Tell me baby, do you recognise me? “Wham!” (2023)

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directed by Chris Smith
© 2023 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

X-mas 2023 officially checked, but since I still have lots of food left in the fridge, my belly won’t know it’s over, so maybe I should also trick my mind about that. And if you’re in a similar position, then my recommendation will be a great encore. Today, I’d like to recommend you a documentary about one of the most popular (if not the most popular) bands in December every year. The reason why these two guys get so much attention only once in a year is because of their huge hit song called “Last Christmas”. I feel strange writing about the song because I guess there’s no person on this planet that doesn’t know it, yet I do know that for many it’s a song that warms their hearts while feeding consumerism in a shopping centre. Perhaps for native English speakers this will be a surprise, but as a representative of people speaking other languages I can tell you that we don’t know what “Last Christmas” is actually about. I bet any random person would sing it to you, but somehow they don’t understand the meaning of the words. So how surprised people get when they realise this song is actually about a cheated man, not a cute Christmas love story. Still, the melody and the way George is singing in this one make us feel nostalgic about X-mas, so why should be complain, right? “Last Christmas” have become a true icon of December and, in fact, this year (to save me from tears…) it has finally reached Christmas number one, after 39 years! Perhaps you didn’t know that, but despite their huge success the song has never been number one. Until now. So George, if you see us now, I hope you’re dancing happily like you do in “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”. Anyway, this is a film blog so let’s get back to talking about the film. I’m recommending you an adorable documentary about Wham!, which truly surprised me with its content. What I mean is that I knew a bit about the band before watching and I was worried that they would show lots of conflicts between George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, but it’s nothing like that. Obviously, we never know how true films are, even if they are labelled as a “documentary”, but according to this one, the men shared a wonderful friendship. At first they were having fun and enjoying music like most young people do, and then, when popularity hit, they stayed great friends, which is something difficult to keep in such circumstances. As a band, they went through some troubles, like all bands do, yet they are still associated with uplifting songs and positive energy. This documentary is literally hugging you, that’s how sweet it is. So if you want to stay in the X-massy mood, listen to some good songs and watch a story about a beautiful friendship, then grab a blanket and press play. And just a reminder – you can listen to “Last Christmas” all year round. Don’t let people make you feel bad for that. And if they complain, especially in December, just shush them with turning the volume up.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Free Frosty! Free Frosty! “Christmas with the Kranks” (2004)

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directed by Joe Roth
© 2004 Sony Pictures Releasing. All Rights Reserved.

Can you feel it’s Christmas time? I have to say that despite my positive energy this month, following a tea advent calendar, decorating my place with way too many gnomes – I can’t feel this Christmassy spirit. Maybe I’m getting old and Scroogey, or maybe it’s because there’s no snow outside. No idea. So since I’m in such not-sure-what-is-going-on mood, I believe recommending you this comedy will be the best choice for today. Perhaps you’ve seen it or you even watch it every year (like me), because it’s an adorable comfort film for Christmas. And for those who haven’t had a chance to see it, let me introduce you to the story. We get to meet a couple, Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen & Jamie Lee Curtis), whose adult daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) is not about to be home for the upcoming Christmas. She joins Peace Corps and decides to go to Peru for a year. For the Kranks it’s the first time they won’t be together and both parents are a little bit lost. As Nora is rather feeling blue, Luther tries to look at the bright side of the situation and he comes up with an idea – instead of celebrating Christmas, the couple should spend ten days on a Caribbean cruise. At first, Nora is definitely against because she simply cannot imagine skipping Christmas, but the more they talk, the more they feel like it’s actually an interesting alternative. Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones involved in the decision process… Their whole neighbourhood consider Christmas celebration an incredibly important community tradition and when they find out that the Kranks have other plans, they simply cannot accept it. Everyone shows their disapproval and tries to make the couple change their mind, very often in a hilarious way. When I think of this film, I always remember Christmas dinners at my Grandma’s, because it’s always on TV around this time, so I basically know it by heart, even if I don’t always watch it carefully. It’s one of those films that are great for a family gathering, a lunch with friends, or as a comforting background for cooking. And even though it’s just a silly comedy to make us laugh, I also see a good lesson hidden there. No matter if you celebrate Christmas or not, no matter if you stay at home, go visit your distant family or you’re currently sunbathing in the Maldives – I hope you do it in accordance to your own will and you’re accompanied by someone important to you. It can be your partner, your family member, your friend, beloved pet or even yourself. Spend this time the way you want and then it’ll be truly jolly and bright. And don’t forget good food, because food is happiness in all circumstances! Cheers!

