Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens

Review: For some reason I decided to see this movie. Don't really know why since I don't like Western films, and I think that Harrison Ford is an incredibly overrated actor. But then again, aliens in a movie can always be fun. But this film wasn't fun, it was 2 hours of yawning and deep sighs. Will trust my initial instinct more often and stay away from things like this.

Rating: 3.5/10

Chronicle

Chronicle

Review: First off. Nothing bores me more than movies where one of the protagonists are filming most of what we see. It was so many years ago since that technique felt fresh or even slightly interesting. With that being said though, Chronicle is an ok sci-fi about some regular teens getting super powers and their struggle against the dark side of it all. Bad acting though.

Rating: 5/10

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene is a really strong film about a young woman who suffers from paranoia and delusions after returning to her family after being with an destructive cult. Elizabeth Olsen is superb in the role Martha and the way that the director has done the movie, with short flashbacks to the time in the cult and with no simple answers, is just beautiful. A true joy to watch.

Rating: 7/10

Hodejegerne

Hodejegerne

Review: Ahh, gotta love Scandinavian films! Well, at least Danish and Norwegian ones. Morten Tyldum's Hodejegerne is a fine example when it comes to great acting at least. Aksel Hennie is one of many good actors in this suspense filled thriller from 2011. Definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 6/10

Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy

Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy

Review: Did you love Trainspotting? Then I'm quite sure that Irvine Welsh's Ecstacy will be a huge disappointment. Unless you enjoy watching something that feels both incredibly dated as well as feeling like a very cheap imitation. Read the novel instead, and leave this horribly badly acted movie alone. You will thank me, I promise.

Rating: 3/10

Louis Theroux - Extreme Love

Louis Theroux is finally back again with a new series of documentaries, this one called Extreme Love. Last night I saw the first episode called Autism where he looked on families where one or several of the children suffers from severe autism, and the strains it puts on the families and on life. Excellent as always!

Café de Flore

Café de Flore

Review: I usually really enjoy watching French movies, so I was kind of looking forward to checking out Cafe dé Flore. One thing that I have to say about it was that the acting overall was really good, I especially loved Marin Gerrier who played the boy Laurent. The script however didn't quite work. They tried to do too much and strived to make an epic love story. Unfortunately the script was too weak for that, which resulted in a movie that was too long and actually quite pointless.

Rating: 4/10

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Review: Another installment in the series of Mission Impossible movies. Never been a huge fan of them, but at the same time you always know that if you want first grade action and entertainment, without too much need for brain activity, these movies will never really disappoint you. Nice to see Mikael Nyqvist as the bad guy btw.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Rum Diary

The Rum Diary


Review: The Rum Diary is an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel of the same name. I really enjoyed the novel, but unfortunately the movie don't live up it. There is some great acting from Johnny Depp and a few others, but there is something lacking to make this more than just a so-so adaptation.


Rating: 5.5/10

We Bought a Zoo

We Bought a Zoo

Review: This movie brings no surprises what so ever. But in all it's predictability, it's still a bit warm and charming and makes it an ok time nonetheless.

Rating: 5/10

Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard

Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard

Review: I can't say that I have listened to too much of Rowland S. Howard's music before this. Sure, I've listened a bit to The Birthday Party, but that is about it to be honest. That's when documentaries come in handy sometimes. To help you discover some more or less unhidden gems that you missed out on, and Rowland S. Howard is definitely one of them. I will track down his records for sure now and give them a listen. A well made documentary that was captivating and interesting.

Rating: 6.5/10

The Inbetweeners Movie

The Inbetweeners Movie

Review: I have never seen any episodes of the tv show The Inbetweeners so I have no idea whether or not this full length feature lives up to it. I kind of liked it though. A charming teen comedy that despite it's complete predictability at least entertained me for an hour and a half. Nothing more, nothing less.

Rating: 4.5/10

The Artist

The Artist

Review: I have to admit that I was a bit sceptic before I watched this film. I wasn't sure whether or not I would enjoy a black and white silent movie. But boy was I wrong! This is truly one of the best movies that I have watched in a long time. This story about the big star of the silent movies, Georg Valentine, and his painful transition into a world of talkies is funny, sad and highly entertaining all the way through. It's a classic old fashioned Hollywood comedy and love story that has all the right elements. It's beautifully made, the acting is just right and the story is great, if not a bit predictable. A real triumph!

