I love food. Just think about all the delicious meals you can choose between in every city. Personally i am a bit of an all eater, not afraid to eat different cultural food. One of my personal favourite meals is from Scotland called Haggis. This is sheep stomache, cooked and made in a traditional scotish way, reminds me of Köttfärslimpa, a traditional Swedish husmanskost mål, but with more flavor. Thai food, indian food, mexican food, i better stop talking about this, before someone might have an orgasm. Sometimes i watch cooking shows with my wife, like Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay, just to see different meals and what imngredients you can use. Speaking of Gordon Ramsay, he have a temper bigger than the Empire State Building, just look at his show Kitchen Nightmares. I am not a good cook in any way, but sometimes i try to make spicy food, because i love foreign food. My wife is a very good cook, maybe because she started learning cooking early from her mother helped her to develope her cooking abilities. Speaking of food, have you ever been fascinated to see what a chef can do with a plate ? I find it fascinating to see how much you can learn from a chef by the way he construct the meal on a plate. And this is where the new film Chef kicks in. A independent drama comedy about food, relationships, and life, by director Jon Favreau. Wait a minute, the director of Iron Man and Cowboy & Aliens makes a food film ? Yes indeed, not what you probably would expect, but he is also the lead actor in Chef also. As an actor i have seen Jon Favreau try many different genre films, and he was actually really good, in his feature film as a director, called Made. With a cast of Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr, Dustin Hoffman among others, is Chef a nice tasty flavored film in my taste, or is the food the only positive detail in this production ?
Carl Casper ( Jon Favreau ) is the head-chef of Gauloise in Brentwood, California. He have a lot of passion for cooking food, and hope to make famous food critic and blogger Ramsey Michel ( Oliver Platt ) pleased with his food once more. In the past Carl have been a praised Cook, and have great reviews. So he needs to make sure that he is still loved by the food critic, and prepare the meny. Gauloise owner Riva ( Dustin Hoffman ) does not want Carl to make his meny more modern, instead he should stick to the classic meny. Carl thinks this is a big mistake, considering that Ramsey is a legendary food critic, and he want to surprise him. Riva eventually makes his message clear, he is the restaurant owner, and he make the rules. Carl is furious. The same meny is served as Riva decided, but food critic Ramsey is not pleased and write a bad review, that is all over the internet, including on Twitter. Carl´s son Percy ( Emjay Anthony ) introduce Carl to Twitter, so he can start his own account. Carl is furious about the bad review, and decide to answer his tweet. But since he is no good with computers, he finds out everyone can read his answer, and the situation gets worse. Carl´s relationship with his son is not so good, and since he is always working. So he needs to find a way to get more time, even if Carl have so much work to do. Luckily, he have great support from his co worker, and friend Martin ( John Leguizamo ), and the hostess/manager of Gauloise, Molly ( Scarlett Johansson ). Carl have been advised that maybe he should start his own food truck, so he can Cook the food that he wants people to enjoy. At first he is skeptical, but when he understand how loved food trucks are, and the fact that he have a passion for making food his own way, he takes the chance to explore this moment.
If you love food, and don´t feel like watching Hell´s Kitchen Season 256, then Chef might actually be something you will be pleased to watch. This is both a charming story and funny at times, about trying to find your own place in the world of chefs. I would say that this is the best performance i have seen Jon Favreau do for many years, and he is a great choice as the character Carl Casper. I really enjoy seeing Dustin Hoffman back on screen again, this legendary actor can take on any role and transform his character into someone interesting. I would say that Hoffman delivers the best performance in Chef, he feels so natural on screen. One of the most important messages in this motion picture, is that if you have passion for something, never let it go. I may not have a passion for cooking myself, instead i have a passion for writing movie reviews, that will continue to grow. If you think a film about cooking could be dull, don´t worry. There is a charming feeling while you sit back, seeing the chef in action. The soundtrack is chosen to fit the good looking meals, so there is a risk you might feel hungry. Another actor that fits right in the kitchen is John Leguizamo. he is one of those actors that have been a long time in the movie industry, and i always feel happy seeing him back on screen. Chef have a simple plot, but manage to put the pieces together thanks to good acting, and a good screenplay. Complicated situations, big emotions, in a kitchen you can experience many parts of life. And with the help of good ingredients, a passion for great taste, you can make people feel better. Chef is not a very original story, but it is the essence of cooking that makes this film feel warm. To see Jon Favreau direct a different film like this, proves that he want to step outside his comfort zone. This shows he have great future ahead if he continue to make interesting stories. Chef is a nice film for all ages, and looks great as the meals are being served. The story behind Carl´s personal life works well also, since he feels like an ordinary man trying to find his own way. There is no question about it, a nice piece of meat would be nice and some wine after watching Chef, anyone want to join in ? I might have some Ron De Jeremy Rum also for those who want to taste the best.
Rating: DDD
söndag 30 november 2014
lördag 29 november 2014
Hello Ladies - The Movie
British comedians are usually the best at doing comedy. There are so many great talent comedians out there, the list would take forever to write down. But the most legendary people who got me hooked up on british comedy, is of course Monty Python. I don´t know how many times i have seen all their films, and i still keep on laughing until this day. I suppose one of the reason why Monty Pyhton always delivered so many great comedy films, is because they mixed insane subjects into ordinary life problems. And the acting of course, they were all absolutely splendid. If you have not seen Life Of Brian, the greatest religious comedy of all time, you simply have to buy it. This is one of the greatest comedy classics of all time. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have shown themselves to be a great duo, doing 4 really funny comedies together. Shaun Of The Dead is without a doubt one of the greatest horror comedies ever made. Even if The World´s End did not deliver as much classic comedy as their first film, it still had a lot of funny moments. Speaking of British comedians, have anyone of you heard British comedian Stephen Merchant on tv shows like The Ricky Gervais Show, An Idiot Abroad ? You could tell he had a talent for comedy, both on tv shows, but also doing stand up. So when i found out he would be directing a new tv comedy series on HBO, and also be the lead actor, i got really excited. The name of the tv series is Hello Ladies, a fun show about a guy who thinks he have everything, and want to date models, but the truth is he have no idea how to charm women. Stephen Merchant had a great idea for his show and did a great job to deliver a comedy show in my taste, but the audience did not find Hello Ladies, since the rating numbers were very low. Such a shame, because i have seen much worse comedy series than this. Thankfully Stephen Merchant decided that the show should not leave completely, instead he directed this movie, based on the HBO comedy series. Since i enjoyed the tv show, is this film based on the series just as funny as the show, or should they have left the series alone ?
Stuart ( Stephen Merchant ) split up with his girlfriend, and go back into the hunting for the perfect girl. As usual he brings his friend Wade ( Nate Torrence ) and Kives ( Kevin Wiseman ). One night while celebrating his best friend Jessica´s ( Christine Woods ) birthday, he gets a phone call from his ex girlfriend Trudy ( Henrietta Meire ). She is going to visit him in Los Angeles, something he is nervous about. So he decide to impress her, that he have moved on after all these years in a new relationship. Jessica support her friend Stuart, but she left Glenn ( Sean Wing ) because he was not ready for a serious relationship. Stuart still decide to hang out with Glenn, because he have big connections, and can hook him up with models. Glenn introduce Stuart to beautiful model Tatiana ( Stephanie Corneliussen ), and it seems Stuart have impressed her. The day ends with them kissing, and she agree to date him again. Stuart brags about this infront of his male friends, hoping that his ex girlfriend Trudy will be jelaous. As the day comes, Trudy arrives with her boyfriend. They visit Stuart in his home, where he prepared to make them impressed of his Hollywood lifestyle. But Tatiana never shows up, so Stuarts plan is not going very well. He begs Jessica to pretend she is his model girlfriend. She agrees, but she have some demands that he have to accept. The evening continue and Trudy and her boyfriend are impressed of Stuart´s Lifestyle, as they head off to an esclusive party. They even get to see Nicole Kidman there. The image that Staurt just builded up to impress Trudy might look good now, but can this image last much longer ?
To see the characters back as themselves, in a movie format is actually not bad. The strength of tv series Hello Ladies was that you could relate to some of the characters, especially if you grew up being a nerd as myself. In a movie format they have to try and make this work just like the tv series did. It is not as great as the first season, but i still feel that director Stephen Merchant have done a good job bringing the series into a feature film. These guys are still doing the same things that they always do, trying to pick up dates with no luck at all. The feeling of the tv show is here, Stephen Merchant is the biggest reason why this movie adaption works well. He knows how to be a nerd, who think he will get the perfect model girlfriend. I think a lot of nerd guys can relate to him, because be honest, how many guys have not dreamed of beautiful model girls, but reality is something else. You learn eventually that it is not all about the perfect body, it is all about her personality. Something that Stuart have a problem with, so you do get to laugh a lot in some scenes. Especially when he tells a woman he heard singer Bryan Adams can make a woman cum in 30 seconds, when he uses his fingers. I recommend you see the first season ( and only season ) of Hello Ladies, since it was cancelled due to low ratings. Then you will understand more about the characters, and see why they all fit together.. I really like Nate Torrence as the odd friend of Stuart, his body language and comedy timing is great, such a shame we won´t see him again in a second season. Still, as a finish to Hello Ladies, i feel that this is a worthy end. I will watch the first season again, since i found myself enjoying the story of Stuart, the desperate dating hunter. Maybe we will see Stephen Merchant in a cinema soon again, in a new comedy, i have a feeling this british actor have lots more entertainment to give the whole world.
Rating: DDD
Stuart ( Stephen Merchant ) split up with his girlfriend, and go back into the hunting for the perfect girl. As usual he brings his friend Wade ( Nate Torrence ) and Kives ( Kevin Wiseman ). One night while celebrating his best friend Jessica´s ( Christine Woods ) birthday, he gets a phone call from his ex girlfriend Trudy ( Henrietta Meire ). She is going to visit him in Los Angeles, something he is nervous about. So he decide to impress her, that he have moved on after all these years in a new relationship. Jessica support her friend Stuart, but she left Glenn ( Sean Wing ) because he was not ready for a serious relationship. Stuart still decide to hang out with Glenn, because he have big connections, and can hook him up with models. Glenn introduce Stuart to beautiful model Tatiana ( Stephanie Corneliussen ), and it seems Stuart have impressed her. The day ends with them kissing, and she agree to date him again. Stuart brags about this infront of his male friends, hoping that his ex girlfriend Trudy will be jelaous. As the day comes, Trudy arrives with her boyfriend. They visit Stuart in his home, where he prepared to make them impressed of his Hollywood lifestyle. But Tatiana never shows up, so Stuarts plan is not going very well. He begs Jessica to pretend she is his model girlfriend. She agrees, but she have some demands that he have to accept. The evening continue and Trudy and her boyfriend are impressed of Stuart´s Lifestyle, as they head off to an esclusive party. They even get to see Nicole Kidman there. The image that Staurt just builded up to impress Trudy might look good now, but can this image last much longer ?
