Reviews of Polish movies on DVD 2010-2019 by Richard J. Brzostek

Blind Date (Randka w ciemno) (2010)

Majka (Katarzyna Maciag) is a cute young woman, but awfully dumb when it comes to judging guys. She is broken hearted over an older man named Cezary (Bogoslaw Linda) that dumped her for another woman. Sure, Cezary was married, but her positive outlook overlooked such things. Majka's friends want to help her out so they enter her into a dating game show. Lucky Majka is not only selected to be on the show out of the other applicants, but is even chosen by the guy out of the two other women. Their prize is a weeklong trip to France on their blind date. It turns out the contestant is someone she already knows and doesn't like as he sets off her creep alert, so maybe she isn't so lucky after all. But Majka being who she is, starts to get charmed by him on their trip together and opens herself up to trouble.

I was able to correctly predict what will happen by only watching the first five minutes, so it is absolutely impossible to give away the plot more than the film itself does. Even the poster art for the film (DVD case cover) also gives away the story, but there is also something misleading there, so at least that builds some false expectations to throw us off a bit.

Although the package considers this movie a comedy, I do not. There was almost nothing in the movie I found funny and I only lightly chuckled once (and the person I watched it with didn't laugh at all). I would consider this a romance and a story about a woman looking for love. Overall, I think most of the story is tragic and Majka's story is a very realistic one. Her tale is so sad because there really are some women that are a poor judge of character and end up with someone who is not who they appear to be (and some guys are just so devious that they do not hesitate to do whatever it takes to fool others). But beyond the tragic part, there is the positive side to the story that you will just have to find out for yourself.

Ciacho (2010)

The story is simple and stupid. Our heroine is a female cop named Basia (Marta Zmuda) who gets framed for a crime by someone very close to her. She has always been there to protect her brothers, but now that she is in trouble, they need to help her out. So Krzys (Marcin Bosak), Dawid (Tomasz Karolak) and Karolek (Pawel Malaszynski) go out and do all sorts of crazy stuff to track down who was behind framing their sister and freeing her. They aren't tough guys by any means, so any success they have has to do with good teamwork and dumb luck.

The relatively weak story is saved a bit by the acting. The siblings are played by young Polish actors with enough talent to make the story palatable to watch, but even they cannot save us from the ridiculousness of the story. Now obviously the story is supposed to be absurd, but parts of the outlandish elements practically border on being annoying.

There are a few scenes that are very funny, so as far as a being a comedy goes, at least it delivers some laughs. And quite unexpectedly, I have to say that Ciacho is probably just as much an action film as it is a comedy. The effects with all the action were great, but again it wasn't enough to elevate the film into something greater. Trying to copy a Hollywood style movie gets us just that and nothing more.

Breakfast in Bed (Sniadanie do lozka) (2010)

Being a romantic comedy should not mean that the entire story is predictable, but unfortunately it does. It is impossible for me to give away the story, because the film does that much better than I ever could. From the first minute of the film where the main character drivers his scooter past a girl on a bicycle, you know the romance will be between them. She puts up a little resistance to him at first, as we would expect, but doesn't stand firm too long. The entire movie is undistinguished and mindless entertainment. By the end of the film I wasn't able to recall a single character's name, as they were all as unmemorable as the story.

Is it possible for some people to like this movie? Yes, I am sure some people can be mildly amused with the story, but I doubt anyone will truly think this movie is really good. The commercialism in it is really apparent - with the Bosch appliances and LOT Polish Airlines both getting a good advertisement out of it. Don't get me wrong, I like both of these companies a lot, but even someone in the audience with me made a wisecrack of what a commercial this movie is.

I used to consider Piotr Adamczyk to be one of the most talented actors in Polish film. Considering this is the third mediocre movie in a row that I watched with Adamczyk, I have realized that I can no longer expect a movie to be good just because he is in it. I will equally remember that Krzysztof Lang directed Sniadanie do lozka, but for all the wrong reasons.

