brzostek
Joined Nov 2004
Welcome to the new profile
We're making some updates, and some features will be temporarily unavailable while we enhance your experience. The previous version will not be accessible after 7/14. Stay tuned for the upcoming relaunch.
Badges2
To learn how to earn badges, go to the badges help page.
Reviews18
brzostek's rating
Scierwodziad (The Carcass) is a short 17-minute Polish horror from Talarkino, which is directed by Jakub Poltorak and edited by Ben Talar. Horror is a genre that isn't too common in Polish cinema (although Science Fiction is even more rare), so this film joins a fairly short list of movies from Poland that intend to frighten or creep out its viewers. Although I am not a fan of horror films in general, I found this short to be very enjoyable as the story is interesting and suspenseful.
The action, or interaction, of this movie deals with a young photographer (Leszek Zukowski) and an old man (Cezary Szczygielski) that isn't quite normal. The photographer rents a room from the old man to stay for a couple weeks, but it won't be a very pleasant stay. The title of the film and the tagline (He is dead - but he is ALIVE!) tell us all we need to know about where the story is heading.
The director was really able to push the actors into great performances that put us on the edge. Scierwodziad is shot in black and white, which adds a level of creepiness to the story. Furthermore, the music beautifully matches the mood the images create, so we really do have something interesting to watch. And don't worry -- the grotesque is kept off camera so even those who don't like horrors can enjoy it.
The action, or interaction, of this movie deals with a young photographer (Leszek Zukowski) and an old man (Cezary Szczygielski) that isn't quite normal. The photographer rents a room from the old man to stay for a couple weeks, but it won't be a very pleasant stay. The title of the film and the tagline (He is dead - but he is ALIVE!) tell us all we need to know about where the story is heading.
The director was really able to push the actors into great performances that put us on the edge. Scierwodziad is shot in black and white, which adds a level of creepiness to the story. Furthermore, the music beautifully matches the mood the images create, so we really do have something interesting to watch. And don't worry -- the grotesque is kept off camera so even those who don't like horrors can enjoy it.
The challenges that we face in life today are put into perspective when compared to what people endured during World War II. Stories about the holocaust are painful yet amazing in the sense that they shows us the strength in people that has no rival. In Darkness (W ciemnosci), directed by Agnieszka Holland, is the true story of a sewer worker that saves the lives of a group of Jews. Leopold Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz) is a Pole living in Lwow (now called Lviv and part of Ukraine) in Nazi occupied Poland. He doesn't go out of his way to become a hero, but rather he stumbles on the opportunity to make money hiding Jews in the sewers he knows so well.
Lwow has a rich history for both Poles and Jews that spans many centuries (while today both of these groups are only small minorities), with a mix of ethnicities, including Ukrainians, coexisting peacefully before the war. With the conflict running its course, self-interest and survival are the two primary motivations most people are left with. Leopold risks not only his own life, but also that of his entire family, by assisting the survival of anyone Jewish. The Germans meted out a quick punishment of death to the Poles who tired any heroics. Both the group of Jews and Leopold have some reservations and distrust in each other, but as time goes on, their business arrangement turns into much more.
In Darkness doesn't spare us the brutal events of war and will be quite shocking for some viewers. I would say the film is inappropriate for children for a number of reasons and the squeamish may also find it hard to watch. However, the violence isn't gratuitous, as it only adds to what really went on. The realism is also enhanced by the fact that several languages are used in this movie, including Polish, Yiddish, German and Ukrainian.
No other subject has received as much attention in Polish cinema as World War II. Some say these films acted as a catharsis for the whole country after it witnessed so many horrors. While this still may hold true, these movies also educate their audiences to history many are unaware of. While In Darkness doesn't try to overload us with historical facts or dates, as it subtlety informs us of how life was like in Nazi occupied Poland. We get a good look at the chaotic and brutal way of life people had to endue and come away with an appreciation that things should never be that away again.
