Take chances in life. This is something i tell young people when i get the chance. I did, when i was only 23 years old. I went all by myself to Scotland, to see a girl i met in Spain for a few days. We stayed in contact and she invited me over to Scotland. My family thought i was crazy going over there all by myself, since i only met her for a few days in Spain. I never regret that i packed my bags and left. I had a great time in Scotland, and the memories will stay with me. I still travel a lot, and so far i have been to 15 countries, and continue to visit new countries. Even if i am getting older, i keep on living as good as i can, because i feel you should not care about age. It is just a number. I honestly don´t care about having the perfect house, or how i should dress myself among people. I am Daniel, all the time, anywhere. Sometimes we have to make choices, like taking a trip somewhere, to reload our batteries. For me personally i feel that travelling helped me develope me more, than just staying in Sweden, going to the same locations. Then there are those who really go for an adventure. Travelling for months in different countries, this looks like a lot of fun, and must be a great adventure. Have anyone of you by any chance read the novel Wild : From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail, by author Cheryl Strayed ? She wrote this novel, after she made an incredible journey on 1,100 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. The novel became a huge success, telling the story of Cheryl who had to make a choice, and she decided to go on a personal journey to see if she could reach her destination. Wild is a film based on these true events, taking from the novel Wild : From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail. Director Jean-Marc Vallée is mostly known for his films C.R.A.Z.Y, The Young Victoria, and one of my personal favourite films Dallas Buyers Club. Wild is definetely a different film from his previous work, with actor Reese Witherspoon in the lead role as Cheryl Strayed. Is this film based on a true story as good as i hoped for, or is this a film that looks good on the cover but does not deliver enough quality ?
In the year 1995, Cheryl Strayed ( Reese Witherspoon ) have had enough of her personal problems. She have a dream that one day, she would want to go all the way on the Pacific Crest Trail, all by herself. One day, when she decide to do this, she packs everything she needs on this journey, and begin walking. She have no idea how this will affect her life, and the experiences that follows with this incredible journey.
I am not sure if you have seen Sean Penn´s brilliant drama film Into The Wild. This film was based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, who was an american adventurer. He was found dead in the Stampede Trail in Alaska. He decided to leave his ordinary life and live in the nature of Alaska. Even if Into The Wild is very different from the film Wild, i can not help to feel that i see a pattern here. While the story of Christopher McCandless felt more sad, and very emotional, the story of Chery Strayed in Wild feels more light, and maybe not as deep as i would have wanted it to be. It almost feels like director Jean-Marc Vallée tried to make Wild looks almost like a different version of Into The Wild, but somewhere the plot never really lift as high as Sean Penn´s powerful story. I would not say that Wild is a bad film, not at all. If you compare this film to many other releases that came out last year, this is deffinetely worth your time. Especially since Reese Witherspoon is really good in the lead role as Cheryl Strayed. One big difference from Reese usual characters ( mostly in comedies ), is that here she really tried to find a much more natural character, instead of drowning in romantic clichés. As we follow her on her journey, we meet people a long the way, who help Cheryl to make her journey more pleasant. The scenery looks great, and it feels like this must have been a rough journey, both emotionally and physically. Another detail i enjoy is the story between Cheryl and her mother Barbara ( Laura Dern ). Even if you don´t see these scenes often you can feel the chemistry between them. Wild is a film with a very important issue, if you need a change in your life, take a chance and do a personal journey. Sometimes we need to make a decision, even what people in your life feels. I can relate to what Cheryl felt, as i did my own personal journey to Scotland and learned to look at the world in a completely different way. I would still say that Into The Wild is a better film, simply because the story feels deeper and more interesting. Still, Wild have both solid performances and an interesting story. Life is short, take chances. I am glad i did, and i still do sometimes.
Rating: DDD
måndag 16 mars 2015
lördag 14 mars 2015
The Atticus Institute
The U.S. governement is said to have a lot of secret information, of what they have done in secret for many years. This is what most of us would call conspiracy theories. Do i belive that there are operations done by the U.S. governement in secret ? I would not be surprised, at the same time, who knows what really happened, or if anything happened at all. It could all be theories. To belive something, i have to see that there is proof, or real evidence, otherwise it would be hard to belive anything at all. There are those moments, where i do get to laugh also, when people say they have proof of crazy things. Like one guy who said he might have found proof that Jesus was gay. Let´s say he was, who cares ? Of course there were gay people in those days, you just don´t talk about that in churches. Or maybe you remember the fake video of the alien autopsy ? People actually belived that the video was real, so if you know how to make a video look real, you can fool many viewers. Conspiracy theories will live on, as long as people belive that higher authorities hide information, and wipe out their traces. Let´s just say that there have been experiments made, on ordinary people, who might have a special talent, what would you say if you watched the actual video footage, filmed on location ? The Atticus Institute is a documentary horror film, supposed to show us what really happened at Atticus Institiute. According to the facts, there were experiments made on patients who were said to be telepathic. We also get to hear new interviews from the people who worked there, who want the truth to come out. Is this a horror documentary better than i expected, or is this another example of why Hollywood should try and find original stories instead ?
In the 70´s, it was revealed that one of the workers at the Atticus Institute have faked sessions with patiens, using his clock to remove objects, to make it look like patients were telepathic. This made Dr. Henry West ( William Mapother ) furious, and it seemed as their project to understand real cases of telepathic people failed. Until one day, when the institute decide to help their new patient Judith Winstead ( Rya Kihlstedt ). As their experiments begin, Dr Henry can tell that she is not fake in any way, she seems to be telepathic. But when the experiments become more complicated and harder to perform, something does not seem right. What is really wrong with Judith, is she maybe more than just telepathic ?
