Ramblings about crap in my life.
Movies
Breaking the silence and wanting to hurt people
Sep 13th
I was too lazy to keep the new Tumblr-blog updated, so it seems like I’ll revert back to my good old blog here. I talked with a friend in Germany a couple of days ago, and he asked for more content here, so that got me going again. The comment system (from DISQUS.com) was all messed up and I couldn’t find a solution, so that’s gone now. I also updated the I’m Watching-list with a long list of films stretching back to March, so now it’s up to date. I also added an asterix (*) to all the screenings in which someone talked, used their phones, etc. Looking at the list it’s quite obvious that the people at Imperial are often dickheads. I’ve actually stopped going there, so now I try to watch most movies at Empire instead.
It actually baffles me how inconsiderate so many people are. I’ve given up trying to hush people, because that never stops them, so now I just immediately find a new seat. The worst incident I remember was at the screening of Antichrist. Some guy not only talked a lot he also left the theater and came back 4-5 times and he answered his cell phone in the middle of everything as well. At some point, when he was talking loudly with his girlfriend, I said “Be quiet”, no response, then “Hey!”, still no response. I just can’t get my head around that some people are so inconsiderate. It’s sad.
CPH:PIX Reviews – Part 1
Apr 23rd
Crap, it’s been forever since I’ve blogged. Been busy, I guess. Anyway, the film festival CPH:PIX is currently running in Copenhagen, ending this Sunday. I’ve seen eight movies so far, and I though I would write some small reviews of them.
Død Snø
Død Snø as a Norwegian zombie movie I’ve been looking forward to for a while. It was a late night screening in Glyptoteket, so the mood was set for some zombie action. I was actually surprised about how much I liked the movie, it’s more of a parody, well, a tribute, to zombie movies. The zombie make-up is amazing (which it has to be, when you’re working in full, snowblinding daylight), and the movie is filled with hilarious zombie-killing scenes.
At CPH:PIX:
24/04 23:59 Grand > KØB BILLET
25/04 21:30 Palads > KØB BILLET
Død Snø: 7/10
The Investigator (A nyomozó)
A Hungarian thriller, The Investigator follows Malkáv, a pathologist, who needs money for his mother’s surgery. When a man offers him €40.000 for killing a man, he quickly accepts, only to find out the man was his half-brother. A conspiracy slowly unfolds as the movie turns into a detective story. The character of Malkáv is very well acted, he doesn’t say much, and seems cold-hearted, but it becomes apparent that there are more layers to the man. Amazing movie, worth a watch.
At CPH:PIX:
No more screenings.
The Investigator: 8/10
State of Play
Based on a 2003 tv-series, State of Play follows reporters Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) and Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) trying to uncover what lies behind the apparent suicide of Sonia Baker, a senate lead researcher and mistress of congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck). I liked the movie, it has nice moments of suspense, surprising plot twists, and a decent story. However, it kind of goes to far in the end, and I would have preferred if it ended 10 minutes earlier, instead of revealing another, pretty ridiculous, twist.
At CPH:PIX:
No more screenings.
State of Play: 7/10
The Chaser (Chugyeogja)
I really need to see more South Korean films, as far as I remember, this is only the second one I’ve seen, the first being Oldboy. The Chaser follows Joong-ho Eom, a cop turned pimp, whose prostitutes have started disappearing. He discovers that it always happens in one area of town, with one customer, who he believes is selling the girls. The audience quickly discover that, that is not the case (the girls are brutally murdered), but Eom doesn’t know. First of all it’s refreshing to see a protagonist whose motivations are different from what we usually see. He’s losing money, and that’s why he wants to find the girls. Secondly, I just love Koreans, or the way the they act in movies anyway. Granted, I haven’t seen many movies, but their just funny. They always slap each other when they’re mad…
At CPH:PIX:
28/04 21:30 Cinemateket > BILLET: tel. 3374 3412
The Chaser: 7/10
Nord
Nord follows a depressed caretaker of a small ski lift, in a desolate, Norwegian area. When his home burns down he embarks on a journey to see his daughter and former wife. The movie reminded me of The Straight Story, and it is a similarly sweet and touching road movie. Most of the actors had never acted before, and the movie is shot on location, making it seem very natural, and real.
At CPH:PIX:
24/04 19:00 Vester Vov Vov > KØB BILLET
26/04 20:30 Empire Bio > KØB BILLET
Nord: 8/10
Mammut
Since I’m a huge fan of Lukas Moodyson (Fucking Åmål, Lilja 4-ever) I was really looking forward to his new movie, Mammut. Moodyson has been making some more experimental movies the recent years, and this is his return to more mainstream audiences, unfortunately it’s not a very good return. I have nothing against social realism, but this movie is excruciatingly boring, most of the conflicts are very minor, and some of the crucial choices of the characters seem unmotivated.
At CPH:PIX:
No more screenings.
Mammut: 5/10
Coraline (3D)
The master of stop motion, Henry Selick, returns after 13 years. In a time of where CGI has become common, it is very refreshing to see a movie like this. Selick is a mastermind, and I was so impressed by how incredible this movie looked. This was also my first feature-length film in 3D, and this is probably a perfect movie to see in 3D. It seemed more like a play, with the dolls prancing around on a stage. It’s also pretty cool to hear people’s reaction to seeing stuff in 3D for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie, it’s got a nice, scary story, and amazing voice acting.
At CPH:PIX:
No more screenings.
Coraline: 7/10
The Wrestler
I have looked forward to this movie for months. Danny Boyle and Darren Aronofsky are probably my favorite directors at the moment, but I wasn’t overjoyed with Slumdog Millionaire. The Wrestler did, however, fulfill my expectations, amazing acting, amazing story, solid movie.
At CPH:PIX:
No more screenings.
The Wrestler: 8/10
I won something awesome
Mar 9th
Apparently I participated in some contest on kino.dk, and won the special edition of The Dark Knight on Blu-ray (already have that, though), and this awesome book, about the history of Warner Bros. I’m not really interested in their old movies, but the second half of the book is really cool, especially the photographs and posters, here’s an excerpt from the chapter about the Batman franchise:
(Click the images for full size)
Watch out for The Road
Mar 9th
The Road is a post-apocalyptic movie starring Viggo Mortensen, to be released sometime in 2009. It’s been in the top of my must-see list for a while, and now that I’ve started reading the source material, a novel of the same name, I’m even more excited. The novel is written by Cormac McCarthy, who also wrote No Country for Old Men, and he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his work. The movie (and book) follows a father and son, walking along a road, through a desolate post-apocalyptic world. The movie is directed by John Hillcoat, who also directed The Proposition, a western that I really enjoyed. To be honest, I could not think of a director I would rather see make this movie.
The Road on:
Wikipedia
IMDb
The New York Times
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