Filip-Kolakowski Reviews

DogMan (2023)

Gripping

[7/10 · 4 December 2023]

I am really not convinced that this was a good film. In countless little and large parts the action feels like it is only just holding together thanks to clichés so overused they can only point in one direction.

At the same time Caleb left me breathless. His presence stole the show not just in how over the top he played but also in modulating into relatively quieter moments with ease, speed and precision.

Laughing at the movie, with the movie. Being scared for the movie, and then for the characters themselves. Somehow it all seemed to harmonize - a rhyme with no reason.

There was definitely a strong message there but again I could not catch it.

I was amazed at the creativity of everyone involved, and the shear number of what was clearly pulled straight out from somewhere else.

Between the story itself just holding on for it's own dear life, the incredible performance and just the insanity of the whole concept I simply could not take my eyes of the screen. Tension was rising on the screen as well as on a meta level. It was like an old wooden rollercoaster and I could not discern between the thrill of what was lacking in construction and the multitude of sharp fantastical curves.

I loved it all the way, will watch it again, will make my friends watch it.

Gripping. Transcendental. Up its own ass. Gripping.

I Used to Be Famous (2022)

It gets dangerously close to being a clear cut feel good day filler, but its good!

[6/10 · 30 November 2022]

An example of that are the songs which are quite accessible and feel almost too simple, but they are not produced to perfection they sound a little undercooked. But its these sort of details that make it seem a little bit more real than others. Kind of like silver linings playbook, but not quite hitting that mark.

It is a very enjoyable watch though, and has some beautiful delicate moments. It is the sort of movie you could recommend or watch with anyone and they will like it.

I liked it and I think its a worth, quite well rounded and relatively easy watch, that you might take a little something away from. And for this particular story I like that the film itself isn't perfect, it suits itself.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

What i most dislike about this movie is that an almost 100 year old adaptation of this source material manages to be better than it

[5/10 · 9 November 2022]

The visual effect of course are better here, and the scenes are much more action oriented, but manage to be more boring at the same time (compared to 1930s adaptation). The original version is smarter about its storytelling (very smart actually), more refined, much better enacted and manages to make a point about the world war one that is both more nuanced and to the point.

If not for the fact that this movie is completely redundant to the original, and manages to do a lot of what the original does just worse, I would give it a higher score. The special effects are impressive but we don't find ourselves as imbedded in the war because of quite a cold presentation, even though lots of it is over stylized and overly dramatic.

The main upside to the movie is that it is made in the language of the original. But the acting is just not there and the storytelling isn't great either. On this point I would like to say that I'm shocked that a movie from the 1930s thats available legally for free manages to tell this story in such a gripping and visceral way, that I'm left scratching my head as too how it manages to grab my attention more than most movies made today. In short I'm not sure if the short attention spams are a real problem if movies as slow and stale as the one I'm reviewing now still manage to get made in quantity.

All in all as the 20 year old I am, I thought that there where gripping movies in the 70s maybe, never imagined that I could go back to the 30s and find something that feels so modern. Compared to some other genres military films seem to have largely lost their edge, unlike other genres that benefitted from the passing of time, if thats not true it might just be the issue of remaking things without having a better idea for them, which happens quite often nowadays.

The Hand of God (2021)

No doubt a good movie.

[7/10 · 20 December 2021]

Felt quite a bit like Gabriel Garzia Marquez, with somewhat irrational storytelling. The place of the action is told more through the time changing the people. 100 years of solitude would be a great book for someone who liked this movie.

Ad Astra (2019)

The loss of subtle

[6/10 · 9 October 2021]

Firstly I would like to disclaim that this review is very focused on one aspect of the movie in particular. The star rating is the reason of contrasting what I'm going to write about with the emotional story, and development of the character which I found to be much better.

Space is beautiful, its vastness is hard to capture, Kubrick comes to mind, also to some extent the alien movies. When thinking of how unhuman space is, it resonates with the main character. However this movie failed to capture the true, terrifying, unimaginable beauty of what we call space, just how small we are in it. To conclude, what I mean by all this is that this movie brings everything in space, to an earthly size, asteroids are the size of a man, their strikes mean nothing, not to mention the fact that they should be in harmony with the spacecraft in said scene (the finale). With the interplanetary rockets, being smaller than moon-rockets from apollo the scale is really not there. To counteract this general fail of the movie constantly forgetting about the literal weight of the objects portrayed, the movie uses explosions and guns, with no weight to them either, the whole world built in this way feels hollow, and fake.

We need more movies that can show, how space would actually feel like. Science fiction does not mean disregarding the current sometimes basic knowledge, but expanding on it with imagination, and this must be very hard if it usually ends like this.

There are many better aspects to this movie, that is why the star rating does not correspond to what I wrote, this review is just about the essential issue of many science fiction movies.

The Dark Valley (2014)

What this movie brings to the western genre is lots of unnecessary slow motion set to generic pop music

[4/10 · 14 July 2021]

The movie is competently made in many aspects, and well acted. However it doesn't bring anything new, everything in the story is a cliche, or a gimmick (like the fact that the main character is a photographer). I give the movie one extra star for the plot twist at the end, but its no Edypus. If you want to watch this movie, there is probably a hundred westerns for you that do every single thing better.

Its not a bad movie, its just redundant and unnecessary.

Berlin Calling (2008)

Yeah eh nope!

[4/10 · 29 November 2020]

It starts ou interesting and slows down in the end comming to a feel-good nothing sort of a movie at some points, but overall it's not a bad movie, maybe the idea has some merit to it but the execution leaves much to be desired. Bad pasing, and moments bringing very little to the story are unfortunately a big part of what we see.