To see the characters back as themselves, in a movie format is actually not bad. The strength of tv series Hello Ladies was that you could relate to some of the characters, especially if you grew up being a nerd as myself. In a movie format they have to try and make this work just like the tv series did. It is not as great as the first season, but i still feel that director Stephen Merchant have done a good job bringing the series into a feature film. These guys are still doing the same things that they always do, trying to pick up dates with no luck at all. The feeling of the tv show is here, Stephen Merchant is the biggest reason why this movie adaption works well. He knows how to be a nerd, who think he will get the perfect model girlfriend. I think a lot of nerd guys can relate to him, because be honest, how many guys have not dreamed of beautiful model girls, but reality is something else. You learn eventually that it is not all about the perfect body, it is all about her personality. Something that Stuart have a problem with, so you do get to laugh a lot in some scenes. Especially when he tells a woman he heard singer Bryan Adams can make a woman cum in 30 seconds, when he uses his fingers. I recommend you see the first season ( and only season ) of Hello Ladies, since it was cancelled due to low ratings. Then you will understand more about the characters, and see why they all fit together.. I really like Nate Torrence as the odd friend of Stuart, his body language and comedy timing is great, such a shame we won´t see him again in a second season. Still, as a finish to Hello Ladies, i feel that this is a worthy end. I will watch the first season again, since i found myself enjoying the story of Stuart, the desperate dating hunter. Maybe we will see Stephen Merchant in a cinema soon again, in a new comedy, i have a feeling this british actor have lots more entertainment to give the whole world.
Rating: DDD
onsdag 26 november 2014
Treehouse
Recently we all experienced Halloween weekend, a time of family dinner, trick or treat visits, kitchen knifes in your neighbours back, yes a wonderful time indeed. This weekend is becoming bigger in Sweden, everyone seems to be dressing up as your favourite killer character, or as Edward Blom, this guy is simply fantastic. At the Halloween weekend, i was actually watching Rob Zombie´s remake on Halloween, while it was showing on tv. There is nothing more cozy than some brutal kills, and corpses to make the evening feel splendid. Since this was over a month ago, i keep on checking out horror releases, since this time of year often have some nice treats. Recently i really enjoyed The Babadook, a horror film from Australia, that should find an audience. I usually try and look outside the big studio releases also, just for fun, since many horror films turn out to be better as independent releases. Not always of course, but there are good examples like Holy Ghost People. Hopefully this film will get a wider release on dvd, you can buy it on dvd from Usa, and Germany. About 3 weeks ago i stumbled across a trailer on Treehouse, a new horror film by director Michael G. Bartlett, you might have seen his previous films The Zombie Diaries, and World Of The Dead: The Zombie Diaries. Treehouse seems to be his most serious film so far, taking on a different path in the horror genre. I can´t say i enjoyed these zombie films very much, since they were typical very low budget. But when i read about his latest film Treehouse, i got curious because it seemed to be different towards his earlier work. Is this the best film so far by director Michael G. Bartlett, or does he have a long way to go Before he can become a good director ?
Killiam ( J. Michael Trautmann ) is a bully victim, who constantly get beat up. Thankfully his older brother Crawford ( Daniel Fredrick ) looks out after him, showing his bullies that no one messes with his little brother. Crawford plans to take Killiam out to the forest, so they can spend more time together, shooting fireworks. As they find a location, they notice that there is a big Treehouse up in some trees. Crawford decide to climb up to check it out, as Killiam go after. Inside the Treehouse they find a girl, her name is Elizabeth ( Dana Melanie ). Killiam recognize her face from tv, since she have been one of the missing teenagers that news channels constantly report of. She claims that there is something out there who took her brother. Crawford decide to go back to town and get help, and ask Killiam to wait in the Treehouse until he get back. Killiam try to find out what happened to Elizabeth and her brother, as he begin to see that something strange is happening in the forest. Who is behind all of this and is there a reason why teenagers are missing ?
Treehouse is really a transformation for director Michael G. Bartlett. This is a more well made film than any of his previous films, and you can tell he have worked harder to develope characters, and a script. It may not be very original, or have an important purpose, but being the best work of Bartlett, i am at least happy to see that he have tried to improve himself as a director. The best part of Treehouse is the story of the brothers Killian and Crawford, especially because Killian is a bully victim and his brother is always there for him. As they discover the girl in the Treehouse, the film takes a different turn. If you are hoping for jump scares every 5 minutes or monsters attacking, this is not the film for you. Treehouse is instead a deeper story, about making choices in life and discovering a different side of yourself. Lead actor J. Michael Trautmann is the only actor here that you can relate too, especially since i was a bully victim myself in my youth. Dana Melanie does a good performance as the missing girl Elizabeth. The biggest problem with Treehouse is not the limited budget, but the acting from some of the actors are not good. This is such a shame, because within this story there is potential, but for some reason director Michael G: Bartlett does not try hard enough to make the film more interesting. One of the scenes i see no point in, is a scene where Killian scream out to whoever is killing people in the forest, and is attacked with flying small rocks. It looks pretty silly to be honest. Treehouse could have been a good horror thriller, if details were improved. As it stands right now, we are left with a film that feels only average. I will still say that i like that director Michael G. Bartlett is trying to do more serious projects. The truth is that he still have a long way left to deliver quality, if he really want to prove his potential as a film maker. Maybe in his next film we might see a change, let´s at least hope so.
Rating: DD
Killiam ( J. Michael Trautmann ) is a bully victim, who constantly get beat up. Thankfully his older brother Crawford ( Daniel Fredrick ) looks out after him, showing his bullies that no one messes with his little brother. Crawford plans to take Killiam out to the forest, so they can spend more time together, shooting fireworks. As they find a location, they notice that there is a big Treehouse up in some trees. Crawford decide to climb up to check it out, as Killiam go after. Inside the Treehouse they find a girl, her name is Elizabeth ( Dana Melanie ). Killiam recognize her face from tv, since she have been one of the missing teenagers that news channels constantly report of. She claims that there is something out there who took her brother. Crawford decide to go back to town and get help, and ask Killiam to wait in the Treehouse until he get back. Killiam try to find out what happened to Elizabeth and her brother, as he begin to see that something strange is happening in the forest. Who is behind all of this and is there a reason why teenagers are missing ?
Treehouse is really a transformation for director Michael G. Bartlett. This is a more well made film than any of his previous films, and you can tell he have worked harder to develope characters, and a script. It may not be very original, or have an important purpose, but being the best work of Bartlett, i am at least happy to see that he have tried to improve himself as a director. The best part of Treehouse is the story of the brothers Killian and Crawford, especially because Killian is a bully victim and his brother is always there for him. As they discover the girl in the Treehouse, the film takes a different turn. If you are hoping for jump scares every 5 minutes or monsters attacking, this is not the film for you. Treehouse is instead a deeper story, about making choices in life and discovering a different side of yourself. Lead actor J. Michael Trautmann is the only actor here that you can relate too, especially since i was a bully victim myself in my youth. Dana Melanie does a good performance as the missing girl Elizabeth. The biggest problem with Treehouse is not the limited budget, but the acting from some of the actors are not good. This is such a shame, because within this story there is potential, but for some reason director Michael G: Bartlett does not try hard enough to make the film more interesting. One of the scenes i see no point in, is a scene where Killian scream out to whoever is killing people in the forest, and is attacked with flying small rocks. It looks pretty silly to be honest. Treehouse could have been a good horror thriller, if details were improved. As it stands right now, we are left with a film that feels only average. I will still say that i like that director Michael G. Bartlett is trying to do more serious projects. The truth is that he still have a long way left to deliver quality, if he really want to prove his potential as a film maker. Maybe in his next film we might see a change, let´s at least hope so.
Rating: DD
onsdag 19 november 2014
Gone Girl
If you would go back 10 years from now, there was a time when everyone was making fun of Ben Affleck. Especially from his performance in Gigli with Jennifer Lopez. This could have killed his film career, and most people probably though he would never come back. But in 2006, both ctritics and the audience were shocked to see Affleck do a great performance in Hollywoodland. My personal opinion is that Ben Affleck´s best performance so far can be seen in The Town, a very emotional crime drama thriller, directed by Ben Affleck. The scenery of his hometown Boston fit perfect in the plot. Just 2 years after, he delivers again with Argo, based on the true story about U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operative Tony Mendez, who helped 6 diplomats escape from Tehran, Iraq, during the kidnappings in 1979-1981. Ben Affleck directed this time also, and he proved to everyone why he is both a really talented actor and a really good director. People were slowly beginning to understand that Affleck had something special inside of his personality. Director David Fincher is a legendary director, most known for his classic motion pictures Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network among others. One of my personal favourite movies by David Fincher is of course Seven, one of the best thrillers of the 90´s. If i had to choose another film, i would choose Zodiac. This thriller based on the San Fransisco serial killer between the 60´s and 70´s is one of the best thrillers i have seen in many years. Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey, Jr did both splendid as journalists trying to find out the truth. This is a must have on blu ray, so run down and buy yourself a copy. When i read that director David Fincher was going back to the thriller genre, i got really excited. Especially when i read Ben Affleck was the lead actor, i was hoping this combination would turn out as good as i was hoping. Is Gone Girl another classic by this legendary director, or is this one of the mistakes that Fincher should not have decided to make ?
It is the fifth wedding anniversary day between Nick Dunne ( Ben Affleck ) and Amy Elliott-Dunne ( Rosmaund Park ). As Nick arrive at their home on their anniversary day, Amy is nowhere to be found. A glass table is broken, and there is no sign of Amys body. Police is contacted and an investigation is ready to begin. Amy is the beloved author of Children books Amazing Amy, and she is loved by many friends and family members. Nick is already seen as the guilty one, as if he knows what happened to Amy. Detective Rhonda Boney ( Kim Dickens ) finds evidence that suggest the couple had economical problems, but that´s not all. There is also evidence that Amy was pregnant, something Nick denies have any knowledge of. As the investigation continues to find out what happened to Amy, new clues is about to come forward that everything might not be as simple as it seemed.
I realise that some people might not agree with what i am about to say, so i choose to say it anyway. The first hour of Gone Girl is simply boring. This does not mean it is a bad first hour, it is just so drawn out that i wished Ben Affleck could show more anger, and show his emotions more. You are supposed to think for yourself why he is not showing more emotions, and at this moment i think it would have been nice to see some deeper emotions about the situation. If my wife would be kidnapped, i don´t know how i would deal with the situation, if i could eat, or get any sleep. On that emotional level i feel that director David Fincher should have digged deeper, and shown us more darkness. But the best is about to come. The last hour shifts over to a completely different motion picture. Everything you thought could have happened is the complete opposite, and this is where Gone Girl becomes much better. And this is all thanks to Rosamund Pike. Her acting abilities really explode here, i have never seen her this good so far in a motion picture. She is the biggest reason why you should see Gone Girl, simply outstanding. Ben Affleck is good, no doubt about that, but not on the same level as in The Town or as in Argo. This means we could have had something more powerful from his performance, and he does not start to show it until the last hour, while the film is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Gone Girl is a fascinating thriller, in a genre that have been done many times. But what makes this one different is the complete turn, with a different plot you would not expect. This proofs why David Fincher is such a talented director, he knows what he wants, and when he delivers he makes sure you feel it. I would still say that Seven and Zodiac are better thrillers, still this is a solid film with very good performances. With a more intensive beginning, and a deeper portrait of Ben Afflecks character, i would have given a higher rating. Still i feel this is a film worth watching, with a very good ending ( how often does that happen ? ). I was hoping Gone Girl would knock me out of joy, the final results does not reach that high, but i still enjoyed myself, especially the final hour. David Fincher have still got it, i am already looking forward to his next project.
