG'S PURPOSE

Watchable. A beautiful story, full of love of dogs. Sadly it's tear-jerking. I cried through a bigger part of the movie.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2

Watchable. What was fascinating in part 1, now has got ridiculously blown out of proportion. Yet, the cinematography and music are good and once you took to the characters and the specific world of hitmen in the first instalment, it's just fun to see them again. I loved the "I've lived my own way and I'm going to die my own way" scene. And this time the dog lives. The ending promises part 3 and I'm looking forward to it.

POKOT (SPOOR)

Watchable. A bizarre film, although ideologically suitable for vegetarians. But why is the positive hero barking mad? And possibly evil? Everything's distorted out of proportion, including cinematography. Even the Swietopelk joke, which could have been amusing like the famous Grzegorz Brzeczyszczykiewicz one, gets contorted by the story of domestic violence. The lack of a clear visual concept, mentioned by the director in an interview, is unfortunately clearly visible in the movie. If the director wanted to highlight the issues of age discrimination and ostracising "specific people", why is the main hero made insane towards the end of the film?!

KARSTEN OG PETRAS VIDUNDERLIGE JUL (CASPER AND EMMA'S WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS)

Watchable. Charming, reminded me of my own childhood and the films I watched then. A rare chance to see Norwegian Advent and Christmas traditions. Taken the lovely story being a bit simplistic, it's just a bit too long, with needless songs.

SILENCE

Recommended. The movie's awfully religious and I'm not. But it's so well-made the 161 minutes captivate. Exquisite cinematography, costumes and make-up. Remarkably acted, especially by Andrew Garfield, in a Christian role again, and Issei Ogata as his arch enemy. It's just because I'm too lazy to list all the payroll names. In fact, there's no role here that wouldn't impress. The story is a good lesson in humility to all those who want to convert others and forget what's it for in the first place.

LA MORT DE LOUIS XIV (THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV)

Watchable. About a king, attended to by everyone but helpless in face of a disease. Very slow, with virtually no music, no wonder some viewer fell asleep and snored. For me, however, it was fascinating to watch doctors treating the patient with strange potions which had nothing to do with medicine as we know it today. A quiet study of good will and relentless efforts failing in the lack of genuine knowledge.

GRUSSE AUS FUKUSHIMA (GREETINGS FROM FUKUSHIMA)

Recommended. "You've got only this one life. Longing is living with a ghost." "What do you do when you've lost everything?" Getting cold feet before a wedding resulting in a betrayal. Many truths about life and lots of food for thought. All of that set in Japanese scenery adding delightful immersion in an alien culture.

LA TAULARDE (JAILBIRDS)

Recommended. If you have ever thought prison is a holiday resort at taxpayers' expense, this movie will prove you wrong. The women's prison is brutal, harrowing and repugnant from scene one. It downgrades humans to their physiological needs, with no privacy, just all-surrounding callousness. Shot close up it shoves you into the jail existence. The ending is like a final series of punches exposing how pointless everyone's struggle has been.

ZERWANY KLOS (STOLEN HARVEST)

Watchable. Lofty and moving in turns. Too much make-up which doesn't look natural, especially on such young faces. The Church view of women: a raped one, subsequently harassed by people in the village, who forgives and gives birth in belief that such was God's plan and blessing and one who remained a virgin but lost her life due to extremely deep and painful sabre wounds. The killed one became a saint.

Before the screening the presenter talked about the girl as of "shamed" by a Cossack soldier. Shame on the presenter for such victim blaming!


THE DRAGON SPELL

Watchable. Not much of a plot. Likeable characters. Cute animals.


AMERICAN PASTORAL

Recommended. A reversed American dream. A rebellious teenager goes off the rails. Seriously off the rails. Makes you wonder how yourself and several others managed to go back to normal after a teenage rebellion while she remained changed forever. Peter Riegert is superb as Lou Levov, her grandfather and the only character adding a light touch to the dark tale getting darker and darker. Also outstanding are Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connely and Dakota Fanning.

POKOT (SPOOR)

I've seen it already but due to a publication ban my review will appear on the day of its premiere at this year's Berlinale on 12th February.

EDERLY

Recommended. What's real is not reality but our perception of it. My first impression of the film being a cross between Gombrowicz and Kafka is shared by the distributor. According to the director, Piotr Dumala, a dream is formed as if of fonts, seemingly with no sense. Such an intellectual puzzle it is. Very well shot, in black and white, and acted. A bit too slow for me, though.

Actress Helena Norowicz (82) was offered a modelling job after the role!

JACKIE

Watchable. Very slow, with heavy, sorrowful music and far too many endings. At the same time with remarkable acting by Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy and Peter Sarsgaard as Robert Kennedy. They speak in the old-fashioned manner, that of Natalie Portman much resembling the original pronunciation of Mrs. Kennedy. The film's mostly about funeral preparations and finding comfort in God. I guess I'd love to see it if I were in mourning. But I'm not and it was just tiring, very similar to last year's "Carol" in that manner. Meticulously depicted period details, just like in "Carol", too.

WHY HIM?

Watchable. Much better than the trailer. There are a couple of laughs, e.g. "Just stop talking and eat your paper!", when they are served molecular cuisine dishes wrapped in edible newspapers, but fun comes mostly from watching all the high-tech gadgets in the Silicon Valley millionaire's house causing a modern-style generation gap. While the humour is far from sophisticated, with lots of vulgar jokes and curse words, it is still enjoyable, interesting and involving.

ELLE

Watchable. By Paul Verhoeven so preying on viewers' lowest instincts: full of sex, violence and sexual violence. Involving because full of psychological games. In fact the eponymous "elle" ("she") is the head of a game manufacturer. But her own games draw her in much deeper. There are quite a few puzzles to solve. While she's striving to find the answers, you realise that she, just like most people around her, have a second face.

SPLIT

Watchable. Shyamalan is in the same form as with "Signs" - carefully built up mystery turns to a class B monster fight at the end. It should have developed or, at least, stopped at the discovery of each personality having their own physical characteristics (e.g. only one having diabetes etc.). Luckily it's all made by the Hollywood book therefore perfectly bearable. James McAvoy shines enacting 5 different personalities delightfully. The role of his life.