You might think that this is another found footage horror release, don´t worry. The Atticus Institute is acually more like a documentary, but not based on real events of course. We get to hear the story of what happened in the 70´s, hearing from staff of the Atticus Institute, as they tell us their experiences of what happened with their patient Judith Winstead. I am surprised how well they managed to put these pieces together, both from filmed material from the 70´s and the interviews done in present day. It looks good, and the acting is also good. From a possession point of view, we don´t really get anything original, but that´s ok. The strength of The Atticus Institute is that director Chris Sparling, tries to make it look like this really happened for real. The fact that he does not try and use the found footage genre is also a good sign. For those who never heard of Chris Sparling, should know he is a well known writer, for films like Buried ( one of my favourite films with Ryan Reynolds ), and the horror film ATM. He is actually a writer for the forthcoming film Sea Of Trees, with Matthew McConaughey among others. The Atticus Institute is actually his debut film as an director, and i have to say he manage to give us a horror film that deliver enough to feel interesting. There are not too many jump scare scenes here, and i am happy that Chris Sparling decided not to follow that path. Because too many horror films usually use that formula, just to be as scary as possible. I would have liked to have some more small surprises along this documentary, something unexpected. Otherwise i can´t be negative, the documentary style works good here, and the story is solid enough to feel interesting. The Atticus Institute will not give you anything fresh, but at least you get a horror release that at least tries to please the audience. That does not happen very often in these days of desperate film makers.
Rating: DDD
In the 70´s, it was revealed that one of the workers at the Atticus Institute have faked sessions with patiens, using his clock to remove objects, to make it look like patients were telepathic. This made Dr. Henry West ( William Mapother ) furious, and it seemed as their project to understand real cases of telepathic people failed. Until one day, when the institute decide to help their new patient Judith Winstead ( Rya Kihlstedt ). As their experiments begin, Dr Henry can tell that she is not fake in any way, she seems to be telepathic. But when the experiments become more complicated and harder to perform, something does not seem right. What is really wrong with Judith, is she maybe more than just telepathic ?
You might think that this is another found footage horror release, don´t worry. The Atticus Institute is acually more like a documentary, but not based on real events of course. We get to hear the story of what happened in the 70´s, hearing from staff of the Atticus Institute, as they tell us their experiences of what happened with their patient Judith Winstead. I am surprised how well they managed to put these pieces together, both from filmed material from the 70´s and the interviews done in present day. It looks good, and the acting is also good. From a possession point of view, we don´t really get anything original, but that´s ok. The strength of The Atticus Institute is that director Chris Sparling, tries to make it look like this really happened for real. The fact that he does not try and use the found footage genre is also a good sign. For those who never heard of Chris Sparling, should know he is a well known writer, for films like Buried ( one of my favourite films with Ryan Reynolds ), and the horror film ATM. He is actually a writer for the forthcoming film Sea Of Trees, with Matthew McConaughey among others. The Atticus Institute is actually his debut film as an director, and i have to say he manage to give us a horror film that deliver enough to feel interesting. There are not too many jump scare scenes here, and i am happy that Chris Sparling decided not to follow that path. Because too many horror films usually use that formula, just to be as scary as possible. I would have liked to have some more small surprises along this documentary, something unexpected. Otherwise i can´t be negative, the documentary style works good here, and the story is solid enough to feel interesting. The Atticus Institute will not give you anything fresh, but at least you get a horror release that at least tries to please the audience. That does not happen very often in these days of desperate film makers.
Rating: DDD
tisdag 10 mars 2015
Dyke Hard
To those who know me personally, they know i have a lot to say about certain swedish films. I am not saying all are bad ( just to make myself clear ), i am simply saying we lack of quality films like other European countries deliver. I still have hope for fresh and young directors, because we need new talents to change the swedish film industry. Look at Denmark, they have done some really good films in the past, and keep delivering quality films. Sweden do make some good films, sometimes, but not as often as we should. Since some directors failed to do something original, i always felt that we need someone who can take us back to the glory days of video violence of the 80´s and 90´s. But we do have a cult film, that never became a hit at the box office, not even a big hit in VHS tapes back in the end of the 90´s. The film is called Evil Ed, and it is one of the best swedish films ever made. Imagine an action horror comedy, with influences of Evil Dead, how can it be wrong ? If you have not seen it, i suggest you buy it on the web site Ginza, great price also. For a long time, i have been hoping that some swedish director would dare to go into the same path as Evil Ed, but do something original. So last year, i came across a trailer for the Stockholm Film Festival 2014. The film is called Dyke Hard, and after i watched the trailer, i fell in love. This is exactly what we needed in swedish cinemas, an action comedy musical, with lots of gay power. I could almost not belive that this was a swedish film, because i did not think we would get something special like this formula. I realised that i had to wait until there was a release date, and i finally got a chance to see it on SF Anytime. With such a wonderful combination of everything that Jehovas Witnesses loves so much, is this the best swedish film since 1997 release Evil Ed ? Or did the trailer promise too much but left us dissapointed ?
4 young students , Riff ( Lina Kurtilla ), Peggy ( Peggy Sands ), Scotty ( Maria Wågensjö ) and Bandito ( Alle Eriksson ) form the metal band Dyke Hard. They have a hit single, and become popular. Until one day, when they notice that the audience is getting smaller each day. Riff have had enough, and leaves the band. Peggy, Scotty and Bandito still keep the band together, even if the future is not looking bright. One morning while having breakfast, Peggy notice a poster that says there is a band competition, where the winner wins 10.000 dollars, and a record deal. They decide to try and enter this competition, even if Riff have left them. Riff is hitchhiking on the highway, when Moira ( Josephine Wilson ) picks her up. She tells Riff that she can help her do a solo career, without Dyke Hard, because she have everything she needs to become a superstar. Dyke Hard find a new band member, thaiboxer Dawn ( Iki Gonzalez Magnusson ). It does not take long, before they all end up in trouble with law, and find themselves in prison. Warden Henderson ( Anitha Nygårds ) will make sure that they stay locked up. Battle Of The Bands is not far away, and Dyke Hard needs to get there in time.
