Network (1976)

Director: Sidney Lumet
Writer: Paddy Chayefsky
Cast: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, Arthur Burghardt
Genre: Drama

Network had some heavy influence on Aaron Sorkin's origin for his TV-show within a TV-show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", a show I (as with everything else Sorkin touches) love. Now that itself might not be enough of a reason to have expectations going into the movie, but add the ensemble cast, director Sidney Lumet and a spot on the IMDB-top 250 list... Then you expect to be entertained.

We're taken along for a ride in the rotten TV network industry, as the ramblings of a mad man starts a domino effect on greedy executives, stock holders and mid-level bosses. Exploiting the boosted TV-ratings, they are willing to do anything to keep it up or preferably climb higher.

It's intense, it's interesting and it's a both well acted and a well written story overall. Lumet rarely go wrong, and he sure didn't here either. A close to perfect blend of satire and dramatic focus on the industry. A look behind the fairy tale scenery we're so used to be served, and like most such looks we might have been better of living in the darkness.

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Director: John Lasseter co-directors: Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich
Writer: Story: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb
Cast: Voice: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family

It's been a while since I watched Toy Story, but as I wasn't especially impressed I had few reasons to run around checking out Toy Story 2. However. As the third installment of the franchise was receiving so much praise, I had to get around to this prior.

My biggest concern with the original was the annoying morale puzzled into everything. Thankfully they did a more grown and laid back storyline in this one, and that makes all the difference in the world. Add in a nice little adventure, some solid references and a lot of fun, and you got yourself a hit. A truly enjoyable Pixar event, and I can't wait to check out the 3rd installment.

Blade Runner (1982)

Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Novel: Philip K. Dick Screenplay: Hampton Fancher, David Webb Peoples
Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, William Sanderson, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos, Brion James, James Hong
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Drama

Blade Runner is no doubt a Sci-Fi classic if there ever was one. Ridley Scott's movie have a lot of fans singing its praise, and is another of those movies I hadn't seen since the early 90's. Within this genre movies often get outdated in a very short time, but that's not at all the case with this one. It feels almost as fresh as it must have felt back then, much thanks to a dystopian vision taken to screen with care and talent from the maker. The dark scenes of future L.A. is breathtaking, while being simple enough.


It's difficult to fairly judge a movie made so long ago which have achieved such a status. At times you feel you're more interested in the phenomenon that is its status, rather than the quality on the screen. Anyway. That's the case with a lot of the old classics, and here there's plenty to put your finger at.


To me Harrison Ford is a very limited actor. Sometimes it works out well, like in the original Indiana Jones movie, but often his limitations also limits the movies he's involved in. That's no doubt the case here in my eyes. Hauer and Hannah works a lot better, but I feel also the part of Young could have done a lot better with another actor. Overall too much of the talent on screen, just isn't talented enough to breath the needed life into the dark world of our Blade Runner and the replicants.

I'm still quite entertained, both by the vision in making this futuristic world and the life of its own this movie have received since. I also think this might grow on me the next time around, but for now I don't really get all the hype or the classic status.

From Russia with Love (1963)

Director: Terence Young
Writer: Novel: Ian Fleming Adaptation: Johanna Harwood Screenplay: Richard Maibaum
Cast: Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Pedro Armendariz, Bernard Lee
Genre: 007 James Bond, Action, Adventure, Thriller, Romance

From Russia with Love is the 2nd installment in the popular 007 James Bond franchise, and the first one, Dr. No, is obviously reviewed here at Motion Pictures on the Fly earlier. Sean Connery is again taking on the role as 007, Young is again directing and both Harwood and Maibaum are again writer credited, and I feel that ensemble here have made some progress from their first attempt. we're still far away from the legendary status the franchise have got, but overall it's quite the entertaining tale from the glory days of spy-stories.

The characters are getting more interesting, the plot better balanced and the Bond-babe might not have Andress' stunning step out of the ocean beauty, but she sure makes for a more interesting side kick. Sadly the final confrontations of the movie is amateur hour, but up until then it's quite a ride well worth taking.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Director: Sofia Coppola
Writer: Sofia Coppola
Cast: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Farris
Genre: Drama, Romance

Lost in Translation is written and directed by Sofia Coppola, and she had Murray in mind the entire time she wrote. At least that's what she's said, even stating the movie would never have been made if Murray turned it down. Who can blame her? Murray is a perfect cast for the part, and few if any others could have pulled it off. He got the right balance between funny, likable and deep, and it's what's needed to be convincing for the part.


Johansson's hype might have started of earlier, but this was the movie that launched her into another league. She's fantastic in this role, managing to give depth to the character without so many words. Her beauty have never been up for discussion, but after finally watching this movie I know understand the fuzz about her talent a lot better.


Following her full length debut (The Virgin Suicides) four years earlier, Sofia Coppola delivers an extremely deep movie springing from relationships, touching on several key aspects of life. Set at a familiar set of an unfamiliar hotel, our leading roles are lost on so many levels. It's quite extraordinary how Coppola at such an early stage of her career manages to deliver such a profound movie.


There's not a lot of action going on, and not even a lot of dialogue. This is more about atmosphere, human emotions and expressions and a movie that will keep you as awake as the leading characters find them self at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. One of those rare movies were all the fuzz is well deserved, were descriptions will never truly manage to give justice and were Hollywood for once does so well the kind of movie we're more used to see coming out of Europe. Highly recommended!

The A- Team (2010)

Director: Joe Carnahan
Writer: Joe Carnahan, Brian Bloom, Skip Woods TV-series: Frank Lupo, Stephen J. Cannell
Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Patrick Wilson
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

The A-Team goes over the top from the very first scene, and sets precedence for what to expect in the following two hours. If you are gonna make entertaining over the top movies, that's the way to do it. Not like Mangold did with Cruise and Diaz in Knight and Day.

I don't at all like the Jessica Biel part of the movie and Bradley Cooper could easily have been exchanged for someone else to work better, but that's the worst part of it. Neeson works as the tough leader and some of the action sequences are pure fun, while others give you the same feeling disaster movies used to give back in the day when a volcano or flood gave the heroes little time to react.

The plot holds a secondary importance because of the genre, but overall it works, and at least a lot better than many plots trying to be so intricate and clever they fool them self. Co-writer and director Joe Carnahan and company knows the focus has to be on the over the top stuff, and for a popcorn movie it holds your attention well despite clocking in at a little past two hours.