MutterCourage Reviews

Holiday (I) (2018)

Pretentious and numb

[1/10 · 8 May 2024]

This film tries so hard to be important. You can feel its filmmakers' craving for recognition and praise, aspiring to be intellectual and sincere and... G knows what?!

There is nothing wrong with aiming high. But when you do, you tend to fall hard. And crash. Like his film does.

The intention to distance yourself from the audience, to never let the viewer inside or anywhere close to the characters in any way, the result is a numbing experience. Basically, you don't give it a damn. No matter how horrible the protagonist's experiences. Nothing.

I wish somebody (the producer perhaps?) would have challenged these filmmakers to write something more engaging. As it stands now, forgetting the critics "empereor new clothes" praises of the brave female approach, the film is a terribly dull waste of time. I'm sorry, but it's not good at all.

If you want to show the world is miserable place, especially for young women, please make a better effort.

Jana - Marked for Life (2024– )

Amateurish at best.

[1/10 · 23 April 2024]

This flawed new crime series is so weak that it makes you cringe from the first minutes. Unaware of its supposedly successful source material, the screen adaption is so poor in every aspect from writing to overall execution. Even the title sequence, which is perhaps its most professional aspect, is so cliché and uninventive it makes you wonder who approved of this mess.

Without going into to detail, the screenwriting is so amateurish and on the nose that even a first year film school student could achieve better. And the poor directing and cinematography reminds you of older B-movies where numerous coincidences and illogical stagings makes you cringe at every corner.

I especially feel sad that the talented Pernilla August performance is reduced to a student film. That's no small achievement for the so-called creators.

Ronja the Robber's Daughter (2024– )

Much ado about nothing

[1/10 · 8 April 2024]

It's sad to say that this remake is such a failed effort. With all the talent involved and the great literary source material, it's remarkable how poor the end result is - especially the writing and directing stands out as uninspiring and weak. As a viewer, one is more confused and distanced than engaged and emotionally involved. Whatever the aim was for this so-called updated series, the intentions are nowhere to be seen.

The opening episode is so boring and stale, confusing and full of underdeveloped scenes, that I quickly lose interest. The young actress playing Ronja is charming, but all the surrounding cast seems out of place and lost in their roles.

The production is an improvement for the former version, but still the overall production feels amateurish. Where did they all the money go?! Not on the screen obviously.

Poor Astrid Lindgren.

The Abyss (2023)

Shame on producers

[1/10 · 24 February 2024]

The film is a disaster - no pun intended.

The filmmakers most likely did their best to try and make an original and entertaining movie for the masses.

They didn't.

Not by a long shot.

This film is so amateurish and poor in every aspect that it should never have been produced.

And who is to blame?

The producers.

They are the ones who agreed to make this film, get it financed, filmed and later distributed.

They are the incompetent ones.

How they couldn't judge the material, the many drafts of the screenplay, the choice of actors and talent in front and behind the camera, review the edit and finally agree on the final result as we are presented, is a real shame.

Don't blame the filmmakers. They thought they did a great job.

The producers should have known better.

Sanningen (2023– )

Really...

[1/10 · 8 January 2024]

Please tell me this is a student film. With three seemingly established writers one would expect a far better end result than this amateurish mess. And the directing is so weak that one wonders what the criteria was for the hiring.

The remains of a human corpse is found by two kids in the forest. A detective from the big city with a "ghost" and demons of her own arrives to the small town and is met with antagonism to solve the crime. There is absolutely nothing original or creative in neither the set up or premise. Instead it resembles so many far superior shows out there, that it's unfathomable to imagine how the pitch was...

And don't get me started with the acting. All the local talent is forgiven, but the established leads are basically either sleepwalking or just poorly directed.

Thank You, I'm Sorry (2023)

The emperor's new clothes.

[1/10 · 2 January 2024]

This movie is new low for Swedish cinema. What aims to be a artistic and odd take on two siblings' dysfunctional relationship and the aftermath of the death of the husband of one of the pregnant sister, instead results in an utterly flawed and lifeless attempt as a drama comedy of sorts.

The intention to make a surreal dramedy while dealing with a subject matter takes far more talent - and most of all... a script with a narrative.

This movie stands absolutely till from the first scene, never moving forward in any manner whatsoever. There is zero plot.

