1/7
The Commune
Loosely based on his own childhood experiences, Thomas Vinterberg depicts a private experiment from the 1970s in his newest film, The Commune, in which community and individuality, freedom and tradition, and the promise of happiness all harbor distinct dangers. The film also reunites him with Tobias Lindholm, co-writer of his Oscar-shortlisted drama The Hunt, plus key cast members from his award-winning 1998 breakthrough film The Celebration. As far as cinematic ancestors go, Lukas Moodysson’s Together and Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm come to mind – and not just because of their jaded slant on the sexually liberated 1970s. The film stars Anna (Trine Dryrholm), a TV newscaster who is bored with her staid midlife routine, and convinces her husband Erik (Ulrich Thomsen) to turn his newly inherited family home into a commune, the film is sweet, upbeat, and entertaining, keeping things on the lighter side.
Where to watch:
Original (Danish) audio, Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Art+ Cinema, Művész Art Cinema, Puskin, Tabán, and Toldi. For screening times, go to Port.
2/7
Criminal
Adapting Flowers For Algernon into a Luc Besson-style hyperviolent spy-action movie, starring Kevin Costner as a brain-damaged, sociopathic convict implanted with the memories of a dead CIA agent with three days to unravel an international conspiracy? That sounds like the most ambitious high-concept movie we’ve seen in years. The violence is nearly constant In Ariel Vromen’s newest work, and along with Costner, it also features Gary Oldman, Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Lee Jones, and Gal Gadot, making it something like a high-endish The Expendables. Of course it is influenced by the crass spirit of the 1980s Cannon Films, and is just a bit above a series of slam-bang action setpieces, but if you have no other wish than that and/or if you love the cast, this film won’t be a letdown for you!
Where to watch:
Original (English) audio, Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Aréna and MOM Park. For screening times, go to Port or Cinema City. Premiere: May 5.
3/7
Saul Fia (Son Of Saul)
Son Of Saul is the first Hungarian film since István Szabó’s Mephisto to win the Oscar award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. And that wasn’t by accident: László Nemes’s directorial debut offers an unforgettable viewing experience as he takes us through the real horrors of the Holocaust, avoiding Spielbergian sentimentalism. According to the plot, a concentration camp inmate (Géza Röhrig) tasked with burning the dead discovers the body of his young son, and must choose between participating in the clandestine uprising being planned among the prisoners, or securing a proper Jewish burial for his child. László Nemes offers a gripping new perspective on the historical events, leaving the traditional narrative behind – and what a good decision it is! Watching Son of Saul is a challenge, but a truly rewarding one.
Where to watch:
Original (Hungarian) audio, English subtitles at Uránia on May 4, 9pm.
4/7
Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Civil War begins the next wave of Marvel movies with an action-packed superhero blockbuster boasting a decidedly non-cartoonish plot: after an incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The result? Two camps. One is led by Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) and his desire to remain free to defend humanity without any kind of interference, and another led by Tony Stark (aka Iron Man), who supports the government oversight. A civil war is unavoidable. Luckily for us, the new Captain America sequel isn’t just an action-packed extravaganza, but a thought-provoking and engaging movie – Anthony and Joe Russo did an outstandingly great job.
Where to watch:
Original (English) audio, Hungarian subtitles at the following cinemas: Allee, Aréna, WestEnd, MOM Park, Mammut and Campona. For screening times, go to Port or Cinema City. Premiere: May 5.
5/7
The Witch
Due to the high demand, the Uránia cinema will screen Robert Eggers’s intense and unnerving feature debut, The Witch, once again. Set in 1630s New England, the film is partly the story of a family torn apart by mysterious evil, but like any folk tale, its true function is to nose around deeper, murkier anxieties. Eggers draws those vexations out of hiding in all their moist, miserable glory, like dubious mushrooms unearthed from a woodland floor. A devout puritan family, led by the father, William (Ralph Ineson), is exiled from their village, and struggle to survive in their new home situated at the edge of a mysterious forest. While their faith in God is tested by the terror of the witches lurking in the woods, they fall victim to paranoia and their own personalities – suspecting that their daughter Tomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is also a witch. Genre shocks, an excellent cast, art-film style: with his first movie, Eggers brought back the life and the shiver into horror movies.
Where to watch?
Original (English) audio, optional Hungarian translation at Uránia on May 6, 9pm.
6/7
Terminator 2 – Judgment Day
After Terminator made James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger the biggest names in Hollywood, they made a sequel with an even more sweeping storyline, cutting-edge visual effects, and greater depth in th characters. Since the original time-traveling terminator didn’t manage to kill John Connor’s mother (Linda Hamilton), the second is centered around the future rebel leader during his years of teenaged juvenile delinquency – two terminators are sent back from the dystopian future to try to protect (T-800, Schwarzenegger) and destroy (T-1000, Robert Patrick) him. The follow-up wisely combined the most successful elements of its predecessor with a number of new twists and some groundbreaking effects that earned it four Oscars in the technical categories. An explosive sequel that still feels fresh today.
Where to watch:
Original (English) audio, Hungarian subtitles at Bem Cinema on May 7, 8pm.
