КИСЛОТА (ACID)
Watchable. Engaging. Russians know how to bring a story home. An engaging plot. Good actors, good looking guys, a bit of great club music and dancing. Realistically presented - glassy eyes of drug users. But the whole story, though revealing more and more in time, lacks a bite. Leaves an empty feeling.
If a character in a Russian flick is vegetarian, it means the trend is truly global.
Thursday, 30 January 2020
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
RED SHOES AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
Watchable. In Poland, it's only dubbed, including songs, in Polish so you won't hear Sam Claflin as Merlin. The wizard's name sounds familiar, doesn't it? So add characters enchanted into green-skinned ones, like ogres in "Shrek" and a talking tree as a mirror - not sure if the chatty plant comes from "Guardians of the Galaxy" or "The Lord of the Rings". Some lines refer to pop culture as well, e.g. considering a guest list for an aristocrat's party: "Princess Diana?" "From a different fairy-tale." "Princess Leia?" "Promoted to general." The animation style and quality varies. It's either sufficient-for-kids or displays varying textures or, once only, near the beginning, it's artistic. As for the story, it tells you that if a man gets to love you, you can put on weight and will be still loved and if he's valiant, you'll fall for him and he'll look handsome in your eyes. The movie sound's been recorded in Atmos but the music's poor. At the end of the early credits, which are all fun, a scene seems to announce a sequel.
TROUBLE
Watchable. A standard riches-to-rags and back again dog plot, with an obligatory escape from a dog pound. Sufficient-for-kids animation. Silly music but, with the film dubbed in Polish, I'm happy at least the songs are in the English original. Squirrels perform a Jacko-style dance at times and one of songs is called "Bad And Dangerous". The translation by Bartek Fukiet means witty lines. Several are created around dogs' impeccable sense of smell and hearing but some compare human and dog lives' delights, e.g. when ordinary dogs are pampered with meditation, one remarks: "And I thought that the sense of my dogness is smelling bottom backs." Trouble is a cute little mutt and his and other dogs' feelings are truly moving. The film teaches the love of dogs. A loud fart sound makes for the post-credit though.
Watchable. In Poland, it's only dubbed, including songs, in Polish so you won't hear Sam Claflin as Merlin. The wizard's name sounds familiar, doesn't it? So add characters enchanted into green-skinned ones, like ogres in "Shrek" and a talking tree as a mirror - not sure if the chatty plant comes from "Guardians of the Galaxy" or "The Lord of the Rings". Some lines refer to pop culture as well, e.g. considering a guest list for an aristocrat's party: "Princess Diana?" "From a different fairy-tale." "Princess Leia?" "Promoted to general." The animation style and quality varies. It's either sufficient-for-kids or displays varying textures or, once only, near the beginning, it's artistic. As for the story, it tells you that if a man gets to love you, you can put on weight and will be still loved and if he's valiant, you'll fall for him and he'll look handsome in your eyes. The movie sound's been recorded in Atmos but the music's poor. At the end of the early credits, which are all fun, a scene seems to announce a sequel.
TROUBLE
Watchable. A standard riches-to-rags and back again dog plot, with an obligatory escape from a dog pound. Sufficient-for-kids animation. Silly music but, with the film dubbed in Polish, I'm happy at least the songs are in the English original. Squirrels perform a Jacko-style dance at times and one of songs is called "Bad And Dangerous". The translation by Bartek Fukiet means witty lines. Several are created around dogs' impeccable sense of smell and hearing but some compare human and dog lives' delights, e.g. when ordinary dogs are pampered with meditation, one remarks: "And I thought that the sense of my dogness is smelling bottom backs." Trouble is a cute little mutt and his and other dogs' feelings are truly moving. The film teaches the love of dogs. A loud fart sound makes for the post-credit though.
Sunday, 26 January 2020
FALENICKA ATLANTYDA
Watchable. Documentation-wise it's spotless. But it means the only thing you learn about the Falenica - a town with 70% Jewish population before the war - ghetto is hunger. That's because no first hand testimonies were available. For history buffs, it may be important but for me, apart from learning how many Jews there were before the war, coexisting with no racism with the Polis population, and the mere fact there was a ghetto there, I learnt nothing new. Well, one girl saved herself from a rape when she said she was 13 in German. That's it. No more benefits of the movie.
Watchable. Documentation-wise it's spotless. But it means the only thing you learn about the Falenica - a town with 70% Jewish population before the war - ghetto is hunger. That's because no first hand testimonies were available. For history buffs, it may be important but for me, apart from learning how many Jews there were before the war, coexisting with no racism with the Polis population, and the mere fact there was a ghetto there, I learnt nothing new. Well, one girl saved herself from a rape when she said she was 13 in German. That's it. No more benefits of the movie.
PAMIEC NA POKOLENIA. POKAZ FILMOW O ZAGLADZIE (MEMORY FOR GENERATIONS. A SCREENING OF MOVIES ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST)
WARSZAWA: MIASTO PODZIELONE (WARSAW: A CITY DIVIDED)
Recommended. The documentary starts with a tram which makes sense when you hear the story. A completely new take on the ghetto. The extermination is mentioned as if on the margin of the main plot. It's the first time I've seen the area (due to excellent drone pictures), the borders of the ghetto and the rest of Warsaw as an urban development and an architectural plan. You see how the Nazis envisaged it. On the one hand, it strikes you with how methodically the occupiers acted having a comprehensive plan of action and on the other, how painful it is to this day for survivors to walk the former ghetto streets. The ghetto was dismantled to rubble, mind it. The current streets and buildings were built from scratch, not counting human remains in re-used rubble - some Muranów inhabitants say their flats are haunted by ghosts. Golden placques on buildings apparently mark the borderline - I'll have to walk the route once.
SWIADKOWIE EPOKI: CZAS ZAGLADY
Recommended. A hard-hitting register of testimonies about the Holocaust where even a poem tells about the people who didn't have graves. Horrible stories about gas chambers fill most of this luckily short documentary.
OSTATNI ETAP (1947) (THE LAST STAGE)
Watchable. Probably the most realistic feature about a concentration camp: shot right after the war which means there's real mud on the ground and nights are black. Shot on a camp location, with prisoners and staff speaking various tongues without translation. Based on real cases too. Ends abruptly. And that includes "Koniec" ("The End") without a long list of end credits - the latter is a bliss.
WARSZAWA: MIASTO PODZIELONE (WARSAW: A CITY DIVIDED)
Recommended. The documentary starts with a tram which makes sense when you hear the story. A completely new take on the ghetto. The extermination is mentioned as if on the margin of the main plot. It's the first time I've seen the area (due to excellent drone pictures), the borders of the ghetto and the rest of Warsaw as an urban development and an architectural plan. You see how the Nazis envisaged it. On the one hand, it strikes you with how methodically the occupiers acted having a comprehensive plan of action and on the other, how painful it is to this day for survivors to walk the former ghetto streets. The ghetto was dismantled to rubble, mind it. The current streets and buildings were built from scratch, not counting human remains in re-used rubble - some Muranów inhabitants say their flats are haunted by ghosts. Golden placques on buildings apparently mark the borderline - I'll have to walk the route once.
SWIADKOWIE EPOKI: CZAS ZAGLADY
Recommended. A hard-hitting register of testimonies about the Holocaust where even a poem tells about the people who didn't have graves. Horrible stories about gas chambers fill most of this luckily short documentary.
OSTATNI ETAP (1947) (THE LAST STAGE)
Watchable. Probably the most realistic feature about a concentration camp: shot right after the war which means there's real mud on the ground and nights are black. Shot on a camp location, with prisoners and staff speaking various tongues without translation. Based on real cases too. Ends abruptly. And that includes "Koniec" ("The End") without a long list of end credits - the latter is a bliss.
Friday, 24 January 2020
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE
Watchable. Starts with music on the opening credits. DJ Khaled is the guy behind the soundtrack and he also makes a cameo as Manny. An excellent theme is played over and over during the movie, including the end credits. Worth hearing in Atmos where available. The movie resembles "Fast & Furious": bright sun, speeding on the street, a protagonist prays and it's set for a sequel. As for the plot, is Will Smith going to find out about a son or clone in each movie now? Well, at least, unlike "Gemini Man", here the whole story's served with a big dose of humour - I didn't quite laugh but it felt lighthearted. The humour was partly based on social observations, e.g. the two cops' conversation on the plane sounds as if they were criminals or even terrorists. In another situation, Mike Lowry remarks there are only vegans in Miami so why Manny claims to have made money selling meat. Most importantly, the movie lifts your mood and makes you ready for life challenges: "Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, when we come for you?" There's one very early mid-credit (the passenger on the plane).
SPIES IN DISGUISE 3D
Walked out. In spite of decent 3D. In Poland, you can see it only dubbed in Polish so no chance to hear Will Smith. The plot is terribly run of the mill and when the main protagonist is turned into a pidgeon, it focuses on the disgusting stuff the birds do. DJ Khaled's music sounds pretty average too.
MAYDAY
Watchable. Another cinematic release by decent comedy craftsman Sam Akina. Still romantic but this is a comedy of piling up errors. Based on Ray Cooney's stage play "Run For Your Wife" but heavier and more brutal, gangster way, than the original play or than the subsequent British movie. Complex plot. Great dialogues by 5 writers of both sexes. Piotr Adamczyk i Adam Woronowicz are phenomenal in the two lead roles. The two wives, by Anna Dereszowska and Weronika Książkiewicz, are too serious though. The running from hospital sequence with superb Piotr Adamczyk is top-notch comedy. I laughed out loud a few more times, e.g. the guy is having sex with one of his wives when they hear a banging on the door so he shouts out: "Jeszcze nie!" ("Not yet!") or he's running to and fro at a horse race venue to the commentary about racing horses and a policeman remarks: "Zaraz wygra Derby" ("He'll win derby soon"). But the plot is convoluted, partly through the opening scene and then going back in time. After a longer analysis I understood the crime subplot but that was unnecessary confusion on top of the romantic comedy of errors. No mid- or post-credit but at the end you read that any similarity to actual persons or events is coincidental unless you have two wives. Or husbands.
NASZA MALA POLSKA (OUR LITTLE POLAND)
Recommended. Czech Matěj Bobrik has made a comprehensive and thought-provoking documentary about Japanese students reading Polish at Tokyo University. Their perceptions of Poland and Europe appear weird at times, e.g. about milk being sold in large containers in Poland and going off quickly - I wonder how milk is sold and preserved in Japan. And their remark on the two child actors who later "became presidents" in Poland shows their blessed ignorance of the fact all Poles associate it politically at present. It's quite refreshing to hear about it in such a light tone. Also their summer course in Poland sometimes leads to funny observations, e.g. the conversation about what's a national dish: when sauerkraut is put in kebab it becomes Polish. It shows their struggles with the language but also a creative enactment of a traditional story where a legendary character meets a historic figure and where many male roles are replaced by female. Add on their pondering about the value of such niche knowledge as well as the comparison of ultra-busy lives of Japanese corporate staff and the "slow" life in Poland. What's fascinating is how the other culture changed them: both the deep analysis of Polish legends and the experience of a different lifestyle. I bet they'll never be like the other Japanese just like I'll never be fully Polish. The ending touched me.
Watchable. Starts with music on the opening credits. DJ Khaled is the guy behind the soundtrack and he also makes a cameo as Manny. An excellent theme is played over and over during the movie, including the end credits. Worth hearing in Atmos where available. The movie resembles "Fast & Furious": bright sun, speeding on the street, a protagonist prays and it's set for a sequel. As for the plot, is Will Smith going to find out about a son or clone in each movie now? Well, at least, unlike "Gemini Man", here the whole story's served with a big dose of humour - I didn't quite laugh but it felt lighthearted. The humour was partly based on social observations, e.g. the two cops' conversation on the plane sounds as if they were criminals or even terrorists. In another situation, Mike Lowry remarks there are only vegans in Miami so why Manny claims to have made money selling meat. Most importantly, the movie lifts your mood and makes you ready for life challenges: "Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, when we come for you?" There's one very early mid-credit (the passenger on the plane).
SPIES IN DISGUISE 3D
Walked out. In spite of decent 3D. In Poland, you can see it only dubbed in Polish so no chance to hear Will Smith. The plot is terribly run of the mill and when the main protagonist is turned into a pidgeon, it focuses on the disgusting stuff the birds do. DJ Khaled's music sounds pretty average too.
MAYDAY
Watchable. Another cinematic release by decent comedy craftsman Sam Akina. Still romantic but this is a comedy of piling up errors. Based on Ray Cooney's stage play "Run For Your Wife" but heavier and more brutal, gangster way, than the original play or than the subsequent British movie. Complex plot. Great dialogues by 5 writers of both sexes. Piotr Adamczyk i Adam Woronowicz are phenomenal in the two lead roles. The two wives, by Anna Dereszowska and Weronika Książkiewicz, are too serious though. The running from hospital sequence with superb Piotr Adamczyk is top-notch comedy. I laughed out loud a few more times, e.g. the guy is having sex with one of his wives when they hear a banging on the door so he shouts out: "Jeszcze nie!" ("Not yet!") or he's running to and fro at a horse race venue to the commentary about racing horses and a policeman remarks: "Zaraz wygra Derby" ("He'll win derby soon"). But the plot is convoluted, partly through the opening scene and then going back in time. After a longer analysis I understood the crime subplot but that was unnecessary confusion on top of the romantic comedy of errors. No mid- or post-credit but at the end you read that any similarity to actual persons or events is coincidental unless you have two wives. Or husbands.
NASZA MALA POLSKA (OUR LITTLE POLAND)
Recommended. Czech Matěj Bobrik has made a comprehensive and thought-provoking documentary about Japanese students reading Polish at Tokyo University. Their perceptions of Poland and Europe appear weird at times, e.g. about milk being sold in large containers in Poland and going off quickly - I wonder how milk is sold and preserved in Japan. And their remark on the two child actors who later "became presidents" in Poland shows their blessed ignorance of the fact all Poles associate it politically at present. It's quite refreshing to hear about it in such a light tone. Also their summer course in Poland sometimes leads to funny observations, e.g. the conversation about what's a national dish: when sauerkraut is put in kebab it becomes Polish. It shows their struggles with the language but also a creative enactment of a traditional story where a legendary character meets a historic figure and where many male roles are replaced by female. Add on their pondering about the value of such niche knowledge as well as the comparison of ultra-busy lives of Japanese corporate staff and the "slow" life in Poland. What's fascinating is how the other culture changed them: both the deep analysis of Polish legends and the experience of a different lifestyle. I bet they'll never be like the other Japanese just like I'll never be fully Polish. The ending touched me.
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
HVITUR, HVITUR DAGUR (A WHITE, WHITE DAY)
Watchable. Had it been more subtle and the white meant snow instead of mystic mist, it would've been more convincing than the straight in your face nudity or blood and violence. Also Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's exaggerated acting as Ingimundur or insertions of theatrical characters dressed in foil make the whole thing feel forced. While the silence, peace and occasional beautiful vistas of Iceland reflect the reality of the island, the plot doesn't.
