feofanova Reviews

Dansegarderoben (2023)

Gritty-witty satire on showbusiness - and domestic violence

[8/10 · 26 March 2023]

Loosely based on accounts from actual professional dancers who worked at the popular variety Cirkusrevyen (The Circus Revue) in Copenhagen in the 1970s at a time when sexism was basically 'the name of the game' at most workplaces - and most certainly in showbusiness. And at a time when domestic violence was nothing to make such a fuss about.

The main character is the dancer, Sussie. She lives with her manipulative, self-deceptive husband Robert (A failed dancer - now working as a hairdresser while struggling to live up the expectations of being the family breadwinner) and their baby daughter. Whenever he is wearing his 'wifebeater', it's always a bad sign. When not - he can be extremely charming.

The show's great achievement is the way it manages to balance a serious undertaking of these fairly dark subjects with a humorous satirical take on both real and made-up events that took place at the Revue in the mid-70s.

The grossly underpaid dancers are stuck between personal dreams of a more glamorous life and a management that makes it very clear that the dancers are easy to replace, if they don't show enough skin or make too many demands. Popular actors of the time that were working at the Circus Revue are portrayed fairly nuanced, but the show is not about them.

The feminist movement (sometimes seen protesting right outside the venue) as well as charismatic men from various left wing protest groups are often shown as a bunch of pretentious or downright selfish show-offs.

Better Things (2016–2022)

Follows no sitcom conventions

[8/10 · 2 January 2019]

This show might be labeled 'sitcom' by the distributors, but if you expect a comedy show, you will be disappointed. It is an attempt to portray the everyday life situations between a single mom and her three daughters realistically - or at least inspired by the show's main writer and character, Pamela Adlon (Sam Fox in the show).

This not only implies breaking genre conventions, it also means that you rarely get to see a straightforward story. Expect more of a patchwork-like set of events - a bit like Woody Allen, Todd Solondz or Robert Altman - but with confrontational teenage girls - and a grandmother (Celia Imrie).

Speaking of the girls, the older (Max) and the youngest (Duke) appear as fairly typical teenagers and kids, while the middle sister, Frankie (Hannah Alligood) stands out as the more intellectual, anti-conventional one. (Think Darlene Conner from "Roseanne" (1990), if you're looking for comparisons). The young actors are clearly challenged by their well-written characters - and the result is sometimes very impressive - undoubtedly thanks to Adlon's direction.

So in short: Expect a show that follows no well-known conventions - except that each episode still has the normal duration of a sitcom episode. But also expect a show with some unusually convincing acting performances. Don't watch the show just to be entertained - the girls as well as their mother and grandmother aren't there to be likeable, cute or behave well.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Betrays the essential points of the original story

[3/10 · 17 October 2017]

From an isolated point of view, this film is an impressive piece of science fiction dystopia. The story is reasonably entertaining/dramatic, the mystery is well-paced - and above all the cinematography is so well done that you sense that every frame was considered very carefully by people who really loved the original film.

But if you were a fan of the original novel by Philip K. Dick or if you simply saw - and loved - the 1982 film, you will - like me - end up with the feeling that this film seriously an unforgivably betrays its the crucial points of its predecessor.

In "Blade Runner" (1982), the point was that replicants could be just as good (or evil) as humans, but that their emotions, memories, and ultimately lives, could be considered just as 'worthy' as those of human beings. The Roy Batty character that made the first film so interesting made this entirely clear in one of the closing scenes of the 1982 film.

In "2049", the ethical aspects of what constitutes proper lives and emotions is pushed in the background. The new generation of replicants are basically human wannabes, whose biggest dream is to be able to give birth just like humans... why is this even important? It's a purely biological qualification criterium rather than an ethical one. This is DEEPLY provoking - if not outright stupid.

We are also presented with a central mystery/story that tries to unveil family relations. Compared to the ethical aspects of the original story, this is not interesting at all.

