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Californication (2007)
Much more interesting when I was younger
So, back when this was all new and fresh, I was absolutely maniac about it.
Even dreamed of moving to LA just to experience the non-stop sex and discovery with very young, beautiful and wiling ladies.
Well.. Now I'm closer to 40 and much more knowledgeable of life, in general. For the life of me I can't understand what I liked about it and why. It was rather interesting in the first and maybe second season, about how one can re-trace his shattered life and can re-make his broken family. And even the "seduction" parts were not weird and porno-movie-speed inspired.
But after that, it just became one lame excuse for nudity. In fact, it's the very prototype of how you can prolong a show's life using excessive nudity. And while in the first seasons the writing was witty and funny and entertaining, it just got stupid afterwards and if that was the point.. whoever tried to make it was stupid.
Case in point, one of the very last scenes, in an airplane, where Hank declares his love to Karen, some random young girl offers herself up if Karen does not respond in kind. It's porn-stupid, without the nudity. But stupid and unrealistic. And misogynistic, come to think.
I have no idea if I rate it back then, but in this day and age, I'll give it 6 for the excellent cast, first two seasons, cinematography and general quality in making it. Too bad it lasted this long.
House of Cards (2013)
So sad, so sad
This is the show to watch if you are into political dramas. I cannot say it more briefly or better than this. It is simply mind blowing the twists and turns and the sheer "volume" this show is offering. It has just the right amount of character development to get to know them but not too much as to get you to skip ahead to the parts where "something happens". Speaking of, a lot of action and things happen, and very well written I might add. Being a political drama is probably very hard to find the plot holes if they exists, but, in my case, that's the thing: the show has such a pace, that some things become quite irrelevant down the road, just like in real life so no need to find any leaks. I like the dynamic of the leading couple Robin Wright and Spacey they seem to be really enjoying their characters. Also, love the haunting scores of Jeff Beal, which I remember from "Rome", another great show. Now, to explain my summary: I am sad. I only get the pleasure of this story only once a year. But, at least, unlike "Boss", this seems to go on beyond a second season, which compensates quite nicely.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Unbelievable.. uh.. sorry, not believable
I love action movies. Having a desk-job I wanna at least see how it would be like to be a real action-hero. And for that, I give this movie half of the score (5 points). I don't particularly like the way Hollywood has gone these days, from the pre-2000 style of killing thousands of enemies without the heroes getting a single scratch to today's good guys deaths in the hundreds. But still, you have plenty of shooting, decent fight scenes, the length is good, the climax was not interrupted by some bad-guy getting back to life, all well (I think) directed and despite what some say, the CG was more than decent.
However, as much as I like action movies this one pushes it. I'm used to having a story that has some non-credible starting point, but on some level it still has to make me believe it could actually happen. Not this one. I find it very, very hard to believe that the seat of power in today's world is so poorly defended, so well known by everyone and so far away from any military outpost. It's just not credible that a team of 50 (albeit well trained) special ops could storm the White House in less than the 15 min it took the army to arrive (also a dubious number). I know it's cinema, I know it's make believe, but still.. make me believe it's not so easy. Also make me believe that the life of one man will not outbalance the lives of millions. Also make me believe that the destruction of a nation does not rest in 3 codes, so secret that everyone knew who had them. That's all I ask from my 2 hours of entertaining. And for that, I only add just one more point.
Rest assure, this is not the only time the White House get's burned down this summer (I don't know, do they talk to each-other about the theme of the year?!) and by the looks of it, this is the better one. So enjoy. Oh, by the way, looking at the budget figure I think I know why Freeman and Butler are in this movie and it can't be for the script.
After Earth (2013)
A good SciFi movie
I honestly cannot understand the bad vibe this movie got. The story itself is for lack of a better word, original, far from the post- apocalyptic weird-survival stuff we've seen lately (Book of Eli, The Road and others). The pace is good, for me at least, Solaris style, which is probably why some Star Trek fans will not enjoy this. The intricacy of the father-son relationship is slowly revealed through the flash-backs of both of them while the son is making his way through "his story". There weren't a lot of animal-fighting scenes as the trailer let you believe but this is also realistic, since a 13 year old can't be some great warrior just yet. But I found it entertaining and again, quite original. I only gave it an 8 star because it seems a little far-fetched in some places: for instances, if the Earth would reach that state in a 1000 years of no humans is something to be debated; also the alien conception is a little too, well, "Alien" style to me, I can't believe the first ones we'll meet will try to devour us and also, would live anywhere and in any conditions. The thing about this movie that I enjoy the most is Will Smith's performance. He is getting, I believe, just like wine, better and better with age. His son is not there yet, I think he's got his parent's talent but he lacks his father's charisma (and deep voice) for now. I'm sure he'll get better and this was a very good start. All in all I don't see any reason for some people to get up and walk away from this movie. It truly is entertaining.