OHHH MYYY GOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dyke Hard is the greatest fucking swedish film for years, maybe even one of the best swedish films ever made. To those critics out there who says i am wrong, piss off. You are stuck in the Colin Nutley swamp, just like the rest of boring swedish bastards who want to live in the 1800 century. Dyke Hard have everything we could wish for, cheesy acting, bad swenglish, bad special effects, and most of all so many crazy scenes, you just want to dance, all the time, anywhere. So what is Dyke Hard ? Let´s just say that this is a tribute to many films, from the old school days of video violence, with a lot of gay influences. Does it make any sense at all ? No, and that is why i love this film. There are so many crazy ideas here put together, that it does not have to make sense, that is the whole point. You might ask yourself, what would Tony Irving say if he watched Dyke Hard ? Let me put it this way, if he thought he was hard before, he will be harder than ever after watching this film. We have so many crazy characters in here, some of my personal favourites are Warden Henderson, you would not want to mess with her. Morgana The Ghost, a musical lesbian ghost, played by legendary erotic TV1000 presenter Ylva Maria Thompson. Buck Blossom, an 80´s stripper who loves a lot of action, played by Alexi Carpentieri. There are plenty of more characters that are worth to mention, especially in the band Dyke Hard, who are all brilliant. Director Bitte Andersson have directed the tv series HallonTV, and Dyke Hard is her first feature film as an director. She is my new hero, she brought us something unique, with combinations from the 80´s and 90´s, and still make it her own style. If you love films made by Troma Films, like Toxic Avenger, you are going to love Dyke Hard. The musical numbers are really funny, and the locations like prison, look so cheesy you just love it. Ninjas ? Cyborgs ? Gay sex ? Everything is here, so this is what makes this one of the greatest swedish films of all time. Dyke Hard should be nominated for best film at Guldbaggegalan 2016. Also an nomination for best director to Bitte Andersson. I feel really proud to swedish right now, Dyke Hard will hopefully be named the greatest swedish classic of all time in history books.
Rating: DDDD
4 young students , Riff ( Lina Kurtilla ), Peggy ( Peggy Sands ), Scotty ( Maria Wågensjö ) and Bandito ( Alle Eriksson ) form the metal band Dyke Hard. They have a hit single, and become popular. Until one day, when they notice that the audience is getting smaller each day. Riff have had enough, and leaves the band. Peggy, Scotty and Bandito still keep the band together, even if the future is not looking bright. One morning while having breakfast, Peggy notice a poster that says there is a band competition, where the winner wins 10.000 dollars, and a record deal. They decide to try and enter this competition, even if Riff have left them. Riff is hitchhiking on the highway, when Moira ( Josephine Wilson ) picks her up. She tells Riff that she can help her do a solo career, without Dyke Hard, because she have everything she needs to become a superstar. Dyke Hard find a new band member, thaiboxer Dawn ( Iki Gonzalez Magnusson ). It does not take long, before they all end up in trouble with law, and find themselves in prison. Warden Henderson ( Anitha Nygårds ) will make sure that they stay locked up. Battle Of The Bands is not far away, and Dyke Hard needs to get there in time.
OHHH MYYY GOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dyke Hard is the greatest fucking swedish film for years, maybe even one of the best swedish films ever made. To those critics out there who says i am wrong, piss off. You are stuck in the Colin Nutley swamp, just like the rest of boring swedish bastards who want to live in the 1800 century. Dyke Hard have everything we could wish for, cheesy acting, bad swenglish, bad special effects, and most of all so many crazy scenes, you just want to dance, all the time, anywhere. So what is Dyke Hard ? Let´s just say that this is a tribute to many films, from the old school days of video violence, with a lot of gay influences. Does it make any sense at all ? No, and that is why i love this film. There are so many crazy ideas here put together, that it does not have to make sense, that is the whole point. You might ask yourself, what would Tony Irving say if he watched Dyke Hard ? Let me put it this way, if he thought he was hard before, he will be harder than ever after watching this film. We have so many crazy characters in here, some of my personal favourites are Warden Henderson, you would not want to mess with her. Morgana The Ghost, a musical lesbian ghost, played by legendary erotic TV1000 presenter Ylva Maria Thompson. Buck Blossom, an 80´s stripper who loves a lot of action, played by Alexi Carpentieri. There are plenty of more characters that are worth to mention, especially in the band Dyke Hard, who are all brilliant. Director Bitte Andersson have directed the tv series HallonTV, and Dyke Hard is her first feature film as an director. She is my new hero, she brought us something unique, with combinations from the 80´s and 90´s, and still make it her own style. If you love films made by Troma Films, like Toxic Avenger, you are going to love Dyke Hard. The musical numbers are really funny, and the locations like prison, look so cheesy you just love it. Ninjas ? Cyborgs ? Gay sex ? Everything is here, so this is what makes this one of the greatest swedish films of all time. Dyke Hard should be nominated for best film at Guldbaggegalan 2016. Also an nomination for best director to Bitte Andersson. I feel really proud to swedish right now, Dyke Hard will hopefully be named the greatest swedish classic of all time in history books.
Rating: DDDD
söndag 8 mars 2015
Clown
Let´s go back into the early 90´s. I think i was 13, when i first watch Stephen King´s It. I think this would forever change my view on clowns, for the rest of my life. Back when i was a child, i always thought clowns were made to entertain us, and make us laugh. Maybe they do, but Stephen King´s It changed my view completely. Pennywise The Dancing Clown ( done excellent by actor Tim Reid ), was the worst nightmare you could ever experience. A clown that feast on childrens flesh. My wife is even more terrified of clowns after this film, so i can understand her. If you see a clown, you better be ready with a machete, or a machine gun. Who knows what is underneath the clown suit. There are many horror motion pictures made from a clown subject, i think the most frightening detail of this is that many are based on the real serial killer John Wayne Gacy. If you have read the story of this brutal serial killer, who murdered teenage boys, you know he had an extra job, performing as an clown at childrens birthday parties. Really sick when you think about it. So with this information, there is nothing strange why clowns are hated by people. Well, there are a few clowns that i did enjoy watching. Remember the 80´s classic film Killer Klowns From Outer Space ? That is a fun horror comedy, if yu have not seen it i suggest you do. How many of you heard the name Eli Roth before ? If i mention Cabin Fever and Hostel, maybe that will wake you up ? Eli Roth have been very respected in the horror community, ever since we saw him direct his feature film Cabin Fever in 2002. He continued to deliver horror films, and also being a producer to many horror releases. I hope you all have seen one of the films he produced, The Sacrament, highly recommended. One of the films i am really looking forward to is his new film The Green Inferno, a cannibal film, filmed in the Amazonas. It has been delayed many times for a wide release, but now finally coming out later this year. So until then, we will have to settle ourselves with some other releases where he is the producer. Take this film as an example, named Clown. The combination sounds like fun, knowing that Eli Roth loves classic B Movie horror films. The director of Clown, Jon Watts, have also directed the forthcoming film Cop Car, with Kevin Bacon, that everyone is talking about since the Sundance Film Festival premiere. Another clown horror film, with a very talented director and producer on board, could this be a film that B movie fans will love, or are we here once again with another lame release ?