My rating: 6/10
S.

I am not your token. “Clashing Differences” (2023)

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directed by Merle Grimme
© 2023 Sperl Film und Fernsehproduktion. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity. Inclusion. Feminism. Tolerance. Equity. Equality. All those words are very beautiful and they’re definitely significant nowadays. However, I’m afraid that each person may understand them a bit differently, which may lead to numerous conflicts and misunderstandings. The film I’d like to recommend you today may present you the ugly side of social activism, which, unconsciously, you might also be a part of. The film starts with a group of white feminists, who are responsible for organising a conference, discussing their current issue: not enough diversity. To promote their conference as an event that includes very different people, they’re deciding to invite such unique individuals. The new guests gather in one place to talk about the conference and prepare their group manifest as they are against such “inclusiveness” presented by the organising team. We get to learn new points of view and the whole meeting is full of topics like gender neutrality, toxic feminism, colourism, exclusion of minorities etc. Each member of this little group has their own story and their own very strong opinions on the society, so their discussions are incredibly intensive, but also hilarious at some points. The director of the film came up with an idea to overact certain parts, which might seem like a parody since we’re trying to understand quite difficult issues here. But in my opinion, using a quality humour to transmit controversial and heavy information is probably one of the best ways to do it. Personally, I wasn’t sure about this production watching the first half of it. I’m a person who really believes that everyone should be respected and should have the right to be who they want to be as long as they don’t hurt others. But as I said earlier, each character of the film has strong opinions about their identity, so to me it seemed slightly too aggressive. As I was watching, I realised that the actresses were just overacting, which I think also gives us some food for thought. I don’t want to tell you what happens next in the story, but I’d like to say what I take from it. Firstly, each of us is different and can be whoever they feel they are, bless you dear anyone, but tolerance goes both ways. So, in my opinion, if a group of somehow excluded people start sharing hate speech towards some majority, it’s equally wrong. I mean, I understand that it could be frustrating, because I’m a member of several minorities, but if someone excludes me because of that, I don’t see the point of doing the same the other way round. Because then we divide society even more, feed this general hate that’s going around and end up even more lonely than before. Secondly, this film reminds us about tokenism, so, shortly speaking, fake inclusion. I could talk about it for hours (or write hundreds of pages), but when it comes to cinema, reflect on the decisions of The Academy, for example. I’ll be honest and harsh now – according to me, The Academy is popularising tokenism. Boom, I said it. To me their way of including people of different minorities is not genuine at all. Maybe now we just look at the list of nominees with a little “huh?” written on our faces, but in the future those decisions may have bigger consequences. And to sum up, this film reminds us that we are all humans, we are one crew and we should just respect. Not because, not despite. Just like that.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Ain’t nobody with money on death row. “Dead Man Walking” (1995)

