MILOSC I MILOSIERDZIE (LOVE AND MERCY)
I attended a meeting with the two lead actors and the producer before I got the chance to see the film. Kamila Kamińska, the lead actress, simplified the script since her first impression was that such a spiritual person wouldn't have talked so much. She also prepared for the role spending time with nuns in a convent where her life comprised of joyous simple activities and next in another one, with the rule of silence, which gave her an opportunity to rest and sleep - in St. Faustyna's House in Ostrówek. It was then that she started to understand St. Faustyna's diary and discovered what attention to details Faustyna paid. The nuns helped her achieve the required look. They "can always recognize if the robe has been adjusted by a make-up artist, not a professional nun". Nowadays nuns' habits are more comfortable but she wore the old type for the movie. Michał Sopoćko, the priest presented in the film, who later became a saint, felt no sanctitude in himself. He was very down to earth in real life, e.g. once a woman was banging on the chapel door: "Duch Świety kazal mi tu lezec krzyzem w kaplicy i adorowac przez 3 godziny" ("The Holy Spirit has ordered me to lie prostrate here in the chapel and adore for 3 hours.") He resolutely responded: "O ktorej godzinie byl u pani Duch Swiety?" ("What time was the Holy Spirit at yours?") "O 10." ("At 10.") "Aha, bo u mnie byl o 11. i odwolal." ("Aha, because he was at mine at 11 and cancelled it.") The painting created according to St. Faustyna's instructions squares with the Shroud of Turin in the main 8 points. Since there are white and red rays in the picture, it's treated as very Polish. Now the painting's owned by Lithuania. Two versions of the film have been shot. The English one was presented in Vatican. It's going to have a wide distribution: April-May 9 countries in Europe, September 800 screens in the US, also South America, the Philippines and South Korea. As for Lithuania, it's planned to be screened there in one month. At the end of the meeting someone asked the makers a biased question. He wanted them to reassure him that this movie is the true picture of the Church, unlike "Kler" ("Clergy"). The guy was upset when Kamila Kamińska answered that it was good that this one showed "the other side of the Church".
BASIA 2
Watchable. The houses in the town in this animation look like a few separate layers, ignoring the existence of 3 dimensions in buildings. But it's filled with bright colours. The stories are pleasant and while not exactly captivating for an adult, very appropriate for young children whom they teach important life lessons.
Friday, 29 March 2019
Thursday, 28 March 2019
POWROT (BACK HOME)
Recommended. Austere. Very religious family, stern and strict - no wonder the teenage daughter wanted to run. A seagull flying away at some point is a good metaphor. The mother's religiousness is well justified too. The family is very hierarchical, traditional. Even their breakfast looks like in communist times.With time hypocrisy becomes apparent. What the mother did towards the end gave me creeps.
Recommended. Austere. Very religious family, stern and strict - no wonder the teenage daughter wanted to run. A seagull flying away at some point is a good metaphor. The mother's religiousness is well justified too. The family is very hierarchical, traditional. Even their breakfast looks like in communist times.With time hypocrisy becomes apparent. What the mother did towards the end gave me creeps.
Tuesday, 26 March 2019
THE MULE
Recommended. Beautiful flowers in blossom are an unusual start of a story, inspired by true events, of a 90-year-old smuggler. However, the crime intrigue is gripping and the old chap totally lovable. Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper and Laurence Fishburne pull off convincing and heartfelt performances. Not so predictable either. Nice clean shots.
MONUMENT
Watchable. By Jagoda Szelc but much better than her earlier "Wieża. Jasny dzień" ("Tower. A Bright Day"). Uses a lot of bluish light, the colour which is later carried onto blue plastic wrapped round the monument. But it all looks less eerie than the events. It'a as incomprehensible as her previous film but more attractive due to the uncanny character of a morbidly obese woman in the basement and strange behaviours of the more and more confused staff. Comfortingly no animal parts were used in the scene of cutting meat.
Recommended. Beautiful flowers in blossom are an unusual start of a story, inspired by true events, of a 90-year-old smuggler. However, the crime intrigue is gripping and the old chap totally lovable. Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper and Laurence Fishburne pull off convincing and heartfelt performances. Not so predictable either. Nice clean shots.
MONUMENT
Watchable. By Jagoda Szelc but much better than her earlier "Wieża. Jasny dzień" ("Tower. A Bright Day"). Uses a lot of bluish light, the colour which is later carried onto blue plastic wrapped round the monument. But it all looks less eerie than the events. It'a as incomprehensible as her previous film but more attractive due to the uncanny character of a morbidly obese woman in the basement and strange behaviours of the more and more confused staff. Comfortingly no animal parts were used in the scene of cutting meat.
KINO FRANKOFONSKIE 2019 (FRANCOPHONE CINEMA 2019)
MOKA
Recommended. A gentle psychologic drama/mild thriller about cornering the killers of a son. The slow but steady progress in the woman's investigation makes for a pleasant watching through and for a hard-hitting ending. The fact-finding is intriguing too.
CHARLESTON
Walked out. A comedy drama which neither touches nor amuses. Terribly slow-paced in that.
MOKA
Recommended. A gentle psychologic drama/mild thriller about cornering the killers of a son. The slow but steady progress in the woman's investigation makes for a pleasant watching through and for a hard-hitting ending. The fact-finding is intriguing too.
CHARLESTON
Walked out. A comedy drama which neither touches nor amuses. Terribly slow-paced in that.
Sunday, 24 March 2019
CIEMNO, PRAWIE NOC (DARK, ALMOST NIGHT)
Watchable. Disarrayed weirdness. Huge chaos which makes sense only after 80 minutes (out of 111 minutes). Theatrically overacted. With consensual adult sex and some oedipal nude scenes for no reason. A protagonist also blinds himself like Oedipus. Lots of violence, murders, incest, paedophilia. But most of all weirdness. The dark imagery makes sense as the form of children's coping with the experience of sex abuse. Lots of heavy string music. However a number of events and characters from the 489-page-long novel by Joanna Bator are squeezed into the movie unnecessarily. I'm still not sure if I fully got it. The book clarifies the movie plot, though the order of events in the novel is slightly different than in the film. Still, such incomprehensible weirdness, whether in literature or movies, only in Poland.
EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE
Recommended. Phenomenally acted and perfectly structured. Zac Efron is amazing as Ted Bundy. The murderer was told to be attractive, something I could never understand because in pictures and interviews he looks quite average. It was only Zac Efron who, impersonating him, spread such charm around the serial killer, demonstrated his acuity, intelligence, exuded eroticism that I finally realized why all women would fall into his web. The actor was so convincing I only hope he didn't kill anyone while preparing for the role. Still, when I compared charming Zac Efron with cocky, aggressive Ted Bundy from a documentary... maybe the actor overdid the lure? The actual people are shown in documentary footage at the end. They look better in the Hollywood film than in real life however. The shocking volume of admiration for the murderer is one of surprisingly funny fragments. The film is an excerpt of his life, skipping his psychology studies and focusing on his education in law. His statement that "killers live among us" is some food for thought.
Saturday, 23 March 2019
16TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FILM FESTIVAL
It takes an entire year to organise. Once one festival is over, the next one begins to be prepared. So here comes a breakdown of what the organisers say about the 2019 one. This year one more city will host it - Katowice. And in Warsaw and Wroclaw, in one cinema each, audiodescription will be provided. The jury will include Michał Marczak of "Wszystkie nieprzespane noce" ("All These Sleepless Nights"), Hanna Polak and Layla Hosseini. Peter Jackson's first film since "Hobbit" will be screened. It will talk about WW1 soldiers and is formed from coloured black and white pictures which renders it more realist and surrealist at the same time. Cinematographer Jolanta Dylewska's own, directed by herself, documentary "Marek Edelman... i była miłość w getcie" ("Mark Edelman... and There Was Love in the Ghetto") is coming too. Croatian "Srbenka" will tell about a a girl who was raped and the perpetrators got no punishment. Polish "In Touch" is about Polish migration to Iceland. Apparently 1 million 200 thousand Ukrainian smartphones are registered in Poland - the Ukrainian immigration constitutes the topic of "Jazda obowiązkowa" ("Compulsory Figures"). "Talking About Trees" deals with the Islamic dictatorship which ruined expat students' film-making ambitions on return to Sudan and Tchad. On 11th May "Symfonia Fabryki Ursus" ("Symphony of the Ursus Factory") will premiere with a splash, including a show of tractors driven in front of the cinema. Ecology will be covered in "Soyalism" - about monopolising the food market. The Science Non-Fiction section will talk about AI. Letizia Battaglia, the protagonist of "Shooting the Mafia" will be a guest. Apparently she's famous not only for photographing the Sicilian mafia but also for her much younger lovers, e.g. 20, 30, 40 years. In Herzog's "Meeting Gorbachev" they talk but weird bits thrown into narration abound. "Jean Paul Gaultier Fait Son Show" ("Jean Paul Gaultier: Freak & Chic") is a colourful show. "Bellingcat - Truth in a Post-Truth World" showcases citizen journalism. Not-formally-journalists found the guilty of the MH17 Malaysian plane shootdown via Facebook and proved the crime. Bastian Obermayer, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" journalist who revealed "The Panama Papers" will be the guest after the film. 9 Polish films are to premiere at the festival. That includes debut "Diagnosis" which talks about the city of Łódź as if of a human psyche. Another screening with a guest will be around a film about a Jewish landlord of a tenement in Złota Street, Warsaw who really cares about his tenants, yet his tenement will be probably taken over by Jaki's commission. The film will feature the inhabitants and different views of the situation. Loznitsa will be hosted as well. His documentary "The Trial" tackles the issue of engineers and economists put on Stalin's trials. Another guest is Alan Tieger who was one of the prosecutors at the trial of "the Butcher of the Balkans". Another invited documentary film protagonist is Doris Wagner who started the #nunstoo movement. There are going to be debates, among others after "Anthropocene: The Human Epoch" and after "Push" - this one will focus on the housing space and flats treated as goods or as a human right. Other curious films are: "Anders, Me and His 23 Other Women" - about a handsome Swede with a calendar and "Buddy" - about human-dog relationships.
AQUARELA
Watchable. Interesting but feels a bit lengthy. Shot at 96 frames per second and in Atmos 7.1 sound, it's a 89'-long painting of water in its 3 states of matter: solid, liquid and vapour. From Lake Baikal in Siberia and Saqqak in Greenland, through the Atlantic Ocean to the tropical zone, ending at Venezuelan Salto Angel. With sounds of nature as well as rock music and a classical score. Its main focus is on accidents and natural disasters and in this matter it does its utmost to put the viewer, partly through the state-of-the-art Atmos 7.1 sound, right in the middle of the elements. Some images are like nothing I've seen before, some are simply awe-inspiring but several feel protracted and just yawn-inspiring. The focus is clearly on climate change, as indicated in the remark about ice getting too thin to drive on 3 weeks earlier than usual. Still, the film's a painting extended in time rather than a cautionary tale.
