Polina, danser sa vie - PÖFF post

I saw this film as part of Black Nights film festival in Tallinn.

This is my blog so I expect no one will mind if I sometimes talk about my personal feelings a bit. No worries - it's all in connection to the film. I have a very serious love and hate relastionship with ballet. On the one hand I loved watching it as a child and I think it's stunning. On the other it's hateful - it's so ruthless, so strict.  A child has to at a young age make the decision that they want to dedicate their whole life to the art. They have to work and basically give up their entire childhood doing unnatural painful things with their bodies and practice hours on end. Then it can all come crashing down when they hit puberty and their bodies change. They might never be good enough to be a ballerina no matter how hard they work - how badly they want it. Of course you can say that about other professions too I suppose.

This movie, echoes all these thoughts. The main character eventually makes it to the Big Theater in Moscow and eventually - after working her whole life gives it up, because it's not what she wants. Dancing is still her life, but she seems tired of the strict, merciless, unforgiving world of classical ballet. She goes to find herself - to find the sort of dance she can enjoy and express herself in - and to find herself.

The film is great, realistic and well-plotted. People often complain that so much that comes out of Hollywood is all the same. Well... So much of what comes out of Europe is all the same too -  excruciatingly long pauses of silence and characters staring silently - the heavy tension in the air - the feeling that someone is about to get slapped or hit or raped or killed lingering constantly. Even if they don't, you expect it - the scene is quiet, the surroundings are dark, dirty, poor. A dark alleyway, an eerie subway station with homeless people on the frame, a sad grey suburb. Sure - it's realistic - but life has more colors than that, more feelings than sadness, longing, angst, confusion and grief. Even when there is happiness, it is only there to contrast the up and coming sadness, to give it more emphasis. And then there are the needlessly realistic sex scenes.

This film has all that, but it knows when to stop. Knows that at one point the audience will find the sadness too much, tiring or worse - funny because it's so over the top. It knows to lace all the dark with enough happy to make the story still seem realistic. Polina still had a pretty harsh and dark life at time, but at least you can believe that someone like her exists. And dancing - ah the dancing is beautiful. It is undoubtedly the reason to see this French-Russian-Belgium(?) masterpiece. 

Dr. Strange

All attempts at being objective are thrown into the wind now. I love it. I adored it. I want to see it again and again and again. I know that I might be able to say that about every one of Benedict's films simply, because they are his, but I'm not lying either. It was fantastic. I will try to now explain why

*Some films I forget a week after I see them. I never even remember to make a post here. Then when I do remember I saw it I remember nothing of the film itself. This film, after seeing it once I feel like every frame has been burnt into my memory permanently. I can't stop myself from going back to it again in my head.

* It doesn't feel like a typical superhero movie. Actually, I have nothing against those either. I like them. I enjoy them, but I can predict every mood, I find myself thinking about what is to come, knowing what it will be and whispering:"I knew it!" I'm not sure if this film was predictable. In a way - yes. We knew something needs to happen to Dr. Strange for him to get his powers, There is a cliche training montage. A lot of things are a little cliche... Okay. Maybe it was typical in some ways, but I was so entranced by what was going on I didn't think of what was yet to come.

*There are a lot of visual elements that remind me of Inception. Inception is one of my favorite films, so naturally, I enjoyed that.

*The characters are so believable.   Doctor Strange is so believable. This is largely Benedict's doing, but there has to be some good writing to it. He has the desperation of a person who has lost hope in modern medicine and turns to esoterica as a last resort. A thing I've seen and heard of so many times. A very current topic too, at least in Estonia, I feel. And yet he remains a doctor - a sceptic, not believing in chakras, auras and spiritual healing and the power of your mind. It's realistic. His transformation could have been slower and more gradual, but I realize the running time of a movie can't be five hours. His inner battle between trusting only in science and medicine and opening his mind to something greater, something divine is relatable. It is a dilemma many people face.

He remains a sceptic, a curious man to always ask questions and doubt even when he is told not to. Even when that is shown as a bad thing.  He never becomes a soldier who questions nothing. I love that.

*Finally, the film is funny. I laughed so many times, there were so many good jokes that I still remember now. The humor was fantastic. And there wasn't a single low joke! Not one hit in the groin! Not one fart joke! I mean, come on, that alone is an achievement.

Café Society

It's a very Woody Allen-ish movie. The visuals are beautiful and stunning. There is a lot of gorgeous dresses, outfits and scenery. The setting and the time the film is set in is lovely. Aaand that's about the only thing I like. I'm not going to rate this one, because I feel that a lot of things I don't like about this film doesn't actually make it a bad film. I just don't like the characters. I find them impossible to relate as my tolerance to all things like cheating is very minimal and I don't really feel empathy for the characters. In my eyes they are all completely responsible for their own misery. The men are dreadful - pushy and they din't really seem considerate of women's feelings. They don't wait, They don't take no for an answer and what's even worse is that all the other characters encourage this sort of behavior. Maybe it fit the era, maybe it doesn't, but I don't like it.

