Confessions of a filmoholic

A little warning. Most of the time the only thing I care about when choosing a film to watch is the name of the director. Usually good directors make good films. Usually... Clint Eastwood more than often makes a great movie - Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby are pretty close to being masterpieces. But once he cheated by making a film that pretended to be quite an achievement but, in fact, was dreadful. I'm talking about Changeling. It is all beautifully shot, well acted, it even is reasonably written, with believable characters and a proper plot twist, but it is no good. The problem is, you do not care about what is going on on the screen for a moment. To be honest I can't name the reasons for that, all the elements seem to fit, but the movie as a whole makes an impression of being calculated - cold and heartless. Which makes it utterly boring. Avoid then.
4/10

A bit of nostalgia. Yesterday I watched a film I used to absolutely love as a kid. I found it really scary then, but recently I heard opinions it was not that good, so I was a bit worried if I would like it now at all. Fortunately, Stephen King's It is not too disappointing. If you, like me, have really fond memories about this movie I can assure you it is still worth to spend full three hours in Derry, Maine, trying to find a way to kill the evil clown, Pennywise. It is pretty well acted, and if not terrifying, it still has threatening atmosphere. The best thing about the film is Tim Curry's portrayal of the malevolent jester, both scary and funny. What aged badly though are the cheap special effects, which rather will make you laugh than shiver. But if you are looking for an old-school B-movie, especially if you saw it ages ago, it won't be a waste of time.
6/10

Great actors can't be around forever. Sometimes they die. If this happens, they don't make new films anymore, which is a shame, but it's not really their fault. At least the ones in which they've already acted will stay with us. Like Blue Velvet in Dennis Hopper's case. He was great in a few other movies too, but in this particular one he was completely magnificent - sad, terrifying, engaging and full of passion. Exactly the same can be told about the film itself - a flawless take on the dark side of a human soul performed by the master of such trips - David Lynch. If you are the director's fan already I don't have to convince you, but if you haven't seen any of his works - or saw the likes of Mulholland Drive and didn't 'get' them - please, give Blue Velvet a go. It is pure cinematic perfection.
10/10

Remember my post about Paranormal Activity? It happens, that sometimes respectable critics give bad films good scores. The bigger problem is when they do the opposite - when they tell you to avoid something, that is actually pretty great. This is the case of The Boat That Rocked. The reviews I read were saying the movie was dreadful, but I watched it anyway, only because of the marvelous cast. And I did not regret it. The Boat... might not be the best thing I've ever seen, not even close really, but it is quite enjoyable. Unpretentious entertainment, which doesn't make you laugh your head off, but puts a wide grin on your face. Good music, great actors, a few laughs - a perfect easy Sunday afternoon film.
7/10

I haven't seen a really great film for weeks. Until yesterday that is. Do you know this feeling, when you really yearn for a great movie for a long time, and when it finally comes you just want to tell everybody how great it is, scream even, since they have probably never heard about it and you can't simply cope with the notion they are missing a fantastic experience? Well, I do. So let me scream: Away We Go!!! The latest effort of Sam Mendes, the guy who brought us (among others) American Beauty and even more depressing Revolutionary Road, is a... uplifting comedy. Quite poignant, pretty realistic, a bit melancholic, but very, and I mean very, funny. Most of the film's humor comes from perfect performances of the whole cast and the direction is impeccable - Mr Mendes is for sure one of the most talented filmmakers alive. Not only it makes you laugh, but also makes you think as any film about love, relationships, family and meaning of it all should. Trust me on this one and please watch it. Soon.
9/10

Thank You for Smoking is the first film from Jason Reitman, the creator of Juno and Up in the Air. Duel is the first film from Steven Spielberg, the creator... Well, I don't think the introduction is necessary in this case. But is everybody familiar with this particular movie? It was television feature shot in 12 days, by then-unknown young director and it showed so good it earned a proper cinematic release. But is it any good now? Can a 40-year old, shot for pennies film, about an evil truck-driver (we don't get to see) who is trying to ride over the main character (for most of the time the only actor on screen) be still watchable? Oh yes, it can. And more, it's gripping and exciting for most of the time, feels almost like a Hitchcock movie. The way the action scenes are shot is pure perfection, the actors are great too and it's also got fantastic score. Duel is not without it's minor flaws (some of the chases get a bit boring after a while), but it most definitely is a small masterpiece.
8/10

