Well, shake it up, baby! “Yesterday” (2019)

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directed by Danny Boyle
© 2019 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Can you imagine the world without the Beatles? There’s no “Yesterday” or “Hey Jude” to play by the fire with friends. No “Yellow Submarine” to hum when you’re having a good day and walking with a big smile on your face. No “Help” when you’re late for work and running around the house searching for your car keys, phone and one shoe. No “She Loves You” to sing to your awkward friend who cannot make a move. No “All You Need Is Love” when you’re proposing to your beloved one. Or no “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” when she says “no” and you need to comfort yourself with something extra. NO BEATLES. Nightmare, I know. And imagine that our main character wakes up in such world. Jack (Himesh Patel) is a young musician and the only person on the planet who remembers The Beatles. At first, he thinks it’s all a joke, but when he starts googling the band, he realises what’s happened. He’s in an alternative reality where John, Paul, George and Ringo do not exist. One of the most important bands in the history of music is gone and Jack is the only person who remembers their songs. And he plays the guitar. And I guess you know what’s next. Obviously, he tries to become famous singing all those classics and introducing them as his own ones. Maybe it’s not the tribute to The Beatles that everybody would want, but I had fun watching it. There’s this beautiful message coming from the story, the main character is adorably clumsy and you can sing all those hits while watching. What else do you need? Maybe the script could have been a bit better and perhaps asking Ed Sheeran to join the cast wasn’t really reasonable (personally, I like his songs, but in this film he was incredibly annoying, sorry Ed). But still, I finished it with a big smile on my face and I wish you the same.

My rating: 7.5/10
S.

How to become a brainless zombie in 103 minutes. “The Dead Don’t Die” (2019)

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directed by Jim Jarmusch
© 2019 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

You can’t imagine my pain while writing this post. I remember when I was in the cinema and before the film they showed the trailer of “The Dead Don’t Die.” I was so excited! Wow Bill Murray, wow Adam Driver, wow Tilda Swinton, wow a horror, but wow a comedy, and wow directed by Jim Jarmusch. Wow wow wow. I actually lost interest for the upcoming film that I went to see that day because that trailer was awesome. Later I kind of forgot about it and accidentally saw its rating on the Internet. Something around 5? Are you kidding me? I got angry and decided to see the film to prove others that it isn’t such a bad film. My bad. Mea culpa. 5 is actually super high, in my opinion. Too high. The whole film isn’t a horror nor a comedy. I have no idea what it is. At the beginning it was trying to be some kind of a dark comedy with humorous elements with zombies, but in the end, it’s an incredibly boring production. When I was reading other reviews, they were saying that it’s not the best Jarmusch’s piece, but still amusing. No, it’s not. Perhaps the script was hilarious, as Murray was saying, but the final product is soulless. I was wondering whether Jarmusch had made a silly zombie film and I should just laugh at a zombie screaming “champagne” or there’s some deep message hidden somewhere there and all those pointless scenes are here to present certain problem from a different perspective. I feel like this film’s concept is a very bad copy of “Fargo” (1996), where we also had ridiculous situations, but in the end the story is valuable. Perhaps there is some deep message coming from “The Dead Don’t Die” but I cannot find it. I’m just disappointed that a film with such great actors turned out to be a big “please, turn this off.”

My rating: 3/10
S.

All that glisters is not gold. “Prelude to a Kiss” (1992)

