Ladies! Today is your day and you deserve all the best that’s on this planet (and beyond). So in order to sweeten your holiday, I’d like to recommend you a short documentary that’s nominated to Oscars, which, in my humble opinion, is a beautiful 22-minute-long wish to you all. It’s a story about two lovely elderly women, who share their everyday life with us. They live together as best friends and their house couldn’t be happier. Despite their age, they know how to have fun and they don’t slow down, oh no. They play, they dance, they fart loud and nobody is allowed to change that. They are a human form of “you only live once” and to me, this short documentary is filled with inspiration, love and warmth. Since the film isn’t long, I won’t keep this post long either. I believe this nominee is a winner (at least my personal), because it’s unique, funny and tells an incredible story, which seems so common, yet eye-opening. I wish you all such friendship and so much joy in life. You already have this joy – all you need is to spot it. Sometimes it’s hidden in your morning coffee or favourite armchair you like to sit in. So it’s time to notice such joy and your life will be sweeter. Stay lovely, stay strong and watch wonderful films!
Just to point out at the very beginning – I haven’t read the books, but I’m a fan of the idea and I watched the first part of “Hunger Games” at least 3-4 times. Unfortunately, I enjoyed only the first two parts – the two last ones were terrible, in my opinion. So when I heard about “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” I wasn’t that much excited, because I was worried it’d be similar to both parts of “Mockingjay”. Still, my curiosity won the battle and I pushed myself to watching the prequel, what today’s film actually is. The story is set 64 years before the first part of the series and the character we’re following is Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth). If you know “Hunger Games” series, you might be surprised by the choice of the protagonist. But to me it’s marvellous, because we get a chance to see his journey and understand why he ended up being the way he was. However, if his name doesn’t ring a bell to you, then even better – you may enjoy the film on a totally different level, so I’m not spoiling anything. In this prequel, Coriolanus is an Academy student in Capitol and he’s among 24 people chosen to mentor the participants of the upcoming Hunger Games. Each student is given one participant to lead and the one who does the task best will be awarded. Coriolanus wishes to obtain the award because it’s a scholarship that would change his family’s financial situation. The young man is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray (Rachel Zegler), a young lady from District 12. She’s quite extraordinary and immediately draws attention to herself by singing whatever she thinks and feels. But singing, even beautifully, will not save her during the Games. Or will it? That’s for you to see. I have to say that this part is not as good as the original first films, but I actually enjoyed getting back to this fictional reality and going through Hunger Games once again, just from a different perspective and in different circumstances. It is entertaining, so you shouldn’t complain about getting bored, but what I liked the most is the main character. I seriously loved following his journey and seeing all those little changes in him. I’m not a fan of only good and only bad characters – I need some shades of grey to enjoy this mental game the film is playing with me as a viewer. I want to be the one who decides whether someone in the story is doing the right or wrong thing, and I feel like this production is giving you this opportunity. Besides, you get to listen to some lovely singing by Rachel Zegler, which was a true glitter in this post-apocalyptic scenery. I actually wouldn’t mind if they made a series out of the story so we can see other Hunger Games and also observe the development of the idea for such “entertainment”. It’s even more interesting to me considering the sociological point of view. Special effects are one thing, but what comes to our minds watching such mentally rotten society is another. So yes, more Hunger Games, pretty please!
Boy we needed such film so badly! If you’ve seen this title among the nominees and thought “mhm whatever, something else will win”, you’re probably right, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see this one. Since I try to see as many nominated productions as possible before the big night, I obviously watched “American Fiction”. Simply because it was on the list. And you can’t even imagine how glad I am it’s there, now. We get to meet Monk (Jeffrey Wright), a writer and professor. He’s incredibly intelligent and whatever he writes is appreciated by the academic society, but the man has bigger ambitions as wishes to be seen as a great novelist all over the country, or even the world. A lot happens in his personal life, but you’re not here to read about that, you will see everything in the film, so I’ll get to the most important part – Monk decides to write a satirical novel. Why? Because he’s Black. I know, you’re probably wondering what’s going on here, but it’s true. He’s Black and whatever he does, all those common stereotypes are following him everywhere, so he decides to write the most Black-ish novel by a “very Black author”. Since this stereotypical narration about the Black is so popular, why not mocking it and earning some extra money, right? And how surprised he is when the book turns out to have a huge potential for a bestseller… And now, what is this film about? I feel like each person that has seen it and talked to me about it has a totally different opinion. But since it’s my blog, I’ll gladly share my own: to me, this film is about the ridiculous social situation we’re living in. Monk is a guy, who could embarrass you with his knowledge, yet he cannot get rid of the label purely based on his skin colour. Even though times have changed, certain behaviours haven’t. I believe this story shows something that has been bothering me (and hopefully not only me) for a long time – stigmatisation of people. Here, we’re focusing on a Black character, but we could really make a similar film about millions of other people. Why can’t we just appreciate someone for what they do and who they are? But not “who they are” meaning where they’re from, what colour their skin is or who they like dating in their free time. Who they are as a person. And I have a small task for you – mention one book or film which tells a truly positive story of a Black person. Not a success story where the main character has to go through hell in order to reach their goal. I’m talking about an honestly positive or at least neutral story where the main Black character isn’t presented as miserable and unprivileged. None? Well, no surprise. This film points that out, in my opinion. That’s exactly what Monk is mocking in his book and what he’s tired of. And you know what? That’s exactly what’s happening with Oscars. We force ourselves to diversify the nominees just for the sake of diversity. Are those people good artists? Of course, no doubt. But are they all that great and there aren’t better ones who got disqualified simply because they are too “ordinary”? Answer yourselves. And the fact that this film is nominated as the Best Picture is such a beautiful roast The Academy has done to themselves. Congrats. I’m glad, because it’s authentic and of good quality, so no matter what pushed them to nominating this production, in the end, it was a surprisingly marvellous decision. Applause!
