Movies 2015

2015. What's been good? Well, there has been quite a few good movies as well as a bunch of not-so-good movies. Among my favourite feature films I'd like to mention Boyhood, Whiplash, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. When it comes to documentaries, Adult Rappers, Rubble Kings, Salad Days and Stretch & Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives has to be mentioned especially. There has of course been a bunch of other films that are worth watching, but I think that these ones have been amongst my absolute favourites. 

Absolutely Anything
A Case of You
Adult Rappers
Alive Inside
All This Mayhem
American Sniper
Amy
Ant-Man
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Battered Bastards of Baseball, The
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Best of Enemies
Big Hero 6
Big Nothing
Birdman
Bobby Fischer Agains the World
Boyhood
Brooklyn Castle
Captains, The
Charles Bradley: Soul of America
Citizenfour
Cobain: Montage of Heck
Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope
David
Dawg Fight
Deliver Us from Evil
Dirty Wars
Fifth Estate, The
Filip & Fredrik presenterar Trevligt folk
Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story
Finders Keepers
Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, The
Foxcatcher
Generation Iron
Giver, The
Guvnors, The
Hateful Eight,The
Hot Girls Wanted
Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, The
I Dream of Wires
Imitation Game, The
I Need That Record! The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store
Inequality for All
Inside Out
Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, The
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Invisible War, The
Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie
Judge, The
Kill Team, The
Kumaré
Lego Movie, The
Life Itself
Love Me
Mad Max: Fury Road
Man on Wire
Man Up
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Miss Representation
Mortdecai
Motivation 2: The Story of Chris Cole
Mr. Turner
Mudbloods
Murderball
Muscle Shoals
Narco Cultura
Nightcrawler
Reality 86'd
Rewrite, The
Riot Club, The
Rubble Kings
Salad Days
Selma
Seven Five, The
Somm
Sound It Out
Southpaw
Spectre
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Still Alice
Straight Outta Compton
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives
Terminator Genisys
Theory of Everything, The
Tomorrowland
Transcendence
Trogen till döden
Turist
Tusk
Twenty Feet from Stardom
Unbroken
Vadelmavenepakolainen
Video Games: The Movie
Vinyl
We Are Twisted Fucking Sister!
Web Junkie
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Whiplash

Inside Out

Inside Out

Review: Easily one of the funniest, and smartest, animated films I've seen in a long way. Inside Out really connects with what is going on inside each and every one of us, and how we chose to handle different situations. A must see. 

Rating: 8/10

Amy

Amy

Review: I never was a huge fan of Amy Winehouse, even if she undoubtedly was an amazing talent and wrote some really good songs. This is a very good documentary about her and her, in many ways, tragic life. Definitely worth checking out. 

Rating: 7/10

The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight

Review: This has been a good week. First watching the new Star Wars movie, and now the latest film by Quentin Tarantino. Even if I'm a big fan of him, not all of his movies are great. They are however always worth watching. I really liked this one though. It reminds in many ways of my all-time favourite movie, Reservoir Dogs, in the way that the majority of the film takes place in one room. Not his greatest movie, a bit predictable but still highly entertaining.  

Rating: 7.5/10

The Rewrite

The Rewrite

Review: A very typical Hugh Grant film. Which means it's very predictable, and a bit charming at times.

Rating: 4.5/10

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Review: Ahh! Finally! I've been waiting for this one! I know there are still quite a few people out there who haven't seen it yet, so I won't spoil it for you. All I can say is that I loved it! Some weak acting (but which Star Wars film hasn't featured that?), but other than that: amazing!

Rating: 9/10

Big Nothing

Big Nothing

Review: Yeah, I like Simon Pegg. This however was not one of his good movies.

Rating: 4/10

Man Up

Man Up

Review: A quite charming rom-com starring one of my favourites, Simon Pegg. A fun watch. 

Rating: 6/10

Absolutely Anything

Absolutely Anything

Review: I wouldn't normally pick this kind of comedy to watch, but the combination of actors and director made me do it. Was it worth it? Well, it wasn't half bad. Not amazing either though. 

Rating: 6/10

We Are Twisted Fucking Sister!

We Are Twisted Fucking Sister!

Review: The first vinyl album I ever bought was Under the Blade by Twisted Sister. This was back in 1984-1985 I guess. So these guys was definitely amongst my earlier favourites. I don't think I've heard a song from them since the 80's, except from the earlier hits on radio. I can't say that I have missed them the slightest, but when I heard about this documentary I knew I just had to watch it. And it's a good one. 

It follows their career from the early 70's up until just before they released their monster album, Stay Hungry. It's an honest and interesting documentary. We are getting to hear a lot of interesting stories, and it's a treat for me to watch. Almost makes me want to pick up the old albums again for a listen. Almost. 

