torsdag 31 juli 2014

Ninja Apocalypse

The 80´s had so many funny B movies made, from absolutely no budget at all. The actors were terrible, but what made these films so much fun was all the action scenes. There was no CGI or computer effects, so they had to create everything themselves. Computer effects started coming in the early 90´s, but still we had some great films made, like Nemesis. Now this is one of the greatest action films by director Albert Pyun. Remember his classic motion picture Cyborg from 1989 ? Cyborg may not have been a worldwide blockbuster, but the mix of a cyborg future and martial arts sequences worked out well. The 90´s continued to treat us with similar classics, like American Cyborg: Steel Warrior, directed by Boaz Davidson. B action films are still being made, but the film industry have changed. There are not many companies left who are prepared to sponsor to films in this genre, so in many productions people have to spend their own money for these films to be made. Thankfully we have Kickstarter and many other funding sites to help films being made. Scott Adkins is thankfully one actor who try and make sure martial arts films are still around, and we need to keep them coming, so support these films in any way you can. Ninja Apocalypse ( such a wonderful title, makes me think of church on sundays ), is a new action film, that seems to be a mix of everything, ninjas, zombies and laser powers, the perfect combination for your sisters school graduation. Director Lloyd Lee Barnett is mostly known as an lead compositor in Avatar, The Lords Of The Rings, Rocky Balboa and many more titles. This is his second feature film as an director, and i have not seen hist first motion picture called I Love You To Death. With his first try on the B action genre, is Ninja Apocalypse as much fun as i hoped, or is this a disaster we should forget ?

The Lost Ninja Clan, with the leader Cage ( Christian Oliver ) is accused for killing the Grandmaster Fumitaka ( Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa ). Before this happened there was a meeting, with Grandmaster Fumitaka, he ordered every clan to work together, to stop the evil from a kingdom, who want to destroy the world. But when Fumitaka is murdered, all clans belive that The Lost Ninja Clan is guilty, and attack them. The Lost Ninja Clan manage to get away for the moment, but now they are trapped, deep underground inside the compound of Grandmaster Fumitaka´s empire. All the clans that came to support Fumitaka´s vision, have now turned themselves against The Lost Ninja Clan. They must be killed. Cage and his clan members must try and survive, and find out who really killed Fumitaka.

If you hate B movies, that include fight scenes with ninjas, zombies and cheesy special effects, then Ninja Apocalypse will be your worst nightmare. On the other hand, if you love the music of Miss Li, then you will guaranteed love Ninja Apocalypse. Why bring Miss Li into this review ? She makes many happy songs, so when you watch Ninja Apocalypse you feel happy, just like you are listening to Miss Li. We have it all here, ninja fights, with lots of weapons, and dialogue most likely written by a nerd guy who loves to stroke the salami to magazines. The special effects are sometimes so bad that you laugh, and still i enjoy the ideas that director Lloyd Lee Barnet tries to make visible. I can´t say i enjoyed the acting really, but in a film like this, the acting is not the biggest important details. The fights are more important, and we get a lot of them, in many different styles. When zombies start attacking it all becomes so funny, that i actually find myself enjoying Zombie Apocalypse for what it is, a cheesy martial arts action film with something for all ages. I mentioned the special effects earlier ? Well, you can tell that the budget is limited, when they have to make CGI blood instead of fake blood, and that is a shame. It would have looked better if they chopped some body part off and make it look more real. Apart from this i would say that Ninja Apocalypse is a fun ride, and even if it does not deliver anything fresh to the genre, it does bring nostalgia back. Since it is almost weekend, i feel like becoming a ninja and kill some zombies in Granloholm, anyone want to join me ?

Rating: DDD

Tomorrow on Daniels Super Sexy Movie Reviews.....i have a special surprise.....:)

The summer is not over yet, so we need some real summer feelings.

And guess what....tomorrow i am giving you people a summer feeling, that feels so nice,
you wont be able to sleep.

Let us hink for a moment, what should every summer include ? I have a list.

1. Chainsaw
2. Sharks
3. Tornados
4. Amazing actors
5. A title that gives you a hard on.

Ok, sounds good. So what could possibly fill all these ingredients in one film ?

Yes indeed, if you guessed right, the answer is Sharknado 2 - The Second One.

I am writing a review on this summers biggest hyped film, to see what i personally think.
I did a review on the first film, so it is time we take a look at the sequel.

So check in tomorrow and see if i posted a review, it will be posted guaranteed.
Thanks for reading my reviews, i hope to see you all soon.

