Films Of The Early 2000´s : National Lampoon´s Repli-Kate ( 2002 )

The early 2000´s, what a unique time it was. We got to experience the end of the 90´s, wich was quite special. Knowing that we would leave all the great things about that great time period of the happy days of the 90´s, i was actually excited about the Millenium, and what the 2000´s would offer. And you know what, there are some things that actually did hit right with the time period. Let us begin with the release of Limp Bizkit´s third studio album Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water, an album that have been hated by music critics ever since the album came out, but this is still today one of their most beloved studio albums by fans. Even if you are not a fan of the band, you can´t deny that this album did well. In fact, the first week that the album was released, it sold over 1 million copies. Incredible numbers right? It´s not strange why this album was so popular back in the year of 2000. With songs such as My Way, Take A Look Around, Boiler, Rollin and My Generation as singles, you just could not do anything wrong. It´s the perfect album to listen to the car on high volume, to teach todays teenager about a time, when we did not need Tik Tok or social media to have fun, we had mosh pits and stage dived instead. Early 2000 also offered some really fun films, and one of the true classics is the 2000 comedy Dude, Where´s My Car? Actors Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott play the two stupid dudes named Jesse and Chester, who wakes up with a bad hangover. When they go outside the notice that Jesse´s car is missing. So they decide to go look for the car, since they have no idea what happened yesterday. Dude, Where´s My Car? is one of those comedies you can put on any day and just have a good time. The characters are silly, the girls are hot, and the dialogue is just silly but fun. I especially love the car scene with model Fabio Lanzoni, it´s a classic. I decided to take a look back at comedies from the early 2000´s and see what films i have not seen so far. There were quite a lot of titles that i have forgotten about, since there were so many comedies made back in those days. This is where i came across a DVD release of National Lampoon´s Repli-Kate, a film i heard of but actually never took the time to see, until now. Is this comedy a pleasant surprise, or is National Lampoon´s Repli-Kate even worse than i expected?

Max Fleming ( James Roday Rodriquez ) is a graduate student who has developed a powerful cloning machine for the egotistical Dr. Jonas Fromer ( Eugene Levy ). Jonas takes all the credit for this project, wich Max is not pleased about. He meets Kate Carlson ( Ali Landry Monteverde ), a young and beautiful magazine reporter preparing a story on the cloning research at the university. During the interview, Kate accidently cut herself, and a few drops of blood mingle with one of the cloning samples. Later that night, Max runs a test with the machine, and to his surprise he ends up with a replicant of Kate, wich he names Repli-Kate. At first he is happy about having a cloning of Kate, until things start getting out of control.

Since comedies these days barely make me laugh much at all, you can sense that a lot of directors do not know how to make comedies anymore. Especially now when extreme Swedish feminists try and tell everyone what is allowed, and what is forbidden. And this is one of the reasons why we need a film like Repli-Kate to exist on DVD. This is a comedy that rely on booze, sex, nudity, male dreams, everything that the exteme Swedish feminists pretty much hate. Remember, this film came out in 2002, wich proves that you could still make a film like this without getting your head chopped of. And i feel that with everything that we have gone through since early 2020, we need something silly to enjoy, to remember the good days. Is this a stupid film? Yes, and that´s ok. I am not expecting a film like this to be a Oscar winner, i just want to have a good time with silly characters and sex jokes. Let´s get into the characters. Actress Ali Landry Monteverde who plays two versions of Kate in this film, actually deliver some funny scenes. Not every scene ( especially one scene is bad ), but she does have comedy timing. I like the idea of her playing 2 very different versions of herself, it kind of reminds me a bit of the 1985 classic Weird Science, but with a different plot. The highlight of this film is actor Desmond Askew, who plays the sidekick Henry. Now, this guy have really good comedy timing, and is definetely the one who deliver the funniest dialogue. Actor James Roday Rodriguez as the nice guy Max, is clearly having problems with handling two different Kate´s. He is not really good at comedy timing, but his character do have some charming dialogue. Legendary comedian Eugene Levy ( mostly known for American Pie ) do bring some fun scenes as the character Jonas Fromer. I would have liked to see him in more scenes, but he does a good job portraying his character. The idea of combning cloning a human in a comedy have been done before, but Repli-Kate do this in a different way by being more vulgar and don´t care about limits. This is why this film works, when the comedy scenes hit the right tone. Even if Repli-Kate is silly sometimes, i still had a good time watching this film. If you are in the right mood, it is possible Repli-Kate can make your day better.

Rating: DDD

20 Years Anniversay Review Of Blade 2

I can not believe that 20 years have passed so quickly. It feels like the year of 2002 is not that far away, that it´s gone too fast. 2002 was a very special year for me personally, since this was the year that i met my Scottish friend Sharon in Spain, while i was there on vacation. Sharon stayed at the same hotel, and one night i walked right up to her while she was sitting alone. It turns out she travelled there all by herself, as a 30 years birthday gift to herself. I felt sorry for her, that no one left to Spain with her, but we became close friends instantly. That week we spend every day together, and right before she went back to Scotland, she invited me to celebrate New Years Eve in Edinburgh in 2002. I did travel to London first, wich was my first stop on that journey. After that i continued to Edinburgh, wich turned out to be the greatest New Years Eve party i have ever been to. They have all dressed up as vikings, since i was a guest from Sweden, while we walked down Princess Street in Edinburgh. This was probably one of the few New Years Party´s that i have been so drunk, that i could barely walk. I do remember that my Scottish friend John fell asleep on a chair, hanging down towards the floor. This is one of those journeys i did that i will never forget. 2002 turned out to be a great music year, especially with the release of American metal band Korn´s 5th studio album Untouchables. I used to play this album all the time, with so many great tracks such as Here To Stay, Thoughtless, Alone I Break and many more. This is one of those albums that will never age, because it is such a damn good studio album. Since we are talking about the year of 2002, this was the year we also got to see the psychological thriller Insomnia ( the American remake of the Norwegian film of the same name ), with very strong acting performances from Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Al Pacino plays LAPD detective Will Dormer, who investigate a murder case in fishing town Nightmute, Alaska with his partner Hap Eckhart ( Martin Donovan ), where a 17 year old girl was found murdered. If you love psychological thrillers, this is a really good choice with top quality acting, and beautiful scenery from Alaska. How many of you remember the action horror film Blade from 1998? Wesley Snipes played the vampire hunter Blade, who is a human-vampire hybrid, fighting against vampires who are trying to control the world. Blade is one of those late 90´s films that is still really fun to watch, delivering great action scenes and fun dialogue. I have to mention that actor Stephen Dorff as the evil Deacon Frost, is also a highlight in this film. 4 years later we got a sequel in 2002, simply known as Blade 2. Since the sequel of Blade turns 20 years in 2022, i thought it would be fun to revisit the film and see how i feel about it, 20 years later? Is it possible that Blade 2 is even better after 20 years, or is this a sequel that have not aged very well at all?

Blade ( Wesley Snipes ) searches Prague for his mentor Abraham Whistler ( Kris Kristofferson ) who was thought dead after being attacked by Deacon Frost ( Brad Dourif ), but was instead turned into a vampire and held prisoner for two years. Blade rescues Whistler and cures him. Whistler meets Scud ( Norman Reedus ), Blade´s young new technician. Whistler does not like the way Scud works, and let him know that. They suddenly have uninvited vampire guests attacking Blade, who later find out that they have been sent to ask Blade for help. A new vampire species called "Reapers" are taking over, and they are causing even more danger than ordinary vampires. If they take over, the whole world will be lost. So they ask Blade to help them by helping a special vampire unit called The Bloodpack, who are trained to kill. But this mission, could be more complicated than they predicted.

There is no other way to say this, but Blade 2 could be one of the best film sequels in the last 20 years. And i am just being honest, since sequels are usually not better than the original film. I actually prefer Blade 2 before the first film for a number of reasons. First of all this film have some really powerful action scenes that still look really good. The martial art scenes with Wesley Snipes as Blade is a hell of a lot fun, and still have a lot of power. You can feel that they worked really hard to make all of this work on the big screen. I love the idea of Blade helping other vampires to fight a new dangerous species known as "Repears", gives you a complete different plot than the first film. I think they made a really good choice,  by choosing this plot instead of just making a Blade sequel. The vampire team The Bloodpack, have some really interesting characters. I especially enjoy legendary actor Ron Perlman as the character Dieter Reinhardt, who is not only a big asshole, but he have a loud mouth as well. The scenes between him and Wesley Snipes deliver some of the funniest scenes in the film, as they are clearly not getting along. Martial arts action start Donnie Yen as the vampire character Snowman, is one of the coolest characters in this film. His battle scene towards some of the Reapers deliver some really fun action sequences. What about Wesley Snipes himself? No one could play Blade like he does, so he is definetely a perfect match for this role. Legendary singer, songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson is once again really good as the character Abraham, who is especially annoyed by the new weaponsmith Spud ( played great by The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus ). Actor Luke Goss ( who is a member of the pop band Bros ) is definetely fun as the insane Reaper vampire Jared Nomak, who knows how to put on a show. There is a lot of violence in this film, and plenty of body parts being destroyed, and i love the insane level of action scenes that this film just keeps delivering. Director Guillermo del Toro ( who have directed a lot of really good films, especially Pacific Rim ) knows exactly how to capture the right tone of Blade from the comic books, and transform that feeling to the big screen. Not onlu does this film look really good, the plot is much stronger than most films in this genre. Blade 2 is without a doubt one of my favourite sequel films of all time. Maybe not as much as i love the 1986 film Aliens, but definetely the best sequel we have had in a very long time. A film you need to experience and learn how you combine action and horror in a very professional way. Since the film turns 20 years in 2022, we need to celebrate that worldwide next year. So i suggest you all pick up the film on DVD or Blu ray, and let´s all have a fantastic start of the new year. There is no question about it, we need Wesley Snipes as Blade to remind us what quality means, and this is exactly what Blade 2 deliver.