Red Riding Hood (2011)
Too much vampirism
.. and too many vampire/werewolf movies out-there. This lady-director also directed Twilight and to be fair, that was a somewhat better story. But, to move the story to a different era and keep the same actor for the father of the girl, it's just too much and I'm tempted to see it as a bad remake-story. besides, nothing really happens in the movie, no plot twists, no real climax, nothing. Just some clever camera work and a sound-track for 14 years old... which might very well be the target audience. The ending is the most boring and idiotic of all the movies I've seen these past years (and that includes Battlefield LA). I give it a 5 because the imagery is beautiful and the cast is somewhat sexy, but that's all.
Ajeossi (2010)
Brilliant
So, this is a very Asian story, about a quiet (but skillful) "knight" going to rescue a very adorable little damsel in distress. And it's absolutely good, and I mean everything, the story is well put together (albeit quite simple and very "Leon" like), the acting, with very little exceptions is brilliant and the directing is on par with that. If you enjoy some guns blazing, combined with a very well built drama (about a very real subject, human trafficking and drugs) and martial arts (without the magical acts like in so many American and Chinese movies these days) this is a movie for you. Oh, I almost forgot, the soundtrack is good too, especially the main title. So enjoy!
Human Trafficking (2005)
A real problem treated with dummy cliché
First of all, this problem is really serious, women (and not only) are trafficked by the thousands each year. It is a very sad fact of life and this should be paid attention more closely by everyone, especially men who .. consume this kind of services. However, this movie/TV series, whatever it is a piece of crap. It takes a very serious problem and instead of treating it right, providing a story with a beginning and an end and maybe a believable one, it's filled up with stupid TV cliché's: the dad who does not believe his daughter when she says she's been raped by her uncle (and actually blames her), the dad who leaves home after his daughter is kidnapped in a foreign country (and pressures the mum to forget about the lost child and save their marriage), the victims who are so afraid of their captors they do not testify even after the longest time they are in the custody of authorities. This is a LIE!!! Except for hillbillies, have you actually heard of such a dad, who would not believe his daughter over her uncle, who would forget about a child, or how do you think trafficking networks are caught these days? Out of these two hours , half was full of cheap paper-back clichés. The worst of them all was the mother letting the bad guy know about her daughter's phone call by yelling hollow threats over to him (something about killing him when she finds him, very americano, I admit), although this would most certainly bring her daughter a death-sentence?! I mean, how stupid of a writer do you have to be not to realize what a big hole this is? I gave this a 6 because the issue at the heart of this is very tragic and unfortunately real, and because Robert Carlyle is his usual self, that is very good.
Arn: Tempelriddaren (2007)
A nice film
I must admit I am pleasantly surprised by this project. The scope of the story and the cinematic achievement were quite good. It's true, the story had some holes, big holes in it, but considering the time of the story it covered and the multitude of sub-plots I think they made quite a good job at it. Take into account that the story starts somewhere in rural Gothland, a kingdom before the formation of Sweden, then stretches for many years.. and distance, all the way to the Holy Land and the fall of Jerusalem. It is a story about the coming of age of a true knight, his unfortunate love story, sibling betrayal and it's consequences, military rivalry among those who should be united and an unexpected friendship with an honorable enemy. I was also pleased with some of the acting (good on the part of Joakim Nätterqvist, good enough for Sofia Helin) although I cannot understand the choice of an actress that looks much older than her characters' love interest. But the fight scenes where decent enough, the battles were made to look quite realistic, even though you can tell there probably weren't enough money for lots of extras to have. What I did not like at all was how much religion was added, but, I guess it all adds to the flavor of the times, supposedly. All in all, a movie I would recommend for anyone who likes historical films and.. Swedish cinema.
The Good Shepherd (2006)
A better movie from De Niro
To me, this film is not at all awful, in fact, comparing it to Syriana, it actually makes more sense. The problem with Syriana was that everything was in fast forward, too much info in too little dialog, so much that in fact at some point you lose track. Not with this one, the pace is right, the story unfolds itself gradually and constantly, not fast, indeed, but you have to remember this is not an action movie. This is more about the life of a spy and if you read some of the memoirs of real spies, then this will be more realistic than 007. A good movie all in all, decent score, good directorship, good acting as well, a must see by whoever appreciates movies for movies and not as means for blowing steam. PS: Joe Pesci - in my mind a trademark of the director, see Bronx Tale, same short appearance.