If you could travel back in time, what would you do ? Would you change the past just to see what the future will look like instead ? Let´s turn it around for a moment. What would you do if you could travel into the future ? Hard question, i suppose i would want to make the world better, but as they say, you make one change, and you might cause problems in a longer term. Time travelling have been brought up in many motion pictures, in many different versions. From the early 1960 film The Time Machine, into the 80´s with the massive box office success of Back To The Future. Many films have taken on the subject of time travelling, some really good, some less good. I actually have one film that i still feel passionate about, the 1994 film Timecop. This was actually the biggest box office hit for Jean-Claude Van Damme, and one of his best performances from an acting perspective. Of course i would say that Back To The Future is one of the best time travelling films of all time, because that film nailed everything in what could go wrong, or what could change if we decided to go back in time. So what if you suddenly woke up hangover one day, and have travelled back in time, without knowing it at all ? This is something that the comedy Hot Tub Time Machine delivered, with a funny plot included. Just the idea of an hot tub made as a time machine is actually a brilliant idea, so whoever came up with this original detail, you deserve respect. When this film came out in 2010, i was actually surprised how funny it was. Sure, there were plenty of vulgar jokes, nudity and alcohol, but it was all combined into a great mix with some surprises along the way. And the 80´s influences fit really well with the story, including some classic 80´s metal. To see John Cusack back in a comedy was also great, because he can be funny, if he get the right character. I would still say that this comedy holds 5 years later, because it had an original idea. So when i read a sequel is coming, i realised that i had to take a look, if the guys have managed to capture the same feeling from the first film. Is Hot Tub Time Machine guaranteed to make you laugh like the first film, or is this a sequel that should not have been made ?
5 years have passed. Lou Dorchen ( Rob Corrdy ) is an successfull business man, who still continue to party, and have no plans of becoming serious about anything. Nick Webber ( Craig Robinson ) is a musician, and a pop artist loved by fans. What the people don´t know is that he stole old songs and make them hits, as if he created the songs. Jacob Yates Dorchen ( Clark Duke ) is the butler, and son of Lou, but Lou see him more as his personal butler. Lou is planning to have a huge party, where Nick and his wife Courtney ( Kellee Stewart ) is invited. While Lou is holding a speech, about how bad ass he is, someone shoots Lou. Panic breaks out, and no one knows what to do. Until Jacob realise that they could use the Hot Tub Time Machine, to go back and see who shot Lou, and make sure he never gets shot. They all agree to do one more trip, to make things straight. But when they wake up, it seems that they have travelled 10 years ahead into the future. They can´t go back either, because they can´t find the substance that is needed to make every time travel moment possible. So they have to find a different way to come up with a plan, how they can go back. Meanwhile, Jacob realise that they might be in an alternative timeline, when he looks into what might have happened. Is it possible that they still can find out who tried to kill Lou, even if they are stuck in the future ?
The first film was funny. It made fun of the 80´s in a good way, about the glam metal and the metal ballad bands that took over the charts. Chevy Chase also shows up, and gives the film an nostalgia feeling. One of the things that made Hot Tub Time Machine work so well, was the comedy timing from the actor Rob Corrdy. His passion for Mötley Crue made his character so great, that you could not stop loving him. The idea of a gang of male friends, accidently travelling back to the year of 1986, worked pretty well. Especially with the vulgar humour, since this was needed to capture the right feeling. So when i heard a sequel was coming, i was actually surprised. Hot Tub Time Machine did not seem to be a film you make a sequel of, unless you come up with a great idea. Unfortunately, this sequel does not live up to the first film by comedy standars. Most of the cast is back, except for John Cusack. He is only mentioned in this sequel. but it does not matter honestly. This film tries to make fun of time travelling in a completely different way, and this film is not that funny. Rob Corrdy is still the best part of this sequel, without him this would have fallen flat. There are a few scenes where i did laugh, a little bit, but compared to the first film the humour feels forced. Director Steve Pink, did direct the first film, so you would hope he would give this sequel some good material. It feels like he must have lost his thread, because Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is not a worthy sequel. Simple jokes, mix with sex jokes, and dick jokes, that can be funny if you do it the right way. Here, it feels like a big mix of everything, but without no meaning. I do like one thing though, in the beginning of the film, Lou Dorchen, looks like another version of Vince Neil, with much more chest hair. I am sorry to say, in the end this is not a film i am pleased about. I enjoy vulgar humour, if it mix great together with a funny story. Somehow, director Steve Pink did not give this film the passion it needed. See the first film instead, and you will guaranteed have some good laughs.
Rating: DD
lördag 6 juni 2015
fredag 5 juni 2015
Avengers : Age Of Ultron
Ladies, i think it is time you should know what every man wants you to do !
No matter if you are a wife, girfriend, or interested in a guy, the best thing you can do to make men happy are to dress up like comic book characters like Catwoman, Elektra, Red Sonja, Tank Girl, or any other comic book character you can think of. So why is this a good idea ? I know what men like, and if they see you dress up like Red Sonja, with a massive sword and short dress, i can guarantee they will marry you. If you want the relationship to end, i suggest you dress up as Hans Martin, the swedish ballad singer. Speaking of comic books, i am a big fan of Marvel motion picture adaptations of classic comic book characters. Some of the films have been amazing, with fantastic special effects, great actors and great dialogue. With the right director, you can make a comic book character come to life on screen. Is there any bad ones out there ? Oh man, yes there is. I think the biggest proof of that is Catwoman, with Hale Berry. Elektra with Jennifer Garner may not have been as bad as Catwoman, but when you have a character like Elektra, and make a film that looks very cheap, it is not a good sign. Over the years, we thankfully have movie adaptions of comic book characters that really proved to work very well. You might have seen the films about Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, and many more ? The great thing about comic book motion pictures, is that you can enter a world where anything is possible. You do get lots of violence, but we also get great acting, and surprisingly good stories to be told. In 2012, director Joss Whedon brought the latest adaption of The Avengers to the big screen. It was definetely one of the better Marvel films, and looked amazing, with some really good acting included. A massive box office success, so i knew that a sequel will eventually show up. So here we are, Age Of Ultron is the second film, based on the characters from Avengers. The whole team is back, including the same director from the first film, and that is a good sign. Is this sequel just as good as the first Avenger film, or is this proof that some films should be left alone ?
