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Gladiator II (2024)
The grand epic is back!
It's Cecil B. DeMille on steroids. It's huge, it's loud and I certainly felt entertained.
Whereas Russel Crowe's Maximus in 'Gladiator' came from greatness, the protagonist here, intensely played by Paul Mescal, becomes greatness as the movies evolves. There are some impressive setpieces sprinkled throughout the runtime, and I got to say that Ridley Scott really redeems himself here, after last years incoherent dud, 'Napoleon'. 'Gladiator II' will most certainly be a contender at the Oscars next year in several categories.
The real sets (built in both Malta and Morocco) looked really, really impressive and give that kind of immersion that CGI can't, although CGI certainly was used in several scenes either to add layers or create sharks (!)
Except the fact that Mescal doesn't carry as much weight and has as much screen presence as Crowe doing Maximus, and that it only had a Hans Zimmer-vibe, musicwise, instead of the real thing (or person), I came away thinking that this was probably the best time I had at a movie theater this year.
Reagan (2024)
Great example of why greatest hits biopics don't work
We saw it last year with Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon': small snippets of his life, like a greatest hits album with 10 vastly different songs and no coherent structure that easily transports us from A to B.
Sadly the same thing is going on here with *Reagan'. Too much need to be told and shown from 1928 when he was a boy to 1989.
'Reagan' does settle down a bit when Gorbachev enters the picture near the end, but then it's too late to save this movie from being somewhat of a disappointment.
'Reagan' could have been a lot better if half of the movie wasn't spent on showing us him growing up as a boy, becoming a B-movie star, becoming a governor, trying to become president etc, and instead just began with him winning the presidency, because all the real drama takes place there, in the 80's, with him and Gorbachev ending the cold war and becoming friends (the movie sadly skipped many historic moments, like Gorbachev's famous visit to Washington DC, the famous signing of the INF treaty in 1987, the ramifications of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in '86 etc.)
The point is: when making a biopic about a famous person, it's better to focus on a part of this person's life, rather than just showing us 1-2 minute scenes taken from several decades, if you want people invested in the story. Or make it a series.
Alien: Romulus (2024)
This movie shows what is wrong with Hollywood today!
Sure to be a crowdpleaser and produced to perfection this greatest hits album catering to generation Z, doesn't really tread new ground. Don't you dare to be original like 'Prometheus' or bold, like 'Alien: Covenant'. Just give the audience familiarity and play it somewhat safe.
In a world where most new movies coming out from Hollywood are either reboots, remakes or sequels and where new ideas being greenlit are things of the past (unless it can be made on a small budget), we are being flooded with try-to-check-all-boxes movies with several screenwriters and focusgroups attached.
Consider me worried.
The Bikeriders (2023)
How NOT to write a story
So we follow this angry, stubborn drifter-type protagonist played by Austin Butler, who seems to hate most people, except the Tom Hardy character, who spends all his scenes trying to look like Marlon Brando in 'The Wild One'.
Why is the protagonist like that? What happened? Is there a scene that explains his motivations, a flashback, something that hints at how he became the way he is? No, there's none of that. We never really get to know any of the characters.
So they added some drama near the end revolving an up-and-comer with no morals. But that whole part is almost lifted 1:1 from the Al Pacino movie 'Carlito's Way'.
This could - and should have - been a lot better.
Hit Man (2023)
The ending made me hate this movie
There was a couple of laughs in the beginning of this movie. But seeing Powell as a part-time cop dress up as someone else going undercover quickly gets old.
Then it's all downhill from there. He meets a woman he is not suppose to date, sparks fly, there's several love scenes and 'Hit Man' loses it's way because there's no antagonist. The only conflict revolves around a jealous ex-husband. We are suppose to root for the couple, I guess.
Then there's the honest cop who gets suspicious about the two. He is the only one doing real policework. We are suppose to hate the guy because of this suspicion. So they end up killing him and there's your happy ending. End of movie.
Seriously?
Boy Kills World (2023)
John Wick wannabe that falls flat!
The first half hour is pure awesomeness.
There's a great introduction. Family killed so it's a revenge-story? Okay, fine. Training-segment? Cool. A hilarious narrated voice that sounds like Butthead from 'Beavis and Butthead'? That's original. An over-the-top standout performance from Sharlto Copley, who is always great, but has a much to small part? Okay, fair enough.