Watchable. Had it been more subtle and the white meant snow instead of mystic mist, it would've been more convincing than the straight in your face nudity or blood and violence. Also Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's exaggerated acting as Ingimundur or insertions of theatrical characters dressed in foil make the whole thing feel forced. While the silence, peace and occasional beautiful vistas of Iceland reflect the reality of the island, the plot doesn't.
Monday, 20 January 2020
THE GENTLEMEN
Recommended. Starts with sounds of voices right over the opening credits. A brilliant gangster thriller with manifold 'who's playing who'. Gripping from the first to the final scene. All shot in dodgy corners of London and around but the plot's so attractive you don't need visual delights. Hugh Grant is barely recognizable as the reporter with an offer. Matthew McConaughey is the self-professed "king of the jungle" - clearly a reference to his earlier role in "The Wolf of Wall Street". There are other movie references aplenty. Coppola's "The Conversation" is named explicitly. The original content includes some mockery of classes mixing and mingling and how hard it is nowadays to tell who is who. All of that superbly acted by absolutely everyone in the cast. Top-notch hip-hop and fantastic dancing complete the picture. The hip-hop video runs again over the end credits.
VSECHNO BUDE (WINTER FLIES)
Watchable. Looks terribly amateurish: the pictures, acting, script, everything, including incongruous music. What's worse, the picture and sound often don't match so there's either something off technically or the artistic vision has gone awry. I got intrigued why the main protagonist had run and where from and who the retarded boy was but that never gets explained. Is there any idea behind this series of incidents? The movie doesn't seem to convey any message. The Czech title meaning "There'll Be Everything", the Polish title: "Kawki na drodze" - meaning "Jackdaws on the Road" - which was the original title idea due to some cultural connotations for the Czechs and the English one differ enormously.
The Polish producer, responsible for 10% of the film, finds it to be "European artistic cinema". They have made "Kamper" and "Córka trenera" ("A coach's daughter") before. Currently they're making 3 movies: a documentary about a family - the topic is their main interest, a feature about a family and a science fiction one: "Echo w głowie" ("Echo in the head") is the working title. I'm looking forward to the sci-fi one.
L'EXTRAORDINAIRE VOYAGE DE MARONA (MARONA'S FANTASTIC TALE)
Recommended. It's painful but it's because the dog's life story, quite typical, presented through the animal's eyes and nose is so moving. The animation's extraordinary, as if consisting of a series of works of art. The depiction of the park in the final part is particularly beautiful. Love of dogs permeates the film. The movie's about life, our attitude to dogs and their to us. It falls into philosophical tones at times so it's certainly for adults. I'm not sure about children.
JAK POSLUBIC MILIONERA? (HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE)
Watchable. A very pleasant romantic comedy based on Dutch "Ellis in Glamourland" ("Alice in Glamourland") so it has a worldly feel. I don't recall seeing the original but from photo stills I can see that even the characters look much alike so I guess it's an exact copy. It's wonderfully cast, no exceptions. Anita Sokołowska, here as the taxi driver, is one of few Polish actresses who can do comedy, I laughed out loud when she was giving warning signs to the millionaire. Wojciech Mecwaldowski in turn, known from a few comedies, has got a rather serious role of a playboy this time which is surprising but with his great acting quality maintained. The plot is quite typical and predictable but the film, in warm, bright colours, is very pleasant and the story uplifting. Light, easy music, not exactly catchy but just fine. Makes you leave the cinema with a smile.
ELLA FITZGERALD: JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS
Recommended. A compelling, authentic rags to riches story. Ella Fitzgerald's childhood was just unbelievable: homelessness, reformatory institution, scuffles, possible abuse by her stepfather. Later, in spite of her tremendous innate talent, she struggled to play in big venues. Interestingly, another troubled superstar, Marilyn Monroe came to rescue. Ella, weighing 110 kilos, suffered from health issues as well. She lost both her legs 3 years prior to her demise. Yet she had such a strong will of life and performing that despite numerous traumas and illnesses, she lived till the age of 79. All that is presented with the black history of the US in the background. Shockingly, slavery turned into unemployment - once they had to be paid, social pressure was to hire whites. No wonder for Afro Americans everything was, and to a point still is, about race. Music-wise the movie turned out to be a great relief for me. After "Amazing Grace" - about Aretha Franklin, at which I struggled to sit through the film due to my dislike of jazz, I was apprehensive. But swing sounded more like rock and I even enjoyed it. Bepop with scatting - not to my taste - was bearable. Her ballads were soothing. The truth was she could sing anything, she was such a versatile and proficient singer. I'd never thought I'd be replaying jazz in my head like I was after the movie. In Poland wrong translation, where the translator fails to see the difference between a reform school and a school reform, detracts from the pleasure of watching. It's essential to ignore the subtitles.
Recommended. Starts with sounds of voices right over the opening credits. A brilliant gangster thriller with manifold 'who's playing who'. Gripping from the first to the final scene. All shot in dodgy corners of London and around but the plot's so attractive you don't need visual delights. Hugh Grant is barely recognizable as the reporter with an offer. Matthew McConaughey is the self-professed "king of the jungle" - clearly a reference to his earlier role in "The Wolf of Wall Street". There are other movie references aplenty. Coppola's "The Conversation" is named explicitly. The original content includes some mockery of classes mixing and mingling and how hard it is nowadays to tell who is who. All of that superbly acted by absolutely everyone in the cast. Top-notch hip-hop and fantastic dancing complete the picture. The hip-hop video runs again over the end credits.
VSECHNO BUDE (WINTER FLIES)
Watchable. Looks terribly amateurish: the pictures, acting, script, everything, including incongruous music. What's worse, the picture and sound often don't match so there's either something off technically or the artistic vision has gone awry. I got intrigued why the main protagonist had run and where from and who the retarded boy was but that never gets explained. Is there any idea behind this series of incidents? The movie doesn't seem to convey any message. The Czech title meaning "There'll Be Everything", the Polish title: "Kawki na drodze" - meaning "Jackdaws on the Road" - which was the original title idea due to some cultural connotations for the Czechs and the English one differ enormously.
The Polish producer, responsible for 10% of the film, finds it to be "European artistic cinema". They have made "Kamper" and "Córka trenera" ("A coach's daughter") before. Currently they're making 3 movies: a documentary about a family - the topic is their main interest, a feature about a family and a science fiction one: "Echo w głowie" ("Echo in the head") is the working title. I'm looking forward to the sci-fi one.
L'EXTRAORDINAIRE VOYAGE DE MARONA (MARONA'S FANTASTIC TALE)
Recommended. It's painful but it's because the dog's life story, quite typical, presented through the animal's eyes and nose is so moving. The animation's extraordinary, as if consisting of a series of works of art. The depiction of the park in the final part is particularly beautiful. Love of dogs permeates the film. The movie's about life, our attitude to dogs and their to us. It falls into philosophical tones at times so it's certainly for adults. I'm not sure about children.
JAK POSLUBIC MILIONERA? (HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE)
Watchable. A very pleasant romantic comedy based on Dutch "Ellis in Glamourland" ("Alice in Glamourland") so it has a worldly feel. I don't recall seeing the original but from photo stills I can see that even the characters look much alike so I guess it's an exact copy. It's wonderfully cast, no exceptions. Anita Sokołowska, here as the taxi driver, is one of few Polish actresses who can do comedy, I laughed out loud when she was giving warning signs to the millionaire. Wojciech Mecwaldowski in turn, known from a few comedies, has got a rather serious role of a playboy this time which is surprising but with his great acting quality maintained. The plot is quite typical and predictable but the film, in warm, bright colours, is very pleasant and the story uplifting. Light, easy music, not exactly catchy but just fine. Makes you leave the cinema with a smile.
ELLA FITZGERALD: JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS
Recommended. A compelling, authentic rags to riches story. Ella Fitzgerald's childhood was just unbelievable: homelessness, reformatory institution, scuffles, possible abuse by her stepfather. Later, in spite of her tremendous innate talent, she struggled to play in big venues. Interestingly, another troubled superstar, Marilyn Monroe came to rescue. Ella, weighing 110 kilos, suffered from health issues as well. She lost both her legs 3 years prior to her demise. Yet she had such a strong will of life and performing that despite numerous traumas and illnesses, she lived till the age of 79. All that is presented with the black history of the US in the background. Shockingly, slavery turned into unemployment - once they had to be paid, social pressure was to hire whites. No wonder for Afro Americans everything was, and to a point still is, about race. Music-wise the movie turned out to be a great relief for me. After "Amazing Grace" - about Aretha Franklin, at which I struggled to sit through the film due to my dislike of jazz, I was apprehensive. But swing sounded more like rock and I even enjoyed it. Bepop with scatting - not to my taste - was bearable. Her ballads were soothing. The truth was she could sing anything, she was such a versatile and proficient singer. I'd never thought I'd be replaying jazz in my head like I was after the movie. In Poland wrong translation, where the translator fails to see the difference between a reform school and a school reform, detracts from the pleasure of watching. It's essential to ignore the subtitles.
Wednesday, 15 January 2020
CATS
Walked out. My eyes and ears couldn't stand it. Only the first song was up to scratch. From then on it goes downhill. Untrained vocals and poor arrangement. Bad, discordant music is called 'kocia muzyka' (literally 'cat music') in Poland - an apt term for the movie. Visually it's even worse. Dull, brownish hues dominate the screen most of the time. Dancers' movements look so unnatural at times I could bet they were CGI-assisted. Rebel Wilson and James Corden - the chubby cats - are vulgar instead of cute or comical. At times it felt like finding yourself in a lift with a perv.
BOZE CIALO (CORPUS CHRISTI) OSCAR NOMINATION
In Poland it's seen as another success of Polish culture after Sapkowski and Tokarczuk. It's also the 3rd year in a row that a Polish movie gets a nomination. It's a direct result of the support of the Polish Film Institute being higher and higher every year. On the other hand, Polish audience at Polish films also grows by 50% every year. Last year's nominee, "Zimna wojna" ("Cold War"), had received some European awards first. But "Boże ciało" ("Corpus Christi"), which received a long applause at the festival in Venice, in September 2019 was unknown in the US and no ranking, whether by "Hollywood Reporter" or "Variety", included it. The top of the ranking is still "기생충" ("Parasite"). The Polish Film Institute has been sponsoring the Oscar promotion. Its main task was to make people who write and Academy members see it. Jan Komasa, Piotr Sobociński and Bartosz Bielenia are in the US now and are attending lots of Q&As. Few people in the US had bet on the movie to be shortlisted in the first place. Even the producer describes the script as "very Polish, local". But 45 territories, on all continents, purchased the movie. The US theatrical distribution starts in February. In the US arthouse movies get 20-30 screens, blockbusters 2000, Poles are dreaming of getting 100 screens for "Boże ciało" ("Corpus Christi"). The Oscar nomination means different things to different people. Actor Tomasz Ziętek is happy that his foreign friends will finally see it. Oscar-nominated producers get funds easier. Editor Przemysław Chruścielewski says that the Oscar label is lifelong. He perceives editing as "a beautiful tool to manipulate emotions".
Walked out. My eyes and ears couldn't stand it. Only the first song was up to scratch. From then on it goes downhill. Untrained vocals and poor arrangement. Bad, discordant music is called 'kocia muzyka' (literally 'cat music') in Poland - an apt term for the movie. Visually it's even worse. Dull, brownish hues dominate the screen most of the time. Dancers' movements look so unnatural at times I could bet they were CGI-assisted. Rebel Wilson and James Corden - the chubby cats - are vulgar instead of cute or comical. At times it felt like finding yourself in a lift with a perv.
BOZE CIALO (CORPUS CHRISTI) OSCAR NOMINATION
In Poland it's seen as another success of Polish culture after Sapkowski and Tokarczuk. It's also the 3rd year in a row that a Polish movie gets a nomination. It's a direct result of the support of the Polish Film Institute being higher and higher every year. On the other hand, Polish audience at Polish films also grows by 50% every year. Last year's nominee, "Zimna wojna" ("Cold War"), had received some European awards first. But "Boże ciało" ("Corpus Christi"), which received a long applause at the festival in Venice, in September 2019 was unknown in the US and no ranking, whether by "Hollywood Reporter" or "Variety", included it. The top of the ranking is still "기생충" ("Parasite"). The Polish Film Institute has been sponsoring the Oscar promotion. Its main task was to make people who write and Academy members see it. Jan Komasa, Piotr Sobociński and Bartosz Bielenia are in the US now and are attending lots of Q&As. Few people in the US had bet on the movie to be shortlisted in the first place. Even the producer describes the script as "very Polish, local". But 45 territories, on all continents, purchased the movie. The US theatrical distribution starts in February. In the US arthouse movies get 20-30 screens, blockbusters 2000, Poles are dreaming of getting 100 screens for "Boże ciało" ("Corpus Christi"). The Oscar nomination means different things to different people. Actor Tomasz Ziętek is happy that his foreign friends will finally see it. Oscar-nominated producers get funds easier. Editor Przemysław Chruścielewski says that the Oscar label is lifelong. He perceives editing as "a beautiful tool to manipulate emotions".
RADIOACTIVE
Recommended. It's no biopic. It's a context-rich depiction of what science means for researchers and for the general public. Of course, much of it is about Maria Skłodowska-Curie. We can palpably feel her despair after her husband's death. But the most profoundly moving moments are those of scientific breakthroughs, including their implications for the future, after her demise in 1934. The gravity of the topic is magnified by the use of music like in TV programs on science - "Metamorphosis Part 1" and "The Poet Acts" by Philip Glass. Still, the marriage interview conducted by the scientist is amusing. And you see that at the Solvay International Conference of 1927 Maria Skłodowska-Curie was the only woman - hilarious nowadays.
Recommended. It's no biopic. It's a context-rich depiction of what science means for researchers and for the general public. Of course, much of it is about Maria Skłodowska-Curie. We can palpably feel her despair after her husband's death. But the most profoundly moving moments are those of scientific breakthroughs, including their implications for the future, after her demise in 1934. The gravity of the topic is magnified by the use of music like in TV programs on science - "Metamorphosis Part 1" and "The Poet Acts" by Philip Glass. Still, the marriage interview conducted by the scientist is amusing. And you see that at the Solvay International Conference of 1927 Maria Skłodowska-Curie was the only woman - hilarious nowadays.
Monday, 13 January 2020
PAN T. (MISTER T.)
Watchable again. My opinion stays the same so I'm only adding what else I noticed and what I heard in the Q&A with the movie makers and actors.
This time I realized that the little girl in the movie at who her father shouts: "Co to jest rzeczownik! Bo nie będzie kolacji!" ("What's a noun! Or there'll be no supper!") was the director's daughter.