THE FOUNDER

Recommended. Like "The Social Network" without the tedious bits. About hipster-style (though set in the 50s, that seems to be the best comparison) socially beneficial capitalism versus ruthless capitalism driven by greed. Also, a painstakingly researched story of the world's best known fast food chain and an extensive depiction of America of the 1950s. On the personal level it shows how Ray Kroc and his wife grew apart and the change of life goals led him to a new relationship. But most of all it's a hard-hitting business lesson. Carefully built up tension leads to a shattering finale which stays with you long after.

THE SWEDISH THEORY OF LOVE

Recommended. About individualism leading to: the largest percentage of single people in the world, the largest sperm bank in the world, people dead for two years with no one aware and a popular social activity which is searching woods for missing people. Astonishing how social engineering has changed Sweden. I thought I knew a lot about the Swedish notion of individualism and freeing a person from family obligations but the results of it surpass whatever I imagined. The fact that about 50% of Swedish women choose to live alone and to have babies on their own, reducing men to the role of sperm donors, is not that surprising taken that even in Sweden being married is associated with cooking and cleaning for the husband. Yet, learning about someone's death two years later, because no one noticed, never seemed to me possible. The whole system sounds like science fiction but it exists for real, just across the Baltic Sea.

MOONLIGHT

Recommended. I've heard it's got 140 awards already. It develops step by step, with subtlety you wouldn't expect from a film about rough neighborhood, tough guys and drug dealing. But it's more than that: the collapse of family values, dealing with school bullying, becoming oneself, love, friendship, what life is and what life is about. I had tears in my eyes a good few times. Trevante Rhodes and Andre Holland act remarkably well.

LAS, 4 RANO

Watchable. Krzysztof Majchrzak's life's role. But while his character is both intriguing and well acted, the film is mediocre. Part of it is annoyingly sexist: a relatively young woman becomes fond of an old, fat homeless guy and even wants to shag. In reality it would be the other way round: he would be harassing her. The movie's also tedious at times and I just felt it was going nowhere. The brilliant beginning isn't matched by an equal ending. In fact, there's no ending.

LES PREMIERS LES DERNIERS (THE FIRST, THE LAST)

Watchable. Two of the characters carry biblical names: Jezus and Esther for no obvious reason. The crime plot is intriguing enough to follow the story, with information revealed gradually and slowly, but the two homeless people, one of them mentally ill, aren't pleasing to watch and there's too much sidetracking.

A STREET CAT NAMED BOB

Recommended. I'm not a cat person but Bob the Cat just stole my heart. Together with Luke Treadaway utterly convincing as his recovering junkie owner. The film's based on a true story, quite recent and from London. Still, it's the first time I've actually heard of them so I can only relate to what I saw. Put a junkie on the screen and it's watchable. Add a purring cat and it's a winner. Their story is totally involving. It's just so touching to see the two strays bonding and getting a second life.

SZTUKA KOCHANIA. HISTORIA MICHALINY WISLOCKIEJ (THE ART OF LOVING: THE STORY OF MICHALINA WISLOCKA)

Watchable. Action jumping to and fro in time confusingly and the lack of dates of events are what detracts from this tremendously entertaining film about trying to get a sex manual published in communist times. The scene of Michalina meeting her future husband naked in a lake: "Moja twarz jest nieco wyzej." ("My face is a bit higher up.") is hilarious as are some other situations, e.g. the sacks of mail. Her life was unusual: living in a triangle, having an affair with a married man; her work important and exceeding her times: introducing cytohormonal testing, treating women after home-induced abortions, educating about contraception and, last but not least, advocating for women's orgasms. The film was shot before the Black Protest, being released now it conveys a sinister message: women's rights are not won once for all but have to be fought for every few decades anew.

Magdalena Boczarska in the leading role apparently mastered Michalina Wislocka's manner of speaking as the sexologist's daughter told her: "Przestan, mowisz dokladnie jak moja mama!" ("Stop it, you're talking just like my mum!"). Piotr Adamczyk confessed he was thanking the day he had decided to become an actor when two beautiful women would replace each other in his bed on the same day during shooting the sex scenes.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Watchable. A slowly unfolding story about a rough guy who, after his brother's premature death, becomes a reluctant guardian of his nephew. Sounds familiar? Add a memory of an earlier tragedy in the family and you get the picture. Run-of-the-mill but very human. Good cinematography.

RAK TI KHON KAEN (CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR)

Watchable. In this film Thai life is filled with folk beliefs and imagination, making it similar to Jan Jakub Kolski's movies in which miracles are discussed in conversations instead of being shown with visual effects. Quite interesting from the cultural point of view. It's also very slow and quiet, all people speak softly and are nice to each other so it helps you unwind. Unfortunately the slow pace means it's easy for the audience to doze off. One guy was even snoring, others would leave in the middle or flash their phones.

MR. GAGA

Recommended again. I was mesmerised. While the documentary tells you a lot about his career and life, the biggest attraction is the dance itself. The movements the dancers are capable of defy belief.

부산행 (TRAIN TO BUSAN)

Recommended. Normally I'm not a zombie fan. Such movies tend to get unbearably boring and vexing after the first attacks. From that moment I typically just wait to see who's going to survive or I lose patience and walk out. This one has a real plot which kept me glued to the screen and made my heart skip a beat on a few occasions. The first zombie appears about a quarter into the movie but the bloodthirsty monsters are just a pretext for action with a good number of twists and turns. Remarkably good make-up ensures the transformations look realistic. Many ingenious solutions applied by the entrapped make for a zombie epidemic survival guide. Psychologically complete characters. Tongue-in-cheek scenes like the one with a mobile phone used to divert zombies' attention or a guy calling a fund manager a "bloodsucker" are the icing on the cake.

LIVING WITH WARSAW

Recommended. A vibrant account of why some men give up stability in their home countries to live in a city few people in the world have even heard of. In this 40-minute long film you find everything: their life stories (most have moved here for women), acculturation and the sense of adventure they all share. What surprised me was how ugly the city itself was in their eyes.

ILEGITIM (ILLEGITIMATE)

Walked out. They sit droning on and on. I couldn't care less if she aborts or not and whether they were wanted children at all. Couldn't stand the blabbering.