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directed by Norman René
© 1992 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Today I have a rather cheesy film for you. I believe I won’t have much to say about it because it’s as simple as kissing. Oh wait, sorry, not for everyone I guess. Perhaps, as in kissing, there’s something you should discover in today’s production. When I saw the description of it, I rolled my eyes and even laughed at loud. Meg Ryan and Alex Baldwin and a story of lady losing her mind. Great, can’t wait. No idea what pushed me to actually watch it. And I don’t know if I will push you anyhow because it isn’t the best romantic film I’ve seen. So why am I writing about it? Firstly, let me explain how it goes. Rita (Meg Ryan) and Peter (Alec Baldwin) are a couple. Those two are so different, but somehow they ended up together. You know, he’s cute, she’s sexy, that’s all they need. They don’t mind anything else so much that they eventually get married. At the wedding, they notice a strange elderly man (Sydney Walker), who approaches the bride and gives her a kiss. Oh, by the way, Rita is a bit weird, so she’s totally fine with that. She doesn’t mind strangers kissing random brides. Perfectly okay. Right after the kiss, Peter starts noticing that there’s something wrong with Rita. I mean… more wrong than it was before. I’m not telling you what happens, because I needed a moment to realise myself. This film hurts sometimes. I mean, the way the story is told can be messy and annoying. But, in the end, I liked the final message. Okay, it’s a cheesy production, perfect for an evening with your date, because you can skip watching several scenes to kiss and cuddle. No worries, you won’t lose much. Still, the ending may push you to a deeper reflection. Personally, I loved the conversation the old man has with Peter at the end. And I guess because of that part I’m recommending “Prelude to a Kiss.” Now go and kiss the bride.

My rating: 6/10
S.

SEP-PAH! “Iceman” (1984)

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directed by Fred Schepisi
© 1984 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

I was searching for something to watch and Netflix recommended me “Iceman.” I wasn’t sure why, because I’d never been interested in such productions. Well, life would be boring if we were watching only one type of films. Play pressed. We have two main characters. The first one is presented right away. His name is Stanley Shephard (Timothy Hutton) and he’s an anthropologist. Some explorers have invited him to join them since they’ve found a body. Not just any body. The man in the ice is probably about 40,000 years old. Imagine his upcoming birthday and the amount of candles on the cake. Sorry, I had to insert a bad joke. Moving on. Firstly, they want to thaw the body to perform an autopsy and learn as much as it’s possible about our ancestors. Fortunately or unfortunately, they manage to bring him to life instead. The iceman (John Lone) obviously freaks out, so the scientists decide to create an artificial environment for him, where they can keep observing his behaviour. However, Shephard doesn’t like the idea of treating the iceman as some kind of a lab rat and he tries to get closer to him. Both men do their best to communicate and learn about one another. At the beginning of this film I thought it’s adorable because it has some years and watching such productions always makes me melt inside. But then, when I saw the way they presented humanity in this production, I melted, froze and melted again. Absolutely fantastic idea. This film is a proof that you don’t need special effects and a bunch of superheroes to spread an important message. Perhaps some people see just a silly drama about a caveman, but I’m sure there are a few who can reflect on their humanity after watching it. I also need to mention John Lone for his creation of Charlie (the iceman). I honestly thought this man is 40,000 years old and he’s learning how to communicate. John Lone let me forget it’s a film and that’s something I appreciate a lot.

My rating: 7.5/10
S.

So… who is he? “Zodiac” (2007)

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directed by David Fincher
© 2007 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Such a disappointment! I know, it’s still a ‘to watch’ film so starting my post with that sentence is a bit strange. But I had huge expectations and, unfortunately, it all went… not as I wished. I knew what the film is about, I knew that there are fantastic actors, I knew it’s directed by a person who can actually tell such story well. And what? Frustration at the end. If you’ve never heard of Zodiac, let me tell you about him. Actually, I can just tell you about the things he’s done because nobody knows who the hell he is. So this person has killed, probably, almost 40 people. He was doing everything so well that no single policeman could actually find him. Zodiac was also sending messages, but all of them were cryptograms, so in order to find out what he had actually written, they needed to solve them. Unsuccessfully. And even today, the case is still not closed. Zodiac is still not known and perhaps he never will be. But at least he’s famous enough to make a film about him. It’s actually almost 3 hours of incredibly talented actors trying to solve a puzzle and Zodiac playing with them more and more. The only hope for the case is Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who isn’t a policeman or a special agent. The only person who can understand Zodiac is… a cartoonist. Well, maybe if they give this case to an art school, we will finally meet Zodiac. Anyway, the story is very interesting, but in my opinion, half of this film would be enough. Somewhere in the middle I already knew how Fincher would end it, there was no excitement anymore and certain scenes were quite pointless. But at least you can follow such actors as Robert Downey Jr. or Mark Ruffalo. It’s a production worth your time for sure. Just… with small changes it would have been a masterpiece. David Fincher is a marvellous director, so I expect a lot from him. So my 7 is actually very very strong.

My rating: 7/10
S.