Kent ( Andy Powers ) is working as a real estate agent. He gets a phone call from his wife Meg ( Laura Allen ), where she tells him, the clown she hired for their son Jack´s ( Christian Distefano ) birthday party can´t come. Kent decide to be the clown instead, using a clown suit he finds in one of the houses he is about to sell. Kent makes the kids pleased, and makes Jack´s birthday party very special. The next day, as Kent tries to remove his clown hair, red nose and clown clothes, they won´t come off. His wife Meg helps him out, as she manage to pull his red nose off, but it makes a big flesh wound on his nose. This seems very strange, and for each day Kent is transforming. Kent find information on who used to live in the house, and contact a man named Karlsson ( Peter Stormare ), who seems to know where the clown suit is from. Originally a clown is a demon that feed on children´s flesh, taking victims into his cave in a Nordic tale. Karlsson tries to take care of Kent, to make sure the demon does not take over Kent completely, Kent manage to escape though, and is now out on the streets, hungry for children´s flesh. Karlsson helps Meg to try and stop the demon, before it is too late.
Over the years, film makers have tried to make a good clown horror film, and failed too many times. They just could not capture the same feeling of Stephen King´s It, no matter what they tried. Pennywise The Dancing Clown is an icon for that reason in horror films. I do have some good news though. Clown is the most scary clown film, for almost 25 years. Director Jon Watts have found a way to lift this classic genre back on to the screen, and make a horror film, that even i can find myself enjoying. There are some really nice treats here, and i suggest if you are a parent, learn the lesson that never rent a clown to your kids birthday party. The best way to describe Clown, is a tribute to classic horror films of the 80´s. You get plenty of gore, still there are some surprises along the way. One of the best details of Clown, is that the plot is actually surprisingly strong. That is something i did not expect, so that is a great surprise. To even bring in an Nordic folk tale about where clowns really came from, is a really good idea. Director Jon Watts uses a lot of nice details to lift this horror film up, on a completely different level than many other clown horror films. It feels like he knew that there have not been a good clown horror movie for many years, and he wanted to make sure we got something in our taste. Lead actor Andy Powers have really tried to make his character feel desperate, as he tries to get rid off his clown suit and hair, but with no luck. You don´t get to see his clown dance around, and be happy all the time, instead you see a sad clown, hungry for kids flesh. This is another detail that makes Clown so good, this is not a cheesy release just trying to make money. Clown have a serious tone, and you feel frightened at some points, because you don´t really know what he will do next. Peter Stormare makes a good performance, as the worried Karlsson, who knows how to stop the demon clown. I feel so pleased, Clown is actually a good horror film, with a great plot. You can buy it in the UK right now, not sure when the Swedish release is, but make sure and order yourself a copy. This is a feast you don´t want to miss. And if you hate clowns ? Great, you will still love this one.
Rating: DDD
Kent ( Andy Powers ) is working as a real estate agent. He gets a phone call from his wife Meg ( Laura Allen ), where she tells him, the clown she hired for their son Jack´s ( Christian Distefano ) birthday party can´t come. Kent decide to be the clown instead, using a clown suit he finds in one of the houses he is about to sell. Kent makes the kids pleased, and makes Jack´s birthday party very special. The next day, as Kent tries to remove his clown hair, red nose and clown clothes, they won´t come off. His wife Meg helps him out, as she manage to pull his red nose off, but it makes a big flesh wound on his nose. This seems very strange, and for each day Kent is transforming. Kent find information on who used to live in the house, and contact a man named Karlsson ( Peter Stormare ), who seems to know where the clown suit is from. Originally a clown is a demon that feed on children´s flesh, taking victims into his cave in a Nordic tale. Karlsson tries to take care of Kent, to make sure the demon does not take over Kent completely, Kent manage to escape though, and is now out on the streets, hungry for children´s flesh. Karlsson helps Meg to try and stop the demon, before it is too late.
Over the years, film makers have tried to make a good clown horror film, and failed too many times. They just could not capture the same feeling of Stephen King´s It, no matter what they tried. Pennywise The Dancing Clown is an icon for that reason in horror films. I do have some good news though. Clown is the most scary clown film, for almost 25 years. Director Jon Watts have found a way to lift this classic genre back on to the screen, and make a horror film, that even i can find myself enjoying. There are some really nice treats here, and i suggest if you are a parent, learn the lesson that never rent a clown to your kids birthday party. The best way to describe Clown, is a tribute to classic horror films of the 80´s. You get plenty of gore, still there are some surprises along the way. One of the best details of Clown, is that the plot is actually surprisingly strong. That is something i did not expect, so that is a great surprise. To even bring in an Nordic folk tale about where clowns really came from, is a really good idea. Director Jon Watts uses a lot of nice details to lift this horror film up, on a completely different level than many other clown horror films. It feels like he knew that there have not been a good clown horror movie for many years, and he wanted to make sure we got something in our taste. Lead actor Andy Powers have really tried to make his character feel desperate, as he tries to get rid off his clown suit and hair, but with no luck. You don´t get to see his clown dance around, and be happy all the time, instead you see a sad clown, hungry for kids flesh. This is another detail that makes Clown so good, this is not a cheesy release just trying to make money. Clown have a serious tone, and you feel frightened at some points, because you don´t really know what he will do next. Peter Stormare makes a good performance, as the worried Karlsson, who knows how to stop the demon clown. I feel so pleased, Clown is actually a good horror film, with a great plot. You can buy it in the UK right now, not sure when the Swedish release is, but make sure and order yourself a copy. This is a feast you don´t want to miss. And if you hate clowns ? Great, you will still love this one.