Rating: DDD
It is the fifth wedding anniversary day between Nick Dunne ( Ben Affleck ) and Amy Elliott-Dunne ( Rosmaund Park ). As Nick arrive at their home on their anniversary day, Amy is nowhere to be found. A glass table is broken, and there is no sign of Amys body. Police is contacted and an investigation is ready to begin. Amy is the beloved author of Children books Amazing Amy, and she is loved by many friends and family members. Nick is already seen as the guilty one, as if he knows what happened to Amy. Detective Rhonda Boney ( Kim Dickens ) finds evidence that suggest the couple had economical problems, but that´s not all. There is also evidence that Amy was pregnant, something Nick denies have any knowledge of. As the investigation continues to find out what happened to Amy, new clues is about to come forward that everything might not be as simple as it seemed.
I realise that some people might not agree with what i am about to say, so i choose to say it anyway. The first hour of Gone Girl is simply boring. This does not mean it is a bad first hour, it is just so drawn out that i wished Ben Affleck could show more anger, and show his emotions more. You are supposed to think for yourself why he is not showing more emotions, and at this moment i think it would have been nice to see some deeper emotions about the situation. If my wife would be kidnapped, i don´t know how i would deal with the situation, if i could eat, or get any sleep. On that emotional level i feel that director David Fincher should have digged deeper, and shown us more darkness. But the best is about to come. The last hour shifts over to a completely different motion picture. Everything you thought could have happened is the complete opposite, and this is where Gone Girl becomes much better. And this is all thanks to Rosamund Pike. Her acting abilities really explode here, i have never seen her this good so far in a motion picture. She is the biggest reason why you should see Gone Girl, simply outstanding. Ben Affleck is good, no doubt about that, but not on the same level as in The Town or as in Argo. This means we could have had something more powerful from his performance, and he does not start to show it until the last hour, while the film is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Gone Girl is a fascinating thriller, in a genre that have been done many times. But what makes this one different is the complete turn, with a different plot you would not expect. This proofs why David Fincher is such a talented director, he knows what he wants, and when he delivers he makes sure you feel it. I would still say that Seven and Zodiac are better thrillers, still this is a solid film with very good performances. With a more intensive beginning, and a deeper portrait of Ben Afflecks character, i would have given a higher rating. Still i feel this is a film worth watching, with a very good ending ( how often does that happen ? ). I was hoping Gone Girl would knock me out of joy, the final results does not reach that high, but i still enjoyed myself, especially the final hour. David Fincher have still got it, i am already looking forward to his next project.
Rating: DDD
The November Man
If Pierce Brosnan would not have accepted to become James Bond in Goldeneye, his career would probably look different today. I would imagine most people in my age have seen his classic tv series Remington Steele, or perhaps remember his performance in the classic 80´s thriller The Fourth Protocol. To see him and Michael Caine on screen was a great combination, and even if the film is 27 years old, there is still a nostalgic feeling of a classic british spy thriller. As he ended his James Bond career in 2002 with Die Another Day, he took the chance to try many different genres in motion pictures. One of the best choices he made was to be a part of Roman Polanskis thriller The Ghost Writer. This was a great comeback for Roman Polanski after his remake of Oliver Twist. I was surprised to see Brosnan show up in the sci fi comedy World´s End, a really funny british comedy. If you have not seen it, i suggest you rent it. Brosnan is one of those actors who try and mix his film genres, and i think that is important so you don´t get stuck in the same pattern. Remember Hugh Grant ? The November Man is a new spy action thriller, based on the novel Bill Granger. This film is actually directed by Roger Donaldson, who also worked with Pierce Brosnan in the 90´s film Dante´s Peak. With these 2 veterans working together again, in a new thriller, is this a combination that fits perfect together, or did Brosnan make better films in his earlier career than this ?
CIA Officer Peter Devereaux ( Pierce Brosnan ) retires from the agency in 2008, after his partner David Mason ( Luke Bracey ) disobeys orders from Devereaux on a mission. He is ordered not to fire his sniper rifle while protecting a US Ambassador in Montenegro. David still take the shot at the assassin, and accidently kill a Young girl by mistake. Peter Devereaux is furious, and resign right away. He retires in Switzerland, opening a coffee shop. One day Peter's former boss, John Hanley ( Bill Smitrovich ) seeks up Devereaux, asking him to help them do one more mission. John wants Deveraux to extract a deep cover CIA operative from Russia, Natalia Ulanova ( Mediha Musliovic ). Natalia works in secret as the aide of presidential candidate and former Russian Army General Arkady Fedorov ( Lazar Ristovski ). There is proof from a witness, that Federov is a war criminal. Natalia need to pass this information on, and she manage to break inside Federov´s personal safe, containing information of a young girl that could give them further details on Federov´s crimes. As Federov return he notice someone have opened his safe, and set the alarm going. Natalia have already escaped the building but is followed by Federov´s men. She was supposed to be protected by David Mason´s team, but Devereaux picks her up to make sure she is safe. Natalia reveal the name of the witness, Mira Filipova ( Olga Kurylenko ). Devereaux calls up Masons team with the name, as David understand Devereaux is working on this case also. CIA station chief Perry Weinstein ( Will Patton ) give the order to Mason to kill Natalia, and he manage to do so at a location with Devereaux, where he use his sniper rifle. Devereaux is trying to manipulate Mason, but there are more problems along the way. Assassin Alexa ( Amila Terzimehić ) arrives to Belgrade, where she is given the mission to kill refugee case worker Alice Fournier, also known as Mira Filipova. She is expected to meet NY times reporter Edgar Simpson ( Patrick Kennedy ) in a restaurant giving him information on Federov. Alexa track Alice down, and is just about to kill her, but Devereaux stops the assassination. Federov will not stop until Alice is dead, but is there someone else behind this operation ?
After doing some more serious choices lately in drama motion pictures, and comedy, it feels good to see Pierce Brosnan back in a thriller genre. He fits just great as the retired CIA officer, who agree to do one more mission. The November Man feels like a throwback to classic thrillers in the same feeling as Patriot Games, with Harrison Ford. There is plenty of solid action scenes, but the story is also good enough to feel interested in. Director Roger Donaldson did direct a very good thriller in the 80´s that you might remember. No Way Out with Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young. This film proved why he could make a great thriller on an intelligent plot, without using too many cliché ingredients. The November Man may not reach the same level as No Way Out, but the combination of classic CIA operations and good acting from Pierce Brosnan makes it all worth your time. Luke Bracey have only been acting in a few motion pictures so far, but this is his best performance from an acting perspective. I like the fast tempo between takes, once the chase is on. There are a few scenes that feels very similar to many other spy thrillers, like director Roger Donaldson run out of ideas and filled in with some details, just to finish the scene. I would have wanted some more surprises in the plot instead, it would have made The November Man even better. Still, as an action thriller, this is a film that keeps the tempo and the feeling of classic spy thrillers. There are rumours that Pierce Brosnan might be joining the team in The Expendabes 4, if it is possible i think he could bring both charm and toughness from his James Bond films. We will have to see if Stallone himself confirm the new cast, but Brosnan knows how to entertain. The November Man is a proof of that.
Rating: DDD
CIA Officer Peter Devereaux ( Pierce Brosnan ) retires from the agency in 2008, after his partner David Mason ( Luke Bracey ) disobeys orders from Devereaux on a mission. He is ordered not to fire his sniper rifle while protecting a US Ambassador in Montenegro. David still take the shot at the assassin, and accidently kill a Young girl by mistake. Peter Devereaux is furious, and resign right away. He retires in Switzerland, opening a coffee shop. One day Peter's former boss, John Hanley ( Bill Smitrovich ) seeks up Devereaux, asking him to help them do one more mission. John wants Deveraux to extract a deep cover CIA operative from Russia, Natalia Ulanova ( Mediha Musliovic ). Natalia works in secret as the aide of presidential candidate and former Russian Army General Arkady Fedorov ( Lazar Ristovski ). There is proof from a witness, that Federov is a war criminal. Natalia need to pass this information on, and she manage to break inside Federov´s personal safe, containing information of a young girl that could give them further details on Federov´s crimes. As Federov return he notice someone have opened his safe, and set the alarm going. Natalia have already escaped the building but is followed by Federov´s men. She was supposed to be protected by David Mason´s team, but Devereaux picks her up to make sure she is safe. Natalia reveal the name of the witness, Mira Filipova ( Olga Kurylenko ). Devereaux calls up Masons team with the name, as David understand Devereaux is working on this case also. CIA station chief Perry Weinstein ( Will Patton ) give the order to Mason to kill Natalia, and he manage to do so at a location with Devereaux, where he use his sniper rifle. Devereaux is trying to manipulate Mason, but there are more problems along the way. Assassin Alexa ( Amila Terzimehić ) arrives to Belgrade, where she is given the mission to kill refugee case worker Alice Fournier, also known as Mira Filipova. She is expected to meet NY times reporter Edgar Simpson ( Patrick Kennedy ) in a restaurant giving him information on Federov. Alexa track Alice down, and is just about to kill her, but Devereaux stops the assassination. Federov will not stop until Alice is dead, but is there someone else behind this operation ?
After doing some more serious choices lately in drama motion pictures, and comedy, it feels good to see Pierce Brosnan back in a thriller genre. He fits just great as the retired CIA officer, who agree to do one more mission. The November Man feels like a throwback to classic thrillers in the same feeling as Patriot Games, with Harrison Ford. There is plenty of solid action scenes, but the story is also good enough to feel interested in. Director Roger Donaldson did direct a very good thriller in the 80´s that you might remember. No Way Out with Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young. This film proved why he could make a great thriller on an intelligent plot, without using too many cliché ingredients. The November Man may not reach the same level as No Way Out, but the combination of classic CIA operations and good acting from Pierce Brosnan makes it all worth your time. Luke Bracey have only been acting in a few motion pictures so far, but this is his best performance from an acting perspective. I like the fast tempo between takes, once the chase is on. There are a few scenes that feels very similar to many other spy thrillers, like director Roger Donaldson run out of ideas and filled in with some details, just to finish the scene. I would have wanted some more surprises in the plot instead, it would have made The November Man even better. Still, as an action thriller, this is a film that keeps the tempo and the feeling of classic spy thrillers. There are rumours that Pierce Brosnan might be joining the team in The Expendabes 4, if it is possible i think he could bring both charm and toughness from his James Bond films. We will have to see if Stallone himself confirm the new cast, but Brosnan knows how to entertain. The November Man is a proof of that.
