Wild Child (2008)

Wild Child

This movie fails when it takes itself too seriously too often, as it could have become the new satirical teen movie like so many have been successful as before.

Emma Roberts has talent, and some of her friends are well cast as well. It's still a textbook repetition of movies we've seen before, with soft humor and unbearable predictability.

The Proposal (2009)

The Proposal

I've got a soft spot for both the leads, despite their many bad choices. This movie is exactly what you'd expect it to be; a flawed Rom-Com that doesn't hit every note.

It still got moments of both heart and humor, a reasonable enough rough idea and chemistry between the leading characters. Solid support cast helps a lot, and the leads doesn't take them self too seriously.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Have you ever noticed how people starts their story with the line "It's Kind of a Funny Story", and then it's usually not funny at all. Well. That's sadly also the case with the movie titled that way. This movie falls between all the stereotypical mines it aims to make fun of itself not getting trapped in.

It's not funny enough, it's nowhere near good drama and it's predictable enough all the way. Keir Gilchrist lacks the energy and charisma to carry the story, and Roberts and Galifianakis joins a lot of other more or less seriously stereotypical characters without hopes of keeping it afloat around the lead.

Punisher: War Zone (2008)

Punisher: War Zone

Ray Stevenson takes on the roles as The Punisher, but I really didn't like him nearly as much as Thomas Jane in that role. With a couple of decent exception, also the support cast is a lot weaker.

The Punisher faces more Gotham-esque villains this time, but without the style and charisma Batman have to face. As the first time around bullets fly, blood is shed with light heart and it lacks the style and flavor to pull it off with success.

Scores points on brutality, but lacks the emotional luggage to make us care either way.

The Punisher (2004)

The Punisher

The Punisher blends a Hong Kong action idea of flying bullets with the superhero role. It lacks the stylish execution Hong Kong often managed, but it also manages to hold a steady course for its plotline like so many Hong Kong movies failed at.

Thomas Jane is decent enough as the protagonist, and there's actually several well cast support roles. The neighbors add some flavor to the movie, but this is a revenge flick and little else. At some points it just gets to sappy around the so-called drama at side.

Wishful Thinking (1999)

Wishful Thinking

A three part movie without charm, meaning or anything close to a story worth telling. It's almost physically painful to get through it, even being a standard 91 minutes runtime only.

Keith (2008)

Keith

The sum of all parts, doesn't always add up the way you'd imagine. Keith is a classic example. I'm not sure there's a single original thought put into the movie. So much of it feels like something I've seen elsewhere, but it honestly doesn't matter. Keith has what so few others got.

A story told with heart and soul, a convincing look at teenage choices and tons of simple charm. Its parts might be recycled, but it's put together with such care it runs like Swiss clockwork. It charms you in despite quite classic themes, but it's so balanced in where its story takes on new turns, where new revelations occur and how the emotions follow actions and actions results in emotions.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I began watching, but I sure wasn't expected to be blown away by such simplicity. Elisabeth Harnois and Jesse McCartney are both doing great portraying some tough teen balancing of life's checkbook, and the director Todd Kessler and the screenwriter David Zabel have taken Ron Carlson's story to the screen in perfect fashion.

P.S. I Love You (2007)

P.S. I Love You

There's a lot to be said about things that doesn't work well in this one, but it floats on its emotional wave. A young widow takes on the healing process, and we tag along.

I'm not a huge fan of Hilary Swank and I can't usually stand Gerard Butler, but I bear with them this time around. I can only imagine how I'd felt if the leads were substituted for someone else. Anyway.

Quite a few cute moments, quite a few emotional ones and a lot of downtime between. The Irish helps, but overall I kept imagining how they could have taken others turns to make it a better movie overall. Wasted potential surviving on emotional depth.

If Only (2004)

If Only

This is one of those few movies I'd no idea how to rank when I was done viewing. It's got its heart in the right place, but somehow it still feels kind of moralistic and strangely sappy feelgood.