Rating: DDDD

Eternals

High school reunions can be fun, especially if you were in a good class with very divided individuals. And that was exactly what my class in high school was, a lot of different styles of fashion and music. In 2003, we had a High School reunion for the class of 1993, 10 years later to see what everyone have been up to over those years. I can tell you, i was quite surprised. Not by everyone of course, especially from the guys Johan and Patrik, they have not changed much at all, it was like they were 15 years old again at the reunion. Then we had Carla, a small nice girl who i always thought would become a beauty salon owner, since she did a lot of nail work, and different hair styles. She is actually a politician today for the Swedish political party Centerpartiet. So you never know where we all will end up, and that´s the great thing about developing yourself, taking chances in life. So at this High School reunion dinner, one of my class mates Eva-Marie said:- I remember Daniel when you were 13 years old, how much you loved and brought The Hulk comic books to school, you even brought Hulk animated VHS tapes to your locker. I was surprised she remembered that but i said:- Yes that´s right, i was obsessed with The Hulk, you should have seen my wall paper in my room. She laughed and we continued talking, both about comic books but also about films based on comic books. This High School reunion reminded me of my love for comic books, and since this was the year of 2003, this was also the year when legendary director Ang Lee released his film adaptation of The Hulk. I know that some people are very divided about this film, but i am a big fan of the 2003 film. The Hulk tells the story of David Banner ( Paul Kersey ), who is a genetics researcher who tries to improve human DNA. His supervisor, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross ( Sam Elliott ), forbids human experimentation, so David experiment on himself. His wife, Edith Banner ( Cara Buono ), soon gives birth to their son Bruce Banner. David realizes Bruce inherited his mutant DNA and attempts to find a cure. David believe that Bruce might be dangerous and attempts to kill him, and accidently kill Edith instead. David is arrested and put in a mental hospital, while bruce is adopted. 30 years later, Bruce Banner ( Eric Bana ) is a brilliant scientist at Berkely Lab with his girlfriend Betty Ross ( Jennifer Connely ). Bruce is about to find out, that after being exposed to high levels of gammasphere, he will transform into someone else, when he gets angry. The Hulk is a really entertaining comic book action film with lots of great character and this film does a really good job capturing the comic book feeling. Director Ang Lee showed a very serious side of The Hulk, wich i think was the best way to go. Definetely worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray, and if you can get the 3 DVD discc box of The Hulk, you get lots of special features and a cool box design. Since last year i have been hearing alot of buzz about the Marvel film known as Eternals, that was supposed to show a different side of super heroes. I finally got a chance to check this film out before New Years Eve. Since i am a comic book film adaptation fan ( except for the 2011 film Green Lantern of course ), is this latest Eternals film better than i expected, or is it just as bad as Mike Lindell´s Cyber Symposium event?

In 5000 BC, ten superpowered Eternals- Ajak ( Salma Hayek ), Sersi ( Gemma Chan ), Ikaris ( Richard Madden ), Kingo ( Kumail Nanjiani ), Sprite ( Lia McHugh ), Phastos ( Brian Tyree Henry ), Makkari ( Lauren Ridloff ), Druig ( Barry Keoghan ), Gilgamesh ( Ma Dong-seok ) and Thena ( Angelina Jolie ) - are sent by the Celestrial Arishem to Earth on their starship, the Domo, to exterminate the invasive Deviants. The last of the Deviants are killed in 1521, and the group´s opinions differ over their continued responsibilities and their relationship with human kind. Over the next 500 years, they mostly live apart from each other, awaiting Arishem´s return. In present day, Sersi and Sprite live together in London. Sersi is in a relationship with human Dane Whitman ( Kit Harrington ), who works at the Natural History Museum. The trio is suddenly attacked by the Deviant Kro, with Ikaris arriving and chasing the creature away. Realizing that the Deviants have returned, they understand that they must reunite all of the Eternals, or all hope will be lost.

Since i have not read any of the Marvel comic books of the Eternals, i have no idea if this film have done a good job with portraying each of the characters. So i went into this film with an open mind, to see if this film adaptation would offer something different in the world of comic books. First of all i have to be honest and say, Eternals reminded me a lot about the 2017 film version of Power Rangers. I actually enjoyed that film, since they managed to combine great characters with a solid cast. And i did enjoy the super hero theme of the Power Rangers film, that had a much more serious tone than the 90´s TV series. Eternals feels almost like another version of the 2017 film Power Rangers, with a complete different plot, but you can sense some similarities. Is that a good thing? I suppose it depends on what kind of super hero films that you enjoy. If you did not like the latest Power Rangers film, then you might not enjoy Eternals either. Let me be clear though, this is still a completely different film than Power Rangers, even if you can see some similar ideas. The best part of Eternals is that we get a lot of different super heroes with a lot of diversity, wich is a good thing. One of the characters i feel is very interesting, is the deaf character Makkari, played by actress Lauren Ridloff. To see her combine her super powers and communicating with sign language, is actually really cool. It is very important to show people worldwide, that just because you are deaf, does not mean you are different from anyone else. One of the charming characters in Eternals is without a doubt Kingo, played by actor Kumail Nanjiani ( who most of you probably recognize from the HBO TV series Silicon Valley ). Since some characters can be a little bit stiff sometimes, Kingo makes sure that everyone gets in the right mood. Actress Angelina Jolie is pretty cool as Thena, a bad ass chick who takes shit from no one. One of the issues i have with Eternals is that this is a very long film. I get it, they want to take time and introduce as many characters as possible. The problem with that is that it takes a while before you feel interested in more than one character, since there are so many here. I have to mention the 2017 film of Power Rangers again here, because some of the body armour that certain Eternals characters wear, also reminds me of the Power Rangers film, i wonder if that´s just a coinsidence? There are some cheesy CGI effects ( i do enjoy some of the monster scenes though, they are simple but entertaining ), but if you can accept this and a lot of characters all over the place, just give this film a try at least. Director Chloé Zhao ( who directed the Oscar winner Nomadland ) deliver a Marvel film that´s definetely different than Avengers and similar films, and i enjoy her vision of Eternals. There are certain details she could have polished more, but Eternals do set up something interesting in the plot, and i hope they can make a sequel, so more pieces of the puzzle can fit together and explain certain details more clear. Eternals is definetely something for you who loves super heroes, and comic books as well. The DVD and Blu Ray releases are getting closer to 2022, so why not pick up a copy? I know i will.

Rating: DDD

American Sausage Standoff ( Gutterbee )

A lot of people love films where you can predict the plot, and you want that classic formula that you have seen so many times before. I actually prefer films that do the opposite, and go in a complete different direction, and do as many crazy things as possible. It does not work in all films of course, since it has to work with the plot. But if it does work, i am definetely interested. There are a few titles that comes to my mind when i think about odd films, but let us bring up one film that i really love. A film i probably have seen at least 15 times since the film came out, and that is the 2009 comedy known as Gentlemen Broncos. This is one of those films that barely anyone have heard of, and that is such a shame. This is pure comedy gold that should be seen by all ages, that´s definetely different than any film you have seen before. Gentlemen Broncos is directed by Jared Hess ( director of the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite ), and tells the story of Benjamin Purvis ( Michael Angarano ), a young sci fi writer who lives with his mother Judith Purvis ( Jennifer Coolidge ). Benjamin have recently finished a sci fi story called Yeasts Lord. Benjamin bring his story to the two-day writing camp, where he hopes to meet his idol, pretentious writer Ronald Chevalier ( Jemaine Clement ). Chevalier announces a contest for the writers, in wich the winner´s story will be published nationally. After encouragement from fellow camper Tabatha Jenkins ( Halley Feiffer ), Benjamin submits Yeasts Lord. As Chevalier reviews the stories from the campers, he gets a phone call from his publisher rejecting his latest manuscript. Panicked, he picks up Benjamin´s story and use his material, while making some changes to get back on track again. Benjamin finds out and is furious, with all the work he put into this story. Gentlemen Broncos is one insane comedy with so many crazy characters, unexpected twists and turns. i can definetely see this film become a cult film in the future. You have to see this one, so pick it up on DVD or Blu Ray. I have been really excited about an independent comedy known as American Sausage Standoff ( also known as Gutterballs on DVD in Sweden ), that looked really odd. Since i don´t see that many odd comedies coming out very often, this film definetely caught my attention. A conflict between small town folks and a German sausage restaurant? I just had to see this film. Is this one of the better comedies i have seen in recent years, or is this even worse than i expected?

Mike Dankworth McCoid ( Anthony Starr ) is let out of prison and goes back to his hometown Gutterbee, where not many people are staying anymore. Business are shutting down and folks living here see that there is not much hope anymore. Except for sherriff Jimmy Jerry Lee Jones Jr. ( W. Earl Brown ) who still belive this town can survive the American way. Until Mike team up with German suasage specialist Edward Hofler ( Ewen Bremmer ), about the possibility of opening a German sausage restaurant in Gutterbee, to get the town back on track. This is not something that Sherriff Jimmy will ever accept, so he will do anything to stop this from happening.

American Sausage Standoff ( or Gutterbee as the Nordic film title is here in Scandinavia ) is another percfect example of films that not many people have heard of, and this is why i love seeing films such as this one. It may not have been a big box office hit, but that´s exactly why films such as American Sausage Standoff stands out in the crowd for trying something original. Does that mean everything in this film is good? No, but let´s talk about the positive details first, what i do enjoy about this film. First of all i love the idea of this American small town getting into conflicts about German sausages, because the idea itself is quite strange. I can´t say i have ever seen anything similar to this in any film from the past, so this clearly shows that this film does have something unusual for the audience to experience. And when you actually have a plot that is quite different than anything else, it gives us hope that we might actually still have films made in the future, that does have something original to say. When it comes to the characters, i have to mention legendary actor W. Earl Brown ( who have been in a lot of great films such as Kiss The Girls, Wild, Black Mass, and of course Western TV series Deadwood ) as the town sherriff Jimmy Jerry Lee Jones Jr. who is not only a racists, but an asshole as well. He is the perfect example of small town folks that does not want any changes, that everything should be the way that it´s always been, the real American way. Anthony Starr ( who you probably recognize from the Amazon Original TV series The Boys ) is actually quite entertaining as the character Mike, who tries to get back on track after prison, wich of course is not easy to do. At the same time, you know that this is the kind of character that have fooled people in the past, so you can´t really trust him completely. Either way, Anthony does a great job with his character. In this film you also find actor Ewen Bremner ( who i always think about as Spud in the cult film Trainspotting ) as the German sausage specialist Edward Hofler. Even if he does not give one of his strongest acting performances in this film, i still think he deliver some charming moments. My biggest issue in American Sausage Standoff is that some of the comedy scenes are not as funny as i was hoping for. Considering that the plot have some fantastic ideas, this could have been a golden moment for comedy. There are a few scenes that do work, but i feel that we should have been given more, with so many talented actors on board. In the end, i do find enough reasons to enjoy this film for trying a different path. American Sausage Standoff does not follow the usual pattern, and director Ulrich Hansen deliver a film that is actually a nice surprise within independent comedies. If you can go into this film with an open mind, i think you might actually have a good time with this film. American Sausage Standoff is a great choice for the whole family to enjoy. What are you waiting for? It is time you pick it up on DVD or Blu Ray.

