The Northman

When i was in Spain back in 2002, i met a Scottish woman named Sharon. We just started talking at the hotel we stayed at, and we became friends so quickly. Those remaining days i had on the vacation, we would spend the time together going to a carneval, going swimming in the ocean. When our vacations ended in Spain, we stayed in touch and she wanted me to come to Scotland and celebrate New Years Eve there. So i went over to Edinburgh, to visit her and her family. It was one of the best New Years Eve party´s i have ever been to. You see, her friends have dressed up as vikings, because i was a guest from Sweden, so they thought that in Sweden we live for the honor of vikings. I tried to explain that we don´t really live the viking life, dressing up as vikings, but these Scottish friends wanted to show their respect for my visit, and dressing up as a viking was their way to welcome me. I will always remember this as one of the best weekend celebrations i have ever experienced, so New Years Eve in Edinburg, 2002, is a memory i will never forget. It ended up with John, a friend of Sharon, he undressed in underwear and jumped into the ice cold river. Why? Well he was drunk and thought it was a good idea, probably not. We both passed out drunk on a sofa that night, so everything was in perfect Scottish order. Since i am Swedish we do hear about vikings now and then, it could be from documentary TV films, or perhaps film adaptations as well from viking stories. One of the viking films i still enjoy today, is the violent viking action drama Valhalla Rising, released in 2009. This film is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who directed the very well made British biographical drama Bronson, where Tom Hardy gave a powerful performance as Charles Bronson ( real name is Charles Arthur Salvador ). Valhalla Rising takes place around the year of 1096 AD and follows a Norse warrior named One-Eye ( Mads Mikkelsen ) and a young boy as they travel with a band of Christian Crusaders by ship in the hopes of finding the Holy Land. Valhalla Viking is definetely a different film from the film catalogue that director Nicolas Winding Refn have delivered to us. It is a very dark story, with beautiful Scottish landscapes, and really brutal as well. Definetely worth checking out if you want to see a solid, and different film about vikings. I recommend you get the UK Blu Ray release and listen to the commentary track, and you find out some interesting details about the film. Speaking of vikings, i remember being surprised that actor Alexander Skarsgård was working on a new viking film called The Northman. We don´t see many viking films being made in Scandinavia, so of course it sounded interesting that includes a cast of Ethan Hawk, and Nicole Kidman as well. Is it possible that The Northman is the best viking film we had for many years, or should you skip this one and watch the 1958 film The Vikings instead ?

In AD 895, King Aurvandill ( Ethan Hawke ) returns to Jutland after his overseas conquests, reuniting with hiw wife, Queen Gudrún ( Nicole Kidman ), and his heir, Prince Amleth ( Oscar Novak ). To prepare Amleth for his eventual ascension, the two participate in a spiritual ceremony overseen by Aurvandill´s jester, Heimir ( Willem Dafoe ). The next morning, Aurvandill´s bastard brother Fjölnir ( Claes Bang ) murders the king, raids his hilfort and carries away Gudrún. Amleth flees by boat, swearing vengeance. As an adult, Amleth ( Alexander Skarsgård ) is determined to make sure that Fjölnir will suffer for his

Since i was excited goint into a film such as The Northman, i have to say that this film managed to deliver what i was hoping for. I wanted some really brutal viking kills, and you get that here. I also wanted the vikings to look cool, and we got that as well. I also have to say that the story ( even if it is very simple ) works for the most part, because you don´t need a complicated story in a film about vikings. The story actually reminded me a lot of the 1982 film Conan The Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even if these films are very different, for a number of reasons, they do have a similar revenge story. Conan´s ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) parents are killed by Thulsa Doom ( James Earl Jones ) and his men, and in The Northman you have young boy Prince Amleth, who watches his father King Aurvandill be killed by his own brother. A revenge story in a historical film, is actually a great idea to make the plot interesting. If it would have been a story of just vikings killing people, you may have not cared about the characters either. So they made the right choice to make a viking film with a plot that matches the time period. The costume design looks good, and you can tell they tried to capture the look of how people used to dress during these times. I have to say i am impressed over the houses that were built for this film, where certain details makes you feel like you are visiting the home of a viking family. Anything negative to say? I have to be honest and say that this film is a little bit too long. It feels like certain dialogue scenes feels a bit drawn out, to try and make you engaged into the characters. And i honestly did not care at certain times, no matter if some of the characters discussed important subjects. The acting from some of the smaller characters does not leave any bigger impact and felt uninspired to deliver their dialogue, so it is basically the bigger Hollywood stars who make this film work. Alexander Skarsgård definetely went into this film with a passion for his character, so i can´t say anything negative about his performance. The Northman is basically a historical action film that is definetely made for fans of vikings, and that is something director Robert Eggers tried to focus on while making this film. He clearly felt passionate to tell a story during this time period, and he give us a film that definetely will please the audience it was made for. The Northman may not be a film for everyone, but if you enjoy historical films, i have a feeling you might appreciate what this film have to offer. The Northman is a great choice for your Blu Ray shopping mall visit this summer, especially if you dress up as a viking in the store ( we want to leave a good impact, right? )

