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.

WHITNEY

Recommended. She had everything going for her. Absolute pitch: when she unexpectedly had to cover for her mother, she was able to imitate all her movements on top of singing everything her way and years later she learnt the tune to perform at Superbowl after hearing it just once. She was a beauty too and worked as a model dreaming of singing. Robert de Niro was "chasing" the beautiful young budding singer as we hear in a TV podcast. Even if her mum was strict teaching her to sing, she did a tremendous job. The girl  was surrounded by a loving and supporting family and the church she loved going to. The church choir was her starting point but, unlike the talents in "Twenty Feet From Stardom", she made it. Her stardom gets a setting full of glamour of the 80s so her star shines all the brighter. Her musical mastery in the film impresses even me, who has never been a great fan of hers or the genre. Curiously drugs, alcohol and cigarettes (in this order) didn't do any damage to her voice for several years. But her childhood nightmare of "devil chasing her" came true on a number of occasions. First witness of her father's infidelity, she later tied a knot with Bobby Brown who, unable to handle living in the shadow of her success, quickly became unfaithful. He also painted demons and devils on the walls of his room. Pretending to be a happy family worked for the public eye but Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne Warwick's sister, abused sexually Whitney and her brother in childhood which damaged the singer in her prime years. Funnily, her family didn't like Whitney's true friend Robyn because she was gay. Whitney claimed never to have had sexual relations with her but the fear of homosexuality among her Christian family was greater than any suspicion of anyone within the family could be a true pervert. On top of that her actual father once filed a 100 m $ lawsuit against her. Interestingly, one person who truly understood her was Michael Jackson. You also learn of the black community's, including the Houstons', perception of "Bodyguard". Showing a black woman acting white, including falling into Kevin Costner's arms, just like white couples did in movies, presents the view known from "I Am Not Your Negro" - the black history was different and she was just a girl from the hood, like all others. In this light it's not surprising she fancied Bobbie Brown – a typical „nigger”. She had brilliant ideas for films which, due to her drug addiction, never saw a daylight, e.g.: "David and Bathsheba. Me and Mel Gibson." When her end was nigh, she knew she would die and was preparing for it, not scared. Her faith in God protected her at least from that.

THE LEISURE SEEKER

Recommended. Filled with love till the end. A dignified elderly couple go on their last road trip with adventures. Due to his memory lapses once he drives away without her. Another time thugs want to rob them off. The old gentleman is obsessed with his wife's... first boyfriend. She manifests her forgiveness for his trespasses. Acted wonderfully by Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. The journey takes them through varied landscapes of the United States casually showing the beauty of changing climate zones. On the other hand it highlights what happened to some of American symbols. Hemingway's house has become a wedding venue. The writer, who committed suicide, is no coincidence, he's central to the plot. The ending's very sad and left me depressed for the rest of the day.

DEADPOOL 2

Damn it! I overlooked the Stan Lee mural again. At least I did notice Brad Pitt when his character, Vanisher, gets electrocuted. I caught some details I either missed or forgot to mention here before. When Peter - the middle-aged chubby guy - applies for the job with a picture of Chris Pine, maybe with a slightly elongated face but it was shown very briefly, Deadpool asks: "Are you a catfish?" Another time he comments that X-Men symbolised racism of the 60s - I personally never thought about it that way but to Americans that's probably obvious. Wade's sexism to Domino continues when she enquires: "Are all X-Force members dead?" and he puts her down: "All the main ones." There's a Harry Potter reference when he muses: "Is there like a sorting hat?" in the prison. George Michael and David Bowie's deaths get a mention. The mid-credit starts with a girl repairing a device with a Wonder Woman-like remark: "How is it possible for such a small thing to turn back time?" Bond-style "Pool. Deadpool." appears in the final credits.