Kristen Stewart's Vonnie has some potential to being a likable relatable character, but Kristen Stewart's "one expression fits all" approach makes it very hard to get her character. Especially because she portrays a character who is written in a way that you should be able to read loads of stuff just from her expression. But you can't. Does she genuinely likes this guy who says she wants to be with her and says so on the very day she was dumped? And when Vonnie says she never wants to love again the man she considers her friend only disregards her feelings by saying:"You just need time." It would make sense of Vonnie to feel unsure and not like him, but you can't really tell by her expression. You have to go by the narration.

Aaand that brings me to the narration. The famous film critique channel cinemasins always sins narration. Often unfairly I think. In this case through, the narration was annoying. It felt like there wasn't enough screen time to have the whole movie done and therefore what was happening needed to be told to the viewer as quickly as possible. Or maybe he was just too lazy to film more than a montage.

Jessie's character was okay. He has more versatile approach than Kristen, but I felt like maybe his character development could have been shown more clearly. Or maybe I just imagined there was meant to be any?

X-men apocalypse

★★★★☆

I like the X-men movies. They are exactly what they are - if you like x-men you will like this too and if you don't you won't. I have to admit I had forgotten some of the plot few weeks later, but it was enjoyable. I wouldn't say the plot was bad, it was actually good, just complex enough for me to forget some of it. I am still not very used to the younger x-men. I love Jennifer Lawrence, but I'm having trouble seeing her as Mystique.I love Charles through, in both of the versions. 

 

The soundtrack is a lot of fun. It's mostly old hits reused, but they're the sort of hits I personally really enjoy like "Sweet dreams are made of this". So yeah, a good, enjoyable, fun X-men film. 

High rise

★★★★★
It's a brilliant movie. The concept is the kind of inspiring idea that makes you feel like you could write tens and thousands of new stories within the movie's fascinating universe. Not to worry through, this isn't one of those Hollywood block-busters where countless sequels will instantly emerge at the slightest success of the original idea. This simply isn't the kind of movie to have sequels. It's one of those interesting artsy movies where the whole story is really a metaphor. I'll say it's a metaphor for the society. You'll have to figure out the rest.

Just on a sidenote - the basic idea itself might made a cool classic sci-fi film too. People living in a house where floors dictate your social status.


It's one of those films that requires a lot of thinking and attention and interpreting on viewers part. Not an easy ride, but a fun one none the less. At least - in my opinion. Gruesome and graphic at times, but not really heavy. Just deep and thoughtful. There is a lot of interesting really innovative camera angles and work and that says a lot at a time when it really seems that it has all been over and done.

I personally also really enjoyed the soundtrack. Especially the Portishead's cover of ABBA's "SOS". Brilliant.  Same can be said for Tom Hiddleston's acting. As always he brings a lot to the character and is generally great. I like the esthetic of the film too, although at times it oddly reminded me of those Estonian movies they make of Soviet times now. Well - the original novel was written in the 1970s. A novel which I would love to read if it was available in any of our libraries or even bookstores. I take ages deciding whether something is really worth ordering online...I'm sure it's worth it, but what if it comes on sale here with the DVD release?

Hail, Ceasar!

★★★★☆
This is one of those films you see for the atmosphere. It's a joy to watch, the plot is not boring, in fact it's rather interesting, but it lacks the highs and lows of classical film work, it doesn't obviously try it's hardest to climb up to the climax, but instead flows in a way that seems natural and life-like and makes watching it a relaxing pleasurable experience.

It's artistic, not only in it's interesting aesthetics, but in a way that in certain parts the film seems a bit over-exaggerated. It's not a fantasy film of the supernatural genre, but the world portrayed here is not an accurate image of how Hollywood used to be or the world in that time in general. It's an idealized fantasy world that seems a bit naive, but you forgive that to the film, because it seems intentional. It's not an inaccurate portrayal of realism simply, because they didn't know how the world was back then, but because they wanted to make it like that.

It's artsy. And Tilda Swinton's role in it is worth a mention on it's own. It's fun and impressive and the outfits are great. It doesn't feel like she's doing a double-role, because of her huge ego, but because it fits the film. And she does it brilliantly.

It's a film that makes you feel good and when you write a review of it weeks later like I am right now, you might no longer remember all the plot, but you'll remember the way you felt and the thoughts you had about it and how cool the outfits looked.

The Huntsman: Winter's War

★★☆☆☆
Two sisters, princesses, the  one with icy powers flees her kingdom to build her own ice empire, because she doesn't need love or any of these feelings. In the end the kinder sister finds out she was horribly betrayed? Think I'm talking about Frozen? No, but I wish I were, Frozen was much better and with a far more original plot. Here, I was left wondering if they thought that a princess with icy powers is all takes to film a blockbuster.

Predictability is a big pet peeve of mine and man that film was so predictable that I could literally guess some of the lines actors were going to say and it wasn't even a very enjoyable plot line. You know, because sometimes there are films that you really enjoy none the less? I'm not mad that I saw it. It was okay, it wasn't bad in a sense that it didn't make me feel angry with the world or grossed out or vaguely sick, but perhaps even that might be better that what you're left with - which is, nothing. It's a bland, boring, predictable tale. It's only true really great aspect are the stunning outfits. If you're the kind of person who enjoys a film for a nice scenery and gorgeous costumes this might actually be something for. I suppose it's also a fairly enjoyable fairy-talesh tale for the lovers of the genre. Although I still personally would have loved a bit more originality from the "tale before Snow white".