I really enjoyed Jennifer Love Hewitt in this one. She's one of those actresses that never seems to get her career going like it might have been with a couple of different choices. Here she shows range and capacity. I'm not as impressed by her co-star.

The story is simple enough, but floats on charm, realistic portrait of relationship and heart. Heart goes a long way, but there's still several pieces of the puzzle that doesn't quite make it work in the end.

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006)(TV)

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

Sonya Walger is gone from the original, and substituted by Gabrielle Anwar in this movie. It doesn't work at all. Anwar and Wyle have no chemistry whatsoever, and it's not even unintentionally funny to watch them together.

Add the lack of charisma and personality in the bad guys, and it's incredibly enough a step down from the original.

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)(TV)

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

A low-budget Indiana Jones made for TV, and that's exactly what you get. Sadly it's not only low budget, but it's in every way a poor man's Indiana. The cliches are all over the place, the credibility about non-existing and The Librarian annoying enough I'd probably volunteer for the bad guys.

Kelly Hu and Sonya Walger the only interesting parts, and both will sadly be gone for the sequel.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

After three quite successful movies in the franchise, Lucas drops the ball. It's getting way out of hand, the CGI is more often than not annoying and the story is another step down the ladder. What in earlier editions were somewhat funny odd side characters, are now degraded to laughable choices in the wrong way.

The enjoyable part is Natalie Portman. Whoever decided to cast her made sure I stick around to the end.

It Could Happen to You (1994)

It Could Happen to You

Too goody two shoes cop in Nicholas Cage form, is unable to tip his waitress and offers up half the take in his lottery ticket instead. The ticket strikes gold, and we follow him and the Bridget Fonda waitress' changed lives.

It's heartwarming, moralistic and quite sweet, but it's also too sweet, too good to be true and way too one dimensional.

Total Recall (1990)

Total Recall

I'm usually not a huge fan of Arnold whenever he's not a cyborg, and that's one of the major problems with this movie. Arnold's acting, or lack there of, can't possibly sell the story. Because there sure is some interesting ideas behind this movie. They are just not executed to the full extend of their potential.

Another problem is the awful fight scenes, that even back then wasn't very impressive. They look as fake as they are. That's not on Arnold, but rather director Verhoeven who should have made sure they were better.

Still looking past those problems and a few wrong turns as the dance goes along, there's enough interesting things mixed together to make it worth a look.

Eye of God (1997)

Eye of God

Tim Blake Nelson's debut in the chair is subtle and quiet in its ways, but none the less a remarkable character study from a small town. Despite narrated in a twisted way, this movie isn't about surprises, suspense or whodunnit. It's all about the characters we follow, their choices and life, or lack there of.

Martha Plimton does an amazing job in one of the leads as Ainsley, and she's no doubt the shining star making the way for Stahl, Holbrook and the rest to deliver a glimpse of life in this small piece of Oklahoma.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Arnold is once again back as a terminator, and as the last time his lack of acting skills makes him perfect for the cyborg role. James Cameron both in the chair and behind one of the pens, and this time he came pretty close to perfect the genre.

As in the original The Terminator, Cameron blends CGI, action and suspense with a well told story covering the theme of time travel and future cybernetics all mixed in well. Twenty years later, and this movie still hold up in an ever changing CGI-world. That's quite an achievement, and one none should underestimate.

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

The Long Kiss Goodnight

Director Renny Harlin had kept the Die Hard franchise well alive in the sequel and paired up with Stallone for some cliffhanging, before he paired up with his wife Geena Davis again. This time with a Shane Black script, and Black had made a name for himself within the action-comedy genre by now.

Geena Davis works well as the amnesiac housewife with a past, and so does Samuel L. Jackson in one of his usual sidekick-roles. In usual Black-manner we also get a little Christmas spirit reminding us John McClane have had certain problems that time of year.

This isn't a classic within the genre, but it's easily enjoyable popcorn with all the typical elements needed.