Rating: DDD
måndag 17 november 2014
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
If someone would ask you, what 90´s film do you consider to be a cult classic ? I would count up a lot of titles, including Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction of course, but there is a film that had a wild and crazy combination, that worked very well. I realise some people may not agree on this, but From Dusk Till Dawn is a classic cult film from the 90´s, by legendary director Robert Rodriguez. With the combination of George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, fighting against vampires in a strip bar in Mexico, it had everything you would want in a sunday church matinee. Sure, everything was over the top, blood everywhere, body parts exploding, naked girls, big weapons, and a great Texas soundtrack. I would still say that this combination made From Dusk Til Dawn such a blast, and i can watch this film still today and love it, almost 20 years ago. Robert Rodriguez is a director known for combining action and horror in many different elements, mostly action since he started with the early film El Mariachi. It was a fun debut feature film, with a low budget, that had a charming way of showing mexican violence. But it was the remake, Desperado in 1995, that gave Rodriguez recognition as a director. Antonio Banderas as the mariachi, a murder machine, is also a cult film and a must have in your blu ray collect. Over the years Robert Rodriguez have continued to direct a lot of action films, and he did find a different project with Sin City, a film based on Frank Miller´s graphic novel series. This was a collaboration with Frank Miller, since they both helped directing the feature film. The results were astounding, a really cool adaptation of the graphic novel series, with an amazing cast, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Elijah Wood, Jessica Alba, Powers Booth, Rutger Hauer, and many more. It was almost like watching a comic book coming to life with very powerful performances. So now 10 years later we have a sequel, after lots of speculations when it was coming out. Both directors Robert Rodriquez and Frank Miller are back as directors. With some of the original cast members from the first film, we have new actors on board like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Stacy Keach, Jeremy Piven, Ray Liotta and many more. Since i loved the first film, is this sequel just what we were hoping for, or should you avoid this one at all cost ?
Marv ( Mickey Rourke ) wakes up on a highway, finding himself surrounded by several dead young men and a crashed police car. He have no memory of what happened or how he got here. Since it is Saturday, he begin to retrace that he was at the Kadie's Saloon, watching Nancy Callahan ( Jessica Alba ) doing her dance number. As he walks outside he encounters four rich frat boys, burning a homeless man. The leader of the frat boys shoot Marv, calling him " Bernini Boy ", but he is only injured. Marv begin to hunt these frat boys down, stealing a police car and manage to locate them in the neighborhood The Projects. Marv grab the leader and ask him why he called him " Bernini Boy ", and the boy answers thats the name of his coat. Marv slit the boys throat. Johnny ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ) arrives in Sin City, a cocky gambler who head towards Kadie's Saloon. Johnny talks to the waitress Marcie ( Julie Garner ), asking her to be his luck for this evening, when he decide to play poker inside the private area of powerful Senator Roark ( Powers Boothe ). Senator Roark agree that Johnny can play at the table. When Johnny ends up winning, Senator Roark is shocked and furious he lost. One of the other players, the corrupt police lieutenant Liebowitz ( Jude Ciccolella ) warns Johnny that he should leave town. Instead, Johnny take Marcie out for some fun in town. As he walk Marcie home, 2 guys attack John, but he beat them both down. He tell Marcie to wait for him at a hotel. A limousine drives up towards Johnny, Senator Roark wants to have a talk with him. He orders his guards to break 2 of his fingers, and toss him out off the car. Senator Roark shoot Johnny in the leg, and says he recognize him as his illegitimate son. He leaves Johnny on the streets, to suffer. Johnny will get his revenge. Dwight McCarthy ( Josh Brolin ) is trying to put the past behind him, working as an private detective. He saves the life of a young hooker, who is almost murdered by business man Joey ( Ray Liotta ). Suddenly Dwight get a phone call from his former lover Ava Lord ( Eva Green ). She wants to see him again and talk, even if she left him for 4 years. They meet up at Kadie's saloon. She begs Dwight to forgive her for leaving him, before her private chauffeur, Manute ( Dennis Haysbert ) arrives to pick her up. Dwight can´t get her out of his mind, so decide to sneak into Damian Lord's estate, but he is discovered and beaten up by guards. Back in his home, Ava awaits underessed. Dwight try and throw her out but end up making love to her. She tell him that Damian Lord ( Marton Csokas ) and Manute torture her physically and mentally. Manute arrives at Dwights home, beats him and and toss him out a window. Dwight believe Ava is in danger, so get Marv to help him go into the Damian Lord´s estate. Dwight confront Damian and beat him to death, as Ava appear and shoot Dwight several times. Marv realise Dwight is in serious condition and escape with Dwight. As detectives Mort ( Christopher Meloni ) and Bob ( Jeremy Piven ) arrive to the crime scene, Dwight is seen as the primal suspect. Ava try and make it sound like Dwight is responsible for everything, while she is innocent. When Dwight is back on his feet, he will get his revenge on Ava. Johnny visits the unlicensed doctor Kroenig ( Christopher Lloyd ), who is addicted to heroin. He makes a trade, for Johnnys last money and his shoes. Remembering he left Marcie to wait at the hotel, as he arrives he finds Senator Roark have killed her, but he let him go. Johnny have to play against Roark again at the poker table, so he manage to gather a dollar from waitress Bertha ( Lady Gaga ). With this dollar he manage to win some more money on slots machines to play at the poker table. Roark let him play once more time. After a hard battle of personal issues between father and son, Roark shoot Johnny in the head, telling his guards to dump the body. Stripper Nancy want to kill Roark, because he is the reason of John Hartigan's ( Bruce Willis ) selfless suicide. Nancy ask Marv to help her kill Roark, she will not stop until he is wasted.
Sequels are hard to do, especially if it is a sequel to a film in the same calibre as Sin City. I did not really know what to think Before i started watching Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. I just hoped that it would deliver almost on the same level as the first film. So is this a worthy sequel ? Yes, and no. You see, i like this sequel, but to say it is as good as the first Sin City is not possible. I realise that 10 years have gone, and that´s a long time to make a sequel on. But i feel that directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller still manage to capture the feeling of Sin City. There are many nice looking scenes here, and the violence is always brutal, just the way it should be. I would have wanted a stronger plot here, since the first film managed to both look cool, and still have a solid storyline. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For feels more simple, and maybe a bit too predictable in some scenes. Still i am not disappointed with everything in the final results. The acting from Powers Boothe is really good in this old noir styled thriller. I wish we could see him in other films more often, he have such a great screen presence. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great performance as the tough gambler, who runs out of luck. I enjoy seeing Ray Liotta here, he may not have much screen time, but he knows how to develope his characters. Josh Brolin is without a doubt one of my favourite characters in here, as the rough, depressed Dwight McCarthy. If you enjoyed the style and the comic book feeling of the first film, you might enjoy this sequel also. The dark depressing feeling is still here, and you get a sense that nobody is really happy about anything. This makes the true feeling of Sin City still stay. There is no hope, there is no real future, that´s why i like these Sin City films, everything is not wonderful in life. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For have some problems, but i found myself having a good time watching this crazy world of insane people. I read recently that this film is one of the biggest box office bombs of this summer, maybe people got tired waiting for so long and did not care of the release. I still have a feeling that you might want to see this sequel for what it is, a stylish noir thriller. The world of Sin City is a place i would not want to live in, but visiting is always fun. The violence, the dark city and the women, it all makes sense why you love this town.
Rating: DDD
Marv ( Mickey Rourke ) wakes up on a highway, finding himself surrounded by several dead young men and a crashed police car. He have no memory of what happened or how he got here. Since it is Saturday, he begin to retrace that he was at the Kadie's Saloon, watching Nancy Callahan ( Jessica Alba ) doing her dance number. As he walks outside he encounters four rich frat boys, burning a homeless man. The leader of the frat boys shoot Marv, calling him " Bernini Boy ", but he is only injured. Marv begin to hunt these frat boys down, stealing a police car and manage to locate them in the neighborhood The Projects. Marv grab the leader and ask him why he called him " Bernini Boy ", and the boy answers thats the name of his coat. Marv slit the boys throat. Johnny ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ) arrives in Sin City, a cocky gambler who head towards Kadie's Saloon. Johnny talks to the waitress Marcie ( Julie Garner ), asking her to be his luck for this evening, when he decide to play poker inside the private area of powerful Senator Roark ( Powers Boothe ). Senator Roark agree that Johnny can play at the table. When Johnny ends up winning, Senator Roark is shocked and furious he lost. One of the other players, the corrupt police lieutenant Liebowitz ( Jude Ciccolella ) warns Johnny that he should leave town. Instead, Johnny take Marcie out for some fun in town. As he walk Marcie home, 2 guys attack John, but he beat them both down. He tell Marcie to wait for him at a hotel. A limousine drives up towards Johnny, Senator Roark wants to have a talk with him. He orders his guards to break 2 of his fingers, and toss him out off the car. Senator Roark shoot Johnny in the leg, and says he recognize him as his illegitimate son. He leaves Johnny on the streets, to suffer. Johnny will get his revenge. Dwight McCarthy ( Josh Brolin ) is trying to put the past behind him, working as an private detective. He saves the life of a young hooker, who is almost murdered by business man Joey ( Ray Liotta ). Suddenly Dwight get a phone call from his former lover Ava Lord ( Eva Green ). She wants to see him again and talk, even if she left him for 4 years. They meet up at Kadie's saloon. She begs Dwight to forgive her for leaving him, before her private chauffeur, Manute ( Dennis Haysbert ) arrives to pick her up. Dwight can´t get her out of his mind, so decide to sneak into Damian Lord's estate, but he is discovered and beaten up by guards. Back in his home, Ava awaits underessed. Dwight try and throw her out but end up making love to her. She tell him that Damian Lord ( Marton Csokas ) and Manute torture her physically and mentally. Manute arrives at Dwights home, beats him and and toss him out a window. Dwight believe Ava is in danger, so get Marv to help him go into the Damian Lord´s estate. Dwight confront Damian and beat him to death, as Ava appear and shoot Dwight several times. Marv realise Dwight is in serious condition and escape with Dwight. As detectives Mort ( Christopher Meloni ) and Bob ( Jeremy Piven ) arrive to the crime scene, Dwight is seen as the primal suspect. Ava try and make it sound like Dwight is responsible for everything, while she is innocent. When Dwight is back on his feet, he will get his revenge on Ava. Johnny visits the unlicensed doctor Kroenig ( Christopher Lloyd ), who is addicted to heroin. He makes a trade, for Johnnys last money and his shoes. Remembering he left Marcie to wait at the hotel, as he arrives he finds Senator Roark have killed her, but he let him go. Johnny have to play against Roark again at the poker table, so he manage to gather a dollar from waitress Bertha ( Lady Gaga ). With this dollar he manage to win some more money on slots machines to play at the poker table. Roark let him play once more time. After a hard battle of personal issues between father and son, Roark shoot Johnny in the head, telling his guards to dump the body. Stripper Nancy want to kill Roark, because he is the reason of John Hartigan's ( Bruce Willis ) selfless suicide. Nancy ask Marv to help her kill Roark, she will not stop until he is wasted.