Rating: DDD

Titanic 666

Let´s go back to the year of 1998. I especially remember that spring, because a high school friend of mine called Patrick, he was doing his military service in a Swedish city called Skövde. When he had the weekend off from the military facility, we would meet up in our hometown, at least at the weekends he was able to come home. And he would tell me stories from the military facility, and they did some crazy stuff. And there was especially one thing that was really funny, where he and his military friends have planned together, that had something to do with the film Titanic. The film have been shown in cinema for many months, and they knew that Leonardo Di Caprio would drown in the end of the film. So....here is what they did. One evening they booked the whole front row of the cinema, where most of the audience was women. And when the film was getting closer to the scene where Leonardo was about to drown, they whole guy gang prepared to surprise the audience. As Leonardo drowns, the whole male military gang stood up in the front row of the cinema, applauded very high, and all chaos started. Women across the cinema audience went nuts, throwing snacks at them, soda´s, shouting bad words, they did not like what they did. They were forced to leave the cinema, but i have to say, this is one of the best things i have heard when i think about the film Titanic. I am pretty sure you have never heard anyone else doing something like this before, so i say that this is one of the great moments of 1998. I did see Titanic in cinema, and i believe it was around February of 1998 ( since the film had it´s cinema premiere in January of 1998 in Sweden ). It´s not the worst film i have seen, but i definetely didn´t see it as a masterpiece that everyone was talking about. And i also remember that my girlfriend at that time called Marie, used to play the Titanic soundtrack on CD, and i got so tired of hearing that Celine Dion song i wanted to throw the CD off her balchony. I did see the film again a couple of years ago, and my opinion about the film have not changed. It is well made, and have a very tragic story to tell, but it is still not a masterpiece that some people still say to this day. Most of us know of the real story of what happened with the Titanic, back in the year of 1912, when the RMS tank Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15th. I do think it is a very important historical moment that should be told, because the RMS tank Titanic was very unique, being the largest ship afloat at that time. If you want to know more about the Titanic, there is actually a big exhibition here in Sweden in the city of Sundsvall, that is running until September this year. What i understand this exhibition has everything you want to know about Titanic. Speaking about Titanic, i have been looking forward to see a B horror movie called Titanic 666 since i saw the trailer of the film. The title of the film is absolutely brilliant, so i finally got a chance to check this film out. Is this the best Titanic film ever made, or is it just as bad as Sex Pistol´s singer John Lydon´s 1997 solo album Psycho´s Path, one of the worst electronic pop album´s of the 90´s ?

A new ship known as Titanic III is about to take off, travelling towards the same location where the original Titanic ship sank on April 15th, 1912. What the passangers don´t know on board Titanic III, is that one of the passengers is about to bring back some the passengers who died on the original Titanic. 

Finally!

