THE PREDATOR IN DOLBY ATMOS

Watchable. Few monsters' roars, plenty of pleasant classical music - by Alan Silvestri. Even shattering glass tinkles. The plot's a far cry from the first "Predator" from 1987. Just like in the "Terminator" franchise at some point the terminators started fighting each other, now so do the predators. They also communicate with humans, own a "dog" and some of the people have Asperger's or Tourette's. There's a good balance of monsters and humans, neither bits are too long. Suitable even for children.

TOUT LE MONDE DEBOUT (ROLLING TO YOU)

Watchable. Awkward rather than funny or touching. It shows the whole array of the blunders healthy people commit with the disabled folk. It also ridicules religious tourism, e.g. "Baby Jesus free with two Marys!". As for the plot, it just keeps you hanging on to see when and how he'll come out to admit he can and has always been able to walk.

KLER (CLERGY)

Recommended. Shattering. Starts with the Biblical quote from Matthew 7:15-22: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." The first scene is entertaining: priests are partying and singing with altered lyrics Kazik Staszewski's "Maria ma syna". Further you get a number of subtle one-liners - every line in the movie carries a meaning - with jokes like: "(The head of state) was supposed to be at each whistle." Then director Smarzowski adds weight. Corruption, wealth, pedophilia are tackled. Later the film hits you hard with unspoken suffering. It's not one-sided though - the clergy arranging foreign adoptions or medical treatment in Germany are presented too. In spite of the disclaimer, it's almost documentary. The content was consulted with "Nie lękajcie się" - the foundation for the victims of pedophile priests. The film just reduced me to tears.

ДОНБАСС (DONBASS)

Watchable. Poverty and lawlessness appear to be more devastating than the war itself. Heavy and lengthy. Shot in and around Krivoy Rog. 

At the 2019 Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, I went to a meeting with Sergei Loznitsa. He said the movie had been shot in Krivoy Rog which is 300 km from the front and very similar to Donbass. Out of 100 actors half were non-professionals, 2000 people worked on it altogether. The lead roles were by professionals. Each movement was meticulously planned and practised. Nothing was left to chance.

WAGON VR

Watchable. Black and white and pixelated. Shows the journey of the exiles to Siberia pretty well. The fence at the station looks like a dead end, a man in the carriage is sitting uncomfortably close to you. But the voiceover is slow and ponderous so it feels boring. Luckily it's short.

CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Watchable. A typical Cinderella-kind rom-com. Madonna's hallmark "Material Girl" gets re-made as "Material Girl (200 Du)" by Sally Yeh with Chinese lyrics and American melody line - not a coincidence taken the plot. On a serious note it depicts how riches are built on immigrants' toil and then those immigrants are looked down on. Bullying is the main theme of the film. The real estate magnates' wedding looks fabulous. There's an early mid-credit.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL is taking place from 25th to 28th October this year. I'm already curious of the program.


ПРИНЦЕССА И ДРАКОН (THE PRINCESS AND THE DRAGON)

Watchable. The tale is very pleasant, nothing hard. Standard animation - sufficient but not elaborated.
A sequel is announced at the end and a cover of Limahl's "Neverending Story" follows. That's the only song in English since the rest of the Russian film, including songs, is dubbed in Polish (in Polish cinemas). The whole thing is really pleasant, warm and effortless.

KAMERDYNER

Watchable. For a bigger part I was wondering what it was about. I roughly grasped the family situation but not the political context. I felt you needed to come out straight from school to be familiar with history. Polish school that is. The movie spans 5 decades and towards the end I got it. It just meant to say the Kashubs were both internally not sure of their national affiliation and externally perceived ambiguously. The film's naturalistic Polish way: whether sex or death it looks graphic and ugly. Sebastian Fabijanski gets aged when he's meant to be 40 but no de-aging is used for the 31 year old when he's supposed to be 18, or even 14 briefly. Marianna Zydek (24), playing Marita, looks the same age all the time. In the film they're said to be both the same age. At least it's very convincingly acted which kept me watching even before I got the idea behind the production.

THE EQUALIZER 2

Watchable. Uneven: decent action bits mix with protracted sentimental ones. Outstanding sound - Dolby Atmos but truly spacious even in ordinary 5.1.

PRZEMIANY FESTIWAL 2018

The festival was on the verge of art and science and included some films, mostly documentaries, among others:

FACEBOOKISTAN

Recommended. Ever had a Facebook account? Everything you did there, everyone you knew and what they did has provided info about you. Even all the people you unfriended and posts you deleted. And all this data is stored indefinitely by the gigantic corporation. All circumstantial data is extracted also from each photograph.

INSTANT DREAMS

Watchable. Fascinating cinematography with an impressive use of colours. Inspiring electro and classical music. Little of a story. Protracted. You learn quirky trivia like: hens don't pee, only poo and spit; some people living in trailers on a desert look like models; a few decades ago Edwin Land predicted taking pictures with your phone.

THE AMINA PROFILE

Recommended. A compelling story of fake identities online and a large scale deceipt. With two big surprises along the way.

A GOOD AMERICAN

Recommended. About outrageous corruption, fraud and lawlessness in the heart of NSA. And about blatant neglection of the duty of protecting US citizens. One of the agents puts his rules of getting things done: if you want something done, do it yourself and don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness if needed.

ZERO DAYS

Watchable. An engaging investigation and revelation of how cyber wars are already conducted. A computer virus can destroy a nuclear plant. Inspiring but so technical the film didn't fully appeal to me on the emotional level.

LE MONDE EST A TOI (THE WORLD IS YOURS)

Watchable. Clearly a comedy but I barely laughed. Some gags are to the point and funny at the same time, e.g.: "They are immigrants." "But they're sailing from Spain." or "Le Coran" and a granade planted in a little girl's pink Hello Kitty bag. The tongue-in-cheek title reflects the multicultural reality of France and Spain (set partly in Benidorm). But the film is mostly playing with conspiracy theories, immigrants, old good narcogangsters who've become connected with terrorism, overbearing mothers and kidults. Good music, by Omar Souleyman among others, makes it all holiday fun.

PEPPERMINT

Watchable. The revenge pretext is standard. The court scene is so frustrating you immediately sympathise with the woman. But it's the "5 years later" vigilantism that makes you Riley North's fan. The very ending (before the credits, there's nothing after) is great and implies a sequel.