BIG BOOK FESTIVAL

No, I'm not going to write about books here, unless film-relevant. I attended a meeting with "Brokeback Mountain" book author, Annie Proulx. She had spent several years in the forested area of Wyoming and located the action there. In the movie she wanted every detail retained. Yet, Wyoming lacked the infrastructure needed for such an enormous venture. So pictures were taken of Wyoming locations and... almost copies were found in Canada where the film was eventually shot. The locations were spot on. Wyoming residents thought it was Wyoming.

NIGHT FILM MARATHON - THE MARATHON OF HORROR

I skipped "Hereditary", which is on general release, to spare myself the disappointment and the rubbish ending again and I saw only the three exquisite films which had their one-off shows that night:

DELIRIUM

Recommended. On the one hand it resembles "The Shining" - a man has to stay alone in a huge house for a month, his hallucinations (or not) include a (motor)bike and blood. But these are just subtle references to the classic. This one breaks the horror pattern. For a larger part you don't know what's real and what's not. There are also references to some world-shocking crimes revealed in the recent years.

47 METERS DOWN

Recommended. Everything that could go wrong underwater happens here which makes it quite realistic. There's nowhere to point and say it's not true. Each part of it could happen. Basildon Underwater Studios and Dominicana make for Mexico in the movie. But it looks genuine. Ah, they go shark diving. These animals are one of the dangers in this gripping story.

REVENGE

Recommended. She's hot and beautiful - acted by Matilda Lutz, they are cold-blooded perverted killers. The plot is filled with feminine force - directed by a woman, Carolie Fargeat - and creative, e.g. in the way it shows her waking up repeatedly. Excellent party-like music by Rob. Outstanding cinematography. A slasher movie dripping in blood but in what style!

PETER RABBIT

Recommended for the third time. I still noticed details I probably missed before: rabbits fencing with celery sticks at the party, further remarks on humans e.g. on the garden tools shop assistants: "they both wear aprons which clearly implies they are hedgehogs", ladies wearing different floral blouses and dresses which match the flowery garden. Also now I finally realize the fox is the one who chased the rabbits in the very beginning and the house buyers are the same people who rebuked the young Mc Gregor in the town. The way rabbits bounce off obstacles and express such a variety of emotions is amazing animation-wise. Several scenes were hilarious even this time e.g. cleaning after the party involving taking carrots out of the ceiling. I also noticed more touching fragments than before and a wide range of music used.

EYE ON JULIET

Recommended. Kim Nguyen is incredible. How is it possible that some Canadian guy with an Asian name understands African (black in "War Witch" and Arab in "Eye on Juliet") cultures and women so well? This time we have globalisation, hexagons and a very modern variation of "Romeo and Juliet". And it does make sense in the movie. Kim Nguyen has created another extraordinary story, this time shot in the US, Ouarzazate Province in Morocco and a little in Paris. Regular pictures mix with night vision and a dash of slow motion. A genius combination of elements seemingly from different cinematic universes. About universality of feelings. And with humour, especially in the scene of a robotic guidance of a blind elderly Arab to whom the operator won't admit he's a robot.

14TH JEWISH MOTIFS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

THE IMPURE

Recommended. Disturbing how huge the trafficking of Polish women into brothels of Buenos Aires was. Pimps would marry them or kidnap from streets and houses - the result was the same. When already captured, for disobedience you could be put outside naked and poured on with cold water. 6000 women asked for help but later failed to testify rendering the pimps free to go. By law an "impure" woman could quit first serving men for free for a month. All that in the early 20th century among Jews. And it's the first time somebody is bringing these facts to light.

NURNBERG UND SEINE LEHRE (NUREMBERG: IT'S LESSON FOR TODAY)

Watchable. Surprisingly dull. It recounts the whole history of Nazi conquest and then you hear the meaningless blablabla of the masterminds defending themselves. It was worth seeing only to learn two things: Hitler always issued a statement proclaiming friendship between 2 countries less than a year before invading it. The defendants at the trial each pretended to be unaware of what was going on right under their noses and of the consequences of their political decisions. Unbelievable in the face of what they did. Luckily most were hanged or got life imprisonment.