Rating: 8/10

Southpaw

Southpaw

Review: Not a very good film. Too many cliches stacked upon each other. The only thing saving it is some great acting from Jake Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker. 

Rating: 4.5/10

The Captains

The Captains

Review: The Captains is a documentary by William Shatner where he meets and interviews all the other fellow Starship captains from the franchise. Being a lover of all things Trek, I just had to see it. Was it any good? To be honest, not really. 

Rating: 5/10

Spectre

Spectre

Review: Bond. It feels like these movies are a whole category by themselves. Action packed, well made and somewhat well acted. Way too long though, and after a while I kind of lost interest in it. 

Rating: 5/10

Ant-Man

Ant-Man

Review: There are some really nice and fun effects in this film, but the story itself felt quite uninteresting. Not one of the better Marvel movies. 

Rating: 5.5/10

The Seven Five

The Seven Five

Review: This documentary about some crooked NYPD cops is like a real life Goodfellas. Well made and interesting.

Rating: 7/10

The Fifth Estate

The Fifth Estate

Review: A really quite boring drama thriller about a bit of the history of WikiLeaks. The only good thing in it is Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Julian Assange. Other than that, less than memorable. 

Rating: 5/10

Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives

Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives

Review: Ah! This documentary really brought back a lot of memories for me. Ordering copies of The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show from Mr. Bongo in London and sitting home listening to freestyles by some of the greatest emcees. This is hip hop at it's prime, and people like Stretch & Bobbito are some of the people I give the biggest props to. This documentary is a must see for anyone remotely interested in hip hop as a culture. 

Rating: 8.5/10

The Guvnors

The Guvnors

Review: Want to watch some really poor acting? Watch The Guvnors. Want to see a film with a really silly storyline? Watch The Guvnors. 

Rating: 3.5/10

Mudbloods

Mudbloods

Review: A quite fun documentary about real life Quidditch and the people who play it.

Rating: 6/10

Salad Days

Salad Days

Review: I've been wanting to see Salad Days since the first time I heard about it, and today I finally had the opportunity to do so. This is a documentary about the D.C. punk during the eighties. It's filled with great music, interesting stories and wonderful artists. I would even recommend this to anyone with just a slight interest in modern music history. 

Rating: 7.5/10

This Is England '90

This Is England '90

Review: Not often that I write about all the tv series that I see, but I just have to this time. I loved the film This Is England when it came out in 2006, and I have loved the sequel series that has been made. And after watching the latest one, This Is England '90, I'm blown away. This is about as good as it gets when it comes. Period. There's nothing about it that I can complain about. My brother Åke sometimes asks if nothing ever get 10/10 as a rating. Well, this one does. 

Rating: 10/10

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland

Review: Some nice visuals, but way too uneven storytelling to be entertaining in the long run. And quite unimaginative story to begin with. 

Rating: 4.5/10

Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers

Review: A captivating documentary about two very sad characters and the fight over the ownership of a leg. Sounds crazy, and it is. But it's also human and warm. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Review: I really enjoyed this film. Heartwarming, funny, sad and well acted. I totally recommend it.

Rating: 8/10

Terminator Genisys

Terminator Genisys

Review: What was the point of making this film? None that I can think of. Nice effects, but that's all. 

Rating: 3.5/10

I Dream of Wires

I Dream of Wires

Review: An interesting documentary about the history of modular synthesizers. Perhaps a bit too tech geeky at times, but I enjoyed it.

Rating: 6.5/10

Unbroken

Unbroken

Review: I didn't expect to like this film at all. I remember seeing the trailer at the cinema and slightly jawning. And it isn't an amazing movie. A bit too centimental and two dimensional for my taste, but still some really good acting and the story in itself is an rewarding one. 

Rating: 7/10

Transcendence

Transcendence

Review: Transcendence is a bit of a hit-and-miss story. It could have been a really interesting movie, but there are a bit too many flaws in the story for me to completely buy it. Worth watching though. 

Rating: 6/10

Mortdecai

Mortdecai

Review: I like Johnny Depp, I always have. I also like Robert De Niro. But what I don't like about them is that them seem to have no taste whatsoever when they pick roles to play. This one is quite typical Johnny Depp but without any soul. Plus that the story is just silly. 

Rating: 5/10

The Giver

The Giver

Review: Naw, not really anything interesting. Plus that I am getting quite tired of more and movies having sequals which means, for example, that this film ended with a really crappy cliffhanger. Won't be seeing the next episode. 

Rating: 4/10

Into the Woods

Into the Woods

Review: I must say that this musical grew on me. To begin with it was a bit too muddled up for my taste, but after a while that was a bit of the charm. A feelgood flick that was worth checking out. Even if I hate being stuck with a melody in my head after watching a musical. 

