Yes, it is me, Daniel, your favourite movie critic of Sweden!
And i am here to tell you, i have been warned about a new film. A film that took around 14 years to make. I am talking about the sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
Some people are saying it is so bad, they wanted to leave the theatre, and i have a feeling that there might be a good reason for that. Main actor Nina Vardalos had a huge hit with the first film in 2002, but this time she might have taken this too far. I watched the trailer, just to get a glimpse, and it really does look awful. Remember how you felt after watching Saving Christmas with Kirk Cameron ? I have a feeling we could be experiencing something similar here. It looks colorful, fluffy and very melodramatic , a combination that instantly gives you a red card. My wife want to see this film, so i would not be surprised if she wants to see it in a theatre. I better prepare myself with a whisky bottle, and see how long i can last in the theatre chair, it might be one of those demonic moments, no one want to experience.
Thanks for every single reader worldwide, you all kick ass, and i love you all.
Cheers from Daniel
måndag 28 mars 2016
lördag 26 mars 2016
Deadpool
I have a very funny memory of my comic book days, as a child. In my hometown Uddevalla, thee was a church called Fristaden, that used to have members out telling people were sinners. At one point i walked by and one of these people noticed my comic books with Conan The Barbarian. This man told me i was a sinner, and said i should burn the comic books. I just bursted out in laughter, and then he really got mad. I understand that in their eyes, comic books like Conan is not good, because of violence, blood and gore. At the same time, i think Conan makes more sense, than a cult congregation. Crazy people will always say bad things about comic books, or even say strange things about famous people. I recently heard Alex Jones call President Obama being demonic from flies on Youtube, so i love crazy people. . Comic books was a part of my youth, and i have mentioned before how much i loved The Hulk.I used to read Spider-Man, and some issues of Batman. As i grew up, watching the tv show of The Incredible Hulk, i found myself completely in love. I watched many episodes, and then discovered film adaptations of comic book characters. One of my most precious memories of comic book film adaptations is Tim Burton´s first Batman film. I simply loved Jack Nicholson as The Joker, and i think Michael Keaton did really well as Batman. My uncle Björn was old enough to see it before me at the cinema, and i had to wait until the VHS release. Plenty of more comic book characters got their own film adaptations, and some of them are really good. I did enjoy The Hulk films, X-Men, Batman, Superman, Thor, and many other characters. We also have The Avengers of course with plenty of comic book characters, that turned out to be really good. I think most comic book lovers don´t want to be reminded of the movie adaptation of Catwoman. If you have not seen it, don´t do it, for health issues. When i heard rumours that a movie adaptation of Deadpool is coming, with Ryan Reynolds in the lead role, i became very curious. We all remember his performance in The Green Lantern, where he at least tried to deliver something, while the film failed. As time went by, and i finally heard Deadpool was going to get a release date, i hoped that this would be a worthy film adaptation. I had to see it in a cinema, and i finally got the chance. Is this the best comic book adaptation in many years, or is Ryan Reynolds back with another comic book film, on the same level as Green Lantern ?
Wade Wilson ( Ryan Reynolds ) works as a mercenary in New York. He meets escort Vanessa Carlysle ( Morena Baccarin ) at a bar, and they become a couple. A year later, Wade propose to Vanessa, and she accepts. But everything changes, as Wade suddenly collapses. Wade is told that he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Vanessa is still by his side, even though the situation, but Wade does not want her to watch him die. Suddenly a recruiter from a secret program approaches Wade, offering him a chance to try an experimental cure for his cancer. At first, Wade is not ready for this idea, but he eventually agree on doing this, and leave Vanessa, to make sure this is kept secret. He meets Ajax ( Ed Skrein ) and Angel Dust ( Gina Carano ) who inject him with a serum, designed to awaken latent mutant genes. The process fails, and Wade is tortured for days. Since this failed, they decide to put Wade in a airtight chamber. The idea is to make him a super-powered slave, who can be sold to wealthy customers. Inside the chamber, he is cured from cancer, but leaves him severely disfigured. Wade tries to escape, but is left for dead by Ajax, as the laboratory is burning. He survives, and decides to revenge for what Ajax did to him. He needs a place to stay, so decides to move into the home of Blind Al ( Leslie Uggams ). Wade become the masked vigilante, known as " Deadpool ", and he will not stop until justice is done.
I was hoping that Deadpool would be funny, vulgar and ironic. And i have to say, this film adaptation manage to capture the character of Deadpool, just the way i imagined he could be. We all know that making movies out of comic book characters can be hard, and i think Fantastic Four proved that, since it failed to deliver much at all. Thankfully, Deadpool feels like a really good adaptation of this character. The look of Deadpool looks great, and the feeling of his personality fits into the plot. Ryan Reynolds really nail his performance with fast dialogue, really funny one-liners ( where even a loved metal band is included ), and his psychical performance is also really well made. There is a lot of action scenes included, so if you falled asleep during 50 Shades Of Grey first 5 minutes, you will without a doubt enjoy all the violence here. Director Tim Miller may not be known for many people, but he actually have worked on 2 big films, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo ( as an title designer ), and on Thor: The Dark World ( as an second unit director ). Deadpool is his full feature debut film as an director, and i personally think he have proved himself outstanding. He knows exactly what Deadpool needed to look like in a movie adaptation, and combine many ideas together, with a really strong finish. I know a lot of people thought that it would be impossible to make a film out of Deadpool, but trust me, you will see why he was the right director. There are some great other comic book characters here also, like Colossus, or Negasonic Teenage Warhead . During the film, you will hear Deapool joke about movie characters, musicians, or other really funny situations, so be prepared to laugh when you least expect it. Since i did not have very high expectations, i am very pleased that this film manage to capture the spirit of Deadpool. A fast, explosive, funny ride, with unexpected turns along the way. Deadpool proves that comic book movies still have a bright future ahead. The plot may not be very important, i personally think that it was a great move from director Tim Miller, to make this film shine more on the character instead. Ryan Reynolds, thank you for this performance, i hope i will see you back in a sequel. Besides, we need Deadpool more than ever, knowing that 50 Shades Of More Grey Underwear Sequel...is on the way in 2017.
Rating: DDDD
Wade Wilson ( Ryan Reynolds ) works as a mercenary in New York. He meets escort Vanessa Carlysle ( Morena Baccarin ) at a bar, and they become a couple. A year later, Wade propose to Vanessa, and she accepts. But everything changes, as Wade suddenly collapses. Wade is told that he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Vanessa is still by his side, even though the situation, but Wade does not want her to watch him die. Suddenly a recruiter from a secret program approaches Wade, offering him a chance to try an experimental cure for his cancer. At first, Wade is not ready for this idea, but he eventually agree on doing this, and leave Vanessa, to make sure this is kept secret. He meets Ajax ( Ed Skrein ) and Angel Dust ( Gina Carano ) who inject him with a serum, designed to awaken latent mutant genes. The process fails, and Wade is tortured for days. Since this failed, they decide to put Wade in a airtight chamber. The idea is to make him a super-powered slave, who can be sold to wealthy customers. Inside the chamber, he is cured from cancer, but leaves him severely disfigured. Wade tries to escape, but is left for dead by Ajax, as the laboratory is burning. He survives, and decides to revenge for what Ajax did to him. He needs a place to stay, so decides to move into the home of Blind Al ( Leslie Uggams ). Wade become the masked vigilante, known as " Deadpool ", and he will not stop until justice is done.