A Titanic movie that was made in my taste ( and other´s who have good taste, just like me ). I always wanted a different kind of Titanic movie, that does not follow the same path as the previous films have ( that includes Titanic 2, the 2010 film that no one apparently remember, i wonder why? ). Titanic 666 does find a way to tell the story of Titanic in a refreshing way, by connecting the past to the original Titanic ship, that includes the dead souls of the people who drowned that night of April 15th, 1912. And it is pretty cool to see the ghosts coming back to revenge the people who are travelling on Titanic III. The CGI effects may be a bit cheesy, and you can tell this is a film made by The Asylum, but this is actually one of their better made films. They actually made an effort to try and make this film look good, and that is something you don´t see everyday from a film released by The Asylum. So what about the characters? There is a mixed bag in here, and by that i mean there are actually characters that i enjoy, and especially one i am very annoyed over ( but she does do a good job portraying her character ). The specific person i am referring to being annoying is the character known as Mia Stone, played by actress AnnaLynne McCord. This could be the most annoying character i have seen this year, but is done so well that i have to applaud actress AnnaLynne McCord for giving this performance. Not only does she give us the best annoying woman character in a long time, but she actually does it very convincing. I promise, if anyone went on a boat with Mia Stone, you would want to throw her overboard ( nothing personal AnnaLynne ). Jamie Bamber ( who i especially remember from Battlestar Gallactica ), deliver a charming performance as Professor Hal Cochran, who may see harmless at first, but i like to see his personality change. Keesha Sharp ( who i really enjoyed in the Lethal Weapon TV series, worth checking out ) as Captain Celeste Rhoades, is definetely the right choice for this character. Keesha knows how to portrait Captain Celeste that matches well with the background story of this film, as well as bring a cool atmosphere around her. Lydia Hearst ( worth checking out in the thriller Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman ) as the character Idina Bess, is actually one of the most interesting characters in Titanic 666. She has a very mysterious personality over her, and become especially interesting when we find out she have family connections to one of the people who died on the original Titanic. The plot may not deliver anything unique, but i actually think it works thanks to a simple but effective story about the revenge of dead passangers from the original Titanic. I could probably complain about some of the CGI effects and other details, but since i actually enjoyed Titanic 666 i have decided to leave that part behind, and look at the positive instead. Director Nick Lyon ( who directed Rise Of The Zombies, another The Asylum film i still enjoy ) deliver one of the better The Asylum films i have seen in many years. He actually seems to have made an effort to make this film more professional than most films released by The Asylum, and i am thankful for that. Titanic 666 is definetely worth checking out on Tubi or VOD, if you want to experience a different film experience on this classic historical story. Let´s hope we get a European DVD release, and i will definetely be picking up a copy.

Rating: DDD

The Exorcism Of God

Even though i love horror films in general, i sometimes get a feeling that the horror genre is having some problems. Usually when i look at horror films, i hope to find something different than the usual release. It is ok if the horror film have influences from classics, as long as the story and the characters are interesting. And in the case of exorcism films, this is a perfect example of a genre that have been struggling finding interesting stories. But there are exceptions, and one of the better exorcism films of the 2000´s is without a doubt the 2005 film The Exorcism Of Emily Rose from director Scott Derrickson ( who also directed one of my favourite horror films of 2014 called Deliver Us From Evil, definetely worth checking out on Netflix, Amazon Prime or HBO Max ). The Exorcism Of Emily Rose manage to do something that we don´t see very often, combine a court story with exorcism influences, and director Scott Derrickson knows exactly how to tell this story in a very creepy effective way. The film tells the story of Emily Rose ( really played well by actress Jennifer Carpenter ), a 19-year-old student, who Father Richard Moore ( Tom Wilkinson ) tried to help with exorcism, but she ended up dead. Ambitious lawyer Erin Bruner ( Laura Linney ) takes on the case of Emily Rose, and try to find out if this was homocide, or if Father Richard Moore actually tried to save Emily´s life. For a court horror drama, this film works really well with the combined exorcism scenes. You feel engaged in the court scenes and the background story of Emily Rose. This is one of those films i always recommend when it comes to exorcism films, because this is a future classic. Director Scott Derrickson may have done one of the better court horror films i have seen with The Ecorcism Of Emily Rose, and it is not easy to make a film that combines court scenes with horror and make it work. So you should definetely check this film out, no matter where you can watch it on streaming, VOD or physical media. For a couple of months, i have been really looking forward to see an exorcism film called The Exorcism Of God. I have always been a big fan of the exorcism genre, but did not know much about this film. So i finally got myself a DVD copy to give this film a chance. Is this one of the better films in this genre in recent years, or is The Exorcism Of God not as good as i was hoping it would be ?

Father Peter Williams ( Will Beinbrink ), an American exorcist, hides a shocking secret. He was possessed by a demon that he was trying to expel. To atone for this sin, Peter devotes his life to charity work in a small town in Mexico. 18 years later, his deeply buried secret comes to light when the demon of his past returns, possessing a girl and unleash a deadly disease. Peter have no choice, he will fight against this demon, even if it means his soul could be lost forever. 