In the Eastern European country of Sokovia, the Avengers is at war , at an Hydra outpost led by Baron Wolfgang von Struker ( Thomas Kretschmann ). Wolfgang have been making experiments on humans, using the scepter that Loki ( Tom Hiddleston ) have used before. The Avengers get their hands on the scepter, when they encounter two of Wolfgangs experiments, twins Pietro, and Wanda Maximoff ( Elizabeth Olsen ). Tony Stark ( Robert Downey, Jr ) and Bruce Banner ( Mark Ruffalo ) find artificial intelligence from the scepters diamond. They use the diamond to complete Stark´s ( Ultra ) Global Defense Program. While having a party with the whole team, Ultran show up infront of all the guests, attack the Avengers at their headquarters. Ultron escapes with the scepter, uses the resources in Strucker's Sokovia base to upgrade his rudimentary body, including building an army of robot dromes. Ultron recruit the Maximoffs, who hold Tony Stark responsible of their parents death. They all travel together to the base of arm dealer Ulysses Klaue ( Andy Serkis ), to obtain Wakandan vibranium. The Avengers follow them, but Wanda subdues the team so they have haunting visions. Nick Fury ( Samuel L Jackson ) arrives, and try to encourage the team, to come up with a plan to stop Ultron, before he manage to end his vision.
Let us make one thing clear. If you don´t like comic book films, and loved The Boy Next Door with Jennifer Lopez, i suggest you run now. Why ? The nerds of Sweden will without a doubt make you suffer , and let you watch Rolf Lassgård and Richard Wolf play rock music in Angel. I have seen this, and i almost died for real, it is that dangerous. On the other hand, if you loved The Avengers from 2012, with so many great comic book characters, i have a feeling Age Of Ultron is a film in your taste. Personally i had a great time with this film, simply because i really enjoy comic book adaptions made into big screen films. If you love the characters Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, among some of the classics, you are really in for a feast. The action scenes are just as massive as you probably were hoping for. Lots of CGI ? Of course, otherwise you could not do a massive action film like this. As long as they make it right, CGI specialists are welcome to use all the technology that a film like this needs. The whole idea behind The Avengers is that it is supposed to feel majestic, when you have so many superheroes fight against evil forces. If you did not see the first film, it might be hard to understand certain details what they are talking about in this sequel, but you don´t have to see the first film to understand the characters, they are still pretty much what you have seen before. When it comes to a sequel of a really good comic book film, i would not want to compare the differences from last time. This time around we get new characters, especially Ultron, who is a very unique sentinent. I like the way Ultron is portrayed here, an artificial intelligence who knows exactly what to do, trying to destroy The Avengers in every single possible way. You also get to see a different emotional view on the whole Avengers team, as you realise that they really need each other, when times are tough. Even superheroes makes mistakes, just as we humans do. Director Joss Whedon have a feeling for making this world become alive on screen. He makes sure we get both majestic action sequences, but also a human perspective that affect even these super heroes. Age Of Ultron is an action film, with both brain and substance, and so many great performances from all the actors. Is it one of the best Marvel films so far ? I am not sure, but this is definetely one of the better ones, and that is a good sign. One thing is for sure, i need to make my wife dress up like Red Sonja for my birthday party in august, just so i can.......enjoy the birthday cake, without the candles of course.
Rating: DDDD
No matter if you are a wife, girfriend, or interested in a guy, the best thing you can do to make men happy are to dress up like comic book characters like Catwoman, Elektra, Red Sonja, Tank Girl, or any other comic book character you can think of. So why is this a good idea ? I know what men like, and if they see you dress up like Red Sonja, with a massive sword and short dress, i can guarantee they will marry you. If you want the relationship to end, i suggest you dress up as Hans Martin, the swedish ballad singer. Speaking of comic books, i am a big fan of Marvel motion picture adaptations of classic comic book characters. Some of the films have been amazing, with fantastic special effects, great actors and great dialogue. With the right director, you can make a comic book character come to life on screen. Is there any bad ones out there ? Oh man, yes there is. I think the biggest proof of that is Catwoman, with Hale Berry. Elektra with Jennifer Garner may not have been as bad as Catwoman, but when you have a character like Elektra, and make a film that looks very cheap, it is not a good sign. Over the years, we thankfully have movie adaptions of comic book characters that really proved to work very well. You might have seen the films about Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, and many more ? The great thing about comic book motion pictures, is that you can enter a world where anything is possible. You do get lots of violence, but we also get great acting, and surprisingly good stories to be told. In 2012, director Joss Whedon brought the latest adaption of The Avengers to the big screen. It was definetely one of the better Marvel films, and looked amazing, with some really good acting included. A massive box office success, so i knew that a sequel will eventually show up. So here we are, Age Of Ultron is the second film, based on the characters from Avengers. The whole team is back, including the same director from the first film, and that is a good sign. Is this sequel just as good as the first Avenger film, or is this proof that some films should be left alone ?
In the Eastern European country of Sokovia, the Avengers is at war , at an Hydra outpost led by Baron Wolfgang von Struker ( Thomas Kretschmann ). Wolfgang have been making experiments on humans, using the scepter that Loki ( Tom Hiddleston ) have used before. The Avengers get their hands on the scepter, when they encounter two of Wolfgangs experiments, twins Pietro, and Wanda Maximoff ( Elizabeth Olsen ). Tony Stark ( Robert Downey, Jr ) and Bruce Banner ( Mark Ruffalo ) find artificial intelligence from the scepters diamond. They use the diamond to complete Stark´s ( Ultra ) Global Defense Program. While having a party with the whole team, Ultran show up infront of all the guests, attack the Avengers at their headquarters. Ultron escapes with the scepter, uses the resources in Strucker's Sokovia base to upgrade his rudimentary body, including building an army of robot dromes. Ultron recruit the Maximoffs, who hold Tony Stark responsible of their parents death. They all travel together to the base of arm dealer Ulysses Klaue ( Andy Serkis ), to obtain Wakandan vibranium. The Avengers follow them, but Wanda subdues the team so they have haunting visions. Nick Fury ( Samuel L Jackson ) arrives, and try to encourage the team, to come up with a plan to stop Ultron, before he manage to end his vision.