I was hoping that Deadpool would be funny, vulgar and ironic. And i have to say, this film adaptation manage to capture the character of Deadpool, just the way i imagined he could be. We all know that making movies out of comic book characters can be hard, and i think Fantastic Four proved that, since it failed to deliver much at all. Thankfully, Deadpool feels like a really good adaptation of this character. The look of Deadpool looks great, and the feeling of his personality fits into the plot. Ryan Reynolds really nail his performance with fast dialogue, really funny one-liners ( where even a loved metal band is included ), and his psychical performance is also really well made. There is a lot of action scenes included, so if you falled asleep during 50 Shades Of Grey first 5 minutes, you will without a doubt enjoy all the violence here. Director Tim Miller may not be known for many people, but he actually have worked on 2 big films, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo ( as an title designer ), and on Thor: The Dark World ( as an second unit director ). Deadpool is his full feature debut film as an director, and i personally think he have proved himself outstanding. He knows exactly what Deadpool needed to look like in a movie adaptation, and combine many ideas together, with a really strong finish. I know a lot of people thought that it would be impossible to make a film out of Deadpool, but trust me, you will see why he was the right director. There are some great other comic book characters here also, like Colossus, or Negasonic Teenage Warhead . During the film, you will hear Deapool joke about movie characters, musicians, or other really funny situations, so be prepared to laugh when you least expect it. Since i did not have very high expectations, i am very pleased that this film manage to capture the spirit of Deadpool. A fast, explosive, funny ride, with unexpected turns along the way. Deadpool proves that comic book movies still have a bright future ahead. The plot may not be very important, i personally think that it was a great move from director Tim Miller, to make this film shine more on the character instead. Ryan Reynolds, thank you for this performance, i hope i will see you back in a sequel. Besides, we need Deadpool more than ever, knowing that 50 Shades Of More Grey Underwear Sequel...is on the way in 2017.
Rating: DDDD
onsdag 23 mars 2016
Spotlight
I am not a very spiritual person, or belive in anything unless i can connect with it. I was born a christian, and i suppose i still am. The difference is that i belive in many things, so you won´t see me reading the bible very often. I have nothing against people who are christians, catholics, muslims, or any other kind of religion. But i am very strict when it comes to priests or pastors who sexually assault children. This is one of the things that really makes me angry. In my world, a priest is supposed to make people feel safe, and make everyone feel welcome to their church. There are good priests out there, i have met some who take their job seriously. Unfortunately, since many churches hides the truth, peoples lives fall apart. So when you hear on the news about new victims, where children have been sexually molested, you just want it all to stop. There are plenty of documentary films, where they have digged deeper into the truth of specific churches, and molestation cases. One of the best documentary films i have seen on this subject is called Deliver Us From Evil. The story of Catholic priest Oliver O´Grady, and all the victims he sexually abused for many years, is really disturbing. The church did nothing to stop him, they just replaced him so he could molest more children. I highly recommend that you do see this documentary film. It is very emotional, you will be sad, angry, and it will make you think for a long time. When it comes to films, there are 2 that i have to mention that brings up the subject of pedophiles. The Woodsman and Little Children, both very emotional films in different ways. Little Children is the best of these 2 films, where Jackie Earle Haley did one of his best performances in his career so far. The Woodsman is still a very good drama, and one of the best performances i have ever seen Kevin Bacon do. Let´s talk about molestation in church again. Does many of you remember the news scandal that happened in Boston during the year 2003 ? Almost a hundred catholic priests were discovered, for molesting children during many years, just in Boston. A news team called Spotlight, who worked on the newspaper The Boston Globe were the ones who found out the truth, and the whole world was shocked, angry and forced the Catholic church to answer. It was a moment where we all understood, that some churches decides not to stay by the law, and go their own way, and make things even worse. This story is now made into a film, and have both a great cast, and a very interesting plot. Based on the true story, of what happened in Boston in 2003, is this as good as i was hoping it would be, or should this have been a much stronger film than what we got ?
The Boston Globe is a well known newspaper, with many hard working journalists. The newspaper hires the new editor Marty Byron ( Liev Schreiber ). Marty holds a meeting with Walter " Robby " Robinson ( Michael Keaton ), who is the editor for the Spotlight team. He is interested to see how they work on different stories. This is a small group of journalists, who works months to write investigating articles. When Marty reads a Globe column, about a lawyer named Mitchell Garabedian ( Stanley Tucci ), he is shocked to read that Cardinal Bernard Law ( Len Cariou ), the Archbishop Of Boston, knew that priest John Geoghan sexually abused many children, and did nothing to stop him. Marty gather the Spotlight team, and tell them to dig deeper into this story. Journalists Michael Rezendes ( Mark Ruffalo ) and Sacha Pfeiffer ( Rachel McAdams ) begin to find research material, and anything they can find about certain priests, who worked with John Geoghan. As they Spotlight team digs deeper, the pattern shows that even more priests seem to be involved in molesting children. This article could change the city of Boston, but the question is, will the truth come out ?
Before i went to the cinema to see Spotlight, i had a feeling that this would be a very good film. And you know what ? This is one of the best films i have seen this year so far. The true story of all the catholic priests who molested children for many years in Boston, made me angry. Just to hear that the Catholic church did nothing to make these priests stop, is really sickening. Once you hear the numbers, of how many pedophiles that were free in Boston churches, makes you wonder what the hell is going on. Why did not anyone react to protect every single child ? Why did not one single church go out and helped any of the victims ? Spotlight focuses mostly on the team called Spotlight, a small group of journalists on The Boston Globe newspaper. Their discovery of the catholic church, made reactions worldwide back in 2003. One of the biggest strengths of this film, is the acting. Michael Keaton proves once again how fantastic he is at making a strong character, Mark Ruffalo also delivers a really strong performance. Rachel McAdams give us one of her best performances so far in her career. Director Tom McCarthy have directed 2 really good films in the past, The Station Agent and The Visitor. He also directed The Cobbler with Adam Sandler. Now, to go from The Cobbler, and make such a great film as Spotlight is incredible. This is without a doubt the best film director Tom McCarthy have directed so far. He really manage to deliver the message, of what the Spotlight team did to find the truth of the Catholic church, in Boston. The cinematography manage to capture the Boston feeling, and you feel the hard work that the Spotlight team had to do, to let the truth come out. You soon realise how well these churches protect themselves, and hide behind the church walls. Spotlight is based on a true story, so you pretty much know what happened, if you followed the case at the time. Even though we don´t get any unexpected twists, Spotlight manage to build tensions as these journalists finds out more shocking details. Director Tom McCarthy have made a film that should be seen by as many people as possible. We have to alert people, that pedophiles are everywhere around us. Spotlight shows that some churches think they are above the law, and make their own rules. When it comes to disturbing crimes, you can´t protect people who destroy kids lifes forever. I am so happy that Spotlight won the Oscar for best motion picture, maybe more people will finally step out and speak the truth. Any church who protect pedophiles must act and do what is right. No child should be molested, and this has to stop. Everyone, worldwide, go and see Spotlight in a cinema near you, this is a film you will never forget.
