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Speed (1994)
So much fun
An entertaining action film with a good calculating, sinister villain. I really like how overall they managed keep the thrill and suspense going, there are always some surprising elements to the story, even if the plausibility is stretched to the limits and the story is starting to fall apart slightly towards the end of the film. Both Keanu and Sandra are captivating as the main leads with some natural chemistry and fun between them. Looks good in 4K too.
Sniegu juz nigdy nie bedzie (2020)
Intriguing and dream-like
A fascinating collection of quirky people, intriguing stories, social commentary and a mystery surrounding the masseur and spiritual healer Zenia (Alec Utgoff) who seems to have some special powers after surviving the Chernobyl disaster as a child. The central mystery keeps you intrigued, while the film explores the stories of the wealthy fenced-off neighbourhood (a very good Polish cast). I really liked the fairy-tale feeling of the film and the masterfully done dream-like hypnosis scenes (which looked amazing). The film doesn't feel larger than the sum of it parts though - the individual various elements work very well but in the end you don't necessarily get a satisfying pay-off to it all, it just drifts off like a dream. A worth effort from the Polish cinema.
Zupa nic (2021)
Polish life in 1980s
An entertaining and easy to watch light comedy showing the family life and many quirks of living in the late communist Poland. It's relies heavily on nostalgia as a "slice of life" film, but thankfully it's well observed and has definitely got the late 80s feel right. The cast is really good too, with solid performances from both Kinga Preis and Adam Woronowicz, an entertaining turn from Ewa Wisniewska as the grandma and two kids who are both fantastic. Lots to like here and so many small relatable things that will ring true to many kids who grew up in this era.
The Prom (2020)
As bad as you'd expect
Flat, uninspired and filmed badly, this is yet another troubled effort from Ryan Murphy. Even Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman cannot rescue this drab musical adaptation.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Nostalgic, yet boring
How did they make ghostbusting so boring? Barely anything happens in this nostalgia-fuelled film, which doesn't introduce any original concepts or memorable characters.
The story is essentially kids messing around in a small town, discovering their grandfather's legacy (you'll be able to guess pretty quickly who that is) and fixing things when they go bad. I'm guessing the script may have been inspired by the success of titles like "It" and "Strange Things", so the story focuses on children.
It doesn't help the teenagers are written kinda annoyingly, although McKenna Grace and Logan Kim are both amazing and easily the highlight of this cast. Some actors are completely wasted, for example JK Simmons - why is he in this for 15 seconds? At least there is a couple of funny scenes, like Paul Rudd losing it in Walmart.
Disappointingly, there are only a few ghosts in this film, mostly creatures we're already familiar with (you're supposed to love all the throwbacks, remember?). The action is not particularly thrilling and there are just so many instances of lazy writing in the script, it's just laughable. For example, people mostly forgot about ghostbusters (never quite explained why), yet no one is even slightly shocked to see ghosts. When the ghosts wreak havoc around the town, nobody cares either, something as obvious as crowd reaction is missing. The whole thing just feels cheap and basic most of the time, except the last 15 minutes where the budget probably went.
Overall, it's like watching a safe, respectful tribute rather than a worthwhile, stand-alone film with something to say.
Swan Song (2021)
Well acted but a little too safe
A methodical exploration of how a terminally ill man would cope when presented with an option to have himself cloned, to save his wife an child from being alone in this world after he's gone. It's not a very adventurous film. The story is very limited in scope and focuses on Cameron's choice (Mahershala Ali) and the relationship with his wife Poppie (Naomie Harris).
The film has a stellar cast, and while Ali is great in the lead role, sadly both Glenn Close and Awkwafina in particular are completely wasted.
The near-future setting is a little obnoxious too, with characters using virtual screens, playing AR fighting games and taking driveless cabs. I've been questioning how Cameron can afford the whole procedure in the first place, considering he's a designer and his wife a musician (I think?).
A solid exploration of the theme but sadly not gripping enough to stay in your memory for long. It does feel like an episode of Black Mirror stretched to a feature-length (although perhaps it's not fair to compare any near-future sci-fi films to Black Mirror all the time).