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Weekend Movie Forecast: <em>Katyn, Eleven Minutes, Fired Up</em>

Published Feb 20, 2009

Modified Feb 20, 2009

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Katyn, the elegant historical thriller from acclaimed Polish director Andrzej Wajda, is named for a forest where the Soviets secretly murdered 15,000 Polish officers, intellectuals and professionals over a 3-day period in 1940 (during which the 14-year-old Wajda lost his own father). Heavy stuff, but riveting. The Times's A.O. Scott writes, "After the war the falsified Russian version of history was enforced by the usual police-state means. Even as the truth about Katyn continued to haunt Polesâ memories, it became, for much of the rest of the world, a hazy footnote, a symbol of Polandâs enduring historical bad luck."But Poland has at least been fortunate to have, in Mr. Wajda, a tireless, clear-sighted chronicler... He focuses on the grief and confusion of his characters, and on the ferocity with which they hold on to the dignity that history conspires to strip from them. The result is a film with a stately, deliberate quality that insulates it against sentimentality and makes it all the more devastating." — Screening at Film Forum for a limited, two week run.

John Del Signore

Published Feb 20, 2009

Modified Feb 20, 2009

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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