Rating: DDDD
The Boston Globe is a well known newspaper, with many hard working journalists. The newspaper hires the new editor Marty Byron ( Liev Schreiber ). Marty holds a meeting with Walter " Robby " Robinson ( Michael Keaton ), who is the editor for the Spotlight team. He is interested to see how they work on different stories. This is a small group of journalists, who works months to write investigating articles. When Marty reads a Globe column, about a lawyer named Mitchell Garabedian ( Stanley Tucci ), he is shocked to read that Cardinal Bernard Law ( Len Cariou ), the Archbishop Of Boston, knew that priest John Geoghan sexually abused many children, and did nothing to stop him. Marty gather the Spotlight team, and tell them to dig deeper into this story. Journalists Michael Rezendes ( Mark Ruffalo ) and Sacha Pfeiffer ( Rachel McAdams ) begin to find research material, and anything they can find about certain priests, who worked with John Geoghan. As they Spotlight team digs deeper, the pattern shows that even more priests seem to be involved in molesting children. This article could change the city of Boston, but the question is, will the truth come out ?
Before i went to the cinema to see Spotlight, i had a feeling that this would be a very good film. And you know what ? This is one of the best films i have seen this year so far. The true story of all the catholic priests who molested children for many years in Boston, made me angry. Just to hear that the Catholic church did nothing to make these priests stop, is really sickening. Once you hear the numbers, of how many pedophiles that were free in Boston churches, makes you wonder what the hell is going on. Why did not anyone react to protect every single child ? Why did not one single church go out and helped any of the victims ? Spotlight focuses mostly on the team called Spotlight, a small group of journalists on The Boston Globe newspaper. Their discovery of the catholic church, made reactions worldwide back in 2003. One of the biggest strengths of this film, is the acting. Michael Keaton proves once again how fantastic he is at making a strong character, Mark Ruffalo also delivers a really strong performance. Rachel McAdams give us one of her best performances so far in her career. Director Tom McCarthy have directed 2 really good films in the past, The Station Agent and The Visitor. He also directed The Cobbler with Adam Sandler. Now, to go from The Cobbler, and make such a great film as Spotlight is incredible. This is without a doubt the best film director Tom McCarthy have directed so far. He really manage to deliver the message, of what the Spotlight team did to find the truth of the Catholic church, in Boston. The cinematography manage to capture the Boston feeling, and you feel the hard work that the Spotlight team had to do, to let the truth come out. You soon realise how well these churches protect themselves, and hide behind the church walls. Spotlight is based on a true story, so you pretty much know what happened, if you followed the case at the time. Even though we don´t get any unexpected twists, Spotlight manage to build tensions as these journalists finds out more shocking details. Director Tom McCarthy have made a film that should be seen by as many people as possible. We have to alert people, that pedophiles are everywhere around us. Spotlight shows that some churches think they are above the law, and make their own rules. When it comes to disturbing crimes, you can´t protect people who destroy kids lifes forever. I am so happy that Spotlight won the Oscar for best motion picture, maybe more people will finally step out and speak the truth. Any church who protect pedophiles must act and do what is right. No child should be molested, and this has to stop. Everyone, worldwide, go and see Spotlight in a cinema near you, this is a film you will never forget.
Rating: DDDD
söndag 13 mars 2016
The Hallow
I love Ireland , and the irish people are so friendly. When i travelled to Ireland in november 2014 , i remember how much i enjoyed the visit. Great food, lovely whisky and irish music of course. I am going back soon again, because once you have visited Ireland, you will always want to go back. But let´s look at something else, that i enjoy about Ireland. There are many great irish films made, and many great irish actors. For example, who can forget The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Frank, In The Name Of The Father and The Boxer ? There are other great titles worth mentioning, but one thing is clear. Ireland delivers, in many different ways. There are some good horror films out there also, where Irish Film Board have been involved in different films. One good example is the science fiction horror film The Last Days On Mars. Maybe not a classic in any way, or very original, but a nice surprise with classic elements. Unfortunately many people never even heard of this film, so i doubt many people have seen it. I suggest you go and rent it, if you enjoy the combination of sci fi horror. One of the performances in this film that really suprised me was actor Olivia Williams. She really is the strongest character in this film, tough as hell. By the way, if you have not seen her in An Education, i suggest you do. Since i always try and look for indepenent horror films, more than big budget releases, you never know what to expect. Every year, there are plenty of horror independent films released, so you simply have to pick some of them. To be honest, some look so terrible that i don´t even check out the trailer. At the Sundance Filmfestival 2015, i was hearing some positive feeback on the independent horror film called The Hallow. There was even one movie critic that called it one of the best films in the entire festival. That got me really excited, because usually you know good reviews will give you something in return. I managed to get myself a dvd from England, to make sure i could see it in, and support independent films at the same time. Is this a suprisingly good horror film, or is the positive feedback from Sundance Film Festival last year over hyped ?
Adam Hitchens ( Joseph Mawle ) is a british conservationist, who moves to the irish countryside with his wife Claire Hitchens ( Bojana Novakovic ), and their new born baby Finn. A remoted village is close by, so they have everything they need to live simple. Adam takes a walk into the forest with baby Finn, as he discover an abandoned house with a dead animal inside. He notice a strange substance, and decide to take a sample of it, just to see what it could be. Back in their house , Claire gets a visit from the village, Colm Donnelly ( Michael McElhatton ). He wants to talk to Adam, but since Adam is not home, he walks away mad. Not knowing why Colm would be upset, Adam and Claire continue their normal family life. But when strange things begin to happen, both inside their house and outside, their lives change completely. At first, it might seem harmless. Until Colm comes back again, warning them that they should leave their house. At first, Adam belive that Colm is behind all the strange events around the house, but once the truth is out, nothing will ever be the same again.
When you have seen so many horror films, you are no longer surprised on many releases. Many times you can have a feeling of what will happen, or at least have a pretty good guess on the plot. The Hallow may not be very original in some ways, but this film does manage to pick up some surprising nice turns along the way. The Hallow reminds me of classic 80 's horror films , with odd creatures. In some ways i can also see influences from John Carpenter´s The Thing, but without the gore. The story is pretty simple, and not original in any way. But what makes The Hallow feel interesting, is the creepy atmosphere that follows around the forest. We don´t know what is going on, and that is actually a solid start of the film. As the film goes on, and we get to see the creatures appear, i am actually pleased. They don´t attack too easy, it is more of they just appear, to sneak upon their victims. Director Corin Hardy have directed several short films over the years, but this is his first feature debut film, as an director. And i have to say, i enjoy his work. He manage to both mix creepy situations, and use monsters in an effective way. One of the important details, is that he does not like CGI. The creatures are made by hand, so you know that he likes old school horror films. So do we have something that could have been improved ? I actually would have liked if the film was a bit longer, at least 10 more minutes with the creepy atmosphere. And i suppose in some scenes it gets a bit predictable. Other than that, i enjoy The Hallow for what it is trying to do for the audience. Lead actor Joseph Mawle have been in different films over the years, you might remember his performance in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I feel that The Hallow might be his best performance so far, from an acting perspective. He gives us a natural feeling, of a father who is willing to do anything to protect his family. Bojana Novakovic have been in a lot of films, but i remember her mostly from Mel Gibson´s thriller Edge Of Darkness. She also manage to give us a good performance in The Hallow. Even if the story feels very simple, and some details could have been improved, i still enjoy what director Coring Hardy have managed to put together with this film. A solid horror film, with classic elements that old school fans will enjoy. Remember kids, never visit the irish forest, unless you are carrying a flame thrower, or an axe. You never know when the Jehovas Witnesses demons jumps out of the trees.