Let us make one thing clear. If you don´t like comic book films, and loved The Boy Next Door with Jennifer Lopez, i suggest you run now. Why ? The nerds of Sweden will without a doubt make you suffer , and let you watch Rolf Lassgård and Richard Wolf play rock music in Angel. I have seen this, and i almost died for real, it is that dangerous. On the other hand, if you loved The Avengers from 2012, with so many great comic book characters, i have a feeling Age Of Ultron is a film in your taste. Personally i had a great time with this film, simply because i really enjoy comic book adaptions made into big screen films. If you love the characters Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, among some of the classics, you are really in for a feast. The action scenes are just as massive as you probably were hoping for. Lots of CGI ? Of course, otherwise you could not do a massive action film like this. As long as they make it right, CGI specialists are welcome to use all the technology that a film like this needs. The whole idea behind The Avengers is that it is supposed to feel majestic, when you have so many superheroes fight against evil forces. If you did not see the first film, it might be hard to understand certain details what they are talking about in this sequel, but you don´t have to see the first film to understand the characters, they are still pretty much what you have seen before. When it comes to a sequel of a really good comic book film, i would not want to compare the differences from last time. This time around we get new characters, especially Ultron, who is a very unique sentinent. I like the way Ultron is portrayed here, an artificial intelligence who knows exactly what to do, trying to destroy The Avengers in every single possible way. You also get to see a different emotional view on the whole Avengers team, as you realise that they really need each other, when times are tough. Even superheroes makes mistakes, just as we humans do. Director Joss Whedon have a feeling for making this world become alive on screen. He makes sure we get both majestic action sequences, but also a human perspective that affect even these super heroes. Age Of Ultron is an action film, with both brain and substance, and so many great performances from all the actors. Is it one of the best Marvel films so far ? I am not sure, but this is definetely one of the better ones, and that is a good sign. One thing is for sure, i need to make my wife dress up like Red Sonja for my birthday party in august, just so i can.......enjoy the birthday cake, without the candles of course.
Rating: DDDD
söndag 31 maj 2015
Monkey Shines
As time goes by, it is easy to forget a lot of classic film releases from the 70´s and the 80´s. Some are almost impossible to find, since they might have been released on dvd years ago, but run out of copies. I know a lot of titles that should be worthy to release again, especially on region free blu rays. But there is still hope, and for that we must thank the home video company Shout Factory, who release old B movies again, especially with Scream Factory that is a part of the same company. For years they have found classics we almost forgot about, release them again on blu ray, or on dvd / blu ray combo releases, just for the audience to enjoy B film magic once again. I have purchased some of their releases, such as Motel Hell, Nightbreed and Without Warning. They all have some nice extra features included, with new interviews, behind the scenes, and you can´t help to feel that films like this deserves to be seen by a new audience. They are cult films that helped a lot of films become successfull, so Scream Factory is definetely worth respect for releasing so many old classics once more. Speaking of classics, who have not seen the 1968 cult classic Night Of The Living Dead ? If you ask horror fans, this is one film that you should have seen, because director George A. Romero was the pioneer of zombie films. Since he became a cult film maker, he continued the zombie genre with Dawn Of The Dead in 1978, a film that was praised by critics and also did very well at the box office. If you look at most films that George directed, he always stayed in the horror genre, for most of the time. Well, there is one proof where he tried to do something unusual. Have anyone of you seen Knightriders ? It is not the David Hasselhoff tv series, this is a very different film from Romero, a sort of motorcycle drama film. I would not say it is terrible, but it was definetely not one of Romero´s better films. He did try something different, and for that i would say he was brave. After Day Of The Dead became a box office failure, Romero took some time off from directing any films, until he was offered to direct a film called Monkey Shines. Based on the novel by Michael Stewart, it seemed as Romero was ready to do something different again, and still stay in the horror genre. It failed at the box office, but Fear Factory picked it up and gave it a new release on blu ray, with extra features. I have not seen this film for many years, before i found out it was released again, so i had to pick it up and write a review. Is this a fascinating different horror film that should have more respect from Romero fans, or is this one of his worst films of his career ?
Athlete Allan Mann ( Jason Beghe ) is hit by a truck while out running. He wakes up in hospital, to find out he is diagnosed with rendered quadriplegia, paralysed from his shoulders. Allan´s active life changes completely, and now he needs health care help every day. He moves back into his home, with a personal nurse, hired to work for him. His own mother Dorothy Mann ( Joyce Van Patten ), is worried about Allan, especially when he tries to kill himself. Allan´s friend Geoffrey Fisher ( John Pankow ) found him, before it was too late. Dorothy consider to stay, living with Allan to make sure this does not happen again, but the doctor suggest she should let his personal nurse look after him instead. Geoffrey works in a laboratory, where they do experiments on monkeys. He come up with an idea, that one of these monkeys can be trained to help Allan get help at home. Geoffrey travels out to a woman, Melanie Parker ( Kate McNeil ), who is a specialist in quadriplegia, training monkeys to help people living with this diagnose. Geoffrey suggest that Melanie could help his friend, but she does not have any monkeys avaible for Allan to have, so Geoffrey suggest he can give her one of the laboratory monkeys as a gift, if she train the monkey. Geoffrey choose Ella, who seems to be a great choice. Melanie and Geoffrey visit Allan to show him their gift, and Allan loves Ella, who seems to be able to help him with a lot of details. But the relatiosnhip between Allan and Ella is changing through time, and Allan is not sure if this was a good idea. What seemed like a harmless monkey, is suddenly becoming very disturbing.
If you are hoping from some influences of Romero´s classic films, you might be dissapointed. This is not one of his typical releases, and i think that is one reason why he choosed to direct this film. He wanted to do something else in the horror genre, both to challenge himself, but also see the reaction to the audience. We do know that the audience did not come to see Monkey Shines, when it was released in 1988. But i feel that it is good this film got to be released again, because it is not awful. In fact, there is an interesting story here to be told. Especially since the main character Allan is paralysed, and can only use his head. It is hard to imagine how it must be to adjust life, when you are used to do sport activities, have a job like everyone else, and one day everything changes. I would not call Monkey Shines a horror film for the most part, there are many dramatic scenes between Allan and his monkey Ella. Since this film came out in the end of the 80´s, technology for disabled people have improved, and you can tell by the permobil model that you could do more things on your own. Nowdays you can pretty much control Everything through computers, or other systems, depending on what disability you have. The idea of a reletionship between Allan and Ella, is a different perspective than most other films where animals are included. It is almost as Ella is obsessed with Allan, and that is what is the strength of Monkey Shines. The dramatic scenes feel a bit drawn out. I don´t mind that there is drama here, since some parts of the film do function ok. When Ella begin to show rage, you get the feeling that you can never take away the animal instict. This is where Monkey Shines becomes more interesting, showing the different sides of humanity and animal behavior. Even if you train a monkey, does not mean you can change the monkey completely to be more like a human. George A. Romero tried to make a very different film with Monkey Shines, and he manage to deliver something out of his ordinary catalogue. This is definetely not one of his better films, but i still see a film that stands on its own for trying a different path in health care issues. Is it right or wrong to let animals help patients ? I think we all have different opinions about this. This Scream Factory release on blu ray have some nice extra features for those who are interested, and if you are a fan of George A. Romero, it might be fun to see one of his films that did not find the way to a larger audience. Monkey Shines is a different film from this legendary director, and worth watching. One thing is sure, i am not having a monkey the day i get in a wheelchair, just give me a shotgun and a whiskey bottle, and i can welcome guests anytime, anywhere.