Sequels are hard to do, especially if it is a sequel to a film in the same calibre as Sin City. I did not really know what to think Before i started watching Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. I just hoped that it would deliver almost on the same level as the first film. So is this a worthy sequel ? Yes, and no. You see, i like this sequel, but to say it is as good as the first Sin City is not possible. I realise that 10 years have gone, and that´s a long time to make a sequel on. But i feel that directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller still manage to capture the feeling of Sin City. There are many nice looking scenes here, and the violence is always brutal, just the way it should be. I would have wanted a stronger plot here, since the first film managed to both look cool, and still have a solid storyline. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For feels more simple, and maybe a bit too predictable in some scenes. Still i am not disappointed with everything in the final results. The acting from Powers Boothe is really good in this old noir styled thriller. I wish we could see him in other films more often, he have such a great screen presence. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a great performance as the tough gambler, who runs out of luck. I enjoy seeing Ray Liotta here, he may not have much screen time, but he knows how to develope his characters. Josh Brolin is without a doubt one of my favourite characters in here, as the rough, depressed Dwight McCarthy. If you enjoyed the style and the comic book feeling of the first film, you might enjoy this sequel also. The dark depressing feeling is still here, and you get a sense that nobody is really happy about anything. This makes the true feeling of Sin City still stay. There is no hope, there is no real future, that´s why i like these Sin City films, everything is not wonderful in life. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For have some problems, but i found myself having a good time watching this crazy world of insane people. I read recently that this film is one of the biggest box office bombs of this summer, maybe people got tired waiting for so long and did not care of the release. I still have a feeling that you might want to see this sequel for what it is, a stylish noir thriller. The world of Sin City is a place i would not want to live in, but visiting is always fun. The violence, the dark city and the women, it all makes sense why you love this town.
Rating: DDD
fredag 14 november 2014
Goal Of The Dead
Football, one of the biggest sports worldwide. No matter what team you cheer on, or what league you follow, there will always be a passion for football. Does this mean the same passion as swedes have for Ron De Jeremy Rum ? Yes, i guess you could say we love both of these subjects, and together it is a perfect combination. I can´t say i know a lot about french football. If someone would say France, i would think of a drunk Gerard Depardieau, great food, and of course the brilliant musician Sebastien Tellier. Wine is of course world famous from french wine makers, but let us think for a moment. French movies have actually delivered a lot of great films for many years, especially french action films and thriller films. They are really instensive and very well directed. One of my personal favourite french films is The Crimson Rivers, a psychological thriller with Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. If you have not seen this one, i can easily recommend it. When it comes to french horror films, we have seen some interesting releases, like the very disturbed film Inside. I would also recommend Frontier ( s ), Another very disturbing french horror film that is very affective. When it comes to zombie films, i can´t really say i have seen that much from France, except for La Horde, a great zombie action film. Maybe the genre will grow with Goal Of The Dead. a zombie horror comedy combined with football. With 2 directors, Benjamin Rocher ( director of La Horde also ) and Thierry Poiraud ( mostly directed short films so far ), they both directed Goal Of The Dead together, and i was curious to see if football could be a fun element in this genre. Is this a fresh take on the zombie genre, or should they have skipped the football idea completely and made a different film ?
The Olympique de Paris soccer squad team, is travelling towards the small town of Caplongue. This is the hometown of legendary football player Sam Lorit ( Alban Lenoir ), who is going back after 17 years away to play in other football clubs. The locals of Caplongue see Sam Lorit as a traitor to leave his hometown´s football club, for a Paris club. But still the game is going to be as planned, and Sam is excited to be back. On the bus is the latest football talent Idriss Diago ( Ahmed Sylla ), who seems himself to be the star of the team. Sam tries to avoid this young mans ego personality and focus on his game plan. Suddenly out on the highway, their bus is hit by something large. A huge stain of blood is on the front, but nothing can bee seen lying on the highway. So the team decide to continue their trip. But one of the players is left out in the Woods, since he went to take a leak, and he is attacked by an infected man. Suddenly an epidemic begin to grow towards the town of Caplongue. The team arrive to town and head towards the arena. The Caplongue folks scream awful things to Sam, and he is very dissapointed as he walks into the arena. He thought they would be happy to see him back. The match begins and it turns out to be a hard battle. Sam accidently lands on an oppisite team player, who injure himself. Sam is ordered to leave the game, but Sam realise this is already planned since he is not welcome back to his hometown. So he destroys memories and pictures near the dressing room, furious how he is treated. Outside on the field, something strange is going on. A very fast player is running out, attacking everyone on the game field. Suddenly both players and the audience is infected becoming zombies. Sam head towards a bar to drink his sadness away, where his only fan Cleo ( Tiphaine Daviot ) is also located. Suddenly they also discover the whole town is infected. What started this infection and is there a way out ?
If you are hoping to see beautiful landscapes, people laughing over a glass of wine from Per Moberg, this is definetley the wrong place to be. Goal Of The Dead is a fun combination of sports action horror comedy, all mixed into one blender. I like the idea of trying different ingredients in a genre that sometimes feels worn out. Thankfully directors Benjamin Rocher and Thierry Poiraud try and spice things upp with some surprises along the way. If you are not a football fan, don´t worry, there are plenty of scenes where no football is played. It is fun to see zombies puke out galons of white substance to infect people, instead of biting them. I also like the idea of a zombie invasion in a small town in the countryside. I only have one problem with Goal Of The Dead. Since this is supposed to be a horror comedy, i feel that some comedy scenes falls pretty flat sometimes. There are some funny scenes, but not enough to call this a funny zombie film. One of the highlights must be when a whole crowd is puking all over each other and become infected, i just could not stop laughing. I would probably say that the action scenes and the zombie attacks works better, that makes this film worth seeing. The acting is actually not bad, especially from lead actor Alban Lenoir. Once the game ends in chaos, and the town is infected, be prepared to enjoy some great intensive zombie scenes. Goal Of The Dead is not as good as La Horde ( The 2009 zombie action film by director Benjamin Rocher ), but i still find myself having a good time. There is plenty enough of classic ingredients for zombie lovers to find themselves enjoying this combination of sport and zombie invasion. Goal Of The Dead may not be a winner, but this is definetely a zombie film for us who love B movies and cat get enough of well made zombie invasions. Anyone want to shoot some football on zombies at Norrporten Arena ? Let´s just tie them up first in the goal, and whoever shoot of their heads first gets a free drink, great prize right ?
Rating: DDD
The Olympique de Paris soccer squad team, is travelling towards the small town of Caplongue. This is the hometown of legendary football player Sam Lorit ( Alban Lenoir ), who is going back after 17 years away to play in other football clubs. The locals of Caplongue see Sam Lorit as a traitor to leave his hometown´s football club, for a Paris club. But still the game is going to be as planned, and Sam is excited to be back. On the bus is the latest football talent Idriss Diago ( Ahmed Sylla ), who seems himself to be the star of the team. Sam tries to avoid this young mans ego personality and focus on his game plan. Suddenly out on the highway, their bus is hit by something large. A huge stain of blood is on the front, but nothing can bee seen lying on the highway. So the team decide to continue their trip. But one of the players is left out in the Woods, since he went to take a leak, and he is attacked by an infected man. Suddenly an epidemic begin to grow towards the town of Caplongue. The team arrive to town and head towards the arena. The Caplongue folks scream awful things to Sam, and he is very dissapointed as he walks into the arena. He thought they would be happy to see him back. The match begins and it turns out to be a hard battle. Sam accidently lands on an oppisite team player, who injure himself. Sam is ordered to leave the game, but Sam realise this is already planned since he is not welcome back to his hometown. So he destroys memories and pictures near the dressing room, furious how he is treated. Outside on the field, something strange is going on. A very fast player is running out, attacking everyone on the game field. Suddenly both players and the audience is infected becoming zombies. Sam head towards a bar to drink his sadness away, where his only fan Cleo ( Tiphaine Daviot ) is also located. Suddenly they also discover the whole town is infected. What started this infection and is there a way out ?
If you are hoping to see beautiful landscapes, people laughing over a glass of wine from Per Moberg, this is definetley the wrong place to be. Goal Of The Dead is a fun combination of sports action horror comedy, all mixed into one blender. I like the idea of trying different ingredients in a genre that sometimes feels worn out. Thankfully directors Benjamin Rocher and Thierry Poiraud try and spice things upp with some surprises along the way. If you are not a football fan, don´t worry, there are plenty of scenes where no football is played. It is fun to see zombies puke out galons of white substance to infect people, instead of biting them. I also like the idea of a zombie invasion in a small town in the countryside. I only have one problem with Goal Of The Dead. Since this is supposed to be a horror comedy, i feel that some comedy scenes falls pretty flat sometimes. There are some funny scenes, but not enough to call this a funny zombie film. One of the highlights must be when a whole crowd is puking all over each other and become infected, i just could not stop laughing. I would probably say that the action scenes and the zombie attacks works better, that makes this film worth seeing. The acting is actually not bad, especially from lead actor Alban Lenoir. Once the game ends in chaos, and the town is infected, be prepared to enjoy some great intensive zombie scenes. Goal Of The Dead is not as good as La Horde ( The 2009 zombie action film by director Benjamin Rocher ), but i still find myself having a good time. There is plenty enough of classic ingredients for zombie lovers to find themselves enjoying this combination of sport and zombie invasion. Goal Of The Dead may not be a winner, but this is definetely a zombie film for us who love B movies and cat get enough of well made zombie invasions. Anyone want to shoot some football on zombies at Norrporten Arena ? Let´s just tie them up first in the goal, and whoever shoot of their heads first gets a free drink, great prize right ?
Rating: DDD
A Walk Among The Tombstones
I think we understood ever since 2008, if anyone of you mess with Liam Neeson, or any of his family members, be prepared to have 256 broken bones, and possible 56 bullets in your body, within the next 4 minutes. Liam Neeson is a bad ass man, and no one should ever mess with him. I have an idea, why not send Liam Neeson down to Ukraine and let him beat up russians ? Yeah, that sounds like a really great Fredagsmys. Taken became a huge box office hit in 2008, and you could easily understand why. It had all the great classic action ingredients you wanted, i could imagine he even made the ladies moist in the cinema seats. I think it is easy to forget that Liam Neeson have done some Amazing performances for many years, most of you must remember him in Schindler´s List, Darkman ( one of the greatest 90´s action films ), The Grey and many more titles. He is known for trying all kind of different genre motion Pictures and have proved himself to be a high quality actor. One film that i can imagine many people don´t remember is a film called Michael Collins, based on the irish patriot and revolutionary legend, was a interesting biogrophical film by director Neil Jordan. If you have not seen it, i recommend you should, it shows why Liam Neeson is such a great actor, to keep his irish roots alive on the big screen. Since Taken came out, we have seen quite many action films, and thrillers from Liam Neeson released. Some drama productions also of course, but he seems to know the audience like to see him be a hard macho man. A Walk Among The Tombstones seems to go outside that comfort zone, as Liam Neeson plays a private detective in a different character. Director Scott Frank is mostly known as a writer for films like Get Shorty, Out Of Sight and Minority Report. He did direct the 2007 thriller The Lookout, with a young Joseph Gordon-Lewitt. It became a boz office bomb, but some of the film critics enjoyed the story. Now he is back with a brand new film, and with Liam Neeson in the lead role, i was curious to see if we would get something unexpected. Is this walk among the tombstones a nice surprise in the thriller genre, or should the script have been buried underneath the tombstones ?
