jacobsteel Reviews

Captive State (2019)

Finally! An alien invasion movie not drowning in standard tropes

[10/10 · 19 September 2019]

Disclaimer: if you crave your action spoon-fed by model-cute faces, repetitive enough to text while watching: this is _not_ your kind of movie. Still, if SciFi is your fix, but this fix stopped delivering as tropes grew stale by continuous overuse this _is_ your movie. At least it was mine.

The director does takes risks, the trailer was (as often) not very representative (yet still promising). However, the movie itself delivered in spades.

Standard space-invader tropes are cut exceptionally brief. You _have_ to pay attention (put that phone away). Clues, backstory, character is presented discretely, through props, ambient sound and acting. This is more thriller than action-opera, more art house noir than Hollywood 101. Great cast, great cinematography, gearing up several times with impressive camera work and editing.

Extremely refreshing. A great scifi movie.

Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

Great meta-horror

[8/10 · 3 February 2013]

(very minor spoilers hinted below) I really enjoyed this gem of a film. Inventive, gorgeously filmed, original… lovingly true and nerdily detailed in texture, props, graphics and the workings of analogue sound. And film making.

It might help that I worked as a sound engineer for years myself... and enjoyed my fair share of horror films. Still, this was a great film. Great in that it managed both to emulate the structure of the B-rate horror movie and at the same time actually be scary _and_ make a comment on shallow effects. Great also in the attention to detail (quarter inch tape-delay, choice of tools for sound effects) homage to Italian horror and lovingly black-comedy takes on the stereotypes of the film industry. Great also in meta-horror/comedy – while staying true to classic horror form.

An interest in vintage horror movies probably helps in enjoying all subtle in-jokes. Still I'd rank this something of an instant classic. Highly recommended.

Let the Right One In (2008)

... in many parts a beautiful and original piece of cinema.

[7/10 · 4 February 2008]

I read the book and loved it. Now, I had the chance to see the movie version at the Gothenburg International Filmfestival 2008, as the movie won the "Nordiska filmpriset". I saw it at a really big screen (700 seats), happy that it delivered fine acting and quality cinema.

Having said that, I'd also agree with what's been said (e.g. above) that the music is a bit over the top. The movie itself is a study in the small: tiny nuances in the classroom and schoolyard, the almost forgotten suburb, the hiding qualities of snow, ice and winter (not to mention the, at least partly, neglected kids). To score such small details with grand strings makes for a bit of a mismatch. Enough on that, some parts have only piano and those work perfectly.

Witout spoiling anything it's safe to say that this first and foremost is a story of friendship. Second, it's a story of revenge. Either way, this is a truly original tale and in many parts a beautiful piece of cinema. Original (and sometimes quite gory) still even the violence seems subdued (at least in comparison to the vampire genre as it has evolved from subtle romance flick to full blown war movie). This movie, however, is about loneliness, friendship and loyalty --- and it's really worth watching. Recommended.

Slim Susie (2003)

Simply brilliant!

[10/10 · 26 September 2004]

I don't know where to start. Acting? Dialogue? Characters? Great dead-pan acting. Excellent fast-and-funny-as-hell dialogue. Superb misfit-crazy-characters. This film's got it all. That it's spoken in the Swedish accent of Värmländska just makes a great film even better. In fact, don't waste your time reading this. Go down to your local rental and get it. Pronto!

Hint: you might like this movie a lot better if you're something of a movie buff. Tons of reference humor. The good sort. ;-)

Klassfesten (2002)

boring. the good reviews this one got is a mystery to me.

[1/10 · 17 August 2002]

As commented above, school reunion is a popular theme. As a result quite a few movies have been made on this topic. Klassfesten is not among the better ones. How this movie got such splendid reviews in the Swedish press is a mystery.

The script occasionally seems to suffer from bipolar disorder, not being clear on whether it's comedy or drama. The jokes are poor, the editing relies too much on musical interludes and the only good acting is found among the supporting cast. Sadly enough, Klassfesten still fails to be bad enough to be entertaining (as e.g. "Dykaren" is)

Spoiler Warning: Protagonist gets Lead Girl in a predictable way. That Lead Girl characterization relies heavily on ethno-chic does not help.