Cheers from Daniel.

Blended

There was a time when comedian Adam Sandler made some great comedies. One of my personal favourites of all time is Happy Gilmore. Since it came out, i must have seen it 6 times on tv. If you have not seen Big Daddy, i would recommend you watch this one. The perfect example how you should not raise a child. Over the years, Adam Sandler continued to release and make comedies, where many of them had the vulgar comedy style, that we all recognize. Somehow it seems that he will always be stuck in this genre, because comedy is something is knows, and knows how to handle. The first Grown Ups film had some fun moments, but then 3 years later came Grown Ups 2, and my view of Adam Sandler changed. This sequel was awful, where the comedy scenes felt forced, and there was almost nothing i felt like laughing too. Since Adam Sandler did a surprisingly good performance in The Wedding Singer with Drew Barrymore, could this duo bring back the magic once again on screen, or is this a desperate try to cash in at the box office ? 

Lauren Reynolds ( Drew Barrymore ) go on a blind date with Jim Friedman ( Adam Sandler ). But the blind date end in disaster, so Lauren leave as she regret going on this blind date. Jim lives alone with his daughters Hilary ( Bella Thorne ), Espn ( Emma Fuhrmann ) and Lou ( Alyvia Alyn Lind ), since their mother passed away in cancer. Jim try to do his best to make sure his daughters get all the help they need. Lauren have also kids, 2 sons, Brendan (Braxton Beckham) and Tyler (Kyle Red Silverstein). But since Laurens sons are very demanding, and take up so much time of her life, she is not happy with herself. Laurens best friend Jen ( Wendi McLendon-Covey ) is so in love with her boyfriend Dick ( Dan Patrick ). Jen tries to cheer up Lauren, but with not much luck. One day while picking up laundry, Lauren find a poster of an almost nude woman, with their babysitter Tracy´s ( Lauren Lapkus ) head placed on top of the models real head. Lauren is furious what her son Brendan have done, so she rip the poster in pieces. She realise that this might upset her son, so she decide to try and find the magazine in a store. There she meets Jim again, as he help her what magazine she should choose, he seems to know the nude section. Jen comes to see Lauren, telling her it is over between her and Dick, and it was planned they would go to Africa. Instead, Lauren convince Jen to let her and her 2 sons go to Africa. Jim hear about this also, and since Dick is the boss of the store Jim works in, he arrange so he and his daughters can also go to Africa. Lauren does not know about this, until they all arive to the same hotel. When these 2 families begin to spend time together, a new chapter of their lives have just begun.

To see Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore back together on screen since 50 First Dates, looks great on paper. Frank Coraci, director of The Wedding Singer is also back, to do a new film with the same team. The problem is, Blended feels very blend. There are a few scenes that are a little bit funny, but for almost 2 hours, this feels way drawn out. Adam Sandler is at least not all bad, remember his performance in Grown Ups 2? Blended tries to be a bit of everything, a romantic comedy and still throw in some dirty jokes. Remember last time Drew and Adam worked together on their second comedy together 50 First Dates ? It was not as good as The Wedding Singer, but still you could tell they had the chemistry together on screen. This time, they seem to just go on autopilot, doing what they are told to do, but without any emotions. Now, everything is not all bad. There are a few scenes where Drew and Adam at least give some performance. But the very few moments where this happen is not often, so we are left quite empty handed. The family problems that director Frank Coraci try to bring up, tries to make you feel like you care, when these situations feel way too simple. Blended is not one of the worst Adam Sandler films in recent years. But with so much potential that they could have used, with 2 good comedy actors, we are left with something that feels unfinished. If you liked seeing Drew and Adam on screen, watch The Wedding Singer again, or 50 First Dates, Blended is not what we hoped for.

Rating: DD                

tisdag 29 juli 2014

A special thanks to my readers

I have noticed lately that i have more readers than usual on Daniels Super Sexy Movie Reviews.

So i would like to thank you all, no matter what country you live in, for reading my movie reviews. I continue to write reviews, as long as you enjoy this movie review blog. I have many more movie reviews coming up before summer ends, and i try to review different genres. I have had quite many requests about the old Facebook page in the same name as this blog. That page have not been active for years, so you won´t read anything fresh in there. Instead, i will continue to write in here, and post fresh movie reviews when i have time to sit down and write.

Thanks for the support, and i hope you continue to enjoy my movie review blog page.