It takes an entire year to organise. Once one festival is over, the next one begins to be prepared. So here comes a breakdown of what the organisers say about the 2019 one. This year one more city will host it - Katowice. And in Warsaw and Wroclaw, in one cinema each, audiodescription will be provided. The jury will include Michał Marczak of "Wszystkie nieprzespane noce" ("All These Sleepless Nights"), Hanna Polak and Layla Hosseini. Peter Jackson's first film since "Hobbit" will be screened. It will talk about WW1 soldiers and is formed from coloured black and white pictures which renders it more realist and surrealist at the same time. Cinematographer Jolanta Dylewska's own, directed by herself, documentary "Marek Edelman... i była miłość w getcie" ("Mark Edelman... and There Was Love in the Ghetto") is coming too. Croatian "Srbenka" will tell about a a girl who was raped and the perpetrators got no punishment. Polish "In Touch" is about Polish migration to Iceland. Apparently 1 million 200 thousand Ukrainian smartphones are registered in Poland - the Ukrainian immigration constitutes the topic of "Jazda obowiązkowa" ("Compulsory Figures"). "Talking About Trees" deals with the Islamic dictatorship which ruined expat students' film-making ambitions on return to Sudan and Tchad. On 11th May "Symfonia Fabryki Ursus" ("Symphony of the Ursus Factory") will premiere with a splash, including a show of tractors driven in front of the cinema. Ecology will be covered in "Soyalism" - about monopolising the food market. The Science Non-Fiction section will talk about AI. Letizia Battaglia, the protagonist of "Shooting the Mafia" will be a guest. Apparently she's famous not only for photographing the Sicilian mafia but also for her much younger lovers, e.g. 20, 30, 40 years. In Herzog's "Meeting Gorbachev" they talk but weird bits thrown into narration abound. "Jean Paul Gaultier Fait Son Show" ("Jean Paul Gaultier: Freak & Chic") is a colourful show. "Bellingcat - Truth in a Post-Truth World" showcases citizen journalism. Not-formally-journalists found the guilty of the MH17 Malaysian plane shootdown via Facebook and proved the crime. Bastian Obermayer, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" journalist who revealed "The Panama Papers" will be the guest after the film. 9 Polish films are to premiere at the festival. That includes debut "Diagnosis" which talks about the city of Łódź as if of a human psyche. Another screening with a guest will be around a film about a Jewish landlord of a tenement in Złota Street, Warsaw who really cares about his tenants, yet his tenement will be probably taken over by Jaki's commission. The film will feature the inhabitants and different views of the situation. Loznitsa will be hosted as well. His documentary "The Trial" tackles the issue of engineers and economists put on Stalin's trials. Another guest is Alan Tieger who was one of the prosecutors at the trial of "the Butcher of the Balkans". Another invited documentary film protagonist is Doris Wagner who started the #nunstoo movement. There are going to be debates, among others after "Anthropocene: The Human Epoch" and after "Push" - this one will focus on the housing space and flats treated as goods or as a human right. Other curious films are: "Anders, Me and His 23 Other Women" - about a handsome Swede with a calendar and "Buddy" - about human-dog relationships.
AQUARELA
Watchable. Interesting but feels a bit lengthy. Shot at 96 frames per second and in Atmos 7.1 sound, it's a 89'-long painting of water in its 3 states of matter: solid, liquid and vapour. From Lake Baikal in Siberia and Saqqak in Greenland, through the Atlantic Ocean to the tropical zone, ending at Venezuelan Salto Angel. With sounds of nature as well as rock music and a classical score. Its main focus is on accidents and natural disasters and in this matter it does its utmost to put the viewer, partly through the state-of-the-art Atmos 7.1 sound, right in the middle of the elements. Some images are like nothing I've seen before, some are simply awe-inspiring but several feel protracted and just yawn-inspiring. The focus is clearly on climate change, as indicated in the remark about ice getting too thin to drive on 3 weeks earlier than usual. Still, the film's a painting extended in time rather than a cautionary tale.
Wednesday, 20 March 2019
CAPTAIN MARVEL AT SCREENX
Watchable twice. At the second watching I found it just less funny but still engaging thanks to decent twists of action. Altogether it's fun. Written by two women and one man and directed by a woman and a man therefore very feminist, but men, at least some, enjoyed it too. A number of funny bits, especially with the cat. Also 90s computers and Internet access are mocked. A humanitarian message is apparent too. Samuel L. Jackson is superb. You get to see the early career of Nick Fury. The Tesseract, the communication device from the ending of "Avengers: Infinity War" and the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization appear too. And Stan Lee's cameo (he was one of the producers). There's a mid- and a post-credit. The ScreenX adds no extra info. The only advantage of the three screen panels is the extension of peripheral vision, e.g. when the central screen shows people taking files, the side ones present the rest of the archive room. Only 42 minutes of the 2 hours 5 minute long movie use the technology meaning only some scenes do.
As for the new Korean technology of ScreenX itself, it's a disappointment and an overstatement. There are 3 ways of shooting ScreenX: filming a scene with 3 cameras at once, shooting extra scenes for ScreenX or adding scenes after shooting the movie. But it doesn't enhance the movie. What's worse, the side panels are too dark and are separated with what looks like black columns where the screen "bends" so instead of one extended picture you see three separate ones. All that for 8 zlotys extra. If you go, the best seats are on the side!
I asked Cinema City representatives for Dolby Atmos at my local cinema. Got only vague answers though. A Disney representative told us about a 1 million $ screen in their center at Burbank where black and white colours gave the impression of a spaceship sitting right on his nose when he was 20 meters away from the screen. So that's the future of cinema.
KINO FRANKOFONSKIE 2019 (FRANCOPHONE CINEMA 2019)
LA PASSION D'AUGUSTINE (THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE)
Watchable. Optimistic, with good music but lacks a true bite. It's oversimplified. The superior nun's motives are unclear. Altogether it's just fine.
SUPERJHEMP RETORNS
Watchable. Pleasant though not funny. It mocks both the superhero genre and the country cleverly: the "Superman" music theme is used, the country is called Luxusburg, its refugees receive food rations in golden boxes and one of characters remarks: "Once something is happening in my country, I'm on the Belgian coast." Still, to laugh at it, I guess you need to be a Luxembourger yourself.
THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
Recommended. An unusual and thought-provoking psychologic drama with serious social undertones. Do we need artists? What does the society do with our talents? How far can we go to protect what's rare? What do we value in ourselves, in others and the society as such? Do our school scores matter for our adult lives? Who and what determines our life success? Can we cope on the personal level when the younger generation surpasses our skills? Last but not least, what makes us happy? I felt so moved and saddened that I left crying.
THE AFTERMATH
Watchable. A totally engaging and plausibly acted love story, even if predictable and a few scenes are overly melodramatic. The background presents the cinematically unchartered territory of the temporary post-WW2 British settlement in Germany (due to the army stationed there). The dormant hostilities, sanctimony on the Ally Part and suspicions on both sides as well as varying ways of coping with the loss of the loved ones by the four protagonists and the societal backdrop of the victors and the defeated could form an intriguing thriller or a psychologic drama on their own. Instead we get a softened version resulting in a mawkish love story.
Watchable twice. At the second watching I found it just less funny but still engaging thanks to decent twists of action. Altogether it's fun. Written by two women and one man and directed by a woman and a man therefore very feminist, but men, at least some, enjoyed it too. A number of funny bits, especially with the cat. Also 90s computers and Internet access are mocked. A humanitarian message is apparent too. Samuel L. Jackson is superb. You get to see the early career of Nick Fury. The Tesseract, the communication device from the ending of "Avengers: Infinity War" and the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization appear too. And Stan Lee's cameo (he was one of the producers). There's a mid- and a post-credit. The ScreenX adds no extra info. The only advantage of the three screen panels is the extension of peripheral vision, e.g. when the central screen shows people taking files, the side ones present the rest of the archive room. Only 42 minutes of the 2 hours 5 minute long movie use the technology meaning only some scenes do.
As for the new Korean technology of ScreenX itself, it's a disappointment and an overstatement. There are 3 ways of shooting ScreenX: filming a scene with 3 cameras at once, shooting extra scenes for ScreenX or adding scenes after shooting the movie. But it doesn't enhance the movie. What's worse, the side panels are too dark and are separated with what looks like black columns where the screen "bends" so instead of one extended picture you see three separate ones. All that for 8 zlotys extra. If you go, the best seats are on the side!
I asked Cinema City representatives for Dolby Atmos at my local cinema. Got only vague answers though. A Disney representative told us about a 1 million $ screen in their center at Burbank where black and white colours gave the impression of a spaceship sitting right on his nose when he was 20 meters away from the screen. So that's the future of cinema.
KINO FRANKOFONSKIE 2019 (FRANCOPHONE CINEMA 2019)
LA PASSION D'AUGUSTINE (THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE)
Watchable. Optimistic, with good music but lacks a true bite. It's oversimplified. The superior nun's motives are unclear. Altogether it's just fine.
SUPERJHEMP RETORNS
Watchable. Pleasant though not funny. It mocks both the superhero genre and the country cleverly: the "Superman" music theme is used, the country is called Luxusburg, its refugees receive food rations in golden boxes and one of characters remarks: "Once something is happening in my country, I'm on the Belgian coast." Still, to laugh at it, I guess you need to be a Luxembourger yourself.
THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
Recommended. An unusual and thought-provoking psychologic drama with serious social undertones. Do we need artists? What does the society do with our talents? How far can we go to protect what's rare? What do we value in ourselves, in others and the society as such? Do our school scores matter for our adult lives? Who and what determines our life success? Can we cope on the personal level when the younger generation surpasses our skills? Last but not least, what makes us happy? I felt so moved and saddened that I left crying.
THE AFTERMATH
Watchable. A totally engaging and plausibly acted love story, even if predictable and a few scenes are overly melodramatic. The background presents the cinematically unchartered territory of the temporary post-WW2 British settlement in Germany (due to the army stationed there). The dormant hostilities, sanctimony on the Ally Part and suspicions on both sides as well as varying ways of coping with the loss of the loved ones by the four protagonists and the societal backdrop of the victors and the defeated could form an intriguing thriller or a psychologic drama on their own. Instead we get a softened version resulting in a mawkish love story.
Sunday, 10 March 2019
KURIER (THE RESISTANCE FIGHTER)
Watchable. Interesting pictures inspired by old photographs but in varied palettes. Painstakingly recreated reality of WW2. The spy intrigue slowly becomes comprehensible to an outsider like me. Swift twists of action towards the end, decent dialogues. Poor, wooden acting, including the lead male (Philippe Tlokinski).
LAZZARO FELICE (HAPPY AS LAZZARO)
Watchable. Wise but slow-paced. Feels lengthy for the first hour, the second is easier due to its predictability, you just watch to see if the situation's how you expected. And it is. The downtrodden ones are always at the bottom of the society. Aristocrats and the rich take advantage of them and the clergy takes them for granted. The great fraud was one element that prevented me from leaving the cinema initially. The leap in time was better still. The slave work auction of immigrants and the extremely poor locals equals both groups as the abused ones. Disturbingly it's the destitude ones who end up saving the rich and in fact protecting them.
Watchable. Interesting pictures inspired by old photographs but in varied palettes. Painstakingly recreated reality of WW2. The spy intrigue slowly becomes comprehensible to an outsider like me. Swift twists of action towards the end, decent dialogues. Poor, wooden acting, including the lead male (Philippe Tlokinski).