Meticulously recreated 1953 includes dirt roads in Warsaw - long gone in reality.
The informer, Filak, thinks he's got no literary talent but lies so well I bet he could invent stories as a writer.
We hear that "Kisielewski" visits him - a reference to a famous Polish writer and publicist.
The masked woman crawling next to the cord fuse looks as if she had nails painted in a very modern way - one nail in a different colour - which I thought was meant to be revolutionary. But the makers thought it obvious that the person was Bierut because his portrait exhibited one nail blackened. The person also has a signet ring just like in the portrait. I hadn't noticed that in the film myself.
Costume design started with shoes but then they appeared only about twice on the screen. The main protagonist's shoes are always polished as opposed to the wellies covered in mud seen on the scaffolding behind his window.
Computer post-production was heavily relied on. Green screens were used too but also lots of scenography was built to look like from the 50s, e.g. the bar - shot in Dzik restaurant - which was made over so that the actors felt like transported to the 50s. The whole world was created the way movies are made in the US, rarely in Poland.
Paweł Wilczak tried to get rid of himself in the role, because "less is more".
In the Atlantic cinema the movie enjoyed more viewers than recent "Star Wars".
Sebastian Stankiewicz says that in most film duets there are Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa. Antique tragedy, Shakespeare and archetypes sell. He loves the fact stories are passed on from one person or one movie to another. While shooting, it often turns out that the lines don't sound natural and the scenes are rewritten together with actors. The actor likes slow movies, with master shots instead of jump cuts. He reckons we have the same system now as writers had in communist times - some people get funds for movies, others don't.
Even prof. Balcerowicz makes a cameo in the film - as a retired professor of philosophy.
Fedorowicz has had an eye operation and feels relieved not to have to wear glasses any more. The costume designer made him wear specs for the role.
The movie contains quotes from Polish writers like Herbert, Lem and others. Also from Tuwim's "Wylękniony bluźnierca".
Actress Maria Sobocińska had daily phone calls with the director for 2 years. She likes Paweł Wilczak so it was easy for her to act with him.
A few scenes are almost repeated. Apparently it consists of 3 parts: the first in his head, his second entry with the suitcase is the present time and the ending takes us back in time. However the chronology is not clear to me and other viewers.
MATTHIAS & MAXIME
Watchable. Overtalked. Overchattered in fact. A misfired attempt to imitate "Moonlight": drug users instead of dealers, tacit gay love. Xavier Dolan acts fine as Maxime. But the way he directed and cut his movie looks as if he had been high on drugs himself. The pathological mother is a vivid character but brings little to the story and is more distinct than the two lead protagonists. Both guys, especially Matthias, are so troubled they'd be unable to form a healthy relationship anyway. Only the fragments with music, with either singing or no words spoken, make the watching bearable.
WSZYSTKO DLA MOJEJ MATKI (ALL FOR MY MOTHER)
Recommended. Harrowing and depressing. Very realistic, consulted psychiatrically by sexologist specialising in teenagers Wiesław Sokoluk. Hard-hitting through the extent of neglect and violence, mostly sexual, by men who were meant to protect the girls: caretakers in the correctional institution or temporary foster family and the police and by women: mothers, the abusive father figure's wife, institutional personnel who prefer to turn a blind eye. It's the Polish equivalent of "Systemsprenger" ("System Crasher"). It's heart-wrenching how the longing for their mothers is stronger than the need of safety.
MONOS
Watchable. A child soldier variation of "Lord of the Flies". After an uninspiring beginning, it develops into a full-blown adventure. Quite brutal. The doctor's character transformation and the children's complete depravity are hard-hitting but appear realistic too.
Watchable again. My opinion stays the same so I'm only adding what else I noticed and what I heard in the Q&A with the movie makers and actors.
This time I realized that the little girl in the movie at who her father shouts: "Co to jest rzeczownik! Bo nie będzie kolacji!" ("What's a noun! Or there'll be no supper!") was the director's daughter.
Meticulously recreated 1953 includes dirt roads in Warsaw - long gone in reality.
The informer, Filak, thinks he's got no literary talent but lies so well I bet he could invent stories as a writer.
We hear that "Kisielewski" visits him - a reference to a famous Polish writer and publicist.
The masked woman crawling next to the cord fuse looks as if she had nails painted in a very modern way - one nail in a different colour - which I thought was meant to be revolutionary. But the makers thought it obvious that the person was Bierut because his portrait exhibited one nail blackened. The person also has a signet ring just like in the portrait. I hadn't noticed that in the film myself.
Costume design started with shoes but then they appeared only about twice on the screen. The main protagonist's shoes are always polished as opposed to the wellies covered in mud seen on the scaffolding behind his window.
Computer post-production was heavily relied on. Green screens were used too but also lots of scenography was built to look like from the 50s, e.g. the bar - shot in Dzik restaurant - which was made over so that the actors felt like transported to the 50s. The whole world was created the way movies are made in the US, rarely in Poland.
Paweł Wilczak tried to get rid of himself in the role, because "less is more".
In the Atlantic cinema the movie enjoyed more viewers than recent "Star Wars".
Sebastian Stankiewicz says that in most film duets there are Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa. Antique tragedy, Shakespeare and archetypes sell. He loves the fact stories are passed on from one person or one movie to another. While shooting, it often turns out that the lines don't sound natural and the scenes are rewritten together with actors. The actor likes slow movies, with master shots instead of jump cuts. He reckons we have the same system now as writers had in communist times - some people get funds for movies, others don't.
Even prof. Balcerowicz makes a cameo in the film - as a retired professor of philosophy.
Fedorowicz has had an eye operation and feels relieved not to have to wear glasses any more. The costume designer made him wear specs for the role.
The movie contains quotes from Polish writers like Herbert, Lem and others. Also from Tuwim's "Wylękniony bluźnierca".
Actress Maria Sobocińska had daily phone calls with the director for 2 years. She likes Paweł Wilczak so it was easy for her to act with him.
A few scenes are almost repeated. Apparently it consists of 3 parts: the first in his head, his second entry with the suitcase is the present time and the ending takes us back in time. However the chronology is not clear to me and other viewers.
MATTHIAS & MAXIME
Watchable. Overtalked. Overchattered in fact. A misfired attempt to imitate "Moonlight": drug users instead of dealers, tacit gay love. Xavier Dolan acts fine as Maxime. But the way he directed and cut his movie looks as if he had been high on drugs himself. The pathological mother is a vivid character but brings little to the story and is more distinct than the two lead protagonists. Both guys, especially Matthias, are so troubled they'd be unable to form a healthy relationship anyway. Only the fragments with music, with either singing or no words spoken, make the watching bearable.
WSZYSTKO DLA MOJEJ MATKI (ALL FOR MY MOTHER)
Recommended. Harrowing and depressing. Very realistic, consulted psychiatrically by sexologist specialising in teenagers Wiesław Sokoluk. Hard-hitting through the extent of neglect and violence, mostly sexual, by men who were meant to protect the girls: caretakers in the correctional institution or temporary foster family and the police and by women: mothers, the abusive father figure's wife, institutional personnel who prefer to turn a blind eye. It's the Polish equivalent of "Systemsprenger" ("System Crasher"). It's heart-wrenching how the longing for their mothers is stronger than the need of safety.
MONOS
Watchable. A child soldier variation of "Lord of the Flies". After an uninspiring beginning, it develops into a full-blown adventure. Quite brutal. The doctor's character transformation and the children's complete depravity are hard-hitting but appear realistic too.
Tuesday, 7 January 2020
SAVING FLORA
Watchable. The circus and sentimental music both give the impression it's happening a century ago. Wrong. Mobile phones indicate the present day. Luckily the film exhibits little nostalgia for the bygone era of circus. Instead the strongman plays a little role in the plot later on. The elephant has a dotted face which looks weird in close-ups. The muscled acrobat woman and the girl doing a sideways split are more convincing. Luckily most of the story takes place in the countryside, with occasional awe-inspiring sights. Unfortunately, in one scene the kids ride the elephant against a huge Moon backdrop, mimicking the iconic scene from "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" in a tacky way. At least the elephant isn't flying. Poachers are called "hunters" which is a complete confusion of terms. The whole film is on the sad side.
THE GRUDGE
Watchable. Total rubbish. When Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead") re-works the Japanese classic, he uses the famous tropes like the estate agent and the bath, the staircase, connection to Japan but also jump scares, plenty of slimy corpses, some with maggots, some creaking at movements. The plot starts like a crime case but leads to nowhere. It's chaos with Christian propaganda - the religious guy doesn't enter the house so avoids the horror. The finale implies a sequel but one of the music pieces from the movie: "Too Many Times" sums up the production best.
IT MUST BE HEAVEN
Recommended. A smart, tongue-in-cheek depiction of a kind of paradise - Elia Suleiman, acting as himself, displays in a sequence of incidents he quietly observes what peace in the Middle East would look and feel like. Many such events are intricately choreographed. Each neighbours' conversation or strangers' encounter as well as the police reaction represent imagined peace to a humorous effect. It also highlights how badly Palestinian reality is connected to the police, air raids, planted bombs. The satire extends to the vision of Palestine in the eyes of onlookers from France and the US. Gael García Bernal has a cameo as a... movie director. Beautiful Arabic music, including the great hit of "Arabiyon Ana" by Yuri Mrakadi - to which even I have bellydanced to several times, extends till the end of final credits.
The Polish title changes the meaning of the original unfortunately.
Watchable. The circus and sentimental music both give the impression it's happening a century ago. Wrong. Mobile phones indicate the present day. Luckily the film exhibits little nostalgia for the bygone era of circus. Instead the strongman plays a little role in the plot later on. The elephant has a dotted face which looks weird in close-ups. The muscled acrobat woman and the girl doing a sideways split are more convincing. Luckily most of the story takes place in the countryside, with occasional awe-inspiring sights. Unfortunately, in one scene the kids ride the elephant against a huge Moon backdrop, mimicking the iconic scene from "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" in a tacky way. At least the elephant isn't flying. Poachers are called "hunters" which is a complete confusion of terms. The whole film is on the sad side.
THE GRUDGE
Watchable. Total rubbish. When Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead") re-works the Japanese classic, he uses the famous tropes like the estate agent and the bath, the staircase, connection to Japan but also jump scares, plenty of slimy corpses, some with maggots, some creaking at movements. The plot starts like a crime case but leads to nowhere. It's chaos with Christian propaganda - the religious guy doesn't enter the house so avoids the horror. The finale implies a sequel but one of the music pieces from the movie: "Too Many Times" sums up the production best.
IT MUST BE HEAVEN
Recommended. A smart, tongue-in-cheek depiction of a kind of paradise - Elia Suleiman, acting as himself, displays in a sequence of incidents he quietly observes what peace in the Middle East would look and feel like. Many such events are intricately choreographed. Each neighbours' conversation or strangers' encounter as well as the police reaction represent imagined peace to a humorous effect. It also highlights how badly Palestinian reality is connected to the police, air raids, planted bombs. The satire extends to the vision of Palestine in the eyes of onlookers from France and the US. Gael García Bernal has a cameo as a... movie director. Beautiful Arabic music, including the great hit of "Arabiyon Ana" by Yuri Mrakadi - to which even I have bellydanced to several times, extends till the end of final credits.
The Polish title changes the meaning of the original unfortunately.
Monday, 6 January 2020
AFRYKAMERA 2019
TALKING ABOUT TREES
Watchable. The film slowly explains who the three nice elderly gentlemen are and what they're going to do. Slowly. But it has a few funny moments, e.g. the Sudanese Film Group representatives comment that there are six mosques round the cinema and during a passionate kiss scene you could hear "Allahu Akbar" or when a muezzin's call interrupts the announcer's speech so he's mouthing the words of that call. Also when the dictator mistakes thousands with millions of years.
AKASHA (THE ROUNDUP)
Watchable. A lighthearted film meant to be a comedy.
Some trivia from the Q&A: The director says the war in Sudan really stops naturally for every rainy season and then people just want to enjoy themselves. When you're at war, you don't want to talk about war. None of the crew were professionals. The director was bombed in 2012 and 2016 which was admittedly scary but in between bombings the war is just in the background and you just carry on with your life. The Sudanese don't talk about the things they're supposed to not to be doing: they drink alcohol, they call pigs 'boars' in order to eat them. The director's experience is that conservatism gets broken at war or revolution. The craziest stories in the film are real - he was writing down stories for over a year. The guy who lost someone from his bike and only noticed an hour later was based on a real incident. The action takes 24 hours. The director used to be an activist which landed him in jail and beaten up by the militia. The psychedelic plant was inspired by "woop" seeds. He ate the seeds, nothing happened, he forgot them, then he got up and couldn't walk, he fell.
LE MIRACLE DU SAINT INCONNU (THE UNKNOWN SAINT)
Watchable. The crime comedy premise is a pretext for social satire rather, e.g. a doctor's waiting room is a gathering place for old people, though I did laugh out loud once - when a guy opened a can of Coke and heard an explosion. But it's frustratingly slow.
And outside the festival:
J'ACCUSE (AN OFFICER AND A SPY)
Walked out. Historical military red tape. Three reasons not to watch.
PRZEGLAD NOWEGO KINA RUMUNSKIEGO (NEW ROMANIAN CINEMA SCREENING)
SINGURA LA NUNTA MEA / SEULE A MON MARIAGE (ALONE AT MY WEDDING)
Watchable. A psychologic drama. Engaging even when you don't share the protagonist's experience.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
THE BURIAL OF KOJO
Recommended. Four post-production studios in Accra, one in Johanessburg and one in London created, together with cinematographers, mesmerising pictures and top-notch sound effects. Entirely African music of varying styles. Magical realism and a compelling story, touching at the end.
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER AT IMAX 3D
Watchable. The words shaped like a spaceship open the 9th episode of the star saga. And that's where the magic ends. What has my once favourite J.J. Abrams done to the franchise all of a sudden?! It's such nonsense! Ghosts, visions, telepathy - lots of supernatural hogwash. The plot, especially family ties, is over the top. Some protagonists have got obese: Lando, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Rose Tico. Poe Dameron is so fat he barely moves and he holds his belly while running as if he were pregnant. We never see the rebels eat anything. They always run around, fight, practise combat so where, when and how could they have possibly put on weight?! Also, dressed up horses look like dressed up horses. The spy subplot is predictable. And my fave actor gets killed off early on. The 3D is fine. Imax is good because of large-scale constructions. But the only location is Jordan and it looks bland. There's little alien fauna. D-O's voice is J.J. Abrams himself.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
AFROSHORTS: SPIRITUALITY
MAMA BOBO
Watchable. Lovely Senegalese music. The story's unsettling at first because the elderly lady is the butt of jokes but the ending is heart-warming.