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directed by Tim Robbins
© 1995 Gramercy Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s start this post with a very heavy question: if someone kills another person, should they be killed as well? Today, I’d like to recommend you a film that may give you more than one answer to this question. It’s one of those films that don’t slap you with an obvious solution, quite the opposite – they show you all possible perspectives and let you decide on your own. We get to know Matthew (Sean Penn), who, according to the court, committed a horrible crime – he raped and murdered two teenagers. Because of that, he’s been sentenced to death and there’s not even a slightest chance he could avoid it. That is why he is visited by Sister Helen (Susan Sarandon), whose task is to mentally and spiritually support the convict before the day. At first, Matthew is incredibly arrogant and doesn’t see the point of talking to the woman, but Helen is quite extraordinary. She reads the man like an open book and gains his trust quite easily. Despite their differences, those two become friends and everyday it becomes more and more difficult for Helen to accept that she’s talking to a murderer. Therefore, she wants to find a way to save Matthew from the death sentence and give him time to perhaps prove his innocence, which he constantly claims. From now on, Helen is not only fighting for justice, but also for a human life. But there’s an important question coming up: is it right to save a murderer? And to find an answer or get closer to finding an answer to this question, you must see the film. To me, as probably to most of you, this topic is very difficult. Perhaps if we don’t reflect on it too long, it seems obvious to us that if someone took a life, their life should be taken as well. But on the other hand, and that’s a question appearing in the film as well, what’s the difference between being killed by a murderer and being killed by the government? I let you make up your mind, yet to share mine, I believe death sentence shouldn’t exist. Firstly, because numerous sentences have been decided on without strong proofs, so perhaps many innocent people have been killed. Secondly, if we’re absolutely sure about someone’s fault, then we should investigate and understand why they did that. Taking a life in a consequence of some other actions (or lack of them), so it’s important to see whether there’s a chance for rehabilitation. If there’s none, then I believe spending your whole life in prison is a way more devastating punishment than death sentence. Because you need to suffer for all those years knowing that you’ve wasted your life and you can’t get a second chance unless you try changing yourself. Is Matthew innocent? Or is he really a murderer? What happens at the end? You have to see yourselves. This film, except its main topic, is also about humanity and support beyond barriers. And perhaps it’s even more important than how the system works. Besides, you can also see a master performance done by the main two actors, which gave me countless chills in several moments. Marvellous job. So, go ahead and find your answers.

My rating: 8/10
S.

When he’s got this look, he is suffering. “On The Edge” (“État limite”, 2023)

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directed by Nicolas Peduzzi
© 2023 ARTE. All Rights Reserved.

Today I’d like to recommend you a documentary about an incredibly inspiring person, who has to fight against the system, and even though this battle is a perfect example of Sisyphean labour, he doesn’t give up on his values. Jamal Abdel Kader is a psychiatrist working at one French hospital. The film basically presents his everyday life and the camera follows him from one room to another, from one floor to another, from one patient to another, and another, and another… I guess it’s not that surprising to learn how busy he is, because I believe most people working in healthcare are busy as bees, especially after the outbreak of the pandemic. However, in this documentary we get a chance to join Jamal during his meetings with patients and listen to their conversations. As a psychiatrist, he gets to work with those that need a lot of mental support and understanding, but according to Jamal, they are not given enough of such. In our times, with the shortage of medical staff, we have to treat people like numbers and make sure not to dedicate too much time to one person, because other hundreds are sitting outside waiting for their appointment. Perhaps when it comes to different kinds of illnesses and injuries, patients don’t need that much attention, but the story is absolutely different when it comes to psychiatry. People with mental illnesses cannot be treated with a magic pill. Indeed, the medication that is being prescribed may be of huge help, yet the role of psychiatrist is to understand why their patient even needs their help. There has to be time to listen to them, learn their stories, analyse their background and simply support them during the process of healing. But if you’re just one doctor who has to be in several places at the same time, it’s quite impossible to do your job efficiently. Still, Jamal is a real exception, because despite the number of responsibilities, he believes in quality treatment and treats each patient with enormous respect. The man is purely good and you can tell he doesn’t want to help people just because he’s a doctor, but because he’s a decent human. Some may say this film presents the problems of modern healthcare, which are visible not only in France, but definitely all around the world. However, to me this is a terrifying picture of dehumanised humanity, if I may put it this way. If there’s a person with a mental illness, the society pushes them away, which, let’s face it, is the easiest and most convenient way. Or such people are given addictive drugs and voilà, “problem solved”. Then, we get to meet a person like Jamal and we realise that there are genuine human beings, just perhaps we’re searching in wrong places. On the other hand, I cannot even imagine how much verve and enthusiasm one can have, even if everyone around them thinks differently. I have to say that this documentary is a huge portion of motivation, so despite several emotional moments, you may feel great satisfaction after watching. So please, do watch it. My rating is a bit lower because of technical issues that bothered me (especially editing), but Doctor Jamal and his story should be given at least 11/10.

