Tuesday, August 26, 2008 | 17:01
This is a disturbing psychological thriller, to be sure, but it is also a morbidly fascinating, intense, atmospheric, and thought-provoking film.
Original title: Das Experiment; Swedish title: Experimentet.
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Monday, August 25, 2008 | 16:15
The film begins as a mystery film in a military setting on the border between North Korea and South Korea, but it develops into a multilayered story that revolves around the friendship between a couple of soldiers from the two nations. Engaging, unpredictable, and unconventional, J.S.A.: Joint Security Area conveys a powerful message and features great cast performances. The final scene is excellent and very moving.
Original title: Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA; Swedish title: Joint Security Area.
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Sunday, August 24, 2008 | 18:23
A moving, thoughtful, quiet, well-acted, and delicately crafted film about dying. The characters are believable, and it is difficult not to feel at least some sympathy for the main character in spite of his personality. There is no music during the end credits, only the sound of water waves breaking on a beach—effective.
Original title: Le Temps qui reste; Swedish title: Tiden som finns kvar.
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008 | 18:47
This is an entertaining, humorous, and at times rather engaging movie. The cast members give very good performances, and the music is cool and appropriate. The Blues Brothers has a special charm.
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Monday, August 18, 2008 | 13:04
The movie is loud and noisy and filled with unimpressive special effects, the story is paper thin, and the acting is weak and unconvincing. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is quite silly, but not in an entertaining way.
Swedish title: Mumien - Drakkejsarens grav.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 | 20:02
Friday, August 1, was my first time without supervision as a projectionist at Lidköping's movie theater. The following movies were shown:
Thankfully, everything went well.
Being a projectionist is a great and interesting job that goes hand in hand with my interest in movies.
Sunday, August 10, 2008 | 18:07
The movie works fairly well as a character drama and a mildly supernatural thriller in which faith is an important element, but because of the rather uninteresting plot and because other ingredients that made the TV series so special are not included, The X-Files: I Want to Believe fails to establish much of an X-Files atmosphere. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are solid as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, and the chemistry is still there; Billy Connolly gives a very good performance as Father Joseph Crissman. The isolated winter landscape provides the perfect setting for the story. There is a funny scene that involves a photo of George W. Bush and the X-Files theme. I hope there will be another X-Files movie and that it will return to the alien-conspiracy storyline.
(I was able to watch The X-Files: I Want to Believe the day before the Swedish premiere—being one of the projectionists at Lidköping's movie theater has its perks.)
Swedish title: Arkiv X - I Want to Believe.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008 | 13:40
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Saturday, August 02, 2008 | 16:52
This is a really dark, intense, and unpredictable movie that works on many levels and deals with a number of complex themes in a refreshing way. I think even people who are not fans of superhero movies can enjoy and appreciate the movie—a testament to its quality. Heath Ledger owns every scene he is in, and his portrayal of the Joker is mesmerizing and unforgettable; Aaron Eckhart is excellent as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Spider-Man 2 may be the ultimate traditional superhero movie (Iron Man comes pretty close, though), but The Dark Knight is an engrossing tour de force that transcends its genre.
Monday, July 28, 2008 | 17:50
This is a charming movie with a lot of great, stirring music (after all, it is ABBA we are talking about here), beautifully set in Greece. The cast members give energetic, dedicated performances and actually sing quite well.
Friday, July 25, 2008 | 15:37
There is not much of a plot, but the movie is actually quite funny throughout, with some unexpected humor. The two marijuana-loving main characters find themselves in a number of laugh-inducing situations in their quest to find a White Castle hamburger restaurant. John Cho and Kal Penn are convincing as best buddies.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008 | 14:25
The idea behind the movie—an atypical superhero and a different approach to the genre—is pretty interesting and it begins promisingly, but the combination of drama, action, and comedy does not work from beginning to end and the story leads nowhere; the first half is better than the second half. Will Smith is a good choice for the role of John Hancock even though there is nothing remarkable about his, or anyone else's, performance. Hancock is an uneven movie and nothing more than passable entertainment.
Thursday, July 17, 2008 | 14:36
This epic film by Magnolia and Boogie Nights director Paul Thomas Anderson is interesting and well-made. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a fantastic performance as Daniel Plainview, the cinematography is excellent, and the score is appropriate for the themes and atmosphere of the film. I certainly appreciate the technical accomplishments, but There Will Be Blood did not connect with me on all levels.
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Tuesday, July 08, 2008 | 15:11
This film is darker and more complex than The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The single combat between Peter and Miraz is pulse-raising; the big battle ends in a way that is expectedly convenient but quite effective. There are also scenes reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings. The four principal cast members have grown into their roles and exude more confidence than they did in the previous installment. Tilda Swinton's brief appearance as the White Witch is threatening and sinister; Miraz is not as interesting a villain as the White Witch. With a few exceptions, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is better than the previous film in the series.
(At the screening I attended, there was a guy who whispered almost every line to his child. I simply cannot understand people taking their children to a subtitled film and then whispering the text to them.)
Swedish title: Berättelsen om Narnia - Prins Caspian.
Saturday, July 05, 2008 | 14:25
This film is a multilayered drama thriller about love, trust, and betrayal, with characters that are believably flawed and involved in dysfunctional relationships. The acting is excellent, the cinematography gorgeous.
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Friday, July 04, 2008 | 16:32
An occasionally present, unconvincing ominous atmosphere and some disturbing, shocking scenes are not sufficient to make a good film. The sequence with the reclusive old lady reminded me of the Ogilvy sequence in War of the Worlds, and there are other similarities between the two films, but Steven Spielberg's film is far superior to M. Night Shyamalan's. The Happening is uneven and unpolished, the story is not intellectually stimulating, the acting is uninspired, the characters are underdeveloped and unengaging, the dialogue is at times quite bad, and the underlying message of the film is largely lost because of the weak execution.
Monday, June 30, 2008 | 17:05
Quirky and cynical humor, many hilarious scenes, and several peculiar characters. Death at a Funeral is very entertaining and made me laugh—really laugh.
Swedish title: Trångt i kistan.
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Saturday, June 28, 2008 | 20:53
Fairly funny overall, despite a less-than-good, rather uninteresting story. The sequence where Jack Black's character hallucinates after eating some "magic" mushrooms is hilarious and wonderfully weird. The film is entertaining while it lasts, but it is not particularly memorable.
Swedish title: Tenacious D - Världens bästa rockband.
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Saturday, June 28, 2008 | 15:08
An excellent drama thriller that involves magicians, illusions, tricks, secrets, and real magic in the form of science (well, kind of). The story is intricate and unpredictable. Wonderful performances by the cast. The Prestige is a thoroughly fascinating and engaging film.
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 | 12:53
I tend to enjoy stories that involve ancient mysteries, historical riddles, old books, and symbolism, and while The Ninth Gate starts out promising, my interest gradually declined as the film progressed. It is often slow-paced, which is appropriate for a film of this kind, and yet I think that the central mystery is not satisfyingly addressed. The last part of the film feels somewhat out of place. Most memorable characters: the Ceniza twins.
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