In Manhattan, 1991, Matthew Scudder an off-duty NYPD officer, sitting at a bar. Suddenly he is caught up in a robbery at the bar, and tries to hunt down the criminals Scudder shoot down both robbers, but by mistake one of the bullets hit a 4 year old girl, and kill her instantly. Scudder ends his police career, since he feel so much anger for what happened. 8 years pass by, and Scudder is working as an private detective instead. He still continue going to AA meetings, to make sure he never begin to drink again. One night, while having some food and coffee in a restaurant, Scudder is approached by a brother of a man named Kenny Kristo ( Dan Stevens ). He informs that drug kingpin Kenny Kristo wants to meet him. Not knowing why Kenny want to see him, he agrees to go and find out. Kenny tell Scrudder that his wife have been kidnapped, and even if he paid the ransom. the kidnappers killed his wife and cut her up into pieces. Kenny want the kidnappers dead, and he will pay Scrudder a good amount of money if he gets the job done. Scrudder needs the money so agree to take this case. At the local library, Scrudder tries to find out some information by local news papers, where he meet young adolescent named TJ ( Brian " Astro " Bradley ). Since Scudder is no good with technology, TJ helps him out. TJ becomes interested in Scrudder´s investigation, and decide to help him. After doing some research by informers, Scrudder finally have a name to follow up, Ray ( David Harbour ). Sources say he is most likely going to try and kindap another woman soon, so Scruddler needs to locate where Ray is, and make sure he will never harm anyone again.
I really enjoy a lot of releases from Liam Neeson, because he usually knows where he fits in, especially in action films or thrillers. A Walk Among The Tombstones is more of a crime thriller drama, that starts off quite good. Then, for quite a long time it becomes a very slow investigation. This is such a shame, because it is not Liam Neesons fault, he is the only reason why i found myself watching this detective story. Even if he is not as good as he can be, like in the first Taken film, he at least tries to make his character interesting. The biggest problem is that the case itself is not very interesting. Even if this is about a kidnapped woman, you never really feel disturbed about the case, and you should feel that knowing a woman is kidnapped. A lot of scenes are dragged out by interviews, and it feels like it does not help the investigation anyway, so i would rather see Liam Neeson kick ass once again. I understand why director Scott Frank choosed to cast Liam in a different kind of story, than we are used to see him in. I like the idea of seeing him as a private detective in a more dramatic role, he just don´t work very well in this lazy storyline. If you want to make the audience feel interested in a case, make sure they can feel the intensive search of the kidnapper. I just can´t feel that feeling here. In just a few scenes we do get some good action, but not enough to lift the story anywhere. I like the young man Brian " Astro " Bradley who decide to help Liam during his investigation, their scenes together are actually quite funny. Overall there is not much i can say i enjoyed with A Walk Among The Tombstones. It is good Liam Neeson tried to do a different character than the last films he made, but i think he would have needed another director in his hands to show his real acting quality. Not a waste of your time, but there are plenty of better choices if you want to see Liam Neeson do a different character. I suggest you rent The Grey instead.
Rating: DD
In Manhattan, 1991, Matthew Scudder an off-duty NYPD officer, sitting at a bar. Suddenly he is caught up in a robbery at the bar, and tries to hunt down the criminals Scudder shoot down both robbers, but by mistake one of the bullets hit a 4 year old girl, and kill her instantly. Scudder ends his police career, since he feel so much anger for what happened. 8 years pass by, and Scudder is working as an private detective instead. He still continue going to AA meetings, to make sure he never begin to drink again. One night, while having some food and coffee in a restaurant, Scudder is approached by a brother of a man named Kenny Kristo ( Dan Stevens ). He informs that drug kingpin Kenny Kristo wants to meet him. Not knowing why Kenny want to see him, he agrees to go and find out. Kenny tell Scrudder that his wife have been kidnapped, and even if he paid the ransom. the kidnappers killed his wife and cut her up into pieces. Kenny want the kidnappers dead, and he will pay Scrudder a good amount of money if he gets the job done. Scrudder needs the money so agree to take this case. At the local library, Scrudder tries to find out some information by local news papers, where he meet young adolescent named TJ ( Brian " Astro " Bradley ). Since Scudder is no good with technology, TJ helps him out. TJ becomes interested in Scrudder´s investigation, and decide to help him. After doing some research by informers, Scrudder finally have a name to follow up, Ray ( David Harbour ). Sources say he is most likely going to try and kindap another woman soon, so Scruddler needs to locate where Ray is, and make sure he will never harm anyone again.
I really enjoy a lot of releases from Liam Neeson, because he usually knows where he fits in, especially in action films or thrillers. A Walk Among The Tombstones is more of a crime thriller drama, that starts off quite good. Then, for quite a long time it becomes a very slow investigation. This is such a shame, because it is not Liam Neesons fault, he is the only reason why i found myself watching this detective story. Even if he is not as good as he can be, like in the first Taken film, he at least tries to make his character interesting. The biggest problem is that the case itself is not very interesting. Even if this is about a kidnapped woman, you never really feel disturbed about the case, and you should feel that knowing a woman is kidnapped. A lot of scenes are dragged out by interviews, and it feels like it does not help the investigation anyway, so i would rather see Liam Neeson kick ass once again. I understand why director Scott Frank choosed to cast Liam in a different kind of story, than we are used to see him in. I like the idea of seeing him as a private detective in a more dramatic role, he just don´t work very well in this lazy storyline. If you want to make the audience feel interested in a case, make sure they can feel the intensive search of the kidnapper. I just can´t feel that feeling here. In just a few scenes we do get some good action, but not enough to lift the story anywhere. I like the young man Brian " Astro " Bradley who decide to help Liam during his investigation, their scenes together are actually quite funny. Overall there is not much i can say i enjoyed with A Walk Among The Tombstones. It is good Liam Neeson tried to do a different character than the last films he made, but i think he would have needed another director in his hands to show his real acting quality. Not a waste of your time, but there are plenty of better choices if you want to see Liam Neeson do a different character. I suggest you rent The Grey instead.
Rating: DD
lördag 8 november 2014
The Babadook
Australian motion pictures is mostly forgotten when people talk about films. I think that is a shame, because Australia have delivered some classic releases like Mad Max, Razorback, Wolf Creek and many more titles. Should i not mention Crocodile Dundee ? Sure, as a comedy it is a classic, but i prefer many other titles before this one. Have anyone of you seen Rogue ? Hopefully, if you have not i suggest you go out and rent it. Australia is known for making great horror films, i did mention Wolf Creek earlier. This film became one of my favourite horror releases in 2005, showing a different side of the australian landscape. The brutality and very disturbing footage from director Greg McLean, proved to work very well to the grindhouse feeling. There was a sequel released ( i have written a review on this one earlier this year ), Wolf Creek 2, and it was not as strong as the first film. I still enjoyed seeing butcher Mick back on screen. Have you ever been scared by a children´s book ? I can´t remember really if i ever was, i might have been, but have you read The Babadook ? This book may seem to be for children, but it is not. The story of the Babadook is a very dark tale, that is said to bring out the fear in all of us. When i found out that director Jennifer Kent ( mostly known as an actor ), was bringing this dark story into a feature film, i was actually really happy. She also wrote the story, so i was curious to see if she could bring this tale to life. Actress Essie Davis, known for her character in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, is the lead actor here, in a very different character than what we are used to see her do. Is this new australian horror film exactly what we needed in a genre that feels predictable, or is this something you should not waste your time on ?
Amelia ( Essie Davis ) is a single mother, living with her only son Samuel ( Noah Wiseman ). Her husband Oskar ( Benjamin Winspear ) died in a car accident, and ever since she lost her husband she is depressed. Samuel is a very demanding child, who want attention all the time. Amelia´s female friends does not like Samuel, and she can not be very social because of this. Samuel loves to learn magic tricks, so he practice everyday to learn to become a magician. Problems become quite obvious when Samuel´s school contact Amelia, since Samuel have used weapons in school, that could be very dangerous. Samuel does not understand what he have done wrong, so he continue to discover new ways to use his weapons. Amelia forbid him to use these weapons anymore, because he needs to learn to listen. One night when Amelia is reading a story for Samuel, she picks out a book called The Babadook. The story of a figure called The Babadook is very dark, and evil, and for each page it seems to become too much for Amelia to handle. She decide to leave this book alone, even if Samuel is very fascinated in the story. For some reason, strange things begin to happen ever since Amelia started to read this book, as if The Babadook is for real. Samuel seems to have seen him, but is he real, and if so, what does he want ?
Yes Yes Yes :D :D :D
The Babadook is such a powerful and emotional horror film, i simply find myself loving this story. The acting is really top quality, and i am so surprised how well made this is for a horror film, based on a children´s book, that is actually not for children. Director Jennifer Kent have made one of this years best horror films, she is such a talented horror director i am quite shocked how well she managed to make this story become a feature film. Lead actress Essie Davis is absolutely brilliant as the depressed mother Amelia, she is actually so good that everytime she have screen time, i felt her anger, her sadness, in such a powerful way i did not want to stop looking. To capture that feeling as an actor is not easy, and i really hope she will win an award for her performance. The little boy Samuel, played by young actor Noah Wiseman, is brilliant as the disturbed boy, who loves magic tricks, and is obsessed in the story of the babadook. You won´t see a lot of blood and gore, but the horror is so disturbed mentally, we don´t need the usual ingredients to make the story interesting. As you follow the mother and son on their personal journey with emotions, you are left to decide if the badabook really exist, or if there is something else going on. I love different twists and intelligent structure of a film, when you have absolutely no idea what will happen. The Badabook is definetely something you need to experience, if you love horror films with a disturbing view on the human mind. Last year i loved The Conjuring, this year i can honestly say The Badabook is the best horror film of 2014. Someone give Essie Davis an academy award for best female actor, she really deserves to win for this incredible performance. I recently heard someone saying that Mama is one of the best horror films ever made, this person needs therapy, right now. A really good horror film does not need special effects, a very strong plot can make all the difference.
Rating: DDDD
Amelia ( Essie Davis ) is a single mother, living with her only son Samuel ( Noah Wiseman ). Her husband Oskar ( Benjamin Winspear ) died in a car accident, and ever since she lost her husband she is depressed. Samuel is a very demanding child, who want attention all the time. Amelia´s female friends does not like Samuel, and she can not be very social because of this. Samuel loves to learn magic tricks, so he practice everyday to learn to become a magician. Problems become quite obvious when Samuel´s school contact Amelia, since Samuel have used weapons in school, that could be very dangerous. Samuel does not understand what he have done wrong, so he continue to discover new ways to use his weapons. Amelia forbid him to use these weapons anymore, because he needs to learn to listen. One night when Amelia is reading a story for Samuel, she picks out a book called The Babadook. The story of a figure called The Babadook is very dark, and evil, and for each page it seems to become too much for Amelia to handle. She decide to leave this book alone, even if Samuel is very fascinated in the story. For some reason, strange things begin to happen ever since Amelia started to read this book, as if The Babadook is for real. Samuel seems to have seen him, but is he real, and if so, what does he want ?
