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Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)
Unpretty and forgettable
I went to see this with my daughter on her seventh birthday and brought my girlfriend as well. I own several of the old comics by Peyo, which I have read to my daughter, and neither of us have seen the other two movies.
First off, the movie is very quick paced. Maybe you'd like to enjoy the fantastic realm of the smurfs, but there's no real time for that. Maybe you'd like to know more about their mushroom houses and how the smurf village works, well, you get 30 seconds of that combined, and off we go into the very simple and predictable story.
I wasn't impressed with the visuals. They were standard, clearly below Disney/Pixar quality. Several of the characters and animals looked like stock visuals, like the studio rushed the design. Completely forgettable. The dialogue was dubbed into our language, and they did a fine job with what they had, which wasn't really anything.
My daughter laughed once during the entire movie, later said it was kinda boring. My girlfriend cringed at the female empowerment theme, clearly aimed at children and immature adult females. You know how the old Disney movies are filled with females who have to be saved by the prince? In these new movies they make the prince stupid so he can be equal to the stupid princess. A lower sense of equality for everyone.
The original smurf comics had so much to offer. They handled racism and dictatorship and threw in some adventure bits too. Some of the characters like Old Smurf had a deeper side. In this he was shallow and uncharacteristically stupid. This to me was a cash in.
Pro tip: Look at the reviews giving 10/10. Then check the users. Notice a pattern regarding the time those user were created? Yeah, soon as the movie came out, same time as they got paid.
Tre engle og fem løver (1982)
The stronger of the two
The movie revolves around a stolen painting which is switched around. Like the first movie we get a chase and some running around, and that's about it.
This movie is a vast improvement over the first. The kids are more in focus and the sister takes part. Even though the first part of the movie is wacky to the point of rolling your eyes, there's enough to keep it going, even though it's clear this was made like a filler between more important jobs. The kids in these movies basically vanished from the big screen after this one.
Brandenburg has a bigger part in this and shines here and there. He really needs another adult around to play his game, which the first movie lacked. There's an element of suspense in the movie which simply didn't exist in the first movie. There's also a sequence on a boat which is fairly amusing. The dialogue is also a step in the right direction.
If you must pick between the two, pick this one. Hands down.
Kidnapning (1982)
Won't satisfy anyone
Fairly weak movie about the kids from Vanløse. The uncle has an idea for kidnapping a rich kid and extorting the parents. For some reason everybody thinks it's a great idea and they hop to it.
I love the old actors like Langberg and Strøbye, and Dahl is also usually good. In this movie their roles are very small. The movie needed a better ending, with some sort of payoff. It just ends with a fizzle.
Brandenburg is the only adult actor with a chance to shine, but he doesn't. He carries the movie still. However he vanishes for the last third of the movie.
It's fun to see the old locations. We are told the kids live in Vanløse, but their home is clearly right next to Valby station and they run around Tingstedet.
The second (and last) movie about the kids is clearly better.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
The nostalgia is strong with this one
I went into this movie not reading any reviews beforehand, only watching the trailers. And watching the trailers actually hurt my experience.
The trailers give away clues that causes the tension in the movie to fizzle. If you've watched the trailers, you'll be sitting in the dark, thinking: "Wait, I know what's about to happen". That is really a shame, because the movie is not heavy on tension as is. It could have used those precious moment, which were given away by trailers.
The movie gives MANY nods to the old movies, drawing on the memory of the audience and leaning on us for keeping a good show. This means less emphasis on bringing something new to the screen, which it could have needed.
The story itself is one of those nods. It's another father-son-family type of thing, which in many ways is what Star Wars is all about, but that story's been told already. It was old when the movie began.
I gotta say, I found the new young actors somewhat wooden. They sure try, and they try to be funny also, but I felt like I had to be a bigger fan to enjoy it. They wanted me to laugh like you laugh with your heroes. But they weren't my heroes. They weren't what I came to see. The bad guy was disappointing to me, and the tension around him was shallow.
As in the original saga the young crew relies on the older for substance, and while this does carry the movie along without hurting it, the movie wasn't improve by it, either.
The story, oh boy - I felt this was the weakest part. I'm not going to give it away, but the force sure takes on a new mystical side, which wasn't to my liking. I fear for the next one.
On the plus side, Harrison Ford has a big role, which is suitable. The CGI and the models are great, but it's been seen before so nothing new. It's also great to see the old actors - Fisher shining the least.