LE SENS DE LA FETE (C'EST LA VIE)

Watchable. A romantic comedy with the emphasis on romantic. Just a handful of situations are funny, e.g. a guy wearing trousers looking like pyjamas hears comments about it even in Tamil and the groom flies away at his wedding reception because the staff forget to hold onto the balloon. The event gets saved by Indian staff who all played in an orchestra back home which makes for one little social comment in the movie. It's basically about a party where everything goes wrong but, as one of the characters remarks, where things get awry, everything is as it should be. So in the morning all relationships and positions, at work and society, are either newly created or refreshed.


14TH JEWISH MOTIFS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

THE JEWISH UNDERGROUND

Watchable. It's better to be familiar with what Shin Bet is to understand it well. But even without background knowledge you see how close in geographic terms the Israeli and Arab worlds are and how distant they are mentally. You only hear the Jewish side and the discussion is about the effects rather than moral grounds. There's so much hostility towards Arabs that the terrorists have got enormous social and political support. They enjoyed big privileges in prison and were to be pardoned even before they were sentenced. Now they are major political advisors. A clear sign law never matters as much as a salient idea does.

SHALOM BOLLYWOOD: THE UNTOLD STORY OF INDIAN CINEMA

Watchable. Traces Jewish origins of the notion of a heroine in Bollywood and the story of Jewish women and men in Indian cinema. Sadly it ends in the 80s. Is there no one now?


SHOW DOGS

Watchable. 80s style music and fun action in the style of "Beverly Hills Cop" with the difference that here the guy is not black. He's a dog in a movie full of glamour: pampered pedigree dogs, beautiful women in cocktail dresses, opulent parties. The dog can't wait for someone to "finally train" his human partner. Lots of slapstick with dogs and a cute baby panda. Very entertaining even if just like all other talking animal comedies. In the finale the dogs set up a team with a licence to bite. Deleted scenes followed by set stills are shown over the credits. Some of the photos show Will Arnett cuddling "Max".

Even children in the audience were well-trained.


14TH JEWISH MOTIFS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

(Я ДОЛЖНА РАССКАЗАТЬ) I MUST TELL

Recommended. A very emotional, very personal account of a woman who, at the age of 14-17, was in the Jewish ghetto in Vilnius and in the Stutthof concentration camp. Harrowing. Impressive how she was lucky, or had to help her luck, repeatedly to survive.

NUSSBAUM 95736

Recommended. A less intimate story, in fact you get the impression he skips the most horrid experiences. But it's a deepened testimony of how you perceive others. Are you going to sacrifice a stranger's life to save your brother's? Will you accept a German daughter-in-law after the experience of 2 concentration camps? It's peculiar how a patchwork family was formed out of those who lost parents and who lost a child. While the film highlights the hypocritical "Arbeit macht frei" on the gate, it's another testimony that those few who survived were the ones who worked.

MISS HOLOCAUST

Watchable. The Holocaust survivors' beauty pageant serves only to show it's there and that you can celebrate your survival and have fun in life. Other than that it only presents the competition step by step. No obvious depth.


BLOCKERS

Watchable. Not as ludicrous as in the trailer which comprised of the worst bits. Still, it's silly enough. I recognised right away the tale about parents trying to stop their daughters losing virginity on prom night was written by a bloke. As it turns out, it was scripted by two men. Their idea of girls' world is downright masculine and presented as if they wanted to persuade girls to have sex more eagerly. Luckily it's all quite entertaining. Glamorous dresses, music ranging from Taio Cruz ("Dynamite"), through Chick Norris, to Mozart, eye-catching interior decors. Lots of slapstick, mildly funny, e.g. a guy tripping over the same boy twice, with one hilarious bit when a mum sneaking on her daughter gets electrocuted. Homosexuality is treated lightly too. Serious undertones apply to parents who won't let their teenage offspring experience life on their own, even if they adamantly state they will.