Rating: DDD

15 Years Anniversary Review Of Hatchet

I always wanted to live out in the swamp. Just imagine everything that you can do there, every single day. You can hunt alligators, wrestle with them, chew on trees, swim among snakes, build your own tree house and invite your latino lover Fredrico Hernandez ( don´t tell anyone that i already did, it´s just some fun time between romantic men ). You can of course practise playing your banjo, in case you are prepared for a future banjo duel. Another great thing about swamps is that there are insects, so you will have no problem finding a snack. I did find out something very interesting about the tropical storm Irene, when it took place in 2011. The wetlands in Vermont actually reduced flood damage by 95%, wich saved up to 450.000 American dollars in clean-up costs. So this really proves that wetlands is very important, helping out in crisis, while this is another proof why wetlands is the place to live in. When it comes to horror films that takes place in a swamp, we have quite a lot of titles to choose between. So i decided to go through a list of films, and pick one that i personally enjoy. I decided to pick out the 1976 horror film known as Eaten Alive ( also known as Death Trap, Horror Hotel ), from legendary director Tobe Hooper. If you never heard of this film, i think you need a lesson from me. You see, this is one of those B movies that you should see, because it is quite different from most film you have experienced. Eaten Alive tells the story of Starlight Hotel, located deep in the remote swampland of rural Texas. This is where the hotel´s mentally disturbed proprietor Judd ( Neville Brand ), attack and brutally kill visitors, where his pet Nile crocodile also feed on human flesh. The thing that makes Eaten Alive quite different is the tone of the film, how often do you see a hotel out in a swamp with a hillbilly killer, that even have a crocodile pet? And the concept actually works, thanks to legendary director Tobe Hooper. I have to mention that legendary actor Neville Brand as the disturbing character Judd, is definetely a experience out of the ordinary. Legendary actor Robert Englund can be seen in this film as well, in a fun role as the character Samson Dunston. My suggestion is that you pick up the Arrov Video blu ray release of Eaten Alive, wich have some fun special features as well. A film that´s definetely fun, if you appreciate low budget horror films. Speaking of independent horror, let´s go back 15 years to the year of 2006. This was the year when director Adam Greene introduced a new horror character known as Victor Crowley. Imagine the cannibals of The Hills Have Eyes, combined with The Hunchback Of Notre-Dame combined into one person, and you have Victor Crowley. I have not seen the first of Hatchet in many years, so since this film turned 15 years in 2021, i decided to revisit the film to see if i still enjoy this film. Is it possible that Hatchet have aged with dignity, or is this a film that have aged horrible and have nothing to offer the audience?

During a Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, a group of friends including Ben Schaefer ( Joel Moore ) and his best friend Marcus ( Deon Richmond ) decide to go on a haunted swamp tour. They meet the guide Rev. Zombie ( Tony Todd ) who says he is no longer doing any tours, since he was sued for negligence. He suggests that they try a place farther down the street. They enter a shop where they meet over-the-top swamp tour guide Shawn ( Parry Shen ). He will be doing the tour today, so gather a group of people on a bus out to the swamp. At first the boat tour seems to be going alright, until they encounter Victor Crowley ( Kane Hodder ), a deformed creature who lives in the swamp.

Even if Hatchet is 15 years old, you can tell that the film have aged a bit with the early 2000´s vibe in the air. But i have a feeling that B movie lovers will still enjoy Hatchet for a number of different reasons. Let us begin with the location of this film, and it actually helps the film become more fun in New Orleans. Knowing that this is the place for the Mardi Gras festival, this is a place that is filled with horror influences. And when you add tourists to the plot, this is the right location to introduce a new horror icon. I especially enjoy the tourist boat scenes, where you can tell that nothing is going as planned. The tourist guide on this boat known as Shawn ( played by actor Parry Shen ) is probably the worst tourist guide you have ever seen, and this is why it becomes entertaining to see him do his job. I think if i would ever go on a boat tour in New Orleans, i would want to have Shawn as the guide. Who wants to be bored on vacation, when you have party tourist guide guy Shawn to make your holiday perfect? I actually like the main character Ben, played by actor Joel David Moore. He is that kind of guy who does not care about sleeping around, he rather experience other things and seems more focused on doing something with his life. Joel deliver a natural performance as Ben, without going over the top. Actor Deon Richmond as party guy Marcus is fun, and bring some energy to the boat tour. This film actually have a solid female character called Marybeth, played by actress Amara Zaragoza, who later turns out to be the toughest of the tourists, and she is definetely what this film needed. Legendary horror icon Robert Englund make a fun cameo, that will definetely please you. Let´s be honest though, the highlight of this film is of course Victor Crowley, played by legendary horror icon Kane Hodder. Not only is he really brutal, but the look of Victor is pretty awsome. You could say he is the the result of hillbilly family members moonshine nights, where there are no rules, everything is allowed between the sheets. The brutal kills from Victor Crowley is a true throwback to the slasher films of the 80´s, and it´s hard not to enjoy the insane kills that he does. Director Adam Green knows exactly how to tell the story of Hatchet in a simple, but fun way. I would say that he clearly tried to show his respect with this film to the B movie slasher horror classics that we grew up on in the 80´s, and for that i am truly grateful. Hatchet is exactly what you want to see, if you had a bad day. This film will cheer you up, and let you laugh several times as well over the cheesy dialogue and the brutal kills. Definetely worth picking up on DVD and Blu Ray, Hatchet still deliver after 15 years, and that´s definetely a good sign. 

Rating: DDD

A Request Review: Orphan ( 2009 )

Most families have the ability to have children the natural way, but that does not include everyone. Some women simply can´t give birth to a child, because of medical issues such as poor egg quality, your fallopian are blocked so sperm can´t get to your egg and many other reasons. That does not mean you can´t have a child at all, there are other options. You could get help from a surrogate mother, or perhaps adopt a child. Of course there are some things you need to think about, before you make your decision. As long as you feel that you make a decision that you feel comfortable with, there are possibilities to have your own family. But what if you are a child that is an orphan, or becomes an orphan? This is of course a completely different view on families, that not everyone may live in a traditional family. And that´s ok, since things may actually turn around and become better with time. Speaking of time and orphans, we actually have a film that combines both of these subjects, that is actually a good film. And the film that comes to my mind is the 2018 film The House With A Clock In It´s Wall. This is a film that is actually directed by Eli Roth, and it´s a family comedy with horror elements. I already knew that Eli Roth knows how to make good horror films, but that he actually could make a family comedy was a big surprise. This film tells the story of ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt ( Owen Vaccaro ), who in 1955 lost both of his parents in a car crash. Lewis is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan ( Jack Black ) in New Zebedee, Michigan. At first this may seem like a normal home, but Lewis is about to find out that this home have a lot of secrets, that are about to be revealed. The House With A Clock In It´s Wall is a fun film, that actually manage to bring in horror influences in a nice, and surprising way. If you just want to be entertained for the moment, this is a great pick for the whole family. Since i mentioned orphans earlier, i was asked if i could do a request review of the 2009 film Orphan. I have seen this film before, but that was quite some time ago. So it was time to revisit the film and see how i feel about this film now, 12 years later. Is this still a solid horror film, or have Orphan aged just as much as Victoria Beckham´s self titled pop album from 2001?

Kate Coleman ( Vera Farmiga ) and John Coleman´s ( Peter Sarsgaard ) marriage is strained after their stillbirth of their third child Jessica. Trying to deal with the grief, Kate is having a hard time with their loss, who is a recovering addict. So they make a decision, and that is to adopt a child, and they find 9-year-old Russian girl Ester ( Isabelle Fuhrman ), who seems to be a wonderful and intelligent girl. At first everything seems to be going fine, but it becomes clear that Esther is not the girl that they thought she was. She have a dark secret buried deep inside of her.

One of the things that makes Orphan especially interesting, is that this film bring up the medical term known as Hypopituitarism, wich means you have a short supply of one or more pituitary hormones. This could affect any number of your body´s routine functions. To have a character in this film who is living with this medical term, makes the character quite unique. And i am of course talking about the character known as Esther, played really good by actress Isabelle Fuhrman. I can honestly say that she is the strongest character in this film, and makes quite a powerful impact. The mystery that surrounds her is quite fascinating, and appreciate that we don´t find out much at all about her background, until quite late in the film. Since we have seen films with orphans included in films in the past, i have to say that this one stands out by using a different path. What about the plot itself? It is quite simple, and have been seen several times before. But it is the twists and turns that makes this film a much stronger psychological film, compared to the 1993 film The Good Son. You have especially two well known actors in this film, and they are Vera Farmiga ( The Conjuring ) and Peter Saarsgard ( An Education ). Both actors give solid performances, and give realitic characters. I specifically enjoy seeing Vera Farmiga as the mother Kate, as you can tell she wants to give Esther a chance to be a part of their family. She have a natural way to make you feel intrigued by her characters, especially in The Conjuring. Does the psychological horror work for the most part? I would say yes, and this is where we have to mention actress Isabelle Fuhrman again, since she is the one who contribute to the highlights, where she totally freaks out mentally. To show this level of insanity through acting is not easy, but she does a splendid job. Orphan is one of those films that clearly show that you can never trust anyone completely, no matter how good hearted you think they seem to be. Director Jaumet Collet-Serra ( who directed the 2005 film House Of Wax, worth checking out ) bring us a film that show the importance of staying together as a family, when something happens that could tear your life apart. I especially think that he have done a good job bulding up psychological tensions within the family, wich helps the plot to become more interesting. If you are into psychological horror, Orhan is definetely worth checking out. In fact, this film might make you more aware if you ever planned to help an orphan, to make sure of the child´s background. Who knows, some of them might not be the sweethearts that they pretend to be.