But then....
....it gets sooooo repetitive. The rest of the movie is just one long fightscene after another where 'Boy' tries to be John Wick on speed aiming for a higher killcount. They added a twist in there, to compensate for the lack of plot development, so I wasn't completely bored, but no.... ' Boy Kills World' - for me - ended up as yet another forgettable style over substance entry.
First Blood (1982)
One of the best action dramas of the 80's
I remember attending a double feature as a child. I had the time of my life watching 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', but 'First Blood' stayed with me longer.
'First Blood' made Stallone into the worldwide actionstar we all know and love, and this being one of the biggest blockbusters of the early 80's, it has held up very well.
It's one of those cinemagic treats that grabs you from the beginning and never lets go, and where you really sympathize with the protagonist and his struggles. It was made in a time before CGI where the stunts are all real and the action setpieces support the story, and not vice versa.
If you like movies and haven't seen this yet, I highly recommend to catch it somewhere on a streaming platfom.
Den grænseløse (2024)
Pointless drivel
On an island in Denmark where the sun seemingly always shines, a young girl is found dead on the roadside. Years later a chief of police shoots himself in the head due to some inner demons created because the closed case was never solved. Huh? It turns out that absolutely nothing can justify this overreaction, but I guess the story needed some kind of shock opener.
This movie is based on a book from overrated Danish novelist, Adler-Olsen, who somehow got away with penning one of the dullest protagonists ever created, detective Carl Morck, who feels compelled to reopen the case, but just ends up witnessing things, as he strolls along from point A to point B, always speaking in very short sentences and in the end doesn't solve a thing, because all answers are just handed to him (and the audience) along the way, without him doing the slightest effort.
Seasoned director, Ole Christian Madsen, at least tries his very best to make this run-of-the-mill story come sort of alive with a pacing that makes sure you don't fall asleep. But when your protagonist is the least interesting character, there's isn't a whole lot you can do to avoid it ending up as somehow of a mess.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Inferior to part one with continuity errors.
So for his final trial the soon-to-be Messiah has to traverse the desert coming across all sorts of dangers as explained to him thoroughly by Stilgar. "Beware of the small ones, they are the most dangerous." And off he goes, right? No! Instead: Cut to him walking alongside Chani in the dunes. Next scene he's with the fremens again. What happened here? Clearly some scenes are missing. Worse... it's never explained how he dealt with the trial.
Besides that, there's a lot of build-up, over two hours, to a somewhat epic conclusion that is much too brief. And the main battle looked like it was lifted from Star Wars Attack of the Clones, only with better CGI.
I found 'Dune part one' a masterpiece, but part two really didn't do it for me.
Ripley (2024)
Same story as the movie, just drawn out and in black and white.
If you have seen the movie from 1999 with Matt Damon and Jude Law, there's not much new to be had here. The eight-part series is the exact same story with the exact same twists. In the series some things are left out however, like Dickie impregnating a local woman, who ends up killing herself.
For example: In the movie the boat sequence lasts 4-5 minutes. In the series it lasts more than half an hour using a lot of filler shots and close-up shots of Andrew Scott looking intense.
All actors do a great job, but I'm not buying the triangle of friendship, where one looks like a 50-year old (Tom), the other 30 (Dickie) and the third a teenager (Freddie). That's not good casting.
The series is beautifully lensed and the black and white suits the noir atmosphere perfectly. But I would have loved some twists on a story I already know.
Masters of the Air (2024)
Ticking all the boxes doesn't make for a great show!
Masters of the Air suffers from lack of coherent vision. They used five different scriptwriters and five directors. And it shows. It's like the series was penned by a commission, who were more concerned with ticking all the boxes, rather than give us a full fledged story where you actually feel something and care for any of the characters.
American pilots in harms way in the sky over nazi-occupied Europe? Check!
Episodes that show life in a Stalag POW camp? Check!
American downed pilot escaping through occupied France with the help of the resistance? Check!
Another downed pilot coming across an abandoned concentration camp to remind us of the horrors? Check!
A token british female who falls in love with an american pilot? Check!