RAMPAGE

Watchable. Starts promising: first comes a note about illegal genetic engineering and then you get an awesome view of a space station. But action quickly brings you back to Earth where giant: gorilla, wolf and fancy reptile, looking like a dragon and emerging from the Chicago River like Godzilla, wreak havoc in the city. Dwayne "Rock" Johnson, who I took to after "Jumanji", saves the day. Unsophisticated fun.

THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF THE FAKIR

Recommended. A truly extraordinary modern-day fairy-tale taking you across the globe and all layers of the society. You meet pickpockets, cons, a blind beggar, refugees as well as a marketing VD and a film star. In the colourful world the main topic is inequality and what determines our lives: luck, karma, parents' status? I cried and laughed, e.g. a refugee to a British immigration officer: "I don't want to stay in England." "Why? Is it weather?" Shot in Paris, Mumbai, Brussels, Rome but featuring the UK, Libya and Spain as well.  With "Madaari" dance number and 2 more Bollywood and Burkinabe songs.

GOD'S NOT DEAD: A LIGHT IN DARKNESS

Should have walked out. The black priest first says he understands Swahili the best, then he utters his last words: "Mungu ni mzuri wakati wote" ("God is good all the time") in Swahili and a few minutes later he's mentioned as a priest from... Ghana. Swahili's not spoken there! The characters in this part are barely tolerable, the adult brothers' bickering is silly. I waited all the time for the trial which eventually didn't take place. Waste of time. Can a church be located on a state university campus is a valid question but the movie lacks a decent storyline.

HEREDITARY

Watchable. The family story is so engaging you don't notice what rubbish horror it is till it's too late. Starts with death, then comes talking about signs, then the omens appear and towards the end more and more characters act insane. Not scary.

UN BEAU SOLEIL INTERIEUR (LET THE SUNSHINE IN)

Watchable. Overtalked but overly realistic - about trying to rebuild your love life in middle age. The road of romance takes her from a fat, old, married, rude chap, through a few affairs, again including a married guy, in which she's desperate for love or at least commitment. It's quite life-like when the men manipulate her one after another.

LOVE EXPRESS. ZAGINIECIE WALERIANA BOROWCZYKA (LOVE EXPRESS. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WALERIAN BOROWCZYK)

Recommended. From Docs Against Gravity to HBO. A big chunk of the history of cinema. With a clever observation that the sex revolution in the cinema of the 70s was male: by males and for males. Also an intro to Borowczyk comprehensible to people who didn't watch movies back then. Fully autonomous artistic vision appears to be quintessential to creating a good film. With amusing close-ups on Slavoj Žižek (famous for "The Pervert's Guide to Ideology") who's "quite an actor" that the director "would be happy to cast again".

LE TRIP À TROIS 

Watchable. Not funny at all. Are all francophones obsessed with sex? It's Canadian so at least music is moslty in English.

CZUWAJ

Watchable. The very beginning with the air view of a coach going into the woods is tacky - resembles trashy horrors. Then comes quite a reasonable introduction with ambiguous characters. But from the first murder on it's more and more stereotypical and, even with the movie lasting 90 minutes, feels protracted. You eventually learn who killed and why but the final scene is frustratingly inconclusive in terms of punishment. There's a black and white version of the movie as well but the cinematography is poor either way. So is the acting. Worst of all the whole film looks as if the creators couldn't make up their minds if it's going to be crime/thriller/psychologic/Catholic-nationalist drama.

At the premiere the young actors got their costumes (scout uniforms) as memoirs. Artur Barciś, who acted as the priest, joked he "wasn't even given a cassock".

THE CHANGEOVER

Watchable. Fantasy with elements of horror for teenagers. A weird movie. The magical story has little suspense and is poorly acted. Shot with plenty of close-ups. Uneven music ranges from barely bearable to really catchy - the best piece is played along with the credits. The post-credit takes you back to the reckless and joyful beginning.