Rating: DDD

Death Valley

There are a lot of people who believe we have underground facilities where experiments takes place, or where there are scientists hiding very important information about technology. Do i believe any of this is true? I don´t know, i will say that i do believe that governments all over the world have always kept secrets from the outside world. Of course they would not tell us evetything, and why should they? There are probably a lot of projects that have been made, that is meant to be secret for a number of reasons. I am curious though about certain cases, such as The Roswell Incident that took place during the summer of 1947, near a ranch in Corona, New Mexico. It was here that rancher W.W. Brazell found material from flying saucers, scattered around the area outside his ranch. He took the material to sheriff´s office in Roswell, where the sheriff contacted Major Jesse Marcel. To get more answers, Major Marcel took the pieces found to Colonel William Blanchard, who took this matter very seriously. Blanchard reported the findings to General Roger Ramey at Fort Worth Army Air Field, who made sure that the material found would be investigated. We all know that there have been a lot of specualtaions about The Roswell Incident, where some people claimed that it was only a weather balloon found around the ranch in Corona. While others say that the material that was found, was in fact from real UFO´s. Will we ever know the whole truth about The Roswell Incident? I don´t think so, since it seems to becoming harder finding physical evidende in this case. Thankfully, some people who have worked at Area 51 have spoken out in public, so we do have some details. We also have other witnessess who have told their stories, who remember the summer of 1947, living in the same area. It is definetely an interesting case, and i believe we will continue looking for answers. Since i mentioned underground facilities earlier, there are some films that have brought this up in films such as The Devil´s Tomb from director Jason Connery ( who you might remember from the Western comedy Shanghai Noon ). The Devil´s Tomb tells the story of an elite group of Special Operations soldiers, led by Captain Mack ( Cuba Gooding, Jr ) who are sent out to a mission in the Middle East desert, to rescue a scientist named Lee Wesley ( Ron Perlman ) from an archaeological dig. It turns out that this location seems to be a place called Gehenna Project, and is no ordinary archaeological location. The Devil´s Tomb from 2009 is a fun action horror film with fun characters, and a fun cast that includes Henry Rollins, Bill Moseley and Ray Winstone. Definetely worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray ( you won´t find this one on Netflix ). Speaking of secret undergound locations, i have been hearing this autumn about a film released by Shudder, known as Death Valley. The trailer seemed to be a fun combination of Resident Evil meets The Devil´s Tomb ( with some differences of course ). I finally got a chance to sit down and experience Death Valley, so the question is, did this film turn out to be better than i expected, or is Death Valley just as bad as former boxer Oscar De La Hoyaz latino pop album from the year 2000?

Mercenaries are hired to rescue a bioengineer imprisoned in a cold war bunker. As they arrive to the location, they are about to find out, underneath these doors walks an unknown creature.

If you were worried that you could not end the year of 2021 in a positive, loving way, then i have some wonderful news to you. Death Valley is exactly how you celebrate the end of a year, because what more could you ask for than a monster running around in an underground military facility, where you even find zombies? This is definetely a film that will be appreciated if you love films such as Xtro 2, The Devil´s Tomb and Resident Evil combined. You could say that this film have borrowed ideas from a lot of similar films, and i have no problem with that. The way i see it, is that we need a film like Death Valley to be released in 2021, because we need the legacy of sci fi horror that reminds us of the 80´s and 90´s to continue. There is a new generation of teenagers out there who need to see why a film like this is so important to be made, so they can learn to appreciate the true classics. So what is it specifically i appreciate with a film such as Death Valley? First of all the monster design looks really good. This may be the best monster design i have seen for many years, knowing that this is all made from practical make up effects. The details on this creature is quite incredible, when you see the monster in full, and i guarantee that you won´t find any film that have done better practical make up effects than in Death Valley this year, in independent horror films. I think the military facility works well with the atmosphere of the monster, as he walks around looking for new victims. What about the plot? To be honest there is not a lot of plot in this film, and that´s ok. A film like Death Valley does not need a complicated plot, we just need big guns, a monster and some fun dialogue. The characters in this film actually works for the most part, and especially the duo actors known as Jeremy Ninaber and Ethan Mitchell as the characters James Beckett and Marshall. You can feel their chemistry on screen, and they are a great match for a film like this. Actres Kristen Kaster as the character Chloe is exactly the right female character to be in a military facility, bringing some female power into the plot. My only real problem with Death Valley is that i would have liked to see more brutal fights between the monster and the military crew. With such a cool design of the creature, i just feel like we could have had more blood and flesh wounds. Otherwise i can´t complain, since this is a fun film for audiences wordwide. Director Matthew Ninaber combine a lot of classic ingredients, and have managed to make a film that brings back the good old days of VHS action horror releases. If you plan to end 2021 with a film on Shudder, you should spend the countdown in the company of Death Valley, and i guarantee you will feel pleased with the beginning of 2022.

Rating: DDD

The Mutation

Life is created in a natural way, no matter if we are talking about humans, animals or other species. We all have a purpose on this planet, and we are all needed to make this planet function. Humans have always had a unique connection to animals, where we learn to understand their behavior, and why they act in certain situations. But what if an animal have been exposed to experimental formula, that actually makes the animal mutated? And that is exactly what happened in the 1980 sci fi horror film Alligator, from director Lewis Teague ( who also directed the 1983 horror film Cujo, based on the novel by Stephen King ). Alligator begin in 1968, when a teenage girl purchase a baby American alligator, while her family is on holiday in Florida. She takes the baby alligator back to their home in Chicago, where she flushed the alligator down their toilet and into the city´s sewer. 12 years later, the alligator survives by feeding on covertly discarded pet carcasses. These animals had been used as test subjects for an experimental growth formula. But the project was cancelled when they discovered that the tests did not go as planned. The alligator in the sewer, is becoming bigger and bigger while feeding of these carcasses, becoming mutated. Alligator is a fun animal B horror movie that does not take itself too seriously, that have some fun characters as well. Director Lewis Teague knew how to make this film entertaining, by using simple but effective methods. There is a sequel called Alligator 2: The Mutation, that i actually have not seen. Maybe because i heard it is quite bad. But the first film is definetely worth checking out on DVD or Blu Ray. Horror films with mutated animals have been a theme used for a very long time, especially in independent horror films. If you are interested to check another good title out, i would highly recommend the 1999 horror movie Lake Placid. It actually have some simiar ideas to the 1980 film Alligator, though in Lake Placis you have a enormous crocidile attacking. A fun film with a great cast, and is directed by Steve Miner ( director of the 1989 classic horror film Warlock ). Definetely worth checking out on physical media as well. I do see a lot of British independent horror films every year, and i have especially reviewed some of the film from director Scott Jeffrey. So far i have published reviews of Cannibal Troll, The Curse Of Humpty Dumpty and Spider In The Attic, and as i went through his list of films i discovered a very interesting film called The Mutation. A mutated rat attacking innocent people? Sounds exactly what i needed during the holiday. Is this a fun B movie worth checking out, or should you leave The Mutation alone for all eternity?

A scientist body is discovered in his own laboratory, shredded into pieces. No one knows what really could have done this, but police bring in specialist zoologist Allen Marsh ( Ricardo Freitas ) to investigate if an animal could have done this. Allen is about to find out, that this is no ordinary animal.

Going into a film such as The Mutation, you might as well know that this is not a film for fans of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey ( i have seen all seasons and loved every episode so far, i might as well admit that ). I would say that this is a film that will most likely be more appreciated, if you enjoy films such as Alligator, or the 80´s classic Rawhead Rex ( a must buy on Blu Ray from Arrow Video ). There is not doubt that this film also feels like a throwback to the monster films of the 80´s, especially when you see the costume design of the creature. And i really appreciate when a director tries to bring back a classic genre, even if we have seen similar films before. Let´s talk about the best parts of the film first, and i definetely think that the design of this mutated rat costume looks great. Not fantastic, but still good enough to work in a film like this. That they actually use a costume instead of CGI effects is something i really appreciate. If you are going to make a mutated animal, you should go for a costume instead of special effects. Not only does it help the film become more fun to watch, but it works much better for the plot of the film. I also think the scenes where the mutated rat attacks looks quite funny as well, even if there are some cheesy parts. I especially enjoy seeing the mutated rat attack with it´s claws, as the victim get a lot of flesh wounds. And this is all done by actor Derek Nelson, who must have had fun as the mutated rat. The main character Allen Marsh ( played by actor Ricardo Freitas ) is a great match to this film, who is investigating what is behind these brutal attacks across town. Even if Ricardo does not give a strong acting performance, he is one of the few actors you actually feel making an effort to make his character interesting. Now to my biggest issue with this film, and that is that some of the female characters feel very weak in this film. They don´t get a chance to shine on screen, and a film without good female characters, is definetely a missed oppurtunity. I don´t know why they were not given a chance to deliver more dialogue, maybe their characters were written to do very little screen time. One actress that thankfully do get a chance to bring out her character, is actress Amanda-Jade Taylor as Dr. Linda Rowe, while most of the other female actors fall pretty flat. And i really would have liked to see more of wonderful actress Megan Purvis ( who i enjoyed in Medusa: Queen Of The Serpents ), because i know she can deliver interesting characters. Overall, i do enjoy The Mutation as an old school monster movie, and director Scott Jeffrey manage to make this film fun. If you love this genre, i have a feeling you will enjoy The Mutation. Don´t go in with too high expectations though, just enjoy the ride for what it is, a love letter for fans of old school horror monster films.

Rating: DDD

The Reason Why I Planned To End My Reviews

Cheers everyone!

2021 is definetely getting closer to an end, and it has definetely been a crazy year. We had the success of Mike Lindell Cyber Symposium, that had no election fraud evidence, we had Pastor Greg Locke going on a massive rant rampage on masks, we even had the Feldman himself....Corey Feldman, getting everyone on the dancefloor to his summer smash hit Feeling Funky. So all of this proves that 2021 definetely had something to offer everyone. 