Och, Karol 2 (2010)

The basic idea for Och, Karol 2 is the same as the original. While Och, Karol (1985) is directed by Roman Zaluski, the sequel is directed by Piotr Weresniak. While there are more than a few things different about the two movies, a couple of people that worked on the original production were also involved with this one. Ilona Lepkowska wrote both the original and co-wrote the sequel. The actor that played Karol in the first part (Jan Piechocinski) plays a bit part as a priest in the sequel too. It goes without saying there are a lot of bedroom scenes in Och, Karol 2, but there isn't any nudity in it at all (just a lot of women in lingerie). To some degree, Och, Karol 2 is tame compared to its predecessor as that had five nude actresses in it.

Potr Adamczyk plays Karol, the leading role. I consider Adamczyk to be one of the most talented Polish actors working in Polish cinema in the 2000s. Although there are a number of pretty ladies in this movie, the only one I was very familiar with is Malgorzata Foremniak. Unfortunately, I don't think any of the characters the ladies portray are remarkable or memorable. But a movie should be good enough to stand out and not be something a fan of a particular actor or actress would only appreciate, so Och, Karol 2 falls short, and while it is entertaining, it isn't brilliant by any means.

Och, Karol 2 explores everything but monogamy so one could say it is quite progressive or just trying to be cool by doing everything that isn't normal. While you probably will not be bored with Och, Karol 2, don't expect anything revelational too. I would say if you don't go in with high expectations, you will probably be able to tolerate it.

The Battle of Warsaw (1920 Bitwa Warszawska) (2011)

Polish director Jerzy Hoffman brings one of the world's most decisive battles to film in 1920 Bitwa Warszawska (The Battle of Warsaw). This 2011 film has special effects galore and happens to be the first Polish movie made in 3D. It evokes feelings of a historic epic and is teeming with the best Polish actors (and even a few Russian actors too).

Poland just resurfaced on the map in 1918 after 123 years of being wiped off the map by her neighbors, but trouble is never too far away. Thankfully, Poland has strong leaders like Jozef Pilsudski (Daniel Olbrychski), Jozef Haller (Jacek Poniedzialek) and Boleslaw Wieniawa-Dlugoszowski (Boguslaw Linda) that are able to defend her from the Soviet invaders that would like to see socialism across all of Europe. There only stands one thing in the way from spreading socialism across the world: Poland.

1920 Bitwa Warszawska tries to balance spoon-feeding us historical details that give the story context with the personal side of the war by showing us how the war affected the lives of a newlywed couple. Jan Krynicki (Borys Szyc) marries her girl Ola Raniewska (Natasza Urbanska) just before he is sent out to war. While the frame of the story is a romance, it doesn't develop this part of the story too greatly as there is so much other things that need to be shown. The film takes on a lot in a short amount of time, so it could have easily been at least an hour longer to develop the details in greater depth, but then some would complain the film is too long.

Jan is seemingly sympathetic to socialistic ideas, which gets him in trouble with his fellow soldiers, but ends up saving his life as well. Jan is cured of his sympathy when he sees firsthand the doubletalk and absurdity that come with socialism, convincing him that he must do everything to stop the Soviets. We see both many forms of Soviet propaganda pushing socialism and Polish patriotism that attempts to stir every emotion among its people to stand up to the coming tide of Russian assault.

Although there are many Poles apathetic to what is happening, as they would rather not mix with politics knowing that things can change too quickly and being on the wrong side means death, many do all they can to help with the ongoing war. While Ola worries for her husband's safety, she decides to help by joining the army and gives her heart and soul into defending Poland.

Blood and guts are not spared in the least, so war is by no means some glorious parade of brave men in uniform, but rather a chaotic hell in which one can loose one's life or limb at any moment. While there are many skirmishes and clashes of forces throughout the film, it really all leads up to the big fight at the end. The battle doesn't look miraculous save for its outcome, as it really is just a slaughter, with both sides having its people massacred.

