IanHaymton Reviews

Munki and Trunk (2016– )

Just fun!

[9/10 · 10 January 2024]

This animated series is just one of the best kids shows ever made, though the humor is so clever it's appealing to every age, even us adults. Every episode is packed with humor, loving and sometimes heartfelt, touching moments. The stories are very well written and balanced, it's crazy enough to be funny and keep it interesting, but real enough to be taken seriously.

This series is fun for the whole family, and it's truly safe for everyone to watch. No hidden agendas or messages, just fun. Sounds too good to be true?

Watch it, and you'll see for yourself.

My kids love it, I love it, and it's become one of the favorite parts of the day.

My Norwegian Holiday (2023 TV Movie)

Not what I expected

[7/10 · 25 December 2023]

My Norwegian Holiday was surprisingly good, I really enjoyed it (and that's not because I'm biased, as I'm a Norwegian myself).

I expected this to be another B-movie, you know; this kinda' typical cheesy, romantic, overacted and dramatic Christmas movies that's full of cliches, like the ones that's overplayed on the television channels throughout December. But no, this movie took a solid step away from all that, which made the movie refreshingly hard to predict. And by doing that, I gladly accepted the few familiar romantic moment it had.

Though the way JJ, our main character, ends up in Norway is can be debated, the story is otherwise heartwarming and interesting. It portrayed love in its different shapes, forms and ways, not just between two people. And here's where this movie stands out a little from the crowd. The writer and director of this story and movie doesn't just take an overused love story, changes its appearance and scenery and just sends it off, hoping it'll make it out there. Besides the usual love between a man and a woman, the focus of this movie is set elsewhere.

Without loosing focus of the love between the couple, it almost happens naturally in the background, while another kind of love takes its rightful place in front. I felt the focus was set on love for a country, a love for a culture and a city, but most of all on the unbreakable love between family and friends, both living and the ones who've passed away. And alongside all this, we get to see our main character named JJ discover new sides of both a country and its population, gets to discover new sides of herself and her family.

There's only one thing I have to point out. This may not be that obvious or even detectable to foreigners, but since I'm a born and raised Norwegian myself, there's one thing that's dragging this movie a bit down for me, and that is that they didn't use Norwegian actors and actresses to play Norwegians in this movie. Now, I can except the our main male character Henrik moved to America, and by living there over some years could had an impact on his language, and maybe made his Norwegian language a bit rusty. But it's quite odd that his family in Bergen, who is said to be fully Norwegians, all speaks Norwegian with an American accent, and otherwise near flawless American with a hint of an made up accent. Even this supposed "Norwegian" girl singing "Santa Lucia" is clearly an American actor trying to sing in Norwegian. I just don't buy it.

It doesn't ruin the movie, at least not for me, and I don't know how difficult or expensive it is to get a Norwegian actors and extras, but it would've made a huge difference had they done it.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Love and hate

[9/10 · 1 August 2023]

This movie makes you wanna' hate America, but it certainly will make you love Nolan, and the brilliant cast. The story alone is incredible, so when I heard that they were making this movie, I thought this could go in both directions, depending on who's directing it. When I saw that it was Chistopher Nolan, I knew the movie was in the best hands, and that this would become another masterpiece. And boy, was I right. Nolan never disappoints his audience.

Specially when you know that this movie won't be ruined by CGI. In fact, for those who know Nolan's work, he's all about practical effects that makes everything feel more real. Because they mostly are.

Of course I knew he didn't set off a real atomic bomb, but it really left me longing to see how real it would feel, since there's no CGI. When I watched that atomic bomb go off in the movie, no computer can match that, as far as I've seen. It was mind blowing. I swear I literally jumped in my seat when the bang from the speakers hit me. And the way they built up to that moment, with the intense music and sound effects, my heart was just hammering in my chest.