BLANKA

Recommended. Watch your wallet if you ever wander into the slums of Manila. The little girl begs and steals so primarily it's a warning for potential tourists to the Philippines. But the whole story's more than that. It's poignant. The world of slums is one of extreme poverty: sleeping right on the street in a city that never sleeps, stealing from strangers and friends alike, bathing in the contaminated and littered sea, being vulnerable to robberies and kidnappings and of desperate attempts to form a family. The story's quite unusual, the girl's tough and resourceful, yet her naive dream is one coming from a world where money's everything. Every human is for sale. Crosses everywhere: round people's necks and in their ears, God slogans on walls look alien. Money only can't replace what the treet children truly covet. An important picture but so depressing I don't want to see it again.

LOVING PABLO

Recommended. He was outrageous, audacious and smart as hell. Whatever Pablo Escobar did was bold. His first depicted move was getting the beautiful journalist divorced. Achieving that his own way. Fast forward and a special 500-men unit was formed to apprehend him. He even served his prison time on his own conditions. Javier Bardem impersonated the drug lord convincingly. The movie's got good suspense, twists of action - based on facts -  and a great score, even over the credits. Clever entertainment. It also explains what sicarios are (teenage hitmen whose families will get 20 000 dollars, which is more they could ever earn, if they get killed on the job) - right before the release of the second part of "Sicario".

PRZY PLANTY 7/9

Recommended. It was the first time I heard about the incident from 1946. The pogrom was so shockingly brutal. How was it possible that a few dozens people gathered murder 42 people in total for a few hours. The police, soldiers, civilians, including plenty of women. After those testimonies you just see different ways of coping with the guilt but the whole documentary is tear-jerking, not just the harrowing accounts.

RACE 3

Watchable. Nefarious gang dealings, the megarich and family at the core of motivation. The production follows the stalwart rules of blockbuster Bollywood: obligatory muscled men in glamourous cars, gorgeous women in breathtaking dresses, spectacular choreographies, with scantily clad mostly blonde dancers and with music getting better and better as the plot develops and brings in new twists of action. The very first choreography was dreadful though - duck faces and actors out of the rhythm. Later pole-dancing finds its way into the movie, clearly getting worldwide recognition, it features in one of the dance bits in the middle of the film. Combat scenes are realistic, based in actual martial arts. Russians are invariably stereotypical blondes, with women being whores and men inept suitors of Indian beauties. My first impression, however, was of overdone editing and camerawork giving dynamic scenes an artificial look. Slow mo's fine but what they did additionally was accelerating the picture which made it all appear fake and at times quite absurd, e.g. when a car gets sped up and you see a background woman suddenly walking unnaturally fast. Of course, it is all fictitious and far-fetched - obvious in the genre - but the visuals are spoilt. In one scene an actress has eyeshadow visible on her lashes and unconcealed skin blemishes. Quite a lot of imperfections for one cinematic release. Still, Salman Khan, who produced the movie and probably got digitally de-aged again since he looks younger and younger in subsequent productions, voluptuous Jacqueline Fernandez and curvaceous Daisy Shah together with opulent residences, designer cars and glamorous outfits provide enough break from reality. Catchy tunes stay in your mind after leaving the theatre.

The screening renewed my deliberation on why Indian cinema, matching the quality of American films, doesn't find following in the West. Action with music videos in between would be fine with European viewers. I think the reason may be Indian audience. In Poland that is. In Britain I saw dozens of Bollywood movies with no greater disturbance. Does a different sort of Indians come to Poland than to the UK? I usually try to sit far from others, even at western movies, so as not to hear others' conversations - couples and groups of friends occasionally can't refrain from talking. But this time it wasn't enough. First even mere turning off the lights and then each star's (Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Saqib Saleem, Jacqueline Fernandez, Daisy Shah) first appearance on the screen was met with deafeaning applause. The same happened at key moments or whenever actresses' legs were shown, even not the leads', an extra in hotpants prompted a roaring cheer as well. Apart from that some kid was talking along with the film, a guy would shout out something loud, clearly eager to be heard by the audience. No one objected. Being probably the only white person in the room I felt helpless. I've noticed that the cinema plays Bollywood louder than other films. Must be for a reason. Yet, the volume from the loudspeakers and the extra decibels from the audience can be tolerated only by those hooked on Bollywood already.