Rating: DDD
lördag 7 mars 2015
Get On Up
Music in all genres are important for all of us. Music can make our day better, help us feel inspired to reach for a dream. Music can even make an ordinary day feel special, worth celebrating. No matter what kind of music you are into, or what genre, music is important. Personally i can´t live without music, i both listen to classic artists but also try and listen to new bands, when ever i find something interesting. Speaking of classics, you must have heard James Brown on radio, or maybe on tv ? An icon in soul music, who still today is an inspiration for many musicians and bands. There are so many songs that people love, of course we should mention I Feel Good, and This Is A Mans World. He is known as The Godfather Of Soul. I can´t really say i have listened a lot to him in my youth, or even now when i am closing 40 years old. But the truth is that he had a voice, and a style, that inspired many people. When he died in 2006, musicians and fans told the world exactly how they felt. There will never be anyone like James Brown, simple as that. So here we are, with a motion picture based on the true life of The Godfather Of Soul. In the lead role, we see actor Chadwick Boseman as James Brown, maybe most known for his performance in the baseball drama 42. It has taken some time to make this film to be made, but managed to do so thanks to producer Mick Jagger ( Yes, the lead singer of The Rolling Stones ). I heard an interview with him, where he said it did take some time before they could get the rights for the music. Director Tate Taylor directed the Award winnning drama film The Help in 2011, that got both critics cheering and the audience. With a respected director, and with actor Cadwick Boseman as James Brown, is this combination exactly what we were hoping for, or could we have had something better than this ?
As a little boy, James Brown ( Jordan Scott ) grew up very poor, and was abused by his father Joseph Gordon Brown ( Lennie James ). His mother Susie Brown ( Viola Davis ), left their home, and did not come back. One day, as he hears music from a church, he goes inside and listen to gospel. He finds himself hooked up on the music. At the age of 17, James steals a suit and end up in prison. James try to adjust as good as he can inside prison, and one day he hears a group of singers performing in prison. It ends with an riot, where both James Brown ( Chadwick Boseman ) and Bobby Byrd ( Elsan Ellis ) get injured. Years go by, and James meet up with Bobby again, to join his Gospel group. They name themselves The Flaming Lips, and start to get recognized for their music style. The Flaming Lips are signed to the record label King Records, as they release their first single Please, Please, Please in 1956. King Records executive Syd Nathan ( Fred Melamed ) mocks the song, but he can tell that there is something special about James Brown. The Flaming Lips continue releaseing singles, and popularity is growing high. Ben Bart ( Dan Aykroyd ) becomes James new manager , but when the band name Changes to James Brown and his Famous Flames, all the band members except for Bobby quits. James is not going down with this, so he reform the band with new members. James keep on making more hit singles over the years, but his personal life is filled with problems, as he divorce his first wife Welma Brown ( Phyllis Montana LeBlanc ). He finds a new wife, DeeDee Brown ( Jill Scott ). Hapiness does not long very long, until James begin to abuse his wife, and having personal issues. He have to keep his image look good, and still tries to hide his problems. As the years go by, James turn into is own solo act, trying to survive a world that is changing musically.
To become a music legend like James Brown, is not easy at all. You have to move like James did, you have to have the body language that only he had. Lead actor Chadwick Boseman does a really good performance as James Brown, he really worked hard to make this look like he is James. The most interesting pieces of this film, is to see the completely different side of James Brown, in his personal life. He had a very strong personality, and you can tell that he would not let anything stop him from reaching his destination. You also get to see parts of his childhood, and you understand that he did not have much at all. So to become this famous, coming from a poor family, must have been magical. Get On Up may not take on everything in James fascinating life, but we do get to know a lot what happened in his glory days. Director Tate Taylor, have tried to put the pieces together, and give us an image of who The Godfather Of Soul was. You do get to laugh also sometimes, like when James hear that he should play at the same gig as The Rolling Stones. He makes fun of them, wondering what is so special about this british band ? There are times when you can see that James had a lot of personal problems in his career. Is it that strange ? I can´t even imagine how it would be living in his shoes, becoming such a superstar, coming from a home with nothing. The story of James Brown is amazing in many ways, and can give inspiration to another generations of musicians and singers to follow their dreams. Get On Up is a well made biographical drama film , that shows you a different perspective of this legendary artist. Since this is almost an 2 hours and 20 minutes long film, there are a few moments where some scenes get drawn out. For some reason we jump between the years quite often, when i would have wanted more details on certain musical years, while he was going less popular. Otherwise i can´t complain, if you love classic soul music, and a well made biogrophical film with great acting, this should be something in your taste. I would love to try and do the James Brown split right now, question is......will my nuts be ok ? I think its best to leave this idea, besides, i always sing Don Johnson hits in the shower anyway.
Rating: DDD
As a little boy, James Brown ( Jordan Scott ) grew up very poor, and was abused by his father Joseph Gordon Brown ( Lennie James ). His mother Susie Brown ( Viola Davis ), left their home, and did not come back. One day, as he hears music from a church, he goes inside and listen to gospel. He finds himself hooked up on the music. At the age of 17, James steals a suit and end up in prison. James try to adjust as good as he can inside prison, and one day he hears a group of singers performing in prison. It ends with an riot, where both James Brown ( Chadwick Boseman ) and Bobby Byrd ( Elsan Ellis ) get injured. Years go by, and James meet up with Bobby again, to join his Gospel group. They name themselves The Flaming Lips, and start to get recognized for their music style. The Flaming Lips are signed to the record label King Records, as they release their first single Please, Please, Please in 1956. King Records executive Syd Nathan ( Fred Melamed ) mocks the song, but he can tell that there is something special about James Brown. The Flaming Lips continue releaseing singles, and popularity is growing high. Ben Bart ( Dan Aykroyd ) becomes James new manager , but when the band name Changes to James Brown and his Famous Flames, all the band members except for Bobby quits. James is not going down with this, so he reform the band with new members. James keep on making more hit singles over the years, but his personal life is filled with problems, as he divorce his first wife Welma Brown ( Phyllis Montana LeBlanc ). He finds a new wife, DeeDee Brown ( Jill Scott ). Hapiness does not long very long, until James begin to abuse his wife, and having personal issues. He have to keep his image look good, and still tries to hide his problems. As the years go by, James turn into is own solo act, trying to survive a world that is changing musically.