Yes Yes Yes :D :D :D
The Babadook is such a powerful and emotional horror film, i simply find myself loving this story. The acting is really top quality, and i am so surprised how well made this is for a horror film, based on a children´s book, that is actually not for children. Director Jennifer Kent have made one of this years best horror films, she is such a talented horror director i am quite shocked how well she managed to make this story become a feature film. Lead actress Essie Davis is absolutely brilliant as the depressed mother Amelia, she is actually so good that everytime she have screen time, i felt her anger, her sadness, in such a powerful way i did not want to stop looking. To capture that feeling as an actor is not easy, and i really hope she will win an award for her performance. The little boy Samuel, played by young actor Noah Wiseman, is brilliant as the disturbed boy, who loves magic tricks, and is obsessed in the story of the babadook. You won´t see a lot of blood and gore, but the horror is so disturbed mentally, we don´t need the usual ingredients to make the story interesting. As you follow the mother and son on their personal journey with emotions, you are left to decide if the badabook really exist, or if there is something else going on. I love different twists and intelligent structure of a film, when you have absolutely no idea what will happen. The Badabook is definetely something you need to experience, if you love horror films with a disturbing view on the human mind. Last year i loved The Conjuring, this year i can honestly say The Badabook is the best horror film of 2014. Someone give Essie Davis an academy award for best female actor, she really deserves to win for this incredible performance. I recently heard someone saying that Mama is one of the best horror films ever made, this person needs therapy, right now. A really good horror film does not need special effects, a very strong plot can make all the difference.
Rating: DDDD
tisdag 4 november 2014
The Maze Runner
When i grew up in the 80´s, there was a film that our generation of teenagers loved. It was called The Goonies. A story of young teenagers trying to find the treasure of One Eyed Willy, became a hugue box office success. This was 1985, almost 30 years ago. Ever since The Goonies lots of teenage action films have been released in all kinds of stories. Some of you might remember Toy Soldier from 1991 ? No matter what kind of teenage action film you enjoyed, there was something for everyone. I would probably even mention Small Soldiers from 1998, in a sense this was a teenage action film, but it also had influences from saturday morning cartoons. Times have changed and this genre is not as popular anymore, as it used to be in the 80´s and 90´s. Nowdays it seems that teenage vampire movies like Twilight find a bigger audience, and i still don´t understand why. Is it because of the romance ? No, i think it is because these teens who love these films simply have a really bad taste. Am i rude ? Probably, but i am being honest. We did get something better this year for the teenage audience with Divergent, a mixture of teenage action and sci fi that worked pretty well. And of course we have The Hunger Games, with 2 good films released so far. The Maze Runner is based on a novel by author James Dashner. This is his first novel in the series, diveded into 5 novels. I have not read any of these books, i simply discovered The Maze Runner through a trailer release. Not knowing almost nothing at all about the story, i decided to go and see it in the cinema. Is the first film The Maze Runner a great start from the 5 novels, or should they never have made a film adaption of the first novel at all ?
Thomas ( Dylan O´Brien ) wakes up in an elevator, taking him to a strange location. He have no idea how he got in here, or why he is travelling in this elevator. As he arrive to the surface, the gates open and he finds himself in a place called Glade. Here he meets other teenagers who live here, in a forest area, trying to survive with hard work and no way out. Thomas finds out the elevator sends supplies to them, along with new people sometimes. The Glade leader Alby ( Aml Ameen ) tries to explain how life is supposed to work here, and teach Thomas the rules. Thomas is curious about the big stone walls located in the Glade, with a gate opening into a maze. This is forbidden ground, and only those who are called Runners are aloud to enter inside the maze. Thomas become good friend with Chuck ( Blake Cooper ), as they enjoy themselves at a party, celebrating the new member Thomas. One day as Thomas is gathering supplies in the forest, he is attacked by one of the Runners, named Ben ( Chris Sheffield ). But something seems wrong with him, he have been stung by a Riever, a beast that is inside the maze. Thomas finds out there is supposed to be a way out of Glade, if you find the right gate in the maze. But he is not allowed to go in there. Glade´s enforcer Gally ( Will Poulter ) is very strict about the rules, and does not like that Thomas is curious to find a way out. Another teenager arrives from the elevator, Teresa ( Kaya Scodelario ), the only girl so far who arrived to Glade. Thomas suddenly get flashbacks, as if he could remember seeing Teresa from somewhere else. Why are they placed here in Glade ? Who is responsible for this ? And is it possible to get out of the maze ?
I did not expect to find myself in this situation. But i actually enjoyed The Maze Runner for what this is, a teenage action adventure film. And this is actually a quite well made motion picture also. The best surprise is that the acting is great, from many of the young cast actors, they really try and give a performance that fit this genre. Director Wes Ball, have only directed short films in the past, he also worked with visual effects on british film Beginners. The Maze Runner is his feature film as an director, and i have to say he did a good job bringing the novel to life. I would not say everything works, but i am still surprised how well made The Maze Runner is. This film actually reminded me of the classic 60´s film Lord Of The Flies, where a group of young buys are stuck on an Island and have to learn to survive. I enjoyed the remake even more from 1990, and this version is said to be more made as the book was written. I have not read the novel based on The Maze Runner, but as the first film based on the first book, i feel this is a good start. One of the actors i really feel pull this off great is Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who you might remember from Game Of Thrones. For his young age, he have a talent to find his character and you can feel his presence on screen. Will Poulter also delivers a strong performance , as the selfish and agressive Gally, who thinks he knows what is right and wrong in all situations. This might be scary for very young people, since there are some scenes that have some creepy moments in the maze. For people between 11 - 15, i have a feeling you will love this. And i am 37.....am i even supposed to be here ? What the hell, im young in my mind i suppose, and maybe that´s why i had a good time with The Maze Runner. Anyone want to run in a maze with me ? No ? Boring bastards.
Rating: DDD
Thomas ( Dylan O´Brien ) wakes up in an elevator, taking him to a strange location. He have no idea how he got in here, or why he is travelling in this elevator. As he arrive to the surface, the gates open and he finds himself in a place called Glade. Here he meets other teenagers who live here, in a forest area, trying to survive with hard work and no way out. Thomas finds out the elevator sends supplies to them, along with new people sometimes. The Glade leader Alby ( Aml Ameen ) tries to explain how life is supposed to work here, and teach Thomas the rules. Thomas is curious about the big stone walls located in the Glade, with a gate opening into a maze. This is forbidden ground, and only those who are called Runners are aloud to enter inside the maze. Thomas become good friend with Chuck ( Blake Cooper ), as they enjoy themselves at a party, celebrating the new member Thomas. One day as Thomas is gathering supplies in the forest, he is attacked by one of the Runners, named Ben ( Chris Sheffield ). But something seems wrong with him, he have been stung by a Riever, a beast that is inside the maze. Thomas finds out there is supposed to be a way out of Glade, if you find the right gate in the maze. But he is not allowed to go in there. Glade´s enforcer Gally ( Will Poulter ) is very strict about the rules, and does not like that Thomas is curious to find a way out. Another teenager arrives from the elevator, Teresa ( Kaya Scodelario ), the only girl so far who arrived to Glade. Thomas suddenly get flashbacks, as if he could remember seeing Teresa from somewhere else. Why are they placed here in Glade ? Who is responsible for this ? And is it possible to get out of the maze ?
I did not expect to find myself in this situation. But i actually enjoyed The Maze Runner for what this is, a teenage action adventure film. And this is actually a quite well made motion picture also. The best surprise is that the acting is great, from many of the young cast actors, they really try and give a performance that fit this genre. Director Wes Ball, have only directed short films in the past, he also worked with visual effects on british film Beginners. The Maze Runner is his feature film as an director, and i have to say he did a good job bringing the novel to life. I would not say everything works, but i am still surprised how well made The Maze Runner is. This film actually reminded me of the classic 60´s film Lord Of The Flies, where a group of young buys are stuck on an Island and have to learn to survive. I enjoyed the remake even more from 1990, and this version is said to be more made as the book was written. I have not read the novel based on The Maze Runner, but as the first film based on the first book, i feel this is a good start. One of the actors i really feel pull this off great is Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who you might remember from Game Of Thrones. For his young age, he have a talent to find his character and you can feel his presence on screen. Will Poulter also delivers a strong performance , as the selfish and agressive Gally, who thinks he knows what is right and wrong in all situations. This might be scary for very young people, since there are some scenes that have some creepy moments in the maze. For people between 11 - 15, i have a feeling you will love this. And i am 37.....am i even supposed to be here ? What the hell, im young in my mind i suppose, and maybe that´s why i had a good time with The Maze Runner. Anyone want to run in a maze with me ? No ? Boring bastards.
Rating: DDD
måndag 3 november 2014
V/H/S:Viral
I love intelligent horror films, especially if they are made in a unique way. There are plenty of titles who show how great horror can be made, with the right director. Found footage horror is one of those genres who have become very popular for many years. I am not sure if V/H/S can be placed in this category, but there are elements in the stories the first film delivered. V/H/S showed how different directors could make a story, based on different VHS tapes. The first film had some great short stories, i really enjoyed one of them called Amateur Night. The scene where the invited woman become a flesh eating beast looks great, and feels really creepy. Overall V/H/S delivered horror quality, and proved to have an intelligent combination. When the sequel V/H/S/2 landed, i was totally blown away. This sequel is even better than the first film, and had some of the greatest short film stories so far.The story called Safe Haven is one of the best short film horror stories i have ever seen, i am honest. This story is so good you will be shocked how disturbed this religious cult is. I also enjoyed the story called A Ride In The Park, a zombie invasion in a forest area, that goes absolutely insane. V/H/S/2 had both better stories, better acting and a much darker tone in each story. So when i heard the news of V/H/S:Viral is coming out, i was really excited. With new directors on board this time, and with some changes made since the second film, is this third film exactly what we ere hoping for, or is this a sequel that never should have been made at all ?
3 VHS tapes, with 3 different stories are found, and for some reason they were supposed to be found.
Dante The Great
A magician known as Dante The Great always make sure to entertain the audience, with the help of his magic mantle. The mantle can do tricks that no other magician would be able to do, but it demands human sacrifices, otherwise it won´t do Dante´s magic shows. Dante need to find victims, in any way he can.
Parallell Monsters
A man named Alfonso completed working on a gate, that can open the door to another world. It seems that here he have a copy of himself, who´s name is also Alfonso. They visit each other and try to connect with each other. They cross each others worlds, to see the differences. But are they really the same person, or is Alfonso actually someone else ?
