Sliver
Hungarian-American screenwriter Joe Eszterhas earned fame in the ’80s as a screenwriter, penning films such as Flashdance, F.I.S.T., and Jagged Edge, but his biggest success came with Basic Instinct. Sliver is also an erotic thriller, in which titillation and death go hand-in-hand. One of the most critical components of making a good thriller is a cinematographer (in this case, the recently departed Zsigmond Vilmos) who is an absolute master of the craft, and able to navigate the subtleties of the genre. This voyeuristic perspective offers the viewers a perspective into the erotic scenes, and also gives the impression that they are aware of more of what is going on than the characters themselves. We are sitting in the cinema caught somewhere between desire and suspicion…
Where to watch:
February 15, 7pm at MüPa – Palace Of Arts. Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles.
Creed
Surprise, surprise: Ryan Coogler’s continuation of the Rocky saga packs a real emotional punch. Creed is the surname of the most legendary opponent of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Apollo – but the seventh film of this long-running franchise doesn’t focus on him, but on his son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan). He is the new challenger, the new hero, basically the new Rocky, with the original Rocky working as his trainer. And just like the 69-year-old actor, Creed takes a while to move: the first hour slowly builds things up for a far superior, cathartic second half. The two matches of Adonis are as close to real as stage boxing in cinema can get, and both actors gave their best performance to date. (Stallone is nominated for an Oscar in the best supporting actor’s category, and rumor has it that he has a strong chance of winning.) You don’t need to be proficent in Rocky lore to appreciate Creed, as it – just like the first Rocky film in 1976 – is not just an outstanding piece of a franchise, but an outstanding sport film, not only for the lovers of the genre.
Where to watch:Original audio (English) with Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee, Aréna, Westend, Campona and Mammut.
For screening times go to Port or Cinema City.
The Revenant
Inspired by true events, The Revenant is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. Director Alejandro González Innáritu worked with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki again, and just like with Birdman, their collaboration resulted in something truly unique. The duo drags us through the wilderness, violent ambushes, and life-threatening confrontations caught in superbly orchestrated lengthy takes, with Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s score setting the mood for the (spiritual) journey of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio). The Revenant was nominated for Oscars in 12 categories, and odds are high that DiCaprio’s performance will finally win him that long-awaited golden trophy. This is We Love Budapest’s recommendation for February!
Where to watch:Original audio (English) with Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee, Aréna, Westend, Campona, MOM Park and Mammut.
For screening times go to Port or Cinema City.
Spotlight
Spotlight is a journalistic procedural thriller in which the thrills and procedure are one and the same thing. In this case, the thrill comes from connecting the dots, putting together the pieces of the puzzle – one clue leads to another, which leads to another, and during the film’s two hours, the bigger picture gradually takes shape. But what is revealed by the end credits won’t be to your liking: Spotlight focuses on the work of four reporters of the Boston Globe newspaper, who were investigating the dealings of city’s Catholic Church with almost 100 pedophile priests. Just like All The President’s Men, Tom McCarthy’s film is absolutely unostentatious, finding thrill in the anti-glamour of journalistic spadework and analogue information-trading. Add these to McCarthy’s needle-sharp screenplay, the outstanding performances of Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton, and cinematography (the film is nominated for the Best Picture award at this year’s Oscars and Baftas), and you can easily understand why it is one of the most awaited premieres of 2016.
Where to watch:Original audio (English) with Hungarian subtitles at the Hungarian cinemas.
For screening times go to Port or Cinema City.
Bonfire of the Vanities
Tom Wolfe is one of the most compelling American journalists of all time. After authoring countless articles and essays, he published his first fiction book, The Bonfire of the Vanities, in 1987. This bittersweet satire topped the charts as a bestseller, and the film rights were sold for an exorbitant sum. The film was directed by the legendary Brian De Palma, with Hungarian cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond weaving a complex yet entertaining moral web in the imagery. When we watch The Bonfire of the Vanities, the excitement is maintained by our curiosity about what the characters will do next. It’s a bizarre charade with a sour twist.
February 1, 7pm at MüPa – Palace Of Arts. Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles.
Room
Lenny Abrahamson’s adaptation of Emma Donogue’s bestselling novel about a mother (Brie Larson) who is forced to raise her child (Jacob Tremblay) in a single room is hard to shake off. The film balances between being a horror movie, a thriller, and a fairy tale about motherly love, as well as a documentary about crime and captivity; it’s a bit of all the aformentioned genres, but in the end, more than just a sum of these. It’s a heartbreaking examination on the disparity between external and internal freedom, and how the human spirit can transcend physical boundaries. And because of this universal edge, and because of the brave depiction of domestic abuse, the film can speak to everybody. It seems that after last year’s Frank, Abrahamson directed another unique and touching film that deals with universal themes. And we can’t be thankful enough for this.
Where to watch:Original audio (English) with Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee, Aréna, Westend and Mammut.
For screening times go to Port or Cinema City.
Mustang
The debut of Turkish filmmaker Deniz Gamze Ergüven is a sensitive and powerful portrait of sisterhood and burgeoning sexuality. In a remote Turkish coastal village on the Black Sea, five young sisters live under the guardianship of their grandmother and uncle following the deaths of their parents. When a neighbor witnesses the girls innocently playing on the beach, she reports this “scandalous” behavior to their guardians, who institute a tyrannical regime of both physical and emotional imprisonment. All “instruments of corruption” and pop-culture artifacts are removed from the house, girly outfits are replaced with formless brown dresses, and, following a brief escape to an all-female soccer match, bars are installed on the windows and gates erected at the home’s entrance. As the eldest sisters are subjected to virginity tests and married off one by one, the younger sisters look on in fear and resolve not to succumb to the same fate. Co-written by Ergüven and noted writer-director Alice Winocour (Disorder), Mustang is a “beautifully mounted debut … the director proves especially skilled with her cast of newcomers ...
whose powerful individualism, as well as their vibrant bond, together are perfect vessels for the script’s message,” to quote Variety.
Where to watch:Original audio (English) with Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee, Toldi, Művész, Puskin, Tabán and Mammut.
For screening times go to Port or Cinema City.