To become a music legend like James Brown, is not easy at all. You have to move like James did, you have to have the body language that only he had. Lead actor Chadwick Boseman does a really good performance as James Brown, he really worked hard to make this look like he is James. The most interesting pieces of this film, is to see the completely different side of James Brown, in his personal life. He had a very strong personality, and you can tell that he would not let anything stop him from reaching his destination. You also get to see parts of his childhood, and you understand that he did not have much at all. So to become this famous, coming from a poor family, must have been magical. Get On Up may not take on everything in James fascinating life, but we do get to know a lot what happened in his glory days. Director Tate Taylor, have tried to put the pieces together, and give us an image of who The Godfather Of Soul was. You do get to laugh also sometimes, like when James hear that he should play at the same gig as The Rolling Stones. He makes fun of them, wondering what is so special about this british band ? There are times when you can see that James had a lot of personal problems in his career. Is it that strange ? I can´t even imagine how it would be living in his shoes, becoming such a superstar, coming from a home with nothing. The story of James Brown is amazing in many ways, and can give inspiration to another generations of musicians and singers to follow their dreams. Get On Up is a well made biographical drama film , that shows you a different perspective of this legendary artist. Since this is almost an 2 hours and 20 minutes long film, there are a few moments where some scenes get drawn out. For some reason we jump between the years quite often, when i would have wanted more details on certain musical years, while he was going less popular. Otherwise i can´t complain, if you love classic soul music, and a well made biogrophical film with great acting, this should be something in your taste. I would love to try and do the James Brown split right now, question is......will my nuts be ok ? I think its best to leave this idea, besides, i always sing Don Johnson hits in the shower anyway.
Rating: DDD
söndag 1 mars 2015
Welcome To New York
In August 2011, i experienced one of the greatest moments i have ever read in a newspaper. It was as it was meant to happen, just because i have such a great taste for news. French actor Gerard Depardieu needed to pee, but was told that he could not pee at that moment, he have to wait. So, Gerard tried to pee in a bottle, and then pee came on the floor also, infront of other passangers. So why do i love this story ? Because Gerard is a man who is known for both doing odd things, and saying odd things. Like when he told us that he used to be a gay prostitute, even a grave robber. Is there anything this guy have not been ? Well, probably not Liberace´s lover, but who knows, maybe he was also ? From the 80´s and the 90´s, Gerard gave us alot of different genre films, and he continued to work both in french motion pictures, as well as american films. All of them have not been very big successes, but he seems to keep his image stay alive, maybe because of all his shocking statements, especially that he drinks 14 wine bottles each day. Can you really do that ? I think he might be joking about this. Either way, Gerard is a french film icon, and he have given us some good performances over the years. One of the films i remember most, is Élisa, a french film, with a very powerful performance by Vanessa Paradis. This film is hard to find online, but i suggest if you do find the dvd for sale, buy it. When i heard the news that Gerard Depardieu was going to do a film, based on the french politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn, i became really curious. A politician who lived a very rough Life, abusing women sexually and having personal problems, seemed to be the perfect story to make a film based on his scandals. Considering that the film became controversial because of all nudity and sex scenes, it seemed to be a perfect combination to show the audience at the Cannes Film Festival. But did you know, that they decided not to show the film becaude of the sexual content ? With the director Abel Ferrara , who directed the 1992 classic Bad Lieutenant, and controversial actor Gerard Depardieu working together, is this a future classic, or is this not what i expected at all ?
Deveraux ( Gerard Depardieu ) is the president of a French financial institution. He lives a rough life, with prostitutes, alcohol and don´t care about his wife. The party continue when ever he have the chance to end up in a hotel room with fresh girls. But Everything is about to end, when Deveraux force a maid to give him oral sex. She escapes, and Deveraux is not worried about what happened. Suddenly the maid begin to speak, and is asked to point him out at the police station. She points him out, so Deveraux is arrested. Deveraux supportive wife Simone ( Jaqueline Bisset ) is tired of her cheating husband, and tells him exactly how she feels. Deveraux belive he will walk free, because he is a very powerful person, but is that enough to get away from this crime ?
I have not followed Gerard Deparideu´s movie releases, simply because i lost interest in him from his awful police film Diamant 13. Just thinking about it makes me feel ill. But a year after this awful release, he did surprise me with My Afternoons With Margueritte. A fun drama comedy, where he did fit his character. So when i read the press reviews of Welcome To New York, shocked the Cannes Film Festival, i just had to take a look at this film. Knowing that this film is based on the scandalous french politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn, i was curious to see how they captured this story, and if they managed to make it believable. I realise that all events may not have taken place, that some parts may only be fictional, but director Abel Ferrara manage to make it feel like you are told how it could have happened. And to make it look good is a very important detail, especially when a scandal like this have been reported all over the world. This may be one of the best performances that i have ever seen Gerard Depardieu, do in a motion picture. He is a swine, treating women like they are garbage, and lives only to please himself. When you see the scene where he is forcing a maid to give him a blow job, and you see her struggling to get away, you feel the anger inside of you. It looks so real, that Gerard really tried to make it look like he tries to rape her. This is one of the reasons why Welcome To New York is so effective. There is a lot of nudity, brutality in some scenes, but it is necessary to capture the feeling of the story. Unfortunately, since this film was not shown on cinemas all over the world, not many people have heard about this film. I watched it on dvd, when it was released here in Sweden. I suggest you rent it, and see a portrait of an awful man, who have no limits. We live in a world where money is more important than people, and that is the truth. Welcome To New York shows us one side of this world, where rich people think they can do whatever they want, because they are rich. My personal view of humans is, no matter if you are rich or poor, what matters is that you are a good person and help others in need. It does not matter if you are an lawyer or a garbage man, we are all humans, no one is more important. Welcome To New York is a very important film, because it shows how wrong the male image is sometimes of women. Gerard Depardieu should have won some awards for his performance, i think this might be one of his best films ever so far, and that is a good sign. Rent this one, the unrated version is out, so you should take the time to see it, just to get a glimpse of how bad this world can be.