Also a big plus is the step away from the middle saga movies. This movie does however take one step towards the new Star Trek movies in terms of criticizing fascism and the way planets are designed. To me it felt like 10% Star Trek.
A slightly messed up, but beautiful movie, not taking any chances, and with a storyline to go with Star Wars as you know it. A nice, safe movie, not quite as good as the old but way better than the middle ones. Watch in a good mood and don't expect your life to change.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Average actors, superb cutting + effects. Result: Good enough
This movie is like a computer game with slightly better than average humor and a bunch of almost proficient actors in it. The music, the cutting, and the effects not only saves the movie, but turn it into something worth watching.
The kids will love the kid themes (like being totally surprised of what's going on in other people's minds) and the adults will love the retro computer game style. The rock fans will love the music, which is apparently Beck ripping off The Pixies (with a twist of emo).
The humour is mild. I laughed twice and smiled at half of the rest. I considered leaving the theater several times during the first half hour. Then, however, it finally caught fire.
Must say though: I seriously don't hope they turn Mr. main actor Michael Cera into the next Shia LeBeouf. Because with Cera's squeamish non-male acting I predict he will ruin good movies for the next decade, all in the name of Hollywood dollaaaarrrrsss.
Superman Returns (2006)
Another superhero wearing the American flag.
As a kid I was in love with Superman. I had a suit for fastelavn (native version of Halloween). I loved those movies. And the music. This was in the 80s. My country was making its way out of the dark 70s, oil crisis, unemployment, so on. This all changed in the mid 80s.
Some years back, I saw one of the original Superman movies. Can't remember which one. Superman stands there and pledges his allegiance to the flag. Okay now, I'm European. And I am seriously sick of movies that say the US is the greatest country in the world and all that. It is incredibly mind numbing. I'm guessing it goes down well in the US because most people there have never left the country. All is incredibly well, said the bird in the birdcage. Meanwhile, the rest of the world moved on.
If you go to the local movie rental in town, you can find all these American propaganda movies. Funny how Hollywood pumped out all these war-movies and superhero movies right after 9/11. Funny how they're all sitting on the shelf here in Europe. Funny how the US president refuses to sign the Geneva convention along with the rest of us - "We want the right to torture war criminals, enlightened nation that we are, spreading the Word across the globe." I sometimes wonder why all of Europe is allied to the US. Oh yeah, nukes. Sorry.
I am no longer infatuated with Superman. He wears the wrong colors. And I've not even begun talking about the plot holes in this movie, and the average female lead, the countless clichés, and the pathetic fact that movies like this is still made. It's wearing thin. The Dark Knight marked the top of it, now I hope Watchmen will signal the end. I want Obama to say that he hates Marvel comics.
The Man from Earth (2007)
VERY well told story!
Yes! This movie's got it: A great story. And thank you for not making this a cheesy Hollywood production with the usual cast, mysteriously just out of the hair parlor.
The research has been done, a fellow archaeologist and student of the ancient Middle East will know this. The talk is smooth and with plenty logic vs. feel. The believer, the fanatic, the frantic analyst, the disbeliever is present, it's an all-round affair, everyone chips in. I was caught in the middle.
I think you need something particular in you to fully enjoy this movie. Some doubt, some faith... a feeling that all in the world is not what it appears to be, and that truth is individual.
What does it matter who this guy claims to be? How can you be upset? If something about this movie strikes you, look to yourself - something has been struck! But what? If you're angry, your beliefs have not made it across that river.
A few glitches in the polish here and there, and a slight piece of (I feel unjust) self-authority towards the end made this a 9 instead of a 10. Almost perfect, guys. A gem with a small dent in it.
I felt rejuvenated after watching this movie. I felt very strongly that not loving EVERYONE is failure.
Oldeuboi (2003)
I'll be happy to remember this one
This movie is beautiful, funny and poetic, and compared to other Asian movies really great. The actors are braver than any American actors I've seen in a looong time. This movie had me going till the end. I think the fighting scenes are justified because our hero is literally fighting to discover the truth. Can you imagine being locked away, your past taken from you? No? Well I can. And I must confess after having seen the whole thing thru, I turned off everything and just sat there and it came to me - this sense of having been filled by a story that ended in a truly emotional state, a bit like Der Untergang, the Hitler-movie... Also, I had to really keep my eyes open during the film (also cuz the subtitles were a bit distorted) but because I did, I got the whole thing. I saw this movie with my girlfriend, and she didn't catch as much as I did. See it slowly, take yer time and make sure you're in the right mood. Just like always.