Rating: DDD
Athlete Allan Mann ( Jason Beghe ) is hit by a truck while out running. He wakes up in hospital, to find out he is diagnosed with rendered quadriplegia, paralysed from his shoulders. Allan´s active life changes completely, and now he needs health care help every day. He moves back into his home, with a personal nurse, hired to work for him. His own mother Dorothy Mann ( Joyce Van Patten ), is worried about Allan, especially when he tries to kill himself. Allan´s friend Geoffrey Fisher ( John Pankow ) found him, before it was too late. Dorothy consider to stay, living with Allan to make sure this does not happen again, but the doctor suggest she should let his personal nurse look after him instead. Geoffrey works in a laboratory, where they do experiments on monkeys. He come up with an idea, that one of these monkeys can be trained to help Allan get help at home. Geoffrey travels out to a woman, Melanie Parker ( Kate McNeil ), who is a specialist in quadriplegia, training monkeys to help people living with this diagnose. Geoffrey suggest that Melanie could help his friend, but she does not have any monkeys avaible for Allan to have, so Geoffrey suggest he can give her one of the laboratory monkeys as a gift, if she train the monkey. Geoffrey choose Ella, who seems to be a great choice. Melanie and Geoffrey visit Allan to show him their gift, and Allan loves Ella, who seems to be able to help him with a lot of details. But the relatiosnhip between Allan and Ella is changing through time, and Allan is not sure if this was a good idea. What seemed like a harmless monkey, is suddenly becoming very disturbing.
If you are hoping from some influences of Romero´s classic films, you might be dissapointed. This is not one of his typical releases, and i think that is one reason why he choosed to direct this film. He wanted to do something else in the horror genre, both to challenge himself, but also see the reaction to the audience. We do know that the audience did not come to see Monkey Shines, when it was released in 1988. But i feel that it is good this film got to be released again, because it is not awful. In fact, there is an interesting story here to be told. Especially since the main character Allan is paralysed, and can only use his head. It is hard to imagine how it must be to adjust life, when you are used to do sport activities, have a job like everyone else, and one day everything changes. I would not call Monkey Shines a horror film for the most part, there are many dramatic scenes between Allan and his monkey Ella. Since this film came out in the end of the 80´s, technology for disabled people have improved, and you can tell by the permobil model that you could do more things on your own. Nowdays you can pretty much control Everything through computers, or other systems, depending on what disability you have. The idea of a reletionship between Allan and Ella, is a different perspective than most other films where animals are included. It is almost as Ella is obsessed with Allan, and that is what is the strength of Monkey Shines. The dramatic scenes feel a bit drawn out. I don´t mind that there is drama here, since some parts of the film do function ok. When Ella begin to show rage, you get the feeling that you can never take away the animal instict. This is where Monkey Shines becomes more interesting, showing the different sides of humanity and animal behavior. Even if you train a monkey, does not mean you can change the monkey completely to be more like a human. George A. Romero tried to make a very different film with Monkey Shines, and he manage to deliver something out of his ordinary catalogue. This is definetely not one of his better films, but i still see a film that stands on its own for trying a different path in health care issues. Is it right or wrong to let animals help patients ? I think we all have different opinions about this. This Scream Factory release on blu ray have some nice extra features for those who are interested, and if you are a fan of George A. Romero, it might be fun to see one of his films that did not find the way to a larger audience. Monkey Shines is a different film from this legendary director, and worth watching. One thing is sure, i am not having a monkey the day i get in a wheelchair, just give me a shotgun and a whiskey bottle, and i can welcome guests anytime, anywhere.
Rating: DDD
As promised, i am posting the Scream Factory blu ray choice tonight.
Hi everyone!
You might have read recently that i was going to review one of Scream Factory blu ray releases, and i choosed Monkey Shines. In about 15 minutes i will post the review, so enjoy and im going to write some fresh movie reviews next week. Thank you for reading my reviews, without all of you readers i would not be doing this. You mean the world to me.
Cheers from Daniel
fredag 29 maj 2015
Kung Fury
The 80´s, remember the good times with all the ninja films, karate films, cheesy high school action films that made no sense at all ? Oh yes, those were the good days of quality films. As a kid, i used to watch all kinds of B movie action films, and i even tried a round kick on my sisters head, but she revenged me, hitting me with a snow shuffle. The video violence days of the 80´s proved many things, what love is all about. It was not about social status, looks, it was simply about kicking ass. I have probably seen between 300 - 400 B movie films from this period, because so many of them were awsome. The best concept of these films had to include 3 things, to make them worth seeing....
1. Cheesy acting, with actors that knew that violence is better than acting.
2. Cheesy special effects, because you can spend more time on kicking ass instead.
3. Film titles that gave you an orgasm, or at least gave you the chance to feel like you were in heaven.
There were so many great film makers, directors during this time period. And especially one film company who made a lot of classics. Cannon Films was the company you could trust, with the Go-Go Boys, known as Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. You can see a really good documentary about the story about Cannon Films, that is called The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story Of Cannon Films, with a lot of stories about their films, actors, and some surprising facts on how they worked, on very low budget. One of the films i remember during the Cannon Films period is Cyborg, with Jean-Claude Van Damme. An apocalypse future sci fi action film, that was very cut in Sweden, maybe as much as 10 minutes on VHS. I had to wait many years to see a more uncut version of Albert Pyun´s classic film, but it was worth it. I have seen that there is a blu ray version out in Germany, that is known as Director´s Cut version. I think i have to get my hands on a copy. B movies have been made for many years, even until this day we get quality action films thanks to Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins and Tony Jaa. But it was a long time ago we got something really special, just like it was in the 80´s. So when a Swedish film team in Umeå, decided to make a action film, as a tribute to the video violence era, i was hooked up and ready to go. Especially when you could help them make the film, with the help of Kickstarter, and of course i became one of the sponsors. Knowing that this is a throwback to the 80´s, i was really curious to see if director David Sandberg could deliver a film, that we all have missed. Is Kung Fury the greatest swedish film of all time, or is it a great idea that did not turn out as good as i hoped for ?