The characters have been directed to act without any emotional truth, resulting in a catastrophic viewing experience. Bored is not a strong enough word. It's the greatest sin of all to bore the viewer. These filmmakers have at least excelled in that department.

How a streaming company could have agreed on this script is a complete mystery. The only good thing with a streaming distribution in this case is that it eliminates the fiasco of theatrical release.

A Nearly Normal Family (2023)

An inferior attempt

[1/10 · 27 November 2023]

The filmmakers didn't have the talent to even make a mediocre result - instead creating one of the worst attempts of murder thriller in years. Especially the lack of emotional truth or believable characters left you with a pure sense of dread. The main charter or any character for that matter makes the most incomprehensible decisions throughout - making you uncertain of whether to laugh or cry.

The writing and direction is so amateurish that you wish someone would tells these creatives to learn their craft before nauseating the viewer.

Subpar acting and a comical ending makes this a strong candidate for the turkey award of the year.

Tore (2023– )

Really?

[1/10 · 13 November 2023]

What started out as a seemingly sweet and charming and light drama comedy, suddenly took a sharp turn and went downhill into the abyss.

Why the main character reacts the way he does after the sudden loss of his father is completely ignored and underdeveloped- leaving a bizarre and truly unbelievable emotional character.

You are left with a big question of why am I watching this character.

The cinematography is promising but that's about it.

Youthful and naive isn't enough excuses for this mess.

And what triggers him to enter this gay club and then suddenly make out with a stranger after we are TOLD he is a virgin?! Are we supposed to believe the death of his father is the cause for his sudden odd behavior. I'm sorry but I don't buy it. It's way too simple.

A student film.

The Conference (2023)

A real shame

[1/10 · 23 October 2023]

Intended to be a hybrid slasher comedy the film fails at both. There is nothing wrong with the idea to make a cute and witty horror film, but the filmmakers need to have the talent to pull it off. In this case, the writing is to bland one wants to cry. It's neither funny nor scary and the pacing is so slow and ineffective, one loses interest after the first few minutes. Reading a few of the previous reviews, I get a strong feeling many of these must sadly be friends or favours from people close to the filmmakers. An addition, the Swedish critics must have been offered gold or others merch to write these favourable reviews. Or perhaps they just have such poor taste.

Gaslight (2023– )

Cut to the chase

[1/10 · 2 October 2023]

Needless to say this is a lower budget series with the best intentions to capture troubled youths in modern dysfunctional sexual relationships.

While the attempt might be sincere, the end results is weak and lacks much credibility. The overall feeling is slightly better than a student film.

The weakest aspect is its script or lack of it. Instead of creating a strong narrative, it relies completely on its dialogue. Turn off the sound and you understand nothing.

The opening promised a great deal which the series failed to live up to.

It takes far more conflict to fill its screen time and instead becomes the greatest sun of filmmaking, boring it's audience.

Why can't anybody tell these young writers that babble isn't storytelling and an excuse to fill time.

Please write better screenplays for Swedish tv series.

A Day and a Half (2023)

Even the best intentions...

[2/10 · 2 September 2023]

Even the best intentions couldn't save this meandering, undramatic and uneven film. With an interesting premise, the poor script and direction makes the end result feel somewhat amateurish and film school like. It's especially remarkable considering the talented director's work as an actor that the acting feels contrived, often overplayed and weak. A cameo from the great Stina Eklund stands out as comedic.

The production itself, from the settings and art director and cinematography, to the sound, musical score etc comes off as low budget.

But the film's main problem remains in its script. It lacks psychological truth. Feeling the author's sincerity, they unfortunately lack the talent to deliver a strong enough script to live up to its premise.

Barracuda Queens (2023– )

It could have been so much more

[1/10 · 12 June 2023]

A promising concept isn't enough to make an intriguing series. The intention is to make a provocative and daring story of these immortal character, but in order to do so one needs to have a much deeper grasp of human understanding and the dramatic skills to pull it off. Neither the writing nor directing is competent enough. Its biggest flaw is the underdeveloped main premise - you never get a good sense or understanding of a "believable" logic behind the characters action into criminals. It's far too easy and quick and cute. The actors are struggling with the text and situations they are presented. But it's not enough - by far. And sadly to say, the directing isn't genuine and lacks the understanding of the world it's presenting. Now we are presented with paper thin characters, both main and smaller parts. It's a real shame.