Portraying british men as arrogant but russians as hospitable? Ehh... can't really get my head around that one.
There are A LOT of characters crammed in during the nine episodes, but only two reaccuring protagonists. And everyone gets along. Many character arcs, like the female agent, are left unresovled and there's no real conflict between any of the characters. There's no antagonist either, which is a big mistake, since the common enemy - the germans - are mostly faceless.
If you want to make a great war movie - or series - you have to have characters to root both for and against. Otherwise you are just left with a spectacle which quickly becomes repetitive, because you've seen it all before. Either in a Call of Duty cutscene, a documentary, another movie or the previous episode.
For future shows like this, can we have good old fashioned storytelling back, please?
The Gentlemen (2024)
Hitler's testicle!
I couldn't stop watching, and binge-watched all episodes. It has Guy Ritchie written all over it, meaning crazy characters, tongue-in-cheek dialogue, and a pacing that sometimes can be all over the place, especially in some of the side stories, like the episode with the young nazi lord, who has a dog that ends up eating... well, words can't describe how ludicrously funny this scene is.
But it's all fun and games and you can tell that everyone involved in the cast had a blast making this. I haven't been this entertained by a Netflix show in a long time, and luckily it ends on a note almost promising us that there will be a second season.
True Detective (2014)
True Detective, season 4: The soap opera season
What a waste of time. We get a rather interesting first episode. A dark isolated and cold setting. People at sciencecenter dying of... something. We are presented with the main characters.
But then it just drags along in the following episodes and the progression of the story moves veeeeeery slowly. There's like 10% actual investigation. The rest are scenes with the cast dealing with family issues, their past, and driving from one place to another in the dark. Jodie Foster, who is a fantastic actor, is sort of the only redeeming quality here.
What this season really needs is some kind of antagonist and actual thrills. Halfway through I found none. I will not be watching the last episodes of this yawner.
Stockholm Bloodbath (2023)
A mess of a movie that should be avoided
This could actually have been great if the aim was a coherent story about one of the most interesting and dramatic events in Nordic history,
Clearly made for a global Generation Z Netflix generation it aims big. It's loud, there's alot of swearing and frequent use of the F-word and the costumes, scale and the vibe is pretty much spot on.
But at the same time it doesn't trust its audience, meaning that danish and swedish actors all speak english, most with an accent. But why? To maximize the potential for it to be a hit when it hits streaming? This is a weird choice for a period piece, Actually it's as cringe as if Hitler spoke english in the epic germanmade movie called 'Der Untergang' ('The Downfall').
But I could forgive all that if I was engaged in the plot. But I wasn't. Imagine that... there's so much they could have done with this. So many directions and opportunites. They just had to stick to one clear narrative. Because one moment it's trying to be Game of Thrones, the next a Shakespearean drama and the next something entirely else.
It was like being served a main course with a steak, a cake and a piece of pineapple on the plate. Each indiviually great tasting it itself, but mixed together....
Oxen (2023)
A rather weak thriller-series
Something is rotten in the State of Denmark, and there's a secret society called 'Danehof' that wants to control everything. This is the premise of the first couple of episodes, before it forgets all about this, and the plot turns into a small scale revenge story.
A fine cast of tier one danish actors can't really save 'Oxen' from being somewhat of a mess. Why build up characters only to have them offed in the next episode? When watching a show that runs for many episodes we invest in the characters and 'Oxen' has people getting killed left and right, without us knowing exactly what is going on. Often there's no real character motivation and most of the characters somehow seem to know each other from somewhere in the past. Hey, Denmark is small, but not THAT small.
'Oxen' could have been suspenseful if they just settled for one clear narrative and fewer anatagonists that had larger parts. But they didn't.
Napoleon (2023)
Bring on the director's cut!
Back in 2005 Ridley Scott's 144 minute version of 'Kingdom of Heaven' premiered in theatres to somewhat mixed reviews. A couple of years later the vastly superior 190 minute director's cut version finally arrived, with the general consensus that the final product was a masterclass in storytelling, directing, acting and cinematography. - without doubt the best motion picture ever made about the crusades.