In Miami, 1985, Kung Fury ( David Sandberg ) is a cop, on a mission with his partner Dragon ( Stephen Chew ) to stop the Red Ninja ( Eos Karlsson ). Dragon gets split in half by the Red Ninja, but Kung Fury suddenly get struck by lightning, and bitten by a cobra. This gives him special martial arts powers, to use when evil strikes. The day after he defeats an arcade machine in an Epic battle, Kung Fury decide to quit as a police, when his Chief ( Per-Henrik Arvidius ) tell him to have a new partner, called Triceracop ( Erik Hörnqvist ). Meanwhile, Chief gets a phone call from Adolf Hitler aka Kung Fuhrer ( Jorma Traccone ) ( who have travelled through time ), who wants to talk to him. He fires his gun through the phone, as the gun bullets fly around the police station. Kung Fury manage to shoot down the phone, but he realise that Adolf Hitler have returned, and need to be stopped. He gets help from Hacker Man ( Leopold Nilsson ) to travel back in time, to kick some nazi ass. Something goes wrong, and Kung Fury travel back to the viking age instead. Here he meets the viking babes Barbarianna ( Elini Young ) and Katana ( Helene Ahlson ), who call after Thor - The Viking God ( Andreas Wahling ). Thor help Kung Fury to travel to nazi Germany, to finish his job, to kill Hitler and to save the world.
Ever since i heard about this project, and found out about the Kickstarter campaign, i just had to get on board and support this film. A throwback to the VHS video violence of the 80´s, with ninjas, nazis and dinosaurs ? Just to think about it made me so happy, i can honestly say i wanted to cry of happiness. And you know what.........i can finally say that i am proud to be swedish.
Is it because of Christer Sandelin´s christmas shows on tourist boats in Gothenburgh ? Well....not really, i think there is a completely different reason.
Kung Fury is a masterpiece in swedish film history.
Yes, i said it, a masterpiece. This is the best swedish film, ever made in Sweden, and that is the holy truth that you all should know. Not one single swedish film can ever be as bad ass, Kung Fury is everything we wanted, and have some of the best acting i have ever seen in a swedish film. The action is absolutely amazing, the soundtrack is beyond awsome, the dialogue is the best ever written in swedish history. I realise that Ruben Östlund will say his film Force Majeure is better, but that is actually not correct. Let´s be honest, for many years Sweden had no idea what quality film is all about. They hired actors who acted like they were paid to talk into a camera, without knowing what they were doing. Kung Fury was made thanks to people who belived in this project, who love B movies and want to bring this genre back. And every single actor in this film, deliver in their own unique way. In todays society, people seem to have forgotten about the video violence time period of the 80´s. Not people in my age perhaps, but a new generation barely know the classic films of Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Michael Dudikoff, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren or Sho Kusogi. I personally think that we should have an official B Movie day worldwide, where every country can celebrate with screenings of classic action films. Maybe things will change since Kung Fury is being loved worldwide, and even get great reviews. One of the greatest details about Kung Fury is that it is so over the top filled with action sequences, that you feel like you are in love, just like you felt in your first teen crush. Everything is massive, bombastic, and you might cry of joy because this could be the most beautiful film ever made in Sweden. Director David Sandberg have made a film that will forever be known as the greatest swedish film ever made. Kung Fury should win every single award for this film at Guldbaggegalan 2016, best director, best film, best male actor, best female actor, every single award should go to this film. It is only 30 minutes long, but for those 30 minutes you get everything you could wish for. And i know there is talking about making a full feature film in the future, so i say they should do that.
Congratulations Sweden, the greatest swedish film of all time is here, watch it, and explore the most beautiful swedish film ever made. I hope that Helena Bergström will agree with me on this one, i have a feeling she feels the same........because we both love quality films....what a wonderful day.
Rating: DDDDD
1. Cheesy acting, with actors that knew that violence is better than acting.
2. Cheesy special effects, because you can spend more time on kicking ass instead.
3. Film titles that gave you an orgasm, or at least gave you the chance to feel like you were in heaven.
There were so many great film makers, directors during this time period. And especially one film company who made a lot of classics. Cannon Films was the company you could trust, with the Go-Go Boys, known as Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. You can see a really good documentary about the story about Cannon Films, that is called The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story Of Cannon Films, with a lot of stories about their films, actors, and some surprising facts on how they worked, on very low budget. One of the films i remember during the Cannon Films period is Cyborg, with Jean-Claude Van Damme. An apocalypse future sci fi action film, that was very cut in Sweden, maybe as much as 10 minutes on VHS. I had to wait many years to see a more uncut version of Albert Pyun´s classic film, but it was worth it. I have seen that there is a blu ray version out in Germany, that is known as Director´s Cut version. I think i have to get my hands on a copy. B movies have been made for many years, even until this day we get quality action films thanks to Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins and Tony Jaa. But it was a long time ago we got something really special, just like it was in the 80´s. So when a Swedish film team in Umeå, decided to make a action film, as a tribute to the video violence era, i was hooked up and ready to go. Especially when you could help them make the film, with the help of Kickstarter, and of course i became one of the sponsors. Knowing that this is a throwback to the 80´s, i was really curious to see if director David Sandberg could deliver a film, that we all have missed. Is Kung Fury the greatest swedish film of all time, or is it a great idea that did not turn out as good as i hoped for ?
In Miami, 1985, Kung Fury ( David Sandberg ) is a cop, on a mission with his partner Dragon ( Stephen Chew ) to stop the Red Ninja ( Eos Karlsson ). Dragon gets split in half by the Red Ninja, but Kung Fury suddenly get struck by lightning, and bitten by a cobra. This gives him special martial arts powers, to use when evil strikes. The day after he defeats an arcade machine in an Epic battle, Kung Fury decide to quit as a police, when his Chief ( Per-Henrik Arvidius ) tell him to have a new partner, called Triceracop ( Erik Hörnqvist ). Meanwhile, Chief gets a phone call from Adolf Hitler aka Kung Fuhrer ( Jorma Traccone ) ( who have travelled through time ), who wants to talk to him. He fires his gun through the phone, as the gun bullets fly around the police station. Kung Fury manage to shoot down the phone, but he realise that Adolf Hitler have returned, and need to be stopped. He gets help from Hacker Man ( Leopold Nilsson ) to travel back in time, to kick some nazi ass. Something goes wrong, and Kung Fury travel back to the viking age instead. Here he meets the viking babes Barbarianna ( Elini Young ) and Katana ( Helene Ahlson ), who call after Thor - The Viking God ( Andreas Wahling ). Thor help Kung Fury to travel to nazi Germany, to finish his job, to kill Hitler and to save the world.