Now, I don't usually go very private in here, simply because this blog is about reviews. But I want to be honest to my readers worldwide why I planned to end this blog, without getting too personal. 2021 have been a rough year for me personally,  for personal reasons. And I felt that my inspiration for writing have been affected,  that at this point i have lost the passion for writing reviews. That does not mean i will stop writing forever, I just need a break and listen to the signs that my body have clearly shown. Its not worth forcing yourself to do something, unless you really feel that you want to do it. So this is where I am today, and I definetely need this break to figure out what the future holds for me. I have decided to still work on my script for Rebecca, because this is a film im hoping to get made in the future.  But im not rushing anything with the script either, I just need to land a bit, and feel when its time to continue. All the reviews in here will be here as usual, no changes will be made. If anything happens and I will change my mind i will let you know. So in 2022 i will definetely be focusing on other things, just to get back on track, and if I do this in a positive way, my hope is to find the passion of writing reviews once again.  I have a few reviews left to finish before the year ends, but i want to thank everyone who have been reading my reviews in here for years, it has been an honor to give you my reviews for 10 years. And who knows....I might return if im back on track,  no matter if its here on somewhere else, im not going away forever. So I hope you all enjoy the last upcoming reviews of this year, enjoy the holidays and I will see you all soon. 

Cheers from Daniel 

The 5 Worst Movies Of 2021

 It´s the most wonderful time of the year!

At least that what they say, especially when Christmas and New Years Eve arrives. It is the perfect time to rewind and look back at the whole year, and remind ourselves what films we did enjoy, what films that surprised us, and of course....what films were really bad. My favourite list every year, when it comes to listening to films critics, is their lists of their worst films of the year. That´s when you see their emotions all come out, some get angry, some great frustrated, while some go completely insane on a mega rant level.

When it comes to my choices for The 5 Worst Movies Of 2021, i had to look back and make sure i picked 5 films in the right order. It was not hard to 5 films for this list, i just had to figure out what film was worse than the other one. So i feel honored to give you all, my personal picks for this years worst films, i hope you all enjoy this adorable list.

1. The Last Inn

What do you do when you have run out of ideas completely, have no money for CGI effects and have actors who does not even want to be there? You make a film such as The Last Inn. This is a film that is so horrible, that it is quite hard to explain. But let´s give it a try shall we? Imagine a girl crashing her car into a tree, close to a mountain that suddenly is not there, and she is afraid of slippers that suddenly appeared, sounds exciting right? I seriously doubt you will find any horror film this year that is more horrible than The Last Inn. There is absolutely nothing interesting in this film, it´s just hillariously bad.

2. Faith Under Fire

If anyone ever thought you could not make a bad film about cancer, i can tell you right now that it is possible. Faith Under Fire is not only the worst cancer drama i have ever seen, it is a film that deliver quite a lot of strange scenes, as if they forgot to focus on the girl who is supposed to have cancer. Considering that actors such as Kevin Sorbo and Dean Cain is in this film, you might think that they will make the film better? There is nothing they can do to save this film. Since the film is badly directed, and the plot is not good either, it feels like director Joel Paul Reisig did not really care about this religious film, or he really thought that this would be the best way to tell a story about cancer. Either way, Faith Under Fire might be remembered as the most odd cancer film ever, so i suppose that´s something to be pleased about, right ?

3. God´s Not Dead - We The People

Anyone feel like watching a patriotic evangelical drama film about a case of home schooling that is brought to court? Oh, that many of you? I am guessing it´s because you want to see former General Hospital actor Antonio Sabato Jr. act again, and he does, but not in a good way. God´s Not Dead - We The People is the 4th film in the God´s Not Dead franchise, and for each film that comes out, it does not seem to be getting any better. And this latest film is a perfect example of that. This is a film that is made to make you feel sorry for evangelical Christians about home schooling. I don´t feel sorry for their characters, i feel more sorry for myself not being able to visit the local strip club, because of pandemic restrictons. God´s Not Dead - We The People will only please church people and Trump supporters, the rest of us would rather go out for a lap dance and some drinks than watch this film.

4. Breach ( Anti-Life )

Have you been waiting to see a tired Bruce Willis in space, fighting zombies, and delivering dialogue that is just as exciting as giving a plant some water? Then you have come to the right place, in the company of Breach. This is a perfect example why the career of Bruce Willis have died, since he accepts bad films such as this one. I have no idea why actor Thomas Jane is here as well, he have actually made some good films in the past ( i especially enjoyed his 2004 film The Punisher ). Not only is the action boring in Breach, not even the zombies are any good. Breach is a very good example, of when you make a bad decision in your career, and you would most likely regret it. Somehow, i get the feeling that Bruce Willis does not care at all anymore, wich is such a shame. There used to be a time when he actually made good films, and Breach might proof that we can´t expect that to happen again.

5. Music

I am always interested in films that brings up the life of people, living with a disease, or with a diagnose that may affect their ordinary day life, and if they are in need of help to make their ordinary day work. When i first heard of the film Music, about a young girl with autism, i was curious about this film, since i have worked both with teenagers with autism and adults with autism as well. Unfortunatley, Music is not a film that does a good job on portraying autism realistically. My biggest problem with this film is that director Sia threw in musical numbers, instead of focusing on the autistic girl Music ordinary day. If you are going to make a film about autism, make sure to make it as realistic as possible. Music tries to go in a different direction, and ends up delivering a very strange mix that does not match well. In the end, Music leaves you asking questions such as:- And the point of this film was.....? Director Sia probably meant well with this film, but she clearly missed the mark with autism.

There you go, my 5 picks of the worst films of this year. As you might have seen, i picked very different genres, and that makes this list interesting of course. If you are curious to check out any of the films, even if i did not enjoy them, feel welcome to do so. This is just my personal opinion, and it´s ok if you don´t agree with me. Let´s hope that 2022 will be the year of really good films, and less bad films. You can always hope, i guess we will have to see. Thank you for reading my reviews this year, and have a happy new year.

Cheers from Daniel

The Best Movie Of 2021 Is.....

Cheers everyone!

2021 is coming to an end and this year have had a lot of wonderful films to offer. There have been some bad ones of course ( and really bad ones such as The Last Inn ), but it is time to pick my choice for The Best Film Of 2021. I had to think a lot before I made my choice, but I went for what i personally felt. This is the film that grabbed me from start to finish, and emotionally touched me. This year it was especially one film that felt really powerful, with a very honest portrait of how you handle yourself, when everything you lived for crashes down, and the film i am talking about is.....

Sound Of Metal 

Talk about a film experience we don't get to see often, and this film managed to hit the right spots. Lead actor Riz Ahmed in the role as drug addict drummer Ruben Stone is absolutely brilliant. The way he express grief, anger, frustration, as he finds out he can no longer hear, is really powerful. Sound Of Metal show how we sometimes are forced to change our lives, even how difficult it may feel. Director Darius Marder deliver a film that you will not forget, and give a realistic portrait of how difficult life is, when we have no other choice than finding a way to deal with everything. If you have not read my review of Sound Of Metal, go check it out published in May this year. A film you definetely should see. 

A few reviews left this year to be published, so stay tuned for more fun. 

Cheers from Daniel 

The Last Inn

A lot of people worldwide believe in ghosts, or should i say spirits. No matter how you want to describe them, there are people saying that some spirits never leave completely. They might stay on one location, for a certain reason. They might be attached to a certain room, that may explain why they can´t leave. Paranormal investigators are usually the ones to call, when you want to find out answers, to why some spirits stay in your home. If they can get answers from the spirit, they will do everything they can to communicate to the spirit. But talking to ghosts in not everything you can do, and it seems that we are more open minded these days.  Apparently, you can even be married to ghosts, like 32-year-old British woman, Amethyst Realm was, until she called of the wedding, because her ghost future husband cheated on her in Thailand ( he was drunk, maybe explains why he did it ). Who would not end your relationship, if your ghost partner cheated? For me personally, i would probably tell my ghost girlfriend that i have plenty of ghosts lined up for a date, just to make her jealous. Why accept the situation, and make something good about it instead? Since we are talking about ghosts. there are a lot of good Hollywood films that have brought up the subject, in many different stories. One of the films i personally enjoy, is the 2007 psychological horror film 1408 from director Mikael Håfström ( definetely his best film so far in his career ). 1408 tells the story of Mike Enslin ( played by John Cusack ), an author who investigates allegedly haunted houses. He does not believe in ghosts, or paranormal activities. He is just making a living writing about the places he visits, knowing that there are people who want to read about these places. But as he checks in to the room 1408, at The Dolphin hotel in New York, he is about to find out that ghosts may actually exists. 1408 is not only a really well made horror film, but it also brings up a very interesting subject about paranormal activities, and how a meeting can affect us, both mentally and physically. Definetely worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray, if you are a horror fan. There are a lot of independent horror films released every year that bring up paranormal activities or ghost stories, and one of the films i came across is called The Last Inn. Not knowing much about the film, i decided to give the film a chance on VOD. Is it possible that this is the film that´s much better than i expected, or is The Last Inn just as horrible as the 1998 Kid Rock album Devil Without A Cause?

Laura ( Emily Hall ) is on a road trip, and during a thunder storm, she almost hit people standing out on the road. Luckily, she wakes up with only a few bruises. The car is done, so she starts walking and find a big mansion, that seems to be a hotel called The Lawst Inn. She have no idea, what is waiting for her behind the walls of this hotel.