Besides that the name Berlin calling is bad and has nothing to do with anything.

Erotica 2022 (2020)

Just about barely watchable

[4/10 · 27 November 2020]

Except for the last part this movie was barely watchable. The pacing was of, a lot of the whole thing seems to be a thriller rather than a functional part of the narrative. The worlds shown are also blank and have not much interesting about them. The concept of a gender apartheid featured in two of the stories is underdeveloped, and doesn't seem too carry enough real consequence to be believable. There are some stylish shots and moments, but most of the stories lack a coherent vision. The last part however is actually worth watching, carrying a lot of tension, with exhilarating action, and in my opinion only in this part leaving the main character blank was a good choice, this helps in creating an exhilarating atmosphere.

However in the end as a whole this is not worth watching for me. A better watch would be "The Wild Boys" instead.

Waterworld (1995)

One of a kind, kind of a flop!

[6/10 · 29 September 2020]

Overblown, thrilling action sequences. Truly amazing world with very creative water crafts everywhere. Cookie characters - aspecially the villain, but they come in all shapes and sizes. On the other hand the dialogue, is not very good, im so thankfull the main character doesnt speak almost at all. The real reason to watch is the world - to me its a very magical place, and for water lovers this will be fun. Its also action packed but its more about fun and there is almost no tention here. The score really doesnt tell the story here because there are a few areas where the film excells, but if you want something decent all around you're in a bad place.

Into the Wild (2007)

Fails to not be meh...

[5/10 · 27 June 2020]

I think the stroy of this movie is unfocused, and portrayed in a very dull way. The side characters are just to perfect, to revoke any empathy, they are unhuman. What saves the movie somewhat is the ending. Even though the adventure is an amazing story, the movie seems to fail, in delivering, all of it to the screen.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

This movie might just give you bipolar...

[9/10 · 13 June 2020]

Dont worry, its just clickbait, but if you often find yourself to be one with characters from movies this is something for you. The events do line up a litle to perfect for my liking. This takes away from the life like feeling, which in my opinion was the best part of the Silver Linings Playbook, but the characters are very true to life - until the ending, i find it a little to strong. This movie is somewhat subtle, and i would love to see more of it. Thats my only complaint, i loved the movie, and i think its definitely worth your time. (maybe it isnt i wrote it as a feeling and not a statement)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkowvich!!!

[10/10 · 9 June 2020]

This is an absurdist comedy, with creativity going through the rough. The issues it discusses are aspecially relevant now. I admire the writer, and his dedication to making this movie using malkovich and no one else. I honestly cant say anything about this that would do it justice so i will stop right here.

Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema (1990)

Very creative and polish

[7/10 · 31 May 2020]

This movie came out right after Poland got out of comunism, and its pretty apparent. It has many flaws of a communist era polish production, like terrible sound production, and weird pacing, and quite few gags making fun of polish society from the PRL.

Especially off putting are the parts where people sing. Handling these types of scenes in this way was a norm when this movie came out, and i get that it was supposed to be unrealistic, but the scenes could have more pop. There are many things in this movie that dont hold up to international standards.

Still there where many things i loved about this movie. Like the fact that the movie doesnt just make fun of communism. It asks smart questions about the meaning of art, and personal freedom. The movie looks beyond, and in this way it is similar to "Master and Margaret".

The way it confronts the regime with imposibility seems to be inspired by Bulgakovs book. But its not a copy and the movie is amazingly creative. Thats what kept me hooked. I believe the creativity and the ideas captured to be the main reason this movie is worth watching.

Children of Men (2006)

A realistic somewhat postapocalyptic xray through a dystopian society

[8/10 · 30 May 2020]

The movie is pretty political, but i dont think its forceful in its praise of pacifism. Its also a very human story, with many characters that are multi-dimensional and very diverse. The movie has also many moments of humanity and cruelty. My only criticism would be that the movie is maybe a little bit to pompous, but in this case its not a real flaw - its a question of taste.

Kicking and Screaming (1995)

I didnt know Noah Baumbach was so old!

[8/10 · 29 May 2020]

When the movie ended and i saw his name on the screen it made a lot of sense. The way the story is told and the dialogues have his very real fingerprints all over. And like all his movies this one is great, i don'y know why there is no one who can make movies quite like his. This one is set in the time when people get stuck somewhere between college and the "adulthood" - a little bit like Frances Ha. I feel like his films are a part of the same cinematic universe - the human condition. They are universal and very true in the way they depict life. If you like the other movies from the universum you should definitely watch this one, it was the start.

Mandy (I) (2018)

a nightmare caught in a gem

[9/10 · 27 May 2020]

David Lynch said that Film is the best medium for expressing dreams. This movie is a terrific nightmare. If you watch heavy horror-action movies, or you just want to see something that hasnt been done before, its here. The surreal atmosphere meshes quite beautifully with a fantasy background. Lighting is unnaturally vibrant, but surrounded by darkness. This and the actors performances make the atmosphere so dense it is hard to breathe when watching this gem.

The Quack (1982)

Better watch the original from 1937

[4/10 · 11 November 2019]

There are only two ways in which this movie is more than the original - 1 it is in color, 2 it has more unnecessary dialogue. However, good camerawork is better than colour. And the dialogues leave no space for actors to shine (they just don't stop). The sound design in the original was also better. Go watch the original because it deserves more credit than this imposture.

The Invitation (I) (2015)

pretty good, but (a receipt for better watching experience)

[7/10 · 25 August 2019]

It is well made. although the last 15 seconds of the last scene are making me sick. so i would recomend pausing when the two characters start looking into the distance.