Although the first part of the movie is mainly science and theories, Nolan tells it in such a interesting way, you don't get bored. At least I didn't. There are some iconic scientists I didn't know was involved in this story, that I thought was very interesting, and throughout the movie you get the opportunity to see all the truly hard work these people went through, all the anger, sorrows, how it affects them in good and very bad ways. I take my hat off for the amazing actors, under the steady hands of Nolan, that made me as an audience feel all that. Of course beautifully accompanied with the intense and powerful, yet stunningly beautiful music from the amazing Swedish composer, Ludwig Göransson (also know from The Mandalorian). When Robert (Oppenheimer) gets stabbed in the back by the American government, I could feel the sorrow he went through. I could feel the anger and hate building up in me.

Along with the new Avatar movie, Oppenheimer is by far among the best movies I've seen in a long time. You know, there's iconic movies like The Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, Lord Of The Rings, Titanic, Star Wars, even Marvel's End Game, among others who just blew up the movie industry, and into that collection - now there's Oppenheimer.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Good, but no cigar.

[7/10 · 6 July 2022]

The story it self in this movie is good, it's nothing we haven't seen before, but it's still good. But it's like they couldn't decide which direction to go with the story, so they went everywhere with it. Literally EVERYWHERE.

On one hand we have a sad but also beautiful new happening/story surrounding Jane, which really got to me, and I wished they'd kept that realness and sense of honest reality throughout the movie. They didn't..

The action scenes are cool and some intense, and the overall cinematic scenery is stunning, like we're use to receive from Marvel. And some scenes are really funny. But here's the problem, cause on the other hand they're trying too got damn hard to be exactly that: funny.

It's like they've said: "what can we joke about next?" instead of focusing on the story. Instead of taking the heartfelt story they have, and made that the roots of this movie, they joke everything away. Jokes are meant to just spice things up a bit, put a little zing on it, not take over the whole show. This makes the story weak, and most of the story they're trying to deliver in this movie is lost. So why a score of 7?

Cause the story between the jokes and orgie-humor, is that good.

Tenet (2020)

Confusing but fun to watch

[7/10 · 20 May 2022]

It's a lot of back and forth in the timeline of the story, but the director has such a control over the story and movie that it doesn't get frustrating. Not for me at least. There's a lot of things happening, but it's a movie where everything makes sense a long the story, or at least in the end (if you're not smart and get what's happening from the start)

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses (2021– )

A HUGE missed opportunity

[3/10 · 20 May 2022]

This show could've been so amazing! They had so many amazing resources, actors, stories and so much more magical stuff to use, and to choose from, in the Harry Potter universe. But even with Helen Mirren on the wheels this broomstick-show takes a nosedive and heads straight for the ground (kinda' like Malfoy does at the end of the quidditch game, in Chamber of Secrets.) Every single thing in this show, every single line, feels orchestrated, scripted and rehearsed. It's so cringy, you're hand is automatically reaching for the remote control.

Though the studio looks amazing, I feel like I'm watching an amateur school show, there's nothing about this that feels natural. Even the answers from the contestants feel like rehearsed lines. Instead of just replying the answer right away like you do in every other game-show, they drag it out like the producers told them what to say and how to say it.

It's just not a well planned show. This could've been an amazing and fun show for the whole family, but not even the kids liked this one.

I gave this show a 3 just because the scene/studio is amazing.

The King's Man (2021)

Disaster Movie meets some characters from Kings Men

[3/10 · 24 February 2022]

I was so hyped on this movie!

I just love the first movie. It had a captivating, entertaining story. And they presented it well, without going overboard on the crazy side.

The sequel was almost as good as the first one, but it had a bit more crazy things going on (specially at the end, where all the rich people get their heads blown of like fireworks). But it still had a good enough story.

This prequel felt nothing like the other movies from this franchise. In fact, I felt like the story had nothing to do with the franchise at all. I felt like I was watching a parody, a Disaster Movie-remake. I lost track of the story, it's meaning, and quite frankly the purpose of the movie by the end of it. It had some amazing scenery, and Ralph Fiennes is the only reasons this movie has some touching, real moment. The score is cool and exciting, and there were some nice fight scenes, though not as intelligent fights like in the first movies. It's like they've had a brainstorming but couldn't decide which direction they should go with, so they've just used it all and went everywhere with it..and beyond.

