Dune, del 1 (2021)

– Hjerteløs. Er jeg helt færdig med “storfilm”?

Jeg og hun så Dune, del 1 (Villeneuve, 2021) i Paladsbiografen i København i går.

Ved du, at Nordisk Film og Egmont planlægger at nedrive Poul Gernes’ først stærkt kritiserede, siden stærkt elskede, multikolorerede biografbygning, for at anlægge 6 underjordiske biografer og et kassesystem af boliger oven over? Godt set, at fremtiden for “ude-film” handler om neddykning… skærme i anonyme omgivelser, ikke de der romantiske biograffoyéer – og dertil ved alle jo, at billige lejeboliger i midt-København automatisk giver certificeret helgenstatus og optagelse som æresmedlem i Socialdemokraturet. Og hvem vil ikke gerne dét?! Continue reading “Dune, del 1 (2021)”

The Education of Fredrick Fitzell (aka Flashback) (2020)

– if you dropped acid beyond the first time, you will recognise the framework for this movie.

The Arty poster…
The Action poster…

 

source: imdb The Education of Fredrick Fitzell (aka Flashback)

9/10

[SPOILERS]
Continue reading “The Education of Fredrick Fitzell (aka Flashback) (2020)”

Good Science Fiction movies

– for whatever reason

You see the lists everywhere making clickbait articles: The twenty best… or The best of 2022… most based on stars awarded by film viewers on imdb, rotten tomatoes, Trakt or other movie databases, or “anticipated” by not being released yet AND pleasantly hyped.

Why not simply “good science fiction movies that I have actually seen”

This is what I did here. I took from the top – out of my 150 film reviews at imdb I only chose titles I had awarded from 8 to 10/10 stars, with a few 7s thrown in. I rarely bother with reviews of lesser movies, or even watching lesser movies. Even if I AM a movie fan I observe my liberty to NOT spend time looking for redeeming factors to my viewing…

I will further add to the list – I already know a few titles needing inclusion on the list, even if some of these are already well known and beloved and re-watchable in the rain eating ice-cream. But even movies with fantastic content can be good for a variety of reason besides crazy effects, weird characters or far-out storylines. Troubling, disturbing, difficult, mean is gooood! Don’tcha know?

GOOD SCIENCE FICTION fringing to other fantastic genres
(google at your own risk)

4:44 Last Day on Earth
Abbie Girl Spy: Timepiece
Altered Hours
Aniara
Antiviral
April and the Extraordinary World
ARQ
Attack the Block
Beyond the Edge/ISRA 88
Border
Boss Level
Camille Rewinds
Cargo
Casimir Effect
Christmas on Mars
Colossal
Counter-Clockwise (2011)
Crumbs
Dakota Skye
Dark at Noon (1992)
DeKronos – Il demone del tempo
Donnie Darko Director’s Cut
Down the Chain [50 min]
Downloading Nancy
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks
Dragon Head (2003)
Eden Log
Edge of tomorrow
Enter the Void
Entrance
Europa Report
Flora (2017)
Gravity
Groundhog Day
Gyarakushî kaidou
Highway to Hell (2012)
Holy Motors
I Origins
I’ll Follow you down
Immortal (from Enki Bilal’s comic)
Interstellar
Listening (2014)
LX 2048
Memory Lane (2012)
Modern Prometheus LLC
Moon
Mr Nobody
Other Life
Painting in the Rain
Possible Worlds (2000)
Primer
Remains
Ruby Sparks
Set the Thames on Fire
Shuffle
Slipstream
Solis
Solitary (2011)
Sonchidi [55 min]
Sons of Steel – directors cut
Speed Racer
The Brand New Testament
The Congress
The Fall (2006)
The Frame
The Future (2011)
The Happening (2008)
The Infinite Man
The Lobster
The Lost Thing [15 min]
The Prince of Town
The Seclet of the Tlumpet!
The Untamed
Under The Skin
Upgrade
Wristcutter A Love Story

SERIES TO RECOMMEND

Dispatches from Elsewhere
Jekyll
My Own Worst Enemy
Sense8 [all the parts]
Tales from the Loop

Boss Level (2021)

– right back at ya!

Directed by Joe Carnahan. With Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Annabelle Wallis, Michelle Yeoh, Naomi Watts. A retired special forces officer is trapped in a never ending time loop on the day of his death.

Source: Boss Level (2021) – IMDb

9/10

A lovely romp of groundhog day insanity with all of the trimmings complying more than adequately with the genre tropes and maybe a little bit overdone head chopping, but which other result could possibly satisfy sword aficionados?! Also saw (a glimpse of an uncredited) Frank Grillo in Skylin3s yesterday (more of a photo cameo, really, in an otherwise insufferable, badly scripted film), and he is a fast growing clown fighter in my book – god timing, lovely body, sarcastic grin, and straight up undiluted in this role as a man fighting to live, alternating finding and losing purpose. And characteristically beautiful, Naomi Watts, though with a somewhat diminuative role, fills any role she does – above and beyond duty and this one to with the credible mix of intelligence and sensitive longing, but the biggest surprise: Mel Gibson – still the rascal, still Mel Gibson, even after anti-semitic slurs and a host of bad scripts, but boy how he won this role, fought for it nails and talons, razor sharp diction, THAT was impressive. A solid 9 for doing this lovingly and with great persistence and musicality.