LAZZARO FELICE (HAPPY AS LAZZARO)
Watchable. Wise but slow-paced. Feels lengthy for the first hour, the second is easier due to its predictability, you just watch to see if the situation's how you expected. And it is. The downtrodden ones are always at the bottom of the society. Aristocrats and the rich take advantage of them and the clergy takes them for granted. The great fraud was one element that prevented me from leaving the cinema initially. The leap in time was better still. The slave work auction of immigrants and the extremely poor locals equals both groups as the abused ones. Disturbingly it's the destitude ones who end up saving the rich and in fact protecting them.
Sunday, 3 March 2019
WELCOME TO MARWEN
Watchable. Sappy. Chaotic at first but deeply touching throughout. Too mushy though. Battle scenes are over the top which makes it hard to take it seriously. The fact it's based on real events from a living artist's life came as a big surprise. But it shows a true artist will always find a way to create, even with physical limitations. With cute, not looking 50 which she is, director's wife, Leslie Zemeckis, in the lead female role of the protagonist's love interest.
마녀 (THE WITCH: PART 1. THE SUBVERSION)
Watchable. I expected fantasy, turned out to be science fiction. The opening credits are important plot-wise. As the whole, the picture is too schematic, with over the top gore and unnatural movement in CGIs. At first it's not certain what genre it's going to be - might be crime. Info is revealed gradually which is a nice game with the viewer and engaging. In spite of the movie's numerous shortcomings I'm looking forward to part two.
Watchable. Sappy. Chaotic at first but deeply touching throughout. Too mushy though. Battle scenes are over the top which makes it hard to take it seriously. The fact it's based on real events from a living artist's life came as a big surprise. But it shows a true artist will always find a way to create, even with physical limitations. With cute, not looking 50 which she is, director's wife, Leslie Zemeckis, in the lead female role of the protagonist's love interest.
마녀 (THE WITCH: PART 1. THE SUBVERSION)
Watchable. I expected fantasy, turned out to be science fiction. The opening credits are important plot-wise. As the whole, the picture is too schematic, with over the top gore and unnatural movement in CGIs. At first it's not certain what genre it's going to be - might be crime. Info is revealed gradually which is a nice game with the viewer and engaging. In spite of the movie's numerous shortcomings I'm looking forward to part two.
Wednesday, 27 February 2019
KOBIETY MAFII 2 (WOMEN OF MAFIA 2)
Recommended. Effing awesome. I want more. Part two is also bloody and brutal but lighter in tone as it's all fictitious, which is quite apparent, and contains a lot of humour. I laughed more than at some comedies. The action covers Poland, Morocco, Columbia and the intrigue is complex and comprehensible at the same time, cohesive, with a few good twists of action. Distinct characters, convincingly acted. I had a great time.
LIFE ITSELF
Recommended. I may not agree with the idea that what shapes our lives the most are our parents' and grandparents' tragedies but the film moved me deeply and got me thinking what it is that shapes us. Convincingly acted. Curiously with Antonio Banderas as an avuncular elderly gentleman.
WILKOLAK (WEREWOLF)
Watchable. I saw it only for the intriguing concept that the SS left the concentration camp but their dogs trained for killing remained. But it's far from terrifying, in spite of attempts of applying jump scares. Basically the dogs were ordinary ones and I love them as a rule. The movie lasts only 1 hour 28 minutes but feels twice as long due to protracted sequences and repetitions of the dogs' and prisoners' training. In between you get examples of dealing with thirst and hunger as well as psychological traumas. Violin music sounds kind of sentimental. Weird, boring, martyrological - in other words: typically Polish.
Recommended. Effing awesome. I want more. Part two is also bloody and brutal but lighter in tone as it's all fictitious, which is quite apparent, and contains a lot of humour. I laughed more than at some comedies. The action covers Poland, Morocco, Columbia and the intrigue is complex and comprehensible at the same time, cohesive, with a few good twists of action. Distinct characters, convincingly acted. I had a great time.
LIFE ITSELF
Recommended. I may not agree with the idea that what shapes our lives the most are our parents' and grandparents' tragedies but the film moved me deeply and got me thinking what it is that shapes us. Convincingly acted. Curiously with Antonio Banderas as an avuncular elderly gentleman.
WILKOLAK (WEREWOLF)
Watchable. I saw it only for the intriguing concept that the SS left the concentration camp but their dogs trained for killing remained. But it's far from terrifying, in spite of attempts of applying jump scares. Basically the dogs were ordinary ones and I love them as a rule. The movie lasts only 1 hour 28 minutes but feels twice as long due to protracted sequences and repetitions of the dogs' and prisoners' training. In between you get examples of dealing with thirst and hunger as well as psychological traumas. Violin music sounds kind of sentimental. Weird, boring, martyrological - in other words: typically Polish.
THEN CAME YOU
Watchable. The "Just Let Me Go" song about 2/3 into the movie reflects how I felt watching it. It's silly and cheesy. One more movie about a terminally ill teenager and I'll puke. The mischievous girl has annoyingly crazy ideas and I quickly got fed up with her blabbering and pranks. But the movie's warm, light and colourful and the story clear-cut so you just sit and watch knowing it's rubbish. Better not to start.
Watchable. The "Just Let Me Go" song about 2/3 into the movie reflects how I felt watching it. It's silly and cheesy. One more movie about a terminally ill teenager and I'll puke. The mischievous girl has annoyingly crazy ideas and I quickly got fed up with her blabbering and pranks. But the movie's warm, light and colourful and the story clear-cut so you just sit and watch knowing it's rubbish. Better not to start.
Monday, 25 February 2019
HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U
Watchable. I had as much fun as at part one, which you don't have to remember by the way, it's summarised and explained early on. The 1 hour 40 minutes are loaded with action, piling up new twists so you can't get bored. The plot is consistent with part 1. A few scenes were so touching I shed some tears. On the other hand some suicides were so drastic it was over the top. Light music, sometimes good, sometimes a bit worse. The finale features the Gibbs' brothers' "Stayin' Alive", performed by the Lizz. The mid-credit is a complete scene telling you what to expext in part 3.
NAPSZALLTA (SUNSET)
Walked out. Nothing much happens and even when you hear of some brutal events, it's toned down too much to evoke any emotions. Set in 1910 so maybe there is some historic background but I know nothing about history of Central Europe so it doesn't speak to me at all. Shot in grim dark brown.
Watchable. I had as much fun as at part one, which you don't have to remember by the way, it's summarised and explained early on. The 1 hour 40 minutes are loaded with action, piling up new twists so you can't get bored. The plot is consistent with part 1. A few scenes were so touching I shed some tears. On the other hand some suicides were so drastic it was over the top. Light music, sometimes good, sometimes a bit worse. The finale features the Gibbs' brothers' "Stayin' Alive", performed by the Lizz. The mid-credit is a complete scene telling you what to expext in part 3.
NAPSZALLTA (SUNSET)
Walked out. Nothing much happens and even when you hear of some brutal events, it's toned down too much to evoke any emotions. Set in 1910 so maybe there is some historic background but I know nothing about history of Central Europe so it doesn't speak to me at all. Shot in grim dark brown.
Sunday, 24 February 2019
OSCARS 2019
Apparently ABC streams payably only this year. Finnish YLE is worth checking. So far usual Pro7 is working in Poland - http://freetvstream.in/de/tv/pro7.php
I hoped for one of the two "The Favourite" actresses to win Best Supporting Actress but, I guess the choice was too hard for the Academy so black Regina King, good but still on the politically correct side, won.
I'm happy "Of Fathers and Sons" did not win the documentary category.
Americans of "Vice" won Makeup and Hairstyling, instead of "Grans" ("Border") which I rooted for.
At least Ruth Carter won Costume Design for "Black Panther" but she thanked Spike Lee and not Stan Lee.
Another black win - Production Design and Set Decoration for "Black Panther" - not my choice but at least not "Roma".
Oh, no! "Roma" beat "Cold War" in Cinematography. The worst I could hear tonight.
"Game of Thrones" made it into a joke at the gala, in a song introduction.
Sound Editing - "Bohemian Rhapsody". Good. And Sound Mixing too. What a relief.
I keep hearing the gala first as the picture is delayed. But just a bit.
Queen Latifah about "The Favourite": "It's not easy to be Queen".
Javier Bardem announced the Foreign Language category in Spanish which was great but, to my horror, boring "Roma" won it.
I'm not a fan of "Mary Poppins Returns" but I loved the gentleman falling onto the gala stage from the sky hanging on an umbrella and the stage decoration during the song.
"Editing creates suspense, makes an actor look good" but "Bohemian Rhapsody" won Editing as I hoped in my opinion for masterful arranging of the order.
Mahershala Ali - one of my hopes for Actor in a Supporting Role.
Animated Feature - Spidey. I did hope for "Isle of Dogs".
And now that another song is playing, my connection broke. Surprise, surprise, https://www.brettygood.com/ has suddenly worked. And with picture and sound on time too. And in better quality.
Animated Short - Disney as usual: "Bao".
No Doc Short award for "Lifeboat". What a shame. But now, that the trailer of "Period. End of Sentence" trailer is showing in the commercial break I see how appalingly ignorant both men and women in India are about menstruation, e.g. a boy in the doc: "It's an illness which happens mostly to women."
Visual Effects announced by an actress in a special dress. "First Man" won deservedly even if I hoped for "Christopher Robin" instead.
"Shallow" sounds wonderful sung by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga on stage. He actually sounds better than her.
I haven't seen any of the live action short docs so can't comment.
Yes! Nick Vallelonga et al. "Green Book" Original Screenplay.
And yes again! Spike Lee - Adapted Screenplay "BlacKkKlansman". And reminding "the 2020 presidential election is round the corner (...) let's be on the right side of history."
"Black Panther" Best Original Score - I agree. The composer is, surprisingly, white.
Original Song "Shallow" - fine.
Barbra Streisand: "Truth is especially precious this days."
Christian Bale is skinny again.
My greatest joy this night - Rami Malek Best Actor in a Leading Role. And the speech about how "we long for stories" like the one about "a gay immigrant" who "lived his life unapologetically." Rami is first generation American, his parents came from Egypt.
The elderly black congressman's voice is trembling when talking about the 60s segregation.
Lady Gaga did not win. What a pity. Olivia Colman was fine but I rooted for Lady Gaga all along. Glenn Close ("The Wife") has been Olivia's idol for years. And Olivia "used to work as a cleaner".
Oh, no! Alfonso Cuaron Best Director for that boring "Roma" movie.
Never-aging Julia Roberts announces "Green Book" Best Picture. What a relief it's not "Roma".
On the whole I'm satisfied with the ceremony: no host, no selfies or pizzas, but politics and inside jokes abound. 3,5 hours in total.