TAXI 5

Watchable. Great music: Arabic, Western, Latino, name it. Marseille looks bewitching. Hilarious gags: the police don't recognize a suspect from a nearly identical picture and a criminal explains his weed plantation as "fresh, aromatic herbs: rosemary, basil, emmental". Only vomiting and dog excrement flying onto people detract from the fun.

The trailer of "I Feel Pretty" looks like it's going to be a comedy with serious undertones. I'm looking forward to it.

GHOST STORIES

Watchable. Slow, with sentimental music and all standard horror gimmicks which fail to scare taken the lack of atmosphere. The guy with Polish name "Marek" is said to be Russian, speaks with Russian accent and uses Polish word "złośliwy" (malicious) which turns into "złowrogi" (sinister) in Polish subtitles. Rubbish ending. I waited because in the middle you're told "it's always the last key that opens the door". But here this door ruins what was bad already.

SOBIBOR

Recommended. It's brutal. Nazi labour camps were. The contrast between what the loudspeakers announce and what is found, let alone what awaits the new arrivals, is startling. The shower scene re-works creatively the corresponding scene from "Schindler's List". Nazis partying is another shocking fragment. Consulted on history, Yiddish and perfectly cinematic at the same time. Also Polish is correct. Great acting. The characters of Pechersky and Shlomo deserve special attention since those people played a great role in Nazi captures after the war. The best lesson from the story is: in case you end up in a concentration camp, run early, as long as you're still fit and have some body fat. And plan well. That's the secret beyond the only successful escape. The most disconcerting info comes in the print at the very end. I'd love to see a continuation about how so many of the escapees were turned in to Nazis by locals. 

MOMO (FINDING MOMO)

Watchable. Another in the series of French comedies dealing with "others" and our prejudices. Not really comic but Christian Clavier's as great as ever and saves the movie. Still, the only funny bits are ones with animals: the look of the cat and the scene with the dog at the vet's who recognizes the Alsatian understands only German so he switches from French to German to explain to the dog to be nice to his masters and then charges them 80 euro. Most of the film however is making fun of disabled people and women's maternal instincts. Hardly amusing. No mid- or post-credits in this one.

MCQUEEN

Recommended. A perfectly structured documentary: from the famous fashion designer's humble beginnings - though his works were mind-blowing even in the early stage - through his successive collections and growing acclaim up to the grand finale show on the catwalk and his tragic death. He was a genius but also a mean person, using and manipulating people, had no qualms about cutting off his mentor to keep his riches to himself and used to persuade people to work for him for free - though this was partly justified since he badly needed money himself. Tragically his eventual massive success - well deserved - didn't bring him relief but work, work and ever more work. Cocaine and his closed ones' deaths were the final nails to his coffin. The film's inspiring, gripping and enchanting. Once the series of early credit shots end, that's the end.

JEUNE FEMME (MONTPARNASSE BIENVENUE)

Watchable. Easy to relate to for anyone who's lived in another city. The pictures are as grey as her life. Only one scene, which shows a little fragment of Paris and a bridge with lights, is picturesque but the beautiful city is just a backdrop to all things grinding: looking for accommodation and for a job, healing your broken heart and forehead, meeting people and trying to prove yourself, sexual harassment and a rape attempt, last but not least a pregnancy. The protagonist is neither satisfied nor cheerful but she's happy-go-lucky which is her survival tactic. 