Rating: 8.5/10

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Review: I was never really a big fan of Sherlock Holmes when it came in 2009. And I must say that things don't really get much better this time around. Sure, it's an ok action movies, but it lacks that special Sherlock Holmes vibe that I'm looking for, or quite frankly, it's too American for me. The only thing that saves the movie from complete failure is the actors, but not even they are enough to make this film work for me.

Rating: 4.5/10

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Review: What can you say about the Transformers movies? Easy entertainment, well made and quite stupid. But sometimes that's just what you're looking for.

Rating: 4.5/10

Immortals

Immortals

Review: Horrible!

Rating: 2/10

The Woman in Black

The Woman in Black

Review: To put this all very short. This horror flick was lame, predictable and too long. So, don't watch it.

Rating: 4/10

The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb

Today's pre-work entertainment.

Fresh Meat (again)

I just have to say one thing: Fresh Meat is fucking brilliant!

Fresh Meat

Will end the day by giving the show Fresh Meat a go.

The Grey

The Grey

Review: Not a bad movie. Just predictable and a bit too long. Without Liam Neeson though, The Grey would have been more of a pain to watch.

Rating: 4.5/10

The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin

Review: First things first. Amazing animations! The characters truly come across as real humans instead of cartoons. The storyline is not as full bodied though. A true Spielberg adventure, but I've outgrown them all I'm afraid. Still, I really recommend it to younger people who might enjoy it much more than me.

Rating: 5/10

Portlandia

I'm going to give the show Portlandia a go. I know I've been warned about this one, but hey, sometimes boredom wins over sense.

The Help

The Help

Review: A young woman in the 1960s decides to write a book telling the African American maids point of view regarding working in white homes and raising their children. It's a very well made movie that is aimed at the heart and conscience of the viewers and it succeeds. But as a movie it's don't really go all the way. Even though the cast, with amazing Emma Stone in the lead, really portrays their characters well, it's not a very challenging film. I wish that it somehow had dared to get a bit darker and grittier, because in the end it in many ways turned out as a old fashioned family movie about racism and the civil rights struggle. Still worth watching and in some ways I can understand the praise that it's recieved.

Rating: 6/10

Underworld: Awakening

Underworld: Awakening

Review: Sometimes all you need is some well choreographed mindless violence and action. Nothing more, nothing less. That's what you get when you watch Underworld: Awakening. If it's a good movie? Perhaps not.

Rating: 4.5/10

We Need to Talk About Kevin

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Review: We Need to Talk About Kevin is the story of how a mother deals with the fact that her son was responsible for a high school killing spree and for the deaths of her husband and daughter. The movie is shown mostly in flashbacks leading up to the tragedy. All his life Kevin treats his mother badly, but she doesn't really come off too sympathatic all the time either. Is she to blame for who Kevin is, and what he has done? Or is Kevin just plain evil? The acting both from Tilda Swinton as the mother and all 3 actors playing Kevin (Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell and Rock Duer) are doing a superb job. I'm not a 100% convinced by the use of some of the symbolism throughout the movie, which I think is too obvious. But never the less, it is a very strong film that touches upon a dark subject and I think it deals with it straight on without too much sugar coating.

Rating: 8/10

J. Edgar

J. Edgar

Review: Even though Leonardo DiCaprio is doing his best in this role as one of America's historically most notorious men, it's sadly not enough to make this movie what it could have been. Clint Eastwood's dull direction, plus a make up apartment gone over the top in the end makes this a lack luster film that isn't really going anywhere. What could have been an intriguing and fascinationg movie mostly feels like an old man's reminiscence. I give it a 5 only because of the acting in the movie.

Rating: 5/10

Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40

Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40

If you're a hardcore Kevin Smith fan like me, shows like Too Fat for 40, is high entertainment. It's him doing a Q & A for 2 hours. Might not sound like much fun, but I think so and that's all that really counts.

Comic Book Men

I know a lot of people were excited yesterday since it was the season premiere of The Walking Dead. As much as I love zombies and the comic book that it's based on, I got bored with the show quite quickly to be honest. I was however really looking forward to another premiere yesterday, one that aired just after The Walking Dead. And I'm talking about Comic Book Men. It is an one-hour unscripted television series set inside Kevin Smith's comic book shop Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. Very geeky I know, but I loved it and will keep watching it from now on. 

Hugo

Hugo

Review: It took me several hours to get through this movie. I fell asleep about half way through it. Not Hugo's fault though. It's a sweet, well made movie from the hands of Martin Scorsese. Good acting over all and really nice cinematography. It's however not really a movie for me. Way more suitable for my oldest brother and his family I think, because it's more for the family and for the young ones.

Rating: 5/10