CLIMAX

Recommended. Based on true events and directed by scandalist Gaspar Noe. Set in a circle of professional dancers. At first you think the chronology is going to be distorted since the film starts with the ending, including the final credits. But the game with the viewer comprises only the formal aspect. The events are presented chronologically (I think). The dancers' environment is closed, everyone sleeps with everyone, like in a sect. Of course all dance scenes are marvellous. The team are all young, slim, muscled and their movements just blow you away. Their costumes, while all skimp and designed for professional dancing, originate from various styles in effect defying genders and races. There's fantastic techno music aplenty. Yet you know from scene one that someone's going to die. In a spectacularly choreographed way, I daresay. It's all not only amazingly danced and acted but filmed as well. Differing lights and angles, including an upside down sequence, where a dancer appears to be hanging from... the floor, create an unforgettable experience. Just 90 minutes but full on.

IRAN CONFERENCE AT TEATR DRAMATYCZNY SCENA NA WOLI IN WARSAW, POLAND

Watchable. I don't normally review theatre here but this time the performance is in English. The language is spoken with varying accents at different levels of proficiency like in a real conference and with simultaneous translation available for those preferring Polish. The play is basically an in-depth exploration of people's relationship with religion. At the pretext of a country, it tackles the issue of God and spiritualism from several angles. "The love of the beloved" reflects sufism and says how you "no longer fear losing yourself". Other viewpoints sometimes collide: "Only a slave wants freedom" versus "Only slaves have no freedom" - the two seemingly non-exclusive statements contradict each other in the context. Insight into happiness is given in the tale about poor people, even starving, who were inherently happy. An atheist view is presented too, obviously, in the comment on current affairs: non-spiritual Germans invited spiritual Syrians, in turn those spiritual people blow up, stab or run over their hosts. Other than that, people live according to their "wants" - those are universal, common to every person on the planet. And... the right to live has to be extended to animals. While it shows a wide perspective, the topic lacks a cummulative conclusion. Strictly performance-wise I have to conclude it's impeccably acted.

L'ATELIER (THE WORKSHOP)

Watchable. It's best not to read movie synopses. Having read one I expected a love affair between a leftish woman and a rightist lad. Far from that. Nothing much happens. The investigation of the reasons of far right extremism leads to the conclusion it's boredom and emptiness of post-industrial towns. The very ending, i.e. the loud reading of a piece of prose is the only bit I enjoyed since it shows that good writing sticks with your mind, affecting your thoughts.

A SIMPLE FAVOR

Recommended. The plot's a masterpiece. With so many twists and turns it's hard to believe it is in fact based on actual events. Two smart women and one hot guy form a saucy intellectual duel. Masterfully acted by Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and Henry Golding. Maintains tension from the start till the end. With great music. I bet the soundtrack will be great even on its own while matching the picture perfectly too.

THE WIFE

Recommended. Compelling even though predictable. Subtle and powerful. About man-woman position in marriage (and their mutual impact on each other) and in public life. Distinctly acted by Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce as the couple and Max Irons as their son.

A SIMPLE FAVOR

I've seen it already and have got a firm opinion which... I can't reveal till midnight on 10th September due to a publication ban.

NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE NIGHT OF HORRORS

I skipped the scary as hell "Conjuring" and less scary "Conjuring 2" as I had seen both before and saw only:

THE NUN

Watchable. The scares comprise of roaring corpses of nuns. One of James Wan's worse films. Better than "Jigsaw" but far below "Insidious", "Conjuring" or "Saw". He co-scripted it, maybe that's why. The plot is certainly gripping. But those nuns with horse-like teeth - no, no, no.


SANJU

Watchable. About Sanjay Dutt - none of my faves but as a biography it must be honest since it's so unfavourable to the Bollywood star: drugs, sex, alcohol. In fact he's portrayed as an irretrievable drug addict. Still, that's secondary to the main case: his terrorist charges and the verdict the press passed on him, smartly becoming unsuable themselves through putting a question mark at the end of each headline - educative but not a must-see. His private life is more interesing, i.e. his addiction. It's a tragicomedy with the emphasis on the comic part, e.g. "Your son is your father's reincarnation" - on which Sanjay immediately hides his cigarette. The first half of end credits shows Sanjay Dutt himself dancing and lip syncing. It's the only complete song in the film, it's rap and with fat dancers, one even obese.

THE ENDLESS

Recommended. A budget production proving a decent idea will make for a great film even lacking funds. Justin Benson scripted it and, together with Aaron Moorhead, directed, shot and produced a thrilling science fiction flick with lots of underlying psychology. Can be seen as a metaphore of people who try to restart their lives and get stuck in the rut over and over again. The ending is a restart for the two brothers at least. While the whole thing is filled with mystery and suspense, there's even a funny scene when a chap shoots himself and then we hear him swearing because he's alive. "In loving memory of Randalyn Benson" in the end credits reveals the reason for the trope of a mother's grave in the movie. Shot in sun-scorched arid California

DOGMAN

Watchable. Terribly brutal, with a shallow story. Resembling "Gomorrah" (also by Matteo Garrone) but with more plot due to one distinct protagonist. No music score. Castel Volturno (near Naples) with its abandoned construction site looks derelict. It's a dark, grim picture of Italy consumed by crime. None of the men is innocent here. You can look for analogies e.g. the main protagonist trying to please everyone and serving faithfully his cruel masters like a hound and feeling trapped like one of the dogs in cages. But while watching you just see the brutality of the environment and his own gullibility.

THE MEG 3D

Watchable. The plot is total rubbish but, if you want to see all those lucky escapes from the giant shark's maw, 3D is more appealing, even if the CGIs and the 3D are only just sufficient. It's neither "The Shallows" nor "47 Meters Down". "The Meg" is painfully predictable, unbelievably stupid. At least it gives you some adrenaline from the attacks and gore. And the score is nothing close to John William's in "Jaws" - here you get pop songs like "Mickey" by Pim. A nice touch are the final credits which... sink.

DEN UNTROLIGE HISTORIE OM DEN KAEMPESTORE PAERE (GIANT PEAR/THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF THE GIANT PEAR)

Watchable. Graphics-wise this Danish cartoon is very colourful, with protagonists and objects looking like toys but at the same time with little detail. The plot is very pleasant, the dialogues suitable for nursery or primary school age children. But it feels like a series of adventures on a string. The storyline's perfectly cohesive but it fails to create suspense. All in all, very pleasant even if imperfect.

DYWIZJON 303. HISTORIA PRAWDZIWA

Watchable. The Polish story's the same as in British "Hurricane" but less dark. It's brighter both visually and script-wise. With a similar number of jokes but British sarcasm is replaced e.g. with: "You're Polish too? "Да." Polish additions to the story are dogs the Polish pilots kept, archive footage inseted occasionally, writer Arkady Fiedler appearing to talk to the pilots for his book (on which the movie's based) and going to and fro in time. In that way it's worse - more superficial and chaotic in result of the broken up chronology of events. But it contains nothing sad or heavy so it lifts your spirit after seeing the darker and more emotional British version.

GOTTI

Walked out. A standard American flick about the Mob. Overtalked. Doesn't evoke many emotions in spite of good acting and music.

