onsdag, oktober 31, 2007

The Idiots (Movie)

Don’t let the cheap wrapping and the dogma effects trick you: This is a masterpiece of a movie. It is dead funny almost all the time through but at the same time it is dead serious and it hits hard in the end, a little like in ”Million dollar babe” where you just enjoy the movie full time and when the blow comes..... you just sit there halfway in chock.

At least some of the actors in this movie are professional, but you will not guess. They all play so good idiots you think that they are just normal people with a slight psychic issue. Its really impressive to see the dogma effect making it all realistic when we know that it is directed and scripted.

Another great thing about this movie is that its really the best reality show I have seen. I am so tired of all the reality crap on TV but this is good stuff. The movie is also trying ot be somewhat a documentary (at times) and it reminds me of one movie: The Blair Witch project, which was an extremly popular movie, but which I find to be the outtermost CRAP.

And ”The Idiots”? – its the perfect example. Learn from it. Enjoy it. Become an idiot yourself.

The Contractor (movie)

This movie borrows a few elements from other movies. First of we have the ”I can not ride” scene borrowed from ”Unforgiven”. Later the movie borrows big from ”Leon/The Professional”.

While these elements are winner elements, specially the last one, it can not bring the movie up to the A status. Ok, even if Wesley Snipes has a lot of B movies behind him, many of them I still enjoy because they still deliver some good action. In this movie however he seems to be old, slow and useless – and since its not too long ago I saw some good Snipes action I have a feeling that this is the director’s fault – but of course I can not be sure.

But this is not all. The story also is plagued by a problem. The movie does not contain any progress, its basically Snipes going somewhere and running away from the scene repeatedly. And all this basically makes the movie a pain to watch.

But because of what I said in the beginning the movie also has bright points, and so it is that it can be a perfect waste of time one day you just can’t be bothered to think.

mandag, oktober 15, 2007

Jo Nesbø - The Saviour (book)

I get more and more impressed about Jo Nesbø’s writing. Every line he writes, every paragraph is such well written and all hold necessary pieces to unfold the mystery. There is really not too much more to say about it – this is reading that everybody will like!

But still I have to pick on a few things in this book. This time around the main criminal is kind of poor and is kept in low state through the book – while this is a part of the books story – it just doesn’t manage to keep the tension up like usual. Instead we are kept on the line with the surrounding stories and intrigues – and with reason. In a way this book could be theme brother with the Stieg Larsson book I’ve been writing about earlier - and that works well.

Also a weak spot is that Harry Hole is not such under pressure as usual and while he is always present – it just isn’t the usual tension. But of course, this is just me being picky.

Varg Veum (movie)

I am impressed by this movie. The settings are gray. The video quality as well as the extremely good angles (its not often you see such good work) – the makeup, the clothes… yes everything is professionally made.

But as you guessed there is something missing. I am not really sure what it is though. Because this movie has everything going for it to make it a instant hit. Ok there could have been some more action and I would have appreciated that, but that is not always a necessary ingredient for a Detective story kind of movie…

So I will take it all down to such a indefinable ingredient as Warmth, the movie lacks that magically touch of warmth that is needed to give it a dice 6.

They are making a new movie in the Varg Veum series so I am looking forward for it.

mandag, oktober 08, 2007

Breaking News – (movie)

This movie is somewhat an Asian take on the classic ’70 heist movie style. Not the heist movie style that Hollywood sometimes remakes, but one with a twist so don’t expect any Ocean 11. The weak part of the movie is that the action scenes lack some of the realism and hardcore cutting that we often are used to see.

The good part is that there is some interesting camera work, some excellent acting and some clever story twists without taking itself to seriously but still even small scenes have tons of story to tell.

All in all it’s a beauty!

Stieg Larsson – Men who hates women (book)

I want to start up by praising this book. It is a masterpiece. Without using the Alistar Mclean method (constant action) the writer manages to create a web of suspension that before you know it has you sweating and you read 100 pages in 3 minutes. No really. The story is built up upon 2 main story lines as well as a few sub-plots. The first main plot is somewhat a traditional crime scene with a limited field of time and space as well as suspects. Still there is plenty of room for intrigue. The second main plot is the hero’s (a financial journalist) failed case against a finance top.

The hidden or not so well hidden theme about men who hates women is well placed into the movie, and tells us men in unsubtle ways about the bad things men can do. It is also perfectly matched into the hero’s subtle way of giving lost women what they need and dream of. However at the same time he has an openly free sex relationship with a friend which of course none of the other girl manages to accept. Cleverly done and is much more “up to date” and suitable than many other hero’s female relations.

Even though this is an extremely good book and I advice everybody and anybody to read it, I will now put the things on the negative:

- The story is written in an extremely objective way and sometimes the sub plots and the detail is just too much, but not too often.

- The strongest part of the storyline is the fact that the writer follows the classic story building quite perfectly, this is also the biggest weakness for example just after the first main story has been solved the story halts. And to let it progress into solving the other main story the writer has to make some cheap tension that’s just not realistic and to be honest – the end of the book becomes a mild anticlimax.

tirsdag, oktober 02, 2007

Lost in Translation (movie)

Finally I got to see this movie. I understand fully some of the comments other people has given to me about it. It is not a conventional movie at all.

The movie is very visual affected, also the music, sound and the acting is all performing a visual substance. So I can only conclude with the fact that this is basically a Artistic Presentation. But since not many people would go ahead and watch such a thing, they have added a little story to it.

The story however is just like a small short story of an old person and a younger version of the old person (even if they are different sexes) that meet and somewhat are lost in the dilemma of: Does it all have to be repeated or can we change it this time around?

So even if most of the dialogue is feeding the visual art (added up by Bill Murrays notorious way to give half ass coments) some of the first lines together (far out in the movie) is giving away the story plot.

The end is emotional in many ways and gives us a feeling of unknown but by looking at the people we know that things will not repeat itself and in such a way both are redeemed.

But the big question I ask myself is whether this is a masterpiece or just an art presentation smuggled into a blockbuster? I really don’t know, to answer that I have to see the movie a few more times, and by this statement it means that it is already a classic.

Baltazar (Restaurant)

By mistake? Or maybe just in the hunt for a great Italian restaurant we ended up in this high class restaurant.

So every once in a while I enjoy being in a high class restaurant and having a really great meal and this is without a doubt one of the best Italian restaurants I have visited for a while. Basically it is excellent food for a hefty price tag. The only downside I can give it is the fact that sometimes the service people did not have the high level of sophistication that is expected at a place like this.