My rating: 7/10
S.

If you’re hoping for pity there is none coming. “Four Good Days” (2020)

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directed by Rodrigo García
© 2020 Vertical Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Film about addictions can be quite easily turned into either overly dramatic horror or rather inappropriate parody. That is why I wasn’t sure what to expect from today’s production, but I got positively surprised, if I may say it recommending a story about a young drug addict. What I mean is that finally someone managed to present addiction in a more or less realistic way from the perspective of a family member who has to see another one going down. Deb (Glenn Close) is a middle-aged woman whose daughter Molly (Mila Kunis) is an addict. The young woman returns home asking for help, but, what might shock you, Deb refuses to give her daughter a hand. I believe many people would feel pity towards Molly, but it’s because they don’t know her like Deb does. She’s seen her daughter in this condition way too many times and each time she helped her, the addicted woman got back to the old habits. Despite being pushed away by her mother, Molly spends the night outside the house and again begs Deb to help her recover. The mother finally agrees, but doesn’t hope for anything because this would be Molly’s 15th attempt to get sober. During the doctor’s appointment, she’s offered to get an opioid antagonist, which is a shot that wouldn’t let her body respond to drugs. She’d have to receive such shot every month, but before the first one she has to be at least 4 full days sober. Otherwise, the antagonist would react with the opioids in her body and the consequences could be drastic. To us, people (hopefully, dear reader) not addicted to drugs, staying off such substances doesn’t sound like anything difficult. But to a woman that has spent 1/3 of her life being drugged, four days is an eternity. If you want to see whether she managed to survive those four days, I invite you to see the film. As I said at the beginning, to me this production is incredibly authentic and wonderfully made considering the perspective of the mother. That is her daughter suffering and wasting her life, but no matter how much she wishes to save her, that has to be her own decision. Once I heard from a man who used to be homeless and managed to change his horrible situation that you have to reach the bottom to bounce back. Nobody can help you. You have to hit that bottom and you’re the only one who can make the decision to go back up. Or stay where you are. And that’s exactly what you can see in this film. Besides, this story and the character of Deb remind us that you have to take care of yourself first in order to help someone else. If you don’t protect yourself (both physically and mentally), one of those people will bring you down with them. Don’t let it happen. This film is an important lesson, so I hope you’ll have a chance to see it. Plus, both ladies did a marvellous job and you can see some decent acting as well.

My rating: 6/10
S.

I was able to find the light in the darkest of places. “David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived” (2023)

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directed by Dan Hartley
© 2023 HBO Documentary Films. All Rights Reserved.

I’m afraid that we often forget how many people and how much effort it takes to make a film. We go to the cinema or sit in front of a screen, press play, spend approximately two hours, decide whether we like it or not, perhaps have a little discussion after and that’s it. Perhaps we forget that it takes months or even years to produce those two hours for us. The reason why I’m starting my post this way is because the documentary I’m recommending today is about a kind of person that gets forgotten in the film industry. We recognise and appreciate main actors, sometimes the director, but the rest of the crew is rather praised by real cinephiles or people from that particular industry. David Holmes, who’s the star of today’s documentary, is a stunt double. Unfortunately, he doesn’t work as one, yet he’s remembered mostly because of his amazing job done in “Harry Potter” series of films where he played… Harry Potter. The boy who lived. From the very first part, little David was acting in all the physically difficult scenes, which Daniel Radcliffe couldn’t do or wasn’t recommended to do. In the end, Daniel was the main character and if anything had happened to him, the filmmakers would have been doomed. But losing a stunt double isn’t stopping the crew from shooting the film, as sad as it sounds. They just find another flexible and physically strong person, do a little make-up magic and voilà – they can be performing somersaults as Harry Potter. Stunt doubles work incredibly hard and risk a lot, yet in the film industry they are easily replaceable, unlike the main stars. Back to David – the reason why he stopped doing the job was because he had a horrible accident on set, about which you may learn more watching the documentary. Now, David is paralysed and after all these years, he’s telling us the story of his life, his acting career and also his incredible friendship with Daniel Radcliffe. They are both grown-up men, yet they met as children and they were sharing the experience of playing in one of the most popular series of films that has even been produced. David, as Daniel says, was like a big brother to him and the boys were spending a lot of time together, except just practicing for the scenes. Even though the last part of “Harry Potter” was released about 12 years ago, David And Daniel have stayed friends and they still support each other. I guess I won’t surprise you if I admit that I didn’t know about David before, but I’m a huge fan after watching the documentary. What he was doing on set is one thing, but I’m absolutely amazed by his personality and charisma. And I see that I’m not the only one. Daniel was lucky to have met such “big brother” in 2001 and it’s great to see this tandem together after all those years. Hope you find a moment to see the documentary about another boy who lived.