And BTW: More than a loving nod to all of that simple, yet endearingly time consuming arcade games of the 80’s.

Druk (2020)

– hvad med en film om mikrodosering af LSD?!

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. With Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe. Four friends, all high school teachers, test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood.

Source: Druk (2020) – IMDb

6.3/10 – for skuespillet alene! Burde være 3-4 for elendigt manus.

Normal-Danmark kommer gennem krisen ved at forråde fællesskabets individuelle behov (ved at undlade at hjælpe) og rejser sig på asken fra ofringen af den svageste og mest needy. Og det er der ingen skam i. Ikke noget “ingen lades tilbage” hér. Mandens (i hvert fald mandens) fællesskab er ‘enhver alene for alle’, og alt der kan undskylde mandens ikke-støtte af den svageste i fællesskabet er manglen på sprog & dén erfaring, som deres aktion gennem manuskriptet er første skridt hen imod. Continue reading “Druk (2020)”

Rainer, hand, dance, minimalism

Yvonne Rainer b. 1934

Rainer’s first film, Hand Movie, was shot by fellow dancer William Davis when Rainer was confined to a hospital bed, recovering from major surgery and unable to dance. The resulting five minutes of footage is a sustained close-up shot of Rainer’s hand against a grey background as it stretches and contracts, bends and points, performing the kinds of everyday, quotidian movements that characterize her pioneering minimalist choreography.

Kilde: https://ubu.com/film/rainer_hand-movie.html

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (TV Series 2020)

– an opinion

MINI-SERIES created by John Logan. With Natalie Dormer, Daniel Zovatto, Kerry Bishé, Adriana Barraza. When a grisly murder shocks Los Angeles in 1938, Detective Tiago Vega and his partner Lewis Michener become embroiled in an epic story that reflects the troubled history of the city.

Source: Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (TV Series 2020) – IMDb

review: 9/10

With responsibility to the world.

4 July 2020

Looking at the imdb-demographics the 8-10 votes outshine the 1-3 vote 1:3. And there’s a reason for that. Continue reading “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (TV Series 2020)”

No Turning Back (2019)

– Science. Fiction. An opinion.

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8354140/

Serious topic: the lack of space to be. For some.

I have never before written a review of a movie I did not see. But in regards to this one I feel compelled.

Judging from the trailer the acting and the cinematography leaves something to be desired. The lighting is off, there is an abundance of close-ups of actors, who all seem wooden from lack of competence or bad directing, the script is too casually “normal” – all tell tale signs of a low budget, lack of professionalism on all levels, including the financiers.

None the less “No Turning Back” has won or been nominated for several awards – best picture, best director – which could be due to lower quality of other contestants. But. Continue reading “No Turning Back (2019)”

Terra (aka. Battle for Terra) (2007)

– an opinion

Directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas. With Evan Rachel Wood, Luke Wilson, Justin Long, Chad Allen. A peaceful alien planet faces annihilation, as the homeless remainder of the human race sets its eyes on Terra. Mala, a rebellious Terrian teenager, will do everything she can to stop it.

Source: Terra (2007) – IMDb

review: 2/10

Do you feel peaceful?

26 January 2019

Do you remember any of the movies you saw, where the evil aliens invaded, and the heroic Earthling tried to forge a pact, but the evil aliens went right ahead anyway, but Earth won the day, and the Aliens lost big?

Do you remember scripts that turned it upside down, where the benevolent and peaceful aliens came to Earth only to be killed and maimed, but one of the aliens got through to one of the poor misled Earthlings and managed via a totally unconnected civilian to stop the bloodshed and forge a lasting peace? Continue reading “Terra (aka. Battle for Terra) (2007)”

Solis (2018)

– an opinion

Directed by Carl Strathie. With Steven Ogg, Alice Lowe, Sid Phoenix, Henry Douthwaite. After a space mining operation gone bad, Troy is on an emergency escape vehicle drifting towards the sun. He gets radio contact with possible help but will they get there in time?

Source: Solis (2018) – IMDb

review: 9/10

Always judge based on now, not expectations

3 November 2018

I don’t wanna go politics on you all, but a British movie racing against the clock in order to come to a singular goal makes me think of a great loss of community.

Now, forget I said that. This is not a very British movie, and it’s not sentimental, and it’s not Hollywood, and even if the race against the clock is an ancient premise in any action movie, this is a spectacular “spanner in the wheel” kind of story that you may remember for a long time. Continue reading “Solis (2018)”