WE INTEND TO CAUSE HAVOC
Watchable. An average music documentary. This one about a band which was big in Zambia for 6 years in the 70s. The songs and dialogues are all in English. On the margin of the music topic, it's also a cautionary tale since the smoking and drinking band members would die in the order of the amount they smoked and drank in life. The more stuff you inhale and/or drink the shorter you live - as simple as that.
Some trivia from the Q&A: The band toured the US recently - their gigs would sell out. After cassettes came in, people would use vinyl as frisbees. Jagari still works in a mine for steady income and additionally earns money from the band tours. They drank and smoke a bit of weed but did no other drugs. It's the director's film debut. It took 5 years to make and find funds. He's thinking of a new film, "maybe more experimental". Well, I personally think this one was an experiment enough and am not looking forward to a new one by this obscure old music afficionado.
LA MISERICORDE DE LA JUNGLE (THE MERCY OF THE JUNGLE)
Watchable. Feeble plot. I admired the sights and sounds of nature.
And outside the festival again:
LES MISERABLES
Watchable. An annoying moral tale about clashes between the police and black ghettos. The French overphilosophize the issue as usual. It's a video lesson on the origins of riots which indicates at men's and boys' anger and control issues. The story has nothing to do with Victor Hugo's book of the same title.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
SILENT FORESTS
Recommended. The Mariah Wilson's nature documentary and a crime thriller in one is wonderful. You see dog pups being born. You learn that elephants are family animals, mothers are pregnant for 22 months and then the baby elephant has to be brestfed for 3 years to survive. They're very intelligent - e.g. they destroy poachers' camps. It his horrifying to see their dead bodies and to hear of mother killed so early the baby can't survive. But it also presents individuals committed to saving them. Gives hope.
THE GREAT GREEN WALL
Recommended. The first time I've heard about the plans to build a 15 km wide green wall of planted trees. Even though only 15% of the project has been completed, the patches of success are inspirational.
Outside the festival again:
HONEY BOY
Watchable. Written by Shia LaBeouf autobiographic drama about childhood with an alcoholic father. Relatively quiet, didn't stir any emotions in me but it was interesting to see what it was like to have such a family.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
KETEKE
Watchable. Looks like a film from the 70s, including fashion. Typical for Ghanaian TV comedy shows humour, pleasant even if not amusing to me, and a dash of magic. The sorcerer is the most fascinating part of the story.
TANZANIA TRANSIT
Watchable. A manifold travelogue. A cross-section through East African society, its customs, beliefs, hopes and dreams. Impressive also how resourceful they are when they have to wait for a track repair. Depicts in one film how the whole country works. The only downside is that it's just an excerpt from everyday lives, strictly observational.
THE LAST TREE
Recommended. Life through the eyes of a Nigerian boy taken to the UK in childhood. You almost tangibly experience his feeling lost and left on his own. It's fascinating watching him growing up listening to such English legends as The Cure or New Order. Building his own personality and integrity in difficult surroundings. Explains why some boys end up in gangs. Convincingly acted. Captivating, intimate story. Also masterfully shot - engaging from minute one.
This year movie quality varied a lot, just like in previous editions. The films were from across the continent yet captured the essence of Africa perfectly. The catalogue was comprehensive but the division into sections was confusing. I'd rather it were just in alphabetic order for ease of use. The program was filled with plentiful meetings with the movie makers which left no time between the screenings to grab a bite of something to eat. At least on a particularly long day I managed to snack on some dates at the festival stand. The organization wasn't exactly up to scratch, at times the staff acted as if surprised by preparations for a screening. The volunteers were very amiable, eager to help but often had no clue what to do or what the program was. The interpreters were very good. I loved the badge which was from recycled paper and recyclable together with the piece of natural rope. But the catalogue was on glossy paper. I really think they should follow the example of Five Flavours and use newspaper-type paper which is much more environmentally friendly. If not the same recycled type they used for the badges. The opening concert of Ifi Ude was nice but the closing one of the Afronauts was much better - the first time I danced at a movie festival. The drinks at both ceremonies were: exquisite South African wines and Amarula - finally available in Poland. I'm looking forward to the next edition.
JULEMANDENS DATTER (LUCIA'S CHRISTMAS)
Watchable. The story's delightful: a Santa and his helpers' school, differing traditions in various countries and gender equality. A pleasant film for kids, still fine for adults. It just lacks a touch of magic. Christmas music could improve it as well.
DABANGG 3
Watchable. Riveting music: in numerous dance songs as well as in the background score. Silly plot, most of the gags consist of punches and slapping in the face - barely funny. Swear words appear too, for no reason at all. While I adore Salman Khan, I don't understand why he attached his name to such rubbish. Only two events are well-written: the corrupt politician forced to confess and the hero who thought one day in advance. Surprisingly, even this silly buggers movie speaks up against women trafficking. The rest is some nonsense. But I loved the music, my feet wanted to dance.
FROZEN II 3D
Watchable. Uneven animation: transparent clothing or ice reveal the colours behind the objects but most of the colours and textures in the film are just average, some even basic. About half the action takes place in white and blue wintry lands but little use is made of potential hues and reflexes. Decent 3D doesn't make up for those deficiencies. In Poland the movie's dubbed, including songs, which results in all of them sounding the same and tedious. Only the 3 songs over the end credits are in the original and strikingly beautiful. That includes one version of the Oscar-shortlisted "Into The Unknown". The plot is moral and silly and the action protracted. Even the Oscar-shortlisted score is nothing to fall back onto.
SERCE DO WALKI (FIGHTER'S HEART)
Recommended. Very well structured. Provides suspense and emotions. Very well acted, including children. Perfectly directed and cut. Most importantly, leaves you feeling fighting fit and motivated.
ARCTIC JUSTICE
Watchable. A standard cartoon for children which will be still fine for adults: the foxes are cute, the main protagonist strives to become someone else and finally goes back to his innate self, while going through a career struggle and a crush on a vixen on the way. The first hour lets you sympathise with him, then suddenly a mad scientist hellbent on destroying the world comes into play and the rest of the movie is run-of-the-mill and tedious. The finale's nice - some parcel is "Not so fragile" and you should "Handle without care". The original is dubbed by Heidi Klum, Anjelica Huston, John Cleese and others, the Polish version by nobodies. The original's not available in Poland. Forgettable music.
FUTRO Z MISIA
Watchable. The opening credits are fun to watch, e.g. directors' names appear on a door after whose opening someone gets killed. It's a crazy gangster comedy in the style of the 90s, with some actors popular at the time. Not funny but light, eventful and engaging. There are a few mid-credits.
AWOKEN
Watchable. Clearly set to scare teenagers both with the effects of sleeplessness or rare sleep disorders and with demons. The movie makes use of jump scares as well as a number of horror gimmicks. The only twist of action can be predicted as soon as you realize the phone situation. But that's a good thing since it's the only bit that lets you do some thinking for a change. Still, only one fragment frightened me fully - the information that you can't survive more than 18 nights with no sleep. I'll have to mend my ways.
FROM THE VINE
Recommended. Joy of life, love of family and homeland permeate the movie. It's a praise of simple life. The film mixes English and Italian - America stands for business - but it's very Italian in character. Touches your soul.
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL
Recommended. The same fun as before but with several new elements - exactly how sequels should be made. O'ahu in Hawaii, Alberta in Canada and Mexico make for locations this time. Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, Awkwafina appear in the cast. No mid- or end-credits apart from one sound effect: the Jumanji theme drums and an ostrich shriek can be heard at the very end of the credits.
INVISIBLE SUE - PLOTZLICH UNSICHTBAR
Watchable. Science fiction adventure for children and younger teenagers. Catchy electro and techno tunes. Twists of action. But the same visual effects over and over. And why is the very young girl wearing only underwear in one scene?! There's a mid-credit.
AILO: UNE ODYSSEE EN LAPONIE (AILO'S JOURNEY - THE AMAZING ODYSSEY OF A NEWBORN REINDEER)
Recommended. A beautiful nature documentary shot in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland. Sometimes touching, e.g. when the mother has to decide whether to rejoin the herd or whether to risk her life to protect her newborn, sometimes witty, e.g. the commentary on the fox falling in love. You learn about the Arctic and its fauna: reindeer, red squirrels, Arctic foxes, wolverines, wolves, with some mention of predatory birds and lemmings. The reindeer herd traversing the snow resembles AT-AT walkers from "Star Wars".
LAST CHRISTMAS
Recommended. A complex story starting off like most Christmas romantic comedies but reaching the bottom of such serious issues as finding your identity, dealing with a difficult family, being a refugee, the true reason why people voted for Brexit, accommodation - reminded me of my own experiences in London, looking for love, discovering compassion. It's the most complex and multi-layered Christmas movie ever. The final twist of action rips your heart out. All that to the rhythm of George Michael's songs which keep playing in your head after leaving the cinema. So it is a feelgood movie after all.
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
Recommended. Starts like a mess but this mess is exactly what the protagonists need to sort out. One good thing about the beginning is that you can't quite figure out who is who. You just get the feel it's a sort of gangsters' meeting. Director Edward Norton is amazing in Brooklyn's role, making the guy's Tourette syndrome plausible. The 144 minutes don't drag at all. The storyline lets you unravel the mystery piecemeal, together with the detective, and the constant twists and turns glue you to the screen. Part of the music score stands out but only part. It's a grim vision of New York which makes you wonder if there's a grain of truth in the novel the film's based on. It's also hard not to link it to Trump with his racism, a very probable rape he got away with, revelling in the power, contempt for the poor, considering himself a "builder". It's a top-notch detective story with serious political undertones. Some of the revelations sound like Poland nowadays so I guess the picture is universal.
NORM OF THE NORTH: KING SIZED ADVENTURE
Watchable. Funny adventures, e.g. when the bear trips and falls down the whole room in the middle of boasting of how he's delivered the statue without a nick, top-notch dialogue, like when the bear is asking for directions: "How do I get to the university?" "Has got A levels?" and a clear-cut yet eventful plot. The polar bear royalty inhabit the foot of a mountain looking like a crowned bears version of Mt. Rushmore and there's a bow towards the Chinese producer when the crew are surprised not to see any plastic or rubbish in the land. Only the animation standard could be better, the colours and textures are just sufficient. While the translation into Polish is excellent, it's dubbed, no subtitled version.
TALKING ABOUT TREES
Watchable. The film slowly explains who the three nice elderly gentlemen are and what they're going to do. Slowly. But it has a few funny moments, e.g. the Sudanese Film Group representatives comment that there are six mosques round the cinema and during a passionate kiss scene you could hear "Allahu Akbar" or when a muezzin's call interrupts the announcer's speech so he's mouthing the words of that call. Also when the dictator mistakes thousands with millions of years.
AKASHA (THE ROUNDUP)
Watchable. A lighthearted film meant to be a comedy.
Some trivia from the Q&A: The director says the war in Sudan really stops naturally for every rainy season and then people just want to enjoy themselves. When you're at war, you don't want to talk about war. None of the crew were professionals. The director was bombed in 2012 and 2016 which was admittedly scary but in between bombings the war is just in the background and you just carry on with your life. The Sudanese don't talk about the things they're supposed to not to be doing: they drink alcohol, they call pigs 'boars' in order to eat them. The director's experience is that conservatism gets broken at war or revolution. The craziest stories in the film are real - he was writing down stories for over a year. The guy who lost someone from his bike and only noticed an hour later was based on a real incident. The action takes 24 hours. The director used to be an activist which landed him in jail and beaten up by the militia. The psychedelic plant was inspired by "woop" seeds. He ate the seeds, nothing happened, he forgot them, then he got up and couldn't walk, he fell.
LE MIRACLE DU SAINT INCONNU (THE UNKNOWN SAINT)
Watchable. The crime comedy premise is a pretext for social satire rather, e.g. a doctor's waiting room is a gathering place for old people, though I did laugh out loud once - when a guy opened a can of Coke and heard an explosion. But it's frustratingly slow.
And outside the festival:
J'ACCUSE (AN OFFICER AND A SPY)
Walked out. Historical military red tape. Three reasons not to watch.
PRZEGLAD NOWEGO KINA RUMUNSKIEGO (NEW ROMANIAN CINEMA SCREENING)
SINGURA LA NUNTA MEA / SEULE A MON MARIAGE (ALONE AT MY WEDDING)
Watchable. A psychologic drama. Engaging even when you don't share the protagonist's experience.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
THE BURIAL OF KOJO
Recommended. Four post-production studios in Accra, one in Johanessburg and one in London created, together with cinematographers, mesmerising pictures and top-notch sound effects. Entirely African music of varying styles. Magical realism and a compelling story, touching at the end.
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER AT IMAX 3D
Watchable. The words shaped like a spaceship open the 9th episode of the star saga. And that's where the magic ends. What has my once favourite J.J. Abrams done to the franchise all of a sudden?! It's such nonsense! Ghosts, visions, telepathy - lots of supernatural hogwash. The plot, especially family ties, is over the top. Some protagonists have got obese: Lando, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Rose Tico. Poe Dameron is so fat he barely moves and he holds his belly while running as if he were pregnant. We never see the rebels eat anything. They always run around, fight, practise combat so where, when and how could they have possibly put on weight?! Also, dressed up horses look like dressed up horses. The spy subplot is predictable. And my fave actor gets killed off early on. The 3D is fine. Imax is good because of large-scale constructions. But the only location is Jordan and it looks bland. There's little alien fauna. D-O's voice is J.J. Abrams himself.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
AFROSHORTS: SPIRITUALITY
MAMA BOBO
Watchable. Lovely Senegalese music. The story's unsettling at first because the elderly lady is the butt of jokes but the ending is heart-warming.
WE INTEND TO CAUSE HAVOC
Watchable. An average music documentary. This one about a band which was big in Zambia for 6 years in the 70s. The songs and dialogues are all in English. On the margin of the music topic, it's also a cautionary tale since the smoking and drinking band members would die in the order of the amount they smoked and drank in life. The more stuff you inhale and/or drink the shorter you live - as simple as that.
Some trivia from the Q&A: The band toured the US recently - their gigs would sell out. After cassettes came in, people would use vinyl as frisbees. Jagari still works in a mine for steady income and additionally earns money from the band tours. They drank and smoke a bit of weed but did no other drugs. It's the director's film debut. It took 5 years to make and find funds. He's thinking of a new film, "maybe more experimental". Well, I personally think this one was an experiment enough and am not looking forward to a new one by this obscure old music afficionado.
LA MISERICORDE DE LA JUNGLE (THE MERCY OF THE JUNGLE)
Watchable. Feeble plot. I admired the sights and sounds of nature.