Bonestorm
3 guys are filming their skateboard tricks with cameras placed in different directions. At a skateboard area, one of them end up in a fight and get kicked out. So, the guys decide to head towards a ditch in Tijuana, to finish their skatebord film tricks. They find strange satanic symbols on the ground. Suddenly a strange looking woman shows up, tearing one of the boys arms off. From all corners strange cult members shows up for no reason, the boys need to find a way out to survive.
Since i loved the first 2 films, i was really hyped about this third film. Unfortunately, this third film is bad compared to the previous films. Not so bad that i would call this an awful horror sequel, still there are plenty of problems here. The stories feel uninspired, not very interesting, and the flying scene with a magician and a girl, feels like watching Christopher Lambert fighting in Highlander 2 - The Quickening, where he fights a flying guy with sword. The difference here in V/H/S:Viral is that they fly around with magic powers. A silly idea. I am so dissapointed that they ruined V/H/S: Viral, since the previous films had so much to give storywise. I realised it might be hard to make this film better than V/H/S/2, since it was even better than the first film. But this is not a worthy sequel though, and i really hope they fix things up, if they decide to make a fouth one. Is there anything positive about V/H/S:Viral ? The only positive change is that they tried to use the VHS tape scene different, where they find all the VHS tapes filmed with murdered people. Anything else ? No, not really. There are way too many flaws here that should have been corrected while the screenplay was being made, including the script. Some of the special effects may look ok in some scenes, but that´s not enough to make a V/H/S sequel in the same quality as the previous films. One of the biggest dissapointments for mer personally this year. V/H/S:Viral will remain a mystery to me, why was it made like this ? If you respect the first 2 great films, do not see this one. It is not worthy your time, buy V/H/S/2 instead, and see how real quality horror is made.
Rating: DD
3 VHS tapes, with 3 different stories are found, and for some reason they were supposed to be found.
Dante The Great
A magician known as Dante The Great always make sure to entertain the audience, with the help of his magic mantle. The mantle can do tricks that no other magician would be able to do, but it demands human sacrifices, otherwise it won´t do Dante´s magic shows. Dante need to find victims, in any way he can.
Parallell Monsters
A man named Alfonso completed working on a gate, that can open the door to another world. It seems that here he have a copy of himself, who´s name is also Alfonso. They visit each other and try to connect with each other. They cross each others worlds, to see the differences. But are they really the same person, or is Alfonso actually someone else ?
Bonestorm
3 guys are filming their skateboard tricks with cameras placed in different directions. At a skateboard area, one of them end up in a fight and get kicked out. So, the guys decide to head towards a ditch in Tijuana, to finish their skatebord film tricks. They find strange satanic symbols on the ground. Suddenly a strange looking woman shows up, tearing one of the boys arms off. From all corners strange cult members shows up for no reason, the boys need to find a way out to survive.
Since i loved the first 2 films, i was really hyped about this third film. Unfortunately, this third film is bad compared to the previous films. Not so bad that i would call this an awful horror sequel, still there are plenty of problems here. The stories feel uninspired, not very interesting, and the flying scene with a magician and a girl, feels like watching Christopher Lambert fighting in Highlander 2 - The Quickening, where he fights a flying guy with sword. The difference here in V/H/S:Viral is that they fly around with magic powers. A silly idea. I am so dissapointed that they ruined V/H/S: Viral, since the previous films had so much to give storywise. I realised it might be hard to make this film better than V/H/S/2, since it was even better than the first film. But this is not a worthy sequel though, and i really hope they fix things up, if they decide to make a fouth one. Is there anything positive about V/H/S:Viral ? The only positive change is that they tried to use the VHS tape scene different, where they find all the VHS tapes filmed with murdered people. Anything else ? No, not really. There are way too many flaws here that should have been corrected while the screenplay was being made, including the script. Some of the special effects may look ok in some scenes, but that´s not enough to make a V/H/S sequel in the same quality as the previous films. One of the biggest dissapointments for mer personally this year. V/H/S:Viral will remain a mystery to me, why was it made like this ? If you respect the first 2 great films, do not see this one. It is not worthy your time, buy V/H/S/2 instead, and see how real quality horror is made.
Rating: DD
Extraterrestrial
In my family, we have many who belive in aliens and ghosts, so i heard stories that would probably be on the bestseller lists of novels, if they were published. Do i belive there is another life form out there in space ? There probably is, maybe not the grey aliens who land here and do experiments on us, more of a life form that could be found in water, or underneath the surface. Since i am no expert in this area, i can only guess, the experts are probably much better at explaining what is out there. Alien motion pictures are popular, ever since we first got to see classics fróm the 50´s and 60´s. To be honest, i don´t think we had a really good alien film until 1979, when Ridley Scott released Alien. A sci film movie that is still one of the biggest favourites among sci fi fans. I do like the Steven Spielberg classic Encounters Of The Third kind also, maybe one of the greatest alien abduction films ever made. Aliens are presented in many different forms, and formations in the world of movies. You might even remember the 80´s classic Critters ? No matter what kind of aliens you enjoy most, there is something for everyone in this category to find in dvd stores. Aliens abducting humans is a classic ingredient in many motion pictures. One of my personal favourite films in this category is a film from 1993, called Fire In The Sky. Really good acting, and great special effects for a low budget film. If you have not seen it, i suggest you take a look, should be able to find it on amazon or some other dvd stores online. Not that long ago, a sci fi horror film came out under the name Dark Skies, an abduction sci fi horror film, directed by Scott Stewart ( known for his previous films Legion and Priest ). I enjoyed the story of a family being watched by aliens, and found this story to work, even if some details felt very cliché. Extraterrestrial follows in the abduction genre, from director Colin Minihan, only this time we found ourselves in the countryside. Is this a sci fi horror film that will please fans of Encounters Of The Third Kind, or is this another sci fi release that will soon be forgotten ?
April ( Brittany Allen ) and her boyfriend Kyle ( Freddie Stroma ) are going on a weekend trip to Aprils parents summer house in the countryside. But Kyle have not told April, that he invited some of their friends to spend the weekend with them. Not happy about the situation, April agree to let them go along. In the summer cabin, the party begins and everyone is having a great time. Suddenly that night, something big in the sky crashes into a forest area. The whole gang go out to see what is going on. As they arrive to the location, they see an UFO have crashed, and see strange footsteps on the ground. They go to talk to Travis ( Michael Ironside ), a Vietnam war veteran, who lives in this forest. He tries to help the young people, with his information. But when one of the aliens are killed by the cabin visitors, all hell is about to break loose.
I will start by saying, if you were hoping to find something original in Extraterrestrial, you will probably be dissapointed. However, the good news is that this is not a bad sci fi horror film. The best part of Extraterrestrial is that we actually get to see aliens attack people, and this is something that does not happen very often. Another detail is that the CGI effects are pretty good, not all the way, but the aliens look good considering the budget. The acting is perhaps not that great, but the strength of Extraterrestrial is the intensive horror scenes when the humans have to try and survive in the cabin. Legendary actor Michael Ironside is here, and i have to say he still knows how to make a great character. He is without a doubt the best actor here, even if he is older he still got the screen magic. Director Colin Minihan have a feeling of alien abduction horror, and he seems to try and bring this classic genre back to life. Honestly, we have not had that many great releases for many years in this category, some of them were terrible. So let´s get to some problems. The storyline is quite simple, that does not have to be a bad idea, i just wish he could have thrown in some surprises, to make the horror even more intensive. The acting could have been better from some of the young actors. However lead actress Brittany Allen does a pretty good performance, as she tries to survive from the alien visitors. If you have seen Fire In The Sky and loved this classic 90´s film, i recommend you see Extraterrestrial and you will most likely have a good time. This is sci fi horror for all of us who don´t want to hear Anders Timell on radio. If you never been scared before, you will be....just by listening to him.
Rating: DDD
April ( Brittany Allen ) and her boyfriend Kyle ( Freddie Stroma ) are going on a weekend trip to Aprils parents summer house in the countryside. But Kyle have not told April, that he invited some of their friends to spend the weekend with them. Not happy about the situation, April agree to let them go along. In the summer cabin, the party begins and everyone is having a great time. Suddenly that night, something big in the sky crashes into a forest area. The whole gang go out to see what is going on. As they arrive to the location, they see an UFO have crashed, and see strange footsteps on the ground. They go to talk to Travis ( Michael Ironside ), a Vietnam war veteran, who lives in this forest. He tries to help the young people, with his information. But when one of the aliens are killed by the cabin visitors, all hell is about to break loose.
I will start by saying, if you were hoping to find something original in Extraterrestrial, you will probably be dissapointed. However, the good news is that this is not a bad sci fi horror film. The best part of Extraterrestrial is that we actually get to see aliens attack people, and this is something that does not happen very often. Another detail is that the CGI effects are pretty good, not all the way, but the aliens look good considering the budget. The acting is perhaps not that great, but the strength of Extraterrestrial is the intensive horror scenes when the humans have to try and survive in the cabin. Legendary actor Michael Ironside is here, and i have to say he still knows how to make a great character. He is without a doubt the best actor here, even if he is older he still got the screen magic. Director Colin Minihan have a feeling of alien abduction horror, and he seems to try and bring this classic genre back to life. Honestly, we have not had that many great releases for many years in this category, some of them were terrible. So let´s get to some problems. The storyline is quite simple, that does not have to be a bad idea, i just wish he could have thrown in some surprises, to make the horror even more intensive. The acting could have been better from some of the young actors. However lead actress Brittany Allen does a pretty good performance, as she tries to survive from the alien visitors. If you have seen Fire In The Sky and loved this classic 90´s film, i recommend you see Extraterrestrial and you will most likely have a good time. This is sci fi horror for all of us who don´t want to hear Anders Timell on radio. If you never been scared before, you will be....just by listening to him.
Rating: DDD
söndag 2 november 2014
November is here, let´s rock this place !
Greetings all movie lovers !
I have more reviews coming your way, and November seems to fill up many different genres. Since i will be away on vacation almost the whole month of december, i will try and write as many as i can before december starts, so hold your horses, and get ready for a ride like no other. I will of course be posting a new years special, about the movies of 2014, what i thought of this years releases. But let´s focus on this month and i have a lot of titles coming your way.
In case you wonder, i wont have any request reviews this month, simply because i have plenty of reviews to finish and will focus on them. But in january i will try and do one again, i will let you know when the time comes. Thanks everyone worldwide for your support, you are all awsome all my readers.
Cheers from Daniel
I have more reviews coming your way, and November seems to fill up many different genres. Since i will be away on vacation almost the whole month of december, i will try and write as many as i can before december starts, so hold your horses, and get ready for a ride like no other. I will of course be posting a new years special, about the movies of 2014, what i thought of this years releases. But let´s focus on this month and i have a lot of titles coming your way.
In case you wonder, i wont have any request reviews this month, simply because i have plenty of reviews to finish and will focus on them. But in january i will try and do one again, i will let you know when the time comes. Thanks everyone worldwide for your support, you are all awsome all my readers.
Cheers from Daniel
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