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I publish mainly on my personal website.
Here's the link: http://culturalhater.com/
I also make lists of films every year, as well as divided into countries and genres.
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W lesie dzis nie zasnie nikt (2020)
Ill-conceived story with multiple genre tropes and plotholes
Bartosz Kowalski's W Lesie Dzis Nic Zasnie Nikt (2020) works neither as a proper homage to the vintage, nor an inventive satire on its themes. Sadly, it's not even remotely entertaining either.
Admittedly, horror has been the domain of American and Asian cinema. Indeed, the argument could be made that European moviegoers were spoiled by the foreign influx. That, however, shouldn't mean that in-house productions are all trash. Thanks to people such as Robert Eggers, Ari Aster, Julia Ducournau and Ben Wheatley, horror fans in Europe begin to get choosy too. So, in order to make the headlines, you really have to push the envelope. Polish director Bartosz Kowalski couldn't stray further away from that goal.
Kowalski's anchor is an almost mute character Zosia. She's played by Polish juvenile celebrity Julia Wieniawa-Narkiewicz, whose bland, uninterested face speaks volumes about the whole film. Furthermore, it's also her poorly developed arch, which doesn't help the inexperienced actress build a role worth investing in. And since that's the only emotional leverage up Bartosz Kowalski's sleeve, you get the picture.
Let's be honest - nobody watches slashers for agitated debates on the meaning of life or character development. If anything, it's the bloodshed that counts.
The gore and scares in W Lesie Dzis Nic Zasnie Nikt (2020) are stylistically close to the Wrong Turn movies. It's largely over-the-top, with bodies cut in two, beaten up against a tree and minced. So, the blood's there, but style isn't.
That too leaves W Lesie Dzis Nic Zasnie Nikt (2020) far from modern masterpieces. Thee visible budget constraints play their part here, yet a few horrors succeeded despite facing similar issues. Look at Creep (2015), and the legendary The Blair Witch project (1999) to grasp what I'm getting there. These films were brilliant in avoiding the formulaic paths. For Bartosz Kowalski, sticking his head out means leaving his comfort zone. And the director is clearly not ready for that kind of commitment.
Eventually, this entire effort is just as fruitless as this camp that tries to convert kids from online to offline. One tedious slasher won't change the European horror game. But in the of W Lesie Dzis Nic Zasnie Nikt (2020) case, that actually may be a good thing.
Creep 2 (2017)
Inventive take on the serial killer trope
In Creep 2 (2017) Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass return with a sequel to their tiny-budget thriller. It's more bizarre than its predecessor, and much more fun too.
I could bet that when Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass started writing their thriller about Joseph the psycho killer, they didn't suspect it would grow into more than just one movie. However, the success of Creep (2014) planted the seed in their minds - what if we could continue the legacy of Joseph?
In Creep 2 (2017), Joseph calls himself Aaron, which is a rather sinister wink to Patrick Brice's character in the first movie. Aaron, now bearded, pops into his friend's apartment (a tiny part played by Karan Soni), only to commit just another violent murder in front of a hidden camera. This time, he seems widely distraught, and displeased by the act.
That's the change of the narrative in comparison with Creep (2014). Joseph-turned-Aaron finds another potential victim online, but upon her arrival - he's straightforward about his intentions. The deal is simple - I will not kill you the next 24 hours, but you keep on filming. The new protagonist is Sara (Desiree Akhavan), and apparently, she has a rock-solid reason to fall for Aaron's madness.
Within the Creep-verse, there weren't many turns to take - seemingly. The trick was how minimum resources were needed to conjure up the frights and an inventive, riveting thriller. Brice also kept the viewers guessing whether Mark Duplass' character was, indeed, a murderer.
Creep 2 (2017) brings in a YouTuber to get caught in the web of Aaron. That's close to home when compared to Creep (2014), however Sara has her own stakes in the game. While Patrick Brice's character struck as a wrong guy in a wrong place, Sara wants to meet such people. And that creates a whole different dynamic for the audience.
Since Sara's not an easy target, the methods of Aaron change accordingly. As a result, the goofy, squeamish character, that's been introduced in Creep (2014), is no more. Joseph grew, and became more deranged. There are new layers to what Duplass brings, such as doubt, and confusion. At the same time, the actor doubles down on his manipulative tone, facial expressions and those drilling, frightening eyes. Whenever Aaron would stare into the camera, to tell one of his blood-chilling stories, I had goosebumps. The beating heart of Creep (2014) is alive and well.