Heartbreaker (2010)

L'arnacoeur

Alex make a living of ruining relationships, but only if they aren't really happy. Not a very decent way of living, and not such a great setting for the genre either. The rest is pretty much standard Rom-Com stuff, except it's just not funny or romantic. The Monte Carlo location is beautiful, and that's something I guess.

Open Your Eyes (1997)

Abre los ojos

I've watched the remake back in the day, but it didn't make much of an impression at me at the time. I'm not sure whether it was because of the movie or because my taste have developed since then, but the original sure made an impact.

Alejandro Amenábar have both directed and co-written this with his usual right hand guy Mateo Gil, and delivers a nice little mind-puzzle blended with romance and tragedy. Eduardo Noriega delivers in the lead, and it's nice to see early Cruz before she went Hollywood. As a side-note I might mention Cruz also played in the Hollywood remake.

This isn't for everyone, but it has qualities many who like these kind of movies will embrace.

Demolition Man (1993)

Demolition Man

Cryo-prisons and a peaceful futuristic San Angeles doesn't exactly match up into the action feast it was intended. If you add lame 20th century jokes and a dumb-ed down Bullock character to follow Stallone you got squat, or diddely-squat even.

The action is ruined by so few characters able to be violent, and makes a perfect catch-22 of it all. The viewers are the only ones suffering, and to make matters worse this was made in the action-peak of Hollywood around the time we got the Die Hard franchise, The Terminator sequel and Arnold, Sylvester and Bruce shared the movie rental shelves with Van Damme, Lundgren, Seagal and so on and so forth.

Nikita (1990)

La femme Nikita

Revisiting Luc Besson's major break I can easily spot several of the things that later made The Fifth Element and Lèon such major hits, but this one isn't as well worked out throughout.

Anne Parillaud doesn't quite manage to sell the new Nikita after making a great effort in the beginning of the movie. The support cast is better, but still have some lacks as well. Mostly the problem is the balancing act from Besson that doesn't quite manage to capture the feel needed to pull this off.

It's still a story that has become a franchise through remake and TV-shows, and it sure got its moments also in this original. We're talking about Luc Besson, so it's never boring whatever else you might have to say about it.

The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant

While the animations might seem quite outdated by now, it wasn't this movie's best selling point to begin with. The Iron Giant is much like Toy Story a typical story about heart, but the added elements of Sci-Fi and cold war references makes it surpass the cheesy lines and the annoyance of moral.

I'm not singing its praises like many others seem to be, but keeping in mind Toy Story really annoyed me with some of the same choices, this one actually comes out well. It lacks the magic of Pixar and Studio Ghibli, but is still well worth checking out.

Naked (1993)

Naked

Johnny is nothing like anyone else, and following him is an interesting exercise in Mike Leigh's acclaimed movie. Add several interesting supporting characters, and Naked is a movie you'll not forget to easily.

David Thewlis is brilliant in the lead, and almost every support raise to the challenge presented. None more so than Lesley Sharpe who brings layers to her character that is essential for the movie.

This is a movie I'll have to watch again to fairly rate it, much like everything I've seen of Kieslowski and most of the Coen brothers work, but after first viewing I'm sure Naked's praise is anything but undeserved. The dialogue is rapid and deep, without ever becoming cheesy or Hallmark wisdom, and is along with the interesting characters the driving force.

The Tourist (2010)

The Tourist

A remake of Anthony Zimmer, and I truly hope they had more to work with. Even starring Jolie and Depp, there's no doubt Venice was the best part of the movie. Hard to believe this crap comes from the director of the amazing Das Leben der Anderen.

No chemistry, awful dialogues and a plot to forget even before the movie's ended.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Kôkaku kidôtai

Animated Sci-Fi classic from the mid-90's, and it delivers. We follow a female cyborg cop and her squad, and more than anything there's both a story and some incredible animations of the city delivered in a fashion to take our breath away.

Entertaining, beautiful and thought-provoking all animated into one shell. A movie I'll definitely return to some day, to grasp on the layers.