Cheers from Daniel

söndag 27 juli 2014

The Raid 2: Berandal

A couple of years ago, i started reading about a motion picture from Indonesia called The Raid. Movie critics were going insane, calling this the best action film in many years, a completely mind blowing experience. Once i sat down to see The Raid on blu ray, i was sure that i was in heaven. I have seen so many raw action movies over the last 24 years, and The Raid could be the most brutal action film i have experienced. Every fight is so massive, so brutal, that it was like paradise. You could probably say that if one motion picture would give men all ages orgasm, The Raid is the perfect choice. But wait a second, Steven Seagal says he can take anyone down ? Uhhhm, i would like to see him fight against these guys, his swinging arms would be ripped off in 15 seconds. The Raid: Redemption is still today one of the greatest action films, there is no other title out there who will defeat this classic film. So i was not surprised to hear that a sequel was coming. But i was not upset, i thought to myself, what if they can make as great sequel on these strong characters, and stíll make it different ? So here we are with The Raid 2: Berandal, with the same director of the first film, Gareth Evans. Lead actor Iko Uwais is also back, as undercover SWAT police member Rama. Since i really loved the first motion Picture, is there a possibility that i love this sequel also, or should they have made one film only and left it alone ?

Rama ( Iko Uwais ) managed to survive the massacre last time, in the crime lord Tama Riyadi´s building. But even if he survived, and is protected by police, he is still in danger, as well as his wife and daughter. So a meeting is arranged between Rama and Bunawar ( Cok Simbra ),  chief of Jakarta's anti-corruption task force. Bunawar offer Rama to be a part of his anti-corruption task force, as they plan to expose police comissioner Reza ( Roy Marten ). Reza have made many illegal deals with criminals of Bangu and Goto gangs He is not sure about if he should join, but realise this could be the best way to deal with the situation, since his family is threatened. In order to get Reza, they need to send Rama inside a prison, undercover, under the name of Yuda. The first step is to get connected with Bangun's son Uco ( Arifin Putra ), who can help Yuda get the right connections. Yuda prove himself in prison to be a tough survivor, so Uco give Yuda a chance, to join his team. After Yuda and Uco is let out of prison, Uco arrange a meeting with his father Bangun ( Tio Pakusadewo ), a mob boss, who runs the Bangun gang. He let Yuda work for the gang, to prove himself. Everything seems to be going as planned, since Yuda is not detected as an undercover police officer. Until the mission is finished, there is no security that Rama will survive. He is prepared to complete what he started.

The Raid: Redemption is as i mentioned earlier, a fantastic action film. If you loved the fight scenes in the first motion picture, be ready for some more fantastic fight scenes at different locations. The Raid 2: Berendal continue to deliver amazing action scenes, with some of the most brutal fight scenes in many years. Lead actor Iko Uwais is back, and he fights so amazing you never want him to stop. But he can actually act also, and this proves why he fit so good in his character Rama. One of the biggest differences in this sequel, is that there is actually a good plot here. The story between criminals and gang members is quite strong, and feel heavier than last time. Director Gareth Evans tries to tell a much darker story, with a wider perspective on the criminal gang world. And this is the biggest advantage for The Raid 2, storywise this is an improvment. Arifin Putra, as the son of Bangun leader Tio Pakusadewo, is also a good choice. I would say that i enjoyed the first film a little bit more, but still i would recommend that you see The Raid 2. If you love martial arts and action combined, you will guaranteed love this. Best action film of the year so far, i have a hard time to think that anything will beat this film in this genre. Grab a baseball bat, prepare your fist to attack, this is a celebration of video violence for all of us who grew up with classic action martial arts films.

Rating: DDDD

fredag 25 juli 2014

Dead Snow: Red vs.Dead ( Död Snö 2 )

When i think of Norway, i mostly think about 17th of may. The norwegians national day is a feast day, that last for many days ahead. If you thought english tourists could party hard in Spain, just wait and see what norwegians will do. Of course we should not forget one of Norway´s biggest pop bands Aha, who probably had more sex than any other band on tour. I have been to Norway and visited different cities. Even if the country is expensive as hell, you can tell that the norwegians must be loaded with Viagra, nothing can make them angry, always happy. If you compare Norway and Sweden, i would say Norway have made some better motion pictures in the past. I enjoyed Elling, a comedy about a mentally ill man, who tries to adjust living in the city. There are some other titles, that comes to mind. But let´s talk about Dead Snow. Released in 2009, a splatter horror comedy about nazi zombies coming back to life, was a great proof how good norwegian director Tommy Wirkola, managed to find a great combination. Dead Snow became a small hit around the world, where many people found it entertaining on dvd. Tommy later on went to America, to direct a bigger budget film, known as Hansel & Gretel : Witch Hunters. Panned by almost all critics, this became a box office hit, and this could have opened new doors for Tommy Wirkola. So what does he do ? He goes back to Norway to do a sequel on Dead Snow. I think this shows that he is not afraid to work on smaller films, and still develope his work. Dead Snow: Red vs.Dead is the sequel to the cult movie, that so many of us loved. Is this sequel perhaps better than the original first motion picture, or is this a waste of your time ?