Rating: DDD
Adam Hitchens ( Joseph Mawle ) is a british conservationist, who moves to the irish countryside with his wife Claire Hitchens ( Bojana Novakovic ), and their new born baby Finn. A remoted village is close by, so they have everything they need to live simple. Adam takes a walk into the forest with baby Finn, as he discover an abandoned house with a dead animal inside. He notice a strange substance, and decide to take a sample of it, just to see what it could be. Back in their house , Claire gets a visit from the village, Colm Donnelly ( Michael McElhatton ). He wants to talk to Adam, but since Adam is not home, he walks away mad. Not knowing why Colm would be upset, Adam and Claire continue their normal family life. But when strange things begin to happen, both inside their house and outside, their lives change completely. At first, it might seem harmless. Until Colm comes back again, warning them that they should leave their house. At first, Adam belive that Colm is behind all the strange events around the house, but once the truth is out, nothing will ever be the same again.
When you have seen so many horror films, you are no longer surprised on many releases. Many times you can have a feeling of what will happen, or at least have a pretty good guess on the plot. The Hallow may not be very original in some ways, but this film does manage to pick up some surprising nice turns along the way. The Hallow reminds me of classic 80 's horror films , with odd creatures. In some ways i can also see influences from John Carpenter´s The Thing, but without the gore. The story is pretty simple, and not original in any way. But what makes The Hallow feel interesting, is the creepy atmosphere that follows around the forest. We don´t know what is going on, and that is actually a solid start of the film. As the film goes on, and we get to see the creatures appear, i am actually pleased. They don´t attack too easy, it is more of they just appear, to sneak upon their victims. Director Corin Hardy have directed several short films over the years, but this is his first feature debut film, as an director. And i have to say, i enjoy his work. He manage to both mix creepy situations, and use monsters in an effective way. One of the important details, is that he does not like CGI. The creatures are made by hand, so you know that he likes old school horror films. So do we have something that could have been improved ? I actually would have liked if the film was a bit longer, at least 10 more minutes with the creepy atmosphere. And i suppose in some scenes it gets a bit predictable. Other than that, i enjoy The Hallow for what it is trying to do for the audience. Lead actor Joseph Mawle have been in different films over the years, you might remember his performance in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I feel that The Hallow might be his best performance so far, from an acting perspective. He gives us a natural feeling, of a father who is willing to do anything to protect his family. Bojana Novakovic have been in a lot of films, but i remember her mostly from Mel Gibson´s thriller Edge Of Darkness. She also manage to give us a good performance in The Hallow. Even if the story feels very simple, and some details could have been improved, i still enjoy what director Coring Hardy have managed to put together with this film. A solid horror film, with classic elements that old school fans will enjoy. Remember kids, never visit the irish forest, unless you are carrying a flame thrower, or an axe. You never know when the Jehovas Witnesses demons jumps out of the trees.
Rating: DDD
fredag 4 mars 2016
Regression
There are plenty of evil people in this world. Some of them can change their lives, if they really want to. In my years, working in health care, i have met all kinds of sick individuals. Murderers, child molestors, and criminals, and you realise that some of them will never change. For those who can turn their lives around, good for you. Because i don´t think most people want to be evil. Most ordinary people work on their lives, to be a good citizen. But there will always be individuals who are dangerous in society, who should not be out in the streets. You hear some sickening stories sometimes, both in news, but also from criminal cases on tv. This will never stop, but if we at least can have hope, we have something to work on. Every year i am always shocked to hear about molestation cases, in all ages. Especially where young children are victims. This should not happen to any child, so we need to make a change. Pedophiles need to be killed, fried in the chair, or hanged. Hard words, but that is how i feel. We have many films that take on the subject of molestation. One of the most emotional films i have seen in this subject, is The Woodsman with Kevin Bacon. This film is more based on a pedophile, but we know that he molested kids, so it is still about molestation. This is one of those films that you will not stop remembering. It is very emotional, and Kevin Bacon did one of his best performances in his acting career. Another film i highly recommend, is Little Children with Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley. A fantastic performance from the whole cast, especially Jackie Earle Haley, as an convicted pedophile. He whould have won an oscar for his performance. Not that long ago, i came across a new film release called Regression. It seemed to be a film, that took on the subject about molestation. I noticed this film first at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, on their screening program. I am a big fan of Ethan Hawke, so to see his name on the cast list made me interested instantly. We even have Emma Watson here, who most of you know from all the Harry Potter films. With some big names in the cast list, and a very sensitive subject in the plot, is this a film people should see, or is this a film you should stay away from ?
In Minnesota, 1990, Detective Bruce Kenner ( Ethan Hawke ) investigates the case of John Gray ( David Dencik ). John says that he molested his 17 year old daughter Angela Gray ( Emma Watson ). The problem is, John can´t remember what happened, or how he molested his own daughter. Professor Kenneth Raines ( David Thewlis ) helps police to try and use his skills, to see if he can get John to remember. Detective Bruce is determined to find out the truth, as he tries to find details through interviews with the victim Angela. As he continue the investigation, he notice some unexpected details, that may change everything he thought from the beginning. Is this maybe even larger than anyone could ever have imagined ? What really happened to Angela ?
When i heard about Regression at the San Sebastian International Film Festival last year , i was excited for 2 reasons.
The cast of Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis and Dale Dickey among others, sounded like a great combination.
The film is directed by Alejandro Amenábar, the director of the horror classic The Others, where Nicole Kidman did one of her best performances in many years.
There is an disturbing story here, that blends satanism and molestation, and you have to try and figure out if this is all true. And since we have a great cast, and a director who made one of the best horror films of the early millenium, you would think that this is a really good combination. In some ways director Alejandro Amenábar manage to put some interesting pieces together, but he stays too long inside a comfort zone. In a film with such heavy subjects, you need to experiment, and mix some unexpected turns along the way. This does not mean that Regression fails, not at all. Thanks to the great cast, and some interesting details in this case, you are still curious all the way to the end, what is really going on. I would say that the best performances here is without a doubt from Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis and Dale Dickey. All three of them, make their characters feel interesting. Emma Watson is not terrible, but i have never really seen her do many strong performances so far. She was really good in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, and i do remember her performance in My Week With Marilyn, so i know she can act. In Regression, she is supposed to be the victim, and for some reason i can´t really feel her pain. I know acting is hard to do, and it is not an easy character to do, but i would have wanted more emotions from her performance. The strength of Regression is the investigation, where Ethan Hawke makes the viewer feel attached. Even if i may sound a bit negative in some ways, i still feel that this is a good thriller, thanks to director Alejandro Amenábar´s technical direction in dark subjects. I would have liked even more disturbing details in the case, and i am a bit dissapointed in the ending. You could say that the ending is not worthy the plot of the film in general. Still, Regression does have enough of interesting subjects, that becomes more interesting during the investigation. One thing is clear folks, stay away from Dansband Satanists, they are the most dangerous ones you can come across.