This film doesn’t have spectacular ratings and I feel like it hasn’t got enough attention from cinephiles, so here I am to promote it a bit. No, I don’t get paid for that. I just truly believe this film is unique and if you watch it till the end, you’ll understand why. It starts very emotionally, because we get to meet Ali (Navid Mohammadzadeh), who is trying to commit suicide. The man almost succeeds, but he’s distracted by the doorbell. It turns out to be his building concierge telling him to be careful as there’s an escaped woman. She committed a crime and now everyone is searching for her, so there’s a possibility she might be hiding in someone’s flat. Ali’s place would be a perfect shelter for her because the man is blind, so she could sneak in and the owner wouldn’t even know. What do you think happens then? Obviously, Leila (Diana Habibi) shows up in the flat and Ali, despite his disability, manages to notice her. Now, he has to make a difficult decision – inform someone about the criminal hiding here or give the woman a chance to explain and perhaps survive thanks to him. I was absolutely fascinated by the atmosphere that’s created in this drama. Most of the story is happening in that one flat, so at some point you start feeling claustrophobic. You may also understand the character of Ali, who’s blind and who’s basically a prisoner of his own place. Considering his current mental state, he sort of needed someone to show up in his life to give him a purpose not to end it. This is another story about two miserable people who can help each other since everyone else has given up on them. And for the whole time I found this production decent, yet I needed a bit of surprise, that tiny spark that would amaze me. And then it did. But you have to watch till the end. I actually feel like some reviewers haven’t finished it and that is why they don’t understand what this film is really about. To feed your curiosity even more – I believe there’s more than one option of the story, so you can play the game yourself and decide which seems the best to you. Don’t let this film be unseen, it’s worth your time.
Do you recall those family lunches during which there’s a comedy/drama from the 70s playing in the background? So imagine going to the cinema, sitting in a dark room with a huge screen and feeling exactly the same as during those lunches. At least that’s how I’d desribe my experience. Everyone was telling me what an adorable film that is before I decided to see it myself, and I’m here to share a different opinion: it’s dark humour, cynicism, depression and trauma covered in snow and glitter. Excited to read more? I hope so. The main character of today’s film is Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti), a grumpy and extremely demanding professor at a boarding school. You know such kind of teacher for sure – the one that is hated by everyone yet there’s no chance for getting rid of them, so they basically enjoy torturing their colleagues and students without a pinch of hesitation. That’s Paul. Anyway, the Christmas break is coming and not all teenagers are getting back home, so there has to be a professor to stay with them during this time. That’s also Paul. As you can imagine, the students aren’t thrilled to know who their guardian will be, but it is what it is. At this point we also get to know Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a boy who was supposed to spend the break with his mother, but the woman has changed her plans and told Angus to stay in the school. As you can guess, Paul and Angus dislike each other, but they will have a wonderful opportunity to either change their minds or one of them won’t survive till January. Anyway, if you’re wondering whether this film is worth seeing in the cinema – my answer is “YES!”. Why? Since the story is set in the 70s, the crew has stylised the film so it actually looks like one from the 70s. They even made an old-looking title card with logos of Focus Features and Miramax, so from the very beginning you feel as if you moved back in time. It was a really cool experience in the cinema, which allowed me to completely forget about the reality for those around 2 hours. Besides, the story sounds like a silly comedy about a conflict between a teacher and a student, but it’s just the first half of the film. The longer you’re watching, the darker it turns, because you get to know the characters from this less shallow point of view. You’ll understand why Paul is so stubborn and cynical, and why Angus is so angry and rebellious, because their characters are the consequences of certain events. There’s also a lovely lady named Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who’s