Martin Hykkerud ( Vegar Hoel ) survived from nazi zombies, and managed to escape the zombie army. But since he is in such bad health, he crash a car. As he wakes up in a hospital, he finds out that his arm, that he lost in battle with nazi zombies, have been put back to where it belongs. But what the doctors don´t know, is that they picked the wrong arm. This is the arm óf nazi zombie general Herzog ( Örjam Gamst ), who also lost his arm. Martin notice that his new arm can sometimes control itself, so he accidently murder some hospital workers, including a young boy named Bobby ( Carl-Magnus Adder ). Before Bobby was killed, he took a picture of Martin´s arm, and send it to the Zombie Squad in America. The Zombie Squad prepare themselves to travel to Norway, to stop the nazi zombies. Herzog have a plan to make a bigger army, so he tries to wake more dead people up, but his special powers don´t work as planned. But he make it work, eventually and prepare his new army for war. The Zombie Squad, with the members Daniel ( Martin Starr ), Monica ( Jocelyn DeBoer ) and Blake ( Ingrid Haas ), land in Norway, are ready to find weapons. Meanwhile Martin is trying to find out what the nazi army is looking for. He locate a museum with old objects from the 2nd world war preserved. Seems that Hertzog and his army need to finish something, they should have done in the second world war. By accident, Martin find out he can wake the dead, thanks to the arm of Hertzog. The Zombie Squad have an idea, if Martin can bring back people to life again, and stop Herzogs army. To defeat the nazi army, they need help from the dead russian general Stavarin( Derek Mears ), and his 50 men. With Martins special arm, he can now bring back Stavarin back to life, to destroy the nazi zombie army.

Let me make this clear.

Norway i love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why can´t Sweden make such a great motion picture as Dead Snow: Red vs.Dead ? I have a feeling we will never find out. But there is actually one fantastic splatter comedy from Sweden, called Evil Ed. It may not be very well made, compared to Dead Snow 2, but from a Swedish perspective i still feel it is one of the best swedish films ever made. So what make this sequel so good ? Everything.....there is much more splatter, body parts flying, flesh wounds, and the budget is bigger. Normally i would not say a bigger budget makes a film better, but in this case you can tell director Tommy Wirkola have managed to get more massive splatter scenes, bigger fight scenes, and of course more weapons included. The acting have improved, as well as the dialogue. I am quite shocked to be honest, that a sequel could be so much better than the first film. Don´t get me wrong, i enjoyed Dead Snow, for different reasons, but this sequel manage to get much more of everything we could have hoped for. Dead Snow 2 is one of the funniest splatter movies made in many years, i can´t believe Sweden did not show this one in every city at cinemas. Director Tommy Wirkola is without a doubt the greatest Scandinavian director at this time, no one makes motion pictures in this quality like Wirkola does. You can buy the blu ray or dvd from Norway, with subtitles, that is where i bought myself a copy. Dead Snow 2 is so much fun i have to watch it again, at least 8 times, just to make sure i erase the memories of bad swedish movies. Norway is the future of Scandinavian motion pictures, you can´t go wrong with nazi zombies and crazy armed norwegians. See and learn Colin Nutley, or i will have to kick you in the nuts.

Rating: DDDD

Deliver Us From Evil

I must have mentioned this many times before, but the truth is that The Exorcist is still the best exorcist movie ever made so far, in motion picture history. I have probably seen it 10 times since i was a child, and even if it was made in 1973, this is a classic that will never be forgotten. There are 2 sequels, and even a prequel, but none of them have been as good as the original film. Many film makers have tried to make exorcism movies over the years, trying to mix different genres with classic ingredients. The only really good one, that i feel managed to deliver the right feeling of exorcism material, is the 2005 film The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. Until this day, i would still say that director Scott Derrickson found a great way, to both bring classic elements in, but still try and make his own view on exorcism. If you have not seen this one, rent it and i am sure you will have a great time. Speaking of Scott, he directed one of my personal favourite horror films lately, called Sinister. Ethan Hawke did one of his best performances in many years in Sinister, in a horror film that is so creepy, you will be applauding in your living room. Now, Scott Derrickson is back with a new horror motion picture, Deliver Us From Evil, that is his second time to go inside the exorcism genre. With 2 great horror films in his baggage, is Scott back on top with another quality horror film, or should he have changed genre and do something else instead ?

