voitekpendrak Reviews

Merci Bocuse (2019)

It's not an easy road to be a chef

[8/10 · 21 July 2020]

If you like cooking, this is the film for you. You get to learn a bit more what's going on behind the glamorous doors of those beautifully looking dishes. It's an art and like with every art, the final product is a result of months of preparations. This film shows well the whole process of the cooking competition. The hopes, the struggle, the disappointments and the happy moments. Overall well done. I would've loved to see more of the competition side. Meaning how other teams compared to Canadians.

Miss Multiverse - Australia (2019– )

Pretty good show about pretty and smart women.

[9/10 · 26 May 2020]

Being a fashion photographer and cinematographer myself, I had a good time watching this show. I'm so glad Yolandi didn't go the easy way and avoided glamorising and dramatizing the whole process and experience. It would be so tempting to do it though. I think she knew that it would've attracted a lot of viewers, but those viewers, I guess, wouldn't be those she would've liked to share her story with. Very down to earth and showing us all the ups and downs that we mortals have to face from time to time as well. We can easier relate to what we see on the screen. It was a good sign of good film making when during some scenes I felt quite uncomfortable seeing those girls truly struggling with some challenges they were judged for. Good choice that I'll be recommending to some of my models to watch. Nice work Yolandi!

Call for Dreams (2018)

Here's your dream........on a screen.

[9/10 · 21 May 2020]

If you ever had a fascinating dream that doesn't seem to really make sense after you wake up and then you keep thinking about it the whole day trying to understand it because it had some moments in it that you really feel should mean something to you.......then this is the on-screen representation of it. Bits and pieces, here and there, seem to gravitate towards one central point that doesn't want to stay in one place. It keeps moving until you stop applying your logic to it. I loved it. After a long and chaotic search among some big budget films on Netflix & Co that made me abandon those films after only 5 or 10 minutes, The "Call for Dreams" was like a fresh air to my desperate brain.

So worth watching. Congrats to the whole team.

Before the Dawn (2019)

Life can be complicated

[9/10 · 13 November 2019]

Well portrayed problem that many of us would not know how to deal with. I'm sure you've seen few films where the story is very similar. A teacher falls in love with a student. Here though it has yet a different angle. What gives this film authenticity are the characters. Very well played by Alana and Jared. You can't really tell whether they are acting or not. A rare observation in an indie production.

What I enjoyed the most after the movie was over is that I still run different scenarios in my head on what would've happened if Lila or Jason did this or that instead. Very engaging.

This Is Meg (2017)

It's funny because.........it's true!

[9/10 · 25 October 2019]

I started having some reservations at first but then.....I started realizing that I'm pretty much looking at many of my friends who face the same problems. I know it because I see them every week and hear the same stories. The film doesn't try to take a philosophical spin on the entertainment industry. It just simply shows us to what ludicrous extent people are willing to go to fulfil their dreams and the ludicrous extent others are going so it doesn't happen.

It's a fun film to watch where Jill-Michele does excellent job making Meg's character very believable.

Ekaj (2015)

Best film I didn't expect to like

[9/10 · 25 October 2019]

I tend to watch films from the technical point of view. I was all ready to "make-a-list-of-things-to-fix-if-it-was-me". What a surprise I got myself into when after 1h 19min I realized that I forgot to make that list. This is not really a type of film I'd normally watch but I'm glad I made this exception. I was reminded again that the story is everything in a good film. Filmed from a fly-on-the-wall perspective it shows that the director knows really well the environment and that she understands the subject matter first hand.

At times I wasn't sure whether it was a film that follows a script or a documentary. The characters were so real that sometimes I felt kind of honored to be invited to participate in their journey. And the journey is something you will keep thinking long after you finish watching the film.

I could go on and on but it's best to watch it first hand. Two thumbs up!!!

Stadium Anthems (2018)

Music Industry 101....looks like

[9/10 · 10 September 2019]

That was unexpected. Following the news about the music industry I had some images in my head that finally made it to the form that everyone can see. Thank you Stadium Anthems!!! It's absurd, 'dumbassstick' and full of relatable sarcasm. Interestingly, I kept saying to myself 'yyyyyeap' after almost every scene I watched. Nice work. Time really enjoyably spent. AND of course......the original score! It shows how many hearts went into making of this film.

Better Than Love (2019)

You think you could do it? Think again

[8/10 · 7 September 2019]

I love the films that leave me thinking long after I finished watching them. THIS is one of them. Don't ask your date to watch it with you though. Unless you are planning to spend the rest of the evening having deep discussions on what's wrong with the system and how to fix it. It's a brutal story presented in such a way that I stopped paying attention to acting or the way it was filmed. I think it all comes nicely together to make the story be the main focus. You might think you know how the film will end based on everything you've watched so far....you will be wrong. It's a roller-coaster story where you don't know at which point the wheels will come off. Two thumbs up to the writer and director!

Viral Beauty (2018)

Sad and funny story about us

[9/10 · 2 September 2019]

As much as I would like to distance myself from the theme of the film, it has a little bit of each of us. Well done. Story that will make you stay with until the end of the film. Really worth watching.

Know Your Enemy (II) (2019)

Not your predictable thriller

[8/10 · 14 July 2019]

I'm a big skeptic when it comes to the indie productions and have a tendency to look for the faults. I was in for quite a surprise how well this film is done. A big applause goes to the script writer. The story is everything in a film and here I was in for few twists I didn't expect. This film has only 3 characters and they are all just talking. On top of that, there's no music. A lot of films would go down the boredom lane with this setup after first 15 minutes but this one keeps you interested to the end. Nice work!