Change Your Image
surjosinha
Reviews
Bogowie (2014)
Stupendous!
I came across this under-the-radar film today, read the only review already on IMDb, heard from a Polish friend that it was quite good and couldn't really find anything else on it before going to see it.
I was expecting it to be good, but it turned out to be possibly the most enjoyable film I've seen all year (I see at least 30-40 new releases each year, and with a reasonable degree of research before watching, almost never see a terrible film - the only awful film I've seen in a theatre in the last two years is The Counselor where I didn't research the film and went in because of the cast - never again!).
A biopic made in a typical European style - understated drama, lots of subtle as well as some black humour and emotional depth. Riveting from start to finish, it is the story of the man who pioneered the first heart transplant in Poland after wading through the obstacles thrown at him by a sceptical medical fraternity and lumbering bureaucracy (he later went on to become a prominent politician though the film focuses purely on the events leading up to the event that made him famous in Poland).
Tomasz Kot is brilliant playing Religa, and the entire supporting cast are very good. There is a reasonable amount of medical jargon used (I was following English subtitles) which worked for me as a fan of medical dramas.
The depiction of Poland and life there in the 80s is very well done - there are subtle homages to the period setting (through the soundtrack for example) but you never get the feeling the director is getting carried away with the setting and the events of the story remain the main focus.
Technically the film is very well shot and edited (some of the surgery scenes are fascinating in their detail) and the script is excellent. Highly recommended!
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Highly overrated, worst film of the year so far
Frankly, I completely failed to understand what the hype was about. One of the most poorly directed and edited films I have ever seen, completely riding on the fact that critics are scared of appearing stupid or like they don't understand Polanski, just because it's directed by him and his protégés. Awful, awful direction and very forced acting - among the highlights are the fact that Kim Cattrall can't decide whether she's British or American and does not speak like any Brits you will meet in real life, Pierce Brosnan's exaggerated gesturing when he suddenly receives what is supposed to be a disturbing phone call, one of the worst sex scenes in cinematic history, random dialogues which appear to be an attempt at Hitchcockian suspense but are laughable (Eli Wallach's scene being a good example, the scene where Ewan McGregor lands his assignment for really no reason that makes sense - with various people looking mysteriously at each other while considering him - being another) The direction, script, editing and pacing are terrible. The film is replete with scenes that attempt to convey but lack tension, a recurring theme being 'mysterious' characters who are more unintentionally funny than intriguing. The icing is of course the very predictable ending (even if you don't pay attention to the glaring hints during the movie) A great example of How Not To Make A Thriller. Don't believe the critics unless you have no standards with regard to genuinely good suspense/mystery/thrillers.
Becket (1964)
Burton at his best
This is undoubtedly one of the finest films ever and it's typical Academy Award idiocy to give Rex Harrison the Oscar for My fair Lady (where no doubt he was superb) rather than Burton or O'Toole. While Peter O'Toole is his usual brilliant self, and becomes Henry, it is Burton who as the title character puts in a sublime but masterful performance (pleasantly unlike his highly melodramatic and more Burton-esquire Antony in 'Cleopatra'). John Gielgud is superb in the few minutes he has on screen but it is the chemistry between O'Toole and Burton which is incredibly compelling to watch.
Add to that a brilliant script, brilliant direction, superb cinematography, ignore the minor historical errors (attributable to the original work on which the film is based) and you have a film which will stand the test of time. After spending years searching for the DVD and finally having to watch it on an old video print, I'm delighted to see that it has been restored and released on DVD.