Friday, 22 February 2019
HIGH LIFE
Watchable. The beginning's so revolting it's best to skip the first 10 minutes. Also intimate parts of a baby girl are shown and I don't think it's proper. The rest is terribly slow. The director is 72 years old, I think at some age they should stop making movies, the same problem as with Michael Haneke getting slow with age. Claire Denis - time to retire! But step by step you learn what is going on and things get awfully weird though plausible since it's convincingly acted. Robert Pattinson sheds his hot vampire image: here he's nearly bald and moves the way "petty thieves and thugs" often do. The film poses an intriguing moral question. In this distorted, abhorrent microworld of a spaceship people badly crave sex yet rape is punishable, at the same time obtaining someone's semen by deception and infertilizing against one's will goes without a penalty. For science fiction fans only - it's still exhausting to watch but the concept is original. Polish actress Agata Buzek impersonates one of the female convicts and Marcin Rodak is responsible make-up and hairstyling. The pictures are brownish and dimmed whether in space or on Earth. A small screen will be better than the cinema. End credits move up and down. The beautiful song accompanying the credits is sung by Robert Pattinson himself.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3
Watchable. Sadly, after a promising 3D trailer, I only found it in 2D at the cinema. Nevertheless it's a beautiful ending to the trilogy. I actually shed some tears at the touching finale. The animation's lovely: detailed, coloured, with varying textures, lights and reflections in the pupils of the two dragons falling in love. The only minus are humans looking like dolls. But the dragons are cute. The action is a bit chaotic but funny at times, e.g. the dragon date at which Hickup gives his pet instructions how to lure White Fury. As for visuals, the highlight is the Avataresque sequence of entering the Hidden World.
GIRL
Watchable. Shows the process of sex change meticulously but evoked no emotions in me. In the subsequent meeting with a transgender lady I realized I couldn't possibly comprehend the protagonist. Their world, where they have to "deserve" and meet criteria to become physically consistent with their sex, is impermeable to people who've never experienced it. The ballet layer is paralel in that the constant transgressing the body's abilities is apparent. Still, it's all on the educational side.
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Watchable. Bright colours of wonderfully recreated clothes and interiors of the 70s stand in stark contrast with the bleak fate of African Americans presented sombrely and nostalgically. Some scenes look like a poorer version of "La La Land". I wouldn't award any Oscars. Truly surround sound.
ULASKAWIENIE (PARDON)
Walked out. Nostalgic music, dark pictures, a number of haywire cinematographic tricks making the film look like old photographs, disorganized story-telling and the plot centered round a 50+ couple transporting a coffin for 500 km through mud, rivers, woods after the second world war. Hardly enticing.
EARTHFLIGHT 3D
Recommended. Fantastic 3D with images truly coming out to the audience. Absolutely stunning visually. You get the impression you can grab a bird with your hand and their journeys offer awe-inspiring airviews of wonderful historic buildings and verdant landscapes. Informative as well, typical BBC Earth with the 3rd dimension.
It's a shame such a great movie in Poland can be seen at special children's events only.
Watchable. The beginning's so revolting it's best to skip the first 10 minutes. Also intimate parts of a baby girl are shown and I don't think it's proper. The rest is terribly slow. The director is 72 years old, I think at some age they should stop making movies, the same problem as with Michael Haneke getting slow with age. Claire Denis - time to retire! But step by step you learn what is going on and things get awfully weird though plausible since it's convincingly acted. Robert Pattinson sheds his hot vampire image: here he's nearly bald and moves the way "petty thieves and thugs" often do. The film poses an intriguing moral question. In this distorted, abhorrent microworld of a spaceship people badly crave sex yet rape is punishable, at the same time obtaining someone's semen by deception and infertilizing against one's will goes without a penalty. For science fiction fans only - it's still exhausting to watch but the concept is original. Polish actress Agata Buzek impersonates one of the female convicts and Marcin Rodak is responsible make-up and hairstyling. The pictures are brownish and dimmed whether in space or on Earth. A small screen will be better than the cinema. End credits move up and down. The beautiful song accompanying the credits is sung by Robert Pattinson himself.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3
Watchable. Sadly, after a promising 3D trailer, I only found it in 2D at the cinema. Nevertheless it's a beautiful ending to the trilogy. I actually shed some tears at the touching finale. The animation's lovely: detailed, coloured, with varying textures, lights and reflections in the pupils of the two dragons falling in love. The only minus are humans looking like dolls. But the dragons are cute. The action is a bit chaotic but funny at times, e.g. the dragon date at which Hickup gives his pet instructions how to lure White Fury. As for visuals, the highlight is the Avataresque sequence of entering the Hidden World.
GIRL
Watchable. Shows the process of sex change meticulously but evoked no emotions in me. In the subsequent meeting with a transgender lady I realized I couldn't possibly comprehend the protagonist. Their world, where they have to "deserve" and meet criteria to become physically consistent with their sex, is impermeable to people who've never experienced it. The ballet layer is paralel in that the constant transgressing the body's abilities is apparent. Still, it's all on the educational side.
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Watchable. Bright colours of wonderfully recreated clothes and interiors of the 70s stand in stark contrast with the bleak fate of African Americans presented sombrely and nostalgically. Some scenes look like a poorer version of "La La Land". I wouldn't award any Oscars. Truly surround sound.
ULASKAWIENIE (PARDON)
Walked out. Nostalgic music, dark pictures, a number of haywire cinematographic tricks making the film look like old photographs, disorganized story-telling and the plot centered round a 50+ couple transporting a coffin for 500 km through mud, rivers, woods after the second world war. Hardly enticing.
EARTHFLIGHT 3D
Recommended. Fantastic 3D with images truly coming out to the audience. Absolutely stunning visually. You get the impression you can grab a bird with your hand and their journeys offer awe-inspiring airviews of wonderful historic buildings and verdant landscapes. Informative as well, typical BBC Earth with the 3rd dimension.
It's a shame such a great movie in Poland can be seen at special children's events only.
Tuesday, 19 February 2019
GULLY BOY
Watchable. Fun. A typical Bollywood from-rags-to-riches tale, hence the protagonist's nickname. A few dozens Indian rappers ensure quality hip-hop. What adds depth are other issues: Muslim men taking second wives and mistresses, children of the street who deal drugs in exchange for food and shelter, patriarchy, caste division - dabbled in but vividly apparent. Ranveer Singh looks handsome, even if funny to Europeans when he applies eyeliner. The girl forgives him his cheating on her - so sexist! The picture ends too abruptly with the first chord of the winning song. Should have been played full, especially that it's Bollywood.
GRANS (BORDER)
Watchable. Typically Swedish meaning deprived of emotions. What's more, at face value it's pretty hideous and disgusting at times. Though an Oscar for make-up and hairstyling wouldn't surprise me. The plot, based on a short story, is unusual and, due to extraordinary characters, you don't know how it's going to develop so engaging it is. Realistically enacted in spite of the weirdness. What's it about? On a deeper level about humanity, but plot-wise it's a crafty inclusion of Scandinavian folklore into the reality of contemporary world.
Watchable. Fun. A typical Bollywood from-rags-to-riches tale, hence the protagonist's nickname. A few dozens Indian rappers ensure quality hip-hop. What adds depth are other issues: Muslim men taking second wives and mistresses, children of the street who deal drugs in exchange for food and shelter, patriarchy, caste division - dabbled in but vividly apparent. Ranveer Singh looks handsome, even if funny to Europeans when he applies eyeliner. The girl forgives him his cheating on her - so sexist! The picture ends too abruptly with the first chord of the winning song. Should have been played full, especially that it's Bollywood.
GRANS (BORDER)
Watchable. Typically Swedish meaning deprived of emotions. What's more, at face value it's pretty hideous and disgusting at times. Though an Oscar for make-up and hairstyling wouldn't surprise me. The plot, based on a short story, is unusual and, due to extraordinary characters, you don't know how it's going to develop so engaging it is. Realistically enacted in spite of the weirdness. What's it about? On a deeper level about humanity, but plot-wise it's a crafty inclusion of Scandinavian folklore into the reality of contemporary world.
NIGHT FILM MARATHON - ROMANTICALLY SCARY MARATHON IN DOLBY ATMOS AND REAL LASER
Again at Helios Blue City in Warsaw, this time in a standard seat - in my opinion on the hard side so with little risk of falling asleep for me but my friend found it so comfortable she slept for nearly 3 movies and I had to nudge her a couple of times to stop her snoring. Luckily for me the horror set was showed in the most advanced technologically room. The RGB laser projector ensured the natural look of daylight shots. The Dolby Atmos provided an astonishing quality of sound, much improving even worse films. At the very beginning the display near the screening room measured the time till the start but not before subsequent films of the marathon. Also the full schedule was placed only near the ticket desk and the bar instead of near the screening room entrances or the toilets where it would have made more sense.
THE PRODIGY
Watchable. Engaging and with decent suspense but with some overused tropes. Cute boy Jackson Robert Scott is wonderful as sweet/devilish Miles. Perfect use of Dolby Atmos: you can hear a conversation from one side and music from another as if you were in a real room. Swarms of flies and a killed dog horro cliches. At the end of the credits you hear Miles humming his favourite tune.
ST. AGATHA
Recommended. The brutal thriller appears inspired by: "Rosemary's Baby", "Saw", "Misery", media news about nuns taking away women's babies after birth and scandals about sadistic nuns abusing those they were supposed to take care of. Some sequences got my heart pounding, some scenes were so disgusting I nearly puked but they were all in line with the action which kept me on the edge of the seat.
PLEDGE
Recommended. Good music. A cross of "Hostel" and "Funny Games" with a nearly-political twist, reminiscent of "Purge". The idea that the elites of politics, finance and technology have to stop seeing others as humans and keep conning the subjects it's for their prospecive good.
ATERRADOS (TERRIFIED)
Watchable. Trash. What was it about? It's loaded with scares but with poor CGIs and little sense plot-wise.
Again at Helios Blue City in Warsaw, this time in a standard seat - in my opinion on the hard side so with little risk of falling asleep for me but my friend found it so comfortable she slept for nearly 3 movies and I had to nudge her a couple of times to stop her snoring. Luckily for me the horror set was showed in the most advanced technologically room. The RGB laser projector ensured the natural look of daylight shots. The Dolby Atmos provided an astonishing quality of sound, much improving even worse films. At the very beginning the display near the screening room measured the time till the start but not before subsequent films of the marathon. Also the full schedule was placed only near the ticket desk and the bar instead of near the screening room entrances or the toilets where it would have made more sense.
THE PRODIGY
Watchable. Engaging and with decent suspense but with some overused tropes. Cute boy Jackson Robert Scott is wonderful as sweet/devilish Miles. Perfect use of Dolby Atmos: you can hear a conversation from one side and music from another as if you were in a real room. Swarms of flies and a killed dog horro cliches. At the end of the credits you hear Miles humming his favourite tune.
ST. AGATHA
Recommended. The brutal thriller appears inspired by: "Rosemary's Baby", "Saw", "Misery", media news about nuns taking away women's babies after birth and scandals about sadistic nuns abusing those they were supposed to take care of. Some sequences got my heart pounding, some scenes were so disgusting I nearly puked but they were all in line with the action which kept me on the edge of the seat.
PLEDGE
Recommended. Good music. A cross of "Hostel" and "Funny Games" with a nearly-political twist, reminiscent of "Purge". The idea that the elites of politics, finance and technology have to stop seeing others as humans and keep conning the subjects it's for their prospecive good.
ATERRADOS (TERRIFIED)
Watchable. Trash. What was it about? It's loaded with scares but with poor CGIs and little sense plot-wise.