Rating: 6/10

Rubble Kings

Rubble Kings

Review: A documentary about the gang violence in New York City in the 1970's and about the legendary peace treaty that brought these gangs together to strive for better causes. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton

Review: I've been a fan of N.W.A. since the early 90's. So this movie should be for me. I've been a fan of N.W.A. since the early 90's. So I don't really know if this movie is for me. I love that a movie has been made about them, but it's a bit too corrected and pretty to be truly enjoyable. A lot of the nasty things behind the scenes have been left out, and Hollywood has made it better than it probably was. A bit of a shame. Still watchable though.

Rating: 6/10

Generation Iron

Generation Iron

Review: Body building is definitely not my kind of sport. The dedication behind these people's efforts are fascinating though. Too bad that Mickey Rourke spoiled the documentary with his horrible narrating. 

Rating: 4.5/10

Inequality for All

Inequality for All

Review: The film examines widening income inequality in the United States, and it's worth watching for anyone interested in the state of our world and who wants to know more about how and why some things are the way they are. 

Rating: 7/10

The Battered Bastards of Baseball

The Battered Bastards of Baseball

Review: I like these kinds of documentaries somehow, even if I'm not the least interested in sports really. I like stories of underdogs and of people standing up against Big Business. I don't really know if I would recommend it to anyone though. 

Rating: 5.5/10

Bobby Fischer Against the World

Bobby Fischer Against the World

Review: Very interesting documentary about Bobby Fischer. A World Chess Champion, as well as a very troubled and broken human. 

Rating: 7/10

The Kill Team

The Kill Team

Review: The Kill Team tells the story about the so-called Maywand District murders, where at least 3 innocent Afghan civilians was murdered by American troops. It's an interesting watch, but at the same time I don't really know how to feel about it. It clearly tries to picture one of the people involved, Adam Winfield, as just a victim who got stuck in a bad position. It's quite clear that his involvement was far from sinister, but in my eyes he was far from innocent.

Rating: 7/10

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

Review: I had heard about Aaron Swartz prior to watching this documentary, but I didn't fully understand his contribution as an activist until now. An interesting watch. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story

Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story

Review: A decent documentary about skateboarder Chris Cole. Seems like a nice guy whose influence on modern skating is huge, but not a very interesting documentary as a whole. 

Rating: 6/10

Narco Cultura

Narco Cultura

Review: A really disturbing documentary about the Mexican drug war. The film focuses on two characters mainly. One, a Mexican crime scene investigator, and the second one, a member of a narcocorrido band. Narcocorrido is a musical style celebrating the lives and deeds of Mexican gangs and murderers. I wanted to smack the singer from the band Buknas de Culiacan all the way through the film. A really sad story, but definitely worth watching. 

Rating: 7.5/10

I Need That Record! The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store

I Need That Record! The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store

Review: A documentary looking at the death, and possible return, of the independent record stores. Worth watching even though it didn't really bring anything new to the table. 

Rating: 6/10

Vinyl

Vinyl

Review: Alan Zweig's giving us different, but entertaining, look on people obsessed with record collecting. He's not painting a very pretty picture, but that's what feels real about it. 

Rating: 7/10

David

David

Review: I kind of know what they tried to do with this film, but it didn't quite work out because of a thin story and some subpar acting. 

Rating: 4/10

Sound It Out

Sound It Out

Review: A really quite charming documentary about the last surviving vinyl record shop in Teeside, England. In this you get to meet some interesting and lovely people who all live for records in their own ways. 

Rating: 6.5/10

What Happened, Miss Simone?

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Review: I kind of had bigger hopes for this documentary about Nina Simone. Here's a person with a truly interesting story to tell, but it mostly feels cut and paste and not digging deep enough for my taste. Worth watching though, if not only for the music. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road

Review: I wasn't expecting much when I sat down to watch this latest instalment in the Mad Max saga. I was never really a big fan of the earlier films, just thought of them as decent action flicks. This new one however surprised me in a positive way. Not that it was memorable, but it felt surprisingly fresh. Worth checking out at least. 

Rating: 6.5/10

Dirty Wars

Dirty Wars

Review: I like a lot about this documentary. It's about some of the the covert operations that JSOC has done around the world, and trying to find out the reasons behind the numeral operations. Unfortunately though, too much focus is on the film maker himself, Jeremy Scahill, and my interest fades. 

Rating: 6/10

Hot Girls Wanted

Hot Girls Wanted

Review: Well made and interesting documentary about the world of so-called amateur porn and some of the people involved in it. 

Rating: 6/10

Filip & Fredrik presenterar Trevligt folk

Filip & Fredrik presenterar Trevligt Folk

Review: Warm and charming film about Somalia's first national team in bandy. It has a lot of heart and I recommend it. 

Rating: 7/10