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 Terminator (1984)

The Terminator

The beginning of a franchise. The story of man versus machine is interesting enough, the plot is both deep enough to be satisfying and far fetched enough to add some elements to the movie. If we add the happy 80's in retrospect, this is about as good as a 80's movie could be within this genre.

It's not as enchanting a ride as I remember the sequel, but it stands well on its own feet. Schwarzenegger works as the killer cyborg, Michael Biehn does well as the guardian angel and Linda Hamilton is perfectly 80's as Sarah Connor.

Old school Sci-Fi/Action that still works really well.

Three Colors: Red (1994)

Trois couleurs: Rouge

I finally got around to watch the third and final movie of Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy, following Three Colors: Blue and Three Colors: White, and this time lead by Irène Jacob who I absolutely loved in another Kieslowski movie: The Double Life of Veronique.

Kieslowski announced his retirement after this movie, and only two years later he died. He'd deserved to rest on his laurels for a couple of decades more, for my immediate reaction after seeing this is that I want to watch the entire trilogy again as soon as possible. His style is so gripping, and none of the his movies can be grasped without taking the time to think them over, watch them again and think some more; enjoying the entire experience as you go on.

I'm convinced my rating for all three parts of his trilogy will be higher on next viewing, and I look forward to it.

Irène Jacob is again great, this time with Jean-Louis Trintignant as successful partner. Kieslowski paints his picture with wisdom and knowledge, and dare us to look behind the beauty he capture his characters with. Three Colors is a powerful trilogy, and Red is most definitely a worthy statement of ending an impressing career at a high.

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Fa yeung nin wa

I like the idea behind it; following the two halves being cheated at, rather than following the usual path of these kind of stories. It also takes giant steps to distance us from the cheating halves of these couples as well, excluding them from shots and hiding them.

Some of the angles taken by director Kar Wai Wong reminds me of those he took in Chungking Express, but this movie is much more focused on the story at hand. I'm just not convinced it actually benefits from that focus.

It played some strings well, but overall I didn't quite feel like singing its song. I do however think this is one of those movies that benefit from a revisit, and I'll probably give it another go in a decade or so.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Requiem for a Dream

Ellen Burstyn's role is the deservedly highlighted word of this movie, but I don't get the rest of the hype for it at all. Jennifer Connelly is obviously great as always, but what else is new?

The movie isn't very long, but it still got time to bore me every so often. Digging into four addicts, even if they are closely connected, you really shouldn't find time to bore me. Director Aronofsky never get to do more than touch the surface of the characters, and he brings very little to the table when it comes to originality and depth.

Leto and Wayans does well enough, but as I never expect much with them to begin with it doesn't tell you all that when it comes down to business. The music was good. I'll give it that much, and remember it by it and the female performances.

It also tries to be a depressing cautionary tale, but I guess I'm just to damn cynical by now. To succeed Aronofsky would've had to go a lot deeper than he did, but I guess it does the trick for the superficial viewer. At least its praises seems to suggest that's the case.

City of God (2002)

Cidade de Deus

I might as well begin with my biggest problem; the narrator. Rocket is a one dollar voice for a fifty dollar story, managing to take several pieces of the puzzle down a notch in the process.

The poverty, crime and children are all excellent portrayed, but it's not like we haven't seen similar stories spun on other arenas. There's still quite a lot to get from this glimpse of their ordinary days for those of us who could hardly have imagined such an existence.

It's certainly a strong story, but its just not such a great story. There's the core of why I can't praise it too highly, but then again I might just be a little too jaded. Cidade de Deus is definitely a place worth getting acquainted with.

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Mou gaan dou

I watched Scorsese's remake when it was launched back in the days, but this original actually left an impression (which I honestly can't say about the more known work of Scorsese). It's fast paced and yet with a solid grasp at its plot and storyline, and it's solid acting all over the board.

Scorsese clocked in 50 min slower, and yet he never managed to get this kind of depth to his remake. Wai-keung Lau and Alan Mak have done a terrific job with this movie, and the result is nothing short a work of art.

A highly recommended must see movie.

Children of Men (2006)

Children of Men

In this post-apocalyptic tale, Alfonso Cuarón really takes us through a realistic and gritty take on civilization after children is left out of the possibilities. Based on P.D. Jame' novel, Cuarón brings it to life in stunning fashion. The acting is also great throughout, whether being leading man Cliwe Owen or any of the several great support performances.

At some points I'm not thrilled with the plot and storyline, but overall it's minor concerns in the big picture.

London have never been captured more beautifully, or rather gritty and fascinating as the case might be.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Kaze no tani no Naushika

One of Hayao Miyazaki's earlier movies, but to me this one stands out as the one he manage to fulfill throughout. There's no doubt this might be one of his movies where his environmental message shines through even more than usual, but the story never suffers from this message.