*Popular film soundtrack playing in the background* “King of Peking” (“Jing Cheng Zhi Wang”, 2017)

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directed by Sam Voutas
© 2017 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

I had so much pleasure watching this film. I was expecting an overacted drama with a bit of Chinese humour, which is quite difficult for me to get sometimes, but okay. Surprise surprise. I think it’s actually better than most American productions I’ve seen this year. It’s a story of a father and son. Big Wong (Jun Zhao) works as a projectionist. He goes from a village to village and shows films to the people living there. His son, Little Wong (Wang Naixun), supports his father and those two work as the best team ever. Unfortunately, times have changed and there are more people who can afford to watch films at home. And it means that they are no longer that interested in public projections. Additionally, Big Wong’s ex-wife wants him to pay bigger alimony. Afraid of possibly losing the right to live with his son, Big Wong decides to search for a new job. He starts working as a caretaker at one old cinema in Beijing. Not only he works there, but together with his son they can sleep in the cinema’s basement. Soon after that he gets a DVD recorder and comes up with an idea to… copy the films that are being projected in the cinema and sell them to other people. It’s an absolutely adorable story, because Big Wong tires to stay positive no matter what. He’s a stubborn man, but also very resourceful. And he wants to do everything to keep his son next to him. I’m giving extra points for the music. You can hear a lot of iconic soundtracks during this film, which makes the whole production even more enjoyable. Difficult to say whether they wanted to make a parody out of them or perhaps it’s a silly, yet cute tribute. Hard to say. Anyway, I really liked the whole story and I’ll watch it again one day.

My rating: 7/10
S.

I love this physical life with you. “Our Souls at Night” (2017)

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directed by Ritesh Batra
© 2017 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s jump into the future. Imagine you’re 72, your life partner has died, your children have their own families and you’re living alone in a big empty house. During the day you read a book, watch some series on TV, meet with other elderly people in your area. Then the evening comes. You have a dinner for one, take a shower, get into bed and can’t fall asleep. You can’t fall asleep because this loneliness overwhelms you. You miss having someone next to you. It’s not about sex. It’s about feeling there’s your important person laying close. When instead of fear, all you can feel is peace. You know that as long as you stay together, everything will be okay. Maybe it won’t, but this is how you would feel. Did I scare you? I’m sorry. But this is what this film is about. Addie (Jane Fonda) is a widow who is tired of feeling lonely. She visits her neighbour Louis (Robert Redford) and suggests they sleep together. Nothing sexual, just two people sleeping in the same bed. Louis, a bit shocked at first, finally agrees. This one night goes very well and they decide to continue meeting in the evenings, nights and, eventually, during the day as well. Even though I’m not as old as the characters in this film, I could share their feelings very well. It’s an emotional production about our most important need. I was deeply moved by what I saw. It’s difficult for me to comment on this story, because you should simply watch it. There’s a moment for laughter, but also for a deep reflection. Oh, and I loved the ending. Simple and adorable. We need more films about affection like this one.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Lose yourself. “Black Swan” (2010)

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directed by Darren Aronofsky
© 2010 Fox Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

I have a huge problem with Darren Aronofsky. You know why? His first film that I saw was “Requiem for a Dream” (2000). Everybody around me was saying what a masterpiece that is. So I sat down and played it prepared for a masterpiece. What did I get? Not the best production, to be honest. You may be shocked by this opinion (I know it’s not a popular one), but I think “Requiem” is one of Aronofsky’s worst films. It definitely makes us feel awkward and concerned about the characters, but at some point, it seemed too artificial to me. I think that a good film is when you forget you’re actually watching a film. Even if it’s a sci-fi or fantasy, you just become a part of its world. Nothing like that happened to me during “Requiem” and I was struggling to finish it. So if you’re a fan of it, I’m sorry. If you’re not, then, as you can see, you’re not the only one. However, today’s film is marvellous so you should definitely give it a try. It took me 9 years to finally watch it. Impressive ignorance, I know. If you’re one of those few people who still haven’t seen it, let me introduce you to the story. Nina (Natalie Portman) is a 28-year-old dancer from NYC. Soon the new season is coming and together with the ballet company they are preparing Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Since their prima ballerina has retired, the director, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), organises an audition for the main role. Nina, obviously, takes part in it, but not everything goes well. According to Thomas, she’s spectacular at being the White Swan, but she cannot transform into the Black Swan. Worried about not getting the role, the woman goes to the director’s office and tries to talk to him. During the meeting, he kisses her, but Nina doesn’t agree on that and bites him instead. Later that day, certain of her failure, she sees her name on the list right next to the leading role. And here we go… It’s been a while since I saw such an emotional production. I’ve experienced everything very personally and I think Natalie deserved that Oscar more than anyone. Some say it’s a film about striving for excellence, but for me it’s also about losing oneself in order to achieve something bigger. A fantastic production for a longer discussion. Thank you Mr Aronofsky for making me change my mind about you.