To tell the truth, I am writing this the day after I saw the film. Yesterday I was really happy with what I saw. But once I started thinking about what made the original story so great, I quickly realised that new film ultimately betrays the most important messages of the first film. And that is unnforgivable.

Vikings: Warrior's Fate (2015) Season 3, Episode 3

Excellent balancing between myth and political history drama

[19 April 2015]

This was one of the most intriguing episodes of the show that I have seen so far. It perfectly mastered the balance between what seemed to me like a fairly realistic portrayal of political drama anno circa 828 and then a very convincing attempt at making sense of "paganism" as well as the clash of cultures. The dialog between Lagertha and king Ecbert of Wessex as well as Ragnar's dispute with Floki were essential for the story's progression - and also a welcome step away from "soap".

The overall storyline of the show is a cleverly condensed dramatisation of events that actually took place in the period between circa 800 and 880 and led to the birth of the first English kingdom. The fictional Ragnar Lodbrog (Lothbrook) character as well as Ladgerda (Lagertha), Aslaug (aka. Kraka) are described by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus who lived in the 1200s. Most likely, Saxo deliberately used the actual viking king Godfred as his inspiration.

But this episode S3E3 elegantly managed to show what was at stake - and more or less how it really could have happened - when Christian and Asatru cultures made their first - but not last - attempt at co- existence. An attempt that would last for nearly 200 years.

Pagten (2009)

A wise magical tale about trust and friendship

[9/10 · 24 December 2013]

The tradition of TV "Advent calendars" on Danish television dates over 40 years back. Each day in December until Christmas Eve another episode is shown. The main audience has always been children between 8 12, but since 1990 there has also been TV-calendars for more mature audiences.

"The Pact" written by Maya Ilsøe is one of the most well-written of them all, and it could easily be turned into an equally successful children's'/teenage fantasy book. It's a adventurous tale about the magical bond of trust between man and pixie (in the Nordic tradition a pixie is a magical being that is more human than the more gnomish creature in the Anglo-American tradition). But the evil ice witch, Iselin, threatens to break this magical bond, and she gains power from human anger and frustration. Malthe, a circa 12/13-year old boy, who gets bullied at school has the rare ability to see and communicate with pixies. The young pixie, Lyda, puts her faith in Malthe. Their quest: A human and a pixie must re-activate a mysterious "pact" together to prevent the magical bond from being broken.

"The pact" masters the delicate art of balancing social realism with fantasy not least thanks to some brilliant character casting. Rune, the class bully, who becomes the (un)willing tool of the ice witch, Iselin (a truly evil being and the main reason why the show isn't recommended to children under 8), delivers some highly convincing character acting. But also the main characters, Malthe (Benjamin Engell) and Lyda (Karla Løkke) deliver their lines with credible passion. On the whole the acting is way above average, and the story doesn't flatten out in the end. It's not loaded with action, there are no songs, and comic reliefs are only used when they're really needed.

"The Pact" is a truly memorable tale for people of all ages. It comes as no surprise that this show has been exported to other countries - even outside Scandinavia.

Cellular (2004)

Pointless, unsophisticated action flick

[4/10 · 23 August 2013]

Some action film fans might be more forgiving than me when it comes to clichés and 'dedication to the task' at the expense of probability and realism. But to put it short: Will Beinbrink's 'heroic' security guard really annoyed me. When he drove against the traffic (in his security car - as an ironic, yet idiotic gimmick) to pursue some child kidnappers and endangering dozens of lives, I really thought he deserved to get killed in a frontal crash. Unfortunately that did not happen.

As if that wasn't enough, he continues to run all sorts of mindless, unnecessary risks throughout the film - a film that is riddled with unmotivated action sequences that we have simply seen too many times both before and after this film. As an action movie "Final Call" certainly hasn't stood the test of time... And it did not reward my hope of a more sophisticated plot in any way.