Nausicaä might be one of the finest characters ever portrayed, and the people of The Valley of the Wind helps build her up.

The animations doesn't come close to what we've later seen from Studio Ghibli, but we got to keep in mind it's 26 years since he made this one. Never the less. The details are quite stunning here as well, especially in the background both in the Valley of the Wind and in the Sea of Decay.

So far my favorite animated movie, and these days that's actually beginning to say something as I keep exploring the masterpieces of the past.

The Third Man (1949)

The Third Man

I didn't quite buy lead actor Joseph Cotten in all his scenes, but that's the only non-spoiler objection. The rest of my objections keeping it from a top score, I'll keep to myself to ensure not ruining what still is a remarkably great movie.

Vienna post WWII is truly a stunning scenery for this movie. The bombed architecture, the four parts of town controlled by different country's forces and the language problems. What's more; director Carol Reed knows how to use it to its fullest effect. He also spends a lot of time achieving magic with the use of shadows, whether it's scenes where people are running or hiding.

The dialogues are great, and I love the way it uses German often enough by native Vienna people, rather than making it unrealistic by everyone speaking English. The supporting cast is great, also those you really can't understand if you don't speak German, as their tone and body language gets it through.

The Third Man is no doubt a must see movie experience everyone should enjoy.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Tonari no Totoro

Whatever it lacks in depth of story, it more than makes up for in with its enchanting and heartwarming ways. While I've previous given Miyazaki credit for his incredible way of taking you into his stories, he's more than equally able to enchant you by letting you become familiar with his characters; and that's exactly how he reels you in with this movie.

While I've previously slashed ratings for movies because of their less than subtle morale, Miyazaki have the quality to bring his moral in without feeding you spoonfuls upon each other.

Satsuki and Mei are unresistingly charming characters, and Miyazaki plays to his strengths throughout the movie.

Adore it, love it, enjoy it, and raise your children and grandchildren within Hayao Miyazaki's magic universes.

Spirited Away (2001)

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

Few, if any, are as great as Hayao Miyazaki at creating an entertaining enchanted premise, and then invite us in while showing us the true self of his protagonists. Sadly I've come to realize there's another commonality with his movies to me; between the middle and the end, he always seem to either get a little lost or go a little to far over the top. Far from enough to ruin the experience, but enough to not quite achieve what he was heading for. That's also the case with Spirited Away.

Still. There's a lot of gold until he get there. The young girl protagonist, Chihiro, is once again a great Miyazaki creation and so is the spirits bathhouse as the main scenery. We're taken along a charming ride, almost enchanting enough to make us forget those bumps along the road.

Great detailed animations and an imaginative world. Another safe bet for children of all ages.

Strangers on a Train (1951)

Strangers on a Train

On the rapidly ever growing list of praised directors I reach late, we've reached Hitchcock. I've always been a fan of classic old fashioned murder mysteries, so the film noirs of their prime should speak to me in many ways. Not at least because they have the good old alibis and motives as their focus, rather than all the scientific CSI stuff we're stuck with today.

I'm not a huge fan of Granger, but Ruth Roman have a certain quality as Anne Morton and Robert Walker is brilliant as the charming and psychotic stranger.

We've all met him. The stranger who's just a little too friendly and chatty, but more often than not they turn out quite differently than Walker's character Bruno Antony. Maybe this movie should be blamed for how difficult it's to chat friendly with the guy next to you wherever you go these days, but I imagine it's more about the times we live in than Hitchcock.

I don't love this movie. Its final half hour have a little too many shady choices for my liking, but it's very interesting for quite a while. I certainly notice several interesting choices by the director, and look forward to get to know his work better. Walker sadly died at the age of 32 the same year this movie was released, and that's a great loss. He certainly brought another layer to this picture with his part.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Mononoke-hime

Throughout the first half Hayao Miyazaki brings us into a magical world with characters, charm and creativity, and I felt like he was about to blow my mind like no animation before.

Sadly i didn't enjoy the second half nearly as much. In fact it was at times both going overboard and going under at the same time. It just didn't connect with me, and then it rapidly went downhill as an experience as scene after scene passed by.

It's still well worth watching, if for no other reason so for Miyazaki's ability to set an interesting premise and then invite us in to join the experience.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Hauru no ugoku shiro

Since I mentioned this movie in a review earlier today, I might as well get around to it now. I'd heard a lot of good stuff about Hayao Miyazaki and his movies, but this was the first one I've watched of his works myself.