Paradoxically, I also liked how the audio-visual indie quality didn't get a makeover. Creep-verse feels very consistent in that way. Aaron have traded a secluded cabin for... a secluded chalet, and he still enjoys hikes in the woods. The hand-held cinematography solidifies an all-authentic approach too. And by confining this tiny universe to several locations only, Brice and Duplass tighten the noose, leaving no escape route for whoever finds Aaron's ad online.
The logic of making a sequel is fairly simple - what worked once, could potentially work twice. However, most sequels don't do the trick. But against all the odds, Creep 2 (2017) does. Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass implemented a bunch of clever twists, while also putting their main asset to work. It's crazier, it's more odd and more entertaining too.
Normally I would tremble - and probably criticize - an idea of dragging a tiny thriller into sequels, but I gotta say - Creep 3 is gonna be just as sharp as Aaron's knife. I'm sure of it.
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
A pointless addition to a universe that nobody feels attached to
"The Cloverfield Paradox" tells the story of a spaceship crew, which is sent on a mysterious mission. During one of the experiments, the ship is thrown out of its dimension. Whilst the crew tries to find a way back, weird things begin to happen.
I'll admit that "10 Cloverfield Lane" was a lot of fun to watch. It was bizarre at times, strangely hypnotic and magnificently acted.
Despite that, I can't understand the reasons behind expanding this small universe of Cloverfield. The entire beauty of the aforementioned entry - as well as the original "Cloverfield" - was the mystery. The omnipresent, unraveled question mark.
However, "The Cloverfield Paradox" offers nothing new, nothing spectacular and - most of all - nothing particularly good. The plot is messy and full of desperate attempts to remain interesting for the viewer. It's all over the place and God forbid trying to comprehend it. In order to be more "user-friendly", "The Cloverfield Paradox" boasts with an international ensemble of boring figures. The actors are clueless, whilst the efforts to establish any bond with audience - futile.
What's more, the film lazily draws from "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Moon" and other sci-fi classics, but it belongs to the league of SyFy "classics" way more. Despite that, as it is with the latter category, "The Cloverfield Paradox" is still enjoyable. As a rather cheesy, but definitely well-made visually film.
Even the way "The Cloverfield Paradox" links the two previous entries is drained of creativity. I do not intend to provide spoilers, so I'll stop right there. If you belong to the twenty people on Earth, who are also die-hard fans of the Cloverfield universe, go ahead and give "The Cloverfield Paradox" a try. If not, treat this as last resort for a boring evening.
Maria by Callas (2017)
A chore to sit through
"Maria Callas" is a documentary feature that is more-or-less depiction of the career of a famous opera starlet.
The director of the film Tom Volf, praises the protagonist at every step. Maria is basically his muse. The entire documentary is dictated by her omnipresent dreaminess. The script moves forward without haste, slowly painting the vivid landscape of spotlight, cameras and ovations.
Despite this inspiring form, "Maria Callas" is surprisingly flat.
Volf maniacally impersonates Callas with her stage silhouette. Even when he tries to give her more depth, it is far from an insightful look. The bits of her life are either interviews or shots from her tours. This short-sighted approach limits the film's speech power in a great deal.
The problem might also lie in the protagonist herself. Callas - at least according to Volf's depiction - is extremely selfish. She never really moves too far away from this overwhelming egocentrism. Even when speaking about the love of her life, it is imbued with selfishness. She elaborates on her diva life with occasional sadness resonating. And Volf direction is very much praising that self-loving approach. With every second shot of Callas surrounded by jostling journalists or reminiscing a goddess in one of her apartments, Volf makes this character suffocate.
It might be rooted in Callas herself, as well as Volf's imperfect direction. Either way, "Maria Callas" is far from a heart-piercing, moving biopic. It deliberately limits the world presented. It's flashy in form and shallow in the substance.
Triple 9 (2016)
A flawed yet still gripping tale about dirty cops
The Australian director John Hillcoat opens the hellish gates right in the beginning sequence of Triple 9 and till the very end, the saturnine world of crooked cops is consecutively examined. Putting some minor flaws of the plot and execution aside, this film delivers shivers down the spine and ends up being a truly blood-curdling experience.