a cafeteria manager and takes care of their tummies during the holiday break. I’m a huge fan of her facial expressions, which are hilarious at some points, but in fact, she’s a tragic character just like Paul and Angus, but that’s for you to discover. Generally, I see this film as a story about the power of superficiality. At first you may see Paul as an annoying teacher, Angus as a spoilt kiddo and Mary as a standoffish cook, but then you realise that there’s a reason why they are seen this way. Sometimes it’s worth giving the other person a chance to open up and reveal what’s hidden deep inside. And perhaps you can support each other, even though both sides might be in need of help themselves. I know this sounds like a story you’ve heard many times, but there’s something extraordinary about this film and I really fell for it. When it comes to acting – chapeau bas. In my personal opinion, all three actors should be awarded, because they presented a fresh versions of well-known kinds of characters. Unfortunately, unlike Paul and Da’Vine, Dominic Sessa hasn’t received a nomination for an Oscar, but I’m giving him all my personal awards. In fact, I’ve seen something even more interesting in Angus, which is perhaps my interpretation, but I believe that Angus is neurodivergent. As a representative of the group, I loved those little moments where we could see Angus’ perspective (for example the scene when he spaced out during the party when he spotted a snow globe). Maybe it’s just my overthinking (which is also common for neurodivergent people btw, so now you know where all my interpretation theories come from), but I believe Angus was an example of such kiddo, whose life was even more miserable back then. In the 70s, neurodivergent children would be called “naughty” and they’d have to be living with such label. Now, we give them a chance to understand why they see the world a bit differently than their peers, which can really change their lives. And I believe that Dominic did a magnificent job in this case. So, to sum up, three amazing actors, a time machine to the 70s and lots of sarcastic lines that will make you laugh for sure. One of the best productions of 2023 – consider it a must-see.
If you’re single, I’ve got something for you. Today is the day of people in love, people in couples, people in other romantic combinations. And today is also the day when singles may feel even more single, so I’d like to recommend a film to all the individuals who have nobody to give an overpriced box of chocolate to. Even though it’s also labeled as a romance, it’s not what you might be expecting. Indeed, we have two main characters, yet they are not a couple and they don’t even know each other. Rémy (François Civil) is a rather shy and introvert man doing a simple job, which he loses due to the modernisation of the working process in the company. When that happens and his routine is ruined, he starts realising how lonely he is. In the meantime, we get to know Mélanie (Ana Girardot), who’s a scientific researcher and very passionate about what she does. So much she’s kind of forgot to take care of her love life. Therefore, she starts using a dating app, but each date is an even deeper level of hell. If you’ve ever used a dating app, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re too picky, you don’t match with anyone, but then if you lower your standards, you waste your time with people asking you about your favourite colour for several hours. Or you just hook up with a person whose name you don’t even know and then never see them again. I’m not religious, but I do believe in hell because using dating apps is exactly that. Anyway, those two characters don’t know each other and we’re just following two separate stories, which have three things in common – the guys are both in their 30s, both single and both depressed in their own way. If you think it’s one of those film where such characters ACCIDENTALLY bump into each other and fall in love at that very moment, then no worries, not happening here. As I said, this is not really a romance, unless you count those awkward dates Mélanie goes to, then call it whatever you want. But generally, it’s a very peaceful comedy about being single. Personally, I had a pleasant evening watching this film and I feel that if you’re single, you’ll appreciate it. Especially today, when everything is focused on happy couples. And here’s a story of two depressed singles that reminds us they also have the right to be happy. So does you. Now go get yourself a box of those overpriced chocolates and enjoy. At least you don’t have to share them with anyone, more for you.