Rent Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring instead.

The Year I Started Masturbating (2022)

Lame

[1/10 · 2 June 2023]

What is this mess supposed to be? Funny it's not. Forced and trying too hard this week directorial debut demonstrates that it takes more than a cute title to make a real film. This feels more like a mediocre episode of lame tv comedy tv series than an actual feature film. The script is so weak and underdeveloped you want to cry out - can somebody please tell these filmmakers they need to up their game. Who thought this director was ready to make a debut as fear filmmaker?! It's so repetitive and dreadful at the start one wonders who thought anybody would care about these paperthin characters. You don't care. They don't care. Who cares? And don't get me started with the music!

Thunder in My Heart (2021– )

Much ado about nothing

[1/10 · 3 May 2023]

Sweet and nothing much to talk about this well intended drama has absolutely no plot or structure - its lack of story makes it irritating after only a few minutes- hard to grasp what the hype is about - did anybody ask the creators what a script is or what a forward moving plot is - please you can do better than just have characters wander around and seemingly improvise - is this what Swedish critics believe is superb storytelling then we're in a dire state of affairs - every scene is too long and lacks any real drama or conflict - a so-called nothing drama and more of situation video exercise - please teach the filmmakers the camera can be used more just register the events - sos!

Leva Life (2023– )

Student film

[1/10 · 13 April 2023]

I've seen better student films than this amateurish production. When dealing with a serious subject matter, the creators should at least have an understanding and maturity to succeed. The writing is far too simple and underdeveloped, relying completely on dialogue to convey the little story or drama there is. We are shown repeated times that the main actor is in pain, resulting in no surprise whatsoever when she is told of her serious condition. The overall production smells ultra low budget (from poor camera work to art direction) that is feels more like a YouTube video than a professional tv series.

Riding in Darkness (2022– )

Not the best intentions...

[1/10 · 16 November 2022]

There's nothing wrong with the basic idea, its serious intentions and worthy attempt to portray female abuse. Kudos.

However.... in the hands of these amateurish filmmakers, not even the best intentions can make up for the poor end result. Neither the screenwriter nor the directors are capable of handling the delicate subject matter and instead deliver a far too simple and naive storyline and underdeveloped character development.

The weak direction, flawed script, uneven acting and overuse of collages with music give a feeling more of a student film than a professional tv series.

It's a real shame as the intentions feel genuine.

Rose (I) (2022)

Sweet

[6/10 · 14 November 2022]

The heart is in the right place. However, to be directed by such an experienced filmmaker it feels very amateurish in its execution. The pacing and staging has the feel of a debutante, resembling the work of a newly graduated film school student. But thanks to the often poignant and sincere tone, the overall end result is a sweet sympathetic film.

It's hard to imagine this director's intentions with the slow and awkward editing. There are far too many on the nose situations where the crunch factor is never far away, racing the question where the producer was?

Even the form was below par at times the overall viewing was sweet. It's an "airplane movie".

Your Honor (II) (2020–2023)

Great show up until the end scene

[6/10 · 17 February 2021]

Well cast, well acted and well made tv series that bring a certain "Breaking Bad" resemblance all due to leading actor Bryan Cranston's "similar" role. It had so much going for it, the fine acting and suspenseful build made you wonder how the h-ck were they going to pull it off in the end. Which, they didn't. Needless to say, the story revolves around a huge moral dilemma. But they could have ended it in such a more original and rewarding way. This way felt like a total let down - very sad and very bad.

Love & Anarchy (2020–2022)

Wishful thinking

[2/10 · 14 November 2020]

Somebody tell me what the Swedish critiques loved about this attempt of a comedic drama series. It's neither particularly funny nor dramatic. Pantomime theater Moore comes to mind when watching the many exaggerated looks and expression from the cast. The weak plot lingers as if not sure of itself. The directing feels insecure and wandering, the pacing in the scenes never truly defined. The theme feels dated and soft - the word anarchy never lived up to. And could somebody please photograph Swedish actresses with some respect, this lighting is a disaster for their complexion.