Ever since i heard about this project, and found out about the Kickstarter campaign, i just had to get on board and support this film. A throwback to the VHS video violence of the 80´s, with ninjas, nazis and dinosaurs ? Just to think about it made me so happy, i can honestly say i wanted to cry of happiness. And you know what.........i can finally say that i am proud to be swedish.
Is it because of Christer Sandelin´s christmas shows on tourist boats in Gothenburgh ? Well....not really, i think there is a completely different reason.
Kung Fury is a masterpiece in swedish film history.
Yes, i said it, a masterpiece. This is the best swedish film, ever made in Sweden, and that is the holy truth that you all should know. Not one single swedish film can ever be as bad ass, Kung Fury is everything we wanted, and have some of the best acting i have ever seen in a swedish film. The action is absolutely amazing, the soundtrack is beyond awsome, the dialogue is the best ever written in swedish history. I realise that Ruben Östlund will say his film Force Majeure is better, but that is actually not correct. Let´s be honest, for many years Sweden had no idea what quality film is all about. They hired actors who acted like they were paid to talk into a camera, without knowing what they were doing. Kung Fury was made thanks to people who belived in this project, who love B movies and want to bring this genre back. And every single actor in this film, deliver in their own unique way. In todays society, people seem to have forgotten about the video violence time period of the 80´s. Not people in my age perhaps, but a new generation barely know the classic films of Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, Michael Dudikoff, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren or Sho Kusogi. I personally think that we should have an official B Movie day worldwide, where every country can celebrate with screenings of classic action films. Maybe things will change since Kung Fury is being loved worldwide, and even get great reviews. One of the greatest details about Kung Fury is that it is so over the top filled with action sequences, that you feel like you are in love, just like you felt in your first teen crush. Everything is massive, bombastic, and you might cry of joy because this could be the most beautiful film ever made in Sweden. Director David Sandberg have made a film that will forever be known as the greatest swedish film ever made. Kung Fury should win every single award for this film at Guldbaggegalan 2016, best director, best film, best male actor, best female actor, every single award should go to this film. It is only 30 minutes long, but for those 30 minutes you get everything you could wish for. And i know there is talking about making a full feature film in the future, so i say they should do that.
Congratulations Sweden, the greatest swedish film of all time is here, watch it, and explore the most beautiful swedish film ever made. I hope that Helena Bergström will agree with me on this one, i have a feeling she feels the same........because we both love quality films....what a wonderful day.
Rating: DDDDD
torsdag 28 maj 2015
Welcome To Me
When i started working in health care, back in 1999, i met some really interesting people. I worked in all kinds of places, taking care of older people, disabled people, even worked with mentally insane people ( not the dangerous types though ). I remember one man especially, who spend everyday listening to ABBA records and watching german porn films, since he felt that ABBA and porn is a great combination. It may not sound insane when you read it, but the way he explained it did not sound like a normal person. There was also a woman who threw her clothes off in the middle of the street, because she rather walk naked infront of everyone. Every patient is unique, and now being in health care for 16 years, you are not really shocked anymore as i used to be in my youth. One of the most important things i have learned over these years, is that every patient is unique, no matter what diagnose the patient have. You have to see the person, and remember that they deserve respect. I have had some tough times, where some patients become more ill, or even die. These moments are always hard, but if you know that you did the best you could to help them, you know that you can´t do more. But let´s not get depressed, i can tell you i have had many great times with disabled people and sick people, they really taught me to make sure to live life. When it comes to motion pictures, we have seen many films based on true stories about people with different diagnosis, or handicapped. One of the best films, if you ask me is One Flew Over The Cuckoo´s Nest from 1975. The story about a mental hospital in the 70´s is simply fantastic, and shows you the difference between patients and health care staff. I would imagine you have all seen Rain Man by now ? Those who have not, you need to go down and rent this one. It can be hard to joke about sick people, but eventually there actually are films made to joke about patient situations. I think it is good that we can do this, without being cruel towards the people who live in an complicated situation. If you have not seen Patch Adams, with Robin Williams playing a doctor for kids with cancer, i highly recommend this one. Welcome To Me is a new film, not released in many theatres, that i managed to take a look at through VOD. I did see that actor Kristen Wiig have the lead role, as the woman who lives with borderline personality disorder. A complicated role, to play someone diagnosed with this serious mental illness. What got me surprised was to see that this is supposed to be a black comedy drama, and that got me interested. With very limited promotion for the film, is this something you should take the time to see, or avoid ?
Alice Klieg ( Kristen Wiig ) is a woman living with borderline personality disorder. She is living on benefits because of her mental illnes, and if there is 2 things she especially love. Buying lottery tickets, and watching Oprah tv programs. One day, while she is checking her latest lotto numbers, she wins 86 million dollars. Alice have never seen this much Money ever, so she begin to spend some with her best friend Gina ( Linda Cardellini ). Alice goes every week to see her therapist Dr. Moffat ( Tim Robbins ), as he tries to help her with sessions, where they focus on her feelings, and how she should handle ordinary day life. Problems become more obvious, when Alice decide to stop eating her medicine, even if Dr. Moffat suggest she should. One day, she and Gina are in the studio audience, for the vitamin supplement infomercial with Gabe ( Wes Bentley ). Alice walk right up infront of the camera, and love the attention. She come up with an idea for her own talkshow, on the very same tv station. Studio - head Rich ( James Marsden ) listen to what Alice have planned about her own talkshow. Rich get payed by Alice to fix this up, and he does. Alice becomes a popular tv host, with her crazy ideas for each epsiode. Since she have stoped eating her medecine, her mental illness is taking over. Is this the end for Alice dream of her own version of having an Oprah show ?