My rating: 7/10
S.

The only one who hasn’t abandoned me. “Abang Adik” (2023)

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directed by Lay Jin Ong
© 2023 MM2 Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

If you want to see a spectacular acting performance that you probably won’t hear about in the upcoming film awards chaos, then you should definitely see today’s film. I didn’t know what to expect from this production as I wasn’t familiar with the director nor the actors, but what I saw will stay with me for a long time for sure. Today’s story is about two brothers-by-choice, as I’ve decided to call them. Abang (Kang Ren Wu) and Adik (Jack Tan) are both orphans who found each other on the street when they were yet children. They are not biologically connected, but since they’ve been supporting each other for years, they’ve become a family. One cannot imagine life without the other, although they are totally different. Abang, the older one, is deaf and mute, which, unfortunately, quite naturally makes him disconnected from the world. He’s a decent, hard-working and humble man that has accepted his reality and has got used to living in poverty. Adik, however, is an absolute rebel who strives for bigger and better things than what life has offered him. The problem is that Adik tries to make his dreams come true in a rather illegal and shady ways, which worries his older brother very much. Still, no matter what the younger does, he can always count on Abang. And then, one day, a terrible accident happens that influences both brothers and their relation is put to the test. I have to admit that at the beginning I wasn’t expecting much and I believed that would be just a slightly dark drama about brotherhood, yet it turned out to be way more. What happens after the accident blew my mind and I couldn’t look away from the screen. I began my post telling you about some amazing acting performance and it’s the one by Kang Ren Wu, who played the older brother. At one point he has a very emotional monologue to provide and he does it in a way that left me speechless. Let me remind you that his character is deaf and mute. Sign languages are very expressive and speaking them involves moving your whole body to really transmit the emotions and meaning of your message. Adding a difficult moment in the film and a dramatic monologue intensifies the performance to another level. A level I haven’t seen in a long time. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what Abang was saying at that moment because I don’t want to spoil it to you, but trust me, you will need a deep breath and perhaps a pack of tissues. And the film? The film presents the power of real and authentic relations that we may have with people if only we choose to dedicate ourselves. It’s also a film that really represents the saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. Both brothers are living in a poor neighbourhood, yet people they share this space with are the most supportive. Because they all know what it’s like to be abandoned and I guess that’s one of the strongest things you may have in common with another person. A fun fact to finish this post with – the title of the film and the names of the characters literally mean older brother (Abang) and younger brother (Adik) in Malay language. Class dismissed, go see the film.

My rating: 8/10
S.

Table for two? “An Autumn’s Tale” (“Chau tin dik tung wa”, 1987)

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directed by Mabel Cheung
© 1987 D&B Film. All Rights Reserved.