Sunday, 17 February 2019
THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART 3D
Watchable. Chaotic, especially the beginning but the whole thing is a pile of rubbish compiled out of references to LOTR, dinosaurs, Barbie's ponies, Matrix and BTTF "for very mature people". With a number of songs which additionally create genre confusion. The action is Barbie-like and very childish. When Batman's being coerced into a marriage, he says after that he "won't rise" - about one good movie reference in the whole production. Still it's not funny. Will Farrell, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks dub the original but can't be heard in Poland which is all dubbed in Polish: dialogues and songs apart from the songs over the credits of which the first is about credits which have become the main attraction. No mid- or post-credit though. Standard 3D: noticeable but nothing special.
WIJ (WE)
Watchable. Excellent electro music though incongruous with the story of a group of underage delinquents. The leader is a sociopathic, sadistic pimp, school girls prostitute themselves either out of the feeling of power over men or coerced by the pimp. Shockingly the teenagers are from decent, well-off families, adult men need very little incentive to pay them for sex and the kids seek what will sell best and what will bring popularity online (which results in pornography). The story's engaging and more and more brutal as it develops yet without extremes. Unnecessary going to and fro in time.
Watchable. Chaotic, especially the beginning but the whole thing is a pile of rubbish compiled out of references to LOTR, dinosaurs, Barbie's ponies, Matrix and BTTF "for very mature people". With a number of songs which additionally create genre confusion. The action is Barbie-like and very childish. When Batman's being coerced into a marriage, he says after that he "won't rise" - about one good movie reference in the whole production. Still it's not funny. Will Farrell, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks dub the original but can't be heard in Poland which is all dubbed in Polish: dialogues and songs apart from the songs over the credits of which the first is about credits which have become the main attraction. No mid- or post-credit though. Standard 3D: noticeable but nothing special.
WIJ (WE)
Watchable. Excellent electro music though incongruous with the story of a group of underage delinquents. The leader is a sociopathic, sadistic pimp, school girls prostitute themselves either out of the feeling of power over men or coerced by the pimp. Shockingly the teenagers are from decent, well-off families, adult men need very little incentive to pay them for sex and the kids seek what will sell best and what will bring popularity online (which results in pornography). The story's engaging and more and more brutal as it develops yet without extremes. Unnecessary going to and fro in time.
THE SISTERS BROTHERS
Watchable. Mediocre. Quite a lot of western-style shootouts but with a non-standard plot of an Indian with a chemical formula and trivia like a toothbrush being a novelty in 1851 and a flush toilet not only a novelty but a fancy luxury item. The ending resolves the most substantial intrigue but leaves you no doubt it's just an excerpt from the brothers' lives. The Indian's story's not concluded. The film also shows how decisions taken on the spur of the moment can dramatically change your life forever.
Watchable. Mediocre. Quite a lot of western-style shootouts but with a non-standard plot of an Indian with a chemical formula and trivia like a toothbrush being a novelty in 1851 and a flush toilet not only a novelty but a fancy luxury item. The ending resolves the most substantial intrigue but leaves you no doubt it's just an excerpt from the brothers' lives. The Indian's story's not concluded. The film also shows how decisions taken on the spur of the moment can dramatically change your life forever.
Thursday, 14 February 2019
WSPOMNIENIE LATA (MEMORIES OF SUMMER)
Watchable. Excellent cinematography from the beginning: reflections in the puddles on the road, the walking movement. Perfectly recreated late 70s: language, behaviour, costumes, make-up, interiors, outdoors, music, radio. The story's banal but engaging, very life-like. Altogether I had a good time watching it.
LASSEMAJAS DETEKTIVBYRA: DET FORSTA MYSTERIET
Watchable. Engaging entertainment appropriate for school-age kids. More complex than the book series it's based on so quite fun for an adult too. A number of very characteristic personalities, especially teachers.
Watchable. Excellent cinematography from the beginning: reflections in the puddles on the road, the walking movement. Perfectly recreated late 70s: language, behaviour, costumes, make-up, interiors, outdoors, music, radio. The story's banal but engaging, very life-like. Altogether I had a good time watching it.
LASSEMAJAS DETEKTIVBYRA: DET FORSTA MYSTERIET
Watchable. Engaging entertainment appropriate for school-age kids. More complex than the book series it's based on so quite fun for an adult too. A number of very characteristic personalities, especially teachers.
Wednesday, 13 February 2019
HELIOS BLUE CITY IN WARSAW
Opening on Valentine's Day it's the 47th in Poland and the 1st in Warsaw Helios cinema. The Polish chain started operating in smaller towns, then expanded to big ones and now is planning to open a few more movie theatres in the capital. I asked the management to open one in Saska Kępa and the MD has "taken the order".
I've never been to the US, yet the cinema has purchased some elements of the interior right there. The design is New York City style: the hall has mock brick walls and street name plaques, which, together with about 50 other original elements, have been shipped from NYC. LCD displays of trailers abound. It looks confusing at first but the space is quite small so after a while you get the grip. Just as side streets of Times Square conceal theatres, you find hidden screening rooms with names of no-longer-existent Warsaw cinemas. A hall wall features a NYC panorama and the passages leading to screening rooms display black and white photos of former Warsaw cinemas. The creators see it as a boutique cinema or a 3K one, the 3 Ks standing for: Kino Koneserów Komfortu (Comfort Connoisseurs' Cinema).
But while NYC cinemas are said to be old and run-down, the Warsaw one is state-of-art. All projectors are 4K and one screen has the Real Laser RGB technology. The problem is rather that not all movies are recorded in 4K so the eventual quality may be below the cinema standard. As for Real Laser, it means faithful colours, where even white is real white. The RGB light source laser projector guarantees distinct colours and hues which reflect the movie maker's idea of the colour, also the screen is uniformly lit. 3D will be available too but, interestingly, while in the Near East and the rest of Asia 90% of tickets sold are 3D ones, in Poland it was just 23% in the best year and last year 3% only.
The Dream rooms are fabulous. For the surcharge of 7 zlotys you get lots of leg room between the seats, which are soft but firm faux leather, with handy holders both for drinks and popcorn, and on top of that, if you press the button on the side of the seat (the one closer to the screen), the armchair lifts a footrest for you first and, if you keep pressing the button, the back reclines to an almost lying position. The superbly designed seats are better than watching from your own bed. Like the Helios chain director said, "if you fall asleep, you buy a ticket again". When I asked for air-con, I could feel the cool air straightaway though briefly. I enquired about the frequency of cleaning the seats since the footrest may get dirty from very short people's, especially children's shoes. I was assured they'd be wiped clean whenever a customer feels discomfort.
Re-runs of Polish movies of a few monts earlier are planned at 10 zl only on Tuesdays - they'll be called Kultura Dostepna (meaning: accessible culture). Live transmissions of Polish theatrical performances are coming too. An old gentleman hoped for 36 mm films screenings but it turns out such ones had been given as farewell in other cities and brought no audience. Dolby Atmos is going to be marked in the website repertoir. Dream surcharge has been set at 7 zl, following in the footsteps of Gdańsk and Katowice which already have such screening rooms. Asked about one-room cinemas, the directors were adamant that such places are an economic suicide. People simply don't visit them often enough. The management estimates the number of Warsaw inhabitants as not 1.7 m but, based on the number of phones logging in the capital, as 2.5 m. Helios has screened films in Ukrainian dubbing in other locations so, obviously, special screenings of Polish movies subtitled in English are to be offered in the capital. Commercials before screenings are to run for 25 minutes maximum. Tickets are sold already. Cheap Tuesdays mean 14.50 zl all day (+ 7 zl Dream), maximum prices are 29.50 on weekdays and 33.50 zl at weekends. The 2D and 3D price is the same. You'll need to buy 3D glasses for 3 zl at the first visit so if you keep them for the future there'll be no extra cost. A gigantic cappuccino cup at the Helios Cafe costs 14 zl. According to the managers, a well-planned cinema brings profit from day one and a full return on the investment in 6 to 7 years. A special offer for cinemaniacs may be introduced once they see who frequents the cinema. Funnily, the upcoming night marathon on Friday will be screened at rooms called: Relax - for the comedies and Moskwa (Moscow) - for the horrors. I'm already scared of the horror one. The one screen I saw - at Palladium - was huge and each detail, even skin texture, e.g. CGI Alita's or real people like James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez', was clearly visible. As Valentine's Day and the marathon night coincide with a national mourning, no music will be played in the hall. But, since lots of tickets have been bought in pre-sale, the mourning will have no impact on the repertoir.
Opening on Valentine's Day it's the 47th in Poland and the 1st in Warsaw Helios cinema. The Polish chain started operating in smaller towns, then expanded to big ones and now is planning to open a few more movie theatres in the capital. I asked the management to open one in Saska Kępa and the MD has "taken the order".
I've never been to the US, yet the cinema has purchased some elements of the interior right there. The design is New York City style: the hall has mock brick walls and street name plaques, which, together with about 50 other original elements, have been shipped from NYC. LCD displays of trailers abound. It looks confusing at first but the space is quite small so after a while you get the grip. Just as side streets of Times Square conceal theatres, you find hidden screening rooms with names of no-longer-existent Warsaw cinemas. A hall wall features a NYC panorama and the passages leading to screening rooms display black and white photos of former Warsaw cinemas. The creators see it as a boutique cinema or a 3K one, the 3 Ks standing for: Kino Koneserów Komfortu (Comfort Connoisseurs' Cinema).
But while NYC cinemas are said to be old and run-down, the Warsaw one is state-of-art. All projectors are 4K and one screen has the Real Laser RGB technology. The problem is rather that not all movies are recorded in 4K so the eventual quality may be below the cinema standard. As for Real Laser, it means faithful colours, where even white is real white. The RGB light source laser projector guarantees distinct colours and hues which reflect the movie maker's idea of the colour, also the screen is uniformly lit. 3D will be available too but, interestingly, while in the Near East and the rest of Asia 90% of tickets sold are 3D ones, in Poland it was just 23% in the best year and last year 3% only.
The Dream rooms are fabulous. For the surcharge of 7 zlotys you get lots of leg room between the seats, which are soft but firm faux leather, with handy holders both for drinks and popcorn, and on top of that, if you press the button on the side of the seat (the one closer to the screen), the armchair lifts a footrest for you first and, if you keep pressing the button, the back reclines to an almost lying position. The superbly designed seats are better than watching from your own bed. Like the Helios chain director said, "if you fall asleep, you buy a ticket again". When I asked for air-con, I could feel the cool air straightaway though briefly. I enquired about the frequency of cleaning the seats since the footrest may get dirty from very short people's, especially children's shoes. I was assured they'd be wiped clean whenever a customer feels discomfort.
