1/8
The Black Dahlia
At the beginning of a film, if we read the words “based on a true story”, we may harbor suspicions that the movie bears almost no relation to the truth. However, the still-unsolved 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short (aka the Black Dahlia) truly is part of America’s darker history, and while Brian De Palma’s neo-noir take on it thoroughly re-tailors the facts – already reinterpreted by James Ellroy in the novel that the film is based on – this movie will stay in the memory not because of the detective story, but for its atmosphere. One would search in vain for a happy ending to a crime story that remains unresolved. However, the visual world constructed by Vilmos Zsigmond is something we could marvel at for days.
Where to watch:
December 7, 7pm at MüPa – Palace Of Arts. Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles.
2/8
Microbe and Gasoline
One thing can certainly be said about Michael Gondry’s films: they are innovative, sweet, and special. However, since Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, he hasn’t made any really outstanding film – until Microbe and Gasoline. As The Guardian’s critic pointed out, it is basically the anti-Superbad: “a sweet, honest, and rounded portrayal of male teenage friendship that favors optimism over melancholy.” The two main characters, Théo (Théophile Baquet, aka Gasoline) and Daniel (Ange Dargent, aka Microbe) talk about sex, try to build a car using an old bedspring, and try to socialize at parties. Fans of Wes Anderson will definitely enjoy it.
Where to watch:
Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles at . For screening times, go to Port.
3/8
Secret In Their Eyes
Billy Ray’s newest film is the remake of 2010’s foreign-language Oscar winner with the same title: a smart, haunting crime thriller centered around a rape-murder investigation, that is reopened 25 years later. Now, instead of Buenos Aires, the story takes place in Los Angeles, when it was the likeliest target for a terrorist attack after 9/11. The main characters are played by A-list stars like Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor. What remains from the original is the hold-your-breath tension in the core plot. We’re okay with that.
Where to watch:
Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles at Aréna and MOM Park. For screening times, go to Port.
4/8
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
In the epic final chapter of The Hunger Games franchise, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and District 13 engage in an all-out revolution against the autocratic Capitol. As the first part focused on the manipulation of media and propaganda, it shouldn't be surprising that the second one ends with a bang, as “a real war movie”, to quote Lawrence. Death-filled traps, terrifying monsters, and devastating action scenes guarantee the emotional roller coaster, which will surely have your pulse pounding. However, before you think that this is just the finale of another block-rockin’ franchise, we remind you that The Hunger Games was always about ideas and emotions first, and according to the reviews, the ending will remind you about that.
Where to watch:
Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee, Aréna, Westend, MOM Park, Campona and Mammut. For screening times go to Port or Cinema City
5/8
Fathers and Daughters
The director of The Pursuit Of Happyness is back with another family-centered melodrama, starring Russell Crowe, Jane Fonda, and Kylie Rogers. Jake Davis (Crowe) is a single dad, who is trying to raise his daughter Katie (Kylie) while typing the book which he thinks of as his magnum opus, and fighting with his manic depression. 25 years later, Katie is a psychology student, trying to get right with her childhood and men in general, while working with a girl whose childhood was even more troubled than her own. While the acting of the two main characters is nothing else but solid and heartfelt, the poorly written dialogue holds the film back from becoming something truly outstanding.
Where to watch:
Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee and Mammut. For screening times go to Port or Cinema City
6/8
Krampus
If you’re not from Central Europe, you’ve probably wondered who the krampus is. Well, thanks to this new film balancing between being a campy horror flick and a comedy, the German anti-Santa will be world-famous soon. A half-goat-half-man demon who usually whips bad children with a bunch of birch sticks, Krampus is the star of Michael Dougherty’s newest film. The writer-director debuted with Trick ’n’ Treat, and worked on the screenplay of films like X-Men: Apocalypse, Superman Returns, X-Men 2, and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, so horror fans and freaks might just get the Christmas nightmare they’ve long been waiting for.
Where to watch:
Original audio (English) at MOM Park. For screening times go to Port or Cinema City
7/8
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
If you can use the Force, or just happen to be a rabid Star Wars fan, our guess is that you didn’t even start reading this, as you’ve already bought your ticket. If you still have doubts, listen: Luke, Leila, and Han Solo from the original trilogy by George Lucas will again appear in The Force Awakens, directed by J. J. Abrams. Its plot takes place thirty years after the Battle Of Endor, and the events portrayed in Return Of The Jedi. Luke Skywalker aims to restore the Jedi Order while Leia and Han Solo work with the New Republic against the remnants of the Galactic Empire and a new potential threat – which seems to be Kylo Ren. And might we have a new Anakin in Rey (Daisy Ridley)? But let’s not enter the realm of spoilers. It would just cause disturbance in the Force.
Where to watch:
Original audio (English) with Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee, Aréna, Westend, MOM Park, Campona and Mammut. For screening times go to Port or Cinema City
8/8
Deliverance
While this often-disturbing 1970s film by John Boorman might not be the most appropriate movie for Christmas week, this raw tale of survival against the forces of nature – and the force of brutal hillbillies living amid that nature – will certainly make viewers feel fortunate to merely be struggling with holiday-season stress. When four city slickers (played by Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox) venture into untamed terrain in the Appalachian Mountains on a machismo-soaked canoeing trip, they expect that their manhood will be tested by nature, but they (and first-time audiences) could never be prepared for the twisted ordeals that they are really in for. The film features sweeping footage of the great outdoors by world-renowned Hungarian cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond.
Where to watch:
December 21, 7pm at MüPa – Palace Of Arts. Original audio (English), Hungarian subtitles.