I went in to The Exorcism Of God with very little hope that this film would be any good. And i have to say, i am really surprised. This is actually one of the better exorcism films i have seen in recent years, even if it does not offer anything fresh into the genre. This is a pure old school exorcism film, but it´s made with a big passion for this genre. You can tell that the people who worked on this film actually cared about the project, and really tried to make this a love letter to the fans of exorcism films. So what is it that works with The Exorcism Of God? First of all the demon possessed people look good. They have done a good job capturing the different faces of demon possessed and how they behave in different situations, showing of the true identity of the demon. There are some CGI scenes here and there, but i have no problem with that since the film actually finds a way to combine CGI effects and pracitcal make up effects. The one thing that especially makes this film work, is the chemistry between actors Will Beinbrink ( who you might recognize from It Chapter Two ) and legendary actor Joseph Marcell ( who played the classic character Geoffrey on TV comedy series The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air ). I have to say, these two actors on the big screen definetely make a great impact. The scenes where they fight against evil, works much more effective than i expected. Will Beinbrink as the lead character Father Peter Williams deliver a performance that is definetely stronger than we are used to see in independent horror films, so he clearly took his role seriously. Since this genre have suffered a lot of forgettable films over the years, The Exorcism Of God feels like a worthy return for this genre. Director Alejandro Hidalgo manage to balance different exorcism ideas without loosing the true passion for this genre, and make his film much more effective than most films in this genre, at least in the last 8 years. The Ecorcism Of God is a film you definetely should support by buying a DVD or Blu Ray and show fans of reality shows like The Kardashians, what quality really looks like. The Exorcism Of God will definetely prove that.

Rating: DDD

40 Years Anniversary Review Of Humongous

1982 was a incredible year for movies. There are so many fantastic films released this year that i could probably mention at least 20 titles easily. But let´s just mention a few, that i still enjoy to this day:

# 48 Hours

# Creepshow

# The Thing

# First Blood

# Basket Case

# The New York Ripper

# Conan The Barbarian

If you just look at this list, you realise why 1982 was such a good film year. You have everything here that you could wish for, from classic slasher horror, monster films, sword fighting, cop action and even a Vietnam war veteran showing who´s boss in a small town ( i am of course referring to First Blood ). I have to mention that i will never forget the 1982 martial arts film Five Elements Ninja, old school ninja / kung fu film produced by the famous Shaw Brothers, a must see if you can get the DVD release. My earliest memory from 1982 was seeing a VHS cover of Moonraker, the James Bond movie from 1979. I was 5 years old at that time, and the reason why i remember this is that we visited a friend of my parents for dinner, and he owned a VHS copy of Moonraker. I never watched the film at that time, i was too young. But i will always remember the VHS cover because it looked so cool. I would find out later in the 80´s, that maybe the cover was the coolest thing about Moonraker, and the film itself wasn´t that good ( i believe i saw Moonraker at the age of 10 in 1987 ). Let´s get back to 1982 again ( i will try and stay focused ), and talk about one film that i really enjoy, even today. And that is the 1982 film The King Of Comedy from legendary director Martin Scorsese. This film was actually a box office flop at that time, wich is very strange, considering what a fantastic film it is. Either way, this film tells the story of Rupert Pupkin ( brilliant played by legendary actor Robert De Niro ) is a delusional stand-up comedian who is hoping to launch a career. After meeting the famous late-night TV host Jerry Langford ( Jerry Lewis ), Rupert believe this could be his "big break". What he does not understand, is that Jerry is not interested in Rupert at all. No matter what it takes, Rupert will become famous. The King Of Comedy is a really clever satirical black comedy drama, that really show us how far some people will go to become famous. A must see if you are looking for powerful films. Speaking of the year of 1982, this year all of these films i mentioned turns 40 years old. So i thought this would be a good time to celebrate 40 years with a B horror movie released that year called Humongous. Is this film a classic after so many years, or is this film even worse than i remembered?

Eric ( David Wallace ) and Nick ( John Wilderman ) have borrowed a yacht, with plans to take girlfriends Sandy Ralston ( Janet Julian ) and Donna Blake ( Joy Boushel ) on a boat trip, hoping to have some fun. At night time they come across another boat, where shipwrecked fisherman Bert Defroe ( Layne Coleman ) is stuck. They take him on board, where he tells them that not far for here is an island known as Dog Island, where baroness Ida Parson ( Shay Garner ) lives. After a big argument between Eric and Nick, the boat ends up being damaged and they are all forced to swim to Dog Island. What they don´t know, is that something else lives on this island.