Rating: DDD
Deveraux ( Gerard Depardieu ) is the president of a French financial institution. He lives a rough life, with prostitutes, alcohol and don´t care about his wife. The party continue when ever he have the chance to end up in a hotel room with fresh girls. But Everything is about to end, when Deveraux force a maid to give him oral sex. She escapes, and Deveraux is not worried about what happened. Suddenly the maid begin to speak, and is asked to point him out at the police station. She points him out, so Deveraux is arrested. Deveraux supportive wife Simone ( Jaqueline Bisset ) is tired of her cheating husband, and tells him exactly how she feels. Deveraux belive he will walk free, because he is a very powerful person, but is that enough to get away from this crime ?
I have not followed Gerard Deparideu´s movie releases, simply because i lost interest in him from his awful police film Diamant 13. Just thinking about it makes me feel ill. But a year after this awful release, he did surprise me with My Afternoons With Margueritte. A fun drama comedy, where he did fit his character. So when i read the press reviews of Welcome To New York, shocked the Cannes Film Festival, i just had to take a look at this film. Knowing that this film is based on the scandalous french politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn, i was curious to see how they captured this story, and if they managed to make it believable. I realise that all events may not have taken place, that some parts may only be fictional, but director Abel Ferrara manage to make it feel like you are told how it could have happened. And to make it look good is a very important detail, especially when a scandal like this have been reported all over the world. This may be one of the best performances that i have ever seen Gerard Depardieu, do in a motion picture. He is a swine, treating women like they are garbage, and lives only to please himself. When you see the scene where he is forcing a maid to give him a blow job, and you see her struggling to get away, you feel the anger inside of you. It looks so real, that Gerard really tried to make it look like he tries to rape her. This is one of the reasons why Welcome To New York is so effective. There is a lot of nudity, brutality in some scenes, but it is necessary to capture the feeling of the story. Unfortunately, since this film was not shown on cinemas all over the world, not many people have heard about this film. I watched it on dvd, when it was released here in Sweden. I suggest you rent it, and see a portrait of an awful man, who have no limits. We live in a world where money is more important than people, and that is the truth. Welcome To New York shows us one side of this world, where rich people think they can do whatever they want, because they are rich. My personal view of humans is, no matter if you are rich or poor, what matters is that you are a good person and help others in need. It does not matter if you are an lawyer or a garbage man, we are all humans, no one is more important. Welcome To New York is a very important film, because it shows how wrong the male image is sometimes of women. Gerard Depardieu should have won some awards for his performance, i think this might be one of his best films ever so far, and that is a good sign. Rent this one, the unrated version is out, so you should take the time to see it, just to get a glimpse of how bad this world can be.
Rating: DDD
onsdag 25 februari 2015
Jupiter Ascending
In the year 1999, science fiction had a new cult film in everyone´s minds. The Matrix was something that we have never seen before. A very different sci fi film, with ground breaking special effects. To be honest, it might be one of the greatest sci fi action films of all time. What surprised me most of all back then, was to see Keanue Reeves do such a great performance, because i never really thought he was a great actor, unless you count in Speed. The Matrix was directed by The Wachowskis Brothers, and this gave them a chance to show the world a very different sci fi epic trilogy. There were 2 more movies released, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. The sequels could not match the quality of the first film, but were still entertaining. While The Matrix trilogy ended, The Wachowskis Brothers moved on to their next film V For Vendetta. A very different motion picture compared to their previous work, focusing on being a political thriller. Based on the 1982 Vertigo comic book by the same name, V For Vendetta , the story is based on the Guy Fawkes masked vigilante, known as " V ". He tries to help the people of United Kingdom from the fascist police. I actually enjoyed this film, because it both had an unique look, and the acting was really good from many of the actors. Unfortunately, The Wachowskis Brothers decided to do something that they should not have done with their next project. Speed Racer, a sports action film, based on the Japanese manga series by the same name, became a movie adaption of this popular series. It is awful, trust me. After i watched this film, i wanted to burn it, somewhere. I could not belive that the directors of The Matrix would do a film like this. They did, and i hope they will regret it for the rest of their lives. Thankfully, maybe they did listen to the bad reviews, and the fact that people did not like this film, so they moved on with their next project . Cloud Atlas, an enormous sci fi film , almost 3 hours long, had a both very unique visual style, also telling different stories in different time perspectives. Compared to Speed Racer, this was a masterpiece, compared to The Matrix, they did not manage to capture the same magic. Still it proved that they were trying to do something different again, and it was not all bad. So here we are with another sci fi film, named Jupiter Ascending. Is this the next epic sci fi film from The Wachowskis Brothers, or is this another release that you might as well forget ?
The residents of Earth have no idea, that they are in danger. Other life forms on other planets have been taken over by families of alien royalty. They are now targeting Earth , to harvest the planet, to make a youth serum. When the matriarch of the House of Abrasax dies, her children Balem ( Eddie Redmayne ), Kalique ( Tuppance Middleton ) and Titus ( Douglas Booth ), quarrel over the inheritance. Balem inherits an enormous production facility on Jupiter. Earth is their next source. Years go by, and on Earth, Jupiter ( Mila Kunis ) works with cleaning the homes of wealthy people, with her Aleksa ( Maria Doyle Kennedy and her aunt Nino ( Frog Stone ). Jupiter want to buy a telescope, but don´t have enough money to buy it. So she agree to sell her eggs, with the help of her cousin Vladie ( Kick Gurry ). Jupiter use the identity of her friend Katherine Dunlevy ( Vanessa Kirby ). While she stays in the home of Katherine, she becomes a witness that Katherine is attacked by extraterrestrial " Keepers ". Jupiter managed to take pictures of the extraterrestrial visitors, but she is discovered and her memory is erased. While the egg donation procedure have started, it turns out that the doctors and nurses are identified as Balem's agents. They were sent to kill her, but she is saved by Caine Wise ( Channing Tatum ) , a genetically engineered ex-Soldier sent by Titus. Jupiter does not understand why Balem want her dead. She hope to get some answers at some point, while Caine take Jupiter to one of his old friends Stinger Apini ( Sean Bean ). Chosen Balem hunters locate Jupiter and Caine, trying to wipe Caine out. They kidnap Jupiter and take her to Kalique´s Palace. Here Jupiter is told why she is so important, she is a genetically identical reincarnation of the dead matriarch. This makes her the rightful owner of Earth. Caine knows that Balem have other plans for Jupiter, so he needs to stop him before time is running out.