And outside the festival again:
LES MISERABLES
Watchable. An annoying moral tale about clashes between the police and black ghettos. The French overphilosophize the issue as usual. It's a video lesson on the origins of riots which indicates at men's and boys' anger and control issues. The story has nothing to do with Victor Hugo's book of the same title.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
SILENT FORESTS
Recommended. The Mariah Wilson's nature documentary and a crime thriller in one is wonderful. You see dog pups being born. You learn that elephants are family animals, mothers are pregnant for 22 months and then the baby elephant has to be brestfed for 3 years to survive. They're very intelligent - e.g. they destroy poachers' camps. It his horrifying to see their dead bodies and to hear of mother killed so early the baby can't survive. But it also presents individuals committed to saving them. Gives hope.
THE GREAT GREEN WALL
Recommended. The first time I've heard about the plans to build a 15 km wide green wall of planted trees. Even though only 15% of the project has been completed, the patches of success are inspirational.
Outside the festival again:
HONEY BOY
Watchable. Written by Shia LaBeouf autobiographic drama about childhood with an alcoholic father. Relatively quiet, didn't stir any emotions in me but it was interesting to see what it was like to have such a family.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
KETEKE
Watchable. Looks like a film from the 70s, including fashion. Typical for Ghanaian TV comedy shows humour, pleasant even if not amusing to me, and a dash of magic. The sorcerer is the most fascinating part of the story.
TANZANIA TRANSIT
Watchable. A manifold travelogue. A cross-section through East African society, its customs, beliefs, hopes and dreams. Impressive also how resourceful they are when they have to wait for a track repair. Depicts in one film how the whole country works. The only downside is that it's just an excerpt from everyday lives, strictly observational.
THE LAST TREE
Recommended. Life through the eyes of a Nigerian boy taken to the UK in childhood. You almost tangibly experience his feeling lost and left on his own. It's fascinating watching him growing up listening to such English legends as The Cure or New Order. Building his own personality and integrity in difficult surroundings. Explains why some boys end up in gangs. Convincingly acted. Captivating, intimate story. Also masterfully shot - engaging from minute one.
This year movie quality varied a lot, just like in previous editions. The films were from across the continent yet captured the essence of Africa perfectly. The catalogue was comprehensive but the division into sections was confusing. I'd rather it were just in alphabetic order for ease of use. The program was filled with plentiful meetings with the movie makers which left no time between the screenings to grab a bite of something to eat. At least on a particularly long day I managed to snack on some dates at the festival stand. The organization wasn't exactly up to scratch, at times the staff acted as if surprised by preparations for a screening. The volunteers were very amiable, eager to help but often had no clue what to do or what the program was. The interpreters were very good. I loved the badge which was from recycled paper and recyclable together with the piece of natural rope. But the catalogue was on glossy paper. I really think they should follow the example of Five Flavours and use newspaper-type paper which is much more environmentally friendly. If not the same recycled type they used for the badges. The opening concert of Ifi Ude was nice but the closing one of the Afronauts was much better - the first time I danced at a movie festival. The drinks at both ceremonies were: exquisite South African wines and Amarula - finally available in Poland. I'm looking forward to the next edition.
JULEMANDENS DATTER (LUCIA'S CHRISTMAS)
Watchable. The story's delightful: a Santa and his helpers' school, differing traditions in various countries and gender equality. A pleasant film for kids, still fine for adults. It just lacks a touch of magic. Christmas music could improve it as well.
DABANGG 3
Watchable. Riveting music: in numerous dance songs as well as in the background score. Silly plot, most of the gags consist of punches and slapping in the face - barely funny. Swear words appear too, for no reason at all. While I adore Salman Khan, I don't understand why he attached his name to such rubbish. Only two events are well-written: the corrupt politician forced to confess and the hero who thought one day in advance. Surprisingly, even this silly buggers movie speaks up against women trafficking. The rest is some nonsense. But I loved the music, my feet wanted to dance.
FROZEN II 3D
Watchable. Uneven animation: transparent clothing or ice reveal the colours behind the objects but most of the colours and textures in the film are just average, some even basic. About half the action takes place in white and blue wintry lands but little use is made of potential hues and reflexes. Decent 3D doesn't make up for those deficiencies. In Poland the movie's dubbed, including songs, which results in all of them sounding the same and tedious. Only the 3 songs over the end credits are in the original and strikingly beautiful. That includes one version of the Oscar-shortlisted "Into The Unknown". The plot is moral and silly and the action protracted. Even the Oscar-shortlisted score is nothing to fall back onto.
SERCE DO WALKI (FIGHTER'S HEART)
Recommended. Very well structured. Provides suspense and emotions. Very well acted, including children. Perfectly directed and cut. Most importantly, leaves you feeling fighting fit and motivated.
ARCTIC JUSTICE
Watchable. A standard cartoon for children which will be still fine for adults: the foxes are cute, the main protagonist strives to become someone else and finally goes back to his innate self, while going through a career struggle and a crush on a vixen on the way. The first hour lets you sympathise with him, then suddenly a mad scientist hellbent on destroying the world comes into play and the rest of the movie is run-of-the-mill and tedious. The finale's nice - some parcel is "Not so fragile" and you should "Handle without care". The original is dubbed by Heidi Klum, Anjelica Huston, John Cleese and others, the Polish version by nobodies. The original's not available in Poland. Forgettable music.
FUTRO Z MISIA
Watchable. The opening credits are fun to watch, e.g. directors' names appear on a door after whose opening someone gets killed. It's a crazy gangster comedy in the style of the 90s, with some actors popular at the time. Not funny but light, eventful and engaging. There are a few mid-credits.
AWOKEN
Watchable. Clearly set to scare teenagers both with the effects of sleeplessness or rare sleep disorders and with demons. The movie makes use of jump scares as well as a number of horror gimmicks. The only twist of action can be predicted as soon as you realize the phone situation. But that's a good thing since it's the only bit that lets you do some thinking for a change. Still, only one fragment frightened me fully - the information that you can't survive more than 18 nights with no sleep. I'll have to mend my ways.
FROM THE VINE
Recommended. Joy of life, love of family and homeland permeate the movie. It's a praise of simple life. The film mixes English and Italian - America stands for business - but it's very Italian in character. Touches your soul.
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL
Recommended. The same fun as before but with several new elements - exactly how sequels should be made. O'ahu in Hawaii, Alberta in Canada and Mexico make for locations this time. Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, Awkwafina appear in the cast. No mid- or end-credits apart from one sound effect: the Jumanji theme drums and an ostrich shriek can be heard at the very end of the credits.
INVISIBLE SUE - PLOTZLICH UNSICHTBAR
Watchable. Science fiction adventure for children and younger teenagers. Catchy electro and techno tunes. Twists of action. But the same visual effects over and over. And why is the very young girl wearing only underwear in one scene?! There's a mid-credit.
AILO: UNE ODYSSEE EN LAPONIE (AILO'S JOURNEY - THE AMAZING ODYSSEY OF A NEWBORN REINDEER)
Recommended. A beautiful nature documentary shot in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland. Sometimes touching, e.g. when the mother has to decide whether to rejoin the herd or whether to risk her life to protect her newborn, sometimes witty, e.g. the commentary on the fox falling in love. You learn about the Arctic and its fauna: reindeer, red squirrels, Arctic foxes, wolverines, wolves, with some mention of predatory birds and lemmings. The reindeer herd traversing the snow resembles AT-AT walkers from "Star Wars".
LAST CHRISTMAS
Recommended. A complex story starting off like most Christmas romantic comedies but reaching the bottom of such serious issues as finding your identity, dealing with a difficult family, being a refugee, the true reason why people voted for Brexit, accommodation - reminded me of my own experiences in London, looking for love, discovering compassion. It's the most complex and multi-layered Christmas movie ever. The final twist of action rips your heart out. All that to the rhythm of George Michael's songs which keep playing in your head after leaving the cinema. So it is a feelgood movie after all.
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
Recommended. Starts like a mess but this mess is exactly what the protagonists need to sort out. One good thing about the beginning is that you can't quite figure out who is who. You just get the feel it's a sort of gangsters' meeting. Director Edward Norton is amazing in Brooklyn's role, making the guy's Tourette syndrome plausible. The 144 minutes don't drag at all. The storyline lets you unravel the mystery piecemeal, together with the detective, and the constant twists and turns glue you to the screen. Part of the music score stands out but only part. It's a grim vision of New York which makes you wonder if there's a grain of truth in the novel the film's based on. It's also hard not to link it to Trump with his racism, a very probable rape he got away with, revelling in the power, contempt for the poor, considering himself a "builder". It's a top-notch detective story with serious political undertones. Some of the revelations sound like Poland nowadays so I guess the picture is universal.
NORM OF THE NORTH: KING SIZED ADVENTURE
Watchable. Funny adventures, e.g. when the bear trips and falls down the whole room in the middle of boasting of how he's delivered the statue without a nick, top-notch dialogue, like when the bear is asking for directions: "How do I get to the university?" "Has got A levels?" and a clear-cut yet eventful plot. The polar bear royalty inhabit the foot of a mountain looking like a crowned bears version of Mt. Rushmore and there's a bow towards the Chinese producer when the crew are surprised not to see any plastic or rubbish in the land. Only the animation standard could be better, the colours and textures are just sufficient. While the translation into Polish is excellent, it's dubbed, no subtitled version.
Saturday, 4 January 2020
AFRYKAMERA 2019
ONI NIE ZNAJA NASZEJ SZTUKI (THEY DO NOT KNOW OUR ART)
Watchable. Feels empty and superficial. More of a social documentary than one on art. Rarely do you get to see the discussed artworks on the full big screen. The focus is on artists, their graffiti is only in the backdrop. Paulina Zając's debut is technically imperfect too.
I learnt more from the Q&A after the screening than from the film itself: The film was hard to shoot. Due to the threat of terrorism no filming was allowed but on Sunday municipal guards were off meaning no one would forbid cameras. It took four years to make, months of editing. The term Nairobbery is still there but the artists from the documentary were mugged because of their art. They also received death threats when they ran their anti-political campaign. The graffiti campaign was grassroots anti-political activism which was illegal. Normally the artists make money, paid by wall owners, and travel the world of art galleries. Their works are often used in music videos or Pepsi adverts which is missing in the documentary. One of the graffiti painters calls himself Bankslave. The director mentioned also tourists shooting slums who gave no money for the locals and dubbed it "photo-neocolonialism".
I left the African film festival to see the sequel to a Bollywood movie:
MARDAANI 2
Watchable. Very American in style: only 1 hour 45 minutes long, gruesome murders, an autopsy (at least in India an autopsy of a woman is performed by a female), a serial killer playing games with the police. And no singing and dancing but it's a crime story so that would be weird even in Bollywood. The beginning is brilliant: a young man is bragging about how smart he is with women. You'd think he's a dating scene superstar. The actor - Vishal Jethwa, normally know from TV serials, one scene mentions Hanuman which may be a reference to the show - is magnificent, perfectly cast in a role requiring impersonating varying individuals. The way he looks at the camera that is at the viewers lingers in your mind long after leaving the cinema. The movie's loaded with women rights awareness. Whatever SP (Rani Mukherjee in the leading role again) lists as a woman's experience is so true, also in Europe. With the difference that, apparently, in India some seats on buses are reserved for women so that if you menstruate you don't have to stand - I wish we'd have the same regulation here. The feminist fragments are smartly presented, to the point, they form some of better parts of the movie. Unfortunately the script is more Hollywood than Bollywood. However Hindi language is a bit of hindrance here - some dialogues are so fast it's impossible to read the subtitles quickly enough.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
MINGA EL LA CUILLERE CASSEE (MINGA AND THE BROKEN SPOON)
Watchable. It's almost a cartoon musical. The songs are in French. The animation style is a bit old-fashioned. But the story's quite African, especially the ghost and the trickster tropes. While I'd prefer it without the music, it's engaging and well worth seeing for a change from Western fairy tales.
8
Watchable. It drags. A pretty standard horror with minor African elements. Spooks in scene one. One jump scare and a few more spooks later.
YOU WILL DIE AT 20
Walked out. The film drags and the main actor's ugly so nothing kept me there.
AFROSHORTS: SPIRITUALITY
INTERVENCAO JAH (JAH INTERVENTION)
Walked out. Weird dance. Poor quality picture and sound, with some annoying clinking noise.
Yellow is used in the short doc because chromatically it's the colour you recognize first so it's used for intervention. "Jah" means "god" or "now". The mask is cannibalistic and the performer's tribe's symbol is an aligator. The performance is aimed against the military command of the police because that equals using brutal force in favelas. The previous government enabled blacks studying, moving up the social ladder. Now the new government is taking it back. Killings at the guise of fighting drugs serve to erase the rising people. Those people also have less access to the media so their voice is hardly heard.
DOUBOUT (STAND UP)
Watchable. Fun, family picture. A mixture of international (the boy uses a light sabre) and African (the rite of passage) cultures. The subplot with the monster finds no conclusion but it's entertaining anyway.
RAZANA
Watchable. Ambiguous but ends well. The roar of a taking off plane over the end credits is an interesting sound effect.
THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTO
Watchable. Well-made but the final scene is inexplicable.
BAXU AND THE GIANTS
Recommended. An uplifting tale about resilience to your toxic family and about inner strength to change your community. And about how wildlife crime goes against one's own roots.
ONI NIE ZNAJA NASZEJ SZTUKI (THEY DO NOT KNOW OUR ART)
Watchable. Feels empty and superficial. More of a social documentary than one on art. Rarely do you get to see the discussed artworks on the full big screen. The focus is on artists, their graffiti is only in the backdrop. Paulina Zając's debut is technically imperfect too.
I learnt more from the Q&A after the screening than from the film itself: The film was hard to shoot. Due to the threat of terrorism no filming was allowed but on Sunday municipal guards were off meaning no one would forbid cameras. It took four years to make, months of editing. The term Nairobbery is still there but the artists from the documentary were mugged because of their art. They also received death threats when they ran their anti-political campaign. The graffiti campaign was grassroots anti-political activism which was illegal. Normally the artists make money, paid by wall owners, and travel the world of art galleries. Their works are often used in music videos or Pepsi adverts which is missing in the documentary. One of the graffiti painters calls himself Bankslave. The director mentioned also tourists shooting slums who gave no money for the locals and dubbed it "photo-neocolonialism".
I left the African film festival to see the sequel to a Bollywood movie:
MARDAANI 2
Watchable. Very American in style: only 1 hour 45 minutes long, gruesome murders, an autopsy (at least in India an autopsy of a woman is performed by a female), a serial killer playing games with the police. And no singing and dancing but it's a crime story so that would be weird even in Bollywood. The beginning is brilliant: a young man is bragging about how smart he is with women. You'd think he's a dating scene superstar. The actor - Vishal Jethwa, normally know from TV serials, one scene mentions Hanuman which may be a reference to the show - is magnificent, perfectly cast in a role requiring impersonating varying individuals. The way he looks at the camera that is at the viewers lingers in your mind long after leaving the cinema. The movie's loaded with women rights awareness. Whatever SP (Rani Mukherjee in the leading role again) lists as a woman's experience is so true, also in Europe. With the difference that, apparently, in India some seats on buses are reserved for women so that if you menstruate you don't have to stand - I wish we'd have the same regulation here. The feminist fragments are smartly presented, to the point, they form some of better parts of the movie. Unfortunately the script is more Hollywood than Bollywood. However Hindi language is a bit of hindrance here - some dialogues are so fast it's impossible to read the subtitles quickly enough.