4 stars are inevitable for a film with a budget and a cast like this one. But that doesn't mean it's worth watching. Only recommended for fans of the participating actors.

Eden Lake (2008)

A disturbing study in group psychology with a few ridiculous flaws

[6/10 · 23 August 2009]

This film is just as much a believable depiction of how far human group pressure can push the individual members of a group against their actual will as it is a horror-thriller. Apart from Michael Fassbender, the cast is pure typecasting perfection. The kids and their parents are disturbingly convincing to me. And as is rarely the case of thriller movies, the ending is actually one of the best parts. But be warned, this is NOT the typical thriller/horror movie, even though it can be somewhat compared to films like "Ils (Them)", "Wolf Creek" and "Descent".

However, I do have a few major objections against this movie: Why on earth did director Paul Watkins feel the need to add SO much random impulsive stupidity to the main characters? A good thriller doesn't need to do that at all. Steve might feel a small appetite for revenge against those horrible kids. But only a complete fool would ever barge right into their parents' home without any further cause. It gets even worse, when he singlehandedly enters the kids' evening campfire site and makes all sorts of unrealistic demands. The last completely ridiculous episode is when Jenny (our lady heroine aka. Kelly Reilly) decides to reveal herself by Bluetooth-connecting to her husband's mobile, when he's being tortured while tied to a tree. Only by pure accident and luck, Steve manages to escape while the gang is chasing Jenny. But the purpose of this ridiculous action cannot be explained. In general, being a school teacher by profession, you would also expect Jenny to insist much more strongly to stop her 'brave' husband's many daredevil actions. This is simply not credible.

Such pointless thriller effects drags down the movie's overall score IMO. A 6/10 must be sufficient for a such a movie with its relatively uncomplicated storyline.

Catacombs (2007)

Badly executed party horror flick

[5/10 · 29 March 2009]

This movie reeks of loose actor direction and a randomly executed plot(!) The basic idea of catacomb horror sounds promising, so it is quite frustrating to watch this tedious flick. Shannyn Sossamon has more or less been granted the same screaming-and-horrified part as Franka Potente played in the just as pointless/wasted London subway horror "Creep". The rest of the actors seem to improvise their parts quite a lot, so we never get to know whether Pink COULD have any hidden acting talents. Even though I probably love the completely unique Pink more than any other living music performer today, I have to admit that in this film she is definitely NOT playing anybody's sister! Instead, she is a somewhat spooky and unpredictable party girl that (ab)uses her charisma to stir things up along with a whole bunch of VERY unreliable young men, all played by Romanian actors. If you want good underground tension, I suggest the highly underrated "The Cave" (2005) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402901/). If you want some good chasing & suspense horror, I recommend either "Haute Tension" (2003) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338095/) starring Cécile de France or the 1978 hospital classic "Coma" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077355/) starring Genevieve Bujold and Michael Douglas. Good stuff.

The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)

Who were they?!

[4/10 · 19 January 2008]

Great pictures and memorable details will convince all viewers, that this movie is a depiction of personal memories above anything else. But from a dramatic point of view I never felt anything during the film. I honestly didn't give a damn about the characters, since I never felt I got to know anything about them. They were nothing but desperate, hopeful villagers, full of emotions I did not quite understand apart from the obvious horrors of WW2 and the believable uncertainty of liberation from the Nazis and Fascists.

But there was no psychological drama at all. No portrayal of single characters. The villagers are nothing but a social group all the time. A pregnant woman, a god-fearing child, a priest... But who ARE they really? They walk, run, die, walk, cry and walk again. But nothing much happens, and we don't know what's going on outside their small social community. Perhaps this isn't the point of the story, but I'd like to know it anyway.

The acting is (in my humble opinion) very Italian. The theatrical approach, and the intense emotional expressions are predominant throughout the movie. I simply cannot relate to it, even though I tried my best (I bought the movie, so I would be a fool not to give it a try). But it did not work out for me.