Rating: DDD
In Minnesota, 1990, Detective Bruce Kenner ( Ethan Hawke ) investigates the case of John Gray ( David Dencik ). John says that he molested his 17 year old daughter Angela Gray ( Emma Watson ). The problem is, John can´t remember what happened, or how he molested his own daughter. Professor Kenneth Raines ( David Thewlis ) helps police to try and use his skills, to see if he can get John to remember. Detective Bruce is determined to find out the truth, as he tries to find details through interviews with the victim Angela. As he continue the investigation, he notice some unexpected details, that may change everything he thought from the beginning. Is this maybe even larger than anyone could ever have imagined ? What really happened to Angela ?
When i heard about Regression at the San Sebastian International Film Festival last year , i was excited for 2 reasons.
The cast of Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis and Dale Dickey among others, sounded like a great combination.
The film is directed by Alejandro Amenábar, the director of the horror classic The Others, where Nicole Kidman did one of her best performances in many years.
There is an disturbing story here, that blends satanism and molestation, and you have to try and figure out if this is all true. And since we have a great cast, and a director who made one of the best horror films of the early millenium, you would think that this is a really good combination. In some ways director Alejandro Amenábar manage to put some interesting pieces together, but he stays too long inside a comfort zone. In a film with such heavy subjects, you need to experiment, and mix some unexpected turns along the way. This does not mean that Regression fails, not at all. Thanks to the great cast, and some interesting details in this case, you are still curious all the way to the end, what is really going on. I would say that the best performances here is without a doubt from Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis and Dale Dickey. All three of them, make their characters feel interesting. Emma Watson is not terrible, but i have never really seen her do many strong performances so far. She was really good in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, and i do remember her performance in My Week With Marilyn, so i know she can act. In Regression, she is supposed to be the victim, and for some reason i can´t really feel her pain. I know acting is hard to do, and it is not an easy character to do, but i would have wanted more emotions from her performance. The strength of Regression is the investigation, where Ethan Hawke makes the viewer feel attached. Even if i may sound a bit negative in some ways, i still feel that this is a good thriller, thanks to director Alejandro Amenábar´s technical direction in dark subjects. I would have liked even more disturbing details in the case, and i am a bit dissapointed in the ending. You could say that the ending is not worthy the plot of the film in general. Still, Regression does have enough of interesting subjects, that becomes more interesting during the investigation. One thing is clear folks, stay away from Dansband Satanists, they are the most dangerous ones you can come across.
Rating: DDD
The Revenant
There are a selection of actors, who have managed to stay solid in their acting career, without falling down of drug abuse, or psychological issues. We have lost many great actors along the way, and i would like to mention two people i will never forget. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger. They were both really good at making characters feel alive, and you knew that they would work hard to make quality films. In Hollywood, there are a lot of people who have fallen, for many different reasons. But there are examples of actors who still keep working hard, and still manage to deliver quality films, without falling apart. One of these examples is Leonardo DiCaprio. The list of great films he have been in, is so long that we could go on forever. But let us mention some of them at least. Gangs Of New York, The Departed, Revolutionary Road, Shutter Island, Inception, The Wold Of Wall Street and Django Unchained. Just these titles that i mentioned have a lot of quality acting, really good screenplay, and really good dialogue. Leonardo knows how to pick good scripts, and he have been in this business long enough to know, you have to take chances. I will be honest and say, i was never a really big fan of the movie Titanic. Sure, it was well made, and had great acting, but i suppose that the reason i don´t watch it anymore, is because of Celine Dion. That damn song is still being played all over the place, on radio stations, and on TV. I wish Limp Bizkit would have done a cover, so we at least would have a more worthy version. One of the films in recent years, that i really enjoyed seeing Lenoardo in, is Martin Scorseses film The Wolf Of Wall Street. I remember how much fun i had in the cinema for 3 hours, watching this insane film, where Leonardo once again proved what a great actor he is. One of the biggest surprises in this film, was actually Jonah Hill. This might be the best acting performance he have ever done so far. Martin Scorseses also proved that he is still a fantastic director, after so many years. Since i usually read alot online about new films, and upcoming project, i remember something interesting in early 2014. Director Alejandro González Inárritu signed to direct a new film, with Leonardo DiCaprio. Since i later watched Alejandro´s masterpiece Birdman, i was really excited to see what he would do, with Leonardo on board. With such an amazing director, and with a lead role we have seen delivered so many great films, is this one of the best films this year, or is this not as good as we were hoping it would be ?
In the year of 1823, a crew of trappers under the command of Captain Andrew Henry ( Domhnall Gleeson ), hunts for pelts in the Northern Plains. Suddenly, Arikara Native Americans launch an unexpected attack, killing many of the men, while a group of survivors manage to escape by a boat. On this boat is Captain Andrew, Hugh Glass ( Leonardo DiCaprio ), John Fitzgerald ( Tom Hardy ) and Jim Bridger ( Will Poulter ) among some of the survivors. They plan to take fur with them. Hugh Glass recommend that they should travel to Fort Kiowa, but this is something John Fitzgerald does not agree on. While wandering around a forest area on his own, Hugh is attacked by a grizzly bear. He barely survive, and is really badly injured, as the crew of trappers found him. They try and help him the best way they can, until a decision is made, to leave him. Fitzgerald belive that Hugh will not survive anyway, so they must continue their journey. But what Fitzgerald did not tell Jim, is that he killed Hawk (Forrest Goodluck ), because he discovered that Fitzgerald tried to smother Hugh, but fails. Fitzgerald tell Jim that they should leave now, since Hawk is mysteriously missing. Hugh is still alive, and as he gets more strength, he goes on his own journey, to make sure justice is done.
If you plan to go and see The Revenant in the cinema, you should walk in with an open mind. There are a lot of amazing cinematography here from Emmanuel Lubezki, that will keep you bedazzled. Some of the scenes are so beautiful, in all the brutality, you can tell that director Alejandro Gonzálex Inárritu really wanted to capture the epic time period of the year 1823. Many dialogue scenes are also here, but you won´t get bored, because of the really good performances of both Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter. Everyone have so many issues buried inside of them, you can feel a tension is always in the air. Knowing that this is based on a true story, on the fur trader, huntsman and explorer Hugh Glass, makes a big difference. When you are trying to tell a story, about an american legend, there will of course be a lot of pressure. Especially from historians, who know the facts, books, and written material on what happened during this time period. Leonardo DiCaprio manage to give his portrait of Hugh Glass, a very deep meaning. You can feel his frustration, sadness, but also his will to keep on going, until he reach his destination. You also get a sense that Hugh Glass was a man who believed in justice, to do right for himself. Tom Hardy, who plays John Fitzgerald, gives one very special performance. This man is obviously a selfish personality, who thinks of his own profit. And this is why Tom Hardy was the perfect choice for this character, he manage to deliver a performance that includes these selfish emotions. Since this is a very long film, Over 2 hours and 30 minutes, you have to have patience to find out details along the journey. There are some interesting twists that happen, during the journey of Hugh Glass. The snow filled landscape, the horrible weather, all give this film a feeling of lost hope. Just imagine to travel in these conditions, with almost no food, no supplies, except for a feeling that you have to reach your destination. Director Alejandro Gonzálex Inárritu proves once again why he such an amazing director. He capture the essence of this time period so well, and so professional, you can´t deny that he knows exactly what he was doing with this project. The costumes is also one of the details you can tell they worked hard on, to capture this time period of history. The Revenant is a strong, and emotional film, with many strings of pain. Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar statue at the Annual Academy Awards just about a week ago, for his performance in The Revenant. He deserved it, because he really gave us a performance in high quality, as he always does. One thing is for sure, history proves that life was hard, but it also proves that you had to fight more, for anything you wanted in your life. Buy a ticket, you won´t be dissapointed.