Re-runs of Polish movies of a few monts earlier are planned at 10 zl only on Tuesdays - they'll be called Kultura Dostepna (meaning: accessible culture). Live transmissions of Polish theatrical performances are coming too. An old gentleman hoped for 36 mm films screenings but it turns out such ones had been given as farewell in other cities and brought no audience. Dolby Atmos is going to be marked in the website repertoir. Dream surcharge has been set at 7 zl, following in the footsteps of Gdańsk and Katowice which already have such screening rooms. Asked about one-room cinemas, the directors were adamant that such places are an economic suicide. People simply don't visit them often enough. The management estimates the number of Warsaw inhabitants as not 1.7 m but, based on the number of phones logging in the capital, as 2.5 m. Helios has screened films in Ukrainian dubbing in other locations so, obviously, special screenings of Polish movies subtitled in English are to be offered in the capital. Commercials before screenings are to run for 25 minutes maximum. Tickets are sold already. Cheap Tuesdays mean 14.50 zl all day (+ 7 zl Dream), maximum prices are 29.50 on weekdays and 33.50 zl at weekends. The 2D and 3D price is the same. You'll need to buy 3D glasses for 3 zl at the first visit so if you keep them for the future there'll be no extra cost. A gigantic cappuccino cup at the Helios Cafe costs 14 zl. According to the managers, a well-planned cinema brings profit from day one and a full return on the investment in 6 to 7 years. A special offer for cinemaniacs may be introduced once they see who frequents the cinema. Funnily, the upcoming night marathon on Friday will be screened at rooms called: Relax - for the comedies and Moskwa (Moscow) - for the horrors. I'm already scared of the horror one. The one screen I saw - at Palladium - was huge and each detail, even skin texture, e.g. CGI Alita's or real people like James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez', was clearly visible. As Valentine's Day and the marathon night coincide with a national mourning, no music will be played in the hall. But, since lots of tickets have been bought in pre-sale, the mourning will have no impact on the repertoir.
Monday, 11 February 2019
ZAHRADNICTVI: RODINNY PRITEL (GARDEN STORE: FAMILY FRIEND)
Walked out. After half an hour I still didn't know what it was meant to be about. Nothing caught my interest. The pictures were all grey, foggish, not only indoors but even one with sparkling snow where the sky looked grey instead of sunlit. It just required constant effort to distinguish people and objects in this light.
Walked out. After half an hour I still didn't know what it was meant to be about. Nothing caught my interest. The pictures were all grey, foggish, not only indoors but even one with sparkling snow where the sky looked grey instead of sunlit. It just required constant effort to distinguish people and objects in this light.
Thursday, 7 February 2019
LASSEMAJAS DETEKTIVBYRA: VON BROMS HEMLIGHET (JERRYMAYA'S DETECTIVE AGENCY: VON BROMS' SECRET)
Watchable. A pleasant detective story for children, too infantile for adults at times but with colours, scenography, acting and plot perfectly suited for kids. Even baddies turn out to be good persons and the finale's ingenious in scenography, music style and kind-of-miraculous saving.
Watchable. A pleasant detective story for children, too infantile for adults at times but with colours, scenography, acting and plot perfectly suited for kids. Even baddies turn out to be good persons and the finale's ingenious in scenography, music style and kind-of-miraculous saving.
Wednesday, 6 February 2019
IN DEN GANGEN (IN THE AISLES)
Watchable. A drama about daily lives of supermarket shelf stackers with about a dozen quite good music pieces, occasional laughs, e.g. introducing an employee to work: "We fight with Tins, but we're on good terms with Sweets. They are, in turn, at war with Frozen Goods." but also a depressing moment towards the end. The message seems to be: loneliness kills while love lets you find beauty where you've never noticed it before.
CORKA TRENERA (A COACH'S DAUGHTER)
Watchable. The relationships between the few people are engaging and it was only after I left the cinema that I realized the movie had little point. Well made but about nothing in particular.
Watchable. A drama about daily lives of supermarket shelf stackers with about a dozen quite good music pieces, occasional laughs, e.g. introducing an employee to work: "We fight with Tins, but we're on good terms with Sweets. They are, in turn, at war with Frozen Goods." but also a depressing moment towards the end. The message seems to be: loneliness kills while love lets you find beauty where you've never noticed it before.
CORKA TRENERA (A COACH'S DAUGHTER)
Watchable. The relationships between the few people are engaging and it was only after I left the cinema that I realized the movie had little point. Well made but about nothing in particular.
Tuesday, 5 February 2019
NABOSPIONEN (NEXT DOOR SPY)
Watchable. Rudimentary animation both in the drawing style and in almost robotic people movements, clearly meant for children. The kid-level detective story's engaging. Only dream sequences bring some confusion.
未来のミライ (MIRAI)
Watchable. Astonishing quality of cartoons. At first the city airview deceived me. I had the impression I was watching the real world. It repeated with kitchen equipment, a rug, another city panorama. The rest was a colourful, pleasant anime. However, the story's deeply sorrowful and nostalgic. Either for little children or for adults, especially those who have or are planning to have offspring of their own. It shows how devastating it is for kids to be overlooked, even if for the sake of their siblings. I was sobbing since both the events around the family and the imaginary trips conveyed so much despondency. Interesting how the trips resembled Mr. Scrooge's ones - into the future and into the past. The film's filled with love of family but also with the toddler's torment.
NELLYS ABENTEUER (NELLY'S ADVENTURE)
Watchable. For teenagers, even if it tells you a few inconvenient truths about the adult world ruled by financial greed and predjudice. Teenagers' world is less contextual so friendship's easier even when money gets in the way. Romania is portrayed as an unsightly, poor backwater even if with occasional awe-inspiring mountains. Shot near Sibiu,spoken in Romanian and German. Stereotypical but the kidnapping raises your tension. Outstanding truly surround sound.
DIABLO. WYSCIG O WSZYSTKO (DIABLO)
Watchable. Fun. Excellent cinematography with a variety of shooting styles, one of which - in a Warsaw club - resembles "Slepnac od swiatel" ("Blinded by the Lights"). Quality matching music. Truly surround sound. Lots of swearing mars the experience. Well acted, especially by Cezary Pazura as the ruthless gangster and toxic father Jarosz. And it all has a plot, pretty standard but decently enacted. A new character turns up in the disconnected last scene and an early mid-credit so a sequel is being planned.
Cinema City staff were cleaning the faux leather seats in the hall. I'm impressed how clean it is.
GREEN BOOK
Recommended. Harrowing. Ever seen a piano virtuoso handcuffed naked by racist homophobic police? Flagrant injustice is one impression that stick with you. Convincingly acted by the Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali duo. Especially Viggo Mortensen stands out as the working class brutish white. But it's most of all marvellously scripted. Inspired by true events unfortunately, "Green Book" was a list of establishments serving colored people in the 60s. Ethnic and class clashes abound but if the black musician's fate warmed the Italian macho to him, so will it everyone.
Watchable. Rudimentary animation both in the drawing style and in almost robotic people movements, clearly meant for children. The kid-level detective story's engaging. Only dream sequences bring some confusion.
未来のミライ (MIRAI)
Watchable. Astonishing quality of cartoons. At first the city airview deceived me. I had the impression I was watching the real world. It repeated with kitchen equipment, a rug, another city panorama. The rest was a colourful, pleasant anime. However, the story's deeply sorrowful and nostalgic. Either for little children or for adults, especially those who have or are planning to have offspring of their own. It shows how devastating it is for kids to be overlooked, even if for the sake of their siblings. I was sobbing since both the events around the family and the imaginary trips conveyed so much despondency. Interesting how the trips resembled Mr. Scrooge's ones - into the future and into the past. The film's filled with love of family but also with the toddler's torment.
NELLYS ABENTEUER (NELLY'S ADVENTURE)
Watchable. For teenagers, even if it tells you a few inconvenient truths about the adult world ruled by financial greed and predjudice. Teenagers' world is less contextual so friendship's easier even when money gets in the way. Romania is portrayed as an unsightly, poor backwater even if with occasional awe-inspiring mountains. Shot near Sibiu,spoken in Romanian and German. Stereotypical but the kidnapping raises your tension. Outstanding truly surround sound.
DIABLO. WYSCIG O WSZYSTKO (DIABLO)
Watchable. Fun. Excellent cinematography with a variety of shooting styles, one of which - in a Warsaw club - resembles "Slepnac od swiatel" ("Blinded by the Lights"). Quality matching music. Truly surround sound. Lots of swearing mars the experience. Well acted, especially by Cezary Pazura as the ruthless gangster and toxic father Jarosz. And it all has a plot, pretty standard but decently enacted. A new character turns up in the disconnected last scene and an early mid-credit so a sequel is being planned.
Cinema City staff were cleaning the faux leather seats in the hall. I'm impressed how clean it is.
GREEN BOOK
Recommended. Harrowing. Ever seen a piano virtuoso handcuffed naked by racist homophobic police? Flagrant injustice is one impression that stick with you. Convincingly acted by the Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali duo. Especially Viggo Mortensen stands out as the working class brutish white. But it's most of all marvellously scripted. Inspired by true events unfortunately, "Green Book" was a list of establishments serving colored people in the 60s. Ethnic and class clashes abound but if the black musician's fate warmed the Italian macho to him, so will it everyone.
Thursday, 31 January 2019
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL AT IMAX 3D
Recommended. Wow! The excerpts I saw last year didn't do it justice. The movie's amazing. Not just for Alita's incredible eyes, with pupils widening and narrowing like human. The story's riveting: dynamic, transhumanist, futurist, with brilliant combat sequences. Got my palms sweaty at the climb attempt and made me emotional more than once. My only disappointment was the finale - glamorous but finishing the film abruptly which forces you to wait for the second instalment.
Recommended. Wow! The excerpts I saw last year didn't do it justice. The movie's amazing. Not just for Alita's incredible eyes, with pupils widening and narrowing like human. The story's riveting: dynamic, transhumanist, futurist, with brilliant combat sequences. Got my palms sweaty at the climb attempt and made me emotional more than once. My only disappointment was the finale - glamorous but finishing the film abruptly which forces you to wait for the second instalment.
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
HEAVY TRIP (HEVI REISSU)
Recommended. Light humour and heavy metal mix surprisingly well in the first half and then it all goes berserk. I joined the audience in the loud outbursts of laughter e.g. when a guy got attacked by a wolverine, when the police got the wrong guys and when they got the right ones. Set in Northern Finland so reindeer abound and the local climate is quite specific. Small town atmosphere lets present a motley crew of eccentric individuals. I'm not a metal fan on a daily basis but the movie soundtrack is quite catchy. In the final scene you learn you're going to hear about the band again. I do hope for a sequel.
Recommended. Light humour and heavy metal mix surprisingly well in the first half and then it all goes berserk. I joined the audience in the loud outbursts of laughter e.g. when a guy got attacked by a wolverine, when the police got the wrong guys and when they got the right ones. Set in Northern Finland so reindeer abound and the local climate is quite specific. Small town atmosphere lets present a motley crew of eccentric individuals. I'm not a metal fan on a daily basis but the movie soundtrack is quite catchy. In the final scene you learn you're going to hear about the band again. I do hope for a sequel.
PLANETA SINGLI 3 (PLANET SINGLE 3)
Watchable. A well structured and genuinely funny comedy. I was laughing my head off e.g. when a son was leaving after an arguement with his father and the father shouted after him: "Robisz błąd." ("You're making a mistake") and explained: "Samochód jest w tamtym kierunku." ("The car is in that direction.") or when a guy attempted to knock down a horse. Another chap is talking to a tree addressing it as: "Wasza Liściastość" ("Your Leafness"). Even the cult term of "my precious" is used - a delightful gimmick. However a protagonist's terminal illness detracts from the fun - it was supposed to be a comedy and the subplot leads to nowhere anyway. The scriptwriters could have found a funnier trick to postpone the wedding. Another annoying run-of-the-mill trope is the father returning to the family after decades of exotic adventures of different sorts. At least, unlike many romantic comedies where women typically forgive their unfaithful partners, here the woman's unforgiving. The biggest merit of the whole series is the equal position of women in the three pictures.