Ralph Sarchie ( Eric Bana ) is a New York cop, who always try to do his best to help people in need. But sometimes his job become too much, especially when he finds a dead baby dumped in an alley. One night as Ralph is patrolling with his partner Butler ( Joel McHale ), they are told to visit the Bronx Zoo. In the tiger cage, a man is decorating the walls with grafitti, that seems to be some kind of old religious writings. Not knowing who he is, or why he was doing these writings, Ralph try and confront him. But something seems very strange. This man simply walk inside a tiger cage, and is not attacked, he simply dissapear. Ralph begin to investigate, and find out the mans name is Santonio ( Sean Harris ), a former soldier in the middle east. But when the investigation continues, Ralph understand something must have happened to Santonio while he was on a mission in the middle east. The same writings are found in a video, filmed by the military team, during their operation. But this is just the beginning. An insane woman, who killed her own baby, is arrested. She speaks a very odd language. Ralph belive that she must be mentally insane, but a priest named Mendoza ( Édgar Ramirez ) belive she may be possessed. Ralph think this is nonsense, but he change his mind as more strange events occure. Mendoza tries to use his skills, to stop Santonio. Then suddenly, Santionio kidnap Ralphs wife Jen Sarchie ( Olivia Munn ) and their child. This have gone too far, so Ralph and Mendoza prepare themselves to end this for good.

Considering how great Scott Derrickson is as a horror film director, with both The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, and Sinister, i would say that he still manage to keep the genre alive. The biggest difference this time, is that he is trying to do a cop thriller, mixed with exorcism horror. The result is alright, but not as strong as his previous films. Deliver Us From Evil is not a bad horror film, compared to many awful exorcism motion pictures, but i was hoping that we could have had more gory murder scenes. We get a lot of jumpy scary scenes, where some work, while others feel a bit simple. One of the best advantages of this film, is leading actor Eric Bana. He works really well as the New York cop Ralph Sarchie, based on true events that the real cop experienced. I would go as far and say that Eric Bana have not been this good, for many years. Another positive detail is the dialogue, it feels that Scott Derrickson tried to capture the feeling of New York police force, the way they talk. In some cop motion pictures, they focus more on the action than on the cop individuals. Here you at least get a sense of how it could be working in this disctrict. The exorcism scenes looks pretty good, especially towards the final scenes. There is no doubt that Scott enjoy making films in this genre. There are a few details that could have been improved, but Deliver Us From Evil is a fun horror film to enjoy. Exorcism rituals is the best way to start the day, i wish i could do this more often, it looks like so much fun.

Rating: DDD

tisdag 22 juli 2014

Under The Skin

Scarlet Johansson have made an incredible journey as an actress. She have tried all kinds of genres and characters, and she seem to continue to explore different film projects. One of the most rememorable performances she have done so far, is without a doubt Lost In Translation, where Bill Murray did a simply fantastic performance. This may be his best film so far in his career, if you have not seen this one, rent it, or even buy it. One motion picture that does not get mentioned a lot, is Don Jon. Scarlet did a really well made performance, as a very shallow woman, trying to find the perfect man, and be overwhelmed with romance. There are of course many more i could mention, but let us focus on one of her latest releases. Under The Skin is a sci fi art film, directed by the very talented director Jonathan Glazer. If you have not heard of him, you might recognize some of his earlier motion pictures Sexy Beast and Birth. Very different genre films indeed, but they both are very unique in different ways. One thing i was told, is that Under The Skin is filmed in Scotland, and that made me smile. I love Scotland, and scottish people, so whenever i get to see Scotland on film again, i always feel happy. With a great lead actress, and a very talented director, is Under The Skin another unique film from Jonathan Glazer, or is this the wrong genre for his talent ?


On a highway in Scotland, a motorcyclist pick up a womans body from the side of the road, and place her in a van. She is taken to a place where she is undressed by a naked woman ( Scarlet Johansson ). The same naked woman, go out to find male victims, on the streets of Edinburgh. Every man who agree to have a lift in her van, turn out to become the next victims. Suddenly one day she hears on the radio, Police have found a body, as they try to find out what happened. The woman continue her journey, to pick up men and lead them to her home. Who is she ? What does she really want ?