ASSASSIN'S CREED 3D

Watchable. Filmed in London, Malta and, mostly, Spanish Andalucia it's quite an arid-looking film. Unfortunately so is the story. Very simplistic, far-fetched and game-like. I didn't like the music but some shots look breath-taking, mostly early on. Later it doesn't impress.

EL CIUDADANO ILUSTRE (THE DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN)

Recommended. Quotes of Daniel Montavani, the (fictitious) Nobel prize winning writer, would make for a great book in their own right. While he falls into all the traps of a life of a celebrity, its his assertive, rational responses that make the character of the genius so plausible. His resilience to the craziness around him remains in sharp contrast to the great scope of emotions he evokes in the small town people and makes this comedy drama so smart.

JA, OLGA HEPNAROVA (I, OLGA HEPNAROVA)

Recommended. Most people, including me, leaving the screen felt like banged in the head with a hammer. With so many movies that fail to make an impression, a hard-hitting one stands out. The film's closely based on a book which is in turn closely based on facts. Olga Hepnarova was one of few female mass murderers and her modus operandi was running people over with a truck, just like in a few recent terrorist attacks in Western Europe - easily accessible, especially to her, working as a driver. According to the film she's a masculine type: in her movements, dressing style, homosexuality and her proactivity in dating. If you're going to see a movie about a mass murderer, you want strong emotions and/or to find out why they committed this unimaginable crime. This movie gives the answer. It's not brutal. No blood and guts. She makes it clear it's an extended suicide: her revenge on the society is bound to sentence her to death and that's what she wants. She's very intelligent and her reasoning is truly fascinating. At the same time the film leaves no doubts about her sanity. She's ill. She says she's a psychopath but that's one bit she gets wrong. She's not that calculative and she's not manipulative. Psychopaths lack emotions and she has so many she can't cope. The film's psychologically true. She feels like a failure. She's bullied in hospital, her problems at work and in her love life appear to her Himalaya-high obstacles, family warmth is replaced with medical prescriptions and we see her succumb to depression. As renowned Polish psychiatrist Antoni Kepinski said, a suicidal person wants to live and wants to die at the same time, and this is brilliantly conveyed through her ear-piercing scream in one of the final scenes. Michalina Olszanska, known from "Corki dancingu" ("The Lure"), perfectly enacts the girl, with a lot expressed just with her eyes. The film is black and white which both reflects the grey reality of the socialist Czechoslovakia and tells you black on white how things were with Olga.

SING

Recommended. I was sceptical about a movie with singing pigs but it surpassed my expectations. The storyline is reminiscent of "Fame", while animation-wise it resembles "Zootropolis". Also characters seem to be inspired by the latter: a variety of species of animals living in a multicultural society reflecting humans'. Big actor names dub the original version and even the Polish dubbing sounds seemless. Several well-known songs are featured. Some scenes made me laugh (e.g. "I've made you coffee." "And... where is it?" "I felt parched on the way."), other moved me deeply. It also showcases an array of singers' motivations as well as some outstanding characters like the posh sheep family. Great fun for children and adults alike.

PERFETTI SCONOSCIUTI (PERFECT STRANGERS)

Recommended. A comedy drama about secrets and lies. With several serious issues: gay coming out, one's open-mindedness, trust and its abuse, real motives of staying together, sexual initiation, bringing up adolescents etc. Very involvingly acted. But the best is the perfect structure of the film.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY AT IMAX 3D

Watchable. I was apprehensive about "The Stories". What's more, as I try not to read about movies before seeing them, I expected a spin-off. Luckily it's nicely and meticulously written into the original low-tech trilogy and the "Star Wars" Universe and you know straightaway when it's happening. Filmed on locations in Iceland, Jordan and the Maldives which gives the feel of the reality of the diverse galaxy as well as impressive sceneries. One major well-known character appears alongside brief cameos of three others. Music by Michael Giacchino smoothly blends with the famous "Star Wars Theme" by John Williams. A number of protracted battle scenes. Very standard jokes with occasional few good ones e.g.: "I'll be there to protect you. Caspian told me I had to." Amazing shots of planets from space. The movie runs at 80% of the force (pun intended) till it evolves into a delightful ending. In the end I also got to love the two new heroes. As with original "Star Wars" there are no scenes during or after the credits but I just loved the score harmonising with the original score by John Williams.


16. INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WATCH DOCS

WRONG ELEMENTS

Watchable. While you can find out what has happened and what is happening now to the Ugandan child soldiers or learn about the current Lord's Resistance Army position, it's a partly French film which means the predictable: the camera just follows the young people talking while visiting sites with no editing or commentary. Apart from me not being fond of such kind of documentaries, from time to time it hinders making out what they're referring to in their conversations and remarks.


RADIN! (PENNY PINCHER!)

Watchable. It's a moderately witty comedy - I loved the orchestra playing "The Four Seasons" in 12 minutes but didn't laugh out loud much - except for the sad and cheesy ill daughter subplot which turns it into a drama only to return to a comedy at the end.


16. INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WATCH DOCS

THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY JIHAD

Watchable. Gosh, is it chaotic! A family torn between advocating for ISIS, being a moderate muslim and staying away from religion makes for a hot subject but lousy editing ruins the experience.


SNEZNAYA KOROLEVA 3. OGON I LED (THE SNOW QUEEN 3: FIRE AND ICE)

Watchable. Although the title looks like a citation of "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R. R. Martin, it's anything but. It's just one of a few pop culture references in the movie. There are some funny situations and cute animals (birds and an ermine). However, it all appears to be merely a cartoon version of fantasy movies for teenagers. The Snow Queen fairytale reduced to pop pulp.


GLOBAL MIGRATION FILM FESTIVAL


AND WHO TAUGHT YOU TO DRIVE?


Watchable. A very interesting account of dos and don'ts in different cultures. Could be easily titled "Driving round the world". In India the car will always malfunction, this way or the other. In Japan every little gesture matters and it sometimes takes seven attempts to pass the test but with no attention to detail you will never succeed. In addition the Japanese don't speak English (no wonder if their English teachers dream of quitting the job). In Germany the instructor was the most sexist of them all. Very informative and fun to watch. Only the editing had a field for improvement.