Charter (2020)

Best intentions gone missing

[3/10 · 16 March 2020]

Even with all its best intentions, the director/writer can't manage to pull off this thought-provoking premise. In spite of its fine production and overall strong performances, it lacks enough plot for a feature film. Hence, it comes off a stretched out short film that never gets beyond the slice-of-life narrative. The script is weak and its contemplating tempo doesn't help the minimal plot, but instead causes it to lag and grow tiresome. Perhaps its greatest flaw is that fails to provoke its theme of motherly love - no matter how many silent and moody stares from the characters.

Gone Girl (2014)

Too smart for its own good

[6/10 · 30 September 2014]

The talented Fincher has done it again. A smart, well made and sterile tour de force example of filmmaking.

Based on the best selling novel, the script is slick and thrilling - making unexpected twists and turns - up until it falls flat on its face.

It's just too smart for its own good.

There's a point towards the later part in the story where credibility flies straight out of the window. The smart becomes ridicules.

Had it not been for the director's superb technical directing, this film would have ended up in the bargain bin.

I don't care how smart you think you are, if the your characters suddenly don't respond realistically to the events it just doesn't matter.

Strangely enough, I had a very good time watching it though.

Easy Money III: Life Deluxe (2013)

A tragedy

[2/10 · 2 September 2013]

The intentions were good - the idea to make a heightened third installment - an operatic finale to the series.

But the filmmakers were not talented enough to pull it off.

Instead it plays like a naive, illogical, unfocused and poorly written work of a B-rate hack filmmaker.

First of all, who cares when everybody is a moron in your story. There is not one single character that shows genuine intelligence or smarts. Instead we are meant to root for these numb-nuts.

If you want to play the world of Michael Mann (HEAT) or master Coppola you have learn how to write better.

Who cares about logic if the filmmaking is strong enough. In this case it's not. Instead you are treated as an imbecile to believe that certain crucial plot moments are believable.

I can't even begin to express the stupidity when the supposed drug-lord (played well when speaking his native tongue... ) is shot and almost killed, only to moments later be brought home as if nothing had happened. I hope this is not meant to be taken seriously.

This is just the first in a string of equally flawed illogical weak points. This kind of poor screen writing usually belongs in straight-to-DVD movies.

It's a shame because the filmmakers had good intentions.

Broken City (2013)

A mess

[1/10 · 6 May 2013]

Somebody call the AAA because you got a wreck on your hands.

This movie is one of the worst examples of poor screen writing and confusing Hollywood filmmaking.

How these talented actors (most of them at least) decided to sign on to this poor material is a mystery. Perhaps the original screenplay had more promise. Perhaps they had a intriguing mood board. Perhaps they never showed the script.

Either way, this movie is a complete mess. It lacks a plot. A sense of direction. Like a rowboat without oars, it drifts without any sense of course or plan. The scenes shift from one character to another while the premise or goal remains unclear.

I had to watch an episode of BREAKING BAD to clear my mind and remind me that there is intelligent work out there.

Blondie (2012)

Call the AAA, you got a wreck on your hands.

[1/10 · 12 December 2012]

This is a catastrophe of a film. Whatever intentions the filmmakers had, the finished result is short of a disaster.

There is not a single moment where the viewer feels engaged or even invited into to this series of unrelated scenes.

The story, or whatever one might call the outline, is unclear and undeveloped. A dysfunctional family, a cold-hearted mother and three troubled sisters should be plenty to build a story around. But instead the plot is non-existing and the scenes depicted are merely topped one after the other without ANY sense of direction.

You know you've got a wreck on your hands when the audience starts to check their watches - ten minutes into the film!

Please inform this filmmaker that he needs to learn screen writing before taking on this type of demanding material.

Artistic experimentation is fine, only one needs to have a better understanding of the art of filmmaking before plummeting into such an adventure.

The Last Sentence (2012)

Doom over dead man

[3/10 · 12 December 2012]

Even with the best intentions from its filmmaker, this film falls utterly flat.

Written, directed and edited by Jan Troell, this production is the result of a tired, former champ filmmaker.

Bottom line, he's done the worst sin all filmmakers can make. He's made a dull movie.

Unengaging and without any resemblance of growing conflict, the film is merely a series of historical moments without any clear through-line. The story illustrates none of the severe consequences that this man caused. It merely hints at this and leaves the viewer unaware of the life threatening situation.

The producer should have required the writers to make a dramatic story.

The black/white look is suitable yet too crisp and sterile for its purpose. Seemingly grain-less, the digital image lacks mood and authenticity. Film and grain would have added a much needed filter.