Did you notice that i never mentioned Scarlets character name ?, the fact is that she have no name. If you did not enjoy the earlier films of Jonathan Glazer, you probably won´t enjoy Under The Skin. But on the other hand, if you love original films, who are complicated, you might want to see this one. This is not an ordinary sci fi motion picture. In fact, i would probably call this more of a psycological drama. Scarlet Johansson proves once again why she is such a great actor. To try and show no emotions, or remorse, is not easy to do from an acting perspective. It is almost as if she is a robot, but at the same time not. This is an art film for sure. Very odd scenery, especially in the scenes where men fall down into a black substance, and are locked underneath. If there is one negative thing about Under The Skin, is that there are too many slow scenes. The story feels so drawn out for such a long time, it is very easy to feel sleepy. But, when the highlights kick in, i still feel that this is an interesting motion picture. Under The Skin seems to have influences from Stanley Kubrick, but Jonathan only use the tools when he needs too. The scenes filmed in Edinburgh brings back memories, especially how friendly people were there. Under The Skin is not an easy film to watch through almost 2 hours. You really need to have an open mind. I would say that this is a good motion picture, just far too long. 

Rating: DDD                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

torsdag 17 juli 2014

Joe

There was a time when actor Nicolas Cage, delivered some really great characters on screen. Arizona Junior, Wild At Heart, Leaving Las Vegas, just a few classic motion pictures that stands just as strong today, as they did back in the good old days. He continued making some interesting roles in Matchstick Men and The Weather Man, but then something happened. He did not get any interesting films to work on ( except from Knowing and Kick-Ass ), and started making low budget action movies. He seemed to continue this path, you might even remember Season Of The Witch ? For some time i did not expect to see him back in an independent film, for a long time. But then, we got a surprise. Joe, a new independent film, directed by David Gordon Green ( who also directed Pineapple Express and Prince Avalanche ), seemed to be a comeback to a genre we wanted to see Cage in again. Is Joe a proof that Cage is back for real this time, or is it Another one who will go straight to dvd and become forgotten ?

Joe Ransom ( Nicolas Cage ) is an ex-con, trying to stay clean, helping people find a job in a forest, cutting down trees. Joe lives alone, and try to keep on going with his daily procedures. One day, while Joe explain todays work in the forest, a young boy named Gary shows up. He needs a job, and even if he is very young, Joe agree to hire him. Gary is very happy, and try and tell his drunk father Wade ( Gary Poulter ), but he care more about drinking alcohol, than in his own son. One day, while Joe is helping some friends butchering a deer, someone shoot him outside in his shoulder. Next day, without letting anyone know at work, Joe continue give jobs in the forest. Gary´s father Wade also get a job, but he is causing problems, and Joe have to fire him. Angry at the situation, Wade beat his son really hard, and take his money. Joe feel sorry for Gary, but try and stay out of family issues. Gary is beginning to see Joe as a father figure, since his own father don´t care about him. But he does not know about Joe´s past. To make sure Gary stays out of Joe´s problems, Joe try to solve them, even how hard it may be.
 
I am going to be honest. Nicolas Cage have not been this good since Matchstick Men, and that was in 2003. We are talking 11 years between these films, so the ride through these years have been really bumpy. Not every single motion picture have been bad with Cage, but many of them felt very predictable, and quite dull. But with Joe, i feel that Cage proves again, after so many years, that he can be a really great actor, with the right material. One of the biggest reasons why i love Joe, is because of the powerful performances from almost all the actors. Especially Ty Sheridan, he is perfect as the very lost and sad young boy Gary. You can tell he tried to show us how life is shit, when you don´t almost have any family members left, and no one cares about you. Gary Poulter who plays Garys drunken father, actually died before Joe was screened. He was a homeless man in real life, so playing a drunk father who don´t care was the best choice for this character. I have to say that Gary Poulter should have been Oscar nominated for his role, he is simply fantastic. Director David Gordon Green did a smaller indepent film called Prince Avalanche a few years ago. I really enjoyed that one, with Paul Rudd in one of his best films so far. With Joe, David tries to dig deeper into human emotions, and give a very honest portrait about poverty in small american cities. There are many characters here that are stuck in the same pattern, and don´t see any way out of their misery. Joe is a very important motion picture, for many reasons. One of the most important details is that Joe feels realistic, that this could be about anyone who lives a life in emptyness. I found out Sweden will not show Joe in cinemas, and i think that is terrible. A powerful motion picture like Joe should be seen on a big screen. Nicolas Cage is back on top again, i did not expect to see that at this point of his career. Hopefully he can stay on this path, because Joe could become a classic.