Juno is a great film. It is also pretty popular, so, I guess there is no need to convince anybody about it's values. But how many of you have heard about Jason Reitman's debut feature, called Thank You for Smoking? It might not be as good as his next film, Juno, but it quite different. First of all, for the most of the time it is immoral. The main character is the spokesman for tobacco companies, whose job generally is to try and convince people, that smoking is good for them. It all is quite wittily written, being a hilarious sharp satire on the absurdities of the Western societies. Unfortunately the film drags a bit in the middle, also the relationship between the main character and his son sometimes just doesn't ring true. Summarizing, it is good, smart entrainment, and it's flaws cannot make you feel disappointed.
7/10

Me again. It's been a while since I last wrote, but I was pretty busy while on holiday. So busy in fact, that I haven't watched any film for the last two weeks. Until yesterday, that is. Yesterday I saw Battle Royale - a film I had been chasing for quite a long while, but I couldn't find a reasonably priced copy anywhere, until I visited a DVD store in Poland, where I got it for equivalent of £5. I had rather high expectations regarding the film, having read a lot of positive reviews, but I must say I was slightly disappointed. The story itself is great - in the nearest future, in order to both rid the society of potential criminals and entertain the public, a group of kids from the naughtiest class is picked every year to be locked away on a remote island and told to kill each other until there is only one winner left. The premise of the film is very fresh, doesn't have a 'Hollywood' feel. The execution is not bad as well - all is very dynamic, funny, and really, really violent. But there is something missing. Be it lack of acting skills in some of the children, or a predicable ending, but this is not the masterpiece I wanted it to be.
7/10

Ok, so I just have written about three comedy films in a row? I guess you can tell that summer is finally here. But enough of that cheerful rubbish, back to the proper, depressing stuff. I am in my mother country at the moment, so how about a review of a Polish film? Unfortunately, the vast majority of them are impossible to get outside Poland (which is a shame, because there is quite a few, that are worth getting to know), so I'm forced to write about something more accessible, which means it will only be remotely Polish. Something like a film shot by a Polish director living abroad. With it being this season of the year, I choose My Summer of Love by Pawel Pawlikowski - a beautiful story of a friendship (and more) between two teenage girls, based in the ever-sunny (at least on film) English countryside. This coming-of-age drama is thoroughly gripping, being at times funny, at times touching, always melancholic and asking serious questions about the meaning of relationships, religion, honesty. It's truly one of the best films of the last decade.
9/10

A few days ago I wrote about the 'scariest film ever made'. Since that post didn't get any nasty comments, I guess everybody agreed with my choice. Either this, or the fact that nobody read it. Still, me being a born optimist (ha!), I believe most of my readers share my cinematic views. If not - let me tease you a bit more. It is time for the funniest film ever made! This has to be Monty Python's Life of Brian - a movie, that seen some 20 times still makes me cry with laughter. There's not really much point in writing about it - if you love the Pythons you've already seen and loved this film too, if you hate them you won't be bothered watching it. If you have just come back from a 40-year trip to Mars, let me tell you it is their most accessible work (by that I mean it has an actual plot), and sometimes it might be a bit offensive (but it is also a part of it's charm). It also features quite a few very accurate observations on the mechanisms of society. Oh, and by the way: Life of Brian is absolutely hilarious.
10/10

Today I would like to tell you about the best (and scariest) horror movie ever made. I know it's pretty tricky to say that, since many people won't agree, putting in the first position the likes of The Exorcist or The Blair Witch Project, but for me there is only one winner – The Shining. Based on Stephen King's novel, directed by the genial Stanley Kubrick and starring the always awesome Jack Nicholson – such mixtures don't always work, or at least they may not meet one's expectations. This is not the case here. Everyone is on top of their game and they have created a chilling masterpiece. Some people say that the film's plot is not close enough to the book, but I can't agree. Those changes made by Kubrick only make the whole enterprise more cinematic. A true work of genius.

Why always describe the films I loved? Or at least liked enough? Maybe because I don't want to waste my ever missing time for even watching the casual tat we are all surrounded with. Still, now and again I come across a dreadful effort,, the more disappointing when it's made by or with people I admire, and I feel my duty to warn you, dear imaginary readers, against them. I knew, that How to Lose Friends and Alienate People got some not too good reviews, but I still decided to give it a go. Still, a movie starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst and never-disappointing Jeff Bridges can't be very bad, can it? Oh yes, it can.The cast is doing their best, but the film is so poorly written and directed it comes out totally unfunny. And bad taste. Please, do me a favor and avoid it. Even Simon Pegg is not a miracle-maker and if he and Mr Bridges still can save it from being a complete disaster, they can't make it watchable.
3/10