Rating: DDDD
In the year of 1823, a crew of trappers under the command of Captain Andrew Henry ( Domhnall Gleeson ), hunts for pelts in the Northern Plains. Suddenly, Arikara Native Americans launch an unexpected attack, killing many of the men, while a group of survivors manage to escape by a boat. On this boat is Captain Andrew, Hugh Glass ( Leonardo DiCaprio ), John Fitzgerald ( Tom Hardy ) and Jim Bridger ( Will Poulter ) among some of the survivors. They plan to take fur with them. Hugh Glass recommend that they should travel to Fort Kiowa, but this is something John Fitzgerald does not agree on. While wandering around a forest area on his own, Hugh is attacked by a grizzly bear. He barely survive, and is really badly injured, as the crew of trappers found him. They try and help him the best way they can, until a decision is made, to leave him. Fitzgerald belive that Hugh will not survive anyway, so they must continue their journey. But what Fitzgerald did not tell Jim, is that he killed Hawk (Forrest Goodluck ), because he discovered that Fitzgerald tried to smother Hugh, but fails. Fitzgerald tell Jim that they should leave now, since Hawk is mysteriously missing. Hugh is still alive, and as he gets more strength, he goes on his own journey, to make sure justice is done.
If you plan to go and see The Revenant in the cinema, you should walk in with an open mind. There are a lot of amazing cinematography here from Emmanuel Lubezki, that will keep you bedazzled. Some of the scenes are so beautiful, in all the brutality, you can tell that director Alejandro Gonzálex Inárritu really wanted to capture the epic time period of the year 1823. Many dialogue scenes are also here, but you won´t get bored, because of the really good performances of both Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter. Everyone have so many issues buried inside of them, you can feel a tension is always in the air. Knowing that this is based on a true story, on the fur trader, huntsman and explorer Hugh Glass, makes a big difference. When you are trying to tell a story, about an american legend, there will of course be a lot of pressure. Especially from historians, who know the facts, books, and written material on what happened during this time period. Leonardo DiCaprio manage to give his portrait of Hugh Glass, a very deep meaning. You can feel his frustration, sadness, but also his will to keep on going, until he reach his destination. You also get a sense that Hugh Glass was a man who believed in justice, to do right for himself. Tom Hardy, who plays John Fitzgerald, gives one very special performance. This man is obviously a selfish personality, who thinks of his own profit. And this is why Tom Hardy was the perfect choice for this character, he manage to deliver a performance that includes these selfish emotions. Since this is a very long film, Over 2 hours and 30 minutes, you have to have patience to find out details along the journey. There are some interesting twists that happen, during the journey of Hugh Glass. The snow filled landscape, the horrible weather, all give this film a feeling of lost hope. Just imagine to travel in these conditions, with almost no food, no supplies, except for a feeling that you have to reach your destination. Director Alejandro Gonzálex Inárritu proves once again why he such an amazing director. He capture the essence of this time period so well, and so professional, you can´t deny that he knows exactly what he was doing with this project. The costumes is also one of the details you can tell they worked hard on, to capture this time period of history. The Revenant is a strong, and emotional film, with many strings of pain. Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar statue at the Annual Academy Awards just about a week ago, for his performance in The Revenant. He deserved it, because he really gave us a performance in high quality, as he always does. One thing is for sure, history proves that life was hard, but it also proves that you had to fight more, for anything you wanted in your life. Buy a ticket, you won´t be dissapointed.
Rating: DDDD
torsdag 3 mars 2016
Freeheld
Homosexual people are normal.
I know that there are still people, who won´t agree with me on this. Some say it is a sin, some say it is sickening. Some even say that this is not human behavior. From my view, i see homosexuals as positive people, who make this world a better place. So if anyone would mess with my homosexual family members, they will hopefully regret what they say. I think many people need to be more open minded, because homosexuality have been around since humans were created. What did you think happened in Rome, when the soldiers relaxed after all the epic battles in bath houses ? They were most likely rubbing each other, with more than two thumbs. By the way, if you want to hear someone talk about homosexuals, turn into Bryan Fischer on his radio show Focal Point with Bryan Fischer. He says he is against homosexuals, but speak so much about them, all the time, i have a feeling he is coming out of the closet soon. Many films have taken on the subject of homosexuality. One of the best films, that i highly recommend, is a film called Pride. A british drama comedy, about a group of lesbian and gay activists, who raised money for families, who were affected by the British Miners Strike in 1984. A really heart warming film, based on a true story, and acting so good, i had a really good time watching this film. Another really good film i recommend, is the drama comedy The Kids Are All Right. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a lesbian couple, did wonderful performances. Speaking of Julianne Moore, if you have not seen her brilliant performance in Still Alice, you need to run down and rent it tonight. This is one of the best performances i have ever seen Julianne Moore done, in a motion picture. She really deserved the Oscar statue she won. She have always managed to do all kinds of characters, tried many different genre films. And i have a feeling she will continue to give us quality films in the future. About 6 months ago, while reading about upcoming movies, i came across the title of Freeheld. I started looking deeper into the plot, and found out a really interesting cast list. Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon and Steve Carell. Also, the plot is based on the true story, of police officer Laurel Hester. With such a powerful cast, and a true story, is this one of those films that will impact you personally, or is the message not as strong as it could have been ?
Police officer Laurel Hester ( Julianne Moore ) works really hard to serve and protect. She is respected, and she always do her best together with partner Dane Wells ( Michael Shannon ). While playing a volleyball game, Laurel meets Stacie Andree ( Ellen Paige ). They decide to date at a local gay bar. It seems to start so well, but Laurel can not tell anyone she is a lesbian at work. She is afraid that she might loose her job, because not everyone appreciate homosexuals. Laurel and Stacie decides to move in together, buying a house. Suddenly, their dreams change, when Laurel finds out she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Stacie is not leaving Laurel, and beg her to fight this disease. Laurel want to make sure, that if anything happens to her, Stacie get her pension benefits. Since Stacie is the domestic partner of Laurel, she should have the same rights as anyone else. Dane, long time working partner of Laurel, refuse to give up. He suggest that she should fight against the New Jersey Board Of Chosen Freeholders. Laurel is about to take on the hardest fight of her life, and she have nothing to loose.