Triple 9's plot line is a quite complicated puzzle to put together – five well-trained ex-mercenaries and cops do a bank heist for the Russian mafia. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned and they are forced to do another job, which includes getting their hands even dirtier. Eventually, they begin to struggle with the time and fellow cops, who are after them.
As the thriller genre's father, Alfred Hitchcock claimed – film should start with an earthquake. Hillcoat pays attention to the words of the master and starts off with some heavy artillery – the bank heist sequence is the absolutely top-notch directing. This solid and entertaining beginning sets the pace and the unsettling atmosphere throughout the entire film. The ubiquitous dreariness mixed with unbearable tension is a tribute to classic films like Mystic River and Heat, but we may find some inspirations drawn from Traffic, Sicario and End of Watch too.
What's more, the soundtrack by Atticus Ross, Claudia Sarne, Leopold Ross and Bobby Krlic boosts the cinematic experience too. The heavy electronics, pulsating in the most dynamic tracks, flows into a haunting cacophony of voices and ominous strings in more dramatic scenes, keeping the vibe of Matrix's soundtrack, Gone Girl, Mad Max: Fury Road on one hand, but going towards Jóhann Jóhannsson's and Dan Romer's pieces too on the other. But don't get the illusion that Hillcoat and his team just copies others' works – he's well versed with the genre, moving around with grace and finding his own gripping style.
Unfortunately, Hillcoat's work is far from being flawless. His star-studded cast was supposed to be the solid ground, because let's be honest – Kate Winslet, Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul and even Michael K. Williams in the most hilarious appearance in his career – this is a dream team to work with for every filmmaker in Hollywood. Yet, this ensemble causes these talented actors to have limited time on screen and only few of them really grasps the essence of their characters. We get truly convincing performances put by Ejiofor and Affleck, a simpleton-drunkard by Harrelson and some straightforward letdowns by Winslet and Paul. This is a pack of dogs let loose and unfortunately, it's all Hillcoat's fault.
What's more, Hillcoat struggles with the meandering script. The plethora of characters emerging on the screen seems to be overwhelming to the director sometimes, whose apparent love for action-packed scenes doesn't go along with the psychological aspect of the film. The Australian director manages to dig into the depraved world of corruption and abominable crimes, yet he only scratches the surface, mainly by using shocking imagery and violence. He sometimes loses the depth, but covers it up with brilliantly crafted action.
Triple 9 will surely satisfy the ardent fans of cop dramas. Those, who enjoyed End of Watch, True Detective, the remake of Miami Vice or any other gruesome and realistic thriller, should not hesitate and watch Hillcoat's film. Despite its flaws, we don't get many such compelling films anyway these days.
Entertainment (2015)
A modern Greek tragedy
The title, in all its sarcasm in regard to the film's actual content, is a complete contradiction of what we may derive from Rick Alverson's drama. Entertainment is a very peculiar piece of cinema, but one that wishes to pretend to be something it's not.
The nameless comedian (Gregg Turkington) travels around slums and dive bars in an American desert to put on a series of unedifying performances. As he dwells into the state of depression, he seeks refuge in calling his daughter and leaving her voice mails.
Actually, it is really hard to understand Alverson's drama ins and outs. It is soaked with George Orwell's dystopian perception of reality, dripping with grotesque, with Greek tragedy written all over it too. What's more, the scraps of comedian's performances that we watch, are truly pitiful and create a colorful canvas with his personal drama. It's tailored with malaise and heart-wrenching sadness. We are also given a lot of symbolism – odd scenes (like the giving birth sequence) that even though sketch in the details of comedian's surroundings, reveal nothing important to the story itself. Yet, Alverson's point that he strives to make is just too obvious – you can't entertain people, if you don't feel like doing so. Entertainment just falls into the pit of self-loving artistry, without understanding the importance of the dialogue with the audience.