AFRYKAMERA 2019
MINGA EL LA CUILLERE CASSEE (MINGA AND THE BROKEN SPOON)
Watchable. It's almost a cartoon musical. The songs are in French. The animation style is a bit old-fashioned. But the story's quite African, especially the ghost and the trickster tropes. While I'd prefer it without the music, it's engaging and well worth seeing for a change from Western fairy tales.
8
Watchable. It drags. A pretty standard horror with minor African elements. Spooks in scene one. One jump scare and a few more spooks later.
YOU WILL DIE AT 20
Walked out. The film drags and the main actor's ugly so nothing kept me there.
AFROSHORTS: SPIRITUALITY
INTERVENCAO JAH (JAH INTERVENTION)
Walked out. Weird dance. Poor quality picture and sound, with some annoying clinking noise.
Yellow is used in the short doc because chromatically it's the colour you recognize first so it's used for intervention. "Jah" means "god" or "now". The mask is cannibalistic and the performer's tribe's symbol is an aligator. The performance is aimed against the military command of the police because that equals using brutal force in favelas. The previous government enabled blacks studying, moving up the social ladder. Now the new government is taking it back. Killings at the guise of fighting drugs serve to erase the rising people. Those people also have less access to the media so their voice is hardly heard.
DOUBOUT (STAND UP)
Watchable. Fun, family picture. A mixture of international (the boy uses a light sabre) and African (the rite of passage) cultures. The subplot with the monster finds no conclusion but it's entertaining anyway.
RAZANA
Watchable. Ambiguous but ends well. The roar of a taking off plane over the end credits is an interesting sound effect.
THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTO
Watchable. Well-made but the final scene is inexplicable.
BAXU AND THE GIANTS
Recommended. An uplifting tale about resilience to your toxic family and about inner strength to change your community. And about how wildlife crime goes against one's own roots.
Tuesday, 31 December 2019
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
DOBRE ZPRAVY (GOOD NEWS)
Watchable. I think I stayed till the end only because I was trying to guess what it was about.
EXIT
Watchable. Overtalked. Some of former rightist (Nazi or jihadist) terrorists' stories are interesting - basically evil (having been raped) or the lack of prospects for the future spread evil further. Still, the best element of the film is catch electro music.
HOPE FROZEN
Watchable. Protracted. Interesting that TV interviewers ask the family the same question I was asking myself: why don't they thaw their daughter to release her soul for the next incarnation? While their love is admirable, they can't bring her back without tearing the synapses so she'd have no recollection of her life with them. The scientific method of extending life is as uncertain as the Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation. Hope permeates the film but the documentary is overlong.
After several years' of fascinating documentaries, 2018 being the best so far, the 2019 programme, with some exceptions, was much below the usual level. Previously I had been often shocked about the human rights violations depicted but this year it was hard to find anything of interest. Still, the organization was good, staff friendly, the catalogue and the screening guide very easy to follow and to take notes on, especially the catalogue was printed on very handy paper. Convenient, easy to reach venues this year too.
DOBRE ZPRAVY (GOOD NEWS)
Watchable. I think I stayed till the end only because I was trying to guess what it was about.
EXIT
Watchable. Overtalked. Some of former rightist (Nazi or jihadist) terrorists' stories are interesting - basically evil (having been raped) or the lack of prospects for the future spread evil further. Still, the best element of the film is catch electro music.
HOPE FROZEN
Watchable. Protracted. Interesting that TV interviewers ask the family the same question I was asking myself: why don't they thaw their daughter to release her soul for the next incarnation? While their love is admirable, they can't bring her back without tearing the synapses so she'd have no recollection of her life with them. The scientific method of extending life is as uncertain as the Buddhist beliefs in reincarnation. Hope permeates the film but the documentary is overlong.
After several years' of fascinating documentaries, 2018 being the best so far, the 2019 programme, with some exceptions, was much below the usual level. Previously I had been often shocked about the human rights violations depicted but this year it was hard to find anything of interest. Still, the organization was good, staff friendly, the catalogue and the screening guide very easy to follow and to take notes on, especially the catalogue was printed on very handy paper. Convenient, easy to reach venues this year too.
Saturday, 28 December 2019
THE FAREWELL
Recommended. Globalisation focused in one family. Multilingual: Japanese, Chinese, English and songs in Italian. Migration tackled from all angles - on the level of skilled individuals which means everyday petty family problems, homesickness, career prospects and life path dilemmas. Different approaches to life and death - sometimes Chinese ones turn out to be better as proven in the final scene right after the end credits start rolling. After all, how do we know our culture is the right one?
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
КОЛІР ФАСАДУ СИНІЙ (FACADE COLOUR: BLUE)
Watchable. An architectural dilemma - vaguely interesting.
Recommended. Globalisation focused in one family. Multilingual: Japanese, Chinese, English and songs in Italian. Migration tackled from all angles - on the level of skilled individuals which means everyday petty family problems, homesickness, career prospects and life path dilemmas. Different approaches to life and death - sometimes Chinese ones turn out to be better as proven in the final scene right after the end credits start rolling. After all, how do we know our culture is the right one?
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
КОЛІР ФАСАДУ СИНІЙ (FACADE COLOUR: BLUE)
Watchable. An architectural dilemma - vaguely interesting.
Wednesday, 25 December 2019
JAK ZOSTALEM GANGSTEREM. HISTORIA PRAWDZIWA (HOW I BECAME A GANGSTER. TRUE STORY)
Recommended. A model example of how a movie should be scripted, directed, acted, cut and what music it should feature. It's an absolutely perfect gang leader story, similar in style to "Trainspotting" but with a totally original script. Distinct personalities, psychologically justified actions, outrageous crimes, everything told with a pinch of salt and top-notch twists and turns. The soundtrack is diverse including Alphaville, "Koyaanisqatsi" by Philip Glass or Polish band Dżem and others.
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED
Watchable. You get to see excerpts from Afghan movies - from the 80s, before the Talibans, when men and women were uncovered and the country colourful and lovely. You realize all the Islamic fundamentalism the country is associated with now is imposed on them. The documentary is a bit chaotic and red tape laiden.
1917
Watchable. Run-of-the-mill storyline. It looks and feels like a series of tasks in a computer game at times. Modern music exacerbates this effect. But it's touching occasionally too. One good moment is when the screen blacks out - for a long while you don't know what's going on. Like Peter Jackson's "They Shall Not Grow Old", it's based on veterans' stories. So with all the visual artificiality it is quite realistic after all.
Recommended. A model example of how a movie should be scripted, directed, acted, cut and what music it should feature. It's an absolutely perfect gang leader story, similar in style to "Trainspotting" but with a totally original script. Distinct personalities, psychologically justified actions, outrageous crimes, everything told with a pinch of salt and top-notch twists and turns. The soundtrack is diverse including Alphaville, "Koyaanisqatsi" by Philip Glass or Polish band Dżem and others.
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED
Watchable. You get to see excerpts from Afghan movies - from the 80s, before the Talibans, when men and women were uncovered and the country colourful and lovely. You realize all the Islamic fundamentalism the country is associated with now is imposed on them. The documentary is a bit chaotic and red tape laiden.
1917
Watchable. Run-of-the-mill storyline. It looks and feels like a series of tasks in a computer game at times. Modern music exacerbates this effect. But it's touching occasionally too. One good moment is when the screen blacks out - for a long while you don't know what's going on. Like Peter Jackson's "They Shall Not Grow Old", it's based on veterans' stories. So with all the visual artificiality it is quite realistic after all.
Tuesday, 24 December 2019
JOJO RABBIT
Walked out. I couldn't stand this nonsense about a Hitlerjugend kid talking to an imaginary Hitler where Scarlett Johansson speaks with an accent which is neither English nor German.
MARCIN RYCHCIK "KRECONE SIEKIERA. 9 SEANSOW SMARZOWSKIEGO" - MEETING WITH THE BOOK AUTHOR
A bit of trivia: Smarzowski quotes his earlier movies, other films and literature. He also creates riddles through editing.
The clergy suggested a screening of "Kler" ("Clergy") for them to say what can stay. He gets very emotional about his films. "Wołyń" ("Hatred") was hard so he felt quite laid-back afterwards, making "Kler" ("Clergy").
Walked out. I couldn't stand this nonsense about a Hitlerjugend kid talking to an imaginary Hitler where Scarlett Johansson speaks with an accent which is neither English nor German.
MARCIN RYCHCIK "KRECONE SIEKIERA. 9 SEANSOW SMARZOWSKIEGO" - MEETING WITH THE BOOK AUTHOR
A bit of trivia: Smarzowski quotes his earlier movies, other films and literature. He also creates riddles through editing.
The clergy suggested a screening of "Kler" ("Clergy") for them to say what can stay. He gets very emotional about his films. "Wołyń" ("Hatred") was hard so he felt quite laid-back afterwards, making "Kler" ("Clergy").
Monday, 23 December 2019
BOMBSHELL
Recommended. I nearly cried at some point. The movie consists of visually appealing, of course, with Hollywood's hottest actresses, dramatised re-enactions of a huge sexual harassment case, hinting at Donald Trump as a sex predator as well. It highlights that you need to speak up, at least for the sake of future victims. Finally a movie about the topic! Still, when you see how it all ended, you leave frustrated that all the (23 at least) victims together received 50 m $ in compensation, while 2 predators got 65 m $ in severance pay from Fox News. Justice still hasn't been done. The image of the revolting perv haunts you later at night.
JAK ZOSTALEM GANGSTEREM. HISTORIA PRAWDZIWA (HOW I BECAME A GANGSTER. TRUE STORY)
I've seen it already and the review's waiting to be posted on 25th December. I'm not allowed to post it earlier.
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
EXODUS
Watchable. Good cinematography. Shows how Afghani workers are exploited by Iranians both at work and by authorities. The cultural background isn't explained though, so some cases aren't clear.
THE TRIAL OF RATKO MLADIC
Watchable. The documentary does a good job of showing the locations of the war crimes on the one hand and Ratko Mladić's smirk on the other. He must have been happy hearing the survivors' agonizing testimonies. Yet it feels protracted a bit which renders it less emotional.
Recommended. I nearly cried at some point. The movie consists of visually appealing, of course, with Hollywood's hottest actresses, dramatised re-enactions of a huge sexual harassment case, hinting at Donald Trump as a sex predator as well. It highlights that you need to speak up, at least for the sake of future victims. Finally a movie about the topic! Still, when you see how it all ended, you leave frustrated that all the (23 at least) victims together received 50 m $ in compensation, while 2 predators got 65 m $ in severance pay from Fox News. Justice still hasn't been done. The image of the revolting perv haunts you later at night.
JAK ZOSTALEM GANGSTEREM. HISTORIA PRAWDZIWA (HOW I BECAME A GANGSTER. TRUE STORY)
I've seen it already and the review's waiting to be posted on 25th December. I'm not allowed to post it earlier.
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
EXODUS
Watchable. Good cinematography. Shows how Afghani workers are exploited by Iranians both at work and by authorities. The cultural background isn't explained though, so some cases aren't clear.
THE TRIAL OF RATKO MLADIC
Watchable. The documentary does a good job of showing the locations of the war crimes on the one hand and Ratko Mladić's smirk on the other. He must have been happy hearing the survivors' agonizing testimonies. Yet it feels protracted a bit which renders it less emotional.
Sunday, 22 December 2019
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO
Recommended. Deeply moving and hard-hitting. I hadn't expected to be so impressed by LGBT issues. Vivid, likeable protagonists, shocking statistics - 41% of trans teenagers attempt suicide. The documentary features stories of success and of failure but all are filled with parents' love as well as with examples of violence like in the Orlando gay club shooting. Each of the families thought they supported their children but the very religion serves as a ruse for discrimination. The US examples show that families supporting their LGBT children as well as an open-minded society can enable a trans person enter the world of politics whereas the lack of social support means they often end up homeless. On the margin of the main issue, there's a case which proves that brain damage doesn't equal brain death which is unsettling in terms of usual practices of cutting off the life support in such cases. Excellent cinematography.
75-80 hours were shot for each story from which under 5 minutes appear in the film. E. g. Sarah's parents are funny people which you won't find in the resulting film. It took one year full-time to edit. Director Daniel Karslake observes "unconscious discomfort that men have with women" and is of the opinion that "homophobia and transphobia come from deep-rooted misogyny." In the US the worst offence is saying to a man: "you play like a woman". Also it's often misunderstood sexual orientation a choice. Bible scholar Delman Coates has analyzed the Bible verses which commonly serve as the basis for discrimination against gay people and found that they in fact refer to sexual violence rather than orientation. The director told me his first film, "For The Bible Tells Me So", explored the verses in detail. I have since watched the film but the verses were only mentioned on the margin. The director is gay, married to his partner for 28 years. Has been living in Berlin the last 5 years. Was raised in a Christian household and has been Christian all his life. "For They Know Not What They Do" has won the Audience Award at the festival. I gave it the highest note too.
KLEINE GERMANEN (LITTLE GERMANS)
Recommended. Explains how a Nazi family works and the connection to domestic violence. Incredible such families still exist. Some hark back to Wehrmacht grandfathers and the values have been passed on by subsequent generations. Children are disciplined to the point where they are locked in an ice-cold barn as punishment. It's like growing up in a sect. Another shocking example is dropping the piano cover on a girl's hands because she played Mendelssohn (a Jew). According to Germanic mythology men and women are equal but women have a lower position in such societies. One thing they pinpoint just right is that both Christianity and Islam are invasive religions.
Various organizations help people leave such societies. Inland Secret Service watch the scene but rarely help drop-outs because they're never sure if they are drop-outs for real. The rightists are not from metropolises so they have little contact with others. Such groups buy land in East Germany. Director Frank Geiger says the danger is that what they preach is close to mid-way values, just perverted, a close step to the extremism.
THE NIGHTCRAWLERS
Recommended. The Philippines had a huge drug problem. Drug addicts would rape or kill so in presidential elections, the Filipinos voted for Duterte en masse. Since then a few thousand drug dealers and addicts have been killed by the police and vengeful vigilantes. The drug problem resolution has left the society divided yet in the West it's unpopular not to condemn the killings.
FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO
Recommended. Deeply moving and hard-hitting. I hadn't expected to be so impressed by LGBT issues. Vivid, likeable protagonists, shocking statistics - 41% of trans teenagers attempt suicide. The documentary features stories of success and of failure but all are filled with parents' love as well as with examples of violence like in the Orlando gay club shooting. Each of the families thought they supported their children but the very religion serves as a ruse for discrimination. The US examples show that families supporting their LGBT children as well as an open-minded society can enable a trans person enter the world of politics whereas the lack of social support means they often end up homeless. On the margin of the main issue, there's a case which proves that brain damage doesn't equal brain death which is unsettling in terms of usual practices of cutting off the life support in such cases. Excellent cinematography.