My rating: 8/10
S.

A bad wine and… “A Good Year” (2006)

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directed by Ridley Scott
© 2006 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Russell Crowe is an unusual actor. He has a very lyrical face. And by that I mean he looks like a man whom you could meet at a library or at a university because he would be your literature professor. You know what I mean? He has an intelligent sight and you feel he’s a man you can trust. Yet, the only Oscar he’s got was for playing Maximus in “Gladiator” (2000). I mean, really? And, honestly, it definitely wasn’t his best role. Obviously, he did amazing back then, but there were so many good roles after that. 2001 and “A Beautiful Mind”, that would be a better deserved Oscar, in my opinion. Anyway, today I’d like to write a few words about another production in which we can see Crowe as a total douchebag in a fancy suit. Surprisingly, no Oscar. Ladies and gentlemen, “A Good Year”. Max (Russel Crowe) is a trader living in London. As you might be guessing, he’s an arrogant guy who does everything to earn as much money as it’s possible. One day he finds out that he’s the owner of his deceased uncle’s property. Wouldn’t be that bad if only his new property wasn’t in France and it wasn’t a vineyard. Obviously, Max has absolutely no idea about wines, so he wants to sell it as soon as possible. But then beautiful Fanny (Marion Cotillard) appears and, perhaps, getting rid of the property isn’t the best idea anymore. It took me a while to finally watch this film. I was sure it’s one of those productions that will get to my top… at least top 30. Unfortunately, it’s not that good. It’s rather predictable and from time to time I was looking at my phone hoping for that final kiss and happy ever after. And the ending couldn’t be cheesier. Mr Scott, you’re such a fantastic director, yet you let your actors act like in a soap opera sometimes. Anyway, the film is still of a good quality and you may even laugh at Crowe’s jokes. Oh and of course an adorable role of Freddie Highmore. No matter if he’s Charlie, Arthur or Max, he always makes people smile. Anyway, get yourself a good wine for this film. You can thank me later.

My rating: 6.5/10
S.

No one can violate our magnificent complicity. “Notes on a Scandal” (2006)

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directed by Richard Eyre
© 2006 Fox Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Today I’d like to remind you of a slightly forgotten film. Perhaps something rings the bell when you see the title. This production was nominated to the Academy Awards in 2007 in four categories: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. However, that year was a very difficult one and choosing this one person or film in each category was a real problem. Hard to say if I’m satisfied with the final winners because for me most of then nominees should have won. Anyway, today’s film is worth your time, because it’s not only well written, well acted, but it also tells an interesting taboo story. Barbara (Judi Dench) is a history teacher with a huge background. She seems a bit grumpy and antisocial until a new teacher joins the staff. Sheba (Cate Blanchett) is a much younger art teacher, who immediately tries to make friends with Barbara. The two women spend a lot of time together and support one another not only at work, but also in private life. One day Barbara witnesses Sheba being “a bit too close” with one of her students. Normally, she would inform the principal immediately, however, her relationship with Sheba is no longer just a friendship, so the woman decides to help her younger colleague and keep this situation a secret. And the rest of the story should also remain a secret. At least until you decide to watch it. I was slightly surprised with such plot twists, so definitely it’s not a boring film about a romance between a teacher and a student. Both Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett did an amazing job and they really deserved those nominations to Oscars. If you asked me to say in one sentence what this film is about, I would say “It’s about the need of affection.” And then I would push you to watch it.

My rating: 7.5/10
S.