Nevertheless, what needs to be stated is that the acting in Alverson's feature deserves appreciation. Turkington masterfully portrays a withdrawn, introvert and people-hating man, with details nurtured greatly, so that it makes his performance noticeable. The supporting cast do their part too – Tye Sheridan is perfect as the comedian's co-worker and John C. Reilly singing is something one just need to love. Then again, quite the contrary could be said about the soundtrack. It varies from creating a joyful contrast to be exaggerating with drama, struggling to remain the background and eventually becoming distracting.
Entertainment was one of the indie productions that I truly awaited last year. Putting apart my love for peculiar filmmaking and the fact that Alverson's film reminds me of films like Lanthimos' Lobster, Coens' A serious man or Fargo – this film fails to establish any truthful bond with the viewer. If you seek a story of a broken comedian, this year's TV series Baskets is a much better choice.
Anomalisa (2015)
A triumph of artistic cinema
Charlie Kaufman's stop-motion animation is a beautifully simple, honest film about the paralyzing fear that comes with aging. Anomalisa feels like a theatre play, claustrophobically confined within several interiors and a plethora of raw emotions. Truly a triumph of artistic cinema.
Michael Stone (David Thewlis) is a writer and a consumer service specialist. He's also a sarcastic, older man, who leads an obnoxiously boring life. During his journey to Cincinnati, where he's supposed to discuss his latest book, he meets Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) – an ordinary woman, in which quite surprisingly, he sees a cure for the depression that devours him.
Kaufman's power in Anomalisa relies mainly on the peculiar "mannerism" of the dialogues – they sound uncomfortable, almost artificial on the surface, but after giving them a second thought, they are very truthful and depressing. The director doesn't seek straight lines neither in his characters nor his philosophy, weaving everything with brutal sarcasm and intricacy. Hence, Anomalisa's protagonist – Michael, is a complex character, devastated by the mundanity of his existence by digging in his past – that is why he contacts his former lover, Bella, once he reaches Cincinatti. His consciousness is then torn apart by Lisa, whom Michael uses as a tool, treating her as a catalyst of changes he needs.
Therefore, Kaufman emphasizes that Michael Stone's depression, this constant kneeling before routine, is much more complicated than it looks. On one hand, it's the past haunting him, idealized as a once- lost escape from this everyday nightmare he perceives. On the other, Kaufman points out the bitterness, which Michael beams with, casting it upon just-met Lisa. Stone appears to be a warning for us – a man, whose life slipped through his fingers, miserably flicking through the pages of his life as if it was a book. Finally, Kaufman tricks us with an illusion of a catharsis that Michael goes through, thoroughly built- up just to break in the very last scene of the film. He has no mercy over Michael – the past, the presence both cast a long shadow on Michael's heart-breakingly sad future.
The philosophical aspect is finely leveraged by voice acting. First of all, David Thewlis' and Jennifer Jason Leigh's performances are both intimate and beautifully real – they really constitute a genuinely peculiar and charming duo. It is their interpretation, which causes Kaufman's dialogues sound natural too. What's more, there are some intriguing elements, brilliantly emerging in the film, which cause Anomalisa to be even more of a peculiarly lovely experience. As an example, Michael stays in a hotel named Fregoli, which is an analogy to the Fregoli syndrome – a sickness in which the ill individual sees a disguised person in multiple people surrounding him. Kaufman refers to this by voicing every single character in the film – obviously apart from Michael and Lisa – with Tom Noonan's calming tone.
Charlie Kaufman's well-deserved recognition got a huge boost from Anomalisa – a truly hypnotizing drama, a bit depressing, charming and thought-provoking. It surely constitutes a fraction of what modern cinema is vastly missing nowadays – a look at how fast our lives go and how little do we actually grab for ourselves.
The Veil (2016)
A horror with a sinusoidal tendency to both scare and bore
The Veil reminisces the "old school" of the horror genre – the dense atmosphere is hardly ever broken, weighing on supernatural forces storming into the reality. Although it cannot stand a chance against up-to-date revelations like The Babadook or Goodnight, Mommy – The Veil surely is a feature horror fans should find appealing.
A group of fanatics believing they can be reborn, die in a mass, alleged suicide. Years later, a group of filmmakers reaches out to a woman, who was the only survivor. They all decide to travel to the cursed place, but none of them is prepared for the horrid and unbelievable things they are about to discover.