Almost 20 years later we are yet again treated with a compiled highlight reel of a Ridley Scott movie in the theatre, rather than a full-fledged historical epic, since it has already become official that 'Napoleon' will be released later on streaming with its entire runtime of almost four hours, which clearly is needed to flesh out many parts of the movie and fill in the emotional and historical blanks, because this - somewhat butchered cut - moves in a breakneck speed and feels too rushed.
Whereas the underappreciated 1970 movie 'Waterloo' starring Rod Steiger as Napoleon Bonaparte, featuring thousands of extras, portrayed events only during the 100 days campaign in 1815, Scott's 'Napoleon' takes us through decades of various major events and battles beginning with the siege of Toulon in 1793. In this version we never really learn why Napoleon was so powerful. Why did he win the admiration of so many? It's almost as if he stumbles through greatness. He was a great politician in real life, but here he is portrayed as a childish brute? It felt like the focus was more on setpieces and his troubled relationship with Josephine, than on him as a ruthless and cunning emperor, and in the theatre cut there really isn't a lot of places where Joaquin Phoenix truly shines as an Oscar contender. Maybe the director's cut will remedy that.
In spite of its shortcomings (no pun intended) 'Napoleon' is still one of the best movies I have seen this year, but I am baffled. Because if people can sit through 3+ hour box office hits like 'Avengers Endgame', 'Avatar 2' and 'Oppenheimer' - why the need to release just a very extended trailer of 'Napoleon' in the theatre, especially when everyone know that they can just wait a couple of months for it to arrive on streaming in its entirety? An attempt by Apple at a cash grab? "You need a subscription to our streaming service to watch the whole thing"?
With that being said, I do predict some Oscar nominations here. Ridley Scott yet again proves why he is one of the best filmmakers out there. But a word of caution: If you only plan to see this once, you might consider waiting for the director's cut.
The Killer (2023)
Light on thrills
This was somewhat an underwhelming lone-assassin take. It has more monologue than dialogue, is devoid of any humor, and is just a stone cold Fassbender killing someone at location A before moving on to location B where he kills someone and moves on to loca.... you get the point.
I wasn't expecting chases and action, but except a fist fight somewhere in the middle of the movie he's never really threatened by someone, meaning that there's really nothing at stake.
I guess the best parts of the movie were where people were begging for their lives.
The acting is solid all over, but this being a David Fincher movie, I expected a lot more. Suddenly it makes sense that 'The Killer' went straight to streaming.
Fair Play (2023)
A movie about bruised egos
This was a great drama and great storytelling.
I think that many can relate to the themes in this movie. How a bruised ego in a relationship can turn you into a pathetic loser. I reckon that this takes place all over the world in toxic relationships.
'Fair Play' takes place in corporate New York, but the plot could have been taking place in any workspace where promotions are involved. The theme is universal.
The two lead actors both do a terrific job portraying a whole array of various emotions. Some scenes are over-the-top and missing a clear motivation but luckiliy we weren't treated with a happy ending, but a conclusion that had to happen.
Expend4bles (2023)
Expendables: the cringe version.
The 3rd instalment had some great stand out moments from Harrison Ford and especially Mel Gibson. How to top that? Bring in Megan Fox! A 40'ish woman with the same tight fitting clothes she wore when she was a hot 20 in the first Transformers movie. Except this time there's a lot more make up to hide her age. She still can't act, though.
There's a a lot of very cheesy CGI explosions and blue screen scenes that look like they were made with computer software from the last century.
Not even Statham can save this turkey,
Best scene in the movie, where Statham briefly works as security guard for a SoMe influencer, wasn't even part of the main plot which is both generic and predictable.
Copycat (1995)
Probably the dumbest cops in cinema history
So only psychiatrists know something about the most well-known american serial killers? Cops in San Francisco have to be schooled from said psychiatrist about the victims of the famouse Hillside strangler, Ted Bundy etc?
The cops actually had to use their computer to research that Ted Bundy used a Beetle as a car. I mean WHAT the actual F....! This is like common knowledge.
And then there's the cop who leaves his key in the gun drawer lock near a suspect at the police station, and just walks away. I don't need to explain what happens there. Tripple facepalm.