I have seen a lot of films that have used all the ingredients that you can find in The Last Inn. In fact, i believe they have tried to throw in as many clichés as possible in this film, and thought it would work. And this is my biggest problem with this film, they used too many ideas, and can´t make any horror elements work in this film. This is not a horror film that knows how to build up tensions, or find any effective way to make the audience interested in the story. This is the kind of horror film that relies too much on repeating everything we have seen before, without any passion. And there are some very strange scenes, such as when the main character Laura crash into a tree, right next to a mountain. When she wakes up she crashed into a tree out on a highway, with no mountain to be seen, makes perfect sense, right? Plus her bag was in the car when she crashed into the tree, but as she steps outside, her bag is suddenly out on the highway, next to the car? This bag must be able to move on it´s own, with magical powers. Another scene, Laura is in the shower at the mansion hotel, when someone is trying to get in to her room, her hair is all wet. As she opens the door, hair is not wet anymore? It must be one good air condition in that room. Another scene when Laura walks between rooms, a door opens and a pair of slippers are suddenly there, and she runs in fear? Are slippers really that scary? I know this film is made on a limited budget, but that is no excuse to make a film as bad as The Last Inn. I have seen horror films made on a limited budget of barely nothing, and they still turn out to be pretty good. The Last Inn is just a cash in project to try and make people rent this film, hoping that paranormal horror fans will be curious to check it out. What about the special effects? They are really bad, and you will find out for yourself what i mean if you do decide to watch this film. It´s like they did not put any effort to make the effects look fun, but just go for lazy film making instead. What about the acting? This is also a big issue with this film. Basically all of the actors in this film does not even seem to care about their characters, or actually try to act. It´s like they are just there because they signed the contract to make this film, just to get paid. I will say this though, actress Emily Hall looks great, no question about that. But her acting in this film is very limited, and you will see this very clear, as the film goes on. Some of the scenes where she is trying to portrait scared, does not even feel like she is in danger. I will admit though that there are some scenes i did laugh a lot, simply because they were so bad that it felt more like a parody than a horror film. So i will say that director David Kuan did manage to make this film entertaining, for a short brief of time. That was probably not his intentions, but he clearly have big problems making a horror film. There is a chance that The Last Inn could be a film you will talk about in the future, for being one of the strangest horror films in recent years. And it´s not because this film have anything to offer, it´s more about some of the odd choices they made while making this film that makes no sense at all. I have no problem saying that The Last Inn is definetely the worst film of 2021.

Champagne for everyone? I definetely feel like i could celebrate right now, after all, i did experience The Last Inn.

Rating: D

Black Friday

There is one place i love more than anything. It is better than any musical events, or even better than lying on a beach in Greece. And that is of course to visit a big shopping mall. The bigger the shopping mall is, the more happy i become. I remember back in december of 2014 when i was in Bangkok, Thailand. There was a shopping mall with 7 floors and almost over one thousand stores. It was the most beautiful building that i have ever seen, so i hugged the building with tears of joy in my eyes. It felt like coming home to paradise, and we spent at least 7 hours in there. This was just around Christmas time, so the timing to visit this 7 floor shopping mall was perfect. Speaking of Christmas, a lot of people enjoy getting their Christmas presents during Black Friday, or Black Weekend. It´s that weekend when stores reduce prices, to give the customer some nice offers. I have bought some stuff on Black Friday, and at least made some good deals. What you need to do is compare prices, just to make sure you get a good price. Otherwise you may not get that great deal, that you were hoping for. When it comes to horror films that takes place in stores, or super markets, there are a few films that comes to my mind. One of those films that is still really good, is the 2007 horror film The Mist from director Frank Darabont ( who directed the classic 90´s film The Green Mile ). The Mist is based on the novella The Mist, by legendary author Stephen King, and this film tells the stoy of people who live in the small town of Bridgton, Maine. When a big storm hit the small town, a group of people are stranded at their local super market to wait the storm out, as a mist lays all over the city. What they don´t know, is that this is no ordinary mist, and in this mist there are creatures waiting out there. The Mist is a really effective horror film, that especially show how important it is to help each other out in hard times, that to be able to survive you have to make good decisions. Great acting performances from Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, William Sadler and many more. Definetely worth watching on Netflix, Amazon Prime or on VOD, wherever you can find The Mist. I have a tradition during Christmas time, and that is to watch the Evil Dead films with legendary actor Bruce Campbell. All of the films have something to offer, no matter if you love lots of blood and gore. Bruce Campbell as the main character Ash Williams, is one of the most iconic horror characters ever. Earlier this summer i noticed that Bruce Campbell was going to be in a horror comedy called Black Friday, wich sounded like fun. A film that takes place during Thanksgiving, where customers prepare buying Christmas gifts, sounds like the perfect holiday film right? Is this film better than i expected, or should the film Black Friday be thrown into the nearest trash can?

It is Thanksgiving night, and employees are preparing opening for Black Friday at the big toy store We Love Toys. Employee Ken Bates ( Devon Sawa ) drop off his daughters to their mother, since he have to work. He picks up his nebbish coworker Chris Godecki ( Ryan Lee ) and drives to their late shift. What they don´t know at the We Love Toys store, is that a parasite from outser space is taking over human bodies tonight. This Black Friday sale will definetely be different this year, that offers more than discounts.

Since we may not get a lot of Christmas horror films this year ( because of the pandemic ), it is quite possible that Black Friday could be one of the better choices this year, if you want to see a film that tries to capture the feeling of winter holidays. In fact, i actually had a good time with this film, and it´s not just because of the combination of horror and comedy. There is especially one thing that this film does right. And that is capture how Black Friday weekend can be for people working in stores, as they are preparing to handle the chaos, grumpy customers, while making sure that the cash registers are working. There are so many details that need to work on a weekend like this, and this film actually manage to show you this, in a funny and effective way. You can see the workers trying to be as professional as possible, when you know they would rather go home and eat that Thanksgiving turkey instead. Let´s get into some more positive details that i enjoy about Black Friday. The strange blob looking creatures, that turn humans into some kind of zombie, looks pretty cool. And i imediately came to think about a film called The Blob from legendary director Chuck Russel ( who also directed A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors ). I can´t say for sure if they felt inspired by the 1988 classic The Blob, but seeing the design of these creatures it is quite possible, even though the design is quite different from the 80´s film. The people who are attacked by these creatures and turn into the living dead, may not bring anything new to the table, but that´s ok. I still think their zombie style work for this film, especially in a big toy store. This film also have some great characters, and let us begin with Ken Bates, played by Devon Sawa. He is the kind of guy you want to have in a store, to make everyone in a good mood. Then we have one of my favourite characters called Brian, played by actor Stephen Peeck. He is one of those actors who clearly have really good comedy timing, and it shows in this film. Legendary actor Bruce Campbell charms everyone with his character Jonathan Wexler. He feels like a perfect match for a character such as this one. There are more great characters along the way, but i think you might want to check them out yourself, to see if you will be surprised. Director Casey Tebo ( who directed the music documentary Steven Tyler: Out On A Limb ) manage to balance both horror and comedy combined, in a effective way, while managing to capture the spirit of holiday chaos at the same time. The only thing i probably would have wanted was a little bit more gore and blood, but other than that i can´t complain. Black Friday is a great choice if you feel like preparing for Christmas, so definetely make sure that the whole family gather and watch Black Friday in the living room on VOD. Who knows, if they do, maybe all their dreams will come true?

Rating: DDD

Red Notice

The ones who know me personally, they know how much i love napkins. I collect napkins of all kinds, especially with flowers, coffee beans, oak trees, and with ocean pictures as well. I don´t know how many of boxes of napkins i have, let´s just say i probably have enough to please 7 Trump rallys in Alabama, and that is quite impressive. So why would you want to save napkins? I figured out that if there is one thing doomsday people have not thought about, it is that they might run out of napkins after eating their cans of food. They might have lots of cans, but they will have to come to me to find napkins. So if you ever see a big yard sign with the title " The Napkin King ", that would be me. It will most likely be seen next to one of Mike Lindell´s My Pillow commercial signs, since i thought we would make a great team. Speaking of napkins, i am not sure, but i have a feeling that Dwayne Johnson might be one of those guys who knows what quality napkins looks like. You can tell by the look of his eyes, that as soon as he enter a store, he knows exactly what kind of napkins will be a perfect match for dinner. You may think this is easy, but you have to be very aware of what works or not. I have no idea if he also have boxes at home, but considering the amazing career he have, it is quite possible he could have. Speaking of Dwayne, he have so many wonderful films in his career, and we could probably discuss several of them. But i decided to bring up one title that you don´t hear much about these days, and that is the 2013 action thriller known as Snitch. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh ( who also directed Angel Has Fallen with Gerard Butler ), this film tells the story of college student Jason Collins ( Rafi Gavron ), who is arrested after the Drug Enforcement Agency find drugs in his home, wich he got from his friend Craig Johnson ( Jason Alex McCune ). At a barbecue, John Matthews ( Dwayne Johnson ), John´s estranged father and owner of a construction company, gets a phone call from his ex-wife Sylvie where he finds out Jason is arrested. They meet up with an investigator in Jason´s case who inform them that he could be facing 10 years in prison. John manage to figure out a way to try and help Jason get a reduced sentence, by being an informer on a drug dealer. Snitch may not be one of the best films in Dwayne´s amazing career, but i do think this is a good film, trying a different approach, especially since this film have a lot of truck scenes. Director Ric Roman Waugh balance the serious tone of the drug issues, with effective action scenes. Definetely worth checking out on Netflix, Amazon Prime or on VOD. Speaking of Dwayne Johnson, he keeps himself quite busy. with several films coming out such as Black Adam and Red One. This autumn he clearly made a big impact on Netflix, in the action comedy Red Notice. It turns out that this film is the most watched original film on Netflix ever, wich is of course impressive. With a great cast included, is Red Notice the film to watch this Christmas, or should this project have been cancelled before production started?

Two whousand years ago, Marcus Antonios gifts Cleopatra three bejewelled eggs as a wedding gift symbolizing his devotion. Three eggs are lost to time until two are found by a farmer in 1907, but the last one remains lost. In 2021, Special Agent John Hartley ( Dwayne Johnson ), a criminal profiler for FBI, is assigned to assist Interpol agent Urvashi Das ( Ritu Arya ) in investigating a potential theft of one of the eggs kept on display at Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant´Angelo in Rome. John Hartley notice that the egg on display is fake, and prove it to the visitors. The real egg is stolen by internation art thief Nolan Booth ( Ryan Reynolds ), who manage to escape while being chased by John. Nolan believe he have managed to get away, but John manage to track him down to his home, where Nolan still have the egg. He is arrested and the egg is taken to custody. The egg is stolen again from the transport veichle, by the well known Sarah "The Bishop" Black ( Gal Gadot ). John is arrested in suspicion of being connected with the egg theft, and is taken to prison to Russia, where Nolan is also locked up. The Bishop shows up in prison, suggesting that they help her find the third egg. They accept the offer and escape the prison. But they soon realise, this mission have a lot more twists and turns than they expected.