Rating: DDDD

söndag 13 juli 2014

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

By now, most of you must have seen at least one of the X-Men motion picture adaptions from the famous comic books. What make X-Men so special, is that there are so many characters to choose between, and so far every sequel have tried to bring in some new characters. Ever since the first motion picture came out in 2000, fans have rushed to the cinema to see their favourite characters come to life. One of the most loved characters is without a doubt Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. His portrait of Wolverine proved to be a steady card, and he really found a way to show us how much pain Wolverine have gone through. For each film, we got a chance to see many other characters, on their journey to be respected as mutants in society. Another character that felt very imported, is Charles Xavier ( Patrick Stewart ). Since his career in Star Trek, he always seemed to fit the sci fi genre, and with him in the cast of X-Men, it turned out to be the best choice. We could go on and talk about all the characters, but let us continue instead. In 2011, director Matthew Vaughn took the chance to direct a different chapter of the X-Men series, telling the story of how these mutants developed themselves, and learned to control their powers in a young age. I personally think that First Class gave us just what we needed, a more detailed and powerful X-Men film, on a different level than before. With a deeper story, and also with a brand new cast, director Matthew Vaughn managed to find a great balance between the storyline and the action sequences. So here we are, with the next chapter of X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Director Bryan Singer, who directed the first X-Men and X-Men 2 is back in the saddle. Considering how much i enjoyed the first 2 movies, is Bryan back with another powerful chapter, or should he have left this in the hands of another director ?

In the future, mutants are being exterminated by robots called Sentinels. Any human that interfere with the Sentinels killing mutants, will also be murdered. But Kitty Pryde ( Ellen Page ) is fighting against these Sentinels, with the help of other mutants. Kitty have the power to project a person's consciousness into the past to deliver warnings. Mystique is said planning to assassinate Bolivar Trask ( Peter Dinklage ), creator of Sentinels. But with the help of Kitty, she can send Wolverine´s ( Hugh Jackman ) consciousness to 1973, to stop Mystique from the assassination. Wolverine wakes up in 1973, inside the X-Mansion. He meets Xavier ( James McAvoy ) and Beast ( Nicholas Hoult ) .The institute of gifted youngsters are closed, since most of the students and teachers were drafted to Vietnam. Wolverine tell  Xavier that he needs his help, to get Magneto ( Michael Fassbender ) out of prison beneath the Pentagon. He is suspected for killing of John F. Kennedy. Magneto manage to escape, thanks to mutant Peter Maximoff ( Evan Peters ).  Trask tries to convince Congress in Washington D.C. about his robot project Sentinels, to get support of his project. But Congress disagree and does not want to help his project. Meanwhile Mystique find out in Trasks office, that he have been capturing mutants, to use them through experiments. Wolverine, Xavier, Magneto and Storm ( Hale Berry ) travel to Paris to try and locate Mystique, to stop her from killing Trask. They succeed, but Mystique escape, as well as Magneto. Since the world is becoming afraid of mutants, president Richard Nixon give Trask permission to work on his Sentinel robots. If Trask complete all his plans, no one will survive. The team of Xavier prepare themselves to finish the Sentinels, and to stop Magneto from using the Sentinels to destroy everything in their way.

I did not know if Bryan Singer would manage to do another X-Men worthy some of the sequels. But after watching X-Men: Days Of Future Past, i can honestly say, this is the best film of the series so far. There are so many details that are improved. The acting is top quality, the special effects are in some scenes mind blowing, and the storyline feels very interesting. Bryan Singer proves once again, why he is such a briliant director, both visually, but also in his way to tell the story of mutants. Jennifer Lawrence show us how fantastic she is as Mystique, it seems like she can do anything from an acting perspective. As usual, Ian McKellen makes Magneto shine with his screen presence, such a legend and very professional. I would say that Michael Fassbender as the young Magneto is the perfect choice, he feels very natural in his character. Hugh Jackman is as always really good as Wolverine, no one could replace him, he simply sweep the floor every time he is seen doing action sequences. You might have heard about the scandals lately about director Bryan Singer, i would advice you to focus on this motion picture instead. As a director, he have proved to us many times that he is very skilled, and knows how to tell a powerful story. X-Men: Days Of Future Past is the strongest film in the series so far, and if you love comic book movie adaptions, you are in for a real treat. Just look at the scene when a whole stadium flies in the air, simply outstanding special effects. If you love X-Men, then you will not be dissapointed. Days Of Future Past is not only a really good action film, it also deliver so much great acting from all corners, as the mutants try and adjust into this world. Buy a ticket today, there is no doubt why you should not see this one.

