Horror movies are very rare in Polish cinema. Lubie Nietoperze (I Like Bats) is the type of horror movie that even those who do not like horror films can enjoy. There isn’t a lot of blood, there aren’t too many corpses and it really isn’t trying to scare you much at all. There is some creepy music, an occasion person being startled and screaming, and the general theme is about vampires, so while it is a “horror movie,” it is probably the most enjoyable one I have ever watched (I do not like horror movies, so this is my type of horror movie).

The story is a little on the bizarre side, but it is really entertaining. The story is about a pretty woman that is a vampire who falls in love with a psychiatrist that visits her aunt’s shop. It isn’t easy to get his attention, so she goes to his clinic retreat with the hope of capturing his heart or ridding herself of the bad habit of stalking men at night only to drink their blood (and life) away. To say the least, it is a very unusual story indeed.

The story does have an erotic side, fitting right in with so many other vampire stories. The mood is not only lightened by this, but also by the dark humor. Just as Polish horror movies are rare, so is finding a horror that I can honestly say is a fun movie.

I suspect that part, if not all, of Lubie Nietoperze was filmed outside of Poland. Paying attention to the small details makes one suspicious, but the billboard in the background of a highway scene confirms it. It is small and not on the screen long, so look for it.

Gwiazda Kopernika is an animated feature film about Nicolas Copernicus, one of the most famous Poles that ever lived. Copernicus was an astronomer and mathematician that changed the world with his idea that the Earth was not the center of the universe and that the Earth revolved around the sun, not the other way around.

This is a great movie for the whole family. My kids and I were very entertained with this film as it has two levels of humor. There are the simple funny things that will make kids laugh out loud when they see them and there is the more sophisticated humor that the kids don’t get but the adults will enjoy.

This cartoon is fabulous because it makes history and culture appealing to kids. Creating a story about a scholar that goes to universities to study and discusses intellectual things in an interesting way is no easy feat. There are also a few dilemmas and obstacles. Copernicus is faced with learning about astronomy or astrology, as an alchemist tries to persuade Copernicus to join him on his quest to discover the philosopher’s stone. Copernicus also falls in love with a girl, but the alchemist challenges his fate with her. The whole story isn’t strictly factual, as it also mixes in some magic such as a reoccurring dream Copernicus has showing him as a boy riding a chariot in the sky along with his father.

One thing I really like about this movie is that it reminds us that people of the day think they are so smart, but really have something wrong about what they think is the truth. In every age, people look back at those that came before them and think they were somehow backwards in some of their thinking, never realizing future generations will think the same about them. Yes, even today people think they now have everything figured out and are so much wiser than those that came before them. At least some of us know better. And who knows, some ideas of the past that are dismissed by scholars today just might turn out to be true as well.

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.

Wyjazd integracyjny (2011) is another silly Polish comedy with a plot so thin you might hardly know it exists. While the storyline is weak, I have to admit there are a number of funny parts throughout the entire movie, so there is a good chance you will find at least something funny. The cast is mostly made up of very well known Polish actors, but it is unlikely that any of them will look back at this movie and think it contributed much to their filmography. This is one to see only if you are looking for some mindless entertainment.

The story is basically about a Polish ice cream company having a client conference/retreat at a spa and things get out of hand. The owner of the ice cream company, Gwidon Nochalski (Jan Frycz) is put into a room that also was given to a reporter named Gerard Kwasniewski (Tomasz Karolak) and a beautiful model named Gabi (Katarzyna Glinka). Most of the movie is about the guys trying to impress the gal, the gal toying with the guys and those at the ice cream retreat thinking all sorts of strange things about the trio that aren't really happening.

If you are into Polish cinema, you should recognize just about everyone in this movie. Tomasz Kot plays a character that is always looking surprised and does this funny thing with his eyes to show his shock. Furthermore, Katarzyna Figura, Robert Gonera, Bartlomiej Topa and Jaroslaw Boberek also play some type of role in this film. Wyjazd intergracyjny is directed by Przemyslaw Angerman. Since directing his first film, Jak to sie robi z dziewczynami (2002), Angerman has directed a few TV serials and a TV movie. I think Wyjazd integracyjny has a similar style of humor as his directorial debut, but both are probably not worth the effort to go out of your way to watch.