KONWOJ

Watchable. There have been Polish movies about how bad policemen are. This one's about bad prison transport officers. Excellent gradation of tension but, due to a shoddy editing, a bit unclear at times. I'm waiting for a film about the failing judicial system.



PASSENGERS 3D

Recommended. From the first sight of the travelling spaceship you know it's going to be fantastic. Mind-blowing visually. One of swimming pool scenes is like nothing I had seen before, in any movie. Neither had Jennifer Lawrence. The story contains the best elements of "The Martian", "Gravity" and... lots of surprises. The script by Jon  Spaihts (the writer behind "Prometheus", "Doctor Strange" and upcoming "The Mummy") is a complete vision of the future and of people's personalities and motivations combined with a thought-provoking moral dilemma. Genuine space opera. Better than the latest "Star Wars".


PO PROSTU PRZYJAZN

Watchable. Finally a Polish film where all dialogues are perfectly audible and clear. Too many prolonged scenes with slow music. Little humour, most of it at the beginning of credits. No scenes after the credits. The best roles are the truly comic ones by three supporting actors: Anna Polony as Patryk's grandma, Magdalena Warak as Ivanka's sister and Jan Peszek as the hospital director.

RESTER VERTICAL (STAYING VERTICAL)

Watchable. Very good: clear, naturalistic, yet deprived of vulgarity sex scenes are juxtaposed with a baby crying for a bigger part of the film. There are also a clear scene of gerontophilic homosexual sex and another of straight-in-your-face birthgiving which I found a bit disturbing. However the wolf scene is excellent. The storyline's quite peculiar - it's tongue-in-cheek but doesn't make anyone laugh. The main protagonist is striving to survive but takes a downfall, especially once the baby is born. I'm not sure what the movie is meant to be. A contraception pill?

JOSEPH AND MARY

Watchable. A typical Biblical story: quiet, correct, touching and seen a hundred of times already.

PUSTINA - EPISODES 1 & 2

Watchable. Filth rules - both physical (no one washes their hands after using the toilet) and moral. Made to imitate Scandinavian crime series but with focus on the lower class. The second episode is more interesting than the first, you know already who is who so you can start guessing whodunnit. Yet, the Pustina town is made to look so ordinary it's not a must see. So while the girl's disappearance is intriguing, seeing the serial means watching lowlives for 8 hours in total.


16. INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WATCH DOCS

TONY (THE CHOCOLATE CASE)

Recommended. Time to face it: I'm guilty of slavery. It turns out that cocoa plantations are ridden with slave labour of children who don't get paid, are starved and whipped. Dutch Tony Chocolonely brand was set up to eradicate it. It's growing and, as the director said during the Q&A after the screening, some regular brands have vanished from the market since so that's optimistic. But most of all, the humble beginnings, when journalist Teun van de Keuken started investigating the chocolate production ethics, are hilarious. The film is very infomative, e.g. debunks the myth that Fair Trade equals ethical, transparent and monitored. So altogether it's clever, funny and disquieting at the same time.

16. INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WATCH DOCS

IKONA (ICON)

Watchable. The film lacks cohesion. While part of the disarray comes from the contorted relationships in the mental hospital, e.g. the birthday cake scene, where the hapless patient gets practically told off for having caused the problem of baking the cake, appears in between numerous shows of affection of the personnel towards the ill, the doctor's philosophical musings are out of the blue.

HOOLIGAN SPARROW

Watchable. The case of a school director who abused 6 of his female charges is just a pretext to present current day China where high officials find it "fashionable" to rape underage girls and authorities systematically threaten human rights activists and raid their offices. It's also more about the activist's life than about the case. So it's for viewers interested in China as a country rather than in women's rights.

WALKA Z SZATANEM (THE BATTLE WITH SATAN)

Watchable. No wonder the film met with neither outrage nor praise from the side of the Church. It's quite low key. The topic is controversial: Poland is Europe's unfamous leader in the number of exorcisms and most of the alleged possession victims are females between 15 and 25. While it's clear from the film that some children are forced to attend religion lessons and then get coerced into undergoing the rites which guarantee regular profits to the Church, it all can be read between the lines only.

FANG DEN HAIDER (CATCHING HAIDER)

Watchable. An interesting portrayal of a tremendously popular politician. While it says a lot about Joerg Haider's background and political tactics, what comes to the fore is his impact on people. He was a keen observant, with outstanding memory of people's names and faces, just as much as a shrewed manipulator. A natural born leader. Beautiful views of Austria - similar to Switzerland - and local festivities are a delight too. The director's personal commentary doesn't help to understand some local dealings though. It would be better as a biopic rather than a political reportage.


LA LA LAND

Watchable. I was afraid the jazz music might be too much for me and that I would walk out like from "Excentrycy, czyli po slonecznej stronie ulicy" or "Whiplash". Anything but. It's mild jazz, pop, 80s, really light. What's more, it's truly catchy, the music just stays with you. The story is also light, good for a musical, a bit cliche, especially as it associates happiness with having a child as the culmination of a relationship. J. K. Simmons, known as the teacher from "Whiplash", plays a small part. There's nothing over or after the credits so you can leave as soon as the movie ends.

In between the screenings I overheard a peculiar conversation between two Muggle journalists: "There's a 'Star Wars' screening on Wednesday." "Again?! There's been one already!" "That was last year. There's a new part coming out."

SOLIDARUCHY Z RAKOWIECKIEJ

Watchable. A very fresh documentary about former Solidarnosc activists talking about their imprisonment. Some funny bits, e.g. about the political police from Katowice driving a Varsovian activist to the jail in Warsaw - they didn't know the city so the arrested guy had to guide them, or prisoners' pipe dreams of becoming the director of a jail for communists. Some grim ones - about brutally murdered freedom fighters and conditions of their incarceration. A number of talking heads droning on. Who-is-who notes are given at the very end which renders a big part of the film incomprehensible to people like me.

The film will be shown on Channel 2 of Polish Television at 10:55 p.m. tonight.


16. INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WATCH DOCS

THE LAST LAUGH

Watchable. About whether you can joke about the Holocaust or not. Of course you can. Provided you're Jewish. I'm not but some jokes are so tactful even I can quote them: "Two Jews were sent to assassinate Hitler. They were waiting outside his quaters as he was to come at 8. Half an hour passed. He didn't turn up. An hour passed. He was still not there. Two hours passed and one Jew says to the other: 'He's still not here. I hope nothing's happened to him.'" or "My mum was a Holocaust survivor. Sorry, she was the alleged Holocaust survivor." Several other jokes were told in the film. Unfortunately, most just weren't funny.

16. INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WATCH DOCS

AU NOM DE L'ORDRE ET DE LA MORALE (IN THE NAME OF MORALS AND ORDER)

Recommended. Coercion into sterilisation, nuns torturing children and priests raping them, forced child labour don't sound like... Switzerland, do they? A hard-hitting film about how all of this was either inevitable or even desirable in the society of a few decades ago.

CURUMIM

Recommended. The whole film is pleasing to watch. The main protagonist is a very nice guy whose life was so fascinating it could be easily made into a Hollywood blockbuster: drug-dealing while paragliding, a spectacular escape, an Indonesian prison onto which venomous snakes are thrown from the air daily. The ending in the form of notes informing you of the latest fate of the portrayed people comes as a shock.

DESTRUCTION OF MEMORY

Recommended. Scenes of world-famous monuments of culture being blown up are thrown in the midst of the discussion so abruptly they startle you. It's a scientific fact that genocide is always preceded by the demolition of the ethnic or religious group's material culture. The film chronicles such devastation from World War Two Dresden and Warsaw, through former Yugoslavia, to ISIS destroying Timbuktu and Syria. Owing to the demolition of cultural artefacts having been recognised as a war crime, counteraction is being taken in Syria. Nearly a military operation in itself.

A157

Watchable. Nothing really new about ISIS enslaving Yazidi teenage girls. I learnt about dots round the neck of one of the opressors with words "open here" and people making a living of looking for relatives of those in the refugee camps. Other than that it's just the slow routine of life in a muddy camp.

#MYESCAPE

Recommended. The subject of recent refugee migration has been all over mass media for a couple of years now so I thought I had seen it all. But here you get ordinarily looking people, including some really hot guys, who have been to hell and back: have spent thousands of dollars, trekked through a dessert, travelled in nearly air-locked carriages, struggled not to fall asleep to be able to keep balance on a dinghy brimming with people and done most of that at gunpoint. Recorded with their own candid cellphones. Makes impression.

The film is available for free online. The makers didn't put it on Youtube but someone did and the producers don't mind.


SCOPE 100

LA TORTUE ROUGE (THE RED TURTLE)

Watchable. Very good beginning. Thirst you hear music similar to sea waves, then you see the castaway. Later on the animation with few colours but of numerous shades is the main attraction. The film is slow but in a calm manner so it's quite relaxing. What perplexed me was its nonsense natural geography: as far as I'm aware, the only seals living in the tropics are those off the coast of California where the cold current runs. But such a current wouldn't be favoured by sea turtles.

SZCZESCIE SWIATA

Watchable. It's weird and makes no sense but the weirdos are charming in their period style.

SKWAR (HEAT)

Watchable. About nothing but short at least (8 minutes).

LA DANSEUSE (THE DANCER)

Watchable. It's in fact about two dancers - one who made it through hard work and one with incomparable talent who made history. Beautiful Lily-Rose Depp as Isadora Duncan. Both dancers blew me away with their choreographies. Unfortunately the dance scenes appear quite late in the film and aren't that many. The story's a bit disturbing as Maire-Louise Fuller had to start her career through bed, there are also games played between potential lovers: her and Isadora, her and Louis etc. Very French in that.

OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Watchable. Fun starts shortly after the party does which means you need to wait through the interesting, yet not hilarious, built-up to get the situation humour that'll make you laugh out loud several times later on.

TONI ERDMANN

Watchable. It is long (162 minutes) and it feels long. All the film I just kept waiting to learn what the corporate rat woman's father came to teach her. It's nothing special and nothing obvious till the end. It was only after the screening that it finally dawned on me - the joker father is more authentic in his disguises than his daughter is in her business suit. Romania is a perfect setting for pretenders as, with its largest shopping centre nearly empty, being too expensive for the general public to shop, it's one huge mask as well. I only felt sorry for the hot Romanian guy who seemed to have human feelings. The film's a praise of being oneself and true to one's values whatever they are.

LA FILLE INCONNUE (THE UNKNOWN GIRL)

Watchable. Dark and heavy, getting heavier and heavier as the story develops. About guilt. The dark side of society is juxtaposed with the unchanging calmness and kindness of the young female doctor trying to uncover the dead girl's identity. Very French - events take place as if in real time. The mystery keeps you on the edge of the seat. Very good, tense. Doesn't really evoke any other emotions.

GLOBAL MIGRATION FILM FESTIVAL

THE GOOD LIE

Recommended. It throws you in the middle of a Sudanese child refugee life: the heart-wrenching scenes in Sudan, the foot journey of over 700 miles to Kenya, resettlement to the US after 13 years in the camp, cultural blunders, e.g. calling the job agency worker, who has helped them a lot, "Yardit" meaning a "great white cow" to which she reacts: "Well, I've been called worse" and battling with horrible memories. Very well acted by actual refugees, including two former child soldiers. Impossible to stay indifferent after the movie.

Ex-president Komorowski popped in the cinema with his wife after the movie. He had a quick chat with the festival organizers before going to see "The Handmaiden".

OCHO APELLIDOS VASCOS (SPANISH AFFAIR)

Watchable. Well scripted and acted but quite impenetrable. I've been to both Seville and the Basque Country and I speak some Spanish, yet I was perplexed. The Polish translation retaining a lot of Castillan and Basque expressions didn't help. If you're not Spanish, you put so much effort into distinguishing which is which, what it means and why it's funny that you fail to laugh. So it's fun but more of linguistic and cultural interest rather than comedy. One important message from the film is: if you want to overthrow your government, don't smoke! The excise tax funds the regime.

THE FOURTH PHASE

Recommended. Stunning cinematography and a fantastic score by Kishi Bashi accompany a story of endurance driven by love of all the four phases of water. There's just one joke: "Hey, mum! I did it. No, she's not pregnant. I'm talking about snowboarding." Yet, the whole thing is entirely entertaining and makes you feel the power of following your own path. A must see. Numerous scenes during and after the first credits.