There is no doubt that this is the right cast, for an important film like this. Knowing that this actually happened, makes a very big difference. It must have been hard to struggle for Laurel Hester, both with cancer, and also to make sure that her partner get the pension benefits. On one side you are fighting a diagnose like every other cancer patient, but also fighting for your own rights to choose. I have not seen the documentary Freeheld, released in 2007. Now i know i should have seen the documentary first. This film is a movie adaptation on the true story, that was told in the documentary film. And i have to say that the main performances, by Julianne Moore and Ellen Page, fit really well together on screen. There is a big age difference, obviously, but that does not effect the message in any way. One of the things that this film manage to do, is show you how ordinary Laurel Hester was. Just because she was a lesbian, does not mean that she was different towards people, or her working collegues. She worked hard as an police officer, trying to do things right. The most sad part, was that she felt that she have to hide her sexuality. Other performances are also good, especially from Michael Shannon. He have always been an actor, who knows how to make characters feel realistic. Steve Carell also manage to give us a nice performance, as he is trying to fight for the rights of Laurel Hester. Director Peter Sollett may be most known for his film Nick And Norah´s Infinite Playlist. He have also directed episodes for different tv series. Freeheld is in my opinion his best film so far, as an director. This film brings up very important issues, especially that homosexuals have the same rights as straight people. Julianne Moore proves once again, that she is one of the best actors out there. This may not be her best performance so far, but it is powerful. Freeheld will make you react, and realise that equal rights have a long way to go. It is legal for homosexuals to be married in America, but there are still many issues to be changed. At least we can all get the best advices from Pat Robertsson, is there anything this man does not know ? I doubt it.
Rating: DDD
I know that there are still people, who won´t agree with me on this. Some say it is a sin, some say it is sickening. Some even say that this is not human behavior. From my view, i see homosexuals as positive people, who make this world a better place. So if anyone would mess with my homosexual family members, they will hopefully regret what they say. I think many people need to be more open minded, because homosexuality have been around since humans were created. What did you think happened in Rome, when the soldiers relaxed after all the epic battles in bath houses ? They were most likely rubbing each other, with more than two thumbs. By the way, if you want to hear someone talk about homosexuals, turn into Bryan Fischer on his radio show Focal Point with Bryan Fischer. He says he is against homosexuals, but speak so much about them, all the time, i have a feeling he is coming out of the closet soon. Many films have taken on the subject of homosexuality. One of the best films, that i highly recommend, is a film called Pride. A british drama comedy, about a group of lesbian and gay activists, who raised money for families, who were affected by the British Miners Strike in 1984. A really heart warming film, based on a true story, and acting so good, i had a really good time watching this film. Another really good film i recommend, is the drama comedy The Kids Are All Right. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a lesbian couple, did wonderful performances. Speaking of Julianne Moore, if you have not seen her brilliant performance in Still Alice, you need to run down and rent it tonight. This is one of the best performances i have ever seen Julianne Moore done, in a motion picture. She really deserved the Oscar statue she won. She have always managed to do all kinds of characters, tried many different genre films. And i have a feeling she will continue to give us quality films in the future. About 6 months ago, while reading about upcoming movies, i came across the title of Freeheld. I started looking deeper into the plot, and found out a really interesting cast list. Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon and Steve Carell. Also, the plot is based on the true story, of police officer Laurel Hester. With such a powerful cast, and a true story, is this one of those films that will impact you personally, or is the message not as strong as it could have been ?
Police officer Laurel Hester ( Julianne Moore ) works really hard to serve and protect. She is respected, and she always do her best together with partner Dane Wells ( Michael Shannon ). While playing a volleyball game, Laurel meets Stacie Andree ( Ellen Paige ). They decide to date at a local gay bar. It seems to start so well, but Laurel can not tell anyone she is a lesbian at work. She is afraid that she might loose her job, because not everyone appreciate homosexuals. Laurel and Stacie decides to move in together, buying a house. Suddenly, their dreams change, when Laurel finds out she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Stacie is not leaving Laurel, and beg her to fight this disease. Laurel want to make sure, that if anything happens to her, Stacie get her pension benefits. Since Stacie is the domestic partner of Laurel, she should have the same rights as anyone else. Dane, long time working partner of Laurel, refuse to give up. He suggest that she should fight against the New Jersey Board Of Chosen Freeholders. Laurel is about to take on the hardest fight of her life, and she have nothing to loose.
There is no doubt that this is the right cast, for an important film like this. Knowing that this actually happened, makes a very big difference. It must have been hard to struggle for Laurel Hester, both with cancer, and also to make sure that her partner get the pension benefits. On one side you are fighting a diagnose like every other cancer patient, but also fighting for your own rights to choose. I have not seen the documentary Freeheld, released in 2007. Now i know i should have seen the documentary first. This film is a movie adaptation on the true story, that was told in the documentary film. And i have to say that the main performances, by Julianne Moore and Ellen Page, fit really well together on screen. There is a big age difference, obviously, but that does not effect the message in any way. One of the things that this film manage to do, is show you how ordinary Laurel Hester was. Just because she was a lesbian, does not mean that she was different towards people, or her working collegues. She worked hard as an police officer, trying to do things right. The most sad part, was that she felt that she have to hide her sexuality. Other performances are also good, especially from Michael Shannon. He have always been an actor, who knows how to make characters feel realistic. Steve Carell also manage to give us a nice performance, as he is trying to fight for the rights of Laurel Hester. Director Peter Sollett may be most known for his film Nick And Norah´s Infinite Playlist. He have also directed episodes for different tv series. Freeheld is in my opinion his best film so far, as an director. This film brings up very important issues, especially that homosexuals have the same rights as straight people. Julianne Moore proves once again, that she is one of the best actors out there. This may not be her best performance so far, but it is powerful. Freeheld will make you react, and realise that equal rights have a long way to go. It is legal for homosexuals to be married in America, but there are still many issues to be changed. At least we can all get the best advices from Pat Robertsson, is there anything this man does not know ? I doubt it.
Rating: DDD
tisdag 1 mars 2016
Creed
Between the early 90´s and the millenium era, around 1999 - 2000, me and my grandfather Ingvar watched a lot of boxing matches. Back then, i used to have a tv channel called TV1000, that showed some of the biggest boxing fights live worldwide. Of course they were mostly focused on heavyweight matches, so if you wanted to see other fights, you would look for other channels. One of the fights i will never forget, is when Mike Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield´s ear, back in 1997. Now, Mike have always been known for being agressive, and known for doing scandals. But this must have been the biggest scandal in sports, that year. We continued watching matches, and we also had discussions also. Including talking about boxing films. And there was always one film we both agreed on, that was one of the best boxing drama films of all time. And that is of course the 1976 motion picture called Rocky. This film was very unique in some ways, because it had a very simple story, of a simple man who got a chance to meet the heavyweight champion of the world in a boxing fight. We all know what happened, Rocky became one of the most praised films of the 70´s and won 3 Oscars at the Academy Awards. Sylvester Stallone proved himself to be a really good actor, doing an unforgettable performance as Rocky Balboa.This became an iconic character of Philadelphia, and Stallone continued releasing sequels, where the evolution of Rocky changed dramatically. From being an ordinary street boxer in Philadelphia, to a worldwide famous icon, every Rocky film tried to lift him up each time. The second film is probably the most realistic one, if you compare with Rocky 3 or Rocky 4. Fun cult films in some ways, but that was about to change in 1990, when Rocky 5 came out. By this time, Stallone was already a major superstar, and he probably thought that he could continue the legacy. Unfortunately, Rocky 5 failed to capture the spirit of the earlier Rocky films, and i don´t think director John G. Avlidsen managed to put the pieces together. Stallone decided to take a long break, not returning as Rocky Balboa for a long time. Not until he finally decided to direct the last sequel, simply called Rocky Balboa. One of the best sequels in the series, and still today it is one of my favourite films in the series. After the 6th film, it seemed as we would not see Rocky return at all. But here we are, with a spin off on Rocky Balboa´s legacy, with Apollo Creed´s son Adonis " Donnie " Johnson, played by Michael B. Jordan. Is this a worthy film of the Rocky legacy, or is this all made to make fans pay tickets, and not really get anything in return ?