I had a discussion online with some Swedish horror fans about 80´s horror, and none of them had actually heard about Humongous when i mentioned i was doing a review. It may not be one of the biggest classics of 1982, but i do know that there are B movie horror fans who appreciate this film ( especially big fans of B horror movies ). I am one of those who have found myself enjoying this film, and i had to rewatch the film for this review, since it has been a while since i watched it on DVD. Humongous have a little bit of everything to offer to slasher fans of B movies. The film starts with a rape scene, and then we move on 36 years later where we see teenagers topless or in a bikini, who are on a summer holiday. So you really find the 80´s tone from an early start, after all, who does not want to see beautiful girls topless? One of the things i especially enjoy about Humongous, is a secret island where the whole island is filled with dogs. We find out that this island used to be filled with dogs, but someone actually ate all of them ( wonderful isn´t it ? ) So now we have a ( monster? ) or a deformed human being living on this island. If you remember the cannibal rednecks from the Wrong Turn film, released in 2003, let´s just say this creature looks like a low budget version of them, wich makes this film fun. How is the acting? Just about as bad as you might expect, but i can accept that since you can´t really look for good acting in a film like this. It is really nice to see actress Janet Julian ( who some of you might recognize from the classic 70´s TV series Battlestar Galactica ) as the character Sandy, and she´s actually one of the most interesting characters in Humongous. If you love practical effects, you do get some of that here. There are a few killing scenes that might look cheesy today, but they are still fun to watch if you enjoy B horror movies. I love some of the cheesy sound effects, as if everything makes an echo sound on this island. Director Paul Lynch ( who directed the classic slasher film Prom Night with Jamie Lee Curtis ) have made a fun slasher B horror movie with Humongous, that is typical for this time period, but still manage to work thanks to this mysterious island and the brutal deformed killer. If you are planning to watch an 80´s slasher film this summer, Humongous is definetely worth checking out. 

Rating: DDD

If you don´t want to buy the DVD or Blu Ray ( the Humongous release from the distribution company Ronin Flix, there are some nice special features included ) of Humongous, you can watch the film on YouTube on the following link:

https://youtu.be/bQ8k6EtdWc8

Nitram

I have always been a fan of powerful independent films, that the big Hollywood studios don´t really care about. Films that will touch your soul, and heart, for a number of different reasons. I especially love independent films that not only offer amazing acting, but also deliver incredible characters. One of my absolute favourite independent films of all time, is the 1998 masterpiece known as Buffalo ´66 from director Vincent Gallo. This is one of those films i can watch over and over again, and never ger tired of. Buffalo ´66 have everything you could wish for, you have brilliant acting, amazing characters, really beautiful cinematography from Lance Acord ( who also did cinematography on the cult classic Lost In Translation, the best Bill Murray film ever ). The story of Buffalo ´66 is simple but very effective, where we meet Billy Brown ( Vincent Gallo ), who have just served 5 years in prison. He is planning to go home to his parents in Buffalo, New York. To impress them, he decides to kidnap a tap dancer named Layla ( Christina Ricci ), to show them his wife. He changes her name to Wendy Balsam, to make sure that everything sounds good. As they arrive to Billy´s parents Jan Brown ( Anjelica Huston ) and Jimmy Brown ( Ben Gazzara ), Billy try his best to impress his parents, but they care more about Wendy instead. In fact, Billy´s mother Jan is still upset that she missed one match with Buffalo Bill in 1966, because Billy was born, and if he never was born, she would have seen that match as well. The tension grows in this family, as Billy tries to handle the situation, but inside he is a ticking bomb. Buffalo ´66 is one of those films you don´t see very often, who knows exactly how to show a realistic portrait of a very destructive family, but also give a portrait of someone who feels lost, and really have no friends or family at all, just trying to exist. Vincent Gallo is not only brilliant as Billy Brown, but he also directed this film in such a powerful way, that i guarantee you will never forget this film once you have seen it. If you have not seen Buffalo ´66 for any reason, go get the film on DVD today. It is a masterpiece that you need to experience, and the best film Vincent Gallo have ever made so far. Since i love watching independent films, i try to check out films that are released all over the world. There are so many wonderful independent films coming out each year, and i wish i could see as many as possible. One of the films that i got really excited about to see, is a film called Nitram. I started hearing about the film a lot, especially after December 2021 at the 11th AACTA Awards ( 11th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards ), when the film won 8 awards, especially for Best Film. A film based on the horrible story surrounding the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre in Tasmania, Australia, where 35 people were killed and 23 others were wounded, by the gunman Martin Bryant. I remember the story from 1996, since it was on headlines all across Swedish newspapers, and i remember some of the horrible pictures that was shown in newspapers. Since this film is based on the tragic story of Martin Bryant and what would happen in Tasmania in the spring of 1996, is this one of the most interesting films of the year, or is it not as good as i was hoping it would be?