LASSEMAJAS DETEKTIVBYRA - STELLA NOSTRA (THE WHODUNIT DETECTIVE AGENCY)

Watchable. The film's silly and lacks humour but the acting, dubbing and costumes are perfect for a children's movie. Lets you unwind.




FIVE FLAVOURS FILM FESTIVAL

경성학교: 사라진 소녀들 (THE SILENCED)

Recommended. Unpredictable for a larger part and mysterious. The best part is you never know which way it's going to turn as the very genre is not clear till the end.


SULLY

Recommended. A film about the emergency landing on the Hudson river requires tension to be gradually and precisely built up. This film meets the condition. It's also remarkable that all the rescue took just 24 minutes and everyone survived. New York response workers are really something. Tom Hanks' performance is touching. When you get to the scene about Christmas cards during the credits, that's it, that's the final.

POWIDOKI (AFTERIMAGE)

Recommended. Four bleak years of stalinism. A free-thinking artist is dismissed for political reasons, thrown out of the artists' association and left without any sustenance. Makes you wonder if all non-religious and non-national art is going to get banned in the current situation in Poland. You'll find some comfort in it being "just a wind of history which always passes". Very well acted and scripted, pulling you in deeper and deeper. Tragic and moving.

KOLEKCJA SUKIENEK

Watchable. 8 popular actresses and 1 actor tell life stories. Lots of natural-looking close-ups give the impression of having conversations with them and the stories are very life-like so it feels cosy to follow them. You just feel like one of them. Everyone has some unfulfilled dreams and disappointments with partners or regrets about having children. The man in the ending feels like from a different tale. The film should have ended with the conversation about death.

BAD SANTA 2

Watchable. Gross and hardly funny but at least with a cohesive storyline. The female security guard has a fabulous Christmas lipstick.


WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

A PICKLE RECIPE

Watchable. A feel-good family movie and satire on Americans trying to cash on everything. The comedy bits could be funnier though.


LUX FILM DAYS

A PEINE J'OUVRE LES YEUX (AS I OPEN MY EYES)

Watchable. "Mustang" it isn't - it's too political and too Tunesian. The music's not too bad but the story's not fully transparent for people outside the portrayed country. Also the bit about the singer's boyfriend is too frustrating in its chauvinism. It's like he's doing whatever he likes and she gets the blame.


LION

Recommended. A tear-jerker from the 18th minute but so beautiful and touching to the core it's a must-see. Wonderfully acted and shot. Arresting scenery of Tasmania's Wellington Park plays a significant role too. A great movie to be released before Christmas. Makes you want to reunite with all your relatives.

According to the writer Luke Davies, the first 40 minutes were modelled on "WALL-E". Dev appears only in the 55th minute, the 2nd act of the film.

FALE

Watchable. The family, relationship, school and planning for the future issues of two hair-dressing trainees are easy to follow even if marred by poor music. Sadly it ends nowhere. An interesting scene is training shaving on a balloon - if you cut the surface, it bursts. I hope the real training looks just like that!

KEKSZAKALLU

Watchable. It was killing me with boredom till the ending where one of the girls drops her upper-middle-class life to leave for Brazil though lacking any knowledge of geography. Only then did I get the meaning of the film. What makes you change your life doesn't have to be any misfortune. Boredom is a sufficient trigger. What enlivens the 72 minutes of the film are scenes depicting Argentinian lifestyle, my favourite being cooking an octopus - the first time for me to see that. The eponymous Blue Beard is just the symbol of the unknown, no violence here.

If you're going to be around Wroclaw on 9th or 11th December, you can land a 6 zl ticket to see Pierce Brosnan or Wim Wenders at Kino Nowe Horyzonty. While in Warsaw, a big night will be the 15th December when the two new screens at Muranow will be officially opened.

FIVE FLAVOURS FILM FESTIVAL

ANTIPORNO

Watchable. A bit like "The Duke of Burgundy" - the roles both are ambiguous and get reversed. The topic is quite feminist and lesbian too. Visually much more attractive though. At least it's colourful.

A YELLOW BIRD

Watchable. Singapore boasts itself on its cleanliness, orderliness and high standard of living. This, in turn, is a sordid, seedy picture of the city-state: illegal migrant workers, lawlessness and moral filth. Interesting to see the hidden part but the movie's slow, disturbing and bleak.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM 3D

Recommended. Newt Scamander has arrived at the cinemas worldwide. New York is considerably more interesting with his fantastic beasts and the final havoc resembles "Ghostbusters". The 3D's really good. I have the impression the movie would gain much when watched at IMAX. Plenty of typical for Rowling humour, e.g.: "I'm not dreaming." "How do you know?" "I haven't got the brains to make this up." The American legilimens can't read an Englishman's mind because of his accent and Muggles are called No-Majs in the New World. I've got the whole series of "Harry Potter"  books and "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" but not "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" because, from what I saw when I browsed it years ago, it was a mere description of 85 magical animals. The film however has got a complex storyline by, no less, J.K. Rowling. Very well acted, especially by Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalsky and Alison Sudol as Queenie. All the animated creatures are delightful as well. One resembles a sloth, another one a mole, but both these and several other have their peculiar behaviours, some funny ones, like the niffler. Dubbing in the Polish trailer sounded forced.

The trailer of the lego Batman film featured Starship's "We Built This City" song. The animation didn't look enticing but, who knows, with such music it might be fun.

INNER WORKINGS

Recommended. A funny and clever short film preceding "Moana". About professional burnout and healthy lifestyle.

MOANA

Watchable. It starts with an utterly annoying raspy voice of an elderly woman (at least in the Polish dubbing) but bear with it - it's just a moment. The rest is quite pleasant, even if some dialogues and songs are overlong and silly. The water of the tropical ocean shines, Polynesia is bright and full of colour, or stars at night, the people have lovely big eyes, the cock with a coconut shell on his head makes everyone laugh. It's an easy to follow tale of how strong a little girl can be. Above all, enjoy Oceania!

ZACMA (BLINDNESS)

Slept through. Boring and stupid, philosophical and theatrical.

PAKT - SEASON 2 EP. 1

Watchable. It's amazing how political Polish people are. The series is a compilation of well known events from the Polish political arena barely disguised with the change of names. Unfortunately TV news are normally far more exciting. Besides, I couldn't make out parts of the dialogues.