PIN CUSHION

Recommended. A chilling movie about bullying. The victims are two: one innocent, very young and the other - her disabled mother. Both have such low self-esteem they let others walk all over them as they are looking for love in all the wrong places. They both run into imaginary worlds which are enhanced with fairy-tale-like music and colours in the film. But the cushion which the girl covers herself with when tricked into stripping is not the only title cushion. She is a pin cushion herself too. And so is her mom who's bullied even in an assertiveness workshop. They are both pierced by people who know no better than making others miserable. The movie was so heavy everyone remained seated for a while after it ended. 

THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

Watchable. Really good entertainment. The trailer implied something gross and not necessarily funny which was way off the actual movie: a gangster comedy with two of my favourite actresses: Melissa McCarthy and Elizabeth Banks and with breezy music from the 80s. OK, it's the filthy side of muppets. You learn a female muppet is good for sex owing to a truly velvet pussy and several other details you didn't want to know. But the awkwardness provides for a few laughs. Cultural references are of a wide scope, e.g. a debt to the Scientology Church is mentioned, the detective shoots the radio hearing Dionne Warwick and Friends' "That's What Friends Are For" and the most famous "Basic Instinct" scene is recreated and serves solving the crime puzzle. Polish translation is over the top at times - the language is more coarse than the original.

CROC-BLANC (WHITE FANG)

Recommended. Based on Jack London's novel so it's, expectedly, sad. At least I wasn't the only person crying. The animation is delightful. Surprisingly, without details like fur, with just roughly sketched silhouettes, it gives awy all the face and body language and voices of the dogs like of real ones. Matching sounds, including noticeable and simultaneously seemlessly blending in music score complete the very emotional picture. Most importantly it teaches children the love of dogs.

BLACKKKLANSMAN

Recommended. A feature with numerous connections to the real world. Names matter. John David Washington is cast as Ron Stallworth on whose book the movie's based. Some songs are by Terence Blanchard or Dan Whitener or James Brown. There are references to a potential future black president (in the 70s - long before Obama). It ends in real life footage from the 2017 Charlottesville riots. The movie masterfully puts you face to face with your predjudices. The way the black cop pulls KKK members' legs is just brilliant. The Polish translation is off the original at times so all the more it's better to focus on the original and spot the dialect nuances. The movie's gripping, hilarious and heart-wrenching. Though-provoking too in how a history lesson not learnt repeats itself.

NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE MARATHON OF OF SUPERPOWERS

I needed to charge up my superpowers. I just skipped "X-Men: First Class" and "Logan" which I had seen before and saw the other two:

THE DARKEST MINDS

Watchable. Really good fun. Like a copy of the first "Divergent" movie but with the actors younger and cuter. The action's well-paced and the idea, based on Alexandra Bracken's book, of all children either dying, decimated by a disease, or mutating, is new. The notion of mutants deemed dangerous by "normals" is like from "X-Men". Yet, the movie watches very well, mostly due to convincing performances of the young leads: Amandla Stenberg (Rue in "Hunger Games" and the lead in "Everything, everything") as Ruby Daly and Harris Dickinson as Liam. And all pieces of the puzzle fall into place in the end.

CHRONICLE (2012)

Watchable. I'm not into found footage mockumentaries so initially I found it annoying, especially that the guys used their superpowers for moronic pranks. But, as they gain more forces and hone the existing ones, the movie becomes little short of spectacular. It's actually in a way more impressive than the standard superhero fare since, if it occurred in real life, the outcome would be most likely something along these lines. 


BEYNELMILEL (THE INTERNATIONAL) (2006)

Watchable. Endearing characters. A girl is trying to get mentally closer to the guy she's infatuated with and reads "Kadin ve sosyalizm" ("Woman and socialism") quite in vain since the aloof type hardly notices her advances. Her grandpa's amorous attempts with a dancer in her 50s are charming. All in all, it's a gentle comedy: partly political, partly romantic which after 1.5 hours turns into a tragedy with deaths of two of the main characters. The score comprises, apart from the title piece, of traditional Turkish music and a piece by... Chopin.

THE BOOKSHOP

Watchable. Starts with an annoying off-screen commentary it could really do without. What follows is wooden acting and a series of static scenes. No music. The lady entrepreneur's passion no one cares about and her problems with the powerful woman hellbent on destroying her business - in white gloves - are something many contemporary start-up owners can identify with. Yet, period details are painstakingly recreated and the film has a quaint old-time charm of unhasty life in a seaside village. It also conveys the love of literature.

ZAMA

Walked out. No plot, just a series of meaningless events. Slow, with virtually no music score.

UNDER THE SILVER LAKE

Recommended. The scriptwriter is playing a game with the viewers who become just like the main protagonist: seeking concealed meanings in pop culture where there are none. Or... maybe... there are some? Multiple pieces of the puzzle make you wonder. The writer has taken odd bits and pieces from salient cultural notions ranging from Jezus and the Holy Trinity, through plentiful movie references - the action's even set within a walking distance from Hollywood, to music. Andrew Garfield, associated with his deeply religious image from "Hacksaw Ridge", is cast in a totally unholy role. Yet he's the one who's looking for deeper meanings, who asks people to help him find Jesus and his disciples while... looking for Satanic verses coded in songs. Sinister make-up, lavish costumes, memorable cinematography. In spite of some dark fantasy elements, it's quite cheerful summer fun with some pool scenes, sex and quite a lot of nudity. Feels like the 80s including the sexual objectification of women.

ELIZABETH HARVEST

Recommended. Awe-inspiring sci-fi with gorgeous Abbey Lee Kershaw as Elizabeth. It's basically the tale of Bluebeard with a futuristic twist. One house on a hill and occasionally the road leading to it. Four actors. Excellent cinematography - Elizabeth sometimes captured (pun intended) in red light.

SLENDER MAN

Watchable. Quite an engaging supernatural horror for teenagers. Not really scary but startles you a couple of times. Predictable plot. Decent electro music. One of the girls has a poster saying: "Make America weird again". Some mock archive footage runs along with early final credits.

A tall slender man was queuing for the ticket right behind me. He went to a different movie.

JULIUSZ

Watchable. Too many sentimental notes for it to be hilarious. Nevertheless I did laugh out loud a few times, the longest at the birth-giving scene. Catchy comic music theme. Plenty of situation humour, few one-liners. Wojciech Mecwaldowski is fantastic in the main role and sports a unique hair-cut. "W trakcie realizacji filmu nie ucierpiały żadne zwierzęta. Wyłącznie ludzie." ("No animals were were harmed in the making of this film. People only.") The post credit is skippable. 