To be honest, before i watched Welcome To Me, i had not seen a trailer, or any Review, i simply took a chance to see what this could be. And let me tell you folks, i am quite surprised about this film. This is sort of a black comedy, mixed with drama, with a woman who is diagnosed borderline personality disorder. And i think this is one of the reasons why this film is such a good time, that she says exactly what she is thinking about. For an example, at the meeting at the tv studio, when she presents her talskshow idea, she have to tell everyone that she had orgasm problems, but is ok now. I doubt that is something a normal person would bring up in a meeting. As she is the big winner at the lotto competition, she can do anything she wants, because she have so much money. So what does she do ? Pay 15 million dollars so she can have a 2 hours talk show, with her only talking, and no guests. A brilliant idea, or.....is she really insane ? Actor Kristen Wiig have done some really good films in the past, such as Whip It, MacGruber ( insane tribute to the 80´s, and McGuyver ), Bridesmaids, and many more titles. Here she is the lead role character Alice, who have a lot of insane ideas, and this is why you love her instantly. For those who have never met a person with borderline personality disorder, it might be hard for you to know how such a person is in society. There are many different ways a person can be, but Alice here shows one version, where she take decisions that might not be good. Also, she clearly show signs of this diagnose the way she talks. This might actually be one of the best performances i have seen from actor Kristen Wiig, you can tell she must have worked hard to look and sound like a person in this situation. Director Shira Piven, who is mostly known as an actor in Step Brothers, and director of Fully Loaded, delivers her best film so far. Welcome To Me is a fun look at a woman, who clearly have problems, but turn them around into something good. Reminds me of a film i have not seen for a long time, Little Miss Sunshine, where one of the family members had mental problems, but made the road trip unique. These films are very different, but you can recognize a certain feeling from that film here, but in a completely different way. I would have liked even more dark humour in certain scenes, because Alice is the right character to deliver some surprising moments. But i love her show, very odd ideas and strange subjects mixed into each other. Especially segments like " Smelling Things Before They Happened ", brilliant topic, why did we never see a talkshow like this before ? This film is funny, strange, dramatic, all in one mix. I recommend you see Welcome To Me, if you like dark comedies. Nice to be surprised once in a while.
Rating: DDD
Alice Klieg ( Kristen Wiig ) is a woman living with borderline personality disorder. She is living on benefits because of her mental illnes, and if there is 2 things she especially love. Buying lottery tickets, and watching Oprah tv programs. One day, while she is checking her latest lotto numbers, she wins 86 million dollars. Alice have never seen this much Money ever, so she begin to spend some with her best friend Gina ( Linda Cardellini ). Alice goes every week to see her therapist Dr. Moffat ( Tim Robbins ), as he tries to help her with sessions, where they focus on her feelings, and how she should handle ordinary day life. Problems become more obvious, when Alice decide to stop eating her medicine, even if Dr. Moffat suggest she should. One day, she and Gina are in the studio audience, for the vitamin supplement infomercial with Gabe ( Wes Bentley ). Alice walk right up infront of the camera, and love the attention. She come up with an idea for her own talkshow, on the very same tv station. Studio - head Rich ( James Marsden ) listen to what Alice have planned about her own talkshow. Rich get payed by Alice to fix this up, and he does. Alice becomes a popular tv host, with her crazy ideas for each epsiode. Since she have stoped eating her medecine, her mental illness is taking over. Is this the end for Alice dream of her own version of having an Oprah show ?
To be honest, before i watched Welcome To Me, i had not seen a trailer, or any Review, i simply took a chance to see what this could be. And let me tell you folks, i am quite surprised about this film. This is sort of a black comedy, mixed with drama, with a woman who is diagnosed borderline personality disorder. And i think this is one of the reasons why this film is such a good time, that she says exactly what she is thinking about. For an example, at the meeting at the tv studio, when she presents her talskshow idea, she have to tell everyone that she had orgasm problems, but is ok now. I doubt that is something a normal person would bring up in a meeting. As she is the big winner at the lotto competition, she can do anything she wants, because she have so much money. So what does she do ? Pay 15 million dollars so she can have a 2 hours talk show, with her only talking, and no guests. A brilliant idea, or.....is she really insane ? Actor Kristen Wiig have done some really good films in the past, such as Whip It, MacGruber ( insane tribute to the 80´s, and McGuyver ), Bridesmaids, and many more titles. Here she is the lead role character Alice, who have a lot of insane ideas, and this is why you love her instantly. For those who have never met a person with borderline personality disorder, it might be hard for you to know how such a person is in society. There are many different ways a person can be, but Alice here shows one version, where she take decisions that might not be good. Also, she clearly show signs of this diagnose the way she talks. This might actually be one of the best performances i have seen from actor Kristen Wiig, you can tell she must have worked hard to look and sound like a person in this situation. Director Shira Piven, who is mostly known as an actor in Step Brothers, and director of Fully Loaded, delivers her best film so far. Welcome To Me is a fun look at a woman, who clearly have problems, but turn them around into something good. Reminds me of a film i have not seen for a long time, Little Miss Sunshine, where one of the family members had mental problems, but made the road trip unique. These films are very different, but you can recognize a certain feeling from that film here, but in a completely different way. I would have liked even more dark humour in certain scenes, because Alice is the right character to deliver some surprising moments. But i love her show, very odd ideas and strange subjects mixed into each other. Especially segments like " Smelling Things Before They Happened ", brilliant topic, why did we never see a talkshow like this before ? This film is funny, strange, dramatic, all in one mix. I recommend you see Welcome To Me, if you like dark comedies. Nice to be surprised once in a while.
Rating: DDD
tisdag 26 maj 2015
The Humbling
There are some really great actors who have developed themselves over the years, proving that we still have hope to have quality films being made in the future. That of course include many new talented directors, who also want to give us well made motion pictures, with more substance instead of a surface only. Even how we turn things around, i have a feeling we can not deny that old school actors will always be respected. And we have many names that would be worth to mention. For now, let us talk about the legend Al Pacino. If you look at his films, from the early 70´s, up until today, he have made so many great films, you have to admit that he is one of a kind. From the Scarface remake in 1983, to Donnie Brasco in 1997, no matter where Al Pacino landed a role, he could always give his performances something unforgettable. Most people would probably talk about his character in The Godfather films, i could also do that if i would, but i feel he have done so many wonderful films in his career that we should break the ice. Does some of you remember his performance in Dog Day Afternoon ? Now this is a classic cult film, that should be in your home on dvd, or on blu ray if you prefer. Who can forget him in Michael Mann´s classic 90´s action thriller Heat, with Robert De Niro included in the cast ? We could go on forever and talk about many classics, and how much Al Pacino have influenced many actors, with his unique way to take on many different characters. After the millenium kicked in, it seemed as Pacino decided to choose more simple roles. I remember especially one film, Simone from 2002. To be honest, i did not like this film that much, and it seemed as Pacino wanted to go a different way than his classic films. Not a bad idea, unless you have a good script in your hands, and Simone did not deliver anything. Another example is the film 44 Minutes from 2007. This could possibly be one of his worst thrillers ever, while he was really good in the remake of the norwegian film Insomnia. Within the last years, he have done some smaller films for HBO, and i really loved the film You Don´t Know Jack. This film is based on the true story of Jack Kevorkian, an american pathologist, euthanasia activist, who wanted to help patients to die as they wish, even if it was forbidden. I would probably say that this is one of Al Pacino´s best performances in many years. So here we are with a different film, called The Humbling. Based on the novel by Philip Roth, this is a film directed by legendar director Barry Levinson, who directed Good Morning ,Vietnam, Rain Man and Wag The Dog among some classics. With Al Pacino in the lead role, and a legendary director on board, is The Humbling a film that gives us more than we could hoped for, or is this not worth your time ?