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.

Och, Karol 2 is a fun movie, albeit on the stupid side. Karol is a man that sends out some type of strange signal to women that make them flock to him. While this may sound good, it leads to trouble because he can not resist any request a woman makes and just simply cannot say no to a woman. Karol is a womanizer and sex addict, so he may not be a likeable character for everyone. As a comedy it does deliver some laughs, but this is not a movie everybody is going to love.

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.

Sniadanie do lozka made me loose faith in the Polish film industry and really question the direction it is heading. For years now I have been hearing from people that live in Poland that new Polish films are senseless and are getting to the point that they are not worth watching. Watching flub after dud, I can no longer disagree with where this sentiment came from.

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.

Fenomen, the directorial debut of Tadeusz Paradowicz, isn't a sophisticated film or one that will be remembered down the road for adding to the legacy of Polish cinema. This movie wasn't made for those looking for culture or art, but rather, a break from reality. Fenomen is a Polish romantic comedy that is perfect for those seeking lighthearted entertainment. Fenomen is a movie about making a movie, which is practically a genre of Polish cinema (such as Superprodukcja, Polisz kicz project, or Wajda's classics Wszystko na sprzedaz and Czlowiek z marmuru).

Oliwia (Monika Dryl) is the daughter of a very wealthy man, but she isn't sure what to do with herself. Oliwia and her friend Agnieszka (Ewa Hornich) come up with the idea of making a movie to meet guys and pass their time. Both Oliwia and Agnieszka are very funny as they hardly have a clue. Watching a story about a group of people making a movie is always interesting. The casting, and the array of people that show up, is also amusing. It takes a little while for the details of the story to begin to make sense, so you have to be patient with this one.

The plot isn't too complicated, although it does have a lot of characters, which makes it a bit harder keeping track of who everyone is. I also thought a couple of the characters (such as the actor "Miekki" as played by Przemyslaw Cypryanski) could have been left out completely and no one would have noticed as their roles seem to be superficially tacked on and didn't add anything to the story. Romantic comedies are generally "chick flicks" and are more appealing to women than men; however, Fenomen has a number of very funny parts, so I would say guys should be able to tolerate this one fairly well. Unfortunately, Fenomen does not free itself of the predictable nature romantic comedies confine themselves with.

Ciacho is a comedy about a group of siblings that help each other. At no time do we actually take anything in this story serious. It is far too outlandish and absurd to think for a moment that any of this could actually happen. Ciacho is the type of film people watch for entertainment and to escape from reality for a couple of hours, but it isn't the kind of film everyone will enjoy.

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.

Swiety Interes is a movie about two brothers that want to make some money in a holy business deal. When Leszek Rembowski (Piotr Adamczyk) hears about his father's death, he returns home from Sweden with his black wife. Leszek and his brother Janek are only left their father's barn and its contents. In the barn is an antique car that is believed to have been owned by the Pope. The brothers hope to cash in on this holy relic to make some quick money. Janek is troubled by gambling problems and has a loan shark out to get him, so he really could use the cash.

This movie plays up on several stereotypes of Poles in just the first few minutes. Leszek's cleaning business in Sweden employs Poles (playing up on the stereotype of Polish immigrants being the cleaning crew). Leszek and his workers in Sweden end up using the doggie door to get into a house as their client didn't leave the key, but it turns out that they are at the wrong house playing up on two stereotypes: the stupid Pole and the Polish thief.

Leszek's wife Motema (Patricia Kazadi) or Mo for short, sees herself as a "citizen of the world." Mo views anyone from the Polish countryside as being backwards and boorish - ideas which I find very insulting. When Leszek and his wife Mo speak, they only talk in English and at times, I found it hard to understand them due to their accent. Mo manages only to say a few vulgar swears in Polish and that is about it.

There are some subplots that allow us to get to know a number of the villagers in the story. However, I am really not sure if they add to the story or are merely filler. The story unfolds to nearly the very end, when we finally see how all of the details come together. All in all, the movie is okay but nothing special.

While I have not cared for a number of the recent movies staring Piotr Adamczyk, this one didn't thrill me also. It isn't that his acting is bad, but rather the roles he is taking lately are quite mediocre. While I still try to hold a bit of hope that his other movies will be better, I will not hold my breath.