I also tried playing the Pakt Escape Room VR game but got so frustrated with either the zoom or the earphones refusing to work that I abandoned the session.

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS

Watchable. The opening sequence is striking. I read its symbolism as the ugly naked truth of America which gets flaunted constantly one scene after another. The film consists of two stories. I liked the "real-life" one about relationships in love, family, at work and it being set partly in art galleries (fragment of my world too). The "fictitious" tale is boring, especially its initial violently dynamic bit. Random violence is so cliche in American movies. It gets better when the police officer-victim bond is created and when the investigation progresses. The whole film ending is astonishing. Superb cinematography underlines the sharp contrast between the high life in the "reality" and the torching sun as well as dimly lit night in the Texas desert in the "fiction".

CINEMAFORUM

The festival comprises of, in a bigger part, workshops for young filmmakers in which they work on a short film. As Arkadiusz Jakubik put it, it "dziala, nie zawsze, ale dziala" ("works, not always, but works"). This year the winning amateur short films were:

KAROLA

Watchable. This is how to move a viewer within a few minutes. Unfortunately, the happy ending's out of the blue.

ASFIKSJA

Watchable. Each workshop participant presents their cliche script, weird colours are used on purpose. Well acted. Shamefully, the film lacks sense.

Among other productions, "Dom" won the Best Animation prize. As I've written before, I found it mediocre.

Presenter Mateusz Damiecki told some actors' jokes: "An actor is someone who, riding a bike through a dark wood at night, keeps the light on himself." and "How do you recognize an actor at a party? He'll tell you himself."

Finally, two of the awarded independent films were shown:

CZARNOKSIEZNIK Z KRAINY U.S. (THE WIZARD OF U.S.)

Watchable. Composed of interviews conducted in Hollywood in 2014, with excellent modern animation, it tells about moving countries: the reasons and the outcomes. The experiences, however, are just like anyone else's: two people attracted to each other never end up together as a result of playing games meant to attract, someone spending Christmas in bars, people making their own living.

NADEJDA LEPSZE CZASY (SOMETHING BETTER TO COME)

Recommended. Such tragic stories I was crying from the beginning to the end. It's worth seeing the lives so miserable you just wouldn't believe possible. Homelessness and living on a rubbish heap in their stark clarity.

A note about "Dywizjon 303" - an upcoming Polish movie about the legendary pilots fighting in the Battle of Britain: the distributor has withdrawn due to the change of scriptwriters and historical truth. This is how politics is ruining one of our potential blockbusters.

THE ROLLING STONES OLE OLE OLE!: A TRIP ACROSS LATIN AMERICA

Recommended. Even if you have known little about the Rolling Stones, the film will make you a fan. The cinematographer Jonas Mortensen makes the most of the bright sunlight in Latin America, its stunning locations, architecture and of the band's bright outfits: adjusted to contemporary fashion, yet so much rock'n'roll. The single rain scene looks superb too. The band members are all athletic, well-cultured and just charming. They all have the charisma they never bring up discussing their undiminished popularity. It's very informative about the band, the tour management and even politics. The musicians provide insight into how when something gets banned it immediately gets devout followers as well as why dictatorships delegalized rock music. It's a music documentary so, obviously, it's filled with music and dancing. Sitting in a comfy cinema seat is a perfect way to absorb the sounds in 5.1 and the pictures on a big screen. It's so vibrant and exhilarating it's just pure pleasure.


SPUTNIK RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL

INTIMNYE MESTA (INTIMATE PARTS)

Watchable. How much can lighting affect a movie! It's a nearly asexual film about sexuality. So, while it's barely exciting, the very topic never bores. It tells about all sorts of harmless perversions. Most of the actors are fat and ugly and their characters have issues with satisfying their peculiar needs.


PATERSON

Watchable. A slow-paced but pleasant film about a small town full of little dreams of its endearing inhabitants. I like it how late it's revealed where the town is. For a bigger part you think it could be anywhere in the US.

QUACKERS

Walked out. The movie was as disorderly as the kids around and the Polish version's dubbed with irritating voices.

The trailer of an upcoming film about a dog getting reincarnated at the same owner's, "A Dog's Purpose", looks enticing.


NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE MARATHON OF PITBULL

A nice touch was starting the marathon with a slot of actors greeting the viewers, talking about their transformations into the characters and warning: "Tylko mi nie spac!" ("Don't you dare sleep!")

PITBULL

Watchable. Not everything was clear and some bits were hard to hear, even at my second viewing. Still, I liked it better this time. Some scenes are hilarious, e.g. "Ucz sie zawodu" ("Learn the profession") one or when a police officer disables a bribe of 500 thousand dollars and gets 800 zlotys as a reward for the deed. The final song has good lyrics.

PITBULL. NOWE PORZADKI (NEW ORDERS)

Recommended. Great music, the character of Strachu is introduced and remains the highlight of the second and third part of the trilogy. The scene with him complaining about shoes is brilliant. Kura has got a fancy shade of blue nail polish. Top notch action.

PITBULL. NIEBEZPIECZNE KOBIETY (TOUGH WOMEN)

Recommended. No worse than the second film. Strachu again and, additionally, a gang's own lawyer. Perfectly scripted again.

SNOWDEN

Recommended. We live in the world of total surveillance: our emails, calls, text messages, chats, Facebook accounts are tapped into, webcams and mikes used even when the computer is off, naked scanners search our bodies, we spy on people we know and don't know, information is everything. Joseph Gordon-Levitt looks much like Edward Snowden, just as Rhys Ifans resembles Corbin a lot. We get to know Snowden's full story, including him never having completed a school, his army service, as well as his love life. The plot is tense with the Rubik's cube scene being the highlight. Very well cast, structured and much revealing. It ends with some real life footage bits extending over the first credits. Great music score.

PLAC ZABAW

Recommended. Very well shot by Mateusz Skalski. Lots of clear close-ups, some CCTV footage, distant takes - all playing a role here. Excellent actors, including the very young ones. An uneasy watch about how cruel children are and about how it goes top-bottom in families.