Simon Axler ( Al Pacino ) is a respected theatre actor, who have been praised for his acting on stage. One day he falls on stage, and is institutionalized where he is suspected to have dementia. He begins to be treated with medication, and also go to therapy sessions. Another patient, Sybil ( Nina Arianda ) loves spending time with Simon, and suggest that he should kill her husband. Simon thinks that Sybil is insane, and refuse to do this. When Simon is finally ready to move home, with someone looking after him, he gets a visitor. Pegeen Mike Stapelford ( Greta Gerwig ) is the daughter to one of Simon´s old friends, and she wanted to see him again after many years. She is a lesbian, but is attracted to Simon, and this does not make any sense in Simon´s world. Still, they spend a lot of time together. Pegeen´s lesbian partner Louise Trenner ( Kyra Sedgwick ) confront Simon of what he have done with Pegeen. The problem is that Simon have no idea how Pegeen decided to be with him instead, so have no answer to Louise. While this situation is complicated, Simon is trying to handle his own health issues, and Sybil is still trying to convince him to kill her husband. Simon tries to make the best out of what is going on, somehow everything is more complicated since Pegeen came back into his life.
If you decide to see this film, after reading my review, i should tell you some details. This is not a film for you if you don´t like a lot of dialogue, and there are plenty of scenes with conversations, and theatre acting. For me personally i don´t have a problem with this, since i prefer stories that try to keep the audience interested, without using CGI or Michael Bay influenced scenes. The Humbling is without a doubt a different film for Al Pacino, i can´t remember if i have ever seen him do something like this film. He have done some theatre plays in the past, but The Humbling is definetely different. One difference is that this is not a story about theatre acting completely, it is also a story about becoming ill, having demensia disease. This combination makes the story feel especially interesting, just imagine you love to act on stage infront of an audience, but when demensia strikes everything changes. The Humbling switches different perspectives, as we see Pacino talk to people, while he tries to handle the situation of someone need of personal changes. You might think that the therapy sessions would help, but you can tell he does not like the idea of being seen as an ill person. The most charming part of this film, is the friendship between Simon and Pegeen, as they spend time together, even though the age difference is very big. There is a chemistry there that tells you, sometimes age is just a number, what matters is that you spend time with people that make you feel good. Director Barry Levinson have made some classic films in the past, and even if i enjoy The Humbling, i would not say this is one of his better films. The plot is interesting, but there are not enough moments to lift up the characters to a wider level of quality. Al Pacino is the biggest reason why The Humbling works, his acting fills this story with heart, emotions and you begin to think about what really matters in life. I would say that i recommend You Don´t Know Jack more than The Humbling, simply because that film is both very interesting, and the acting from Al Pacino, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman is fantastic. But i suggest if you dare, give The Humbling a try, because this is a film that will give you some thoughts, what it means to become older.
Rating: DDD
Simon Axler ( Al Pacino ) is a respected theatre actor, who have been praised for his acting on stage. One day he falls on stage, and is institutionalized where he is suspected to have dementia. He begins to be treated with medication, and also go to therapy sessions. Another patient, Sybil ( Nina Arianda ) loves spending time with Simon, and suggest that he should kill her husband. Simon thinks that Sybil is insane, and refuse to do this. When Simon is finally ready to move home, with someone looking after him, he gets a visitor. Pegeen Mike Stapelford ( Greta Gerwig ) is the daughter to one of Simon´s old friends, and she wanted to see him again after many years. She is a lesbian, but is attracted to Simon, and this does not make any sense in Simon´s world. Still, they spend a lot of time together. Pegeen´s lesbian partner Louise Trenner ( Kyra Sedgwick ) confront Simon of what he have done with Pegeen. The problem is that Simon have no idea how Pegeen decided to be with him instead, so have no answer to Louise. While this situation is complicated, Simon is trying to handle his own health issues, and Sybil is still trying to convince him to kill her husband. Simon tries to make the best out of what is going on, somehow everything is more complicated since Pegeen came back into his life.
If you decide to see this film, after reading my review, i should tell you some details. This is not a film for you if you don´t like a lot of dialogue, and there are plenty of scenes with conversations, and theatre acting. For me personally i don´t have a problem with this, since i prefer stories that try to keep the audience interested, without using CGI or Michael Bay influenced scenes. The Humbling is without a doubt a different film for Al Pacino, i can´t remember if i have ever seen him do something like this film. He have done some theatre plays in the past, but The Humbling is definetely different. One difference is that this is not a story about theatre acting completely, it is also a story about becoming ill, having demensia disease. This combination makes the story feel especially interesting, just imagine you love to act on stage infront of an audience, but when demensia strikes everything changes. The Humbling switches different perspectives, as we see Pacino talk to people, while he tries to handle the situation of someone need of personal changes. You might think that the therapy sessions would help, but you can tell he does not like the idea of being seen as an ill person. The most charming part of this film, is the friendship between Simon and Pegeen, as they spend time together, even though the age difference is very big. There is a chemistry there that tells you, sometimes age is just a number, what matters is that you spend time with people that make you feel good. Director Barry Levinson have made some classic films in the past, and even if i enjoy The Humbling, i would not say this is one of his better films. The plot is interesting, but there are not enough moments to lift up the characters to a wider level of quality. Al Pacino is the biggest reason why The Humbling works, his acting fills this story with heart, emotions and you begin to think about what really matters in life. I would say that i recommend You Don´t Know Jack more than The Humbling, simply because that film is both very interesting, and the acting from Al Pacino, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman is fantastic. But i suggest if you dare, give The Humbling a try, because this is a film that will give you some thoughts, what it means to become older.
Rating: DDD
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