'Copycat' does have several redeeming qualities, though. The killer, who reminded me of Patrick Bateman from 'American Psycho' is perfectly cast. But the highlight for me must be crooner Harry Connick Jr, who plays even a bigger psycho, although in fewer scenes.
Braveheart (1995)
Epic movie achievement, with no flaws
Probably one of the five best films I have ever seen and I have seen a lot. This is peak Mel Gibson. Both as a director and protagonist.
I am a sucker for historical epics, and this was made before huge battles were green screened and CGI'ed, so imagine a Cecil B. DeMille film with thousands of extras on real locations.
The acting from the lead and supporting cast, the cinematography, the wonderful score by late James Horner - 'Braveheart' deserved every Oscar.
It hits all the right emotional beats and the pacing during its three hour runtime is perfect. You will not look at your watch a single time. It's THAT intense.
Today, in 2023, we only really have one director left, who can take on a similar project: 86 year-old Ridley Scott ('Gladiator', 'Kingdom of Heaven', 'Napoleon' (soon to be released).
What a shame. When the superhero frenzy dies out, there will hopefully be room for more epic historic movies.
Heart of Stone (2023)
If you like Mission: Impossible, you're gonna love this.
This movie looks expensive. There's the globetrotting, many action setpieces, rouge agents, it even has the exact same plotline as the lastest Mission Impossible movie: An AI device that can control everything which must not fall in the wrong hands. In the MI movie it's called 'The Entity', here it's 'The Heart.'
If both movies try to warn us about AI getting out of hand, I think 'Heart of Stone' does the better job. However it doesn't have Tom Cruise doing crazy stunts. But 'Heart of Stone' wastes no time with endless exposiition, and is fast paced from start to finish. There are so many setpieces, and any one of them could be the highlight in other movies of the same genre.
I expected less from this, but got far more.
Englemageren (2023)
Was the script written by ChatGPT?
"Please write movie script. It has to have to following present:
-grieving protagonist who's trying to solve a case, so there's both inner and outer conflict
-a killer who films his acts, Make him a hacker also, to confuse the police. -some tech talk thrown in to add credibility
-a sidekick (Roland Moller) who's there just to ask questions on behalf of the audience, so no one gets confused"
Voila... and there you have it. A script without any soul. And actors completely wasted. I have never seen Roland Moller - who's usually good at playing at villain - deliver such an uninspiring performance.
Oppenheimer (2023)
This movie is the bomb!
Master craftsman, Christopher Nolan - probably the best blockbuster director out there (along with Ridley Scott) - returns to good old fashioned no-CGI drama, where tension comes from words spoken, and how people react to them. There are no chases, no shoot-outs , death defying stunts or explosions.... wait, actually there is one explosion. I don't know how they made those scenes without CGI, but it's technical achievement for sure.
All shot in 70mm IMAX this is beautiful film. And the lead cast - all seasoned actors - do a terrific job.
My only gripe is that it's a tad too long. The final act could/should have been trimmed. But it's still the best movie I have seen this year.
I strongly recommend to watch this on an IMAX screen before it's taken down in a month or so.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
20% great action, 80% boring mess
Remember that classic MI scene where they broke in at CIA, and Cruise was hanging from the ceiling using wires? It's not a huge setpiece, but that scene is a nailbiting example of ingenious problem solving.
In 'Dead Reckoning' there's none of that. Here it's keys changing hands every 10 minutes that is suppose to pass as suspense. And of course the only true selling point: the stunts performed by Tom Cruise.
But I want and expect more than that.
A large part of the film is devoted to people sitting or standing in a room, explaining what the plot is. Endless talking and explaining. We are told in several scenes the same information we just heard. Worst one is Benji, who is merely there to repeat things for someone in the cast, to make sure everyone in the audience knows what is going on. That is sloppy writing. One of the biggest no-no's as a screenwriter is resolving to "so what you are saying is, that..." info sharing. Benji does this all the time. And he is as incompetent as usual. And he is supposed to be a part of a small and unique team that is saving the world? Really?
I hope MI:8 isn't just another Tom Cruise stunt reel where it looks like they make the story up as the go along, as long as all marks are checked in the end (running, face swapping, dealing with heights etc), and where character development takes a backseat. Bigger is not always better. And the action ALWAYS has to serve the story, not the other way around.