Rating: DDDD

lördag 12 juli 2014

Sabotage

I'm going to ask a bunch of questions and I want to have them answered immediately.

Come on, dont tell me you dont know what movie this quote is from? This is of course from Kindergarten Cop, when Arnold Schwarznegger were chasing a murderer, while going undercover as a kindergarten teacher. This may not have been a highlight in his long motion picture career, but there are so many classic quotes in many of his films, you have to name at least one of them. Talking about Arnold, ever since he came back with The Last Stand ( in 2013, after a 10 year break from the movie industry ), the action genre have changed in todays socieity. What used to be popular in the 80´s and in the 90´s have not done well at the box office, just look at Bullet To The Head with Sylvester Stallone. This was his biggest box office bomb in almost his whole career. Thankfully, Schwarznegger and Stallone both became popular in The Expendables 1 & 2, who both did really well at the box office, but when they make films on their own, the numbers change quickly. I suppose the audience don´t want to see legendary action heroes as much as they used to. Personally i enjoyed both The Last Stand and Bullet To The Head. I think we need old school action films in cinemas, not only because it is nostalgia, but also because this is real entertainment. Sabotage is the latest Schwarzenegger action motion picture, that seems to keep the image of a tough Arnold alive. Is this perhaps the action movie that fans of Arnie hoped for, or is he too old to do this ?

John "Breacher" Wharton ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) is the leader of an elite team of DEA agents from the Special Ops Division. While John and his team do a raid in a cartel house, they manage to wipeout armed arabic criminals. The plan is to steal as much money as they possibly can, and hide it underneath a toilet pipe. But while they try and steal most of the money, " Smoke " Jennings ( Mark Schlegel ) is killed by an unexpected shooter. The pressure is on, and the team need to get out of there. " Smoke " is dead, while the rest of the team survive. As they go into the sewer to get the money they hided, it seems that all of it is gone. The DEA team superior Floyd Demel ( Martin Donavan ), find out the money is gone, and suspend the whole team for months. John is now faced to take a long break, and do office work. Since there is no evidence, that anyone in John´s team took the money, they are ordered to return as a team again. One night after the whole gang celebrate at a local strip club, Tom "Pyro" Roberts ( Max Martini ) is locked inside his trailer, that have been placed on a train track. Toms trailer is rammed, and Tom is completely torn into pieces.  Investigator Caroline Brentwood ( Olivia Williams ) and her partner Darious Jackson ( Harold Perrineau ), are told to solve this case. When more of the team members are in danger, John realise this could be the cartel who are seeking revenge. But is this the real truth ? 

About a month ago, i went on a cruise ship vacation on Cinderella. There on stage, was a band called Framed. This band is one of the 2000 other dansbands musicians, that we want to be destroyed. In fact, at that moment, i dreamed that Schwarzenegger would show up in this boat, and wipe the whole band out with a grenade launcher.....wow, such a beautiful dream this is. Sabotage is an action film, that remind me of the 1990 motion picture Navy Seals, with a very young Charlie Sheen on a mission in the middle east. The difference with Sabotage is that this team of DEA agents are located in America only, and don´t do the same jobs as Navy Seals. There are lots of shootings, even some fight scenes, and dialogue written in 30 minutes. So if you are looking for an intelligent film, you have come to the wrong place. On the other hand, if you simply want to see action with lots of violence, like back in the days of the 90´s, i have a feeling Sabotage might fit your taste. There is nothing original here at all, but that does not really matter. This is pure action, and for that reason i feel Sabotage deliver enough to make a cozy night in your couch. Arnold act like he always does, and even if you can tell he is getting old, he still manage to stay fit for his age. If there is one problem with Sabotage, i would say that director David Ayer have focused too much on big guns, and not developed the characters enough. Look at the classic Predator from 1987, all of those military characters had great chemistry, while here just a few manage to show some feelings. Besides from this i would say this is an action film, for all of us who grew up watching Schwarzenegger kicking ass in many of his classics. Not one of his best, but good enough to give you a good time.

Rating: DDD