In the year 1998, Adonis " Donnie " Johnson is a troubled young buy, who needs to get back on his feet. He is serving time in a Los Angeles youth facility. He gets a visit from Apollo Creed´s widow Mary Anne Creed ( Phylicia Rashad ), who suggest that he should come and live with her. 18 years later, Adonis ( Michael B. Jordan ) leaves his job at a Security Firm, to make himself a career in boxing. Mary Anne is not pleased about this, reminding Adonis that his father died in the ring, against Ivan Drago ( Dolph Lundgren ), almost 30 years ago. But Adonis have made up his mind, he is going to follow his dream. He tries to get a shot in Los Angeles, at the Delphi Boxing Academy, but is turned down. Adonis decides to travel to Philadelphia, to see if the legend Rocky Balboa ( Sylvester Stallone ) will train him. As he arrives to town, and meet Rocky in his own italian restaurant, Rocky is very surprised. He did not know his best friend Apollo had a son, but he does not like the idea of training him. Adonis is not giving up, so stick around to see if Rocky finally will agree. Since Rocky is getting older, and lives a more calm life after so many years in his boxing career, he is not sure if he is the right man for this job. Adonis will do anything to make himself a name, but is he good enough to carry on his father´s name in the ring ?
When i heard about a new film, where Rocky Balboa would be included in the script, i was not sure what to think about this. Especially when the film would be about Apollo Creed´s son. Since the 2006 film Rocky Balboa was a really good finish for Rocky´s final fight, i remember thinking that this would probably be the last time we would see Stallone doing this iconic character again. But here we are, and this time he is not the main character. Apollo Creed will always be one of the most iconic boxing characters in motion pictures, next to Rocky Balboa. It would be easy to think that this film is all a cash in, just to make money on the names. The good news is that, this is not the case. In fact, Creed manage to continue the story, of these boxing legends, but this time with younger blood. Michael B. Jordan, who did an excellent performance in the true story based film Fruitvale Station, manage to deliver once again. His performance in Creed proves that he knows how to make his character realistic, and solid. Creed is actually directed by the Fruitvale Station director, Ryan Coogler. So this is the second time that Michael and Ryan work together, and you get the feeling that they know how to make this legacy a worthy story, updated in today´s society. The biggest suprise to me, is that Sylvester Stallone really delivers this time, and this may be one of the best performances he have made in his career. He did win a Golden Globe Award, not very long ago, and he did deserve that statue. He really is a great actor, especially when he goes back to Rocky, because he made that character become such an icon. There are a few other details i enjoy about this film. The generation differences, in the boxing world keeps on going. And you really understand why the older generation is needed, to train the new fighters. Here you get to see that no one is treated different, no matter where you are from, you have to fight as hard as you can. I also enjoy seeing Sallone, training his best friends son, giving him lessons like no one else could. The fact that the story takes place in Philadelphia again, is a very important detail. This is where it all started, and everyone knows that this is the home of Rocky Balboa. Creed is a powerful film, that manage to bring many different subjects in a very solid way. One of the biggest messages of this film is, never give up, no matter how hard life is. Director Ryan Coogler manage to keep this very important legacy, go on into a new generation. And we all need an icon, to look up to. Maybe Adonis Creed will be the next, if we see him return in another film. Until then, go and see Creed in a cinema. This is a really good motion picture, and it will touch your heart.
Rating: DDDD
In the year 1998, Adonis " Donnie " Johnson is a troubled young buy, who needs to get back on his feet. He is serving time in a Los Angeles youth facility. He gets a visit from Apollo Creed´s widow Mary Anne Creed ( Phylicia Rashad ), who suggest that he should come and live with her. 18 years later, Adonis ( Michael B. Jordan ) leaves his job at a Security Firm, to make himself a career in boxing. Mary Anne is not pleased about this, reminding Adonis that his father died in the ring, against Ivan Drago ( Dolph Lundgren ), almost 30 years ago. But Adonis have made up his mind, he is going to follow his dream. He tries to get a shot in Los Angeles, at the Delphi Boxing Academy, but is turned down. Adonis decides to travel to Philadelphia, to see if the legend Rocky Balboa ( Sylvester Stallone ) will train him. As he arrives to town, and meet Rocky in his own italian restaurant, Rocky is very surprised. He did not know his best friend Apollo had a son, but he does not like the idea of training him. Adonis is not giving up, so stick around to see if Rocky finally will agree. Since Rocky is getting older, and lives a more calm life after so many years in his boxing career, he is not sure if he is the right man for this job. Adonis will do anything to make himself a name, but is he good enough to carry on his father´s name in the ring ?
When i heard about a new film, where Rocky Balboa would be included in the script, i was not sure what to think about this. Especially when the film would be about Apollo Creed´s son. Since the 2006 film Rocky Balboa was a really good finish for Rocky´s final fight, i remember thinking that this would probably be the last time we would see Stallone doing this iconic character again. But here we are, and this time he is not the main character. Apollo Creed will always be one of the most iconic boxing characters in motion pictures, next to Rocky Balboa. It would be easy to think that this film is all a cash in, just to make money on the names. The good news is that, this is not the case. In fact, Creed manage to continue the story, of these boxing legends, but this time with younger blood. Michael B. Jordan, who did an excellent performance in the true story based film Fruitvale Station, manage to deliver once again. His performance in Creed proves that he knows how to make his character realistic, and solid. Creed is actually directed by the Fruitvale Station director, Ryan Coogler. So this is the second time that Michael and Ryan work together, and you get the feeling that they know how to make this legacy a worthy story, updated in today´s society. The biggest suprise to me, is that Sylvester Stallone really delivers this time, and this may be one of the best performances he have made in his career. He did win a Golden Globe Award, not very long ago, and he did deserve that statue. He really is a great actor, especially when he goes back to Rocky, because he made that character become such an icon. There are a few other details i enjoy about this film. The generation differences, in the boxing world keeps on going. And you really understand why the older generation is needed, to train the new fighters. Here you get to see that no one is treated different, no matter where you are from, you have to fight as hard as you can. I also enjoy seeing Sallone, training his best friends son, giving him lessons like no one else could. The fact that the story takes place in Philadelphia again, is a very important detail. This is where it all started, and everyone knows that this is the home of Rocky Balboa. Creed is a powerful film, that manage to bring many different subjects in a very solid way. One of the biggest messages of this film is, never give up, no matter how hard life is. Director Ryan Coogler manage to keep this very important legacy, go on into a new generation. And we all need an icon, to look up to. Maybe Adonis Creed will be the next, if we see him return in another film. Until then, go and see Creed in a cinema. This is a really good motion picture, and it will touch your heart.
Rating: DDDD
Prenumerera på:
Inlägg (Atom)