It is a good thing they will never make a sequel to Speed Racer again, or a remake, because that would be a disaster. To see The Wachowskis Brothers back into the sci fi genre again is great, because we know they can make great sci fi action films, if they find the right script. Jupiter Ascending could have been great, if they would have told the actors that they need to act, not to just talk into a camera. You see, the biggest problem here is that Mila Kunis is not a great lead role, and i know she can do better. She was good in the comedy Ted, with Mark Wahlberg, here she simply feels wrong for her character. She looks great, but that does not matter unless you actually act, then you might as well throw in someone else. And the villain Balem Abrasax, played by english actor Eddie Redmayne, is one of the worst villains of all time in a sci fi action film. I can´t belive that he choosed to play this character, considering he recently played Stephen Hawkins in The Theory Of Everything. He did win an Oscar for his performance, but here he should have won a razzie award for worst male actor. His voice is so annoying, you just want to strangle him right away. Channing Tatum as the hero, is ok, but not much more. He have done much better performances in the past, even if i am not a big fan. The CGI effects looks good, so i can´t complain about the look of the universe, and Jupiter. Still, what is left here is a big sci fi film, with plenty of action, but with a very dull twist. Jupiter Ascending tries to give us pieces of everything, gun battles, aliens, space wars, and i still feel that there are too many problems here. The Wachowskis Brothers was supposed to release this film long ago, but it was pushed back, for different reasons. Maybe they should have taken more time, to change some of the actors, and make the story more interesting. If you loved The Matrix trilogy, i have a feeling you will be dissapointed, because this is not one of the better Wachowskis Brothers films, actually one of their worse. Not as awful as Speed Racer, i doubt they will ever make anything as bad as that film again. But with the final results in our hands, Jupiter Ascending is not what we asked for. If i want to watch a good sci fi film, i can just watch Blade Runner again, while knowing i wont be let down.
Rating: DD
The residents of Earth have no idea, that they are in danger. Other life forms on other planets have been taken over by families of alien royalty. They are now targeting Earth , to harvest the planet, to make a youth serum. When the matriarch of the House of Abrasax dies, her children Balem ( Eddie Redmayne ), Kalique ( Tuppance Middleton ) and Titus ( Douglas Booth ), quarrel over the inheritance. Balem inherits an enormous production facility on Jupiter. Earth is their next source. Years go by, and on Earth, Jupiter ( Mila Kunis ) works with cleaning the homes of wealthy people, with her Aleksa ( Maria Doyle Kennedy and her aunt Nino ( Frog Stone ). Jupiter want to buy a telescope, but don´t have enough money to buy it. So she agree to sell her eggs, with the help of her cousin Vladie ( Kick Gurry ). Jupiter use the identity of her friend Katherine Dunlevy ( Vanessa Kirby ). While she stays in the home of Katherine, she becomes a witness that Katherine is attacked by extraterrestrial " Keepers ". Jupiter managed to take pictures of the extraterrestrial visitors, but she is discovered and her memory is erased. While the egg donation procedure have started, it turns out that the doctors and nurses are identified as Balem's agents. They were sent to kill her, but she is saved by Caine Wise ( Channing Tatum ) , a genetically engineered ex-Soldier sent by Titus. Jupiter does not understand why Balem want her dead. She hope to get some answers at some point, while Caine take Jupiter to one of his old friends Stinger Apini ( Sean Bean ). Chosen Balem hunters locate Jupiter and Caine, trying to wipe Caine out. They kidnap Jupiter and take her to Kalique´s Palace. Here Jupiter is told why she is so important, she is a genetically identical reincarnation of the dead matriarch. This makes her the rightful owner of Earth. Caine knows that Balem have other plans for Jupiter, so he needs to stop him before time is running out.
It is a good thing they will never make a sequel to Speed Racer again, or a remake, because that would be a disaster. To see The Wachowskis Brothers back into the sci fi genre again is great, because we know they can make great sci fi action films, if they find the right script. Jupiter Ascending could have been great, if they would have told the actors that they need to act, not to just talk into a camera. You see, the biggest problem here is that Mila Kunis is not a great lead role, and i know she can do better. She was good in the comedy Ted, with Mark Wahlberg, here she simply feels wrong for her character. She looks great, but that does not matter unless you actually act, then you might as well throw in someone else. And the villain Balem Abrasax, played by english actor Eddie Redmayne, is one of the worst villains of all time in a sci fi action film. I can´t belive that he choosed to play this character, considering he recently played Stephen Hawkins in The Theory Of Everything. He did win an Oscar for his performance, but here he should have won a razzie award for worst male actor. His voice is so annoying, you just want to strangle him right away. Channing Tatum as the hero, is ok, but not much more. He have done much better performances in the past, even if i am not a big fan. The CGI effects looks good, so i can´t complain about the look of the universe, and Jupiter. Still, what is left here is a big sci fi film, with plenty of action, but with a very dull twist. Jupiter Ascending tries to give us pieces of everything, gun battles, aliens, space wars, and i still feel that there are too many problems here. The Wachowskis Brothers was supposed to release this film long ago, but it was pushed back, for different reasons. Maybe they should have taken more time, to change some of the actors, and make the story more interesting. If you loved The Matrix trilogy, i have a feeling you will be dissapointed, because this is not one of the better Wachowskis Brothers films, actually one of their worse. Not as awful as Speed Racer, i doubt they will ever make anything as bad as that film again. But with the final results in our hands, Jupiter Ascending is not what we asked for. If i want to watch a good sci fi film, i can just watch Blade Runner again, while knowing i wont be let down.
Rating: DD
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