The movie looks promising at the beginning. It starts of quiet quickly with the killing of the Duke Of Oxfords wife. She's laying there in her lovers arms, dying in front of their little boy, whispering her last words "protect our son", like in all the other movies. But I'm open minded and hoped that this was the first and (hopefully) last clichés in this movie. In some ways it was. But instead, on their ways to avoid further clichés, they completely lost their track of the story. It's like they've used everything opportunity to surprise their audience with a bombshell, and not the good kind you're hoping for. The next scene always crazier than the other.

The Rasputin character was, a bit strange, but still somewhat scary at first. But when he turns all Borat, starts licking the legs of the Duke to heal him and dancing around like a ballerina, it was way beyond crazy. He just turns beyond mental, and my already weakened interest in this movie just plummeted. I can tolerate my share of weirdness, but that was just beyond the borderlands of disgusting, and quiet frankly embarrassing to watch.

They try to make up for it with some pretty cool fights and stunning war scenes, but even weak stories doesn't get better with amazing special effects. I must admit I was hoping for a deeper backstory, like where the whole "Kingsman" idea started, or what it originated from. I hope someone picks up the remaining pieces of this franchise and make it better.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Good, could've been great

[7/10 · 16 November 2021]

The story is great, it got some unexpected turns, and it's dark enough to become exciting. But a great story has to be told in a right way to become great.

There are a few things that drags this movie down, in my opinion. The script is ok, it has some weird choice of words and phrases. The movie has it's very cool parts, but overall the CGI is a bit clumsy, on the boarder line of bad in some places. The movement of objects and people is weird several times, and the scenes doesn't always match when comparing movements. I can clearly see where they used animation, or where they filmed in a studio. It's almost like I'm watching a in-game-movie. It's a little grainy, and it almost becomes too obvious.

What I love about movies today, specifically in Marvels movies, the CGI is believable and great, almost to the point where you no longer see it. It's art. The technology has become so stunningly amazing over the last decade, but it's almost like DC Comics is stuck in the past. I expected more from a movie made with today's technology.

This movie is saved by a great story, and the scenery is otherwise good. I just wish they spent more time cleaning it up, and made the make it more flawless.

Friends: The Reunion (2021 TV Special)

Love hate

[7/10 · 26 October 2021]

I would've loved this reunion-show so much more if they didn't rush it. It's simply bad editing that ruins it for me. I felt like I was watching a summary or a review that only shows highlights from the show. It left me longing for the rest of the clips.

They've shortened this show way too much. Whenever I was starting to get emotional, when I started to enjoy what I was watching and things got interesting, they changed scenes. And this happens again and again, throughout the show. Like when the actor who played Gunther is on screen, they show only a few seconds: "hi guys! I loved being on that show, bye!". I was like "that's it? That's all they wanted to show from that moment?". It almost felt like unnecessary to add because of the small amount of time they got.

Why even add it to the show if you don't give the actors involved the honor that they deserve!

I know that it happened a lot much more on set than we got to see, which is why they should've made this into a series, and not like a movie. Then they could've made an episode featuring the full show with James Corden, an episode dedicated to read-throughs (table reading), or an episode where they sit and reminisce. These actors doesn't get the honor and time that they deserve in this show.

Dolittle (2020)

Missed opportunity

[6/10 · 8 October 2021]

The story isn't all that bad, it's quite good actually, which is the only thing that kept me watching. The movie looses its focus a lot, like they're adding a lot of unnecessary lines, childish humor and weird happenings for no reason. It's clearly made for children, which in it self is not a bad thing. I think my daughter will love this movie. But for me as an adult, I feel like they made it too "safe". It's like they're holding back in some way throughout the movie. And it's affecting the acting, the script, and ruins the opportunity to become an amazing movie. All the cards are there, they're just playing it wrong.

Over all the CGI is amazing, but there are some scenes that's just not good. You can clearly see where they switch between real actors and CGI, like the scene where the boy rides on the giraffe. I guess I expected more from a newly movie of the aspect. There's also something strange about the monologue in this movie. Most of Robert's dialogue seems a bit "off beat". It's the same with many of Antonio's scenes. The sound doesn't always match what they're mimicking or saying on screen/on set, like it's voice-over.