BEAST

Watchable. It's a craftily constructed thriller but at the end it just doesn't add up. And it's all perverse sado-maso way. Convincingly acted so you sense their longing and feel sympathy to the protagonists. Atmospheric. Yet a pile of well-arranged rubbish.

JULIET, NAKED

Watchable. Not much of a comedy. The musician's fan makes a funny face realizing who he's been talking to and when he asks his idol what he got wrong about the rockman's life he responds: "I wouldn't know where to get started." Other than that it's a mawkish drama about planning a family versus having one by accident. Ethan Hawke sings and plays music. There's an early mid-credit.

DC SUPERHERO GIRLS

Watchable. A short film preceding "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies". The superhero girls are like any other teenage girls but additionally fight baddies. Nice but forgettable.

TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES

Watchable. Colourful but cheaply drawn, schematic animation. A silly storyline. Jokes of two varieties: either scatological or related to the wide scope of the superhero universe, e.g. "Welcome to Jump City - safer than Gotham". A nice touch is a cameo of animated Stan Lee appearing twice: first using an "Excelsio" spell to summon all the superheroes the way Harry Potter used to summon objects with "Accio" and next: realizing he's made a cameo in a wrong production as he's got a competition ban. Plenty of poor songs. In the original language version - unavailable in Polish cinemas! - Nicolas Cage is Superman and Stan Lee is himself. There's no Atmos sound version. Themes from "Batman", "Superman" or Alan Silvestri's from "Back to the Future" are used but hardly noticeable among all the lame scores and songs. There's a mid-credit and a post-credit. Dreadful dubbing in Polish, even the songs.

HURRICANE (SQUADRON 303)

Recommended. Based on facts and truly moving. With enough suspense and a dash of British sarcasm. Shows the differences as well as the similarities, especially the fondness of a drink, between the two nations. The ending stresses the injustice the Polish pilots suffered when the war ended.

LA CH'TITE FAMILLE (FAMILY IS FAMILY)

Recommended. Hilarious, especially the furniture designs so impractical all users need chiropractors. The comedy ridicules also regionalisms and discrimination against people speaking with accents, posh manners as well as simpletons. The faces the lover makes explaining her sexual past to her partner are brilliant.

L'APPARITION (THE APPARITION)

Recommended. The mystery spans the whole 2 hours 17 minutes of the movie. The investigation keeps you in suspense regardless of your religious affiliation or the lack of thereof. I still don't fully understand the case with Mériem but the gradual unfolding of the secrets kept me glued to the screen.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

Watchable. Well-made but terribly sorrowful. It's like one long farewell. Mostly to childhood. I was sobbing all the time. The animal protagonists look like toys apart from the rabbit with fur (but not face) looking real-life-like. The story's about childhood imaginary monsters being replaced by horrible teachers and bosses as we grow older. Acted convincingly, with Ewan McGregor as grown-up Chris. The cinematography is on the dark side and music nostalgic, making you even more despondent. The film will suit only young children, who even laughed at one scene, or adults missing the lost frivolity of their young age. There's a mid-credit.

HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES

Watchable. Based on a short story by Neil Gaiman who produced the movie too, with Elle Fanning as an alien - she looks like one, doesn't she - and Nicole Kidman as an Earthy woman this time. A sci-fi-cum-Brexit allegory. The humour is of the low end type but even I laughed at the final scene. "No aliens were harmed in the making of this film."

PLOEY - YOU NEVER FLY ALONE

Recommended. At least one cartoon which isn't crazy. Animation with plenty of varied textures taking into account different types of water and ice, each animal has different feathers or fur. The tale is filled with values of family, love, friendship and helping others. The plovers have beautiful big eyes. The storyline's clear-cut. There's a little post-credit.

LETO (SUMMER)

Walked out. A black and white musical set in the Soviet Union of the early 80s comprising of lame covers of Western rock in Russian interspersed with drinking and smoking.

DIKKERTJE DAP (MY GIRAFFE)

Recommended. Most suitable for nursery age children, even the joke with Margot - an animal whose name leads the woman to believe she's the chap's wife - will be understood by them. Extremely well shot and acted. The kids and the zoo animals are all cute, every adult looks pleasing to the eye and is well-meaning. The houses and gardens are neat and the streets are clean. The film's filled with love of people and animals. Ends in a catchy tune over the credits highlighted karaoke-style - in Dutch.

THE FIRST PURGE

Recommended. Probably the best "Purge" installment so far. It maintains the well-paced action and the clear, plausible storyline but strengthens the social and political message. Y'lan Noel proves to be both good-looking and a great actor as Dmitri. Kevin Lax has composed a catchy music score. Kendrick Lamar's song and many others' are used too. I'm not a rap fan but it matched the picture, especially that most of the violence, realistically, is inter-racial. The beginning of the night is quite like I imagined it could look in real life. People celebrate at Purge parties so it feels like Halloween. Minor crimes do take place: sex, groping, thefts, one bigger burglary. But it's the authorities that kill off the poor so as not to pay them welfare. Deeds of the criminal gang pale in comparison. One early mid-credit connects the film to the rest of the series.

U - JULY 22

Recommended. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be in the middle of a terrorist attack, this one demonstrates it closely. Starts with the archive footage of the 2011 Oslo bomb explosion. The rest is a work of fiction but based on numerous accounts of the Utoya massacre survivors. The island shooting lasted 72 minutes and its full length is depicted through the eyes of one of the teens. It's striking (pun intended) how they had no clue who, how many people and why were shooting.  Shows survival tactics. I didn't realise the water in Norway in July had only 10 degrees which could kill you in 10 minutes. You only get one brief glimpse of the attacker from a distance which makes it all only more realistic. Heart-wrenching stuff.

SAMSON

Recommended. Religious cinema is often dull, with wooden acting and turgid lines. This one is as involving as modern superhero flicks. The movie keeps you on the edge of the seat even though you know the famous Bible story so you're familiar with the ending. Top-notch cast, especially Rutger Hauer as Manoah, Jackson Rathbone (Jasper Hale from the "Twilight" saga) as prince Rallah, Caitlin Leahy as Dalila and, the most important, Taylor James (Acquaman from "Justice League") as Samson. Atmospheric music composed by Will Musser. Attention to detail was given also in the costume area, e.g. shortly before the betrayal we see a serpent necklace on Dalia's neck. Cape Town as the shooting location has provided a variety of landscapes. Interestingly the loss of the beloved one, the loss of father and the loss of superpowers are motives we find in contemporary superhero cinema regularly. No wonder the same actors act in both (or just one same?) genres.

KARPUZ KABUGUNDAN GEMILER YAPMAK (BOATS OUT OF WATERMELON RINDS)

Watchable. An endearing, full of warmth, ironic tale about unfulfilled dreams set in rural Turkey probably in the late 1930s. With interesting music. A bit sad towards the final, protracted at times, with too many endings.