Recently, an Asian film festival happening in my country has begun and I’ve already had a chance to see some interesting productions, some of which I’ll definitely share in the future posts. Today, I’d like to recommend you a film that isn’t that fresh, but it’s new to me and perhaps many of you haven’t seen it either, which would be great if we changed that, shall we? If you’re a fan of romantic stories from the 80s, you’ve just found your film for the evening. We get to know Jennifer (Cherie Chung), who’s a young lady from Hong Kong willing to study in New York. She’s chosen this particular city because of her boyfriend that’s already there. Jennifer is taken care of by her distant family member, Pang (Chow Yun-fat), who’s a total opposite of her. The man is very energetic, a bit clumsy, bubbly for sure and very much unbothered about everything that’s happening around him, while Jennifer is a rather calm and introvert person, which makes her even more sensitive and scared of the new reality she’s put herself into. Luckily, she stays with Pang and can count on him, despite not being that close before. When Jennifer finally goes to see her boyfriend, she realises that… the man has been hanging out with another woman and, apparently, is not willing to change that. Absolutely heartbroken Jennifer has to manage this difficult situation, as the man she’s travelled all those kilometres (or miles – for my American readers *wink*) for is not interested in any kind of relationship with her. Luckily, her distant cousin Pang is right there and, even though Jennifer didn’t seem like his cup of tea person, she starts intriguing him, which brings those two closer and closer to each other. I’m sure you’ve heard and seen several stories similar to the one I’ve just described, but don’t we like them? Don’t we like such protagonists who end up in huge troubles and still try their best to do something about it? Don’t we like a bit of romance and exchanging glances between two characters? And don’t we like the 80s? Oh come on, of course we do. I do. And I hope you do as well. What’s interesting about this film is that even though it is set in the US, I don’t really feel it’s that Americanised. I mean, it’s still a decent representative of Hong Kong cinema and you may feel it despite seeing New York all around. And that’s actually something intriguing since we can experience a totally different style of filmmaking in the place that we’ve known from numerous productions, just made by American directors. So grab a blanket, a cup of tea and enjoy this little jump into the 80s.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Love doesn’t interest you at all? “I’m Your Man” (“Ich bin dein Mensch”, 2021)

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directed by Maria Schrader
© 2021 Majestic Filmverleih. All Rights Reserved.

Love can be complicated, right? No, wait… Love IS complicated. That’s a fact, period. Some people keep on searching for the perfect partner slowly losing their mind in the process, or there are those who’ve given up and let it be, either they stay single forever or not. But what if we could get ourselves a perfect partner? Someone, who’s our type, who knows what we like, who shares our values and satisfies all our needs. Alma (Maren Eggert) is an archeologist, a very ambitious woman with a specific professional goal. However, she’s also single so she wishes to finally meet someone valuable. One evening she meets Tom (Dan Stevens) at a dance club. The man is incredibly charming, easy to talk to and, as Alma quickly discovers, brilliant. Too good to be true? Sort of. Tom is actually a humanoid, so no surprise he seems perfect. Alma is asked to run a short project, which includes taking Tom home and evaluating him as a partner. The woman is definitely against any deeper relations with a robot, so she considers it a task that has to be done. Besides, she’s also very curious how close Tom can get to the figure of her ideal partner. The robot is already equipped with some data about Alma, but the more time they spend together, the more he adapts to her needs. Personally, I like films which make me question our humanity and show the relations between us and artificial intelligence. I’m guessing that while you were reading the beginning of my post, you were thinking “oh, that would be awesome to meet someone so perfect”. However, we’re humans and we’re far from being perfect, so even if we crave this perfection in others, we may quickly realise that it’s the imperfection we’re missing in the other person. It’s funny that in some sci-fi productions they present AI as our enemy, as something that may destroy us all, but in fact, we, humans, love to destroy ourselves and each other. We love to argue, we love to fight, we love this passive aggression and tensions all around us. Even if generally we’re not bad-tempered or argumentative, we need some drama in our lives. So having a partner who brings us breakfast to bed is great, but we also need them to leave dirty socks on the floor so we had a reason to scream a little bit. Right? And that’s our human love, I guess. So this film is full of such food for thought when it comes to genuine relations and you may reflect on human needs when it comes to building partnerships. Besides, despite being a robot, Tom is a pretty funny guy so you’ll have a chance to have a laugh as well.

My rating: 7/10
S.