SPUTNIK RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL

SOLARIS (1972)

Watchable. The 2002 American version was, as my friend put it, "about Clooney's arse", so I decided to see the Soviet version by Tarkovsky. However ancient it is, it hasn't really aged. Still, the 159 minute running time is too long. The suspense created at the beginning gets ruined by all the slow scenes. In fact "Solaris" by Stanislaw Lem is one of the books I have at home but have never had time to read. I believe it must have been groundbreaking at the time. The topics tackled, according to the adaptation - who's really human and "Flatliners'-like chance of atonement - have reappeared in science fiction several times. The thoroughly psychological insight into both of the issues at the same time is the main value of the film. It's just too slow to grasp.

NEBESNYE ZHENY LUGOVYKH MARI (CELESTIAL WIVES OF THE MEADOW MARI) (2012)

Watchable. Meticulous house and dress decorations hide lewdness and vulgarity. Fascinating and revolting at the same time.

LIFE, ANIMATED

Watchable. A typically American documentary where the voice is given mostly to the protagonist's family members. Luckily, due to swift editing, it's all mixed with Disney movie excerpts and, also, you shortly get to follow the man's love issues and him being such a cute person, this is the highlight of the film.

In the meeting following the screening I learnt about Wojtek Przybyszewski Jr. - an autistic boy who improves Disney films. He corrects inaccuracies in pictures as well as changes scenes for happy ones if they look too threatening. Shame he's not exhibiting in Warsaw now.

TROLLS 3D

Recommended. Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake dubbing the leading roles as well as John Cleese as King Bristle Sr. await you in the original version and nobodies in Polish. However, the tale is so delightful I loved it even translated and even though some songs are unrecognizable in Polish. The trolls here are cute and Smurf-like, just more colourful. The story's also Smurf-like + lots of hit pop songs. It was just so much fun I didn't even mind the presence of kids (although I admit sitting in a safe distance).

"The Baby Boss" trailer looks promising: good 3D and an intriguing plot.

GIMME DANGER

Watchable. I couldn't care less about a rock band composed of school drop-outs who quickly pick up drug habits eventually leading to the demise of the Stooges. I watched it partly as a comfort movie about people whose lives were thoroughly miserable which just made me feel really safe enjoying all sorts of creature comforts daily and partly to see who that famous Iggy Pop was. Only for die-hard dinosaur rock fans.

THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX

Watchable. For the first half I couldn't make out the sequence of events as the action jumps to and fro in time and some scenes are dream sequences or phantasmagories. When I finally got what it was about, it turned out to carry a criminal mystery and that was truly involving. Sarah Gadon looks so beautiful and innocent with her blonde hair and deer-like eyes she's a perfect cast.

ARRIVAL

Watchable. The Sapir Whorf theory is nearly a century old. Known by linguists and philologists, was mostly referred to in situations where cultural differences came up. Only recently have psychologists come to the conclusion that it's easier to solve a problem if you switch to another language. In the film the Whorfian hypothesis is pushed to the limits of imagination. It's the core of the film. Unfortunately the sentimental beginning and ending, with the scientist's obligatorily terminally ill daughter is terribly tacky. Also, the happy ending has a logical gap - is her daughter going to fall ill again?

Strangely the Polish title is totally different from the original which caused confusion even among film journalists some of who didn't recognize the long expected release.

THE WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

인 허 플레이스 (IN HER PLACE)

Watchable. It attempts to show tragic consequences of intervening into a young girl's life but, with such poor acting, fails to move the viewer (or me at least).

암살 (ASSASSINATION)

Watchable. Chaotic. Without the knowledge of Korean history I just couldn't work out the whole political plot. The part with twins was about the only one I understood. Good acting and witty dialogues (e.g. "Didn't you sign it with your own blood?" "Yes, I had an attack of anaemia afterwards") save the film.

THE WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

뷰티 인사이드 (THE BEAUTY INSIDE)

Recommended. Truly beautiful, also on the surface. The story, music, actors are all alluring. But the core is the subtly presented story about our insecurities in love relationships. One is the fear that the other person won't accept us on the days when we look worse. The other is the woman's fear of being left by someone who can easily disappear without a trace. Also, it shows how the person has to get used to us, whatever we are. It just stays with you.


NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE NIGHT OF HORROR

I skipped "Ich seh, ich seh" ("Goodnight Mommy") and "Lights Out" which I had seen and reviewed earlier.

THE WINDMILL MASSACRE

Watchable. The slasher's main murderer looks like Leatherface. A good idea to make all protagonists sinners who have to repent but their individual stories don't get developed. A sequel is very likely.

SUMMER CAMP

Walked out. It's just rubbish. An empty camp before the opening of the season. Four American workers and some Spanish locals. 20-some minutes into the movie one of the guys attacks another one, growling and biting, and it's not even the one who got bitten by a dog earlier. Shortly afterwards another one does the same.


THE WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

지금은맞고그때는틀리다   (RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN)

Watchable. Two distinct parts. In the first one all protagonists are extremely polite and kind to each other. In the second things go wrong quite a few times but people are more authentic and fair to others. It's funny to hear the "director's" evasively courteous comments in the first part. In the second he's more to the point even if that upsets people. The finale though shows things end better when people are honest. An interesting concept, still the story could be less mundane, especially that you follow it twice.

베테랑 (VETERAN)

Watchable. While it starts with slapstick, the large middle part is dramatic and brutal. The director Ryoo Seung-wan is Park Chan-wook's fan and friend and you can see it in the film. The ending is lighter again. The comedy bits aren't really funny though and the highlight is the psychopath running the corporation.

FIVE FLAVOURS FILM FESTIVAL - ASIAN HORROR NIGHT

곡성 (THE WAILING)

Watchable. Rushing from "Veteran" in a different cinema, I arrived in the middle of this lengthy production. I'm happy I didn't have to watch it all. Beautiful landscape shots, e.g. a scenic serpentine road + exotic local folklore mixed with a shoddy storyline, poor acting and class B horror. Scary it isn't, pathetic rather.

손님 (THE PIPER)

Watchable. Just like the one above so I'm copying and pasting: exotic local folklore mixed with a shoddy storyline, poor acting and class B horror. Scary it isn't, pathetic rather.

貞子 vs. 伽椰子 (SADAKO VS. KAYAKO)

Watchable. A spoof of both "Ring" and "Ju-on" ("Grudge"). Silly but involving when you've seen them all.