HERE COMES THE GRUMP

Watchable. No frills animation. A cheaply made cartoon where even Nena's most famous song - "99 Red Balloons" - gets a cover sung by some Mexicans. The plot's shambolic at first. Luckily, if you keep watching, you get interesting cultural clashes between the fairy-tale and the real world. New worlds are inventive too: drinks of oxygen, mood-changing arrows, a Christmas land. A few bits are tear-jerking. The film teaches children to support those in depression

FANNEY KHAN

Recommended. I still hear the music in my head. Amit Trivedi composed the songs and Pihu Sand sang most of them - always tremendously beautifully. Interestingly, such movie characters as Mary Kom or Bahubali are mentioned in one of the songs. On the whole it's just lots of great music and a comic story with a touching ending - true Bollywood. Not directly inspired by but similar to Susan Boyle's story.

DISOBEDIENCE

Recommended. The story unfolds slowly, revealing information piecemeal, to hit you hard towards the end. There is plenty of on-the-screen chemistry between the two women lovers. Alessandro Nivola is fantastic as the would-be-rabbi stricken by the fear of loss and fighting between his love and common sense.

TWO TAILS

Watchable. The animation meets all the criteria of correctness. The cat, the beaver and the bear look like huge cuddly toys. The plot doesn't make much sense though. Quite a lot of fragments of classical music: Wagner, Strauss II, Bach are used.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT AT IMAX

Recommended. I just love the scene where Hunt is running towards Tate Modern. When I worked there and was in a hurry in the morning I would run there too. But on the more serious note, what struck me first was poor cinematography. I expected it to be top-notch for Imax and for a bigger part of the film it's below average. It doesn't even attempt to impress with the beauty of otherwise spectacular cities of Paris and London. The only visuals which stand out are Rebecca Fergusson and Vanessa Kirby's eyes - glistening, with reflections and highlights. But the finale, set in Kashmir (New Zealand and Norway in reality), with aerial and mountain sequences, is mind-blowing and well merits the Imax screen. The music's great from start to finish. Simon Pegg has got full grasp of a dramatic role. In fact, he's as amazing as he used to be in comic ones. As for the humourous part, we get: "Hope is not a strategy." "Ah, you're new." Combat scenes use martial arts techniques, including judo - rarely used in movies. The plot gets better and better culminating in a spectacular finale. I left the cinema in awe.

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Recommended again. I got late to the screening a week ago, much like Donna used to get late all the time, so it was a good pretext to see it again. And it was great pleasure. Beautiful Lily James impersonates young Donna. The three young male actors are extremely talented. Dominic Cooper looks and acts better than 10 years ago i.e. part one. There's a movie reference within the movie as Bill and Harry enact the most famous Titanic scene. Abba tunes are played on Greek instruments. Musicians wear shiny 70s-like stage costumes. Bordeaux acts as Paris, Stockholm makes a cameo too. Comic bits include... weeping after Donna and do so to a hilarious effect. All in all the fairy-tale palette, three rich and handsome princes, each in love, make it totally appealing. And the music stays with you.

TEEFA IN TROUBLE

Recommended. Lollywood (from Lahore) but just like Bollywood. The Pakistani production is on the feminist side - the girl points out a man wouldn't be wed off against his will. The movie changes genres quite a few times. It's hilarious, e.g. when Teefa is caught in the bride's room, he pretends to be ironing and explains he's an "iron man", his mate asks a lady: "Are your nails real or are they like you?" and in a chase sequence the security want to shut the gate, the runaways manage to get out and it's the security staff who end up shut off and have to wait for the gate while it's opening slowly. Teefa is acted by hot Ali Zafar. Great music: both Bollywood-style songs and Western-type background score. The rhythms stay with you. I later relistened to the songs back home.

UZUN HIKAYE (A LONG STORY)

Recommended. Heart-gripping, cheerful on a big part with gentle humour but sad at times too. A life story spanning a few decades of 20th century Turkey, with history in the background. Plenty of well-written, characteristic protagonists and some brilliant lines, e.g "Hiç bilmiyorum." ("I don't know anything.") added at the end of each comment to a situation by one of guys. The story shows how optimism helps resolve several situations. At the same time, the depicted family has to keep moving due to persecution which recurs at each town so it's also kinda road movie and it reminds me of my own 27 place moves. The father is an utterly endearing personality.

THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE

Watchable. At face value it's completely bonkers. Times and realities mix. Jokes aren't really funny, even though based mostly on Spaniards' understanding of English, e.g. "Do you live here? It looks rustic." "No, it's oil, no rusty." The most creative bits are: an elderly woman in a poor little hamlet using a taser and an actor moving the film subtitles aside with his hands. It's all pretty chaotic but there's a method in this madness. The plot hides several issues. The changing position of and views on Muslims cover: terrorists taking hostages, "pagans" persecuted by the Holy Inquisition, Moorish rulers, poor refugees from Morocco living in Spain illegally, suicide bombers dressed up as women in burkas. People humiliating themselves for the money of the rich are impersonated by quite a few characters.

CHARMING

Watchable. For older children. A modern fairy-tale about 3 vain princesses with timers in their... mirrors, a conceited prince thinking his good looks entitle him to being adored by all and his position to being served free as well as a cool-headed thief stealing... his heart. After saving him a few times, that is. All the best bits are in the trailer. The storyline seems makeshift and the film's filled with songs, annoying ones even in their own right. I liked the pun in the store name - Damsel in this Dress - and that's about it.

NAPOLI VELATA (NAPLES IN VEILS)

Recommended. Deeply mysterious, throws you off the trail masterfully. With very sensual bits too, mostly owing to the sex-inspiring Alessandro Borghi - who did not look even remotely hot in "The Place" and was only vaguely attractive in "Dalida". Here he's also outstanding in the whole array of behaviours and emotions. The whole thing is utterly romantic.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP 3D

Watchable. Decent 3D. Decent lines, e.g. "I always hid there when we played hide-and-seek." "I don't think you really got the gist of the game." Decent Stan Lee's cameo where he sees his car shrink and comments: "The 60s were fun but now I'm paying for this." - the pun referring both to the widespread drug use in the 1960s and to his age (95 now, long live Stan Lee!). Standard superhero action, mostly for teenagers, with protagonists' previous deeds summarised in dialogues. One scene was so touching I shed some tears. The mid-credit announces a sequel and the post-credit is more like just for fun but the final words which appear on the screen twice in a slightly changed form: "Ant-Man and the Wasp will return. Ant-Man and the Wasp will return?" In Poland the translation is very bad. The 3 times I forgot to ignore the subtitles they were way off the original lines.