The series is over though. The producer, Radosław Drabik, is thinking of new genres (with new scriptwriters), produced in English for the world market, including a thriller and a horror. I hope the first will have a complex plot and the latter will build up tension before scaring.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
Watchable. A fictionalised true story of two headstrong queens played like muppets by surrounding them men who sought power. Like the title suggests, mostly about Mary whose "gifts of beauty and bravery" caused Elizabeth's envy but those same gifts brought her downfall. Requires sound knowledge of that period in British history, otherwise it's hard to comprehend at first. Scott Jack Lowden, looking hot in the role, acts as English lord Henry Darnley. Irish American Saoirse Ronan adopts half-Scottish accent as the French-born queen of Scotland. I love Margot Robbie both for her beauty and her acting skills but here she's made to look ugly and with little to act. She's got a prosthetic nose hump and face blemished by pox which is true to history but the bright red hair and theatrical make-up render her a mockery of Elizabeth I. I do hope the Oscar nominations are only nominal. Neither the costumes nor the make-up and hairstyling deserve any award.
JOURNAL 64
Recommended. Inspectors Carl Mørck and Assad, known from e.g. from "Flaskepost fra P" ("Department Q: A Conspiracy of Faith"), back in action. A gruesome murder, lots of disturbing violence against women, racism, psychopathic medics and corruption altogether form a shocking thriller. Inspired by a real policy effected in Denmark for a few decades in the first half of the 20th century, times of the pervasive in Europe idea of social engineering. Unspeakable evil originated from an ethical conviction that the greater good can be achieved by force and belief in one's own moral superiority. So valid nowadays.
It gave me an awful nightmare afterwards. I dreamed of being held captive and threatened with death a few times daily - different from the movie plot but the impact is clear.
Watchable. A well structured and genuinely funny comedy. I was laughing my head off e.g. when a son was leaving after an arguement with his father and the father shouted after him: "Robisz błąd." ("You're making a mistake") and explained: "Samochód jest w tamtym kierunku." ("The car is in that direction.") or when a guy attempted to knock down a horse. Another chap is talking to a tree addressing it as: "Wasza Liściastość" ("Your Leafness"). Even the cult term of "my precious" is used - a delightful gimmick. However a protagonist's terminal illness detracts from the fun - it was supposed to be a comedy and the subplot leads to nowhere anyway. The scriptwriters could have found a funnier trick to postpone the wedding. Another annoying run-of-the-mill trope is the father returning to the family after decades of exotic adventures of different sorts. At least, unlike many romantic comedies where women typically forgive their unfaithful partners, here the woman's unforgiving. The biggest merit of the whole series is the equal position of women in the three pictures.
The series is over though. The producer, Radosław Drabik, is thinking of new genres (with new scriptwriters), produced in English for the world market, including a thriller and a horror. I hope the first will have a complex plot and the latter will build up tension before scaring.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
Watchable. A fictionalised true story of two headstrong queens played like muppets by surrounding them men who sought power. Like the title suggests, mostly about Mary whose "gifts of beauty and bravery" caused Elizabeth's envy but those same gifts brought her downfall. Requires sound knowledge of that period in British history, otherwise it's hard to comprehend at first. Scott Jack Lowden, looking hot in the role, acts as English lord Henry Darnley. Irish American Saoirse Ronan adopts half-Scottish accent as the French-born queen of Scotland. I love Margot Robbie both for her beauty and her acting skills but here she's made to look ugly and with little to act. She's got a prosthetic nose hump and face blemished by pox which is true to history but the bright red hair and theatrical make-up render her a mockery of Elizabeth I. I do hope the Oscar nominations are only nominal. Neither the costumes nor the make-up and hairstyling deserve any award.
JOURNAL 64
Recommended. Inspectors Carl Mørck and Assad, known from e.g. from "Flaskepost fra P" ("Department Q: A Conspiracy of Faith"), back in action. A gruesome murder, lots of disturbing violence against women, racism, psychopathic medics and corruption altogether form a shocking thriller. Inspired by a real policy effected in Denmark for a few decades in the first half of the 20th century, times of the pervasive in Europe idea of social engineering. Unspeakable evil originated from an ethical conviction that the greater good can be achieved by force and belief in one's own moral superiority. So valid nowadays.
It gave me an awful nightmare afterwards. I dreamed of being held captive and threatened with death a few times daily - different from the movie plot but the impact is clear.
Monday, 28 January 2019
Friday, 25 January 2019
MISZMASZ CZYLI KOGEL MOGEL 3
Watchable. Entertaining but something's wrong: it's a cross between an 80s-style comedy from the ending of communist times in Poland and a modern silly romantic comedy. I liked some gags, e.g.: "Miałem tam studiować z tymi wszystkimi ludźmi przed 20-ką?" "Wyjechałeś zaraz po maturze." ("Was I supposed to study there with all those people under 20?" "You went there right after your school final exams.") or "Ta tęcza tu nie przejdzie" ("This rainbow won't do here" - a reference to rainbows symbolising LGBT rights which polarise the Polish nation) or in the end credits: "W czasie realizacji filmu nie ucierpiało żadne zwierzę. Nie wypalono również żadnego skręta i żałujemy tego do dziś." ("No animals were harmed in the making of this movie. No joint was smoked either which we regret till now.") but most jokes were plain not funny. Also too much music, too bad: a mix of Polish 80s, 2010s of no specified genre and disco polo and too loud. At least they got one thing right: the disco polo culture pervasive in the countryside.
A DOG'S WAY HOME
Recommended. A beautiful story of ups and downs of a dog's journey from one owner to another and between roaming forests and living in cities. Unlike "A Dog's Purpose" - based on a book by the same author - this one has a happy ending. The movie presents a variety of amazing sequences e.g. of the dog with a cougar on ice. A roaring red deer appears too and looks like in a quality nature documentary.
Watchable. Entertaining but something's wrong: it's a cross between an 80s-style comedy from the ending of communist times in Poland and a modern silly romantic comedy. I liked some gags, e.g.: "Miałem tam studiować z tymi wszystkimi ludźmi przed 20-ką?" "Wyjechałeś zaraz po maturze." ("Was I supposed to study there with all those people under 20?" "You went there right after your school final exams.") or "Ta tęcza tu nie przejdzie" ("This rainbow won't do here" - a reference to rainbows symbolising LGBT rights which polarise the Polish nation) or in the end credits: "W czasie realizacji filmu nie ucierpiało żadne zwierzę. Nie wypalono również żadnego skręta i żałujemy tego do dziś." ("No animals were harmed in the making of this movie. No joint was smoked either which we regret till now.") but most jokes were plain not funny. Also too much music, too bad: a mix of Polish 80s, 2010s of no specified genre and disco polo and too loud. At least they got one thing right: the disco polo culture pervasive in the countryside.
A DOG'S WAY HOME
Recommended. A beautiful story of ups and downs of a dog's journey from one owner to another and between roaming forests and living in cities. Unlike "A Dog's Purpose" - based on a book by the same author - this one has a happy ending. The movie presents a variety of amazing sequences e.g. of the dog with a cougar on ice. A roaring red deer appears too and looks like in a quality nature documentary.
Wednesday, 23 January 2019
MIA ET LE LION BLANC (MIA AND THE WHITE LION)
Watchable. Heart-wrenching in spite of some funny scenes with a mongoose when it sticks its head out of a cooking pot or turns on a hoover. The movie reveals the fact that many farms in South Africa breed lions for "canned hunting". The friendship between the girl and the lion is endearing but when you know what she's trying to save the animal from it's just horrible. And the film is clearly meant for children (hence dubbed in Poland) while it should be for adults.
Watchable. Heart-wrenching in spite of some funny scenes with a mongoose when it sticks its head out of a cooking pot or turns on a hoover. The movie reveals the fact that many farms in South Africa breed lions for "canned hunting". The friendship between the girl and the lion is endearing but when you know what she's trying to save the animal from it's just horrible. And the film is clearly meant for children (hence dubbed in Poland) while it should be for adults.
Tuesday, 22 January 2019
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST
Watchable. Tongue-in-cheek till religious brainwashing leads to a gross tragedy. "How is programming us to hate ourselves not emotional abuse?" Sasha Lane is great as a teenage rebel as are John Gallagher Jr. and Marin Ireland as tutors. Excellent music: gentle, gingle-like even when expressing mounting tension.
Watchable. Tongue-in-cheek till religious brainwashing leads to a gross tragedy. "How is programming us to hate ourselves not emotional abuse?" Sasha Lane is great as a teenage rebel as are John Gallagher Jr. and Marin Ireland as tutors. Excellent music: gentle, gingle-like even when expressing mounting tension.
COLD WAR
3 Oscar nominations: Foreign Language Film, Directing and Cinematography. Right after the announcement the makers were so bewildered they weren't sure who other nominees were. Enquired who they saw as their main competitor, they pointed at "Roma" - apparently according to rankings they go head-to-head. But, as the producer, Ewa Puszczyńska, noticed, Oscars are full of surprises and e.g. the German candidate was nominated only having joined the race recently. I also asked Łukasz Żal, the Director of Photography to compare the two. He and others must have got americanised since when I said that because of B&W pictures, "Cold War" is often compared to "Roma", they corrected me that "Roma" was compared to "Cold War". Anyhow, "Roma" uses long, widesweeping shots while "Cold War" applies a variety of techniques and a lot of cropped images. They also commented that, just like last year, there's going to be a Polish-Mexican war. For Łukasz Żal it's his second Oscar nomination. I personally hope for him to win since I didn't see better cinematography in a movie in 2018. An Oscar veteran and Academician is Waldemar Pokromski who was responsible for make-up. He's got several years of Oscar movies experience. The lead actress, Joanna Kulig, was not nominated but is already waiting in LA for the rest of the crew to join her at the ceremony. Apparently EFA and BAFTA form part of the Oscar promotional campaign. Academy members are scattered all over the world and all have the right to vote. Currently lots of Q&As are held, functions attended - to recommend face to face, interviews given, articles published. There's been plenty of US media coverage. They're trying to reach as many members as possible and persuade them to see the film. Whoever has seen, loves it.
3 Oscar nominations: Foreign Language Film, Directing and Cinematography. Right after the announcement the makers were so bewildered they weren't sure who other nominees were. Enquired who they saw as their main competitor, they pointed at "Roma" - apparently according to rankings they go head-to-head. But, as the producer, Ewa Puszczyńska, noticed, Oscars are full of surprises and e.g. the German candidate was nominated only having joined the race recently. I also asked Łukasz Żal, the Director of Photography to compare the two. He and others must have got americanised since when I said that because of B&W pictures, "Cold War" is often compared to "Roma", they corrected me that "Roma" was compared to "Cold War". Anyhow, "Roma" uses long, widesweeping shots while "Cold War" applies a variety of techniques and a lot of cropped images. They also commented that, just like last year, there's going to be a Polish-Mexican war. For Łukasz Żal it's his second Oscar nomination. I personally hope for him to win since I didn't see better cinematography in a movie in 2018. An Oscar veteran and Academician is Waldemar Pokromski who was responsible for make-up. He's got several years of Oscar movies experience. The lead actress, Joanna Kulig, was not nominated but is already waiting in LA for the rest of the crew to join her at the ceremony. Apparently EFA and BAFTA form part of the Oscar promotional campaign. Academy members are scattered all over the world and all have the right to vote. Currently lots of Q&As are held, functions attended - to recommend face to face, interviews given, articles published. There's been plenty of US media coverage. They're trying to reach as many members as possible and persuade them to see the film. Whoever has seen, loves it.