One day you’re a drama queen of Wisteria Lane, another day you’re directing your debut about a man who went from “zero to hero” thanks to Cheetos. Welcome to the world of cinema, take a seat and enjoy. Today’s recommendation is based on a true story of Richard Montañez (played by Jesse Garcia). He grew up in southern California, yet he’s of Mexican origins, so from the very beginning he felt somehow excluded from society. I bet you know what kind of exclusion we’re talking about here. Since he wasn’t taken as seriously as white citizens, he decided to stay in a gang and do all those illegal stuff that let him survive. However, when he gets married and has children, life becomes more complicated for a criminal, so Richard finds a simple job at Frito-Lay factory. He’s not paid well, but it’s a chance for him to change his reality. Still, from the very beginning, he cannot understand why employees are so divided into specific groups, based on their status. Curious about all the machines in the factory, Richard starts talking to an engineer maintenance leader (Dennis Haysbert), who finds Richard quite clever and is willing to help him learn. In the meantime, Richard is slowly working on an idea that may revolutionise the world of crisps and also let him become something more than just a criminal or a janitor. As I said at the beginning, it’s a success story about a man who managed to significantly change his life despite difficult beginnings. And if you don’t know Richard’s story, you will see what he finally achieved. I didn’t have high expectations and I rather thought it’d be just a silly comedy, but in fact, Eva managed to do something extraordinary with this film. I mean, it’s still simple and funny, but not ridiculous and it doesn’t give you parody vibes at all. In fact, the comedic atmosphere made me sympathise with Richard even more. He was a good guy who wanted to do great things, but due to his origins, he was constantly considered a loser, a criminal, a guy who’s not allowed to dream big. And that’s all a huge bullsh… This film is a real empowerment story reminding us that no matter who you are, you can work hard and reach your goals. Don’t listen to others who label you without hesitation. Let them create those labels while you’re climbing to the top of that mountain, honey. I had a lot of fun and I feel inspired, so no reason to dislike this film. Congratulations to Eva and the crew, it’s a good production right there.
Personally, I like finding films that aren’t much popular, yet they would be somebody’s cup of tea, so then I recommend them with satisfaction. Today’s film is quite difficult, but if you like realism and stories that resemble life in all its shades, then go for it. You probably know Katie Holmes as an actress, but she’s directed some productions as well, and “All We Had” is actually her debut as a director. Fun fact shared, let’s talk about the film. We get to know Rita (Katie Holmes), a single mother of Ruthie (Stefania LaVie Owen). The ladies have a rather unstable life since Rita keeps on getting into relationships with wrong men and ends up being used and neglected. One day, her daughter forces Rita to run away again and this time they’re about to go to Boston. However, they have some problems with the car on the way, so they need to use all their money for the necessary repairs. In order to survive, Rita comes up with an idea – she wants to rob a small town diner. Robbing it is not such a big deal, but how can you run away if your car is broken? Not the most convenient. Therefore, the ladies get back and apologise for the attempt explaining their situation and why they had to do that. The owner, Marty (Richard Kind), is a good man and instead of calling the police, he offers them both work. This is a simple story, yet very common, so watching it can be quite emotional. At least it was to me, because I imagined how many people, especially single mothers, have been in such position in their life. Without a stable job, a safe house, a supportive partner and clear perspectives. How many women had to give up on everything to survive and make sure their child is fine? This is a film about all those women. Perhaps it’s terrifying, perhaps it shows that even such victims can do vicious things, yet their actions are often the consequence of what happened to them before. So when you see Rita making another mistake, you may feel incredible pity towards her, instead of anger that you’d feel towards any other random person. Besides, this production also puts a spotlight on children in such difficult situations. They have to grow up much faster than their peers and often take responsibility of their parents in order to save themselves and their parent(s). In this film we can see how Ruthie, who’s still a young girl and needs her mother’s support, has to be a guardian for Rita. What’s more, this rather average-rated film is also, at least to me, about how people who have experienced a lot of evil in their life are the most genuine and helpful. It doesn’t stop surprising me, but there’s something incredible about that. It’s just pure goodness, which has no price and cannot be buried. So as you can see, this film has something important to offer and I hope you accept it.