Nitram ( Caleb Landry Jones ) is an intellectually disabled young adult who lives with his parents in Port Arthur, Australia. He loves fireworks and constantly use them, as he upsets his neigbors. He begs his mother ( Judy Davis ) to buy him a surfboard, after he sees an attractive girl with a surfer, but she refuses to buy him one. To make some money, Nitram decides to mowning local lawns, and this is where he meets a neighbor named Helen ( Essie Davis ), a retired actress and wealthy heiress. Nitram feels that he finally feels accepted with Helen, and decides to live with her. No matter what Helen can buy Nitram, and try to make him happy, he is still struggling with his inner demons. And when a car accident kills Helen, the whole world falls apart for Nitram. He can no longer control himself.

If you have been waiting for a film that have some really powerful acting, i can honestly say that Nitram have some of the best acting performances i have seen this year so far. Knowing the background story of this film, and that this film is based on the life of Martin Bryant, gives this story a completely different depth. You don´t really understand all the struggles that Martin lived with, not being able to handle himself or anyone around him. Not until you begin to learn what diagnoses he possibly have, the pieces of the puzzle becomes much clearer. Since i mentioned how brilliant the acting in this film really is, we have to talk about the actors. Lead actor Caleb Landry Jones ( who delivered a powerful performance in the 2017 film Get Out ) as Nitram, is definetely the strongest acting performance you will see this year. I have never seen Caleb this good in any film before, and if he keeps this level of acting going in the future, we might have one of the best actors of his generation. Caleb manage to capture everything you want to see in a character like this. All the anger, sadness, emotions, and also manage to capture the facial expressions where he have no remorse for what he is doing. To be able to do this as an actor, is very difficult to achieve. Legendary actress Judy Davis ( who i especially adore in classics such as Barton Fink and Naked Lunch ) deliver her strongest acting performance in many year´s as Nitram´s mother. The scenes where you see her filled with emotions, not knowing what to do with her son´s violent temper, you can actually feel her feelings as you watch her. How often do you see acting like this in these days? Actress Essie Davies ( who was brilliant in the Australian horror film The Babadook ) proves once more why she is so good at delivering strong characters, here as Helen. You get a sense that Helen is definetely an outsider, who lives in her own world. I have to mention legendary actor Anthony LaPaglia, who i always enjoy as an actor, but this may be one of his best acting performances in many years as Nitram´s father. Not only does Nitram have top quality acting, but the film looks really good with the gorgeous cinematography from cinematographer Germain McMicking ( who did cinematography on the really good TV series True Detective ). Director Justin Kurzel ( who directed the powerful Australian drama film Snowtown, a must see ) have definetely made the best film so far in his career with Nitram. He really worked hard to make this film hit all the right notes, and he knows exactly how to capture the audience with the incredible strong story that this film offer. Not only is this a very rough movie to watch for psychological reasons, but i guarantee you will be affected by the honest portrait of man who loose all control, and see no way out.  We may have many months left until 2022 ends, but i have no problem saying that Nitram could be the best film of this year, unless any other title surprise me. If the film is still runnning in cinema where you live, go and see this film now. You won´t find a more powerful film experience than Nitram this year.

