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Reviews
Beck: Enslingen (2002)
Another case for Beck
Beck and his colleagues are back again. This time they're investigating two murders simultaneously; one is a reclusive man who lived a quiet life on his own, the other is an unidentified Asian woman. Meanwhile, the strain within the unit between Gunvald and Alice poses difficulties to the cooperation and the investigations.
In this movie, Alice gets more space at the expense of Gunvald. Beck is as usual the central character, the one who ties everything together. Even though I like the character Gunvald, I don't mind seeing Alice more in this one. We've already a lot of Gunvald in the previous movies. And the short episodes we do see in this one adds a lot of depth to his character, showing a more human side of him, not just the grim cop. In the end, I liked him even more after this one. As usual, Beck's daughter and the famous neighbour make short appearances as well.
Not the best of the Beck movies, but still interesting. It brings up important issues in a good way. If you liked the other Beck movies, you'll probably like this one too. If you haven't seen the other Beck movies, you should still give this one a chance. It's a fairly good detective story. Don't read the full version of the plot line though, in my opinion it spoils some of the movie.
Satan Never Sleeps (1962)
Anti-communist propaganda at its worst
This movie is a typical example of American 1950-1960's anti-communist propaganda. Regardless of one's political persuasion, the portrayal of the Communist soldiers (and in particular the Communist colonel Ho San) is ridiculously exaggerated, just like the priests, who seem to be pure saints. A very black-and-white story, shot in colour. It can be interesting to watch as a historical document from a time of ideological hostility at the height of the Cold War, but as a movie it has few appealing qualities.
One thing which truly disturbed me was how the Chinese people were portrayed. The only Chinese characters who act like adults are the Communist leaders. The rest of them mostly act like enthusiastic but stupid children (despite them being adults), which reeks of racism. Just look at the thieving cook, he acts like a total imbecil. Not to mention Siu Lan, who seems to have the mental qualities of a 10-year old. If you're interested in Cold War propaganda history, or have similar academic reasons for watching this movie, then by all means do. Few movies are so outspoken as this one in terms of purpose. But if you're looking for some nice cineastic entertainment, don't waste your time.
Ett brott (1940)
An unusual film for its time
I was a bit surprised by the dark tone of this movie. The image of a neurotic family, drug abuse, violence and cynicism isn't common in movies from this era. The murder story itself is not the main thing in this tale, but rather the consequences of having a brutal and repressive father. Edvin Adolphson is excellent as Rutger, the pleasure-seeking son in constant revolt against his father. The same goes for Anders Henrikson as Hans, who became a painter to spite his father.
This movie has a little humour, a lot of dramatic episodes and great tragedy, especially in the end. The acting is typical for theatre-trained actors. It's good, but can be perceived as slightly exaggerated for people who are used to cinema-style acting.
Highly recommended!
Hotet (2004)
Entertaining
As an employee of the Swedish Air Force I enjoyed the nice Gripen and Hkp 9 (MBB Bo 105) flight scenes in this movie. One of the few disappointments was the EWS 39 jammer pod, in this case an inert Rb 75 (Maverick) missile painted black with the letters "EWS 39" in white along the side. Real jammer pods definitely do not look like that, at least not the ones I've seen.
But apart from that, it's an entertaining movie with a very amusing ending (the last minute). Anyone interested in seeing various Swedish military units, including the now-legendary SSG, on film should see this one.
Gula divisionen (1954)
Excellent aviation movie!
This movie gives a good view of the everyday life of a Swedish Air Force aviator in the early 1950's. It shows several interesting aspects, ranging from flying practice to live fire practice, and even emergency situations (seeing that magnificent Catalina gives me goose-pimples). A large part of the movie also focuses on the personal life of the aviators. This also has interesting elements, such as the surprising level of equality between the sexes, keeping in mind that this is a 1950's movie.
To sum it up, it's a must-see for all of you with a genuine interest in aviation and Swedish military history! The quality of the J 29 Tunnan footage is excellent. And if that isn't enough, you also get to see some truly death-defying stunts being pulled off by a SAAB Safir.
Giftes - nej tak! (1936)
Entertaining in many ways
One of the most fascinating aspects of this movie is its age. The Danish middle-class society of 1936 seems quite distant and almost a bit exotic to a modern day viewer. The humour however, is timeless and offers a few laughs in a harmless non-provocative manner.
The story revolves around a Danish man and his young wife, her friend who is a feminist author and the author's slightly overweight cousin. After a quarrel, the young wife decides to go on a trip with her friend and her friend's cousin, to get back at her husband. The husband desperately tries to find her, aided by a strange friend, while constantly evading the aggressive mother-in-law.
I recommend this to anyone interested in cultural/historical aspects of the mid-1930's, presented with a bit of humour and some romance.
Creepshow 2 (1987)
Humor and horror - not to be taken too seriously
This movie is divided in four parts; one main story and three substories. The main story is strangely enough animated, like in its predecessor, Creepshow. The use of animated sequences in this movie is quite strange, and is little more than an annoying pause between the substories. Another incomprehensible thing is the constant referring to children during the pauses, as if the movie was intended for an infantile audience. In my opinion, the adult-oriented content in the substories should rule out that completely. That said, the three substories are actually quite entertaining. Sure, they're exaggerated, but they are after all intended as a blend of humor and horror. They're colorful and quite entertaining, but don't expect too much. However, I think most people who have seen this movie and has an even remote sense of morbid humor will smile at the phrase "thanks for the ride, lady!" afterwards.
Zhong lie Jing wu men (1977)
Great low-budget entertainment!
This movie might not have the best footage or fight scenes, but when it comes to sheer entertainment, it's one of my absolute Kung Fu-favorites! The unforgettable characters, ranging from the shirt-ripping hero to the sensationally ugly bad guy, manage to keep me laughing from the beginning to the end, despite having seen it over and over again. It has everything I look for in a Kung Fu-movie; badly synchronized audio, funky music, sudden zooms, colorful characters and lots of charm!
A must-see for all true Kung Fu-movie enthusiasts!