Lwow has a rich history for both Poles and Jews that spans many centuries (while today both of these groups are only small minorities), with a mix of ethnicities, including Ukrainians, coexisting peacefully before the war. With the conflict running its course, self-interest and survival are the two primary motivations most people are left with. Leopold risks not only his own life, but also that of his entire family, by assisting the survival of anyone Jewish. The Germans meted out a quick punishment of death to the Poles who tired any heroics. Both the group of Jews and Leopold have some reservations and distrust in each other, but as time goes on, their business arrangement turns into much more.
In Darkness doesn't spare us the brutal events of war and will be quite shocking for some viewers. I would say the film is inappropriate for children for a number of reasons and the squeamish may also find it hard to watch. However, the violence isn't gratuitous, as it only adds to what really went on. The realism is also enhanced by the fact that several languages are used in this movie, including Polish, Yiddish, German and Ukrainian.
No other subject has received as much attention in Polish cinema as World War II. Some say these films acted as a catharsis for the whole country after it witnessed so many horrors. While this still may hold true, these movies also educate their audiences to history many are unaware of. While In Darkness doesn't try to overload us with historical facts or dates, as it subtlety informs us of how life was like in Nazi occupied Poland. We get a good look at the chaotic and brutal way of life people had to endue and come away with an appreciation that things should never be that away again.
With the tough economic times in the 1930s, escaping the reality of every day life was a nice break from one's worries. Coming into a lot of money was a fantasy many people would dream about. Ten Percent for Me (Dziesiec Procent dla Mnie) is a comedy that does both of these, as it is an amusing story about a family that inherits a fortune.
When a notary informs a family that their aunt that moved to America has given them $50,000 in her will, they are overjoyed! The mother, who sees herself as having noble blood, sees this as her chance to finally live a life more fitting to her tastes. The family decides to move to Warsaw to begin their new life. But the daughter is leaving behind her sweetheart she loves from the same village. Although her father is laid back about the matter, her mother is totally against them being together and sees this as a great way to keep them apart.
When they get to the city, things get pretty funny. This family from the country is a little out of place in the big city. Furthermore, while the wife imagines herself to be royalty, she lacks cultural refinement and constantly makes a fool of herself. Top it off with they are all very naive and make easy targets for con men looking to make some money. When they arrive in the city, they meet a man who agrees to take them around the city, but he tells the shops beforehand that he wants his ten percent. I found a lot of things in this film funny, albeit the humor was based on the ridiculous.
Ten Percent for Me is both a comedy and a musical. There is plenty of singing throughout the movie for those who like such things. Each and every Polish film made during the inter-war period is special in some way. We are lucky that these movies were not destroyed over the years and that we are still able to watch them today. With Ten Percent for Me, it is quite a treat to see how beautiful Warsaw was in 1933.
When a notary informs a family that their aunt that moved to America has given them $50,000 in her will, they are overjoyed! The mother, who sees herself as having noble blood, sees this as her chance to finally live a life more fitting to her tastes. The family decides to move to Warsaw to begin their new life. But the daughter is leaving behind her sweetheart she loves from the same village. Although her father is laid back about the matter, her mother is totally against them being together and sees this as a great way to keep them apart.
When they get to the city, things get pretty funny. This family from the country is a little out of place in the big city. Furthermore, while the wife imagines herself to be royalty, she lacks cultural refinement and constantly makes a fool of herself. Top it off with they are all very naive and make easy targets for con men looking to make some money. When they arrive in the city, they meet a man who agrees to take them around the city, but he tells the shops beforehand that he wants his ten percent. I found a lot of things in this film funny, albeit the humor was based on the ridiculous.
Ten Percent for Me is both a comedy and a musical. There is plenty of singing throughout the movie for those who like such things. Each and every Polish film made during the inter-war period is special in some way. We are lucky that these movies were not destroyed over the years and that we are still able to watch them today. With Ten Percent for Me, it is quite a treat to see how beautiful Warsaw was in 1933.