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Recommended. A summer comedy musical shot on the Croatian island of Vis pretending the fictitious Greek island of Kalokairi. Made me both laugh and shed a tear. "If you love, you're willing to die for her!" "Yes, but you don't have to. It's an important distinction." or "It's karma and it's pronounced 'Ha!'" are examples of the amusing bits. But a broken heart comes into the equasion too. Two parallel stories, led swiftly, converge into one beautifully. Also fashion in the costumes presents a cross of the 1970s and of 2018: bell-bottoms and suntan of the 70s, open arms from this season and floral patterns of the past which have made a come back a few years ago and stayed till now. An immigration officer commenting on people's hair-cuts is an ironic addition. A post-credit of him makes you leave the cinema with a broad smile.

DOLPHIN MAN

Recommended. I saw the VR version first and at the beginning the ordinary 2D screen was disappointing. For a larger part it's some biography intertwined with technicalities of freediving but the deeper you get into the film the more it engulfs you. You learn trivia like the impact of Zen on freediving: Zen meditations require you to stop thinking which, in turn, makes your brain use less oxygen hence lets you dive longer on a single breath. Yoga breathing techniques are more obvious. Mountain training turns out to be vital too since it makes your body produce more red blood cells. It's also incredible that with lungs being such sensitive organs so many people risk their lives, in one case day after day till the guy died after spitting blood on all 4 occasions, to set records in freediving. Visually, I felt impressed with everyone's beautifully toned muscles. This sport certainly makes your body look amazing. No wonder Luc Besson shot "Le Grand Bleu" ("The Big Blue") - you see him at the premiere. The interpretations of Jacques Mayol's death are also fascinating. An old dolphin separates from the group to die, just like the dolphin man did. On the other hand I heard that there was nothing disgracing in suicide in Japanese culture - he must have absorbed it through Zen - which made me wonder if a suicide is shameful in other cultures. To me it has never been. I don't associate it with samurais, like his Japanese friend did, but perceive it as sad rather. In spite of being so sociable he just felt lonely deep inside.

LE RETOUR DU HEROS (RETURN OF THE HERO)

Watchable. I didn't laugh but I smiled a lot. A very pleasant comedy with serious undertones, i. e. how little people care about the truth, how far boldness can take you or what makes you fall in love.

JIM KNOPF UND LUKAS DER LOKOMOTIVFUHRER (JIM BUTTON AND LUKE THE ENGINE DRIVER)

Watchable. Based on a children's book by Michael Ende. A traditional style fairy-tale, with a quest to save a princess and dragons on the way, but a globalised one: Jim is black and the land of the princess resembles China. The exotic land setting gives a chance to show the relativity of cuisine: we wouldn't eat worms or other "delicacies" while the Asian host hearing about cheese reacts: "Made from milk which went off?! Disgusting!" The quest map comprises imaginative places like the Thousand Wonders Wood but the forest with fruit looking like hanging eyeballs is only glimpsed at. The movie feels a bit slow, especially with fairy-tale-like, unhurried music, however it is filled with love of all kinds of people. "Neverending Story" it isn't but I'm looking forward to the sequel kind-of-announced by the final scene.

SKYSCRAPER

Watchable. I'd visit the Pearl building as a tourist attraction if it existed. But most of the story, obviously, is man-made fire in the extraordinary architectonic structure. A pretty standard plot, decent cinematography.

(DROLES DE PETITES BETES) TALL TALES FROM THE MAGICAL GARDEN OF ANTOON KRINGS

Recommended. A delightful animation about bugs inhabiting a meadow most suitable for nursery and primary school age children. It's colourful. Wasps' wings shine blue, green and golden. Insect anatomy is cutely recreated with a buttefly having a rolled-funnel-shaped nose. Clothes and weapons are modelled on leaves and flowers. A bee and a cricket sing "La vie en rose" together. Action bits are played to hoedown music.

ODNAJDE CIE

Watchable. Very Polish. Shabby places, people average on the beauty scale, coarse language, professional punching techniques make it realistic but also little comprehensible at times. It's engaging but the main story frame, with soldiers peddling cocaine in Afghanistan, is far-fetched. Some dialogues are smart: Justa's talk to the priest or about alimonies to her unfaithful husband or her and Sztyra each trying to persuade his ex-wife to do two contradictory things carry specific social humour. I also liked the game with the viewer when two different knockings on the door are heard and shown one after the other. Quite decent as Polish action films go.

TAG

Watchable. Comparable to "Game Night" but more intriguing and actually amusing at times. I would burst out laughing e.g. when they knocked over the priest at the ceremony, when a cleaner rattled so loud while cleaning he rendered an office conversation impossible or when an infatuated guy couldn't hide his elation talking to his dream woman: "Is your husband dead? Really?!" The core storyline was gripping from minute one till the very end. Music heavy on the 80s, e.g. Beastie Boys with "Shake Your Rump", Ice T, Boys II Men, Ozzy Osbourne, Naked Raygun, Pixies etc. The whole thing still is not exactly hilarious but inspiring and returning faith in adulthood - you can still have fun and still have true friends. The original tag players - older and fatter but strikingly nice and every bit just as playful - are shown right after the plot is concluded. Some ridiculous song is sung by the actors along with the end credits. 

KURIER (THE RESISTANCE FIGHTER)

Director Władysław Pasikowski gives freedom to everyone he cooperates with, i.e. actors or cinematographers and is said to be a true gentleman. What can we expect in the upcoming Polish movie? Long shots, more like in the theatre than in the film. More female roles than in his earlier productions. The movie hero Jan Nowak Jezioranski couldn't use the parachute well, didn't know how to cycle - was a hero but not a superhero. The cinematography has been inspired by paintings of the time (WW2) since photographs were only black and white. 

Info for Polish people reading it: the Warsaw Rising Museum is hosting a casting for the roles of insurgents and AK soldiers for people aged 18-24 on 7th August.

ON CHESIL BEACH

Recommended. An unusual love story. At first even funny, e.g. taking shoes off hastily in bed. In the middle it suddenly turns quite heart-wrenching. Words heard from the beloved one can ruin your life forever. I had tears in my eyes. Also class tensions, first marginalised, come to the fore. England is a parallel protagonist of the story which starts in England of old values and takes you through bits of social history of Britain. Lots of classical quartets in the soundtrack but also Amy Winehouse's "I Wake Up Alone".

UNDIR TRENU (UNDER THE TREE)

Watchable. An engaging story of a neighbours' feud, rich in events but easy to follow. The finale's over the top and the very last scene predictable.

EARTH: ONE AMAZING DAY

Recommended when seen again. You notice new details when you see it for the second time: pandas which need to eat for 14 hours daily, a snoring sloth or mesmerising underwater views of the sloth swimming through a blue river, cute bears standing and rubbing thier backs against trees, raccoons. Fluorescent mushrooms and threads glowing blue in the dark must have inspired "Avatar". It's just all about the immense beauty of the natural world. 