Monday, 21 January 2019
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
Watchable. Dull songs extend this movie needlessly. Even the Oscar-shortlisted “The Place Where Lost Things Go” and “Trip A Little Light Fantastic” aren't up for scratch, though the latter is slightly better than the first. The movie's old-fashioned 20th century Disney way, with music score like from the beginning of last century. Forgettable dancing. Mary Poppins is lofty. Visuals are fairy-tale like but feel fake in the beginning. London of the time of the Great Slump is smoggy so the film goes from grey to pink and back a few times. Uneven.
Watchable. Dull songs extend this movie needlessly. Even the Oscar-shortlisted “The Place Where Lost Things Go” and “Trip A Little Light Fantastic” aren't up for scratch, though the latter is slightly better than the first. The movie's old-fashioned 20th century Disney way, with music score like from the beginning of last century. Forgettable dancing. Mary Poppins is lofty. Visuals are fairy-tale like but feel fake in the beginning. London of the time of the Great Slump is smoggy so the film goes from grey to pink and back a few times. Uneven.
Sunday, 20 January 2019
URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE
Watchable. Military enough to be plausible but not overwhelming to a civil audience. About Pakistani occupation of Kashmir therefore shot in Serbia. With good character background. A solid dose of humour, e.g. about why a guy didn't go to his date: "He got all dressed up, Armani perfume and he gets a message from his girlfriend: this relationship is a mistake, it's over. After a while he gets another message from the girl: I sent the previous message to you by mistake." The intern subplot is funny too. Still, the stereotypical treatment of the Pakistanis and heroic of Indians make the whole thing predictable. It's based on true events which, in turn, according to the movie, were inspired by the surgical strike following the Munich Olympic Games terrorist attack - the attackers were taken out by Mossad one by one, with no war instigated. Pakistan won't admit the country harbours terrorists so they can't claim the strike on them took place, can they? Less typical Bollywood. The only full-length song runs over the credits. A witty post-credit finishes the movie.
The Indians at the screening were quite specific: first a baby kept crying out loud with no one even attempting to silence it, then groups of guys started cheering and yelling along with developments in the film. Won't they ever assimilate?
Watchable. Military enough to be plausible but not overwhelming to a civil audience. About Pakistani occupation of Kashmir therefore shot in Serbia. With good character background. A solid dose of humour, e.g. about why a guy didn't go to his date: "He got all dressed up, Armani perfume and he gets a message from his girlfriend: this relationship is a mistake, it's over. After a while he gets another message from the girl: I sent the previous message to you by mistake." The intern subplot is funny too. Still, the stereotypical treatment of the Pakistanis and heroic of Indians make the whole thing predictable. It's based on true events which, in turn, according to the movie, were inspired by the surgical strike following the Munich Olympic Games terrorist attack - the attackers were taken out by Mossad one by one, with no war instigated. Pakistan won't admit the country harbours terrorists so they can't claim the strike on them took place, can they? Less typical Bollywood. The only full-length song runs over the credits. A witty post-credit finishes the movie.
The Indians at the screening were quite specific: first a baby kept crying out loud with no one even attempting to silence it, then groups of guys started cheering and yelling along with developments in the film. Won't they ever assimilate?
Thursday, 17 January 2019
A STAR IS BORN
Recommended. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are totally convincible as Jackson Maine and Ally. It's just a rags-to-riches love story between two musicians, one of who is an alcoholic and a drug addict and the other a diner worker discovered by a star and turned into a star herself. But the mutual support and love between the two feel so real and touching you can easily believe in the tale. With lots of Lady Gaga's singing and quite a few hair colour, make-up and wardrobe changes though nothing shocking. The beauty of the film lies in the realism of the addiction and plausibility of her love.
Recommended. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are totally convincible as Jackson Maine and Ally. It's just a rags-to-riches love story between two musicians, one of who is an alcoholic and a drug addict and the other a diner worker discovered by a star and turned into a star herself. But the mutual support and love between the two feel so real and touching you can easily believe in the tale. With lots of Lady Gaga's singing and quite a few hair colour, make-up and wardrobe changes though nothing shocking. The beauty of the film lies in the realism of the addiction and plausibility of her love.
ARCTIC
Recommended. The Arctic truly is the protagonist here: a man is pitted against nature. In harsh conditions he is both fragile and strong. I'm happy his saving a woman's life does not lead to a romantic relationship - it's far from cliches. The moment he cuddles her is thoroughly asexual and shows his need of warmth: both physical and human. The action focuses around survival and is utterly realistic. In fact it was consulted with Thai and Danish language experts, animal trainers and specialists in the Arctic. Shot in Iceland. With non-invasive music by Joseph Trapanese.
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Watchable. Fun, with hilarious bits e.g. when Spidey's hands get glued to a girl's hair, with funny romantic lines like: "I really want to give you a bread you deserve" and with a tongue-in-cheek Christmas carol entitled "Spidey Bells" with "kicking all the butts" in the lyrics. The song runs at the end of final credits. The movie plays with the genre a lot, referring to comic book and movie tropes every few minutes. The action gets chaotic at times. The music is decent. Stan Lee was one of the producers and his cartoon together with his voice make a cameo at Stan Lee's Collectibles Sale. There's an obligatory post-credit.
공작 (THE SPY GONE NORTH)
Recommended. One of reasons Kim Dae-jung was unwelcome by North Korean officials was his height - he'd look down on Kim Jung-il. Military teasing had an altogether different reason. Kim Jung-il was scared of diseases on the verge of ridiculousness. The movie's based on a book by a real life spy but all events are dramatised resulting in a gripping thriller about espionage, relations between both Koreas and political manipulation beyond belief. Also about the difficult circumstances in which democrat Kim Dae-jung won elections in spite of rightist scheming and changed the political climate in the region. As usual with Korean productions, it's technically spotless.
Recommended. The Arctic truly is the protagonist here: a man is pitted against nature. In harsh conditions he is both fragile and strong. I'm happy his saving a woman's life does not lead to a romantic relationship - it's far from cliches. The moment he cuddles her is thoroughly asexual and shows his need of warmth: both physical and human. The action focuses around survival and is utterly realistic. In fact it was consulted with Thai and Danish language experts, animal trainers and specialists in the Arctic. Shot in Iceland. With non-invasive music by Joseph Trapanese.
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Watchable. Fun, with hilarious bits e.g. when Spidey's hands get glued to a girl's hair, with funny romantic lines like: "I really want to give you a bread you deserve" and with a tongue-in-cheek Christmas carol entitled "Spidey Bells" with "kicking all the butts" in the lyrics. The song runs at the end of final credits. The movie plays with the genre a lot, referring to comic book and movie tropes every few minutes. The action gets chaotic at times. The music is decent. Stan Lee was one of the producers and his cartoon together with his voice make a cameo at Stan Lee's Collectibles Sale. There's an obligatory post-credit.
공작 (THE SPY GONE NORTH)
Recommended. One of reasons Kim Dae-jung was unwelcome by North Korean officials was his height - he'd look down on Kim Jung-il. Military teasing had an altogether different reason. Kim Jung-il was scared of diseases on the verge of ridiculousness. The movie's based on a book by a real life spy but all events are dramatised resulting in a gripping thriller about espionage, relations between both Koreas and political manipulation beyond belief. Also about the difficult circumstances in which democrat Kim Dae-jung won elections in spite of rightist scheming and changed the political climate in the region. As usual with Korean productions, it's technically spotless.
Tuesday, 15 January 2019
GLASS
Watchable. A nice surprise after boring "Unbreakable" and partly-ridiculous "Split". First it's quite unemotional, especially with James Newton Howard's score, for 2 hours, apart from the unsettling awareness that 3 individuals are kept in a mental insittution against their will and one of them is about to be subjected to a "correctional procedure". Even the frequent references to comic books, engaging the viewer in a trope game, don't enliven things up. M. Night Shyamalan makes a cameo as security guard Jai buying a CCTV camera. James McAvoy as Split is tremendous. It's all disturbing and hence unpleasant which doesn't change the fact his performance deserves an Oscar - not that he's been nominated or anything. It's worth listening carefully to what Glass's mother says. You quickly realise Bruce Willis's appearance in the production is no coincidence since the movie is a direct continuation not only of "Split" but also of "Unbreakable" from 2000. It takes longer to find out who Glass is and why he's called that - both because of his tool and because of his fragile bones. Still, the inexplicable sequence of events is thoroughly explained in the finale which is uplifting in the notion that people become superheroes when you believe in them and promising in terms of a sequel potential. The few surprises in the ending just left me in awe. No mid- or post-credit.
ASTERIX: LE SECRET DE LA POTION MAGIQUE (ASTERIX: THE SECRET OF THE MAGIC POTION) 2D v. 3D
Watchable. Infantile in comparison with actors' movies from the series. I did not laugh but the gag with Jezus multiplying loafes is cute. Lower end humour, e.g. a fart pot ruins the story. "You spin me round" song by my fave band Dead or Alive fuels the bits with the most action. Only dubbing is available in Poland so you miss Christian Clavier as Asterix. Only nominal 3D, absolutely not worth the extra cost.
The 3D trailer of "Dumbo" is not impressive. This year's "How to train your dragon" 3D looks better.
Watchable. A nice surprise after boring "Unbreakable" and partly-ridiculous "Split". First it's quite unemotional, especially with James Newton Howard's score, for 2 hours, apart from the unsettling awareness that 3 individuals are kept in a mental insittution against their will and one of them is about to be subjected to a "correctional procedure". Even the frequent references to comic books, engaging the viewer in a trope game, don't enliven things up. M. Night Shyamalan makes a cameo as security guard Jai buying a CCTV camera. James McAvoy as Split is tremendous. It's all disturbing and hence unpleasant which doesn't change the fact his performance deserves an Oscar - not that he's been nominated or anything. It's worth listening carefully to what Glass's mother says. You quickly realise Bruce Willis's appearance in the production is no coincidence since the movie is a direct continuation not only of "Split" but also of "Unbreakable" from 2000. It takes longer to find out who Glass is and why he's called that - both because of his tool and because of his fragile bones. Still, the inexplicable sequence of events is thoroughly explained in the finale which is uplifting in the notion that people become superheroes when you believe in them and promising in terms of a sequel potential. The few surprises in the ending just left me in awe. No mid- or post-credit.
ASTERIX: LE SECRET DE LA POTION MAGIQUE (ASTERIX: THE SECRET OF THE MAGIC POTION) 2D v. 3D
Watchable. Infantile in comparison with actors' movies from the series. I did not laugh but the gag with Jezus multiplying loafes is cute. Lower end humour, e.g. a fart pot ruins the story. "You spin me round" song by my fave band Dead or Alive fuels the bits with the most action. Only dubbing is available in Poland so you miss Christian Clavier as Asterix. Only nominal 3D, absolutely not worth the extra cost.
The 3D trailer of "Dumbo" is not impressive. This year's "How to train your dragon" 3D looks better.
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