大鱼·海棠 (BIG FISH & BEGONIA)

Watchable. Colourful but not saturated, very much like Chinese paintings. Red dolphins - the colour is lucky in Chinese culture and since they don't exist in reality if you spot one, it's a soul. Fairy-tale like: the pictures, the music, the story. The mid-credit shows you need to demonstrate courage, bravery and love to become a soul guardian. May have been more powerful had it been more subtle.

ZIMNA WOJNA (COLD WAR)

Recommended. All the awe is justified. It's a film so hard-hitting you need a while to recover from it. Starts subtly and then unnoticeably entangles you with emotions so powerful they stun you. High contrast black and white, probably enhanced in post-production, deserves an applause in its own right. It extracts details and makes each shot an artwork. Meticulously recreated 1950s in communist Poland: in scenography, music, dialogues, costumes. Original folk songs by Tadeusz Sygietynski and jazz by George Gershwin. Krzysztof Materna makes a cameo as a compere. The female lead, Joanna Kulig, resembles Jennifer Lawrence. A cold war is waged not only between the East and West of Europe but also between the two star-crossed lovers as well as between the musician and his careerist friend.

15TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FILM FESTIVAL 2018

DREAMING MURAKAMI

Watchable. I've never read Murakami and found it a useful introduction to his works. I also learnt that the Japanese duality of your inner self and your outer self is often reflected in literature, especially his. That's what the Frog and the Snail appear for. There were some remarks on the language too, e.g. that you need to know 1850 characters to read a newspaper, that a double ideogram for a tree is a grove and a triple is a wood or that a man and a tree means resting i.e. like leaning against a tree, similarly a mother and a child equals love. Add his Danish translator's biography and that's the film. Relatively short and pleasant. Plenty of Murakami quotes and a bit of weirdness in the form of a walking frog. Still, all that doesn't explain why some people are drawn do Murakami's stories, even in The West.

TURYSCI (TOURISTS)

Recommended. Great fun, I could keep watching on and on. Takes you round the world as seen by Polish tourists. Lots of holiday pleasures and new experiences: some shocking, like dog meat, some enjoyable, e.g. dancing, some unpleasant, like a tourist practically assaulted by greedy African women and children robbing all her money. With great music - both local and composed by Zamilska. I don't know what the authors shot the film for but it bewilders you with such an array of countries and cultures it's pure fun, even if with no clear point. And it's not true what people say about mindless tourists. The tourists are more of a mirror the rest of the world is reflected in. From the meeting with the makers I know they despise Polish folks on foreign trips. Luckily the film doesn't show that. It's just summer enjoyment.

PLAYING MEN

Watchable. 8 sports and games men play in Turkey, Croatia and Italy. Entertaining, with lots of surprises. My favourite part was the cheese rolling down through the whole town of Navara in Italy. It would bounce off walls and keep rolling on without any help of a man. Not all games were equally interesting. The passages in between were a bit too long. The editing could be more dynamic.

Summing up the festival, it bewilders you with the quality as well as the quantity. The films and the music gigs were amazing. The debates were skippable. The meetings with filmmakers were as good, or occasionally as bad, as their works. The educational screenings for schools comprised of outstanding short documentaries about children and teenagers and the educator was perfectly well prepared for working with kids. I hope the new generation will be better for the world and others than the current ones. A number of films had mid- and post-credits. Apparently even the documentary genre has embraced this tactic. The program was filled to the brim. It's best to take the 9 days off and spend them at the cinema and accompanying events from morning till night. Cinemas should offer sleeping couches for enthusiasts like me.


BELLE ET SÉBASTIEN 3: LE DERNIER CHAPITRE (BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, FRIENDS FOR LIFE)

Watchable. A very wintry film with plenty of snow. This part is heart-wrenching and so dark I could barely stand it. But of course the dogs are wonderful (Belle acted by 4 different ones) and it ends well, mostly.