Rating: DDDD

The Deep House

New Years Eve 1997, i remember that party for a couple of reasons. It was the first New Years Eve party i have been to with several relatives of mine. We stayed at a Herrgård ( in translation that would be something similar to a big mansion ), that you could rent all rooms from. At this New Years Eve party, my uncle decided that it was time to try and contact the spirits. He picked out a glass that he placed on the table, as he and some of the family members wanted to see if we could make a spirit move the glass. So we sat down at the table, holding hands, as one of my relatives tried to make contact to a spirit. I remember that i tried to play along ( even though i did not really see the glass move ). The party itself was nice, and we shot a lot of fireworks that night, so i can´t complain about the party. But did we talk to any spirit? I never saw anything, of felt anything. I do know that several of my relatives believe in the supernatural, and they still do today. And that´s completely fine with me, as long as they don´t dance to Arvingarna På Lassemans Altan, then i would really know that they are demon possessed. Since i grew up hearing family members talk about supernatural events, i have heard a lot of different experiences. When it comes to supernatural horror films, there are a lot of films to choose between. Every year, we se at least 40 films or more in this category, with similar stories or horror ideas from haunted locations. The ones that i am interested in is usually found footage horror films, if they are made effective. One of the films that comes to my mind, is the 2011 found footage horror film Grave Encounters from directors The Vicious Brothers. The film takes place in a supposedly haunted psychiatric hospital, where a crew of paranormal investigators are making a paranormal television program. Grave Encounters turned out to be better than i expected, since i had no high expectations at all, and is actually well made considering the budget. I do not watch a lot of found foootage horror films these days, as much as i used to around the early 2010´s. But i try to check some titles, if something looks interesting. One of the films i have been hearing a lot of since last year is the film The Deep House. A haunted house underneath a lake? Definetely sounds different, so i finally checked the film out. Is this a must watch for fans of this genre, or is The Deep House more boring than i expected ?

Ben ( James Jagger ) and his girlfriend Tina ( Camille Rowe ) are Youtube vloggers, especially focusing on making haunted houses videos across Europe, trying to find the most haunted locations and make reaction videos on how they experience their visits to these locations. Ben is not happy with the views number, and he wants bigger numbers. As they go to investigate a sanatorium submerged in an artificial lake in south-west France, they find out it is just a crowded vacation spot. At this lake, Ben accidently meet a local man named Pierre ( Éric Savin ), who happens to know about an isolated branch of the lake of Chanteloup, an area that was artificially submerged in 1984, to prevent frequently reccuring, devastating floods. It is in this area of the lake, where Piere tells the couple about a perfect preserved house in the lake. They decide to investigate the location, hoping it will help them get success on social media.

It is possible that i might be one of the few that have reviewed this film so late, considering that this film was actally released in 2021. One of the reasons is that i have planned to watch this film a long time, but it just did not happen until now. Either way, i am still glad that i waited. The Deep House is definetely a different found footage horror film than most releases in this genre, and i think the idea of a house inside a lake is actually a clever idea for a horror film. We see so many horror films that takes place in a house or a cabin, so why not try and do something different? Let´s begin with what i enjoyed mostly about The Deep House. First of all the house itself in the lake do give you a creepy feeling. Especially when you see that this old house is not completely alone, as you begin to understand what really happened here, a long time ago. I especially enjoy the mystery surrounding the family that lived here, and as you see that they are not actually dead yet, still living underneath the water. I think this is where this film manage to make you more interested in the plot, especially when the two main characters are actually struggling to find a way out, running out of oxygen. So here we come to my main problem with the film. The story behind the Youtube couple Ben and Tina, making videos on haunted houses is not really that interesting. The actors do a good job on their characters, especially down in the lake at the house. But their passion to make videos for their viewers are not really that interesting. I will say though that actor James Jagger and actress Camille Row, manage to make the film more interesting as the film goes along, and we leave the vlogging scenes. Directors Alexandre Bustille and Julien Maury ( who directed one of my favourite French horror films known as Inside, a must see ) have definetely brought in some fresh air into the found footage horror genre with The Deep House, and i am thankful for that. This genre needed something different, and i have to say that this film do manage to pull it off in a surprising effective way. If you are not a fan of the found footage horror genre, you might as well skip this one. However, if you do enjoy films in this genre, i definetely think you should give this film a chance. After all, who does not want to visit a haunted house down in a lake? I know that i do ( what can i say, i love new experiences ).