Time of Honor Season Four (Czas Honoru Sezon Czwarty) (2011)

Season three of Time of Honor ended with bang, with so many of the plots and characters killed, I really wasn't certain if this serial would go another round. Although everything in the first three seasons truly built up to a climax at the conclusion of season three, there still where enough surviving characters for a reprise. For those who have been following this serial, Time of Honor Season Four (Czas Honoru Sezon Czwarty) was a pleasant surprise, but also left some questions of where the story will go next considering the way the prior season concluded.

As with the earlier seasons, the action of the story takes place in Nazi occupied Warsaw, only about two years later in 1944. Our bad boys Wladek Konarski (Jan Wieczorkowski), Janek Markiewicz (Antoni Pawlicki), Bronek Woyciechowski (Maciej Zakoscielny), and Michal Konarski (Jakub Wesolowski) are up to their old tricks in giving the Germans as many problems as their CO allows them. These AK (Armia Krajowa) Polish freedom fighters take many risks in their covert war on the Germans. But this war isn't just for the boys, as the girls also do their share of work in the war too. Lena Sajkowska (Agnieszka Wiedlocha) and Ruda (Karolina Gorczyca) carry out many tasks only a woman could get away with. And finally, there is also the German we love to hate, Obersturmfuhrer Lars Rainer (Piotr Adamczyk), who is cunning, brutal and witty. With at least five storylines going on at the same time, the action and drama doesn't allow us time to rest. The plots overlap and intersect; as some come to an end, others just begin.

Although Czas Honoru does not try to be gratuitously gross, this is ultimately a show about Would War II. Many ugly things happened during the war and as this program doesn't shy from showing them so this really isn't a show appropriate for children. The drama is only all to chilling as these kinds of things really did happen. The numerous risks the Poles take to free their land will give you goose bumps and raise your blood pressure.

As with any historical film, there will always be those who criticize it saying this is fiction and try to point out any historical inaccuracies. While I do think such an endeavor has a place, it should also not overshadow what the film brings to the table. In this case, Czas Honoru lets us see and experience the strange mix of peaceful daily life with the sudden and terrifying events of living during a war. At nearly any time a roundup or the knock at the door can mean the Germans send one away to a concentration camp or just shoot one down on the spot. I have to give this serial a lot of credit for brining attention to the historical actualities, despite having a fictional plot.

While season three ended with some doubt about the story continuing, season four doesn't end conclusively in the least. The plot is left in such a way that we cannot wait to find out where it goes next. And hopefully, it will continue at least a couple more seasons.

Los Numeros (2011)

While many women may like romantic comedies, most guys don't. In a sense, Los Numeros (2011) is a compromise as it takes the emphasis off the romance and places it on several other genres. Kuba (Leslaw Zurek) is a police officer that runs into some bad luck and is suspended from the force. But he is equally as lucky because the next day he wins the lottery. The only weird thing is that his ticket is a fake.

Kuba gets some help from his neighbor, who is secretly in love with him, and a group of undercover cops that feel bad for him in solving the mystery of the fake ticket. But these kind-hearted cops are not the vice squad tough guys, but rather the team that goes after such things as antique theft. Solving this mystery really keeps one guessing until the very end and I found the story becomes more likeable as it progresses.

The details of Los Numeros cannot be scrutinized too closely as there are more than a number of absurd things we have to accept in order for the story to work. Ridiculous stories are too common in comedies, especially weaker ones, but Los Numeros stays clear of annoying us with unlikable characters and turns out to be a fun movie.

Leslaw Zurek has become a very popular actor in Poland since 2008 after appearing in the TV series Londynczycy. Zurek has starred in a number of films and TV serials since then, and as Los Numeros testifies, he is now one of the few young stars that command the leading roles in Polish cinema. He played a very likeable character in Londynczycy and his other work that I saw are similar (which is a good move for such a young actor to remain popular).

Ryszard Zatorski is best known for directing romantic comedies such as Nigdy w zyciu! (2004) and Tylko mnie kochaj (2006). All in all, his films are relatively successful and well liked. Like his other movies, Los Numeros is essentially a romance, but it does much more. I would say the frame is a romance, but the centerpiece of this work is an action/suspense/comedy.