LE GRAND MECHANT RENARD ET AUTRES CONTES... (THE BIG BAD FOX AND OTHER TALES...)

Recommended. A delightful animal tale for everyone from nursery age upwards. Cute, ironic, with smart dialogues. Last but not least, it's not dubbed but with voice over in Poland and you can hear clearly most of the French original.

살인자의 기억법 (MEMOIR OF A MURDERER)

Watchable. Not a masterpiece but an entertaining crime story with plenty of second bottoms and a constant game with the viewer. Very good in the class B category. Resembles Nolan's "Memento" from 2000 but in an even more inventive version. A serial killer meets a serial killer and, in addition, one of the two suffers from Alzheimer's. The effect is totally engrossing, you never know what is true and what is a false memory. Plenty of twists of action, till the very end. If only the execution wasn't of such an inferior kind, the acting especially. Anyway, you can't get bored. Some bits are funny, e.g. when the old chap forgets who's in his car and leaves his woman passenger on the road in the middle of nowhere. 

ALL I WISH

Watchable. Sharon Stone has produced a romantic comedy, cast herself in the lead role, added plenty of cheerful pop songs and it is what it was meant to be - light entertainment. I laughed out only once: "You sang?! You told us you were tone deaf!" to which a barman reacts: "He is." There's a bit with a stupid good-looking man - refreshing, rare in movies. Sharon Stone styles herself quite like Madonna and the story takes you through a series of the protagonist's birthdays which smartly shows her life changes. It's all light, summer fun. 

NOWE HORYZONTY (NEW HORIZONS) INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

I'm not going to the festival in Wroclaw though it's very enticing. Firstly, the Girlhood section whose name refers to the famous movie by Richard Linklater and which is going to comprise of films about growing up girls made by women. In men's movies they've been terribly sexualised. I'd love to see how women present that period in life. Secondly, Iran Iran is going to focus on science fiction and surrealism. Thirdly, there's going to be a room devoted to Polish movies in different stages of production. Retrospectives and Theatrology are perfectly skippable for me.

SHARP OBJECTS - EPISODE 1

Watchable. Amy Adams?! Or shouldn't I judge by appearances, even in the case of films/serials? Shouldn't a reporter be smart or shrewd? She looks gentle, vulnerable, maybe sexy, but not sharp. As for the story, I'm most intrigued by the sex violence pictures she saw as a teenager. And the letters appearing on her skin, full of cut scars, to form word "vanish". But the murders on girls and a serial killer in a small town are so cliche. OK, now I'm curious to learn more but very dubious as to whether it's worth it. The music, the song over the end credits makes impression in its own right.

SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO

Recommended. Far from a direct follow-up. It takes you down a surprising path. This time ISIS is the pretext for the story which, through politics, brings you back to the world of Mexican drug cartels. Filmed in the State of New Mexico. The plot is clear-cut and keeps you on the edge of the seat, sparing you the extreme brutality of the 1st installment. The same memorable music - "The Beast" theme from "Sicario" - creates both the chills down your spine and gravitas. Judging from the last scene, a 3rd part is coming. I'm looking forward to it.

FINCHE C'E PROSECCO C'E SPERANZA (THE LAST PROSECCO) 

Watchable. Plenty of very Italian vistas. Old style investigation. Babak Karim acts as an uncle. The police detective is half Persian which justifies the presence of the Indian actor as his uncle as well as accounts for his own apparent ignorance of some things Italian, prosecco in particular. Italy is the best actress of the film. The main characters are heart-warming in spite of cold-blooded murders. There's an adorable elderly chap cleaning graves and chatting to the deceased as if they were his living friends. The detective is learning the ropes of his profession and looking for an adequate jacket. Subtle irony abounds. It's a small town with plenty of skeletons in the closet. The bad industrialist plot detracts from its old-fashioned charm.

NOWE KINO CHINSKIE (NEW CHINESE CINEMA)

XIE YAOHUAN

Watchable. The plot's rubbish - some key elements are never concluded. But characteristic singing, opera acting and, most of all, fabulous costumes are an attraction enough.

‎我的战争 (MY WAR)

Watchable. Love for Chinese Democratic Republic must surpass the love for a man with sexy eyes. As a romantic story it's disappointing since in ends sad but the Chinese communist girl with pigtails finds consolation in return to the homeland. 刘烨 (Liu Ye) as the male lead is quite attractive. The story's moralistic.


VYKRADENA PRYNTSESA: RUSLAN I LUDMILA (THE STOLEN PRINCESS)

Watchable. A postmodern fairy-tale where a girl on a magazine cover has "make-up like from Renaissance" and a scythe is a "tuned-up version". Chaotic. With a story within a story and plenty of different elements thrown in: talking animals: cats and a hamster, a stone monster breathing fire, kung fu. The characters have big eyes, Ukrainian aesthetics is present in their costumes and the look of the town. Lots of adventures, plenty of magic and fantastical creatures. Standard music, doesn't disturb but nothing to remember either. The songs are in English even with the whole film dubbed in Polish.


NOWE KINO CHINSKIE (NEW CHINESE CINEMA)

蕭紅 (FALLING FLOWERS)

Watchable. The biography of famous Chinese writer Xiao Hong is a touching story of a woman loved by every man she met but let down by each of them. It let me understand certain relationship choices, e.g. the man who was the most responsible in terms of work and finance betrayed her with several women. Others were either romantic but unreliable and one was a calculative egoist. With 11 years of history of China (1931-1942) in the background. Fascinating but feels lengthy and doesn't explain why she evoked such infatuations in the men. It's also difficult to make out who is who in the story.

FULL CIRCLE

Watchable. A warm tale about very old people regaining independence. Likeable characters. A touching moment when a woman counts hours spent with her parents which over 20 years amount to 10 days. At the same time very old people aren't exactly pleasing to look at and there's a lot about diseases and a bit about dying.


OVERBOARD

Watchable. Few moments made me laugh out loud, mainly people falling over and one of parental overprotection: 'We've just given your sister space." and seeing her talking to a boy: "We've given her too much space." Becomes moving towards the end but the whole thing is just very cheerful, nothing sad. 


NOWE KINO CHINSKIE (NEW CHINESE CINEMA)

玄奘 (XUAN ZANG)

Recommended. Breathtaking visuals owing to top-notch cinematography, stunning locations, splendid costumes and dancing as the road movie takes you from China to India. A beautiful song over the final credits. No wonder the Chinese nominated it for an Oscar in 2017. Makes impression even if your knowledge of Chinese history, culture and Buddhism is next to none. 