Howl's Moving Castle have got the magic of a universe created on its own premise, and Miyazaki takes us along for a wonderful ride. The story of Sofî, Hauru and the rest of the creatures in this magic universe, is told with a lot of heart. I love heart, and I'll never deny it. Add some charm and great old-fashioned animations, and we've touched on a lot of the good stuff served here.

There's some problems as well, as the story sometimes lose pace and trips the balance between moving forward or dwell on moments. It's still a great movie, and it might even grow on me the second time around to become a personal classic, like WALL·E once did.

M (1931)

M

This review is based on the 110 min edition.

A city of four and a half million people can easily be scared; just let a child predator loose on their streets. Fritz Lang knew this very well on the back of several cases throughout Germany were they struggled with it, and 80 years later his movie on the subject holds a well deserved masterpiece status.

The opening scenes alone are well worth the hype. From the kids singing in the streets about the man in black to the mothers worrying and then Elsie Beckmann. The acting involved in smaller parts like Elsie's is one of the main reason this works so much better for me than another old movie with masterpiece status for many, Bicycle Thieves did. Here Lang bring class to the smaller parts as well, while the amateur support of Bicycle Thieves remained amateurs in everybody's heads.

There's of course a lot of other reasons this works a lot better than a movie I gave a 7/10. Lang have a stunning child murderer in Peter Lorre, and dare to give him a balanced life with emotions all over the place. M also brings a town in terror, and we get to see many scenes where the nerve plays as much part of the scene as the dialogue and acting. Add a whistling that bring to mind many great scores later used in the industry, thieves protecting their domain and a bunch of smaller details, and you got yourself a must see experience with well deserved status. I simply loved it, and look forward to get to know Lang better in the future.

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Ladri di biciclette

One of those movies that seem to appear on every list from here to Moscow and back again, so there's little doubt there were some expectations finally visiting it. Simplistic, real and emotional are amongst the most used reasons for its fame, and it sure is simplistic.

A man finally gets work in post WWII-Italy, but depends on having a bicycle. Getting it back from the pawn shop thanks to giving up the sheets, getting it stolen is the worst that could happen to his new found happiness. Then we'll follow his Sunday search to get it back.

It's emotional, but the real part I got a little trouble with. Not only are some of the acting terrible (thankfully not amongst the main characters), but some of the scenes go between ridiculous and forced.

It's in my opinion a good movie, but far from the masterpiece many speak of it as.

Star Wars (1977)

Star Wars

The beginning of a franchise I've never got to, until now. I've obviously known quite a lot about the Star Wars universe thanks to numerous references in never pop culture, but I've never really been that enthusiastic about getting to know it my self.

For an introduction to a new universe it works quite well, but as a movie seen on its own merits it lacks a little. It doesn't have neither the necessary charm nor the action or adventurous needed to come over the top. There's obviously also something to be said for the lack of hitting easy targets with those laser weapons of the stormtroopers.

It's more than good enough I'll be looking forward to dip further into Lucas' universe, and I might even have this growing on me in time. Just now it doesn't quite make up for the legend, acclaims and hype.

The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network

Of all the reasons I had to watch this movie, Aaron Sorkin was the most interesting one despite my love for the man's work came from TV-series The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Sports Night. If there's thing Sorkin is especially great at, it's the work flow. And he gets to get it well in here as well.

Fincher in the chair is rarely disappointing, and if it wasn't for the hype I wouldn't have been this time either. Still. There's not a lot of interesting things to be said about this movie and its story. It's a now thing, as hyped by the company and it's hold on people, as by anything the movie stands for it self. Big whoop.

Eisenberg and Garfield are however great, and that Timberlake dude doesn't really ruin anything at all. He doesn't add much, but it seems like he might have some talent.

Sorkin didn't really get to use all his potential, but then again which college kids can be portrayed realistic in a Sorkin well-run dialogue?

Well. Now I've seen it, and thanks to the hype I'll take my frustration out on Zuckerberg. I won't log into Facebook in at least 2 days. Top 250 on IMDB? National Review Board? Come on. Log off Facebook for a minute and appreciate the art of movies which came before. Fincher have done better, Sorkin have done better and something tells me Garfield is going to do even better in the future.

Amores perros (2000)

Amores perros

Three intervening stories takes place in Mexico City, time-looping Tarantino's Pulp Fiction-style, involving dogs and love. Thankfully the director have done the rest on his own vision. Ambitious like Tarantino, but heavier, deeper and painful.

No animals were harmed making this movie, and they choose to say so in the opening credits rather than the end ones. Much needed, as animal lovers will be uncomfortable from the very beginning. Still. There's no doubt the director understand what animals can come to be for people.

At two and a half hours, it's a long movie. Even more so considering it'll be with you for a while, and you'll have to collect your thoughts making up your mind. I haven't yet fully done so, but for now I'll say this. It's a really good one.