75-80 hours were shot for each story from which under 5 minutes appear in the film. E. g. Sarah's parents are funny people which you won't find in the resulting film. It took one year full-time to edit. Director Daniel Karslake observes "unconscious discomfort that men have with women" and is of the opinion that "homophobia and transphobia come from deep-rooted misogyny." In the US the worst offence is saying to a man: "you play like a woman". Also it's often misunderstood sexual orientation a choice. Bible scholar Delman Coates has analyzed the Bible verses which commonly serve as the basis for discrimination against gay people and found that they in fact refer to sexual violence rather than orientation. The director told me his first film, "For The Bible Tells Me So", explored the verses in detail. I have since watched the film but the verses were only mentioned on the margin. The director is gay, married to his partner for 28 years. Has been living in Berlin the last 5 years. Was raised in a Christian household and has been Christian all his life. "For They Know Not What They Do" has won the Audience Award at the festival. I gave it the highest note too.
KLEINE GERMANEN (LITTLE GERMANS)
Recommended. Explains how a Nazi family works and the connection to domestic violence. Incredible such families still exist. Some hark back to Wehrmacht grandfathers and the values have been passed on by subsequent generations. Children are disciplined to the point where they are locked in an ice-cold barn as punishment. It's like growing up in a sect. Another shocking example is dropping the piano cover on a girl's hands because she played Mendelssohn (a Jew). According to Germanic mythology men and women are equal but women have a lower position in such societies. One thing they pinpoint just right is that both Christianity and Islam are invasive religions.
Various organizations help people leave such societies. Inland Secret Service watch the scene but rarely help drop-outs because they're never sure if they are drop-outs for real. The rightists are not from metropolises so they have little contact with others. Such groups buy land in East Germany. Director Frank Geiger says the danger is that what they preach is close to mid-way values, just perverted, a close step to the extremism.
THE NIGHTCRAWLERS
Recommended. The Philippines had a huge drug problem. Drug addicts would rape or kill so in presidential elections, the Filipinos voted for Duterte en masse. Since then a few thousand drug dealers and addicts have been killed by the police and vengeful vigilantes. The drug problem resolution has left the society divided yet in the West it's unpopular not to condemn the killings.
Saturday, 21 December 2019
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
PODROZ Z ZYRINOWSKIM (TRIPPING WITH ZHIRINOVSKY)
Watchable. A simple mind who overtly admitted he had gone into politics because he had lacked any talents - the comparison to Hitler seems right on the spot, doesn't it? A butt of a joke in the US - probably the only country that actually invited him. Yet his talking of Russia getting "off the knees" sounds just like the rightist Polish authorities at present. Zhirinovsky was a small-time politician whose outrageous statements, like Trump's nowadays, were ridiculed, interestingly by Americans too. The film is humorous. Poor-looking Russia is shown in the background. The man is worth attention because of what we're observing elsewhere now. Poor technical quality of the film.
PODROZ Z ZYRINOWSKIM (TRIPPING WITH ZHIRINOVSKY)
Watchable. A simple mind who overtly admitted he had gone into politics because he had lacked any talents - the comparison to Hitler seems right on the spot, doesn't it? A butt of a joke in the US - probably the only country that actually invited him. Yet his talking of Russia getting "off the knees" sounds just like the rightist Polish authorities at present. Zhirinovsky was a small-time politician whose outrageous statements, like Trump's nowadays, were ridiculed, interestingly by Americans too. The film is humorous. Poor-looking Russia is shown in the background. The man is worth attention because of what we're observing elsewhere now. Poor technical quality of the film.
Wednesday, 18 December 2019
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
ET MILITAERDIKTATUR BAG FACADEN (ON THE INSIDE OF A MILITARY DICTATORSHIP)
Watchable. Quality cinematography, events presented in order and with proper commentary in perfect English. I didn't realise Aung San Suu Kyi is a general's daughter or how shrewd a politician she is. The luxury the military dignitaries live and work in when the country is under international sanctions is some food for thought.
Tuesday, 17 December 2019
19TH WATCH DOCS FILM FESTIVAL
DIOS (GOD)
Watchable. Very good cinematography - it's all clear. Starts with all sorts of religious celebrations and accompanying commercial activities - not much different than in Poland. But later you can see Chilean religiousness is more fervorous and the opposition to the Church more fiery. People care to put undies on a figure of Baby Jezus. Next, the Pope says he can't substantiate the accusation against priests abusing children. There's also a discussion about the cost of the visit - never mentioned in Poland. Will churches burn in Poland too?
DIOS (GOD)
Watchable. Very good cinematography - it's all clear. Starts with all sorts of religious celebrations and accompanying commercial activities - not much different than in Poland. But later you can see Chilean religiousness is more fervorous and the opposition to the Church more fiery. People care to put undies on a figure of Baby Jezus. Next, the Pope says he can't substantiate the accusation against priests abusing children. There's also a discussion about the cost of the visit - never mentioned in Poland. Will churches burn in Poland too?
החבר דב (COMRADE DOV)
Watchable. About very local issues of the inhabitants of Israel which brings nothing new. It's just heart-warming to see there are people who believe in equal rights of both nations and a politician who does what he believes in. Poor camera work - at times it moves between people too fast and in a jerky movement.
Monday, 16 December 2019
THE TWO POPES
Recommended. It's just beautiful. Superb cinematography strikes you from the start. And content follows. The film, with documentary insertions, is deep in its deliberations on being just and on the Church to the point where it moves you profoundly a few times. But it's also entertaining throughout contrast personalities, with the easy-going Cardinal Vergogno being an absolute delight. It's a tale of imperfect popes. The three lead actors: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins and Juan Minujín are exquisite. Dalida's hit "Ciao Bella" is sung by Swingle Brothers - choral church-like interpretation. The ending comprising of several mid- and one post-credit is brilliant.
A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON
Watchable. Just like previously in the series, there's no dialogue. In Polish cinemas only the final song is in Polish. The rest of the music is fun. The film is on the silly side. The sheep play antics all the time. The dog drinks from a cup with a bone picture. The aliens are friendly. Yet the story's eventful and complex. John Williams' theme from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" can be heard in one of the scenes. In the closing credits you read that "No sheep were probed during the making of this film." There's a brief post-credit.
Recommended. It's just beautiful. Superb cinematography strikes you from the start. And content follows. The film, with documentary insertions, is deep in its deliberations on being just and on the Church to the point where it moves you profoundly a few times. But it's also entertaining throughout contrast personalities, with the easy-going Cardinal Vergogno being an absolute delight. It's a tale of imperfect popes. The three lead actors: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins and Juan Minujín are exquisite. Dalida's hit "Ciao Bella" is sung by Swingle Brothers - choral church-like interpretation. The ending comprising of several mid- and one post-credit is brilliant.
A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON
Watchable. Just like previously in the series, there's no dialogue. In Polish cinemas only the final song is in Polish. The rest of the music is fun. The film is on the silly side. The sheep play antics all the time. The dog drinks from a cup with a bone picture. The aliens are friendly. Yet the story's eventful and complex. John Williams' theme from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" can be heard in one of the scenes. In the closing credits you read that "No sheep were probed during the making of this film." There's a brief post-credit.
ANGELO
Watchable. In the first scene slaves are walking up the shore. They resemble refugees on hills seen in the media nowadays. But the whole film drags so badly and is so wooden, theatrical that I nearly walked out. Angelo in turns declaims, plays the flute, walks or listens to some aristocrat. At least, the scenography changes every few minutes. It's still and connotations with still life painting spring to mind, in fact it looks like a series of pictures by the old masters. The lack of background music and wooden acting precludes any potential feeling even when a man becomes stuffed as an exhibit. One fleeting moment of emotion is when Angelo's daughter realizes she's never seen the continent she belongs to. The movie also poses the question of us killing nature in order to see it up close.
Bits and pieces from the Q&A:
Markus Schleinzer, the movie director has also worked as a casting director, a producer, a director of other films and an actor. The rumour is he knows all actors, including those who say only one sentence.
According to Markus Schleinzer, "a film is lying in every minute". Though he researched the topic. E.g. people look healthier nowadays so a historic film can never be realistic.
The director comes from Vienna - a city where you hear lots of tall tales about Angelo Soliman. Those are all sweet stories. Also an empress is called Sissi by Austrians. That's why directors, like Michael Haneke, go against this perspective.
The movie starts with boats of 300 years ago filled with Africans brought by force. Nowadays we deny them entry.
Palaces were built with the wealth from the exploitation of Africa.
The director presented Angelo as somebody with no identity. They used to be presented as black princes to show how powerful the white aristocrats were.
Watchable. In the first scene slaves are walking up the shore. They resemble refugees on hills seen in the media nowadays. But the whole film drags so badly and is so wooden, theatrical that I nearly walked out. Angelo in turns declaims, plays the flute, walks or listens to some aristocrat. At least, the scenography changes every few minutes. It's still and connotations with still life painting spring to mind, in fact it looks like a series of pictures by the old masters. The lack of background music and wooden acting precludes any potential feeling even when a man becomes stuffed as an exhibit. One fleeting moment of emotion is when Angelo's daughter realizes she's never seen the continent she belongs to. The movie also poses the question of us killing nature in order to see it up close.
Bits and pieces from the Q&A:
Markus Schleinzer, the movie director has also worked as a casting director, a producer, a director of other films and an actor. The rumour is he knows all actors, including those who say only one sentence.
According to Markus Schleinzer, "a film is lying in every minute". Though he researched the topic. E.g. people look healthier nowadays so a historic film can never be realistic.
The director comes from Vienna - a city where you hear lots of tall tales about Angelo Soliman. Those are all sweet stories. Also an empress is called Sissi by Austrians. That's why directors, like Michael Haneke, go against this perspective.
The movie starts with boats of 300 years ago filled with Africans brought by force. Nowadays we deny them entry.
Palaces were built with the wealth from the exploitation of Africa.
The director presented Angelo as somebody with no identity. They used to be presented as black princes to show how powerful the white aristocrats were.
Thursday, 12 December 2019
PAN T. (MISTER T.)
Watchable. Plausibly recreated 1953. Feels too slow but such was the pace of life back then. The film's a saucy satire on communism and on artists, with an occasional reference to our contemporary times, e.g. when a protagonist says he's "najgorszy sort" ("the worst sort" - after the Law and Justice party president calling some Poles "people of a worse sort"). It's aptly high contrast black and white like the reality it tells about. A shot of two lovers is put into a frame. I see it as a feeble attempt at repeating the success of "Cold War".
Watchable. Plausibly recreated 1953. Feels too slow but such was the pace of life back then. The film's a saucy satire on communism and on artists, with an occasional reference to our contemporary times, e.g. when a protagonist says he's "najgorszy sort" ("the worst sort" - after the Law and Justice party president calling some Poles "people of a worse sort"). It's aptly high contrast black and white like the reality it tells about. A shot of two lovers is put into a frame. I see it as a feeble attempt at repeating the success of "Cold War".
Sunday, 8 December 2019
ZELAZNY MOST (THE IRON BRIDGE)
Watchable. Only the pictures by Piotr Kukla are up-to-scratch. In spite of the case of a miner who's missing and his wife having an affair, there is little suspense. Tension arises only a quarter before the end. Too little Silesian dialect too. Last but not least, Poles don't know how to make use of music in the cinema.
엑시트 (EXIT)
Recommended. Top-notch action with hilarious comedy elements, e.g. when the granny tries to correct Yong-nam's hair. Excellent music, especially in one of climbing scenes and over the end credits. My palms got sweaty at the heights. Luckily it wasn't me who was scaling the buildings.
THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON
Watchable. Uninviting at first: severely aged people and a young one with Down syndrome, in one scene there's a clear depiction on vomit as well - I nearly puked myself at sight. But it swiftly turns into a decent road movie. It's also about the American dream - for everyone, including the disabled ones. A heavy part of the film is how they are treated by the society. It's also a new take on the American family: a high-brow member, a redneck and one with Down syndrome all form one family-like unit. Dakota Johnson, famous for kinky sex scenes in "Fifty Shades of Grey", here in a caretaker's role, gets handcuffed by Tyler. The handcuffs are soft and pinkish.
THE LIGHTHOUSE
Watchable. Compelling in its weirdness. Robert Pattinson gives an Oscar-worthy performance but the tale is just sick: a dying man gutted by seagulls, feaces, a guy masturbating while dreaming of a mermaid with a tail resembling a vagina, lots of alcohol, cold sadism and violent behaviour. Black and white picture doesn't make it art. Though narrowed shots reflect the young worker's tunnel vision convincingly.
DOCTOR SLEEP
Watchable. Fantasy with horror elements. It's a whole new story loosely based on the tropes from "The Shining", like the corpse-woman in the bathroom or the face in the door. The scares appear too soon. And the parallel plots: a magical one and an alcoholic one don't match at first. But all the elements fall into place piecemeal. The flying witch somehow feels truly menacing, maybe through her semblance to folk tales, even though this one lacks a broom.The last half an hour is set in the Overlook Hotel. The showdown takes you on the tour of the hotel, the labyrinth and the mountain - you even witness the iconic blood flood like in the original. Ewan McGregor acts plausibly and his character is well-written into the hotel 'tour'. Set for a sequel.
PROCEDER
Recommended. Very well-written, directed and cut. I didn't expect a movie about: a rapper, a gangster, alcoholic and drug addict - all in one person, set in the Polish 90s, could be interesting. But the 90s are perfectly recreated and his life story full of twists and turns. The film has some humour too, e.g. when a prisoner playing scrabble puts together "rzuf" meaning "żółw" (turtle). Excellent background music by RX Rafał Sielawa. And Tomasz Chada's rap is fine too, with life-written lyrics. The ending is moving.
Watchable. Only the pictures by Piotr Kukla are up-to-scratch. In spite of the case of a miner who's missing and his wife having an affair, there is little suspense. Tension arises only a quarter before the end. Too little Silesian dialect too. Last but not least, Poles don't know how to make use of music in the cinema.
엑시트 (EXIT)
Recommended. Top-notch action with hilarious comedy elements, e.g. when the granny tries to correct Yong-nam's hair. Excellent music, especially in one of climbing scenes and over the end credits. My palms got sweaty at the heights. Luckily it wasn't me who was scaling the buildings.
THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON
Watchable. Uninviting at first: severely aged people and a young one with Down syndrome, in one scene there's a clear depiction on vomit as well - I nearly puked myself at sight. But it swiftly turns into a decent road movie. It's also about the American dream - for everyone, including the disabled ones. A heavy part of the film is how they are treated by the society. It's also a new take on the American family: a high-brow member, a redneck and one with Down syndrome all form one family-like unit. Dakota Johnson, famous for kinky sex scenes in "Fifty Shades of Grey", here in a caretaker's role, gets handcuffed by Tyler. The handcuffs are soft and pinkish.
THE LIGHTHOUSE
Watchable. Compelling in its weirdness. Robert Pattinson gives an Oscar-worthy performance but the tale is just sick: a dying man gutted by seagulls, feaces, a guy masturbating while dreaming of a mermaid with a tail resembling a vagina, lots of alcohol, cold sadism and violent behaviour. Black and white picture doesn't make it art. Though narrowed shots reflect the young worker's tunnel vision convincingly.
DOCTOR SLEEP
Watchable. Fantasy with horror elements. It's a whole new story loosely based on the tropes from "The Shining", like the corpse-woman in the bathroom or the face in the door. The scares appear too soon. And the parallel plots: a magical one and an alcoholic one don't match at first. But all the elements fall into place piecemeal. The flying witch somehow feels truly menacing, maybe through her semblance to folk tales, even though this one lacks a broom.The last half an hour is set in the Overlook Hotel. The showdown takes you on the tour of the hotel, the labyrinth and the mountain - you even witness the iconic blood flood like in the original. Ewan McGregor acts plausibly and his character is well-written into the hotel 'tour'. Set for a sequel.
PROCEDER
Recommended. Very well-written, directed and cut. I didn't expect a movie about: a rapper, a gangster, alcoholic and drug addict - all in one person, set in the Polish 90s, could be interesting. But the 90s are perfectly recreated and his life story full of twists and turns. The film has some humour too, e.g. when a prisoner playing scrabble puts together "rzuf" meaning "żółw" (turtle). Excellent background music by RX Rafał Sielawa. And Tomasz Chada's rap is fine too, with life-written lyrics. The ending is moving.
Saturday, 7 December 2019
JOKER
Recommended. The film carries a number of pop culture references, I'm not sure if all were intended or whether some were subconscious inspirations. Whichever it is, the movie's rich in meanings. The protagonist lives in a city where waste hasn't been collected in several days. Also porn theatres keep reappearing throughout the film. Both produce the impression of trash. At one point he says, if he died, "they'd walk over him". That's also a comment on our reality where murders of the rich and powerful are widely publicised and those of the poor don't get a mention in the media. The hint I'm not sure about whether intentional or not, was at Michael Jackson - Joker has a whitened face, as if wearing a mask, similar hair, voice, laughter and he dances. Another trope is "V for Vendetta" - that's obvious from the number of people wearing clown masks in the street. His hallucinations and growing insanity leading to violence resembles "The Voices". His romantic relationship with his neighbour is questionable too. The story puts you right inside the mind of a mentally ill person. And his mother's infatuation with television and adoration of celebrities is reminiscent of "Requiem for a Dream".
The movie makes use of visual means painstakingly too, e.g. when blood on his white face is set against a nearly-white wall and it's only later you can see it on his body as well.
But it's the music by Hildur Guðnadóttir which forms the basis of the movie. It wouldn't have the gravity otherwise. Oscar for the music, please! The sombre tones match the film palette. The music turns joyful four times: he dances on the stairs to the melody of "Hey Song" from "Dr. Who" (I saw some "Dr." on the road side too) who was a positive hero, mind it, next when he appears on TV, again when he joins the street rebellion and finally in hospital - all instances after Arthur Fleck's transformation into the Joker.
Arthur's identity is uncertain: he might be Thomas Wayne's son, just Penny Fleck's son with an unknown father - in both cases possibly inheriting the mental disease after his mother - or adopted - we don't know who after, especially that a mentally disturbed person was allowed to adopt him. This uncertainty of both fatherhood and motherhood makes him a man from nowhere hence a ready-made symbol too because he could be anyone.
A significant scene places the story as a prequel to the series. We see the beginning of Batman's story but it's not Arthur who kills the boy's parents hence it's not him Bruce Wayne is going to fight but a Joker as a symbol of crime.
Recommended. The film carries a number of pop culture references, I'm not sure if all were intended or whether some were subconscious inspirations. Whichever it is, the movie's rich in meanings. The protagonist lives in a city where waste hasn't been collected in several days. Also porn theatres keep reappearing throughout the film. Both produce the impression of trash. At one point he says, if he died, "they'd walk over him". That's also a comment on our reality where murders of the rich and powerful are widely publicised and those of the poor don't get a mention in the media. The hint I'm not sure about whether intentional or not, was at Michael Jackson - Joker has a whitened face, as if wearing a mask, similar hair, voice, laughter and he dances. Another trope is "V for Vendetta" - that's obvious from the number of people wearing clown masks in the street. His hallucinations and growing insanity leading to violence resembles "The Voices". His romantic relationship with his neighbour is questionable too. The story puts you right inside the mind of a mentally ill person. And his mother's infatuation with television and adoration of celebrities is reminiscent of "Requiem for a Dream".
The movie makes use of visual means painstakingly too, e.g. when blood on his white face is set against a nearly-white wall and it's only later you can see it on his body as well.
But it's the music by Hildur Guðnadóttir which forms the basis of the movie. It wouldn't have the gravity otherwise. Oscar for the music, please! The sombre tones match the film palette. The music turns joyful four times: he dances on the stairs to the melody of "Hey Song" from "Dr. Who" (I saw some "Dr." on the road side too) who was a positive hero, mind it, next when he appears on TV, again when he joins the street rebellion and finally in hospital - all instances after Arthur Fleck's transformation into the Joker.
Arthur's identity is uncertain: he might be Thomas Wayne's son, just Penny Fleck's son with an unknown father - in both cases possibly inheriting the mental disease after his mother - or adopted - we don't know who after, especially that a mentally disturbed person was allowed to adopt him. This uncertainty of both fatherhood and motherhood makes him a man from nowhere hence a ready-made symbol too because he could be anyone.
A significant scene places the story as a prequel to the series. We see the beginning of Batman's story but it's not Arthur who kills the boy's parents hence it's not him Bruce Wayne is going to fight but a Joker as a symbol of crime.
Wednesday, 4 December 2019
LUX FILM PRIZE DAYS
EL REINO (THE REALM)
Watchable. Feels exotic from the start - a politician is arrested for corruption. I wonder if it has ever taken place in Poland since such a thing is possible only in a country of law. Dynamic cut, shot mostly with close-ups, great techno rhythm, vivid colours typical for Spanish cinema. The film doesn't make it clear what exactly the case is but you quickly get it's about politics seen as if from within. Ends with a journalist's question which stays in your mind.
COLD CASE HAMMARSKJOLD
Watchable. The story's just incredible and unsettling. Unfortunately it's presented chaotically, certain subplots get so entangled it leaves loose ends. Yet the evidence gathered points at a clandestine organization, bankrolled by the white government of South Africa and of the UK in the 1950s/60s which, on the one hand, tried to eradicate blacks from Africa spreading AIDS at the guise of inoculations and to profit from the continent's resources - the latter successfully. Africa would be a totally different continent now if the UN Secretary General, who wanted to return the resources to the indigenous population, hadn't been assassinated.
EL REINO (THE REALM)
Watchable. Feels exotic from the start - a politician is arrested for corruption. I wonder if it has ever taken place in Poland since such a thing is possible only in a country of law. Dynamic cut, shot mostly with close-ups, great techno rhythm, vivid colours typical for Spanish cinema. The film doesn't make it clear what exactly the case is but you quickly get it's about politics seen as if from within. Ends with a journalist's question which stays in your mind.
COLD CASE HAMMARSKJOLD
Watchable. The story's just incredible and unsettling. Unfortunately it's presented chaotically, certain subplots get so entangled it leaves loose ends. Yet the evidence gathered points at a clandestine organization, bankrolled by the white government of South Africa and of the UK in the 1950s/60s which, on the one hand, tried to eradicate blacks from Africa spreading AIDS at the guise of inoculations and to profit from the continent's resources - the latter successfully. Africa would be a totally different continent now if the UN Secretary General, who wanted to return the resources to the indigenous population, hadn't been assassinated.
FUSION FILM FESTIVALS - EAST EUROPE FILM FESTIVAL
Dan Hickford, director of the festival says this is an event which "puts a few festivals together".
NO-ONE
Watchable. Quite peculiar: theatrical, static. But also steamy or violent at times. The first instance of violence is predictable but shocking anyway. What's it about? About a man who's been at the top of state authority for decades, used to the fact that no one will question his power but suddenly both the coup and the loss of his wife mean a loss of the power he has always exerted. Since the film seems to conceal a bottom layer, I'd say you can interpret the romantic plot in the changing political situation - the fall of the USSR - as Ukraine's love affair with other countries.
According to the man who announced the screening, there are a few characters from Gogol and from "Master and Margarita" - I've read neither so can't comment. He attributes the plot to the Russian invasion on Crimea in 2014. The movie's Israeli-Ukrainian. According to one of the actors, a Russian movie can fill a room in Poland, not in Russia. Another actor discovers something new each time he watches it. Yet another one, the "general" from the picture views his protagonist as a man who decides to resolve things on his own and this way he becomes a monster. It's 100% fiction - clear to me but some doubted it. I asked the director, Vladimir Prudkin, why he made everyone act so theatrically and statically. In his opinion, "if you want to think you can't hurry".
Dan Hickford, director of the festival says this is an event which "puts a few festivals together".
NO-ONE
Watchable. Quite peculiar: theatrical, static. But also steamy or violent at times. The first instance of violence is predictable but shocking anyway. What's it about? About a man who's been at the top of state authority for decades, used to the fact that no one will question his power but suddenly both the coup and the loss of his wife mean a loss of the power he has always exerted. Since the film seems to conceal a bottom layer, I'd say you can interpret the romantic plot in the changing political situation - the fall of the USSR - as Ukraine's love affair with other countries.
According to the man who announced the screening, there are a few characters from Gogol and from "Master and Margarita" - I've read neither so can't comment. He attributes the plot to the Russian invasion on Crimea in 2014. The movie's Israeli-Ukrainian. According to one of the actors, a Russian movie can fill a room in Poland, not in Russia. Another actor discovers something new each time he watches it. Yet another one, the "general" from the picture views his protagonist as a man who decides to resolve things on his own and this way he becomes a monster. It's 100% fiction - clear to me but some doubted it. I asked the director, Vladimir Prudkin, why he made everyone act so theatrically and statically. In his opinion, "if you want to think you can't hurry".
Friday, 29 November 2019
PROXIMA
Walked out. Booooring. Lots of childcare and no space, at least not for the first 66 minutes (out of 107) when I finally gave up on the movie. Also, the story's quite feminist but we see the female astronaut's naked breast - so that male viewers get a kick out of it too? Feminist and sexist at the same time? Sexist it certainly is - I don't recall a single film where a male astronaut's private parts would be shown. What was director Alice Winocour thinking?
DIA DE MUERTOS (SALMA'S BIG WISH)
Watchable. Run-of-the-mill story. Pleasant, colourful animation but no match for "Coco". Poor imitation. A number of early mid-credits.
Walked out. Booooring. Lots of childcare and no space, at least not for the first 66 minutes (out of 107) when I finally gave up on the movie. Also, the story's quite feminist but we see the female astronaut's naked breast - so that male viewers get a kick out of it too? Feminist and sexist at the same time? Sexist it certainly is - I don't recall a single film where a male astronaut's private parts would be shown. What was director Alice Winocour thinking?
DIA DE MUERTOS (SALMA'S BIG WISH)
Watchable. Run-of-the-mill story. Pleasant, colourful animation but no match for "Coco". Poor imitation. A number of early mid-credits.
Wednesday, 27 November 2019
WATAHA (THE BORDER) SEASON 3 EPISODE 1&2
Watchable. Very Polish: dense with major and minor characters, dark pictures, realistc, flawed protagonists with their bigger and lesser troubles. Not very clear conversations and vagueness on top of them make watching a bit hard. Panoramic aerial shots are very good both strictly visually and mentally putting the events in a bigger perspective. Wolves scenes refer to the original title meaning 'a pack of wolves'. The ending of the 2nd episode leaves you in suspense: what is she doing at a transnational crime conference?
LES TRADUCTEURS (THE TRANSLATORS)
Watchable. Comparable to "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" in the sense that it's far-fetched but entertaining enough. What I found even fascinating in this one is the language workers setting - I'm perfectly familiar with the type. That's why I found the translator blatantly attempting to smoke in the bunker a bit off. Whoever works with a language spends all their life following grammar, pronunciation, syntax rules. I found it implausible that someone like that would so ostentatiously ignore the often-legal and always-social rule of non-smoking without permission, no matter if the person is tattooed or not. While lots of conversations are 100% credible, I waited for the kind of multilingual conversations our sort typically has when we hang out together. As for the first, a subsequent revelation of what kind of people the translators were before the assignment, changed my view on the smoking scene. And regarding the latter, a multilingual talk does take place - in specific circumstances. Those developments made the whole plot quite plausible. Still, all the revelations just occur with no riddle for the viewer. You just sit and are served those course-changers. The biggest twists of action are predictable.
A VIDA INVISIVEL DE EURIDICE GUSMAO (THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF EURIDICE GUSMAO)
Walked out. I have no idea what it wanted to be about.
Watchable. Very Polish: dense with major and minor characters, dark pictures, realistc, flawed protagonists with their bigger and lesser troubles. Not very clear conversations and vagueness on top of them make watching a bit hard. Panoramic aerial shots are very good both strictly visually and mentally putting the events in a bigger perspective. Wolves scenes refer to the original title meaning 'a pack of wolves'. The ending of the 2nd episode leaves you in suspense: what is she doing at a transnational crime conference?
LES TRADUCTEURS (THE TRANSLATORS)
Watchable. Comparable to "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" in the sense that it's far-fetched but entertaining enough. What I found even fascinating in this one is the language workers setting - I'm perfectly familiar with the type. That's why I found the translator blatantly attempting to smoke in the bunker a bit off. Whoever works with a language spends all their life following grammar, pronunciation, syntax rules. I found it implausible that someone like that would so ostentatiously ignore the often-legal and always-social rule of non-smoking without permission, no matter if the person is tattooed or not. While lots of conversations are 100% credible, I waited for the kind of multilingual conversations our sort typically has when we hang out together. As for the first, a subsequent revelation of what kind of people the translators were before the assignment, changed my view on the smoking scene. And regarding the latter, a multilingual talk does take place - in specific circumstances. Those developments made the whole plot quite plausible. Still, all the revelations just occur with no riddle for the viewer. You just sit and are served those course-changers. The biggest twists of action are predictable.
A VIDA INVISIVEL DE EURIDICE GUSMAO (THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF EURIDICE GUSMAO)
Walked out. I have no idea what it wanted to be about.
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