Another production by Yorgos Lanthimos and I’m still not sure what to think about this director. On the one hand, he’s very original, controversial, not caring about taboo topics, so I enjoy how unexpected his films are. I never know whether I’d cry, laugh, worry or vomit. Never know. On the other hand, he likes to prolong the duration of certain scenes that even if I liked them at the beginning, next several minutes are boring me. Besides, his films are his. I believe that he doesn’t make films for people, he makes them for himself. And just by the way shares them with us, the audience, to perhaps join his extraordinary world. To me, that’s a huge plus, but I don’t always want to accept the invitation. Still, I believe that “Poor Things” is his best production so far, so if you didn’t like the previous, perhaps you’d like to try this one out. Yorgos is taking us to Victorian London, where we meet Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), a surgeon with a complex life story and quite original ideas. He asks one of his students, Max (Ramy Youssef), to assist him during his home experiment. When the young man arrives, he finds out that the said experiment is a young woman, Bella (Emma Stone). She’s acting unusually and is considered retarded, which seems fascinating to Godwin, because he can observe her reactions and very slow development. He asks Max to constantly follow Bella and take notes about her, especially when the surgeon is busy. As the woman is progressing, at some point she wishes to leave the house and explore. But Godwin is a bit worried because, in the end, Bella is an experiment and she’s not accustomed to society. I tried my best not to spoil too much writing this fragment, so I still hope you’ll get surprised when you see the film. Especially about how Bella was “made” (don’t watch trailers, let it be a surprise, trust me). As I said earlier, this film is definitely my favourite by Yorgos, but I cannot explain you why. Perhaps it’s because of the idea, which is ridiculous and disgusting, but at the same time fresh and unusual. Personally, I’m tired of copy-paste productions, so I definitely appreciate such creativity. Besides, Emma Stone is marvellous as Bella. Generally, she’s a great actress, but in this film she had a very difficult job and she needed to present various faces and skills of hers, which I watched absolutely amazed. She’s so raw and authentic in this fantasy world that I’m not surprised she’s appreciated for the role. Then, there’s the message coming out of the film and I believe that’s a mystery for viewers to solve. Yorgos likes to play with surrealism, so we cannot take everything we see in the film just as it is. To me, this is a story about female oppression and how they’ve developed in society to be seen as equal or sometimes even more competent than men. Bella is surrounded by very different men and at first, she considers them as mentors who surely want all the best for her. At some point, she realises, that she can make much better choices on her own. I recommend you to observe and analyse Bella’s relations with each man and each woman in this story. That may give you an interesting perspective. Perhaps you’ll find it mind-blowing, but I’ve read somewhere that this is a perfect film to present what it is to be an autistic woman. I cannot really confirm whether it’s true or not, we would need to ask such woman, but there’s a lot of points that support this theory. Bella sees and experiences the world differently, which is nothing wrong, but still it’s unusual to most people. I am very happy Yorgos made this film and I hope that he’ll keep on progressing as a director as well. Perhaps one day I’ll be more sure about my opinion on his filmmaking style. But for now, I’m very much positive.
Surprisingly, I’m starting this post telling you about another film: I’ve just seen “Nimona”, one of the animations nominated to Oscars this year. I’d love to write about it, but unfortunately I’m incredibly disappointed. The screenplay is messy, the introduction is unclear and way too short, the animation style is not my cup of tea, and I felt like the message they were trying to share within is actually too hidden in this fantasy world, which looks like a combination of several stories. So it’s a “no” from me. But, while I was watching, I couldn’t stop thinking about the two characters – there are two knights competing with each other. And I had this feeling as if I’d seen them somewhere else. At some point, a lightbulb over my head shone and I realised that the knights might be a cheap copy of Sinbad and Proteus, who are the characters of the film I’ve decided to recommend you today. If 2023 doesn’t give us quality animations, let’s get 20 years back, shall we? Sinbad is a pirate who does rather pirate kind of things – travelling and robbing, simple as that. His life seems peaceful, if being a thief can be considered peaceful, until he decides to steal the Book of Peace. It’s a magical book that protects the world, so if he manages to rob it, the authorities will pay all money possible to get it back. So, the plan is to grab the book, exchange it for lots of gold and spend the rest of the life in Fiji. Unfortunately, things get complicated. The pirate meets Eris, the Goddess of Discord, who offers to pay him even more than any human for the Book of Peace. Sinbad obviously agrees, but when he attempts to steal it, he changes his mind seeing his old friend Proteus, whose life would change drastically if that book went missing. So when the pirate gives up, Eris impersonates him and steals the book herself, but in the body of Sinbad, so now everyone blames him. When Sinbad is sentenced to death, Proteus tells him to find the book and if the pirate fails, Proteus volunteers to be killed for him. Will Sinbad ignore the fact that his childhood friend might die? Or perhaps he will save him? That’s for you to see. Watching those two knights from “Nimona” I just saw Sinbad and Proteus. In fact, they even looked the same… Call me a grumpy old cinephile, but I appreciate the old animation much more. It used to be one of my beloved films, because it’s adventurous, funny, exciting, surprising and moving, so while watching, you’re riding an impressive rollercoaster of emotions. Besides, Proteus’ fiancée Marina joins Sinbad’s crew and we get one of the coolest female characters. She’s such a badass, I swear! Not only she’s stubborn and brave, but also horribly smart and mentally strong. All characters in this film are well-written, but Marina is that cherry on top. When I was a child, the animation was just fun, but as an adult, I see much more in the story. To me, this film is not only about true friendship, but also about staying yourself. You may be a fair person no matter if you’re a prince or a pirate (although that may seem strange to read), so don’t let others tell you how to live – experience, learn, discover and then you’ll know. Could there be a better message to share with children? And that’s the kind of animations I miss the most. Feel free to see it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it very much.
I have nothing to watch 