Rating: DDD

Ambulance

In the movie industry, there are certain names that will always be known for making a big impression. It could be a director, or producer, who is well known for spending a lot of money to make sure the films looks great, feels majestic, and is made for people worldwide who loves powerful film making. One of those names is without a doubt Michael Bay, who have given us so many action films over the years. When you walk into a Michael Bay film, you know he will give 200% of everything. With films such as Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, The Island, Transformers and many more, he have made sure that movie tickets have been sold in big numbers. I do enjoy some of his films, and then there are films i may not enjoy for different reasons, where he is the producer ( i am especially thinking about the 2014 film version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, since i prefer the 1990 film ). But in 2016 he actually released a film that i did enjoy, that did not get a lot of attention. And that is the film known as 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi. This is a film based on the book by the same name, of author Mitchell Zuckoff, that tells the story the terrorist attack by Islamist militants at the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya on September 12, 2012. Since this is a Michael Bay film, there are some really big action scenes in 13 Hours. But the biggest reason why i enjoy this particular film, is that he actually tried a different kind of action film, that does not include a lot of CGI effects. To be honest, i did not know much at all about this tragedy in Libya, so i do think this film manage to tell the story in a effective way. The acting may not be great from the whole cast, but overall i would recommend you to check this film out. During the pandemic director Michael Bay decided to work on a film called Ambulance, that may be the lowest budget he have ever made on a big studio film ( only 40 million dollars ). This is something you don´t see everyday, since Michael Bay is known for spending lots of money on his films. I did not see this film in cinema, but decided to pick up a Blu Ray copy to give this film a chance. Is this one of the better Michael Bay films in recent years, or should he have left this project to another director?

War veteran Will Sharp ( Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, desperately need 231.000 U.S. dollars for his wife Amy Sharp´s ( Moses Ingram ) surgery. Since he have no other way out, he asks his adoptive brother Danny Sharp ( Jake Gyllenhaal ) for the money. The only way Danny can help Will out, is if Will agree to do a bank robbery, wich will guarantee a lot more mony than he asked for. Will see no other option but to accept the offer, even though he knows this could destroy his future with his wife and child, if anything goes wrong.

I will be honest and say that i had no idea that this film is sort of a remake of the 2005 Danish film by the same name. I never saw the 2005 Danish film Ambulance, so i have no idea if that film is good. So i am just going to give my opinion about this American version instead, so you know i won´t compare these films. If you grew up watching a lot of Michael Bay films, you know he is really good at making American patriotic films. And this goes for Ambulance as well, but i will say this, at least this film is not as patriotic as Transformers, and feels more realistic instead. Since he easily can spend around 200 million dollars on one film, it is nice to see him do something smaller, that actually have a plot. Ambulance may not bring anything new to the table, but since this is a Michael Bay film you know what you are getting. Bright colors, a lot of speed, wide shots over L.A. and of course good looking people. The best part of Ambulance is actually when we are inside the ambulance, after the robbers take over the vehicle and we follow their journey across the city. I can´t remember that i have seen a heist action film that includes an ambulance, so this is actually a positive detail, that they tried a different approach in this genre. I especially think it is interesting to think about, how do you handle a patient in an ambulance, knowing that you could possibly be killed by bank robbers? Do you sacrifice your own life for the patient, or do you just try to get out, no matter what it takes to save yourself? The characters in this film helps the plot become interesting, and especially actress Eliza Gonzaléz ( who i really enjoyed in the TV series From Dusk Till Dawn ) as the character Cam Thompson. She is tough, is really good at her job, and she knows how to handle everything professionally. You can feel that Eliza took this role seriously, and she does a great job with her portrait of Cam. Actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ( who i actually enjoyed in the 2021 horror remake Candyman, worth checking out ) gives us a realistc portrait, and a solid performance as the struggling family father Will Sharp. Jake Gyllenhaal deliver the best acting performance in this film is hijacker Danny. He is so good at getting into a character, no matter what the genre is. So anything bad about Ambulance? Since this film have nothing original to offer, you might feel that you have seen similar films like this one before and loose interest. And i can understand if you feel this way, because this genre really need a face lift, where they try something different in a heist story. Overall, if you just want an heist action film that is well made, Ambulance do work for the most part. Michael Bay may never win any Oscars in the future, but he does know how to make action films. And for that i am thankful, as long as he make them good. Ambulance is actually one of his better releases i have seen since 13 Soldiers in 2016, so if you are just looking for a descent action film, this one should do the trick.

Rating: DDD