狼图腾 / LE DERNIER LOUP (WOLF TOTEM)

Recommended. Amazing cinematography. Deeply moving. Impossible to stay indifferent. Plenty of cruelty to wolves: murdering puppies, burning adult ones, bomb traps. I certainly wouldn't want to see it again but I'm happy I saw it once. Based on a true story. 


UNSANE

Recommended. A thriller chilling more than all those supernatural horrors. Imagine yourself involuntarily getting committed to a mental institution. Everything's legal and set up with a meticulous plan (of financial gain). You, being perfectly sane, find yourself locked up with aggressive harassers and perverts who are truly mentally disturbed. There are further, more standard twists to the plot but keeping you on the edge of your seat as well. On a deeper level, you see how perceptions of the perpetrator differ between the victim and the guy's superiors at work, a cautionary tale. I felt relieved reading the usual "all similarities are coincidental" note at the end.


NOWE KINO CHINSKIE (NEW CHINESE CINEMA)

美人鱼 (THE MERMAID)

Watchable. I was astonished by the brutality in the romantic comedy about love of a mermaid and a wealthy entrepreneur. Of all mermaid films I've seen in my life this one is by far the most bloody and violent. 

青春派 (YOUNG STYLE)

Watchable. Characteristic protagonists, though such exaggerated acting by children looks weird. Yet, it's easy to distinguish between them. About unrequited love in high school. There are mid-credits of a class and of students showing their Gao Kao results.


LA PROMESSE DE L'AUBE

Watchable. Max Richter's slow music makes it feel even longer than it is. It's Romain Gary's biography with too much time, nearly half, devoted to his childhood and next to none to his adult post-war years. Impressive how his initially poor mother provided for him and how well she prepared him to become a gentleman to fulfill her dream of her son becoming a consul and wearing suits tailored in London and how she and he achieved that against all odds. The bond between the two built him and destroyed him leading him to a suicide in the 1960s. The cinematography puts stress on poverty using gloomy dark colours excessively.

Watching it at Warsaw's Amondo Cinema I couldn't help the feeling spending the 2 hours 11 minutes on a Ryanair flight would give me more leg room.


NEW CHINESE CINEMA

尋找成龍 (LOOKING FOR JACKIE)

Watchable. Usual fun with Jackie Chan. The main young actor, 张一山 (Yishan Zhang), is so good he could replace Jackie Chan one day. Of course it's just a moral tale for teenagers but pleasant and light with good, light music.

The movie put me into a fighting mode for an altogether different reason. 3 (!) small children were brought in by their parents to the movie. 2 were taken out after causing disturbance - I wonder why those people came in at all. 1 woman, however, persistently refused to get her kid out for a bigger part of the screening and the cinema staff were nowhere to be found when needed the most. 

YI A SUO MI MA (THE SECRET OF IMMORTAL CODE)

Watchable. Very western in style standard SF plot with a monster but black and white which gives the ship a more isolated feel.


JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM 3D

Watchable. Little point in 3D, it's almost flat. The plot and even some shots resemble "Jurassic Park" more than "Jurassic World". But the dinosaurs are still looking good and the action kept me on the edge of my seat. And the ending - partly before and partly after the credits - is fantastic. The co-existence of us and other contemporary species with dinosaurs looks adorable. I'm looking forward to part 3. 

BAO 

Recommended. A short film preceding "Incredibles 2". It's spot on with teenager behaviours. Stresses love of family and love of food. Now I have an appetite for steamed dumplings.

INCREDIBLES 2

Watchable. Memory erasure like in "Men in Black", lines from "The Outer Limits" opening sequence hypnotise citizens, the motel the family stays in is in pastel colours like in "The Florida Project". Not very funny but when the father discovers the baby's superpowers it is amusing. The storyline is predictable. Continuity has been preserved mostly due to jokes based on references to Mr. Incredible's previous insurance job. No mid- or post-credits.

Update: I've compared it with the 3D version. The 3D has depth but ends at the screen surface, doesn't come out to the viewers.

ADRIFT

Recommended. A perfect date movie. A story of love on a holiday/life/voyage in Tahiti runs parallel to a sea disaster aftermath. Sam Claflin in the role of Richard makes it all even more romantic.Two consecutive stories merge into one. You learn step by step what, how and why. And, once the tales have merged, there comes a shock. Based on facts. One day after the movie I still felt like crying whenever I remembered the film. Powerful stuff.

Some info from a meeting with director Baltasar Kormákur: He was a competitive sailor himself but he felt frustrated with the fact that in movies survival used to be about men, e.g. fishermen. The "Adrift" real life protagonist had just lost her daughter to a gas leak when they started the work. So he decided to make a film about that strong woman and shot it all in the actual ocean. He's aware people treat movies as truth. The actors on the first, sunny day were like: "I can't believe people are paying us to do this" and would snap selfies. On the next day they started vomiting and that was when he started shooting. He's used to shooting in bad weather. When he was making "Everest" in the Dolomites it was -30 degrees Celsius and wet every day. He's Icelandic so he feels the connection with nature and doesn't get upset by it. He lives in Reykjavik and has a farm up north. Currently he's working on "Independent people" based on the book of the same title - the only Icelandic Nobel so he feels lots of pressure. He loves acting too but directing is his job so acting would be like a vacation. He also mentioned how it was to work with Denzel Washington. The actor gets 20 million for a movie so "he's like Coca Cola, he's a brand" which also means he's incredibly well prepared.

I FEEL PRETTY

Watchable. I'm still not a great fun of Amy Schumer since she doesn't really make me laugh. Yet she gets me thinking. Her comedies always convey some hidden message. This one is not concealed much. It's about whether our life success depends on our looks or on our self-esteem. However, what provided me with even more food for thought were the truthful remarks about high-end cosmetics consultants, who intimidate less attractive or less confident women, versus lower end buyers who make fun of bargain-hunting, unlike upper class women who just wouldn't shop in cheaper stores. What I found comforting was fat Amy getting upset with her beautiful slim friend feeling bad about herself: "Do you have every rib I have? Do you even have organs?"

BENZINHO (LOVELING)

Watchable. Not much of a story. However, it struck a chord with me since it told a story of a family where one member was going abroad "forever". The travel preparations were so authentic.

OCEAN'S EIGHT

Recommended. The heist has a double twist so the movie plot matches the original "Ocean's Eleven". The team comprises of women of different races. In the beginning we get the introduction of all the con artists, like in "Ocean's Eleven". It's Danny Ocean's sister's master plan this time. We see a picture of Danny who apparently died in 2018 "but it's not sure". An acrobat takes part like in the previous three "Ocean's" movies. Cameos by e.g. Anna Wintour, designs by giants like Fendi or Vivienne Westwood. McQueen is mentioned when the actress gives the tour of the exhibition. Right before the release of McQueen's cinematic biography.