There is a strong "True Detectivesque" vibe in The Veil. The occultism, story set somewhere in the marshlands of Louisiana, begs for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, but instead of two police officers, we are given a motley crew of aspiring filmmakers, which happen to be painfully one-dimensional. Whilst the fragments with rather wacky acting (putting aside my love for Jessica Alba) scarcely do deliver any excitement, the vintage reels containing records of the cult's guru and his ardent followers are a haunting experience. The script, which was nicely plotted to slowly unveil the mass suicide and its roots, focuses heavily on the flashbacks, but offers blatant action in the current events. There are ghosts, reincarnations, religious fanaticism – all constitute powerful tools in Phil Joanou's hands, when he refers to the vintage recordings – but only then. Additionally, the dark, dirty cinematography also deserves being praised, delivering the atmosphere from horror classics – The Ring to give an example.
The sinusoidal tendency of ups and downs in The Veil might possibly deter from watching, but it's worth giving it a try. Joanou knows how to get our hackles up, without explicit imagery or bloodbath. All in all, occultism remains an immense source of frightening stories – there is no exception to that in The Veil.
Saul fia (2015)
Following Saul in the hellish camp
Outstandingly visceral, shattering in its content and genuinely raw in its artistic form – there has never been a film regarding the World War II so devastatingly real as Son of Saul. The Hungarian drama takes the viewer to the most abominable place that have ever existed, but still manages to regain hope. Hands down, Son of Saul is a masterpiece.
Saul (Géza Röhrig) belongs to Sonderkommando in Auschwitz – he secures prisoners in the gas chamber and removes the corpses. One of the days spent in the camp changes him forever – he witnesses a young boy, who survives the gas chamber. The body of the boy, who is swiftly executed by a Nazi doctor, is then taken care of by Saul, who risks his life to bury him properly, taking the dead as his own son.
Holocaust was presented in all kinds of cinematic frame, but the filmmakers usually aimed to provide a wide context of this hellish, hatred-driven machinery of the Nazis. The Pianist by Roman Polański or Schindler's List by Steven Spielberg relied on one protagonist, exhibiting enormous suffering of the individual, but with the dramatic events of the war as the background. László Nemes discarded all the previous approaches towards this absolute annihilation – his camera follows Saul in every step, keeping closely as he wanders around Auschwitz, but never revealing too much of the horrid reality. The Hungarian director never leaves the camp, never mentions what actually happens out of the barbed-wired walls. Auschwitz is a distant planet, detached from the reality. There are piles of dead bodies, blood on the floor, fire and ashes, but most of all – there is Saul and his mission. In all that unspeakable horror, a miracle happens – a boy survives the gas chamber, which revives long-buried emotions in the protagonist.
On one hand, Nemes' film is a truly blistering portrayal of pure hatred and sadism. There is no more space for suffering, cries and begging for mercy, which all merge into one haunting cacophony of Auschwitz. There is only the hypnotizing Saul, the viewer's silent guide among the dead or those waiting to die. Géza Röhrig's performance establishes an entirely new approach towards drama acting to me – the actor's eyes say more about his internally dying humanity than any words spoken. Some might find Saul's actions completely unintelligible – just as his Sondercommando companion says: "you try to save the dead, but you bury the living as well". Ready to sacrifice his own life, Saul doesn't let till the end – proving that the Nazis took everything from him, but his dignity. And as depressing, as gut-wrenching and moving as Son of Saul is, in the end we all feel admiration of Saul's steadfastness. His courage might not be fully understood, but constitutes a beautiful tribute to humanity in its darkest, saddest moment.
The cinematography of Son of Saul is truly masterful too. The film consists of numerous long takes, which reminded me a lot of Come and See by Elen Klimov and a more recent picture, La Peur by Damien Odoul. Due to this excellent camera-work, we feel as if Saul keeps our hand, as we join him in this nightmare and witness the Auschwitz massacre. This documentary approach is strengthened by the lack of any soundtrack too – the sound is only the interior of the crematorium of the camp.
Son of Saul is harrowing in every aspect, opening a new chapter in the history of Holocaust on the big screen. Despite all the horror we witness, Nemes casts a ray of hope. Even in the darkest hour of humanity, there was a man, who fought for dignity, in his own, peculiar way. Let Son of Saul be also a monument of the past and a warning – we all should be reminisced of the hell people created for each other.