There is no question that Red Notice reminds me of a lot of coup films, that have used similar ideas when it comes to stealing art or historical objects. One film that comes to my mind, is the 1999 action thriller Entrapment from director Jon Amiel. In this film you see actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, playing the investigator Virgina "Gin" Baker, where she is sent undercover to investigate professional thief Robert "Mac" MacDougal ( played by legendary actor Sean Connery ). This film is one of those titles you remember, for actually being pretty descent, where the basic plot is stealing a priceless Chinese mask. In Red Notice, we have another historical object that is being stolen. When Entrapment managed to be charming, and worked well as a caper film, you could say that Red Notice is a much more adrenaline inspired action comedy, that have an Entrapment vibe in the plot. There is especially one issue i have with this film, but let´s bring out what i did enjoy with Red Notice. First of all the chemistry between actors Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds works well. You can tell that they had fun making this film, and they both know how to entertain the audience, in their own unique way. This film does have a good rythm, where there are some fun, and intensive action scenes included. In some ways Red Notice feels like a 90´s action comedy, and this could have gone really bad, but they actually managed to make the tone of this film work. Actress Gal Gadot also know how to charm the audience, and even if she may not give one of her strongest acting performance in this film, she still have a magical screen presence. Now to my problem with this film. There is one specific actor in this film that deliver an acting performance, that reminded me of the 1999 film Simon Sez ( a film that should be seen, for being so terrible ). Basketball player Dennis Rodman tried to be an action star, without any luck. If you have seen that film, you might remember some of the acting performances in that film. And you will find the same level of bad acting as Simon Sez, with actor Chris Diamantopoulos. For a bad guy in the film Red Notice, he is really awful as a villain. It is almost as if he did an audition for a Simon Sez sequel ( maybe that was his plan? ).  Other than that, i can´t really say anything else that affect my opinion on this film. The biggest difference between Simon Sez and Red Notice, is of course that this is actually a fun film, while Simon Sez is just terrible, in every possible way. I had a good time with Red Notice, for what this is, a throwback to the 90´s. If you can accept that we have seen this type of film many times before, just go into this film with an open mind, and you might actually enjoy it. Red Notice may not bring anything new, or original, but is definetely made to entertain the audiences who appreciate the films of the 90´s, and that´s good enough for me.

Rating: DDD

Old Henry

As long as i can remember, i always wanted to stay in a old wooden cabin, out in the desert. Imagine waking up in the morning, seeing the dusty American desert road, while having coffee, and a whiskey on the front porch. Of course i would be wearing my tight jeans, my cowboy boots, a wood stick with the letters Motörhead, while reading author Fredrik Strage´s book 242 Krönikor. This combination could not be more perfect, and when you think about it, nothing could feel more like the American west than having all of this in a desert cabin. If you don´t know who Fredrik Strage is, i can tell you that he is one of the greatest Swedish icons in history. No one have as much knowledge about everything as he does, If you would ask him about what berries grows on the mountains of Norway, he knows every kind, plus what tea flavors you should have in your tent. He is quite incredible, and i believe he will be the one who survives the Apocalypse, because he knows exactly how to do at the end of days. Speaking about American dusty roads, i am a big fan of old school Western films. I have seen quite a lot of films in this genre, and i still consider the 60´s and 70´s Western era to be the best, where they really made some true classics. But let´s be honest, we did get some really good Western films as well in the 80´s and 90´s. One of my personal favourites, was released in 1992 from director Clint Eastwood, and the film is called Unforgiven. This film is a true love letter to this genre, with an amazing cast that includes legendary actors Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris. Unforgiven takes place in 1880, in Big Whiskey, Wyoming, where The Schofield Kid ( Jaimz Woolvett ) visits Will Munnay´s ( Clint Eastwood ) hog farm, hoping to recruit him to get 1.000 dollars reward, that prostitute Delilah Fitzgerald ( Anna Thomson ) offer to the one who kill the cowboys who slashed her face. Since Will´s farm is in need of money, he accept the offer, but pick up some help along the way. Unforgiven is not only a really well made Western film, but is quite serious as well. And this is exactly why this film is so good, you can actually feel the atmosphere of this film. Clint Eastwood deliver one of his best acting performances in this film, no doubt about that. A must see on Netflix, Amazon Prime or VOD. Since i try and check out Western films every year that´s released, i heard some positive reviews on a film called Old Henry. I noticed while i picked up a DVD copy of Old Henry, that this film has quite a good cast that includes Tim Blake Nelson, Trace Adkins and Stephen Dorff. Is this the perfect Western film to check out this Christmas, or should you read Fredrik Strage´s book 242 Krönikor instead?

Henry ( Tim Blake Nelson ) and his son Wyatt ( Gavin Lewis ) live on an average farm. After discovering a lost horse with blood on the sadle, Henry goes to investigate and finds a near-dead man named Curry ( Scott Haze ) and a cash loot. He brings Curry back to his farm to save his life. Soon after, three outlaws led by Ketchum ( Stephen Dorff ), come to Henry´s farm in search of Curry. Henry manage to convince the outlaws that there is no one there, as the continue to look for Curry. The longer Henry keep this sectret hidden in his home, the more dangerous it becomes for Henry and his son.

I had no high expectations at all of Old Henry, so i am very pleased to say, this may be one of the best Western films i have seen in recent years. In fact, there are so many details that this film did so well, i am quite shocked to be honest. Most films in this genre are usually pretty ordinary, and does not stand out very much. But this is exactly why i am so pleased with Old Henry, for actually delivering something we don´t see very often these days, a Western film that actually takes itself very seriously. So what is it specifically that i enjoy about Old Henry?  Let us begin with the beautiful cinematography by John Matysiak. He have done a wonderful job with this film. You can tell that he really made an effort to make this film look really professional, and capture the right feeling of the time period of the early 1900´s. The costume design works well, where i especially think the main character Henry´s dirty look matches well with his lifestyle. Now, we have to talk about the cast, and of course we have to start with the acting performance from actor Tim Blake Nelson ( who you might remember from the George Clooney film Syriana, well worth watching ) as Henry. I have seen Tim in several films over the years, and this may be his best acting performance i have ever seen him do. Not only does he manage to portrait the character Henry in a realistic way for the early 1900´s, but he manage to capture the pain, and emotions that Henry is clearly carrying, being a poor farmer. Actor Stephen Dorff is known for doing average acting performances, but in this film he actually step it up a level as Kethcum. It is nice to see that he still have something special, as i remember him delivering in the 2012 film The Iceman with Michael Shannon. This is the first film i have ever seen actor Gavin Lewis in, and i am quite impressed of his performance. Old Henry does not only capture the classic Western atmosphere, but also feels a lot more dramatic than i expected. Director Potsy Ponciroli have definetely proved with this film that you can make a very serious Western, with a strong solid story, If you are a fan of this genre, you have to pick up this film on DVD or Blu Ray. Old Henry deserves respect for trying to get this genre back on track, by delivering a film that holds a high level of quality. I lift my cowboy hat off for director Potsy Ponciroli, to show my respect for the work he did on this film. He is definetely the future of Western films, if he will return to this genre. I really hope that he will, and we might actually feel hope for the future.

Rating: DDDD

Last Man Down

Let´s go back a couple of years in time, when i celebrated my 40th birthday in 2017. We had a big party, with friends and family gathering. We had a singing question contest, and we also had some really good food included ( a lot of alcohol of course ). While we had dinner, we discussed at the table about great action films, and i remembered one of the women talked about Fast & Furious 8 and how good it was. She asked me if i could recommend a great action film, and i said:- You have to see Commmando. She looked at me and said:- Commando, isn´t that an old film? I said:- Yes, but it is one of the few films that proves that men really understand women. This woman looked strange at me after i said this, and wondered if i was being serious. Of course i was, you are always serious when you talk about Commando. This is one of the few films in this world, that knows how women think, feel, and most of all capture their emotions about life in general. So my advice to all of you men out there, if you really want to learn how to get to know women on a more personal level, you need to see Commando. This is a classic action film from director Mark L. Lester ( who later on his career directed Showdown In Little Tokyo with Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren ), with legendary actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as Retired United States Special Forces Colonel John Matrix, where he goes hunting down the men who kidnapped his daughter Jenny Matrix ( Alyssa Milano ). Commando is filled with a lot of fun violence, several classic dialogue scenes, and Arnold Schwarzenegger knows exactly what to do to please the audience. This is one of those 80´s films that you have to see, it is a true classic. In 2018 we actually got a similar story of Commando in the really good B action movie Commando Ninja, from director Benjamin Combes. This film turned out to be one of the best action films in a very long time. Actor Eric Carlesi as John Hunter is a perfect match, as we get loads of guns, dead bodies, and even a dinosaur attacking. A must see for everyone, and a sequel is being made right now. Since we did talk about Commando earlier, i noticed that a low budget action film called Last Man Down seemed to have found inspiration from films such as Commando, so this made me curious. Not knowing anything about the plot, i decided to pick up a DVD copy. Is this one of the better action films of 2021, or is Last Man Down just as bad as Latin Hitman with Damian Chapa ?

John Wood ( Daniel Stisen ) lives alone in a cabin, minding his own business, surviving with what the wild nature has to offer. A pandemic have been going on for quite some time, and John have left the world behind. One day, an escaped test subject called Maria ( Olga Kent ) shows up at his home with soldiers. They soldiers are all killed, and John allows Maria to stay at his cabin. The more time they spend together, the more they find out about each other, including some secrets.

If you are looking for professional acting in Last Man Down, you might be disappointed. This is not the film that care about acting, but this film clearly want to bring back the 80´s action. Since we are getting closer to the year 2022, this is a perfect timing for a film like this. Because we need action films inspired by the classics from the past, so the legacy of these films can continue for a new generation of action lovers. Let´s be honest though, this is not the kind of film that will be appreciated by everyone. You have big muscles, fighting scenes, and of course quite a lot of dead bodies. So if you enjoy all of this combined, with some cheesy fun dialogue, i have a feeling this will be a film that will fit your taste. Last Man Down is the kind of film that you recognize from the VHS shelves of rental stores, and to see a film like this be released in present day is wonderful. We have to talk about the characters for a bit, so let´s start with actor Daniel Stisen. I mentioned acting earlier, and this is why it is perfect to mention Daniel Stisen. When he looks serious, it is actually quite funny to hear him deliver the dialogue. He is of course limited when it comes to doing serious acting, so it is the action scenes where he works best. Daniel have the right physical shape for a film like this, where he gets to fight against soldiers. If he continue to make films like Last Man Down, he could be a future action star. Swedish actress Madeleine Vall ( who played the character Egeria in the 2017 film Wonder Woman ) plays the tough character Granite. Seeing her beating up guys is one of the highlights of this film, she definetely knows how to deliver in action scenes. Anything negative to say about Last Man Down? I could complain about some of the terrible acting, and that the budget is very limited, but what is the point? I enjoy this film for what it is, a love letter to the 80´s. Swedish director Fansu Njie is clearly inspired by the good old days of VHS video violence, and he does a good job with this film. There are details that he could have polished, but i appreciate his effort to do a film that respect the legacy of Cannon Films. Last Man Down proves that there is hope for Swedish films in the future, and this is the kind of film that we need in the Swedish film industry. Tired of the same love comedies on Netflix that keeps popping up every month? Your sollution to that problem is definetely called Last Man Down, avaible on DVD and Blu Ray.

Rating: DDD

Planet Dune

Over the years as i have been writing film reviews, i have been asked different questions. Some people have asked what kinds of films i enjoy most, while some will ask about what are the best films of the year. I have even been asked if i enjoyed the Twilight films, wich i answered very quickly:- Do they really need to exist? However, about 3 years ago i especially remember one question from a guy named Gunnar, and his question was:

:- What do you think about films made from the company The Asylum?

My answer to that question was very easy, and i answered:- I know they get a lot of shit for making low budget films, but i actually enjoy some of their releases, so i appreciate them for what they are doing. And this is the same way i feel about the company The Asylum today, and i have a feeling that nothing will change my mind on this subject. The one thing i especially appreciate about their films, is that you don´t have to take them seriously, and just have fun for 90 minutes. So what if the special effects are not perfect, or the acting is bad, as long as the film is entertaining. Everything does not need to be perfect, and this is something that The Asylum have proved for many years, and still find an audience who appreciate their releases. I will be honest and say i have not enjoyed every single film. And there is especially one film i wrote a negative review on for the film The Mummy Rebirth, for very good reasons. If you want to read my review on this film, just go back to reviews of the year 2019, and you can find out what my opinion was about The Mummy Rebirth. Since i am a fan in general of The Asylum, i thought we should talk at least about one specific title ( not Sharknado, even if i love every single film in this franchise ) that i especially enjoy. The film i have in my mind is called Flight 666 from director Rob Pallantina. This is in my opinion one of the better releases from The Asylum, that takes place on board a flight, where passangers suddenly are attacked by demonic forces and become possessed. This is a fun B horror movie, that has a little bit of everything you could wish for. Fun characters, fun horror scenes, and a fun story as well included. Definetely one of director Rob Pallantina´s best films. You can check it out on YouTube, or on Amazon Prime. Since i try and check out The Asylum films now and then, so i did see a film called Planet Dune have been released on VOD. i have no idea if this film is inspired by the classic 1984 film Dune, but i will admit that the title sounded fun. Since i enjoy sci fi B movies, i decided to give this film a chance. Is this the masterpiece we all have been dreaming of, or is Planet Dune even worse than i could ever have imagined?

A team led by pilot Astrid ( Emily Killian ), is sent to rescue a freighter on the desert planet known as planet Dune. At first there are no signs of any people there, until they begin to seek through the desert. They are about to find out, that beneath the desert sand, something is waiting for them.

There are parts of Planet Dune that actually works, for a small amount of time. And we should thank the sand worms for that, since they are the best part of this film. When the sand masks attacks, it reminds me of the 1990 classic Tremors. With that said, Planet Dune is nowhere near as good as Tremors of course, but you get a sense that the film makers might have been inspired by Tremors. So what else works with Planet Dune? The desert locations that is supposed to be a planet, is actually not that bad. It kind of feels like a desert planet, wich fit well with the plot. As long as you have a good imagination, you can create most things on a limited budget. So what is the major problem with Planet Dune? I would definetely say that they have missed a big oppurtunity to make an entertaining sci fi film for B movie lovers. If they really wanted to make this film fun, they should have had more effective sand worm attack scenes. When they attack, you don´t see much more than the humans running. I think it would have been a better idea to let the space crew team attack the sand worms even more, instead of doing running scenes. It does not feel like they made an attempt to make these scenes effective, that they just made the scenes to fill out the playing time. And that is such a shame, because this could have been a fun film. Let´s get into something positive for a while. I do think actress Emily Killian as the character Astrid ( one of the most traditional Swedish female names ever, brilliant idea ) is quite fun to watch in this film. She doesn´t seem to care about breaking rules, but clearly will do anything to save other people. I also like the image of Astrid as a woman who does not take shit from anyone, and she´s not afraid to take on challenges. Actres Cherish Holland as cocky Rebecca is exactly what this film needed, with the right kind of attitude. Legendary actress Sean Young ( from classics such as No Way Out with Kevin Costner, and of course Ace Ventura - Pet Detective ) is nice to see here. Other than that, there is not much else positive to say about Planet Dune. What could have been a fun sci fi action B movie, becomes a bit dull to be honest. Directors Glenn Campbell and Tammy Klein have some fun ideas in Planet Dune, but did not work on them as much as they should have. Planet Dune might entertain you if you are in the right mood, otherwise i would suggest to watch The Aylum film Flight 666 instead.

Rating: DD

Knutby

I have always said as long as i can remember, never trust everyone completely. I have learned my mistakes from the past, where i trusted people, who seemed to be good hearted. Unfortunately, some people know how to act so good, that you would never imagine that it was all fake. It is like they are 2 different personalities, who does not want people to know who they really are. Many years ago, i actually knew a youth pastor, who´s job was to try and take care of young men and women, and help them in faith. He fooled me as well, when i thought he seemed to be a nice guy. The truth of the matter is, he turned out to protect a pedophile friend of his. I can´t go into details here because of legal matters, since i am not involved personally in this case. All i can say is that i was shocked how he could do this, while working with young people. I have not seen him for many years now, so i have no idea what happened after i found out the truth, but i hope his friend is in jail. I think we all can agree on that every pedophile needs to be behind bars, and never be let out on the streets. We have heard for many years about church scandals, with everything from catholic churches with sex scandals, abuse, taking money from members and using it in their private lives. I am sure that there are good churches out there, who really help poor people, and do a lot for their community. And it is such a shame that criminals, and bad people in general are destroying the image of churches, when we actually have people who try and do something positive. So i never try and judge all congregations, since i still want to believe there are good people out there. But there is one church scandal here in Sweden, that not only shocked our whole country, but people all over the world as well. And that is the murders in the village of Knutby, where a nanny named Sara Svensson confessed shooting both Daniel Linde and Alexandra Fossmo. Daniel survived but was seriously injured, while Alexandra died. They were all members of a church in Knutby, and it turned out that their pastor Helge Fossmo, was charged for the murder of his former wife Heléne Fossmo. Churches across the country was especially shocked, how one small community church could do such horrific crimes. This was back in January of 2004, and ever since then there have been many documentaries, books, interviews with former members who decided to tell the truth. Just recently a new TV series based on the case of Knutby was released on the TV channel CMore ( also avaible on TV4 Play ), and i decided to sit down and watch the whole series. Is this one of the better TV series from Sweden, or should you skip this one and watch something else?

A young woman named Anna (  Alba August ) moves to the small urban area of Knutby, where she is welcome to the local Penestocal church ( Filadephiaförsamlingen i Knutby ). She feels welcome here by the congregation, especially from the very powerful personality of Eva ( Aliette Opheim ) and their pastor Sindre ( Einar Bredefeldt ). But it becomes very clear after a while, that this congregation are dealing with some very disturbing behavior, and use people for their own advantage, that will lead to a very horrific tragedy.

I am actually quite surprised over this TV series. It´s actually better than i expected, and maybe it´s because i don´t enjoy a lot of Swedish TV series in general. There are not a lot of them that i feel hold any bigger quality, especially when it comes to acting. But i have to say, Knutby actually have better acting than i expected, and manage to tell the story of this congregation in an effective way. There are some name changes made, and everything may not be in order with what really happened. And i can accept that, since i still feel that they did a good job though with telling the story, in a similar way to the real case. I have to talk about the best part of this TV series, and that is the acting performance of wonderful Swedish actress Aliette Opheim ( who i especially remember from the TV series Kalifat ) as the character Eva ( based on the person known as Kristi Brud / Åsa Waldau. I have seen a lot of Swedish actors over the year, in films and TV series, and to be honest not a lot of them have impressed me. But i am actually quite shocked how good Aliette Opheim is in the role as Eva. This is exactly the kind of acting i wish we could see more of in Swedish film and TV series. You can tell that she really tried to capture the personality of a very disturbed personality, who should not be in control of a congregation. I have no problem saying that she should win the award for Best Female Actor for her performance, no matter if it happens on Gulbaggegalan, or on any other award show in Scandinavia or in Europe. She definetely deserves respect for this fantastic acting performance. I am also quite surprised to see singer, and actress Amy Deasismont as the character Lilian. Not only is she a perfect match for this character, but she feels very natural in the role as Lillian. Especially in a scene where she tries to convince an old lady to join their church, you can feel the brain washing mentality through her performance, that some churches use to get new members. To be able to do that through acting, clearly shows that she knows how to portrait people who have deep faith. Actress Alba August also deliver a solid performance as the new congregation member Anna. So let´s get into the plot, and if it works close to the truth. What about the disturbing things that happened in this congregation, do we get to see that? We do get to see certain events, even if it is only limited. I wish we could have seen more of the violent behavior that Eva ( Kristi Brud / Åsa Waldau ) actually used towards the members of the church, other than that i can´t complain. Knutby is a great TV series that really shows the danger of religious cult leaders, who should not be running any kind of church at all. This might actually be the best Swedish TV series of this year, and that´s coming from me who is not a fan of Swedish TV series. If only they have added some more details about Eva, and how abusive the real Kristi Brud actually was, i would have given this series a higher rating. But it is still good, and definetely worth watching. Director Goran Kapetanovic ( who directed the powerful TV series Kalifat ) have done a great job telling the story of Knutby. We can never change the past, but we must tell the truth. And this is why the story of Knutby needs to be told, so this could never happen again.

Rating: DDD